Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 553 Side Story to Main Story - End of Second Trial: Shattered Heart!

Chucck!

Chucckk!

Ravenʼs body was riddled with deep, jagged sword wounds as Noirix continued stabbing her relentlessly with the broken blade.

But Raven didnʼt even flinch. She didnʼt try to resist Noirix, her mind lost in a storm of emotions, spiraling deeper into an.... identity crisis.

She had stolen her younger sisterʼs identity… but why? For what reason?

So that she wouldnʼt be consumed by the crushing loneliness in this world, nothing more and nothing less!

And yet, when she looked into her sisterʼs accusing eyes, saw the hatred and sorrow there, and heard her say sheʼd taken not only her identity but also her very soul… Raven understood. She realized, painfully, that she had never once considered how it felt for her sister.

All sheʼd thought of was escaping her own emptiness. She hadnʼt considered her sister, who clung desperately to her own identity, unwilling to be anyone else.

Noirixʼs cold voice cut through her thoughts, mocking her. ”Come on, big sister… do something. At least try. You just lying there is boring me.” She wore a wicked smile, her eyes glinting as she kept stabbing Raven, enjoying every second.

Ravenʼs vision blurred, but she managed to focus on Noirixʼs face.

After so long, she was seeing her sister up close, her face just as she remembered. A pang of warmth fluttered in her chest, a strange, twisted happiness. ʼM-Maybe… maybe itʼs not so terrible, after all… Seeing her like this one last time,ʼ she thought, just as her strength began to fade and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

But then…

”Oh? Are you really hoping that your beloved Aether will swoop in and save you?” Noirixʼs voice broke through again, her words mocking, dripping with sarcasm. ”Do you think heʼll come for you like a knight rescuing some helpless damsel in distress? Face it, Raven—wake up! No one is coming! Not Thalia, and certainly not that man you put so much hope in. No oneʼs coming to save you at the last moment!”

That name… Aether… Something sparked in her mind, an intense surge of clarity. ʼAether… Ah,ʼ she thought, a bitter truth settling within her.

She knew he wasnʼt coming.

This wasnʼt a fairytale, and she wasnʼt some helpless princess waiting to be saved.

No, that wasnʼt it at all!!

She wasnʼt desperate for rescue—what she wanted, what she truly wanted, was to feel her family around her again, even if she had to face the consequences of her choices.

Even if it meant her sisterʼs hatred.

Aether had once promised her happiness, promised her something beautiful. She was grateful… but did she truly deserve it?

No, she didnʼt.

She had never deserved the love of another, not Thaliaʼs, not Aetherʼs. Not when she was so selfish, so ruthlessly focused on her own needs. She had been using them—Thalia as an anchor and Aether as a fragile hope.

Nothing more!

ʼI donʼt deserve them,ʼ she thought to herself. Blood poured from her mouth as she let out a weak, broken smile. ”I… Iʼm sorry… truly sorry…”

Noirixʼs eyes widened slightly, her expression shifting from amusement to intrigue. ”Well, well… It looks like youʼve finally given up, big sis. About time, donʼt you think? Now then… letʼs end this, once and for all.” Noirixʼs voice held a note of satisfaction as she raised the sword above Ravenʼs heart, ready to drive it down, as Raven watched it descend in a torturously slow, agonizing arc.

And then.... a wave of familiarity washed over her.

This moment… It felt hauntingly familiar, as if sheʼd already been here once before, at this exact point in time.

”Arrgh!” she gasped as a strange sensation flooded her mind, fragments of memories flashing before her eyes.

Something was unlocking within her... Her crimson eye flickered with a faint glow, her phoenix bloodline stirring, and… her surroundings shifted, transforming into a battlefield where monsters clashed all around her.

”W-Whatʼs happening?” she murmured, her voice breathless, disoriented. But then, as if answering her unspoken question, she saw him.

Aether, his face set in fierce, unrestrained fury, glaring at her with an intensity that made her heart pound. ”A-Aether?” she whispered, stunned.

But this Aether was not the man she remembered. His face twisted with anger, his eyes ablaze, as he raised his sword and plunged it into her stomach over and over, his expression a mask of anguish as tears streamed down his face.

”What…?” she gasped, confusion and shock flooding her. She was lost, wondering what this vision meant, but then, she remembered how Aether had once knelt before her, kissing her stomach with a mixture of guilt and love…

[+900 AP]

”Iʼll never leave you, Raven. Believe me”

”You are not alone.... You are Raven—the only Raven I love”

The echo of his words filled her heart, warming her from within, and the vision around her faded, returning to reality just as the sword descended, ready to pierce her heart.

Chucck!

Raven lifted her hand to meet the blade, allowing it to pierce through her palm but stopping it from reaching her heart.

Noirixʼs eyes went wide, caught off guard.

Through gritted teeth, Raven spoke, her voice low but unwavering. ”I am Raven… Pyra Raven. I am my own person…”

Noirix halted, her face shifting from surprise to a twisted smile as she tilted her head. ”Yes, you are the one and only Pyra Raven,” she murmured, her voice darkly approving. Suddenly, a brilliant red light flared, blocking Ravenʼs vision.

In the next moment, her body, covered in gaping cuts and deep wounds, began to heal. Her arms and legs, which had been broken, returned to their natural, unharmed state… Raven felt her strength returning.

Raven blinked in astonishment. ʼWas all of this… just an illusion?ʼ she wondered, looking up, only to notice a small piece of paper drifting in the air above her.

.....

...

The woman who had been hugging Helena held her long, curved axe mere centimeters from piercing Helenaʼs back. Her eyes widened in shock as she abruptly pushed Helena from her embrace.

Helena stumbled backward, clutching a knife that dripped with fresh blood, her face streaked with tears. ”I-Iʼm… Iʼm sorry…” she whispered, her voice choked as she sniffled, struggling to hold back sobs.

The woman looked down, her eyes falling to the growing red stain on her stomach, where Helenaʼs knife had pierced her. ”W-Why?” she stammered, her expression one of wounded disbelief.

Helenaʼs eyes filled with tears as she met the womanʼs gaze. ”B-Because… youʼre not my mother,” she said, her voice wavering but resolute.

She knew her mother had disappeared long ago, never to return. Yes, she missed her deeply, longed for her motherʼs warmth and love… but that didnʼt mean she would accept just anyone as a replacement.

She was young and innocent, but not foolish!

Helena let out a shaky breath. All she had wanted was a single embrace—a fleeting moment of comfort, even if it was from an illusion, even if it wasnʼt real.

The womanʼs face softened momentarily as she gazed at Helena, but then she began to fade, her form dissolving into a blinding, red light that forced Helena to shield her eyes.

As the light dimmed, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Helena wiped her tears and managed a fragile smile. ”One day… Iʼll find my real mother, for sure.” She picked up the piece of paper, clutching it tightly, and began walking back toward the place where everyone had been separated.

....

.....

”Looks like weʼve all been through some kind of nightmare,” Thalia muttered as she saw Raven and Helena approaching. She held up a piece of paper, her face weary but intrigued.

Helenaʼs eyes widened as she noticed the paper. ”You too?” she asked, pulling out her own piece to show Thalia.

Raven stepped closer, lifting a matching fragment of paper in her hand. ”I wonder… what these pieces are supposed to mean,” she murmured, the three of them exchanging glances as they examined each slip of paper.

They noticed that each piece bore a small section of a drawing along the edges.

”It… looks like a puzzle,” Helena said, her eyes brightening with curiosity. She knelt on the ground, carefully arranging each piece as Raven and Thalia leaned in to help.

”I think this one goes here,” Thalia suggested, adjusting a piece to match another. Enjoy exclusive adventures from

”And this part here,” Helena added, frowning in concentration as she fit two pieces together.

”No, wait—over here. See how the edge lines up?” Raven pointed, repositioning one fragment.

As they worked together, Helena mumbled to herself, ”Shattered Heart…?”

Both Raven and Thalia glanced at her, then down at the nearly completed puzzle, realization dawning. ”So… this is the heart weʼre supposed to find?” they echoed, staring at the drawing, which appeared to be a rough sketch of a heart, ʼ❤️ʼ though incomplete—it was only three-quarters whole, the final piece missing.

”This… this is the trial? Broken hearts, fragmented pieces?” Thalia asked, her face contorted in a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

Raven nodded slowly, her gaze lingering on the childlike drawing. ”It seems that way,” she said thoughtfully. The heart image looked strangely uneven, like a childʼs attempt at art, its lines messy and edges torn, making it hard to discern as a heart at all.

Helena managed a small smile, ”Looks like we only need to find the last piece!”

Thalia grinned, nodding as she stood up. ”Yeah, letʼs go and look for—”

But Raven raised a hand, interrupting her. ”Thereʼs no need.”

Thalia frowned, glancing at Raven, confused. ”What do you mean?”

Without responding, Raven simply looked in a certain direction, her eyes narrowing.

Helena and Thalia turned to follow Ravenʼs gaze, and there they saw her… Aqualina Naiadia.

”Give. Me. That,” Aqualina demanded, her voice as cold as steel, an air of indifference masking any emotion. Behind her, thousands upon thousands of thin, shimmering blue swords appeared, each one floating ominously, their razor-sharp edges glinting as they pointed directly at the trio.