While Aether was stuck in the Eternal Prison, in the Empires, everyone was panicking and worried about the sudden disappearance of Aether.
Dora was checking around her academy... thinking if they were hiding there or had fallen into so weird academy secret that she didn’t know.
Aria and Liora were running around the city to spot Aether or Delphine... or anyone who had seen him around.
Helena and the Archpriestess were looking around the outside of the barrier to see if he was anywhere nearby.
And in the Pyra Empire, inside Aether’s bedroom,
"Hmm... Is she alright?" Sandra muttered with a cold tone as she stared at Nyx, who was flinching and twitching with a painful expression, the small flower tattoo on her palm flickering furiously.
"Hmm... Her pulses seem normal, and her bloodline isn’t causing any harm to her," Xara said with a calm expression as she checked Nyx’s body for any kind of abnormalities.
She turned to everyone... like literally almost everyone was here... Sandra, Celestia, Aqualina, Maelona, Emberlyn, Raven, Thalia, Selene, Nightfire.
Everyone’s faces twitched with fear and worry.
"Then why is she acting weird?" Thalia asked with a frown. "It must be related to the Eternal Slave Contract, right? Sothing happened to Aether, that’s why it’s harming her!"
Xara sighed as she stood up while rubbing her hands with a wet towel.
"It’s not the Eternal Slave Contract. I don’t know if Aether told you this, but... the Eternal Slave Contract is actually a contract between gods or... between a god and a mortal."
Everyone looked surprised, even Selene... looks like Aether didn’t tell them the truth.
Xara smiled softly as she continued, "You guys heard his story, right? The one who took interest in him and put his soul in the world called Earth?" Her eyes drifted downward for a mont, rembering the strange weight of that tale, the impossible threads woven into Aether’s existence.
Everyone nodded... except Emberlyn, who didn’t know those details.
Sandra’s eyes widened as if she had already connected the dots. "Don’t tell ... he made a contract with that thing?"
Xara shook her head. "We cannot be 100% sure, but from the looks of it... I can be at least 50% sure, because Aether never knew he had ever made a contract with them... but one thing is certain. He made a deal with a god. It could be Mother or Arcane, too."
Everyone’s expression turned serious.
anwhile, Nightfire was looking back and forth between Nyx and Xara... she didn’t know why these idiots were talking about that instead of finding Aether faster. She bit her nails with a worried and fearful expression.
Xara continued, "The Eternal Contract isn’t like any normal contract. It’s sothing ancient... created for dealing with powerful beings. Especially gods. Because they always find loopholes in normal contracts. They manipulate words to their wishes, and mortals could not hold a candle to it...
That’s why the Eternal Contract was made to prevent that... It’s a binding agreent not even gods could break.
Not even after a mortal’s death.
Once you’re in... there’s no walking away from it. They stay connected no matter where they are or how long they’ve been separated... their contract exists beyond ti and space."
Xara turned to the lying Nyx and muttered, "Yes, the reason she lost herself is that whatever is harming Aether... is harming the False-Owner. But don’t mistake it for a slave contract" Her eyes softened for a mont as she watched Nyx tremble.
Everyone raised their eyebrows in shock...
Aqualina’s eyes trembled. "W-Wait... does that an Aether is hurt—" Her voice broke before she could finish.
Xara ignored her and continued, "And that ans... the Eternal Contract connection is far superior to Aether’s Seal," she said with a thoughtful expression.
Everyone blinked when she connected those things.
Selene sighed with an annoyed expression, "Mom, I don’t think now is the ti for—"
Xara ignored her own daughter’s words before saying coldly, "Aether signed a Master and Servant Contract with an unknown Entity... and Nyx was a false Master. A dium for the Real Master.
As long as there is a connection... the Real Master or the False Master could summon him."
Everyone looked shocked at that... their gazes shifting from one another.
Aqualina frowned, "But summoning Aether didn’t work before... Kai couldn’t do it because the connection was never strong and sothing was interfering... and now it’s the sa with Nyx."
Before Xara could answer, Maelona interrupted,
"Changing the ownership of Aether?"
Xara nodded her head, "Indeed. Even if Aether was sowhere... his seal still worked, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"That ans the current situation is different... he might not be in our world."
Sandra muttered, "Maybe... he is in the Sixth Empire? Sohow he got in there?"
There was that possibility... A dangerous one!
Everyone humd... but considering the fact that Aether wouldn’t leave them without saying a word, at least to one woman... that ant the situation was far more serious than they wanted to believe.
Thalia shook her head, "It doesn’t matter even if he was in the last Empire... we need to get him back first... I don’t feel good," she whispered as she rubbed her shoulders with a painful expression. Her eyes moved to her right forearm... where his love was carved into her skin.
Others felt it too... through their connection. Even though they couldn’t feel him or call him, they felt sothing else... sothing primal.
Like an innate fear twisting inside them, a fear that no one could explain correctly.
But they knew they had to bring Aether back wherever he was... whether he did it intentionally or not.
Xara nodded, she understood their worry; he had disappeared without a hint of words... That alone terrified her more than she wanted to admit.
"Fine. Let’s change Aether’s ownership... This is the only way to pull him back through space and ti... Prepare for the summoning ritual."
"What about Aunt?" Selene asked with a worried tone.
Xara humd, "Are we sure that both disappeared? Maybe... Delphine is busy with sothing else—"
Everyone shook their head imdiately as they said, "No, she scread for help!"
Xara blinked before nodding, "Okay... Even if she is with him... I am not sure how the summoning would work..."
Maelona added, "Well, during the coronation, we saw the chains capturing him and dragging him into the portal, so I’d guess... if he held anything else... it might still drag him along with her."
Everyone humd... everything was a possibility, not a definite answer.
But still... It’s better than doing nothing, right?
They all silently agreed.
Soon, Xara drew the circle on the floor. Her fingers glowed faintly as she carved ancient lines.
The others moved quickly, gathering the materials needed for the ritual.
Within a few minutes, everything was finished.
Sandra gently placed the unconscious Nyx in the middle of the circle. She brushed a strand of hair from Nyx’s forehead, murmuring, "Hold on... We’ll bring him back."
Xara stepped forward, others stepping back as she closed her eyes and muttered,
"Vyn teymai ishkar en Vel’Araeyn, ee thaemar lai’ri en ilaeth nyro thar ves..."
But... nothing happened.
Not even a flicker.
Xara frowned before saying, "Ah. Right... we don’t have enough energy around us anymore. Bring Origin Crystals."
Selene nodded and imdiately brought bags of stones, dozens of them, glowing faintly like captured stars.
"That’s a lot, sweetie," Xara said with a soft, amused tone as she arranged the stones around the magic circle.
Her expression shifted to stern focus as she spoke again,
"Vyn teymai ishkar en Vel’Araeyn, ee thaemar lai’ri en ilaeth nyro thar ves..."
Sh—
The symbols shimred and pulsated violently as the origin stones slowly dispersed into particles inside the magic circle and... vanished?
The energy bent, twisted, and then died out completely.
Xara frowned, deeper than before.
Sandra said, "Looks like... even this much is not enough to summon."
Xara glanced at her daughter, who imdiately walked away, gesturing for the others to co with her.
As others left, Xara looked at Sandra and said amusedly, "I never thought I would be seeing you again... this close."
Sandra snorted, "I haven’t forgotten how you tricked , bitch!"
Xara cutely smiled as a wicked grin appeared... seeing Sandra’s annoyed expression... it really made her happy, you know!
Soon, everyone brought dozens and dozens of Origin Crystals that Aether had stored in a room just in case of an ergency.
Those crystals... he took from the Snake monsters!
Xara nodded, "This will be enough," she said as she clenched her fist and muttered those words again... echoing softly like a ripple through empty space.
SSSsshhh—
Everyone’s eyes widened... even this much was not enough?
The magic circle flickered weakly before dimming again, as if sothing beyond their world resisted their call.
A fear deeper than before crept up their spines.
Xara looked at Selene, "How much do we have?"
Selene shook her head, "Aether put those for ergencies, and we’ve used almost everything..." and she looked briefly at the empty corner of the room where Aether once stored his supplies.
Xara humd as she looked at the magic circle... the energy required was enormous... which ant Aether might be very far away, swallowed by a place beyond their reach, a place where light struggled to exist.
Just as she was about to say sothing, Sandra beat her to it and said,
"Let’s hunt Origin Monsters then." Her eyes were cold as ice.
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