Aether stood at the centre, flanked by Finnian and Vesperine. His demeanour was calm, but there was a dark undercurrent in the way his hand gently cradled Li’s head, while the other hand gripped Kai’s hair with a force that, though restrained.
He pulled Kai’s head back, but not enough to cause him real pain.
Despite the chaos swirling around him, Aether wasn’t allowing himself to be consumed by the emotions of the moment—at least not yet.
“You! How dare you harm your master? You worthless bastard!” Vesperine’s voice shook with rage, her eyes blazing as she glared at the battered Kai. She had never felt such anger before; the sight of Kai, beaten and humiliated, made her blood boil.
Aether merely shrugged, his tone cold and detached, “Well, he was the one who tried to—”
“Hey, what exactly are you?” Finnian suddenly interrupted, his tone laced with suspicion. His eyes locked onto Aether as if seeing him for the first time.
“Hmm?”
Finnian’s expression darkened as he prepared a purifying spell, his voice edged with unease. “Your eyes… have you been possessed?” His words hung heavy in the air. The blackness in Aether’s gaze had unsettled him deeply.
Something felt terribly off, not just to him but to everyone present.
Vesperine’s brows furrowed, and even Kai—still gasping for breath under Aether’s grip—couldn’t shake the creeping sense that something had gone terribly wrong.
Aether’s behaviour, his lack of empathy, the emptiness in his eyes… it was as if he wasn’t himself.
Just as the tension reached a fever pitch,
“Finnian, stop!” Helena’s voice rang out urgently.
She was guided by Celestia, who held Aqualina protectively in her arms.
Finnian clenched his teeth, his eyes blazing as he turned on Helena, “Why should I stop? Can’t you see? It’s obvious he’s been possessed—look at his eyes! And don’t forget, you were cursed the moment you looked at him!” he snapped, his voice filled with frustration and fear.
Helena flinched at his words…. He wasn’t wrong.
The last clear memory she had before her vision blurred and the darkness overtook her was Aether’s black eyes. But something about that didn’t feel right. She struggled to piece together what had happened, ‘I… I saw something else, didn’t I?’ she wondered, her brows knitting together in confusion.
Why did everything feel so fractured?
But she couldn’t dwell on it now. She had to trust her instincts. “No,” she said firmly, “He isn’t possessed.”
Finnian’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Then why is he acting so strange?!” Vesperine demanded, stepping forward with fury. She turned her gaze on Aether, frustration bubbling over. “Just let him go! You bastard, release him now!”
Without warning, Vesperine raised her hand, fire crackling at her fingertips, ready to strike at Aether. But before she could act—
“Hisss~”
Her entire body stiffened as Snowflake’s piercing eyes locked onto hers.
“Grrr!” Finnian growled in frustration, “Fine! If no one else will act, I’ll prove he’s possessed!” he snarled, summoning his holy sword. Without hesitation, he leapt toward Aether, intent on striking him down.
Sssshh
Chucckk!
“Aarhh!”
Finnian collapsed to the ground, a shocked cry escaping his lips. Blood poured from a sudden arrow on his leg, and his eyes darted up in disbelief. Aria stood over him, her eyes cold and merciless. She hadn’t hesitated for even a moment.
“Next time,” she said, her voice low and dangerously indifferent, “it will be your head.”
Everyone flinched at her words. The cold detachment in her voice sent chills down their spines.
Aria wasn’t joking—she would strike again without a second thought.
“W-What?!” Finnian shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief. “Why are you defending a servant?!” He struggled to rise, but his leg gave out beneath him, and he fell back to the floor.
Just as the tension seemed ready to explode, Helena stepped forward, “Please, everyone… calm down,” she urged, “Aether, please, calm yourself.”
Aether’s eyes, still dark and distant, remained fixed on Kai.
“Aether~” Helena called again, her voice filled with a soothing, almost motherly tenderness that seemed to reach into the deepest part of him, calming the storm brewing inside.
Aether blinked slowly, as if coming out of a trance, and finally let go of Kai.
Kai collapsed to the ground, violently coughing and gasping for air. His eyes, filled with hatred, shot daggers at Aether, but before he could act, Vesperine rushed to his side, pulling him into a tight embrace as if her arms alone could protect him from further harm.
Helena, still focused on Aether, signalled Celestia to guide her closer. As she approached, she gently touched his bare, trembling skin. Her fingers glowed softly as she began to heal his wounds. “Are you hurt anywhere?” she asked, her voice filled with quiet worry.
Aether said nothing, his eyes never leaving Lia’s head.
His heart felt like it had been shattered into a thousand pieces, and all he could do was stare.
Helena could feel his pain through their bond, even though he said nothing aloud.
She lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. “Everything happens for a reason, Aether…”
“Reason?” Aether’s voice cracked, his pain seeping through every word. “She did nothing… absolutely nothing. So why? Why is everyone hurting her? Why does everyone want her to suffer?”
Helena swallowed hard, her throat tightening as her hands trembled. Slowly, as if guided by an invisible force, she reached for Lai’s head.
Though they hadn’t shared many words, Helena had known—had felt—that Lia cared deeply. The memory of Lia shouting at her…. still echoed in her mind.
They had been friends.
“L-Lia…” Helena stammered, her voice trembling as tears began to spill from her eyes. The pain of losing her friend was sharper than she could have ever imagined.
“May thy Mother bless—” Helena began, her voice thick with emotion, trying to offer some final comfort. But before she could finish, Aether stopped her with a single gesture.
“Is there any way to bring her back?” His voice was calm, but there was something eerie in the way he spoke.
Celestia frowned, “That’s impossible. The dead cannot be brought back—”
“I believe…” Aria’s voice cut in, “The principal once said that if someone wins the trial, they are granted a single wish. And with that wish, it’s possible to bring back the dead.” she wiped the tears from her eyes, and she knew what Aether was thinking…. as she stared at Lia’s head, ‘FUCK!!’ she screamed inwardly, she really wanted to torture Jack!!
“But the principal never guaranteed that,” Kai said, his voice hoarse from pain and grief. “She only said, ‘We need to find it'”
While the others were embroiled in their intense discussion, Jack, who had barely managed to summon his two loyal puppets, found himself slowly being dragged out of the frozen case that encased him.
His body, blackened and scorched like charred bread, was limp as the puppets pulled him away from the group.
“Don’t worry, Master,” J1 hissed, his bloodshot eyes glowing with a twisted light. “Next time, we will kill him!”
“Yes! And next time, I will cut him into pieces!” J2 added with a savage grin, his own eyes burning with the same murderous intent.
Jack remained silent, his body too damaged to respond. Every breath was agony, and speaking felt impossible.
His skin, scorched and crisped, barely clung to his broken form. Yet, through the pain, there was one thought—one burning desire—that consumed him, ‘That slave would regret ever crossing me…
He will pay… with his life.’
But before he could entertain any more vengeful thoughts—
“Going somewhere?”
Aether’s voice cut through the air, cold and calm. The puppets barely had time to react before two crimson swords materialized and pierced through their bodies, pinning them to the ground like broken toys.
Jack’s fragile, crippled form stumbled, his movements jerky as cracks spread across his already fragile body. His bloodshot eyes burned with hatred as he glared at Aether, who stood before him with unnerving calmness.
Jack’s lips moved painfully, his voice barely more than a strained croak. “A… er… e…”
Aether cocked his head, his expression mockingly curious. “Hmm? I can’t quite hear you.” His tone was taunting, almost playful.
Jack’s jaw clenched. He knew death was inevitable now.
He could feel it creeping closer with every breath, but that didn’t stop the burning rage in his heart. “… will… kill… you…” he rasped, his voice filled with venomous hatred.
Aether’s eyes remained cold and indifferent as he gazed at Jack. There wasn’t a flicker of compassion in his expression, “I suppose people like you never feel guilt, do they?” he said softly, shaking his head in disappointment, “No matter how much you destroy, how many lives you ruin… remorse never touches you.”
Before Jack could even register what was happening, Aether disappeared from in front of him, only to reappear behind him in the blink of an eye.
Crack
With a simple twist and brutal efficiency, Aether grasped Jack’s head.
Chucccckkkk
Thud
Jack’s head came free from his body, rolling to the ground with a wet thud. Dried Blood dripped from Aether’s hand as he tossed the severed head aside like discarded waste.
Drip…
He took a deep breath, feeling his Umbra (Black) Domain increased one more.
“Why did you kill him?!” Kai’s furious voice tore through the silence, his face twisted in rage. “We could’ve used him to get information about their organization! You idiot!” His words came out in a snarl, his eyes ablaze with fury, “You’re just a useless, brainless idiot who can’t think beyond his own anger!”
Aether frowned, his irritation growing, ‘Should I kill him too?’
Kai, oblivious to the deadly intent swirling in Aether’s mind, continued to rant, his voice rising with each word, “If we’d captured him alive, we could’ve used the intel to destroy their entire organization! We could’ve prevented more deaths—prevented a fate like hers!” His voice broke with emotion as he pointed at Lia’s head!
Kai’s eyes were filled with tears, but his anger made them burn all the brighter. “Her death… it could have meant something! It could have served a purpose, but you—you selfish, reckless bastard! You ruined it! You ruined everything!”
The more Kai raged, the more everyone around him began to look at him with pity. They could see through his anger, through his fury. His words weren’t for Aether. They were for himself. He was drowning in his grief, desperate to lash out at someone—anyone. Tears streamed down his face, but he was too consumed by pain to stop.
But then,
BAGRUUUUUUUHHHHHAAAAAA
A deafening roar echoed through the skies, so loud and terrifying it made the ground tremble beneath their feet.
“HELENA, SHIELD!!” Aria screamed, her eyes wide with terror as she saw something streaking toward them, something massive and deadly.
Without wasting a second, Helena summoned her magic, erecting a protective dome around them just in time as—
BOOOOOM!
A massive bolt slammed into their shield, shaking it violently. Everyone’s faces drained of colour as they stared in horror.
But it wasn’t over. More bolts and nuts rained down from the sky like a storm of death.
BOOOM!!
BOOOM!!
BOOOM!!
“AETHERRRR!!!”
BOOOMMMMM!
Aether was thrown backwards by the sheer force of the blast.