"Kaelum, for now, I want you to lie low a bit. There might be a chance that my mother might try to get rid of you," Lex spoke, his declaration bringing a serious look to Kaelum's face. Even for his mother, getting rid of Kaelum won't be easy. With his powers, there are only a few in the world that shall even be able to deal with him, and moving that sort of power isn't something my mother can do without getting a lot of attention.
Right now, the reason my mother hasn't killed Kaelum to get rid of all the chances of her getting caught is due to the very reason killing Kaelum will only bring more issues to his mother.
If Kaelum were to die right after his father died, then Lex's family would have gone to the ends of the world to find that one link for all this together. Of course, even Lex's mother's family equals his father's family in strength.
Yet any fight that might arise from this would only lead to both families losing their strength, giving chances for the hyenas to circulate them and tear what would be left of the two families, all around. Only disadvantages lie in any war that may arise.
And that's the other reason that Kaelum hadn't opened his mouth. Of course, even Lex's mother knew that Kaelum wouldn't bark at this, but she still took away his family to keep tighter control over Kaelum, making the man stuck between every word he had to follow. But even with all the problems that might arise from Kaelum's death, Lex's mother might still move to end his life if Lex pushed her too much. After all, in the 'past,' his mother indeed had killed Kaelum, though by then there were even shittier problems to deal with than just Kaelum's death.
"What do you want me to do, young master?" Kaelum asked, his eyes anticipatingly looking at me, to which I replied with a smile.
"I want you to do some of these for me...."
The following days from there have been very much controlled by Lex. He sat in his chair as Lex guided the scenes that should have taken place. Slowly but surely, everything was falling into place.
At meetings with his mother, he would keep showing his stubbornness to find out more about the call. He would now take some time to spend nights sleeping with his mother, after he took out those little puppy eyes, along with the excuse of the recurring memories bringing him nightmares.
And just like Lex had planned, he would display his nightmares in real-time, showing that his memories of the accident are returning to him, and the words he would mumble in his sleep were.
"Um....no!...no!..."
"Death.....son...…gone!….."
"Son...forgive...me!"
All those words seemingly classically piercing towards the last words of his father or hinting towards the fact that the truth is itching its way closer and closer towards Lex, and he fed it all into his mother's ears, who now doesn't even seem to get any good sleep.
Right now, Lex's mother's outburst is coming, the time for her to get her madness out is reaching its end, and it's now added with the tension of the truth being out, the pressure from her business, the lack of sleep, and the pain that Lex is going through.
All of this is now breaking her mind bit by bit. Moreover, Kaelum is also doing the jobs that Lex had assigned to him very well; he is displaying the small hints of his time spent with me as a dagger that can quickly bring his mother down.
Everything is going according to Lex's plans, and now it seems like Lex is just moments away from his dream, showing him towards the truth, or Kaelum risking it all and bringing the truth to Lex; this will make it such that the outburst from his mother will be one of great madness.
'Um….so this is everything…..huh.' Lex mused as he looked at the book, marking all the problems he had observed from his mother:
Neurotransmitter Imbalance: Amoreligia is believed to be associated with a delicate balance of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. The sudden loss of the object of affection disrupts this equilibrium, leading to an imbalance that contributes to heightened emotional distress.
Neuroplasticity Changes: The brain, accustomed to a persistent pattern of obsession, undergoes neuroplasticity changes when the anchor of affection is lost. Neural pathways associated with the obsession are rewired, resulting in erratic thought patterns, emotional turbulence, and a sense of emptiness.
Hormonal Fluctuations: The endocrine system, particularly the release of stress hormones like cortisol, undergoes fluctuations as a response to the shattered fixation. These hormonal changes contribute to heightened anxiety, depressive tendencies, and an overall dysregulation of the body's stress response.
Loss of Cognitive Focus: The woman's cognitive focus, previously centred on her husband, becomes fragmented and elusive. Her thoughts, once driven by the object of her obsession, now grapple with feelings of guilt, hatred, and love in a chaotic interplay.
Emotional Outbursts: The woman experiences silent outbursts—bursts that manifest as intense emotional episodes marked by sorrow, rage, and despair. These outbursts, arising from the turmoil within her, are challenging to manage and may surface unexpectedly.
Need for a Replacement Anchor: To mitigate the adverse effects of losing the obsession, the woman may instinctively seek a replacement anchor for her Amoreligia. This could involve fixating on another person, object, or even an abstract concept that temporarily provides a semblance of emotional stability.
Challenges in Coping: Dealing with the aftermath of losing the object of affection becomes a formidable challenge. The woman grapples with the internal conflict between the remnants of her Amoreligia and the harsh reality of the consequences that unfolded due to her actions.
Therapeutic Approaches: Scientifically, therapeutic approaches involving a combination of cognitive-behavioural therapy, neurofeedback, and pharmacological interventions may be explored to manage the neurochemical imbalances and stabilise the affected individual's emotional well-being.
'Overall, things seem to be going in a good direction.'
It's just inches away from his mother's mind being blown away, and during these days, Lex went to the limit of showing some distance from his mother, a certain layer of suspicion covering over him, and Lex made sure to show his suspicions in his nightmares.
Hence, day by day, things kept deteriorating for Serena, her mind being unable to handle all this load, along with the growing suspicion of things that everything might come to light, and if it came, the situation of Serena's own children hating her, then she would never be able to live with it.
Moreover, that would also mean a great war between two powerful families, which means that Lex's mother would have to make a choice, to bring the truth to Lex and see how he reacts, to see if he might accept the truth, or it would be to silence Lex…..
Now, both options are close to impossible for Serena; that would mean she is closed in, and the walls are getting tighter and tighter as time goes by.
'For now, just a little more time for my mother to burst.'
Lex kept timing the release of his mother; in the following years, he kept extensive eyes on Serena. Lex didn't get close to his mother just to be close to her; it was also to see the changes happening in her and to understand the depths and timing of his mother's outburst. And from his observations, those outbursts only keep getting worse and worse as time goes by. It is also this observation of his that allowed him to see the fact of where and how his mother, Serena, controls herself. For Lex, now all the pieces are in place, but there is one piece he has yet to move on.
'Sandra....'
As his mother's guardian, she knows everything that is happening to his mother, and especially at the time of outbursts, the one who will be on watch will be Sandra; she will keep her eye out in case anything bad might take place during his mother's outburst.
And it will be close to impossible for the current Lex to easily slip through it, which means if he tries, he shall be able to do so, but that shall give rise to how a child like Lex managed to sneak under the eyes of a Gravity Fury Disciple, which Sandra is.
Now that would just open Lex up to a whole other lot of problems, but even then, Lex has a very useful way to deal with that issue, one that will be perfect, dramatic, and will achieve the results Lex wants in a single swipe.
'Mother, I shall let your suffering go on for a week more, then....'
Then shall be the time that Lex shall strike.