Chapter 1126: Finally, without any interruption.

A Few Moments ago,

In the Naiadae Empire,

Inside a restaurant, a separate cabin,

A woman with long, flowing black hair laced with shimmering purple tips sat with an air of cold grace. Her locks elegantly reached down to her hips, swaying gently as she moved. Her piercing blue-purple eyes—sharp, detached, and dangerous—gazed with unblinking intensity at the two men seated across from her.

Kai and Leon both gulped, their throats tightening as their eyes flicked toward the table, which was lavishly adorned with platters of delicious, fragrant foods—steaming meats, freshly baked breads, and aromatic spiced dishes. But their hunger quickly faded as the chilling aura from the woman before them crept into their nerves.

Summoning his courage, Kai looked back up and asked, "Nyx Shadowfall, what exactly do you want to talk about with us?"

Nyx gave a soft, dismissive hum before gesturing gracefully toward the table. Her fingers moved with elegance, but her expression remained unreadable.

"Why don’t you eat first?" she said smoothly, her tone laced with something too calm to be natural.

Kai and Leon exchanged a brief look, their expressions darkening.

There was something off—deeply wrong—in the way Nyx stared at them... Especially at Kai.

That gaze...

’Wait a second... don’t tell me... is she falling for me or something?’ Kai thought, trying to smother a grin as his eyebrows arched with amused disbelief. Then he glanced at Leon, a realisation striking him.

Leon caught the look and smirked mischievously. He leaned closer to Kai and patted his shoulder lightly, whispering with a smug chuckle, "Look at you, already attracting danger... Maybe it’s fate. You take this one, and I’ll graciously take Vesperine off your hands."

Kai’s expression twisted in both irritation and disbelief. He slapped Leon’s hand off his shoulder.

"I swear, I’ll kill you, you bastard," he hissed under his breath, eyes narrowing with sharp fury. He then turned toward Nyx, trying to regain control of the situation.

With a firm breath, Kai spoke aloud, voice blunt and direct,

"Sorry, but I already have a girlfriend. I’m not interested."

His words came out strong, as if even imagining being with someone else disgusted him.

Nyx blinked once.

"So?" she replied plainly.

Kai’s brow furrowed, caught off guard. "Wait—what? You don’t mind being the second woman, then?" but shook his head,

"Still, it doesn’t matter. My heart belongs to someone else. I’m completely loyal to her. No one can enter that space, no matter what. Even if you stood before me naked and begged—"

But before he could finish the sentence, a bone-chilling wave spread through the room. The air dropped several degrees. The lights dimmed unnaturally.

Nyx’s eyes flickered with something twisted, her blank expression morphing into one of eerie detachment as she stared directly into his soul.

Leon and Kai both instinctively tensed. Their bodies stiffened. Muscles were prepared to react.

Then Nyx spoke in a voice far colder than before.

"I need your servant."

The words fell like lead in the room.

Kai and Leon blinked in confusion. They relaxed slightly, caught off guard by the shift in topic.

"You need my servant? What for?" Kai asked while watching her warily.

Nyx didn’t blink.

"I need a new toy. Do you have a problem with that? Of course, I’ll give you something in exchange. A fair trade."

His eyebrows knitted tightly together as he stared at her in disbelief.

Toy?

Like... those toys? The kind he’d read about in certain adult books with very specific themes?

Was she into that sort of thing?

Kai’s stomach churned slightly.

Nyx Shadowfall—a beautiful, cold, graceful young woman—and yet what lurked inside her was darker... and deeply twisted.

’Tsk... what else do you expect from a necromancer?’ Kai thought bitterly. He shook his head.

"No. I can’t just give you my servant," he said, his voice firm and his face hard with conviction.

Nyx’s expression shifted ever so slightly into a frown.

"I believe everything has a price," she said softly. "No matter how precious something is to you... It all comes at a cost. Nothing is ever truly beyond purchase. How about this—I have the soul of an ancient swordsman. I’ll give it to you in exchange."

Kai’s eyes widened, horror creeping into his face.

"Hell n—"

Before he could yell in outrage, Leon’s hand suddenly gripped his shoulder tightly. His voice lowered to a serious whisper.

"Brother... you might not understand what that means... but the soul of an ancient swordsman? If you were to imbue it into your weapon, your swordsmanship would be amplified tenfold. You’d gain more than just strength—you could learn techniques directly from that old soul, techniques long forgotten by this era."

Leon then turned toward Nyx and asked, voice sharp with interest, "How old are we talking here?"

Nyx tilted her head slightly, her eyes shimmering unnaturally.

"Roughly seven thousand years," she answered calmly.

Leon raised his hand and shot a hard glare at Kai. His words came out clipped, serious, with no room for argument.

"Man, you need to take that deal."

Kai frowned as he looked at both Leon and Nyx... There was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

He knew this offer wasn’t something ordinary. It was important—possibly life-changing. With that soul, he could greatly improve his swordsmanship, maybe even go head-to-head against Victor and beat the living hell out of the man who dared to harm his father...

Kai’s jaw clenched as his fingers curled tightly into a fist. After a moment of tense silence, he gave a sharp nod.

"Fine... let’s make a deal. I’ll give you my servant—Timmy. He’s yours," Kai declared.

Nyx tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.

"Timmy? That’s strange. I heard... his name is Aether," she said quietly.

Kai’s eyes widened in alarm.

"Nope! NO!" he blurted and immediately pushed his chair back, ready to get up and walk away.

But before he could move, Leon reached out and firmly grabbed his shoulder, pushing him right back down into his seat. His expression was serious—grim even—as he leaned in.

"Why are you so hung up on that guy?" Leon asked with frustration.

"Just give up already! He lost his powers—he’s nothing now! Even if some of them returned, they’ll never reach our level. He’s just dead weight, brother. And what you’re doing now is turning that dead weight into a priceless weapon.

You’re trading nothing... for something huge!"

Kai’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, a storm of confusion and worry building behind them.

He didn’t know why... but recently, something had changed. He had already lost his connection with Aether—the command link had vanished. It was as if the so-called eternal chains that bound master and servant were suddenly meaningless.

Still... despite all logic, despite what Leon said... something deep inside him screamed not to give Aether away. A strange instinct kept warning him, tugging at his chest. It felt like giving Aether away now would mean throwing away a future opportunity—something massive, something Kai couldn’t yet understand, but it lingered in the back of his mind like a whisper of fate.

Just then, Leon leaned closer again and whispered darkly into Kai’s ear,

"How about this... Giving Aether to Nyx might be the best way to draw your mother out. Look at Nyx... she’s asking for a toy, Kai. And what do you think is going to happen to Aether? She’ll either suck him dry... or she’ll break and play with his soul like a twisted game."

Just those words alone sent a chill down Kai’s spine... His mind hesitated no longer.

"And what’s more," Leon added, his eyes glinting slyly, "if your mother shows herself, we might finally catch her... and bring her to justice."

That was the final nail.

Kai’s expression went blank—his hesitation vanishing completely at the mention of his mother. The fire in his eyes changed. He nodded slowly.

"Fine," he said. "I’ll give you Aether. But make sure... You treat him like a proper toy," he added with a sly grin.

Nyx’s lips slowly curled into a wicked smile, one that sent a slight shiver through the air around her.

"Very well then," she replied smoothly. "Eat first... and once we’re done, we shall begin the process."

Kai nodded with satisfaction, the deal sealed in his mind.

Both Kai and Leon began eating, casually filling Nyx in on the details of Aether’s current condition, his location, and his lack of resistance.

Nyx didn’t say much—she simply hummed in acknowledgement, her expression unchanged, unfazed.

Shortly after, Kai led Nyx to his residence. Since the setup and required materials were already there, it made the most sense to carry out the process at his home.

As they entered, Velc greeted them and was surprised to see a new girl, but then,

"Kai, are you sure about this? Grandfa—" Velc started to speak once he heard the details.

"Fuck him!" Kai snapped, cutting Velc off harshly. His voice was bitter and raw. He had no desire to discuss that old bastard—an old man who’d manipulated everyone like chess pieces, even him!

Fuck no!!

Velc sighed and shook his head, watching silently as Kai began preparing the ritual.

And so... the beginning of the ownership transfer of Aether began—finally, without any interruption.