“Hmm…” An old man dressed in noble white garments stood beside the bed, inspecting the motionless Aether, who lay there without so much as a twitch. The old man’s hands glowed with a soft, calming white light as he moved them slowly over Aether’s body, scanning him carefully.
“Hmm…” he hummed again, the sound low and thoughtful.
Behind him stood Aqualina, Sandra, and Celestia, silently watching with anxious and curious expressions etched across their faces. Each of them held their breath, waiting for the old man to say something meaningful.
He was the Royal Healer—essentially the family doctor for the entire noble lineage.
Sandra’s brows furrowed with unease as she asked, “Is it something serious?” Her voice trembled with a faint edge of fear.
“Hm…” The old man responded with a few more hums, still observing Aether’s calm but unnaturally pale face. It was as though something vital had been drained from him… too much?
After a few slow nods to himself, the healer finally spoke. “There’s no need to panic, Your Majesty…” He turned to face Sandra with a gentle yet firm tone. “The young man is simply… thoroughly drained—physically, and even spiritually.”
Sandra’s eyes widened slightly. “What do you mean by that? Drained physically and spiritually?”
The old man nodded slowly. “Physically, yes. His body appears to have expended an extreme amount of energy in a very short span of time… Far beyond what a human could endure. Most people would’ve collapsed long before reaching that point, but he seems to have kept pushing himself… to the edge. I can’t help but wonder what made him go that far,” he said, his expression shifting into curiosity, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought.
Aqualina’s cheeks flushed a shade deeper. She knew exactly why… After all, his release wasn’t just physical—it carried actual energy. And there was no way she could say that out loud!
The old man continued, “As for the spiritual side… it’s a bit more complicated.
His soul—well, it appears to be affected… And I must confess, I’m no expert when it comes to matters of the soul.” He gave a small, awkward chuckle and scratched his head. “I’m trained to deal with physical ailments, not… unseen spiritual disturbances. That’s something not many have encountered—certainly not I.”
Upon hearing this, Sandra’s expression turned grim. Her voice dropped in pitch, filled with dread. “His soul is affected? How is that even possible?”
The old man shook his head slowly. “I don’t know exactly how it happened,” he admitted. “But if I had to guess, I’d say he might have come into contact with some kind of spiritual monsters or… Something powerful enough affect his soul” He looked directly at them. “Has he had any strange encounters lately? Anything unnatural?”
They each shook their heads silently.
The old man’s face creased in a slight frown.
“I-Is that… is that a serious problem?” Aqualina asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her hands clutched her sleeves tightly.
The old man softened, offering a small, reassuring smile. “There’s no need to panic. He’s breathing normally. His vitals are stable, and there’s no sign of deeper harm. From what I can tell… he just needs rest.
A lot of it.”
The three women exhaled all at once, as if realizing only now that they’d been holding their breath the entire time.
Sandra gave a small nod, “Thank you.”
The old man’s brows lifted, mildly surprised. It wasn’t often that royalty—especially Sandra—expressed gratitude so openly. His eyes flickered toward Aether once more, observing the peaceful stillness on his face, before nodding back. ‘I see…’ he thought quietly.
He stood upright and bowed his head gently, “It is always my honor to serve, Your Majesty.”
Sandra gave another small nod and then added, “And about what you saw here—”
“Not a single word will leave my lips,” the old man said firmly, his tone low and solemn.
Sandra nodded again, satisfied, and watched as he quietly made his way out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Sandra turned to Aether without delay. Her fingers reached out, brushing gently across his cheek. Her voice was soft in her mind, ‘You reckless idiot… what did you do this time?’ Her expression was mixed with concern and subtle frustration.
Aqualina stood close beside her, her gaze fixed on Aether’s unmoving figure. Her heart ached with worry. The moment he had collapsed into sleep, she had panicked and called her mother, who in turn had summoned the Royal Healer. She hadn’t even been able to understand what was happening to him—and that terrified her more than anything.
Sandra rubbed her forehead with a tired sigh before turning toward Aqualina, her tone serious, “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Aqualina hesitated for a moment, her eyes wavering, then sighed and spoke quickly, as if trying to get it over with, “He suddenly appeared in my room… he looked drunk and completely out of it. I didn’t know what to do, so I thought maybe a warm bath would help… but then, he kind of collapsed right there.” Her gaze dropped as she slightly turned away, clearly avoiding eye contact.
Sandra frowned, her brows pulling together. “Drunk? That’s strange. I’m fairly certain he doesn’t even like drinking,” she said as she glanced at Celestia, who nodded silently in agreement.
Aqualina’s lips twitched nervously, “I don’t know… he just said something about… a bird tricking him into drinking, And then he just lost control…” she trailed off, clearly reluctant to go into too much detail—especially considering what had really happened.
Sandra’s eyes narrowed as a thought immediately clicked in her mind. ‘That damn bird… Thalia again, huh?’ It didn’t even surprise her anymore—she was a little too familiar with Thalia’s antics.
But even then, something still felt off… Her eyes scanned her daughter more carefully now. Aqualina’s hair was still damp… her clothes were freshly changed, and her face had a stubborn red flush across it—as if she’d just finished some sort of intense workout.
Sandra sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead again. “You do realize this is serious, right…? Just tell me what happened!!”
Aqualina bit her lip and shifted on her feet before stammering, “I-It’s… I…”
“You had sex with him, didn’t you?” Sandra asked bluntly, her voice low but direct.
Aqualina visibly flinched, her entire face going red as her shoulders hunched. She didn’t speak, but her silence was all Sandra needed to confirm it.
Sandra exhaled heavily through her nose. She didn’t even wait for a verbal answer as she leaned down and gave Aether’s cheek a firm, almost scolding pinch. Then she muttered, “So he lost consciousness while you two were… doing it?”
Aqualina gave a stiff, embarrassed nod, her hands fidgeting at her sides, still blushing furiously.
But even as they spoke, something felt off between them—not the fact of sex, no… It was something deeper.
The way they avoided each other’s eyes.
The awkward silences.
The unspoken distance.
There was no spark, no emotional connection in their tone.
Ever since that serious conversation back in the Pyra Empire, something between them had quietly fractured… and now it lingered in the air like a fog they didn’t know how to clear.
And Celestia… she could sense it all too clearly.
She quietly sighed to herself, watching the subtle cracks between mother and daughter grow deeper—not out of malice or resentment, but out of hesitation.
Out of their inability to express what really needed to be said.
While the women stayed close, worried and silently circling the unconscious Aether, meanwhile… he—
The vision (Your POV) began to shift—focusing on Aether’s peaceful, unmoving face. Slowly, the perspective zoomed in, closer and closer, until it seemed to enter through his closed eyes.
Darkness enveloped everything.
The world turned completely black… but the vision kept moving, as though drifting through empty space. There were no sounds, no light… until, far in the distance, a soft, white glow appeared.
The glow grew larger, gradually brightening as the vision moved toward it. Slowly, the dim light spread and thick white clouds began to roll into view, surrounding everything. Then, just as the light seemed to overwhelm the darkness, the clouds gently parted, revealing—
A grassy field bathed in soft daylight.
The air was calm and clear… felt like sleepy, good weather.
But then,
“Nnnnnnnnffff DDOOMMM!!” a young child’s excited voice echoed out.
“My car broke…” another child mumbled in a defeated tone.
“Haha! That’s what you get for going up against mine! My… bal… umm… mine…rr” The child suddenly paused, squinting and furrowing his face in concentration, struggling to remember the word.
He turned toward the vision (Your POV) and asked,
“Big brother, what’s this called again?” he asked while holding up a yellow-colored toy with eager eyes.
“That’s called a bulldozer,” a soft, calm voice answered from the vision.
The child’s eyes lit up, and he grinned proudly, “Haha! That’s what you get for messing with my BULLDOZER!”
“NO! I want a bulldozer too!”
“I want one! I want a bull… bull… bull thing too!!”
The children all started whining and crying in unison. But then, a gentle laugh broke through.
“Haha… don’t worry. Everyone will get one,” the same soft voice from earlier said, warmly.
“Yay!!”
“Me too, right?”
“I get mine!”
“We’ll defeat him next time!!”
The children’s happy voices echoed through the field, filled with innocent joy. Just then, another voice entered—more mature and slightly annoyed.
“You’re playing with kids again?” came a pouty, irritated voice.
The vision turned, revealing a golden-haired girl with golden eyes, an adorable pout and a slight scowl on her face.
“Well, it’s not like I’m busy saving the world like the Saintess, am I?” the voice replied teasingly.
The girl’s pout deepened before she huffed and crossed her arms.
Her eyes locked on the speaker— A boy with white hair and icy blue eyes.
Her voice became more serious, though still laced with playful exasperation. “Anyway… Clerk Aether. The Archpriestess is here… and she is calling for you. Immediately.”