“Why was that part that got removed from timeslip, log?” Aether asked, his voice laced with curiosity as he flowed through the space at high speed.
If it was merely time slipping, as the log stated, then why was there such a sudden section cut off, especially at the critical moment when the boy was about to be tortured by the Master?
!~Ding~!
[There are things that cannot be seen until you figure them out!]
Aether frowned deeply, ‘Figure it out?’ he mused. Then, he recalled some moments when the Master was holding that glass tube filled with a black liquid. His frown deepened further as he muttered under his breath, “You’re saying… it’s about how he extracted my blood and refined it?… The entire process?”
!~Ding~!
[Affirmative]
Aether blinked in mild shock before nodding slowly as he asked with a cold face, “Was it… Iteration No. 27?”
To Aether, this all felt deliberate. If he had known what was happening to his body during that critical moment, perhaps he could have unravelled the truth. But to have that part—the most crucial one—removed… It was too calculated to be an accident.
Yet, the log remained silent. Aether’s frown grew heavier. He gritted his teeth, frustration surging. Currently, he had no clue about the events surrounding Iteration No. 27. But one thing was certain—his past version must have been a force to be reckoned with to gain control of the log!
Aether let out a sharp sigh as he touched down onto the ground. Once again, the vision began to unfold before his eyes. He shrugged, assuming it would be just like the others, a monotonous replay of old memories. However…
“I will never leave you.”
Aether’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw her—his mother.
Yes, that’s right… His mother had said those words, her voice trembling with raw emotion as if they came from the depths of her heart.
“What the hell…” Aether muttered, almost inaudibly.
His birth mother—she had never said anything remotely close to that.
Not to him!
Not even in any of his past iterations!
This felt… unreal!!
Aether’s brows knitted together, ‘Is this real?’ he wondered, his mind swirling with doubt. He watched the vision closely. The boy seemed utterly broken— His eyes were vacant, devoid of life as if every shred of will had been stripped away. There was no laughter, no tears, no reaction at all.
And his parents? Aether scoffed bitterly. His father, as always, had left them, indulging in his affair with another woman. That much was painfully familiar. But his mother… she was behaving in a way Aether had never seen before.
“Oh, come on, sweetheart. Just one more bite,” she cooed, her voice dripping with warmth as she lovingly fed the boy.
There wasn’t a hint of bitterness or regret in her expression!
Only affection!!
Aether blinked, his chest tightening with emotions he couldn’t name.
He felt something stir within him—something long buried. He thought he had forgotten what this felt like. No, he thought he had lost the ability to feel this way entirely. But seeing this—his mother acting so… unrecognizably kind—he couldn’t help but doubt.
“W-Was this… real? Did this really happen to me?” Aether whispered, his voice cracking slightly.
!~Ding~!
[You are time-slipping to the past. Of course, everything you see happened… in the past!]
Aether let out a shaky exhale, a weak smile tugging at his lips. This version of his mother… she was nothing like the woman he had known.
“You’ll be fine, my darling. Mother will always be with you, Aether,” she said, her eyes glistening with tears as she gazed at her son…. But the boy didn’t respond.
It wasn’t that the boy was ignoring her…. No!
The truth was far more harrowing…. The tortures he had endured by both Jack and Master, the unrelenting suffering—it had stripped him of all senses. His mind had gone numb, and his spirit shattered…. Aether understood this all too well.
As he observed the boy—a hollow shell of what he should have been—Aether felt a pang of pity. Yet, amidst the pity, something else lingered.
His mother… She was acting like a real mother!!
Aether’s gaze softened as he watched her. She tended to the boy with a tenderness he had never experienced himself—not in any timeline. In this moment, she seemed to pour every ounce of love into her care.
“Why?” Aether whispered, his voice breaking. “If you cared this much… why didn’t you ever show it to me?”
No answer came.
He didn’t understand what’s makes different… now!
He clenched his fists, his eyes burning with a mix of jealousy and anger… He looked back at the motionless boy.
His mother continued to nurture the child, even when her so-called husband—Aether’s stepfather—tried to worm his way into her life.
“If you cannot accept my son, I cannot be with you,” she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation as she rejected the influential politician without hesitation.
In that moment, it was as though nothing else mattered to her. All she wanted… was to be with her son.
Nothing more!
“W-Why?” Aether’s breath hitched, ragged and unsteady, as if something deep inside him was unravelling. She rejected an insane, powerful politician just for her son? Just for him?
“WHY!!” Aether roared, his voice trembling with fury, his body shaking as the emotions surged uncontrollably.
To him, it didn’t make sense.
Whether he suffered from the constant, torturous laughter that came with his condition or endured the crippling PTSD from the brutal torment, his mother should have focused on her acting career. She should have thrown him away like garbage, left him behind without a second thought, and moved on like the selfish woman he remembered her to be!
And yet…
Aether gritted his teeth, his face flushed red, and tears threatened to leak… The overwhelming anger and jealousy coursing through him made his fists clench painfully, his nails digging into his palms.
He didn’t just dislike that boy.
No—he hated him with every fibre of his being.
Some might not understand this feeling, but for Aether, it was like being torn apart from the inside. It was anger mixed with a profound sense of loss and betrayal that refused to subside.
But that wasn’t where it ended. No, fate had a cruel way of twisting the knife deeper…. When the time came for the boy to reincarnate, everything was set into motion.
That wretched politician—rotten to the core—couldn’t stomach the rejection. In retaliation, he orchestrated an assassination attempt on both the mother and her son.
Of course, the boy was destined to die. His time was nearing its end for the reincarnation process. But his mother…
“I-I promised… I-I will protect you…” she had stammered, clutching her son close to her chest. Her face was pale, her hands trembling as chaos erupted around them. Their home was swarmed by mercenaries armed with guns, explosives, and deadly precision.
Aether’s heart skipped a beat as his eyes fixated on the blood trickling from his mother’s stomach. She was wounded, but she refused to give in. With painstaking effort, she hid the boy in a small closet, her breaths laboured but her resolve unwavering.
“Promise me… Y-You’ll live… right?” she whispered, her voice soft yet firm. She kissed his forehead, her lips lingering as if to imprint her love on him one last time. Then, with a trembling smile, she turned and faced the door.
The room grew tense as the invaders burst in.
“P-Please… I-I’ll give you double the amount! Just let me go!” she begged, her voice trembling with desperation, tears streaming down her face. The boy, watching through the narrow gap in the closet, remained blank, unable to react to the chaos unfolding before him.
“Fucking help her!!” Aether snarled, his rage boiling over.
The men dragged her out, their laughter cruel and unrelenting.
“Look at this! The once-great actress, reduced to nothing but a pathetic woman,” one of them sneered, kicking her to the ground like a rag doll.
It was all because of that vile politician. Using his influence, he had destroyed her career, leaving her with nothing but a shattered reputation and a ruined life.
“Boss, I’ve always wondered how the famous actress tastes,” another man leered, his voice dripping with vile intent and lustful hunger.
Aether’s eyes burned, glowing with fury as cracks in his soul began to mend themselves, the fissures healing up to his neck. Only a faint, stubborn fracture remained on his neck!
“Nah,” the leader said dismissively. “He wants her alive and untouched.”
“Tsk,” the man grumbled in annoyance, shaking his head in frustration.
But then another voice rang out.
“Well, what do we have here? Oh… oh… looks like we’ve found him!” one of the men jeered as he yanked the boy out of the closet without an ounce of care.
“N-NO!!!” his mother screamed, her voice laced with raw terror and desperation. She struggled to stop them, her body weak and trembling, but they dragged the motionless boy out into the open and threw him to the ground like a discarded toy.
“Kill him,” the leader ordered coldly, his voice devoid of empathy.
As they raised their weapons, ready to fire, his mother leapt forward.
Bang! Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
Splash!
The boy froze as warm blood splattered across his face. His mother crumpled onto him, her lifeless body collapsing into his arms.
Her blood coated his hands, and her sacrifice burned into his soul… forever!
“What the fuck!! Why the hell did you kill her?!” one of the men shouted, panic creeping into his tone as chaos erupted among the group.
“B-But she jumped in the way!” another stammered, his hands shaking and his voice cracking under pressure.
As the group stumbled in shock, the boy—silent until now—blinked for the first time in what felt like an eternity. His gaze fell on his mother’s lifeless face, her bloodied form, and his trembling hands. Something inside him shattered and reformed, a tear rolling down his cheek.
“M-M-Mom…” he whispered, his voice small, broken, and full of despair.
But there was no response.
“I’m sorry, kid,” one of the men said, raising his gun to the boy’s forehead. “It’s just how it’s supposed to be.”
The boy didn’t move. He simply stared at his mother as—
Bang!
The Man died… Yes, the boy twisted the gun and killed him however,
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
He died!
Aether closed his eyes, his body trembling as he struggled to calm the storm of emotions raging inside him.
This Iteration No. 18 was unlike any before it. For the first time, the log had been activated.
Yes, none of the past iterations had ever triggered the log. This version of him had been different.
He had been cautious, calculated, careful not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
This boy hadn’t acted recklessly. He had bowed his head, played the role of a perfect slave, and endured every hardship. All for one purpose—to bring his mother back.
This iteration knew the truth: no matter how many times he reincarnated, it would always end in the same way…. Death!
But this time, he had vowed to change it.
“I’m going to end this cycle!” the boy had declared, his voice filled with unyielding determination.
And then, as if responding to his resolve, the log had appeared. A tool he had never possessed in any previous life. With it, he had nearly escaped.
Nearly.
But in the end, he was killed… by Stella.
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Iteration No. 19…]