The air around him felt heavy—too heavy for comfort. Alex opened his eyes to find Vanessa’s cold, piercing gaze fixed on him like a predator ready to pounce. The dim light of the ornate chandelier above cast a pale glow on her sharp features, accentuating the frost in her expression.

Even without her saying a word, Alex could feel her displeasure. Her icy blue eyes, gleaming with a chill sharper than winter winds, bore into him with unspoken questions.

“Explain,” she said, her voice as calm as still water yet carrying an undertone of authority that silenced the room.

Alex blinked, sitting up slowly with Alenia’s help. He noticed Vanessa’s hand resting tensely on her lap, her fingers curling ever so slightly—a rare sign of how tightly wound she was.

“About what?” He asked cautiously, though he had a sinking suspicion about what this was all about.

Alenia, seated beside Vanessa, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Her touch was warm, grounding him in contrast to the icy atmosphere. “Anos told us,” she said softly, her expression strained.

Alex sighed. “What exactly did he tell you?”

“That you made a deal with him,” Vanessa replied. Her voice was cold, but her eyes betrayed the storm raging within. “And that you plan to fight him.”

‘Ah… fuck.’ Alex, gritting his teeth, glanced at Anos, who remained comfortably sprawled in his chair, a grin playing on his lips. His crimson eyes gleamed with lazy amusement.

There was a look of interest in his eyes, as if he was eager to see the result of his deeds.

“I wouldn’t say ‘plan,'” Alex began carefully, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s more like… preparing for a possibility.”

Vanessa leaned forward slightly, her gaze never leaving his. “Why, Alex?” she asked, her tone steady yet razor-sharp. “Why would you make such a reckless decision?”

Before Alex could answer, Anos’s smooth, mocking voice cut through the tension like a knife.

“Reckless? Perhaps. But also admirable.”

All eyes turned to him, but unaffected, he praises Alex, “The boy has ambition. It’s rare these days. I like it.”

Vanessa’s gaze shifted to him, colder than ice.

“You like it?” She echoed, her words slow and deliberate yet edged. “You would find amusement in MY child risking his life for YOUR entertainment.”

She couldn’t believe Anos just said that; even Alenia was grinding her teeth when she heard those words of Anos. ‘He really must want to die,’ she concluded inwardly.

Anos shrugged, unbothered by their piercing glares. “Life is a risk, Vanessa. You, of all people, should know that. And besides,” he added, his grin widening, “this isn’t just for my amusement. He has his reasons.”

Turning to Alex, he asked with a chuckle, “Don’t you, Alex?”

Alex met Anos’s gaze briefly before turning back to Vanessa and Alenia. Alex could tell that Anos hadn’t revealed what his terms were, and he was thankful for that, as he didn’t yet want to reveal that to Vanessa right now.

So, after some thinking, he began. “I do,” he said firmly. “And it’s not just about him. It’s about me. About proving myself. About protecting the people I care about.”

He didn’t tell the truth, nor did he lie. His goal might seem like Eris Ivanovich, but that was just his immediate goal. Alex had bigger things to think about.

Alenia’s hand tightened slightly on his shoulder as she heard his words. “Alex,” she said softly, her voice tinged with concern. “You don’t need to prove anything to us. To anyone. You’re already—”

“I’m not strong enough,” Alex interrupted, his voice rising slightly. “Not yet. And if I don’t take these chances—these risks—how will I ever be able to face things that you guys might find hard?”

Yes, Alex’s end goal was to grow. He had felt it many times, but this novel’s plot wasn’t just some wish-fulfillment plot—it was something way more complex than that. Alex had felt this sense of crisis a lot of times already, telling him to grow stronger and faster.

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. “And you think fighting him will make you ready?”

Alex hesitated. He knew why Vanessa was asking that. She had asked him many times already if he wanted to be trained by her. But Alex had denied her. It was not because he didn’t think she was qualified enough, but something more complex.

In the end, he nodded. “Yes. Because he won’t hold back.”

His words made Vanessa flinch. Those words made it clear why Alex didn’t want to train with her. Vanessa always stopped before things got too hard for Alex.

But Alex wasn’t done yet, so he continued, “And because I know he won’t kill me. Not if I give him a reason to keep me alive.”

His words prompted a chuckle from Anos. He was clearly enjoying the exchange. “Smart boy,” he said. “See, Vanessa? He understands the game. Perhaps better than you give him credit for.”

Anos had already told both Vanessa and Alenia about the fact that he would be fighting with his powers suppressed, but neither of them had their expressions eased at that.

Alex might now know, but Vanessa and Alenia knew very well that the difference between a star formation and star connection realm experts wasn’t merely statistics. It was something way more dangerous.

Vanessa’s fingers twitched, and for a moment, Alex thought the air in the room might freeze over. But instead of lashing out, she stood slowly, her gaze still fixed on Alex.

“You are my son,” she said, her words measured and heavy with meaning. “And because of that, I will respect your decisions. But know this, Alex: I will not stand idly by if you endanger yourself needlessly. If this deal becomes a threat to you, I will end it. Do you understand?”

Alex nodded, swallowing hard under the weight of her gaze. “I understand.”

Her agreeing to his deal with Anos was already a stretch—Alex knew it. So, he was perfectly fine with it.

Vanessa’s eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before she turned and walked to the window, her hands clasped tightly behind her back.

Alenia leaned closer to Alex, her voice soft but firm. “I don’t agree with this, Alex. But like Vanessa, I’ll support you. Just… promise me you’ll be careful.”

Alex could feel her worry from her words, but he wasn’t deterred. He needed to do this. So, with a steady voice, he nodded, “I will.”

Anos clapped his hands, breaking the tension. “Well, now that the family drama is out of the way, shall we get back to business?”

Vanessa shot him a look so cold it could have frozen lava, but Anos merely grinned.

“Alex,” Vanessa said without turning, her voice as cold and commanding as ever. “If you insist on this path, then you will train. With me. Starting tomorrow.”

Alex blinked. “Wait, with you?”

Alex could feel something different about Vanessa right now. He could somehow tell that the training she was talking about right now was not something he had experienced before.

Vanessa turned, her expression unreadable. “You wish to fight this demon. Then you’ll face me first. If you can’t survive my training, you won’t survive him.”

What he didn’t know was that Vanessa was not determined to go as hard as she could on Alex. If that was the only way to make him change his mind, then she would do it. In the end, all he wanted was to have someone who wouldn’t go easy on him and teach him, right?

Sensing Alex’s turmoil, Alenia smiled faintly, though her eyes were clouded with worry. “You’ll need all the help you can get, Alex. And between the two of us, Vanessa’s training might just be the easier part.”

Hearing her words, Alex just groaned softly, rubbing his temples. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Anos laughed, standing to leave. “Oh, this is going to be fun. I’ll be watching, boy. Don’t disappoint me.”

Those words earned him another glare from Vanessa, but he ignored it.

“As for the business I was talking about, well,” he appeared right next to Alex, his hand on his shoulder, whispering in a voice only Alex could hear, “I bought someone along with me—someone who’s probably waiting in one of the chambers attached to the ballroom.”

With that, he vanished, leaving Alex alone with his mother and Alenia.

Both Vanessa and Alenia stared at Alex for a while, waiting to see if Alex was going to tell them what Anos whispered to him, but seeing as he didn’t, they didn’t force him to.

After a while, Vanessa’s voice broke the silence. “Go enjoy your night. Tomorrow, we begin.”

Nodding his head, Alex walked out of the room.

As he did, the cool evening air of the adjoining corridors greeted him. The faint hum of distant chatter and the soft strains of music from the ballroom reminded him that the celebration was still ongoing.

‘Some birthday this is,’ he thought, shaking his head. Still, the weight of what lay ahead was impossible to ignore.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep