“Oh… So you are her sister? This is unbelievable,” Liora muttered, her voice carrying clear disbelief as she processed Thalia’s story.
Aria, too, was stunned to hear such a revelation. She could hardly believe that Thalia had actually been reborn once again.
The thought alone was mind-blowing, but what truly left her speechless was the fact that Thalia was a phoenix of all things!
“A phoenix…” Aria whispered under her breath, her voice laced with a mix of awe and exasperation. She leaned back slightly, shaking her head as if trying to grasp the reality of the situation…. because to them, it was just a myth that disappeared 1000 years ago.
“The world never ceases to surprise me,” Aria finally muttered.
The tension that had lingered between them earlier slowly melted away as the group burst into laughter. That brief moment of humor seemed to erase the uneasiness from before, replacing it with a much lighter and more enjoyable atmosphere. As time passed, they found themselves sharing bits and pieces of their pasts, recounting the struggles they had endured and the paths they had walked.
There was something almost comforting about it—this exchange of experiences, their voices carrying both pain and resilience. It was as if, in this moment, they were truly connecting. However, amidst all these shared memories and stories, there was one name that never surfaced—Aether.
It wasn’t as though they had forgotten about him, nor was it that they had nothing to say. It was simply… unspoken.
As if speaking of him was something sacred, something meant only for themselves and no one else.
After all, they were possessive by nature. No matter what, they would never share Memories of Aether with anyone. He was theirs and theirs alone, and the idea of letting someone else claim even the slightest piece of him was simply out of the question.
…. Maybe it was because they still felt like strangers to each other. Maybe that was why none of them had the urge to bring it up.
Or perhaps… it was something deeper than that, something that would remain unchanged no matter how much time passed.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
“I still can’t believe it… Alaric was torturing you all this time? What the hell is wrong with him?” Thalia muttered, her voice thick with horror as her gaze flickered toward Raven.
Aria’s expression darkened, and she nodded, “Yeah,” she confirmed, her voice carrying an edge of something cold and unyielding.
Even Thalia looked disturbed. “I never expected him to be like that…” she admitted, her brows drawing together.
“You know him, right? Since you are the pervious chosen one.” Liora asked, her curiosity evident as she turned toward Thalia.
Thalia exhaled slowly, tapping her fingers on the table as if gathering her thoughts. “Not personally, no,” she admitted, “but I’ve seen him around. He used to hang out with Master Snape and… even sometimes with Isadora.” She paused for a moment as a memory resurfaced. “Now that I think about it… yeah, there was this one time when he asked me for advice on how to approach Isadora.”
She suddenly let out a chuckle before dramatically mimicking a lovestruck fool, her voice rising into an exaggeratedly high-pitched tone. “Ahhh~, you should have seen his face. He looked like some hopeless maiden in love~”
Liora and Aria couldn’t hold back their laughter, both of them already picturing the ridiculousness of it. Just the thought of Alaric acting that way was absurd, yet somehow, they could completely imagine it.
Raven suddenly smirked and said, “Like someone I know?” Her sharp gaze flickered toward Thalia, the teasing tone in her voice impossible to miss.
Thalia’s cheeks flushed a deep red, and she immediately coughed, clearly flustered. “A-Anyway,” she hurriedly changed the subject, her voice slightly strained as she turned to Aria. “So? What exactly did you want to ask?”
Aria, who had just been recovering from her laughter, gradually calmed herself before shaking her head. A soft smile graced her lips as she exhaled, her voice carrying a gentle warmth. “I think… I already got my answer.”
Both Thalia and Raven frowned slightly at her response, exchanging confused glances before ultimately shrugging it off.
It wasn’t that Aria was trying to keep anything hidden… If anything, she was simply trying to understand them better.
That was all!
She was doing what she was supposed to do when another woman married her hubby, she wanted get some points saying she was being good.
Because she knew one thing for certain—Aether wasn’t the kind of man who played around with women.
He wasn’t someone who indulged in meaningless pleasure. Everything he did, every action he took, was for a reason….
Whether it was for his survival or the protection of those around him, there was always a purpose behind his choices.
He wasn’t some man who lusted after countless women just to take them to bed. If anything, he was the complete opposite. Aria was certain that Aether wouldn’t even touch a woman unless she truly wanted him to.
Even if she were his lover, he would never force himself upon her.
That much, she believed in with all her heart!!
However, what about the women he was involved with?
The ones who were his targets?
What if they weren’t innocent?
What if they were dangerous?
What if they wanted to harm him?
What if they only wanted to use him for their own gain?
What if they betrayed him?
What if…
There were too many possibilities, too many uncertainties.
She knew Aether wasn’t naive enough to be easily fooled by a woman, but at the same time… women were dangerous creatures. If a woman was determined enough, she could do anything…. And when a woman was in love, she was more dangerous than any enemy.
Aria knew this well—because she had experienced it herself.
She knew how dark and twisted her own thoughts became whenever she saw Aether kissing another woman. The sheer rage that boiled within her, the burning jealousy that made her want to rip that woman’s lips right off her face.
But she had held herself back. She had swallowed those emotions because, more than anything, she wanted Aether to be happy; he was doing his best!
Seeing him smile, seeing him tease her and laugh—that was what truly made her day.
So long as those other women didn’t hurt him, she wouldn’t interfere.
But if anyone dared to harm him in the name of love… she wouldn’t hesitate.
Of course, if Aether ever suffered heartbreak, she would do everything in her power to soothe him, to comfort his poor, wounded soul. After all, he was the most adorable thing when he buried his face against her chest, suckling on her like a needy child.. her nipple would turn hard as her hand slowly moved down to hold the holy grai–
Her cheeks turned hot at the memory, and she quickly shook her head, waving a hand in front of her face as if trying to dispel the heat rising to her ears.
Anyway, looking at Thalia and Raven, she could tell they weren’t the type to betray Aether like that.
Especially given the painful past-
Wait?
Her thoughts came to a sudden halt, her eyes widening as she glanced around at each and every one of them.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, her voice filled with realization.
The others immediately perked up at her reaction.
“What?”
“What is it?”
“Hmm?”
The trio stared at her with curious expressions, waiting for her to explain.
Aria swallowed hard before speaking. “I-It’s just… we’ve all suffered. We’ve all been broken in the past!”
Thalia frowned, her expression skeptical at first. “Well, of course…” she started, but then something clicked in her mind. Her gaze shifted toward Liora, then Aria, then Raven, and finally, back to herself.
Her face suddenly went deadpan.
“Don’t tell me… that bastard is collecting broken toys?”
…
…
Meanwhile,
The same Collector was making his way through the house, his footsteps light yet purposeful as he reached Maelona’s room. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
Silence.
“Maelona? Are you there?” Aether called out, his voice calm but expectant as he knocked again.
Still, there was no response.
His brows furrowed slightly. He waited a few moments before knocking again, this time with more insistence.
Knock, knock.
Yet again—nothing.
Aether’s frown deepened. “Why aren’t you answering? Are you ignoring me? Or… are you angry?” His voice lowered slightly, a hint of concern seeping through as he called out once more. “Maelona?”
Still, no reply.
Aether exhaled sharply. He reached for the doorknob, prepared to push it open. However—
“No way… I am NOT falling for that cliché,” Aether muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the door like it was some kind of trap.
He wasn’t an idiot. He had seen enough situations like this—some poor fool barging into a room, only to end up witnessing something he absolutely wasn’t supposed to see.
A girl mid-change?
Stepping out of the bathroom dripping wet?
A towel slipping at just the right moment? Or worse, stepping out of the shower with nothing!!
That overused trope?
Yeah, he knew exactly how this played out.
He wasn’t falling for that shit.
He wasn’t about to let fate make a fool out of him.
His lips curled into a smirk. “I am advanced,” he declared proudly, placing a hand on his chest like he had just achieved enlightenment.
Instead of storming in blindly, he activated his skill. The moment it flared to life, his pupils glowed a sharp crimson, shifting his vision into the layered hues of a blood-red world.
Through the walls, he could see it—an outline. A human figure pressed tightly against the farthest corner of the room. The shape wasn’t moving, but the erratic rhythm of its heartbeat pulsed in his vision like a flashing alarm.
Aether’s grin faded slightly. His eyebrows lifted in curiosity.
‘Why is she standing like that? She looks like they just saw a ghost…?’
Frowning, he stepped forward and rapped his knuckles against the door again. “I know you’re in there. Come out,” he called.
No response.
Aether sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright, I’m coming in!”
But—he didn’t.
Instead, he stood there.
“I entered,” he said, lying just to see if the figure reacted.
Still nothing.
‘Hah! Knew it. If she was changing, she would’ve screamed by now.’
Satisfied with his deduction, he finally twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.
And there she was—Maelona, standing in the corner, completely still, her expression unreadable.
Aether sighed in relief, his worry melting away. “Why the hell were you ignoring me? Do you know how creepy that looked? I thought something happened to you,” he huffed, already making his way toward her. “What happened to you? Why are you just standing there like you’ve seen a ghost? Are you okay? You’re not possessed, right? Blink twice if—”
Before he could finish, something suddenly yanked at his leg!
“What the—?”
His eyes widened as the world tilted.
Thud!
In the span of a second, he tripped, stumbled forward in the most ungraceful way possible, and went rolling straight toward Maelona like a human tumbleweed.
And then—
“Hmm~”
A soft, very suggestive moan echoed in the room.
“…Huh?”
Aether froze mid-collapse.
Something was wrong… Very, very wrong.
His brain was still catching up, trying to piece together what had just happened, when—
‘Wait. What… what is my hand touching?’
Aether’s entire body stiffened.
Something soft. Warm. Plush.
Oh no.
Oh shit!!
Slowly, as if moving in slow motion, he dared to look down.
And there it was.
His hand.
Firmly.
Sinking.
Right.
Onto.
Maelona’s busty boobs.
“….”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Aether’s soul nearly left his body.