Chereads / Nexus Bloodline / Chapter 15 - Chapter-15 Lennox First Breakthrough

Chapter 15 - Chapter-15 Lennox First Breakthrough

Inside Lennxo's dorm, he woke up from his meditation session, feeling energized. He glanced down and realized that the fire Enchantrums in his hand had lost its color, indicating to him they were drained.

Getting up and stretching his body, he mumbled, "I feel like my core is full of energy." Deep inside his Nexus core, he felt as if the was more Nexus energy he has inside than before.

He turned around, checking his class schedule. "I have practice with Nadia today, but she hasn't checked on me in a while," he said aloud. 'I hope she returned because there won't be anything to do until I reach grade 2,' he thought to himself.

Glancing at the clock, Lennxo noticed it was still early, so he decided to take a shower before heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. The other students looked at him with disdain, but he didn't mind since he had his own classes, and deep inside he already got accustomed to how the other Nexarc treated him.

After having his breakfast, he went to the practice room where him and Nadia usually practiced. Upon entering, before his sight, he noticed that she was not there, and the room had changed.

"Why is there furniture now? Chairs, tables, and a fridge," he said softly to himself.

The practice room now had a few extra chairs, a table, and even a fridge, which surprised him because there was no electricity to power it. But then he wondered, if there's no electricity, how does the room have light?

A voice interrupted his thoughts, "You are here, good."

Lennox suddenly heard Nadia's voice behind him, so he turned around to face her. As she entered through the wall door, which automatically shut behind her, he noticed that she seemed distracted or tired. He sensed something was off about her, and he wondered worriedly if she was overworking herself.

"I'm glad you're back, Mentor Nadia," Lennox said, his eyes briefly studying her demeanor.

Nadia nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yeah... been busy," she replied, "So what about you did you learn anything and did you practice"

Lennox's gaze met Nadia "Yeah, I learned about the Enchantrums and a managed to absorb a fire Enchantrums" he replied.

Nadia's brows furrowed slightly, her curiosity piqued. 'That explains the sudden surge of energy within you,' she thought, surprised. 'You must be on the verge of a breakthrough.'

"Is that all?" Nadia asked, her tone skeptical, her eyes searching Lennox's face for more than just words.

Lennox hesitated for a moment, sensing her probing gaze. "Yeah..." he replied, a hint of confusion crossing his face. 'When did she ever talk to me like that?' he wondered silently.

"Well, after I came back, I heard that a Nexarc named Kevin was brutally beaten. He's in the hospital," Nadia said, her voice carrying a mix of concern and frustration.

Hearing what Nadia said, Lennox's heart started to speed up, not out of nervousness but out of worry about being caught. 'Why did she ask that? Does she know? Of course, she shouldn't. No one saw us unless...' he thought. Deep down, he began to worry because if he was found out, he didn't know what the academy would do to him. Attacking a Nexarc outside the academy was a serious offense, and the consequences wouldn't be good.

Lennox took a deep breath, trying to compose himself after the shocking news about Kevin's demise. "Yeah... I heard about that poor boy," he said, his voice masking the turmoil within him.

Nadia, with her usual calm demeanor, walked past Lennox. "Yeah... I also heard that he died last night," she said, her tone solemn.

"Dead!" Lennox exclaimed, his shock evident. 'How could he be dead, even though I wanted to kill him I didn't so... how?' His mind raced with confusion and guilt.

Nadia nodded solemnly. "Yes, he suddenly died unexpectedly. Do you know anything about that?" Her eyes bore into Lennox, sensing his hidden knowledge. 'Judging by all his reactions, he must know something, but why is he hiding it?' she thought.

Lennox shook his head vigorously. "No... but if I did, I would definitely tell you," he replied, his voice tinged with genuine concern.

Nadia decides to change the subject, sensing the tension in the room and Lennox wont say anything. "Well, enough of that. I have something new to teach you," she said, settling into a soft chair. She wanted to investigate why Lennox was lying, but for now, she chose to focus on his training.

"As you know, the Nexus Vein connects through your body like a system," Nadia began. "But while they are attached to the core, there are different parts that have their own functions."

Lennox leaned in, his curiosity piqued. "That's interesting, but what kind of functions are we talking about, and where are they located?" he asked, his interest evident in his voice.

"For now, I will be teaching you about the Nexus storage on your left hand," Nadia explained, her eyes fixed on Lennox.

"Storage?" Lennox repeated, glancing down at his left hand, examining it as if trying to decipher its secrets. "How do I activate it?"

"All you have to do is, just like when you enter your Nexus Veins to awaken your bloodline, you focus on your Nexus Vein and direct your consciousness toward your left hand," Nadia explained, her words steady and clear.

Lennox opened his palm, extending it into the air. Following the ritual he had practiced many times, he reentered his body. He found himself back on his Nexus line, traveling along the line towards his left hand. To his amazement, he noticed that the Veins were larger and packed with energy. As he reached his hand, he saw multiple Nexus Veins extending all the way from his wrist to his fingers but mainly the wrist.

Upon closer inspection, Lennox discovered a circular platform with four cylindrical rows, starting large at the bottom and becoming smaller as they went up. The last row was the tiniest. At the bottom of the platform, there was an azure fireball, surrounded by a flame wall and a fire shield.

"I'm here, focused on my left hand," Lennox said, his voice projecting outside his body to Nadia.

"Alright, did you see the four-row platform?" Nadia asked, her voice echoing in his mind.

"Yeah... and there is a fireball, firewall, and fire shield. What about it?" Lennox inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, as I mentioned, that's your Nexus skill storage," Nadia explained. "Each row can store three skills that you can use, and the top row is for ultimate skill there is only one."

Lennox frowned, contemplating the possibilities. "But... what if you learn a lot of skills, and there isn't much more space?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Nadia smiled, her eyes glinting. "You can get rid of skills that aren't needed anymore, or you can grow stronger, gaining more space. Additionally, you can obtain relics, tattoos, and other means to expand your storage capacity," she explained.

"Tattoos? How can a tattoo help?" Lennox questioned, his curiosity piqued.

Nadia chuckled softly looking down at her body. "Tattoos can hold special enchantments and abilities, enhancing your connection with your Nexus Vein and providing additional storage space. They're more than just ink on skin," she said, her tone confident.

"Alright, you can come out now," Nadia said, her voice pulling Lennox back to his physical body.

Lennox slowly retracted his consciousness from his Nexus Vein, his excitement evident in his eyes. Nadia stood up, her posture confident, ready to assess his progress.

"Alright, let's practice. Show me how much you've improved," she said, her voice steady and encouraging.

"You will attack me any way you can," Nadia instructed, extending her hand as a fire shield materialized around her. "I will only defend and attack only when needed," she added, her eyes focused on Lennox.

"Okay... I hope you're ready, but you looked tired, and I don't want to cause a bother if you need sleep," Lennox said, concern lacing his words.

"Don't worry about me," Nadia replied, her voice reassuring. "As you get stronger, you will understand why," she added, appreciating his consideration. Despite her stoic exterior, she felt a warm glow inside, knowing that he cared enough to inquire about her well-being. 

Lennox and Naida stood position, The air changed into anticipation as they locked eyes, and he unleashed his first barrage, conjuring a searing fireball in his palm. With swift grace, he launched it toward her, who effortlessly, sidestepped the fireball and the fireball dissipated harmlessly into the air.

Lennox launched two fast fireballs back to back at Nadia, but she effortlessly sidestepped both, moving gracefully in a circle. It seemed as if she could perceive the fireballs in slow motion, her focus solely on Lennox, not the projectiles.

'She's way too fast. I got it, I'll try multiple fireballs again, but I'll send the last one in a direction I know she will go,' Lennox strategized.

"Try using bigger and smaller fireballs in certain situations," Nadia advised.

Before Lennox could attack, Nadia retaliated with her own burst of tiny fireballs at very fast flying toward him. His pupils shrank as he narrowly dodged the attack, twirling away to evade the onslaught. In response, he conjured his fire shield, the flames forming a protective circle before his palm.

Nadia pressed forward, her remaining arm a blur of controlled aggression. Lennox met her fireballs with agile footwork, barely dodging and parrying her attacks. His fire shield started to slowly fade, absorbing the impact of Nadia's strong fireball strikes.

"Wrong, change plans," Nadia instructed.

Lennox listened to Nadia but maintained his fire shield in his left palm and launched multiple fireballs as planned. As the fireballs approached Nadia, she swiftly sidestepped some and used her own fire shield to block the larger ones.

Nadia straightened her body. "Good, you are now able to use both hands for attack or defense," she complimented.

Lennox with a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, launching a series of rapid fireballs he tap the ground under his feet a fire line went forward past Nadia bring up a flame wall behind her.

Nadia felt the heat quickly block the fireballs, but Lennox suddenly switched to punches and kicks. Despite having only one arm, Nadia effortlessly blocked and weaved, countering his attacks while standing in the same spot. She pushed away his punches, aiming for his midsection, and landed a straight jab, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air, feeling the impact of her blow.

They both stood separated, But Lennox breathing heavily. while Nadia wasn't but she wore a satisfied smile, but he had an anxious expression on his face. 'What's happening... I feel so hot,' he thought.

Nadia noticed Lennox's worried face and quickly walked over to him. "Lennox, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I feel very hot," Lennox responded, his voice strained as he looked up at her. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, his body clearly feeling the strain of whatever it is.

As Lennox followed Nadia's instructions, he slowed his breathing, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. His body, once tense, began to relax as he focused on his breath and the sensations within him. He lowered himself into a zen position, maintaining a steady rhythm of breathing.

"Go into your Nexus core," Nadia's voice guided him. Lennox closed his eyes, visualizing the intricate network of Nexus Vein within him. Thousands of intertwined Veins glowed with shades of azure, leading toward the core where a wisp of azure flame flickered.

"Using your Nexus energy, control the Nexus Vein and entangle them the flame wisp until it pops and disappears," Nadia instructed, her voice calm and reassuring.

Inside Lennox's Nexus core, he spread his Nexus energy onto all the Vein. With immense concentration, he began to bring them closer to the fire wisp. The pressure made him sweat, but he persevered. As all the Veins became tightly entangled with the wisp, it exploded, sending a shockwave through his body.

Lennox slowly opened his eyes, his breath replaced by a surge of energy. He felt a newfound strength coursing through him. His lines, previously dull, now glowed brightly, and four additional dots appeared among the last 55 dots on his back.

"I feel stronger body, mind... my flame seems like it has grown," he said, amazed at his newfound power.

"You had a breakthrough," Nadia said, her eyes reflecting pride and encouragement.

"A breakthrough?" Lennox asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes, you can gain one through exercise, practice, fighting and absorbing materials. There are other ways too," Nadia explained, her words flowing with knowledge. "Every type of breakthrough grants you a certain amount of strength points, and you gained four, which is a decent amount," she continued, her tone confident.

Lennox chuckled in disbelief, grateful for her guidance. "Thanks for helping me. I was worried that something was wrong," he said, his gratitude evident.

"Let's end today's practice for you to get a good rest," Nadia suggested, turning to leave.

"No, I want to continue practicing more," Lennox said, determination gleaming in his eyes.

"Why?" Nadia asked curiously, intrigued by his unwavering resolve.

"I can't say, but I want to keep training harder. I train not just for power but for the responsibility it grants me to keep changing my life for the better. Training harder isn't just a choice, it's a promise I make to myself, to the ones who believe in me, and to the ones I care for. It's my way of saying, 'I won't back down. I won't fail,'" Lennox declared, his voice steady with conviction.

Nadia sighed, understanding the depth of his determination. "Lennox, you'll find the true strength of your spirit when you're ready. Remember, training is not just about mastering the elements; it's about understanding yourself, your limits, and pushing beyond them. I like that about you. So, train harder, not just for victory, but for the infinite possibilities that lie within you," she said, her words echoing with wisdom.

"Also... I will admit, you have improved more than I thought," Nadia added, acknowledging his progress, before slowly walking away, leaving Lennox to contemplate her words and his newfound strength.