Revenge: A Path of Destruction
Chapter 164: Conditions

Chapter 164: Conditions

Alex reacted instantly—he was on his feet in an instant, fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade. The atmosphere in the room shifted, thickening with anticipation, the silence stretched taut like a drawn bowstring.

But then Aetheria’s voice slid through the air, smooth and calm as ever.

"But," she said, "I will compromise... if you do something for me."

Her tone was almost casual, but Alex knew better. There was steel behind those words. He stilled, the tension in his frame coiling inward as he listened.

"You’re asking me to bind myself," she continued, her gaze never leaving his, "and in doing so, bind every beast that calls this domain home. That’s not a small thing, Alex. That’s not just diplomacy—that’s shackling our very nature. So if I’m to do that... I want something of equal weight in return."

Alex’s jaw clenched slightly. Her words weren’t wrong. They had entered her sanctuary uninvited, set their terms on her table, and expected obedience.

He let out a slow breath and lowered himself back onto the carved feather chair. His voice came out low, roughened by reluctant understanding. "What do you want?"

Aetheria’s lips curled faintly—not quite a smile, but something sharper.

"Simple," she said, her eyes gleaming in the dim light. "I want Cassius to either sign the same contract I’m being forced to... or for you to kill him."

Her words hit the air like a blade striking stone—loud, final, and echoing.

Alex didn’t flinch. Deep down, he had anticipated this. She was too clever, too experienced, not to demand balance. By asking her to stand down, to tie her hands, they were handing the humans an open field. She wouldn’t allow that.

Still, hearing it aloud carried a gravity that no inner suspicion could replicate.

"And secondly," she said, voice softening, "I will ask something of you in the future."

Alex’s gaze narrowed slightly, a glint of caution flickering in his eyes. "What kind of favor?"

Aetheria leaned back slightly, the firelight casting flickers across the markings on her neck and shoulders—ancient runes etched in silver, pulsating faintly with mana.

"I don’t know," she said. "It’s not something that’s guaranteed to happen. But if it does... I’ll tell you then. And when the time comes, you’ll have the choice to decline. I won’t force your hand."

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes held hers, probing, weighing, trying to pierce the veil of enigma that always seemed to hang around her like a second skin. Something in her tone—it carried the weight of foresight, like she knew of storms still hidden behind the horizon.

His instincts stirred again. A whisper at the edge of his thoughts. There’s more to this.

But he didn’t press. Not yet.

"Alright," he said finally. His voice was quiet but firm. "It’s a deal."

Aetheria inclined her head slightly, a regal gesture touched by something deeper—relief, perhaps. Or satisfaction.

Shadows danced across the high walls of the chamber, jagged silhouettes flickering like beasts at war. Outside, the trees of her domain swayed as a breeze passed through, their leaves rustling with a sound like distant whispers.

Alex didn’t speak further. He remained seated, hands resting loosely on his knees, but his thoughts spun behind his eyes like stormclouds gathering.

The main reason he hadn’t reacted violently to her conditions was because the path she offered wasn’t entirely foreign to him. He had already considered Cassius a dead man. That name had been etched into his mind long before this conversation. And as for the future favor—he’d take that risk, if it meant he wouldn’t have to fight another Legend rank beast

But still... something lingered. A feeling like a blade just barely brushing against his spine. Her calm, her foresight, her vague promise—it left a ripple beneath his skin that refused to settle.

----

A few moments later, Alex and Nyxara emerged from the stone mansion perched atop the mountain’s peak.

The crisp air whispered around them, carrying the distant howls of beasts echoing through the valley below.

Nyxara had already assumed her usual position, gracefully perched on Alex’s shoulder like a warden cloaked in stripes of black and white, her emerald eyes glinting with silent amusement.

Alex’s steps were steady, but his mind was anything but. His eyes were distant, gaze fixed forward, yet his thoughts churned in chaotic silence.

’This isn’t like you, Alex.’

Nyxara’s voice slithered through the bond in his mind, calm but edged with suspicion.

’Why did you accept her terms? You sensed it too, didn’t you? Something about her request wasn’t right. So why agree?’

Alex didn’t answer right away. The question echoed louder in his head than her voice did.

’To be honest...’ he finally replied as they passed beneath a twisted arch of glowing stone trees, ’I’d like to say it’s because I didn’t want to waste time clashing with another Legend-rank... especially with Cassius already looming as a problem.’

He paused.

’But that would be a lie.’

Nyxara tilted her head, eyeing him sideways as her long tail flicked behind his shoulder.

’Then what? Don’t tell me—’

’I did it because my instincts whispered it would be... fun.’

The tigress blinked.

Then, in the most exaggerated, dramatic tone she could muster, she replied:

’Fun? What the hell do you mean fun?! Since when do you make choices because they’re "fun"? Where’s my cold, brooding tactician? The Alex who calculates ten moves ahead? What have you done to him?’

Alex’s lips tugged slightly upward—somewhere between a smirk and a sigh. He didn’t know whether to laugh at her reaction or admit how much she mirrored his own confusion.

She wasn’t wrong.

For as long as he could remember, every decision he made was shaped by necessity, precision, and results.

He always followed the clearest path toward his goal, even if that path meant blood, betrayal, or loss.

But this time... something had shifted.

He knew Aetheria might not uphold her side of the contract. No magic bound them that ensured it.

And yet, there was a part of him—a small but insistent voice—that had surfaced as soon as she mentioned her deal. A voice that whispered:

Where’s the fun in always knowing the outcome?

That voice had been growing louder ever since they arrived. Playful. Unpredictable. A side of him he had constantly kept buried—a whisper from the storm within him.

He knew what it was.

His demon.

And this time, he hadn’t silenced it.

Instead... he let it speak. Just to see what would happen.

’I know it doesn’t make sense, Nyxara,’ he said as they passed through the the barrier on the mountain peak. ’But for once... I want to see what happens when I stop being calculative. When I stop controlling everything.’

Nyxara stared at him, her tail curling slowly in thought.

’You’re insane.’

’Probably.’

Behind them, the mountain loomed like a sleeping god wrapped in stone and ash clouds. At its highest point, the mansion stood like a sentinel of the wild. And there, within the crystal-framed window, stood Aetheria.

She watched them leave.

But gone was the playful gleam in her eyes, the smug pride that usually adorned her face like a crown.

Now, her expression was unreadable. Her face devoid of even the faintest flicker of emotion. Cold. Still. Almost... ancient.

She stood as though seeing not just two figures leaving her domain, but the start of something far more complicated—something neither Alex nor Nyxara could fully grasp.

And behind those pale eyes, something stirred.