Aether blankly stared at the huge wall painting in a particular room, one that contained nothing but a single, old, and tattered bed.
The painting itself was far from remarkable…. Much like the mansion it adorned, it was worn out and neglected. Rusty patches marred its edges, and the peeling paint made the image almost indiscernible.
Still, something about it caught his attention—words etched below the painting, faint yet present enough to pique his curiosity.
These words… they weren’t in the Lycorian language. They weren’t even some obscure, ancient god dialect. Instead, they resembled something familiar—something from his previous life.
“Arcane… Clara…?” Aether murmured as his eyes traced the faded letters. Despite the decay, he could guess their meaning, his familiarity with them offering a strange sense of nostalgia.
His gaze then shifted to the painting itself.
It depicted two figures holding hands, spinning in circles on a plain land. At the corner stood a solitary tree, towering over the two small figures.
The image, however, was blurred by time…. Their faces were unclear.
Aether’s brows furrowed as he continued to stare at the painting, “Could this… be connected to the goddess?” he wondered aloud, his voice barely above a whisper.
There was no definitive evidence to support such a claim, but something about the scene tugged at him…. It felt significant, though he couldn’t quite explain why.
“Where exactly am I?” he questioned, his fingers lightly brushing over the carved names. “Arcane… Clara… Could they truly be the goddesses people pray to? If so, were they once ordinary little girls like everyone else?”
As he pondered, his eyes caught something at the corner of the painting. At first glance, the tree appeared normal, but a closer inspection revealed… something. A faint, shadowy figure seemed to peek out from behind the tree.
At first, Aether dismissed it as a result of peeling paint or an error in the old artwork. But the longer he stared, the more unsettling it became. The figure appeared almost the same size as the two girls, and judging by its positioning, it seemed to be watching them.
His frown deepened as his gaze dropped to the nameplate below the painting, “Arcane” was inscribed for the first girl, “Clara” for the second, and…
“It’s missing?” Aether muttered, his brows knitting further. A chunk of the nameplate had been crudely carved out, as though someone had deliberately removed it, “Why would someone go to the trouble of doing this? Was there a third person—someone besides them?”
Just as his thoughts were spiralling further, a sudden, loud
“BOOO!!”
Shattered the eerie silence.
Without flinching, Aether turned calmly, his expression as neutral as ever, to find Nightfire standing behind him with an exaggerated scowl of disappointment.
“Seriously? Not even a flinch?” she groaned, throwing her hands up. “How come you are scared at all?”
Aether gave her a faint smirk. “I’ve had my fair share of scares. Let’s just say I’m used to it.” Memories of Celestia’s constant attempts to frighten him with her shadow powers flashed through his mind… initially he was scared the hell out but soon he got used to her so he was not scared of this kind shit anymore!
Nightfire narrowed her eyes, “Ugh….. You are not funny at all! If it were Helena or me, we’d be screaming our heads off by now…. Maybe even wetting ourselves!”
Aether said with a shrug. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“Trying to make myself useful!” Nightfire declared with a huff, holding out a switch-like object. “Here, I found this. It looks important.”
Aether raised an eyebrow as he took it, examining the large red button in the centre. It almost seemed to mock him, practically begging to be pressed. ‘What the hell is this?’ he wondered.
Nightfire’s face paled, “You wouldn’t believe what I went through to get that thing!” as she told him how she got this thing!
After hearing the details, “Someone’s helping us?” Aether asked, his surprise evident.
“That’s what it seemed like to me,” Nightfire muttered, her tone uncertain. She still could feel the fear of that unknown thing.
Aether stared at the big red button before deciding to walk back.
Suddenly, Nightfire asked, “Where is your pet?”
“Pet?”
“That white snake”
“Oh? Well… she is in good hands” Aether said with a small smile.
Nightfire thought, ‘If she was here she might be useful to divert the monster but oh well…’ she shrugged off.
They made their way back to the entrance, where Helena still lay motionless.
Aether knelt beside her, scanning her for any signs of harm. Sensing nothing physically wrong, he let out a soft sigh of relief.
“Aether?” Nightfire’s voice broke through his thoughts. He glanced up at her, his expression resolute as he scooped Helena into his arms.
“First, we need to distract the monster,” he said firmly.
“And let me guess,” Nightfire interjected with a bitter laugh. “You’re going to use me as bait, aren’t you?”
Aether didn’t deny it. “You said it, not me,” he replied with a faint smirk.
However they didn’t have a choice, the monster was dead set on Nightfire so, you got to use what you had!!
“Do you have a better plan?” Aether asked pointedly.
Nightfire sighed heavily, nodding reluctantly. “Fine. Let’s get this over with,” she grumbled, steeling herself for what was to come.
Aether didn’t waste any more time. With one swift kick, the door burst open, flying off its old hinges.
Thud!
The monster, which had been intently staring at the door, flinched as the door suddenly flew off its hinges and hurtled toward it.
But it didn’t end there—a surge of purple flames followed, roaring toward the beast with deadly intent.
With a casual wave of its massive hand, the monster deflected the flames effortlessly, the dark mist surrounding it dispersing momentarily.
Then—
Sneak… Sneak…
Its glowing eyes narrowed as it spotted Nightfire creeping quietly across the lawn, her movements eerily similar to a prowling cat.
But just as a startled cat might react, she froze when she noticed the monster staring at her.
And then—
“HIIIKKK!! RUNNNNN!!” Nightfire screamed, bolting with all the speed she could muster, her voice laced with pure panic. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire
The monster growled, its eyes blazing with bloodlust as it lunged after her.
“WOOOOOOOO!!!”
The ground shook under the weight of its massive steps as it chased her, the gap between them rapidly shrinking.
As the main gate of the mansion came into view,
“NOW!”
In that moment, the real Nightfire, perched on Aether’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes alongside Helena, pressed the large red button. The device flickered with energy, and suddenly, the entire mansion that was surrounded by a faint, glowing barrier flickered before disappearing!
Crrrrreeeecccckkkk…
The rusty iron gates began to groan open.
Meanwhile, the monster, mid-pursuit, suddenly halted, The claw that holding Nightfire suddenly turned dark mist dissipating as it turned… Its enraged gaze landed on Nightfire and others,
With a playful wink, she flipped the creature off, her middle finger held high.
“Catch me if you can, big girl~!”
The monster let out an infuriated roar, lunging for her with murderous intent.
Just as its claws were about to reach her, Aether’s calm, steady voice cut through the noise.
“Phantom Step!”
With a series of rapid, blurring movements—
Step.
Step…
Step….
Step…..
Aether was already beyond the gate.
“WWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFF!!”
The monster howled, its voice a twisted mix of rage and frustration. It turned toward the gate, prepared to pursue them.
But before it could take a step forward, Nightfire pressed the button again, her expression full of mischievous amusement.
“Nope, nope… Not today, baby girl~!” she taunted, her voice dripping with mockery.
The barrier around the mansion shimmered once more as the gate creaked and began to close.
Thud!
The heavy iron doors slammed shut, sealing the monster inside. When it tried to follow, its massive body collided with the invisible barrier, which held strong, locking it in place.
For a brief moment, the creature thrashed wildly, its rage shaking the ground. Then, as if realizing it had been defeated, it stood still, its glowing eyes glaring murderously at the pair outside.
Both Aether and Nightfire let out heavy sighs of relief.
“Good work,” Aether muttered as he glanced at unconscious Helena.
“Yup, good work, me!” Nightfire chimed in with a grin, clapping her hands together. Then, with a wicked glint in her eye, she smacked Aether’s ass playfully. “Mmm… nice and firm!” she teased, licking her lips.
Aether shook his head, rolling his eyes at her antics. “Glad to see you’ve got your pervertedness back,” he muttered dryly.
Holding Helena securely in his arms once more, he glanced back at the mansion, giving the monster one final look. Its furious gaze never wavered, even as it remained trapped behind the barrier.
“Let’s move. We didn’t find much in there, and it seems the path we came from is the only way out,” Aether said decisively, turning to leave.
But before he could take another step, Nightfire appeared before him and blocked his path with a sly grin.
“Wait, wait, wait! You promised me something,” she said, her voice low and teasing, “Now hand over your cock.”
“…What?” Aether blinked, completely baffled.
Nightfire leaned in closer, her grin widening as her tongue slid across her lips. “You heard me. Didn’t I say I’d suck a lot? A promise is a promise, you know!”
Aether stared blankly at her, his expression one of sheer exhaustion. “You seriously have some screws loose…” His words trailed off as he rubbed his eyes.
“You need to understand the place and time…..” As he began to speak again, Nightfire, who was enjoying this, her eyes fell behind Aether….. Her eyes morphed in shock when she saw…
The monster had turned its twisted grin toward them. Slowly, it raised its massive claw to its neck and cut its own neck!!!!
Nightfire began, “What in th–“
Tick!
“So you need to control that and First, we need to register each other properly!” Aether rubbing his closed eyes said with a serious face as he nodded himself.
“Nope! Nope… Wait? R-Register what?”
“Of course, your—” Aether’s words cut off abruptly as he lifted his head and opened his eyes to see her crouched on the ground, trembling. He frowned, his gaze shifting to Helena, still unconscious in his arms but… Blood had begun to trickle faintly from her lips, staining her pale skin.
“W-What the fuck?”