!~Ding~!
[Always fierce ~ahh~😍 I absolutely adore that fierce part of you ~Darling~. Of course, It’s one of the many things I love about you~🥰 Especially that cute Elephant~🫣]
[Anyhow~ This situation is a bit more complicated than it seems. She sacrificed everything, and I am bound by the laws that #######… Ahem… Anyway, I wish I could help…. but my hands are tied, Darling~ Sorry🥺]
Aether gritted his teeth, frustration boiling within him. No matter what, he could not allow others to die for his sake!! The weight of the burden he wasn’t ready to carry it!
“What the–” he began to voice his confusion but was interrupted…
!~Ding~!
[But… not your hands😉. Think carefully, and you will find the answer you seek… Everything you need is within your reach. Look ahead and see the path before you]
[You are not like the others! You are the first and the last #####… I will always be there for you~😋]
Aether suddenly felt his right hand being gently intertwined by an unseen force. A soothing, almost magical sensation washed over him, calming his racing thoughts and giving him the clarity he desperately needed. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his mind focus…
Maelona, almost transparent, with weak and heavy eyes, stared at Aether who had suddenly calmed down.
Relief washed over her as she saw him finding calm again. But the sight of his bloody chest made her heart ache with deep, profound sorrow. Weakly, she moved her trembling hand to wipe the blood, but Aether caught her hand gently. His eyes were as calm as the sea as if his inner turmoil had finally settled.
“Activate… Eternal Seal,” Aether mumbled, the tattoo on his chest flickering with a bright white light.
Maelona was bewildered, ‘What is he talking about?’ she wondered
!~Ding~!
[Target?]
“Maelona Zephyr,” Aether responded, his voice steady and filled with resolve.
Immediately, a screen appeared before Maelona’s eyes. She was taken aback by the sudden display.
“W-What’s this?” she murmured, her voice filled with confusion and a tinge of fear as she read the words…
[Warning: You are entering the Eternal Seal Bond, which means you cannot break this even if you die… Your soul will always be bonded with Aether Forever to Eternity]
[Warning: Are you willing to proceed?]
“A-Aether?” Maelona, with her weak body, couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
Aether gulped, his hands gently cupping her cheeks,
“I am sorry, Mother-in-law… but this is the only way to keep you with us. Please accept it, not for me, but for your daughter. She will be devastated if you are gone. Please… Aria needs her mother too!” His voice was earnest, pleading, filled with a desperate hope that she would understand without questioning him too much.
Why the Eternal Seal?
Because of its limitations!
[Limitations: The Eternal Seal is unbreakable once formed and cannot be dissolved by any means, not even by Arcane/Mother root/######## themselves.]
Those words clearly indicated that not even those entities could intervene. Initially, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now he understood the gravity of the situation…
His Log above the Laws!!!
Now, once she accepted it, her soul would be eternally tied to his, breaking the very Law of Nature!
Maelona’s eyes turned teary. She knew her daughter would be heartbroken. She once again looked at the words, remembering Aria saying, “He is different, Mother! He will make the impossible possible. Just like him!!” The memory gave her strength and a glimmer of hope.
Maelona sighed, feeling a mix of doubt and hope. She looked into Aether’s resolute eyes and nodded, “Y-Yes,” her voice raspy and weak.
[Where do you want the Eternal Seal?]
“Well… Left Palm?” she said, her expression puzzled. She wasn’t sure what to expect but trusted Aether completely.
[Initiating Eternal Seal]
[Error!!!]
[Initiating Eternal Seal]
[Error!!!]
[Initiating Eternal Seal]
[Error!!!]
…..
…
Aether’s face turned to dread, ‘Is this wrong?’ he wondered, feeling a sense of panic rise within him as nothing seemed to happen. Maelona, trying to muster the strength to reassure him and offer some comfort, was about to speak when suddenly,
“Hmmfff!”
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Aether sealed her lips with his own. Maelona’s eyes widened in shock and surprise. Her body tensed as she instinctively tried to push him away with her feeble, trembling arms. But then,
Sssssshhhhh
She felt something ethereal and strange entering her mouth, an almost otherworldly substance that slowly travelled down her throat and into her insides….. Her mind turned hot and blank as the sensation overwhelmed her senses.
[Initiating Eternal Seal]
“Arrrrhhh!!”
Maelona clutched her left hand tightly, her body trembling and groaning in excruciating pain. It felt as though something was scratching not just on her hand but deep within…. her very soul.
Aether pulled away and looked at her, his heart pounding in his chest. He watched in both awe and horror as her once-transparent body slowly began to solidify and return to a more tangible state.
“Arrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
She screamed in agony, unable to endure the searing, soul-wrenching pain of her essence being forcibly pieced together again.
The sheer intensity of it was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Seeing her fragile body writhing in such torment, Aether’s eyes filled with a deep sense of guilt and sorrow.
He gently hugged her.
“Aarrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
Maelona clung to Aether, her fingers digging into his back as she trembled with pain. Never in her life had she felt such intense agony.
“-ha-ha-ha”
After what felt like an eternity of crying out, her body began to stabilize, though it remained as thin and gaunt as a mummy. She was no longer transparent; her form was now fully visible.
Her body bore the marks of invisible chains, faint but visible to Aether as they slowly faded away. Maelona felt a flood of unexplainable emotions surging into her, a confusing mix of fear, relief, and a strange new energy she couldn’t comprehend.
!~Ding~!
[Survival Rate: 32%↓]
Aether’s survival rate had dropped by 5%, but he didn’t care. As long as Maelona was alive, that was all that mattered.
Breathing heavily, Maelona looked at Aether with a shocked expression, ‘H-he really did it…’ she thought, her mind racing with disbelief, awe, and a growing sense of gratitude.
Yet, she noticed something was still wrong.
“Your body is not returning to normal?” Aether frowned, his hand trembling as he touched her weak, skeletal frame. Despite the restoration, she was still as frail as a dying mummy.
Maelona also felt her body weakening further, as if something was devouring her from the inside out. Desperately, she called her log and showed it to Aether, her vision blurred and unsteady:
Name: Maelona Zephyr
Sex: Female
Race: Moon Elf [-]
Level: 0
Title: The Last Moon Elf, Mother of Aria Zephyr, Temporary Ruler of High Elf Tribe, A Sacrificial Pawn, Bound to Aether, Decaying.
Attributes:
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Intelligence: 0
Magic Affinity: 0
Charm: 0
Aether’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the word ‘Decaying.’
“W-What is it?” Maelona asked, her voice barely more than a whisper, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and confusion. Her body was growing weaker by the second, feeling as though it was on the brink of collapse, yet she was unable to fully expire.
“…” Aether bit his lip, trying to suppress the panic rising within him. He understood that he had only managed to sustain her soul, but what about her powers, her levels, her bloodline, and…. her physical body?
‘C-Come on!’ he screamed inwardly, his mind racing furiously for a solution.
‘Everything you need is within your reach,’ he remembered the cryptic words, clinging to them like a lifeline. He clenched his fist, feeling a surge of desperation and determination. ‘Come on, Arcane… I don’t know what to do…’ His thoughts trailed off as he looked at his hand, blinking several times in realization.
“My hands?” He frowned, gulping as his eyes slowly travelled down to his crotch, clearly visible.
‘D-Don’t tell m…e,’ he thought, a look of horror crossing his face as the realization dawned on him. But then, seeing Maelona’s body continuing to decay, he sighed deeply and said, “Give me a… minute or two..” before quickly heading to the bathroom.
“??” Maelona tilted her head.