“S-Sandra?” Aqualina was visibly shaken, her voice trembling softly when Sandra’s cold words reached her ears.
She really didn’t want to forgive him?
But then again, that made sense. After all, Aether had tricked them all, deceived them so effortlessly…
No one could truly blame her. It was her decision, entirely understandable.
Aether himself wasn’t surprised by Sandra’s decision. A gentle, resigned smile appeared on his lips, not angry, not hurt, just quietly accepting the judgment.
He didn’t try to persuade her; he simply acknowledged it with that unwavering smile.
Sandra’s face remained indifferent, her gaze distant, devoid of emotion, revealing nothing more, nothing less.
“Since everyone has given their ans—” Aether started gently, his voice low and steady, but before he could finish, Aqualina quickly interrupted him, urgently pointing towards Celestia, who remained quiet in the corner, almost forgotten.
“Wait! Celestia hasn’t said anything yet,” Aqualina pointed out anxiously. “She was your target too… wasn’t she?”
Celestia hesitated briefly, then softly bowed her head, “My answer… Aether already knows it.”
Aqualina blinked in confusion, her eyes darting to Aether, who merely shrugged in subtle confirmation before speaking again, his tone firm and serious now, “I’ve told you everything, haven’t I?” His piercing gaze moved slowly, deliberately meeting each person’s eyes.
“Right?” he repeated once more, voice gentle but insistent.
Celestia nodded softly, “Yes… everything.”
Yet, something was nagging at Aqualina’s heart. Her voice was laced with doubt, hesitant and curious. “There’s truly one thing you haven’t told us…”
Aether tilted his head slightly, brows furrowed. “Like what?”
She swallowed nervously, her heart beating rapidly, her doubts intensifying. “You said there would be only ten women before you could be free, isn’t that right?”
“Yes,” Aether responded simply, already sensing where this conversation was headed.
Aqualina’s expression darkened visibly, her voice tight and strained as she quietly counted on her fingers, each name resonating deadly, “We three…” she gestured to Sandra, Celestia, and herself, before continuing slowly, “then Aria, Raven, Helena, Thalia, Selene…” She paused uncertainly, believing she’d reached the end, until Sandra softly interjected, her voice colder and clearer, reinforcing the gravity of their realization.
“Dora, Nightfire, Liora… and Delphine.”
Aqualina’s frown deepened considerably, confusion and suspicion mixing into an unsettling emotion as she locked eyes with Aether. A thin smile curved her lips, “It’s already more than ten… isn’t it, my dear?”
Maintaining his calm, unwavering demeanor, Aether exhaled softly, resigned. “You see…” Carefully, he showed his log before their eyes, deciding that secrets no longer served their purpose. It revealed exactly what Sandra had seen before—no list of names.
Aqualina leaned forward, eyes widening slightly in surprise and confusion. “Loving stepfather? Unknown species? Ether?” she murmured incredulously, glancing up at Aether in disbelief. “What exactly are these titles? What in the world do they mean?” Suddenly, something dawned upon her as she shifted her gaze swiftly to Sandra, realization flickering in her eyes. “Come to think of it… Weren’t you also searching through those Bloodline books? Could it be… you were looking into this?”
Sandra instantly avoided Aqualina’s intense scrutiny, nervously averting her eyes, cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment. “I… I was just searching for something else,” she muttered defensively, though it was painfully clear to everyone present she was lying.
Aether observed her quietly, eyes softening with a soft smile. After a brief pause, he finally spoke, his voice gentle yet filled with sincerity, “Anyway, as you’ve all seen… I honestly don’t fully understand what’s wrong with me. But there’s something important I want you all to know. I possess a certain OP ability.”
“OP?” Aqualina repeated curiously. Her thoughts drifted briefly to the strange title, ‘Loving stepfather,’ wondering silently if it somehow referred to her own connection to him.
“An overpowered ability,” Aether clarified patiently, his voice calm yet tinged with reluctant gravity, “It’s powerful and incredibly unique. Unfortunately, I can’t explain it fully because I’m bound by the very laws governing these worlds. But…” He hesitated slightly, voice growing quieter, more somber. “Whenever I activate this power, there’s a necessary exchange, and the targets I previously seduced are removed from the list.”
Everyone fell silent, eyes wide with astonishment and confusion.
Finally, breaking the tense silence, Aqualina spoke softly, her voice filled with genuine concern and fear. “Then… how many times have you already used this power?”
Aether shifted uncomfortably, visibly reluctant, before quietly muttering, his voice almost ashamed, “Well… five times already.”
Aqualina’s face turned visibly pale, a sudden, icy chill sweeping through her heart.
Sandra frowned deeply, inwardly piecing together everything she’d suspected. Her thoughts raced swiftly, ‘So… his return from death requires… requires that…ah?’.
Aqualina’s voice shook slightly, anxiety evident as she forced the next question, her tone hesitant and slightly strained. “T-Then… there’s another five times left?”
Aether let out a weary sigh, nodding slowly, his voice barely audible, tinged with quiet resignation. “Sigh… Yes, that’s the unfortunate truth.”
Aqualina dropped her gaze to the floor, her shoulders trembling slightly as an overwhelming sense of defeat washed over her. Her fingers curled tightly into a fist, knuckles whitening with suppressed frustration, desperately wishing she could unleash her anger… yet painfully realizing there was no one she could truly blame or punish.
“Now, I’ve truly told you everything, haven’t I?” Aether asked once more, his voice gentle yet piercing as his gaze settled firmly upon Sandra.
Sandra, visibly irritated by his unwavering attention, clicked her tongue and asked sharply, “Fine. Then tell us, who’s your next target?” Her voice carried a hint of annoyance yet betrayed an eagerness, a curiosity she couldn’t fully conceal.
Aether’s smile softened, a slight hesitation entering his eyes. “Well… it’s… kind of complicated—”
“We need to know!” Aqualina cut him off sharply, her voice growing increasingly urgent, frustration and desperation flickering across her expression. She needed to hear it—desperately so—because uncertainty had become intolerable.
Aether took a long, weary breath, preparing himself before finally admitting, “My next target is… Xara.” The moment those words escaped his lips, all three women reacted in uniquely vivid ways.
“Eeeuuu!” Aqualina instantly recoiled, her face contorting into pure disgust. Her stomach churned violently at the very thought, screaming internally, ‘That’s fucking Selene’s mother! How can this even be real?!’
Sandra froze for a brief moment, horror and disbelief mingling in her widened eyes. “Fuck…” she whispered breathlessly, both horrified and… Pitiful?
And, as usual, Celestia maintained her calm composure, a faint amusement glimmering in her eyes, though her expression remained otherwise unreadable.
“D-Does Selene… know about this?” Aqualina asked hesitantly, her voice trembling with disbelief and curiosity, barely able to keep her emotions under control.
Aether bit down gently on his lower lip, reluctantly admitting the truth. “Actually… she… was helping me.”
“EEEEEEEUUU!!!” Aqualina shrieked again, louder and even more horrified, nearly choking on the sheer revulsion that overtook her. “I knew that girl wasn’t exactly sane, but this… This is beyond fucked up!” She shouted until her throat burned, her disgust and shock reaching new extremes.
She’d always sensed something strange about Selene, something disturbingly peculiar—but this revelation was far beyond her darkest imaginings.
“So, if you don’t seduce her… she’ll die?” Sandra asked hesitantly. The strange logic of his powers unsettled her deeply. She still couldn’t fully grasp it—did failing to seduce someone truly equate to death?
It seemed utterly implausible.
‘Well, nothing really makes sense anymore… ever since I met those damned gods,’ Sandra thought bitterly, a smile curving her lips.
Aether nodded quietly, “I’m not entirely certain, but… well…” he paused thoughtfully, considering carefully how much he should share. He was tempted to admit that his own life had hung precariously at times, yet ultimately he shook off that impulse. He’d revealed enough already.
Further burdening them with worry felt wrong—
“Either she dies… or he does.” Celestia suddenly interrupted!
“!!”
“!!”
Aqualina and Sandra both turned sharply, eyes wide with shock, disbelief etched deeply upon their faces as they stared incredulously at Celestia.
Celestia sighed softly, stepping forward gracefully as she met their questioning gazes directly. “I… I’m sorry that I hid this until now… but…” She stared at Sandra’s eyes and continued, “There have been moments… critical ones, where his life was gravely endangered. Had I not intervened just in the nick of time, Aether wouldn’t be standing here now.”
Aether stared at her blankly, stunned speechless. Before he could voice his confusion, Celestia’s voice gently echoed telepathically within his mind, clear and resolute,
/Let them know the truth. You deserve at least that much./
Internally, he sighed in resignation, knowing there was no going back now, as Sandra and Aqualina continued staring at Celestia, their expressions stunned and visibly shaken.
“R-Really…?” Aqualina breathed weakly, her voice barely above a whisper, almost unable to comprehend the revelation she’d just heard.
Celestia nodded firmly, eyes sincere and unwavering. “Yes.”
Aqualina quickly turned her shocked gaze toward Aether, stumbling over her words, voice trembling and hesitant, “W-Wh… Why didn’t you—” she began, but emotion quickly strangled her words.
“Alright…” Aether interrupted softly, voice steady yet filled with quiet intensity. “Now that you all know, let’s finally have a serious conversation, shall we?”
Aqualina’s frustration surged again, veins visibly throbbing on her forehead as she nearly shouted, “What conversation could possibly be more important than your lif—”
But Aether calmly interrupted again, his tone shifting to something heavier, “Let’s talk clearly now, shall we? It’s time we discuss… Mother… or Daughter.”