“We need to leave—this door isn’t budging at all!” Lia exclaimed, her voice taut with urgency as she struggled to pry open the heavy door to the torture room. She yanked at the handle with all her strength, but despite her efforts, the door remained shut, locked tightly and unmoving.
With a worried glance, Lia looked back at Aether still unconscious, “Don’t worry, Aether… I’ll get you out of here, whatever it takes,” she murmured, her voice carrying a steely resolve as she glanced around, scanning for any escape route.
She could slip through the narrow ventilation ducts or the cracks in the pipe and cracks if she transformed, but how could she leave Aether behind? He couldn’t change forms as she could; they’d have to find another way together.
Just as she was searching for a way out, she froze,
Click!
Lia whipped her head toward the door, her heart hammering as she saw the knob begin to turn.
Her stomach crunched; she knew exactly who was on the other side. No matter how much strength she had, she couldn’t stand against the Dragon Emperor—yet leaving Aether to suffer here was equally unthinkable.
“I-I guess it’s do or die now,” she murmured, swallowing the fear tightening in her throat. Her hand shook slightly as she summoned her weapon—a thin, gleaming red sword—and braced herself… But then,
Trrr!
The ground shook with a sudden tremor, and, for a brief moment, the doorknob stopped turning.
Lia’s breath escaped in a shaky sigh. “Seems like these quakes have been getting stronger lately…” she muttered, just as she turned to resume her search for another exit.
Thud!
Thud!
The door swung open abruptly, and there he was.
“I’m back, my little toy~” Arkanis announced with a sinister grin, stepping into the room. His eyes scanned the empty chair, and he frowned. “Where did he go?” His face twisted in irritation as he turned, locking the door tightly behind him.
“Aether?” Arkanis called, striding to the chair where Aether had been shackled, noting that the cuffs had been carefully removed rather than broken. ‘Someone else was here…’ he thought, a dark scowl crossing his face. ‘But there’s only one way in or out, and I’m the only one with the key. He must still be here somewhere.’
His expression shifted to one of cold surprise, “Don’t tell me… have you awakened your bloodline, Aether?” he muttered, eyes glinting with dangerous excitement, “Come on, Aether, no need to hide—I won’t hurt you… much.”
With a predatory grin, he began prowling through the shadows, each step closer to his prey.
Meanwhile,
“Mmmfff!” Lia muffled a gasp as Aether’s hand clamped over her mouth, the two of them squeezed into a cramped supply compartment filled with mops and cleaning supplies.
She glanced at Aether in astonishment, her eyes widening.
He was awake!!
Aether, now peeking through a crack in the compartment door saw Arkanis’s movement before meeting her gaze and nodded reassuringly. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth, his expression calm yet intense.
“A-Aether… You’re awake!” Lia whispered, barely able to contain her relief. “I thought—I thought you were—”
He nodded, whispering back, “I don’t think we can stay hidden forever. I’ll distract him; you have to find someone, anyone, to get us out of here. Go find help.”
Lia nodded, though her face clouded over with hesitation, “But no one listened! When I tried to tell Aqualina, she—” Her voice wavered as she began explaining, but suddenly—
Trrrrrr!
The ground shuddered again, the tremor stronger this time, nearly making Lia stumble into the bloodied mops stacked beside them.
“HIKK—-!” She gasped, but Aether quickly covered her mouth, muffling the sound.
Arkanis’s head jerked up, his ears twitching as he turned toward the compartment, a cruel smile forming on his face, “Ah, of course… the only place left to hide.”
‘Damn it,’ Aether thought with a grimace. He’d have to act fast. He couldn’t let Lia get in the way of his mission. Until his master, Aether himself, arrived, he needed to stay here and continue gathering evidence on this mysterious golden liquid.
Aether took a steadying breath, realizing he had no other choice—he’d have to reveal himself before Arkanis found them both.
Arkanis’s fingers stretched toward the compartment handle, his smile widening in anticipation, “Come out, come out, little kiddy~ I’m not going to hurt you… All you need to do is cooperate with my system. Then we can part ways—just a simple exchange, lowborn. What do you say, hmm?” He yanked at the handle, but it didn’t budge. Growing impatient, he laughed darkly, “Refuse, and I’ll simply burn this whole room to ash—with you in it. The choice is yours, Aether.”
Lia’s face turned pale as she felt the weight of her mission bear down on her. She had come here to save him, but now… she’d only made things worse!
Taking a deep breath, Lia turned to Aether, “Aether, listen to me,” she said firmly, her expression dead serious. “You need to stay here, no matter what. Do not come out under any circumstances.”… as if she was ready to face war to protect him!!
Just as she reached to push the door open, Aether grabbed the handle, pulling the door back and fixing her with an intense stare, “Master will be furious if anything happens to you,” he said, his voice strangely hollow.
“A-Aether?” Lia frowned, studying him closely. His eyes seemed distant, vacant as if he were hollow and detached. The unsettling sight made her stomach twist.
“Master will be furious if anything happens to you,” Aether repeated mechanically, sending a shiver down her spine.
“D-Did he… hurt your head that badly?” she asked, her voice laced with concern as she watched him closely, trying to gauge how deeply he’d been affected.
But before Aether could answer, Arkanis’s voice rang through the room, cold and thunderous, “Come out!!” he bellowed, yanking on the door handle with all his strength.
Suddenly—
BBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
TRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
“What the…!!!” Arkanis shouted, staggering as the entire empire seemed to tilt sharply to one side. He rolled to the floor, his eyes widening in disbelief as the walls shuddered and buckled.
Tang! Ting! Tran-ng-ng-ng-nggggggg!
The whole room jolted violently, throwing torture equipment, shackles, and debris in every direction.
After a few seconds, the tremors subsided….
Grumbling in frustration, Arkanis shoved aside the fallen equipment and slowly stood up, his expression twisted with fury, “What in the blazes is happening here?!” he snarled, storming toward the door. But before he left, he stopped, his eyes narrowing as he turned and opened the compartment door with a loud bang, “I know you’re in here, you lowborn scum—”
He paused when he saw the compartment empty.
“Where could he be?” he muttered, frustration deepening into fury. He knew there was no other exit but the door. Just as he began to ponder what could have happened—
“Dragon Emperor!!”
His soldiers burst into the room, shouting urgently. With an annoyed shrug, Arkanis strode past them, shooting one last frustrated look at the disarray before leaving the torture room and locked tightly and leaving few guards!
…
….
Meanwhile… somewhere in a dark, hidden place:
“Ouch…” Lia groaned as she regained consciousness, clutching her throbbing head.
“W-What…. just happened?” She rubbed her temple, trying to piece together the last few seconds in her mind.
Just as the empire tilted, she remembered grabbing onto a mop that hung loosely nearby, hoping to stabilize herself. But as she grabbed it, the hook holding the mop suddenly extended—and before she knew it, the floor beneath her vanished and…
“Right… we fell,” she mumbled, glancing around. The space was pitch black, the silence pressing in from all sides. Her eyes widened with concern as she took in the empty surroundings, “A-Aether?” She scrambled to her feet, her pulse racing as she scanned the shadows for him.
“Aether!! Where are you?!” she called, her voice echoing through the hollow darkness.
She took a cautious step forward when—
Thud!
Sssnnngggggg!
Lia collided with something solid, and suddenly, bright lights illuminated the room, making her shield her eyes.
[Welcome]
A mechanical voice echoed through the space, startling her, “A-Aether?” she whispered, frowning as she squinted at a glassy wall that had lit up in front of her.
Her eyes widened as she stepped closer, trying to make out the faint, shadowy figure beyond the glass, “What in the…” she breathed, reaching out to touch the glass wall. Her fingers barely brushed the surface when—
[Warning: Intruder!!]
[Activating Poison Gas]
Tsssssshhhhhhhhhhh!
A white gas began to pour into the room, thick and suffocating. Lia’s mind fogged as the fumes filled her lungs, making her dizzy. She stumbled, clutching her head as her vision blurred, then collapsed to the floor.
Thud!
As the white gas continued to spread, the lights flickered, casting eerie shadows around the room.
Her consciousness slipping,
Step, Step…
But then, hearing that…. Lia forced her eyes open just enough to glimpse the figure approaching.
Heavy footsteps echoed, growing closer. With the last of her strength, Lia peered up—and froze, horror flooding her as the figure came into view.
“Y-You…”
Chucccckkkkk!!!
