When Aether heard the details of how people had forgotten about his situation due to yet another big crisis… he almost lost it!
He had worked his ass off to expose the truth to the people, ‘risked’ everything to bring it to light, and now—just like that—these ungrateful bastards had brushed it all aside, choosing instead to fawn over the world collision and Victor’s so-called greatness!
What about Aether?
Did his blood, sweat, and fights mean nothing?!
Aether refused to let his efforts go to waste. That’s why, after masterfully tricking Leon and Kai, he made his way to the busiest bar in town—the place where exhausted workers drowned their miseries in cheap booze and shared rumours with loose tongues. A perfect place to ignite the flames once again!
And now…
It was no longer just a spark.
It was a blazing inferno!
“When will Aether, the Arcane King, be released from your torture?!”
“Answer us, Master Velc! Are you really going to ignore your father’s dying words?!”
“Are you not ashamed?! Do you have no honour left in that rotten soul of yours?!”
“You will see our wrath!!”
The people gathered before the grand gates, their collective rage shaking the Mansion… The massive doors were barely holding up against their furious pounding.
Velc’s face darkened… Just yesterday, not a single one of these idiots had even mentioned Aether’s name, and now, overnight, it was all they could talk about?
He gritted his teeth.
This wasn’t natural.
Someone had stirred the pot on purpose.
His sharp eyes darted toward Xara, who was frowning just as deeply as he was.
‘Tsk, pretending like she didn’t have a hand in this. Bitch.’ He clenched his jaw before stepping forward, his voice dripping with forced majesty.
“My beloved citiz—”
CHUNK!
Before he could even finish his grand opening, something came soaring through the air… and landed smack on his face.
Even worse… it went right into his mouth.
Cough, cough!!
Velc doubled over, violently gagging and coughing, his entire body shuddering as he spit out a thick, brownish… something.
The crowd fell into a stunned silence.
Velc wiped his face with a trembling hand, brought it up to his nose, and sniffed.
His face turned ashen.
His expression twisted into unspeakable horror.
It was—
“SHIT!!!”
Xara and Alfred recoiled as if they had been struck by lightning.
“AAARRRRHHHH!!!”
Velc let out a guttural scream, his whole body convulsing as realization dawned upon him. He spat, gagged, and flailed like a man possessed.
Xara’s head snapped toward the crowd. The sheer accuracy of that shot… The person responsible for it wasn’t just some random troublemaker.
This wasn’t the work of a mere protester.
For someone to land a direct hit like that—on Velc’s mouth, no less—it had to be someone powerful to pass through their detection even… Velc was unable to block it as the opponent must be stronger to realize what just happened!
And that was precisely what scared her the most.
‘Who the hell did that?!’ Xara gritted her teeth, her sharp eyes darting across the sea of shocked faces. Most of them were still frozen, their minds struggling to process the sheer absurdity of what had just happened.
It wasn’t even about Velc anymore.
If someone could pull off an attack like that without anyone noticing…
Then what else were they capable of?
Meanwhile, Aether was on the verge of breaking down. His lips trembled uncontrollably, his shoulders shook, and his vision blurred with unshed tears. He was holding back so hard it physically hurt.
Inside his mind, he screamed—
‘THAT WAS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE! A1, YOU LEGEND! ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!!’
Through his link, his clones—scattered within the crowd, heard his happy words!
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected the shot to land right in Velc’s mouth.
‘YUCK!’
“M-Master… I-It appears… that the, um… projectile… is, uhh… a carefully mixed blend of…,” Alfred stammered unable to say after smelling it, his face pale as he delivered his analysis.
‘OH MY GOD, PLEASE, JUST STOP!!! AHAHAHA!!!’
Aether clenched his stomach, tears rolling down his cheeks as he desperately tried not to burst into laughter. His entire body ached from suppressing the sheer joy threatening to consume him.
But there was no time to celebrate just yet.
‘Ha… ha… Anyway… A2, A3, A4… It’s your time to shine,’ Aether commanded inwardly, his mental connection crackling with anticipation.
And just like that—
Another voice rang out from within the crowd. A calm, mild voice,
“I heard Young Master Kai ran away.”
The collective gasps appeared.
Even Velc—who was still in the middle of his horrified wailing—froze in place, his soiled face snapping up in shock.
Kai’s disappearance was supposed to be an internal family secret.
How the fuck did the public know?!
Xara and Velc’s eyes widened.
But before they could process the revelation, another voice echoed from the opposite side of the crowd.
“How dare you speak such lies about Master Kai?! Even though his powers were stolen, he wasn’t the type to run away from responsibility!!”
Xara and Velc’s lips twitched.
Xara tried to pinpoint the speaker, but no matter how sharp her gaze was, the source kept shifting, slipping through the cracks like a phantom.
They were moving.
Fast!
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask the Master of the household?”
And just like that—
Every single pair of eyes in the crowd snapped toward Velc.
The man who still had shit on his face.
A tense silence fell over the crowd.
Velc’s face twitched, taste in his mouth… yuck!!!
At that moment, the people reached a collective realization.
They could feel bad for him.
They could sympathize with his suffering.
But…
They had way more important things to discuss.
And if the rumours were true…
Then, honestly?
He deserved that shit.
“W-Well… He’s sleeping—”
“LIES! Tell us the truth!” The mild voice echoed again, cutting Velc’s words.
Velc’s lips twitched furiously. ‘Fuck that bastard! Who the fuck is doing this?!’ he screamed inwardly, before glancing at Xara—the only person who could solve this mess, just like she always did.
Xara’s lips twitched as she saw Velc’s reaction. She groaned inwardly. She knew that someone was orchestrating all of this, stirring the pot on purpose, but… she couldn’t figure out why.
What was their endgame?
Taking a deep breath, she spoke, her voice calm but unwavering. “My son didn’t run away… He left to become stronger—”
“That’s the same as running away, you unfaithful lord!” The mild voice rang out again, louder and more insistent.
The crowd’s faces twisted with fury upon hearing Kai’s disappearance from his own mother’s lips.
“This is how the Frostblade family falls apart?”
“Can’t they honour their ancestors’ words and traditions?!”
“Disgusting!”
“How can people like this even claim to rule?!”
“Let the poor child go! Let the real Arcane King go!!”
“Let the real Arcane King be free!”
…..
…
The chants began to grow, echoing across the Frostblade Territory like an unstoppable storm. The crowd’s anger was swelling, and Xara could feel the situation slipping rapidly out of control.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself. Then,”SILENCE!”
The crowd instantly fell silent, the suddenness of her command leaving them stunned and hushed.
Xara stood tall, her gaze piercing the crowd as she continued, her voice much calmer now, yet still full of power. “As I said before, my son didn’t run away… He left the house to prove his worth to all of you. To prove that he is worthy of his name.”
“You’re still—” someone began, but Xara raised her hand, cutting them off sharply.
“Let me finish,” she said, her expression indifferent but her presence commanding. The crowd flinched in slight fear, sensing the weight of her words.
“Though he left the house, heed my words, he gave me…. his ownership,” Xara said, holding up the signed document that Kai had legally given control of Aether to her.
The crowd gasped in collective surprise, murmurs of disbelief rippling through the mass of people.
“I see…” Some of them nodded as if everything had fallen into place. They seemed to believe her words as if they had been waiting for some form of validation. But then—someone spoke out in disbelief.
“Wait… Do you even belong to the Frostblade household? Are you lying to us? Why are you changing ownership instead of just releasing him from this slavery?!”
Xara raised her hand again, this time holding up another document. “It’s my divorce.”
The crowd froze, stunned by the revelation.
Xara’s face softened, her voice growing quieter yet firmer. “Since it was my family that caused this poor child so much pain and suffering, I took full responsibility when I signed the divorce papers. I am no longer a part of this family. And more than that… I have decided to adopt Aether as my own son.”
The crowd stood in stunned silence. What they had just heard seemed impossible—something they had never imagined happening.
A woman taking full responsibility for the wrongs committed by her husband, her son, and her grandfather-in-law.
It was something almost no one had ever seen before.
Tears welled up in the eyes of many as they processed what she had just said, and they nodded in approval, moved by her determination and sincerity.
Xara smiled, feeling the tension in the air finally starts to dissipate. She turned toward Aether, her voice softening as she called him in a motherly tone, “My son.”
Crack!
Suddenly, something cracked inside Aether’s chest.
A wave of emotion washed over him so suddenly that it nearly took him to his knees. He felt blood dripping from his mouth, but somehow he calmed himself, telling himself, ‘I-It’s fine. I can handle this.’ He forced himself to walk toward her.
Xara’s smile grew even softer, her eyes full of affection as she made the final announcement, “From this moment on, Aether is no more mere servant… He is Aether Seraphi—”
“I Love You”
The words slipped from Aether’s mouth before he even realized it, filling the air with shocking sincerity.
The crowd blinked in confusion,
“Eh?”
Unsure of what they had just heard.
“EEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?”