Aether continued watching the vision unfold, he saw his parents treating him like an outcast, their contempt only growing after word spread about his so-called defectiveness.
[See? Even though it’s their fault, they’re still pinning all the blame on you… What a sad, pitiful child you are…]
The words loomed in front of him, sinister and haunting, trying to provoke a response, but Aether remained composed.
“Yeah, they’re total bitches,” he said flatly, “I see that now… And I get it. I’m just a pathetic child, clinging to things I could never have.” His voice was devoid of emotion, almost robotic.
[…]
The words seemed to pause, as though they were calculating, wondering if their taunts were having any effect.
[Y-Yeah, pathetic is exactly what you are. How does it feel, Gentleman Aether? How does it sit with you? Once your family turned their backs on you, you wore that mask to survive… How far you’ve fallen…]
Aether went silent.
Sensing his silence, the words pushed harder, eager to provoke him further.
[Fu~Fu~ Happy times live short… Sad times live short too… But nightmares? Nightmares cling to you, suffocate you—they haunt you every single day!]
“Nightmares, huh? Yeah, well, I’ve been having those for a month now…” he muttered softly, his voice eerily calm, “Let’s see what’s the worst you can show me.”
The vision shifted again, replaying moments where his stepfather had tormented him relentlessly. Aether had never told his mother, not once, as if protecting her happiness was worth more than his own pain.
[See? It all started because you didn’t speak up, because you didn’t voice your true feelings…]
The vision froze, and the words shimmered before him, twisting and writhing as if trying to solidify their form and something else…
[If only you had shown your real self… If only you had revealed your true emotions… Things could have turned out so differently…]
The scene morphed, revealing an alternate reality where Aether stood up to his mother, stopping her second marriage. In this version of events, they grew closer, creating the relationship he had always yearned for.
[See? It wasn’t that hard, was it? If only you had been honest with yourself—]
Aether cut in, “Yes, maybe things would have changed. Maybe the future could’ve been different….
But that boy, the boy I was back then… he made the right choice.” His eyes sharpened with a serious resolve, “You’re right, I might have gotten closer to my mother…. But there would always be a part of her that resented me for denying her happiness with the man she loved…. In the end she is just another woman who wanted love… And believe me, I’ve never regretted that decision.”
[Oh? Never regretted it? Are you absolutely sure about that?]
Aether’s gaze was unwavering as he stared at the words for a moment before replying, “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve never regretted it. It’s her life, and I’m just a small part of it.” As he spoke, he placed a hand over his chest, feeling the frantic beating of his heart slow, like he was finally releasing a burden he’d carried for far too long.
He smiled softly, “Regrets? I’ve got plenty… but that’s definitely not one of them.”
[…]
“What’s with the sudden silence?” Aether smirked, glancing at the words hovering before him.
[Hmm… Nothing. It’s just… you’re far too good at hiding your emotions, Gentleman Aether… Now,]
The room plunged into darkness once again, and before him, two ominous doors materialized. One was pure white, glowing faintly, while the other swirled with a mix of white and black.
[Choose. If you truly believe what you did in the past was right, then take the white door. But if you wish to change your past, if you long for something different, then choose the other one.]
Aether stood still for a moment before nodding and walking towards the swirling door.
[What…?]
The words hesitated, clearly confused. They had expected Aether to choose the white door, given how firm he seemed in his convictions.
“No need to be so surprised,” Aether said, smirking as he waved his hand dismissively. “I just want to see what kind of outcome will appear if I choose another possibility.”
The words shimmered, almost as if they were laughing.
[Looks like something’s off with this new pawn… I wonder how the Mother Goddess will react to this…]
Aether stepped into the new room, surprised to see that the vision simply continued instead of altering the past… like the words had implied.
“I thought we were going to change the past?” Aether asked, amusement flickering across his face.
[W-Well… to change your past to perfection, you need to witness everything first… don’t you think?]
The words appeared again, this time with hesitation as if they weren’t entirely certain of their own plan.
‘Looks like Raven’s sister was right… No matter what you choose, this game is just endless torment,’ Aether thought, as he watched the vision of his mother giving birth to a new child.
“My child is going to become the greatest person in the world,” his mother declared, her voice full of pride and hope as she looked at the newborn.
Hearing her words, Aether couldn’t help but think, ‘Damn, that still stings,’ and he nodded slightly, a small, bittersweet smile tugging at his lips.
Seeing his smile, the words appeared again, this time with a frown.
[Are you sure you’re not a sadist?]
Aether shrugged casually, “I don’t know… I haven’t exactly tested that before…” His voice trailed off as memories of Liora surfaced, and he recalled moments where his actions had leaned towards something more… sadistic.
‘…Maybe I am… just a little… just a little bit sadistic… but only in the bedroom,’ Aether thought with a deep sigh, almost laughing at himself.
His thoughts drifted to Wolfy, and a grin spread across his face as he remembered how he had made the powerful woman beg for his c—
[Stop thinking whatever filth you’re thinking right now!]
Aether raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Did you read my mind—”
[No need to read your mind. Just looking at your face is enough to know what’s going on in that head of yours… Now wipe the drool!]
Aether coughed lightly, shifting his gaze back to the vision before him, where Penelope made her entrance into his life. A chuckle escaped his lips as he watched her act like a frightened girl, all innocent and delicate… But in truth, he knew better.
“She’s a damn Yandere,” he muttered with a smirk.
[Oh? So you do realize your first girlfriend is actually a Yandere? Are you scared of her now?]
The words floated in front of him, attempting to twist his thoughts, to dig into his fears… At least, they tried.
“Nah,” Aether said casually, “I’ve seen what their love and devotion can do.
Sure, I should’ve been scared, like anyone else would be—you know, feeling someone’s always watching you, following you, maybe even trying to take advantage of your vulnerabilities. It’d freak anyone out… Haha” His expression grew serious for a moment, but then a sly smile tugged at his lips,
“But me? Someone who’s starved for love… I never found it weird. They just didn’t know how to express themselves. And once you tame a Yandere…” His grin widened, pride filling his voice, “I promise you, they’re the sweetest, most gorgeous, and cutest things in the entire world~”
He paused dramatically, then added with a knowing smirk, “Just make sure you stick to one Yandere girl. Trust me on this—get involved with more than one, and you won’t know when you’re completely screwed.”
He delivered the warning like a seasoned expert, brimming with confidence!!
[…Did you hit your hea—oh, whatever. What the hell is wrong with you?! Let me remind you of something… that devoted girlfriend of yours once said she’d rather slee—]
“I’d think very carefully about your next words,” Aether’s voice darkened, his eyes flickering with a shadowed intensity. The void around them seemed to tremble, the atmosphere thickening as Aether’s eyes momentarily became pools of dark void before returning to normal.
[…]
Aether nodded as the vision shifted once more. It displayed how his stepfather’s manipulative plan unfolded flawlessly, using the young Aether like a pawn before ultimately tossing him out of the house.
“Yeah… I definitely picked up some of his traits,” Aether admitted with a cold, detached tone, acknowledging the bitter truth.
He didn’t feel the need to run from it anymore!!
From the very beginning, Aether had been nothing more than an observer and absorber!
He observed everything around him, consciously or not, and absorbed it.
He absorbed his birth father’s way of acting, and he absorbed his stepfather’s cunning ruthlessness.
There was no mistake about it!!
[Feeling like shit now? You hated them, but look at you! You’ve become just like them! Just like the filth—]
“And yet, they lived, didn’t they?” Aether’s voice was soft, almost contemplative, “I mean… I’m pretty sure they lived happy lives despite being filth. They were content, weren’t they?” He let out a small, almost bitter chuckle, “Good people die, and bad people live on. It’s not something we control… isn’t that right?”
[…]
The silence that followed spoke volumes. The words, for once, didn’t have a snappy comeback. Aether chuckled to himself, glancing at the corner of his vision where a meter—his level—hovered in the middle… never shifting slightly to either side.
“Heh… looks like I’m standing in the middle,” he mused, amused by the odd balance. His attention then turned to the new door that materialized before him.
[Choose wh—]
Before the words could finish, Aether walked straight toward one of the doors without hesitation, his mind made up.
[FUCK!! He’s not getting corrupted!! Why?!!]
The words screamed in frustration, their fury palpable.