Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1187: Trinity

After the confession with Nightfire, she ran away, locking herself in her room. Her heart was pounding, her chest tightening with embarrassment. She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye after saying all that… and worse, after what had happened. Honestly, who could face someone right after cumming just from a single kiss?

Even a succubus would find that humiliating.

Aether didn’t chase her. He simply stood there for a moment, watching her vanish behind the door, then sighed. He didn’t want to pressure her any further. So, instead, he turned away and went out, deciding to search for Nyx Shadowfall.

As he walked through the streets, he noticed something strange. The people around were moving quietly, doing their tasks as usual, but there was something off. Their expressions were too blank, their movements too uniform… no chatter, no fighting, no cuming, no stealing… anything at all!

’Looks like she’s already doing something,’ Aether thought, his eyes narrowing.

He followed his instincts and headed toward a familiar place—a nearby graveyard. To his surprise, Nyx was already there.

She was digging one of the old graves she had used before.

’Why is she going through a grave she already dug up?’ he wondered as he approached silently.

Nyx was down in the dirt, her hands and feet smeared with mud. Her eyes had a wild, almost unhinged glint, her expression twisted in deep focus… or maybe frustration. She looked up as his footsteps crunched the dry leaves.

She froze when she saw him.

She frowned immediately, her lips tightening.

Aether kept a relaxed face as he approached, hands in his pockets. “You know, I thought you didn’t like digging the same grave twice.”

Nyx didn’t respond right away. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and shot back, “What are you doing here?”

Aether smirked, his voice casual. “What? Can’t a husband come visit his beloved wife while she’s busy playing with digging?”

That grin, the way he said it—it made her twitch.

Something about his tone was extra annoying today.

He tilted his head, studying her quietly.

’She’s clearly pissed off… but this isn’t her usual annoyed face,’ he thought. His gaze fell on the spare shovel lying beside her. Without asking, he picked it up and started digging beside her, silent and calm.

For a few moments, Nyx said nothing. But she stared at him, clearly irritated, her grip tightening on her shovel.

“I don’t need your help,” she snapped, voice raised and sharp.

Aether paused.

Her voice… There was a crack in it, a raw edge. Usually, she was either cold or indifferent. But this? This was something new. She sounded… mad. Actually mad!

’Don’t tell me… she’s jealous?’ Aether held back a chuckle, marvelling at the irony.

’Lia really stirred up two women in one night,’ he thought, amused, and just kept digging like he hadn’t heard anything.

Nyx glared at him for a few seconds longer, then huffed and went back to her work. They kept digging together, silently working through rows of empty graves.

Time dragged on… Eventually, Nyx stopped shovelling and gave him a side glance.

Aether dropped his shovel and exhaled with a tired sigh. “Finally,” he muttered. He stepped closer to her, brushing some sweat off his brow.

Then, without a word, he reached out and gently wiped a smear of dirt from her cheek.

Nyx flinched instinctively. But instead of pulling away, she held still, staring into his eyes, searching—trying to find something.

His eyes were soft, warm… familiar. The same eyes he had used to look at Lia. The same gentle look.

[+200]

She said nothing. Just swatted his hand away. “I’m fine,” she murmured. With a simple wave of her hand, all the dirt and grime covering her body vanished.

Without looking back, she turned and walked off toward the house. Dinner was already prepared by Nightfire, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe she didn’t want to be around him right now…

Nyx and Aether sat across from each other at the table and quietly began eating. The silence was heavy. The awkwardness was thicker than the stew.

Aether chewed slowly, then finally said, “So… do you want to ask me anything?”

Nyx looked up at him, expression unreadable. “Hmm? Do you have something to say?”

The way she said it… flat, emotionless—it made it feel like some cold, arranged marriage where the husband had been caught sneaking around.

Aether sighed inwardly. He knew the truth was going to come out eventually. He should probably be honest. But…

“You mentioned something about your half-soul, remember? What exactly are you searching for, Nyx?”

Nyx didn’t answer. Her eyes lowered. Silence.

He frowned. “If you can’t be honest with your husband, then don’t expect your husband to be honest with you,” he said, voice stern.

That hit something.

Nyx’s body jolted. Her eyes twitched, lips quivering. Her face flushed—not with rage, but pain.

And for the first time, she looked like she was going to cry.

First time!

“…”

She stood up suddenly, her chair screeching against the floor, and stormed out of the dining hall.

Aether was stunned.

“…Did I go too far?” he muttered to himself, slumping in his seat.

He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face,

’Crazy Women really are impossible sometimes. One moment you think you understand them, and the next, they’re a complete mystery.’

He forced himself to finish his food quickly, stuffing his mouth as purple sparks flickered faintly around him. Then, wasting no time, he made his way to their room.

When he opened the door, he found her already inside. Freshly bathed, wearing clean clothes, sitting on the bed. Her face was blank. Emotionless.

Aether closed the door quietly behind him and walked toward her. Without speaking, as usual… they did it.

Her expression didn’t change. His didn’t either.

And when he finished, when he poured everything into her, he expected her to turn away like always.

But instead, she collapsed onto his chest.

She hugged him—tight. As if afraid he might disappear.

Aether blinked, then smiled softly. Compared to last night, this time she clung to him like she didn’t want to let go.

’She really is one of a kind,’ he thought, letting out a quiet breath. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

She trembled slightly in his embrace. Then, almost in a whisper, she said, “Can you…?”

“Hmm?” he responded softly.

“N-Nothing!” she said quickly, burying her face in his chest.

She closed her eyes, holding back something she clearly wanted to say but couldn’t.

Aether didn’t press her.

His thoughts drifted, fading softly into the void of his subconscious, until they entered his twin domain.

“Hello, Grace.”

He waved a hand casually like greeting an old friend after years apart.

And just like always, Grace didn’t reply. Not a word, nor even a glance.

Aether giggled softly before picking up the tiny cage and giving it a quick, playful hug. Inside, Grace thrashed violently, her form slamming against the metal bars, eyes wide with panic. The tiny rods shimmered with black and white, and she nearly touched one of them as her voice cracked in alarm.

“S-Stop! Don’t do that!” she yelled, panicking. Her tone was more than irritated—there was a flash of genuine fear in her voice.

Sometimes, Aether’s affection felt less like care and more like danger wrapped in a smile.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, then gently placed the cage back down and muttered, “Sorry.”

Grace just snorted at him and turned her back, crossing her arms.

Only Aether knew why he had done that. A sly grin curled on his lips as he leaned against the cage and began talking—spinning a half-true story about today’s events. Of course, most of it was fabricated. He conveniently left out the serious parts and instead rambled on about how amazing Mary was, how bright and beautiful she looked—gushing like an obsessed fanboy.

Grace listened in silence, her expression growing darker with every word.

She finally turned her attention… toward his own soul—clearly not wanting to hear another second of his nonsense.

Aether saw the shift and gave a small, knowing smile before closing his eyes, settling into a meditative state.

Just like before, his form began to flicker, slowly halving as he sank deeper into himself.

Eventually, nothing of him remained except a small, glowing flame—a sphere no larger than a fist, etched faintly with the outline of his own face.

That flame drifted forward through the shadows, heading toward the white door at the far end.

Just as he was about to reach it, the door creaked open on its own. But before he could move, a figure cloaked entirely in black emerged from the door, blocking his way.

“Not again…” Aether groaned, his voice filled with frustration.

He stepped forward cautiously. “Can we talk this time?”

But the black figure gave no answer. It just stood there—motionless and silent.

“Fuck!” he cursed, clenching his fists.

Aether tried again to speak, hoping for any kind of reaction. But the figure didn’t flinch, didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Now annoyed, he attempted to get closer to the door.

The result was immediate.

He was flung back violently, just like before.

Thud!

Grace, still trapped inside her cage, watched his body twitch and fall back as if someone pushed him away…. Aether’s eyes snapped open, irritation written all over his face as he groaned.

“It seems you failed again,” she said coolly, almost pitying him.

His lips twitched, but he didn’t say a word.

No matter what method he tried, no matter how many times he came close, he couldn’t get past that figure. It wasn’t just an obstacle—it was a guardian. Protecting something deeper.

Aether let out a defeated sigh and sat back again. This time, his voice was softer, tired, almost pleading.

“Grace… please help me. I know you know something. Just… please.”

Grace looked down at him, eyes narrowed. Then she scoffed.

“I’ve told you before… it’s in your hands. You need to understand your soul, Aether.”

His face fell, his shoulders slumping. That flicker of hope faded from his eyes as he bowed his head, lips trembling with frustration.

“…”

Grace watched him in silence. There was something about seeing him like this—so quiet, so… broken—that unsettled her. His usual energy was gone. That annoying grin, his constant rambling about Mary… none of it remained.

It wasn’t satisfying.

It was painful to watch.

[+300 AP]

She let out a long sigh.

“Fine…” she finally relented, sitting atop one of the cage bars and swinging her legs like a bored little bird. “But you’d better figure out a way to get me the hell out of this cage someday. Got it?”

Aether immediately perked up, his face lighting with relief. “Of course!” he said, beaming.

But deep inside, ’You’re not getting out of here… not yet.’

Grace continued, arms folded, eyes sharp.

“You see, this place isn’t your soul’s domain. It’s your consciousness domain. Most people confuse the two, but they’re very different.”

She paused, giving him time to absorb the weight of those words.

“This realm, what you’re walking through… is shaped by your consciousness. Not your soul. That means, if anything happens here, it directly affects your real body. It’s not just dreams or illusions—it’s tethered. Your mind is the thread connecting your body to this place.”

Aether’s brows furrowed, trying to piece it together.

Grace leaned forward. “And recently… your consciousness has started linking more actively with your body, hasn’t it?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah…” he muttered, recalling how he had fused his blood with his consciousness in that strange place. ’So that’s why I was bleeding from my hand in the real world…’

He flinched suddenly. “Wait—does that mean…?”

Grace smirked darkly. “Yes. If I kill you here, you’ll die out there too. That’s why I invaded this realm. Your consciousness is now tightly bonded with your body.”

Aether swallowed hard.

Grace continued, her tone serious now.

“You see, just like you connected your consciousness and body… to truly understand yourself, you need to align all three—your soul, your consciousness, and your physical form. Without that trinity, you’ll never dive into the depths of your soul… or truly own it.”

Aether stared at her, stunned into silence.

“You’re just renting space here,” she added bluntly. “You don’t own it yet.”

“Then… how do I do it?” he asked quietly.

Grace shrugged. “How did you do it with your consciousness and body? You figured that out on your own, didn’t you? Same rule applies. No one can teach you this. You have to discover it yourself. Otherwise, you’ll never reach your end.”

Aether bit his lower lip, frustrated. Just then, he felt a familiar pull—someone was calling him from the real world.

He looked toward Grace.

“Goodnight,” he whispered softly, leaning forward and giving the cage a small, warm hug.

He turned to leave, his form flickering out of the domain. But just before vanishing, he called back,

“I’ll definitely find a way to release you.”

Grace stared at the spot he disappeared from, lips pouting slightly.

“Yeah, yeah…” she muttered under her breath, looking away with a sigh.

[+400 AP]

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[Author’s Note: How is this? Good? It mixed with speech to text and typing… I am still recovering, so I need your answers whether to continue or not!]