“Mom…. is something wrong with you two?” Aqualina asked with a blunt tone as she stared at her mother, who was sitting elegantly on the chair while sipping her tea calmly, almost too calmly for Aqualina’s liking.
“What do you mean, dear?” Sandra asked curiously, tilting her head slightly as she looked at her daughter, who was sitting before her, sipping her tea as well—though the irritation simmering in Aqualina’s eyes was all too evident.
They were in the garden watching the early sky.
Aqualina’s lips twitched furiously. She rather forcibly placed her teacup on the saucer with a loud cling, the sharp sound cutting through the calm air, as she leaned forward and said, “You know exactly what I meant, right?” Her tone was edged with suspicion and frustration.
Sandra simply took another calm sip of her tea, her expression composed, and shook her head with a small, deliberate motion.
Aqualina’s lips twitched even more furiously, “It’s been six days… He went with her almost six full days…. do you have any idea what can happen in six days?” she asked, her voice rising with a horrified and flabbergasted tone, her hands trembling slightly.
Sandra’s cheeks flushed a faint pink, but she maintained her serene face. “Oh… come now, dear… Just because it’s been six days doesn’t necessarily mean all they were doing was–“
“Sex?” Aqualina cut her off bluntly, her voice dripping with annoyance. Her face twisted with disbelief as she continued, “Oh, please, if I didn’t already know that someone could go on for five entire days without rest, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine it… but it happened, and now I can’t help but think the worst…” She stared at her mother accusingly, as if she had been part of some crime.
Sandra’s cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red… Yet she continued to sip her tea gracefully, refusing to be rattled, savouring the early morning stillness.
Aqualina blankly stared at her mother, who was stubbornly refusing to answer. Her eyebrows twitched in silent rage as a terrible thought crossed her mind, ‘Both sisters… are horny?’ Her whole body shivered violently at that mere thought before she quickly took another sip of tea to chase it away.
As they were quietly enjoying the morning view, suddenly,
Thud!
Sandra’s ears twitched instinctively. She turned her head and saw… Aether and Celestia are returning, looking rather suspiciously close.
Sandra tilted her head at her sister with an amused expression, almost as if teasing her silently. Celestia immediately blushed bright red and hurriedly hid behind Aether, acting like a shy little girl caught doing something naughty.
Sandra shook her head, her amusement deepening.
“Aether?” Aqualina reacted a little slowly, still processing her thoughts, but she turned to see him. As her gaze fell upon Aether, a soft smile unknowingly bloomed on her lips—only for it to twitch again when her eyes landed on Celestia. Her smile twisted into something sharper as she muttered, “Look who finally decided to show up after kidnapping my man?”
Celestia blushed even more furiously, her whole body shrinking behind Aether’s back.
Aether leaned down and softly kissed Aqualina’s forehead, the warmth of his lips instantly cooling her down. Even though she was thoroughly annoyed, the moment he kissed her, all her anger melted away without resistance. Then, he turned to Sandra, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead too, calming her just as easily, before finally sitting down on the chair like he owned the place. “So… how’s everything going on here?” Aether asked softly, flashing a gentle smile.
“Nothing… just wondering how my man can ravage someone nonstop without even a hint of tiredness,” Aqualina replied sarcastically, giving him a sharp look mixed with curiosity. Her voice turned softer, worried, as she added, “Are you… really alright?”
Because deep down, she knew—this wasn’t normal.
‘Well, considering his absurd abilities… everything about him is abnormal,’ Aqualina thought with a slight internal shiver.
Aether smiled weakly, scratching the back of his head. “Not sure how to answer that….” he admitted with a helpless chuckle, shaking his head. “Anyway… did I miss anything important?” he asked curiously, his eyes glancing toward Sandra.
Since she was the one who had the mysterious purple card, he was hoping she might have found something new.
Sandra shook her head gently, setting her teacup down. “No… I didn’t find anything concrete… It’s just like how I used to be… even my powers haven’t increased… everything feels the same as usual…” she said, trailing off with a faint sigh. However, she leaned forward, her tone turning more serious as she placed the tea on the table and closed her eyes. “…Aether.”
“Yes?”
Sandra shook her head, waving her hand slightly, “Not you… just let me concentrate,” she said firmly, her voice low and serious as she closed her eyes again and called out with a deeper tone, “Aether.”
“…” The group exchanged glances, unsure what she was trying to do, but a strange tension filled the room.
Then suddenly,
“Yes?” Aether frowned, sensing the shift in her aura.
Sandra shook her head, waving her hand slightly, “Not you… just let me concentrate,” she said firmly, her voice low and serious as she closed her eyes again and called out with a deeper tone, “… Aether.”
“…” The group exchanged glances, unsure what she was trying to do, but a strange tension filled the garden.
Then suddenly,
Sandra’s chest glowed, radiating a vivid purple colour before,
Sssnngg!
The purple card materialized, emerging from her chest and hovering gracefully before her, pulsing with a faint mystical light.
Aether and the others raised their eyebrows, a mix of curiosity and unease flashing across their faces.
Sandra slowly opened her eyes and nodded thoughtfully as she said, “The word Arcane was not working with this card… no matter how many times I called it… it wouldn’t come. Except if I concentrated on you… like recalling our memories together… and called your name… then the card would appear. That’s what I discovered during these past few days.”
Aether was utterly taken aback, blinking in surprise. “My name… ah,” he muttered, struggling to process the strange connection.
Aqualina, meanwhile, sat there with a confused expression, thinking to herself, ‘What’s going on here? And what even is that purple card?’ She had never seen such a thing before. She squinted her eyes at her mother suspiciously. Sandra chuckled weakly under her breath, sensing her daughter’s glare. “Come on, dear, I was just testing this unknown thing properly before telling you everything in detail,” she muttered defensively, smiling sheepishly.
Just then,
“Aether…” Another soft voice echoed through the room.
Everyone turned their heads sharply toward Celestia, whose chest suddenly glowed brightly before… a pure chestnut-colored card materialised and hovered gracefully before her, radiating a soft light.
“Oh? You too?” Sandra asked in genuine surprise, her eyebrows arching in astonishment.
Aether nodded softly, “Yeah, she told me that she got one too,” he explained. “Since her level cap was stuck at 60… it was similar to your situation. Her card broke apart just like yours and transformed into this new form.”
Sandra nodded thoughtfully, a soft frown tugging at her lips. “I see… then her level is…”
Aether shook his head firmly. “No, her level is none, just like yours. And she,” he paused, glancing at Celestia, prompting her to continue.
Celestia quickly nodded and said, “I’m not feeling any increased power either… everything feels just as usual, no difference.”
“Hmm…” Sandra hummed, tapping her fingers lightly against the table. ‘So something is happening with the level, but it’s not actually increasing our power….’ she thought with a curious tone running through her mind.
Snap, Snap.
Hearing the sharp snapping sound, everyone turned their attention toward Aqualina, who stood with an annoyed expression, her fingers snapping impatiently. “If you don’t mind… would someone explain what’s actually going on here?” she asked, her voice dripping with irritation.
Aether let out a deep breath, before he started explaining the whole situation to her… detailing everything that had happened and what was happening now.
After hearing the full explanation, Aqualina’s face turned utterly horrified. Her wide eyes dropped straight to his crotch as she almost screamed, “It’s definitely not normal at all!!” Her voice cracked in disbelief as she pointed accusingly.
Sandra and Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her dramatic reaction, covering their mouths to hide their amusement.
Aether coughed awkwardly, his face tinged with slight embarrassment, before trying to steer the conversation back. “Anyway, I need to check your throne… there’s something I found that might be connected.”
Hearing the sudden seriousness in his voice, both Sandra and Aqualina instantly straightened up, their faces becoming serious too, before they nodded and followed him without hesitation towards the Throne Room.
On the way, Aether subtly changed his appearance back into his ‘weak’ version—the way he used to look before—since the maids and servants had already returned to their posts and were now moving busily throughout the palace.
While walking, he continued explaining the situation regarding the throne in detail.
“Oh my… seriously… a missing piece?” Aqualina gasped, her eyes widening. She never imagined there would actually be something physically wrong with the throne itself.
Even Sandra was caught by surprise at the revelation.
Arriving at the throne room, Sandra led them inside. Aether immediately pulled out the crescent moon blue marble and approached the grand throne. He moved behind it, where there was a small semi-circular groove, a clearly missing part in the intricate design.
He glanced at the others, who stood beside him watching curiously, before carefully placing the marble against the missing section.
As he moved his fingers, holding the crescent moon piece closer to the carved gap… suddenly, a strong pulling force surged.
Slip!
The marble slipped from his fingers, pulled by an unseen force, and—
Tuck!
It snapped firmly into place, fitting into the throne’s groove almost perfectly.
Everyone held their breath for a tense moment, expecting something grand to happen… however, nothing changed…
“See… I told you the semi-circle and crescent moon were different sizes,” Celestia pointed out, pouting a little as she pointed to the remaining empty section that still needed to be completed.
Aether clicked his tongue in mild frustration. “I guess we need to find the remaining part then… Does he g–” he began, but was interrupted.
“Wait… I think I’ve seen something like this before,” Sandra suddenly said with a doubtful tone, stepping forward and gently touching the marble with a thoughtful expression on her face.
Aether raised his eyebrows curiously. “Don’t tell me your father gave you something too?”
Sandra shook her head immediately. “Nah, he didn’t give me anything special… it’s just that… I saw something similar… a blue marble.”
“Where?” Aether asked, his curiosity deepening.
“Well….” Sandra shrugged, glancing awkwardly at Celestia before muttering under her breath, “I… kind of shoved it into her mother’s ass.”
“….”
A dead silence fell over the group.