“Come on, there’s no need to be scared. Just talk to him,” the black-haired woman, said in an almost teasing tone, her lips curling into a smirk as she eyed the trembling figure beside her.
“B-But… he’ll kill us!!” The aqua-haired woman stammered, her voice cracking with sheer terror. She could barely keep her composure and twisted in fear.
The black-haired woman sighed dramatically, crossing her arms. “Del, for the last time, it’s just a child. Look at him,” she said, pointing at Ether, who stood motionless before them. “He’s not some bloodthirsty monster.”
Del’s eyes widened, darting nervously between Ether and the woman, “You don’t understand,” she whispered shakily, “I’ve seen it… he’s dangerous… I know what he’s capable of.”
The black-haired woman raised an eyebrow, an amused glint flickering in her eyes, “Really? You’re telling me that this… this quiet little boy is capable of such horrors?” She couldn’t help but chuckle, “Come on, Del, you’re overreacting.”
Del remained silent, her face pale, eyes locked on Ether as if any sudden movement would trigger the worst.
I couldn’t help but frown as I watched them, baffled by Del’s overblown fear, ‘Why is she so terrified of Ether? He’s barely moving…’
The black-haired woman sighed again, this time more deeply, as if losing patience. “Well, whatever,” she muttered with a shrug before stepping forward.
She looked at Ether and pointed to herself, “My name is Xara Seraphine,” she said clearly, expecting some kind of response. “And you?” she asked, motioning toward Ether.
But Ether remained silent, his expression completely blank, as if her words didn’t even reach him.
“Hello?” Xara waved a hand in front of his face, trying to get a reaction.
Nothing!
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, “What kind of sickness is this?” she mumbled under her breath, feeling a bit uneasy now. It was like looking at a broken doll, one that had lost all sense of life.
Pity flashed in her eyes briefly as she glanced over at her daughter, Selene, who had been watching the scene unfold with wide, curious eyes.
Smiling, Xara called out to her, “Sel, come over here, sweetie.”
The little girl, with her bluish-black hair and hesitant steps, approached slowly. Xara placed a loving hand on her shoulder. “This is Selene Frostblade, my daughter,” she introduced with pride, kissing Selene’s forehead gently.
Ether’s response remained the same. He simply stared at Selene, his eyes devoid of any emotion, while Selene frowned slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable under his blank gaze. She instinctively moved closer to her mother, wrapping her small arms around her waist.
“Why don’t you play with him for a bit, Sel?” Xara suggested softly, brushing her daughter’s hair out of her face. “Maybe he’ll open up if you try.”
Selene hesitated, biting her lower lip. She wasn’t sure about this strange boy, but she nodded anyway, “O-Okay,” she replied nervously, “Come with me,” she said, her voice soft and unsure as she led Ether away.
He followed without a word, his footsteps slow and mechanical.
“Here,” Selene said after a moment, handing him a small toy—a simple wooden figure. She watched as Ether took it in his hands and stared at it blankly as if he didn’t understand what it was for.
“Play,” she urged, pushing him to do something. But Ether remained unresponsive, his fingers merely holding the toy without any purpose.
Selene frowned, “You’re supposed to play like this!” she demonstrated, moving her own toy around in a mock battle. Seeing that Ether wasn’t following, she grew frustrated. “Like this!” she repeated, more forcefully this time.
Ether watched her for a few seconds before slowly mimicking her actions, though it was clear he didn’t quite understand…. He was just copying her movements.
Meanwhile…
“Are you absolutely sure he’s the one who killed us all?”
I overheard Xara whispering to Del, her voice low and cautious.
I frowned, straining to hear them as Del nodded vehemently, her fear intensifying.
“I know you don’t believe me, and I get why. He looks harmless, but…” Del paused, her voice lowering even more, “I’ve seen it, Sister-in-law. I’ve seen the future. He’s one. I know he is. We have to stop him before it’s too late,” she whispered urgently, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“We should kill him now… before he destroys us all.”
Xara frowned deeply, her gaze shifting back to Ether. He was still mindlessly playing alongside Selene, emotionless and eerily calm, doing exactly as she did, ‘How could this lifeless boy kill anyone? Let alone wipe us all out…’ she thought, troubled. ‘There must be something I’m missing. Could it be… me?
Did I somehow cause all of this?’
She couldn’t shake the haunting thought of Del’s future vision, the one where she stood by Ether’s side as he annihilated Del’s entire family.
I couldn’t help but feel conflicted as I listened to them. On the one hand, Del was talking about killing Ether… a child. But at the same time, I found myself strangely amused by how utterly terrified she was. It was like I had seen this all before… her fear, her desperation.
There was something almost darkly humorous about it.
…..
…
“Hey, I heard you’re the new slave around here,” a black-haired boy called out, his voice thick with arrogance as he approached Ether, who stood by the old man’s door.
Ether didn’t respond, his gaze fixed ahead, indifferent to the boy’s presence.
The boy smirked, clearly entertained by Ether’s lack of reaction. “So, it’s true what they’re saying about you. You really are just a mindless puppet, aren’t you?” he taunted, stepping closer.
I watched with growing curiosity, wondering how this would play out… Well, That’s all I could do
“My name’s Timmy,” the boy said, grabbing Ether’s hand and forcing a handshake, “From now on, you’re one of my lackeys. Number four, to be exact! Don’t worry, though, I’ll look out for you.” He patted Ether on the shoulder as if he were doing him a favour.
Timmy proceeded to drag Ether around, showing him different parts of the house and introducing him to the other lackeys. Each one greeted Ether with varying levels of enthusiasm, clearly enjoying their superiority.
“Don’t worry, we stick together,” Lackey No.1 said, flashing a grin. “We’ve got each other’s backs.”
“Just make sure you obey the master’s orders,” Lackey No.2 added, nodding seriously.
“If you do everything Master Timmy says, you’ll have it easy,” Lackey No.3 chimed in.
Ether’s expression remained blank as ever, completely unaffected by their words.
Watching the scene unfold, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Should I be happy that he’s finally making friends… or concerned that they’re treating him like a puppet?’
Still looking at his emotionless face, I couldn’t help but feel sadness!