Valysar
The city of Valysar, situated beneath the prestigious Academy, had just faced a terrifying assault by unknown terrorists.
The once-bustling city was now a scene of destruction and chaos, with the dust beginning to settle as the echoes of the attack lingered in the air.
Among the few who dared to move through the rubble and debris, a young boy stood out, hugging two girls tightly in his arms. This sight drew the attention of everyone passing by, who couldn’t help but whisper and stare at the trio.
“A-Aether, I-I think we should leave,” Lia stammered, her face flushed with embarrassment. The attention they were attracting made her uncomfortable, and she felt the weight of every gaze upon them.
“Y-yeah, we should get out of here,” Selene agreed, her voice filled with a mix of shyness and urgency. Despite craving the warmth of Aether’s embrace, she was too shy to enjoy it in public under the watchful eyes of onlookers.
She was really shy you know!…. Well, unless She was one who taking advantage.
Aether sighed deeply and nodded, reluctantly letting go of the two girls, “Yes, we should leave. This place is dangerous,” he said with a tone that conveyed his deep concern for their safety.
Without wasting any time, the three of them began to make their way towards the Academy.
As they walked through the city, both Lia and Selene’s faces remained bright red, a testament to their embarrassment. Aether held their hands tightly, pulling them along with a firm grip that spoke volumes about his protective instincts.
[+4000 Affection]
Selene felt as though she were walking on clouds. She clung to Aether’s hand with both of hers, drawing immense comfort and warmth from his touch… Despite her attempts to hide it, her lips continued to tremble from the shock of the bullet that had grazed her cheek.
Similarly, Lia couldn’t help but stare at Aether’s hand, her face a deep shade of red.
[+100 Affection]
‘Does he even know what personal space is?!!’ Lia thought inwardly, but she didn’t push him away.
She understood his concern and worry over their safety, and she appreciated his protective nature.
Both girls were still reeling from the shock of the sudden gunfire. If it hadn’t been for Aether’s clumsy fall, they were certain their heads would have been blown to pieces, leaving them dead without ever knowing what had happened.
The most surprising moment had been when, amidst their frozen terror, Aether had immediately pulled them into his embrace and pointed his hand to the sky, firing a spell randomly.
As they didn’t think, the assailant would fire again in the midst of the crowd…. If not for Aether’s advance attack they knew everyone here would have blown into pieces.
Like Selene, Lia’s lips also trembled in fear.
Yet, neither of them showed it outwardly… all because Aether held them dearly.
Lia sighed, thinking of how much Aether had done for her. She felt she owed him so much.
She couldn’t help but remember the look on Aether’s face when he confronted the kidnappers and even when facing the bullet; there was no fear for his own life, only the fear of losing them.
[+200 Affection]
Lia blushed slightly before shooing away her unwanted thoughts.
Finally, they reached the imposing gates of the Academy.
“We arrived!” Aether announced, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. His smile returned as he released their hands, “Let’s go inside,” he said, his tone lighter now that they were safe.
Suddenly, two figures flew out from the Academy, followed by a few groups of figures… cutting through the air with impressive speed.
“Must be the professors,” Lia mumbled, glancing at the flying figures heading towards Valysar City. She then looked at Aether, who seemed remarkably calm, as if everything was fine now.
Lia, harbouring lingering unwanted thoughts, couldn’t help but joke,
“You look too relieved. Happy knowing you won’t die now?”
Aether smiled and patted Lia’s head, saying sincerely, “No, I’m happy that you guys are fine. Truly If anything happened to you guys… ” he didn’t dare to finish his words as he felt he might have broken if something happened to them.
“….” Lia, caught off guard by his heartfelt words, immediately averted her eyes, stammering, “I-I am going inside!”
She hurriedly walked into the Academy, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“Hmm?” Aether frowned slightly but then smiled, thinking she must be still in shock. He looked at Selene, who was pouting as if she expected him to pat her as well.
“Hehe…” Aether chuckled and gently patted her head.
“Heh…” Selene was already on cloud nine, her happiness evident in the sparkle of her eyes. However, something unexpected occurred. When Aether gently touched the cheek that the bullet had grazed, she felt a surge of emotions she hadn’t anticipated.
‘Need to take her to the infirmary before it leaves any scar…’ Aether thought, his concern for her well-being paramount. He was about to voice this thought when he noticed Selene closing her eyes and leaning towards him, her lips softly pursed in anticipation.
When Aether had touched her cheek and gazed at her tenderly, any girl in her position would have thought he was about to kiss her. Selene was no different; she misread his intentions and readied herself for the kiss, throwing caution to the wind and not caring if anyone saw them.
‘Hehe…’ Aether gave a wry smile, realizing that he needed to respond to this girl’s pure love, in one way or another…. He needed to answer her feelings, not as Ether, but as Aether.
With a tender motion, Aether lowered his head and,
“~chu~” -exclusive-content
Kissed her forehead gently, “Good?” he asked, searching her face for any sign of disappointment.
Aether braced himself, expecting to see a hint of letdown in her expression. However, to his surprise, there wasn’t a single trace of disappointment in Selene’s eyes. Rather, she looked truly happy.
Yes, she was beyond happy. Although she might have preferred a kiss on her lips, the kiss on her forehead conveyed Aether’s genuine emotions. She could feel that he was pouring his heart into that kiss.
[+4000 Affection]
No words could describe her elation. Selene gazed at Aether with tender eyes and said, “Good? No, the BEST!!”
She then leaned in and,
“~chu~”
Kissed his cheek before skipping towards the gate, trying to calm her embarrassed face with a facade of cheerful exuberance.
“What are you doing? We need to go to the infirmary before it leaves a scar,” Lia, who was waiting near the gate, said upon seeing Selene’s beet-red face and her jubilant movements.
Aether rubbed his cheek, shaking his head with a mix of amusement and concern.
‘Thud’
He pressed his pant zip tightly. He was aroused, undeniably so.
Yup, when Selene kissed him, he was genuinely turned on, and the bulge in his pants was evident.
‘What am I? A horny dog!! Calm down, fucker!’ Aether screamed inwardly, walking awkwardly towards the entrance gate. His mind was a swirl of conflicting emotions, his body betraying him in the most inconvenient of ways.
‘Thank goodness she didn’t see this; otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to face her…. And damn these teenage hormones, getting wilder just from a kiss…’ He thought, realizing he needed to get his hormones under control before making any further moves on his targets. He took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hand.
‘Step’
As his first step landed inside the gate,
!~Ding~! ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
[Say: Log In]
Aether frowned, thinking, ‘What are you up to now?’
“What are you staring at?” Lia asked, standing in front of him with a curious expression.
“Hmm… Nothing,” Aether shook his head, taking another step forward, but then again,
!~Ding~!
[Say: Log In]
Another frame appeared before his eyes.
Aether knew ‘Log’ was up to something, but he needed to treat Selene and Lia’s wounds first, so he tried to ignore it.
However,
!~Ding~!
[Say: Log In]
“Tsk, what the hell…” he muttered under his breath. Aether ignored the prompt and continued to walk with them, yet the messages persisted,
[Say: Log In]
[Say: Log In]
[Say: Log In]
[Say: Log In]
[Say: Log In]
[Say: Log In]
[Say: Log In]
….
….
Aether’s vision was completely obscured by the repeated messages, making it increasingly difficult to see anything beyond them.
‘Sigh, I suppose I at least owe it for saving them,’ Aether thought and reluctantly mumbled,
“Log In!”
[Request: Logging In]
[…]
[Affrimative]
‘Thud’
“Aether!!!”
“Ether!!”
Lia and Selene screamed in unison as Aether suddenly collapsed to the ground like a broken toy.
_______
[Author’s Note:
Hello, everyone. I noticed someone mentioning the top half mask instead of a full mask. This got me thinking, and I recalled a similar concept in BTTH (though I wondered if he was really hiding his identity or not). It struck me as a good idea. Now, I’m contemplating whether I should make this change or not.
I would be grateful if you could share your thoughts.]