Drip…
Drip…..
Blood dripped from Raven’s palm, where she had made a small cut, landing on the Ebon stone.
The stony surface remained still, showing no reaction, no movement—nothing.
Raven frowned. “Is it supposed to do something?” she muttered, glancing at the others.
There was only silence.
“Maybe it needs even more blood,” Thalia said, her voice calm yet serious. Her fingers shifted, sharpening into claw-like tips. Without hesitation, she reached for Raven’s hand and, before Raven could react, dragged her claw across her sister’s palm once more.
“Ouch!” Raven winced, her body tensing as fresh blood trickled down her already wounded hand. She glared at Thalia, her golden eyes burning with irritation. “I could have done it myself! You didn’t have to slice me like that!” she snapped, her voice sharp.
Thalia merely shrugged, unbothered. “You were hesitating,” she said casually, pressing against Raven’s hand to coax out even more blood.
Drip… Drip…..
The thick red liquid flowed freely, cascading like a tiny crimson river until the Ebon stone’s surface was nearly covered.
Aether shifted uneasily, “Is it required to—”
Thud!
A sudden, deep vibration rumbled beneath them. Something inside the stone shifted, a subtle but undeniable movement as if a hidden mechanism had been activated.
Then, without warning, the blood soaking the stone was rapidly absorbed, disappearing as though the dry surface was greedily drinking it in.
Aether and Thalia both let out a breath, neither of them realizing they had been holding it for so long.
Aether turned his attention to Dora, who was still staring at the stone, her face reflecting her shock.
“You see it now?” Aether asked, his tone laced with curiosity.
Dora slowly shifted her gaze to Raven, her sharp eyes flickering with something unreadable. And then, she saw it—
“That black fate… it disappeared?” Dora muttered, her voice laced with disbelief. The thick black thread that had clung so tightly to Raven’s existence had vanished, dissolving like mist.
Aether nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 84.3%↑ ]
!~Ding~!
[Congratulations on Completing the Mission: Save Raven Noir]
!~Ding~!
[Reward: 50,000 Affection Points]
Aether’s shoulders relaxed as relief washed over him. His smile widened, his mind echoing a single thought—
‘Finally… After so long, it’s done.’
But his work wasn’t over yet. Sandra was still out there.
Aether turned his attention to Maelona’s drawings, scanning them carefully.
“Hmm? That’s it?” he muttered, frowning slightly. He had expected more.
Maelona met his gaze, her expression neutral. “Yeah, that’s all there is… nothing else.”
“Are you sure?” Aether pressed, his brows furrowing deeper. “I mean, this just… it doesn’t feel like enough.”
Maelona sighed, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “I wrote down everything I saw,” she said, her voice steady but thoughtful.
Aether bit his lip, “If this is really everything… then why isn’t the stone rotating?”
If they had fulfilled all the necessary requirements, then the stone should have responded by now. It was supposed to rotate, signaling the completion of the process.
But it remained still.
Which meant—something was still missing.
‘Arrrhh!’ Aether groaned inwardly, pressing his fingers to his temples as a dull headache began to creep in.
“I’m sorry, Aether… but these are the only symbols written on the stone,” Maelona said, her voice tinged with frustration, as if she hated feeling so helpless when Aether needed answers the most.
Aether exhaled sharply, waving a hand dismissively. “I suppose it wouldn’t be that easy,” he murmured, shaking his head. He wasn’t going to give up—not yet.
For now, at least, Raven was safe. She could move freely again. There was no longer any need to keep her confined within the Empire.
“Anyway,” Aether said, his voice firm, “I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll figure it out somehow.” He wasn’t sure how, but his words carried unwavering conviction.
Then, turning to Raven, he met her gaze. “You’re free now. Do whatever you want.”
Raven blinked, momentarily caught off guard. She had already been doing what she wanted—so what exactly was he trying to say? Before she could question him, Thalia suddenly grabbed her hand.
“Come on, sister!” Thalia beamed, pulling Raven toward her. “Let’s celebrate! We deserve a feast, don’t you think? So many delicious treats await us~”
Her voice was light, full of excitement, and for the first time in a long while, there was no lingering fear or weight of doom hanging over them. They could finally breathe. They could finally enjoy themselves after being trapped for so long.
And Thalia intended to make sure they did.
“Well, we could have a little party,” Aria commented softly, her voice warm and inviting.
Thalia eagerly nodded. “Super! I never ate Elves—”
Silence.
Everyone froze. Maelona and Aria, in particular, stiffened like statues, their expressions turning blank with shock.
Thalia coughed awkwardly, realizing her mistake. “I-I mean… I’ve never eaten food made by Elves… That’s what I was saying! Yeah, that’s it…”
A heavy pause lingered before everyone collectively exhaled in relief.
Aria, shaking off the awkwardness, turned to Dora. “Would you like to join us?” she asked, looking at the Principal expectantly.
Dora glanced at the group, then at Aether. “Are you going?” she asked, her tone unreadable.
Aether shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Oh? And why not?” Thalia frowned, instantly skeptical. She could already see Raven’s interest fading.
Aether smiled, “I have work to do, you know…”
Thalia pouted. “If you keep working like this, one day, you might just break, you know…” she sighed dramatically before nudging Raven. Then, in a whisper, she added, “Come on, ask him.”
Raven turned to Aether, her eyes shimmering with an innocent, pleading look. “You really can’t?” she asked, her voice soft, her expression radiating pure, childlike hope.
Aether immediately looked away, trying to resist. ‘Nope. Nope. Don’t fall for it… NO—’ He screamed internally, but those damn puppy eyes—
“…Fine,” he caved, letting out a defeated sigh.
“Yay!” Raven let out a small, triumphant pump of her fist.
Thalia smirked inwardly…. This was exactly what she had been hoping for.
Dora, too, gave a small nod. “Then, I’ll go as well.”
Aether raised an eyebrow, smirking, “Don’t you have work?”
Dora averted her gaze slightly. “I already arranged everything. My people will take care of it…” Then, with a slight tilt of her head, she shot the question back at him. “What about the children?”
Aether simply smiled, already knowing the answer. His clones were handling things perfectly, and soon, they would be taken to his Empire.
With everything settled, the group turned to leave for the party.
As they walked, Aether suddenly realized something. “Come to think of it, where’s Kaelen? He seemed busy earlier,” he asked, recalling how Kaelen had rushed off the moment the meeting was over.
Liora scoffed, her face twisting into an annoyed expression. “Don’t even talk about that brat!” she huffed, her tone filled with irritation. “I will deal with him myself! Hmph!”
Aether blinked, slightly taken aback by her reaction. ‘What did Kaelen do this time?’ he wondered, watching as Liora fumed.
Poor Kaelen… whatever he did, he was definitely going to suffer.
As the group continued walking out, the air remained lighthearted—until suddenly—
Sssssshhh…
A gentle breeze stirred around them, flowing unnaturally through the air.
And then—
Crack…
A small, almost imperceptible crack appeared on the Ebon stone. It was nothing more than a minute scratch along its surface—
But then—
Drip…
A single drop of crimson liquid seeped from the fracture, sliding down the dark stone like a tear of blood.