10 hours later.
Letting out a deep breath, Ellia came out of her deep concentration. But, despite that, she didn't put down her passive barrier.
When she moved her gaze to the glass wall, she realized it was already dark outside. Since it was winter, nightfall would come earlier.
Getting up from her lotus position Ellia crawled out of bed and performed a cat-like stretch before leaving her room.
"Oi! Alex!" Ellia yelled while stepping into the living room. "You done yet?"
But locking her gaze on Alex, a peculiar phenomenon started to occur.
[MP: 0/130]
[Mana deprivation has been inflicted.]
Blue tabs opened in front of her, but she didn't have time to look at them.
For some reason, Alex was half naked, showing off his muscular upper body. Ellia was taken aback because she had never imagined Alex to be this muscular. No, it did not make sense. Ellia didn't remember Alex being this buff when James made everyone strip. So why the hell was he looking like this now?!
'Wait, that isn't even the problem. Why is this basted even naked.' Ellia questioned herself while staring a bit more deeply at Alex, but that was probably the worst decision she could have made.
All of a sudden, like a shitty TV series, flowers started to bloom behind Alex giving it the corniest effects ever. So this would be where the princess meets her prince in shining white armor?
'What's with these shitty romantic effects?!' Ellia yelled inwardly while franticly rubbing her eyes as if she got the worst itch in her life.
"Ian..." Ruth mumbled with disdain.
'Hey! I don't know what's happening!'
"Huh? Eli?" Alex spoke while looking toward Ellia. "I finished just not too long ago."
Alex's words weren't going through Ellia. There were things that concerned her even more.
'Why is his skin so shiny... and why the fuck does he look so handsome all of a sudden?!' Ellia shouted inside, now visibly panicking.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked as a slight frown formed on his face when he noticed Ellia's flushed face. Then reaching his hands towards Ellia, she flinched.
Weaving right like a professionally seasoned boxer, Ellia sent a punch towards the unexpected Alex, right on his cheek.
Pak!
It was a clean punch that immediately sent Alex tumbling to the ground.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Alex screamed, touching his lips to check if there was any bleeding. "What was that for?!"
"Making sure I'm still straight," Ellia answered with a mumble, her right fist raised to strike if needed.
'Huh?!" Alex shouted back in pure puzzlement.
Years she had spent on the battle filed, Years she had been killing in cold blood. And all those years, she didn't feel an ounce of fear.
But now? She was definitely feeling it.
The sight of Alex half naked on the background scared Ellia to the deepest.
[MP: 1/130]
The instant after that notification appeared. After that, everything began to return to normal. The weird sights Ellia was experiencing also disappeared along with her flushed face.
'Huh...? This is?'
"Mana deprivation," Ruth said. "It's a status effect that gives you hallucinations, dizziness, and other things due to the lack of mana, but the thing is the hallucinations are random."
'Look... I don't know what the hell that was.' Ellia quickly interjected, trying her best to justify herself. 'Maybe it has something to do with my granddaughter.'
"That's a pretty reasonable statement..." Ruth agreed.
'Yes! Thank y-'
"If it was coming from a five-year-old," Ruth added.
'...'
---
While sitting down on the black leather couch with an icepack on his cheek, Alex asked. "Any particular reason why you hit me?"
"Uhhh... yea." Ellia nodded as she went with a bullshit explanation. "You see, I was still a bit dizzy from before, so my vision was a bit blurry. I thought you were some weirdo breaking into my room, but either way, I'm sorry!" Ellia spoke, clasping her hands together with an apologetic look.
"A weirdo would be in your private resting area?" Alex asked with an expression that seemed to be saying, 'Really? Be better.'
"Oi! You were the one naked!" Ellia shouted back, pointing at Alex.
"It was hot, you know!"
"Hot my ass! It's winter hell outside!"
"Outside isn't like inside, genius." Alex ironically spoke.
"Well, there's a miracle invention called an A/C, dipshit."
The two stared at each other for a moment before sighing.
"That was like a lovers quarrel." Ruth laughed.
'Shut it.' Ellia said with an eye roll.
"By the way, I finally finished making what you asked for," Alex said as she stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter.
There Ellia saw serval grey robotic limbs with surgical needles shaped like a trident. All laying limp.
"It's perfect," Ruth said, impressed.
"Do you like it?" Alex asked.
"It's really well made." Ellia expressed that although she didn't know much. She was just talking after Ruth's insight.
"Well, what do you expect? Alex scoffed with a proud look on his face.
"I expected nothing less so why don't you go take a shower," Ellia said, pointing towards the bathroom after taking a whiff of Alex's sweaty body.
'I would also need to take one,' Ellia thought.
"Huh? Do I smell?" Alex asked, but by taking a whiff of himself, he answered his own question. Then saying so more, Alex walked into the bathroom.
"Okay, now that he's gone, I need you to touch a robotic arm," Ruth ordered. "Any is fine."
Listening to Ruth, Ellia walked towards a random arm and softly placed her palm on it. When she did, her neckless began to illuminate a blue light. And with a final shiver, it returned to normal.
The robotic arm started moving as Ellia was about to remove her hand. The arm monotonously jerked as it waved a greeting toward Ellia.
Then the other robotic arms began to come alive.
"Cool, isn't it?" Ruth said with a little giggle.
"Yea..." Ellia nodded. 'It's cool.'
Watching the arms try their best to perform their dance moves, a little knock came from the front door.
"Huh?" Ellia questioned while glancing towards the door. Of course, there wouldn't be anyone who knows she's here, either that someone was mistaking her for someone else.