A sudden burst of light illuminated the surroundings, blinding her vision…. That was all Sandra saw before—without warning—something yanked her away from the spot.
…
…
Crack. Crack.
“Arrhh”
The sharp sound of debris crumbling echoed through the air, Her eyelashes fluttered as consciousness returned, and slowly, her eyes opened. The first thing she saw was Aether, his face hovering over hers, wearing a soft, reassuring smile.
Sandra’s lips curled up slightly as she blinked, taking a moment to register his lovely fac–
‘Wait!’
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, her body tensed.
Her memories came rushing back, and in the next instant, she jerked away from his grasp. Just as she was about to glare at him for whatever nonsense he had just pulled—
“Ssshhh!” Aether suddenly brought a finger to his lips, his expression serious as he hushed her.
Sandra’s brows knitted together in confusion, but she quickly noticed their location.
They were crouched at the far end of a broken alleyway, hidden behind the wreckage. Aether was peering past the edge, his sharp gaze fixed on something beyond.
Without hesitation, she leaned forward, mimicking his posture, and peered out as well.
Her breath hitched at the sight before them. Amidst the devastation, where everything was scorched and turned to ash, hovered a colossal brown dragon. Its massive claws held onto an unconscious Raven, its grip firm yet eerily careful.
But that wasn’t the only thing that caught her attention.
Hovering before the dragon, cloaked in dark robes, was the first hooded figure… as if something going to happen between them!
Aether inhaled sharply, his mind struggling to grasp the sheer scale of the being before him.
He had expected the Drakhairs to be formidable, but…
“Holy moly… that’s fucking huge…” He muttered under his breath, completely taken aback by its size.
This thing was even bigger than the Dragon Emperor himself.
And as for its power… Aether wasn’t sure if that old man had just been hiding his strength all along, but if this beast’s presence was anything to go by, it could rival a Sovereign.
If the Drakhairs wanted to, they could have wiped the floor with Alaric without breaking a sweat.
He clicked his tongue in frustration, his thoughts turning bitter.
‘Old man! With that kind of power, you could’ve fucking saved this Empire yourself!’ He cursed internally… Then, with an irritated sigh, he muttered to himself, ‘Yeah, yeah, I know. You said you were bored of everything… Maybe it’s just old age making you too damn lazy.’
His gaze shifted back toward the hooded figure, observing their posture carefully. Unlike what he had expected, there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation.
“So she isn’t afraid of him? Interesting…” Aether mused, his brows drawing together.
Before he could think any further, he noticed Sandra trying to shift from their hiding spot. He swiftly reached out and caught her arm, his grip firm as he glared at her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice was dangerously low.
Sandra scoffed, her expression defiant, “What do you mean? Obviously, I’m going to—”
Before she could finish, Aether yanked her back and forcefully pinned her against the wall, his body looming over hers. His fingers curled around her wrist as he leaned in closer, his voice a whisper yet laced with warning.
“Shut the fuck up.”
His words were cold, deliberate. He had already let her do whatever she pleased up until now,
But this?
No, not this time…. This was his moment to act, and he wasn’t about to let her mess it up.
His attention flickered back to the battlefield just as the hooded figure spoke again,
“Give her to me.”
“…” The dragon’s large, dark brown eyes narrowed slightly, its slit pupils contracting as it regarded the figure in silence.
The hooded figure clenched her fists, They couldn’t afford to lose Raven. The mission had already failed in ways they couldn’t afford to acknowledge, but if they lost her as well…
No! That was not an option!!
With a flick of her wrists, two metallic swords slid out from her sleeves as she raised them toward the dragon,
“I won’t say it again. Give. Her. To. Me.”
Then, after a long moment of silence—
“…”
Not a word. Not a movement. Just a blank, indifferent stare.
That was all it took to snap the last thread of her patience.
“Fuck you!” The hooded figure snarled before vanishing from her spot, moving at an impossible speed. Her blades flashed as she swung them toward the dragon’s thick scales, aiming for a clean strike.
Crack.
Shatter!
The moment her blades met its skin, they broke apart, scattering into glimmering fragments.
Her eyes widened as she stared at what remained of her weapons.
‘Damn it… They say the older the dragon, the harder their scales become… Tsk.’ She clicked her tongue in frustration, gripping the shattered hilts tightly.
A deep, guttural voice rumbled from the dragon’s throat, sending an eerie vibration through the air.
“Are you done checking?” Its hoarse, commanding tone sent an undeniable chill down everyone’s spine.
Her teeth clenched as she took a step back, assessing her next move. With another swift flick of her wrist, two more metallic swords materialized in her grasp. She lifted her gaze toward the dragon’s massive, reptilian eyes, a smirk curling on her lips.
“They say a dragon’s eyes are the weakest point. Should we test that theory?”
Without another word, she lunged forward, her blades aimed directly at its eye.
The dragon’s expression didn’t change, but then—
Its jaws parted, and in the next second, flames erupted from its mouth in a furious blaze.
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
The explosion roared through the ruins, shaking the ground beneath them.
Meanwhile, hidden in the alley, Aether watched the battle unfold with a smirk, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Well, that’s going better than I expected…” He nodded in satisfaction, turning slightly to glance at Sandra.
His smirk widened when he saw the staying silent yet her posture was stiff with anger.
He could practically hear her thoughts.
How dare he order her—the Empress—around?
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping into a teasing whisper.
“So… aren’t you at least a little grateful that I saved your ass?”
Sandra’s lips twitched, “Saved my ass? Bastard! I know you’re just messing around… That previous blast—don’t think I didn’t figure it out—it was all part of your fucked-up plan!”
BOOOOMMMMM!!!
Another explosion rattled the air, forcing them to pause for a second as the flames barely missed them, dangerously close!!
Aether shook his head, his expression darkening as he muttered, “No… that’s not it.”
“Huh?” Sandra frowned, sensing something unsettling in his tone.
“To be honest… that old man actually intended to kill you.”
“….”
Sandra was completely taken aback. Her heart lurched as she screamed inwardly, ‘I thought you loved me, you bastard! How could you do this to m– Wait! Wasn’t I hoping for that? Arrh!!’
Whether Aether had somehow read her mind or simply caught the betrayal written all over her face, he smirked and added with a hint of amusement, “Well, I did save you back there, didn’t I? So, obviously, I do love you.”
Sandra blinked, “…Oh? So, I’m supposed to feel happy about that?”
Aether let out a small chuckle but then shook his head, his expression growing serious once again. “Well… maybe. But to be honest, he wasn’t just trying to kill you.” His gaze darkened further as he exhaled slowly. “He was trying to kill me too.”
BBOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!
A massive explosion erupted in the distance, shaking the ground beneath them. The force of the blast sent debris flying everywhere, forcing them both to steady themselves.
“…Wait. What?” Sandra’s mind reeled as she processed his words.
Her face twisted in sheer disbelief, “You mean to tell me… this whole damn thing is not your part of the plan?!”
It was true that Aether had devised the plan, but what he hadn’t done was tell everyone the full picture.
Instead, he had only given different parts of the plan to each person—mixing it all up into a convoluted mess. One misstep and anyone could’ve killed anyone. He had taken a massive gamble, all to ensure that everything felt real.
Yes, to make it feel real!
The first hooded figure needed to believe this was an actual fight, not some carefully coordinated scheme.
That’s why! He doing this all!
Aether nodded, “Yeah… I’m just Aether now. If he sees us… he won’t hesitate to kill us both without a second thought.”
“….”
Sandra pulled down her hood, her face filled with disbelief and horror as she stared at him. “Is there something seriously wrong with you?”
Aether opened his mouth as if to respond but then shut it. He couldn’t deny it—she wasn’t exactly wrong.
Sandra groaned, rubbing her temples before throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Then go save your damn ass, idiot! Tell him who you are!”
Aether shook his head, his voice laced with gloom, “Well, you see… my mask broke during the whole ‘show-off’ moment. So, yeah… I couldn’t just show my face all of the sudden and… they don’t actually know who I am really”
Sandra stared at him blankly, her eye twitching, ‘Are you fucking serious right now?’
Without a word, she reached into the air, and suddenly, something materialized in her hand.
Aether’s brows furrowed. “Wait… is that—?”
Sandra grinned, twirling the object between her fingers. “A mask? Yep. I made a few spares a long time ago, just in case you decided to screw things up beyond repair.
But honestly, I’m shocked I even kept this for this long.” She tossed it to him and then shoved past his cornering stance. Glancing up, she saw the dragon and the first hooded figure still locked in battle—though, from the looks of it, the figure wasn’t exactly fighting… more like dodging for her life as flames threatened to roast her alive.
“Damn…” Sandra muttered under her breath, shaking her head at the chaotic scene unfolding above.
Aether stared at the mask in his hands before a smirk tugged at his lips. ‘Well, A1… looks like you’re no longer needed. I’ll take it from here,’ he said telepathically to his clone, who was about to play a part in this plan.
Then, he took a deep breath and said aloud, “Because I’m about to commit a kidnapping.”
Sandra flinched, whipping her head around so fast it almost hurt,
“Kidnapping?! Who?”
“You.”
“…. Me?”
“Yeah.”
“…Why?”
“Because it’s more fun that way… ?” Aether shrugged, completely unbothered.
Before she could even begin to process what he meant, his hand shot out with lightning-fast precision. In an instant, he struck the side of her neck with just enough force to knock her out.
Since she didn’t put her guard around him… it was easy peasy~
Sandra’s body went limp as she collapsed into his arms, completely unconscious.
Grinning, Aether adjusted her in his grasp, murmuring, “Sleep well, beauty~” Then, with a swift motion, he tore off her hoodie and lifted his illusion before slowly slipping the mask over his face.
“Hehe~ It’s showtime~”
Meanwhile—
“Fucker! Fight me with your damn hands!!”
The first hooded figure gritted her teeth in frustration, her patience wearing dangerously thin.
The dragon simply smirked at her, flames dancing between its massive jaws as if taunting her. No matter how much she tried to get close, the searing heat pushed her back. It was impossible to land a hit.
Her fingers trembled, itching to unleash her full power.
But she held back!
She had fought this damn dragon before… If she revealed her real identity now, the truth would come out. And that… that was something she absolutely could not allow.
‘Should I just ditch her and grab Sandra instead?’ she wondered. This fight was going nowhere, not unless she unleashed everything she had. And if that wasn’t an option, there was only one choice left—take Sandra and escape.
As long as they secured at least one part of their master’s plan, all wouldn’t be lost.
Just as she was about to scan the rubble for Sandra—
THUNDER!!!
A blinding flash of purple lightning split the sky, crackling with raw power. The air vibrated violently as every single person present flinched, heads snapping toward the source of the overwhelming energy.
Hovering in the sky, bathed in an aura of pure killing intent, was a man with white hair, his handsome face concealed behind a mask. His presence alone sent an unbearable pressure crashing down upon them. And in his grasp—dangling limply—was Sandra, unconscious.
‘FUCK!!!’
The first hooded figure screamed internally, her body tensing in immediate alarm. Victor had arrived far sooner than expected.
“HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY EMPIRE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION, YOU MONGRELS?!”
Victor’s thunderous voice rippled across the empire, making even the land tremble beneath its weight. The moment those words echoed, every dragon in the vicinity moved—each one shifting toward them as if responding to the fury of their Emperor.
The first hooded figure clenched her teeth so hard it was a miracle they didn’t shatter. She could feel his rage burning through every fibre of her being and,
“Awww~ I’m just a cute little girl who happens to be into violence~ So… bye-bye~”
Said with the most innocent little girly tone, Then, without missing a beat, her body dispersed into mist, her form vanishing as she slipped toward the empire’s outer edge.
Victor’s entire body stiffened He nearly fucking puked blood hearing that voice… and he didn’t expect that figure to run away instead at least putting up some fight.
‘Huh?’
Here goes his showtime!! Fucked up!!
Yet,
“CAPTURE THAT FILTH!!”
But he didn’t move an inch!
He needed to keep his act after all!
__________
[Author’s Note: Hey everyone, I’ll be honest—I won’t be able to release the bonus chapters tomorrow. But to make it up to you, I’ll be releasing three chapters per day for the entire week! I hope you all understand. I’m not backing out on my promise, just taking a little extra time. I hope you understand!]