Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 880: Fu##! What have you done, Aether?: Part-2

”What do you mean he urgently called us to come?” Thalia asked, her voice carrying a slightly annoyed, ”It was Aether who told us to wait here, and now, all of a sudden, heʼs calling us?”

Aether had contacted them the moment he noticed something strange happening to Maelona. That was why he had moved her to another room instead of staying in the broken one—he knew that if Aria saw the state of things, she would become even more worried.

Ariaʼs expression tensed with unease, her fingers slightly trembling. ”Iʼm not sure... but I have this strong feeling it has something to do with my mother.” She couldnʼt explain why, but through her connection with Aether, even though he had sounded calm and collected over the link, she had sensed something beneath his voice—a flicker of fear and worry.

That alone was enough to send panic coursing through her veins.

The group was just about to reach her house when suddenly—

BOOOOMMMM!!

A blinding blue light exploded into the sky, shooting up right from the middle of Ariaʼs home.

Ariaʼs eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. ”Whatʼs happening?! MOM!!” She barely managed to lift her foot to take a step forward when—

A bright blue light ascended to the sky right in the middle of Ariaʼs house.

”MOVE OUT!” Aetherʼs voice roared through the air.

Out of nowhere, he was hurled from the light as if he had been shot out of something.

He crashed onto the ground with a heavy impact, his body sliding harshly across the street before he finally managed to stabilize himself. His foot skidded roughly before he came to a stop, his head snapping up with a sharp frown. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his lips stained red, as his eyes flickered down to his own body. For a moment, his skin had turned pitch black, as if burned by something, before it slowly began to return to its normal color.

People started to run away as the chaos occurred!

”A-Aether?! Whatʼs going on?!” Ariaʼs voice wavered with panic as she took a hesitant step toward him.

”Get out of her—” Aether barely had time to finish his warning before something streaked out of the brilliant blue light like a shooting star—hitting him with force and carrying him away in an instant!

”AETHER!!” Ravenʼs sharp cry tore through the air. Without hesitation, she shifted into her Draconyx form, her massive body slithering forward at incredible speed. Thalia wasted no time jumping onto her back.

Liora, in one swift motion, transformed into her wolf form, and Aria immediately leaped onto her. Without a second thought, they all charged toward the light.

But the light moved.

It didnʼt just move—it shot forward at an impossible speed, leaving them behind like they werenʼt even trying.

Liora gritted her teeth. No matter how fast she pushed herself, she couldnʼt even begin to match that speed. Even Raven, who was used to fast movement, looked momentarily stunned by how effortlessly the thing outpaced them.

Before they could even get closer, the glowing streak that had been moving straight suddenly changed direction—plunging straight down toward the massive mountain ahead!

BOOM!

The light didnʼt just crash—it penetrated through the mountain as if the solid rock was nothing but air, slicing through it without resistance.

Then, finally—

BOOOMMMM!!!

The impact shook the entire land.

It took Raven only a few seconds to reach the landing site, her wings slicing through the air. But when she arrived, her gaze darted around, searching—only to find nothing.

No Aether. No trace of the figure that had taken him.

Just an expanse of forests and mountains stretching out endlessly before them.

Thalia jumped off Ravenʼs back, landing swiftly on the ground. ”Aether!!” she called out, her voice laced with urgency and worry.

Raven narrowed her eyes before shifting back, her feet touching the ground softly as she scanned the area.

They couldnʼt see anything clearly. The dust and glowing light were so thickly mixed together that it became difficult to even make out each otherʼs figures.

The entire place was drowning in a strange misty brightness, making it impossible to tell what was ahead.

”Where is he?!” Ravenʼs voice held a rare edge of panic as she tried to reach out to Aether through their telepathic link—but there was nothing. No response.

Thalia clenched her jaw, her fists tightening at her sides. She squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of their surroundings, but the dust and glowing haze made everything seem surreal, almost like they were trapped in a dreamlike illusion.

Then—

”Heʼs there,” Lioraʼs voice cut through the silence.

She had appeared behind them, her wolf form shifting back into her human one as she landed beside them. Aria quickly jumped down, her gaze snapping to Liora, whose nose twitched as she inhaled deeply.

”I can smell him...” Liora muttered, her eyes narrowing as she moved deeper into the glowing mist, carefully stepping forward into the dusty, blue-lit atmosphere.

Ariaʼs heart pounded in her chest. ”Did you guys see what that was?” she asked, her voice filled with worry.

Raven exhaled sharply. ”No... but it was fast.”

”Way faster than anything Iʼve ever seen before,” Liora added, her tone dark with concern. She sniffed again, her senses sharpening despite the thick dust clouding the air.

She could barely catch Aetherʼs scent through the chaos, but then—her ears twitched violently.

A sound.

A faint noise amidst the heavy silence.

Crack... Crack....

Lioraʼs ears twitched. The eerie sound of something cracking echoed through the suffocating dust. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air, searching—desperately trying to pick up a scent, anything that could tell her what was happening.

”Come on, we donʼt have tim—” Thalia started, but before she could finish, Liora shot her a sharp glare, her multicolour eyes practically glowing in the haze.

Thalia clenched her fists, suppressing a sigh.

Liora took another slow, deliberate step forward...

Then—

Chuccckkk!!

A sickening, wet sound of flesh being sliced open cut through the silence.

Lioraʼs body reacted before her mind did—her ears perked, her muscles tensed, and in an instant, she snapped her head to the right. Her pupils dilated, and without hesitation, she bolted toward the source.

”Shit!” Thalia cursed under her breath as she and the others rushed after her, their hearts hammering wildly in their chests.

Then they saw it.

Drip...

Drip...

The slow, rhythmic sound of liquid hitting the ground.

Blood.

It was blood.

But where—?

The blinding light swallowed everything around them, making it impossible to see beyond its suffocating brilliance. It was almost unnatural, like a wall of pure radiance blocking their sight. And within that radiance—

A shadow.

A dark figure stood trapped in the light, almost merging with it, as if the glow was swallowing it whole. The light clung to its form, distorting its outline, making it impossible to tell what—or who—it was.

But something was dripping from the figureʼs right side.

A thick, slow drip.

Lioraʼs chest tightened.

Her hands curled into claws as she took another step forward, her vision sharpening as she forced herself to focus.

And then—

There was no right hand.

The figureʼs arm ended in a jagged, bleeding stump.

It was missing a hand.

They stepped closer, squinting against the suffocating brightness.

And then—

”AETHER!!”

Ariaʼs scream shattered the moment, raw with terror.

Without thinking, she summoned her bow, her fingers moving with pure instinct as she drew back the string and fired, the glowing arrows slicing through the air toward the light.

Ravenʼs heart pounded against her ribs, Her breath turned sharp as she raised her hands, releasing a surge of roaring purple flames.

Thaliaʼs hands trembled for a split second before she clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. With a fierce cry, she slammed her palm onto the ground.

Three attacks.

All launched with everything they had.

They didnʼt know what they were hitting.

They didnʼt care.

They just had to get Aether out of there.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

TRRRRRRRRR!!!!

THUD!!

As the attacks struck, the figure within the light was violently jerked out.

Liora lunged without hesitation, her body moving purely on instinct. She caught the falling figure mid-air, and the moment her hands wrapped around the familiar body—

Her blood ran cold.

She barely managed to land on her feet, stumbling slightly as she cradled the limp body in her arms.

”Husband...?”

She could barely recognize him.

Aetherʼs body was ice-cold, his skin an unnatural shade of pale—almost like he had been drained of something vital. His features were lifeless, his head lolling slightly as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.

The others caught up within seconds—

”Aether!!!”

Their voices were thick with fear.

Then—

His body twitched.

Lioraʼs breath caught.

Warmth.

It was faint but spreading—his body regaining color, his chest rising and falling.

Then—

”NHHH!!”

Aether suddenly gasped, his entire body jerking violently as if he had just been pulled out of drowning waters.

He inhaled sharply, gulping down air, his eyes flying open in wild confusion.

”Aether?! Are you okay?!” Thaliaʼs voice was softer now.

Aether blinked rapidly, his breath still uneven as his mind scrambled to make sense of what had just happened. His eyes flickered toward the dimming blue light, his pupils adjusting to the sight before him.

”You guys... need to get out of here...” he muttered, his voice hoarse but laced with warning.

Ignoring their protests, he reached into his storage and yanked out a high-level healing potion. He drank it down in one swift motion, his body trembling slightly as the powerful elixir worked through him and his missing right hand began to regenerate.

The flesh reformed.

Bone knitted itself back together.

Skin stretched over it, dark tendrils of energy flickering like shadows as they sealed the wound shut.

”What you mea--” Lioraʼs words caught in her throat when she turned back to...

The light...

It was dimming... And as it faded—

Wings appeared... not just normal ones.

They were massive!

Unlike ordinary wings, they pulsed with a bioluminescent glow, shifting and shimmering between deep sapphire and ethereal silver, moving like liquid light embedded into the sleek, obsidian-black surface and holder of those extraordinary wings...

A woman!

Her body was breathtaking—tall, curvaceous, and dangerously alluring.

She had the kind of figure that could drive any man insane, with wide, perfectly shaped hips that curved into a narrow waist, her stomach toned yet smooth like sculpted silk. Her breasts were full and round, pressing against the thin, almost translucent fabric that barely covered her, teasing the soft curves beneath.

Her skin was a deep, mesmerizing shade of dark blue, gleaming under the dimming light with an unnatural radiance as if kissed by the night itself.

It was flawless, smooth, almost ethereal, like a creature beyond mortal reach... Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, strands floating slightly as if gravity barely had a hold on her, framing a face both devastatingly beautiful and hauntingly fierce.

Her crimson-red eyes glowed with a dangerous allure, sharp and piercing!

Her lips, plump and temptingly parted, curled slightly as she held Aetherʼs lifeless, blackened hand between her sharp, pristine teeth. The darkened flesh of his hand was completely drained of something as she spat the pitiful hand in an emotionless way. [Imgincmt]

”M-Mom?”

Ariaʼs voice wavered, her body freezing in place, paralyzed with shock.

_______

[Authorʼs Note: Just to clarify, [Imgincmt] indicates that an image is included in the comment. I noticed that many readers overlooked the images in previous chapters, so I wanted to point it out. If you see [Imgincmt], it means thereʼs an image!]