Chapter 274: Why Am I Alive? (Part 1)
An unknown amount of time later, Nessa woke up. She slowly opened her eyes, looking around.
Strangely enough, she was in a special room at the top of the Miracle Observatory, only Magnus had access to this place. Even Nessa couldn't come in here without his permission, though he trusted no one more than she did in this world.
Well, it wasn't about trust, it was about the fact that this was Magnus's home. There was nothing lab-related here, just a simple house with stylish renovations.
Although... an apartment like this, just because of its size and renovation, would have cost several million credits, maybe even more.
From here, the panoramic windows overlook the entire Miracle Observatory, with the Third Ring on one side and the slums on the other.
Nessa was often here, but she was always called up by Magnus. Anyway, at Miracle Observatory, she usually acted as his assistant, not his daughter, because none of the workers at Miracle Observatory knew about their real relationship.
Nessa also had her own apartment in the main building, one floor below Magnus's. For the workers, these were their private offices.
'Oh... I haven't been here for quite some time. Though he's my father, I know rather little about him as a person, not as a mad scientist.' Nessa muttered inwardly, looking over her body.
The room was dimly lit, so Nessa got up and stood in front of a wide floor-to-ceiling mirror.
She touched her hair, which was short again, back to its normal state as well as her eyes and nails. However, something remained - five round scars in the area of her stomach. It was the consequence of Adam's silver claws digging into her.
And...
'Hmm? Is it just me or have my muscles changed? Not that they've gotten bigger, they even seem to have gotten smaller, but it's not just the size, is it?' Nessa pondered baffled as she examined her body and especially her legs - the thigh muscles were the largest in the human body, so she was hoping to understand something through them.
Nessa was right, muscle size wasn't important, what mattered was also density, something she used as a hybrid, but there was another parameter affecting overall power - energy.
Adam envied Nessa's muscles for a reason. His instincts told him that she was superior to him in every parameter, well, except energy.
Phantoms of different levels had varying strengths, and that applied not only to their abilities but also to their physical power.
Someone like Tron would easily defeat Adam in hand-to-hand combat because the difference in their physical strength was terrifying.
However, this was not reflected in their physical appearance. In fact, Tron was thinner than Adam, his muscles were a little smaller, and even his face was paler and weaker, but... his gaze was different.
It was all about energy. Nessa had energy too, but it was like her cells were asleep, at least until now.
Her limit had been simple monsters of the Purple Threat Level for a long time, for a simple reason - her body had reached its limit.
Magnus had guessed this, but he didn't want to upset Nessa so that her morale wouldn't drop. He hoped that in time she could get stronger, at least a few more % or another solution to their problem could be found.
Well, thanks to Adam's intervention, everything happened in a better scenario that Magnus hadn't even thought of.
Nessa had reached her limit, for her muscles could no longer get bigger or get even tighter, that was the maximum. In that case, there was only a third resource left, thanks to which the Phantom had incredible physical power - energy.
It seemed that after transforming and fighting against Adam, the dormant energy inside her cells had awakened, allowing her to go to the next level.
"Oh... I see..." Nessa muttered, slowly waving her hand in front of her.
Then, she turned around, lifted her leg, and did a few quick kicks into the air. With each movement, there were light streams of wind and a corresponding whistle due to the high speed.
"Agh...?" Nessa's eyes went wide.
"What? I've never been this fast and yet strong. I didn't try at all, these are just basic attacks... Moreover, I just now realized that my body has become much lighter..." Nessa muttered puzzled, looking at her hands.
"I guess that's how newbie Phantoms feel... I can see it now. My muscles can't get any bigger or tighter anymore, but it looks like the energy inside me is finally starting to work." Nessa whispered as she turned around, looking at herself in the mirror.
For a few seconds, she saw a slightly different version of herself in the reflection - the form she had fought against Adam in, with long hair and amber eyes.
'Well... That makes sense, doesn't it?
All this time, I had energy inside me, it was feeding my muscles, and that's why I could fight against such strong monsters. But for such a change to happen, the energy had to be activated.' Nessa pondered as her gaze became more serious.
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Although, she didn't possess such a sharp mind as Magnus, but besides Magnus, she was second in knowledge about hybrids.
Moreover, in nine years, she had learned enough from Magnus to become a scientist who would be given her department.
Nessa realized that though all of this was a good development, there was one problem that immediately came to her mind.
Nessa bit her lip, clenching her fist tightly.
"My cells are human and monster ones, the exact proportions can no longer be determined because they have become a whole unit, that's why I'm a hybrid. But... This energy that allowed me to transform, does it come from all of my cells or just the monster's ones?" Nessa frowned before getting dressed and leaving the room.
Step. Step. Step.
She walked confidently forward until she was in front of the entrance to Magnus's room.
Nessa took a deep breath, about to knock on his door and ask for permission to enter. It didn't matter if she was a hybrid or a little girl, she would always act obedient and humble in front of Magnus.
"Come in."
A calm voice came from the room. Magnus had already seen her through the cameras.
Nessa nodded, opening the door.
Magnus sat in a large chair in front of a set of screens that showed Nessa, all the biological data on her, and a recent scan of her body after a series of battles.
"Judging by the look in your eyes, you've already realized that the ability to transform isn't the only thing you got after defeat, haven't you?" Magnus cast a glance at Nessa.
He had a cup of coffee on the table, long since cooled, and a few cookies, one of which Magnus was currently eating.
Nessa nodded.
"Yeah, and as I see you've already had time to run tests. But, before you tell me what happened to me, I want to know something else." Nessa's look became more serious as she lifted her shirt revealing the scars.
Nessa gritted her teeth.
"Father, why did you leave them? We left our scars because they are special, but I don't want to remember those scars! This defeat was shameful, and Adam Vinter is a bastard! I will have nightmares about his gaze for a long time to come!" Nessa waved her hand in a fury.
Magnus stared at her for a long moment, then he nodded.
"Well, when you hear what happened afterward, you'll change your mind."
"Agh...?"