“Wood Elf tribe? Why here?” Dora frowned as she glanced around, confusion clear in her expression.
Aether had brought her here so suddenly, and the place seemed heavily guarded by the Drakfang tribe’s people?
What?
Her eyes narrowed when she noticed dark stains smeared at the entrance of the village. Blood.
The Drakfang warriors—Liora’s people—were stationed outside, ensuring no one entered without permission. As soon as they spotted Aether and Dora approaching, their expressions hardened with suspicion.
One of them stepped forward,
“You are not allowed to en—Ouch!”
Before he could finish, another wolfman smacked him over the head, cutting off his words. The one who had struck him immediately bowed his head and hurriedly said, “I deeply apologize, M-My Lord! You are free to enter!” His voice wavered slightly as if he had just narrowly escaped a death sentence.
Aether gave a small nod, acknowledging the apology, and stepped inside without hesitation. Dora followed behind him, but there was a flicker of something in her expression—curiosity mixed with surprise.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “My Lord?” Her voice held an unspoken question as if she needed confirmation of what she just heard.
Aether turned his head slightly and shot her a quick wink, the corner of his lips twitching up ever so slightly.
“!!!”
Dora instantly stiffened as realization struck her like a lightning bolt, ‘OH my… FUCK!!’ She screamed internally, eyes twitching as she glared daggers at Aether.
“Come on now… I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything at all—” Aether began, lifting his hands slightly as if to defend himself, but Dora was already on edge.
“Oh really?” she cut him off, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “Without even lifting a finger, women keep falling at your feet? I swear, I truly wonder what kind of magic you possess.” She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she studied him with an almost accusatory glare.
Aether cleared his throat and looked away, avoiding the sharp gaze that threatened to pierce through him, “Ahem… anyway.” He swiftly shifted his focus back to the village, ignoring Dora’s growing annoyance.
Just like Aria had mentioned, the place was different—far more changed than last time.
Dora scanned the area, her frown deepening. “Where is everyone? It looks completely abandoned…” She trailed off, taking in the eerie sight before her.
Not a single soul in sight. The houses stood empty and untouched, yet an ominous silence hung in the air.
Then, as the wind shifted, the sharp stench of blood hit her nose.
Her stomach clenched. “Aether?”
“Just follow me.” His voice was calm.
Without another word, they moved deeper into the village… The path led them to an old, massive tree that had stood. Aether approached it and, without hesitation, stepped inside. Dora followed closely, her senses on high alert.
The moment they entered, their eyes landed on something that made them freeze.
“Ebon Stone? This thing is here???” Dora’s voice rose in disbelief, her eyes widening as she stared at the round stone slab.
Aether let out a slow breath, nodding. “Yeah… it’s here.” His expression was unreadable, but deep down, he was just as surprised as she was.
The fact that this stone was on the surface—it didn’t sit right with him. But then, he remembered… these stones couldn’t be reversed by time.
His eyes darkened slightly as his thoughts drifted. ‘It’s in the exact same position where the monster lifted it last time…’
Dora’s face hardened, her emotions shifting from shock to something much colder. “So… Alaric knew about this all along?” Her voice was tight as if she was barely holding something back.
“Yeah.”
Dora’s hands curled into fists at her sides. Her lips trembled slightly, and she bit down hard, trying to suppress the anger bubbling inside her.
“That bastard…” she muttered under her breath.
She had trusted Alaric…. She had never even thought to doubt him.
That was how deep the manipulation had run!!
“I feel like a fucking idiot,” she whispered, her voice laced with fury and frustration.
Aether glanced at her before giving a half-smirk, “Well, I can’t exactly argue with that…” as he stared at the Ebon stone which seemed rather odd now, ‘Maybe on the backside?’ he wondered something.
Dora’s head snapped towards him so fast he almost expected her to hit him. Her lips twitched, torn between wanting to yell at him and acknowledging the bitter truth in his words.
She had been a fool.
An absolute idiot for ever believing in Alaric’s lies.
‘That motherfucker… I’m gonna make him regret everything.’ Her thoughts burned with rage as she gritted her teeth, but then something else caught her attention.
She turned her gaze toward the massive tree trunk standing behind the Ebon Stone.
“What’s that?” she murmured, taking a step forward. Her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something behind the thick metal.
A door?
Frowning, she stepped closer and, without hesitation, grabbed the trunk. With ease, she lifted it aside, revealing a fully intact door hidden beneath.
Aether, who had been eyeing the Ebon Stone with suspicion, finally turned his attention to her. “Well…” He walked over and stood beside her.
After exchanging a glance, they pulled it open.
The moment the door creaked, a rush of crisp, smoky air escaped, hitting them like a punch to the face.
Cough, cough…
Both Aether and Dora coughed as they stepped inside. The heavy scent of burnt flesh flew in the air And then—
“Oh my god…” Dora stopped dead in her tracks. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she couldn’t move.
Burned bodies. Charred, unrecognizable corpses. Some still bore the remnants of what seemed to be elven features, their twisted forms looked like monsters.
Dora turned sharply to Aether, her eyes demanding answers… by the looks of it he didn’t seem too shocked, so he knew something… She didn’t need to speak just stared at him.
He let out a slow exhale before telling her everything. Every detail of what had transpired here.
By the time he finished, Dora was silent. Too silent.
Her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.
“H-He did this…?” Her voice finally cracked. “To his own people?”
She had thought Alaric was just a manipulator, a liar who played with emotions and used people to get what he wanted.
But this? This was far worse than she had ever imagined.
Her stomach churned, and for the first time, she felt something she never thought she would—pure, unfiltered hatred.
Of course, she had been betrayed… but what was she supposed to do with that knowledge now?
She had spent years honing her instincts, preparing for deception, yet when it finally came, it still hit her like a dagger to the heart.
But this?
“Just… what the hell happened to him?” Dora clutched her head, her fingers digging into her scalp as she struggled to process everything. Her expression was frozen in sheer disbelief.
She now understood Alaric had his secrets—but never in her worst nightmares had she imagined he would sink to such depravity.
She felt as if her entire world had been flipped upside down, crumbling to dust right before her eyes.
Could she even trust anyone anymore?
A man she had once respected, a man she had once thought of as noble and powerful… had turned into this vicious, heartless monster.
Just like someone else.
‘Master…!!’
Her teeth clenched as raw, unrestrained killing intent seeped out of her, making the air feel heavy.
Meanwhile, Aether had already moved, jumping down into the mass of burned bodies. His movements were eerily calm, unnaturally composed for someone stepping over the charred remains of an entire people.
He walked across the scorched corpses without hesitation, the sickening crunch of brittle flesh and bone echoing with each step he took…. though there small trembling on his hand… no on his fingers trembled seeing bodies of children.
Yet,
His gaze remained sharp and calculating as he searched for something among the corpses, his expression unreadable.
After a few moments, he halted, crouching down as his fingers brushed against a severed hand.
Unlike the rest, this one hadn’t been completely reduced to ash.
Crack
“This will be enough,” Aether muttered under his breath before casually tossing the grotesque remnant toward Dora.
Dora caught it on reflex, but the instant she felt the charred, half-burned flesh against her skin, she grimaced. Her fingers tightened instinctively, suppressing the urge to fling it away. “What the hell is this for?” she asked, her nose scrunching in disgust.
Before Aether could respond—
“Aether, behind yo—!”
HIIISSSSS!!!
Before Dora could even finish her warning, Snowflake, who had been coiled around Aether’s neck, reacted first. The tiny serpent let out a sharp, bone-chilling hiss before spraying a powerful stream of acidic venom at something lurking behind Aether.
Her forehead Arcane Crystal was covered!! To hide her powers for the time being.
Anyway,
A half-dead creature—its flesh grotesquely disfigured, its movements twitchy and unnatural—had lurched forward from the crisped bodies, its hollow eyes locked onto Aether. But before it could reach him, the venom splashed against its decayed body.
“ARRR—“
Within seconds, the creature’s flesh began to melt. Its tortured screech was cut short as its entire form dissolved into a bubbling pile of putrid sludge.
Aether barely even reacted… He simply snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A surge of purple flames erupted around him, engulfing the remaining corpses in an instant. The fire roared with an eerie intensity, consuming everything in its path. Within seconds, the once-crowded room had been reduced to nothing but smouldering ashes.
With effortless grace, Aether stepped back, landing beside Dora, his expression calm, as if nothing had happened.
“Are you worried about me?” he asked with an amused smirk. He had caught the way she had tensed, her muscles coiled as if she had been ready to leap in and defend him.
The idea of her trying to protect him was almost laughable, considering he had been mere inches away from eliminating the threat himself.
Dora scoffed, rolling her eyes before shaking her head. “As if,” she muttered, but she quickly turned her attention back to the severed hand in her grasp. “Anyway… what exactly is this for?” she asked again, her frown deepening.
Aether gave her a brief glance before replying. “Well, Aqualina said that those children only eat flesh that was injected with that strange liquid, right?” He turned away, already heading toward the exit as if expecting her to follow.
Dora blinked, processing his words before realization struck. “Wait… you’re testing if this body was affected by the same injection?”
Aether shook his head. “Not exactly… From what Aqualina has told us so far, it seems like they were still in the mid or early final stages of testing those injections. What I want to understand is why they suddenly decided to use it on these people when they were barely even done experimenting with it.”
Dora’s brows furrowed as she pieced things together, “You think they weren’t just testing anymore… but were actively trying to spread it?”
Aether shrugged, “I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. But if we assume that’s the case… then what’s their real objective? Why would they need to turn millions of people into monsters? What are they trying to gain from this?”
Dora felt her stomach twist at the thought. The deeper they dug into this, the less sense it made.
“We need to figure out what Master is really up to—Wait!” Aether suddenly stopped, his entire body tensing when he saw the back of the Ebon Stone.
Dora immediately stiffened, “What? What is it?”
But Aether wasn’t listening to her anymore. His expression twisted into something unreadable as he rushed forward, placing both hands on the stone’s surface. His fingers traced along it, his breathing quickening with each passing second.
He moved frantically, circling around the massive slab, his hands running over every inch, searching for something—anything.
“No, no, no, no… Don’t fucking kid with me!” he muttered under his breath as his fingers desperately combed over the stone again.
“Aether? What’s going on? What are you looking for?”
Aether suddenly stopped.
His hands trembled slightly before dropping to his sides. His face had paled, his expression unreadable as he muttered under his breath—
“… There’s nothing Forbidden letters written on this stone.”
The moment those words left his mouth—
A soft, unnatural breeze swept through the space.
Sssshhhh!
Both Aether and Dora froze.
They were inside a tree. There shouldn’t have been any airflow here.
Aether’s eyes widened when he remembered the same breeze before….The beginning of everything…. His breath hitched for half a second before—
“FUCK YOU!!”
