Alex revealed a small smile seeing the heartfelt pledge of the two leaders. He saw this coming the moment they witnessed how he effortlessly defeated Zara.
While he had no intention of ruling, the pledge of the leaders would make things easier for everyone--especially the members of The Order.
Alex stepped forward, slowly approaching the leaders who still had their heads lowered. A wave of his hand lifted them to their feet as he came to stand a little over two meters before them.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Alex spoke with the same elegance he walked with. "But you already know I have no intention of becoming the leader."
"And you don't have to, Alexander." Basso replied as the two men gave a polite bow. "Leave the administration to us and focus on your mission. The only thing that has changed will be us reporting to you as you wish."
Alexander had essentially become the Gray Eminence--the being with power and influence behind the scenes. He didn't have to do anything, but whatever he said would affect everyone within the empire.
The behaviour of the leaders took a complete 180-degree turn, and they found nothing wrong with it. The three men stared at each other as their stares did the rest of the talking.
Alex was glad all the nonsense came to an end while Basso and Jaseph studied Alex's demeanour carefully.
And now that they were paying attention, Alex appeared unfathomable to them--like had attained an unreachable state of existence.
"You don't see the world the same way as we see it, do you?" Jaseph couldn't help but ask after staring at Alexander for several seconds. "No wonder you aren't phased by a lot of things…"
In response, Alex raised his right hand and pointed a finger at them. "It will take some time but you will eventually understand." For a moment, the two were confused until a sudden thread of light rushed into them.
They instinctively flinched at the action but quickly settled down when they felt a wave of power burst within them. It instantly changed them on a fundamental level as they immediately sensed the different energy they wielded within themselves.
'Void energy!' They knew it the moment they felt it and it was intoxicating. 'How?!'
They couldn't help but stare at Alex like he was some kind of higher entity, which he was. But their shock stemmed from the act that Alexander wielded all that power and still remained the same as he was.
The connection Alex made with them only granted them access to his energies and abilities. He closed off the deeper bonds of emotions and could send orders to them telepathically whenever he wished.
"Also, take care of the people in the base," Alex gestured to the floating base in the distance. The people within dared not run away in fear of Aleander or the leaders doing something drastic.
"Yes!" With a right hand to their chest, they bowed and then took off. They found themselves moving far faster than they had ever before and it shocked them to their core.
"Now then…" Alex turned to the passed-out hunters and brought them together, putting them on their knees with both hands tied behind them.
"What do you intend to do with them?" Julia asked as she flew closer. While she was surprised by the leader's actions, she attributed it to it being normal. After all, she knew how they were feeling.
"You'll see in a bit.."
...…
Zara groaned as she slowly opened her eyes to her surroundings. For a moment, she wasn't sure what she was doing in outer space, but as her attention fell on Alex, she flinched as everything came rushing back.
Her first thought was to escape, but she found out that she couldn't move a muscle and neither could she draw any power from within.
The woman looked around desperately, only to see her hunters tied up the same way she was. Some were awake while the rest were on the verge of awakening.
'Shit!' Zara cursed, feeling a wave of humiliation wash over her. 'Everything that I worked so hard to achieve meant nothing!'
Alex had dealt with her like some child who had no idea what they were doing. 'Haa…' Warm tears gathered under her eyes, threatening to fall at the least provocation.
Behind Alexander was Basso and Jaseph who looked at her with pity in their eyes. It worsened the way she felt--she felt like a fool.
"Whatever madness drove you to come this far ends here." The grim tone in Alex's voice sent a shiver down her spine.
"Fuck you and your righteous farce!" Zara cursed, forcefully putting her fears aside. "Do you have any idea what I had to give to get to this level?!" She couldn't hold back her tears anymore.
It wasn't fair--none of this was. Why should he be given everything while she had to fight for his scraps? Why wasn't she the one who was chosen instead?
Did the universe not see her?! The woman had a heart full of grievances to share, but there was no point going over everything.
Basso and Jaseph couldn't bear to see their companion break down to such an extent. It was heartbreaking, and despite her actions, they weren't saints themselves so they knew how hurt she was.
However, that was them…
"...."
Alex could still deduce her reasoning without even knowing the full story. And in all honesty, it didn't make sense to him.
Maybe he was born differently or saw things differently. Whatever the case, Zara's goals were just illusions--dreams of false grandeur and power.
'Is there really something to ruling over people?' Alex mused while he stared at her coldly. 'Or is it just about the feeling of power? I can't understand it.'
Even after being recognized as the Gray Eminence, he felt no different. There was no superior feeling or anything as such. Everything was just as normal.
"I'm sorry that you feel that way." Alex said, closing his eyes for a moment. "But all this may have begun because you wished for power.
"Maybe the universe did you wrong by giving you that gift." His tone became softer at the end while he stepped forward. "And maybe you might find your true self without that burden…"