Prince of The Abyss

Aether waited patiently inside the Library, looking at the bird.

When he tilted his head, it copied him; when he frowned, it also made a small frown. "Can you do anything original?" He said, and the bird followed it by making a little sound, as if repeating exactly what he had said.

"I guess not, huh?" The Raven repeated after he spoke.

Sighing, he looked away from the bird, thinking that if he ignored it, it would stop, but it just hopped into his lap, raised its head to him, staring into his eyes...

Aether stared back, a little blush appearing on his cheeks. "Alright... I’ll admit, you’re pretty adorable." He looked away from it, but he continued to glance at it with the corner of his eye.

Yet, before he could say something, the door opened; he quickly grabbed it and put it on his shoulder, since it couldn’t fly, and watched as it entered, just as the women and her child came back.

Maeve had put her long black hair in a high ponytail; it was a small act, but he could see that she really wanted to put in the work. She also wanted to fight, not just watch him do all the work.

Walking up to them, Aether gave the small boy a wink before looking up at his mother, her brown eyes locking onto his. "You guys look alike. I could tell instantly."

Maeve smiled, nodding. "What about your parents? You said you started wanting to get revenge once a person close to you died; was it one of them?"

Aether chuckled, shaking his head. "Not at all, we weren’t even related. My mother is dead; she died a long time ago. This pin is from her." He said, taking it out of his hair and showing it to the women. "But my father is alive. I also have an older sister, who I’ve seen recently, actually."

The women’s eyes widened as they heard, confused. "You mean your father is allowing you to do all this? I mean, sure, right now you are strong and a Seeker, but back then, when we first met, you were alone; did he really let you do so? I get that you were pretty old already and could handle yourself, but as a Mother I could never..."

Aether tilted his head, a smirk appearing on his face. "Quite the bad family I have, huh?"

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but Aether cut her off before she could, laughing.

"I’m joking; they are great, amazing. They just don’t know what I’m doing. Or where I’m at. I wasn’t born in the Withered; something happened, and now I’m here, without them knowing."

But his explanation did not help the woman at all; it made her even more confused than she was before. After all, what kind of parent would let their son be away for so long without knowing exactly what they were doing?

Seeing this, Aether sighed. "It’s not important right now." Glancing at the small boy, who was probably even more confused than his mother, he smiled. "There is a lot of food in this place. I hit them around that way like a game. If you get bored, there are some books to read. And more importantly, there are some notes around; if you can get them before we get back, I’ll give you a reward." The boy’s face lit up as he heard about the reward. Quickly nodding.

Looking back at the mother, he handed her his hand. "You ready?" He said, reassuring her just in case she had any doubt in her heart. But she didn’t, letting go of her child and grabbing his hand.

He could see the conviction in her eyes.

...

...

...

Reaching the book, Aether turned to Maeve. "How old is your son?"

"He’s close to nine; his birthday is in around a week... so I do hope we can come back by then..." She said almost instantly, as if she didn’t need even a second to remember just how old her child was.

Aether smiled. "We will be back, don’t worry, with enough time to say that we got back too early. When he turns ten and awakens, what do you plan with him?" He crossed his arms.

The woman’s eyes widened. "I... have thought about it... before this whole thing... it was hard for me to answer then, but now it’s even harder since I know he’s going to want to be a Seeker just like me... If he got a utility Affinity... then I will probably have to find a way to get him away from that idea... but if he gets a defensive or offensive Affinity..."

"You are thinking of letting him live his life as an Awakened, right?" Aether completed her thought. The woman nodded, hesitant. He knew how much she cared for her child, more than herself, so he knew just how hard it was for her to admit it.

"Don’t worry." He smiled. "If your child gets a strong affinity, if I’m around, I’ll be sure to train him. And if he gets a utility type, I’ll get him to Seeker just like his mother if you can’t convince him."

Maeve scoffed. "You’re doing too much."

Aether tilted his head. "Am I?" That was not how he saw it. He had the ability to help. He had the strength to do it, so why shouldn’t he? He had also had someone to help him, so why shouldn’t he also help others?

"I don’t think of it like that. Sure, in the Withered of today that might seem like too much; after all, becoming a Seeker in this place is impossible, but in the Withered I want to create, I won’t be like that."

He smiled. "Now let’s not waste any more time. If we take too long talking, your child will get bored."

Aether teased as he turned back to the book, opening it.

...

And entered it with Maeve.