Revenge: A Path of Destruction
Chapter 161: Aetheria 3

Chapter 161: Aetheria 3

Aetheria’s sharp, piercing eyes locked onto Alex once more, glinting with a mix of intensity and intrigue. Her voice emerged, steady yet tinged with a hint of curiosity that danced at the edges. "Since I’ve answered your question, shouldn’t you extend the same courtesy and answer mine?" She paused, the air around them thickening with unspoken tension. "But—"Alex did not waver under her intense scrutiny. Instead, he offered a nonchalant shrug, the motion almost casual, as if he were discussing the weather rather than their precarious situation. His tone was flat, devoid of any remorse or explanation. "We don’t know. It just happened. When we forged the bond... she was already a rank above me. And it’s been that way ever since." A heavy silence enveloped them, stretching uncomfortably like a thundercloud suspended in the stillness of the sky. Aetheria held his gaze, her expression a turbulent sea of emotions. First came confusion, washing over her features, followed swiftly by disbelief, her brow furrowing as the weight of his words sank in. Finally, a faint, dangerous glimmer of offense flickered in her eyes. For someone of her stature, deeply entrenched in the ancient rules and sacred laws governing beastkind, what Alex claimed wasn’t merely suspicious—it was utterly inconceivable.

She blinked once, slowly, as her mind tried to process the claim. It didn’t make sense.

The bond ritual was clear, carved into the laws of both humans and beasts. When a human and a beast formed a pact, the beast’s rank was automatically reduced, always one step below the master. It wasn’t a choice; it was a soul-binding law of nature.

To bond with a stronger beast would trigger a soul battle. And the chance of a human winning such a battle was infinitesimal—less than 0.5%, barely a fraction of a fraction. Even in that rare case, the beast would still regress in rank, their strength shackled by the bond.

So for Alex to claim that Nyxara had always remained above him... and that the ritual succeeded without issue...

He must be lying. Or so she thought.

Aetheria’s gaze slowly shifted from Alex to Nyxara, still curled comfortably beside him, unbothered and quiet as if this whole interaction was a casual exchange at a market stall. The empress waited, fully expecting the tigress to deny the claim or at least provide a more reasonable explanation.

But Nyxara only chuckled, a sound low and smooth that reverberated through the air like distant thunder—soft yet irresistibly commanding. As she lifted her regal head from her elegantly curled paws, her crimson eyes gleamed with a mischief that seemed to dance in the light.

"It’s as he said," she purred, her voice rich with amusement as it flowed like silk. "I’ve always been a rank above him. From the very moment of our bond."

Aetheria’s lips parted slightly, a look of disbelief clouding her features, her brow creasing in confusion. The air around her felt charged, her fiery aura flickering uncertainly like a candle caught in a gust of wind.

"And during the bonding," Nyxara continued, her grin widening, "there was no soul battle. The ritual unfolded flawlessly—perfectly, in fact. No resistance. No regression. Just... harmony."

Then, unable to restrain herself any longer, Nyxara erupted into a full-bodied laugh—rich, wild, and free, her joy spilling forth as though this entire exchange was the most delightful spectacle she’d encountered in ages.

Aetheria, however, remained frozen, her face a mask of stunned silence. The warmth of her fiery aura, once steady and illuminating, flared slightly before settling again, betraying the unease that flickered in her golden eyes. She held her tongue, choosing instead to wrestle with the unsettling emotions swirling within her.

To her, this wasn’t just an anomaly.

It was a violation of what should be possible.

-----

No one could blame Aetheria for the look of pure shock etched across her face.

She wasn’t just a ruler of beasts—she was a scholar of their nature, a being who had spent decades unraveling the intricacies of the bond between humans and their so-called companions.

She had studied it, dissected it, and yes—even experimented on it.

Her obsession had purpose.

She sought to break the chain.

To sever the invisible tether that bound beast to man.

But time and time again, her conclusions had been the same: once a beast was bonded to a human, it was irreversible. No ritual, no sacrifice, no secret spell could undo it. The moment a beast submitted to the bond, their fate was sealed.

And yet, even that wasn’t the true reason her composure was cracking now.

She had witnessed hundreds of bondings during her lifetime most she had an hand in, and not once—not once—had she seen one where the beast was of higher rank than the human. Even the attempt would trigger a violent soul battle, a deadly clash of wills that only ended with the beast’s regression... or the human’s death.

But here was Nyxara, laughing—laughing—as if mocking the very laws that governed their kind.

And that boy... Alex.

His voice flowed with a calm assurance, the timbre steady and unwavering, while his body language radiated an unshakeable confidence, imbuing the atmosphere with a sense of normalcy that seemed almost surreal. The unwavering certainty behind his words unsettled her far more than any mere act of bravado ever could. Aetheria’s gaze lingered on both of them, piercing and contemplative, as if seeking hidden truths behind their composed façades. Doubt clawed at her mind; she desperately wanted to dismiss their claims, to reject the reality they painted. Yet, nestled deep within her—a place obscured by her layers of pride, profound knowledge, and a visceral sense of righteous disgust—something began to stir. It was not quite belief, but a hesitant whisper of possibility began to unfurl. Her expression tightened as she wrestled with the implications. Her eyes narrowed slightly, sharpening with intense focus, as the thought flickered through her mind: "Could they be the answer I’ve been searching for all this time?"

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