Chapter 420: Chapter : 420 : The Cursed Touch!
Aiden walked through the lively streets of the merchant district with his usual confident stride, hands tucked casually into his pockets.
A small, satisfied smile played on his lips as he thought about the reactions waiting for him at home.
*Leona will love the soft dragon plushy... Luna will get excited seeing the cribs for our baby. Lysandra will give me that elegant, appreciative smile. Selvara will probably call me an idiot while secretly rubbing her belly and hiding how happy she is.*
Lunara’s voice purred warmly in his mind, full of affection and teasing praise.
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[Master~ You’re really doing this. Walking home with gifts for all your pregnant wives and little Elara like a proper family man. It’s so sweet... and so hot at the same time. I love seeing this side of you. You’re going to make them all so happy.]
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Aiden’s smirk widened slightly. "They deserve it. Especially after everything. I want my children to grow up surrounded by comfort and protection. No one in my family will ever lack anything."
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[So responsible... So possessive...] Lunara moaned softly. [Your wives are going to melt when they see everything. Nyssa especially — she’ll probably start leaking just from the thoughtfulness. You’re spoiling them rotten, Master, and I’m here for every second of it.]
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After a few minutes, his eyes caught a small, charming stall tucked between two larger shops. It sold girls’ accessories — beautiful hair brushes, delicate hair clips with glowing runes, colorful ribbons that never frayed, and elegant necklaces.
Aiden stopped, remembering something.
"Liri wanted a fancy hair brush," he muttered to himself. "And Noir has been asking for new hair clips and ribbons."
He stepped toward the stall without hesitation. The elderly vendor’s eyes lit up when she saw him wearing the Albinos Academy uniform.
"Sir. Please, look around. Everything here is of the finest quality."
Aiden browsed quickly but carefully. He selected a beautiful hair brush with colorful stone inlays for Liri, several sets of hair clips and soft silk ribbons for Noir, and a few extra elegant pieces just in case. He paid generously and continued on his way, the new items vanishing into his inventory with a faint glow.
Lunara purred approvingly.
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[You really do remember the little things. Your daughters are going to adore you even more.]
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"Obviously," Aiden replied smugly in his mind. "They’re mine."
He decided to take a shortcut through a series of narrower alleys to reach the residential area faster. The main streets were crowded, and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with more stares and whispers. The alleys were quieter, the shadows growing longer as the sun began its slow descent.
Lunara continued chatting casually in his head as he walked deeper into the network of back alleys.
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[You know, Master... with all these babies coming, I can already imagine the nursery wing filled with your children running around...]
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Aiden smirked. "We’ll handle it. One step at a time."
The alleys grew narrower and darker with every turn Aiden took. The lively noise of the main merchant streets faded into a distant, muffled hum, replaced by the hollow echo of his own footsteps on damp cobblestones. Shadows stretched long and heavy between the tightly packed buildings, swallowing what little managed to reach this forgotten part of the district. The air grew cooler, heavier, carrying a faint metallic tang that set his instincts on edge.
Suddenly, Lunara’s voice sharpened in his mind, all playfulness gone.
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[Master... something feels off. Be careful.]
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A red system panel flashed urgently in Aiden’s vision.
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DANGER!
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Aiden’s blue eyes narrowed. He stopped walking instantly, every sense sharpening to razor focus. The alley had become unnaturally quiet — too quiet. No distant chatter, no footsteps, no wind. Just the oppressive silence and the faint drip of water from somewhere overhead.
Then, footsteps echoed from ahead of him.
Slow. Deliberate. Ominous.
Each step rang out like a death knell in the narrow passage. A figure emerged from the deep shadows at the far end of the alley. Cloaked entirely in black, the hood pulled low to completely obscure their face. The fabric of the cloak billowed slightly despite the lack of any breeze, as if stirred by some unseen, malevolent force. An aura of cold, ancient, and deeply sorrowful power radiated from the stranger, pressing down on the alley like an invisible weight.
Aiden pulled his hands out of his pockets and stood his ground, his tall frame radiating calm dominance. His piercing blue eyes locked onto the approaching figure without a trace of fear.
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice calm but edged with clear warning. The words cut through the silence like a blade.
The figure said nothing.
It continued its slow, inexorable advance until it stopped just a few feet away. The air between them grew freezing cold. Then, with almost painful reluctance, the hooded person slowly raised a pale, delicate hand from beneath the cloak and extended it toward him.
Lunara’s voice exploded in his head, laced with raw panic.
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[Master—! Don’t let it touch you!]
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Aiden moved instantly, muscles coiled like a predator, attempting to dodge sideways. But the figure was faster than expected — unnaturally so. In a blur of black fabric, the hooded person closed the remaining distance and gently — almost regretfully — cupped Aiden’s right cheek with their bare hand.
A soft, broken whisper escaped from beneath the hood, filled with a century of guilt and exhaustion.
"I am sorry..."
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then came the pain.
Intense, soul-deep agony ripped through Aiden’s entire being like liquid fire. His heart stuttered violently, then seized. He felt his life force being violently, mercilessly drained through the point of contact, sucked away into the cursed touch. His skin turned deathly pale, veins standing out dark and prominent across his neck and face. His vision blurred and tunneled, the world tilting sickeningly.
He clenched his teeth hard, trying to fight it with sheer willpower, blue eyes blazing with defiance even as his body betrayed him. His knees buckled. He collapsed heavily to the cold, dirty ground of the alley, his body convulsing once in a final, desperate spasm before going completely still.
Aiden Nightshade was dead.
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END OF Chapter : 420 : THE CURSED TOUCH!
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