Chapter 874: When Mother-in-law becomes Mother: Part-1

Who would have thought... that this kind of perverted cliché moment would actually happen!

Aether’s hand was firmly gripping her busty boobs, his fingers sinking slightly into the soft flesh as his face blankly stared at Maelona. She, too, was staring at him, her cheeks burning with a deep blush, her lips slightly parted in shock.

A tense silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken emotions, as if something invisible was tying them together.

The connection between them only made it worse, amplifying every sensation, every subtle movement. Aether could feel her warmth seeping through his fingertips... and more than that, he could feel something else—something ’weird’ radiating from her. A strange rush of emotions that weren’t entirely his own.

His fingers unconsciously twitched, gripping just a little tighter.

"~Hmm~"

"!!!!!"

Aether snapped out of whatever the hell was happening to him. His mind jolted back to reality, and his face turned red in an instant. He quickly yanked his hands away as if he had been burned. "W-Well... I—I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to... I mean, it just kinda—happened, you know..." His words tumbled out awkwardly as he waved his hands in a flustered manner.

Maelona, too, seemed to finally wake up from the haze of embarrassment. Her face was burning as she hastily straightened her crumpled clothes, trying to regain some composure. "I-It’s fine... Really! I mean... it was just an accident, right? Ahaha..." she let out a forced, awkward laugh, her hands fidgeting at the hem of her dress.

Aether gave a weak smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah..." His gaze shifted back to her, "Why are you not answering me properly?... Hold on!" he frowned, seeing something off.

Without thinking, Aether moved closer. Maelona’s breath hitched, her body freezing up as his face came dangerously close to hers.

Her heart pounded wildly against her chest. Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, her eyes shimmering with a misty daze. Aether was staring—no, analyzing her with intense focus, his gaze digging deep into every little detail of her features.

Her skin, dark blue as always.

Her silvery white hair, cascading over her shoulders.

Her long, elegant elven ears.

Her soft, plump lips, slightly parted.

Her cute, small nose.

Her striking red eyes...

Everything about her seemed the same, and yet—

"Something feels off..." Aether muttered under his breath. His fingers hovered near her cheek as if debating whether to touch her.

Just then, he felt a small tug on his shirt.

Aether flinched slightly and glanced down, only to see Maelona gripping his shirt tightly, her fingers trembling. Her face was still red, but her expression screamed something else—something desperate, something pleading. As if she were silently begging him to back away before... before something happened.

Aether swallowed, suddenly feeling the heat rising between them. He coughed, forcing himself to lean back, though the lingering tension refused to fade. "I’m sorry again... It’s just—you feel different. I don’t know how to explain it, but something about you right now... it’s unfamiliar. It’s like I’m sensing something new from you..." His words trailed off as a thought suddenly struck him. His eyes widened slightly. "Wait... red? Hold on—"

Aether’s gaze snapped back to Maelona, locking onto her eyes.

"They weren’t red before, were they?" His voice was laced with certainty.

Maelona’s body tensed, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. "W-What are you talking about? My eyes have always been red!" she stuttered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. A drop of sweat slid down her temple. "A-Anyway, first, you should—"

Aether didn’t let her finish.

He reached forward, cupping her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed against her flushed cheeks as he leaned in even closer, his breath fanning against her skin.

"Nah, there’s no way I’d mistake something like that," he murmured, his voice low and steady. "I love eyes. More than anything. And yours... Yours were green. Like a lush, deep forest—soft, tender, and full of warmth. They made my heart skip a beat every time I looked into them." His fingers tensed slightly as his frown deepened. "But these... these aren’t the same. This crimson color… It’s definitely new."

[+4000 AP]

Maelona wasn’t sure whether she should be happy to hear such heartfelt words or terrified of the realization creeping up her spine.

Aether’s expression hardened. "What are you hiding from me?" His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it now.

Maelona’s throat went dry. Her lips parted, but no words came out. The guilt on her face was unmistakable... Fear flickered in her eyes.

Aether’s sharp gaze didn’t waver. "Maelona... tell me the—"

Thud!

Aether flinched at the sudden sound. His head snapped toward the source.

Maelona’s face drained of color.

Aether’s frown deepened. He slowly turned his head, scanning the room.... Only now did he fully take in his surroundings. Everything was in shambles—furniture overturned, deep scratches marred the walls, and broken objects littered the floor. And there—among the chaos—was something unusual.

A thin, white thread.

Silk-like... Almost coccon threads?

His frown tightened. "What the hell happened here?" His voice dropped lower, his stance shifting as he became more alert.

His mind raced back to earlier—he had fallen down because something had caught his leg.

"Is somebody here?" he asked, directing the question at Maelona, but his eyes never stopped moving. His skill activated, he scanned for any traces of a living presence nearby.

Nothing.

And yet, Maelona’s growing panic told him otherwise.

Aether narrowed his eyes. "Just tell me the truth, Maelona. What happened her—"

Thud!

Another dull, ominous sound echoed in the room.

Aether tensed.

This time, the sound had come from under the bed.

His fingers twitched. His breathing slowed... He noticed the same silk threads on the bed but there were numerous...

He knew for a fact—there was no sign of life in this room. And yet, there was still movement.

His frown deepened even further as he slowly, cautiously moved toward the source.

"W-Wait!" Maelona tried to stop him, her voice trembling with urgency, but Aether ignored her. His curiosity, mixed with unease, pushed him forward. He crouched down, peering into the darkness beneath the bed.

At first, there was nothing. Just an abyss of blackness stretching beyond sight,

"There’s nothing in h—"

Thud!

Aether flinched, his entire body stiffening at the sudden noise. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

’Is there really a fucking ghost in there?!’ he screamed inwardly, his instincts screaming at him to back away. Yet, against all logic, he moved a little closer, his hands hesitantly stretching forward as if drawn by some unseen force.

Just then—two eerie blue lights flickered deep within the shadows.

Aether froze.

The unnatural glow felt like eyes.

His heartbeat pounded like a war drum. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached forward. "...Is there someone there?" His voice came out quieter than intended, barely above a whisper.

Even though he was ridiculously strong, even though he had faced horrors beyond reason, this?

This was not the kind of shit he was built for! After that day in the old mansion... he kind of had PTSD!.. Lightly though!

"A-Aether... P-Please..." Maelona’s voice was barely a breath, weak and unsteady, laced with something between fear and desperation. She wasn’t just scared—she was terrified. Yet she didn’t move an inch. She stood frozen in place, as if her body refused to respond.

Aether ignored her. His fingers inched closer to the glowing lights, about to make contact when—

Something shot out.

Aether’s pupils dilated in shock.

A long, dark, flexible tube-like appendage slithered forward from the shadows. Its smooth, almost glassy surface pulsed with a faint blue bioluminescence, like veins carrying liquid moonlight. At its tapered end was a conical structure—something between a proboscis and a tentacle, its texture unnervingly soft yet firm.

His breath hitched. His mind screamed, ’Pull back!’ But his body refused to obey.

Instead, his fingers moved forward on instinct.

The tube-like appendage hesitated, hovering inches away as if studying him. Then—

It touched his fingertip.

For the briefest moment, the contact was gentle, almost... inquisitive. But then—

Aether barely had time to react before—

"Who are youuuuuuuuuu!!!"

Aether’s scream tore through the air as he felt something being forcefully sucked out of his body. A raw, unnatural sensation spread through his arm like icy fire, as if something was greedily drinking from his very essence.

Maelona reacted instantly. She lunged forward, grabbing his leg and yanking him back. "Aether!! Let go of him, you bastard!!"

But it was too late.

The appendage tightened around his wrist, coiling like a serpent, locking him in place.

"Arrghh!" Aether gritted his teeth as he felt his strength draining rapidly. His veins burned, his muscles tensed, his mind fogged over—whatever this thing was, it wasn’t just absorbing energy. It was feeding on something deeper.

"LET HIM GO!!" Maelona’s voice rang out in desperation.

She pulled Aether with all her strength, her nails digging into his pants as she tried to pry him free.

But the thing refused to release him.

Maelona’s eyes darkened, her voice shaking with fury. "I said—LET HIM GO!!"

And then, as if responding to her command, the appendage suddenly uncoiled and retreated.

Aether tumbled backward, crashing into Maelona’s arms as his chest heaved. His face was pale, his fingers trembling as he stared at his hand. His skin had turned an unnatural shade of black—inky, almost shifting, as if something foreign had momentarily possessed his flesh. Then, slowly, the color faded back to normal.

His breath came in ragged gasps. "What the fuck... was that?" he muttered, still in shock.

Before Maelona could answer—

"Mama~"

Aether’s entire body locked up. His blood ran cold.

A soft, childlike voice echoed from the darkness beneath the bed.

His neck turned stiffly, moving like a rusted machine. His heart pounded wildly as something—something big—began to emerge from the shadows.

At first, all he saw were its eyes.

Large, luminous pools of liquid blue, glowing with an eerie, innocent light. They blinked once, twice, almost curiously, as if studying the world beyond the darkness.

Then—its full form emerged.

Aether’s breath hitched.

A massive, otherworldly butterfly slowly crawled out from under the bed, its wings spreading wide in an unnatural, fluid motion.... But this was no ordinary insect.

Its body was sleek and obsidian-black, adorned with a bioluminescent pattern that pulsed like a heartbeat, shifting between shades of deep sapphire and ethereal silver. Its wings—vast, delicate, yet strangely muscular—glowed with intricate, web-like veins of light. Every slow, deliberate movement of its wings sent a ripple of energy through the air.

And then there was its mouth—or rather, the thing that had grabbed Aether. A long, curling proboscis, thin yet disturbingly flexible, still gleaming faintly from whatever it had just done to him. The tip twitched slightly as if tasting the air.

Its gaze shifted, landing on Maelona.

Then, in a soft, almost affectionate voice—

"Mama~"

Aether’s entire world shattered in an instant.

His brain short-circuited.

He gulped, his expression twisting in sheer disbelief, "...M-Mama?!"

His horrified gaze snapped to Maelona, silently demanding an explanation.

Maelona, on the other hand, immediately panicked. She waved her hands frantically, her eyes brimming with desperate tears. "N-No! No, no, NO!!! I swear I didn’t betray you!!! Believe me, Aether!!!" Her voice cracked as if she couldn’t bear the thought of him doubting her.

But before Aether could even process what the fuck was happening—

"Papa?"

Aether blinked. Slowly, he turned his head back—

Only to see the butterfly staring directly at him.

Then, in that same soft, innocent voice—

"Papa~"

Aether and Maelona’s souls practically left their bodies.

!~Ding~!

[📣 Congratulations: Making your Mother-in-law into a Mother🎉]

[👏👏👏👏👏]

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"