NOVPUBAether, Selene, Kai, Xara, Velc, and Leon... all followed Vesperine's steps as she carefully led them toward the outskirts of the Frostbalde Territory.
Aether and Xara exchanged a quick glance, both frowning. There was something unsettling about the path Vesperine was leading them on... it was obvious now—she was really heading in that direction.
A direction only Aether and Xara knew existed.
'How could she possibly know about this place?' The question echoed silently between them.
It was turning into a complicated mess...
Aether hadn't told Selene anything about Xara's secret. He had deliberately kept it hidden. He wanted Xara to be the one to come clean, not him. It wasn't his story to tell, and if it got revealed the wrong way... it might shatter their already fragile family.
That wasn't something Aether ever wanted—but now, things were slipping out of control.
As the group moved a bit ahead, Aether and Xara slowed their pace, falling slightly behind to maintain some distance. Leaning closer, Aether whispered under his breath, "How the hell did she know about this place?"
Xara's brows drew tight. Her voice was low but sharp. "I thought maybe you slipped... told her by accident?"
Aether's lips twitched, part annoyance, part disbelief. "Of course not. I didn't even know her until recently. Why the hell would I just hand over that kind of information to a stranger?"
Xara's frown deepened. She had been sure only Aether knew. Her heart sank a little as she scanned his serious expression—he wasn't lying.
He really hadn't said a word to anyone.
But then how in the world... did Vesperine know this path?
Something wasn't right.
"Then how does she know?" Xara murmured, biting her lower lip softly. Her face trembled slightly, her thoughts spinning. "This doesn't make sense..."
Aether exhaled a slow sigh. Truthfully, Vesperine gave him that eerie feeling...
"What do you want to do now?" he asked her, his tone gentle but firm.
Xara clenched her fist tightly. Her voice dropped to a mutter, "I don't know... but Kai... he seems really taken in by her. Like he wants to trust her."
She trailed off with frustration. She had already tried to explain things, tried to convince everyone that Vesperine was lying... But no one listened—not even her own son. In fact, he believed Vesperine more than her, and now the whole group was chasing after her secret.
Aether frowned deeper, his expression heavy with thought. After a few seconds, he leaned in and whispered, "How long are you planning to hide it from your children?"
Xara bit her lip again, harder this time. Her eyes dropped to the snow. She didn't answer.
She clearly wasn't ready to tell the truth—not yet—not to her children.
Aether hummed quietly. Maybe he didn't fully understand. She was their mother. Sure, he was Kaelen's father, but not really— He wasn't there when Kaelen was just a child. So no, he couldn't understand her feelings, not completely.
He stared at Xara for a few long seconds, a storm of thoughts clouding his mind. His gaze slowly drifted to Selene's back, walking ahead of them, and after a long sigh, he muttered, "I have a way to deal with this..."
"Huh?" Xara blinked in surprise, turning to him just as he took a step back.
Suddenly, black smoke leaked from his body, curling around him like he was dissolving into shadow. It was surreal—his entire form faded into the smoke, vanishing for a moment. Then just as suddenly, he emerged from it again, stepping forward as the smoke evaporated behind him.
But something was off.
He wasn't the same.
"Aether?" Xara called, her voice shaky. She could feel it—something was wrong. This wasn't her Aether anymore.
Aether... or rather, his puppet... looked at her with an unreadable, blank expression. His voice was hollow, almost mechanical. "Master is on the move. Please excuse me," he said, before turning away and walking briskly to catch up with the others.
Xara stood frozen, stunned, blinking in confusion. She glanced behind, instinctively searching for the real Aether, but he was gone.
'Of course he had another weird ability,' she thought, but the uneasy feeling in her chest didn't fade. Her expression tensed with growing worry.
"What are you staring at?" Vesperine's voice echoed coldly.
Xara turned her eyes forward and saw Vesperine smirking back at her, eyes gleaming as if savouring the sight of Xara's unease.
"We've almost reached the place," Vesperine said, her smile widening with a knowing edge.
Xara's lips twitched. Her gaze flicked to the snowy path ahead, her feet moving forward, but her thoughts lingering in shadows. She followed, a slightly worried expression painting her face.
Right now... she could only depend on Aether.
And soon... very soon... everyone appeared on a wide, plain surface of an empty land. There was nothing around them—just a quiet, open stretch where small blades of grass danced gently in the breeze, swaying as if welcoming them.
"Why are we here?" Kai asked, his brows furrowing as he looked around. His eyes soon landed on his beloved, who stood still, staring intensely at the ground beneath her feet.
Kai frowned deeper, noting her focused expression. "Is there something down there?" he asked curiously, stepping closer and squinting at the soil she stared at so intently.
Vesperine simply nodded, her voice low and steady, "Yeah... It's here." Her lips curled slightly as she turned her head and gave Xara a knowing, almost taunting smirk.
Xara visibly flinched.
'How... how did she even know this?' Xara's thoughts raced as her eyes darted over the plain ground. Her mind struggled to grasp how this young woman had somehow found this hidden place—a place so secret, even the Sovereigns would struggle to locate it.
It wasn't something that could be stumbled upon by chance.
Only Vesperine knew the truth.
Only she knew it was because of the divine help of her Mother Goddess—the one who had come to her rescue and guided her directly to this location. Without that intervention, this place would've remained forever hidden. But now... it was within her grasp.
Vesperine smiled faintly as she pulled a small ceremonial knife from her sleeve.
"Now then..." she whispered and without hesitation, sliced her arm with a shallow cut—just enough to let a single drop of blood fall onto the earth below.
Everyone stood still, watching curiously... but nothing happened.
Kai frowned, glancing around with clear confusion. "What are you doing?"
Vesperine calmly turned to face them. "Just wait," she said, nodding to the spot where her blood stained the dirt. "Each of you... pour a single drop of your blood right here, exactly where mine landed."
She pointed at the precise place.
The group hesitated. Kai, Velc, Leon—all exchanged uncertain glances. Xara's frown deepened, her unease growing with every breath.
Still, Vesperine remained patient, her tone gentle but persuasive. "Trust me on this. I know it sounds strange, but I just want you all to do it... so you can understand what's really happening here."
Her gaze rested directly on Xara as she spoke.
Xara's face remained indifferent, but her mind was anything but calm.
'This is wrong... definitely wrong. How the hell does she know blood is needed to unlock the path?' Her thoughts grew more frantic, her eyes narrowing. 'This isn't normal... she shouldn't know this.'
Reluctantly, one by one, everyone followed Vesperine's instructions. Each person made a small cut, allowing a drop of blood to fall exactly where she had shown.
But still... nothing happened.
Then Vesperine slowly turned to Xara. Her eyes gleamed.
"Now you, Mother-in-law," she said with a small, satisfied smile, extending the knife toward her.
Xara stood still, her gaze locking with Vesperine's. The tension between them thickened like a blade against the throat. Vesperine could feel the hesitation, sense the anger bubbling beneath Xara's calm mask... but so what? Xara was cornered. She couldn't stop it now.
Xara's voice came out shaky. "I... I still think this isn't—"
"Mom," Kai interrupted, his tone stern and final. "It's just a drop of blood. There's nothing to be afraid of... unless Vesperine is lying, right?"
His eyes held hers with firmness, urging her to comply.
Xara sighed quietly.
'I believe in you, Aether,' she thought silently, gripping the knife Vesperine handed her. Her hand trembled slightly as she brought the blade to her finger and made a small cut. A single drop of her blood fell.
But unlike the others… her blood didn't just stain the ground.
It was absorbed.
The soil soaked it up instantly.
Everyone gasped in collective shock, their eyes widening.
But it wasn't over.
The ground beneath them shuddered with a faint tremble. Then, with a deep, rumbling sound, a square block of the earth slowly began to rise—lifting upward, revealing a hidden passage or entrance concealed beneath the plain.
All eyes turned toward Xara.
She stood there, staring at the rising block in stunned silence. Her face was blank. She said nothing anymore.
Vesperine's lips curled into a wide grin.
'Finally,' she thought.
She couldn't suppress the wicked smirk stretching across her face.
Now everyone understood this belongs to her, even if she said it's not!!
