Chirrrppp, Chirrrppp
The sharp, rhythmic chirping of birds echoed softly around the silent palace as the morning crept in. Even though there wasn’t any sun gracing the sky, the world was bathed in a faint glow—light streamed gently through the tall, crystal windows, illuminating everything as though the sun itself had already risen.
Celestia entered the room… a space still saturated with the lingering musk of lust and the heavy scent of mixed nectars.
The air was thick—every breath carried the memory of the passion that had unfolded only hours ago. On the floor, patches of sticky, unknown substances stained the marble, evidence of a night that had left no surface untouched.
Just then,
Thud!
Celestia instinctively turned her head and caught sight of Aether stepping out of the bathroom. His body was completely bare, glistening slightly with leftover droplets of water. He walked out casually, without even the slightest hint of shame or modesty.
Celestia raised a brow, inwardly amused by just how shameless he had become lately.
He was definitely getting bolder… or maybe his dragon blood was making him!
Aether, rubbing his damp hair with a towel, glanced at her and muttered, “Oh? You’re here already?” His tone carried barely a flicker of surprise. With a relaxed smile, he extended his hand lazily toward her, as if expecting something.
Celestia didn’t even need to ask. With a flick of her fingers and a small nod, a soft shimmer of magic enveloped him. Within seconds, Aether was now clothed in a deep red and royal blue robe, the fabric luxuriously wrapping around him like something meant for a king.
Aether let out a pleased hum as he continued to dry his hair, walking casually toward the edge of the bed.
Celestia’s eyes shifted to the large bed, where Aqualina lay sprawled out, deep in a seemingly unshakable slumber.
Her hair was a chaotic mess, wild strands curling in every direction. Her face bore the marks of a long night—smeared with faded lip prints, and her swollen lips… they looked bitten, kissed, and swollen far too much.
The rest of her naked body was hidden under the thick quilt, but just the sight of the upper half was enough to suggest the chaos that must lie beneath.
“You… went really rough on her,” Celestia muttered under her breath, unable to hide her concern or slight exasperation as she stared at the sleeping girl.
Aether blinked innocently, his expression puzzled. “Rough? What are you talking about? I was incredibly gentle with h—”
Before he could finish that sentence, Celestia walked over and pulled the quilt down with one swift motion—revealing exactly what his version of ‘gentle’ looked like.
Aqualina’s body… was a mess. Her pale skin was littered with hickeys, red bruises, bite marks… a lingering musky scent clung to her. Her nipples were red, slightly swollen, still throbbing from overstimulation, and her flower… it looked raw, visibly red from the excessive pounding it had taken. From between her legs, his seed was still slowly leaking out… as if he had just finished inside her moments ago.
Aqualina whimpered in her sleep, her face contorting, “No… more…” she groaned helplessly, hands fumbling as she tried to tug the quilt back up, still lost in the aftermath of the night’s ordeal.
Aether coughed loudly and immediately turned his head away, ears flushing just slightly.
Celestia shook her head with an amused look, lips twitching in a smile. “Unbelievable,” she murmured.
“Anyway… take care of her for now. I need to check something,” Aether said, walking toward the nearby table and picking up a ring.
Celestia tilted her head slightly, a note of curiosity in her voice, “Leaving already? So soon?” Her face held a subtle disappointment.
Aether grinned, tossing her a wink, “Not exactly~ There’s just something I need to see in the throne room, nothing more.”
He was about to slip the ring onto his finger when—
“If that’s the case… then here, there’s no need to hide anything,” Celestia said warmly, a beaming smile spreading across her face.
Aether paused, frowning slightly. “But… what if the other servants see me like this? I don’t really want to stir up any unnecessary gossip, you know how things spread around here…” His tone was awkward, almost sheepish. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep their relationship hidden, but at the moment, he simply couldn’t afford any complications.
Celestia chuckled softly, “You’re overthinking. The moment you stepped foot into the palace, all the servants and maids were temporarily dismissed by Her Majesty herself. Just in case.”
“Oh? So that means…”
“Exactly. Right now, there are only four of us in the palace,” Celestia nodded knowingly.
Aether blinked a few times, surprised, before his lips curled into a sly smile. “Hehe~” He let out a quiet, mischievous laugh before walking out of the room with a confident stride.
Celestia watched him go, her gaze lingering before she turned back to the chaotic room and the sleeping princess lying amid the mess. She sighed deeply and muttered, “Honestly… what am I supposed to do with you two?”
She was just about to reach forward to wake her up when—
“No… more mm… bastard!!” Aqualina suddenly jerked in her sleep, her body trembling with fear. She latched onto Celestia’s wrist with a vice-like grip, pulling her close and hugging her tightly, her entire frame shaking as though caught in a nightmare.
And due to the vast difference in power levels…
“P-Princess… I’m not… o-ouch—!”
Crack!
“ARrrhh!”
…..
…
Meanwhile,
Aether stood silently before the grand throne room. His eyes scanned the long corridor with mild curiosity—there was indeed no one in sight. Not even the guards who typically stood like statues at every entrance.
He let out a quiet breath and smiled weakly to himself. “Sandra really went out of her way to keep this under wraps, huh…” he murmured. Shrugging lightly, he stepped forward and pushed the heavy doors open.
The throne room greeted him with eerie silence.
And there it was… the Throne.
Aether’s gaze locked onto it—crafted from the same blue marble as the rest of the castle, the throne stood in the center of the chamber with a calm, commanding presence. There was nothing particularly ornate about it.
No jewels, no golden trims.
No extravagant carvings or dramatic flourishes.
It was… simple. Almost too simple.
Compared to the majestic throne of his own Empire, which was adorned with intricate patterns and encrusted with precious stones—designed to radiate authority and power—this throne seemed humble, grounded.
It couldn’t compare. And yet… it carried a strange weight of its own.
Aether slowly ascended the steps toward it, each step echoing softly in the vast room. His expression grew serious as he approached, eyes narrowing in focused thought.
‘Only the blood-marked may claim the Throne… and the unworthy shall perish.’
That line still echoed in his mind. The words had haunted him ever since he first heard them.
They weren’t just poetic warnings.
‘Are these… connected to my previous world?’
That thought never left him.
‘Did someone from my world come here long ago…? Could they have built this place? Left their mark?’
If they had… why had no one spoken of it?
Why were there no records?
No ancient tomes or scrolls that even hinted at such a thing?
‘What really happened here…? And more importantly… what were they trying to achieve by declaring that only the blood-marked may claim the throne? What does it even mean?’
The questions spun endlessly in his mind, looping with no clear answer. Whether it was this Empire, Zephyra, or even Pyra… they all carried traces of the language from his old world.
It wasn’t just a coincidence anymore. Something was coming together… a larger truth was trying to reveal itself.
But the moment he tried to grasp it… it slipped away.
“Anyway…” Aether sighed, shaking his head softly. He stepped forward and stood before the throne, staring at it for a long moment. He had already sat on it once—back when he visited Sandra that night.
Still, something compelled him to try again.
He sat down slowly, the cold surface pressing against him as he leaned back and waited.
Several minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
No sounds. No light. No reaction.
Aether hummed quietly, his eyes drifting to the armrests. Just like the castle’s walls, the throne too had those etched aqua species—delicate, ancient carvings winding along the stone.
He frowned slightly, fingers gently brushing over one of the etchings. The texture felt odd… almost like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
“Hmm… maybe…” Something clicked in his mind.
He rose to his feet and began running his fingers over the carvings, pressing each etched shape as if looking for a hidden mechanism, a secret switch.
He pressed over every aqua symbol, one by one, moving slowly…
Time ticked by…. Nearly ten minutes passed.
Nothing.
“…Tch,” Aether clicked his tongue in mild frustration, his brows furrowing. “Guess I was overthinking it…”
Just as he turned, about to leave the throne behind, something caught his eye.
At the back of the throne—barely noticeable—was a particular carving that looked different from the rest.
“Hmm?” Aether stepped closer.
Unlike the other etchings, this one wasn’t fully engraved.
No, it looked… carved out.
Hollowed?
Like a piece was missing.
Aether narrowed his eyes. It was shaped like a small half-moon, a sliver of a crescent… as if something had once fit into that groove.
‘A missing piece… just like the ring,’ Aether thought, frowning deeply.
He remembered how the Pyra Empire’s throne only activated when the ring was placed into it—how the pieces had to match perfectly for the ancient mechanism to awaken.
‘So this throne has one too? A missing key?’
His mind raced with theories, but doubt still lingered.
Maybe someone had chipped it away, or maybe it was a design flaw.
But no… something about it felt intentional.
Especially when paired with those ominous words: ‘Only the blood-marked may claim the throne… and the unworthy shall perish.’
It felt like no coincidence.
Aether leaned forward, brushing his fingers across the carved gap. He tried pressing it, testing if it might react… when—
Knock, Knock.
He flinched, startled, and quickly peeked out from behind the throne.
At the entrance stood purple-haired woman, her silhouette outlined against the corridor’s soft light.
She stood silently, watching him.