Hellbound With You

Abi couldn't speak. Although she didn't look as bad as Alex thought, Abi was still shocked, and she shuddered at the thought that she had already killed.

Alex pulled her in his embrace and coaxed her. He didn't say anything, but Abi knew that he wanted her to calm down and understand that she was no longer just the normal human girl she thought she was.

"You did that to survive, Abigail." He uttered. "Because this time, you are hell-bent not to leave me all alone again."

Somehow, his words soothed her trembling heart, and she was able to calm down. Abi knew that it was a little easier for her to accept something like this now because of all the memories of her past self that she saw. The memories of Alex holding her dead body made her heart toughen. It made her realized that if she wanted to survive, if she wanted to keep her promise and will never leave Alex all alone again, she must accept who she really was, and she must do anything and everything to stay alive and be with him forever. She would never leave him and let him go through that pain again.

"Better?" he asked as he pulled away. Abi nodded. She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on him.

"Mn. So how are you going to check if the mist is still protecting me? Are you going to try harming me?"

"No. During the battle, the mist didn't come when that woman tried to harm you and when those hybrids tried to attack you. But it came when you were wandering in the forest alone. It is almost as if the mist only comes out now when you are unconscious."

"Maybe because the mist didn't really sense real danger, that's why it didn't appear all those times? Or maybe because you were there? Like... when you're not around, the mist will protect me…" Abi trailed off the moment she realized what she was spouting.

But Alex was silenced because what she said definitely made sense.

"That time in Ashteria… the mist didn't come because Lexus was there," she hesitantly added.

She was right. That was the only explanation about it. And it was such a relief to know that. However, still, it would be nice if Abigail could control the mist on her own will. Because Alex just couldn't relax, and he wanted to find anything that could double Abi's protection. If she could control the existing mists, that would be a great protection for her. Alex thought that since he could control the wind, he could easily bring fogs to her location if needed.

As they stood there, the natural fog that Alex was waiting for finally appeared.

"Wife, you can control the mist in the crater back then. How about you try controlling these mists? I believe you can do it." He said.

Abi looked around, and when she saw the mists around her, she swallowed. She then looked at Alex with a troubled expression. She honestly didn't have any idea how to do it because the only time Abi had seen her past self controlled the mist on her own will was that time when she went into the crater. Moreover, her past self only played with the mists and didn't try turning them into weapons.

Seeing her troubled expression, Alex's gaze softened as he bent and caressed her cheek. "It's okay. Believe in yourself, Abigail," he uttered, his beautiful eyes flickering with faith and confidence. "Remember, you have to learn how to protect yourself."

His words and faith in his eyes made Abi took a deep breath. She knew she had to do this. She could feel Alex's immense unease since his old memories returned. The fear in his eyes didn't escape her notice, and she understood why. He was the one who suffered most and experienced a heartbreak she knew she could never handle if she were in his shoes.

When a glimmer of intense fighting spirit appeared in her eyes, a smile crossed Alex's face. "Okay, I'll give you some space." He said, and the next second he was up there, standing at the branches as he looked down on her with encouragement.

Abi forced a smile at him before she averted her eyes away from him. She looked around at the mists around her, and she took another deep breath. She moved her hands as if to scoop the mists. After a long while of silence, Abi swallowed, and she closed her eyes.

She didn't have any idea what to do, but she thought this might be the same as activating her hearing ability. The noises then began to fill her head. But she didn't even need to try so hard anymore to sort out the sound she wanted to hear. It seemed she was finally used to this now.

Her world became quiet. The unnecessary sound had been filtered out. She focused her senses on the white-colored strings, looking for something, anything. She didn't even know what she was looking for because she was already hearing nothing but sound the mists were creating. She didn't know how long did she stand there silently before she finally found something strange. Something out of place.

Alex, whose gaze never left her noticed her brows pulled together. The sun was already setting, and she had been standing there, unmoving like a statue for hours. He was surprised because he didn't expect his wife to immerse herself completely like that immediately. He could tell just how intense her concentration, and she actually maintained it for hours. He's been waiting for her to give up for today and try it again tomorrow, but there was no sign of her stopping at all. A smirk flashed on his lips as he shook his head. How could he forget how persistent this wife of his?

However, he didn't want her to force herself too much. So once twilight came and Abi still didn't move, Alex decided to finally jump down and stop her.

The moment Alex landed on the ground, his eyes widened. A sheet of ice was about to crush on him.