The Ethereal/Umbra Domain.
Aether blinked in surprise as he suddenly found himself dragged into this domain once again, his conscience forcefully pulled without his consent.
“You know… it’s really annoying that you keep pulling me in all of a sudden without any warning,” Aether muttered, his tone laced with irritation. His brows furrowed as he glanced at his card, which was nearly filled with Ethereal and Umbra energy, pulsing faintly as if it resonated with the domain itself.
Suddenly,
“Hmm… fascinating… such an anomaly, and yet the threads of fate do not coil around you. The path remains uncertain… unable to decide what is to come… intriguing indeed…”
Aether flinched as an ethereal voice echoed through the domain. He instinctively turned around, and his gaze landed on a small, swirling violet orb, no larger than the size of a palm.
It hovered in the air, twisting and pulsing like a miniature portal.
Aether narrowed his eyes, observing the mysterious entity before speaking with a wry expression, “Who might you be?” His voice held a hint of exasperation.
He had just finished dealing with a chaotic mess, and now this? It was one thing after another.
Give him a break!!
The violet orb remained silent for a moment, then its swirling form pulsed slightly as it finally spoke, its voice both distant and piercing, “Why have you trespassed into this place?”
Aether let out a short sigh, his expression flat as he crossed his arms. “That’s actually my question. To be honest, you’re the one who’s here without my permission.”
The violet entity went completely still for a moment as if contemplating his words. Then, in a voice laced with intrigue, it murmured, “Curious… most curious indeed… For one who is Empty, you wield far too much… far more than you should…”
It began to move toward his card, circling around it, its presence almost probing as if it were trying to decipher something hidden.
Aether’s frown deepened. Something about this felt off. He inhaled slowly, trying to ground himself. ‘Okay, Log… what the fuck is going on? Is this some new enemy or just another pain in the ass?’ he asked inwardly, but to his growing frustration, there was no response.
Silence.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, focusing on the situation at hand. Whatever this thing was, it seemed to know something he didn’t.
“I see now… the cycle of Samsara… it has long been broken,” the violet entity murmured, its tone softer, almost thoughtful. It then drifted closer to Aether, as though scrutinizing him. “Kai… yes… the tapestry unfolds… now it all makes sense.”
“Kai?” His voice carried both confusion and suspicion. Was this thing mistaking him for someone else?
The orb pulsed slightly as if processing something new, “Ah… so you are not him.” Its voice shifted into something closer to realization, followed by a low hum. “So… he has deceived me… How bold. What audacity. What persistence. He truly deserved that death.”
Aether’s brow twitched. “Who?” He questioned.
The violet entity remained silent for a moment before releasing a low hum, as though amused. “… Hmm… hmm… Anyway… I see, Blood of Ether.” Its tone was playful, almost teasing.
Aether’s frown deepened instantly. It knew about that too?
How was it that strangers and these odd entities seemed to know about the ‘Blood of Ether,’ yet Dora and the others remained completely unaware?
How was it possible that something so significant was hidden from them?
“Blood of Ether? What is that?” Aether asked, his tone neutral, acting like he knew nothing about… well he didn’t know fully about it too anyway…
The violet orb paused, swirling in place as if considering his question. Then, after a long, eerie silence, it finally spoke,
“You truly do not know? How splendidly ironic… A monarch unknowing of his own throne… a vessel of immeasurable power, yet wandering blindly through the darkness… ah, how truly amusing.”
Aether gave a small shrug, his expression unreadable. “Like I said, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The orb pulsed again, as though measuring his words. “Hmm… perhaps that is because you were never meant to be here. Perhaps the hands of fate faltered… or perhaps… something far greater has intervened,” it murmured, its voice turning serious, almost calculating, as though piecing together a puzzle that had long been unsolved.
Aether’s frown deepened further. “What do you mean by that?” His tone held an edge of unease now.
The violet entity remained silent, unmoving, before gliding forward with an eerie, weightless grace.
It hovered just before him, its swirling form flickering like a dying star as it fixated upon his heterochromatic eyes—one black, one white, an unnatural duality reflected in its gaze.
Then it whispered, “I see… you, too, have been deceived by them.”
Aether felt a flicker of something in his chest, a sharp twinge of something he couldn’t quite place. “… Who?” His voice came out lower, more serious than before.
“Ha… haha… how amusing. Truly, this is most amusing,” the entity murmured before breaking into a chuckle. “Now, everything falls into place… Yes… I understand now… So, they dare weave their game into this place as well? How bold. How reckless. How… predictable.”
“That is why the Process has already begun… Ah? No… it is far beyond its beginning—it is accelerating, nearing its culmination. The gears are turning, the clock is chiming… and this being, a child of the unseen thread, stands at its precipice. Interesting… Haha… What game are they playing now?”
Aether’s gaze darkened, “You’re really enjoying yourself, huh?” His voice was flat, “Maybe I’d laugh too if you actually told me what the hell is going on here,” he added.
The violet orb stopped, going completely still for a moment then, “If you knew… you would not laugh.” and added after a small pause,
“No… you would weep. You would tremble as they grin upon you.” Its voice grew louder, carrying an almost accusatory weight. Then suddenly, its tone sharpened, booming across the void.
“Is that not right?! Just as you did before?”
Aether stiffened. Though the words were spoken to him, they did not feel as though they were meant for him. It was as if the entity addressed someone unseen.
“…”
“…”
There was a tense silence before the violet entity focused its full attention on Aether.
“Whether you wish it or not… the choice has already been made. The pieces have shifted. The game is no longer halted. And by the look of it…” It turned its gaze toward his Card, its swirling form pulsating with something unreadable before it continued,
“It is not simply The beginning. No… it is already nearing its end. The final moves have been set in motion. There is no escape, no untouched path, no unchained fate. What has been bound is already unravelling.”
Aether clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth inwardly. Why did these things always have to be so damn cryptic? Why couldn’t they just say what they meant instead of speaking in riddles?
“What the hell do you mean?” His voice was edged with frustration, a sharp irritation creeping into his tone.
The violet entity slowly turned back to him, its voice lowering into something almost ominous.
“It means… the Chains are on the verge of breaking.”
It paused briefly, then added in a voice that sent a strange chill down Aether’s spine,
“It means… they are returning… very soon.”
Aether’s frown deepened, “Who?”
The violet entity trembled violently, its form distorting with what felt like suppressed fury or urgency. “Hmph… It seems they do not wish for me to remain here any longer,” it muttered as if speaking to some unseen force. Then, it turned back to Aether,
“I care not for who or what you are. But heed my words well…”
Its voice deepened, resonating in the void like an ancient decree,
“This world belongs to me. It is mine, as it has always been—long before you, long before the ones before you, and long before the chains that bound it were first forged. And I… shall uphold my duty, as was ordained by the Arcane itself.”
Its presence grew heavier, suffocating, divine yet terrifying
“I will grant you mercy only once, for ignorance is not yet a crime. But know this, Blood of Ether—”
The moment it spoke those words, its voice twisted into something monstrous.
“The next time you trespass upon my world… the next time you dare to steal a soul that belongs to me… I shall do whatever is necessary to erase you from existence itself.”
And then—
It vanished.
Aether stood frozen in silence for a moment before finally blinking. His mind was still processing everything that had just happened.
“…The fuck did it just say?” He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples as if trying to ease the pounding headache forming in his skull.