Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1147: Nyx Shadowfall is Not Normal: Part-1

Aether and Nightfire were now walking a few steps behind Nyx Shadowfall, who was calmly striding down the cobblestone street as if the world around her simply didn’t exist.

Her movements were a vision of poise and grace. Each step was measured and elegant, her hips swaying with quiet confidence. Her hair fluttered softly in the wind like silk being pulled by an unseen hand. Everything about her presence screamed perfection — the kind of effortless perfection that made people stop and stare.

She was a perfect woman in every possible sense — at least if one judged from the outside.

Nightfire shot a side glance at Aether, her eyes narrowing. ”Remind me again... why exactly are we doing this?”

Aether smirked slightly without looking at her. ”I need to know more about my wife.”

”...” Nightfire’s lips twitched violently. Her jaw clenched as she screamed internally, ’What about me, bastard!’ The thought pounded in her head like a drumbeat of rage, as if she was on the verge of grabbing him and biting his dick off just to make a point.

He was seriously getting on her nerves... like, unbelievably!!

Aether stifled a chuckle as he noticed her stiffened body and clenched fists. He could practically feel the fury radiating off her like heat waves, but he chose to say nothing. Only he knew what his plan was, why he was doing this, and what he hoped to discover.

For now, he shifted his focus back on the trail ahead — on Nyx — as they followed her in silence.

But then, out of nowhere...

”Hey lady~ You look sexy hot~”

A sharp, sultry voice echoed through the air.

A tall, buxom woman appeared from the side of the street, stepping directly into Nyx’s path. She had enormous, barely-contained breasts bouncing with each step, her long thong on full display beneath a sheer wrap that left little to the imagination. Her eyes were half-lidded, her lips twisted into a lustful smirk.

She stared at Nyx like a predator sizing up a feast.

Aether and Nightfire both stopped dead in their tracks, their expressions turning into frowns of disbelief.

But Nyx... Nyx didn’t even blink. She didn’t flinch or slow down. She simply kept walking, her eyes fixed forward. It was as if the woman in front of her didn’t even exist — just another pebble on the road she would gracefully step over.

”She ignored her...” Aether muttered, blinking.

”No,” Nightfire corrected, raising her brow. ”She didn’t even hear her. That’s worse.”

Aether glanced sideways at her. ”What’s with these people? Either they’re walking around naked, trying to fuck the air, or they’re brawling in the streets like an animal.”

Nightfire chuckled low, almost darkly. ”Oh, you have no idea, Aether. I promise, you haven’t even scratched the surface yet.”

As they turned their attention back to Nyx, they saw the woman’s smirk fading. Her brows furrowed in irritation as Nyx continued walking past her without so much as a nod.

”Hey! I’m talking to yo—”

The woman reached out and touched Nyx’s shoulder.

And in that very instant — faster than a blink — her body convulsed. Her limbs jerked, her back arched unnaturally, and a guttural gasp escaped her throat. Her pupils dilated as something unseen surged through her veins. Aether’s and Nightfire’s eyes widened in alarm.

Then... her body twisted, warped... and turned into ashes.

Yes, ashes.

Before either of them could process what they were seeing, several dark hands erupted from the ground — long, shadowy limbs— and swallowed the ashes, dragging it down as if it had never existed.

”What the... fuck...” Aether stared, his jaw slack. His breath caught in his throat.

Nyx didn’t even turn. She didn’t so much as glance back. She just kept walking, her expression calm, completely unaffected.

Nightfire gulped loudly, her entire body stiff with disbelief. ’S-She’s terrifying...’ she thought, trembling slightly. She made a mental note to never, ever be late again. Or piss Nyx off. Or even look at her the wrong way.

”Hey... what the hell were those hands?”

Aether asked, his voice low, almost cautious, as he stepped forward and examined the spot where the woman had been. The ground was still for a moment, then the last lingering fingers of shadow faded into the dirt like mist dissolving into the wind.

Nightfire walked up beside him, her eyes narrowed. ”You’ve seen ’The Eye’, right?”

Aether nodded slowly, recalling the great black eye that watched over souls.

Nightfire folded her arms. ”Well, that was ’The Hand’.”

”...Excuse me?” Aether blinked in confusion.

Nightfire grinned. ”I know, it sounds crazy. But trust me when I say this — nothing here is like the empires you’ve seen before, Aether. This place... this is Umbrionis Void. Here, the rules are different. Here, we don’t fear death.”

Aether raised an eyebrow, surprised by the casual tone she used for something so extreme. ”That’s funny coming from you. You ran away more times than I can count just to save your ass. You didn’t fear death?”

”...” Nightfire froze mid-step. Her cheeks flushed with bright red embarrassment. She turned away quickly, refusing to meet his gaze.

”W-Well, except me... You know... I’m the Miracle one,” she stammered.

”....”

Aether stared at her with a completely deadpan expression, unimpressed.

Nightfire’s blush deepened. Her ears burned. She could practically hear Ashara’s mocking voice inside her skull, ’You’re just digging your grave, idiot!’

”W-Whatever,” she muttered quickly, waving a hand as if brushing away her own words. ”The point is... in this empire, people don’t mind dying. They believe it’s an honor — that by dying, they become one with ’The Grace’. It’s their highest calling. The ultimate reward.”

She folded her arms again, now speaking with an air of authority, like a teacher lecturing a slow student.

”If you die in other empires, The Eye will catch your soul and drag it here for judgment. But in Umbrionis... death is direct. The Might Grace — our Living God — reaches out with its own hand and takes your soul personally.”

Aether’s eyes widened a little as he began to understand. ”So dying means being touched by your God itself... That’s why people here aren’t afraid of dying?”

”Exactly,” Nightfire said with a nod.

Aether rubbed his chin, looking at her with both amazement and mild horror. ”Man... that’s so damn messed up.”

Nightfire laughed softly. ”Welcome to the Void, Aether.

Life and death mean nothing here — at least not to the people who were born into it.

If they die, they die. If they live, they live. No one panics. No one mourns.”

She looked at him with a small, bitter smile.

”Here, Death is part of Life; after all”

Aether stared at her for a long moment, unable to hide the awe flickering in his expression.

When did Nightfire stoped being Horny?

Nightfire grinned and proudly puffed her chest out, clearly enjoying the way Aether was staring at her — like, for once, she was somehow above him.

”Ashara, is that you?” Aether said with a smirk.

Nightfire’s lips twitched violently. Her smugness cracked a bit as she caught the teasing glint in his eye.

”I might actually fall for you if you keep acting like this,” he muttered softly, leaning a little closer, ”just be a horny succubus and we’ll call it even.”

[+1000 AP]

Nightfire coughed, her cheeks flaring with heat. She quickly turned her head and began walking again, chasing after the now-vanished Nyx.

”C-Come on, we need to catch up to her.”

Aether chuckled as he followed, shaking his head in disbelief.

They kept trailing Nyx until she led them to... another graveyard.

”...”

Aether let out a slow sigh and scratched his head. ”What’s with her? Is she, like, obsessed with graveyards or something?”

He leaned on the crooked iron fence and watched Nyx as she knelt before a grave. But instead of using a shovel or any tool, she began digging directly into the soil with her bare hands.

Aether and Nightfire exchanged startled glances.

”She’s really doing it... with her own hands?” Nightfire whispered.

”Wait,” Aether asked, narrowing his eyes, ”if the dead were already taken by ’The Hands’... then why even have graves?”

After all, those hands didn’t leave behind a trace — not even ashes.

Nightfire looked at him for a long moment, her tone uncharacteristically thoughtful.

”True. But... tell me something. What is a grave, really?”

Aether blinked. ”A place to bury a dead body?”

Nightfire smiled softly at that. It wasn’t her usual smug grin — this one was almost gentle.

”No... A place for you even after death.”

Aether didn’t reply. He just stared at her in silence, his gaze oddly unreadable. Nightfire tilted her head in confusion, about to ask what was wrong when—

”Wh~Hmm~”

His lips pressed softly against hers, catching her completely off-guard.

He kissed her.

No warning, no teasing, no exchange of favors — he just kissed her. A warm, quiet kiss, like something he wanted to give her. That was all.

”Seriously... what’s wrong with you?” he whispered as he pulled back, still close.

[+2000 AP]

Nightfire stood frozen. This... this was the first time Aether had kissed her without any hesitation, without needing anything in return or help... Her heart fluttered — a soft, fluttering beat that wasn’t there before.

She touched her chest unconsciously, her fingertips brushing over the spot. Her heartbeat was faster. Not much... but enough for her to notice.

’W-What... is this?’

She had never felt happy before — not truly — but right now... she did. She felt something light inside her chest.

Something warm. And somehow... incredibly horny, too?

Her eyes widened slightly. Her tongue slipped out and licked her lower lip with an unintentional sensual slowness.

’Please stop!’ Ashara’s voice echoed sharply in her head.

Nightfire flinched at the mental interruption and quickly pulled herself together. ’R-Right! He’s supposed to make me fall for him first! Not the other way around!’

She forced herself to focus as both she and Aether turned their attention back to Nyx Shadowfall, who was still digging — now moving from one grave to the next, checking each one with obsessive intent.

She wasn’t just digging at random. She was searching.

She had already opened at least five graves by now, yet each one was completely empty.

No bones, no flesh, not even dust. Nothing.

Aether frowned. ”Then... what is she even looking for? If there’s nothing inside these graves, why dig them at all?”

Nightfire shrugged, clearly as baffled as he was. ”Hell if I know. She’s your wife, bastard.”

Aether raised an eyebrow. ”Yeah... how would you know...”

His voice trailed off as he kept watching Nyx — digging and digging, never once slowing, never hesitating. Then, his eyes narrowed. He noticed something that made his stomach twist a little.

”He... Hehe... Hehe...”

The sound was chilling.

Nyx was giggling.

She was actually giggling while digging, her face lit up with a twisted kind of joy — eyes sparkling, lips curled in a wicked, childlike smile that teetered on the edge of madness. Her voice was light, soft, but deeply unnerving.

She looked genuinely happy.

Almost... insanely happy.

Aether stared at her, unable to look away. That expression — that pure, eerie joy — wasn’t something she’d ever shown him. Not even once. She was smiling in a way she never had with him... but now, to a grave?

That shit was seriously messed up.

Nope. Nobody here was normal.

Not even close.

And yet... Aether still couldn’t stop wondering.

What was she searching for?

If the graves were empty... and the bodies had been taken by the Hands... then what could possibly be buried here?

What did Nyx think she’d find?