Chapter 1920: Kidnapping Done! But at What Cost...?

A few moments ago, while everyone was searching for Lily, a cloaked figure moved silently through the shadows, carefully searching for his mother and Lily.

With his stepfather and Alpha involved now, Aether couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

All he could do was remain hidden, observe the situation, and wait for an opportunity to move without drawing their attention.

After all, unlike the other mech-suits, these two could locate him with ease. If he moved too quickly or exposed himself, they would immediately target him, and everything he had worked for would fall apart.

He carefully peered around the corners of the shadows, watching armed men move through the narrow streets in organised groups. Their weapons remained ready as they searched the surrounding area, their footsteps echoing between the old buildings.

Aether’s eyes moved constantly, scanning the houses, abandoned factories, and even the drainage systems that could provide a place to hide.

Yet, no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find them anywhere.

"I don’t have time to search blindly. I need another way," Aether murmured beneath his cloak.

He was already running out of time. He needed to reach the Beta Tower before Nova woke up, and every minute he spent searching here brought him closer to losing the narrow window he had created for himself.

Standing on top of a partially broken building, Aether looked down at the streets below. Several vehicles moved through the slum while armed people spread out between the buildings, searching urgently for anyone who might be hiding.

Aether clenched his fist and stared across the vast slum, frustration slowly settling across his face.

"Fuck, man... at this rate, this is going to take forever," he muttered.

And on top of everything else, he had to find them before Alpha and the others did.

The clock was already ticking.

"If only I had something... anything that could trace them," he muttered, biting lightly at his nail as he searched his thoughts for anything he could use.

So far, he had nothing.

Then, just as he was about to give up on the idea, something suddenly clicked in his mind.

"Wait... I have one."

Aether’s eyes widened slightly as he pulled his hood back. In the next second, he called for Grace.

Purplish particles shimmered beside him, gathering together until the small figure of a fairy appeared in the air. Her delicate wings fluttered gently behind her, but the expression on her face was far less pleasant.

She looked annoyed.

It was almost as though she was still pissed off about his previous actions.

Aether immediately explained the situation to her, speaking quickly as he outlined what had happened and what he needed from her.

Grace blinked once before flicking her hair to the side and looking at him.

"So, you want me to find your mother?"

Aether nodded.

"I mean... her soul is different from everyone else’s, right? Can’t you just... you know, use that big-eye thing you used back in our world?"

Grace stared at him for a moment before giving him a completely deadpan look.

"That ability only works when I am in the Void. This place is different."

Aether’s expression hardened as he considered that. "Then there really is no other option?"

Grace studied him more carefully. Aether was clearly tense, his attention constantly shifting toward the streets below as though he expected something to happen at any moment.

"Why are you so tense?" she asked. "You still have the option of going back in time and saving her."

Aether let out a quiet sigh and nodded. "I know I can. But I came this far, and I cannot simply give up and return just because things became difficult."

He lowered his gaze for a moment, his fingers slowly tightening around the edge of his cloak.

"Even if my skill is ridiculously powerful, I don’t want to depend on it too much."

There was a seriousness in his voice.

"If I keep using it whenever something goes wrong, eventually I might lose interest in everything around me. Worse, I might stop growing stronger, both mentally and physically, because I would always have an escape waiting for me.

I could end up trapped in a loop where every mistake becomes meaningless because I can simply erase it."

He looked toward the distant streets again.

"So... for now, I can still move forward. Unless there is absolutely no other choice, I refuse to return to the past."

Grace remained silent for several seconds, quietly studying his tense expression. She could see that he wasn’t simply being stubborn.

He genuinely wanted to solve this problem himself, even though he possessed a power that could potentially bypass it entirely.

Though she annoyed... maybe... just maybe she liked a bit?

"There is another option," she finally said.

Aether’s eyes immediately widened, a spark of hope appearing in them.

"I knew it. I can trust My Grace!"

"..." Grace stared at him strangely.

’Again... "My Grace?"’ she thought, her brows drawing together in irritation.

She quickly pushed the thought aside and crossed her arms.

"However..." Grace said, her expression becoming colder. "Why would I help you?"

Aether’s smile slowly faded.

Grace narrowed her eyes at him.

"You are asking me to help you find your mother after you were the one who trapped me inside that cage. So tell me, why should I do it?"

Aether fell silent for a moment, his expression becoming slightly awkward before he finally said, "Well... you tried to kill me. What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and stay quiet?"

Now it was Grace’s turn to fall silent.

Her lips parted as though she had an immediate answer ready, but no words came out. She had, in fact, tried to kill him, and there wasn’t exactly a convincing argument she could make against that.

"Y-You could have told me afterwards, couldn’t you?" she finally muttered, crossing her tiny arms with a slight frown.

Aether tilted his head.

"How was I supposed to know you wouldn’t kill me after coming out? You almost lost your temper the moment I opened the cage, remember?"

As he spoke, he pinched his two fingers together like a child trying to make the most innocent argument imaginable.

"..."

Grace quietly stared at him.

His logic was annoyingly sound.

That was the part she hated most.

And somehow, seeing him act so innocently while making a perfectly reasonable argument only made her irritation grow stronger.

Her little wings fluttered faster behind her as she clenched her tiny fists.

She could only grit her teeth and growl quietly under her breath.

Aether watched her for a moment before carefully asking, "Can you help me now?"

Grace slowly looked toward him.

Aether immediately put on his most shameless expression, his eyes practically sparkling with hope.

"Pretty please~"

Grace’s eyebrow twitched.

[+700 AP]

She stared at him for another second before folding her arms and puffing out her cheeks.

"Whatever!"

Aether immediately smiled.

Outwardly, he gave her an awkward little smile as though he had just received a huge favour. Inwardly, however, he smirked and rubbed his hands together with a wicked expression.

Got her.

Grace noticed the expression for half a second.

Her eyes narrowed.

’He’s definitely thinking something stupid again.’

She decided not to bother asking.

Grace gracefully landed on his shoulder, her tiny feet resting against the fabric of his cloak as she looked out over the enormous city below. From their position high above the slum, the countless lights and moving vehicles looked almost like a river of artificial stars flowing through the darkness.

"However..." Grace said, her voice suddenly carrying a faint warning.

"You owe me another one."

Aether immediately straightened his posture, his expression becoming unusually serious.

"As a true gentleman, I always keep my promises. Just tell me what you want, and I will do it for you."

After all, he already had a pretty good idea what she was going to ask for.

She would probably want him to take her back to the Void, or perhaps ask him to free her completely. Either way, he could do that without much trouble.

As long as she wasn’t planning some kind of revenge against him, there was no reason for him to refuse.

Grace quietly stared at him for a moment, as if she were trying to decide whether she should trust such a suspiciously confident statement.

"Well then..." she finally said. "I will help you. But don’t expect me to interfere with every mundane problem you create."

She flew away from his shoulder and hovered a short distance in front of him.

Then she raised one tiny finger toward the air.

A faint purple glow appeared at her fingertip.

The light rapidly expanded into a magic circle, intricate symbols forming along its circumference as several layers rotated in opposite directions. The air around it seemed to become strangely quiet, as though even the surrounding sounds were being pushed away.

The magic circle then began shrinking.

It became smaller and smaller until it was no larger than Grace’s eye before smoothly moving toward her face and settling directly in front of her right eye.

Aether stared at it with open curiosity.

Through the centre of the purple circle, Grace was no longer looking at the physical world.

The city disappeared from her vision.

The buildings, roads, vehicles, and armed men were replaced by an endless, silent expanse.

There was no ground beneath her.

No sky above her.

Only an immense blackness stretching endlessly in every direction.

And within that darkness were countless souls.

They drifted through the empty space like distant stars scattered across an endless night, each one carrying its own faint presence. Some glowed brightly, their forms clear and powerful, while others were little more than tiny flickers struggling to remain visible.

Grace’s gaze moved calmly through them.

There were thousands upon thousands of souls around her, perhaps even more than she could count.

Yet she didn’t seem overwhelmed by the sight.

She had already examined Aether’s mother before.

She knew what she was looking for.

Finding her should have been relatively easy.

Aether watched Grace in silence.

Her usual annoyed expression had disappeared completely. Her eyes were focused, her posture steady, and even her tiny wings had slowed to a controlled rhythm.

For some reason, Aether found himself staring.

She looked... cool.

It was difficult to connect this serious and mysterious figure with the tiny fairy who had been arguing with him only moments ago.

’She’s actually pretty impressive.’

Aether’s curiosity began burning again.

He lasted approximately three seconds.

"Did you find them?" he asked.

Grace didn’t respond.

Aether leaned slightly closer.

"How are you seeing through this? Is this one of your magic abilities? I haven’t seen anything like this before. Can you teach me? Does it consume energy? Or is it related to your connection with the Void? And can I—"

"Shut the fuck up."

Grace didn’t even turn around.

Aether blinked.

He slowly straightened himself and became completely silent.

His shoulders drooped slightly, and he lowered his head with the expression of a puppy that had just been scolded for touching something it wasn’t supposed to.

Grace glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

He was actually sulking.

She immediately turned her attention away before her expression could soften.

[+700 AP]

’Finally.’

Somehow, seeing him silent was strangely satisfying.

Grace returned her focus to the magic circle and continued searching.

Her gaze swept through the endless sea of souls, passing over countless unfamiliar presences without hesitation. She moved slowly at first, then gradually increased her speed as she became more certain that she hadn’t missed anything.

Then she stopped.

Two presences appeared together in the distance.

Grace narrowed her eyes.

One soul was bright.

The other one was different.

Very different.

Grace’s expression slowly changed.

No. That wasn’t a normal soul.

It was a mass of reddish darkness.

Something resembling a soul existed within it, but barely.

The reddish darkness flickered irregularly, almost as though it were struggling to maintain its own existence. There was hardly any light within it, only a faint and fragile glow buried beneath layers of darkness.

It looked less like a complete soul and more like what remained after something had already been broken apart.

Her expression hardened as she stared at the strange presence.

She immediately raised her tiny hand and pointed toward the distant location.

"There! I found her!"

The moment Grace said those words, Aether’s hurt puppy expression disappeared as though someone had flipped a switch.

His entire demeanour changed.

He immediately pulled his hood over his head, tightened his cloak around his body, and she sat on his shoulder.

He bolted toward the location Grace had pointed out. He moved across the rooftops with practised precision, leaping from one broken building to another while keeping himself within the cover of the surrounding shadows.

There was no time to hesitate.

His footsteps barely made a sound as he crossed the distance.

Step!

Step!!

Step!!!

Within a matter of seconds, Aether appeared much closer to the location. He landed on the street covered in darkness, and his eyes widened.

Alpha had already reached Lily.

"Fuck! They found her!" Aether cursed under his breath.

Aether grabbed the broken building rock lying beside his foot.

He drew his arm backwards.

The muscles in his forearm tightened, and the veins beneath his skin bulged as he poured every bit of force he could into the throw.

The rock shot forward like a bullet.

It tore through the air and flew directly toward Alpha’s head.

But just before it could hit her, Alpha casually raised her left hand.

Her fingers closed around the rock.

The projectile stopped completely.

"..."

Aether’s expression froze.

’She caught it?’

He stared at her in disbelief.

Alpha slowly turned her head toward the dark street at the junction.

"Oh? What do we have here?" she muttered wickedly.

A faint chill ran down Aether’s spine.

’Fuck.’

His mind immediately began racing.

’Everything is messed up now.’

He hadn’t intended to reveal himself this early.

He had wanted to remain nothing more than a shadow, quietly moving through the chaos until he found Lily and his mother.

Now Alpha knew someone was watching.

If she found him, everything he had carefully planned would collapse.

He couldn’t fight Alpha directly.

Not yet.

He couldn’t reveal himself.

Definitely not yet!!

He needed something that would make Alpha look away, even if only for a few seconds.

Anything!

’Think.’

He needed something that could completely capture Alpha’s attention.

Something strange.

Something she had never seen before.

Aether’s thoughts suddenly stopped.

"Oi, what are you thinking?"

Grace suddenly called him.

Aether immediately turned toward her and blankly stared at her.

Grace stared back.

Cute face? Check!

Tiny fluttering wings? Check!

Glowing like a star? Check!

Small? Check!

Possibility of escaping? High!

She is a walking attraction!!

Then Aether’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Grace blinked when she noticed the peculiar expression on his face.

"What are you looki—"

"Forgive me, Grace..." Aether said with an unusually solemn expression.

Grace’s eyes narrowed.

"For what?"

Aether took a slow breath.

"For the sin I am about to commit."

"Huh?"

Grace barely had time to process his words.

Aether’s hand suddenly shot forward and caught her.

"W-Wait!"

His palm closed around her tiny body.

Grace’s eyes widened in absolute disbelief.

"Aether?!"

Aether tightened his grip just enough to secure her, then pulled his arm backwards.

Grace’s expression slowly changed from confusion to horror.

"No."

Aether’s expression remained serious.

"I’m sorry."

"No."

"I’ll make it up to you. Go and divert their attention for me!"

"AE—"

Aether swung his arm.

"Arrrrrrrghhhhhhh!!!"

Grace was launched from his hand like a projectile.

She shot through the air at ridiculous speed, leaving a brilliant purple trail behind her.

Grace’s furious scream echoed across the entire area.

"SONNN OFFFF AAA BBBIIITTTCCCHHHH!!!"

Aether remained completely still.

For approximately one second.

Then he quietly muttered, "She’ll definitely forgive me."

He paused.

"Eventually."

Another second passed.

"...Probably."

[Sigh...??]

Meanwhile, Alpha’s attention had already been drawn toward the strange purple streak flying through the sky.

Her visuals immediately locked onto it.

She frowned.

What was that?

It wasn’t a drone.

It wasn’t a weapon.

It wasn’t any kind of creature she recognised.

The purple glow continued moving rapidly through the sky, leaving a luminous trail behind it.

She had never encountered such a life-form before.

Without wasting another moment, she released Lily and shot upward, following the strange purple streak.

She needed to know what that was.

"Think you can escape now?" She mumbled.

Aether watched Alpha disappear into the sky.

He almost felt proud of himself.

Then he remembered what he had just done.

’...I definitely owe Grace something.’

He shook his head.

’I’ll worry about that later.’

Right now, he had to move.

Thud!

Lily’s body hit the ground.

She gasped violently as the impact forced the remaining air from her lungs.

Lily coughed and looked around in confusion.

"What... happened?"

She didn’t understand it.

But she understood one thing.

She had been given an opportunity.

She planted both hands against the ground and began forcing herself upright.

Her body was exhausted, but she couldn’t afford to stay there.

She needed to run.

She had barely managed to lift herself when a cloaked figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

Lily froze.

The cloaked figure stood silently before her, his face hidden beneath the hood.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat.

"Who...?"

She didn’t even have time to finish the question.

The figure moved.

His hand struck the side of her neck with precise force.

Lily’s eyes widened as the strength immediately left her body.

Her vision blurred.

Before she could collapse onto the ground, the cloaked figure caught her.

His movements were surprisingly careful.

Lily’s head rested against his arm as her consciousness faded completely.

Aether looked down at her unconscious face.

"Why are you here...." He mumbled in confusion before glancing at another person inside the house.

"Mom..."