“Everyone, dance… Haha!”
“Where is the feast!! Bring out the food!!”
“Don’t play around with fire, children!!”
“Brat! Don’t jump into the water!! You’ll catch a cold!!”
“Hahah… come on, guys! We’re supposed to make the Archpriest happy today, not give him more reasons to worry!!”
The people were lost in celebration, their laughter echoing across the square. They were busy crafting decorations, putting on performances, and doing all sorts of creative things just to entertain Archpriest Aether, who sat high on the podium, watching it all with a calm and gentle smile.
The city, the streets… his entire territory was alive—bristling with joy, laughter, and an almost sacred sense of peace.
“Haha… come on, guys!” Aether chuckled, spotting someone attempting a ridiculous stunt, only to fall flat on their back. He laughed heartily.
Just then—
“Would you like to dance?”
Archpriest Aether flinched slightly, startled by the sudden voice. He turned his head to the side and saw… a tall woman standing right in front of him, her expression filled with hope, like she had waited the whole day just for this moment… not only her but all a large line was waiting!!
Archpriest Aether blinked, surprised. “Well…”
“Come on, Archpriest,” she said sweetly, leaning in a little closer. “This might be our one and only chance to dance with you. Pretty please?” Her eyes sparkled like a child’s—wide, pleading, impossible to resist.
Aether let out a soft sigh, clearly defeated. He nodded gently, and in that moment, the entire group of women around her lit up with smiles that could only be described as victorious.
The vision darkened, as though the memory blurred—flickering like an old TV screen—before cutting to deep night.
People lay scattered across the ground, worn out, their bodies sprawled in all directions with tired but satisfied expressions. Even Archpriest Aether was lying on the ground, his legs completely drained.
“D-Damn… I-I swear I’m never dancing for five hours straight again!” he panted, his chest heaving as if he was on the brink of collapsing. His expression was exaggerated, almost dramatic—as though he had just barely survived a battle.
“Big brother?”
A small, familiar voice echoed out.
Archpriest Aether flinched again and slowly turned his head. He saw… the very children he had once raised in his orphanage, now standing before him—older, taller, with youthful eyes and teenage grins.
A tender smile bloomed on his face, and somehow, the exhaustion that had clung to his limbs like chains vanished all at once.
“You guys… you came here?” he muttered in disbelief, he thought they would be busy with their new life.
“Of course we did! There’s no way we’d miss our big brother’s biggest day!” one boy declared, standing proudly with arms crossed and a serious look on his face.
Aether’s heart warmed as he looked at them.
“Damn, you still have that same smile…” another boy muttered, then elbowed the girl beside him. “Look at my sister—entranced again! She’s acting like she’s in love or something.”
The girl flushed but didn’t deny it. Her eyes were soft, almost dreamy, as she stared at Aether.
Aether chuckled quietly. “You guys… you really haven’t changed at all,” he whispered, touched.
“And you haven’t either, big brother!” they shouted together before rushing forward and wrapping themselves around him in a group hug—like baby koalas clinging tightly to their mother.
The vision blurred again, swallowed by darkness, before flickering and,
“This is the best we could come up with too, big brother,” one of them said as they stepped forward and presented him with a pair of pristine white gloves.
Embroidered delicately on them was his name, stitched with love and care.
Aether bit his lower lip, eyes trembling as emotion welled up. Tears nearly spilled over. “Y-You guys… I… I’m so proud of you,” he managed to say, his voice cracking just slightly.
“O-Oh come on now, don’t get all emotional on us!”
“Yeah, no crying!”
“D-Don’t cry, big brother!!”
The vision shifted again, dipped in darkness, and,
“Since you all gave me such a thoughtful gift… I want to give you something too… Here,” Archpriest Aether said, reaching into his robes and pulling out… toys?
“You serious right now?”
“I… I can’t believe what I’m seeing…”
The group collectively stared at the toys with deadpan expressions, their faces blank with disbelief.
Archpriest Aether blinked innocently. “You… don’t like them?”
One of the boys sighed, crossing his arms. “Big brother… It’s not that we don’t like them or anything… it’s just… we’ve grown up. We’re not going to be playing with those anymore.”
Aether nodded slowly, a wistful look in his eyes—as if he had just realized the little birds had already flown from the nest.
“O-Okay… I understand… Then take this instead. I bought it a long time ago, and I’m planning to give it to you when you become priests… I will give it as a future present, so do your best and make me proud!” he said, pulling out a golden necklace and handing it over.
The group leaned in, eyes widening as they saw what he’d given them. Each necklace was etched with their individual names, carefully engraved as though he had planned it from the very beginning.
For a moment, they couldn’t speak. Their throats tightened.
Almost tears.
It was clear—he had never forgotten them. Not for a second.
“Don’t cry… Don’t cry…” Aether said softly, voice gentle as he looked at them one by one. “Your big brother will always protect you… I will protect everyone.”
The vision flickered into darkness before returning once more… and then,
Archpriest Aether was back in his humble abode, lying peacefully on his bed. A soft smile touched his lips—calm, serene, completely content in his gentle happiness… He was literally happy in this iteration… no pain… no loss… just happiness.
What else could he ask for?
Until—
“NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Archpriest Aether’s eyes flew open in sheer urgency. In an instant, he sprang from the bed and rushed outside.
“RUN!!!”
“MONSTER!!!”
“EVERYONE—RUN!!”
His city… was in absolute chaos.
The very streets that once gleamed with celebration and were adorned with decorations were now soaked in blood, littered with the lifeless bodies of his people.
Archpriest Aether’s eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think—his entire body frozen, paralyzed in horror. It felt like everything that had once been in his control was now spiraling beyond his grasp.
And then—
“DADDDYYY!!!”
The voice jolted him back. His head snapped to the side to see a woman clutching a child tightly in her arms, trembling in terror, while a monstrous beast crept toward them.
“Arrhhh” The monster let out a low, menacing growl, its wicked eyes gleaming with malicious delight. It raised a massive claw, preparing to slash them both to pieces.
“DADDDYYY!!” the child screamed again, voice trembling, eyes wide with terror.
And then—
Thud!
The beast was suddenly slammed into the ground. Dust scattered.
In the blink of an eye, Aether stood on top of it, his eyes fierce, his presence radiant with divine rage. He jumped down quickly, kneeling beside the woman and her child.
“Are you hurt? Are you both alright?” he asked, voice full of worry as he scanned them quickly for wounds.
“D-Daddy…” the child whimpered, burying their face into Aether’s chest while he held them close, trying to comfort them.
“Daddy is safe… it’s okay… you’re safe,” Aether whispered, soothingly stroking the child’s back. But before he could say anything else, the child sniffled and pointed behind him, their voice shaky, “S-sniff… D-Daddy…”
“KYAA!” the woman screamed.
Aether spun around.
The same monster that he thought died by his kick was actually alive and the monster lunged at him with its jaw stretched wide, inches from Aether’s face.
“Burn in hell.”
PUFFFFF!!
A blinding burst of pure white flames exploded from Aether’s palm, swallowing the beast in fire.
“ARRRHHHH!!” the monster screeched as it was incinerated alive, its body twisting in agony before collapsing to the ground like a roasted carcass.
Archpriest Aether let out a long breath, his shoulders heavy. But before he could relax—
The child suddenly began to wriggle in his arms.
“The monster is gone now, child. You’re safe… but you and your mother need to go inside, quickly. I’ll find your Dad—”
But before he could finish, the child slipped from his grasp and ran toward the charred corpse.
“Daddy!!” the child wailed, collapsing beside the burnt remains of the monster.
Archpriest Aether froze. His brows furrowed. Slowly, his eyes drifted to the woman.
She had fallen to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. She wept uncontrollably, her hand reaching out toward the blackened body.
Aether’s breathing became shallow. His eyes trembled… something.. clicked inside his mind…. Saintess words…
He raised a shaky hand, his voice low, disbelieving. “I-It’s… ha… it’s him—”
Before he could finish—
Chhhkkk!!
A sudden slash. A second monster burst from the shadows.
In a flash—it tore the child in half.
Blood sprayed through the air, splattering across Aether’s face, warm and wet. He didn’t move.
His body was paralyzed. His mind blank. He couldn’t comprehend what he had just witnessed.
Slowly, his eyes drifted toward the creature—its disgusting mouth chewing the child’s small body like it was no more than a piece of meat… licking its fingers, swallowing chunks like a glutton at a feast and turned to its new target….Aether.
But Aether… saw something else… Around the monster’s thick neck… hanging like a cruel joke… A golden necklace.
Etched with a name.
A name he had carved with his own hands.
“….”
Something inside Archpriest Aether shattered.
The vision broke—blurred into total darkness…. Everything turned void.
Flickering.
Like an old TV screen struggling to stay on…