Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1155: Echoes Between Life and Death

A grim and oppressive silence filled the grand throne room of the Umbrionis Void Empire.

Two armoured soldiers knelt stiffly before the towering obsidian throne, their foreheads slightly lowered, yet their trembling eyes betrayed the fear gripping their hearts. They dared not raise their gaze to meet the crimson stare of the Empress herself.

”The Grace... is gone, Your Majesty,” one of them finally said, his voice shaky and dry, breaking the suffocating stillness that had settled over the chamber like a shroud.

Seated atop the throne, Empress Mary leaned forward slightly, her regal posture as commanding as ever, though her red eyes narrowed in cold disbelief.

”Impossible,” she muttered, her tone low, ”The Grace cannot simply vanish into nothingness. It has existed since the day this empire was born...”

Seeing their ruler refusing to believe what they reported, one of the soldiers visibly panicked. In a sudden, horrifying motion, he drew his sword without hesitation and stabbed it straight into the throat of the man kneeling beside him. The blade pierced clean through, silencing his comrade forever before the poor man could even turn or react.

The slain soldier collapsed to the polished black marble floor with a lifeless thud. Blood pooled swiftly beneath him.

And yet... nothing happened.

No hand came to reclaim the soul or body... Just stillness...

Empress Mary’s brows drew together, frowning in slight yet unmistakable surprise.

’You cannot be serious,’ she thought sharply, her attention now shifting toward the remaining soldier, who calmly sheathed his blade and rose slowly to his feet.

He spoke again, this time louder, more urgently.

”Empress Mary... without the Grace, the Cycle of Samsara has ceased to function. The souls of the dead are no longer passing on. They’re stuck... If this continues, the very rhythm of nature will begin to unravel. Life and death will lose meaning. Please, Your Majesty... you must act quickly, before the balance collapses entirely.”

Mary’s face remained composed, though her mind raced behind her crimson eyes. She took a slow breath, her voice thoughtful but resolute.

”Issue a decree: No one is to leave their homes, and under no circumstances should anyone cause violence, disturbance, or death within the Empire until further notice.”

She rose slightly from her throne,

”Call... Nyx Shadowfall.”

Back at the mansion—

The atmosphere inside the room was heavy, quiet, and filled with an uneasy stillness.

Nyx stood alone by the tall glass window, her long, dark hair cascading over her back like a velvet curtain. Her eyes stared distantly at the grey, lifeless sky beyond the glass.

Behind her, Aether sat quietly on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on her unmoving figure. Ever since they had returned from that realm, she had withdrawn into herself, saying nothing. Nightfire was in another room, giving them space, perhaps sensing that something important was about to unfold.

”Nyx...” Aether finally broke the silence. His voice was gentle but steady, laced with firm concern. ”You have to talk to me.”

She didn’t move immediately.

Slowly, she turned, her eyes emotionless, yet undeniably tired.

”I never meant for you to see that side of me,”

She said softly, her voice barely audible. Her gaze didn’t waver.

”There are... things about me, things about my existence.. I didn’t want you to know.”

Aether stood up, slowly walking toward her, his expression earnest.

”I’m your husband, Nyx. And before you say you need space, just hear me out, all of it.”

He paused only a few steps from her, reaching out but not touching.

”It doesn’t matter what titles or rules we’re supposed to follow. At the end of the day, I’m your husband, and you are my wife. If something’s wrong with you... if you’re hurting or in danger... it affects me too.

I feel it. It weighs on me. Even if we were forced into this marriage by fate or by circumstance, I still care.

I still want to know who you truly are. I saw your truth... half alive, half dead. Nyx... please, just tell me. What does it mean? What are you?”

Nyx stared into Aether’s eyes for a long moment. She saw no lies there, no judgment—only a need to understand her.

To truly know her, even the parts she wished she could bury forever.

[+10 AP]

She exhaled slowly, a quiet hum escaping her lips. She looked away for a brief second, hesitant, searching for words.

”I’m not truly alive... but I’m not completely dead either,”

Nyx finally confessed,

”My mother was a mortal. A living, breathing woman of flesh and soul. But my father... my father was something far beyond human. He was a lich. A creature who defied death and reshaped himself through dark rituals. He transcended mortality. I... I am the result of their union—forever trapped between two worlds. Neither blessed by life, nor fully claimed by death.”

She turned her head slowly toward the window again, watching the bleak sky beyond.

”During the Blooddawn... something awakens within me. The dead half of my being stirs. It becomes stronger, hungrier. I begin to lose myself. My living essence fades away, little by little, until there’s almost nothing left but that cold, dead presence inside me.”

She paused, her shoulders tensing slightly.

”It feels like dying—again and again—but never fully crossing over.”

Aether blinked in quiet shock after hearing everything Nyx had revealed, ’So... she dies and lives again, like a cycle of rebirth and rot... That’s something else entirely,’ he thought, his brows furrowing in awe and confusion.

He hesitated for a moment, his voice cautious but filled with curiosity.

”Then... may I know why you’ve been digging up other graves?”

Nyx flinched at the question, visibly startled. Her head turned toward him sharply.

”You know about that too?” she asked, her voice hushed in disbelief.

Aether rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, offering a sheepish smile, ”Well... I kind of followed you. I didn’t mean to spy or anything, I was just... curious. I wanted to know what you were doing.”

A strange flicker passed through Nyx’s eyes—an unreadable shimmer of emotion. She looked at Aether with a puzzled expression. There was no fear in his gaze, no disgust, no greed for knowledge or power.

Just a concern. Pure, honest concern.

As if... he was genuinely worried about her.

A strange warmth stirred deep in her chest—something unfamiliar and soft, like a ripple in still waters. She raised her hand instinctively, placing it gently over her heart as if to steady whatever this feeling was. Her lips parted slightly, the words slipping out in a whisper laced with confusion.

”...I’m sorry.”

”...”

In another room of the mansion, Nightfire paced restlessly, back and forth like a caged beast. Her face was tense, her emotions swirling violently inside her. Fists clenched and unclenched at her sides as her thoughts grew louder, messier.

”Why him?” she muttered bitterly under her breath.

Her eyes burned with frustration.

”That stupid, arrogant, reckless bastard! Of all people... why did I even protect him? I could’ve just escaped without him! I had the chance... tsk, tsk...”

From deep within her mind, Ashara’s voice echoed smoothly, her tone playful and teasing.

’Admit it. You already love him.’

”Shut up!” Nightfire snapped aloud, her face flushing a deep red. Her tail twitched behind her as she gritted her teeth. ”Look who finally woke up after seeing a couple of shitty ghosts!”

’...’ Ashara’s lips twitched.

Nightfire’s heart thudded violently in her chest. And for once, she wasn’t horny for him. It wasn’t lust that made her restless yesterday. It was something deeper, warmer, yet terrifyingly unfamiliar. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Couldn’t name it. Couldn’t accept it.

Whatever it was... it was only for him.

Love?

A succubus... falling in love?

Hell. No.

Absolutely not.

Yet, her mind wouldn’t stop replaying that one moment—when he stood in front of her, shielded her with his body, held her tight like she meant something, like she mattered...

”FUCK!!”

She stomped her foot and shouted again, clenching her chest tightly.

”I’m just after his cock, that’s all! Nothing else! Just... just that!”

She gritted her teeth and tried to calm her thundering heart.

Just then—

A loud voice, firm and echoing with authority, rang out from the mansion’s halls, vibrating through the very walls:

”By order of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Bloody Mary—Nyx Shadowfall must present herself immediately!”

Nyx, Aether, and Nightfire all froze in place, their bodies stiffening at once.