"???"
"???"
Both Aether and Delphine were perplexed, their minds filled with question marks as they struggled to comprehend why Selene was looking at Aether with such a shocked and oddly... happy expression?
"Selene?" Delphine gently patted her niece's shoulder, seeking to bring her back to the present.
"H-uh?" Selene snapped out of her thoughts, clearing her throat awkwardly before turning her attention to Ether, "I never heard you had an Arcane Card," she stated, her voice laced with surprise and curiosity.
Before Aether could respond, Delphine interjected, "Because no one knew except your father, that old man, and his butler."
"I see..." Selene nodded slowly, her expression shifting as a whirlwind of emotions danced in her eyes.
Then, with a sudden change in demeanour, she addressed Aether again, her tone filled with a strange mix of admonition and something else, "Be grateful! Hmph!!" With that, she turned on her heel and began to walk away, leaving Aether utterly baffled.
"???" Once again surrounded by question marks, Aether couldn't fathom what Selene meant by her cryptic words. 'Grateful? What does it mean, girl?' he wondered, his thoughts swirling.
Meanwhile, Delphine, though intrigued by her niece's behaviour, decided to proceed with her initial inquiry. "Anyhow, show me your log," she asked, her expression serious. Selene, now curious herself, halted in her tracks and returned to join them.
Delphine didn't mind, as she was also curious when she heard her father barking orders like a dog, requesting her assistance in this matter.
"You name?" Aether asked, though he already knew. He just wanted to confirm.
"Delphine Frostblade and..." Delphine glanced at her niece, who appeared equally curious, before continuing, "Selene Frostblade."
Aether nodded and touched the log, muttering both of their names before proceeding,
/
Name: Ether
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Level: 0
Title: Slave [Master: Kai Frostblade]
Attributes:
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 5
Magic Affinity: 0
Charm: 1
/
"What did it say?" Aether inquired, his curiosity piqued by the unfamiliarity of how his catalogued Log functioned to others unlike to him.
"Hmm? Not bad, I guess? Strength is 1, Agility is 1, Intelligence is 5, Charm is 1, and Magic Affinity is 0... Not bad at all," Delphine responded, nodding with a deep understanding of the attributes presented.
Upon observing this new data, Selene furrowed her brow, her eyes momentarily flickering with uncertainty before regaining composure.
'Hmm... Interesting,' Aether mused as he examined his own True Log, paying particular attention to the attributes listed,
/
Attributes:
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 10
Magic Affinity: 0
Charm: 2
Affection Points: 05003 (1000 Affection Points = 1 *any Attributes)
/
'So, it displays half of my progress...?' Aether concluded, nodding in acknowledgement, 'Good to know..'
Then, as if on cue, Delphine glided closer to him, her movements graceful yet purposeful, her intent clear as she reached out to touch him without seeking his consent.
Her gentle, exploring hands traced a path across his skin, starting with his fingers and moving with deliberate slowness over his wrist, forearms, and biceps, each caress leaving a tantalizing trail of sensation in its wake. They lingered on his chest, mapping the contours of his muscles, before descending to his abdomen, where they paused, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Aether.....
"!!!" Aether's mind jolted into awareness, registering the unexpected sensation coursing through his body and just about to stop her,
'Slap'
The sound reverberated through the air, jarring in its abruptness.
"W-What are you doing?!" Selene's voice pierced the tense silence, her words trembling with a mix of shock and indignation as she instinctively shielded her flushed face from view.... Heat radiated from her skin, her embarrassment almost tangible, like wisps of smoke curling from her heated cheeks.
"I am just checking to see what kind of training I should give him," Delphine muttered, her expression a mix of amusement and mischief as she observed Selene's innocent reaction.
'Ahh... It's good to be young,' Delphine mused silently, a wistful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
However, for Aether, the situation wasn't amusing in the slightest. Despite inhabiting the body of a teenage boy, he was, in reality, a nearly 30-year-old man, and the invasion of his personal space left him feeling deeply humiliated.
"Ms. Delphine, I believe it's common courtesy to ask before touching someone," Aether asserted, his voice laced with a hint of irritation as he distanced himself from Delphine, his brow furrowed in displeasure.... He didn't someone touching his body without permission.
A small red hue crept onto Delphine's cheeks as she defiantly declared, "I am not going to say sorry... Since we own you," her words landed with the precision of an arrow, piercing Aether's heart.
A stark reminder he was still a Slave... Eternal Slave!!
"Don't you dare touch hi-- I mean touch anyone without permission!" Selene's voice rang out, her interruption cutting through the tension like a sharp blade.
Delphine frowned at her niece's boldness, her brows knitting together in a mixture of irritation and bemusement. She felt a pang of annoyance at Selene's interference, She was just doing her job.... Nothing More!!
Still, Delphine couldn't help but think something wrong about her niece but she held back from articulating her thoughts, realizing that she wasn't Selene's mother and therefore had no authority to reprimand her.
"Let's go... Aunt," Selene urged, her grip firm as she pulled Delphine along with her.
"W-Wait, I need t-- 'Aunt?'"
Delphine's surprise was evident in her expression, her features frozen in a moment of stunned realization as the unexpected title registered in her mind after such a long absence.
Despite the initial shock, a gentle smile spread across Delphine's face, softening the lines of her features as she allowed herself to be led by Selene without resistance. It's been years since her niece happily called 'Aunt'. She couldn't help but be more happy!!
Aether watched as Selene and Delphine departed, their figures disappearing into the distance. With a nonchalant shrug, he turned his gaze upward, his eyes scanning the vast expanse of the sky above him as he muttered, "I am really in another world..." He drew in a deep breath, savouring the unfamiliar air that filled his lungs.
'Chrip, Chrip'
The melodic trill of birdsong reached Aether's ears, a soothing reminder of nature's presence. Watching as the birds flitted about, he noticed them preparing to return to their nests.
Seizing the opportunity to earn some favour, Aether reached into his pocket and retrieved a few pieces of bread he had secretly stored, tossing them towards the feathered creatures in an attempt to garner some affection points. And soon, with a sense of satisfaction.... he decided to run away.
"Yeah, let's escape," Aether muttered with a smirk, though uncertainty clouded his mind about his current location. He had a vague sense of direction, recalling a few streets that led to the forest and other slum areas where he might find refuge.
And with that, he left the decision about his future to his future self, trusting that he would find a way to navigate the challenges ahead.
Aether slowly searched for any back doors, his hopes dwindling as he found none unlike the familiar layout of the restaurant in his own world. Frustrated and with no other options left, he attempted to sneak out through the front door.
However,
"Excuse me, Mr. Slave," a receptionist interrupted his movements with a stern tone.
"O-Oh! Hello, Beautiful lady, M-My Master asked me to buy--" Aether stammered, his attempt at deception cut short by the swift response of the receptionist.
"We will arrange delivery for them," she interjected firmly, her demeanour leaving no room for argument as if she already knew of his intentions.
".... Well, My Master--" Aether tried to salvage the situation, but he was swiftly silenced by a single word from the receptionist,
"Guards"
Two heavily armed soldiers suddenly came.
Aether's heart sank as he realized the futility of his escape attempt. With a defeated sigh, he closed his mouth and reluctantly returned to his assigned room.
"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath, frustration boiling over as he accepted defeat for the second time.
But deep down, a flicker of determination ignited within him, a silent vow that one day, he would break free.... but he didn't know when it would be.
Anyhow,
Aether discovered the rooms designated for slaves. Despite their larger size, he noted the absence of furniture.
"I mean, it's twice the size of my room back at the mansion," Aether muttered, his words tinged with a hint of disbelief.
'Sniff, Sniff'
"What the fuck is this shit!!"
However, his thoughts were interrupted by an unpleasant odour that assaulted his senses, causing him to instinctively cover his nose in distaste. Unable to bear the stench, he quickly retreated, opting to spend the night under the open sky on the terrace instead.
.....
...
The next morning,
Delphine's gaze swept over the group, her expression tensed, "Where is that boy?" she inquired, her eyes resting on Kai, Selene, and Timmy.
"Timmy?" Kai murmured urgently to Timmy, prompting him to take action.
Without hesitation, Timmy dashed into the hotel to search for Aether.
After what felt like an eternity, Timmy returned, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. "-Ha-He-ah- he is not-ha- here," he managed to gasp out between breaths.
"Not here? What do you mean? He didn't sleep with you guys?" Delphine's brow furrowed in confusion.
"W-Well..." Timmy's smile was strained as he glanced nervously at Kai.
"Kai?" Delphine's tone was insistent, her gaze fixed on her nephew.
"O-Okay, Okay... I didn't want him to enter my room with his filthy clothes, so I asked him to sleep in the Slave Area," Kai admitted truthfully, a sense of frustration evident in his inner thoughts as he silently cursed, 'Where the hell is that bastard?'
"You let him sleep in the Slave Area?" Delphine's frown deepened, her confusion growing as she struggled to comprehend Kai's actions.
"Do you know how many people have died in that rotten room?" Delphine's eyes blazed with anger as she confronted Kai.
Indeed, the slave quarters were notorious for their squalid conditions, where hygiene was often neglected and death was not uncommon among the inhabitants.
It might not be shocked if they saw Aether's rotten dead body in there.
Yet,
Kai's response was blunt, pointing an accusatory finger at Delphine, "It's your fault, Aunt! You brought us here to fight, not to relax and have a picnic! And there's no way I would allow a slave to sleep in the same room as me!"
Realizing it wasn't the time to argue, Delphine swiftly disappeared, scouring the hotel grounds in a matter of seconds before returning with a hint of nervousness in her voice, "He isn't in the hotel... They said they didn't see anyone leaving the hotel!!"
Selene face turned pale.
"Kai, look at me and try to establish a connection," Delphine urged, grasping Kai's shoulder with a calm tone, trying not to pressure him too much because he was the only one to find the Aether.
Delphine entertained the thought that Aether might have already attempted to run away. However, she knew that the hotel they were staying in was not easy to sneak out of, especially considering Aether's physical condition. With his weakened body, she doubted he would be able to overpower the heavy guards and escape without alerting anyone.
"Tsk," Kai clicked his tongue irritably, closing his eyes in an attempt to focus on the connection between them, but before he could fully concentrate, he was interrupted by a sudden fit of coughing.
"Cough, Cough"
Bloodstained Kai's lips and Delphine's expression turned grim....
An internal injury means...
.... Aether was in Danger!!