If Sandra were to explain her current situation… simply put in one word:
Pain.
A soul-crushing, mind-tearing, nerve-splitting pain!!!
“ARRRHHH!!” she screamed, her voice cracking with sheer agony as she clenched her eyes shut. Blood seeped out from the corners, trickling down her cheeks like crimson tears.
She rubbed at her eyes with trembling fingers, desperate to soothe the torment clawing not just at her flesh—but at something far deeper.
It was itching… no, burning… no—itching her very soul.
Aether stood there, frozen for a moment, his own breath hitching as he watched her writhe. Her cries stabbed through him like daggers. Gritting his teeth, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her body tightly against his chest.
“Just hold on, dear… please… hold on,” he whispered, voice shaking, almost pleading, as his hand gently patted her back. He was trying to comfort her, to calm her—but deep down he knew… it was useless.
He knew this pain all too well.
He knew what it meant to be marked by that tattoo. The itching wasn’t on her skin—it was beneath it.
A scratching, gnawing madness from within.
A pain meant not for the body—but for the soul.
‘Log… is there a way to stop it?’ Aether asked desperately in his mind, unable to bear the sight of her cries any longer. His hands trembled as he held her, heart breaking with every sound of her suffering.
!~Ding~!
[❌Negative: Once the process has started, it cannot be stopped.]
Aether’s eyes widened. “At least lower the pain!!” he shouted into the air, clutching Sandra even tighter, almost as if by sheer force he could steal the pain away from her.
Her screams were unbearable—they pierced him like red-hot knives.
!~Ding~!
[❌Negative: Pain cannot be reduced. This is the process of marking. It is not the Log that must lessen the pain—it is she who must gain control… calm her trembling soul. Otherwise, the pain will intensify.]
“Dammit!!” Aether snarled, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. He turned his face toward hers, gripping her cheeks softly but firmly. “Sandra! You have to calm down… please… listen to me!”
But his words were drowned by another scream.
“ARrrEETTTHHEERR… IT HURARRRTTTT!!” she wailed, clinging to his shoulders as her nails dug into his skin. Blood continued to sweep down her face from her tightly shut eyes.
Aether bit down on his lip again before leaning in—his instincts taking over. Without fully understanding why, he crushed his lips against hers.
It was impulsive. Desperate. Reckless.
But it silenced her.
“MMMMMMMRRRRRRFFF!” Sandra let out a muffled cry beneath his kiss. Her hands weakly pushed against his chest—but didn’t fight him.
For a fleeting moment, the pain faltered. Diminished.
Slightly… but enough.
Enough to breathe.
Sandra trembled. Her lips, shaky and unsure, moved against his. Then, with a soft gasp, she kissed him back. Deeper this time. Slower. As though the kiss itself had become a thread of sanity she could cling to amid the chaos.
Aether felt it. Her pain receding… fading with every heartbeat that passed between their lips. He pressed himself closer, letting her feel the warmth of his body, the steadiness of his presence.
Slowly… slowly… the pain melted away.
Crack…
Aether slowly pulled back as he stared at her.
Her eyes—still shut tight—no longer wept blood. The red trails down her cheeks had stopped completely and disappeared as if it never appeared before.
He could see her chest rising and falling steadily now. The tremors in her limbs had stilled.
Aether exhaled, his shoulders slumping slightly in relief. He gently brushed a lock of hair away from her face, then whispered, “Sandra… can you open your eyes?”
She flinched, as if the request alone might trigger another wave of torment.
“You’re okay now,” he whispered, placing his forehead against hers. “You’re safe. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. Just… trust me.”
Sandra nodded faintly, as though drawing strength from his voice. Slowly… cautiously… she opened her eyes.
At first, her vision was blurred. Colours bled into one another. Black and light flickered like shattered glass. But she blinked once… twice… and her sight cleared.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“…Sigh…~ha~ I think… I’m fine,” she muttered softly, voice still hoarse but filled with cautious relief. “That pain… it was… too much… I’ve never felt anything like that…”
Aether smiled faintly, his hand caressing her cheek. He stared into her gaze—misty purple irises shimmering with life… In the centre of each… the symbol ‘♾️’ pulsed faintly.
He should’ve been mesmerised.
He should’ve admired how beautiful she looked even after all that.
But guilt consumed him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, barely audible. “I didn’t mean to—I never wanted to put you through that—”
“Wait…” Sandra suddenly said, cutting him off.
“Huh?” Aether blinked, confused.
“Wait” Sandra muttered.
“Wait a second…” Sandra blinked again, staring right into his eyes.
“What is it?” Aether frowned, unsure what was happening.
Sandra’s breath caught. “Oh… my… god…” she murmured, voice trembling.
“What?” Aether asked, now truly alarmed.
“A-Aether… I can see darkness…”
He paused. “…What?”
Sandra’s expression shifted into something strange—joyful and disbelieving all at once. She slowly closed her eyes.
Darkness embraced her.
She opened them.
Light returned.
“Sandra?” Aether called out, uncertain what she was doing.
She suddenly lunged forward and kissed his lips, catching him completely off guard.
“I can see, Aether…” she whispered against his mouth, her voice shaking with emotion. “And I can close it!!”
He blinked. A kiss was the last thing he expected. He had braced for anger, for curses, for tears—but not joy.
And not this.
But then,
“Wait… the curse?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes,” she replied, her voice growing thick with emotion. “Before… even when I closed my eyelids… I could always see. I could never escape it. But now…” she muttered with trembling eyes as she closed them… everything went dark and… once she opened her eyes, she could see…
This… this never happened before!!
“I see…” Aether blinked in surprise, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. ‘What happened to her, Log?’ he asked inwardly.
!~Ding~!
[Truthfully speaking, I’m not entirely sure anymore. Whether it was fate… or just sheer coincidence, I can’t tell. But your Seal has the power to cleanse divine corruption—it managed to erase the Gods’ curse from her eyes and fully restore them to normal functionality. That outcome even caught me off guard… I was expecting something else entirely, to be honest.]
Aether hummed softly to himself slightly surprised, but the last phrase, ‘Something else? What was supposed to happen?’ he frowned inwardly.
!~Ding~!
[❌Negative: Unable to answer!]
Aether clicked his tongue.
Typical Log.
He turned his gaze to Sandra, who was still staring up at him with wide, trembling eyes—her expression soft, vulnerable, overwhelmed.
“I’ll be completely honest with you,” he said gently. “I didn’t actually do anything. It was purely accidental—just a coincidence.” His voice carried sincerity.
He remembered how terrified he’d felt when she screamed… that moment had frozen his heart.
Sandra suddenly smiled through her tears and threw herself into his arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “Maybe it was just chance… but I don’t care. I’m still incredibly happy,” she whispered, pressing a tender kiss to his cheek as she clung to him.
Aether chuckled softly, hugging her back. He patted her back with gentle care. A part of him wanted desperately to look into her eyes now—those new eyes—
Suddenly,
Gasp!
Sandra let out a sudden gasp, her entire body trembling as something strange and powerful sensation washed over her. She felt it—a profound, invisible connection awakening between them.
It wasn’t just physical.
It wasn’t even emotional in the usual sense.
It was deeper than that.
Her breath hitched. It was like their hearts, their very souls, were laid bare to each other.
No barriers.
No secrets.
Nothing left to hide.
Sandra’s lips quivered, her body stiffening as wave after wave of emotions crashed through her.
She could feel him.
Truly feel him.
His love.His dangerous, all-consuming love.His fear.His longing.His desperate yearning to protect her even if it tore him apart.
She felt every bit of it.
A single tear slid down her cheek as she smiled through it—warmly, painfully, beautifully. Her arms tightened around him, as if letting go would tear her in half.
They say you never truly understand someone’s love… not until you feel it for yourself. And now she understood.
She felt it—his love.
So fierce.
So raw.
So overwhelming.
How in the world had he hidden this all along?
If she had even half of that much love locked inside her, she would’ve gone mad by now.
That’s how deeply he loved her.
And honestly, in that moment, Sandra felt like she could die and still feel fulfilled.
She was that happy. That much—
“Sandra.”
“Hmm?”
“….. Are you… horny?”
“…” Sandra blinked and,
“NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!! Take it back… TAKE BACK THIS CURSED TATTOOOOOO!!!”