Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 641: Alex, the Man Beneath

CH641 Alex, the Man Beneath

***

Back in BloodIron City...

It was well past midnight.

Alex awoke upon the bed in the Fortuna mansion’s master bedroom, finding himself in the enviable position of being wrapped within the soft embrace of his three wives.

Carefully, he began to disentangle himself, taking great care not to disturb them.

He failed.

The women stirred slightly, but with a few gentle motions and quiet reassurances, he managed to coax them back into sleep.

Bare-chested and clad only in his sleeping trousers, Alex rose from the bed and made his way towards the balcony door.

From the second-floor balcony, the view offered a modest yet pleasant overlook of the surroundings. However, Alex paid it little attention. His thoughts were elsewhere.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he hopped up and settled onto the stone railing of the balcony, sitting facing outward into the night.

He sat there in silence, gazing into the distance as countless thoughts drifted through his mind.

”You are not planning on jumping, are you?” a voice suddenly broke through his reverie.

Alex glanced back to see a familiar, strikingly beautiful blue-haired woman standing by the balcony doorway, dressed in light sky-blue nightwear.

”Zora,” Alex called softly.

”Should I be worried?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

”No, the fall from here couldn’t kill me even if I did jump.” Alex let out a small chuckle. ”I just needed some air,” he replied.

Zora walked over and leaned against the balcony railing beside him, her posture relaxed, unknowingly flaunting her gorgeous figure.

Alex subtly swallowed, his gaze flickering for the briefest of moments before he steadied himself.

Oblivious to his reaction, Zora tilted her head slightly.

”What’s on your mind?” she asked.

Alex blinked, pulling himself back to the present moment. He turned to her with a faint smile.

”And what makes you think something is on my mind?”

Zora shot him a sidelong glance.

”Standing at the highest point you can find, sitting on the railing... you do remember I’m the one who taught you that habit?”

”I remember,” Alex replied, his smile widening just a fraction.

His gaze turned distant, tinged with reminiscence, as he recalled the day—barely a month after joining the DragonHold Enclave—when Zora had brought him to the highest point of the main tower, revealing to him the breathtaking expanse of the Dragonspine Mountain Range.

”How could I forget?” Alex said softly. ”It was there that I had the epiphany that gave birth to my Rune-Tech platform... my one creation that set me on the path to becoming the man I am today.”

”No,” Zora shook her head gently. ”Rune-Tech did not make you who you are. At best, it is only a small part of it. I am certain you would still be the same curious, impulsive, unpredictable—yet undeniably impressive—man you are now.”

”Haha...” Alex let out a quiet laugh. ”Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

He smiled, then turned back towards the night view. Slowly, that smile began to fade.

”What a difference six... seven years can make,” he murmured. ”It has only been a little over six years since that day at the top of the tower, yet everything has changed... so much more than I ever expected.”

”It has been nearly two years since my coming of age, and yet it feels as though I have lived through an entire lifetime’s worth of events.

”Reclaiming my position as heir... crushing the family council to stabilise my standing within the greater Fury family... leading my first expedition... slaying a drake above my rank... negotiating with a dragon... leading and winning a territorial dispute... narrowly surviving an assassination attempt by a Legend... negotiating with a long-standing noble house... establishing one of the wealthiest companies on Pangea...”

He paused, glancing sideways at Zora.

”And somehow... marrying three beautiful women who are arguably out of my league,” he added with a faint smirk.

Zora shot him a glare, followed by a subtle eye roll.

Alex chuckled before turning his gaze back towards the distant cityscape. His expression grew serious once more.

”For most people, any one of these would be enough to define them for an entire lifetime. Yet for me... they just keep coming, one after another, without pause.”

”It feels like the stakes have only grown larger since we arrived on this plane—one that might as well be enemy territory. And now, somehow... I’ve managed to drag us into a hidden struggle over the fate of this entire plane.”

He let out a long breath.

”And in the middle of all that... I still have to deal with a damned bandit leader.”

He let out a wry chuckle.

”A part of me misses those quiet five years back at the Tower, when all I had to worry about was my research. I no longer have that luxury.”

Alex exhaled softly and fell silent.

Zora allowed him the space to speak, choosing not to interrupt. Only when it became clear that his thoughts had settled into silence did she gently press further.

”What is this really about, Alex?” she asked again, her voice soft but firm.

”I’m worried,” Alex admitted, after a few moments.

”Father once warned me that interplanar travel would either make or break those who undertake it—especially the one leading it, the one responsible for making decisions on behalf of the entire expedition.”

He paused briefly, gathering his thoughts.

”You know... when I first heard about the ambush, I felt nothing. Those under my command were killed, and I felt... numb.

”When I learned that bandits were responsible, I was angry—but not because they had died. I was angry because of the inconvenience their deaths caused... and the trouble of dealing with those responsible.”

He turned to look at her, his expression unusually solemn.

”In that moment, I realised an unsettling fact. Aside from Mogal and Kavakan, I don’t truly see the raid party as my men. They were just... add-ons. Assets I picked up along the way. In my mind, they were nothing more than numbers.”

He looked away again.

”I understand that it may be a subconscious coping mechanism, especially considering the extremes of the Furor aspect of my bloodline. But the fact that I didn’t even notice it until now... that’s what frightens me.”

His voice lowered slightly.

”If I am to become a leader... the leader of an empire, no less—I do not want to become the kind of person who is cold and unfeeling. Someone who views his subordinates as nothing more than sources of Providence... or mere figures on a sheet.”

”You won’t,” Zora said immediately, stepping forward and wrapping him in a firm embrace.

”How can you be so certain? I’m not,” Alex replied quietly.

”Because I trust the kind of man you are,” Zora answered without hesitation. ”And even if things begin to change... you won’t face it alone. You have me, Eleanore, Udara—and everyone else who stands with you. We’ll pull you back if you ever stray too far.”

She tightened her embrace slightly.

”Is that enough?”

Alex let out a slow breath, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

”Yeah...” he murmured. ”Yes... I’d like that.”

***