Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Liora turned her attention back to Veda, the playful smirk on her face vanishing, replaced with a cold, sharp edge. Her eyes hardened, burning with unbridled malice as her voice dropped to a low, venomous whisper.

"Watch," she hissed, each word laced with cruel intent, "watch as I destroy this entire city and reshape it into my image. Watch as I crush your lovely people beneath my heel. And when it's all over, when the flames have died down and the ashes settle…" Her gaze locked onto Veda with an icy intensity. "It will be your turn."

Veda didn't flinch under her gaze, her defiance standing strong, but Adrian could see the fire in her eyes flicker.

For just a moment, a shadow of doubt passed over her. Find more chapters on empire

Liora's smile widened, sensing it. "Ah, don't think about running," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "Or betraying these people like you betrayed me. I've already sealed the city. There's nowhere for you to hide or to run, Veda."

A sickening satisfaction radiated from Liora as she straightened her posture, her eyes alight with anticipation. "Well then," she said with a mock sigh, almost as if she were bored, "I suppose I should go and find my benefactor." She winked, a twisted grin curling on her lips. "After all, he does deserve something special, don't you think?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She licked her lips seductively, her intentions unmistakable.

Adrian's blood ran cold.

He knew who she was talking about—him. But as much as he wanted to scream, to stop her, his body remained paralyzed, as if rooted to the spot by the sheer weight of his guilt.

Liora turned to Veda one last time, her smirk returning with a predatory glint. "Oh, and don't forget to say your goodbyes to your precious old lover, Doome."

Veda's eyes flared with alarm, a rare crack in her calm facade.

Liora's grin widened. "Because he'll be doomed long before you."

Her laughter echoed in the chamber, a twisted melody of triumph and cruelty as she turned and began walking away, leaving Veda to stare after her in horror.

Veda stared after Liora—no, Evangeline—as her cruel laughter faded into the distance. Her spine remained stiff, her body locked in place as if bracing itself for another blow. The echo of Evangeline's words hung in the air like a death sentence.

And then, something within Veda snapped.

Her legs gave out, her knees hitting the cold floor with a dull thud, and her breath came out in ragged gasps. She clutched her chest, her usually calm demeanor completely shattered.

Her hands trembled violently as she tried to hold herself together, but it was no use. The weight of everything—the betrayal, the destruction to come, the doomed fate of the city—pressed down on her, suffocating her.

For the first time in a long time, Veda felt powerless.

As she crumbled, the magic that had bound Adrian was undone. It hit him like a tidal wave, his limbs suddenly free, his mind no longer clouded by the spell. He gasped, falling to his knees like her, his breathing haggard and labored. The walls seemed to close in on him, and his mind spiraled, drowning in a sea of guilt and confusion.

'This is your fault.'

The voice in his head was relentless, gnawing at him. 'You funded this... you gave her the means... you made this possible.'

He clenched his fists, his breath quickening.

'I helped her. I—' Adrian bit back the thought, but it refused to be silenced. The weight of it crushed him, forcing him to confront the dark reality that he had played a part in the chaos. The flames of destruction already seemed to flicker at the edges of his vision, and it was his fault.

'How could I have been so blind?'

But deep down, a spark of defiance, hidden within pure white light remained. Despite the crushing guilt and the overwhelming despair, there was still something—something—that refused to let him fall completely. Something that was helping to keep his sanity.

'There has to be a way.' His mind clawed desperately at that thought. 'A way to stop this mess... A way to stop her...'

Slowly, Adrian began to steady his breathing. He forced his thoughts to quiet, pushing aside the tormenting voices. He even wondered whether he was under some kind of spell for a moment since his emotions and thoughts were intense and wild. 'There is still time. There is still a way.'

His trembling stopped, and the swirling chaos in his mind began to settle, giving way to something else—clarity. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the cold air of the chamber. He exhaled slowly, deliberately, allowing the tension in his muscles to fade.

As he opened his eyes, the fear, the guilt, the helplessness—they didn't disappear, but they receded enough to make space for resolve.

Adrian's gaze shifted toward Veda.

She was still on her knees, trembling, her eyes distant and unfocused. The proud, indomitable Veda had crumbled. She had held strong through everything, but now, her mind was breaking beneath the weight of Evangeline's cruel promises.

A strange glint passed through Adrian's eyes as he watched her, something sharp and calculated stirring beneath the surface.

'She might be the key,' Adrian muttered inwardly.

He didn't know exactly how yet, but Veda would be the first piece in his plan. He needed her. They needed each other if there was to be any hope of stopping this catastrophe.

Slowly, Adrian stood.

His legs felt weak at first, but he forced himself to steady, to stand tall. His breath came out steady this time as he moved forward with deliberate steps, closing the distance between them.

'First, we stop the city from being destroyed,' he thought, the gears of a plan beginning to turn in his mind. 'Then we take her down.'

He stopped right in front of Veda, standing over her as her eyes remained fixed on the ground, lost in despair. Adrian's hand twitched at his side as if he were about to reach out and pull her back to her feet.

But he didn't.

Not yet.

The moment hung in the air, heavy with a sense of finality.

He had to make a choice.

'Ok, let it be our punishment then...'