[Author’s Note: Just a heads-up, I didn’t pull this out of nowhere. It was always there—you guys just didn’t notice it before. So now, take a closer look and see what you overlooked. This event takes place right after Chapter 712: He is telling the truth! Believe Him!]
‘Damn, Del is really good with her punches,’ Aether muttered in a slightly pained tone as he adjusted his jaw with a small wince. He could still feel the lingering sting from the impact, and he knew one thing for sure—he would definitely pay her back for that spanking later.
She wouldn’t get away with it so easily!!
It wasn’t like he was only learning how to escape from her attack; sure enough, she had improved. Her punch had landed cleanly on his jaw, something that wouldn’t have happened before.
For now, though, he had done something far more important. A seed had been planted inside her, a thought that would slowly take root. Sooner or later, she would begin to accept him for who he truly was, whether she realized it or not.
It was only a matter of time.
‘Anyway,’ Aether muttered inwardly before a grin spread across his lips as he put it on, Without wasting another moment, he pulled out a small orb, his fingers tightening around it as he activated it to contact Jack.
“I need to talk to you about something important,” Victor said, his voice calm but firm. “Come to the Zephyra Empire immediately.”
…
…..
Jack, who had been relaxing with a content expression on his face, immediately perked up when he received the message. His lips curled into a wide smile, and his eyes gleamed with excitement. He didn’t even need to think twice. Without a moment’s hesitation, he nodded, sensing that Victor was up to something interesting.
‘Something important, huh?’ Jack mused as he rubbed his chin, his mind already spinning with possibilities. ‘What could it be this time?’
It was… that, right?
His imagination ran wild as he thought about all the different scenarios. ‘Should I bring a gift? Maybe some flowers? No, wait—Victor isn’t really the type to like flowers… But I do. Hmm, I wonder if he’ll ever give me some.’ His thoughts drifted into a dreamy haze as he let out a small chuckle, already looking forward to whatever was coming next.
Not wanting to waste another second, Jack hurriedly made his way to Zephyra through the teleportation station, his heart pounding with excitement.
The moment he arrived, his eyes lit up when he saw Victor standing there, already waiting for him. A playful smirk formed on Jack’s lips as he walked forward with a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Oh? You were waiting for me? How sweet of you,” Jack muttered, his tone filled with amusement as he folded his arms.
Victor gave him a small nod, his expression unreadable as he motioned for Jack to follow him. Without a word, he turned and started walking toward a quieter place.
Since they were on the outskirts of the Empire, the surroundings were mostly empty.
There weren’t any towns or major settlements nearby, just thick forests and a few scattered inns. The air was cool, and the night sky stretched endlessly above them. Not many people were around, especially this late, making it the perfect secluded spot.
Jack followed along, his curiosity growing with each step. As Victor led him deeper into the woods, Jack felt a small shiver of anticipation run down his spine.
He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
“V-Victor, where exactly are we going?” Jack asked, his voice slightly unsteady. His eyes flickered with something between excitement and nervousness as he glanced around at their surroundings.
His mind, of course, immediately jumped to a certain kind of ‘fun.’
‘Oh? We’re going to do something outside? Well, well… This just got a whole lot more exciting,’ Jack thought to himself, his steps faltering slightly as his legs wobbled ever so softly.
After walking for a while, Victor finally stopped. He turned around, his gaze locking onto Jack’s face with an intensity that made the latter swallow hard.
Jack’s heart pounded so fast he was sure Victor could hear it. He gulped, his throat dry, before shifting slightly on his feet. “W-What is it?” he asked, his voice coming out quieter than he intended.
His fingers twitched before he absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind his ear—except, of course, there was no strand of hair. His hair was short, yet the habit remained, making him look oddly… shy?
Victor remained silent, his eyes scanning Jack’s face before he took a slow step forward.
Jack immediately stiffened, his breath hitching as Victor closed the distance between them. His body heat, his presence—it was overwhelming.
“C-Cool down, buddy,” Jack stammered, barely managing to keep his voice steady. “First, you need to tell me what this important thing is…” His words trailed off as he glanced down, his cheeks tinged with a soft pink hue.
Victor didn’t respond right away. Instead, he lifted his hand, his fingers brushing against Jack’s chin. The simple touch sent an involuntary shiver through Jack’s body. His breath hitched again as Victor slowly tilted his face upward.
Jack’s heart pounded even harder, his thoughts spiralling in all sorts of directions. But the moment he looked up and saw Victor’s face without the Mask—
His entire world froze.
Jack’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as realization struck him like a lightning bolt.
That wasn’t Victor. It was—
“Aether?!”
Before Jack could even think about reacting, Aether’s crimson eyes gleamed ominously. A dark, shimmering energy flickered within them as his skill, Crimson Veil, activated in an instant.
“YOU—!” Jack barely had time to get a word out before his entire body went rigid. His mind dulled, his consciousness slipping into a numb, empty haze. His pupils lost their colour, and his expression turned blank as he became nothing more than a lifeless, broken doll.
Aether let out a satisfied hum, nodding slightly as he observed Jack’s state. His voice was calm but commanding as he spoke,
“Tell me—where is Aqualina?”
Jack’s body flinched slightly at the question before his lips parted, his voice eerily monotone. “She is in Maze Prison.”
Aether narrowed his eyes, absorbing the information before tilting his head slightly. “Maze Prison?” he echoed before crossing his arms. “Can I go in?”
Jack shook his head without hesitation. “Only Table members and I have permission to enter or leave the Maze Prison.”
Aether let out a small hum, his fingers tapping lightly against his arm. “I see…” he muttered under his breath, deep in thought. This was going to be troublesome. Getting her out wouldn’t be easy. But then—
“Is there a way to get her out?” he asked directly, his crimson eyes flickering with a sharp glint.
Jack’s body trembled slightly before his mouth moved again. “Yes, there is a way,” he admitted. “There is a pattern in the stairs—if one follows it correctly, they can escape. However, I do not know how to open the cube she is trapped inside.”
Aether clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. Of course, only Aqualina herself would know how to unlock it… But then another thought came to mind.
“Can you take the cube with you?”
“Yes.”
Aether’s eyes gleamed. “You can?”
“Yes,” Jack confirmed. “With my puppets, I can do that.”
Aether smirked, nodding in satisfaction as he absorbed every detail. The situation was becoming clearer…. And now, he had exactly what he needed to move forward.
For the next few minutes, he continued to press for more details, making sure to gather as much information as possible. There was still a lot to do, but things were finally falling into place…
One problem was finally solved. Though it might take some time for the full effects to show, at least for now, Aether could shift his focus back to his Empire while Jack handled the task at hand.
Aether turned his sharp gaze toward Jack, a peculiar thought crossed his mind, making his expression darken slightly as he analyzed the situation before him.
Puppets.
This man was capable of controlling puppets so flawlessly that even high-level individuals, those who were usually not so easily fooled, had been deceived by their lifelike movements.
Aether frowned as an unsettling memory resurfaced in his mind… There was that one time… Nyx Shadowfall had somehow managed to use Jack’s puppets, even though Jack himself had long been dead.
That particular event had always bothered Aether, leaving a lingering doubt in his mind about the true nature of these puppets.
‘That means… even after death, their weapons still function? That should not be possible. There must be something I have overlooked,’ Aether mused, a flicker of intrigue mixed with frustration appearing in his deep-set eyes.
He had always assumed that those weapons were somehow directly linked to the user’s soul, that once the person was gone, their influence over them would cease.
But if that were true, then how had Nyx been able to use Jack’s puppets so effortlessly?
There had to be another factor at play, something that made such a feat achievable.
It was possible that Nyx possessed a hidden ability, an unknown technique that allowed him to override the natural connection of those weapons.
Even so, if Nyx Shadowfall had been able to accomplish that, then one thing was certain—Aether could do it as well.
Without any hesitation, Aether reached into his storage and retrieved a gleaming metal sword and,
Chucckk!
With a swift and precise motion, Aether sliced a small wound on Jack’s neck. The blade was sharp enough that the cut was clean, and almost immediately, blood began to seep out, forming thin crimson trails that trickled down his skin.
Aether inhaled deeply, steadying himself before making a small yet deliberate cut on his own palm.
His grip tightened as he pressed his bleeding hand against Jack’s wound, his fingers digging into the flesh just enough to make firm contact.
“Come on, blood… you can do this. Show me what you are truly capable of,” Aether muttered, his voice filled with a mixture of expectation and anticipation as his eyes remained fixed on the point of contact, waiting for a reaction.
…
But there was nothing. No movement. No response. No change.
Aether clenched his jaw tightly, his patience wearing thin with every passing second.
He had already lost too many things, and his emotions were far from stable at this point after all he just died a few hours ago…. The last thing anyone should even consider doing right now was testing his temper.
Taking in a slow, deep breath, Aether steadied himself once more. Then, with an indifferent expression that masked his growing irritation, he lifted Jack’s limp body with one hand, his voice dropping into a commanding, almost dangerous tone.
“Do it, bitch. Obey me,” Aether ordered coldly, his gaze flickering with darkness.
The moment those emotionless words left his lips,
!~Ding~!
[⚠ Warning: Anomalous reaction detected! The Crimson Elixir of the Null is responding to the user’s call…]
Aether winced slightly as a sharp, almost burning sting shot through his palm.
The blood inside Jack was shifting, moving unnaturally, almost as if it had gained a will of its own. It was being drawn into Aether’s wound, pulled by an unseen force, as though his own blood was actively devouring Jack’s without any conscious effort.
!~Ding~!
[❗ The Crimson Elixir of the Null surges with hunger, latching onto the blood… devouring it whole!!]
[Warning:
— Assimilation in Progress—
[1%]
[10%]
Jack’s body convulsed violently, his muscles spasming uncontrollably. His limbs flailed as if something inside him was twisting, warping, and tearing him apart from within. His legs bent at unnatural angles, his fingers curled and uncurled erratically, and his mouth opened as though he wanted to scream, but no sound escaped his lips.
[50%]
[60%]
[70%]
[80%]
[90%]
Just then, a flicker of awareness returned to his eyes, a brief moment where it seemed like he had snapped back to consciousness. But It was already far too late to change anything now.
[98%]
[99%]
[100%]
]
His pupils dilated before the light in his eyes faded completely, snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
!~Ding~!
[❗️Notice: A new skill has been identified… Puppet.]
Aether smirked in satisfaction as he finally released Jack, collapsing to the ground like a discarded rag doll.
“Puppet, huh? Now that is something interesting… Not bad, I suppose,” Aether murmured to himself, a smirk still lingering on his lips. His attention returned to Jack, whose body lay motionless on the ground. Yet, despite the eerie stillness, there was a faint presence of life still lingering within him.
‘Fascinating,’ Aether thought as he extended his hand once more, his fingers twitching slightly as he activated the puppet ability. He wanted to test this newfound skill, to see just how much control he truly had.
But just as he did,
!~Ding~!
[⚠ Warning: The skill ‘Puppet’ is forcefully merging with the existing skill ‘Clone’… Essence intertwines, reshaping its very nature.]
[— Merging… Synchronizing… Reconstructing… —]
Aether’s eyes widened slightly as another unexpected development unfolded before him,
!~Ding~!
[❗️Fusion Complete: A new skill has emerged—Puppeteer.]
!~Ding~!
[Skill: Puppeteer]
[Effect: Activating this skill allows the user to manipulate living or non-living entities as if they were puppets, controlling their movements with precision or mere thought. The level of control depends on the target’s resistance.]
[Additional Benefits: Grants the ability to control up to three puppets simultaneously. Non-living constructs such as dolls, corpses, or artificial bodies can be controlled without restriction while living beings require a successful mental or physical tether to establish control. The user can also extend their senses through controlled entities, allowing them to see and hear through them. Own Self Puppets can be created just like previous skill Clone!]
[Limitations: Control over living beings is influenced by their willpower; those with strong mental resistance may resist or break free. Puppeteer threads or control tethers can be severed by overwhelming force. Controlling multiple entities drains mental stamina rapidly.
Puppets receive only 75% of the user’s total power, which is evenly distributed among them if multiple are controlled at once. Puppets lack independent intelligence and require direct control at all times.]
[Cooltime: 10 Days]
Aether grinned before raising his hand, his fingers twitching ever so slightly. In that instant, thin, nearly invisible threads shimmered into existence, weaving through the air like ethereal strands of silk. They moved with an eerie fluidity, slithering toward Jack’s body…
“Hehe~”