Tartaglia X Aether Novels & Stories

He was just Ryan, sleeping and beautifully human. Aria stared at his profile, and something deep within her chest softened completely. For as long as she could remember, fate had been the one making choices for both of them. The initial pull of the mate bond, the cruelty of his rejection, the heavy mantle of the prophecy, the grueling war, her death, and her subsequent rebirth—everything had pushed them forward like helpless pieces on a cosmic chessboard.

“I just got off the phone with Creed. We’ve got a bigger problem than we thought.” Orion steps inside, closing the door behind him. “What kind of problem?” “The kind that involves ancient fucking deities,” I reply, setting the glass down with a little more force than necessary. “Ever heard of a Goddess named Marle?” Orion frowns, shaking his head. “No. Should I have?” “Apparently she’s tied to Creed’s lineage,” I explain, feeling the frustration bubbling up again. “And according to Seraphine, she’s the reason the entity in Morana can’t be removed.”

agreement. While the female human surgeon and the Lycan peacekeeper exchanged vows at the altar, Evangeline was in the LNI command hub, staring at a decrypted file intercepted by Virex. It wasn't a military plan or a ritual scroll. It was a corporate prospectus from Aether-Tech Global (ATG), a multi-trillion-dollar conglomerate that had been quietly buying up ancient ley-line sites under the guise of "Environmental Restoration." "They aren't trying to stop the magic, Eva," Virex said, his voice dripping with ancient disgust. "They’re trying to Bottle it."

Layered. She turned to Null. “You remembered me.” Null nodded, eyes wide. “I think… I was waiting for you.” A shudder ran through the ground. From the distance, an echoing howl. Not animal. Not human. “They’re not done,” Aurora said, kicking the final agent off her and rejoining them. Sigma stood unaided, blinking into the light. “Aetheris won’t stop until it absorbs everything Eve left behind. That includes me. And you, Damien.”

"The blood of the Moon Goddess is strong, and the heart of the maid is pure. You have the right to command the element." She reached up, and a delicate blue crystal bracelet shimmered into existence around her wrist. It was made of impossibly clear, multifaceted azure crystals, bound by silver threads that looked like captured moonlight. "My name is Arriana," she revealed, the name echoing with ancient power. "And this is the Aetheria's Anchor. You must never call me Goddess again. If you are ever in doubt, if you need the swift wisdom of the sky, call upon my real name, Arriana."

“Then you think this Zander could be one of them?” Candice nodded slowly, her gaze unfocused as she recalled every scrap of information she could. “It’s possible. If he’s not one of the sons, then he’s someone under their command. The House of Aetherion was always rumored to experiment with forbidden elemental rituals… and if what Althea did earlier truly mirrors Aetherion’s lost techniques, then that man won’t stop until he gets to her.” Her voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. “Zander might even be sent to confirm it.”

In Aetherium, life was chill. No body, no limits—just me, finally free. Time didn't matter here. No pain, no lies. Just calm. But lately, something gross kept tugging at me from the mortal world. It stank of obsession and fake guilt, like a greasy snake trying to wrap around my soul and wreck everything. I wanted to slice it away like dead weight. Then The High One showed up. "That pull's from a dark ritual. An Aster descendant's offering their life and soul to you—trying to drag you back in with chains made of shadow."

Something that didn't belong in a "Real World." A **Titan** stepped out of the shadows. It was thirty feet tall, its body made of rusted iron and pulsing violet tubes. It had the face of a man, but the eyes were giant searchlights. On its chest, a large silver logo was etched into the metal: **AETHEL-GROUP: ASSET RECOVERY**. "Subject 01 and Donor 04," the Titan’s voice boomed, sounding like a thousand speakers blowing out at once. "You have exceeded your 'Independence' quota. Please remain still while your 'Conflict Data' is harvested."

He supported the man who was, in a grotesque way, his older brother. Aether’s weight against him felt both alien and familiar. He looked at Lucas, his violet eyes scanning his face. “Iteration… Gamma,” he said softly, his voice gaining strength. “You have her eyes. Claire’s.” There was no malice in it. Just observation. He then looked past Lucas, to Elena. His gaze softened further. “And you… you are the variable they never could solve. The one that made the equation beautiful.” Outside, the perfect Mediterranean sky began to darken at the horizon. A storm was coming.

Lethe was confused; clearly she didn’t find her statement humorous because it’s the truth. Ms Reina began to speak, "I’m really glad about the way everyone handled this revelation. It’s now time I tell all of you the truth. As you all know, Lethe here is responsible for reincarnating Eris into me. The reason behind her ploy is because Moros and Eris have struck a deal and decided to raise Tartarus. Moros, being the daemon of doom, thirsts to witness destruction and chaos while Eris, the goddess of strife, can’t wait to see the mortals suffer. Together, they will release catastrophe over the mortal realm. Eris is the key to raising Tartarus; as the queen of Asphodel or also known as Dalaket,