Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1592: Please Husband No more death... Please!

”I... I’m scared of death.”

Aether stilled when those words reached him, his breath catching for a fleeting second... scared of death?

Nyx... of all people?

Nyx, who walked so effortlessly along the fragile boundary between death and life... was afraid of it?

Why?

It had never happened before... yet something quietly shifted in his mind, ’Maybe she is worried she will die one day and leave me? Is that why she is scared of death?’ he wondered, his gaze drifting toward her hand where the cracked Pasa Rope lay tightly coiled around her wrist.

Aether’s expression softened as he reached up, his fingers brushing gently against her cheek as he spoke,

”I will protect you, soon you will be full—”

”I am talking about you,” Nyx cut him off, her eyes carrying a quiet pain that struggled to remain hidden beneath her usual stoic composure.

Aether blinked, caught off guard again... worried about him?

”Why?” he asked, unable to stop himself, his brows tightening slightly, ”I am still here... oh? If you are worried about the Eternal Prison incident—”

Again, she stopped him, her fingers tightening ever so slightly as if anchoring herself to him,

”You’re scaring me... it feels like life is slipping away from you.”

”Once you get used to death... living won’t feel like anything, Aether.”

Her words pierced through him, settling into his chest with quiet force, as she looked down at him with a warmth that felt almost maternal, as though she wished to protect him from something he refused to see.

Her fingers trembled faintly as they traced along his cheek. As she spoke, her voice carried a fragile honesty,

”I know what it means to live between Death and Life, but even so... I never got used to death.

In my heart, it still scares me... knowing that if I die one day, I will leave everything else behind... my only family...” her gaze slowly shifted toward the Pasa Rope wrapped around her wrist, her expression tightening for a moment before softening again.

Then she looked back at him, her hand gently cradling his face as though he might disappear if she loosened her hold,

”Yet, death is not something one should get used to...”

Aether remained silent for a moment, confusion clouding his thoughts as he searched her face, ”Nyx, what are you talking about? I am fine... look at me—”

Before he could continue, she spoke again, her voice trembling more openly now as her emotions finally surfaced, tears gathering slowly in her eyes, clinging stubbornly before falling,

”How long have you intended to act before us, Husband?”

”...”

[Looks like they weren’t as ignorant as I thought👏]

His Log chimed in, its tone carrying a faint trace of acknowledgement.

Nyx watched him quietly, and despite the tears resting in her eyes, a soft smile formed on her lips, gentle and aching, as she reached down and lightly pinched his nose, her touch affectionate, grounding,

”Did you think we, our family, wouldn’t notice your acting at all?” she murmured, her voice warm, yet carrying an unmistakable sadness,

”Sure, we didn’t when we didn’t know you... but now, we are one with you, Husband.”

Her thumb brushed softly against his cheek, wiping away something that had not yet fallen,

”We know what you feel... we know when you fake it... and we know...” her voice faltered slightly, her grip tightening just enough to reveal how deeply she held him,

”...when our husband is pretending.”

”I... I don’t know what you are talking about—”

”Can’t you at least be true to your wife... at least now? Husband?” she asked, her voice breaking gently, warmth and pain intertwining as her fingers curled slightly against his skin, as if afraid he might slip away eternally... the moment she loosened her hold.

”...”

Aether fell completely silent, as his hand, which had been resting against her cheek, slowly slipped down, his fingers losing strength, his voice finally emerging in a quiet, painful murmur,

”H-How long?”

Nyx let out a broken smile, the corners of her lips trembling as if even holding that expression cost her,

”From the moment you woke... we noticed it. You had been acting all this time... acting like how... how Aether used to be,” her voice wavered, her fingers tightening slightly in his hair,

”As if you lost something after coming back from the Eternal Prison.”

”... ’We’?”

Nyx smiled gently, her touch soft as she ruffled his hair with quiet affection,

”Indeed... the other sisters had found it too,” she said, her gaze slowly drifting toward the sky, her eyes unfocused as memories surfaced,

”But we didn’t have the heart to point it out... NO!... we didn’t have the right to say anything...” her voice faltered, ”...after all, you became like this because we couldn’t do a single thing... w-we are nothing more than a burden to you.”

Aether let out a weak chuckle, though it lacked any real amusement, ”Oh please... a burden? If not for you, I wouldn’t have come out—”

Nyx forced a smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, her hand pausing against him as she spoke,

”If not for her, you would have come back... no, in the first place, you would have never entered that place if not for her, right?”

”...”

Those words pressed down on him.

Nyx lowered her gaze to her husband, watching him as he stared at the dull grey sky, his eyes distant... she knew.

Her sisters knew.

Aether had been acting, not always... but there were moments, small and fragile, where it felt as though he was forcing himself to respond, forcing reactions that no longer came naturally.

’As if... as if he didn’t know how he should react.’

Nyx’s chest tightened at the thought, her fingers unconsciously brushing through his hair again, gentler this time, as if trying to soothe something unseen.

She knew why.

Aether had learned to act because of her foster father, had refined it, sharpened it, until even his so-called defectiveness had been hidden beneath flawless expressions.

If there was anything Aether had ever taken pride in, it was that.

His acting!

It was so perfect that he could become another person... or even become himself.

A terrifying skill!!

And yet, it had been stripped bare before his wives the moment they truly looked at him.

They hadn’t reacted.

Not because they didn’t notice... but because they understood.

They knew they were the cause.

They knew... they were nothing but weak, helpless ones who could only be saved.

And still, despite everything, their husband continued to love them.

For a time... that was enough.

They would make him remember everything.

Yet...

Everything changed after the First War.

His condition worsened.

In the past two days, there were moments when Aether would simply sit, staring blankly at a wall, unmoving, unblinking... silent to a degree that felt unnatural, as if even the world around him had ceased to exist.

Selene burst into tears the first time he didn’t respond to her voice, calling him again and again, her hands trembling as she shook him, only to receive nothing.

The others turned pale, horror settling deep within them, unable to bear the sight.

It was as though he had slipped into something beyond their reach... an unknown state that resembled death itself.

Everyone was left speechless.

They could still feel him.

That bond between them had not broken.

It was still there.

And yet... Aether wasn’t.

Especially the ones most affected were none other than Sera and Helena, the ones who had witnessed him perform a miracle at the cost of something they could never fully understand.

That memory clung to them!

Yet no one said anything to him.

Not a single word.

Because deep down... they believed the same thing.

They were useless.

No matter how much they improved, no matter how much they poured everything in the end... it was he who saved them.

It was he who protected them, and it was he who carried the burden of everyone all alone, without anyone knowing, without letting even a single crack show upon his face.

Nyx softly ruffled her husband’s hair, her fingers threading gently through the strands as she looked into his eyes and said,

”Tell me, husband... why are you doing this? Why do you keep hurting yourself? Can’t you just... leave it all? Can’t you find your own happiness? Don’t you fear death anymore?”

Aether stared into her eyes, watching how they trembled... A fear that she could no longer conceal, that she no longer wished to hide from him.

’Ah... to think my acting couldn’t fool them,’ he thought, a faint trace of disappointment settling within him, quieter than before, almost tired.

Yes... she was right.

He knew himself more than anyone else.

His emotions... his feelings... they were slowly disappearing... no, not disappearing.

They were numbing.

As if his heart was hardening, little by little, every single time, layer upon layer forming over something that once felt everything too deeply, sealing away what used to define him.

It almost made him forget... who he was.

Honestly, after the war, his body had begun to feel even more distant from everything, every sensation dulled, as though he was merely watching himself exist rather than truly living.

It almost felt like... everyone around him was nothing more than living things, mere beings existing before his eyes, their presence real yet strangely distant.

And he knew why.

No.25... and No.27.

Those two... slowly corroding his mind, dulling it, erasing edges piece by piece, leaving behind something colder, quieter.

But was it truly them?

Or... was he simply becoming like them?

Aether let out a quiet breath, a sigh that never fully reached his lips, before he finally spoke,

”I am doing this... because I want to... no, because I need to.”

His hand rose, gently cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin,

”I need to protect you... all of you... even if I get hurt in the process.”

His gaze softened, though something heavy lingered behind it, something unspoken that refused to surface,

”Rather than seeing you hurt, I will bear the pain... and no... ahaha... I could never leave you to face this horrifying world alone... that’s not me.”

His fingers curled slightly, pressing just a little firmer, as if afraid to let go, as if holding onto her was the only proof that he still felt something real... something worth clinging to,

”Aether will be there no matter what... even if he has to beg someone... he will do it for you.”

His eyes turned misty, not fully breaking, but close enough to reveal the truth he tried to hide, the weight he refused to share,

”What’s there to fear? Death? Hahaha... I will face it as many fucking times as I need if it means making you happy... after all...”

”You are my happiness!!”

Pride and love intertwining in his last words.

No matter what he lost in the process, no matter what he became... no matter how much of himself faded away into something unrecognisable... one thing remained unshaken.

He would make them happy!

He would give each of them the ending they deserved, even if he had to tear himself apart piece by piece to do so.

After all, he was the bastard who seduced them and took them for granted for himself!

”...”

Nyx fell silent.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been overwhelmed by his sincerity, by the weight of his words, by the depth of his devotion.

But Nyx... who had seen his entire life, every fracture, every hidden scar... knew.

He would die for them again and again, without hesitation, without regret... just to see them smile, just to hear their laughter even once more.

No matter how much it hurt him.

No matter how much of himself he lost along the way.

All he ever wanted... was to see that smile upon their lips, to protect that fragile warmth from a world that never showed mercy.

That alone was enough for him.

This was not just sincerity.

This was simply... who he was.

A child who needed acceptance... a boy who needed love... a man who needed happiness...

That’s... Aether.

Making them smile... was what Aether needed.

Her lips quivered as she tried to control herself, breaking between her teeth as emotion surged violently within her chest.

She wanted to shout, to scream at something beyond reach... why the world... why the gods wanted him to go through this... what those two mysterious figures wanted from him.

What was the reason for him being born?

Just to break his heart again and again... countless times, through countless deaths... through suffering that never seemed to end?

Why did it have to be him?

Her fingers tightened unconsciously.

At one point... he might become someone else entirely.

Someone unrecognizable.

Someone who had lost everything.

She remembered.

Within his memories... she had seen another Aether.

Aether clad in black armour, standing amidst nothingness, a figure stripped of everything that once defined him... his eyes empty, his presence hollow, as if whatever once lived inside him had long since faded.

A hollow Aether!

Nyx trembled in worry.

No... she feared!

Feared that the man before her... the one she loved, the one she held so dearly... might one day become that same existence.

That one day... he would disappear while still standing before her.

And all she could do... was watch.

Helpless.

Waiting for the moment it finally happened.

Drip...

A single tear slipped free, falling from her trembling lashes, landing softly against his face.

Aether flinched slightly, his brows drawing together as he looked up at her, ”Nyx?”

”P-Promise me...” Nyx spoke, her voice shaking, barely holding together as her fingers tightened against his clothes,

”No matter what happens... N-no matter what the world demands from you... no matter how many d-die before you... and no matter... even if I die...”

Her voice broke, but she forced the words through, her eyes filled with desperate, fragile hope,

”You would never... ever harm yourself... can you p-promise me?”

Aether flinched at her words, confusion immediately surfacing as his expression hardened slightly, ”What do you mean?” he frowned.

Why would he ever harm himself...?

If she died... then—

The thought halted.

Something clicked.

A strange, chilling connection formed in his mind.

Her words... fear of death... getting used to death... bearing pain for others... and now...

Not harming himself.

As if...

As if she believed he would follow her.

As if she believed he would choose death if she were gone.

Aether abruptly sat up from her lap, ”Nyx, y-you know—”

Before he could finish, Nyx moved.

She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly, her body pressing against his as if she could shield him from everything, her grip desperate, almost trembling.

Her eyes turned red, tears spilling freely now, her composure completely shattered.

”P-Please... don’t die...” she cried, her voice breaking again and again, each word filled with raw fear,

”Please... Husband... please...”

”D-Death is scary... please... n-no more pain... please, H-Husband...”