Ting!
Ting!
The sharp clang of tal striking tal echoed deep within the Valley. It rang again, louder this ti, bouncing off the rough stone walls. Aether and Lyirrs were deep inside, working tirelessly on the Thrusters—intricate, powerful chanisms embedded into the tunnel structure. Their bodies were coated in sweat and dust, arms aching but spirits focused. They had almost completed the work.
Just a couple more days, and this massive project would finally be done.
"Aether... I brought you lunch!" Helena’s cheerful voice called from the surface, sweet and sing-song, filled with warmth.
Up above, she was already spreading out a mat on the soft earth, placing down tal containers filled with freshly cooked food. Steam rose from the plates as she carefully set everything in place, sitting down gracefully and waiting for him like a patient, devoted wife.
Aether erged slowly from the tunnel entrance, his face sared with dust and oil, but his smile lit up the mont he saw her. With slow, tired steps, he walked over and leaned down, kissing her gently on the forehead before sinking down beside her.
She bead up at him, cheeks glowing.
Like a gentle wife who had lovingly prepared a al for her husband who had been toiling under the earth all morning.
Helena handed him a plate, but just like every day, Aether simply grinned and held up his hands.
"My hands are dirty," he said with a cheeky smile, knowing full well what would co next.
Helena let out an exaggerated sigh and blushed, puffing her cheeks slightly. "You always say that! Every single ti!" she scolded, yet her hands were already moving to pick up a spoonful of food.
Without hesitation, she scooped up a bite and brought it to his mouth.
"Ahh~" she cooed softly.
Aether opened his mouth with a relaxed hum, savouring the flavour as he chewed.
"Mmm... So delicious," he murmured, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek between bites. "Especially with the best side dish right here beside ~"
Helena’s face turned redder as she gave him a small shove, laughing nervously. "C-Co on! Stop saying embarrassing things!"
"You love it," Aether teased, still chewing.
Helena turned her head, trying to hide her grin, and quickly fed him the next bite just to shut him up. "Eat," she muttered.
Aether chuckled, his eyes twinkling.
From a short distance away, Lyirrs stood with a blank expression, arms crossed.
Yeah... she had co with Aether down into this tunnel, but no one even seed to rember she existed. She stood there like a ghost, her presence blending into the background as if she were just another tool or a shadow on the wall.
Helena and Aether were so deep into their little romantic bubble that they didn’t have space in their world for anyone else.
Of course, Helena wasn’t heartless. Though she had completely forgotten about Lyirrs in conversation, she had at least placed an extra plate out for her.
Lyirrs walked over with a deep sigh, picked up the neglected dish, and sat down without a word. She stared at the food, specifically the rice cakes, with a pinched nose.
’Ugh... how the hell do they even eat this crap?’ she muttered to herself, poking the cake with her spoon like it had personally offended her.
Her face scrunched in disgust as she took a bite, but she didn’t say anything. She wasn’t here to enjoy food or romance. She had one job—to finish what Her Majesty had instructed her to do.
Complaining wasn’t in her assignnt.
Soon enough, Aether finished his al, giving Helena a final kiss on the cheek before getting up and stretching.
"Back to it," he said with a tired grin.
"Be careful," Helena replied softly, watching him go with affection in her eyes.
Lyirrs wordlessly followed Aether back into the tunnel, not saying a single thing, her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion and growing irritation.
As ti passed, the sky outside shifted from a pale orange to a deepening indigo. Stars blinked faintly above as night settled over the project site.
"Good work today," Aether said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Lyirrs nodded once. "You too, Aether."
They reached the small set of rooms allocated to them. Aether pushed open his door—only to stop in surprise.
Sera was already inside, lying sprawled on his bed with a wicked grin on her lips. She wore sothing lacy and dangerously minimal, just enough to cover but clearly ant to tease.
"You worked so hard today..." she purred, raising her arms over her head and arching her back. "Let this Wife take care of you tonight~"
Her voice was silk laced with heat.
Aether’s smirk returned instantly, and he stepped in without hesitation. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Monts later, the room was filled with gasping moans.
"ahh~ ahh~ mmm~ ahh~"
The bed creaked in rhythm. Skin slapped. Whimpers and cries of pleasure bounced off the walls.
anwhile, just one wall away, Lyirrs lay stiffly on her bed, pillow clutched over her ears. Her face was a twisted mask of fury and disbelief.
"Fucking seriously?! Again? Like fucking rabbits!!" she growled through clenched teeth.
She tried to sleep. She tried humming to herself. She even counted sheep. But none of it worked. The moaning never stopped. It only grew louder, faster, more passionate as the hours ticked by.
They went on all night.
She didn’t get even a second of sleep.
By morning, Lyirrs looked like death incarnate—ssy hair, dark circles under her eyes, and rage simring just beneath her skin.
She stumbled out of her room, groggy and scowling, just as Aether stepped out of his room with a spring in his step and a fresh glow in his face.
He spotted her and smiled. "Morning! Looks like you slept well."
Lyirrs twitched.
Veins bulged on her forehead, her fists clenched, just about to scream bloody murder when—
Sera followed him out, her long hair swaying, still dressed in her loose robe. She leaned in and gave Aether a soft kiss on the lips with dreamy eyes.
"Today I’ll prepare sothing different~" she whispered.
Aether chuckled. "Can’t wait, darling~" he said, kissing her back.
Lyirrs stood frozen in place.
She stared.
Then stared so more.
It hit her like a thunderbolt.
This bastard was sleeping with both the Saintess and the Archpriestess of the Empire.
Like... what the actual hell?
Talk about an overachiever. She never imagined a human could pull sothing this wild—getting two of the most powerful won in the Empire under his sheets, moaning his na through the night.
Not even her Emperor managed that kind of feat.
She didn’t know whether to be impressed, disgusted, or just horrified.
Maybe all three.
Lyirrs walked ahead... Behind her, Aether casually followed, wiping grease from his fingers.
"You’ve got so balls..." she muttered without turning, her voice low but filled with genuine surprise. Her eyes narrowed slightly, still not quite believing the things she’d seen.
Aether let out a soft chuckle. "Don’t worry... you’ll find soone too," he said, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Lyirrs instantly swatted his hand away with a glare. "Don’t pity , human. I already have soone," she replied coolly as she walked ahead, her tone calm but loaded with aning.
Aether blinked in surprise. "You do?" he asked, genuinely curious. In all their ti, he hadn’t seen her even glance at anyone romantically.
Lyirrs simply smirked, not giving an answer. Her chin lifted slightly with quiet pride as her tail swayed behind her in sync with her confident stride. She wasn’t going to explain—not to him. Let him wonder.
They began the day’s work without further conversation, the constant hum of energy and the clang of tools filling the tunnel.
Around lunchti...
"Darling~"
Sera’s lodic voice drifted from the surface.
Lyirrs sighed, already sensing what was coming. She looked up from her work and saw Aether pause instantly, his head turning like a puppy hearing his owner’s whistle.
Without a word, he started walking toward the surface.
Lyirrs followed with a deadpan stare, crawling out of the tunnel slowly. As she stepped into the sunlight, she saw exactly what she expected—sothing awful.
Sera was feeding Aether—but not just spoon-to-mouth. No, it was mouth-to-mouth. Literally.
Aether sat comfortably with a smug look while Sera leaned forward, gently holding his face and passing food from her mouth to his. He grinned, clearly enjoying every second of it.
’Yuck!’ Lyirrs gagged internally, her face scrunching up in utter disgust. She averted her eyes, hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe these two were doing sothing so ridiculously mushy in public.
Her tail twitched with secondhand embarrassnt.
After the al, Sera finally left, waving her fingers seductively as she walked away.
Aether, with food still stuck in his teeth, returned to the tunnel with Lyirrs, who didn’t say a word the whole way back. She just sighed heavily—again.
The day passed, and once more, night fell across the silent hills.
"Good work," Aether said, stretching his back.
"You too, Fuc-ahem...Aether," Lyirrs replied, wiping dust off her shoulders.
They returned to their rooms, and Aether entered his, expecting so peace—only to stop in surprise.
Helena was already inside, sitting shyly on the bed with her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her dress. Her cheeks were red, and her knees were pressed together like she was trying to gather courage.
"Y-You worked so h-hard today... L-Let ... ahh~~" she tried to speak, but her voice cracked with nervous excitent.
Before she could stamr another word, Aether was already closing the door and leaping onto the ’night dish.’
Moans followed... Again.
And just like that, another day passed in moans, gasps, and third-wheel misery.
Finally—on the following day.
"It’s finished," Lyirrs said with pride in her voice, her arms crossed as she looked at the completed Thrusters station. The chanisms pulsed with quiet energy, standing tall and perfect against the horizon. "I’ll inform my Emperor."
She turned to Aether, extending her hand formally. "It was nice working with you, Mr. Aether."
Aether raised his brows slightly at her sudden professionalism, but then nodded, taking her hand with a small grin. "Indeed. It was really nice working with you, Ms. Lyirrs."
Lyirrs narrowed her eyes. "Try to control yourself next ti," she muttered with a dry smirk.
Aether scratched the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly. "Fair enough... But next ti, introduce your man. I’d love to et him."
Lyirrs blinked, caught off guard for a mont, then gave a small, shy blush. "W-Well... Maybe," she replied before shrugging it off.
Then her body began to shimr. A wave of magical energy flowed over her skin as she transford into a majestic brown dragon. Her wings spread wide, claws gripping the ground for balance.
Just before taking off, she looked down at him one last ti. "You’ll handle the controls here just like I taught you," she called.
"I will," Aether said, waving up at her with a serious nod.
With a powerful beat of her wings, Lyirrs took off, soaring into the skies above, headed straight back toward Zephyra Empire’s Station. She was now responsible for managing the Thrusters from there.
Aether stood in place, watching the horizon.
The Empire... it was almost upon them.
Only a few more days remained.
The collision between the floating Empires was inevitable now.
Aether’s smile slowly faded, replaced with a quiet grimness. His voice dropped as he turned back toward the small hotel that had served as their base.
"The beginning... is almost here," he muttered.
He stepped through the empty streets. The hotel was now deserted.
The old woman and the little boy who used to run the place were gone. Evacuated.
Everyone from the edge of the Empire had been moved to shelters under the guidance of the Archpriestess and Helena. They weren’t taking any chances—even if Aether’s Thrusters were functioning at one hundred per cent.
It was a necessary precaution. And he understood.
Aether entered his room.
To his surprise, Sera was sitting on the bed, not smiling this ti. Her legs were crossed, and her expression was serious, eyes focused on him.
"We need to talk," she said.
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