Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1246: Finding his Loved ones: Part-1

When those mysterious figures appeared out of nowhere and started to capture... one of Aether’s puppets was caught by them too.

Honestly, it was just a coincidence.

He had already spread his puppets throughout the void Empire, slowly weaving them into the local territory... for his major scheme, of course.

Even during the heat of battle, he directed them to guide innocent people away from danger.

And yet, during those moments, one of his puppets had been captured like others.

That’s all... He wasn’t even aware of it at first.

Only when he called back every one of his puppets did he realise.... one was missing.

That’s how he realised the truth. Whether by fate or by sheer coincidence... it had been captured by them.

And strangely, in a way, this unexpected misstep was a blessing in disguise.

Aether tested the link between them, and his connection with the puppet hadn’t been severed.

A Faint Connection!

That could only mean one thing... they were still somewhere in the Empires.

Which meant he could still access it... Even if the connection was faint, he could share its senses. And now, that thread carried him into a new reality.

Clang... Clang...

The sound of heavy cuffs glowing with an eerie orange light rang out, echoing across the barren landscape.

Chains rattled in rhythm, dragging across stone and dirt, while people shackled in rows trudged forward through rough terrain.

Aether’s puppet, shuffling among the others, suddenly stiffened.

Its dull eyes flared with a dim glow... Aether gasped faintly, and words slipped from his lips through the puppet’s mouth.

”The connection is made... but...”

He lowered his gaze, examining his bound wrists.... His three fingers curled tight, trembling as he tried to flex them. The other fingers were.... not even responding, just shaking a bit.

Aether grimaced. The connection was unstable. It was only a matter of time before this puppet’s link dissolved into nothingness, disappearing entirely... which, of course, was the last thing he wanted.

He forced the puppet’s head up and scanned the surroundings.

They were somewhere... but the place was utterly unfamiliar.

Aether frowned deeply. His vision through the puppet blurred and wavered, sharpened only in fleeting moments. The weakness of the connection made details difficult to grasp, but one truth was undeniable... this was not a place he had ever seen before.

Still, teleportation should have been possible. As long as he could envision the location, he should be able to tear a path and step through... right?

He tried.

However,

!~Ding~!

[Unknown Entity Blocking Teleportation]

’Can you bypass it?’

!~Ding~!

[Negative!]

Aether clicked his tongue in annoyance.

That meant... something powerful was obstructing his ability.

That meant... a personal realm?

His expression darkened. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on here, but for now, one thing mattered above all... he needed to locate Lia and... Snowflake.

His puppet’s gaze slid to either side. Rows of metallic figures marched alongside them.

Aether sighed. He edged closer to the captive in front of him,

”Are you tired?” he whispered, rasping as though every word scraped out of a broken throat.

”I... I cannot move anymore.”

The woman before him snorted, ”Have you seen what they did to those who ignored their words?”

Aether frowned. He hadn’t. He had only just connected to the puppet now... something must have happened earlier.

That’s why these people were moving in such silence... Obeying them?

Aether let out a low hum, masking his curiosity with a nervous expression under his pale, sweat-drenched face.

”What happened? I didn’t see it... I was too scared of shit to even look.”

The woman shot him a disgusted look, ”They just touched him with some kind of artifact,” she whispered harshly, ”and suddenly... he burst into pieces.”

Aether’s eyebrows arched. So they had devices like that, too. Strange... if they possessed such terrifying tools, why hadn’t they unleashed them during the kidnappings on the field?

His puppet’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the white-colored staff clutched in the metallic figures’ hands. It resembled a police baton—only longer, humming faintly with light.

”You mean... that white thing?” Aether asked quietly.

The woman gave a stiff nod.

Aether’s frown deepened. His mind raced with calculations—

”Cough, cough... aarrhhh!!”

Aether collapsed suddenly, letting the puppet’s body crumple onto the dirt. Chains clattered violently, halting the entire line.

”W-Water... cough... cough... I need water... please... arrhh!” Aether wheezed and hacked violently, one hand clutching at his throat as his body writhed in the dust.

The metallic figures immediately stepped forward, raising their staffs.

They pressed the glowing ends of their weapons toward him, the warning clear—stand, or be destroyed.

But Aether only kept coughing harder, forcing his chest to heave, spit flying as his body shook, ”Cough... cough... please... I... I need water!”

The figures faltered. Their helmets turned, glancing toward each other in silent confusion.

Aether’s eyes narrowed faintly through the act.... Instead of speaking, he made a drinking motion with his bound hands, mimicking the act of lifting water to his lips.

The figures seemed to understand at last. They exchanged another silent glance before one of them pointed forward, its hand jerking toward the distance where a small river flowed.

Aether blinked, then bowed his head with a grateful nod, ”T-Thank you...” he rasped, forcing the words out between coughs.

With a trembling effort, he pulled himself upright and staggered back into line, the march resuming.

The woman in front of him muttered in a pale, unsteady voice, ”You could have died there. They... they might have killed you—and me too, just for speaking to you.”

Aether only smiled faintly as his gaze lingered on the metallic figures.

They hadn’t spoken a single word, yet their coordination was flawless—every turn, every movement precise. Something about them wasn’t right.

The line eventually reached the riverbank just as the sky began to darken.

The captors halted, deciding to make camp. The chained prisoners were ordered to sit where they stood, not allowed to rest freely, while the metallic figures moved around them, circling like hunters guarding their prey.

”...W-water?” Aether called out again, his voice hoarse, his hand gesturing weakly at his throat.

One of the metallic figures broke formation and walked toward him. Without a word, its hand shifted, mechanical joints twisting until its metallic fingers reshaped into the jagged form of a key. It pressed the tool into his shackles.

With a soft click, the heavy chains fell from his wrists, though the glowing orange cuffs still remained locked in place.

The figure gave a single motion with its hand—go.

Aether hesitated, letting his face twist with disbelief, his lips pulling into a fragile, grateful smile.

”T-Thank you,” he whispered, his voice cracked with the desperation of a man starved for years.

Then, as though his body could no longer resist, he broke into a weak half-run, stumbling eagerly toward the river’s edge.

Aether crouched before the river, his knees sinking slightly into the damp earth as the cold mist brushed against his drenched face. Slowly, he lowered his bound hands into the flowing water. The sensation was sharp and chilling, sending shivers up his puppet’s arms as the liquid wrapped around his fingers. With deliberate care, he lifted a palmful of water and took a sip.

’Hmm... not an illusion, it seems,’ he thought with a slight frown.

His eyes drifted across the terrain stretching endlessly before him. He was still observing when—

Thud!

Splash!!

A sudden impact jolted him forward. His body lurched, and before he could steady himself, he was shoved violently into the river by the metallic figure that had released him moments earlier.

”NOO! Arrhh! Please help me!!” Aether cried out, thrashing as water closed over his face.

”Gulp—gulp—No!!” His words turned into desperate sputters. His hands, still cuffed by glowing orange restraints, were dragging him down like anchors.

On the riverbank, the metallic figure’s body shook. Its chest heaved as though it were laughing, but no sound emerged.

Its shoulders quaked, its hands clutching its metal stomach as it silently convulsed, amused by Aether’s drowning struggle.

Bubbles burst from Aether’s lips as his head sank deeper... on the verge of sinking completely when—

Another metallic figure appeared.

Unlike the others, this one was built differently. Its frame was heavier, its arms massive compared to its companions, each hand shaped like brutal hammers of steel.

The figure on the bank froze. It flinched, trembling as though caught in an act it wasn’t supposed to commit. For several long seconds, the two figures locked gazes—an eerie, silent exchange. Then, without warning, the first one that had shoved Aether immediately dived into the water.

Its metallic limbs churned the river until, with a splash, it surfaced again, dragging Aether back up like a half-drowned ragdoll.

”Huff—huff... cough—cough... huff—”

Aether gasped for breath, coughing up water as his drenched body shivered uncontrollably. He collapsed against the mud of the riverbank, but before he could steady himself, the figure dragged him without pause.

The glowing cuffs clinked against each other as the chains were locked back in place, binding him once more into the line of prisoners.

Cold water dripped down his hair and face.

The woman before him sneered and quickly shuffled away... She clearly had no desire to be caught beside this man, who seemed cursed by fate. If he was going to die, she wasn’t going to be dragged down with him.

Meanwhile, Aether, still gasping faintly for air, cast a sidelong glance at the metallic figure.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, memorising every movement.

Time passed. The captives eventually slumped where they sat, some drifting into exhausted slumber, though not all. As for the metallic figures, they rotated their watch in eerie silence, taking turns like disciplined soldiers.

Aether observed every detail carefully, calculating their movements, their shifts, their timing. And then, his gaze locked onto the one figure—the same one that had shoved him into the river earlier. It’s turn had come to stand guard.

Aether clutched at its throat, ”W-water? P-Please... cough... cough...” His voice trembled with pain, his body sagging as though on the brink of collapse.

The figure stiffened. Its head tilted as Aether begged. Step by step, it approached, studying him.

Aether grinned inwardly.