Somewhere inside the academy, in a dark, secluded room…
Kennedy’s lifeless body lay still on a cold metal table, the air thick with the stench of decay.
The room was silent… Until,
Suddenly, without warning, Kennedy’s eyelids snapped open, revealing dry, bloodshot eyes that flickered with a twisted spark of life. His cracked lips twitched, struggling to form words.
“Tsk, tsk… I can’t believe all my hard work was utterly destroyed by a mere punk!” The words rasped from his throat, rough and grating, like metal scraping against stone.
The corpse, now animated with a grotesque semblance of life, began to move. Bones creaked and muscles groaned as the body, once still for days, slowly came to life. Each movement was accompanied by a sickening crunch, echoing through the darkness.
Kennedy closed his eyes for a moment, and in that instant, his vision shifted. Through the eyes of a small spider crawling towards him, he saw a rainbow-coloured crystal clutched in its tiny mandibles.
The sight brought a twisted smile to his face.
“Well, whatever,” he shrugged, his tone laced with dark amusement as he opened his eyes again. Despite the setbacks, he had achieved what he’d been planning for decades. All he needed now was a little more time to perfect his creations. Once perfected, not even the Sovereign would stand a chance against him.
He would become invincible!
Still, a nagging curiosity tugged at his thoughts. How had Victor destroyed his creation without even using Arcane energy? Kennedy knew he had to analyze this anomaly before proceeding with his grand plan.
‘I’m glad I left the Arcane Hunter Association,’ he mused, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. ‘Now I can move freely, without their prying eyes. Once the project is complete, even they will bow before me…’ His thoughts trailed off into a self-satisfied chuckle, relishing the future that awaited him.
The memory of the arrogant woman who ruled the academy with cold, indifferent eyes brought a surge of satisfaction. The chaos he had sown within her precious academy was only the beginning.
“Hahaha….” He laughed with a mix of happiness and boundless future possibilities.
But as he surveyed his surroundings, a frown creased his brow, “Where am I?” he muttered, confusion clouding his thoughts. He was certain the dead bodies had been placed in separate cells, not in….. his laboratory.
Something was wrong.
Just as he was about to rise from the bed, a voice, soft yet chilling, echoed through the room. “So, you are alive after all… ah.”
Kennedy froze, every muscle in his body tensing. His eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of the voice. “W-Who are you?” he demanded, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice.
The voice, now laced with dark amusement, continued, “To think, he predicted this possibility… Amusing, isn’t it? He’s truly amusing, don’t you think? Hehehe…”
Kennedy’s frown deepened, his mind racing.
Who were they talking about?
And more importantly, who was this voice, and how did they know he was alive?
Panic began to creep into his thoughts. He needed to leave now before the Principal discovered him.
Suddenly, Kennedy gagged, his body convulsing as he hacked and coughed violently.
Splash!
Thucckk!
With a sickening splat, a white, leathery scroll, slick with saliva, was expelled from his throat. Kennedy wiped his mouth, a grin spreading across his face as he picked up the scroll. It was a spell scroll… the same kind Delphine had given to Aether for the contest…
The same one that could teleport far distance!!
He glanced around the room, his grin widening. “Here I thought you were going to stop me,” he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
From the shadows…. a woman with chestnut-brown hair stepped forward, her presence cold and menacing. Kennedy’s eyes widened in surprise before he let out a low whistle, his gaze roving over her form, “Pretty fuckable body, don’t you think?” he sneered.
But inwardly, he was scrambling. He didn’t recognize this woman, and he needed more time before his spider could reach him.
He needed to stall!
Celestia, the woman, shook her head, her gaze filled with a mix of pity and disdain, “You really shouldn’t have said that, especially not in front of him… What a pity, what a pity~ He’s very possessive, you know~” Her voice was laced with dark amusement, her words a warning.
“What do you mean?” Kennedy demanded, his frown deepening. Celestia’s grin widened as she pointed behind him.
Kennedy turned slowly, dread curling in his gut.
Thud!
His heart skipped a beat as he fell back in shock….. Standing there, with cold, indifferent eyes, was Aether, his gaze piercing through Kennedy’s soul.
“W-What the…?” Kennedy mumbled, his breath catching in his throat. Relief washed over him when he realized it wasn’t Victor, but rather a servant. For a moment, he had thought it was Victor because of Aether’s white hair.
“Don’t you have black hair?” Kennedy asked, confusion etched on his face.
Aether remained silent, his cold gaze locked onto Kennedy.
Aether had taken Kennedy’s body, sensing something deeply wrong about the entire situation. Everything revolved around Kennedy…. his laboratory, his niece, his technology—yet he had supposedly died.
Something didn’t add up…. That’s why he brought his body for fail-safe!
“You can move your soul, can’t you?” Aether’s voice was calm, indifferent.
Kennedy flinched, which caused… Aether’s suspicions were confirmed. ‘Another strange bloodline ability… sigh,’ Aether thought, his expression one of mild annoyance. “It must be a pretty impressive bloodline,” he commented.
Kennedy flinched again. Yes, he did possess a unique bloodline ability, one that allowed him to transfer his soul into inanimate objects…. though not into living beings.
He could only inhabit moveable objects, which is why he had devoted himself to technology, creating powerful machines that could serve as vessels for his soul, making him invincible.
Aether nodded, a pitying smile on his face as he spoke, “You know, your creations were far superior… no, they were the best I’ve ever seen, even in my previous life. Tsk, damn, we could have been good friends.” His tone was filled with regret, a hint of genuine admiration in his words.
However, Kennedy wasn’t fooled. He knew that the expression on Aether’s face was nothing more than a facade, the haughty look of a predator playing with its prey.
Kennedy’s unease grew. He needed to escape, but as he moved to leave, Aether’s hand shot out, gripping Kennedy’s core—his groin—with a twisted grin, “Pretty fuckable body, don’t you think?” Aether mocked, throwing Kennedy’s own words back at him.
Before Kennedy could react, a sharp pain shot through his body.
Chuckkkkkk
Splash
“AARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
Kennedy’s scream tore through the air, his voice filled with pure agony as something vital was ripped away from him.
“Yuck!” Celestia grimaced, a mix of disgust and pity flashing across her face as she watched the scene unfold.
Meanwhile, in the academy’s stadium…
“Did you hear something?” one of the students asked, a frown creasing his brow.
“Tsk, I didn’t hear anything,” another student replied, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to Victor, who was examining an artifact. The boy asked worriedly and hesitantly with fear, “Is it not working?”
Victor studied the artifact closely before responding, “I think it must have fallen during the fight… there’s a crack here, so… Wait, let me check this… it will take some time”
The boy’s worry deepened as he glanced at the other students, “Just how long does it take Aether to use the restroom?” he wondered aloud.
The others shrugged, just as confused. Aether had suddenly gone to the restroom, and they hadn’t seen him since.
They really wanted to deal with Aether rather than Victor!
Meanwhile, back in the dark laboratory…
“Tsk,” Aether clicked his tongue in irritation as he watched Kennedy, who was now crawling across the floor, blood pooling between his legs.
“You know, I’m really not comfortable with torture, but still…” Aether’s voice trailed off, a mix of cold detachment and grim determination in his tone.
It wasn’t that he enjoyed seeing Kennedy suffer; rather, he felt a small, vindictive satisfaction in knowing that this vile creature, who had molested and tormented others, would die in pain…. Still, he wasn’t good with torturing.
“N-No… Please—” Kennedy’s voice cracked as he tried to beg for mercy.
But before he could finish, Celestia stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with a disturbing excitement, “You know, I worked in the torture department for a few years… So yeah, I can handle this!” she declared, her fingers twitching with anticipation.
Aether glanced at Celestia, noting the unusual eagerness in her eyes….. For some reason, she seemed almost excited about what was to come.
And then…
“AARRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!”
Kennedy’s scream echoed through the room, a sound of pure, unfiltered agony.