Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1458: Do you know what Torture is? Part-2

”When did you wake up? Are you alright? Is your body fine... wait, you look a little healthier. How is that possible? You just woke up, right? Or... did you wake up earlier and not tell me?” Her voice echoed in the lap.

”Those bitches. I should have known. They forgot about me again. Fucking assholes... Sniff, Sniff... ” She sniffed hard, rubbing her nose.

”Even my own daughter didn’t inform me. I... I am so sad.” Her eyes darted over him desperately.

”Aether? What happened? Why aren’t you speaking? Is this just my imagination again?” Her breath hitched sharply. ”Oh shit... did I finally lose my mind?”

Xara clutched her head, fingers digging into her hair, horror twisting her expression as if the last fragile thread of sanity had snapped.

She could see Aether clearly, feel the warmth of his body beneath her touch, yet his silence terrified her more than death itself. Her heart pounded violently. Seeing him without hearing him felt wrong.

Maybe this was it. Maybe her mind had finally broken under the weight of everything she had done.

She felt herself tipping over the edge.

”Why don’t you talk about this thing first?”

Aether’s voice cut through her thoughts. As he stared blankly at the thing before him.

Xara froze. Her eyes widened as she blinked again and again, disbelief washing over her.

He spoke... He really spoke!!

He was here... Truly here!

”I-It’s really you?” Her lips trembled as the words escaped, fragile and uncertain, as though saying them too loudly might make him disappear again.

Aether noticed the quiver in her voice. His expression softened immediately as he turned toward her.

He nodded gently, lifting his hand toward her, ”Of course it’s me. Come here, my darling,” he said, warmth threading through his voice as his arms closed around her, slow and careful, pulling her against him.

His embrace surrounded her completely, made her feel alive and solid... leaving no room for doubt.

Xara’s body shuddered violently as she pressed herself into him.

The simple act of holding him, of feeling his warmth and steady presence, loosened the crushing pain she had carried in her chest.

It felt as if something broken deep inside her finally began to breathe again.

Tears welled up and spilled over as she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest.

She clung to him desperately, inhaling his scent, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his breathing. The warmth, the gentleness, the way he held her, everything felt exactly the same as before.

That familiarity hurt almost as much as it healed.

Only she knew how difficult it had been to work on Aether.

Only she knew the fear that gnawed at her every second she stood over his unmoving body.

She had never experienced pain like this before, never known what it meant to be afraid of her own hands.

She had treated patients and test subjects without hesitation, without mercy.

Blood, flesh, suffering, none of it had ever bothered her.

Even when others screamed or begged, she remained detached and cold.

But when she saw him lying there, lifeless and silent, her hands trembled uncontrollably. For the first time, she was terrified to touch someone.

She feared making a mistake.

She feared failing.

She feared losing him forever.

The thought alone made her chest tighten painfully.

Failure had never meant anything to her before. Fail and move on. That was how life worked. That was how she lived, how she judged the worth of existence itself.

But everything shattered the moment he collapsed.

She was not ready.

She was not focused.

She was terrified... in a way she had never been before.

She wanted Sera or Helena to take care of him. But they only understood healing magic, and his body did not respond to such methods. In the end, all eyes turned to Xara. Anatomy, blood, flesh, nerves.

This was her domain and... This was her responsibility, too!

Even Sandra considered summoning her Royal Magician, but deep down, she knew it would change nothing.

No one understood the human body the way Xara did.

No one else could do this.

Xara was the perfect one for the task.

She knew that better than anyone. Yet her fingers lacked their usual confidence, her thoughts felt scattered and fragile.

The certainty she once carried so effortlessly had crumbled, replaced by fear and love intertwined so tightly she could no longer tell them apart.

Those thoughts gnawed at her relentlessly, forcing her to question her own work, her own sanity, and the line she always believed she had crossed long ago. This made her realise something terrifying and fragile at the same time.... Perhaps she was not as insane as she once thought she had become?

Even when her daughter or son fell sick, she could treat them instantly, hands steady, mind clear, without a trace of worry or fear. She never hesitated. Never doubted. But now...

She finally understood how much Aether meant to her, far more than she ever admitted to herself, far more than she ever realised. He was not just someone she cared for. He was the one thing holding her together.

A single tear slipped from her eye as she snuggled deeper into his arms, clinging to him as though letting go might steal him away again.

Aether blinked, noticing the way her shoulders trembled, the way her body leaned heavily into his, seeking reassurance she could not put into words.

’Looks like she’s worse than the others...’ he thought quietly, tightening his embrace around her. He kissed the back of her neck gently, grounding her with his warmth.

”I am fine, darling, and I am sorry for making you worry like this,” he said softly.

Truthfully, Xara had been wearing a façade from the very moment Aether was lost in the Eternal Prison.

She played her role flawlessly, acting cool and composed before everyone. But inside, she was screaming, tearing herself apart piece by piece.

The one person who truly understood her was ripped from her hands. Of course, she was losing her mind. She only managed to hold herself together because of her daughter and the others connected to Aether.

Without them, she would have shattered completely.

If not for that fragile restraint, she would have forced Nyx without hesitation, even if it meant killing her, just to bring Aether back.

Instead, she showed the world only a calm and collected Xara, one who occasionally lashed out but never broke.

That was all anyone ever saw.

They held each other quietly, sharing warmth and gentleness in the silence, as if the world beyond the room no longer existed.

”As much as I would love to hug you for eternity,” Aether said gently, slowly pushing her back just enough to look at her, ”you have to explain this first.” He pointed toward the table.

Xara tilted her head innocently before turning to glance at the table. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she smiled, trying to appear harmless.

”Oh? That’s just an experiment... hehe,” she said with a playful tone and a cute smile.

”You know that won’t work on me. Just tell me the truth,” Aether replied calmly. Her act almost worked, but he refused to let it slide.

He could not... Not after what he saw.

The entire table was filled with blood, thick and dark, floating unnaturally and... a body floated in the blood.

Not just body, but skinned one. Muscles twitched and flickered as they floated, chests submerged deep in the crimson pool.

And that was not all. There were stitches everywhere, as if someone had cut them apart piece by piece and sewn them back together.

What the fuck was going on here?

Why hadn’t Delphine or Emberlyn told him about this?

Did they know about it?... Or was something else happening behind their back?

Seeing that Aether was not falling for her innocent act, Xara let out a quiet sigh, disappointment flickering across her face.

If she had known he would wake up this soon, or even if one of those bitches informed her, she would have hidden it.

But it was already too late.

”Whatever,” Xara muttered as she moved toward the floating body. Her expression slowly shifted into dark, ”You see... the person we caught. That tall one. The last metal thing.” She glanced back at him briefly.

”Did you not hear about that?”

Aether nodded slowly. Of course, he had heard about the creature and the details surrounding its capture, but none of them mentioned anything like this.

There had been no follow-up, no explanation of what happened afterwards.

Xara blinked at him, tilting her head slightly. ”Then they should have told you about the later part... hmm?” Her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted away, eyes unfocused as if she had fallen deep into her own thoughts.

Aether frowned... Later part?

His eyes slowly shifted toward the blood-soaked table. His pupils shrank as his breath caught in his throat.

”...Don’t tell me—”

”Hehe~” Xara suddenly giggled, the sound light and playful with the dangerous gleam in her eyes. She smirked proudly, leaning closer to him.

”Darling really knows me well, doesn’t he?” She winked before spreading her arms dramatically toward the table.

”This thing is the one we caught.

The First Origin Creature!”

Aether raised his eyebrows before shaking his head in disbelief.

”So you just killed it? That’s an utter waste, you know—”

”Nope. Nope. Nope!! Don’t you dare think little of me like that, darling! Hmph!” Xara pouted slightly, her expression exaggeratedly cute.

Aether’s lips twitched, not from annoyance, but from something far more unsettling. She was getting cuter by the day.

Still, He raised an eyebrow slowly. ”You mean... he or she is still alive?”

Xara winked at him again, then casually tapped the creature’s shoulder blade... Real and Exposed bone!

Splash!~

The skinless body suddenly sat upright within the blood-filled table and even more... There was no fucking head.

None at all!

Aether nearly fell backwards as horror slammed into him. His body locked up completely, legs frozen, refusing to obey his mind. The only reason he did not collapse was that sheer shock held him upright due to the previous pain and fear.

Honestly, anyone who witnessed something like this would have lost their sanity on the spot. It looked like something ripped straight out of a nightmare, or worse, a horror film that went too far.

Blood dripped from exposed flesh, muscles twitching violently, flinching and reacting as if driven by instinct alone. Every movement sent ripples through the crimson pool beneath it.

The thing was fucking alive!

Aether swallowed hard, his throat dry, as his gaze slowly shifted away from the abomination. Standing beside it was a woman with a cute face and a wicked smile, her eyes shining with unmistakable pride, as though she had created a masterpiece.

Xara licked her lips sedutively as her eyes glowed with danger, staring deep into him,

”Hehe~ How is it darling~”

”...”

Fuck... He was turned on!