“What should we do now?” the hooded figure muttered, her tone carrying a hint of frustration as she gazed at Aether and Raven, both tightly bound in thick, rune-engraved rope… but this was no ordinary rope.
‘It’s draining our energy before we can even channel it,’ Aether thought, his brows furrowing slightly as he struggled against the restraints.
Just what kind of artifact was this? How did these people even get their hands on something so rare—something not even the Academy possessed?
‘Dora… you need to step up your game,’ he mused with a sigh, feeling a pang of pity for her. Compared to this Arcan Hunter Organization, she was miles behind in knowledge and resources.
Shaking off his thoughts, Aether shot a sharp glare at the two hooded figures, his fury boiling over, “So you’re the bastards who kidnapped Princess Aqualina… just like you did with this poor, innocent, and undeniably adorable woman?” His voice dripped with sarcasm as he tilted his head toward Raven.
Raven’s cheeks flushed a soft pink, her lips twitching upward in amusement at his words, but she remained silent.
The two hooded figures exchanged a glance before staring at Aether, their expressions unreadable.
Aether, however, was far from intimidated. In fact, he was livid,
“You have no idea who you’re messing with,” he spat. “Once I break free from these damn ropes, you’re done for! You’ll regret every single—mmffhh!” His rant was abruptly cut short as the first hooded figure shoved a kerchief into his mouth, gagging him without hesitation.
She then turned to Raven, eyeing her warily before doing the same. They couldn’t risk her speaking either—especially with Sandra’s name involved. That was something they weren’t willing to expose just yet.
“Great, just great,” the first hooded figure sighed, rubbing her temple in exasperation. “Now we have another pain in the ass to deal with. What do you think we should do?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
Sandra, who had been quietly observing Aether, narrowed her eyes.
He was smiling.
Not a nervous or forced smile—but a knowing one.
It sent a strange chill down her spine.
Did he recognize her?
Her fingers curled into a tight fist before she spoke carefully, “How about we just kill him?” Her voice was flat, trying to be intimidated!
The first hooded figure hummed, mulling over the suggestion, “Hmm… tempting, but nah,” she finally said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “As long as he hasn’t seen our faces or knows anything significant, there’s no reason to kill him. No need to waste unnecessary effort.”
The room fell into silence at her response.
Aether noted something strange in her tone—something almost… reluctant.
‘That’s odd,’ he thought, his expression darkening, ‘Didn’t she try to kill me in the previous timeline? So why hesitate now?’
Back then, they had been enemies—he had been the one to disrupt her plans, the obstacle standing in her way.
But now? Now, he was nothing more than a victim of their crime. Nothing more than a captured pawn.
‘That must be it…?’ He exhaled softly, but a new, more disturbing thought crept into his mind.
His face twisted into a look of horror.
‘Don’t tell me… She’s the one who’s been sending me those mysterious packages—the ones filled with girly clothes, wads of cash, and love letters?!’
Ding~
A sudden chime echoed… not his log, though it gave him a slight fear anyway, The first hooded figure retrieved a small, glowing orb from her pocket, her lips curling into a smirk.
“Our reinforcements have arrived…” she announced, her voice filled with satisfaction.
But then, just as suddenly, her tone shifted, “Wait… here… I’ll be back,” she muttered quickly before turning on her heel.
“Where are you going?” Sandra frowned, watching her closely.
The first hooded figure didn’t bother answering. She simply strode out of the room—her pace slightly hurried, almost anxious.
As the first hooded figure left, the three remaining individuals were left in tense silence,
Sandra blankly stared at Aether for a moment before turning away, her expression unreadable, as if she were merely carrying out her duty—just another task to complete in this long and complicated mission.
“Mffff!”
“Mffffff!”
“Mfff!!”
Sandra’s eye twitched furiously. She knew exactly what he was trying to do—speaking through the gag, trying to get to her, trying to worm his way into her head.
And she knew herself well enough to understand that if she removed it, she’d fall for his words.
His voice, his presence—it would be the end of her plans, the complete collapse!!
There was no way she could afford to lose control.
Not now…. Not when she was so close to seeing everything come together!
‘I’m sorry, Aether… but this… is inevitable,’ she muttered inwardly, her thoughts hollow and lifeless, as if she had already surrendered herself to the inescapable fate that lay ahead.
“Mmmmffffff!”
“Mmmmmmffffff!”
Sandra’s eyes stung with unshed tears as she listened to his muffled shouts. It almost felt as if he was trying to reach through her heart, trying to shake the very foundation of her resolve, trying to tear apart everything she had so painstakingly built for this moment.
No—she couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t afford to falter now.
“MMFFFFFFF!!!”
Sandra’s body trembled at the sheer intensity of his muffled cry. It echoed in her ears, rattling her core in a way she hated.
Sandra’s body trembled at the shout, “I-I… cannot le–“
“AAAFFFFF~”
Hearing that strangely muffled moaning sound, Sandra instantly spun around—only to freeze at the ridiculous sight before her….
Aether’s was literally on Raven’s boobs!!
“ROTTEN BASTARD!!” Sandra shouted, her voice filled with rage and disbelief as she grabbed the back of Aether’s collar and yanked him away from Raven’s cleavage with one violent pull.
Just as she was about to scold him for fooling around in a situation like this—
“Huff-Hufff-Hufff—!” Aether was gasping for air, panting heavily as though he had nearly suffocated.
Sandra’s irritation momentarily faltered, her anger briefly replaced by confusion.
Without a second thought, she quickly pulled out the kerchief gag from his mouth, allowing him to inhale sharply. His face was flushed red as he desperately sucked in air, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his entire body shaking slightly from the ordeal.
“I-I fucking almost died there!!” he wheezed, his expression one of sheer horror and disbelief.
Sandra blinked, momentarily thrown off. “…What?”
He was just messing with Raven for a second, but he didn’t think he actually fall on her—her damn boobs completely swallowed his face!
His mouth was already gagged, and then his nose got blocked by—by the damn mountains!!
Almost Lucky Death!!
Sandra’s face twitched slightly. She took a closer look at his expression—he really wasn’t lying.
Aether had genuinely almost suffocated.
“…Well, that’s what you get for playing around,” Sandra said with a dismissive shrug, though her voice was noticeably less harsh.
Aether finally steadied his breathing, then lazily glanced at her, his lips curling slightly. “You seem familiar… Do I know you?”
Sandra’s body flinched!
Aether smirked, leaning casually against the wall as Sandra stepped closer, narrowing her eyes,
“Why are you here, Aether?” she asked her voice firm, demanding an answer, leaving no room for any more of his usual nonsense.
Aether merely raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I already say? I came to save the Princ—”
“Cut the crap, Aether.” Sandra’s tone sharpened, dripping with irritation and a growing sense of frustration. “What’s the point of all this? What exactly are you trying to prolong here?”
Aether’s smirk widened before he gave a casual shrug, his demeanour frustratingly relaxed. “My point… my point…”
And then, without any effort, he snapped the ropes binding him, the strands falling limply to the ground like they were nothing more than mere threads.
Sandra’s eyes widened.
The artifact rope had circuits embedded within it… even she had tough time to getting out.
But Aether and circuits? They were a complete mismatch—like oil and water, a total incompatibility.
No wonder he could break out so easily without a second thought.
Aether slowly stepped forward, his voice lowering to a murmur as he muttered, “My point… my point… ah…”
He stopped near the window, his gaze drifting toward the sky, “To put an end to all this madness… in the most peaceful way possible,” he finally said, before turning back to Sandra.
His eyes locked onto hers, unwavering, piercing through her as if searching for something buried deep within.
“And… to find the missing piece of the story.”
He took another step forward.
“Our story.”
Sandra froze, her breath catching in her throat.
For a moment, time seemed to halt completely.
Aether wasn’t just looking at her.
He was looking into her soul!!
The tension in the room thickened, stretching between them like an invisible thread, pulling tight.
Then—
“Now that makes everything make sense!”
A surprised voice snapped Sandra out of her daze.
Her frown deepened as she turned toward Raven, who had somehow managed to remove her gag while Aether had been messing around earlier.
Raven tilted her head, looking at Aether, then at Sandra, before she smirked knowingly.
“So you’re the other sister, huh? No wonder my husband’s doing all of this!”
“…”
“…”
Silence!
Absolute silence!! Until,
“!!” Sandra’s killing intent flared instantly when Sandra processed Raven’s words!!
Her head turned toward Aether—like a mechanical doll slowly rotating, her eyes burning with a dangerous glint.
Aether, ever so shameless, merely grinned,
“Welcome to… Aether family?”
“!!!!!”
Meanwhile back to the first hooded figure,
“What you mean… Kill Raven and… Sandra?” She asked with a frowning tone as she stared at the orb where a bald man’s image appeared who had a tensed and furious face.