“Is he alright?” Sandra asked, her voice edged with concern as she watched the Archpriestess tend to Aether. His unconscious body was resting against Dora, his breathing steady but his expression unnervingly blank.
Victor stood nearby, having just been released from the cube Sandra had opened for him. However, at that moment, none of them were paying any attention to him. All eyes were fixed solely on Aether.
The Archpriestess let out a quiet sigh before shaking her head. “He seems fine. There are no visible wounds…”
“Then why the hell isn’t he waking up?” Sandra questioned, her brows furrowing. There was no injury, no indication of harm, and yet Aether remained motionless.
Mary, who had been silently observing, stared at Aether for a long moment before finally speaking. “You’d better get him out of this Empire.”
Sandra turned to her, frowning. “What?”
Mary simply shrugged. “I have a feeling… something here is affecting him.” her tone carried she didn’t care!
Sandra crossed her arms, unimpressed. “What would be affecting him? We’re all fine.” Her tone carried a hint of suspicion, as though she believed Mary was hiding something from her.
Mary gave her a long look before shifting her gaze toward Dora. There was a brief pause—an understanding exchanged between them without a single word spoken.
Dora’s eyes widened suddenly, her entire body tensing as realization dawned on her. “You mean…”
Mary nodded, her voice serious. “Indeed. Take him out of here before anything irreversible happens.”
The Archpriestess, who had been listening closely, frowned. “What exactly is going on?”
Dora’s expression darkened, an uncharacteristic dread settling over her features. “She is… inside him.”
Sandra’s frown deepened. “Who is inside him?”
There was a heavy silence.
Then, the Archpriestess suddenly blinked, her eyes widening in horror. “Oh shit!”
“Yep.” Mary gave a slow, amused nod as if enjoying their reactions despite the severity of the situation and added,
“Better not teleport directly. Since she is inside him, it might cause sudden distortion in his mind, and we have no idea how dangerous that could be for him. Use the Teleportation Station—that’s the only safe way to separate her from his consciousness without causing him any harm,” Mary warned, her voice carrying a rare seriousness.
Her gaze lingered on Aether, far longer than necessary, as if she were memorizing his face before she finally disappeared, “I will return once I have dealt with the situation in my Empire… My people must be worried about explosions and fights.”
Dora, holding Aether securely in her arms, nodded in understanding as she watched the spot where Mary had vanished. Her expression was unreadable, yet a hint of unease flickered in her eyes. She then turned her gaze toward Archpriestess, Sandra, and Victor, waiting for their thoughts on the matter.
“Well, she might actually be right about that,” Archpriestess finally spoke, her tone contemplative as she folded her arms.
Teleporting through their own abilities was one thing, but using the Teleportation Station powered by Mother Root was something entirely different. The difference was subtle, yet significant enough that avoiding unnecessary risks was the wiser choice.
If Mary had advised against direct teleportation, then there was a chance that something unpredictable could happen to Aether.
They couldn’t afford that risk.
Their eyes turned toward the Ebon Stone, which continued to rotate in midair, its dark surface glimmering with an eerie calmness. It was as if the fierce battle that had just taken place over its possession had never even happened.
The stone remained unbothered, unfazed, completely indifferent to the bloodshed it had caused.
Then, they noticed something else. The severed head of their so-called Master, which had been resting atop the Ebon Stone just moments ago, had vanished without a trace.
Not too far away, the kneeling, headless body of the Master finally gave way. His form dissolved into a thick, crimson mist, swirling violently before vanishing into nothingness as if he had never existed in the first place.
“This thing… is really something else,” Sandra muttered under her breath.
With a simple wave of her hand, she summoned a small ripple of water beneath them, forming a gentle current that lifted and carried them forward. The water cradled them carefully, moving at a slow and steady pace.
Since they wanted to avoid causing any harm to Aether, they had to move cautiously. It meant their journey to the Teleportation Station would take longer, but none of them were willing to take any chances with his safety.
As they drifted forward, silence settled over the group. The quiet was thick, almost suffocating, until Sandra finally broke it with a question that had been pressing on her mind.
“So, who exactly is inside him right now?” she asked, her voice laced with curiosity, but also a hint of concern.
Dora inhaled deeply before answering, “Well… The Ruler of this World.”
Sandra’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait. You mean to tell me that Mary isn’t the true ruler?”
Dora shook her head slightly, her grip on Aether tightening. “You see… Unlike other Empires, this one is different from the rest. On the surface, yes, Mary rules this place, and her authority here is absolute. However, this land does not belong solely to her. This place is home to countless wandering souls—those who walk the Path of Samsara. And the one who governs their fate is not Mary, but someone far more elusive… The Grace.”
Sandra’s frown deepened as she processed the information. “I knew this place was tied to souls. I also knew that something guided them, shaping their existence. But… The Grace? I’ve never even heard that name before.”
She had long been aware of the strange presence watching over Aether—the ever-watchful ‘Eye’ that harvested souls—but this was something entirely new.
Dora gave a small shrug. “It’s not exactly a secret, but it’s also not something people like to talk about. After all, how often do you bring up the dead in casual conversation?”
Sandra gave her a nonchalant shrug in response.
Dora chuckled softly. “Exactly. That’s why no one talks about her. Even those who have lived here for centuries rarely mention her name. Most of them don’t even realize she exists. She almost never communicates with anyone, nor does she interfere in the affairs of the Empire. It’s as if she exists in the background, watching but never acting.”
Sandra nodded, slowly taking in the information. “Then… why is she inside him? What is she doing in his body?”
Dora let out a long, slow sigh, glancing down at Aether’s peaceful, sleeping face, “We have no idea. From the little we’ve seen so far, she might be communicating with him… or perhaps she’s battling him for control. Whatever is happening, we won’t know until he wakes up.” Her fingers instinctively moved to his cheek, giving it a soft, playful pinch. His expression remained relaxed, his breathing steady.
Even after everything he had been through, he looked so innocent in his sleep.
Sandra and Archpriestess both twitched, their lips pressing into thin lines as they resisted the urge to call her out for her actions. However, when they looked at Aether’s face, so serene and undisturbed after such an exhausting battle, they couldn’t deny that he needed this rest more than anything.
Victor, on the other hand, sat quietly at the very back of the moving wave, completely unnoticed, completely ignored. To the rest of them, he might as well have been nothing more than the air around them.
Until Archpriestess finally glanced at Victor, then shifted her gaze toward the others before asking, “So… he was kidnapped?”
Trying to be sensible!
What she didn’t know was that Sandra and Dora were already aware of Victor’s situation. On the other hand, Sandra and Dora had no idea that Archpriestess also knew about Victor.
So yeah… misunderstanding!
“O-Of course! He was kidnapped, and we came to rescue him,” Dora answered, her voice carrying a noticeable hesitation as she forced an awkward smile.
Sandra, playing along, quickly nodded as well. She subtly glanced at Dora, who returned the look before giving another small nod. Without another word, she softly guided their movement as they reached the outskirts of a nearby city.
Archpriestess studied their expressions carefully before giving a small nod of her own. Then, as if trying to keep up appearances, she suddenly offered, “Maybe I should heal him too?”
Her voice was calm, almost too calm. It was clear she didn’t actually believe Victor needed healing, but she had to maintain her act, didn’t she?
“There is no need for that,” Dora said hastily, her tone unusually tense. The last thing she wanted was for Archpriestess to try anything, especially with Aether unconscious.
Who knew what unexpected effects healing might have on Victor?
Wanting to divert the conversation quickly, she changed the subject without hesitation. “Anyway… Have you guys heard about him?”
Sandra raised a brow. “Heard about who?”
Dora’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile. “Aether. About him being the Arcane King.”
Archpriestess blinked. “Say what?”
Dora tilted her head slightly, now more amused than anything. “So you didn’t know?”
There was a small sense of relief in her tone. At least she wasn’t the only one caught off guard by the situation and unaware of her surroundings.
Archpriestess blinked again, her confusion deepening. “I don’t get it.”
Sandra let out a long sigh… Without wasting any more time, she began explaining everything in detail.
By the time she was finished, the Archpriestess simply responded with a nonchalant hum. “Hmm.”
That was it. No further reaction. No shock, no questions—just a simple sound as if none of it mattered to her.
Then, without hesitation, she asked bluntly, “The old one… he’s still alive, right?”
“He died,” Sandra stated flatly.
“Tsk.”
Sandra and Dora exchanged glances. “??”
“N-Nothing,” Archpriestess quickly covered up, waving a hand as if dismissing her own reaction. After a short pause, she exhaled and continued, “I mean… What he did went against the very foundation of our laws, and yet, Mother still accepted it. Isn’t that strange?” Her brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of frustration visible in her expression.
Dora let out a weary sigh. “It seems so. The Origin Pillars activated when they made their final move… It looks like Mother acknowledged Kai, even though he was a false king.”
“I see…” Archpriestess murmured, her eyes darkening with thought. Then, after a long silence, she spoke again, this time clenching her fists. “If Mother accepted this outcome… then it was fate. Aether was never meant to hold onto that power forever. It was destined to slip from his hands… And it was fate that Kai took it instead. We can’t change anything if this is the will of Mother.”
Dora and Sandra nodded, yet despite understanding, nothing about the situation truly made sense to them.
A moment later, Dora turned toward Sandra with a wry expression. “By the way… it seems your daughter wants that power back.”
“Huh?” Sandra blinked in confusion.
Dora smirked slightly. “Yeah, she said… ‘Give it back to the real king.'”