Chapter 3: Recovery

"What a weird dream that was. Mmm..ah! Head hurts but..thankfully the doctor gave me some medicine for it. Oh uh hey girls. Why are you all around my bed?" I asked a bit confused. Momma sat on my bedside and for the first time ever touch a vein in my neck than removing my head. Black smoke or some weird fog came from my neck. I forgotten all dullahans can live without their heads and even tell where their body is no matter the distance. I see my body for the first time without a mirror and man. I looked all roughed up hehe. But slowly im getting better. "You and I should go back to our dullahan roots Luna. Well. I should've taught you that dullahans some were once worshippers of Papa.

Not only that but dullahans from all over Neo come together and form a gruesome yet fun event called the Dullahan Massacre. No worries thought. Those that have died are resurrected and reassembled if they were cut to pieces hehe." She smiled warmly creepin me out. "And you participated how many times?" I asked. "As Goddess of Space and Time its only respectful as a fellow dullahan to join. Sooo hmm..when I was twenty two I join and im about thirty three now so about twelve years in the making it will be hehe. Its just a way for us dullahans to relieve stress and if violence isn't your thing then that's ok. How ya feeling beautiful?" She asked rubbing my hair before brushing it.

"Im ok just recovering body aches a bit. Im sorry about Yunago though. She got the worst of it..and Gala. Your granddaughter was crushed by a heel. Thankfully she's really strong hehe. But I wanted to tell you something mom. Um girls can we have mommy daughter time?" I asked. Pega waved me off and snickered the others went back to their rooms to rest.

She sat in a chair and crossed her legs. One hand under her chin while the other rested on her lap. "What is it Lunaberry?" She asked motherly while placing my head on a pillow. I paused to collect my thoughts and finally spewed out what I remembered from my dream. "Well..it was when I woke up the first time.I heard this voice kinda sounded like well..me but with a echo behind everything it said. In my dream this figure was the same blue color I saw long ago in an previous dream. The figure said her name was Aether and she said...we were one. The creepy part was..she said I was suppose to leave my body to train with her so I could return stronger than ever before." I said still shocked by this and awaiting my mother's reaction. She simply picked my head up and kiss my lips and smiled. "She seems to be getting impatient with you sweety sounds like your inner self is trying to break free and sort of merge your self with her. Don't worry when I was nineteen I was like this also. Confuse but eventually grew up and stopped being the ditzy dumb girl and became more of a well...bad ish person hehe."She nervously giggled even though I read books on her past I understood why she murdered those who murdered her. Didn't mean I had to like it.

"This is something different than growing up and becoming a better person Momma. Its..Aether like..THE AETHER. That power that everyone seems to know about besides the user. Me..is there a book or something about this? Or is it just ya know...foreign to even ancient beings like Nea herself?" I asked frustrated. Momma simply sat my head on her lap and said nothing. "For me to say yes or no to that question would mean I know something about Aether. But..I guess it is foreign except..a prophecy about Aether was written long ago when I was only eight years old. Of course Papa is far older than I am so may be he knows. He's been here for millennia." She giggled. "Regardless you and Azou are by Neotic standards abnormal and thus Ojoo Kind. My kind that I helped create hehe. Its late. Get some sleep and tomorrow I'll be back with some food for you. Love you no staying up past eight missy." She said teasing me while putting my head back on its shoulders.

She left and there I was sitting in a hospital bed with a IV bag and the needle in my right arm. A bandage on the left side of my head and with my thoughts. Didn't take long to fall asleep. Once when I did Aether showed up again. "Mother sigh. We love her but she doesn't even know what we truly are hehe. I say we cause we are indeed one being. One that will as you say. "Rock the house" hehe. Are you ready for your training?" Aether asked while tilting her head like a puppy. "Im injured still. I.I don't even know what's going on..h..how are you talking to me? This is ridiculous." I say. She simply took me to the outside of my own body. I was transparent and felt that my body was cold like she said before. Shocked and taken a back by this I had no words just in awe for a few moments. "A..am i dead?" I asked. Aether giggled and smiled "Nope. Just fading no worries once ya finished your training with me for tonight then your body will be as good as new. Even invulnerable if ya stay longer." She said.

"Now to answer your question. Where are you? In your subconscious mind. Or I dubbed it the Dream World. Only Gala was ever able to access this without harming you. Remember she rid you of a nightmare? Well since its your mind and body I figure why not get in contact with me..The soul." She giggled. I was surprised. I was literally well..dead or undead? Confusing as it was she was a beautiful sapphire blue with golden yellow eyes no pupils no other features except my body shape. Almost as if spirits or whatever she was had no form of her own. "I do but to comfort you I chose this instead hehe." She said startling me. "Y.you read my mind? S..so is Aether just part of my self? my being? Or is it far more?" I asked curious. She began to float and fly around my head making me dizzy. "That my dear self. Is true. Hehe. You have many questions and Id love to answer them all but we should really train your most important part. Your mind and well spirit. I am your spirit and feel everything beside pain as you do. Now lets begin." She said touching my hands and interlacing her fingers with mind.

"GAAH!!" I exclaimed gasping for air waking up I looked at the alarm clock and saw it was seven o'clock in the morning. There she stood Aether her arms folded and floating she looked very proud and giggled. "You can see me now congrats. But pretend your blind again. That's when you truly were powerful. You felt me and smelled me heck you even tasted my very essence. Now absorb that into your self and awake." Confused I thought I was awake but inhaled deeply and did what she instructed anyway. Once I completed this...training I woke up feeling far better and was greeted by a familiar face. Azou. She hugged me soo tight and brought me a cake and ice cream. In fact Papa and Momma walked in behind her.

One had a wheelchair while the other clothes. The other girls were in the waiting room while giving me family time. "You were right Luna. She is real. Aether is a real thing and well I now understand why some people refer to you as her." Momma said. Papa had a small book in his hand and began reading. "The one of forgotten times before Nea, There was a being that faded into obscurity, this being was not evil nor good but lonely and simply wanted to be reborn so she waited as the Neotic world went by. A child she fell in love with would now be in oneness with her. Together in time they would and those around them would recognize their power." Papa closed the book after he finished reading.

"So..was she a deity or was she some soul of a previous person or what?" I asked. No one knew the answer accept Aether. I closed my eyes and meditated I found her and asked her if the story was true. She nodded and even provided more info. "I'm what you call a supernatural entity I transcend all knowledge and Neotic and human understanding. Honestly I like it that way provides mystery just like Papa. No one knows how he came to be Lord Unknown or even a god. Until now hehe. Hes part dragon and part god. Born of two woman one god one dragon. Both beautiful and you have dragon in your DNA just not much." She replied while sitting cross legged. "That's stuff I already know. He and Grandma Elena already told me. As for being part god. Im also dullahan mainly hence removing my head and a weird vapor coming out of my neck hole. Part dragon apparently I once set a bush on fire as a baby and the god part...well..YOU. Its literally you." I pointed out. She nod in approval and floated towards me.

"Finally you understand. To be Aether is not to be God. But to be a god. We are destined and even foretold to rule over all of this universe. But in time. We'll see if my prediction is true. One of the reasons everyone including Fafir was in awe of the great reveal was..they did not understand and they still don't. Fear not though I don't wish to start a war but peacefully be acknowledged as The One. simply put as that." She said floating back to her feet. "You are me and I am you. So if we truly are one we both understand defeating Fafir first in our main objective but...I agree Aether is not just a power or other worldly energy its..me..what makes me and my very being." I say as I opened my eyes my family was in awe Papa said my eyes glowed yellow and Azou said she saw Aether come out of my body.

"Luna you truly are a marvel Azou even is powerful. But for now I advise you go find were you last left Nea and talk with her about this. Nea knows Fafir is searching for her or too busy tending to his chambermaids..if you can call them that. Come. It is time to leave the hospital and take you and your friends to our humble abode." Papa says trying to touch Aether but he can't. I giggle and like the fact that Aether takes a guardian role she so far stopped me from falling over as I was getting into the hover car. None of the other girls not even Gala noticed Aether. This was weird Gala is usually the first one to know if something is up. "Mommy..Gala feel really warm..you feel warm and cozy. What that feeling come from?" She asked as cute as ever. I pat her head and tell her a spirit is watching over us. She giggled and crawled in my lap to sleep. "We're here!! All right girls time to get out and stretch our legs!!!" Momma said forgetting she was wearing a skirt she flashed her green panties twice. Papa threw a small stick at her and yelled. Azou joined in and I laughed seeing Yunago look at me sheepishly. "Hello my love. I haven't seen you in a while." She smiled blushing.