It had been seven days since Cierra found Aether unconscious.
The head physician checked him and confirmed that he was fine. He had simply overused his body and passed out.
Now, in his room, he was still lying on the bed unconscious.
Beside him were his siblings, his fiancée Cierra, and his mother.
His mother had returned two days ago with the Patriarch.
When the reinforcement team reached the patriarch's location, they were shocked. Thousands of cultists had been brutally killed.
Among the mountain of corpses, the Patriarch and his Right Guardian were still standing.
They had taken down the cultists together. But the battle wasn't easy. Both of them were badly injured.
This incident quickly spread, not just in the Empire, but across the entire continent. Aether's father was given the title "Heaven's Equal."
The Right Guardian also gained a lot of praise. People called him things like 'The One Who Won't Abandon' and 'Heaven's Right Hand.'
After that the imperial army came to check the scene and identify the bodies. But because the Patriarch and the Right Guardian had crushed the enemies so brutally, nothing looked human anymore.
Because of their brutal swordsmanship, people called them evil and cursed.... giving the family a nickname: "The Ruthless Northern Family."
But still, no one dared to question them. After all, they protected the most dangerous place in the world... The Chasm: graveyard of madness.
* * *
Back to the present,
After being unconscious for seven days, he finally woke up.
As his eyes opened, he saw his family sitting beside the bed.
"Looks like I made them worry again," Aether thought.
Just then
"Uhhm…"
Lyra von Noctvain slowly woke up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. As her vision cleared, she saw Aether sitting up in bed. Realizing her brother was awake, she shouted,
"Brother… aaaaaaa!"
She jumped up and fell into his arms.
Her scream was so loud that everyone in the room woke up.
As the triplets woke up, they also jumped onto the bed.
They all began talking at once, telling Aether how worried they had been.
Then, Aether's mother climbed onto the bed and hugged all five of her children tightly.
" I'm so glad you're okay, Aether," she said.
" I'm sorry for making you worry, Mother," Aether said, his eyes filled with tears.
"Huh? Why are you calling me 'Mother' ?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I noticed it earlier too. Didn't you always call me 'Mom'?"
In his past life, when Aether was only fifteen, he used to call his mother 'Mom'. But now, Aether was actually forty years old. After dying, he had come back to his fifteen-year-old body.
So even if he wanted to, calling her 'Mom' felt a little awkward. He didn't even realize he was saying "Mother" instead.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Aether said, "Mother, I'm a grown man now. I should act like a proper adult."
Hearing his answer, his mother burst into laughter.
On the other hand, Cierra was still sitting quietly at the table beside the bed. She felt a bit awkward during the family moment.
"Why aren't you joining in?" Aether's mother asked, looking at Cierra. She reached out her hand and smiled. "Come here"
"No, no, I shouldn't disturb your family moment," Cierra said shyly.
Aether's mother pouted and replied, "I thought I had one daughter-in-law… but I must've been wrong. She doesn't like me… sob sob."
She even pretended to cry, just to tease her sweet daughter-in-law.
Fourteen-year-old Cierra quickly stood up and joined the group, her eyes full of tears.
"Waaaa Mother-in-law! I love you..." she cried as she hugged her.
After the warm moment passed, Aether's mother said playfully,
"Do you know Cierra was the most worried? She even ate all her meals right here beside you."
"Is that true?" Aether asked, surprised.
"Yes. And you know, she even kissed your forehead and..."
Before she could finish, Cierra's face turned bright red.
"Ahhh! Mother-in-law… don't tease me like that! He'll think it's true!" Cierra shouted, trying to explain that she didn't do anything while Aether was asleep.
"Hahaha!" Aether's mother laughed. "Our little Cierra is so shy. I like you. Just marry my son already!"
Hearing her mother laughing made Aether feel relaxed. It has been a while since he get to have a family moment.
Just then, Lyra asked something surprising.
"Brother, why are your eyes black?"
Everyone in the room went quiet.
They had all noticed it, but no one wanted to talk about it. Still, they were curious just like Lyra.
"My eyes… are black?" Aether asked.
Midbro handed him a small mirror.
Aether looked into it. His pupils were pitch black.
The Noctvain family was known for their distinct dark green eyes, smooth and clear like emberel jade. This change was unnatural.
Aether's eyes widened in shock. But then, a memory flashed through his mind.
Abyssal energy.
It had to be the result of his exposure to it.
While he was still lost in thought, his mother gently spoke up.
"Son, I understand that as a swordsman, you'll have your own secrets. But as your mother... I can't help but worry. Are you okay? Everyone's been talking about that sinister black energy. What was it?"
She looked very worried.
But Aether couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't say he was reborn from another world, from a place called Earth.
He forced a gentle smile and spoke.
"Mother, you don't need to worry. It's not something evil, or from a demon. It's a mana technique I developed. It boosts my power by twofold... but it seems to have a side effect...it turned my eyes black."
Though he tried to reassure her, his mother still looked uneasy. Her gaze softened, but her worry lingered.
"I hope you know what you're doing," she said with a sigh.
Just then ,
Lyra asked another question.
"Then… what is that egg, brother?"
Aether blinked. "What egg?"
Lyra pointed to the corner of the room.
There, resting on a golden cloth, was a huge crystal-like egg. It shimmered with a faint light and had strange patterns glowing on its surface.
Ding'
A system window appeared. But after seeing the dark green window Aether's heart skipped a beat.
'This'.
.
.
.
.
To be continued....