Chapter 9: Awakened Expedition III
Gem Master Azazel's words held a lot of weight as after a few seconds, Gem Master Todd nodded and waved his hands as many Gem Masters visibly relaxed.
Claire's figure came out of the encirclement and wanted to talk to Alexander, but seeing all the gazes looking towards their direction...she couldn't even freely act how she wanted.
Alexander looked at her and saw the sense of urgency in her eyes as he looked around, seeing the door leading to the topmost deck where ranged Gem Masters were stationed to be on the lookout in case any Aerial Beasts of Corruption appeared.
He nodded to himself as he stepped forward and took Claire's hand to the dismay of many eyes, walking with confident strides towards the metal door on the side opening to a set of stairs that led higher as nobody dared to stop him!
He left behind the figure of Charlie who was clenching his fists as under the watchful gazes of many powerful Gem Masters, he closed the iron doors behind them and walked to the middle of the stairs.
Above, there was another door that would lead to the upper deck, but for now…there were only the two of them here.
On this staircase where no other gazes could peer into.
Alexander nodded in affirmation as he turned around while speaking.
"Are you oka-"
…!
He didn't finish his words as the figure of Claire flung itself towards him in a hug, Alexander shocked to feel the body of this girl trembling.
Trembling.
His eyes became filled with concern as he patted her dark hair, bringing their figures to sit down on the stairs as he asked again.
"Are you okay?"
The girl who held tremendous value.
A potential Five-Link Gem Master who could become a pillar of their Mortal Branch of the Asmodeus Bloodline.
She pulled her head back as her blue eyes were actually hazy with held-back tears, and she looked at Alexander closely before she laid her head on his shoulders and spoke softly.
"I…they…they are putting so many things on my shoulders…"
Her words were akin to whispers.
She was a powerful future combatant, yes. But her mentality was not at all there yet.
She wiped the tears on the rims of her dazzling blue eyes as she continued.
"My dad told me that the rise of our entire family lies on me. That in the future, I will have to protect us and ensure that the lives of hundreds and thousands do not fall to Beasts of Corruption. That soon, I will have to compete with even the Scions of the Ascendant Branch of our Asmodeus Bloodline. I…I don't…mean to be ungrateful for what I received. I don't mean to…"
Her words held immense frustration.
She knew her position was one of privilege.
She knew that everyone wished they had awakened Five-Link Gem Sockets!
So even though she couldn't bear the weight of the expectations her father placed on her, she still kept a strong front.
Alexander stroked her dark hair as he replied to her softly.
"It's okay."
He spoke calm words he had said to her many times before.
"Is it though? How can I-"
"Just leave it to me." His reply was firm.
Claire blinked and lifted her head to look at him, and he looked back with a calm gaze as he repeated himself.
"Whatever expectations they placed on you. Whatever heavy weight you are carrying…just leave it all to me, okay? I'll help you shoulder it all."
…!
They were words filled with confidence.
So much confidence that after Claire froze while looking at him for a few seconds, she gazed down towards his chest where she realized she couldn't even see anything there.
Her fingers came to his chest as she wanted to ask him.
She wanted to ask him how he could so confidently say that he would carry the weight placed on the shoulders of a Five-Link Gem Master.
But she remembered the one thing she knew all her life.
Alexander had never once lied to her.
He had never once broken any promises.
So…he wouldn't start now.
She didn't ask him how or why, but she felt like the suffocating weight she had on this whole time lessened somewhat as she nodded and placed her head on his shoulder once more.
Even though they had awakened, nothing had changed.
He was always someone she could rely on.
She closed her eyes as after what seemed like a day of people gazing up at her with expectations she could never meet, she could finally relax.
"..."
Alexander looked at the girl that seemed ready to fall asleep on his shoulders as clicked his tongue and touched the small bag beside his waist as he thought about the future.
This bag held a few more Gems he had taken from the chest his father granted him, and he didn't fully know how they may come of use in the future, but he took them just in case.
Out of the many lessons from his father, a major one was the fact that within Breaches- always be prepared for the unexpected.
And for what he wanted to do, Alexander could not afford to lose his little life here!
With a sharp gaze, he spoke softly to the girl beside him.
"Come on, I think we're getting over the wall now."
He said this, but he knew it with surety as on his chest, a total of six Gems continued to spin in his unfathomable Enneagram.
A single Main Ability Gem, and five total Support Gems!
Compare this to Claire who was a Five-Link Gem Master, she only held a single Main Ability Gem and four Support Ability Gems as the difference was clear.
But nobody knew.
And nobody needed to know as his power was his secret.
With the augmentations that his central Gem [Ice Wave] received from 5 additional Support Ability Gems, Alexander's senses did not just cover a few meters.
Ridiculously, if he truly focused- he could sense things all around for a diameter of 1 mile.
1 mile!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Adui
Adui [Variant Life Sockets]:: Abnormalities of normal Life Sockets as they aren't circular in nature. No Primal Ability Gem or Support Ability Gems have been viable to be socketed on Variant Life Sockets, and they have thus been distinguished as defective. But is this truly all they hold?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone