Chapter 444: Seeing a… Man!
Inside Aether’s dimly lit room, Aether stood alone, facing Empress Marisandra Naiadia.
With a soft exhale, he quietly placed the intricately designed mask on the desk, his gaze shifting to the Empress.
A small smile played on his lips.
He hadn’t anticipated her visit, ‘It seems something has changed…’ he pondered, the thought swirling in his mind.
He then asked, “May I know the reason for your unexpected visit, Empress?”
The Empress, however, remained silent, her expression blank as she took in the sight of Aether.
He had transformed… grown into a man more dazzling than she remembered. He exuded a maturity that was striking, his charisma radiating like sunlight through clouds…. Yet, there was something undeniably different about him.
As she studied him, a feeling settled in her chest, a mixture of awe and trepidation…. His eyes were as calm as the vast ocean, yet beneath that tranquillity, she sensed a tsunami barely restrained!!
‘What has happened to him?’ she wondered, a flicker of concern momentarily etching itself across her face before vanishing as quickly as it came.
“Empress?” Aether called gently, breaking through her reverie.
The Empress shook her head, as if waking from a dream, and focused on Aether once more, “Well, I… I have a little business I need to attend to here,” she replied… but those were just a lie!!
In truth, she had come because… the Death Spell had activated!
Yes, the very spell she had cast as a precaution, a safeguard to alert her if anything were to happen to Aether. This morning, without warning, she had felt the chilling surge of its activation, a mix of shock and something deeper….. fear? that clawed at her insides.
She had rushed here!!!
“Empress?”
She flinched when saw him getting closer, then demanded, “Tell me, Aether, what happened? You must explain this!” Her tone was direct, tinged with an underlying tension.
The activation of the spell left no room for doubt; it only activated upon death, yet here he stood before her, ‘Is he truly Aether?’ she frowned with uneasiness.
Aether furrowed his brow, leaning slightly closer, “What do you mean, Empress? What ar–?”
Her lips twitched seeing him leaning even further, She instinctively pressed her forefinger against his forehead, stopping him mid-sentence, “I mean, did you fac—” But suddenly, her mind went blank!!
The Death Spell held dual purposes: one was to indicate a person’s death… the other was to reveal visions just moments before that death.
In an instant, she found herself standing amidst a horrific bloodbath, thousands of dragons lying lifeless at Aether’s hands. His body was battered and cracked as if he were on the brink of death himself.
“What in the world…?” she gasped, horror clawing at her throat. As she scanned the scene, her heart dropped further.
“A-Aqua? Celestia?” she stammered, her voice trembling as she beheld her daughter, motionless on the ground, alongside Celestia, who struggled weakly to move.
A wave of dread washed over her… everyone was dead here!
Then, she heard Aether, kneeling on the ground, laughing in a way that chilled her to the bone… a laugh that echoed the anguish of a man who had lost everything.
And in that dreadful moment, a massive foot descended from the sky, crushing Aether beneath it with an earth-shattering thud!
The Empress’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief as the vision turned to pitch black.
‘Where am I?’ she thought as her heart kept beating faster, frowning as she searched the dark void around her.
Just then, a soft, eerie laugh echoed through the emptiness—
“Fu~Fu~”
Looking up, source, she saw a pure white feminine figure standing upside down, her hair swirling in an unsettling manner…. reminiscent of a ghost.
With a dreadful pitch-black grin stretching across its plain face… Totally the opposite of what she saw before.
“Who are y–” She asked yet she felt a dread of hearing an answer.
Instead, It whispered,
“Do not”
Her vision abruptly snapped back, and she found herself staring at Aether, who was patiently awaiting her response, “Empress?”.
The Empress stared intently at Aether, her expression revealing nothing….. It didn’t take a genius to grasp the implications of what that thing said to her; she was not meant to divulge what she had seen to anyone.
Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she finally broke the silence, “I heard my daughter has been harassing you?”
Aether flinched at her words, surprise flickering across his features, ‘It seems this time things are indeed different from before… Am I in another reality? Did everyone die?’ The thought darkened his expression, the weight of uncertainty settling in… his face slowly changing into gloom.
“Aether?”
He snapped back to the present, forcing a smile to mask his turmoil, “Harassing? Well, maybe she was just a bit lost after the recent incident with Kai. That might be why she’s taking it out on me.”
The Empress nodded, a glint of understanding in her eyes as she stepped closer, placing a hand on his chest and gently pushing him onto the bed.
“Whoa!” Aether exclaimed, taken aback. The Empress settled on top of him, her gaze locked onto him with an indifferent intensity, “Next time, just tell her if you don’t like it,” she instructed firmly.
Aether couldn’t resist a playful smile. “What… what if I liked it—”
Before he could finish, her hands gripped his neck… not too tight, but firm enough to command his attention. She leaned in, their faces mere inches apart, “Only I am allowed to harass you, got it?”
Aether’s heart raced, a mix of excitement and mischief bubbling within him, “Yes, my Empress is the only one I allow to harass me… just like now.”
[+600 AP]
The Empress’s gaze dropped to his lips, her own parting slightly as she lowered herself toward him.
If it had been anyone else, they would think she would have gone for the kiss… but Aether knew better.
Just as he expected, her lips hovered a mere millimetre away….
Even a slight movement would get him the kiss but, he wasn’t going to do that!!
Then, she glanced at him, her expression softening, “Make sure to tell her if you don’t like it. She’s an understanding girl, but she would cry over something trivial.”
“Don’t worry…” His demeanour shifted abruptly, his eyes turning icy as he replied in an emotionless voice, “She won’t cry ever again!”
[+700 AP]
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 60.3%↑]
Aether’s eyes widened inwardly at the sudden rise in his survival rate. ‘What’s happening now?’ he wondered, a flicker of confusion crossing his mind.
Meanwhile, the Empress regarded him thoughtfully before nodding and disappearing without another word.
With a sigh, Aether decided it was time to move on to his next task!!
Meanwhile,
The Principal watched Aether disguised at Victor leave, her expression inscrutable.
She mumbled softly, “Did you see it?”
The Empress materialized beside her, just like Principal she too had an unreadable expression as she nodded in agreement.
“Hmm…” The Principal hummed thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on Victor’s back.
Silence enveloped them, the only sound the soft rustle of fabric as they both focused intently on Victor’s back as he walked away.
Though they might not fully grasp the situation unfolding before them…. one truth lingered in the air, heavy and undeniable.
“Whatever it is…” the Principal murmured.
“Whatever he is…” the Empress added.
“”This is going to be very dangerous…”” they stated in unison, as they watched the man who shouldered an immense, unseen burden.. one he carried alone, yet smiling as if everything was fine.
[+1000 AP]
“Not bad…” Empress mumbled as her lips softly curled up… Seeing a… Man!
[+3000 AP]
“Not bad at all…” The Principal nodded with satisfaction as she felt happy… Seeing a… Extraordinary man!!
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 61.3%↑]
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