Alexander coughed into his hand a few times before adjusting his jet blue tie, centering its placement. Even his white gloves looked brand new. The only indication of any type of fight was his brown leather oxfords. They had built up residue and dirt along the seams of the shoe. Which was primarily caused by the fall into the chasm.
"Oh shit, sis! It is a ghost." Bruno said, stepping back.
"Oh, I assure you I am no ghost. I am very real and alive." Alexander says with a crooked smile.
"What, are you immortal or something? What kind of magic or ability are you using to have protected you from my sister's fire." Felix says stepping forward while slowly reaching for the handles of his machetes.
"That would be cool if I was immortal. Unfortunately, however, I am not immortal. I am, in fact, doing some interesting experiments. That may hopefully someday lead me to that conclusion."
"Then what are you, some kind of magician? I have a pretty good nose for relics and aura. I felt the presence of neither when my sister attacked. So you must be using some sort of sorcery I don't understand."
"Magic? There is no such thing as magic. Anything and everything you don't understand can be explained using science." Alexander's tone sounded indignant and annoyed at the accusation.
It was as if the very mention of magic annoyed him. It was evident that he had been unharmed by Johanna's last attack. So Felix has now got it fixed in his head that Alexander is some magician of epic proportions.
"Either way, magic or otherwise, it doesn't matter. You were supposed to be dead. No one survives my sister's flames. For the pure fact that they emanate a heat so strong that they cannot be extinguished with water. It would take at least 50 gallons of water to put out all her flames." Felix sounded equally impressed as he was scared of his sister's power.
However, what impresses him the most is the fact that Alexander was able to withstand an attack like that, leading him to believe there was something else happening here. This man had to have some bloodline trait that allowed him to withstand her abilities.
Felix was arguably the most hot headed out of there trio although he was also the smartest out of them. His battle IQ is what set him apart from anyone else in the Höllentrupp. It was that combined with his noise for aura and relics that helped him close the gap of battle experience between his two older siblings.
"I am glad you are still alive. I was almost disappointed my machetes didn't get to taste some of your blood." Felix quickly unsheathes his weapons spinning one in his hand showing off his swordsmanship.
"Well, I have no magic to offer you. Instead, I propose I show you all something more interesting. I'm going to show an ancient bit of science only I am able to perform." Alexander says, pulling off his white gloves and throwing them to the ground.
Alexander presses his hands together and opens his hand. Which caused Felix and Bruno to immediately lift their weapons, ready to guard any attack thrown at them. However, what was revealed was a bright blue marble, presumably one of the marbles he pulled out earlier.
"Do you understand the components of water?" Alexander asks, raising his eyebrow.
"What are you talking about water is wet of course," Bruno replies, clenching the Totengraber.
Alexander sighed, rubbing his temples like a weary teacher dealing with particularly slow students. "Yes, water is wet. Brilliant deduction. But more importantly, it's composed of elements — two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. When manipulated correctly, these elements can achieve extraordinary things."
The brothers exchanged wary glances but didn't lower their weapons.
"Well I will take your silence as a confirmation of you following along. In simple terms I compress this marble and other wise empty container I specially created. And inside the container, I gather both unique elements and compress and expand them until I am able to do this!"
Without warning, he tossed the marble into the raging fire behind him. The instant it struck the ground, it exploded in a torrent of water, extinguishing the flames in a violent hiss. Steam billowed out, thickening the fog and shrouding the battlefield in an eerie veil.
"Woah! How exactly is that not magic?" Bruno questions, truly intrigued
"Magic would mean that there is no explanation or rhyme or reason. What you two have just witnessed is a blend of science and my personal bloodline trait. I like to call this process alchemy." Alexander dug the toe of his foot into the ground kicking up dirt as he spun around in a circle.
"Alchemy? I am not following. Do you understand Felix ?" Bruno said, looking over at his younger brother.
Felix wiped sweat from his brow, jaw tight. "If you can do all that, why are you playing with us? Why not just crush us and move on?"
Alexander's smile turned predatory, his voice a low purr. "Because you fascinate me. Your techniques, your weapons, your bloodline abilities — I want to see them all. I want to dissect them, understand them, and perhaps… improve them."
He tilted his top hat, shadowing his face, but the faint glow beneath his eyepatch burned through the darkness. "So, entertain me a little longer, won't you?"
Felix gritted his teeth, lowering into a fighting stance, the blades in his hands humming through the air as he twirled them. "Bruno, stay sharp. This psycho isn't playing around."
Bruno tightened his grip on the Totengräber, veins bulging in his arms. "I don't care if he's a goddamn alchemist or the devil himself. We end him — now."
Alexander licked his lips, eyes wild with anticipation. "Yes… show me everything you have."
"My bloodline trait is nothing but my pure talent and knowledge of chemistry being brought to life. I can transform matter particularly to convert one substance to another. Or, in other words, bow before me because I am akin to your God." Alexander said showing off a more than wicked smile. He tilted his top hat down to hide the golden glow from underneath his eye patch.