“….”
“….”
Aether could feel the weight of their stares piercing through him.
The silence was thick, almost suffocating. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “Fine!! Everyone has secrets, right?” he said, his tone a mix of resignation and forced casualness.
His eyes flicked over to Raven, noticing that her wounds were slowly healing, the magic he’d cast earlier still at work. Find exclusive stories on empire
But Raven’s gaze, hidden behind her sunglasses, was unyielding, blankly fixed on him. The silence between them grew, and Aether sighed again, heavier this time, before shifting his attention to Thalia. Unlike Raven, she wore an amused expression, a grin playing at the corners of her lips.
“To think… a servant was playing around all this time…. Damn, man!” Thalia murmured, shaking her head in disbelief as she slapped her hand onto Aether’s shoulder. Her own wounds were healing, but her amusement was clearly outweighing any discomfort.
Aether gave her a strained, awkward smile, but his unease only deepened when he noticed Thalia’s eyes narrowing as they landed on the ring hanging around his neck, “Descendant of the Origin Emperor…. ah,” she mumbled, a dangerous glint flickering in her eyes, something dark and calculating.
“Origin Emperor?” Aether frowned.
“Yes, you ar—” Thalia began, her voice taking on a serious tone, but Raven interrupted, raising her hand as if signalling for silence.
“Help me to the horns, and I’ll tell you everything,” Raven interjected.
Aether blinked, staring blankly at Raven for a moment. His mind raced with questions, but instead of pressing her, he handed over the small horn he had taken from Leon, “Can’t you do it with this? Even just a hint?” he asked, a note of curiosity edging into his voice.
“Pfft!” Thalia chuckled, clearly finding the situation more amusing by the second. Meanwhile, Raven glanced at the small horn, her lips curling into a faint, almost imperceptible smirk. She knew the horn was useless to her, and yet…
“That ring,” she said, pointing to the piece of ring hanging around Aether’s neck, “it’s shit.”
Aether’s expression twisted in confusion. “… Huh?” He stared at her, utterly perplexed.
“Pffftt… Hahaha!” Thalia burst out laughing, unable to contain her amusement. “Come on, Raven, you need to explain it to him clearly!”
Raven nudged her sunglasses, adjusting them slightly as she added, “Well, it’s an Ancient Dragon’s shit.”
“….” Aether blinked a few times, trying to process her words. Then, slowly, understanding dawned. “You mean… that shit, right?”
Raven simply nodded, confirming his worst suspicions. Meanwhile, Thalia couldn’t stop laughing, watching with glee as Aether’s expression shifted from confusion to… shock and to… horror!!
Aether’s mind reeled back to past memories…
There was a time he had bowed to this ring…
A time he had dropped his blood on it, believing it to hold ancient power…
And worst of all… there was a time he had licked it, thinking it would unlock some hidden magic…
The memories crashed over him like a tidal wave, dragging him back to the present.
“PUUff!” Aether immediately clamped his hand over his mouth, fighting the urge to vomit as the full realization of what he’d done hit him.
Seeing his reaction, Raven remained composed, her face calm and collected. “Even if it’s shit… it’s still worth killing for.”
Yet Aether’s face twisted with disgust and fury.
“A shit is still a shit!” he shouted, ripping the ring from his neck and hurling it away with all his strength, “You fucking shits!!”
Ting, Tang….
The ring clattered against the ground, rolling to a stop as both Raven and Thalia watched it with a mix of surprise and amusement. Then, they looked back at Aether, who was fuming, his face red with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
He couldn’t believe he licked that shit… LITERALLY!!
Raven, ever the calm one, added, “The ring could even cost this whole empire.”
“That shit costs more than me?” Aether’s voice was incredulous, and for a moment, his anger gave way to sheer bewilderment. He glanced at the ring, his eyes narrowing as if reevaluating its worth.
After a moment of hesitation, he walked over, picked it up carefully, and inspected it for any cracks, his expression a mix of annoyance and awe.
“Hahah… Damn…” Thalia laughed even harder, tears of mirth glistening in her eyes, “I really thought you were some kind of big shot… but you’re just like the rest of us”
“What?” Aether snapped, glaring at Thalia before turning his attention back to Raven. “So this is the Origin Emperor’s shit?”
But Raven didn’t answer, her lips pressed into a thin line as she held the small horn he’d given her.
Aether nodded slowly. But he couldn’t help himself, “It’s not like you’re the only one who knows the details, right?”
Raven’s lips curled into a faint, cryptic smile as she replied, “The moment anyone else sees this… you’ll either be dead, or you’ll be forced to kill them.”
Aether stared at her. He sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off an impending headache. “Why are you so fixated on the Dragon Emperor?”
But Raven didn’t offer any more answers. She had given him enough information for the small horn in her hand, and now, without another word, she stood up, her intentions clear as she prepared to leave.
Aether clicked his tongue inwardly, frustration gnawing at him. ‘She’s a tough nut to crack…’ he thought, annoyed by Raven’s unyielding demeanour.
But before he could dwell on it, something caught his eye…
“Bear?” Aether blinked, his eyes widening as he noticed a cute bear print on Raven’s white panties.
With most of her clothes burnt away, she was left in nothing but her undergarments. And she wasn’t the only one—Thalia was in a similar state, her body barely covered by what remained of her attire.
“Rabbit?” Aether’s face twisted in disbelief as he noticed the motif on Thalia’s underwear. Her face flushed red, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at him with such intensity that he could almost feel the heat.
“You dare—” Thalia began, ready to obliterate his memory of the moment with a single strike, but Raven intervened.
“There is no need for violence,” Raven stated in a stern, indifferent voice.
Thalia gritted her teeth, her body trembling as if struggling to contain her rage. Then, with a sudden shimmer, scales began to cover her skin, hiding her exposed body. Raven, too, followed suit, her skin transforming into a protective layer of scales.
“Hmm…” Aether’s lips curled into an amused smile as he observed their transformations. But he couldn’t resist teasing, “To think the stern woman wears… a teddy bear?”
Raven flinched, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks, though she fought to maintain her composure. She turned and started walking away without a word.
[+100 AP]
‘I need to know more about her…’ Aether thought to himself, inwardly smirking at the small victory… He followed after them, curiosity driving him to ask more questions.
As they continued down the passage, Aether’s curiosity got the better of him. “Mind telling me why you have horns when you haven’t even reached level 50?” he asked, glancing at the two horns adorning Thalia’s head.
Neither Raven nor Thalia answered. The silence was deafening.
“Why does he keep talking like that?” Thalia whispered to Raven, her annoyance barely contained.
Raven glanced at Aether, who was now asking, “So, do tell me, why are you wearing sunglasses?” Then she turned back to Thalia and whispered, “Since his identity is out, he’s trying to regain control over us.”
“Oh…” Thalia nodded in understanding, before addressing Aether. “There’s no need to worry about your identity. We won’t tell anyone—as long as you help us.”
Aether blinked at her words, taken aback by the unexpected offer. After a moment, he nodded slowly. “Looks like we’re in this together.”
“I suppose we are,” Thalia agreed with a smile, though she couldn’t help but wonder which persona she was dealing with—was this really Aether, or was it Victor?
Aether sighed inwardly again. ‘This girl is really a tough nut to crack…’ he thought, casting a glance at Raven’s still indifferent expression.
Suddenly, the lights in the passage flickered out, plunging them into darkness. Two doors appeared ahead of them, the only source of light in the otherwise black void.
“Looks like we’re finally moving to the next round,” Raven mumbled with a smirk, stepping toward the doors. Thalia followed her, and then… Aether.
Thud!
He landed hard on the ground below. “Raven? Thalia?” he called out, but there was no response—only silence.
Suddenly,
Snnnggg
[Welcome to the Peace, Gentleman~!]
The words appeared, glowing faintly against the backdrop of a huge wall etched with the peace symbol.
Aether frowned as the symbol split apart, revealing a path leading deeper inside. Cautiously, he stepped forward, glancing at the corner of his vision where his level bar hovered top just millimetres away from the middle.
As he ventured further in, the walls abruptly closed behind him, plunging the space into darkness again. Then, out of nowhere, he heard a voice.
/A…Aether?/
/Aria!!!/ Aether’s eyes widened in surprise. /Aria? How are you? Are you alright?/
/A…Aether… I’m fine… I…. out…/
/Aria, I can’t hear you clearly./
/A…Ae…. I… Passed…. about…. leave the test…/
The garbled message slowly began to make sense, and Aether connected the dots. Relief washed over him as his shoulders relaxed.
/Thank goodness…/
/Aether… be careful… the real test begins when—/
Suddenly, the telepathic connection cut off, leaving him in eerie silence. The darkness around him flickered, and then light flooded the room.
“Look, what we have here? You’ve given birth to a healthy boy, darling~” A handsome man in his thirties said with a happy smile as he held an infant in his arms.
“H-He looks just like you…” A gorgeous woman, even though she had just given birth, still radiated beauty. There was no hint of exhaustion as she tenderly touched the baby’s cheek.
Aether stood there, staring blankly at the vision unfolding before him, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.
[Don’t fear the test—fear what you’ll discover about yourself~ Aether]
The ominous words lingered in the air, glowing faintly before gradually fading away..