Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1449: Please... that is all this woman can give you. Please wake up...

”How are you feeling right now?”

”I... I think I am fine,” Delphine answered softly.

”How is your body responding?” Xara asked, ”Can you move properly, or do you still feel pain lingering somewhere inside?”

”I... I am not sure,” Delphine admitted after a pause. ”Everything feels heavy, and my limbs feel slow. I feel a little bit tired, like my strength has not fully returned.”

Xara nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving Delphine’s face. ”Then you need rest, real rest, and proper food,” she said gently.

”No pushing yourself, no trying to act strong. You understand me, right?”

Delphine smiled faintly while resting in Xara’s arms. ”I will try,” she said, then hesitated before asking quietly, ”But... why were you hiding behind everyone earlier?”

Xara shook her head, a small sigh escaping her. ”I was not hiding-”

”Cough, cough...”

Sandra suddenly coughed, her lips curving with clear amusement as she watched the exchange unfold.

Xara shot her a sharp glare.

Turning back to Delphine, she softened immediately and smiled again. ”I was only waiting,” she explained calmly.

”Waiting for every worrywart to finish panicking and exhausting themselves, so I could speak with you properly, without interruptions. That is all. Okay?”

Delphine nodded, understanding slowly settling in. ”I see... but still, it felt a little strange,” she murmured.

Usually, her sister-in-law would come and meet her the moment they met without hesitation or hiding.

”Let’s rest first,” Xara said, gently cutting her off before the thoughts could spiral further. ”Later, when your mind feels clearer and your body calmer, we can talk about everything. That is better, alright?”

Delphine parted her lips as if she wanted to argue, but the effort drained her.

She sighed quietly, ”Alright...” she whispered. Slowly, she leaned back again, her body sinking into the bedding. Her eyelids grew heavy, fluttering as she struggled to stay awake. Before sleep claimed her, she murmured softly, almost fearfully,

”P-Please... do not leave me.”

Xara’s expression softened completely. She leaned down and kissed Delphine’s head, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary.

Carefully, she removed the glasses, folded them with care, and placed them neatly on the table beside the bed.

When she turned back, she froze. Everyone in the room stared at her with shocked expressions, eyes wide as if they had witnessed something ridiculous.

Xara snorted, ”What?” she said bluntly. ”I had to act like the perfect sister-in-law”

”...” Selene responded with nothing more than a flat, deadpan stare directed at her mother.

Without sparing them another glance or caring about their judgmental silence, Xara stood up and moved toward Aether. She knelt beside him, her fingers pressing gently against his wrist as she checked his pulse with calm.

Just as everyone’s attention shifted toward Aether, movement caught their eyes. Someone cautiously peeked through the doorway, barely daring to step inside.

”H-Hello?”

Everyone flinched and turned sharply toward the sound.

”Look who finally woke up,” Thalia said, narrowing her eyes. ”Nightfire?” Her frown deepened as she looked closer.

Something was off. Nightfire looked... smaller.

Not smaller in a literal sense, but different. Her chest lacked its usual fullness, her curves were softer, restrained, and her height seemed slightly reduced. The seductive aura she once carried was gone, replaced by something gentler.

She no longer looked dangerous or provocative, but rather like an innocent woman unfamiliar with her own body.

”Ashara!” Helena suddenly shouted, her voice filled with genuine happiness and disbelief.

Ashara stepped fully into the room, her movements careful and weak, yet steady. She offered a shy, fragile smile as she looked around at everyone present.

”H-Hello, everyone,” she said softly. ”My name is Ashara.”

Everyone blinked in confusion, their expressions frozen as they tried to process what was unfolding before their eyes.

It felt eerily similar to the version of Nightfire they had once known back in the academy, before she went to the Void Empire and changed somehow.

What exactly had changed now?

Helena, who was still hugging Ashara tightly, finally turned to the others. Her voice softened as she spoke, a gentle smile resting on her face.

”This is Ashara,” she said calmly. ”Nightfire’s twin sister.”

”...”

For a few seconds, everyone turned silent... and,

”WHAT THE HELL?!”

Even Dora looked stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Ashara.

To be honest, they had always assumed that the innocent Nightfire they once knew had simply changed after returning to her home.

That belief made sense at the time. A timid girl turning bold, haughty, and shameless after growth and experience did not feel impossible after all... she was a succubus, right?

But now, seeing the timid Nightfire standing there again... They understood what had really been happening all along.

”Does Aether know about this?” someone asked quietly.

Ashara smiled weakly, her gaze lowering for a moment before lifting again. ”Yes,” she replied softly. ”He was the one who gave us the opportunity to freely change our bodies.”

”...”

Once again, the room fell into dead silence. Slowly, one by one, everyone turned their attention toward the unconscious man lying nearby.

No one could quite explain why, but a shared thought passed through them all.

They really wanted to beat him up.

Meanwhile, the man in question was not truly unconscious.

His body lay still in the room, but his consciousness was somewhere else entirely.

”Is anybody here?” Aether shouted, his voice echoing into an empty space that stretched endlessly in every direction.

He had been trapped there for an unknown amount of time, unable to tell whether seconds or hours had passed.

His body was naked, barely tangible, like a blurred reflection hovering between existence and nothingness.

Worse still, his left hand was missing, severed as if it had been cleanly cut away from him.

”Where... am... I?” Aether muttered as he tried to move. His body refused to respond. It felt as though invisible chains were wrapped tightly around him, pinning him in place and denying him even the smallest movement.

”What exactly happened?”

The last thing he remembered was falling through the portal. He remembered the sensation of freefall, the violent pull, and the brief glimpse of his beloved ones reaching for him, their faces filled with fear as they tried to hold on.

”D-Del?”

”Shit! Del is in the Eternal Prison!” he shouted, horror flooding his voice as the image of Delphine alone in that cursed place filled his mind.

The thought alone made his entire form shiver violently.

He had to save her.

He had to fucking save her before she broke under the cruelty of that damned Eternal Prison.

”I AM COMING, DEL! JUST HOLD ON A LITTLE!!” he roared, his voice tearing through the empty space as he forced his body to move.

Every attempt felt useless, as if an immense weight crushed him down, as if something unseen wrapped tightly around him.

Still, he struggled.

He needed to move.

He needed to find her.

He needed to save her.

His beloved Delphine!!

He would not let her break down. He would not allow her to suffer alone. He would not betray her again, not after everything they had endured together.

Crack.

Something fractured within the space itself. Aether felt his ghostly body shudder violently as it shifted, just slightly, barely noticeable.

That tiny displacement.

Meanwhile, in the real world.

Two weeks had passed since Aether and Delphine returned.

Within the Pyra Empire, inside a vast and grand chamber filled with quiet warmth, two figures lay resting on a massive bed, their breathing soft and steady.

Delphine’s body had nearly regained its strength. Her flesh slowly filled out again, life returning with each passing day. Her skin tone brightened gradually as blood flowed more freely through her veins, giving her a faint, healthy glow.

She was steadily returning to her former self, no longer fragile.

Beside her, Aether lay still.

His condition had improved, but far less than Delphine’s.

A thin stream of liquid rested against his lips, flowing gently into his mouth. The nutrient-rich fluid sustained him, feeding his body slowly, carefully, ensuring survival while he stayed unconscious.

If he were awake, he would have eaten normally, rebuilding his strength and mass just as Delphine had.

But he had not awakened... Not even once.

He had remained like this for weeks. During that time, others took care of his body without complaint.

They strengthened his muscles, worked his joints, bathed him, clothed him, and prepared him as if expecting him to wake at any moment.

Everything was done carefully, lovingly, as though they wanted him to open his eyes wearing the same confident, haughty expression he always carried.

As if nothing terrible had ever happened to him.

Yet he had not woken up since that day.

No one truly understood what was happening. His breathing was steady. His pulse was strong.

His body showed no signs of failure. And yet, his eyes remained closed.

Even Nyx confirmed that his soul was intact.

Though when she had awakened, she had broken down completely, crying for Aether, screaming his name with manic desperation.

Her grief had been so intense that many feared she had lost herself entirely.

But somehow, she calmed down.

After that, she would often stand near Aether, staring at him in silence. Again and again, her gaze lingered as if she wanted to say something important. Each time, she pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Something about her unsettled every other woman.

The way Nyx watched Aether in silence, the way her eyes lingered without blinking, made everyone uneasy.

They tried to speak to her, to pry even a single word out of her, but she refused to open up after that last outburst.

No matter how gently they approached, she remained closed off... as if she cut everything, just Aether and Aether alone!

But even so, time did not stop for anyone.

The world did not pause just because Aether had not awakened.

They had to keep moving forward, whether they liked it or not.

Time waited for no one.

Thud!

The sound of footsteps echoed softly as Emberlyn entered the room. Her expression was calm, carefully controlled, as her eyes first fell upon Delphine sleeping peacefully. Only after confirming her condition did her focus shift toward Aether lying beside her.

The moment she looked at him, her expression softened completely. With practised care, she removed the liquid tube from his lips and gently wiped the sweat from his skin using a soft cloth. Her movements were slow and deliberate, careful not to cause him discomfort. Once finished, she adjusted his body slightly, settling him more comfortably on the bed.

Using gentle hands, she began to massage his muscles, easing the stiffness that had built up over days.

She carefully moved his joints, following every instruction Xara had given to everyone if they wanted to help him, knowing that even small neglect could slow his recovery.

After finishing, she placed the liquid tube back into his mouth, ensuring it rested properly. She stared at his face for a long moment, her eyes tender and filled with quiet worry.

”Aether...” she whispered softly. ”Everyone is worried about you. Everyone is waiting. When will you wake up?” Her lips curved into a faint, fragile smile that barely held together.

Two weeks had passed.

Some had begun to lose control, fear gnawing at their sanity, while others were barely holding themselves together, standing on the edge of collapse.

It felt as if Aether and all of them were bound together, two sides of the same coin.

If one fell, the other would surely follow.

Emberlyn gently held his remaining hand, squeezing it carefully as if afraid it might disappear.

”P-Please... wake up,” she whispered, her voice trembling. ”It is really hard without your voice, without your care.” Her eyes shimmered with tears as she let out a weak, broken chuckle.

”I-if you wake up, I will feed you whatever you want. Every single day. I will cook just for you.” Her voice cracked as she leaned closer.

”Please... that is all this woman can give you. Please wake up.”

She pressed his hand against her forehead, closing her eyes as if praying silently.

There was no response. Not even the slightest movement. Aether lay there, weak and silent, his eyes closed.

He did not speak to her, did not command her, did not tease her the way he always did.

Many began to suspect that the loss of his hand was affecting him more deeply than expected. Desperate for answers, they searched for any information related to the Eternal Prison.

But there was nothing. Not a single mention!

Not even the Elven Library held any trace of it.

In the end, they were left with nothing but hope and the cruel patience of waiting.

Emberlyn took a shaky breath and slowly placed his hand back onto the bed.

Just then,

Twitch.

Aether’s right-hand fingers twitched ever so slightly.

Emberlyn’s eyes widened, shock and hope crashing into her all at once.

”A-Aether?”