"Oh... So you are her sister? This is unbelievable," Liora muttered, her voice carrying clear disbelief as she processed Thalia's story.
Aria, too, was stunned to hear such a revelation. She could hardly believe that Thalia had actually been reborn once again.
The thought alone was mind-blowing, but what truly left her speechless was the fact that Thalia was a phoenix of all things!
"A phoenix..." Aria whispered under her breath, her voice laced with a mix of awe and exasperation. She leaned back slightly, shaking her head as if trying to grasp the reality of the situation.... because to them, it was just a myth that disappeared 1000 years ago.
"The world never ceases to surprise ," Aria finally muttered.
The tension that had lingered between them earlier slowly lted away as the group burst into laughter. That brief mont of humor seed to erase the uneasiness from before, replacing it with a much lighter and more enjoyable atmosphere. As ti passed, they found themselves sharing bits and pieces of their pasts, recounting the struggles they had endured and the paths they had walked.
There was sothing almost comforting about it—this exchange of experiences, their voices carrying both pain and resilience. It was as if, in this mont, they were truly connecting. However, amidst all these shared mories and stories, there was one na that never surfaced—Aether.
It wasn't as though they had forgotten about him, nor was it that they had nothing to say. It was simply... unspoken.
As if speaking of him was sothing sacred, sothing ant only for themselves and no one else.
After all, they were possessive by nature. No matter what, they would never share mories of Aether with anyone. He was theirs and theirs alone, and the idea of letting soone else claim even the slightest piece of him was simply out of the question.
.... Maybe it was because they still felt like strangers to each other. Maybe that was why none of them had the urge to bring it up.
Or perhaps... it was sothing deeper than that, sothing that would remain unchanged no matter how much ti passed.
Either way, it didn't matter.
"I still can't believe it... Alaric was torturing you all this ti? What the hell is wrong with him?" Thalia muttered, her voice thick with horror as her gaze flickered toward Raven.
Aria's expression darkened, and she nodded, "Yeah," she confird, her voice carrying an edge of sothing cold and unyielding.
Even Thalia looked disturbed. "I never expected him to be like that..." she admitted, her brows drawing together.
"You know him, right? Since you are the pervious chosen one." Liora asked, her curiosity evident as she turned toward Thalia.
Thalia exhaled slowly, tapping her fingers on the table as if gathering her thoughts. "Not personally, no," she admitted, "but I've seen him around. He used to hang out with Master Snape and... even sotis with Isadora." She paused for a mont as a mory resurfaced. "Now that I think about it... yeah, there was this one ti when he asked for advice on how to approach Isadora."
She suddenly let out a chuckle before dramatically mimicking a lovestruck fool, her voice rising into an exaggeratedly high-pitched tone. "Ahhh~, you should have seen his face. He looked like so hopeless maiden in love~"
Liora and Aria couldn't hold back their laughter, both of them already picturing the ridiculousness of it. Just the thought of Alaric acting that way was absurd, yet sohow, they could completely imagine it.
Raven suddenly smirked and said, "Like soone I know?" Her sharp gaze flickered toward Thalia, the teasing tone in her voice impossible to miss.
Thalia's cheeks flushed a deep red, and she imdiately coughed, clearly flustered. "A-Anyway," she hurriedly changed the subject, her voice slightly strained as she turned to Aria. "So? What exactly did you want to ask?"
Aria, who had just been recovering from her laughter, gradually cald herself before shaking her head. A soft smile graced her lips as she exhaled, her voice carrying a gentle warmth. "I think... I already got my answer."
Both Thalia and Raven frowned slightly at her response, exchanging confused glances before ultimately shrugging it off.
It wasn't that Aria was trying to keep anything hidden... If anything, she was simply trying to understand them better.
That was all!
She was doing what she was supposed to do when another woman married her hubby, she wanted get so points saying she was being good.
Because she knew one thing for certain—Aether wasn't the kind of man who played around with won.
He wasn't soone who indulged in aningless pleasure. Everything he did, every action he took, was for a reason....
Whether it was for his survival or the protection of those around him, there was always a purpose behind his choices.
He wasn't so man who lusted after countless won just to take them to bed. If anything, he was the complete opposite. Aria was certain that Aether wouldn't even touch a woman unless she truly wanted him to.
Even if she were his lover, he would never force himself upon her.
That much, she believed in with all her heart!!
However, what about the won he was involved with?
The ones who were his targets?
What if they weren't innocent?
What if they were dangerous?
What if they wanted to harm him?
What if they only wanted to use him for their own gain?
What if they betrayed him?
What if...
There were too many possibilities, too many uncertainties.
She knew Aether wasn't naive enough to be easily fooled by a woman, but at the sa ti... won were dangerous creatures. If a woman was determined enough, she could do anything.... And when a woman was in love, she was more dangerous than any enemy.
Aria knew this well—because she had experienced it herself.
She knew how dark and twisted her own thoughts beca whenever she saw Aether kissing another woman. The sheer rage that boiled within her, the burning jealousy that made her want to rip that woman's lips right off her face.
But she had held herself back. She had swallowed those emotions because, more than anything, she wanted Aether to be happy; he was doing his best!
Seeing him smile, seeing him tease her and laugh—that was what truly made her day.
So long as those other won didn't hurt him, she wouldn't interfere.
But if anyone dared to harm him in the na of love... she wouldn't hesitate.
Of course, if Aether ever suffered heartbreak, she would do everything in her power to soothe him, to comfort his poor, wounded soul. After all, he was the most adorable thing when he buried his face against her chest, suckling on her like a needy child.. her nipple would turn hard as her hand slowly moved down to hold the holy grai--
Her cheeks turned hot at the mory, and she quickly shook her head, waving a hand in front of her face as if trying to dispel the heat rising to her ears.
Anyway, looking at Thalia and Raven, she could tell they weren't the type to betray Aether like that.
Especially given the painful past-
Wait?
Her thoughts ca to a sudden halt, her eyes widening as she glanced around at each and every one of them.
"Oh my god," she whispered, her voice filled with realization.
The others imdiately perked up at her reaction.
"What?"
"What is it?"
"Hmm?"
The trio stared at her with curious expressions, waiting for her to explain.
Aria swallowed hard before speaking. "I-It's just... we've all suffered. We've all been broken in the past!"
Thalia frowned, her expression skeptical at first. "Well, of course..." she started, but then sothing clicked in her mind. Her gaze shifted toward Liora, then Aria, then Raven, and finally, back to herself.
Her face suddenly went deadpan.
"Don't tell ... that bastard is collecting broken toys?"
...
...
anwhile,
The sa Collector was making his way through the house, his footsteps light yet purposeful as he reached Maelona's room. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
Silence.
"Maelona? Are you there?" Aether called out, his voice calm but expectant as he knocked again.
Still, there was no response.
His brows furrowed slightly. He waited a few monts before knocking again, this ti with more insistence.
Knock, knock.
Yet again—nothing.
Aether's frown deepened. "Why aren't you answering? Are you ignoring ? Or... are you angry?" His voice lowered slightly, a hint of concern seeping through as he called out once more. "Maelona?"
Still, no reply.
Aether exhaled sharply. He reached for the doorknob, prepared to push it open. However—
"No way… I am NOT falling for that cliché," Aether muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the door like it was so kind of trap.
He wasn't an idiot. He had seen enough situations like this—so poor fool barging into a room, only to end up witnessing sothing he absolutely wasn't supposed to see.
A girl mid-change?
Stepping out of the bathroom dripping wet?
A towel slipping at just the right mont? Or worse, stepping out of the shower with nothing!!
That overused trope?
Yeah, he knew exactly how this played out.
He wasn't falling for that shit.
He wasn't about to let fate make a fool out of him.
His lips curled into a smirk. "I am advanced," he declared proudly, placing a hand on his chest like he had just achieved enlightennt.
Instead of storming in blindly, he activated his skill. The mont it flared to life, his pupils glowed a sharp crimson, shifting his vision into the layered hues of a blood-red world.
Through the walls, he could see it—an outline. A human figure pressed tightly against the farthest corner of the room. The shape wasn't moving, but the erratic rhythm of its heartbeat pulsed in his vision like a flashing alarm.
Aether's grin faded slightly. His eyebrows lifted in curiosity.
'Why is she standing like that? She looks like they just saw a ghost…?'
Frowning, he stepped forward and rapped his knuckles against the door again. "I know you're in there. Co out," he called.
No response.
Aether sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright, I'm coming in!"
But—he didn't.
Instead, he stood there.
"I entered," he said, lying just to see if the figure reacted.
Still nothing.
'Hah! Knew it. If she was changing, she would've scread by now.'
Satisfied with his deduction, he finally twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.
And there she was—Maelona, standing in the corner, completely still, her expression unreadable.
Aether sighed in relief, his worry lting away. "Why the hell were you ignoring ? Do you know how creepy that looked? I thought sothing happened to you," he huffed, already making his way toward her. "What happened to you? Why are you just standing there like you've seen a ghost? Are you okay? You're not possessed, right? Blink twice if—"
Before he could finish, sothing suddenly yanked at his leg!
"What the—?"
His eyes widened as the world tilted.
Thud!
In the span of a second, he tripped, stumbled forward in the most ungraceful way possible, and went rolling straight toward Maelona like a human tumbleweed.
And then—
"Hmm~"
A soft, very suggestive moan echoed in the room.
"...Huh?"
Aether froze mid-collapse.
Sothing was wrong... Very, very wrong.
His brain was still catching up, trying to piece together what had just happened, when—
'Wait. What… what is my hand touching?'
Aether's entire body stiffened.
Sothing soft. Warm. Plush.
Oh no.
Oh shit!!
Slowly, as if moving in slow motion, he dared to look down.
And there it was.
His hand.
Firmly.
Sinking.
Right.
Onto.
Maelona's busty boobs.
"...."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Aether's soul nearly left his body.
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