“‘With great power comes great responsibility’… ahaha… what a load of bullshit!” Jack laughed, his voice ringing through the quiet room as he leaned back on the couch across from Victor, clearly amused by the principal’s words!
Following the principal’s intervention, a tense calm had settled over the castle. Everything had returned to normal—for now. But tomorrow… it was an important day that no one could ignore.
Jack’s laughter echoed before he noticed Victor’s stern, unwavering expression. Realizing he’d crossed a line, Jack cleared his throat and tried to mask his grin. “Ahem… So, what brings you here, anyway? What do you need from me?”
Victor’s gaze stayed steady as he replied, “You saw what happened at the engagement ceremony, didn’t you?”
Jack’s grin returned, a glint of surprise flickering in his eyes, “Oh, I saw. Trust me, I saw,” he replied with a touch of excitement, “Seeing those pompous faces, disgusted and beaten—it was a beautiful sight.” He smirked as if savouring the memory of Leon and other dragons’ deep shit faces.
Victor nodded, letting the silence weigh in before he asked, “And now… what’s your take on Leon?”
[+4000 AP]
Jack’s brow furrowed, then arched with intrigue. “Leon, huh? Well, now we’re talking! Need a hand with him?” Jack’s voice turned sinister as he leaned closer, an edge to his grin. “You know I’m a little too good at taking people out of the picture.”
Victor held Jack’s gaze, his expression unchanged, “No. I’m not killing him. At least… not quite,” he added, voice laced with mystery… Jack listened closely as Victor laid out his plan, his eyes slowly brightening with excitement.
“Damn, that’s genius,” Jack breathed, looking at Victor with newfound admiration. He practically had the look of a fanboy.
…
…
After dealing with Jack, Victor returned to his own room, exhaling deeply as he removed his mask and rubbed his temples. The memory of the principal’s disappointed gaze still lingered, heavy and disapproving.
He clenched his fist and took a deep breath, murmuring to himself, ‘I guess… power really can change people… I made the reckless move there.’ A part of him recognized that he might’ve let it get to his head this time.
Gathering his thoughts, he reached out telepathically, /Celestia, how’s it going on your end?/
…..
….
Meanwhile, the outskirts of the Pyra Fulgur Empire…
/Oh…Well… / Celestia’s pause was long as she surveyed the bloody ground, casting a wary glance at Aria.
Aria stood there, her armour splattered with blood—but not her own. Before her lay a man, his body pierced by countless arrows. She frowned with disdain as she wiped her bow clean, her eyes coldly scanning the remaining soldiers.
“Is this all you’ve got?” Aria sneered, shaking her head in disappointment, “I expected more from the general of an army.” Her voice was cutting, filled with contempt as she turned to the remaining dead soldiers, “But then again… you’re as weak as your leader.”
One brave soldier sneaked and dared to move behind her, clutching his weapon, “You—BITC—AAARRR—!”
Aria’s arrow struck his groin before he could finish the insult, and another followed, silencing him with brutal precision, “Sorry but My hubby needs my help to clean your filths” she mumbled with a wicked smile as she glanced at Celestia.
/Good?/ Celestia said with a strained smile.
/Haha… well done, then. As soon as you guys finish up there, return here tomorrow./ Aether replied with a note of seriousness, ending their telepathic link.
Celestia nodded, “Aria we need to leave now, everyone got alerted…”
Aria sighed and said with an annoyed face, “I know, you don’t need to order me… With this we have only one remaining General, Let’s see whether they will cooperate with us or not”
Meanwhile,
Aether paused, taking a deep breath before connecting to someone else.
/Mother-in-law?/
In another empire, Maelona, speaking with her tribe’s elders, flinched as she heard Aether’s voice in her mind.
She excused herself, stepping away to a quiet spot.
/Oh? Finally, remembered your dear mother-in-law?/ Maelona’s voice held a teasing warmth.
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/Of course! I could never forget you. So… any news on your end?/
Maelona’s eyes sparkled with triumph. /Alaric finally stepped down from the throne! We won with overwhelming support from the elders! Hahaha!/ She could hardly contain her glee, pride shining in her words.
Aether smiled softly, savouring her joy. /If only I’d been there to see it… I bet his face was priceless like he’d swallowed something sour./
Maelona chuckled, glancing at the attendants nearby who bowed respectfully. /Oh, you missed quite the show! He looked like he’d eaten shit… absolutely priceless./ Her laughter faded as she walked to the balcony, gazing up at the starlit sky. /So? What are you doing?/
/Talking to you, obviously./
/Ha.. Ha.. So Funny/ Maelona’s voice was full of dry sarcasm, /But seriously… have you eaten? How are you holding up?/
/Oh? Sounds like my mother-in-law’s more worried about me than her daughter,/ Aether teased, enjoying her reaction.
Maelona’s lips twitched, /Keep teasing, and I’ll end this connection,/ she replied, though a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Aether chuckled softly, /I’m doing fine. Better than fine, actually. As for Aria… well, she’s got her hands full/
/I see…/ Maelona murmured, twirling a strand of her white hair absentmindedly as she gazed into the starlit sky.
Their connection fell into a brief, comfortable silence before Aether cleared his throat, /I think we’ll be back in a few days…/
/Hmm…/
/But there’s a chance Alaric won’t let this go quietly. He might try something…. Trying to get back Aria or… perhaps use Kaelen to claw his way back to power,/ Aether said, his brow furrowing as he spoke.
/Hmm…/ Maelona hummed again, her mind seemingly elsewhere.
Aether tilted his head /Mother-in-law?/
Maelona blinked, snapping back to the present, /Oh, don’t worry too much, Aether. They’re not children anymore. They know how to handle things. Besides…/ she paused, her tone turning thoughtful, /we’ll always be here if they need us./
Aether relaxed a little, appreciating her confidence, /And… how are you? Has there been any improvement in your health?/
Maelona’s lips softened into a gentle smile, /Not much difference, really. It’s your potions keeping me going. For that… thank you, Aether./
Aether shook his head, his tone quiet. /If it weren’t for you, I’d have died back there—you know that, right? You don’t owe me anything./
Maelona’s smile turned tender, her voice a faint whisper. /Even so, you’re saving me every day, helping me see another day, Aether… You don’t understand how much I am grateful for that./
Aether paused, then said, /Please, don’t worry. One day, we’ll find a way. Aria and I—believe me, we won’t let you go./
[+2000 AP]
Maelona’s eyes glistened as she softly replied, /I… I miss… yo…/
/Hmm?/ Aether’s voice hinted a confusion.
Realizing what she’d almost said, Maelona’s cheeks flushed a deep pink. She cleared her throat quickly. /I-I mean… I miss my daughter!/
/Ah, I see… But, what about me?/ He asked playfully.
There was a small silence before Maelona replied briskly, /The meeting’s about to resume. We’ll talk later./ She cut the connection, heart pounding as she covered her face. “What’s wrong with me?” she screamed.
Meanwhile, Aether shrugged, chuckling to himself, ‘Looks like she’s just busy!’ With that thought, he reached out to Liora, eager to connect with her,
/Wolfy~/ he greeted warmly… but was met with an abrupt reply.
/I’m busy, Aether!/
Aether blinked in surprise, taken aback by her tone. /Busy? With what?/ Curiosity piqued, he pressed for an answer.
He knew Maelona was the one who handling Empire now so why Liora was busy?
/Building our mating home!/
And with that, the connection abruptly cut off.
Aether stared, his mind racing as he murmured, “Mating home?” He blinked and added, “What in the world is she up to?” He could even feel a strange sense of pride coming through the connection.
With a small, wry smile, he shook his head. “Well, as long as she’s not getting into any real trouble…”
Sighing, he rose to his feet, steeling himself. Now, it was time to check in with Raven and the others.