Reaching the top floor, Aether, Helena, and Nightfire stood before a single, imposing door. The wood was cracked and warped with age, and faint scratch marks were etched across its surface.
“The sound… it’s coming from here, right?” Helena whispered, her voice barely audible. Her wide eyes darted nervously around the dim corridor, as if expecting something to leap from the shadows at any moment.
It wasn’t paranoia—just a necessary precaution in a place like this… Only few understand!
Aether nodded firmly, his expression tense. He could still hear the faint crackle of flames beyond the door, their sound clearer now, almost beckoning him.
Taking a deep breath.
Helena and Nightfire exchanged glances, readying their spells.
Thud!
With a united force, they burst into the room.
But—
Ssssshhhhh!
A gentle breeze stirred the tattered curtains of a lone window, making them flutter softly in the pale starlight.
Nightfire frowned, her sharp gaze shifting to Aether. “Well? Care to explain this one?” she asked, her tone dripping with skepticism.
Helena glanced between them, equally confused.
“I… I can still hear it,” Aether mumbled, his brow furrowed. He rubbed his temples, frustrated, the sound of crackling flames still echoing in his mind.
“Are you sure? Or are your dumb ass ears just broken?” Nightfire teased, crossing her arms.
Helena’s face flushed with irritation. She whipped around, glaring at Nightfire, “Enough Ashara! You have been belittling M-My Aether…. Hmph…. If he was wrong, Then how do you explain him finding this mansion in the middle of a desolate wasteland, huh? Give him some credit—he’s trying his best!”
Nightfire smirked but raised her hands in surrender. “Relax, Saintess. No need to go holy on me.”
Helena huffed, turning her attention back to Aether. “Don’t worry, Aether—I believe in you,” she said, her voice soft but resolute.
Aether gave her a small smile before focusing on the room. It was sparsely furnished—an old bed with a sagging mattress, a dilapidated wardrobe, a few cracked tables, and some unidentifiable metal scraps scattered across the floor.
Dust hung thick in the air, coating every surface.
“There’s nothing here,” Nightfire muttered after rummaging through the wardrobe.
“Same here…” Helena murmured, after fruitlessly checking the drawers and the table.
Her gaze drifted to the window, where she caught a glimpse of the barren landscape outside, “Not bad view…And Not a single soul here… ” her words trailed of, her eyes narrowing as a dark figure standing near the gate—
“KYA!! There’s someone out there!” Helena screamed, dropping to a crouch and clutching her chest.
“What?!” Nightfire rushed to the window, peering out. “There’s no one there, you lunatic” and inwardly, ‘I almost lost peed myself… sigh!!’
“B-But I saw someone!” Helena insisted, trembling as she pointed toward the gate. “They were standing right there! I swear it!”
But there was no one now!
“Aether, you need to believ….” Helena’s words faltered when she noticed Aether staring intently at the bed, his eyes fixed on it with unsettling focus.
“Aether?” she called out hesitantly. “Is something wrong?”
Nightfire turned, her own frown deepening when she saw his expression.
Aether didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he took a step closer to the bed, his hand raised slightly as if testing the air. “The sound… the flames… they’re coming from here,” he murmured.
“Under the bed?” Nightfire asked, her tone sceptical.
Aether shook his head. “No… it’s here,” he said, pointing to an empty space in midair above the bed.
The two women exchanged uneasy glances, unable to make sense of what he meant.
“There’s something… or someone… here,” Aether said, his voice low and tense.
Helena swallowed hard, her throat dry. “M-Maybe we should wait until dawn… you know, just to be safe,” she stammered. But her voice trailed off as she watched Aether sit on the corner of the grimy old bed.
Nightfire stiffened. “Aether? What are you doing?” she asked warily, her instincts screaming that something was off.
Aether didn’t answer. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and raised his hand as though holding something invisible.
Then—
Ssssshhhhhhhh!
A crystalline sphere materialized in his grasp, shimmering with an ethereal glow as Four vibrant flames…. danced in the air.
Helena and Nightfire gasped, their eyes wide with shock…. When they saw that flames appearing out of nowhere!
“H-How…?” Nightfire whispered, taking a cautious step back. “That’s not an illusion. What is that?”
Suddenly—
!~Ding~!
[Warning: Unique Ether Bloodline is forcibly activating!!!]
Aether’s eyes widened in alarm. Before he could react, the entire room began to shimmer and distort. The dust-covered furniture, the cracked walls, the dilapidated bed—all of it flickered like a broken projection.
Then, as if a veil had been lifted, the room transformed.
The chandeliers above them burst to life, their crystals refracting warm golden light. The walls gleamed with fresh paint and intricate designs. Plush carpets replaced the dirty floorboards, and the room radiated opulence and life.
“What the hell…?” Nightfire whispered, her voice trembling, both ladies caught between fascination and…. fear.
Helena’s face turned ghostly pale, as she looked at the room that brimming with life… she lowered her gaze to Aether… or so she thought…..
Nightfire and Helena saw…. a womanly figure ghosting upon Aether… they couldn’t clearly who it was but… it was definitely a… woman holding a crystal ball as the flames danced in her hand.
Helena’s lips trembling as she stammered, “A-Aeth—”
“WOOF!”
“KYAAAAA!!”
“FUCCKKKK!!!”
!~Ding~!
[Warning: Unique Ether Bloodline is deactivated!!!]
Aether blinked rapidly, his vision adjusting as the once-bright and lavish room reverted back to its decrepit state. The chandelier’s glow disappeared, replaced by the eerie flicker of starlight.
Dust swirled in the air, and the cracked furniture reappeared. Even the flames dancing in his palm had vanished.
‘What the fuck just happened?’ he thought.
His body tensed when he realized Helena was clinging to him, trembling violently. Her face was buried against his chest, her eyes shut tightly as if to block out whatever horrors she imagined.
Aether gently patted her back to calm her, “It’s fine now—ugh!” he groaned, his words catching in his throat as he felt a sudden pressure around his neck.
He glanced upward and froze, his lips twitching in disbelief.
Nightfire was perched on his shoulders, her legs wrapped tightly around his neck. Her hands covered her eyes as she muttered incoherent words of fear.
Despite the heaviness of the situation, Aether nearly laughed. But his neck was straining, and he couldn’t resist. He reached up and gave her thigh a light pinch.
“EEK!” Nightfire squeaked, leaping off him with a speed that defied logic. She landed with an embarrassed scowl, her cheeks flushed crimson.
“So much for teasing Helena earlier,” Aether teased, an amused grin spreading across his face as he gave Helena another reassuring pat.
[+200 AP]
Nightfire groaned in frustration, her cheeks were burning red, her mortification only growing as a small laugh escaped Helena’s lips. ‘That almost scared the shit out of me!’ she cursed inwardly, biting back the urge to retaliate.
“Hahahaha….” Ashara laughed her ass off after witnessing.
Nightfire’s face turned even more red—
“WOOF!”
Nightfire flinched, her head snapping toward the doorway. “A-Aether… are you seeing this?” she whispered, pointing shakily.
“Of course,” Aether murmured, his gaze fixed on the small, shadowy figure sitting at the entrance.
It was a puppy!!
The tiny creature sat with its tongue lolling out, panting innocently. Its fur gleamed unnaturally, clean and groomed, contrasting starkly with the dilapidated mansion.
Helena peeked out from Aether’s embrace, her trembling replaced by wonder. Her eyes sparkled. “It’s a puppy…” she said, her voice filled with awe. She stepped away from Aether’s protective hold, crouching toward the small creature.
“Wait, Helena!” Aether called out, reaching for her.
“It’s fine, Aether,” she replied with confidence. “It’s just a puppy.”
Helena scooped up the puppy without hesitation, cradling it gently.
“WOOF!”
The little dog wagged its tail and licked Helena’s cheek, making her giggle.
“Haha! You’re such a brave little thing,” she cooed, snuggling the animal. “What are you doing here, cutie? All alone in this spooky place?…”
“WOOF!”
“It’s so cute~”
Aether and Nightfire exchanged bewildered glances. They had been bracing themselves for some horrific monster or ghostly entity. Instead, they were greeted by a cheerful ball of fluff.
Nightfire let out a long sigh of relief. ‘This place is going to give me a damn heart attack,’ she thought.
But her reprieve was short-lived.
“A-Aether,” she said, her voice uneasy as she pointed to the table.
Aether turned to follow her gaze. On the table rested a small notebook. Its pristine leather cover gleamed faintly in the dim light, untouched by the decay around it.
“That… wasn’t there before,” Nightfire muttered, her frown deepening.
Aether approached cautiously, his eyes narrowing. There were no signs of dust being disturbed or anything else to suggest it had been moved…. The book had simply appeared.
He picked it up, his fingers brushing the smooth surface….
Opening it, he froze.
The pages were filled with strange, intricate symbols and runes….. It was the same for those in stone slabs and altars.
“The letters…” he whispered, his voice filled with shock.
Nightfire peered over his shoulder, her curiosity piqued. “Do you recognize them?” she asked, frowning at the incomprehensible script.
Helena, still playing with the puppy, glanced at the book and tilted her head. “Oh? I’ve seen those before.”
Aether’s head snapped toward her. “Where?” he asked urgently.
“In the temple,” Helena said casually, scratching behind the puppy’s ear. “Under the Mother Goddess statue. They’re carved into the base.”
Aether’s heart skipped a beat, ‘This is related to the gods,’ he thought, his mind swirling with possibilities.
“Can you read them?” he pressed.
Helena shook her head. “Nope. No one can. They’re just decorations—or at least, that’s what the Archpirestess say.”
Nightfire crossed her arms, “You act like this is too important to save the empire or shit!”
Aether blankly stared at her.
Nightfire blinked, “D-Did I hit the bullseye?…. sigh, If this thing’s important, maybe we should ask its owner,” she said, extending a finger toward the dog.
The puppy growled softly, baring its tiny teeth at her.
“Looks like it doesn’t like you,” Helena said with a chuckle, hugging the puppy closer. “But it does have a collar. Someone’s clearly been taking care of it.”
Aether nodded, considering Nightfire’s suggestion. It wasn’t a bad idea, but the series of strange events weighed heavily on his mind, ‘Why did my bloodline activate out of nowhere? And this book…’ He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d been drawn into something far beyond coincidence.
Aether nodded and decided to search for the owner when,
Then—
“Ether~”
A soft, ethereal voice echoed through the room, its tone melodic yet chilling.
The trio froze.
“Ether~ Come to me~”
The trio flinched in… fear!!!
500(600(650)…) PS=1(1(1)…)Ex/ 50(100(120)..) GT=1(2(2)…)Ex
