Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1156: Broken Samsara: Part-1

As soon as the urgent announcement echoed,

Nyx frowned deeply, her sharp senses instantly picking up the tension behind it. It had never happened before—Her Majesty summoning her so abruptly.

Something serious must have occurred. She needed Nyx—now. With a small smile, Nyx turned toward Aether, who was watching her closely.

”Stay here. I’ll go and see what’s going on.”

Before she could move, Aether reached out, his fingers gently wrapping around her wrist. His grip wasn’t forceful, but it was firm—almost pleading.

”Can I come with you?” he asked, his tone soft but earnest.

Nyx’s expression tightened as she shook her head. ”You don’t need to get involved, Aether. This is...”

”This is important to you,” he interrupted, cutting her off, his voice stronger now. ”And I’m your husband, Nyx.”

She stared at him, taken aback by the stubborn fire in his eyes. He wasn’t backing down. Not this time.

Was this really the same Aether who used to listen around her?

With a soft sigh, Nyx rubbed her forehead and gave a small shake of her head. ”Fine. But you better not cause any trouble. Just... follow my lead.”

Aether’s face lit up with a soft smile. He leaned in, wrapping his arms around her for a brief, gentle hug before pulling away and heading toward the door.

Nyx blinked in surprise, a flicker of warmth rising in her chest. Ever since that night—when he saw a side of her no one else had—he had started behaving differently. She couldn’t quite place it, but... something had shifted between them.

Maybe he had begun to understand her. Maybe he’d seen a glimpse of who she really was beneath it all.

Whatever the reason, Nyx could sense his subtle boldness now—and strangely, she didn’t mind it.

She gave a small shrug and stepped out of the room, her boots echoing on the polished floor. As she moved down the hallway, she caught sight of Aether again, this time standing in front of Nightfire.

The grey-haired girl stood with arms crossed and a clearly dissatisfied scowl on her face.

”I’m not coming,” she said flatly, her voice cold and final.

Aether raised an eyebrow, then nodded with a slightly defeated look. Still, he reached out and gently patted her head.

”I am not your pet!” Nightfire snapped, her cheeks flushing red with anger.

She bared her teeth like a furious feline, glaring up at him.

Aether laughed softly and turned to Nyx. ”Can she stay here? I mean... she clearly doesn’t want to come.”

Nyx glanced at Nightfire, her expression unreadable but faintly indifferent. Nightfire bowed her head slightly, a sheen of sweat visible on her forehead. It was clear she didn’t want to argue in front of Nyx.

”If that’s what you want, then... fine,” Nyx replied with a shrug, walking past without another glance.

Aether gave Nightfire’s head one last pat—an act that made her face contort with rage. With a low growl, she suddenly lunged and bit his hand, cat-like and precise.

”Ow—seriously?!” Aether winced, yanking his hand back.

Still grumbling under his breath, he followed Nyx.

****

Within the towering, obsidian-black marble throne room of the Umbrionis Void Empire, the grand crisis council was already in heated debate.

Lord Galen—uncle of Lia—slammed his fist on the round table, veins bulging on his hand.

”This is madness! The Grace cannot just vanish into nothing. Do any of you realise what this actually means?”

His voice echoed across the chamber, silencing a few murmurs.

Across the table, Morgana, draped in flowing azure silk, tilted her head coldly,

”You think shouting will change reality, Galen?” she said coolly. ”I have seen it with my own eyes. The soul-streams have stilled. The flow has stopped. The dead are no longer passing through. If we don’t act soon, the boundary between life and death will shatter.”

Another noble, seated near the end of the table, leaned forward with a grim expression. ”The dead have already begun to linger near the sacred gates. If the cycle has failed, their numbers will keep growing. Do you expect us to trap them inside the empire’s walls?”

A scribe murmured while scribbling furiously into a glowing record-scroll, ”For now, the Soulwardens are holding them back... but for how long? The balance is already slipping.”

As the tense discussion continued,

Empress Mary sat in silence upon her high throne as she watched them silently as she lost in his thoughts.

A steward bowed deeply and announced in a clear, formal tone,

”Lady Nyx Shadowfall and her... consort have arrived, Majesty.”

The heavy doors groaned open as Nyx entered first, her head held high, her expression composed and proud.

Right behind her, Aether stepped in—his pace unhurried, his expression casual.

The room fell into a hushed silence, save for a sharp intake of breath from Lord Galen.

”What is this filth doing here?” Galen hissed, rising so suddenly his ornate chair clattered to the floor behind him. ”Who allowed this—this outsider to stand in the presence of the throne?”

Aether met his furious glare head-on, completely unfazed. ”I’m not an outsider. I’m Nyx’s husband,” he said plainly, pulling Nyx gently by the hips to stand at his side. His hand lingered on her waist as he added, ”That gives me every right to be here.”

And inwardly, his thoughts turned sharply.

’Wait... isn’t he... Lia’s uncle?’ Recognising the familiar features in Galen’s face, Aether’s gaze subtly shifted toward Morgana.

Morgana’s ocean blue eyes widened for a fleeting moment, then narrowed with the hint of something mischievous. She and Aether locked eyes briefly. He gave her a cheeky wink, and her lips twitched.

Galen sputtered, fists clenched, his voice rising. ”Marriage or not, you—”

Mary’s voice sliced through the room like a drawn blade. ”Enough... We don’t have time for petty outbursts. Focus on the crisis at hand.”

Nyx’s eyes shifted between Aether and the Empress. Though tension was etched in her posture, her voice remained steady. ”Your Majesty... What has happened?”

Mary leaned forward slightly, her tone low and grim.

”The Grace is gone, Nyx. The Cycle of Samsara is failing. I can no longer sense the movement of souls. Already, the borderlands are haunted by the restless dead—spirits that cannot cross over. If this continues much longer, the separation between life and death will collapse completely.”

Nyx’s eyes widened, her breath catching. She took a small step back, genuine shock washing over her face. Her lips parted, struggling to form words.

”Gone? But... that’s not possible. The Grace is the core of our empire. It governs the flow of all things. Without it—”

”Without it, we are finished,” Morgana said flatly, with a finality that made the room fall cold.

Aether, who had been absorbing all of this with a growing sense of dread, swallowed hard. He raised his hand slightly, his voice cracking a little as he spoke.

”S-So let me get this straight. People are dying, but their souls are just... stuck? Like, they’re just floating around? Haunting everyone?”

The nobles turned to him with visible contempt, clearly offended by his tone or presence—yet none of them answered. All except Morgana.

She turned her sharp eyes on him and said, ”Worse. These souls will lose their sense of self. They will become twisted, consumed by desperation. Eventually, they will attack the living—driven not by malice, but by a need to exist again. If the cycle collapses entirely, the dead will flood every corner of the empire.”

Aether paled, visibly shaken. ”That’s... yeah, that’s really not good,” he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead, trying to keep his nerves in check.

Mary stood from her throne, her gaze sweeping across the council.

”Since we don’t yet know whether the Grace has vanished entirely or simply become dormant... we will address that later. For now, our priority is to restore the cycle’s flow.”

She turned to Nyx directly, her voice steady and commanding.

”The reason I summoned you is because you understand this better than any of us. Life and death... the passage of souls. You have studied what others fear. Tell us what we must do.”

Nyx closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, then slowly opened them and nodded.

”I need to visit the Cycle of Samsara directly. I have to see it with my own eyes.”

Immediately, Galen stepped forward and roared, ”That’s impossible! We cannot allow you to enter! It’s forbidden! Even the Empress needs Grace’s approval to access it!”

Other nobles murmured in agreement, their voices rising in protest.

Nyx met their outrage with cold clarity. Her voice was blunt, without hesitation.

”I know it’s a restricted zone. I know even Her Majesty requires permission to enter. But tell me—do we really have a choice right now?”

The chamber grumbled with displeasure, but her words struck a chord.

Mary stared at Nyx in silence for a long moment before giving a single nod. ”Fine. You may go. But I will accompany you myself.”

A small smile touched Nyx’s lips at that declaration.

However, Mary continued, her voice suddenly sharp. ”But we cannot allow your husband to join us.”

Aether’s expression twitched. He clenched his teeth, growling silently—but then smirked and muttered under his breath,

”You’re going with her, right? Then... Lia will be all alone—”

”Yeah, He can come too,”

Mary said abruptly, cutting him off with no hesitation, barely holding her off not to tear him apart.

The entire room blinked in stunned silence, eyes wide in disbelief.

Aether grinned broadly and turned to face the council. His gaze paused on Galen, his smile curling wider as he looked the man directly in the eye, thoroughly enjoying the horror on the noble’s face.