I'm sure many of you have noticed that this is a fifth installation of the primary elemental series. We've done fire, earth, water, and air, the typical variations of elements; however, this one is a bit special. Aether is going to have two parts, and, much like the Psychologist's Entry, where the character's name and mythical species are kept a secret, this one will be too.
The reason for this is that it corresponds to a certain character (or more than one) in the Insatiable series. Besides the Psychologist's Entry and the aether elemental in this one-shot, there will be one more - the ice elemental. So, in order to figure out some characters' identities before it's time for them to be revealed, I'd pay close attention to these three, in particular. That doesn't mean that other characters and their identities aren't in this book, however. Hints are everywhere.
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A male laid down on a lavish bed with embroidered sheets and a plush duvet enveloping his rapidly heating form. He was quite ill, suffering from something that was beyond his control. His frail form didn't help him fight it off either, his eyebrows twitching when his subconscious registered the pain of the ailment. The male groaned in pain with the high fever he had as well as the sharp sting of when he tried to move his limbs.
Others watched on in either concern or frustration though some just held pure boredom on their faces. Besides the male laying on the bed, three others accompanied him while a woman gave a sneer at the sight. She was clearly not amused at his illness nor at the way the others appeared. Only one of them seemed to truly care, the other two either filled with contempt at the attention he received or irritated that his treat might have been in the process of dying.
"Well, you always knew this would happen," the latter hummed, poking the suffering male in the neck before pulling his hand back at the burning sensation, "At least there's a cure for it."
"It's not something I'm willing to give," the woman growled.
"Then you'll lose out on your prized possession," the former scoffed, "Fine by me."
"How much was he again? Even if he cost a pretty penny, I can always find another."
"Another pureblood?" the other male sighed, attempting to stir some sympathy or care for the sick male, "How many of those exist in the world again? And how many out of those are available for purchase, let alone males?"
The woman scoffed and turned her back with great frustration. Despite how irritating the whole situation was, the male was more than just valuable. It wouldn't be easy to find another with his pedigree, and even harder to find one that someone would be willing to part with. Thus, she began to dial on her cellphone as one of the males became a little grabby. She treated him like a pet, rubbing his head as he purred, only to push him away when he reached too far.
"Run the match."
. . .
Spirits and other mystical beings were plentiful. They could be something entirely different from a human being or they could blend in. It all depended on the type. Those that had more power or a purer bloodline resided in the spirit capital, nustled in another dimension away from human eyes. However, (Y/n) was not considered one of them. She was well aware she had a bloodline that many coveted, but she wasn't considered pure enough.
So she resided among humans and others like her with diminished bloodlines of prominent spirits. It was typically easy to distinguish who was who, and she was always wary of those like her. After all, her kind was one in which other spirits sought either to eat or to bear children with. It was one of the reasons her kind was typically far from pure, their ancient roots long gone.
Over centuries, they'd been bred out of purity, and most were in captivity. It was quite popular to sell them in auctions to wealthy individuals. The reason? They were able to extend the lifespan of most spirits by simply being around them. Of course, there were others that believed you could only gain that benefit by eating them, but it wasn't true unless they were blood-based spirits.
(Y/n) knew firsthand how much she had sold for. The people that clothed and fed her were not her parents. They had purchased her as well, despite her bloodline being very faint, and were crippling in debt. She had sold for well past twenty million dollars, and her once-wealthy "benefactors" were crushed into poverty. The girl could only imagine how much a purebred sold for.
Sighing, the girl let her mind wander as she wandered around the shabby basement she was forced to live in. After spending all of their fortune on her, nothing seemed to be left. They struggled to even buy food. It really made her wonder. They were so desperate to buy her - even went so far as to call on every police officer in the large city to find her when she tried to run away - that they put up with such things. Did they think that a longer life was worth the torture they pushed themselves through every day?
They came home, exhausted, from working near 18 hours a day, so tired they could barely stand when in the door. There wasn't a penny to spare on booze or any sort of outing. No, they worked and worked and worked, all in hopes that they would regain what fortune they used to have. It was foolish, but it wasn't like the (h/c) haired girl could leave. She had tried countless times. That was probably why she was so surprised when she went upstairs to find people banging on the door.
She opened it to find a swarm of people adorned in matching suits and dark glasses. They looked as if they were there for some important politician, but they simply meandered in without permission. Looking in every corner with extreme trepidation, the girl froze, noting that some of the people inside her house were not human. They were spirits, knowing what she was. Some of them gave her intense looks because of that fact, but they restrained themselves, controlled by some higher up.
"Miss (Y/n), please remain downstairs," a woman directed, pushing the girl forward before shouting was heard.
"What do you think you're doing?!" one of the girl's purchasers growled, pushing the woman holding onto her away, "Do you know how much I paid for her? Don't think I'll let you steal her from me without a fight."
"We'll willing to buy her from you for a generous price, far more than you purchased her for. She'll be well cared for, with every need and want fulfilled in an environment with another one of her kind."
A large argument ensued about what she was really worth as she was pushed into the basement for protection. That being said, it didn't stop her from eavesdropping. From what she heard, it seemed her purchaser hadn't wanted to sell her for anything. He was adamant about keeping her for the benefit of a longer life. That was when they brought out what seemed to be their trump card. They had offered one of her kind with a purer bloodline. At that, her purchaser went silent before stating he needed to discuss it with his wife.
Sooner or later, they accepted, and the (h/c) haired girl was thrown into a car. She wasn't sure where she was going nor why they had offered so much for her, but she didn't have any choice in the matter. The girl was an item that had been sold. Her kind wasn't meant to have any combat abilities, unlike the suited spirits that kept an eye on her, only to entrance. Their only system of defense was to cling onto a capable spirit.
She was soon flown overseas to a giant mansion with numerous extensions in it, shown through the corridors to a large conference room. There, a woman waited with three attractive men at her side. She sat on one of their laps, the male possessing an expression of ecstasy and kissing at her neck. The other two stood to the side, unbothered to look at anyone in particular, even their mistress. At least, that was until one of them was tugged by his collar to her lips, the woman saying something to him before carelessly releasing him.
"Welcome," he murmured, clearing his throat before speaking louder in a soothing and enchanting voice, "Under this roof, you'll be absolutely obedient to the mistress. As the sole daughter of one of the richest men on the planet, respect is demanded. The most important rule to abide by is to not touch or covet mistress's...collection. There is an exception, but you will be taken to meet him."
Looking over at the woman, the male asked permission to leave her side, receiving a curt nod and a dismissive hand gesture. He bowed at the waist before rushing to the (h/c) haired girl's side, motioning for her to follow behind him. While she did as she was told, the younger girl felt the malicious eyes of her "mistress". She got the feeling she was not wanted there despite the fact that she paid so much for her. Still, she scampered after the male, trying to ignore the woman's glare.
"Sorry about her," the male hummed, holding his hands behind his back, "She doesn't like girls encroaching on her harem. But she needs you, too, so she shouldn't make your life too difficult."
"I'm used to difficult. At the very least, you said I could avoid trouble here, right?"
"Yeah, if you're lucky, but it's not up to you. The mistress is only human. Rich, but human. She likes to be surrounded by different kinds of spirits, so much so that she's probably spent trillions of dollars on acquiring us. Still, that doesn't mean we're attracted to her, and to be honest, it's more than insulting to be in her harem. But unlike her, you're one of the four entrancers."
It was true that her kind weren't the only ones highly desirable. They may have been the most wanted whether it be by humans or spirits alike, but other spirits or mythical beings possessed similar attributes. Aside from her kind, there were three others. Vampires, which preyed upon either spirits or humans and were desired by the latter. Similar to them were succubi and incubi who were in a similar situation, but far more accepted by the former than vampires were. Then there were sirens who didn't prey upon any species to survive but that entranced them nonetheless and were desired by both. It was with the sirens did her kind have more similarities than the other two.
"I get it. You mean to say that some of the other spirits here will come after me. I'm used to that too."
The male smiled softly, choosing not to use his voice to speak for a reason that became increasingly obvious to the younger girl. It was quite obvious that the three beside the mistress were part of the four bewitchers of the spirit world. The one pleased by being sat on was an incubus whereas the male currently accompanying the girl was a siren. The other one that she had seen was likely a vampire, mostly due to his red eyes and fair skin. So, she could only assume the fourth was missing, and she was being led to him. That was what she'd been led to believe she'd been purchased for, after all.
"If I could offer a bit of advice," the male coughed, motioning to a nearby window, "just as one that's been chased by others as well. I would stay well away from the three of us. We're very valuable to the mistress, sure, but the other two are...predatorial. We are preyed upon as enchanters but they are the predators as bewitchers."
"Look, I get it. I've had more than my fair share of things like this. I know how to handle myself."
"I'm sure you do to make it this far without a claim or mark on you. But you were dealing with people outside of the spirit realm. Meaning their bloodline was incredibly weak, much lower than 50% of their original roots. They were mostly human. Every single one of us is a pureblood. That's 100% of our original roots."
A chill ran up the (h/c) haired girl's spine at the sound of that. To think that someone had enough money to afford such rare creatures. Perhaps it would be easier to acquire a pureblood siren, which breeds mainly with its own kind, but a pureblood incubus, which are known to breed with countless other species was unthinkable. Much like her kind, more than 99.9% of all incubi had a bloodline of less than 10%, and even that was high.
Then it hit her. If there were a vampire, incubus, and a siren there with a purebred bloodline, then the one she was being taken to meet - the one that she'd been specifically purchased for - was a purebred, too? It was unthinkable. Was that even possible anymore? And if that were the case, why was she chosen to be with him? She knew for a fact there were more with higher percentages than her. In fact, she was borderline human with how low hers was.
Originally, she had believed she was bought to breed with him. It was very lucrative, after all. There were countless individuals wanting to acquire one of their own. Either to expand their lifespans or to have a somewhat taboo and yet astonishing meal, there was a great demand. But if this woman had a purebred, shouldn't she have access to other purebreds? Selling one with a perfect bloodline would have brought in far more money than her. It didn't make sense.
"Confused?" the siren chuckled, his voice like the melodic sound of bells or perhaps a harp, something pleasant and masterful, "It's written all over your face. Since you had claimed you knew so much and could 'handle yourself', I had thought you would know about this, but I suppose not."
"Well, I've never run into another one of my kind, especially not a guy."
"That makes two of us."
"Ah, right. Male sirens have a significantly lower birth rate, don't they?"
"Sure, but at least I know how my species reproduces."
(Y/n)'s face flared a bright red, the siren smiling at the sight. They had already been talking about such things, but she remained bashful all the same. He supposed it must have been the purity attached to her kind. The male tilted his head at the thought with a chuckle. Unlike sirens and the other two types of spiritual entrancers who were associated with blood and promiscuity, her kind were thought of as innocent and largely untouched by worldly desires. He figured they lived up to their name. Even the one he knew was bashful and reserved, and he was a male fighting his desire to find a romantic companion.
"For myself and the others, our species simply reproduce simply. If a pureblood vampire breeds with another pureblood vampire, a pureblood vampire is born. The same for sirens and incubi. And if a pureblood vampire breeds with a human, a half-blood is born, and the more human or other spirit mixed into that descent of breeding, the less percentage of blood they have from the original pureblood."
"Yes, I know that much," the girl blushed, looking at the ground as she fiddled with her thumbs, "I figured that was how it worked for any species."
"Not quite. Wendigos can't breed. They have to be made through cannibalism. You work quite a bit differently though. As gross and unfair to your kind, as that is, you work very similarly to a particular type of ghoul. They often scour the world for one of few corpses to support their offspring or eggs. Of course, the match is on a genetic level, and the body has to be partially decomposed."
(Y/n) almost gagged at the thought. She didn't know much about certain types of spirits or other beings, only the common ones she would see on the streets. It was for her own safety, to protect herself from the plentiful types that tried to covet her for themselves. That would have included anywhere from harpies to werewolves, nekos, etc. but not ghouls. They never bred with humans, so their bloodlines would always be pure. Most resided in the spirit realm or in the far reaches of the earth, and certainly not in an urban setting.
"Your kind has one similarity in that, to gain a purebred, you need a genetic match between two of you. Matching one purebred to another purebred may have you a purebred, but it's guesswork. When being the perfect counter to another's genes, it allows for you to have a greater rate of purebred success. It's like a predestined match. You at least know how the males are, don't you?"
The girl nodded though she wasn't particularly listening. Rather, she was deep in thought about what the male would be like. She hadn't heard anything about him, just what her kind faced and required to survive. Sucking in a deep breath as they finally arrived at a door, the girl closed her eyes tightly before being reassured by the siren that he was a very kind and sweet individual.
"He's been really looking forward to meeting you. If I keep him waiting, he'll make the most heartbreaking expression. Like a puppy."
"Will it really be alright?"
"Absolutely. You two were written in the stars. The only thing to worry about is him being a little too excited. He might hug you to death."
The (h/c) haired girl looked on in curiosity at the glass door in front of her. It was thick, so much so that everything beyond it was blurry. But she could see the greenery laying behind it like it was some kind of habitat. A waterfall provided a somewhat muffled serene sound that put her at ease, but her nerves were still bundled up, her shoulders pushed up. But still, as she cracked open the elaborate door, she gazed upon the most beautiful boy she had ever seen.