Chapter 161: Aetheria 3
Aetheria’s sharp, piercing eyes locked onto Alex once more, glinting with a mix of intensity and intrigue. Her voice emerged, steady yet tinged with a hint of curiosity that danced at the edges. "Since I’ve answered your question, shouldn’t you extend the same courtesy and answer mine?" She paused, the air around them thickening with unspoken tension. "But—"Alex did not waver under her intense scrutiny. Instead, he offered a nonchalant shrug, the motion almost casual, as if he were discussing the weather rather than their precarious situation. His tone was flat, devoid of any remorse or explanation. "We don’t know. It just happened. When we forged the bond... she was already a rank above me. And it’s been that way ever since." A heavy silence enveloped them, stretching uncomfortably like a thundercloud suspended in the stillness of the sky. Aetheria held his gaze, her expression a turbulent sea of emotions. First came confusion, washing over her features, followed swiftly by disbelief, her brow furrowing as the weight of his words sank in. Finally, a faint, dangerous glimmer of offense flickered in her eyes. For someone of her stature, deeply entrenched in the ancient rules and sacred laws governing beastkind, what Alex claimed wasn’t merely suspicious—it was utterly inconceivable.
She blinked once, slowly, as her mind tried to process the claim. It didn’t make sense.
The bond ritual was clear, carved into the laws of both humans and beasts. When a human and a beast formed a pact, the beast’s rank was automatically reduced, always one step below the master. It wasn’t a choice; it was a soul-binding law of nature.
To bond with a stronger beast would trigger a soul battle. And the chance of a human winning such a battle was infinitesimal—less than 0.5%, barely a fraction of a fraction. Even in that rare case, the beast would still regress in rank, their strength shackled by the bond.
So for Alex to claim that Nyxara had always remained above him... and that the ritual succeeded without issue...
He must be lying. Or so she thought.
Aetheria’s gaze slowly shifted from Alex to Nyxara, still curled comfortably beside him, unbothered and quiet as if this whole interaction was a casual exchange at a market stall. The empress waited, fully expecting the tigress to deny the claim or at least provide a more reasonable explanation.
But Nyxara only chuckled, a sound low and smooth that reverberated through the air like distant thunder—soft yet irresistibly commanding. As she lifted her regal head from her elegantly curled paws, her crimson eyes gleamed with a mischief that seemed to dance in the light.
"It’s as he said," she purred, her voice rich with amusement as it flowed like silk. "I’ve always been a rank above him. From the very moment of our bond."