“M-Mother… I think we need to help Father… He seems to be acting strangely, not even fighting back for some reason,” Kaelen mumbled his face frozen in shock as he watched Sandra mercilessly beating Aether… The most baffling part was that Aether wasn’t even attempting to defend himself or retaliate.
Liora bit her lip hard but didn’t say anything…. She simply stood there, blankly staring at her husband, as if caught in an internal war about what the right course of action should be. Deep down, she knew it was probably best not to interfere. Yet, Sandra’s rage was so palpable, so overwhelming, that it was clear she wouldn’t listen to reason, let alone to Aether.
“M-Mom… is it what I think it is?” Aria asked softly, her voice slightly trembling with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place in her mind.
Maelona inhaled deeply, before nodding. “I believe it is exactly what it looks like,” she replied, her voice calm but heavy with implications.
Aria’s lips twitched, her jaw tightening as her expression darkened further. “Then why the hell is that thieving bitch attacking him?! What gives her the right to lay a hand on him?” she growled, her voice dripping with fury.
Maelona shook her head helplessly, “I don’t know… “
Aria clenched her fists, her teeth grinding audibly, “Maybe I should step in and end this right now. I’ll kill that bitch before she has the chance to harm Aether any further… one stone two birds!” she spat, her voice rising with each word.
Maelona let out a weak, awkward chuckle… Of course, she understood the gravity of the situation. She knew exactly what was happening.
But Aether not fighting back was troubling. It wasn’t just unusual—it was reckless, and it wasn’t going to solve anything. After all, her tribe members were either dead or had turned into monsters. Someone needed to take responsibility for that, no matter who they were.
That was supposed to be Aether’s role!
Yet, the situation was murky. If it was Sandra behind all this chaos, then her Empire would have to pay the price for her sins… And this time, not even Aether would be able to shield her from the consequences.
Meanwhile,
“Fight me!”
BOOM!
“Fight me!”
BOOM!
“Fight me, you fucking bastard!!!”
BOOOMMMMM!!!
Sandra’s fists continued to rain down on Aether’s face, which remained calm, warm, and almost unbothered.
It infuriated her even more.
She hated that look, that infuriating serenity he carried, and she didn’t stop. Punch after punch landed, each fueled by her mounting rage.
Yet, despite her assault,
Aether’s broken voice escaped his bloodied lips, steady and unwavering. “I cannot…” he mumbled, his face battered and bloody, still wearing that same soft, warm expression.
The sight of it made Sandra’s heart tremble even more violently, though she refused to acknowledge it.
“AARRRHH!!!” Sandra screamed, frustration spilling from her as she kicked him with every ounce of strength she had.
Aether didn’t resist…. He let the blow send him flying backward until his body slammed into the wall with a sickening thud.
BAM!
Tears streamed freely down Sandra’s face now, a torrent of pain, betrayal, and despair…. She never let anyone in her heart after her mother, but Aether somehow managed to stir her insides…. And now… now he had betrayed her!
That pain and anguish…. was too much for her!
‘Why? Why is this happening? Is this karma for betraying Master? Is this what he planned all along?’ Thoughts spiraled through Sandra’s mind, tangling into a chaotic mess that only deepened her agony. Yet, no reasoning, no excuse could soothe the wound she now bore. Instead, it only made her feel as if her grip on sanity was slipping further away.
‘Fuck… that really hurts,’ Aether thought to himself, grimacing as he coughed up blood. ‘Damn, she’s strong… Well, I suppose it makes sense. She’s the one who killed not just one chosen one but two…’ he mused, a faint trace of amusement flickering in his thoughts.
He sighed inwardly, knowing there was no way she’d let this go. The situation had already spiraled out of control, and even the infamous word “sorry” wasn’t going to work this time.
If only he had been the one to tell her the truth…. He was sure he could have managed the fallout just like Aria and Selene… But she had discovered it on her own, and now the damage was beyond repair.
‘Argh… what the hell should I do now?’ Aether wondered bitterly.
For the time being, his priority was to rescue Raven and the others. He’d deal with this disaster afterward. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and walked out of the debris, his body aching from the beating. His gaze locked on Sandra, who was glaring at him with eyes that promised hellfire and destruction if he dared to come closer.
Aether sighed once more. ‘And to think, I believed I’d made some progress with her…’ he thought grimly before finally speaking. “We found Aqualina.”
Sandra’s body stiffened instantly at his words. Her cold, vengeful glare wavered as her expression shifted to one of shock and hesitation. She blinked several times, processing what he had said….
He couldn’t quite understand why Sandra had joined the Arcane Hunter organization, or why she was even working with them in the first place. But now, seeing her reaction up close.. It seemed like she was being forced, compelled to carry out tasks for the Master, the very one who had kidnapped her daughter and was now using that as leverage against her.
He concluded that scenario because it seemed like the most reasonable explanation— if not… He fucked up!
‘Damn, that Master really knows how to play his cards… but who the fuck is he, really?’ Aether thought for a brief moment.
He shook his head clearing his thoughts before pressing on, “Yeah… I saved her. She’s safe in the Void Empire. Dora is fighting against the Master right now, and I’m confident Dora will defeat him and free everyone. So, let’s stop this madness, Sandra. You’re not their puppet, and you never will be. Your daughter will be fi—”
“No”
Aether froze mid-sentence, startled by Sandra’s sudden interruption.
Her voice was calm… unnervingly!
Sandra stepped forward, her movements deliberate, almost measured, Her expression morphed into something that wavered between sadness and… guilt?
“She will not be fine… No one will save her,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly.
“I… I don’t get it, Sandra,” Aether said, his confusion plain as day. “I told you—I saved her. She’s safe. She’s going to be fin—”
Once again, Sandra cut him off sharply.
“You don’t get it… You can’t understand it, Aether,” she said, her tone heavy with both pain and frustration. As she closed the remaining distance between them, her trembling hands reached for his neck. Before Aether could react, her grip tightened like a steel vice. Her expression shifted, her sadness giving way to fury and disgust.
“They will take her. That’s the promise… I made… to get her back.”
“P-Promise? What promise? To who?… Get her back? I-I don’t get it…” Aether managed to choke out, his voice strained as her grip constricted his airway with relentless force.
Sandra’s voice softened, her tone almost haunting, “Yes… a promise.
A promise to… the gods.”
BOOMMMM!!!!
“Okay, that’s fucking enough of this bullshit!” Aria, who had been watching the scene from the sidelines, finally snapped… She couldn’t bear to see her husband being manhandled like that any longer.
Thud!
Sandra caught the arrow that Aria had fired at her with unnerving ease, her reflexes almost supernatural. Turning back toward Aria, a wicked grin spread across her face.
“Well, well… look at you. You seem pretty close to Aether. Tell me, are you one of his bitches, or what?”
Aria’s lips twitched, “I am not anyone’s bitch, bitch!” she shot back, her tone laced with fiery indignation and unmistakable authority over him, “I’m his WIFE!”
Sandra blinked, clearly not expecting that response… She was just joking there to be honest.
Liora and Maelona, who had been standing nearby, simultaneously slapped their foreheads in exasperation.
Sandra turned her gaze back to Aether, who was slowly pulling himself together and rising from the ground.
Her expression twisted into something even more unreadable—part annoyance, part disbelief, and part… something darker, something almost sinister, “I see…”
“!!!!!!”
The atmosphere shifted violently, the air becoming heavy and suffocating. A wave of pure, murderous bloodlust radiated from Sandra, freezing everyone in place as the intensity of her anger was unleashed. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
Aether flinched, his instincts screaming at him to tread carefully, ‘Oh, great. Now she’s even more pissed!’ he thought bitterly, silently cursing the situation. But his mind kept circling back to her cryptic words.
A promise to the gods?
What did that even mean?
And why was Sandra so certain that Master would succeed in taking Aqualina?
It didn’t make any sense. The strongest being in the world was there to protect her. How could Sandra believe otherwise?
Just as he was about to reach out telepathically to Aqualina for answers—
/A-Aether… T-The Principal… is d-dead…/
Aqualina’s trembling voice echoed in his mind, halting him mid-thought and sending a cold shiver down his spine.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 86.8↓%]