Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 983: I know I was confused back then... Now, You are mine Xara... Mine and Mine only!!!

”W-What are you doing?” Xara stammered, her voice catching as she gulped, watching Aether slowly loosen the collar of his shirt in a deliberate, almost seductive way.

Aether grinned, sharp and teasing. ”What do you mean?” he asked, his voice smooth and low. ”You brought me here… to this lonely, abandoned place. You asked me to spill my deepest secrets… So tell me, what do you think is going to happen now?”

Xaraʼs eyes narrowed slightly. ”Aethe—” she began, but he cut her off before she could finish.

”Yes,” Aether said firmly, his voice calm but intense. ”I was scared of you. Genuinely. Your nature, your unpredictability…”

He looked straight into her eyes as he continued. ”Doing things recklessly… cursing people, stealing hearts—literally, killing without hesitation, loving blood like itʼs candy. Using your own children as test subjects, just to uncover truths that might not even exist... Thatʼs seriously messed up.

Thatʼs not normal by any definition!”

He shook his head slowly, disappointment clear in his tone.

Xaraʼs expression dimmed, a gloomy shadow creeping over her face. ”Well, thatʼs wh—” she tried to respond, but again, Aether interrupted.

”Thatʼs who you are,” he said, more gently this time. ”And now I get it... Youʼre normal.”

Xara blinked, caught off guard. ”Normal?” she echoed, confused.

Aether nodded. ”Yes. Youʼre normal. Itʼs just the rest of us who canʼt see it that way. You see, we build our lives on rational thoughts, agreed-upon rules. We align with one another because itʼs easier to call anything outside those boundaries... wrong. Abnormal. But thatʼs the lie we live in.”

He stepped a little closer, pointing at her softly. ”Youʼre not broken. Youʼre not acting out for attention or seeking validation. Youʼre not lost. Youʼre just… you.”

Xara frowned slightly, her voice quieter. ”Iʼm not sure what youʼre trying to do here...”

Aetherʼs smile deepened, both warm and sad. ”Honestly? I donʼt even know anymore. For the longest time, I thought you were broken. I assumed something terrible mustʼve happened to you to cause the way you are... I believed if I just tried hard enough, I could fix you. That I could somehow find your path for you. That I could... I donʼt know...” he sighed and shook his head. ”Fuck it. All I ever did was try to correct you. But I never once considered... just accepting you.”

He leaned even closer, his voice lowering to a soft, steady murmur. ”But now… after everything Iʼve seen, after all Iʼve learned—I see you. The real you.”

Xara unconsciously stepped back, unnerved by his calm sincerity. ”T-The real me? W-What is—”

”Youʼre a wonderful child,” Aether said, cutting her off again, his eyes glowing with conviction.

”When I heard the story about you trying to bring back cattle that had died… like puppets, with strings in your hands…”

Xaraʼs lips twitched slightly, ʼHow does he know that?ʼ she wondered silently. But she stayed quiet, letting him speak.

He gently reached up and tucked a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Her cheeks flushed softly at the touch.

”I thought it was crazy... and so did everyone else,” he continued. ”But the real question is—why did you do it?”

”W-Well, I… I was trying to mak—”

”Make your mother happy again, right?” Aether completed her sentence with a quiet smile.

Xara blinked, a flicker of shock flashing in her eyes.

He went on, his tone growing more tender. ”That alone shows how much you loved her… how deeply you cared about her happiness. And when you left your home… that wasnʼt out of rebellion or cruelty. You did it for your family, didnʼt you?”

Xara didnʼt reply. She simply lowered her head.

Aether smiled gently. ”Even when you designed your children… they were more than just products of your obsession or your thirst for blood. Kai, Selene... You couldʼve abandoned them. After all, they were considered failed creations, werenʼt they?”

”... T-That… is… I…”

”Because youʼre their mother,” he whispered.

Xaraʼs heart thudded loudly in her chest as Aetherʼs fingertips lifted her chin, making her meet his gaze.

”No matter how much of a mess you think you are… no matter how reckless or dangerous your actions seem… at the end of the day, you take care of your responsibilities. I might not know the full truth about the blood youʼve taken, or what youʼve tortured, stolen, or destroyed. But one thing I do know… is that Xara loves her family.”

Xaraʼs eyes widened in disbelief, as if her mind couldnʼt fully process what she was hearing. Her lips trembled before she bit them furiously.

”B-But I just used them… all of them… for my own goals—”

”Did you ever take my blood?” Aether asked suddenly, cutting her off.

”Huh?” she blinked in confusion.

Aether smiled, his gaze intense. ”Back then… when you were curious about my egoless self… even with all the chances you had, you never took my blood for testing. Not even once. Why?”

He leaned in dangerously close, his voice calm but deliberate.

Xaraʼs heart skipped. She immediately stepped back, instinctively creating space between them as her chest began to tighten with every beat.

”Come on,” Aether stepped forward, stalking her slowly. ”Answer me.”

”W-Well… I-I kind of forgot?” she stuttered, voice uncertain as her back finally met the cold surface of the wall.

Aether chuckled lowly, a dark smirk playing on his lips. ”Forgot? Thatʼs your excuse, woman?”

His voice dropped as he slammed his hand against the wall beside her, making her flinch. He lowered his head, breath brushing her ear as he whispered,

”No… You didnʼt forget. You just couldnʼt do it. Because deep down… youʼre a lovely woman who couldnʼt bear to hurt the ones closest to her.”

Xara gulped hard. She turned slightly, trying to slip past him, but—

BAM!

His other hand slammed into the wall on the other side, trapping her completely.

He leaned in, his face inches from hers. His voice grew husky, fierce.

”I know I was confused back then... lost. I fucked up. But not now.”His eyes burned with dangerous clarity.

”Now, Iʼm done holding back. Iʼm not losing you, Xara. No way in hell am I letting someone else steal you from me!

You are Mine and Mine Only, Xara~”

Xaraʼs heart pounded violently in her chest. Her face flushed deep red as she met his gaze—the sheer possessiveness in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

It wasnʼt just jealousy. It was an all-consuming hunger... He would kill for her. Burn the world down if anyone else dared to touch her.

”A-Aether… I… I...” she tried to speak, but the words tangled in her throat.

”It doesnʼt matter anymore,” he said firmly. ”I love you. Thatʼs it. Thatʼs the only truth that matters to me. What about you?”

His lips hovered dangerously close to hers, his breath warm against her skin.

Xara trembled, her voice barely a whisper.

”I… Iʼm so messed up, Aether… I donʼt think I can ever live a normal life. I might end up hurting you... you might start to hate me—hmm~”

He kissed her.

He silenced her mouth before she could spill more self-loathing, before she could pull herself deeper into that pit of shame and fear.

Their lips parted slowly, and Aether leaned in close, whispering against her mouth,

”Maybe I will. Maybe I wonʼt. But Iʼm willing to take that risk… because I love you. So tell me… what about you?”

Xara looked into his eyes. And for the first time, she saw no hesitation, no clouded thoughts, no confusion.

He was clear.

Clear as the sky after a storm.

She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head, her words stuck in her throat. She didnʼt say anything… but her ears were glowing bright red.

Aether couldnʼt help the wide grin that spread across his face.

”Oh my~ Someoneʼs being shy now~” he teased with a chuckle, ready to lean in again—

Crack…

Both of them froze.

They glanced up in unison.

Aetherʼs earlier slams had cracked the wall behind Xara—deep spiderweb fractures now crawling across the old, weak structure of the building... The building is already cracked and old... Aetherʼs slam just broke more.

And then...

”Oh dear,” Xara muttered.

”Oh dear,” Aether echoed at the exact same time.

Then—

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The abandoned building gave out entirely, collapsing with a thunderous roar of debris, dust, and chaos.