Chapter 441 441 Unbelievable
Chapter 441 Chapter 441 Unbelievable
In place of the screaming wind, a quiet calm enveloped the stratosphere.
Abby clung to Nexus- tightening her arms in a deadlock embrace.
"See," Nexus chuckled; "If you hadn't done as I said, by adding that extra layer of clothing, you'd be dealing with frostbite by now."
Her chin remained tightened- gritting in shock and cold;
"That-was-INCREDIBLE!!!" she squealed into his chest; "Do you do this everyday?!"
"Of course not." he replied without the sarcasm; "You've never flown before?"
He felt her grip on his ribs loosen a little;
"Oh yeah, my grandfather taught me a couple of spells for levitating- but duuuude! It was nothing like this!! I couldn't even hold my altitude for more than one minute!!"
With his quiet eyes radiating awe, he quietly asked;
"How high did you go?"
"Uhmm- maybe six feet? Or wait– six and a half!!"
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Nexus pivoted;
"So, compared to that, I bet this must feel like gold huh?"
"Duuuudee!" she chimed; "I FELT MY HEART IN MY MOUTH THE WHOLE TIMEEE!! I thought I was gonna poop myself–"
"Yeah," he cut in, obviously amused; "Maybe keep that last bit to yourself eh?"
She grinned, backing her head up a little;
"So how do you do it?! I mean- I didn't see you mutter any spell. And I hardly saw you move any part of your body. . ." her eyes lit up; ". . .oh- oh- oh! I know, it's telekinesis isn't it?!"
Nexus merely sighed- heaving his muscled shoulders and inflating chest;
"You're asking a lot of questions for someone who's almost five hundred feet above ground."
Pangs of surprise leapt up in her eyes;
"FIVE HUNDRED FE–"
She instinctively tilted her head down only a little. At first, it looked like she was about to cry out- but a sycophantic streak bled across her eyes.
"Senior Nexus," her voice had dropped; "Take me to a higher peak."
"What?"
"I'm no longer afraid." she declared.
"You sure? Cos earlier, you said–"
"I know what I said," she cut in- eyes shimmering with a bit of shame; "But I just remembered a legend I heard. . ."
Narrowing his eyes, he sputtered; "This is about apples isn't it?"
She nodded, not even trying to mask the mischief lurking in her eyes.
"Unbelievable," he said- shaking his head; "Hundreds of feet up in the air, and all you can think of is plundering apples from the highest peaks in the neighbourhood? No wonder you called me senior."
"Pleaseeee,"
"I'd do it myself- but I don't have your skill." she smiled cutely; "Unless you want to gift me your flying swor–"
"Not a chance." he fired back; "Anyways, hold on tight."
As soon as she locked her fingers behind him, she felt the sword jerk forward under her feet. The breeze picked up her long hair again, blowing back strands as they cruised through the clouds.
"THERE–" she squealed in excitement; "That's an apple tree!!"
Nexus leaned forward a little- willing the hurtling blade to dip a little lower.
"That's it! That's the one!"
"Hold your horses girl,"
Abby bit back her lips- fighting back to urge to tell him she was a lady, not a girl. Below, the outline of a mountain's peak came into view. A branched out tree, dotted with splashes of red, ascended from the mountain's peak.
Nexus descended further- bringing the flying sword right over the mountain top. His quick eyes flicked back and forth- searching for any signs of danger. But the impatient fingers of the girl kept nudging him.
Finally, after hovering for a few seconds, the sword touched down on the rocky enclave- skittering right through with a smooth rush. The lush warm air greeted Nexus' nostrils. Grateful for land once again, he inhaled a lungful and–
thud!
The blade was hardly a meter above ground when Abby jumped right off!
"Come on!!" she squealed excitedly- dashing towards the foot of the tree- leaping over rocks with her sleeves flapping.
Nexus sighed- dismounted from the blade, and stood with his arms folded.
Abby was like a toddler at the playground. She didn't even need to climb the tree. Below its wide spread branches, the ground was littered with freshly dropped apples. The glossy red color screamed out against the dark brown soil.
She was on her knees in a moment- gathering and gathering.
"Take it easy," Nexus called- feeling more and more like a parent; "There's plenty enough, don't hurt yourself."
But Abby didn't even glance his way.
She simply stacked dozens and dozens of apples, piling them into a nice little red hill.
"You got a sack or something?" Nexus asked.
Abby froze. She hadn't thought of that!
"Don't tell me you did not think about that?" Nexus scowled.
But that didn't deter her.
Innovation kicked in.
Nexus gawked in surprise as she took off the first of the many layers of shirts. She spread the milk blouse on the ground, opened it up, and stock piled the pile of apples into the shirt. Grinning victoriously, she rose to her feet- slung the plunder over her shoulders, and bounced towards Nexus.
"Here," she handed him a single apple; "That's for you,"
Nexus shook his head in disbelief; "That's it? One apple for me?"
"You got hands don't you? If you wanted some, you should've gotten them yourself."
With the nice pile hanging from her shoulders, she shrugged;
"I think I'm done here. I'm ready when you are."
Nexus stared at the mischievous girl- wondering if he should teach her a lesson by leaving her here for a couple of hours. But he vetoed it almost immediately- when he saw the glowing happy look on her face. Besides, Dracula would skin him alive.
"Sure," he stepped on the sword; "Let's go home."
...
In his laboratory, surrounded by the hum of a furnace and the faint scent of herbs, Mike immersed himself in his experiments. The precision of his movements reflected the meticulous nature of his work, each action a deliberate step toward unlocking the mysteries he sought to unravel.
"Master Mike, Master Nexus is here to pay you a visit, he said he had something very important to discuss with you." A maid announced standing close to the door. The maid's announcement caught Mike off guard, a slight furrow appearing on his brow. The sudden interruption by the maid bearing news of Nexus's visit disrupted the rhythm of Mike's thoughts. He paused, a quizzical expression crossing his face. Nexus, seeking him out? The unexpected nature of the visit intrigued him, and a cascade of thoughts tumbled through his mind.
"Nexus? Here to see me?"
The maid nodded, affirming Nexus's unexpected presence.
Mike couldn't help but wonder about Nexus's motives, Curiosity mingled with suspicion in his mind as he speculated on the reason for Nexus's visit. Was this an impromptu social call, or did Nexus bring some new evidence to the table? The possibilities danced in Mike's mind, and he mulled over the potential implications of this unexpected visit.
"Alright, Tell him I will be there shortly" Mike said to the Maid, she nodded and departed the lab.
As the maid departed to inform Nexus that Mike would attend to him shortly, Mike's mind delved into a deeper reflection.