While Aether had just woken up, the rest of the Empire remained restless, buried beneath duties that refused to slow.
After the last incident involving that tall tallic figure, not a single one entered the Empires again. The barriers stayed quiet, unnervingly so, as if the land itself waited for sothing that never ca.
No one truly understood why, but right after they captured the towering tallic figure, reports stopped entirely.
No sightings. No disturbances... It felt as though the enemy had sent their final warrior, watched it fall, and decided that continuing further held no aning.
Everyone remained uncertain about what that silence ant, yet relief followed close behind the fear. They were glad, desperately so, that they had managed to capture the last one before it vanished like the others.
Extracting information from the figure proved nearly impossible.
Even with chains restricting its movents, the figure carried strange artifacts embedded deep within its fra. Any attempt to approach it ended with sudden surges of energy that forced everyone back.
No one managed to get close until Thalia lost her patience, lifted the massive form with brute force, and smashed its tallic head into the ground again and again, the impact echoing through the chamber until the figure collapsed into unconsciousness once more.
Nothing unfolded the way they had expected, and frustration spread quickly through the prison room... That was when Xara finally decided to take matters into her own hands.
With Lyirrs assisting her, she committed an act so grotesque and so wrong that it shattered whatever composure the others had left.
The sound alone made several people clamp their mouths shut, bile rising as they turned away, so fleeing outright from the chamber just to escape the sight of Xara at work.
After that incident, no one dared question her again.
They left without protests or words, their faces pale and hollow. Even Xara’s own daughter nearly fainted, her knees buckling as she watched her mother’s brutality unfold.
Xara herself only laughed, giggling like a child who had found a fascinating toy, her eyes gleaming with unsettling delight.
"See," Sandra said softly, "I told you. She’s worse than , and I ant every word."
Those words lingered long after, Sandra’s voice carrying a strange satisfaction as it reached every woman who had witnessed what Xara had done.
What kind of act could scar them so deeply that the mory would follow them for the rest of their lives?
anwhile, Kaelen and Maelona struggled to delay the official engagent.
They offered excuses, revised schedules, and promises of better timing, but the elders had begun to panic.
Aether had not appeared himself. He had not explained anything.
Weeks passed without even a glimpse of him.
Fear crept into their discussions. They worried that Aether had abandoned them, or worse, that sothing irreversible had happened beyond their reach.
One week of postponent was tolerable.
Three weeks shattered their patience.
Pressure mounted on Kaelen and Maelona until they were left with no choice but to pull a desperate, reckless move.
It was the kind of decision made when options ran out, and consequences no longer mattered.
What would it be?
The others focused on stabilising the Empire, pouring their energy into rebuilding and organising.
Trade routes reopened, new occupations erged for those dependent on Arcane energy, and so took direct control of the market, watching closely for anyone attempting to manipulate prices or stir unrest.
Everyone worked relentlessly to keep everything from collapsing, yet anxiety clung to them all. Beneath every task and every eting, worry for Aether remained constant and suffocating.
No matter how deeply they buried themselves in work, the thought of him refused to fade.
He still had not woken up. Every day, soone visited him, washing his body, dressing him, massaging stiff limbs, and whispering quiet hopes beside his bed.
They waited for the smallest reaction, any sign that he could hear them.
Ever since Emberlyn ntioned sensing sothing, they watched him closely, holding onto that fragile thread of hope.
But nothing followed.
No movent.
Only silence.
That was how life moved now. Even though things continued forward, for them it felt as if everything had stopped.
Those horrors, that tension, the constant worry for the Empire and the trial, it all felt frozen, as though the world itself waited for him to wake up.
It felt as if nothing truly mattered until Aether opened his eyes again.
Still, they prepared everything in advance, just in case. If Aether woke up, he would not need to worry about anything beyond the Terra Empire.
That was the silent promise they all shared.
Everyone worked together.
Raven and Selene watched over the Pyra Empire, maintaining order and calm where cracks threatened to form.
Thalia, alongside Nyx and Nightfire, road the lands, searching for dangers and handling local issues as they rose, all while continuing the grim task of locating the remaining parts of the Ancient dragon’s body that Nyx desperately needed.
Sandra and Aqualina oversaw their Empire with steady hands, while Celestia looked for the Eternal Prison, knowing that even the smallest detail could change everything.
Kaelen and Liora focused on their Empire, while Aria and Maelona dealt with the elders regarding the engagent, enduring endless argunts while quietly searching for anything related to the Eternal Prison.
Helena and Sera governed their lands, sensing the growing panic among the people as the official engagent date remained unannounced.
Dora returned to her academy, resuming her duties. The construction had finally finished, with only the final touches being polished across its halls... though it was delayed due to her worries over Delphine and Aether.
Everyone was doing their best... Truly!
Back in the Pyra Empire,
"Hmmm..." Delphine moaned softly as warm water flowed over her brimming skin, droplets splashing against her face as she leaned into the stream.
She inhaled deeply, letting the heat seep into her muscles while she stood beneath the shower, allowing herself a long bath.
She stretched slowly, testing her body for stiffness or strain.
There was none. After more than three and a half weeks of deep rest, her body had returned to normal.
She was a little thinner than before, but healthy, and that alone felt like a victory.
Turning off the shower, she reached for a towel and wiped away the water clinging to her reddened skin, then wrapped it securely around her chest. Taking another towel, she rubbed her hair dry as she stepped out of the bathroom, murmuring to herself,
"The hot water here really is different. It hits the spot."
She stretched her arms with a quiet sigh, feeling her body loosen further. Every bath left her more relaxed than the last.
"I guess Selene was right," she added softly. "The hot water that cos from the ground here really is different from anywhere else."
She continued rubbing her hair as she walked toward her bed, where her clothes and glasses lay neatly placed. With one last firm wipe, she set the towel down and crouched to pick up her clothes.
That was when her eyes drifted toward the space beside her bed.
Delphine narrowed her eyes.
Sothing felt wrong.
Her hands moved quickly as she grabbed her glasses and slid them on. The mont her vision sharpened, her breath caught.
The bed beside her was empty. The quilt lay open, and the tube that supplied Aether with nutrients had fallen across the sheets, liquid dripping slowly and staining the fabric.
"A-Aether?" Delphine whispered, her voice trembling as she looked around the room.
Just then,
Ssshh~
Flap~
A gentle breeze slipped into the room as the curtains fluttered softly. Delphine slowly turned back, and when the fabric parted, her eyes widened.
Standing near the balcony, beneath a bright, open sky, was... Aether!
Her heart skipped violently as she took a step forward, then another, her gaze fixed on his back as if afraid he would vanish the mont she blinked.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, blurring the world around her.
"A-Aether?"
She called his na softly, almost fearfully, as she moved closer and closer. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, growing faster with every step she took.
She could not tell what she felt.
Fear of losing him again tangled with the overwhelming relief of seeing him stand on his own.
Love flooded her chest so fiercely it hurt. Or... maybe, just maybe, this was nothing more than a beautiful nightmare she would soon wake from.
Ssshhh~
The breeze surged again, the curtains sweeping across her face and stealing her vision for a brief mont. Annoyance flashed through her panic, and she yanked the curtains aside without hesitation. All she wanted was to see Aether, nothing else mattered.
When the curtains fell away, she saw him turning toward her, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression distant and uncertain.
Delphine’s lips trembled as she looked at him.
He was alive. His skin held colour, his breathing steady, yet his eyes held confusion as they locked onto hers.
His lean legs shook faintly, as though they struggled to support his weight, but he remained standing, stubbornly upright.
Sshhh~
The breeze flowed once more, tugging at the empty left-hand sleeve; it danced in the air. His white hair drifted across his face, and with his right hand, he slowly brushed it aside.
That simple motion shattered her restraint, and tears finally spilled freely down her cheeks.
"A-Aether!!!"
Her voice broke as she rushed forward, arms lifting, ready to wrap him in an embrace she had dread of for weeks.
Before she could reach him,
"Who... are you?"
"...H-Huh?"
Delphine froze mid-step, her body stiffening as if the world had stopped moving around her.
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