Chereads / Dust of the Shattered Realms / Chapter 23 - XXIII

Chapter 23 - XXIII

As Alex sat on the floor, trying to calm himself after reading the unsettling notifications from his tattoo, a sudden knock on the door made him jump.

"ohh great! , What now?" he muttered under his breath, annoyed, as he stomped toward the door. He yanked it open, only to be tackled by Jude, who wrapped him in a bear hug.

"Alex!" Jude practically shouted, his eyes misting up like he'd just found a missing puppy. "Where the hell have you been?! It's been three days! I thought you were dead or had run off after what happened with Matthew!"

Gasping for air under Jude's crushing grip, Alex managed to croak, "Jude... dude... I need... to breathe!"

Alex wriggled, trying to free himself. "Come on, man, you're suffocating me."

Jude loosened his grip but still held on tight, staring at Alex with wide, watery eyes. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No... I just... can't... fucking... breathe!" Alex groaned, still struggling to get out of the hug.

"Shit, sorry!" Jude quickly let go but didn't step back entirely. "I was just so freaked out. After that fight, I thought you were spiraling or something. I mean, you totally lost it out there."

Alex took a deep breath, finally able to fill his lungs again. "Jude, seriously, just give me a second. Let me breathe."

At that moment, Alex heard a faint cough from behind Jude. He craned his neck to see Simon standing there awkwardly, trying not to interrupt but clearly wanting to be noticed.

"Simon? When the hell did you get here?" Alex asked, peering around Jude.

"I've been here the whole time," Simon said with a small smirk. "But Jude kinda... blocked everything."

Alex winced as he gently pushed Jude back. "Alright, Jude, enough of the hugging. Simon, you wanna come in?"

"Yeah, both of you, come in," Alex said, stepping aside and motioning them into the cramped room.

Once inside, Alex flopped into the only chair while Simon leaned against the small table. Jude stood by the door, still looking like a worried mom.

"Alex... what's going on?" Jude asked, breaking the silence, his voice full of concern. "I heard from Simon about the duel with Matthew. Are you alright?"

Alex, who had been trying to hold it together, felt a familiar knot of tension tighten in his chest. He wasn't sure how to navigate this conversation, but he tried to stay cool. "Yeah... I just needed some space."

"Space?" Simon cut in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Three days without a single word? What were you doing, meditating in a cave?"

Alex forced a smile, clearly uncomfortable. "I needed time to clear my head after... everything."

Jude took a step forward, worry etched on his face. "But dude, you nearly killed Matthew. Simon said you totally lost it out there."

Alex leaned back, trying to look exhausted, though he wasn't good at faking it. "Yeah, I know... that's why I left. I went to my parents' house to clear my head."

For a moment, the room went dead silent. Simon and Jude exchanged confused glances.

"Your parents' place?" Jude raised an eyebrow. "We didn't even know you had a place like that. Where is it?"

Alex felt the anxiety creeping up again, but he forced himself to stay calm. "It's in a really remote area," he said, trying to sound casual. "I don't talk about it much. I just needed to clear my head, that's all."

Simon stepped forward, eyes narrowing like he wasn't buying it. "You sure this is the real you talking? Something feels off, man."

Alex felt the pressure closing in. He knew Simon could see through any bullshit, so he tried to shift the conversation. "It's nothing serious. After what went down with Matthew, I just felt like I needed some space."

Jude, still looking confused, glanced between Simon and Alex. "Look, we're here for you. I know things got wild, but he had it coming. You can't just vanish on us like that, though."

Simon gave a small grin, trying to lighten the mood. "At least give us a heads-up next time before you pull a disappearing act. Maybe we'll come with you to this 'parents' house' of yours."

Alex chuckled nervously, feeling the lie weigh heavier. "Trust me, it's not the kind of place you'd wanna visit."

Jude, now a bit more relaxed, smirked. "Well, whatever. The important thing is you're okay. But seriously, man, don't scare us like that again."

As the questions kept coming, Alex suddenly felt a warmth on his arm where the tattoo was. Then, "ding!"—a notification popped up.

Glancing down, he saw a message appear on his skin: "Failed attempt at lying. Tip: Work on your acting skills."

Alex tried to play it cool, but the embarrassment was creeping onto his face. He acted like nothing happened, but the awkward smile gave him away.

Noticing Alex's weird expression, Jude teased, "Dude, you're acting like you're hiding something. You didn't, like, kill anyone while you were off-grid, did you?"

Alex forced a laugh. "No, no... just thinking about how crazy everything is."

Simon, always observant, raised an eyebrow. "You sure everything's alright? You look like something's bugging you."

Still feeling the heat from the tattoo's snarky message, Alex scrambled to change the subject. "No, seriously. I'm fine. Just... overthinking stuff."

---

After grilling Alex with a million questions, Jude suddenly snapped to attention like he had an epiphany. "Alex Müller, it looks like your head's back on straight!" he announced with way too much enthusiasm.

A wicked grin spread across his face. "And you know what that means... time for some physical training! It's the best cure for any funk! Hahaha!"

Alex felt his nerves spike. His heart raced as he glanced at Simon, hoping for backup, but Simon just looked away like he didn't want to get involved.

"Uh, sorry Jude, but... I think I'll pass. I've got a test coming up, and I need to study tonight," Alex stammered, trying to come up with any excuse.

Jude didn't even flinch. He just raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Okay... but what about tomorrow?"

Alex could feel the pressure mounting. He sighed. "Nope, not tomorrow. Not next week. Training with you feels like jumping off a cliff without a parachute!"

Jude burst out laughing. "Aw, come on! Don't be such a wimp. You've got a physical test coming up too, right?"

Alex took a deep breath, desperately trying to dodge. "I'll train on my own. I already did some at my parents' place."

Jude's grin twisted into a look of disgust. "Dude, no wonder you smell like you haven't showered in a week. I thought I was gonna pass out from the stink when I hugged you earlier!"

Alex felt his face go bright red. "I've just been busy... I didn't have time to shower today..." he mumbled, completely flustered.

Before he could finish, Simon burst out laughing, and Jude joined in. Alex just stood there, mortified, as the two kept howling at his expense.

"This is unbelievable..." Alex muttered, trying to shake off the embarrassment, but they just kept laughing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Alex couldn't take it anymore. He took a deep breath and muttered, "Alright, I think it's time for you guys to leave. I've got a ton of work to do..."

They eventually calmed down, still smirking. As they headed out, Jude called over his shoulder, "Don't worry, Alex, I'll see you at training tomorrow... if you've got the guts!"

Once they were gone, Alex slowly closed the door, then collapsed onto his bed, completely drained. He let out a long sigh, dreading the next day.

"If he thinks I'm showing up for that, he's delusional," Alex muttered to himself. "No way."

Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, an idea popped into his head. "Can I just... ask the tattoo for stuff?" He remembered how he'd summoned lightning against that mole creature just by thinking about it. "Maybe it'll work the same now."

He paused, heart pounding between doubt and curiosity. Finally, he decided to go for it.

Alex muttered, "Alright... open the status window."

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his tattoo began to glow, casting a bright blue light across the room. "Ding!" A soft chime sounded, and the status window appeared in front of him.

______________________

Abilities:

- Legacy Transfer:

+ Lightning Power

+ (Empty)

+ (Empty)

- Dumb Luck

- Reality Reshaping

Additional Features:

- Enhanced Senses

- Dimensional Space (Your dimensional space is currently empty. Think of something you want to store and hold it in your hand, it will transfer there.)

______________________

Physical and Mental State:

- Strength: 10

- Speed: 13

- Agility: 11

- Endurance: 10

- Intelligence: 13

- ???? (Currently locked)

______________________

Level: 2

______________________

"Oh? It worked!" Alex's eyes widened, a mix of disbelief and excitement lighting up his face. He hadn't expected it to be this easy. His gaze quickly shifted to a new notification: "Your dimensional space is currently empty. Think of something you want to store and hold it in your hand, it will transfer there."

A fresh idea sparked in his mind. He remembered the rune stone he'd found earlier in one of his dungeon encounters. Fishing it out from his pocket, he turned it over in his hand, examining it closely. "Could this work?" he muttered to himself. Clenching the stone tightly, he focused his thoughts: *Let me put this in the space.*

In a flash, an ethereal glow surrounded the stone, and "Boom!"—it vanished. Alex stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. "No... way! It really disappeared!" His voice was barely more than a whisper, disbelief giving way to a wave of excitement.

Heart pounding, Alex couldn't resist trying it again. He focused on retrieving the stone, and just like before, the same soft glow enveloped his hand. "Boom!" The stone reappeared in his palm as if it had never left.

A grin spread across his face, and a chuckle escaped his lips. "This is incredible." He couldn't help himself. He did it again—storing the stone, then pulling it back—and again, and again. Each time, the stone obeyed, vanishing and reappearing on command, like magic made real. The more he did it, the more addictive it became, like playing a secret game no one else knew about.

Alex (laughing softly): "If this thing was limitless, I'd be at it forever."

The simple act of making the stone disappear and reappear filled him with a sense of wonder and glee, as if time itself had slowed down just for him to enjoy this newfound power.

Alex (giggling): "Haha! One more time... vanish... come back!"

The stone disappeared once more, only to pop back into his hand. His laughter echoed in the room, carefree and light, until—

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A sharp rapping on the wall next door silenced him instantly. He froze, wide-eyed. "Oh no... the neighbor!" His mind raced as he remembered how thin the apartment walls were. He hadn't realized how loud he had been.

Alex (whispering to himself): "Of course... I'm probably driving them crazy at this hour."

Feeling a little embarrassed, he glanced around sheepishly. The excitement still buzzed through him, but he knew he needed to tone it down. Placing the rune stone gently on the bed beside him, he sighed, saying, "Guess playtime's over for tonight."

He lay back down, pulling the blanket over himself, trying to suppress another giggle that threatened to break free. "Maybe tomorrow I'll try something new... but for now, sleep."

With a final glance at the stone, he sent it back into the dimensional space, its soft glow fading from his hand. Smiling to himself, he whispered, "What a crazy thing... but I have to admit, this is way too fun." Then, with his mind still racing from the thrill of discovery, he closed his eyes, ready to see what tomorrow would bring.

___

10 days later: the profermance test day

________

Alex stepped out of the bathroom, steam swirling around him, the warmth of the shower still clinging to his skin. The day of the performance tests at Hunter University had finally arrived, and today carried a different weight. This was the day everything was on the line—either he passed and kept his scholarship, or failed and lost it all.

He stood in front of the mirror, droplets of water sliding down his dark brown hair, now with a slight reddish tint, reaching the nape of his neck. As he stared at his reflection, it felt as though he were seeing himself for the first time. His hazel eyes sparkled with something new—a blend of confusion and strength. His body had transformed; his muscles were more defined, his shoulders broader, and his jawline sharper. It was undeniable—he was no longer the same person.

Alex (thinking, nervously):"Wow, I've really changed..."

He leaned closer to the mirror, running his fingers over his face as if to confirm it was truly him. His transformation wasn't just on the outside; inside, he felt different too. There was still anxiety lurking, but alongside it, a new surge of confidence.

Suddenly, a strange thought popped into his head: "Maybe I need a light slap to snap out of it."

He hesitated, then raised his hand toward his face. "Alright, just a little slap..." He gave himself a light smack, and the shock was immediate.

Alex (startled, blinking fast): "Ouch! Oh... okay, that didn't hurt much, but—"

He stopped, eyes widening slightly as if waiting for some magical effect from the slap. Nothing changed, but a faint smile began to spread across his face.

Alex (laughing at himself):"Oh man, do I really think slaps are the solution now?"

He shook his head, but the moment had helped. "It doesn't matter. I'm stronger now. Faster. My abilities are different."

A determined look crossed his face as memories of battles against dungeon monsters in the Punishment Grounds flooded back. He had survived moments that should have ended him, and each time he fought, he came out victorious. "I've been through worse. I'm not that weak kid relying on random teleportation anymore."

A confident grin tugged at his lips. He knew today wasn't just any day, but he also knew he wasn't the same person who feared failure. His body had grown stronger, but so had his mind and spirit.

Just as he was lost in thought, a knock on the door snapped him back to reality. He turned, startled.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

For a moment, he hesitated, then went to open the door. Simon stood there, grinning as always.

Simon (cheerfully): "Morning, Iron Man! Ready for today's test?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh, despite the nervousness bubbling inside him.

Alex (lightly laughing, nervously): "Ready? Uh, I think so… kind of?"

His voice was a mix of nerves and humor, though deep down, his tension was hard to ignore. Simon, ever perceptive, noticed but decided to lighten the mood.

Simon (teasing): "Kind of? Haha, well, just do your best, okay?"

Alex (with a nervous smile): " I'll try… but no promises!"

They both chuckled, though Alex knew their laughter was more to hide the growing tension. As they left the dorm and headed toward the university, the cool morning air cut through Alex's damp skin, but inside, a different kind of warmth was building.

Alex (internally, with resolve):"I've been through worse. I'm stronger now… I can do this."

With each step closer to the university, Alex took deep breaths, trying to steady his racing heart. Today would be crucial, but he wasn't someone who backed down from a challenge. He was ready—no matter what happened.

Just then, Simon's voice broke the silence.

Simon (suddenly noticing): "By the way, Alex... why's your cheek red?"

To be continued…