“My name is Aether… reborn in a world called Earth… where I lived my life as a….”
As Aether spoke, he revealed everything — everything about who he truly was, everything he had learned so far, and everything he had done.
There was no hesitation, no shame, just an open flood of truth pouring out of him. Every secret, every memory, every strange twist of fate that led him here — laid bare before them. And yes, he spoke of how he had caught the attention of someone… someone powerful enough to pull him from one existence into another.
But he didn’t speak of his iterations — those fractured lives scattered across timelines — not because he forgot, but because he didn’t want anyone to ever know about them…. even if it was his loved ones…. he didn’t want them to hear that!
Aqualina, Sandra, and Celestia sat side by side at the long wooden table, eyes locked on him.
Silent.
Still.
Listening to his voice like it was the unfolding of some fantasy novel — a twisted tale that didn’t feel real. Even Celestia, who knew fragments of his past, had never heard this part before. The truth that he had once been Ether… and had died, only to be reborn into another world.
That was new. That shook her.
Because until now, he had never admitted that Ether… had truly been him. And that part of his soul had drifted into another life, another existence entirely.
The silence in the Archive deepened.
Only the four of them were present, yet the weight of what he shared pressed down on the room like stone. Each of them was lost in the swirl of revelations.
Celestia quietly nodded to herself, processing his words, silently filing away the details to be added to her growing collection of notes about him. To her, it still felt like a story — strange and tragic, but somehow distant.
Sandra, on the other hand, leaned forward slightly, her eyes wide, her brows furrowed as she muttered in a shaken voice, “Now… that makes sense… wait — no…” She blinked hard, as if her mind couldn’t keep up, as if her thoughts were spiraling out of control. “This story… it’s a mess. What the hell even is this?”
And Aqualina — she didn’t say anything at first. Her hands gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white, lips parted in disbelief. Then, in a strained whisper, she asked, “So… this is what you meant when you said you had a secret… back on our first date?”
Aether gave her a quiet, solemn nod, lowering his gaze slightly as he sat down. The truth was out.
There was no point in hiding it anymore — especially from her. She had to know. She deserved that much.
And so did the others.
He would tell them all, one by one, when the time was right. Maybe it was memories — his iteration — that pushed him toward redemption, or confession, or both…. Like Archpriest Aether?
Aqualina’s face stiffened. She had heard it all. It was unbelievable — insane, even — but then again, she herself had been reborn… as her daughter’s daughter.
That alone was beyond comprehension.
Her lips began to tremble.
“S-So… I… I was just a target?” she asked, voice breaking mid-sentence. Her eyes shimmered with a mix of fear and pain, searching his face for an answer she didn’t want but needed to hear.
Her lip quivered as she bit down on it, trying to hold back the storm rising inside her.
Aether looked straight at her. Then sighed — deep, heavy, soul-worn. “Yeah,” he whispered, and nodded.
“Muf—” Aqualina almost choked on her own breath. Her eyes widened, then squeezed shut as she raised her hands to cover her face. Tears pushed at the edges of her eyes, threatening to fall. It felt like a punch to the gut — like she was once again nothing more than an object to someone she trusted.
But then, before she could fully break, Aether added,
“All of you.”
“Huh?”
Aqualina flinched, startled. Sandra blinked. Celestia tilted her head, confusion and suspicion flickering across her face.
Sandra narrowed her eyes. “All of us? You mean—”
“Yes,” Aether said, voice heavy, eyes dark. “Aqualina, Marisandra, and Celestia… all of you were my targets. I was supposed to seduce you. That was… part of the plan.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The silence that followed wasn’t the same as before. This one was sharp — biting.
Tense!
Even Celestia’s thoughts derailed, ‘What kind of bullshit is he trying to pull now?’ Because among all of them, she had been with him the longest. Even more than Selene. And she knew, deep down, that she had never been a target.
So what was he saying now?
What was this angle?
Something didn’t sit right. She frowned but held her tongue.
Aqualina glanced at Sandra. Sandra looked at Celestia. The three women exchanged uncertain glances, silent questions passed between their eyes.
If they were all targets… then none of them were special.
None of them were real.
None of them were chosen out of love — not naturally.
“W-Wait… then… what about Aria?” Aqualina asked suddenly, her voice cracking again. Her face showed a mix of anger and desperate hope, as if she needed to believe she wasn’t the only one.
“Yeah… what about Raven? Thalia? And the others?” Sandra added, her voice harsher now, more guarded. Her brows furrowed deeply, the sting in her words impossible to miss.
Aether drew in a slow, painful breath. His head lowered, eyes shadowed.
“Yeah… every single one of them… yeah…”
The room fell silent again.
Gasped breaths. Wide eyes. Shaking hands.
In Aqualina’s and Sandra’s eyes, there was something more than hurt. A strange flicker of relief — tiny, almost invisible — that they weren’t the only ones. That maybe, just maybe, they hadn’t been uniquely fooled. But that flicker was drowned by the bitterness in their hearts.
They were all targets.
All of them!!
“So… we’re nothing but your targets?” Sandra muttered, her voice low and trembling, barely concealing the fury behind her words.
“Targets? Just an object?” Aqualina echoed, her voice hollow, cracked — like something inside her had just shattered.
She couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe that she had been played… By him.
This… this fucking man.
He had tricked her. Manipulated her. Made her fall in love — deeply, hopelessly — only to reveal that it was all just a game to him.
A plan?
She had given him her heart, and he had crushed it underfoot.
Her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her skin. Her body trembled — not from fear, but rage.
From betrayal.
She was furious… She was disgusted!!
And Aether… he just lowered his head. His face was blank, unreadable, and his voice came out flat, like something inside him had already died,
“Yeah… you were nothing but a target to me. A means to gain my freedom…. Nothing more.”
Sandra’s and Aqualina’s faces collapsed into heartbreak.
“YOU PIECE OF SHI—”
“Yet… I-I fell in l-Love,” Aether cut in, his voice broken, trembling.
“Huh?” All three of them blinked. Their fury paused, stunned by his sudden shift.
Aether gave a fragile nod, his voice cracking, “Yeah… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for tricking you. I’m sorry for playing with your emotions. I’m… d-seeply sorry for all of it.”
He bowed — fully, completely — as if the weight of his guilt was pushing him to the ground. As if he wanted to disappear into the floor.
Seeing that… seeing him bow like that… it paralyzed them.
Even though he had hurt them, even though his confession was raw and unforgivable… they couldn’t speak.
Sandra exhaled hard, rubbing her forehead. “Raise your head…” she said, her voice tight with restrained emotion.
Aether slowly lifted his face.
It was shattered… Red-rimmed eyes, a trembling jaw.
Tears clung to his lashes. And for a moment — just a moment — all of their hearts skipped a beat.
Because they felt something stir inside them.
Fear.
A fear that they were losing him.
And then he spoke again, voice barely above a whisper.
“To be honest… I thought I just needed to seduce you.
Win your hearts.
And then disappear.
Like it was a job.
A mission.
I knew what I was doing.
I knew it wasn’t love.
I was just playing a role… Pretending.”
He laughed softly — a bitter, lifeless sound.
“I knew I was a wretched man. And I thought… maybe if I disappeared after getting what I needed… at least you’d be free. At least you could live better without me.”
His voice cracked again.
Aqualina’s lips parted. Her throat tightened as a flicker of dread crawled through her.
“W-What do you mean? Leaving?” she stammered, barely able to form the words.
Aether gave her a broken smile. One that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Yeah. All I ever needed was your love… just that. Nothing else. Once I had it… I was supposed to go.
Just vanish. I thought… if I stayed… I’d only bring ruin.
Because I know… I know… I’m not worthy of being loved by any of you.
S-So I thought leaving was the only thing I could do right.”
Their fingers tightened. Subconscious. Instinctive. Like bracing against a wave they didn’t want to face.
‘Is he really going to leave us?’ they all thought at once — terrified.
But then—
“Yet… by the cruelest twist of fate…That fate…” Aether choked, his voice swelling,
“I… I… I fell in love.
I fucking fell in love with the very people I was supposed to manipulate…”
His hands trembled at his sides.
“I hated it.
I hated myself.
That I — someone who tricked others — could fall in love? What kind of sick irony is that?”
He bit his lip, his whole frame shaking with restraint.
“It was too much.”
He took a ragged breath.
“So yeah… I tricked you into loving me. And I… I fell in love with you all too.
I don’t know when.
I don’t know how.
But it happened.”
He paused. Swallowed. His voice was a whisper now.
“P-Please forgive me for that.”
And with that, he slowly stood — legs trembling, back heavy with regret — and turned toward the door.
No one moved… No one spoke… His words were still spiraling in their minds, trying to be processed, trying to be understood.
Aether’s steps were slow, uncertain. His knees nearly buckled as he reached the entrance. His hand lingered on the doorframe, his head lowered.
Without turning back, he murmured into the silence.
“There’s no reason to believe me. I don’t deserve that. I’m nothing but a disgusting liar… a trickster.”
He paused, breathing uneven.
“But j-just remember one thing…”
His voice cracked mid-sentence.
“I… I do love you.
From the bottom of my heart. And… I will continue to love you… until my last breath.
That’s my punishment. My retribution… For everything I’ve done.”
Then he stepped out into the corridor.
They watched the doorway. Staring. Silent.
Aqualina gasped suddenly, clutching her chest.
She felt it.
Their bond — that deep, strange connection they shared — pulsed painfully. His love, broken and raw, was eating him alive. It clawed at her chest, made her heart twist. His emotions flooded her — the love, the guilt, the fear of losing them.
Even if he had faked everything…
This feeling wasn’t a lie.
He loved her.
And he was terrified of letting go.
“A-Aether….”
Meanwhile—
Aether walked down the corridor, his head lowered, his feet dragging. One hand slid along the wall, using it to stay upright. Every step felt heavier than the last. Like the world itself was pressing down on him.. As if… As if…. As if—
[Oh, please stop. You’re overacting now.😒]
His log grumbled inside his head, annoyed.
And then… suddenly…
Aether lifted his head.
His face was still stained with tears, his expression hollow and ghostlike — but then… the corners of his mouth twitched. Just barely at first and then…
His lips curled upward, soft and slow, the expression crooked — not fully sane, not fully stable.
“Hehe~” he chuckled softly, almost slyly.
