“That day… that smile… I still vividly remember it…” Dora mumbled softly, her gaze lost in the endless expanse of the sky.
Aether remained silent after hearing everything about Luna and Dora. There was nothing he could say—no words that would make a difference.
But one thing was clear…
‘Damn, why does everyone have such a tragic backstory?!’ Aether couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. It didn’t matter who they were or where they came from—every single one of his women had endured some kind of pain, just like his own fucked-up past life.
Though Liora and Delphine might not have had deeply tragic histories like the others, they still hadn’t lived easy lives… they had suffered in their own ways.
‘Is this fate at work? Am I only drawn to people with broken pasts, or is it that I’m fated to meet them? Fuck it!’ Aether mused, his lips curving into a faint, amused smile before his expression darkened slightly.
“If only I hadn’t fallen for their tricks… if I hadn’t gone looking for answers… Luna might have still been alive,” Dora muttered, her voice laced with self-reproach, as if blaming herself for the girl’s death.
Anyone else might think she was just wallowing in self-loathing, caught up in pointless regret…. But they didn’t know.
No one knew.
That smile.
That warm, gentle smile before the portal had closed.
It was seared into Dora’s memory like a ghost that refused to fade, haunting her every time she closed her eyes.
Aether’s grip on Dora’s hip tightened slightly as he pulled her closer.
Dora let out an awkward chuckle, shaking her head, “To think that one day, I’d be telling all this to my own disciple… Hah… Fate really does have a twisted sense of humour and worse, he was way younger than me yet comforting me? Hah… Fate indeed!”
Aether thought, ‘Fate is more like a bitchy one, if you ask me,’ before shifting his focus back to what he had learned. He had gathered most of the information he needed about Luna… but there was one crucial detail that stood out.
‘She died… which means the Master is trying to bring her back to life. But how?’ He pondered for a moment, then a particular memory resurfaced—one of his past iterations had been captured by the Master, who had extracted his blood and used his abilities to rewind time.
‘So, he wants to rewind time?’ Aether muttered inwardly, but something felt off.
Even if the body was restored… the soul had already passed on. Rewinding time wouldn’t be enough.
‘Am I missing something’ he thought.
“Now it’s your turn,” Dora suddenly declared, leaning in close, her eyes sharp and demanding.
She had given him the answers he sought—now it was time for him to return the favour.
Aether exhaled heavily. He knew there was no escaping this. Dora wasn’t going to let him off the hook unless he gave her what she wanted. That’s why he had already decided—he would tell her the truth.
Just like in the previous timeline, he had revealed his ties to the Arcane Hunter Organization while searching for Aqualina and Celestia. But this time, he added a few extra details, carefully mixing in information about Master Snape, blending everything together smoothly to make it sound as natural and coherent as possible.
By the time he was done, Dora’s face had gone pale, her expression frozen in horror.
“W-What do you mean… the Head of the Organization is Master Snape?” Her voice wavered slightly.
Aether nodded, watching her reaction closely. The way her body stiffened… the flicker of something unreadable in her eyes…
‘Why does she look like that? Does she know something? Maybe they had a past… is that why he killed her easily before?’ Aether speculated.
Dora took a deep, steadying breath, but her mind was in turmoil. What Aether had just told her was too much….. Too impossible!!
‘There’s no way… no fucking way… Not him! It’s not possible!’ She screamed internally, refusing to accept what she had just heard.
Dora exhaled, ‘That has to be it. Someone else must be using his name… Fuckers!’ she clenched her fists, inwardly cursing whoever was responsible.
Just then, Aether’s brows furrowed slightly, and he hesitated for a moment before asking, “By any chance… did Luna ever have a relationship with someone?”
Dora blinked in surprise before letting out a sharp snort,
“Saintesses aren’t allowed to have relationships…
They must remain pure. That’s an absolute order from Mother. If they don’t, they’ll be sacrificed!!” she said with a scowl before pausing. Her eyes suddenly widened in realization, pure shock flashing across her face. “D-Don’t tell me you fuc—”
“I didn’t fuck Helena!” Aether cut in immediately, his voice firm and serious. But inwardly, he was screaming, ‘Oh my fucking goodness! What the actual hell?! There was a rule like that?! You crazy-ass Mother Goddess!!!’
To be completely honest, he had been tempted to sleep with Helena. He had come close. The only reason he hadn’t gone all the way was because of her habit of passing out after climaxing.
‘But to think… a Saintess has to remain pure… That’s…’ Aether’s thoughts trailed off as he realized something.
Helena… wasn’t 100% pure anymore.
Dora was still staring at Aether, her eyes filled with suspicion as if she wasn’t convinced he was telling the truth.
Aether’s lips twitched in frustration. Here he was, pouring everything out, and yet she was still doubting him!
Unbelievable!
Shaking his head, he decided to change the subject.
“So, you’re telling me Luna never had a relationship before?” he asked, steering the conversation back.
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“No!”
Aether’s frown deepened, ‘Then why the hell did that man have her photo…? Could he be her father?’ The thought lingered for a moment before he quickly dismissed it. He recalled the crazed, obsessive look in Master Snape’s eyes, the way his expression twisted into something unhinged.
That wasn’t the face of a fucking father!!
That was the face of someone utterly consumed by obsession!!!
‘Yeah, there’s no way that’s a father’s expression,’ Aether concluded with certainty.
“Well…” Dora suddenly hesitated, her lips pressing together as she looked away. “She did have someone close to her.”
“Who?”
Dora’s expression became unreadable, her brows furrowing slightly as she let out a quiet sigh. Then, instead of answering, she simply shrugged. “I’m not telling you.”
‘Then why bother to tell that?’ Aether thought shouted inwardly!! as his lips twitched in frustration. Without hesitation, he reached over and pinched her hip.
Dora let out a small, startled sound before turning to glare at him. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”
Aether met her gaze with a flat expression. “I told you everything, yet you’re still keeping secrets? That feels unfair to me, don’t you think?”
Dora exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples as if dealing with him was giving her a headache. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you… It’s just…” She trailed off, biting her lip before finally admitting, “There was one man who was close to her.”
Aether narrowed his eyes. “Who?”
Dora hesitated again, visibly struggling with whether or not to reveal the truth. The reluctance on her face was obvious, her fingers tightening into a loose fist.
Aether sighed before pulling her closer, his voice dropping into a serious tone. “Dora, please… I don’t have time for this.”
Inwardly, he thought, ‘Otherwise, I’ll have to ask others, which will take way too long… and I really don’t feel like wasting time on that right now.’
Dora turned her head slightly, avoiding his gaze for a moment… the sense of closeness and his innocent eyes…. Then, she looked back at him with an arched brow. “You do realize that I’m your Master, right?”
Aether didn’t even flinch. “Of course,” he said without hesitation, tightening his hold around her waist. A small smirk played on his lips as he thought, ‘There is absolutely no way I’m letting my cute little Master slip into someone else’s hands…. Especially not after seeing her true form.’
He still wanted to uncover the other secret she had been keeping from him, but right now, that could wait. There was something even more pressing—Master Snape. That information took priority.
Dora’s lips twitched slightly, and she sucked in a sharp breath, feeling his hold tighten. She should have punched him, shoved him away, done something to stop him from being so brazen. And yet…
‘Tsk, I hate myself so much right now,’ she gritted her teeth inwardly, scolding herself. It frustrated her how she no longer had the will to push him away like before.
And just like that, Aether had fully wormed his way into Dora’s heart, securing a place there with nothing more than a single moment of concern.
“…It’s our Master,” Dora finally admitted, her voice reluctant, “My predecessor. The Ex-Sovereign…”
Aether’s eyes widened in sheer shock.
‘Wait, what? All this time… he was the Sovereign?!’
He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. But then, as he thought about it, everything started to make sense.
That Master had always known more than anyone else—more about the world, more about the Ebon Stone, more than even Isadora, the current Sovereign.
“What’s his real name?” Aether asked, his voice steady despite the storm raging in his thoughts.
“…” Dora ran a hand over her forehead, clearly exhausted by the conversation.
“Come on, Dora,” Aether pressed his tone firm. “Tell me.”
With yet another deep sigh, Dora finally muttered, “…His name is Snape.”
Aether blinked, his mind working to piece everything together. His voice reflected his shock as he said, “Then the person who’s leading the Arcane Hunters is—”
Before he could even finish, Dora shook her head firmly. “Nope! That’s not possible.”
Aether’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean it’s not possible? They have the same name! And based on his knowledge, it’s obvious that he—”
Dora cut him off again, this time with more force. “It’s. Not. Possible, Aether!”
“Why?” Aether demanded.
Dora bit her lip, her entire posture stiffening as if she was determined not to answer. But when she met Aether’s unyielding gaze, the way he silently told her that he wasn’t leaving without the truth… she wavered.
Her heart clenched as she realized just how persistent he was.
‘Fuck, I hate this!’ she cursed herself again before reluctantly confessing:
“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, Aether… But…” She sucked in a slow breath, her voice dropping to a whisper as if uttering the words aloud made them real. “I was the one who killed him…. With my own two hands!”
“…Why?”
Dora’s expression darkened slightly. “Because… that was our final trial.”