Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1275: Xara-Mary’s Deals! Part-1

While the girls were busy dealing with Nyx and Nightfire, and talking about the details of what happened after Aether got involved with the Void Empire.

Meanwhile, Aether and Xara were in the Lab.

Aether looked around carefully. He noticed that a lot of things had changed here. Strange tools, parchments, and runes cluttered the tables, and the scent of burnt metal and dried blood lingered in the air.

It seemed she had been working far too much, pushing herself beyond rest. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the blood he had given her.

It wasn’t stored neatly—it was scattered across the chamber as though something had blasted it apart.

”Hmm... did something happen?” he asked curiously.

Xara sighed, shoulders heavy, as if she had been carrying the weight of countless sleepless nights.

”What can I say... Your blood... is unlike anything else I’ve handled. It’s hard to test, hard to tame. Every time I try to peer deeper into it, it resists me, growing wild, dangerous, as though it has a will of its own. It’s as if... it were an unstable compound, impossible to fully analyse. No matter what method I use, the results shatter before reaching clarity.

Still, the research is ongoing, and I need your help with that. But...” her face shifted, serious yet awkward, as though she had reached the part she feared to reveal. ”Before that, let’s talk”

Aether nodded as he sat down at the table.

He leaned forward, showing with his posture alone that he would listen to her without judgment. Whatever words she spoke, he would not be disgusted, nor would he turn away.

Xara gulped, her throat tightening, then sat beside him. Her voice trembled at first,

”After... after leaving my house, it was hard to live alone. I had no choice but to take missions from the mercenary groups, risking my life against monsters just to survive another day. My research for blood burned in me like a second heartbeat!!

But I could not do both things at once. I needed someone to support me—someone who could allow me to focus entirely on my work, without having to constantly worry about food, coin, or shelter.

I roamed the Empires, seeking anyone willing to listen, hoping to find a patron who shared even a fragment of my obsession.

Yet everywhere I went, disappointment followed me. No one understood, no one cared. I was left drifting in silence... until one day... a blurry figure appeared before me.”

Her eyes dimmed as she recalled it.

”She called herself Bloody Mary and promised to support my research. At that time, I was exhausted, broken down. I didn’t care who she truly was, or what kind of force stood behind her shadow.

I only cared that someone—anyone—was finally willing to believe in me. So I accepted her deal without hesitation.

She gave me anything I wanted. Every tool, every resource, every rare material I asked for appeared before me. And in exchange...” her voice faltered,

”I had to do whatever she desired.”

Aether frowned, ”So Mary herself approached you?”

Xara nodded with a stern expression, her lips pressed tightly together.

Aether’s frown deepened, ”Did you approach her first? Was there any prior contact?”

Xara shook her head firmly. ”No. I had no authority, no power, nothing that could allow me to deal with the Rulers directly. At that time, I was a nobody... just a wandering one,” she sighed.

”I see...” Aether muttered, his gaze falling into shadow. Inwardly, he thought, ’Maybe Mary heard from others... whispers about her research spreading through the Empire? Or... perhaps she had been watching from the beginning?’ His mind lingered on the thought before he motioned for her to continue.

Xara hesitated, words stuck in her throat. Aether noticed her struggle and exhaled softly. Without another word, he pulled her gently closer, lifting her onto his lap as if to anchor her trembling heart. His voice softened, warm but steady,

”Tell me everything. I will not judge you. Whatever it is, I will hear it.”

Xara still felt hesitant.

Aether didn’t push. He simply waited.

After a few long seconds, Xara parted her lips.

”A-After she helped me with my research... she asked me to decipher the blood she brought from the unknown.”

”What do you mean?”

Xara shrugged her shoulders, ”She never told me where those things came from. She simply arrived with a list of blood samples, handed them to me, and ordered me to analyse them. She wanted to understand what was hidden inside, what kind of power could possibly be drawn out, and what use it could hold.”

Aether frowned, his tone hardening. ”What could possibly be gained from that? What do you mean?”

Xara drew in a deep breath, her fingers tightening against her own knees.

”You see... blood is not only the source of life—it is the embodiment of our very being, our abilities, our way of living. She wanted me to strip that essence from the blood itself. To seize the ability contained in the veins of another.”

Aether raised his eyebrows. It was far too close to his own truth—his blood, cursed and gifted, devoured others to take their strength.

’But to think... she could attempt the same?’ he thought, his expression dark with surprise. He had believed his blood unique, alone in its hunger, yet Xara with her mind and methods had discovered a path that led frighteningly close to it.

Interesting.... Dangerous~

”So you can literally take the ability from the blood itself?” he muttered.

But Xara shook her head quickly, strands of her hair falling forward.

”It’s not as simple as you think. With the limits of current knowledge and the weakness of our tools, once blood leaves the body, it loses most of its potency.

Its core fades, its strength becomes faint—just a trace left, barely clinging on. Even if I find something, recreating it is near impossible. Unless...” her gaze hardened, ”...unless I obtain the source alive.”

Aether’s face sank into a deeper frown. ”So you’re telling me... Mary already knew all this? That you could do it? Or did you confess it to her yourself?”

Xara shook her head, ”No. I didn’t say anything at all. She came to me already knowing what she wanted. She made her demand without hesitation.”

”Hmmm...” Aether’s frown deepened, his head tilting as he studied her. ”So she brought you live subjects to test on, didn’t she?”

Xara bit her lips, hesitating, then finally nodded. ”I was reluctant at first. I didn’t want to harm the innocent. But she told me those were prisoners... dangerous criminals, men who had already stained their hands with blood. I convinced myself it was acceptable, so I did it.”

Aether’s eyes locked onto hers, ”Are you feeling guilty?”

Xara blinked, then let out a laugh that curved into something amused. ”Of course not.” Her face twisted, an unsettling gleam flashing in her eyes.

”With living subjects, everything became easier. My research moved faster, the results clearer. To be honest, I never fucking cared about anything else, as long as I got what I wanted.

That was my deal—and I held to it.”

Aether chuckled faintly, shaking his head in disbelief. ”Then why are you acting down now?”

Xara lowered her head, her voice suddenly softer, almost fragile. ”B-Because... you might not like it.”

Aether hummed, his expression thoughtful, his breath leaving him in a weary sigh. ”I don’t know...”

Honestly, at this point, he didn’t have the nerve to judge anyone—whether they were good or evil. To him, such labels had begun to feel like a hollow joke.

Hypocrisy!

To call himself righteous while standing beside women drenched in blood and madness would make him a liar.

Well... this was what it was.

Accept it... or leave it.

And there was no way he could leave it.

Not now or... ever.

This woman belonged to him, no matter what sins she carried.

What’s more... if Xara had truly sinned, Aether would have already lost points from the Ethereal side for accepting her.

That alone meant she hadn’t committed any real sin.

Which also meant... Mary had truly brought only dangerous people as their test subjects.

At least Mary kept her word... That’s kind of amusing and interesting!

Aether’s fingers tightened around Xara’s waist as he nodded slowly. ”I understand that... and don’t ever hesitate just because you think I might not like it. Just speak to me directly, and I will give you what you want.”

Xara blinked, her lashes trembling before she smiled softly, shaking her head as if in disbelief. She leaned in and whispered,

”Are you alright?”

Aether’s lips twitched with mischief as he suddenly pinched her hips. Xara let out a sharp wince, her face scrunching into a pout that was almost too cute for the important talk.

’Damn, don’t get hard, bastard!’ Aether cursed himself silently.

Xara flinched when she felt something rising under her, her cheeks burning crimson as her body stiffened. She turned to him with a horrified expression, torn between embarrassment and disbelief.

Looks like her man... was into insane women.

Well... maybe she liked that even more.

Anyway.

”After that,” she continued, regaining her composure with effort,

”I started taking in more live subjects. Most of them would die the moment I succeeded in extracting an ability from their blood... and some could not yield anything at all, due to complications. There were bloodlines like yours... impossibly difficult to decipher. Yours especially—it’s harder than anything I ever imagined. Still, after every success, I gave the results to Mary.”

Aether nodded slowly, his voice firm. ”You’re saying you actually extracted abilities from blood? Then tell me—what kind of things have you managed to draw out?”

Xara tilted her head, her face thoughtful as she reached back through memory. ”Well... I’m not sure of them all, since it’s been a long time, but I do remember some clearly. Vampire’s healing. Orc’s strengthening. And then... Succubus’s illusion. After that—”

”Wait... Succubus’s illusion?” Aether’s frown snapped sharper than before.