Aether blankly stared at… Marisandra Naiadia, whose hoodie was slowly burned away from the blast, revealing her face and form beneath.
Now everything began to make sense—why Aether had felt her movements so hauntingly familiar and why she hadn’t killed him when she had the perfect chance to do so. It all came together, but at the same time, Aether’s mind felt like it had completely short-circuited, unable to process or comprehend the chaos unfolding before him.
He stood frozen, blankly watching Sandra as she gritted her teeth and carefully pulled the ice spear from her abdomen. Blood spilled out in thick, red rivulets, but with a quick gesture, she froze the wound shut…. Slowly, she pulled herself free from the surrounding debris, her movements steady despite the damage she had taken.
Sandra flicked her vibrant purple hair, her misty, enigmatic eyes locking onto Aether’s. He was staring at her, wide-eyed and pale, as if he had just seen a ghost from his past come to life.
She, too, stared back at him, her expression unreadable. The two remained frozen, gazing at each other in tense silence until—
“Aether!” Aria’s voice broke the stillness. She and Kaelen arrived.
But the moment Aria’s eyes landed on Marisandra, she froze, blinking in shock. Her face twisted into a mix of surprise and anger as she recognized the figure before her.
“Marisandra… the Empress of the Naiadae Empire,” Aria hissed through clenched teeth. Her fists tightened, “So this was your doing?!!”
Sandra finally tore her gaze away from Aether, her attention shifting to the others as if she were only now acknowledging their presence. Ignoring Aria’s words, she turned her head toward the massive monster pinned against the wall, unable to move. Her expression grew tired as she sighed heavily, then glanced at the Ebon stone nearly uprooted from the ground. With another sigh, she muttered under her breath, “Well, at least it finished its job… I suppose.”
“What are you doing here?” Aether’s voice broke through, blunt and flat, as if he were struggling to pull the words out from his throat. His entire body was tense, his mind still reeling as he tried to process the surreal sight before him.
Sandra turned back to Aether, her face hardening as her eyes narrowed. “I could ask you the same thing, Aether. What are you doing here, of all places?”
Aether clenched his fists, his jaw tightening, “San—”
“Empress!” Sandra’s voice exploded like thunder, her shout reverberating through the space, silencing him instantly.
Aether’s eyes widened, but he didn’t back down, “Sandra, tell me—what’s the meaning of all this?”
Her expression shifted, flickering with pain before it turned cold and unyielding.
“Why should I tell you anything? You never told me everything, did you? You kept secrets, and now you expect me to just… explain myself to you?” Her glare was sharp, her tone dripping with anger, “You’re a fucking rotten man!” The air around her grew icy, frost forming on the debris as her killing intent surged.
Liora stepped forward cautiously, her protective instincts kicking in, but Aether raised his arm, halting her. “Stay back,” he ordered, his eyes still locked on Sandra.
Liora frowned but took a step back, her gaze flickering between them. After a brief pause, her expression shifted, and she thought inwardly, ‘I see…’ as if a hidden truth had clicked into place.
Sandra’s voice rose, trembling with emotion as she took a step toward Aether,
“I… I… I gave you everything, Aether! E-Everything! And… what did I get in return?” She moved in a blur, appearing before him in an instant and grabbing him by the neck with a vice-like grip. Her voice cracked with fury and betrayal.
“Betrayal! That’s what you g-gave me!”
Aria and Kaelen immediately moved to intervene, but Liora blocked their path, raising her hand, “Wait! I think… this is his fight,” she said firmly.
Aria and Kaelen frowned. Meanwhile, Maelona stood in stunned silence, and just like her usual quick thinking, she got it…. her mouth slightly open.
Aether struggled to breathe under Sandra’s grip, but his gaze never wavered. He stared into her eyes, searching for something—anything—that would explain her anguish. He couldn’t feel her emotions directly, but he didn’t need to…..The pain in her eyes was unmistakable.
In that moment he understood… She had learned the truth, and it was tearing her apart.
‘Damn it… To think she was the one…’ Aether gritted his teeth… He had known this moment might come in the future, but now that it was here, it felt far worse than he had imagined. His voice cracked as he tried to speak. “Sandra… I’m sor—”
BOOM!
Sandra slammed him to the ground with a thunderous force, cutting off his words.
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry!” she roared, her voice shaking with rage. “You knew what you did, Aether! And you think a pathetic apology is enough to fix everything? You think it’ll undo the damage, you bastard?!”
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Aether coughed slightly before forcing a painful smile to his face.
“I know… I know what I did, and… I don’t really have any excuse other than sorry, Sandra. I…” He paused, “I… I…” Aether stammered, his words catching in his throat as guilt and regret overwhelmed him.
It wasn’t like he could hide the truth forever. He had always known it would come out eventually, but this… this wasn’t how he had planned for it to happen at all.
Sandra’s eyes trembled, her iron composure cracking like fragile glass as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
She had loved him—truly, deeply loved him with everything she had. She loved him so much that she had been ready to go to war with her own daughter just to claim him as hers…. Yet now, after discovering what had happened in the Pyra Empire, everything had fallen apart.
The memories clawed at her, each one a fresh, painful wound that refused to heal. How he had slept with other women behind her back, betraying her trust so effortlessly. Her sanity teetered dangerously on the edge. The moment Raven had spoken of their relationship, Sandra had been ready to kill her on the spot without a second thought. But because of her Master’s intricate plan, she had been forced to suppress her fury, her grief, and her overwhelming humiliation.
Now, standing before him, seeing his face—his cursed, calm face—Sandra’s emotions surged uncontrollably, threatening to consume her entirely.
He hadn’t just betrayed her; he had betrayed her daughter, Celestia who had ever put their faith and trust in him.
He had betrayed everything she had believed in!!
Her fingers tightened around his neck, trembling with barely restrained rage. It would take so little effort—just a small snap—and he’d be gone forever.
And yet—
“Why aren’t you struggling, you bastard?” Sandra growled, her voice raw with fury, pain, and disbelief.
Aether looked at her, his unnatural calmness almost maddening to witness.
He wasn’t fighting back… wasn’t even trying to protect himself. He just stared at her with an expression that was equal parts regret and acceptance, as if he had resigned himself to die at her hands.
Aether knew the feeling of betrayal more than anyone. He understood how deeply it cut, how much it twisted the soul, and how it could drive anyone to madness. That’s why he didn’t oppose her—not because he was afraid of her anger—but because he knew that opposing her would only amplify the hurt, the fear, and the pain she was already feeling.
It would make everything worse, and he wasn’t sure if he could bear seeing her like this.
Aether spoke softly, his tone almost gentle despite the tense situation. “Because I am a bas—”
“Don’t you dare look at me with those eyes!” Sandra screamed, cutting him off as she swung him into the wall with full, unrelenting force.
BOOM!
The impact echoed through the space like a thunderclap, cracks spidering out across the wall as Aether crumpled to the ground in a heap.
“Ever again!” Sandra spat, her voice trembling with emotion, her chest heaving as her rage consumed her.
“YOU BITCH!!” Aria’s furious shout cut through the air as she finally lost her composure. She raised her bow and fired arrows at Sandra, her fury boiling over uncontrollably.
But with a single, effortless wave of her hand, Sandra conjured a massive tsunami of water. It surged forward, swallowing everything in its path before roaring toward Aria and the others like a living, vengeful beast.
“Tsk,” Liora clicked her tongue in visible frustration. She grabbed everyone and leapt away to safety, narrowly avoiding the destructive torrent.
It wasn’t that Liora didn’t want to help Aether—far from it.
But in her tribe’s traditions, it was a man’s duty to calm an enraged woman when the conflict stemmed from their relationship… Realtionship between man and woman should be sloved by themself…. never interfere with them! If another woman interfered, it would only escalate the chaos further and make things worse. All she could do now was hope that Aether could somehow pacify his furious mate before it was too late.
Sandra’s steps were slow and deliberate as she approached Aether, who was pulling himself out of the wall’s wreckage. Dusting off his tattered and torn clothes, he looked up at her…. her eyes—those cold, indifferent eyes that now gazed at him with no trace of warmth—that made his chest ache with guilt.
He exhaled heavily, forcing himself to speak, “We’ll talk about this, Sandra… but first, why don’t you let Raven and the others go?”
Sandra’s response was a hollow, bitter laugh that sounded almost inhuman. “Hahaha… already rushing to protect your mistress, are you?” She shook her head slowly, her expression twisting into something dangerous, her eyes gleaming with a dark, murderous rage.
“You know,” she began, her voice low and venomous, “I used to wonder about this so-called love that everyone romanticized. I wondered what made it so special, what made people yearn for it so desperately. But now… I understand.” Her voice cracked as her hands balled into fists, veins bulging on her pale, trembling skin. “Love is nothing more than disgusting lust dressed up in the name of purity!”
She stepped closer, glaring at him with a mixture of hatred, heartbreak, and contempt. “If you want that bitch so badly, then kill me, Aether. Kill me and be done with it, you rotten, disgusting man!” Her voice broke on the last words, a single tear rolling down her cheek as her body trembled.
‘Fuck!’ Aether cursed inwardly as he stared at the broken woman before him… Just when his life had been starting to feel good, everything had come crashing down again in the worst way possible.
Fate was indeed a cruel, unrelenting bitch!!!