“I… I’m sorry… sob… I’m sorry… sob… I’m sorry…” Lia continued to mumble like a broken child, her words trembling in the air.
She was beaten down like a child harshly by her mother… and Aether had taken on the role of that mother in this cruel scenario.
Selene, Nyx, and Ashara exchanged uncomfortable glances.
They felt a deep, sinking pity for the girl trembling on the cold ground, still reeling from Aether’s brutal punishment.
The sight was hard to watch.
It had been utterly ruthless.
Even their fiercest fights with Jack were nothing compared to this. Aether had struck her without holding back, and the impact of it was evident in every tremor of Lia’s body.
“Ahem!”
The trio flinched as one, instinctively snapping their attention toward Aether. He stood there calmly, dusting his hands as though he had just finished a casual task, not even slightly bothered by the aftermath of what he had done.
His expression softened with an unsettling satisfaction as if he had completed something he’d been yearning to do. There was an unsettling relief on his lips, as though the act itself had been cathartic for him.
Selene, “W-Why do your eyes look so… strange? They’re… they’re kind of scary,” she stammered.
Aether’s gaze shifted toward her, softening immediately, “I don’t know, It just happened. Don’t worry about it.” His eyes lingered on Selene for a moment longer.
She had grown….. in many ways.
He wanted to pull her into a warm, protective embrace right then, but the others were watching. He suppressed the urge, reminding himself there would be time for that later.
Suddenly,
“You!” Lia roared, launching herself at him with a ferocity fueled by humiliation and rage.
Her eyes burned with determination, and she was ready—no, desperate—to beat the living hell out of him, the same way he had done to her.
Let’s be honest, it wasn’t really Lia’s fault things had escalated this way.
Who could’ve predicted Aether would cry while holding her head?
No one!
She saw an opportunity and wanted to test him, to see what he’d do if she were to die.
How would he react?
Would he even care?
But when she witnessed his tears… when she saw the raw, unchecked emotion in his eyes as he longed for her…. something inside her cracked open. Her heart filled with an unexpected warmth, something soft and tender she didn’t understand.
But even still, none of that excused him from the beating.
He had crossed a line!
And now she was ready to make him pay for it!
Just as her fist was about to connect with his head, Aether moved with lightning speed, scooping her up effortlessly and holding her close. The motion was so fast it left her breathless. His arms tightened around her, enveloping her in a firm yet comforting embrace. “I was really worried about you, you know!” he said, his voice low and sincere, the concern evident in his tone.
Lia’s mind raced, her anger fizzling out like a blown candle. Her face flushed a deep shade of red as the fury was replaced with something completely unexpected….flutters in her chest.
Butterflies!!
She couldn’t understand it. “W-Well, since it was a mistake…” she stammered, trying to regain control of her emotions. “Let’s just forget it ever happened and move on, alright?”
[+800 AP]
But Aether didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled her even closer, his grip tightening as though he was afraid she’d disappear if he let go.
“A-Aether?” Lia stiffened in his arms, unsure of what to do. She glanced nervously at Selene, who smiled warmly, giving her a subtle nod as if to reassure her, ‘Calm him down,’ her eyes seemed to say. Lia sighed softly, then awkwardly patted his back. “I’m not going anywhere, you know,” she mumbled, though her heart was pounding in her chest.
Aether’s response was to nuzzle his face against her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin.
Lia’s body temperature shot up, a strange heat spreading through her. Her throat felt dry, and her mind buzzed with confusion.
“A-Aether, move…,” she whispered weakly, but she didn’t push him away.
She couldn’t!
His scent was intoxicating, and the feel of his bare chest pressed against her made her body react in ways she couldn’t control. Her fangs began to extend, sharp and ready to pierce his neck.
She was just about to sink them into his flesh, to taste his blood, when—
“You stink!” Aether suddenly exclaimed, pushing her away abruptly, pinching his nose in exaggerated disgust.
Lia’s fangs instantly retracted, and the heat that had been building in her body vanished in an instant.
The butterflies? Fucking Gone!
All that was left was pure, simmering rage.
‘I should’ve beaten him!’ she screamed internally, but before she could act on her anger—
“LIA!!!”
She barely had time to react before Aria and Helena threw themselves at her, pulling her into a tight, almost suffocating hug.
Their arms were wrapped so tightly around her that they nearly knocked her over.
“Whoa! Calm down, guys!” Lia gasped, trying to catch her breath. But their tears, the way they clung to her so desperately, made her pause. She felt a pang of guilt creep into her chest and slowly began to relax into their embrace.
“W-We thought you were d-dead!” Helena sobbed, her voice thick with emotion.
“It’s okay, Helena… it was just an illusion,” Lia replied softly, trying to soothe her.
“You have no idea how painful it was to watch!” Aria added, her voice cracking as she fought to control her tears.
“I… I’m really sorry,” Lia said, her tone awkward but genuine. She looked at her two friends, touched by how much they had worried about her.
A small smile tugged at her lips, and for a brief moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Maybe she might even cry… for these friends who truly cared.
But then—
“I-If you die, who’s going to pay for our meals?” Helena mumbled through her sniffles, her sadness deepening.
“…”
“Yeah! And who’s going to take us to those fancy restaurants we like?” Aria chimed in, equally somber.
“…”
Lia stared at them in stunned silence, her expression completely blank. After a moment, she finally asked, “Are you guys seriously… my friends?”
“Hahahaha!” Both Aria and Helena burst into laughter, but their tears were evident in their eyes.
Lia’s lips twitched with annoyance, and she opened her mouth to scold them when—
“L-Lia… you’re alive?” A soft, pained voice interrupted.
Lia turned her head and saw Kai standing there, his eyes filled with relief and sorrow. “Yes,” she answered simply, before turning back to her friends, who—by the looks of it—only kept her around because she fed them.
Though Kai felt a deep sadness that Lia hadn’t reacted much to his pain, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief. ‘As long as she’s alive…’ he thought, trying to comfort himself. His gaze, however, quickly shifted to Aether, his eyes narrowing in anger.
“Now tell me,” Kai demanded, his voice cold and filled with accusation, “what was the point of killing Jack again?”
At Kai’s words, a wave of shock rippled through the group. Nyx, Lia, and Selene all turned to Aether, their faces a mix of disbelief and confusion.
“You mean… he killed him?” Nyx’s voice faltered, her brows knitting together in shock. She could barely process what she was hearing. Even though Jack and she were from the same Empire, she didn’t particularly care about his fate—but this was still unexpected.
Lia, on the other hand, stared at Aether, her eyes wide with surprise. “Y-you did that… for me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, trembling with emotion.
Aether didn’t respond. He simply shrugged as though it was the most casual thing in the world.
Lia’s eyes filled with unshed tears, the realization dawning on her.
‘Ba-dump’
Her heart pounded in her chest, loud and insistent.
She gasped inwardly. ‘I-I’m feeling it again… these feelings…’ She stared blankly at Aether, her emotions swirling in chaos.
[+900 AP]
[+1000 AP]
Breaking the tense silence, Aether cleared his throat, his tone shifting. “Most of us have already gathered here. Only a few are still missing,” he said, steering the conversation away from the emotional confrontation. His sudden change of topic made everyone instantly serious.
They started listing names, trying to account for who was present.
“Kaelen, Thalia, Raven, Leon, Victor… and a few other attendants are still missing,” Finnian said.
“…Kaelen is dead,” Aria said softly, her voice heavy with sorrow. Her words hit the group hard, making them all flinch.
“And now Jack’s dead too!” Kai added, his voice tinged with frustration and annoyance.
“Thalia, Raven, and Leon… their statuses are still unknown—”
“Leon is dead,” Aether interrupted, his voice calm, almost too calm.
“Huh?” Kai blinked in shock, staring at Aether as though he had just heard wrong. “What do you mean by that?”
Aether met Kai’s gaze, his expression unchanging, “It means what it means.”
“No… NO WAY!” Kai’s voice rose in disbelief, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t comprehend the words.
But Aether was unfazed, his voice cold and detached. “Victor was the one who told me before handing Snowflake over to me. He then left… moved on to somewhere else.”
Kai’s face paled at the mention of Victor, his breath catching in his throat. “D-Don’t tell me… Victor killed h—”
SLAP!!
Selene’s hand shot out, landing squarely on Kai’s face with a sharp crack. Kai’s head whipped to the side, his cheek instantly stinging. “Brother!” Selene’s voice was sharp and filled with warning. “Stop jumping to conclusions every damn time!”
Kai stood frozen, blinking in disbelief as he slowly processed what had just happened. His hand tentatively rose to touch his throbbing cheek, his mind reeling. “D-Did you just slap me?” he asked, his voice shaky with both shock and confusion.
As the sibling drama continued, Aether’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. His mind was plagued by one unsettling question.
‘Kyra is still missing…’ he thought, his brow furrowing as a sense of unease gnawed at him. He barely registered the bickering between Kai and Selene, his focus scattered. Just as his mind wandered further into darker possibilities, Ashara leaned in close to him, her presence almost unnoticed until her breath tickled his ear.
“I hope you gave me a gift for saving your friend… Victor,” she whispered.