Soon, Dora and the others reached the teleportation station, but Aether was still unconscious, showing no signs of waking up. His breathing was steady, but his body remained limp in Dora’s arms, making her frown slightly.
“You guys are coming with me?” Dora asked, her voice carrying a hint of surprise as she noticed Sandra and the Archpriestess were also preparing to leave for the Zephyra Empire. She hadn’t expected them to follow her.
“Well, my daughter is there,” Sandra replied with a casual shrug, but her tone was firm. More than anything, after finding out what Dora truly was, there was no way she would allow Aether to be anywhere near this cunning fox.
Who knew what tricks she might pull on him while he was unconscious? The very thought made Sandra narrow her eyes suspiciously.
“Hmm… Helena and Finnian are also there,” the Archpriestess added with a small smile, though there was a sharp glint in her gaze. Of course, she too had no intention of letting this damn fox have her way with Aether while he was defenceless.
Dora frowned deeply, feeling a headache coming on. “Then why don’t you just teleport there directly? Why bother coming along with me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in irritation.
However—
“Nah, I feel like my arms and legs are sore,” Sandra said in an exhausted tone, rolling her shoulders slightly as if emphasizing her point.
“I overused my power… I don’t have enough left to teleport again,” the Archpriestess added as she wiped away invisible sweat from her forehead, pretending to be more exhausted than she really was.
Dora’s lips twitched. These two… Couldn’t they come up with a more believable excuse?
“If he feels too heavy, I can carry him for you,” Sandra offered in an innocent tone that was anything but sincere.
Dora’s lips twitched furiously at her words. “Didn’t you just say your arms and legs hurt?” she shot back, narrowing her eyes.
Sandra averted her gaze, pretending to examine the teleportation array as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
Dora gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath to keep herself from snapping. This was going to be a pain in the ass!
…. Soon, they arrived at the Zephyra Empire. The moment they stepped out of the teleportation station, they were greeted by an unexpected sight.
“You can hand him over to me,” a familiar voice said.
Celestia stood outside the teleportation station, waiting for them with a composed smile as if she had been expecting their arrival all along.
The trio came to an abrupt stop, their expressions darkening in unison as they stared at Celestia with blank, indifferent eyes.
Celestia, of course, understood what they were thinking, but she raised her hands in surrender, trying to diffuse the tension,
“If you take him with you, everyone will start questioning what happened to him. They might disturb his rest, and that would not be good for his recovery. It would be best if you let me take him. I will make sure he is placed in an inn where he can rest properly,” she explained calmly.
The trio exchanged glances, their frowns slowly shifting into thoughtful expressions. As much as they disliked the idea of handing Aether over, they had to admit… she had a point.
The Archpriestess sighed inwardly. If Helena saw Aether in this state, she might cry and cause a scene or try to wake him up, which would only make things worse.
Sandra exhaled through her nose. Her daughter was too emotional. If she saw Aether unconscious, she would be so overwhelmed with worry that she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.
Dora, on the other hand, clenched her jaw. She knew exactly what would happen if she took him along. Women… so many women were going to nag him relentlessly the moment they saw him like this. It was bound to be an endless headache.
In the end, leaving him with Celestia seemed like the safest option.
Still—
“You better protect him,” the Archpriestess warned, her voice carrying a deadly undertone.
“You better not disturb him,” Sandra added, her tone completely indifferent, but the underlying threat was clear.
“You better not lay a finger on him,” Dora growled, her eyes narrowing dangerously before she finally placed Aether in Celestia’s arms.
Celestia took Aether gently, cradling him in her arms like a precious treasure, her lips curling into a small grin as she gazed at them.
“What are you grinning at?” Sandra asked with a frown.
“Well, you guys are already getting along with each other… This is good for the bright future,” Celestia mused as she turned away, walking off with Aether in her arms.
Sandra and Dora stiffened instantly, their faces turning beet red at her words.
The Archpriestess blinked in confusion for a moment before realization struck. The dots connected in her mind, one by one, and then—her eyes widened in sheer horror.
“YOU TOO!!!!!” she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at both Dora and Sandra, her voice filled with disbelief.
Dora sighed inwardly, feeling too drained to argue. However, Sandra—
“YOOOOUUU TOOOOOO!!!” she shrieked, her face contorted in horror, unable to believe what she had just heard.
Meanwhile, standing off to the side, completely forgotten, was a pitiful Victor.
Just then—
BOOOMMMM!!
A sudden explosion tore through the air, the deafening blast shaking the ground beneath them.
The trio instantly snapped to attention, their expressions turning sharp and serious. Without hesitation, they teleported towards the source of the explosion—
The Academy!
As soon as they arrived at the scene, their eyes widened in shock.
“Where is my Academy?” Dora muttered, her voice hollow with disbelief as she stared at the sight before her.
Nothing remained. The once-grand Academy was gone. In its place was nothing but a vast, barren surface littered with broken debris. The entire structure had been wiped out, leaving behind only ruins.
Her Academy… had been completely destroyed.
Just then—
“Cough, cough… Mom?”
Sandra’s eyes sharpened immediately as she turned toward the voice. Her breath hitched when she spotted Aqualina near the debris, covered in dust and ash.
Without wasting a second, Sandra rushed to her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace, holding her close as if afraid to let go. “Are you alright, my dear?” she asked.
Aqualina gave a small smile, her arms wrapping around her mother in return. “I’m fine… What about you?” she asked softly, her voice filled with concern as she rested her head against Sandra’s shoulder.
Sandra exhaled shakily, her hold on her daughter tightening even further, “Everything is alright now,” she whispered.
One by one, figures slowly began to emerge from the thick cloud of dust and debris, coughing and stumbling as they tried to regain their footing.
“Cough… Cough… Damn it, girl, you could’ve at least warned us all before pulling that stunt,” Thalia grumbled, her voice carrying a slight edge of irritation as she staggered out from beneath the rubble, brushing off the dust clinging to her clothes.
“You all alright?” Dora appeared beside Thalia in an instant, steadying her just before she lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.
“Yeah…” Thalia exhaled, still dazed, before she turned to take in the sight before her.
Dora followed her gaze. The vast plain of shattered debris stretched endlessly before them, a stark reminder of the destruction that had unfolded. Her heart clenched painfully at the sight. A thousand years of work, effort, and dedication… reduced to nothing but ruins in mere moments.
“What happened?” Dora’s voice was tight, strained with an emotion she tried to suppress.
“Can’t you see it?” Thalia gestured toward the desolate remains of what had once been the Academy.
Dora clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay composed.
“W-What about the children?” she asked after a moment, her voice laced with concern.
“They’re fine,” Helena answered, coughing lightly as she bowed her head slightly and pointed toward the distant tree line.
Dora’s eyes followed her gesture. Not far away, nestled safely within the woods, were the children—held together and protected by Liora and the other professors.
“So… it still exploded in the end?” The Archpriestess frowned deeply, her brows knitting together in clear frustration.
Helena nodded. “After ensuring the safety of the children and everyone else inside the Academy, Thalia used the huge figure and forced it deep into the rectangular building before sealing the barrier behind it.”
The group listened in silence as she continued, her tone grim.
“That thing rampaged through the halls, destroying the inner structure of the building as it moved. It reached the upper floors and, once there, it released the Mother’s energy at full force.”
And then—
“BOOOOM!!” Helena mimicked the explosion with a dry laugh.
Everything within the Academy was obliterated in an instant. The monsters, the walls, the very foundation—nothing remained.
“I see…” Dora exhaled, rubbing her temples as she took a moment to process it all. Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at the students who had stepped up to help. They had risked everything to fight for their home, and she couldn’t ignore that.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice warmer this time. “I don’t even know how to repay you all for this.”
Helena smiled, shaking her head. “There’s no need for thanks. It was for our Academy. This place is home to us too.”
However—
“Wait just a damn second! I wasn’t doing this for free—!” Aqualina started, already on the verge of striking another wicked deal.
But before she could get another word out, Sandra swiftly clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. “Let’s not push our luck too much,” she muttered, giving Aqualina a knowing look.
Aqualina, though clearly dissatisfied, reluctantly nodded.
That said, what Helena had told them wasn’t the full truth.
There was something else… something she had deliberately left out.
The reality of how the explosion had actually occurred was different.
After evacuating the children, Aether’s clones had moved toward the top floor. Since they shared his essence, they instinctively absorbed the Mother’s energy. However, they weren’t Aether—so they couldn’t absorb all of it. Instead, they had only managed to take in a portion, leaving just enough behind.
And then—
Using the huge figure, the One like a plaything, the clones had wrecked the upper floors, tearing down the inner walls before finally triggering the massive detonation.
Though the explosion itself wasn’t as powerful as it could have been, Helena had still struggled to hold it back with her barrier. The sheer force of the debris had cracked through the shield, burying them beneath the rubble before they could escape.
Dora sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s going to take years to rebuild this place again…” Her voice was flat, utterly exhausted. And then—she groaned. “Ugh… fuck it,” she muttered, officially giving up on life.
And just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse—
BOOM!
An explosion of light erupted behind them, completely unnecessary yet somehow perfectly timed. The sky seemed to split apart as a powerful, overbearing voice boomed across the battlefield.
“FEAR NOT, FOR WE HAVE ARRIVED!”
Every head turned at once.
Standing atop a perfectly placed pile of debris, basking in an unnatural, divine glow—
Was Kai.
His right hand was extended toward the heavens as if he were calling down divine judgment, while his left was clenched into a righteous fist against his chest. His cape (which he definitely didn’t have before) billowed in the air, even though there was zero wind. His entire stance screamed… I am the protagonist!!
“As the cosmos decreed, when darkness looms and all hope seems lost—” Kai turned his head slightly.
“—A light shall pierce through the despair, bringing forth the warriors of destiny!”
He dramatically pointed forward. “And those warriors… are US!”
At that exact moment—
BOOM!
A second explosion. Because one wasn’t enough.
Descending from the sky like a meteor, Leon landed with an earth-shaking impact. His knee bent, his fist pressed against the ground, his head tilted downward in the classic ‘badass entrance’ stance.
“And when that light shines,” Leon continued in an equally serious voice, “it guides those destined to protect this realm!”
Kai crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly as if he carried the wisdom of a thousand generations. “For we have heard the call of the Mother—”
Leon took a step forward, “And we could not ignore it!”
Kai whipped his cape (which STILL wasn’t real) over his shoulder, “Not today! Not ever!”
Leon pointed toward the horizon with soul-shaking conviction. “For justice must always prevail! We are… Chosen among the Chosen ones!!”
BOOM!
A third explosion! Why? No one knew.
Thalia, who had been watching all of this unfold in absolute horror, finally snapped. “How many fucking explosions do you people need?!”
Completely unfazed, Kai and Leon simultaneously raised their arms, their battle auras flaring.
“So where is the enemy?!”
“So where is the enemy?!”
Their voices rang out in perfect unison, echoing across the ruins as they both struck another heroic pose.
The dust settled.
A lone crow cawed in the distance.
“KKKaaarrr… Karrrrr!”
Aqualina had a deadpan expression.
Thalia let out a long, long sigh, staring at them with an expression so drained she looked ten years older.
“…Motherfuckers… everything’s over.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Both Leon and Kai blinked!
… Aether, in his unconscious state, seemed to twitch slightly.
He had absolutely nothing to do with these clowns.
Please believe him!!