pertwk Chapter 978 - 978: Trying to Fix that Never broken?
Chapter 978 - 978: Trying to Fix that Never broken?
Xara, of course, noticed his sudden disappearance. The moment she realized he was gone, her frown deepened into something sharper, more troubled.
She knew this man—knew how stubborn he could be... Still, it unsettled her. Without wasting time, she returned to her hidden base, her footsteps heavier than usual. But the second she stepped inside, a strange sensation crept over her.
Something felt... off.
This place was sacred. Only she ever entered. Every inch of it—every corner, every shadow, every drawer—was burned into her memory. So when she stepped into the room and saw the drawer just slightly ajar, the documents not quite in their proper place, the difference so minor most would've overlooked it... she knew immediately.
Someone had been here.
Her heart sank.
There was only one person who could possibly know this place even existed—Aether.
But how? How the hell had he gotten inside?
She rushed to the drawer, flipping through the pages with shaking hands. It didn't take her long... Just a glance at the document left half-open, and she knew.
She knew exactly where he went.
Without a second thought, she stormed out. Her feet carried her faster than her thoughts, through rough terrain, through the whispering wind that clung to her skin. She finally arrived... only to find him.
Standing there beneath the lonely, twisted tree—alone.
Aether's figure looked smaller from afar, shadowed by conflict and hesitation. His expression was lost in thought, eyebrows drawn, lips parted as if still
And in that moment... something inside him clicked.
Something that had been stuck inside him, something blocking his thoughts, that stubborn haze in his heart—finally broke loose.
In that moment, it clicked.
He finally saw her—not as a powerful woman, not as someone dangerous or twisted—but as someone like him.
In a strange, twisted way… they were the same.
Both he and Xara… were broken.
Broken.
Not broken by the world.
Not broken by fate.
But broken by existence itself—by simply being born different.
She wasn't shattered by outside events... she was just born this way, with cracks already running through her soul.
And the people who once loved her?
The ones who were supposed to understand her?
Until they saw those cracks... And once they saw them, that's all they could see.
The flaws... The wrongness!!
It was like seeing a perfectly white sheet of paper—pure and untouched—but with a single black dot in the corner.
People didn't notice the white.... They stared only at the black.
Even though the white big... yet they foucs on black part!
They judged... That's how the world always was.
And somehow... Aether, of all people—he, who should've understood her the most—he hadn't realized it until now.
His hand trembled as he stared down at his palm. 'How dare you forget yourself...' he thought bitterly.
His new life, the roles he'd taken, the responsibilities... they had made him forget what he truly was.
He too... was born broken product!... To others!!
Aether turned slowly toward her, something unspoken stirring in his chest. "I'm... sorry," he said quietly, and before she could react, he leaned forward—and kissed her.
It was sudden, but soft.
Xara blinked, her eyes wide, her breath hitching against his lips. When he pulled back, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What was that for?" she asked, her voice soft and uncertain.
Aether gave a small shrug, a helpless smile touching his lips. "I don't know," he murmured, then without warning, pulled her into a tight hug.
Xara stood frozen in his arms, her heart racing as confusion swirled in her chest. His embrace was tight—desperate—like he was holding on to something that might disappear if he let go.
She didn't understand.
Why now?
What had changed?
Aether, who douted questioned her actions, who feared her madness... now held her like she was precious.
Like she wasn't something broken, but something worth holding.
All this time, he had been trying to make sense of her madness... to justify it, to dissect it, to fix it.
Yeah... he trying to fix something that never broken!
But not once had he considered accepting it.
Until now.
For so long, he had been consumed by worry—about the future, about his other partners, about the chaos he was surrounded with. But in all that, he had never once stopped to ask... how Xara felt.
What she carried... What it meant to be her.
Yes, she was insane.
Yes, she was unpredictable.
But she felt. She bled. She loved.
What she did wasn't normal—but it was her.
And she had long accepted that truth. That no one could ever truly love her for what she was.
"...Aether?" Xara whispered, confused, her voice barely audible against his shoulder. 'What's gotten into him?' she thought, bewildered.
But then something even stranger happened.
Her eyes widened.
Her arms slowly lowered as her mouth parted in shock.
His body—it was changing.
She could feel it.
He was growing taller... his frame expanding, reshaping... his illusion unraveling right before her eyes.
His boyish features matured into something sharper, more defined. Handsome. Older.
"…Wait… What the hell...?" Her voice shook as she stepped back slightly, staring up at him.
Her expression twisted into horror—not out of fear, but shock.
The illusion was breaking away.
And now—finally—she was seeing the real Aether.