“Shove it in her ass? What do you mean by that?” Aether asked, his voice filled with a flabbergasted tone as he stared at her, utterly bewildered.
Sandra hummed thoughtfully, her expression tight, but there was no hint of regret or pity—only a plain, indifferent look on her face. “You see… her mother had the same kind of blue marble like this one, but it was slightly different in design… I suppose. I’m not entirely sure, anyway. She was so proud of it, always boasting that her husband had gifted it to her…” Sandra paused, then added in a flat tone, “So, I shoved it in her ass while dragging her across the Empire.”
“…” Aether blinked, frozen for a second, before bursting out, “Hahahaha…” He leaned in suddenly and hugged her tightly, completely taking her by surprise. She had honestly thought he would be disgusted or annoyed hearing that, but instead, it seemed he was genuinely amused and even happy.
“It’s not a laughing matter, you know?” Aqualina sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead with a tired expression. She shot Aether a disapproving look, then glanced at Celestia, who, predictably, seemed like she couldn’t care less about anything happening around her.
“Anyway… do you still have that marble, or did you throw it away?” Aether asked, his face now turning serious as he looked at Sandra.
“Hmm… I’m not really sure…” Sandra frowned slightly, her face growing thoughtful before she said, “Wait here…” and then promptly disappeared from sight.
The group exchanged puzzled glances with each other.
“Didn’t she destroy their bodies?” Aqualina asked, curious, glancing sideways at Celestia.
Celestia simply shrugged, her voice nonchalant, “Not sure…”
Moments later, Sandra reappeared, holding a small, old blue marble in her hands. “This one?” she asked, holding it out towards Aether for him to see.
Aether leaned in, inspecting the marble closely. As he dusted off the surface, he noticed… it looked like one side was flat, just like the missing piece they had been searching for. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Where did you get it?” he asked.
Sandra shrugged casually. “I had it tucked away in my cupboard. I couldn’t destroy it with my powers, so I thought maybe it was something important. That’s probably why my father gave it to that woman in the first place…. Yeah, I cleaned it off before taking it back,” she added with a nod.
“…I didn’t ask for that much detail, did I?” Aether said with a slight frown, his tone dry.
Sandra just shrugged again.
Aether stared at the marble for a moment longer, piecing things together, “So… he gave one to Celestia and one to her mother… Ah?” he hummed softly, before letting the thought trail off. He shrugged and moved towards the remaining groove on the semicircle part. Just like before, he immediately felt the strong pulling force as he brought the marble closer.
Tuck,
The marble slotted perfectly into the carved-out part, completely filling the missing space.
Snnngggg!
A soft, resonant humming sound echoed through the room. Instinctively, everyone took a step back as they watched blue veins start to spread outward from the marble. It was like something was seeping into the very structure of the Throne, and slowly, the previously etched aquatic figures on the throne began to shine, growing brighter and more vivid.
Trrck…
The Palace vibrated slightly under their feet.
“What’s happening now?” Sandra frowned deeply, looking around. Then, a sudden sound—like a whip cracking—ripped through the air as the veins pulsed violently.
BOOMMmm…!!
A massive pulse of furious energy burst out from the Throne. Across the entire Empire, even at its furthest edges, everyone could feel the subtle but powerful thermal wave rippling through the atmosphere. Then, just as quickly, the Throne returned to its normal state.
The pulsing stopped.
Everything went still.
“…Nothing happened?” Aqualina muttered, frowning, her body tense with caution.
Aether continued to stare at the Throne, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Celestia… go and sit on the throne,” he instructed firmly.
Celestia nodded wordlessly. Moving carefully, she approached and sat down on the Throne. For a few seconds, absolutely nothing happened… until suddenly, blue energy pulsed violently through the seat and into her body.
Celestia tensed, gasping quietly. She felt something coursing through her veins—an odd sensation. It wasn’t painful. Instead, it was… calm. An overwhelming wave of soothing tranquillity washed over her body, making her feel as if she were floating in a serene sea.
Then, completely without warning,
!~Ding~!
Celestia blinked in shock as a black holographic display materialised before her eyes, faintly glowing and hovering in front of her.
[Scanning…]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Blood Type: Tier 3 – Normal]
[Bloodline: Tier Rare – The Auralis Bloodline (+ Unknown Error)]
[Species: Siren]
[Access to the System of The Origin – DENIED!]
[Ejecting Subject!!]
BOOM!
Without any warning, Celestia was forcefully shot out from the Throne like a missile. Before she could crash into the ceiling, Aether, moving as if he had anticipated it, caught her mid-air effortlessly.
“What the hell was that…” Celestia gasped, wide-eyed and stunned.
Aether held her securely, glancing at the throne with a grim expression. “Tell me exactly what you saw,” he said, his voice low and serious, as he slowly descended back down to the ground.
Celestia carefully explained everything she had seen. Aether listened intently, nodding along before muttering to himself, “Origin… again, huh.”
The real reason he had asked Celestia to sit on the Throne was because of her father… deep down, Aether thought maybe she was the rightful one, or at least connected somehow. But now it seemed like… ‘Just like back in my Empire,’ he thought with a hint of resignation.
“Aether… what’s going on here exactly?” Sandra stepped forward, her voice serious and her expression grave.
Aether took a breath and then began explaining everything about the Throne, detailing how it was eerily similar to the one from his own Empire. As he laid it all out, Sandra listened carefully, her frown deepening.
“Origin… huh,” she muttered thoughtfully, turning her gaze to the Throne. Without another word, she started walking towards it.
“It won’t work, believe me,” Aether called out as he watched her, a bit amused. Sandra ignored him, climbing onto the Throne and sitting down confidently. Just like before, the Throne pulsed with blue energy and activated.
!~Ding~!
[Scanning…]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Blood Type: Tier 2 – Normal]
[Bloodline: Tier Rare – The Merdian Bloodline (+ Unknown Error)]
[Species: Mermaid]
[Access to the System of The Origin – DENIED!]
[Ejecting Subject!!]
BOOM!
Sure enough, Sandra was forcefully ejected from the Throne, flying through the air—but Aether, already anticipating it, easily caught her in his arms.
“See? I told you,” Aether said, smirking as he looked down at her.
Sandra merely hummed in annoyance before hurriedly pushing herself out of his arms. Aether chuckled lowly. “What? Not enjoying the princess carry?”
Sandra’s cheeks turned a slight shade of red, but she quickly masked it with a stern expression and changed the subject. “Looks like these Thrones… some of them are linked to this ‘Origin’ you’re talking about,” she said, ignoring his teasing tone.
“Indeed…” Aether agreed with a knowing nod. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aqualina approaching the Throne. “Wait! What are you doing?!” he called out.
Aqualina just winked playfully at him over her shoulder before plopping herself onto the Throne without a care.
!~Ding~!
[Scanning…]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Blood Type: Tier 3 – Normal]
[Bloodline: Tier Common – The Merdian Bloodline (Unawakened)]
[Species: Mermaid]
[Access to the System of The Origin – DENIED!]
[Ejecting Subject!!]
BOOM!
“Yaaayyy~” Aqualina cried out happily as she was launched from the Throne. Aether caught her effortlessly mid-air, looking at her with a deadpan expression.
“What? You caught the others too, didn’t you?” Aqualina said, pouting slightly as she clung to him, clearly doing it just so he would catch her as well.
Aether shook his head with an amused sigh. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly before slowly landing back on the ground. Aqualina, of course, continued holding onto him, flashing a smug little smirk toward her mother and Celestia.
Both Sandra and Celestia’s lips twitched visibly.
Choosing to ignore their antics for now, Aether refocused and said, “Anyway, for now, just take the marbles back with you… that way, you can sit on the Throne without a problem. Also…” his tone shifted into a more commanding one, “since our Empires have now officially joined, we need to have a proper discussion about border usage and other matters. Shall we?”
Sandra nodded seriously, motioning towards the round table set up inside the Throne Room. “Let’s.”
They sat down and, over the course of the next hour or so, discussed everything—sharing resources, trading routes, border access, and countless other administrative topics that could benefit both Empires greatly.
“I still can’t believe you’ve grown this much… ah,” Sandra muttered under her breath, watching Aether conduct the meeting with such maturity and foresight.
Aether simply shrugged, his expression soft.
To be honest, much of it was thanks to Iteration No.25’s memories. Thanks to those memories, he knew exactly what needed to be done to manage and rule an Empire effectively. That iteration had ruled nearly an entire Empire single-handedly, and the experience had transferred to him now, helping him grow into the leader he had become.
Even Aqualina was a little surprised, her heart swelling with pride and affection. She couldn’t help but feel a wave of happiness… her eyes even shimmered with the threat of tears.
Aether turned toward Celestia.
“I will stay,” Celestia said in a soft tone, before looking toward Sandra. “Even though I am not your Ma—” before she could finish her sentence,
Sandra interrupted her firmly, “You are always welcome here… Little Sister.”
Celestia smiled warmly.
Aqualina smiled too, feeling a sense of warmth bloom inside her chest. She then turned to Aether. “So, you’re leaving now?”
Aether nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’ve already lost several days. I’m falling behind schedule…” His face grew serious, his aura turning sharply manly, “It’s time to finish what I started.”
Sandra and Celestia exchanged amused glances at his dramatic declaration, but before they could comment, Aqualina folded her arms and said bluntly, “You’re acting like you’re going off to war or something… when all you’re doing is seducing a woman—a mother of two, at that.”
Aether didn’t get offended, not even slightly.
After all… only he truly understood: every woman was a battlefield.
His fists clenched tightly with determination.
‘I can’t believe this is happening…’ Aqualina groaned inwardly, watching her wonderful man prepare for “battle” as if it were a life-or-death mission.