Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1008: I really Love him...

Aetherʼs gaze had shifted to something on the ground—Xaraʼs creation, the one that had died.

It was like a child... that had just been born... and died.

To be honest, Aether didnʼt really care much about the creature itself—it was just another piece of the madness... but it wasnʼt just any creature.

It was Xaraʼs creation. She had crafted it with her own hands. Her very breath, her very essence, had gone into shaping it.

And now, it lay there, severed and broken, dead by her own doing.

Aether sighed deeply, feeling a strange weight pressing down on him like a thousand silent voices whispering inside his chest. ʼI hate myself sometimes,ʼ he thought.

Though he had played a wicked part in all of this, he couldnʼt help but feel something stir in his chest. Somewhere deep within him, there was a soft spot—a place for everything and everyone.

A hidden warmth even the worst sins couldnʼt quite kill.

After all, wasnʼt this the truth of it? You canʼt be good and bad at the same time.

Both sides would tear you apart.

Do the deed and feel guilt... that would always tear everyone inside. The heart wasnʼt built to bear both light and shadow without screaming.

You would be either good or bad... not both.

The world didnʼt let you escape that simple reality. It forced you to choose, and if you refused... it punished you.

Still, Aether was walking on the balance of both. He always had been. With one foot dipped in ruin and the other in love.

With a slow, deliberate movement, Aether waved his hand, and the ground trembled slightly. A rectangular space opened before him, and without hesitation, he moved toward the headless body of the creature.

He carefully lifted the lifeless form, cradling it gently in his arms like it still meant something, and placed it into the space he had created. Then he picked up the severed head, his hands trembling ever so slightly, and positioned it near the body, aligning it as if to offer some kind of final peace—like reuniting the soul to its vessel.

Xaraʼs voice broke the silence.

”What are you doing?” she asked, her tone filled with confusion, disbelief, and the kind of tiredness that made your bones ache. Her voice cracked faintly, though she tried to keep it firm.

She had almost forgotten about the moment the creature died—it hadnʼt affected her the way it perhaps should have.

Her heart had locked the pain away, refused to look.

She had been too numb to react.

Aether, his eyes soft but firm, stared down at her creation for a long moment. Then he lifted his gaze, meeting hers,

”I donʼt know,” he said, his voice low and thoughtful, layered with pain. ”But I believe... this was your creation. You worked so hard for it. You brought it into being with your own hands, your dreams, your spirit. And... in a way, itʼs like your child.”

He stepped closer to her, his voice gentler now, deeper. ”As a man who loves you, who cares for you with everything in me... I need to do my part. I need to offer my respect... the way itʼs needed. I need to help you mourn it, even if you wonʼt let yourself feel it yet.”

He paused, his expression growing sombre, the sorrow in his eyes quiet but immense. ”Let the child rest in peace,” he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion.

He took some sand in his hand, holding it as if it carried meaning, weight, memory. He poured it slowly on the body... Each grain fell like a prayer, like an apology.

Then he offered it to Xara, his hand open.

She looked at it, frozen. Her lips trembled.

”I... I cannot...” she whispered, biting her lips.

Aether stared at her, saying nothing. His silence was a comfort, not a judgment.

Aether simply sighed inwardly. He understood. He always did.

With a final, graceful gesture, he waved his hand once more. The earth trembled softly and closed over the creature, sealing it into the ground, burying it completely—returning it to the silence from which it came.

Xara stood motionless, watching him in silence. His eyes locked on the place where the creature disappeared. She could feel the sadness in the air, thick and heavy, though she didnʼt fully understand it. Not yet.

The weight of his actions, his gesture—it spoke volumes. It carved itself into her like a slow-burning brand. Yet she still couldnʼt comprehend the depths of his feelings for her. Not fully. Not entirely.

But something inside her stirred.

Her heart fluttered with an emotion she couldnʼt place, didnʼt want to name, but it lingered. It warmed her chest and made her feel like crying for no reason.

She knew one thing:

He was not like anyone else. He wasnʼt perfect. He was broken, conflicted, damaged in ways even she couldnʼt grasp. But he understood her in ways she never thought possible.

In her worst, he stayed.

Her lips gently curved upward, a small, bittersweet smile playing on her face. It wasnʼt joy. It wasnʼt peace... But it was something close.

Was this karma, she wondered? If so, she found herself unexpectedly grateful for it. Because in all her chaos and violence, in all her twisted cruelty, someone still saw her. Someone still loved her.

To be understood... to have someone who truly saw her—the good and the bad, the wicked and the fragile, the creator and the destroyer.

It was a rare kind of love.

Aether turned, preparing to leave, but before he could take another step, something unexpected happened—something that caught him completely off guard.

Xara moved.

Without a word, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind, her embrace sudden and trembling. Her body pressed against his back, warm and desperate, as if trying to hold together the fragments of her heart with his presence alone.

Aether blinked in surprise, freezing for a moment as he felt her breath against his shoulder, soft and uneven. His hands instinctively reached up, his fingers brushing over the pale arms now locked around his torso. Her grip was firm but shaking, clinging like she might vanish if she let go.

”Xara?” His voice was a quiet murmur, a mix of confusion, tenderness, and something deeper—something raw. He tilted his head slightly, trying to see her from the corner of his eye.

She didnʼt speak at first.

Then, in a voice so low and fragile it nearly broke him, she whispered, ”I... I really love you, Aether.”

The words landed like a blade made of silk—soft, beautiful, and yet sharp enough to cut through every barrier. Her voice carried an emotion she rarely allowed to surface, and a single tear rolled down her cheek, carving a path through the dust on her face.

It glittered faintly in the moonless light, trailing down like a piece of her soul had escaped.

He made her feel everything... He awakened something in her heart that she had long buried. For she who once believed herself to be nothing—empty, cruel, hollow—he gave her meaning. He made her understand that even the broken could be loved.

He made her feel like she was someone.... and thatʼs all she needed!

!~Ding~!

[Survival rate: 89.3%↑ ]

!~Ding~!

[Congratulations on Completing the Mission: Seduce Xara Seraphine]

!~Ding~!

[Reward: 50,000 Affection Points]

!~Ding~!

[Xara Seraphine has reached the threshold and is now removed from the Affection List!]

!~Ding~!

[Reward: Skill: Blood Thirsty Berserk]

ʼOi… I didnʼt even receive a single affection from her?ʼ Aether blinked in disbelief, still processing the Logʼs announcements. His arms were still around Xara, her presence still pressed into him, and yet… not even a single affection point?

It was almost laughable… and yet it wasnʼt.

He still couldnʼt understand why he could never truly receive her affection.

[Skill: Blood Thirsty Berserk]

[Effect: Upon witnessing blood—whether from allies, enemies, or oneself—the user enters a heightened emotional state. Rage builds rapidly, amplifying combat focus and aggression. The more blood is shed around the user, the more intense and unstable their power becomes.]

[Additional Benefits: In this state, the userʼs killing intent becomes palpable, causing weaker enemies to tremble or hesitate. Emotions such as anger and bloodlust grow uncontrollably, fueling the userʼs desire to destroy enemies without mercy.]

[Limitations: The skill gradually erodes rational thought as rage builds, making the user prone to reckless or indiscriminate attacks. Prolonged use may lead to mental fatigue, emotional instability, or collapse once the rage fades. Allies may be seen as enemies in extreme berserk conditions.]

[Cooldown: 7 days.]

ʼThatʼs… very dangerous,ʼ Aether thought to himself, concern flickering in his gaze.

Then, without another word, he shook his head and teleported them both away from that place.

Once everyone had left… the atmosphere slowly returned to its natural state, the tension melting into stillness.

The surroundings grew calm… silent… untouched.

Zzzzz~

A gentle breeze flowed through the grass as it danced under the night sky, soft and cold, brushing against the remnants of what happened here.

Ssslll~

Just then… a strange white smoke appeared, curling out of nowhere like a ghost whispering through the dark... It slithered in silence before the very burial that had just taken place.

And from within the white smoke, a long, slender leg stepped out.

The figure was cloaked entirely in a deep purplish-black hoodie... They stood still for a moment.

Then, as the figure slowly raised its arm, the creature that had been buried—Xaraʼs creation—suddenly emerged from the ground, hovering before it, suspended unnaturally.

There was no head.

Just the lifeless body.

”Looks like Mother did her part already… Hmm.”

A gentle voice echoed in the empty plain, soft yet chilling. It was hard to tell whether the voice belonged to a man or woman—only that it carried an eerie serenity.

And then, with a subtle flicker of light, both the purplish-black hooded figure and Xaraʼs creation vanished, swallowed into thin air as if they had never been there.

Zzzzzz~

Again, the breeze returned, soft and indifferent, caressing the land like nothing had happened.