Chapter 280 Pure Aetherial II

Liam picked Clark up from the ground. The fight was over. Both of them had already retracted their wings, and the night air felt heavier as silence fell over the battlefield. Clark’s spirit was shattered. His breathing was slow and ragged, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his gaze empty. There was no more fight left in him.

Liam gripped his neck tightly, raising one hand into the air. His knuckles cracked. The intention was clear—one sharp smack and Clark’s neck would snap. His grip tightened. The muscles in his arms flexed with quiet fury. His eyes were cold.

But just before his hand came down, a shout rang out from the distance.

"Stop!!!" Vanessa’s voice echoed with urgency.

Liam turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as he saw her rushing toward him. She was still injured, her movements slow and wincing, but she pushed herself forward regardless. Her face was pale, her lips trembling, but there was a fire behind her eyes—desperation.

She stumbled the last few steps and finally reached him. "Please, Liam... stop," she said again, breathless.

Liam’s brows furrowed. "He would have killed you," he said through gritted teeth, his voice low and sharp. "If I hadn’t shown up when I did, you’d be dead."

Vanessa nodded, swallowing hard. "I know... I know he would’ve. But... he’s not evil. Clark isn’t a bad person. Please, just..." she trailed off, her voice trembling as she looked down at the man dangling in Liam’s grip.

There was another light beneath her eyes—one that Liam didn’t miss. She wasn’t just pleading for mercy. She was begging for Clark’s life because something still connected her to him.

Liam clenched his jaw in frustration, his hand still raised. "You’re defending him after everything he’s done?"

"I’m not defending his actions," she replied quickly. "I’m asking you to spare someone who’s been twisted. Someone I... someone I once cared about."

Liam’s breathing was heavy. His arms were still tense, and the rage in his heart didn’t want to listen to reason. But just as he was about to make a decision—

"Liam, watch out!!!!"

Vanessa’s scream tore through the air.

In one terrifying second, everything shifted.

Clark, who had seemed completely limp in Liam’s grip, suddenly moved. From his sleeve, he pulled out another small device—similar to the one that had generated the electric dome earlier. Without hesitation, he threw it.

Liam barely had a second to realize what had happened. His body moved on instinct. He looked at the device spinning through the air—glowing faintly blue, already ticking. And it wasn’t heading toward him.

It was heading for Vanessa.

Liam’s eyes widened.

"Shit—!"

He let go of Clark immediately, the man collapsing like a ragdoll to the floor, and sprinted forward. His wings erupted from his back in a sharp burst, spreading wide.

The device exploded mid-air, and time seemed to slow.

Lightning cracked. Energy flared. But Liam was already moving.

He grabbed Vanessa and pulled her into his chest in one fluid motion, wrapping his wings completely around the both of them.

BOOOMMMMM!!!!

The explosion detonated into a massive dome of blue lightning. It spread out in a wide radius, the electric tendrils lashing like whips across the battlefield. Rocks shattered. Dust flew into the air. A deafening hum tore through the silence.

Inside the dome, Liam held Vanessa tightly.

She didn’t say a word. Her face was buried in his chest, eyes wide, lips slightly parted in silent awe. She didn’t even flinch. She felt the crackle of lightning around them, but not a single spark touched her.

Instead, what she felt was something else entirely—warmth. Protection. Power.

His wings weren’t just shielding her physically. They felt alive. They moved like extensions of his soul.

Her breath hitched.

He protected her without hesitation.

When the energy finally faded, the dome vanished. The sparks died out, and the dust slowly settled.

Liam’s wings unwrapped from around her and gently returned to his sides, folding behind him. Vanessa looked up.

Still held close to his body, she took a small step back and stared at him.

Her lips parted as she breathed out in shock, her voice barely above a whisper.

"P-Pure Aetherial... This is... I-Impossible."

Her eyes were fixed on his wings—those radiant, glowing wings that shimmered faintly even in the fading darkness of the night. Wings that only existed in legends. Wings that no one was supposed to be able to possess.

Not in this era. Not anymore.

And yet... they were real. Tangible. Alive.

Right in front of her.

Liam stood still as his wings slowly retracted into his back, the soft sound of feathers brushing against air fading into the night. His eyes scanned the area with sharp intensity, the glow in his pupils fading gradually as his adrenaline began to settle. The fight was over, but his mind wasn’t at ease. Something wasn’t right.

He turned slowly, gaze darting from one shadow to the next. The crater where he dropped Clark was empty.

Liam gritted his teeth. "Shit."

Clark had escaped.

There was no use wasting time or energy searching now. The bastard could be anywhere by this point—hidden in a crevice, cloaked under some device, or already miles away. Chasing him now would be like chasing the wind. Liam let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his shoulders slightly, his body still tense but his mind accepting the loss.

As he turned around, his eyes met Vanessa’s.

She stood there, a bit roughed up but very much alive, her figure glowing subtly under the moonlight. Her arms were crossed, but her eyes weren’t on the environment or the damage. They were locked on him.

No. They were locked on his back.

There was a strange glint in her gaze, one that was impossible to miss. She was studying him like she’d just discovered a treasure map or the final missing piece of an unsolvable puzzle. Then she moved.

In an instant, she walked over and circled him. "Those wings..." she said breathlessly, stopping in front of him. "Liam. Those wings on your back. Since when have you had them?"

Liam blinked, confused by the obsession in her voice. "Just recently," he replied with a shrug, brushing off the dust on his hands.

Vanessa furrowed her brows like she didn’t hear him right. "Recently?" she repeated, her tone rising. "Are you sure?"

He stared at her, more puzzled than ever. "Yeah. Why?"

Vanessa stepped back half a step, her expression shifting as if she was calculating something in her mind. "Clark’s reaction makes sense now," she murmured.

Liam narrowed his eyes. "Why are you talking like it’s something special?"

Vanessa looked at him, blinking once... then twice. She spoke slowly, as if trying to emphasize every syllable. "Something special? Liam... it’s a fucking myth."

That stopped him.

"What?" he asked, trying to read her expression. "A myth?"

Vanessa took a breath and looked like she wanted to explain more, but instead she shook her head. "No... not now. Not here. Let’s talk about it when we get back."

Liam’s mind was spinning. He remembered Clark freezing when he saw the wings. The look of horror, shock—no, reverence. Something was off. Something more than just wings. But Vanessa clearly wasn’t in the mood to dive into the topic here and now.

She changed the subject abruptly. "Can you get me to Detective Ryan’s place?"

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Why there?"

Vanessa didn’t answer immediately. She glanced toward the dark skyline and then back at him. "Please," she said quietly. "I need to speak to him before anything else happens."

There was a note of urgency in her voice that told him not to push. He sighed and nodded. "Alright."

Vanessa nodded in thanks and took a few steps forward. Liam followed her, stepping behind her as he exhaled slowly. "But when we get back," he said calmly, "you’ve got a lot of explaining to do."

She glanced back at him and nodded again, her lips pressing into a thin line.

Liam stepped closer, closing the space between them. His arms moved swiftly, wrapping around her from behind with one hand sliding gently around her waist, pulling her slightly toward him. Vanessa sucked in a breath and stiffened, her cheeks turning red, but she didn’t pull away.

He leaned closer, his chin almost brushing against the back of her head. "What direction?" he asked, his voice soft.

Vanessa swallowed, her heart pounding. She could feel his breath at the base of her neck, his arm firm around her stomach. "Just... straight ahead," she replied quickly, avoiding turning around.

Liam nodded. His grip adjusted ever so slightly, tightening just enough to lift her more securely against him.

And then—

Boom!

A gust of wind tore through the field as Liam’s wings unfurled again. This time, he didn’t even look down. In one clean motion, he launched them both into the air. Vanessa gripped his arm tightly, shocked by the sudden burst of acceleration as they shot up into the night sky.

The city lights stretched beneath them like glitter on dark velvet, and the cool wind whipped through Vanessa’s hair. She glanced down instinctively, eyes wide, but Liam’s hold on her never loosened. It was solid. Protective.

Up above the trees and buildings, Liam flew them forward with powerful, steady flaps, cutting across the sky like a streak of white light. The motion was smooth, effortless. Vanessa couldn’t even feel his body strain.

And all the while, she was trying to make sense of it—those wings. Their glow. The aura she felt when he shielded her earlier.