Inside Frostblade Mansion,
“What is the meaning of this?!!” Velc roared in a voice filled with fury, his footsteps echoing loudly as he stormed into the mansion. Arriving into the room, His face was pale, his breathing ragged after barely escaping the crowd demanding answers.
Everyone had heard the letter and response… it was dead shit!!
“I-I don’t understand… but this… this is definitely Master’s thumbprint,” Alfred stammered, his fingers trembling as he examined the mark etched at the end of the letter. His eyes flickered with disbelief and dread.
Velc clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as a bitter rage surged through him. “That damned old man! After everything we endured to protect this family—he goes and ruins it all!” His voice cracked.
Delphine and Xara stood in silence, their piercing gazes fixed on Velc. Their eyes weren’t merely accusing—they demanded the truth he was so desperate to avoid.
Xara’s icy voice broke the tension, “So, you knew who he was all along?”.
Delphine clenched her fist, her body trembling as she barely suppressed the killing intent surging through her. The thought that she had shed tears for a father so despicable made her stomach churn.
Delphine took a step forward, her voice quivering with realization as she thought, ‘It all makes sense now… Everything about Aether’s mysterious powers… It was because of that, The Real Arcane King!’
Velc gulped, his throat dry, but he quickly masked his unease with a facade of bravado, “Well… I kno—”
SLAP!!
The sharp sound reverberated through the hall, cutting off Velc’s words. Delphine blinked, startled, as her raised fist faltered mid-air…. Xara had already acted, her palm connecting with Velc’s face with such force that he staggered and fell to the ground.
Xara’s voice was eerily calm, yet her dark and empty eyes, “So, not only did you torture that little boy, but you also stole his powers? At that age? Don’t tell me… that’s why he lost his emotions?” She stepped forward as the air around her flickered with dark particles.
Velc’s bravado faltered suddenly before shouting, “You bitch! How dare you lay a hand on me after running away like the slut you are?! And now you’re pretending to care about this family? Hah! It’s laughable! You think you have the right to stand here and play the role of a devoted mother after abandoning your own children?”
Yet,
Xara’s lips curled into a mocking smile, “Have you said enough, Velc? If so, then tell me this—why did you allow that old bastard to do what he did? Do you realize he not only endangered Aether’s life but also put our own son, Kai, at risk? Did you even think abo—” Her words trailed off, her expression shifting as if a dreadful realization had struck her.
Delphine’s eyes widened, her voice trembling as she whispered, “T-That’s why you put him under the Eternal Slave Contract, isn’t it?”
The pieces finally fit together…. Xara and Delphine had always thought Velc was a fool for using the Eternal Slave Contract—a devastating agreement that cost the user their powers to bind another as a slave. But now, the truth was clear, and it was far more sinister than they had imagined.
“M-My lady, p-please calm down!” Alfred’s voice cracked as he stepped forward, his face pale with panic. “We’ve already lost our Master, and now… please… this is not the time!” Despite his protests, his trembling hands betrayed his fear.
Alfred himself doubted the letter’s authenticity, though the thumbprint and handwriting unmistakably belonged to Mortimer… But didn’t Mortimer always want Aether under them?
Xara turned her piercing gaze to Alfred. “I am deeply disappointed in you, Alfred. Did you truly allow this to happen? If it were your child, would you have let that old man do the same thing?”
“I… I…” Alfred stuttered, his voice failing him as he struggled to meet Xara’s eyes.
Delphine let out a bitter laugh, her expression a mixture of disgust and amusement, “Oh, please. He’d have run away with his son long before anything happened!”
Just as the confrontation was about to boil over,
“Stop…”
A hoarse voice echoed through the room, silencing everyone.
Turning back they saw The Prophetess and the Empress enter the room.
Behind them, Kai, Selene, Leon, and Aqualina followed their expressions varying from confusion to dread.
The Empress arched an eyebrow as her gaze swept over Velc, who was still crumpled on the floor. A sly smile played on her lips as she chuckled softly. “To think… you’ve been fooling around behind my back, Velc? How amusing.”
The room grew colder…. Velc’s bravado crumbled entirely as he felt the weight of the Empress’s gaze.
Xara and Delphine, though furious, held back from acting further like killing him— because Velc was still the head of the household, a Duke. But the Empress…
Velc knew he had truly fucked up this time.
Aqualina stood beside Kai, her dark eyes boring into him. His head hung low, his face etched with guilt and fear. ‘I-I need to think of something… fast…’ Kai’s mind raced, desperate for a way to escape the storm brewing towards him.
The Prophetess moved forward, leaning heavily on her stick as she lowered herself into a chair. Her sigh echoed through the room, “Sigh… Whatever has happened… it happened for a reason. There is no point in screaming and blaming anyone now. That child lost his powers, and now Kai is the real one,” she said, her raspy voice carrying an air of finality.
Aqualina’s sharp gaze narrowed, “What do you mean by that? Just take back what was stolen!” Her tone was laced with disdain, though her calculating mind was already plotting the Frostblade family’s downfall.
She was mere steps away from acting on her plans and destroying this family that hurt Aether! Her beloved!!
‘Sigh… she loves him too much,’ the Empress thought, a faint sadness flickering in her eyes.
“Huh? N-No way… I-It’s my power… I earned this!” Kai snapped, his voice cracking under the pressure. His body tensed, his resolve hardening. He would rather lose Aqualina than give up his power. He claimed it—it was his, and no one could take it from him!
This was his power!!
“I AM THE ARCANE KING!” Kai bellowed, his voice ringing with fury.
Leon, though shocked by the escalating situation, stepped forward. As a loyal friend and brother, he stood by Kai’s side, ready to support him no matter the cost.
Aqualina’s lips twitched violently, her expression a mixture of disbelief and fury. “Yours?” she hissed, “You know exactly where you got that power from, don’t you?” Her gaze pierced through Kai, daring him to deny it.
Kai’s lips pressed into a thin line. He stayed silent, unwilling to respond, but his clenched fists and shifting eyes betrayed his guilt…. His silence was enough.
Everyone understood…. He knew!
Aqualina’s face contorted in disgust as she spat on the ground, her voice laced with anger, “I can’t believe you have the audacity to call it your power! After everything—you treated him like dirt, and yet you’re here flaunting the very strength you stole from him? You talk about saving people, about justice, while standing on the ruins of an innocent life? That’s beyond disgusting!” Her fingertip crackled with energy, small sparks dancing dangerously around her hand.
‘Oh, she’s pissed,’ the Empress thought, a wry smile tugging at her lips as she watched the scene unfold.
Kai’s face turned ghostly pale, but before he could muster a reply, Velc interjected, his voice defensive and loud. “It’s not like we did anything wrong! If it had been your family, your mother would’ve done the same thing in our position!”
The Empress’s eyebrows rose, and her amused expression darkened into a menacing smirk, “Oh? I would’ve done the same thing?” She tilted her head, her sly grin twisting into something far more demonic.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have wasted time with an engagement. I’d have simply taken the power for myself and kept it. No need for all this drama, don’t you think?”
Velc’s complexion drained of colour, his hands trembling as he stammered, “T-That’s… ” What she said was right, but still, “S-Still… W-We didn’t do anything wrong!”
The Prophetess, who had been silently observing, finally interrupted with a heavy sigh. She stabbed her stick against the marble floor with a sharp,
Tick!
The sound commanded instant silence. All eyes turned to her as she began speaking, her hoarse voice slow yet firm, “Calm yourselves, children. This is not the time to argue.”
She let her gaze sweep over the room before continuing. “Not just anyone can take the power of a Chosen One. That strength is a blessing from the Arcane Goddess herself, granted only to those deemed worthy.”
The Empress frowned, her voice sharp as she questioned, “Then how did Mortimer manage to take it?”
The Prophetess chuckled, a hollow, ominous sound. “Ah, those who know the truth…Haha” Her cryptic laughter trailed off, leaving the group uneasy, their brows furrowed in confusion.
She continued, her voice heavy with meaning.
“Regardless, the power has already been assimilated into that boy’s body, refined to his essence. It is useless to anyone else now.” She paused, her gaze—hidden behind layers of clothes—focusing on Kai, “Even if you had the ability to take it back, this child would lose his soul, just as the other child did.”
Kai froze, his blood running cold as her words sank in. The image of Aether’s lifeless, egoless body flashed in his mind. His chest tightened, and a shiver raced down his spine. He couldn’t bear the thought of becoming… that!!
The Prophetess shifted her attention to Xara, “Do you permit this to happen?”
“Of course not!” Xara shouted, her voice raw with emotion. Her hands shook as she stepped forward, her eyes blazing with maternal fury. “There’s no way I’d allow it! Not to Kai!” Her voice cracked as the memories of Aether’s broken state surfaced. “I’ve seen the pain, the emptiness in Aether’s eyes. I will not let my son endure that. Never!” Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire
No mother could ever willingly let her child suffer such a fate.
Suddenly, a loud shout pierced the tension.
“If anyone dares to touch me, I’ll kill you all!” Kai’s voice boomed with desperation and rage. His trembling hands gripped his sword, the blade shimmering with a blinding, radiant light. His eyes darted around the room, wild and furious.
“K-Kai, calm do—”
“NO! Stay back! I mean it!” Kai’s voice cracked, but his resolve didn’t waver.
Slash!
Meanwhile, outside the room…
“La~ Laaa~ Laaa~ La~ Laaa~”
Aether hummed cheerfully, his steps light as he danced along the corridor. He twirled on his heels, then broke into an exaggerated moonwalk, his hands holding his head as his hips swayed. His voice echoed down the empty hallway, carefree and melodic.
Aether’s ears perked up at the faint sounds of fighting emanating from the room. Instead of stopping, he sang even louder, his movements becoming more dramatic. With a mischievous grin, he slid across the floor, his steps reminiscent of a certain pop legend.
“La~ Laaa~ Laaa~ Laaaa–!”
His gleeful moonwalk came to an abrupt halt when his back collided with something solid. Startled, he turned around, only to find himself face-to-face with Alaric.
“It’s you…” Alaric muttered.