"..."
Beneath the vast stretch of a darkened sky, a gorgeous figure draped in flowing white garnts stood motionless, her gaze fixed upon a rusted spear embedded deep into the ground before her.
The faint wind stirred the fabric around her, yet she remained unmoving, as if ti itself had chosen to pause in her presence.
Her eyes, cold and devoid of emotion, lingered on the weapon with an unsettling stillness, as though it dragged fragnts of mory from depths she had long tried to bury.
Those mories clung stubbornly, refusing to fade, whispering of monts she wished had never existed.
The echoes of laughter, the quiet comfort of shared glances, the sacred bond of her marriage... all of it had crumbled into dust.
What sin had she committed to deserve this?
She had never desired power, nor dominion, nor conquest. All she had ever wished for was sothing painfully simple... happiness.
Even if it ca in fleeting fragnts, even if it lasted for only a mont, she had wanted to embrace it fully, to share it with those she held dear.
Once, everything had unfolded as if guided by gentle hands.
Smiles surrounded her, voices rose in celebration, and the world itself seed to rejoice as she stood united with the one she loved.
That day felt eternal.
Yet now, even as ti attempted to nd what was broken, the wounds remained far too deep.
Healing ca slowly, but forgetting... forgetting was no longer possible.
Her people had endured suffering beyond asure.
Unlike other empires, they had never prepared for war.
No lessons in combat, no drills, no sharpened blades passed from one generation to another.
Violence had never been part of their identity.
This Empire had been built upon peace and quiet, upon love that required no defence.
Only she and a select few high officials possessed the knowledge of battle.
That knowledge had never been ant to define them.
There were no armies here.
No trained soldiers standing in rigid formations.
Only gentle souls who believed in harmony, who trusted that the world would allow them to remain untouched.
From the very dawn of their Empire, it had always been this way, unchanging, unwavering...
Until now... The era had shifted.
The world beyond their borders no longer whispered of love.
It roared with chaos.
Darkness crept steadily across lands that once knew light, devouring everything in its path.
And the guiding ’light’ they had once trusted without question... had abandoned them without rcy.
Now, all that remained was a fragile hope, a new light they clung to desperately.
It stood as their shield, their salvation... yet it was incomplete.
That light could be wounded.
That light could break.
That light... could die!!
The scream still lingered within her, echoing through her mind as vividly as the mont it was born. The instant Aether’s eyes had fallen upon that unborn form lying against the cold ground...
That sound had not been a cry alone.
It had been sothing raw, sothing stripped of all restraint, a sound that tore through illusion and pride alike.
It was the sound of a man realising his own helplessness.
The realisation that he was human.
Sera slowly lifted her hand, her fingers trembling ever so slightly before they ca to rest against the spear.
The texture t her skin with harsh resistance, rough and uneven.
The weapon, that fateful day, glead with pristine white brilliance, had lost all semblance of its forr self.
What remained was decay. Rust had consud its surface, splinters roughened its edges, and it now resembled nothing more than an abandoned relic... a broken toy left behind by ti itself?
"Here you are."
The voice cut gently through the stillness.
Sera’s hand moved instinctively toward her eyes before she turned, her gaze shifting to the approaching figure.
Thalia walked toward her, her arms folded beneath her chest.
"The heavier tasks are nearly finished. Our team finished most of the work around the empire, and what remains is lighter work, sothing your people can manage without strain."
Sera gave a quiet nod, her attention drifting back to the spear.
Thalia exhaled softly, a thoughtful hum escaping her lips as she studied the woman before her.
Sera, who once carried an almost playful sharpness, who teased and provoked without hesitation, now stood wrapped in a silence.
Thalia understood that both Sera and Helena had gone through pain, but it wasn’t just them, right?
She herself had endured her share of suffering.
Everyone had, in one way or another.
The world had never been gentle to anyone.
Yet, despite that, why did these two seem so utterly shattered, as if they alone carried the weight of everything?
Her thoughts paused the mont her eyes fell upon the rusted spear.
"Is... this the thing you ntioned Aether wielded before?"
She stepped closer, and she bent slightly to inspect it.
The surface was corroded, eaten away by ti, yet beneath the rust, faint intricate carvings still lingered, barely visible... like whispers of a forgotten story?
It looked fragile.
As if a single careless tap would reduce it to splinters.
She crouched lower, her gaze narrowing as sothing unusual caught her attention.
The tip of the spear... wasn’t touching the ground.
Not even slightly.
It hovered just a hair’s breadth above the surface.
"What the..."
A small yelp slipped from her lips. The spear stood perfectly upright.
There was no support, no visible force holding it in place.
Thalia reached out, her fingers wrapping firmly around the shaft of the spear and,
"Hmmm!!"
A strained groan escaped her as she pulled upward. The effort showed in the slight tremble of her arms, yet the spear remained unmoved.
Not even a fraction.
The tiny gap between its tip and the ground did not change.
Annoyance flickered across her face.
She shifted her stance and pushed downward instead, attempting to force it into the earth.
Surely, if it could not be lifted, it could at least be pressed down, right?
Yet the result remained the sa.
It did not move.
Not even a nanoter.
A quiet sigh drifted from behind her.
"That won’t move. Not even Aether, after that day, was able to lift it."
Sera said with a tired sigh.
"Even Aether?" Thalia asked, her tone edged with disbelief. "I thought it was supposed to be his, right?"
She gave it one last pull, a final attempt born from stubbornness rather than hope.
The result did not change. With a soft click of her tongue, she let go.
Sera rely shrugged, her gaze distant.
"He said even he didn’t know what it was."
"I see..."
Thalia humd, though her eyes lingered on the spear a mont longer.
"I guess he’ll have to figure it out himself... no one else can do that for him."
"...Yeah... alone..."
Sera’s voice trailed into silence, the last word barely above a whisper.
Thalia caught the shift imdiately. The gloom settling over Sera felt thick, almost suffocating.
It irritated her more than it concerned her.
She turned sharply, her brows knitting together.
"Oh, co on. Stop this," she said, "Why are you acting like everything is broken beyond repair?
He’s alive. That’s what matters."
Sera’s lips trembled slightly as she bit down on them, her head lowering just a fraction before she shook it.
"Living doesn’t matter... not when you lose sothing inside."
Thalia blinked.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to process the aning, but the depth of it slipped through her grasp like water through her fingers.
"...Whatever."
She huffed softly, a faint pout forming as a trace of red colored her cheeks, her attention snapping back to the spear as if it were easier to deal with than emotions.
Sera glanced at her, about to speak.
"If you’re finished—"
"Do you know sothing?"
Thalia cut her off.
"When I feel low... when I feel like I’m useless..."
Her gaze steadied on the spear, though it was clear she wasn’t truly looking at it.
"I watch others. I observe them... and I think... maybe if I beco like them, I can be useful to him."
Her expression dimd, shadows creeping into her features as her voice lowered.
"But every ti I try... I fail. Completely. As if sothing inside refuses to let beco soone else... even if it ans being useful to him."
A quiet pause followed, heavy yet fragile.
"I got lost... completely lost within myself, not knowing how to understand any of it... until..."
Her lips curved, a small but genuine smile breaking through.
"He showed what I’m capable of."
Her eyes softened, a quiet strength settling within them as she continued.
"I’m not soone who needs to be saved every ti... I’m not a replacent for soone else... and I don’t need to beco anyone else to stand beside him."
Sera frowned, confusion flickering across her face as she tried to understand why Thalia was telling her this.
The words felt sudden, almost out of place... yet carried a strange weight she couldn’t ignore.
Thalia turned toward her, a bright smile spreading across her face, one that felt lighter than her usual sharp deanour.
"My na is Thalia Crimsonclaw... this is who I am, and I stand as myself alone.
No matter what I’ve gone through, no matter what my husband has endured, we move forward... always watching each other’s back."
Her voice grew firr, steadier, as if each word carved itself into the air.
"If I fall and break, he will reach out for ."
"If he falls and bleeds, I will reach out for him."
Her fingers curled into a tight fist, her posture straightening with pride, her eyes burning with a quiet, unwavering resolve.
"Because I know that, in the end, I will protect him... just as he has protected every single ti."
"And for that... I will keep growing stronger. I will keep pushing myself beyond every limit... until I can stand at his height."
Sera’s eyebrows lifted slightly, surprise softening her expression as she stared at the girl before her.
The sa Thalia who often spoke through fists and action now stood there, speaking with a clarity and conviction that felt entirely natural to her.
Drip...
A single tear slipped quietly down Sera’s cheek.
Thalia imdiately jerked,
"H-Haha... did I say sothing wrong?" she stamred, her hands lifting awkwardly as she stepped closer.
"I know I’m not great with words... but I thought I finally got a few encouraging ones right... damn it! Don’t cry! I can try again... maybe I should call my mother or sothing—"
Before she could spiral further, Sera stepped forward and pulled her into a sudden embrace.
Thalia froze for a heartbeat, her eyes widening in surprise, before her body relaxed. A gentle smile replaced her earlier panic as she stood there.
The embrace tightened.
"Just so you know... I’m only into Aether," Thalia muttered, as if that clarification held urgent importance.
A soft laugh broke from Sera,
"Pfft... what was that for?" she said, her voice teasing yet affectionate. "Of course I’m into Aether too... but can’t I hug my cute sister, Thalia?"
Hearing that familiar tone returning, Thalia’s lips curled into a smirk.
"You can... but let warn you," she replied playfully, "he might get jealous~"
Sera blinked, montarily caught off guard as the image crossed her mind... Aether sulking over his wives hugging each other.
A ridiculous thought.
And yet... not entirely impossible.
A faint shake of her head followed as she suppressed a small smile.
She stepped back slowly, the embrace loosening.
Soft light began to spill across her face as the darkened sky above shifted, the first hues of blue breaking through the night.
Sera’s expression hardened, "Can you help ?"
Thalia didn’t hesitate.
"Do you even need to ask?" she replied, placing a firm hand on Sera’s shoulder. "Just tell what you need."
Sera drew in a steady breath.
"I need you to teach my people... how to fight."
For a brief mont, silence held.
Then—
"Oh?"
Thalia’s expression shifted.
"Ohhhh~"
A wicked smile slowly spread across her face, her eyes glinting with a dangerous kind of excitent as her tongue briefly brushed her lips.
Sowhere far beyond them...
A ripple passed through the air.
!!!
Across the lands of Aurora, people froze mid-step, mid-breath, an unexplainable chill racing down their spines as if sothing inevitable had just been set into motion.
A collective instinct scread within them.
"Oh, Archpriest, please save us!!"
Voices rose in sudden panic, so shouting, so whispering in dread, as though a storm had already begun to gather... and they were standing directly beneath it.
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