Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1128: Aether got Kidnapped

Umbrionis Void Empire.

An empire steeped in eternal darkness, where night itself breathed and shadows moved with purpose. Here, entities of the abyss thrived, and those who wielded forbidden magic—twisted arts and necrotic rituals—walked proudly, unshackled by the chains of morality.

Other Empires whispered of it with dread, referring to it by a cursed name... the ’Demon Empire.’

In this cursed land, the souls of the dead were drawn in droves, summoned by an irresistible and ancient force that could not be explained by the living. That force... was none other than The Void Eyes!

Every soul was seized and placed under judgment, their sins laid bare beneath the unflinching gaze of the void. And then... they were given but two fates to choose from—eternal agony in realms of torment so vile they defied mortal imagination, or... the chance to walk the Path of Samsara. A sacred opportunity to be reborn... to begin anew... to earn a second life.

This was the only empire where rules and laws held no meaning. You could do anything you desired here—commit any crime, chase any desire, unleash your darkest urges—and no one would stop you. But be warned... actions here always had consequences. Always. If you dared to draw blood, be prepared to bleed more.

After all, this was a lawless land. In this empire, even the slightest mistake could stir monsters out of the dark.

Here, there was no light sky.... Day and night were meaningless.

Only a grey sky and occasionally, the red sky.

This empire—this land of nightmares and silence—was ruled by one woman alone.

Her name was Mary Scarlet.

But the world did not speak her name lightly. They called her... Bloody Mary.

A title that sent shivers down the spine of even the most fearless beings. Her name alone could bring armies to a halt. Her presence demanded fear... and reverence.

Mary hailed from a lineage of vampires so powerful, so ancient, that they existed outside the natural cycle of life and death. It was said that not even beheading her, tearing out her heart, or impaling her with silver could bring her end.

She was beyond death. She defied it.

She was... unkillable.

Not a single soul in this empire—or beyond—had ever stood on equal ground with her.

She was wild.

She was unpredictable.

She was completely mad.

But her madness wasn’t foolishness.

Even when she acted like a clown, even when she stumbled around recklessly or spat nonsense, not a single soul dared think she was harmless.

Because madness... in her case... was the face of something far worse.

She had strangled her own husband with her bare hands—no magic, no weapons, just her fingers crushing the life from him and... ATE him barely alive!

She’d massacred his other consorts in a single night, tearing them apart like they were made of paper.

She bathed in their blood afterwards, soaking herself in it without a hint of remorse. As if it were no more significant than rinsing off dust.

...A truly, irredeemably insane woman.

Her bloodline was a secret that even history feared to remember. Her body was always hidden away, veiled. No one had ever seen her true face—not even her late husband.

Some claimed she was the most breathtaking woman across the five worlds, radiant and ethereal like a goddess sculpted from crimson moonlight. Others believed she was hideously deformed, a monster hiding behind magic to keep her ugliness from staining the eyes of the world.

But no one knew. And no one dared to find out.

Because asking meant death.

No—asking meant worse than death.

If there were two things she held dear in her otherwise hollow, monstrous heart, it was these: her daughter—the firstborn—and... a strange girl of necromantic talent whom she had adopted when she was very young.

Of course, Mary’s love for her daughter was something fierce and consuming. It was absolute.

The necromancer girl, however... she was a tool. A pet. Useful, perhaps even pitied—but never cherished.

She would always come second.

Always.

Everyone knew it. The whole empire knew it. Even that necromancer girl knew it too.

And now, far within the empire’s dark beating heart, inside the colossal palace carved from obsidian and forgotten bone, within a throne room etched in cursed runes and swirling with spectral energies—there sat a throne of black, coiled in bones and decorated with skulls that still whispered in the dead of night.

And there, atop that throne, surrounded by an aura like swirling static—like the flickering distortion of a broken TV screen—sat a figure shrouded in mist. Her entire form was veiled and unreadable... save for two glowing crimson eyes that pierced through the haze like twin blades.

Suddenly, the shadows shifted.

A new presence emerged into the room.

”Nyx? What a surprise... You came all the way here, unannounced?” Mary’s voice rang out, smooth and laced with curiosity.

Nyx Shadowfall stepped forward, her boots silent against the cold stone floor. She bowed her head, posture firm yet respectful, and when she spoke, her voice was steady and calm, yet touched with something... personal.

”Your Majesty,” she said softly, ”I have come to inform you of something important. After all this time... I have finally found my soul mate.”

Mary blinked in surprise, ”Soul mate? You? After all this time?”Her voice carried genuine surprise, rare for a woman like her.

After all, Nyx had always expressed a desire to start a family of her own—something stable, something warm. But in a place like this, where cruelty was the air and loneliness the soil, no one had ever taken interest in her.

Not here in the Void Empire, not in any of the surrounding empires. Even when Nyx had travelled beyond to other worlds, people avoided her with fear in their eyes and whispers in their wake.

Because she was Nyx—the Necromancer.

A woman who danced with the dead, who spoke to the silence of graves, who twisted the very essence of the soul.

A person who played with death as if it were thread in her hands.

Nyx nodded slowly, ”Indeed, Your Majesty. With the guidance of the Mother Goddess, I was finally able to find him,” she said softly, a gentle smile spreading across her lips. It was small, almost hesitant... but real.

Mary hummed, her expression shifting into one of distant thought, ”Hmm... So you need my blessing, then?” she asked, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly with interest.

Nyx gave another nod, ”Yes. After all, you’re the one who raised me... like your own child.”

Mary scoffed under her breath and shook her head, ”I’ve told you before, haven’t I? I am not your mother. And you are not my child... not now, not ever.” Her tone was cold, absolute.

”I took you in because I saw potential. Your control over souls... it’s something I’ve never seen before. Not even legends spoke of such talent. Even The Grace was surprised by what you could do. ”She paused before finishing flatly, ”That’s all.”

Nyx’s smile didn’t falter. It remained warm, steady, ”I know, Your Majesty. I never claimed to be your daughter. I only ask for your blessing. Please...”She bowed her head deeply, gently holding the hem of her robe with both hands in a sign of respectful sincerity.

Mary gave a quiet, dismissive hum, then waved her hand with a half-hearted flick. ”Take care.”

Nyx nodded once more, her smile brightening slightly. She turned, ready to leave, her movements graceful and silent... until—

”Hmm... Who is your soul mate again?”Mary’s voice echoed through the chamber, tinged with a faint note of curiosity.

She wasn’t particularly interested—but considering the blessing, she figured she should at least know the name.

Nyx turned slightly, her smile returning. She lifted her hand, and with a gesture, black mist curled into the air like smoke from a dying candle. Slowly, it thickened and swirled before parting to reveal a skeletal figure emerging from the mist, its hollow frame carrying a limp, unconscious young man in its bony arms.

”His name is Aether,” Nyx said gently.

Mary blinked... Once.... Twice.

And then, in a blink of an eye, she vanished from her throne and appeared beside the unconscious figure—no sound, no warning. Just sheer speed.

Nyx flinched slightly, blinking at Mary’s sudden movement. It caught her off guard, though she quickly composed herself again.

Mary stared down at the man—Aether.

Silent.

Unmoving.

Studying him with a gaze sharper than blades.

And then...

”Heh... Heheheh!!!”A laugh escaped her lips. It began small—then grew wild, twisted, manic. The very palace trembled under the weight of her laughter, dust shaking from the ancient ceiling, the skulls embedded in the walls rattling like wind chimes of the dead.

Nyx tilted her head slightly, puzzled by the sudden shift.

Why was Mary laughing?

What was so amusing?

Mary turned toward Nyx, her red eyes gleaming with something that hadn’t been there before. Her lips curled into a grin—wide and dangerous.

”Let’s make it official,” she said. ”A proper marriage ceremony. Right now~”

There was a strange melody in her voice—one that hinted at plans buried deep beneath her words.

Behind that veil of distortion, behind the static that cloaked her face... Mary’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

Because now, finally... she had a way to save her daughter.