“Damn it, this whole place is completely overrun with roots…” Aether muttered under his breath as he leaped over a thick root, its tangled mass blocking his path.
“Curioussss~” Snowflake hissed softly, her golden, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on Aether’s hand, where a small, flickering purple flame danced in his palm.
Aether chuckled, his voice low and teasing. “What? You like it, don’t you?”
Snowflake, however, shook her head, her gaze never leaving the flame, “Dangerousssss~” she hissed again, her tone filled with unease. The flame, although mesmerizing, clearly invoked a primal fear within her as she continued to watch it sway hypnotically in his palm.
Aether’s chuckle deepened, his amusement growing. He raised his hand higher, trying to illuminate more of the twisted, dark path around them.
The shadows loomed, but the flame seemed to reveal little of their surroundings, “I could’ve sworn I heard something… right here,” Aether said, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had been certain——that he had heard the guttural sound of a monster, but now, there was only silence.
No movement. Just the oppressive stillness.
Another massive root loomed ahead, blocking his path forward. “Tch,” he clicked his tongue in frustration, flicking his fingers. A burst of purple sparks shot forward, lighting up the space around him for a brief moment.
But there was nothing. Only more gnarled roots twisting around the round, barren ground.
The spark revealed no threats, no signs of life…. Just the eerie stillness!
“Sigh…” Aether exhaled heavily, placing his hand on the giant root, preparing to vault over it. But just as his fingers tightened on the rough surface, he felt it… an unmistakable tremor, faint but real.
His hand froze mid-motion.
His eyes narrowed. “What the—?” he murmured, pressing his ear against the root. The faint vibration grew stronger. There it was again—’rrrrrrrr’—a low, stretching, creaking sound that reverberated through the roots.
“Something stretching this…” he whispered, his voice barely audible. He slid his hand along the root, following the vibrations as they became more pronounced.
The more he moved, the stronger the tremor grew.
Aether’s muscles tensed, and he instinctively raised his free hand, the one holding the flame, trying to peer into the darkness. But all he saw was more of the damn root.
Then, without warning—
“HISSSSS!!!”
Snowflake’s hiss cut through the silence, her eyes widening in alarm, her body coiled and ready to strike.
“What is it?” Aether whispered, his voice suddenly sharp with alertness.
Snowflake, who had been draped around his neck moments before, leaped down to the ground. In an instant, her body expanded, growing to her full size. Her head twisted in a chilling 360-degree turn, her expression deadly serious as she hissed furiously.
“Snow, what’s going on?” Aether asked, now fully on guard. His hand shot upward, and with a swift motion, he unleashed a large purple flame into the air, lighting up the entire dark in a brilliant burst.
BOOM!
The flame exploded above them, casting a light over their surroundings, and finally, the truth was revealed.
Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of massive, coiled snake-like monsters surrounded them. Each one was colossal, their scales shimmering with an unnatural, sickly glow. Their eyes, burning with fury, were locked on Aether, and their mouths dripped with venom as they hissed in unison.
“Heheh…” Aether’s grin widened dangerously, “So, you’ve been hiding here all this time, huh?” he muttered under his breath, the light quickly fading, plunging the space back into darkness.
BOOM!
Thud!!
Splattter!!!!
Blood sprayed across the ground as Aether tore the head clean off one of the massive snakes that had tried to sneak up on him from behind. His eyes flared with a violent glow as he lifted the severed head, speaking coldly, “Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you one chance… Run, or die here. The choice is yours.” With that, he threw the head at the others, the lifeless eyes staring back at them as it hit the ground.
For a brief moment, the horde of snakes hesitated, their gazes flickering between their fallen comrade and Aether.
Then—
“HHHIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS~~~”
The entire darkness shook as the snakes roared in fury, their rainbow-coloured crystals blazing with intense energy. In a blur of movement, they lunged toward Aether, their mouths wide open, fangs dripping with lethal venom.
“You chose poorly, motherfuckers~” Aether growled, his grin twisted with excitement. His entire body ignited with purple flames, the energy swirling around him like a storm, “Let’s see how well you handle this.”
In one swift motion, he stomped the ground, launching himself into the air. Purple fire exploded around him as he flew upward, and—
BOOOOMMMMMM!!
The ground erupted beneath him, sending snakes flying in all directions as the ground floor shattered into pieces.
Meanwhile, in the dim-lit castle…
“Do you feel pain… lowborn?” Arkanis asked, a sadistic smile tugging at his lips as he slowly pulled another nail from Aether’s fingers.
Chucckkk
The sickening sound of bone tearing from flesh echoed in the chamber, a gruesome symphony that filled the dark, torturous room.
Aether, tied to a bloodied chair, hung limp, his body battered and unrecognizable.
Arkanis admired his handiwork, the twisted masterpiece he had created. Aether’s once strong form was now a picture of agony, torn apart in ways no words could describe.
“Look at me, lowborn… Can you feel the pain?” Arkanis tilted Aether’s head, revealing the hollow, empty sockets where his eyes had been.
There was no reaction.
Arkanis sneered, “Hahah…Oh, come on you cannot die on me now…” He slapped Aether hard across the face.
SLAP!!
Still, nothing.
“You really are a tough one, aren’t you?” Arkanis mused, before pouring a small amount of healing potion into Aether’s cracked, bloodied lips—just enough to keep him alive, barely enough to keep the torment going.
“Cough, cough”
The weak sound of Aether coughing broke the silence, and Arkanis smirked. “It’s your own damn fault, you know… Born with that man’s bloodline. A tragedy, really,” he said, wiping his hands as though bored by the whole affair.
“W-Why… why are you doing this to me…” Aether’s voice was barely a whisper, his throat raw and broken.
Arkanis chuckled darkly, “Well, in order to awaken a powerful bloodline, one must endure… extreme suffering. So, think of this as a favour. I’m helping you, brat. You should be grateful.” His grin widened, twisted with cruelty.
“Y-You… ‘Cough’ bastard…” Aether rasped, his voice cracking with the effort.
Arkanis simply laughed, “I’ll be back soon, kid. I’ve got my son’s engagement to attend. But don’t worry… this fun isn’t over yet.” He tossed the empty potion bottle aside and walked out, the door slamming shut behind him.
Thud!
Aether stared at the locked door for a long moment. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. His body, previously mangled and broken, began to heal, returning to its original form. Without effort, he removed the shackles as if they were nothing but paper.
“Hmm… Arkanis really doesn’t know who he’s dealing with…” Aether murmured, stretching his neck with a satisfying crack. He glanced around the room, amusement gleaming in his eyes. “He’s definitely going to suffer that’s for sure…” he whispered, grinning as he began searching the room for anything useful.
Meanwhile,
Thud!
Tang!
“Damn it, this place is tighter than I thought…” A small bat form struggling to navigate through the narrow, circular pipe. Its wings twitched irritably as it squeezed through the cramped space.
It was none other than Lia!!
Determined to find him after his capture by the Dragon Emperor and the betrayal by none other than Victor.
“I should have known that treacherous bastard!” Lia seethed through clenched teeth, her tiny bat face contorting with fury, “How dare he betray Aether! After everything they have been through!” She pushed forward through the pipe with determination, “And that bitch Aqualina… She didn’t even bother to listen when I warned her. She brushed me off like everything was just fine!”
Aether had told Aqualina, Selene, and a few others that he wouldn’t be reachable for a while, that he would handle things on his own for the time being. But he never said a word to Lia. He had left her in the dark, so… it’s getting out of the hands!!
With a mixture of anger and ‘friendship’, Lia pressed on. “I’m the only one who truly cares about him! His real friend. And I’ll prove it.” Her determination was palpable, her resolve unshaken.
She had been tracking Arkanis’s movements for days, and she was sure he had taken Aether underground. The only way to reach him was through the tight drainage pipes that connected to the mountain back!
Meanwhile…
Aether, concealed in the dimly lit laboratory, smirked as he held a small vial of golden liquid between his fingers. The glow from the vial reflected in his eyes, “Looks like we found few more sample—” but then he froze. His ears picked up something—a faint voice echoing from the pipes above.
“What the…? Is that… Lia’s voice?” he muttered, frowning. His gaze shifted to the ceiling as he focused, trying to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
Just as he was about to investigate—
Thud!
The door to the room swung open, and in strolled Arkanis, his smile as wicked as ever. “Well, well… Sorry to interrupt, but I don’t think I’ve tortured you quite enough yet.” His voice dripped with cruelty as his eyes gleamed in the dim light.
He approached Aether’s battered form, still tied to the chair, his body motionless, seemingly lifeless.
…
…..
Back at the summit,
Thud…
Chucckkk…
Ssshhhhhh!
Crack…
The once dark, silent valley was now alive with roaring purple flames. The bodies of the monstrous snakes lay scattered across the scorched earth, their scales cracking under the heat, smoke rising from their charred remains.
Aether sat atop the massive, lifeless pile of serpents, his eyes scanning the flames as they consumed the corpses. The air smelled of burning flesh, and all that remained of the creatures were the rainbow crystals…. which Snowflake eagerly collected.
Aether smirked, his fingers flicking lazily with sparks of purple flame dancing between them. “Looks like I’ve got enough power now… Maybe even enough to take down Alaric.” His eyes glowed with a dangerous hunger. The strength coursing through him was like nothing he’d ever felt before.
Every inch of his body thrummed with raw power.
But deep down, he knew better.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he muttered, bringing himself back to reality. No matter how powerful he had become, Alaric had centuries—thousands of years—of experience. That kind of wisdom couldn’t be matched with strength alone.
Aether could feel it; he wasn’t ready…. Not yet!!
Suddenly, Aether’s gaze shifted. “Snow?”
Snowflake, who had just been about to devour one of the shimmering rainbow crystals, froze in place. She blinked at him innocently, the crystal still in her mouth. “M-Masssterrr~?”
Aether raised an eyebrow, his expression unwavering. Snowflake let out a nervous cough, then promptly stuffed the crystal into the bag she’d been carrying, her face pretending innocence as she went back to collecting more.
“Haha—”
Baggrruhhaa
A deep, rumbling sound echoed through the valley, coming from the shadows just ahead. Aether’s attention snapped toward the source…
“Looks like it’s coming from that direction…” he said, standing up and preparing to move. He jumped down from the mountain of snake corpses, landing gracefully on the scorched ground.
“HISSSSSSS~~~~”
Another hissing sound filled the air, but this time, it wasn’t just one snake. Hundreds—thousands—of massive snake monsters emerged from the dark crevices of the valley. But these were different… Their rainbow crystals had an extra star, glowing with even more intense energy than the last batch.
Aether sighed, rubbing his temples as if exhausted. “Again? Really? You’d think I’d catch a break after wiping out your friends…” Then, a wide grin split across his face, his eyes gleaming with excitement,
“But that’s why I brought a little surprise for you guys~”
With a quick flick of his wrist, Aether pulled something large and heavy from his storage. He held it up with a mischievous smirk.
“Tada…” he whispered with wicked glee, revealing a bronze-colored M134 Minigun. The sleek, deadly machine gleamed under the dim light, its barrels ready to unleash devastation. Aether knelt down, placing the gun firmly on the ground, and then reached into his storage again, this time pulling out long lines of ammunition—small red crystal balls linked together like a string of deadly pearls.
He loaded them into the minigun with a satisfied click.
“Snow, get behind me,” Aether commanded, his voice calm but firm.
Snowflake immediately obeyed, scampering behind him as she clutched the bag of crystals close. “M-Masssterrr~~?” she asked nervously, peeking over his shoulder.
Aether grinned wider, his fingers tightening around the minigun’s handle, “Time to have some fun.”
Without warning, the snakes lunged forward, their fangs bared, venom dripping as they charged….
“Happy Diwali, Folks~” he said with a wicked chuckle.
BBBBrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
The minigun roared, its barrels spinning faster than the eye could track as it unleashed a barrage of glowing red crystal bullets.
The sound was deafening, the power behind each shot ripping through the horde of snake monsters like paper. Blood, scales, and flesh exploded in every direction as the bullets tore through their massive bodies with brutal efficiency.
Chuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…….
