“What are they doing?”
“Kids these days have no sense of propriety!”
“Look at them… Playing hide and seek at their age… The future is bleak!”
The whispers floated through the bustling street, a blend of judgment and confusion. Eyes narrowed as passersby noticed a group of individuals crouching behind a wall, peeking out nervously.
It had been nearly an hour of this peculiar behavior, and curiosity was growing.
Helena’s cheeks flushed crimson as the murmurs reached her ears.
She shot a sideways glance at Aether, who was perched right beside her, peeking around the same corner.
After blurting out the truth earlier, Helena had been cornered by Aether, who demanded an explanation. She couldn’t bring herself to lie anymore. With guilt weighing heavily on her, she confessed everything.
Despite her desire to handle things on her own, Aether’s determination to help her left no room for argument.
Her heart felt torn—relieved that he was by her side, but burdened that her failures had dragged him into her struggle
Aether came with her saying he would help no matter what and he didn’t see her pain or anything… Though Helena happy to hear that, still somewhere in the heart she was still feeling down after she failed Aqualina.
Others might see her as overly nagging or fixated on a past problem, but for Helena, it was deeply personal.
Aether had asked for her help—
personally
. That simple act made her heart soar with happiness because it meant he needed her, trusted her. It was a rare, cherished feeling. And yet, she had failed him. That failure cut deeper than she could express.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her eyes narrowed at the sight of Ashara leaning too close to Aether. More specifically, her ample chest brushing against his back.
“W-Why?” Helena muttered, her face twisting with a mix of jealousy and annoyance.
Aether caught her expression and smirked knowingly. “She’s good with illusions,” he explained with a casual shrug. “She might actually be useful.”
Helena opened her mouth to question further, but Aether cut her off before she could speak. “Victor told me everything,” he added, as if reading her thoughts.
Helena pouted but nodded reluctantly, though her lips twitched in mild frustration when she noticed Ashara’s body touching’s Aether’s.
Meanwhile, Ashara leaned closer to Aether, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why did you drag me into this?” she hissed, her eyes darting to the sky, which was rapidly darkening. “Don’t you know what time it is?!” Her tone grew panicked.
Aether raised an eyebrow, clearly unbothered. “Don’t
you
know?”
Ashara frowned, confused. “Know what?”
Aether’s smirk widened, his amusement evident. ‘So Nightfire hasn’t told her anything… How interesting,’ he thought, shrugging nonchalantly.
Ashara scowled and internally reached out to Nightfire for answers, but silence greeted her, fueling her frustration.
“M-Mom…” Helena’s soft, strained voice broke through the tension.
Both Aether and Ashara flinched, turning towards crowd…. But the bustling crowd made it difficult to see what she was staring at.
“Where is she?” Aether asked, his gaze following Helena’s.
But she didn’t respond because…. Helena already darted into the crowd.
“Helena!” Aether called out, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he bolted after her.
“W-Wait for me!” Ashara yelled, chasing after them. But as she caught up, Aether came to an abrupt halt.
“Ouch!” she yelped, her nose bumping into his back. Rubbing her face, she peeked over his shoulder.
Helena was walking back toward them, her expression heavy with disappointment.
“It wasn’t her…” she mumbled, her voice tinged with sorrow. Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached Aether, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
Aether sighed and led her to a nearby bench. Sitting down, he let Helena lean against his shoulder as she whispered, “I don’t think I’ll ever find her again…” Her voice cracked with pain, her face clouded with despair.
Ashara, still catching her breath, looked between them in confusion. “Can someone please explain what’s going on?” she asked, her cheeks puffed with irritation.
Aether ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply before explaining. He told Ashara about Helena’s mother, who had disappeared without a trace. Helena had been tirelessly searching for her ever since.
Recently, she’d hired mercenaries with the money she saved for long years and got information that led them to believe her mother was near the academy’s city. Helena had been clinging to the hope of finding her today.
“I see…” Ashara murmured, her expression softening as she reached for Helena’s hand. “Don’t lose hope. With your love and determination, you’ll find her one day, I’m sure of it.”
Helena’s lips curved into a weak smile as she nodded.
Aether’s jaw tightened, his frustration evident…. He hated seeing Helena like this!
Sensing the somber mood, Ashara abruptly stood and puffed out her chest. “Don’t worry! With me here, we’ll find her in no time!”
Helena blinked up at her, her curiosity piqued. “How?”
Ashara grinned proudly. “With my divine powers!” She closed her eyes, raising her hands theatrically. “Oh, spirit of motherly love that watches over us… guide me to Helena’s mother!”
Both Helena and Aether leaned forward slightly, watching her with skeptical curiosity.
…
Nothing happened.
Ashara’s eyes popped open, her face lighting up with a triumphant smile. “How was that?”
“What?” Aether deadpanned.
“My
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comedy,
of course!” Ashara said with a laugh.
Her laughter died when she noticed Aether’s glare and Helena’s crestfallen expression.
“D-Did I do something wrong?” Ashara stammered, paling as she realized she might have misjudged the situation… she was trying to make Helena smile but…
“You idiot!”
Nightfire’s voice suddenly thundered in her mind, dripping with frustration. It was then that Ashara realized her mistake.
Awkwardly clearing her throat, she turned away, scanning the crowd as if genuinely searching. “U-Um… I’ll… I’ll keep looking!”
Aether sighed, his gaze softening as he looked at Helena. “Don’t worry. You’ll find her,” he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.
Helena nodded weakly, though her shoulders slumped in resignation. Just as she was about to give up, Ashara’s voice broke through.
“Does she have a similar hair color to yours?” Ashara asked, her tone sharp with focus as she glanced around, eyes locking onto something in the distance.
Helena’s heart didn’t immediately leap. She’d already been fooled once today by someone with the same golden hair.
“And… does she have your eye color too?”
Those words struck Helena like lightning…. Her golden eyes widened as she whipped her head to face Ashara, following her pointing finger. Her breath hitched when she saw the woman Ashara meant.
“M-Mom…” Helena’s voice trembled, and tears spilled from her eyes. It
was
her—those golden locks tied up in a neat bun, those unmistakable golden eyes.
It was her mother!
Without thinking, Helena moved to run toward her, but Aether’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist firmly. “Wait,” he said, his voice calm but stern.
Helena turned to him, her face flushed with urgency. “Aether, let me go! That’s my mother!”
Aether shook his head, his expression deadly serious. “We can’t approach her yet. We need to follow her first, make sure.”
Helena hesitated, torn between her desperate desire to reunite and Aether’s firm logic. Slowly, she nodded, though her body trembled with restraint.
“Ashara, cast a spell to conceal us,” Aether asked.
Ashara nodded without a word, quickly weaving her hands through the air. A faint shimmer surrounded the trio as an invisible sphere cloaked them from view.
Together, they moved cautiously toward the golden-haired woman.
She was dressed in a maid’s uniform, wore a cap, her hands clutching a bag of goods.
“I can’t believe the price of this fruit increased in this small amount of time time!” the woman muttered under her breath, a hint of exasperation in her tone as she exited the store and began walking briskly.
The trio followed her, staying just out of sight… Aether frowned as he felt her tone was familiar, he tried to see her face but the cap hiding it.
“This is kind of exciting,”
Nightfire commented cheekily in Ashara’s mind.
The woman turned into a narrow alley, the dimming twilight making it hard to see her clearly. Shadows deepened as the trio ventured into the labyrinthine alleys.
Left… Right…. Left… Right…. Right…. Left…. Sharp corner… Left
“She’s moving fast,” Aether murmured, quickening his pace as the woman disappeared around another corner.
Ashara furrowed her brow. “I think she knows we’re following her,” she whispered, her voice laced with tension.
Aether nodded grimly, his sharp eyes scanning ahead. Without hesitation, they broke into a jog, chasing after her figure.
“Please wait, miss!” Aether shouted, his voice echoing in the narrow passageway.
“MOM!!” Helena’s anguished cry tore through the air as they rounded the corner—
Only to find nothing but a blank wall.
Helena froze, her face contorted in disbelief. “No… no, no, no!” she choked out, her voice breaking as dread consumed her.
“Everyone spread out!” Aether barked, his tone urgent. “Look for a switch or any kind of illusion hiding a passage!” as he checked right side wall.
Helena immediately ran to the front wall, pressing her hands against it as she searched for any clue, tears streaming down her face. Ashara darted to left side wall, running her fingers along the cold stone.
Yet, nothing.
“There’s nothing here!” Ashara exclaimed in frustration, her voice echoing in the empty alley.
Helena fell to her knees, her sobs quiet but heart-wrenching. “It’s fine… it’s fine…” she whispered shakily, her voice barely audible. “I-I finally know she’s alive. That’s all I—”
“Shhh!” Aether hushed her abruptly, his head snapping towards Front wall.
“What?” Ashara frowned, straining her ears. “I don’t hear anything.”
Aether didn’t answer, his expression tense as he leaned closer to the wall. His palm pressed against it, and his ears twitched as if catching something faint.
“Dance of flames…” he murmured under his breath.
Helena blinked in confusion, her tear-streaked face lifting. “Dance of flames? What is that?” as she tried to hear but she couldn’t!
“It’s an artifact,” Aether muttered distractedly, still listening. His voice grew quieter, almost as if speaking to himself. “It’s… something I created before…”
But before he could finish. In a fraction of second, it opened up and swallowed him whole.
“AETHERRR!!” Helena and Ashara screamed simultaneously, rushing toward the wall where he had just disappeared.