“Cough, Cough”
Aether coughed, his chest heaving as the thick dust finally began to settle around him. Through the haze, he noticed Snowflake, her tail gently coiling around him, holding him steady.
“Snowflake?” he croaked, “Are you alright?” His words were laced with concern as he reached out, his hand trembling as he softly patted her.
Snowflake slithered in response, her scales cool against his skin, and slowly unwrapped her tail, letting him down gently.
“Yessss~,” she hissed, her voice soft but soothing.
Aether offered her a weak smile, his fingers brushing her head before he glanced around, confusion clouding his mind. His eyes fell on the massive bolts and nuts scattered across the ground. “What… what the hell is going on?” he muttered under his breath, his gaze drifting upward.
The sky above him still pulsed with raw, terrifying energy, crackling with power as if the heavens themselves were on the verge of tearing apart.
Aether’s heart raced. Whatever was happening up there, it was far beyond his understanding.
He sighed heavily, feeling the weight of his situation pressing down on him. He had already told Celestia and the others he was fine… but they were coming for him.
Leaning back against a stone, its cold surface littered with skeletal bones, Aether let his body relax for just a moment.
His hand gripped something with desperate strength—Lia’s head. Her lifeless eyes stared back at him, frozen in time. His mind reeled, flashes of the past playing before his eyes in a blur of blood, pain, and regret.
“Lia… heh,” he whispered, his voice breaking as tears welled up, stinging his eyes. His breath hitched in his throat as the dam of emotions finally burst.
Snowflake, sensing his distress, shrank down, her delicate form wrapping around his neck. She pressed against him gently, her cool skin soothing against his heated face as she rubbed away his tears, “Nottt crrryyyy~,” she whispered.
Aether forced a smile, though it barely reached his eyes.
He patted her head absently, his mind distant. “Yeah… hehe… I know. But what’s the point now? Nothing’s going to change… nothing’s going to bring her back, even after killing him.” His voice cracked as he spoke, the words bitter on his tongue.
He had killed Jack to avenge Lia, but the satisfaction he had expected never came. Instead, he felt hollow, more empty than ever before.
‘Hey, Log… Is there a way to bring back the dead?’ he thought desperately, clinging to the faintest glimmer of hope.
He had heard details of receiving the gifts…. But that wasn’t his path.
He wasn’t chosen one.
Log didn’t respond.
“Come on… Hehe… you’re really going to make me beg for an answer now?” Aether’s voice shook with frustration, his emotions teetering between anger and despair.
But still, there was nothing. No comforting Arcane, no voice to guide him…. Just emptiness.
Aether let out a shaky breath, lowering his head until his forehead rested against Lia’s, “I miss you, Lia… I miss your voice, your smile… We could’ve had so much more time. I-I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” His words trailed off into soft, bitter laughter that was almost hysterical. Tears flowed freely now, his body trembling with the weight of grief and guilt.
His hands clenched, nails biting into his palms as blood seeped from the self-inflicted wounds. Pain surged through him, but it was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.
“…. Aether?”
The voice, faint and trembling, made his heart stop. His entire body froze as a wave of cold, paralyzing fear washed over him. His breath caught in his throat, eyes wide with disbelief.
Did he just… hear her? No… it can’t be.
Slowly, his gaze fell on Lia’s head, still cradled in his hands… His vision blurred with tears…
“Y-Yes?”
Aether’s heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline surging through his veins as he stared at her. She wasn’t moving—not really—but he could hear her.
Her voice…. Her voice!!
His mind raced, desperate to grasp what was happening, “A-Are you alive?” His voice cracked, trembling as he frantically wiped away his tears, trying to see her clearly.
“… Well, Yeah…”
The response was so casual, so normal, that it sent a chill down his spine.
His lips trembled, and before he could stop himself, he hugged her head tightly to his chest. “Liaaaa—”
But then… something else. Another presence…. A shadow. He froze!
His breath hitched in his throat, fear crawling up his spine. Slowly, hesitantly, he turned his head, and there it was….. Another face.
Another Lia’s face!!
Floating beside him, watching him with an eerie, unreadable expression.
“F-FUCK!!!” His body moved on instinct, panic taking over as he lashed out, his hand moving before his mind could process.
SLAP!!
KYYAAAAA!!!
The scream echoed, shrill and piercing, as Aether recoiled in horror. His mind was spinning, struggling to make sense of what he was seeing,
“I didn’t miss you that much for you to come back like a ghost!” he shouted, his voice a mixture of disbelief and sheer terror.
Meanwhile…
Lia clutched her reddened cheek, glaring daggers at Aether, “I am not a ghost, you bastard!” she shouted, her voice filled with fury and pain. The sting of the slap was unbearable, and she could feel something shifting in her mouth, ‘Shit, my tooth! My freaking tooth!’ she screamed inwardly, wincing before spitting it out, the bloodied tooth falling to the ground.
Aether blinked in shock, his eyes drifting down to the hand that had been holding what he thought was Lia’s severed head. But now… now he was holding someone’s face?
“FUCKKKKKK!!”
He screamed, his body reacting before his mind could even catch up. He hurled the face away with a horrified gasp.
“Hahahaha….”
The eerie, mocking laughter echoed.
He turned to face the source, his breath catching in his throat…. Behind him, From the stone, once covered in skeletal remains, a figure emerged…. Nyx Shadowfall, stepped out with an expression of twisted glee, her laughter echoing like a dark melody.
Aether stood frozen… she wasn’t alone. From behind her, Selene and Ashara appeared!!
Nyx’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she looked him up and down, clearly entertained by the scene before her, “Look at him, crying like a helpless chi–” she sneered,
But before she could finish her sentence, a chilling voice echoed, “Did you see?” The words dripped with raw, untamed emotion, sending a collective shiver down everyone’s spine.
“NOPE!!” Everyone shouted in unison.
They didn’t know what was about to happen, but none of them dared risk it.
Even Nyx, found herself frowning, disturbed by the sudden shift in the air.
Why did Aether…. A servant… feel so terrifying?
Aether’s eyes were black, pitch-black, void of light, emotion, or warmth. They were like deep, endless pits, pulling everyone in, and for a moment, it felt like they were all staring into the abyss.
Aether’s gaze turned to Selene.
Selene’s body stiffened, and she quickly raised her hands in surrender, her eyes wide. “I told everyone to stop! I swear I did!” she stammered, “But… but it was Lia! She’s the one who wanted to see how you’d react if she died… or something like that!”
Lia’s face twisted in horror as she stared at Selene, betrayal and shock written across her features.
How could Selene sell her out like that?
Aether’s cold, unforgiving gaze turned to Lia, and her heart seized in fear. She flinched, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her skin clammy, “I-I… I just wanted to—”
“What exactly happened?”
Before anyone could react, Selene, spoke with the precision of someone who had practised this moment countless times, as if she were a devoted wife reciting her daily vows to a feared husband, “It happened when…”
The story she began to tell was a simple one—at least, on the surface.
It had started with Lia and Selene facing off against Jack. Things had been under control until Jack, in a moment of brutal cunning, summoned his puppets. The sudden shift in power had been overwhelming. The puppets, relentless and soulless, launched their attack with deadly precision, forcing Lia and Selene onto the defensive.
Bullets rained down on them, cold and unforgiving, and in that terrifying instant… Selene did exasperate a little!
Anyhow, Lia had made a choice.
She was ready to sacrifice herself for Selene. The decision had been quick, instinctual—an act of pure selflessness!!
But just as Lia braced herself to take the hit that would end her life, Ashara appeared. Her wicked smile was the first thing they noticed, followed by the snap of her fingers. In an instant, everything changed. Jack and his puppets were suddenly trapped in an illusion, their overwhelming advantage slipping away like sand through fingers.
Even the severed head that Jack had been holding—gruesome and terrifying—was nothing more than a figment of Ashara’s cruel trickery.
But their relief was short-lived.
As they tried to escape the battle, they encountered a monstrous snake that forced them to flee, rendering Ashara’s illusions useless against its terrifying might. Desperate and exhausted, they ran until they stumbled upon Nyx’s weird resting place….
She pulled them inside a strange, stone-like structure covered in bones, offering them protection
“And we stayed inside that thing until you came,” Selene continued, her voice still measured, “I told Lia we should get out, but she insisted we wait and listen. That’s when we saw you holding her illusionary head. Lia… she got curious. And…” Selene trailed off, “Yeah, we heard everything.”
Aether’s expression remained cold, indifferent. His eyes shifted to Lia, who visibly flinched under his gaze. Sweat beaded on her forehead, running down her temples like bullets. Her lips trembled as she struggled to find the right words.
“I-I’m sorry…” Lia stammered, her voice cracking with fear. “I didn’t mean to… I swear, I didn’t think you— Cry—HIKKK—P-Please… I didn’t— NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Her scream tore through the air as Aether beat her!