What just happened?
Aether wasn’t sure… It felt… it felt like he had just woken from something far deeper than sleep.
A dream?
A vivid, burning vision that clung to his mind like smoke curling around his thoughts, refusing to fade.
“N-No… They are not dreams,” Aether whispered, barely audible, his breath trembling as his hands continued to shake. The sensations were still there—the fire, the screaming chaos, the endless swirl of emotion and pain.
He could still feel it all… the rage, the despair, the helplessness… the deaths. So many deaths.
He felt everything, raw and unfiltered, as if his very soul had lived through them firsthand.
As if… as if-
“Aether?”
The soft voice snapped through the haze.
He flinched violently at the sound of his name, like it had dragged him back from the edge of some abyss.
The whirlwind in his mind stopped instantly, like a curtain being yanked shut.
He turned his head slowly, muscles stiff and strained, and saw… Celestia. She stood just a few feet away, her arms crossed loosely, her face pale and etched with deep worry. Her normally steady eyes were tight, her expression trembling slightly as she spoke again, “A-Are you alright?”
Aether took a deep, shaky breath, trying to ground himself in the present. “Celes…? I thought you were… weren’t you supposed to be with Sandra?”
Celestia raised an eyebrow, exhaling through her nose, “You thought? Aether… do you even know where you are right now?”
Aether blinked at her, confused. “Of course I do. I’m in Aria’s hou…s…e…” His voice trailed off as a sharp pulse suddenly stabbed through his skull, making him wince.
The last few words dragged out, as if his tongue had forgotten how to move.
Something was pushing its way into his thoughts… something heavy.
He groaned, clutching his head. “Arhh…” he hissed through clenched teeth, trying to sit up as his vision blurred.
Celestia moved fast, catching him before he could collapse again. “Aether, stop! Just sit down, alright?” she urged, steadying him with a firm but careful grip. “You’re not stable yet.”
Aether blinked, dazed.
The headache vanished just as quickly as it came. And then—like a dam shattering—his eyes widened.
“Holy… SHIT!!” he blurted out, memories slamming into him like a crashing tide.
Not everything came back… but bits and pieces. Blurry images, fragmented feelings, flashes of chaos.
He remembered Raven… her soft, bouncing boobs pressed against his chest as he drank something, the way he groped them shamelessly, lost in her heat. He remembered spanking Thalia’s ass hard enough to make her cry out, her body writhing with every slap. He remembered crashing his lips onto Aria’s, devouring her moans like they were oxygen. He saw Liora—on her knees, eyes full of hunger, sucking him like she’d gone mad. And Maelona… oh gods, Maelona. He teased her, didn’t he? Did something else—something important.
Wait. He wrote something…?
No, it was fuzzy again.
Then there was Dora. Her sultry voice and wicked teasing. Aqualina too… those intense, primal moments they shared.
“Damn… I really fucked up,” he muttered to himself.
Celestia chuckled softly under her breath, Her eyes still scanning his face carefully. “Honestly? I don’t even know where to start with what you did… but right now, just calm down and drink this,” she said, holding out a cup.
It was warm, steam curling up with a calming herbal scent. “It’s tea. It’ll help. You need to relax. Your nerves are shot. You’ve been through… more than you know.”
Aether took the cup with both hands, his fingers still trembling slightly.
After a few long sips, he let out a hum. “Hmm… so who the hell got me drunk again?” he asked slowly, squinting as he tried to chase down the loose threads in his mind. “Someone… someone caused this mess. I remember… a little. Chaos. Something led to it… If I find out who it was… they’re going to regret it.”
Celestia gave a soft smile, though there was something guarded behind it. “Whoever it was, they definitely went all in. You’ve been asleep for three full days.”
“Hm?” Aether blinked. “Wait… What? Three days?”
Celestia nodded, her tone dropping to something more serious. “Yes. You were completely out. Not moving, not talking, barely breathing at times. For three days straight. You were just… gone.”
Aether froze, “How is that even possible?”
Celestia’s expression softened as she explained, “Your energy was completely drained. Not just your physical body, Aether. Your soul too… it was affected. Deeply.”
Aether’s eyes narrowed. ‘Energy? Soul? Log? What the hell happened to me?’ he thought desperately.
!~Ding~!
[Because Maelona, during her Demi-God form, quite literally sucked out your energy. And I do mean all of it. You blacked out twice, remember? And honestly, if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have made it. They’d be dead. Gone…Anyway–]
‘Wait! What the actual hell?! Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?!’ Aether’s brows furrowed as he mentally snapped at his Log. He could feel it now—like it had hidden this from him on purpose.
[Tsk. Don’t even start. I did tell you… I warned you clearly: She drains all forms of energy—body, soul, and even stamina. But nooo… You didn’t listen and continued your antics. You women almost sucked out all of your remaining energy from your fucking D###! 🤬😡]
Aether smiled awkwardly, seeing his LOG for the first time… cursing him!!
‘Well.. I am sorry?’ he wasn’t sure why he was saying that.
[😤]
‘Well, whatever…’ he muttered to himself, trying to brush it off with a shrug. But almost instantly, his smile faded and his gaze darkened,
‘What I just saw… those visions… Echoes of Souls? What does that even mean? Was that… another version of me? One I’ve never seen before? No.25?’
!~Ding~!
[🚫Negative. Cannot be answered!]
Aether’s eyes narrowed,
‘Was that a time slip? But no… time slips had never felt like that before. This one was different. It felt… real. Too fucking real. Log? Am I… am I starting to get my memories back?’
!~Ding~!
[🚫Negative. Cannot be answered!]
‘Why the hell can’t you answer?! What are you hiding now, huh?!’
!~Ding~!
[It is you who is responsible for this. If you want answers, find them yourself.]
Aether clicked his tongue, frowning harder.
‘Me? I’m responsible?’
Then, something stirred at the edge of his memory—He remembered something he’d agreed to… back during a hunt with Master. There had been a warning from the Log. Something about a choice… and not regretting it.
That moment… the moment he’d nodded silently.
‘Looks like I unlocked something,’ he muttered under his breath, eyes distant, the weight of that old choice pressing against his chest.
“Aether?” Celestia’s voice broke through his thoughts, gentle but concerned as she noticed how lost he seemed.
Aether blinked, snapping back to the present. He shook his head to clear the fog.
“Anyway… nice tea,” he mumbled, offering her the now-empty cup.
Celestia smiled softly and took it from him. “It was the Princess who brewed it for you,” she said, motioning toward the small table in the corner. It was packed with herbs, dried petals, and small bottles of carefully blended teas. “She brewed tea for you every day for all three days you were unconscious… never missed a moment.”
Aether’s expression softened into a faint smile.
But then Celestia reached for another cup—this one still steaming.
“And this one… was brewed by the Empress herself,” she added, carefully handing him the cup with a knowing look.
Aether blinked, surprised. “How lovely… But I already fin—”
“The Empress personally brewed it for you,” Celestia interrupted gently, her smile barely hiding her amusement as she nudged the cup closer to him.
He blinked again, speechless for a second, before sighing and shaking his head with a smirk. He took the cup respectfully, lifting it to his lips. The moment he sipped it, his expression twisted.
“Arrgh… It’s bitter,” he muttered, wincing, but he didn’t stop. He forced himself to finish the entire cup.
After all, the Empress herself had made it—he couldn’t let it go to waste.
However—
“And this one… I brewed for you,” Celestia said in a much quieter voice, her cheeks tinged with red as she held out another cup with both hands, clearly nervous.
Aether blinked, slightly caught off guard, then bit his lip and nodded. This… this was what it meant to be a responsible man, wasn’t it? He took the cup from her hands and downed it in one go.
“Arhh… this is way more bitter,” he said with a scrunched-up face, the bitterness hitting like a punch compared to the others.
Celestia had brewed hers raw and pure—focusing entirely on medicinal value, with no regard for taste. The best herbal tea for the body, no question.
Sandra’s blend had been slightly milder—she didn’t want him to suffer too much, even if the bitterness was still present.
And Aqualina… she had brewed hers to be sweet, almost too sweet, just to make sure he didn’t gag or frown even once while drinking it.
Aether scratched the back of his head awkwardly, feeling a strange warmth in his chest. They were all showing their affection… each in their own way.
Celestia hesitated then, her lips parting like she wanted to say something—but she faltered.
“Hmm?
“Well…”
“You can say it”
“If you don’t mind… I’m not trying to pressure you, You just woke u—Kya!”
Before she could finish, Aether suddenly reached forward and pulled her gently into his arms.
“You can ask me anything, alright?” he said softly, his hand cradling the back of her head as he kissed her forehead. “Don’t hold it back. I’m okay. I’m really fine now.”
Celestia smiled gently against his chest. Even though he had just woken up and was still recovering, he was comforting her. Part of her felt selfish for leaning on him in that moment.
However—
“Please be selfish,” Aether whispered, nuzzling her nose with his. “That’s what I want… from all of you. If you’re mine… then don’t hold back. I’ll take care of it all.”
Celestia’s smile grew softer, her heart thudding quietly in her chest. She rested her hands on his arms and looked into his eyes.
“It’s just…” she started slowly, “The Princess and the Empress are kind of…”