Chapter 1728: This is war, Aether. There is only one path: Victory... or Death
Chapter 1728: This is war, Aether. There is only one path: Victory... or Death
What did Jonathan mean... Goddess showed them?
Not told them?
Showed them?
Young Aether was utterly confused. The more he listened, the less anything made sense. His thoughts tangled into an incomprehensible mess as he tried to piece together Jonathan’s words.
There was that strange portal, and from it, monsters carrying Origin Crystals had poured out endlessly like popcorn bursting from a heated pan. And now... Jonathan was saying those creatures were his people?
What the actual fuck was going on here?
Young Aether slowly lifted his gaze toward Jonathan. His friend stood there with clenched fists, his entire body trembling with barely restrained fury. Bloodshot eyes burned with hatred as they locked onto Aether’s own.
"This..." Jonathan’s voice quivered as he fought to suppress his emotions.
"This is what you people started... and all we want... is to end it, Aether. That’s all."
Young Aether silently stared back at him. There wasn’t a shred of hesitation or mercy within Jonathan’s eyes anymore.
Only raw anger... and vengeance that had festered for who knew how long.
"I see..."
His voice turned noticeably colder. For the briefest moment, an unsettling darkness flickered through his eyes before disappearing just as quickly. Looking directly at Jonathan once more, he spoke without hesitation.
"So... you were all manipulated by that bitch?"
"AETHER!!!"
Jonathan roared.
His hand shot forward and grabbed Young Aether by the collar, yanking him close. Veins bulged across his clenched fist while his furious eyes shook with rage.
"Don’t you dare sully the Goddess’s name ever again!" he snarled through gritted teeth.
"I won’t tolerate it."
Young Aether remained silent as he looked into Jonathan’s eyes. He recognised that look all too well.
It was absolute devotion!
The same unwavering faith the people of the Aurora Empire held toward God Aether himself.
To them, their god wasn’t merely a deity.
He was salvation.
A Hope.
The very reason they continued living.
Anyone who dared insult that existence, friend or enemy alike, would inevitably face the wrath born from that unwavering faith.
Jonathan carried that exact same fire within his eyes.
Young Aether immediately understood there was no point trying to convince him. No matter what evidence he presented or what explanation he gave, Jonathan wouldn’t believe a single word.
After all, from Jonathan’s perspective, it wasn’t Aether who had descended to save humanity.
It was the Goddess.
It wasn’t Aether who had given this dying world hope.
It was the Goddess.
Just as God Aether stood at the centre of countless hearts within the Aurora Empire and the other two...
Arcane occupied that same sacred place within the hearts of these people.
The air between the two friends grew unbearably heavy. It felt as though a single misplaced word would shatter whatever remained of their friendship forever.
"...Fine."
Young Aether exhaled quietly before forcefully pulling Jonathan’s hand away from his collar. He calmly straightened his wrinkled clothes, brushed away the creases, and met Jonathan’s furious gaze once again.
"Even so, I still believe every one of you has been manipulated by her. We are not monsters, Jonathan. We didn’t even know this world existed until your people suddenly appeared out of nowhere... invaded our lands... and kidnapped our people."
Jonathan remained silent for a few seconds before narrowing his eyes.
"Or maybe..." he began slowly, "it’s simply because you’re not important enough to know the truth."
Young Aether frowned.
"What if the rulers of your Empires are the ones responsible for all this? Think about it. You worked in a bakery, right? How could someone like you possibly know what your rulers are plotting behind closed doors? They could’ve been lying to everyone... making us out to be the villains from the very beginning."
Young Aether quietly stared at Jonathan. His expression remained calm, but disappointment flickered across his eyes.
"...Couldn’t the exact same thing be said about you?"
Jonathan scoffed, a hint of ridicule creeping onto his face.
"Of course. Every single one of us saw the proof. The Goddess herself showed us what kind of terrifying monsters your people truly are."
Young Aether frowned, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer.
"...Again, what do you mean by ’showed’? What exactly did she show all of you in the first place?"
"The truth."
"Oh, really?" Young Aether let out a dry laugh. "Then show it to me. I’ll tell you whether it’s the truth or not."
Jonathan slowly shook his head.
"You’ll just call it a lie to protect your people. Besides, it’s not like you knew everything your Empires were doing either." He sighed and looked away for a moment.
"Forget it, Aether. This argument is pointless."
A faint smirk curled across Young Aether’s lips.
"So... you don’t actually have any proof with you?" he asked mockingly. "Then who’s the one blindly believing things? Hm?"
Young Aether wanted to twist things... or even put a seed of doubt on his friend’s chest!
Jonathan’s lips twitched in irritation.
"If you want to know so badly, ask anyone in this Empire. Every single one of them knows the truth. And if you really want evidence..." His voice hardened.
"Go meet the President. Maybe he still has what you’re looking for."
Jonathan had witnessed it with his own eyes.
Those memories...
Those horrifying scenes...
The images projected across the heavens as the Arcane Goddess revealed what she called the truth. Every desperate survivor, those desperate souls had looked up at the same sky, watching those visions unfold before their eyes.
To Jonathan, there had never been a reason to doubt them.
"What’s more..." Jonathan continued, stepping closer until only inches separated them. He jabbed a finger against Young Aether’s chest with enough force to make him take half a step back.
"The Goddess Arcane told us your people have been leeching off our world this entire time."
"Huh?"
Young Aether blinked before an amused chuckle escaped his lips. He even clapped twice as though applauding an entertaining performance.
"Oh my... so that’s the story?" he said with a grin.
"We’re the parasites, and you’re simply reclaiming what’s rightfully yours? Hahaha... So fucking awesome... hahaha--!!"
His laughter echoed for a few seconds before abruptly stopping.
"Then answer me this. If you all originally belonged to the same world... how exactly did your Empire separate from ours in the first place?"
"..."
Jonathan fell silent.
His mouth opened slightly before closing again.
He... didn’t know.
If humanity and the Empires had once belonged to a single world, then how had they become separated?
Why had nobody ever explained that part?
Seeing Jonathan’s silence, Young Aether finally understood.
This wasn’t simply ignorance.
It was indoctrination!!
Humanity had been pushed beyond its limits. They had lost their homes, families, hope, and even their future. Once a person’s mind had been broken to that extent, rational thought became nothing.
Then someone had appeared.
Someone who offered salvation.
Someone who gave them an... enemy.
Someone who gave them a reason to keep living.
A Purpose!
A Goal!
A future!
A... world!!
’...A brilliant move,’ Young Aether thought inwardly, his expression gradually turning solemn.
’When someone pulls you out of absolute despair, you’ll cling to every word they say. You’ll believe them without question... because to you, they become a god. That’s simply human nature.’
He slowly shook his head... well, he had been used to that too many times!
So, of all people, he knew how it worked, and someone used it against him?
How laughable!
"Whatever the truth may be," he said firmly, "I can assure you of one thing. We have absolutely no connection to those monsters."
His eyes met Jonathan’s without the slightest hesitation.
"And we are not monsters who slaughter innocent people that are simply trying to survive."
His voice rang louder than before, filled with conviction. He wasn’t merely trying to convince Jonathan.
He was defending the people he knew.
"Is that so?"
Jonathan looked at him with an expression that was strangely calm, almost pitying. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Would you still say those exact same words... if you had remained here with us?"
"..."
The moment those words reached him, the smile on Young Aether’s face vanished.
Instantly!
Even the faint amusement lingering in his eyes disappeared without a trace.
As if he had never truly thought about it...
Even after Jonathan had poured out all of his pain, grief, and suffering, Young Aether had never once stopped to understand what his friend had actually endured. He had simply felt a little sad that Jonathan’s parents had died and that his life had been miserable.
That was all!
He had never tried to imagine what it was like to live through that nightmare himself.
Actually... he subconsciously didn’t care anymore.
Just acted like he was worried and sad for him.
After all... he lost the emotions that once tied him; all that was left was cold revenge and amusement at seeing their lives miserable!
Because of that, when Jonathan finished telling his story, Young Aether found himself unable to respond.
It was as though the part of his heart capable of sympathising with that pain had quietly sealed itself away.
The compassion that had once reached out to others with open arms now felt locked behind heavy doors that refused to budge.
Closed his heart... Closed his eyes... Closed everything inside him!
If Jonathan hadn’t asked him that question...
He might never have even considered it.
As though none of it truly concerned him.
Just as he was about to gather his thoughts...
"Are you really going to abandon the people who believed in you? Huh? Pathetic. You can’t even make a decision for your sorry ass."
The dark voice suddenly growled inside the back of his mind. Every word dripped with fury, sounding almost disgusted by Young Aether’s hesitation.
Young Aether fell silent.
Mistaking that silence for an answer, Jonathan let out a bitter smirk.
"See?" he said quietly. "You’re only standing there because you were reborn in that world. You built a new life there, made new friends, and found people worth protecting."
His expression gradually turned cold.
"But here..." he said, tapping his own chest,
"This is war, Aether."
Jonathan took another step forward, his posture straightening instinctively.
"There is only one path."
He struck his fist firmly against his chest.
"Victory..."
Another strike.
"...or death."
His eyes burned with unwavering conviction.
"For our Arcane Goddess!"
Without waiting for a response, Jonathan turned around and walked toward the exit. The front door opened before closing behind him with a heavy click. He still had duties waiting for him at Delta Tower.
Just before leaving completely, Jonathan paused without turning around.
"Stay here," he said. "I’ll be back this evening. Don’t do anything irrational. This is the heart of Delta City. One wrong move..." He paused briefly before adding in a quieter voice,
"Even I won’t be able to save you."
Despite everything they had argued about...
Despite the growing distance between them...
Jonathan still couldn’t bring himself to stop worrying about his oldest friend.
Young Aether remained standing in complete silence, staring blankly at the closed door.
"...Oh, shit."
He suddenly slapped his forehead with a groan.
"I forgot to ask him about Aevum."
A sigh escaped his lips, disappointment flashing across his face.
However...
^I can... answer that for you, if you’d like... otherworlder~^
A sly, feminine voice suddenly echoed from within the ring.
Young Aether’s lips twitched the instant he heard it.