Wood Elf Village…
Aether, Aria, Liora, Raven, and Thalia walked toward the Wood Elf Village after the meeting.
Since Aether had one last job to take care of here, he couldn’t leave just yet.
His thoughts were still tangled with the Prophetess’ cryptic words, her voice echoing in his head like a lingering whisper that refused to fade.
As he walked, his gaze dropped to his hand, his fingers unconsciously clenching into a fist. No matter how much he tried to decipher her meaning, he couldn’t grasp what she meant by saying the answer was already in his hands.
The only thing that came to mind was the moment he had held his Master’s severed head in his grasp.
Was that what she meant?
Or was there something else he had yet to realize?
Right now, the only reason he was heading to the Wood Elf Village was to check on the Ebon Stone once more.
After all, he had managed to calm the Law of Nature when he activated the Ebon Stone in the Void Empire. If there was even the slightest chance that the words on the stone had returned, then he had to see it for himself.
Holding onto that hope, he continued walking, his mind fixated on the possibilities.
As they arrived at the entrance of the Wood Elf Village, He noticed new guards stationed there. His steps slowed momentarily…
The guards, recognizing Liora immediately, bowed their heads.
Aether barely spared them a glance before stepping forward, his group following closely behind.
He didn’t ask right away, but when he did, his voice was sharp and to the point.
“The previous ones… they died?”
Liora gave a small nod, “Yes,”
Aether didn’t say anything else. He simply continued walking.
He wasn’t even sure why he had asked that in the first place. It wasn’t like he particularly cared about the lives of people he didn’t know, especially not in a place like this, where death was nothing but an everyday occurrence. In this wretched land, anyone could die at any moment, and there was no point in mourning strangers.
Yet, something inside him twisted. A strange, nagging feeling pulled at him, as if—deep down—he should care… As if he was responsible for this in some way.
‘Why am I feeling like this?’ he wondered, irritated by the unfamiliar sense of guilt creeping into his chest.
[…]
They finally reached the Ebon Stone and…
“Nothing?” His brows furrowed in frustration when he saw the stone was just as empty as before.
No markings. No clues… ANYTHING!
Aether gritted his teeth, a surge of irritation rising in his chest. His voice came out in a low mutter, yet there was unmistakable anger laced within his words.
“I thought I helped you, right?” His jaw was clenched as he spoke.
The women beside him exchanged uneasy glances, unable to understand why his mood had suddenly shifted. They had seen Aether irritated before, but this… this was something else.
His frustration boiled over in an instant.
“FUCK YOU!!” The shout tore from his throat as he clenched his fist and struck the stone with his full strength.
No hesitation.
No restraint.
BBBBBOOOOMMMMM!
The force of his punch obliterated the old tree, its thick trunk splintering into fragments. The door behind the tree cracked, and the ground trembled beneath their feet from the sheer force of the attack.
Yet, despite the destruction surrounding them, the Ebon Stone remained unmoved.
Unscathed.
Not a single crack!!
The women didn’t react much. They stood still, letting Aether vent his frustration first, understanding that this was something he needed to do.
Thalia’s eyes widened slightly as she stared at the stone. It had withstood Aether’s full force. That alone was shocking enough, but what made her heart tighten was the realization of what this stone truly was.
This was the very thing that was going to take her sister’s life.
“It’s this… isn’t it?” Thalia’s voice was quiet, hesitant, almost as if she wanted to deny the truth that stood right in front of her. A part of her desperately wanted him to say no. Even if it was a lie, she wanted to hear it.
Aether bit his lip, his gaze still locked onto the stone,
“Don’t know…”
That was all he could say.
Because he truly didn’t know… And that uncertainty was worse than any answer.
Thalia felt her chest tighten. That meant there was a possibility. And if there was a possibility, then it meant her worst fear could very well become reality.
She swallowed hard before turning toward her sister. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around her, holding her close as if she could somehow protect her from the fate that awaited.
Raven blinked, clearly confused by the sudden emotional shift. She looked between Aether and Thalia, struggling to piece together what had just happened.
Aria and Liora shared a glance before Aria finally spoke, her voice softer this time.
“Aether… is there something you need?”
Aether let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair as he tried to regain his composure. After a moment, he finally responded.
“You might not know this… but there were supposed to be symbols on this stone. Those symbols are the only way to know what’s required to start the process…” His voice was steady, but the frustration in his tone hadn’t faded.
Even if his Master died, the process would still continue.
That was how the Law worked. It wouldn’t stop. It wouldn’t waver. The Law didn’t care about emotions or hesitation. It simply ensured that what was meant to be would always come to pass.
That was why Aether wanted to finish it with his own hands. Before the Law could act on its own, before it could force something unexpected, he needed to take control.
“Oh? Those Forbidden Symbols?” Aria tilted her head slightly, glancing at the stone. There was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes as she moved around it. “Come to think of it… We saw them before.” Her expression shifted to one of mild surprise as she continued inspecting the stone. “But where are they now?”
Aether’s eyes widened in an instant. His heart pounded as he turned to her.
“You saw them? When?” His voice came out sharper than intended, but he couldn’t hide the urgency.
Aria squinted slightly as she recalled, her fingers brushing along the surface of the stone.
“Well… back when you asked us to deal with those monsters, they were here.”
Aether’s breath caught. For the first time in what felt like forever, hope flickered in his chest.
Calm down…. Breathe… Don’t rush.
He forced himself to take a deep breath, steadying his thoughts. Now was not the time to panic or push too hard. He didn’t know how or why this had happened, but none of that mattered. Right now, only one thing did.
“What was written on it?”
That was all he needed to know.
Aria nudged her forehead as she tried to recall those symbols, but for her, it was nothing more than a fleeting moment of unknown letters. She had seen them, but they hadn’t fully registered in her mind.
Just then,
“Like this?” Liora asked as she bent down, using a wooden stick from the broken tree to draw something on the ground.
Aether’s eyes widened the moment he saw the symbol she sketched, “Nature?” He crouched down, staring intently at the markings, his mind racing to piece it together.
“Yeah… this one was there along with this…” Aria stepped forward, her memory becoming clearer as she saw Liora’s writing. Without hesitation, she began adding to it, sketching another set of symbols behind it.
“Nurtured by Nature?” Aether read aloud, his brows furrowing as he tried to understand the meaning behind it. What did it mean by being nurtured by Nat—
“Yeah, this tribe nurtures nature…” His eyes suddenly widened as he realized… He ran a hand over his face, feeling almost foolish for not realizing it sooner. “Of course… the Wood Elf tribe has been taking care of nature from the very beginning!” He exhaled deeply, finally understanding a piece of the puzzle.
“Then?” he looked at Liora and Aria with profound happiness.
But then—
“I… I… forgot,” Aria admitted, averting her gaze as a hint of guilt flashed across her face.
What else could she say? ]
She had only glimpsed the symbols for a few seconds. There was no way she could remember them all.
“I don’t know…” Liora added, her voice softer as her tail drooped low, almost as if she felt guilty for something she couldn’t even control.
Hearing that, Aether’s forehead twitched, a deep vein bulging as his frustration surged. He clenched his fists and was about to lash out, “DON’T KNOW?! YOU—! Can’t you—”
But he stopped mid-sentence, his breath catching as he realized what he was doing.
His frustration, his anger, his impatience—all of it was being thrown at the wrong people.
He was at his limit…. That much was obvious!
The pressure was suffocating, and knowing that two lives depended on this information had put him on edge more than ever.
But it wasn’t their fault. They had no way of knowing the symbols would disappear, just like he hadn’t expected it either.
No one was at fault here…
Except for that bitch who had pulled this stunt and made the words vanish!
Aether let out a long sigh before stepping closer to them. Then, to their surprise, he crouched down, holding his ears with both hands like a child who had just realized his mistake. His voice was softer, yet filled with sincerity.
“I’m sorry.”
Liora and Aria, who had been trembling slightly as if they were the ones at fault, widened their eyes in surprise.
They had been blaming themselves, thinking that if they had just taken notes or memorized something—anything—they could have avoided this. After all, this was something new, right?
A thoughtful one would have nodded that the unique one appeared out of nowhere!
They thought they had failed.
But seeing Aether, the man who rarely ever apologized, lower himself in front of them so openly… especially towards them… it stunned them.
Their expressions softened, and after exchanging a glance, they mirrored his actions. Holding their ears just like he did, they crouched down with a small smile.
“We’re sorry too. We’ll be more careful next time,” they said in unison, their voices gentle.
Aether’s lips curled into a soft smile. Without hesitation, he leaned in, pressing a warm kiss to their foreheads.
“~Chu~”
“~Chu~”
Aria’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red the moment his lips touched her skin, especially since he had done it right in front of everyone. Liora, on the other hand, smirked, clearly enjoying the fact that he was showing his emotions so openly.
Meanwhile, Thalia, who had been watching everything unfold, blinked as if she had just witnessed something impossible.
“He… apologized?” she muttered in a horrified tone, her face twisting in disbelief. “I cannot believe he actually said that!”
Aether chuckled as he glanced at her.
“Well, it was my fault,” he admitted easily before flashing a confident smirk. “And besides, they’re my women. Why would I ever be shy to say sorry to them?”
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Raven, who had been silent the whole time. The moment their eyes met, he noticed her lips pushed into a small pout, her expression clearly showing her dissatisfaction. It was obvious—she wasn’t happy that he had kissed them and not her.
Aether sighed internally before leaning over and pressing a kiss to Raven’s forehead as well.
The pout instantly disappeared, replaced by a soft smile as Raven happily accepted his affection. Meanwhile, Liora and Aria, who had been enjoying their moment, twitched slightly as they watched.
Just then,
“Maybe Maelona knows more…” Liora muttered, her tone turning serious as she glanced back at the markings on the ground.
“Yes. My mother was staring at those symbols for a long time… she might have a clue,” Aria added thoughtfully.
Aether frowned… If Maelona had seen the symbols long enough, then she might hold the key to everything he was searching for.
“I’ll talk to her,” he decided, standing up as he prepared to teleport.
But just as he was about to activate his spell—
“Wait, we’ll come with—”
Before Thalia could even finish her sentence, Aether turned to glance at Aria. A teasing smirk played on his lips as he spoke.
“Looks like someone has something they want to say to you guys,” he commented, his gaze sharp as he watched Aria’s face turn crimson.
She flinched slightly, looking as if she had just been caught red-handed. Of course, Aether already knew. He could see it in her eyes.
Aria wanted to have a talk with Raven and Thalia… alone.