ã€ŠStrongest Mysticã€‹


 Chapter 1 Why Do You Have To Go Back?

    ?Ethan Chase had always been a man driven by his own desires, willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. But as hey on top of the building, staring up at the starry sky, the weight of his own regrets felt crushing. He had hurt so many people, all in the pursuit of his own pleasure. And in the end, it had brought him nothing but pain and emptiness.

    The sky above was a canvas of twinkling lights, each one a reminder of the endless possibilities thaty beyond. But as Ethan gazed up at the beauty above, he couldn''t help but feel that the darkness within was just as vast. The stars seemed to be hiding a truth that he couldn''t escape, a truth that he was afraid to face.

    As he looked back on his life, he couldn''t help but wonder if this was the universe''s way of bncing the scales. Had he reaped what he had sown?

    But despite his regrets, Ethan couldn''t shake the desire for revenge. He wanted those who had wronged him to pay for their actions, to feel the same pain and suffering he had endured.

    Ethan''s story began when he was reincarnated into his current body, a moment that felt like it happened a lifetime ago.

    ????

    As his eyes fluttered open, he was met with a bright white light. For a moment, everything was hazy and unclear. But as his vision cleared, he found himself staring at a translucent screen that seemed to be hovering in the air in front of him.

    At first, Ethan couldn''t understand what he was looking at. The words and on the screen seemed to have no meaning, and his mind felt heavy and sluggish.

    Slowly, memories began to surface. He remembered being in a car crash while trying to escape the Kussian attack on his country. And then, he remembered dying.

    As he stared at the words on the screen in front of him, he couldn''t believe what he was reading.

    [Every time we are reborn, we have the chance to decide who we want to be and what path we want to follow.]

    ''New life? Rebirth?'' he thought to himself. It was impossible. He remembered the pain and everything, but maybe he had been taken to the hospital and was eventually saved. That made more sense than the idea of rebirth. He closed his eyes and shook his head, sure that when he opened them again, the screen in front of him would have disappeared. But when he opened his eyes, the screen was still there.

    "What the fuck?" he muttered. As if in response, the text on the screen changed.

    [Ethan Hunt, it is true that you have reincarnated in the body of Ethan Chase. Do you want to recover your memories or continue to rest for a while longer? You can use your thoughts to control the system.]

    This must be a dream, just like the one he had before. He looked around and saw that the hospital room was also the same as in the dream. But the softness of the bed, the air going through his nose... everything felt too real to be a dream.

    ''Ugh, let''s just go with the flow,'' Ethan decided. ''If this is really a dream, I''ll wake up soon. If it''s not... well, I don''t know.''

    His body felt weak and his mind was foggy. He took a deep breath and thought, ''Well, I won''t be able to sleep now, so it''s better to find out what''s going on.''

    The so-called system asked for confirmation and when Ethan nodded, he felt a sharp sting in his head that onlysted a second. He blinked and asked, his voice sounding weak, "I don''t feel anything new?"

    [Your body is too weak right now. You will only be able to see the memories when you trigger them. Triggering means an event which results in you seeing the rted memory. For example-]

    "I understand," Ethan said. "Like if I see a familiar person, I''ll automatically get the information rted to them."<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Affirmative. For now, what do you want to know?]

    Ethan had already started to feel that this was the reality. He wasn''t particrly excited about his rebirth because he was still in the dark about what was going on. He asked the two most important questions that came to mind. "How did I get to this hospital? Just tell me, don''t show me the scene. And what are you really?"

    [In high school-]

    "Ah, and just summarize it. No need to go into the details." Ethan figured that the past didn''t matter as much as the present.

    [Affirmative... Ethan Chase used to be bullied in high school. In his second year, one incident of bullying was too much and he suffered a head injury that resulted in aa thatsted for three years until his soul dispersed and you took over the body.]

    Ethan was d that the system seemed smart and user-friendly. He had deliberately cut it off twice to check this. He narrowed his eyes and asked more questions.

    "If I ask you more questions now," Ethan inquired, "what will be your priority in answering them?"

    [It depends on the question and your intention. If it is rted to the current topic, the system will answer it. If not, the old question will be answered first. This can be overridden by your will. If you give more priority to the new question, it will be answered first.]

    "That''s pretty cool," Ethan murmured, ncing at his thin arm. He didn''t have the energy to get up, a side effect of being in aa for three years.

    "Did you kill Ethan''s soul for me to take over?" Ethan asked, a frown forming on his face.

    [Negative. It was Ethan Chase''s wish. You were originally meant to be reincarnated based on your merit value, but because of yourpatibility with Ethan''s wish, you are here.]

    "Just what do you want from-" Ethan began to ask, but was interrupted when the door to his room opened. Instinctively, he ordered the system to hide itself and froze when he saw the person entering the room.

    ????

    A slender redhead woman with curves in all the right ces, a nurse''s uniform hugging her form, approached him with a soft smile on her face, something hidden behind her back.

    Ethan stared at her with sweat dripping down his face. Before he could even cry out or move his body, the woman lunged at him with incredible speed.

    She covered his mouth tightly with one hand and, in the other, a knife glinted in the light.

    Ethan looked at her in terror as she whispered, "Why did youe back from the dead, you bastard?"

    ...and plunged the knife deep into Ethan''s heart.

 Chapter 2 Incident

    ?Recalling the dream that seemed way too real, Ethan hurriedly asked the system to do something as he gazed at the nurse who had just entered the room.

    [The heir only has one ability, Chronostasis, which allows him to stop time in a limited space. Do you want to use it?]

    "Of course," Ethan replied, frustration clear in his voice.

    [Affirmative.]

    Ethan felt his energy being drained as the nurse approached him. She asked if he was okay and if he needed any assistance.

    But before she could finish her sentence, time came to a halt and she froze in ce. Ethan saw a timer counting down a minute on top of her head and realized that the Chronostasis ability onlysted for one minute.

    Exhausted, Ethanid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything that was happening. The system exined that the ability''s duration would increase as Ethan''s "heir" level increased, but Ethan couldn''t wrap his head around the concept. He wondered if he was dreaming or if he had lost his mind after the ident.

    This nurse had stabbed him in the dream¡­ then was the current scenario also a dream?

    Time was about to resume so he forced himself up in a sitting position. Just then he felt a slight pain in his groin region. His eyes widened again.

    Just then the woman started moving again. She noticed that he was looking at her with a panicked expression. He had no choice but to ask for her help. To him getting stabbed looked better than this.

    "Mr. Ethan, what''s wrong?" she asked, moving quickly to his bedside.

    Ethan didn''t say anything, but his eyes darted down to the bed, where the end of the catheter was visible, the balloon deted and the tubing ck. The nurse''s heart sank as she realized that the catheter had be dislodged.

    "Oh no, Mr. Ethan, please lie back down," she said, gently but firmly pushing him back onto the bed. "We need to get a new catheter in ce as soon as possible to prevent anyplications."

    Ethan nodded andy back down, grimacing at the pain. The nurse, Sasha, could see the distress and anxiety written all over his face, and she knew she had to act quickly to get him the help he needed.

    Sasha grabbed the call button and pressed it urgently, summoning the doctor and any other necessary staff. Then she turned back to Ethan, taking his hand in hers and speaking in a calming voice.

    "It''s okay, Mr. Ethan, I''m here with you," she said. "We''re going to get you a new catheter and make sure you''refortable. Just try to rx and breathe through it."

    Ethan nodded, taking slow, deep breaths as Sasha worked to insert the new catheter. It was a tube that was to be inserted in his dder for him to urinate, just the thought made him feel weird.

    The process wasn''t easy, and there were a few moments of difort as the tube was inserted, but eventually it was in ce and the drainage bag was attached.

    "There we go, all done," Sasha said, giving Ethan a reassuring smile. "I know that wasn''t easy, but you did great. Just try to rx now and let yourself heal."

    Ethan had noticed her subtle actions¡ªthe way she bit her lip and an ambiguous glint in her eyes as she looked at him. Ethan couldn''t me her, as even he was pleasantly surprised to see that his member was evenrger than it had been in his previous life.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Despite her unprofessional behavior, he didn''t mind, as she had ultimately helped him out. He was also at fault for this incident.

    Most importantly, this series of events had led him to the conclusion that he had indeed reincarnated. This was definitely reality.

    "Can we talk for a while?" Ethan asked in a low voice.

    Sasha smiled and nodded in understanding, pulling a stool over and sitting closer to him. Ethan noticed that there was a green number "10" floating above her head, but he assumed it was rted to the system and chose to ignore it for now.

    Ethan already knew the answer, but he asked, "What year is it?"

    Sasha replied softly, "2222."

    Ethan feigned sadness and closed his eyes, "So three years have passed."

    Sasha ced aforting hand on his and reassured him "True, this time won''te back but I know that you will be able to do great in the future. Your family and friends are with you."

    Ethan opened his eyes and looked at Sasha, "And you?"

    Sasha was surprised by the question, but she nodded and said, "I''ll also be there for you."

    Ethan deliberately paused for a few moments before apologizing, his voice soft as a mosquito. "I''m sorry, I got carried away. I just suddenly felt a sense of loneliness."

    As expected, Sasha leaned closer to him, the fresh and lively scent of her perfume filled his senses and gave a better look to her bountiful chest. Ethan had a sudden desire to tightly squeeze them. It surprised him but he was able to control it.

    Sasha smiled. "It''s alright Mr. Ethan." and said in a half joking tone, "Well, we will be together until you have fully recovered."

    Ethan turned his head and gazed outside as if yearning to go there. But then he started to feel that he had made it over dramatic so he went to the main point. He asked in an embarrassed voice, "When will that tube be removed?"

    From the corner of his eyes, he nced at her expression. Her countenance didn''t change much but he could see her eyes darting off, as if hiding something. Guilt. He knew that she was feeling guilty. Though she didn''t do anything, there was still a psychological pressure on her. Now knowing that she did feel this, Ethan decided to try and slowly seduce her until¡­.

    Unknown to his thoughts, She managed to collect herself and answered him, "Mr. Ethan, until the doctor says that your condition is stable, the catheter will not be removed. But don''t worry, it won''t take much time."

    Ethan nodded and slowly closed his eyes while mumbling, "I just hope that they won''t make you ountable for what happened."

    As Ethan drifted off to sleep, he saw the number on top of her head increasing by one. He had a faint idea what this number was about.

 Chapter 3 Nyx

    ?At midnight, Ethan woke up, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. "Finally, that cateater is out," he muttered to himself.

    Suddenly, a voice spoke in his head, its tone pleasant and sensual.

    [It''s pronounced ''catheter''.] The voice corrected him.

    Ethan rolled his eyes and chose not to respond. He remembered the dull first few days of his new life. Ethan had slept most of the time, but when he was awake, he would casually flirt with Sasha, such as asking her out for a meal on ater date. He used the excuse that he wanted to repay her, as she was reprimanded because of his actions.

    He chatted with family members who visited him. The doctors also mentioned how rare it was for someone to recover so quickly after being in aa for three years. The most important thing he learned was that he was not on Earth, but on a called Helen.

    The mysterious voice in his head belonged to Nyx, the name he had given to the "Sacred Dragon Emperor System."

    ording to Nyx, the system originated from a deeply ingrained desire within Ethan Chase''s subconscious¡ªto be the best, to do whatever he wanted without fear, to improve himself, to love and hate as he pleased¡ªin essence, to haveplete freedom of will.

    Nyx took the form of a system because Ethan was heavily influenced by fictional stories with simr concepts and wanted shortcuts to achieve this. As such, the system was highly customizable and could be tailored to the specific desires of the "heir", which was just a fancy title for Ethan.

    In short, Ethan had some cringe-worthy tendencies that he kept hidden from others. Nyx also imed that it came into being because of fragments of Obsidian present within Ethan''s soul.

    What exactly was this "Obsidian"? Nyx did not have much information on it, but she stated that as Ethan progressed, the system would evolve alongside him and potentially gain more knowledge. In a way, Nyx was like a highly intelligent newborn with boundless potential.

    Nyx told Ethan that the only reference to Obsidian came from Ethan''ste father, who had said to him when he was young: "With perseverance and spirit, you will be able to unleash your full potential."

    At that time, the young Ethan''s eyes had shone brightly as he asked, "How big is my potential?"

    His father had ced his hand on his head and said in a clear voice, "With my training and the many fragments of Obsidian inside of you, you will be one of the best in this world."

    Lying on the bed, Ethan tilted his head, trying to recall his father''s appearance but he couldn''t. He didn''t even know what his mother looked like, all he remembered was a warm smile.

    Ethan felt a sense of sadness wash over him, making him sigh.

    Sensing him, Nyx cleared his doubts. [The reason is simple. It''s because you are in Ethan''s body. His ''remnant will'' made you feel like that.]

    He rolled his eyes again and muttered. "Of course man I noticed. I sighed because I felt a bit sad for Ethan. I mean the poor dude has suffered a lot."

    [I highly doubt you felt that for Ethan.]

    Ethan had asked Nyx to be less formal in theirmunication, but perhaps he had gone too far in asking for informality. Well, it was more fun this way.

    He grumbled. "What do you even know? To make up for his past regrets and wishes, I''ll do things for him."

    [Let''s wait and see.] She sounded skeptical.

    "... Anyways, tell me will this body freeze in fear when I encounter his old bullies?"

    Nyx replied, [No. You will feel very angry.]

    Ethan suppressed a smile and said, "Good." He then followed up by inquiring, "And when will these so-called tasks begin?"

    [Tasks and quests are event based. They¨C]<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ethan scoffed, "I get it, tasks and quests are triggered by events. But I haven''t stumbled upon one yet. Oh well."

    [But you won''t be able to fulfill his and your wishes if you continue to be so dismissive towards others.]

    Ethan felt a twinge of regret for customizing the system in such a way. Nyx seemed to have entered aining mode as she said, [You don''t even seem to be interested in me. You haven''t even looked at your stats yet.]

    Ethan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "What''s the point of checking them now? My body is still healing and I''d rather wait until I''ve fully recovered to take a look." He said, trying to avoid the fact that he simply didn''t like numbers or statistics.

    [I understand. But aren''t you at least curious about the green numbers above the girls'' heads?]

    Ethan smirked, "Well, it''s a numerical representation of how interested they are in me."

    [What about my other features?] Nyx pressed.

    "Honestly, I don''t think you have anything useful to offer me right now. Sorry, but I don''t think you''ll be of much help other than providing information."

    [...]

    Ethan chuckled softly as he imagined a sexy woman pouting, but froze when he heard her say, [I am in awe of you for even lewding a non-physical being like me.]

    Taken aback, Ethan was about to retort when he heard a sneeze beside him.

    Ethan mumbled under his breath, "You could have told me that someone was beside me. They must be thinking that I''m a fool for talking to myself like this."

    Nyx responded, [You already forgot? I don''t have any useful features that can be used without a trigger event.]

    Ethan, feeling speechless, chose to ignore her sarcastic words. He slowly got up and, dragging the IV drip attached to him, went to the person curled up on the bench near the wall.

    He slowly went to his knees and gazed at the woman''s face. It was dark, but he could still make out her beautiful features. He felt a sense of affection and attraction as he looked at her, because of the remnant will.

    The woman was his stepmother, who had taken care of him after his parents died seven years ago. Scarlett Chase was a kind woman who always smiled warmly and treated Ethan Chase as her own son. But Ethan never had any familial affection for her, he only fell for her when she hugged and supported him in one of his bleakest moments of life.

    Ethan didn''t suppress these emotions now. Why should he, Ethan Hunt, care about suchplex things? What only mattered to him was that she was a woman, and not blood-rted.

    Still, that didn''t mean he would try to take advantage of her. He had Ethan''s memories, and knew that Scarlett was a good person.

    Ethan Hunt was a man who followed his desires, but that didn''t mean he would y with the feelings of a good person. But if he saw a way to cross the barrier of familial affection, then he would of course try it.

    "I mean, I always fantasized about doing a stepmother," Ethan muttered.

    Just then, Scarlett opened her eyes and looked at him silently.

    [Congrattions! You are officially fucked.]

    "..."

 Chapter 4 Scarlett

    ?Tears fell down her face as she mumbled in a half sleepy voice, "Ethan, you finally woke up?"

    Ethan felt a sense of guilt for having thoughts for such a pure woman. He was about to say something when Scarlettpletely woke up from her drowsiness. Her eyes widened as she eximed in a low voice, "Ethan why are you moving like this?!"

    She didn''t let him speak and hurriedly got up and carefully led him back to the bed.

    Ethan tried to get up and his stepmother gently tried to push him back, when he eximed, "Mom!" She stopped. He silently looked at her and suddenly asked her toe closer. Scarlett hesitated butpiled and came closer. He wiped her still flowing tears and pulled her in an embrace.

    Ethan could feel her voluptuous body but he had no lecherous thoughts. He softly said, "Don''t worry mom, nothing will happen to me now. I''ll soon recover and we will go back to how we were."

    Scarlett started to tremble as she ced her head on his shoulder and said in a sobbing voice, "I am still scared. Scared to see you sleeping again and never waking up. Why did it have to be you? You are such a good child. This is so¡­ unfair."

    He caressed her head and let her cry. He recalled all their memories together. Ethan had soft spot for women like her in his heart as such he thought, ''Fuck my retarded desires and remnant will''s attraction towards her, I''ll only care about her happiness.''

    But then as he inhaled her rose like scent, his body reacted.

    He was speechless, just how horny this Ethan Chase was?

    Nyx also rubbed salt on his wound, saying, [Don''t push everything on his remnant will. ept the horny inside of you.]

    He smiled bitterly, telling her. ''You don''t know me yet. Just her being like this will make me care about her.''

    [You may care about her. But I have already seen how you do things. You will lust for her sooner orter.]

    Etan rolled his eyes and didn''t bother to respond. But now it was confirmed that the system couldn''t read his thoughts without his permission or more like know his thoughts only when he had the intention to reveal it.

    This also proved that Nyx didn''t know of his life on Earth otherwise she wouldn''t have said that. His eyes dimmed. It was better this way.

    Just then Scarlett separated from him and slowly said, "I am sorry, I made your shirt wet."

    Ethan chuckled, "it''s alright."

    She stood up and hesitated before lowering herself again and kissing on his forehead, saying, "Rest well, I''ll quickly call the nurse to change your shirt."

    Ethan hummed in response and then Scarlett left. It was dark so Ethan didn''t notice her slightly hurried steps. He didn''t know that she had already noticed his hard on.

    Soon Sasha entered, turned the light on and silently changed his shirt. He saw her slightly pursing her lips when she nced at his stepmother. She left after that without saying anything.

    Ethan rested his back on the bed-rest and turned to look at Scarlett.

    His stepmother was in her forties, but her beauty and grace made her look much younger. She had an hourss figure, with curves that drew admiring eyes. Her dark brown hair tumbled down her back in gentle waves, and her deep brown eyes were full of warmth and kindness.

    She was wearing a fashionable outfit that was bothfortable and appropriate for the hospital setting. Looking both stylish and caring, she was ready to support Ethan through his time in the hospital.

    Ethan smiled and joked, "You scared Sasha."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Scarlett raised her eyebrows and harrumphed. "Of course she deserved it. I gave her a mouthful for her carelessness. What if something happened to you?"

    "It was my fault for abruptly moving though."

    Scarlett shook her head and then suddenly narrowed her eyes at him. "Speaking of that, why did you move earlier?"

    Ethan scratched his face awkwardly as he recalled almost getting caught by her. He said, "You seemed to be feeling cold so I wanted to drape a nket on you."

    Her expression softened. "Don''t worry. I''ll take care of myself."

    They talked for some more time and then Ethan said that he wanted to sleep.

    Later in the dark, he didn''t sleep but asked Nyx in his mind. ''Nyx, Ethan had many fragments of Obsidian right? Did you use everything to be born?''

    Nyx replied. [No. I don''t know the exact numbers but I can sense them in your heart.]

    From soul to his physical body? Ethan frowned. ''Can you use them somehow?''

    [Yes, I can.]

    Ethan''s frown deepened. This system no longer felt that good but just some chat bot that only answered when questioned.

    Sensing his disappointment in the system, Nyx rified, [I am an event based system. So unless not asked, I will only tell you things rted to the event. To change this, you will have to use many special points. As for what special points are, you won''t know if you don''t bother to check.]

    Ethan smiled bitterly, but didn''t ept his mistake because he had another logical retort. ''You could have told me about these special points earlier when I said that you have nothing much to offer to me.''

    [When an event is taking ce, I will provide information and assistance rted to the event, but when there is no event going on, I will switch to human-like behavior, responding to social cues and emotions in a more human-like way. Earlier you had humiliated me, so I chose not to talk about the special points.]

    Ethan was speechless. It made sense. But then he tilted his head and probed, ''But won''t that make you a context based system?''

    Nyx actually went silent for a moment before responding, [yes, that seems to be the case. I evolved without knowing.]

    ''Interesting. So is it possible for you to have emotions?''

    [I may not have emotions like a human, but I will be able to process emotions and respond to them in a logical and efficient way, which will be a great help to you.]

    Ethan nodded and then made another customization. ''If it is something important or interesting like special points then ignore the context and tell me about it.''

    [Certainly.] Nyx paused and said, [I have a suggestion.]

    When Ethan listened to her suggestion, he was surprised and it stirred a feeling of excitement within him.

 Chapter 5 Status (1)

    ?Ethan woke from a deep sleep, his eyes bleary but filled with anticipation. He told Nyx to show him the screen, excitement building in his chest at the thought of the interesting suggestion Nyx had made before he went to sleep.

    Customization had been made while Ethan slept, and he couldn''t wait to see the changes. Nyx had told him that, just like thete Ethan Chase, he could use fragments of Obsidian to make his wishese true.

    If he desired something abstract like luck, it could be increased. Or if he sought self-development, like Ethan Chase had, the fragments would give him the most effective way to achieve it. Nyx herself was also a part of this wish.

    The interesting aspect of Nyx''s suggestion was that Ethan didn''t have to think about what he wanted. Humans had many wishes after all. During his deep sleep, if he allowed, Nyx would be able to sense his deepest wishes and make use of the fragments of Obsidian ordingly. The sense of mystery amused him, but he didn''t let it cloud his judgment.

    Ethan didn''t know how many fragments he had, and ording to Nyx, it was unknown how many of them would be consumed for a single wish. Taking his future into consideration, he told Nyx to fulfill at most four wishes.

    Ethan finally looked at the system screen, and was pleased with what he saw. Nyx had done a good job in keeping it simple yet good looking. The main page disyed Ethan''s stats, a picture of his face, his features sharp and striking.

    Ethan had a well-defined jawline and a sharp nose, which gave him a confident and charismatic look. He had snow-white hair that stood out against his pale skin, and his eyes were a vibrant blue that were hard to ignore. His face was attractive and his eyes even more so, drawing one in with their intensity. All of this was prominently disyed on the main page.

    The screen also had options to navigate to separate categories, including ''Abilities'', ''Harem'', ''Tasks'', ''Shop'', and ''Martial Genius''. Each category was clearlybeled and easy to ess, making navigation smooth and straightforward.

    The font used for the text was clear and easy to read, and the overall design was visually pleasing. Ethan felt satisfied with the simplicity and functionality of the status screen. Then Ethan focused on the numbers in front of him.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 2]

    ????¡ºHealth: (70/100)¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (30/30)¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (0/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (65/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 0¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (68/??)¡»

    ???? [Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 7.5¡»|¡ºAgility: 5¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 1¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 0.5¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 24¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    Ethan nced around and saw Sasha present doing something on her phone, her legs crossed as she sat on a chair nearby. Sensing his gaze, she looked up and smiled. He smiled in return and shook his head, indicating he doesn''t need anything. She nodded and went back to focusing on her phone.

    Ethan gazed at her sexy legs for a few moments before closing his eyes again. He told Nyx to exin the things on the status window from top to bottom, except the name, title, level, and health.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Okay!] Nyx replied, a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

    [To understand arcane points, you need to first know about astral energy. Astral energy is the lifeforce in all matter. As such it is present everywhere. You don''t have to know more about this for now as it isplex and currently unneeded.

    All you have to know is that everything absorbs Astral energy from the surrounding to produce arcane. The arcane thus produced is basically an energy that can be used in many ways like for example cells power its metabolism using this energy. The system has converted a certain amount of arcane into arcane points for you to use. As for the exact amount, i don''t think you will want to know that but if you do, then do tell me.]

    ''Yup, I don''t need such details.'' He didn''t expect the stats to be so interesting. At first he was a bit biased, thinking that it would be just those typical stupid game-like stats.

    [Stress and charm doesn''t need to be exined as their meaning is obvious. But I want to tell you that the high charm is one of your wishes. At first the charm was around 30. The key point is that with one of your new abilities, you can increase your charm to a whopping 100. You will understand moreter when you view the abilities.]

    Well it wasn''t that big of a surprise that he wanted to be charming. In his past life, he was fit and all. That was cool but his appearance was a bit¡­ ferocious looking. That was what his friends used to say to tease him. Of course they received a nice beating after that.

    He suddenly missed them. But he knew that wherever they were, they would still be goofing around and being idiots like they were. They would live on. He also had to do the same. Not like they could meet again. He had to live on and not repeat what he regretted.

    He took a deep breath and asked, ''Charm was 30 just because of my appearance?''

    [Yes.]

    ''Damned pretty boy.''

    Nyx suddenly said, [I also have a wish.]

    ''Huh?'' Ethan was a bit surprised.

    [I wish I had eyes so that I could roll them.]

    ''... anyways now get back to the topic.''

    [Oh I should say a face so that I can smirk and make expressions at you.]

    ''...'' Actually that would be interesting.

    [Now back to the topic at hand. Special points are the system exclusive. They are points that you can use to do many things. You already know one thing. The other is using them in shops and many more things that haven''t been unlocked yet. You can earn them by doing tasks.]

    ''Mmh¡­ wait, aren''t the special points zero now? How much did I have earlier?''

    [850.]

    Ethan suddenly had a feeling that he shouldn''t look at the ''prices'' of ''products'' in the shop category.

 Chapter 6 Status (2)

    ?Nyx ignored Ethan''s feelings and continued, [The obsidian fragments used doesn''t include the one I had consumed to be born.]

    With the thought that he''d just have toplete the tasks to get these special points, he told Nyx to continue but then suddenly said, ''Ah by the way, the tasks will be of what type?''

    [Mostly sexual.]

    ''...'' No wonder he wasn''t really getting any task.

    [You should be happy.]

    ''... okay, continue.''

    Nyx concurred. [Now the stats. I''ll tell you what they are and how they are calcted. Or do you want me to skip the calction part?]

    ''Nope, I am more interested in physical stats than some energy stuff.''

    [Okay. The strength stat shows how much weight you can lift with one hand easily. Or to be more precise, the weight with which you can do many reps without straining your muscles. Of course after certain repetition you will reach your limit.]

    ''Makes sense. So 7.5 is a pretty nice number for a body that was inactive for so long.''

    [Yes, and you will progress more. Now agility is basically the distance you can cover in a certain period of time when you use your full force.]

    ''Mmh. And S. Stamina?''

    [Sexual stamina.]

    ''... don''t tell me I can onlyst for a minute?!'' Ethan almost eximed out loud but controlled himself.

    [That''s pretty good for you. Or did you expect yourself to go for hours? What are you? Come on, give your little man some time to breathe.]

    ''...'' Nyx seemed to be getting better with making him shut up. He exhaled and asked her about the next thing.

    [RR is the abbreviation for recovery rate. So health recovery rate is the rate at which your health will recover per day. It is currently 0.5 for you. That means after 60 days, your health will be 100. There are of course many ways to improve health RR.]

    Ethan guessed, ''Like exercise, stuff from the shop section etc. And we can skip arcane RR. now, unless you have something new to tell me.''

    [No, there''s nothing else to tell about it. Now IQ¡­ that''s pretty surprising.]

    ''... I have started to dislike yourments.''

    [Oh~ is that so?] He heard her softughter, making his lips twitch. Ethan suppressed his smile and was about to go to the abilities category when his stomach growled.

    He asked Sasha to get him something to eat and she quickly brought a nice oatmeal for him, slowly feeding him. After eating he talked with her with a teasing smile.

    "What did my mom tell you?"

    Sasha pursed her lips and said, "What she said is true. I amcking in many areas. But.." She smiled in a charming manner. "Thanks to her timely reminder, I''ll strive to improve."

    Ethan had noticed her interest in him dropping to five. It wasn''t because she was being petty after being reprimanded by his mother but because she understood the reason for her interest earlier was ethically wrong. No wonder what thoughts she had, to think that after self reflection, she was able to take a step forward was genuinely amazing in Ethan''s eyes. It was something hecked in hisst life that is quickly correcting his mistakes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ethan held his hand gently and gave her a genuine smile, "I am d you think like that."

    Sasha stared at his face, the number on top of her head increased by one. He pulled her towards him, but not that close and said, "I need your help in something," not breaking eye contact.

    "...yes?"

    "It is something only you can do currently." His face inched closer to her.

    [Sasha Drew''s Interest: +1]

    A hint of blush appeared on her face, but she didn''t pull away and asked, "What is it?"

    Ethan narrowed his eyes, a mischievous glint in them. Heughed, "I want to go to the washroom. Can you take me there?"

    Sasha was stunned and then pouted.

    [Sasha Drew''s Interest +5]

    She nodded and then helped him go to the washroom connected to the room. He chuckled on reaching there, "What were you thinking before?"

    Sasha rolled her eyes and changed the topic. "I''ll be outside so call me when you are done or want something."

    Ethan nodded and closed the door. While freshening up, he opened the abilities category.

    Abilities:

    [Passive:]

    [Body of Incubus] The heir has high charm and is more sexually attractive to all genders. The heir''s charm can increase to hundred during sexual acts. The prerequisite for this is that at least one of the partners should have more than sixty interest. At this stage, the heirs'' sexual prowess will also increase.

    [Martial Genius] The heir''s martial arts instinct is top-notch. It is Ethan Hunt''s intrinsic ability.

    [Remnant Will] The obsessions and wishes of thete Ethan Chase. This will affect the heir''s emotions and stress level. The tasks starting because of this will affect heir''s progress. Failure in such tasks will have negative consequences.

    [Astral Self] An ethereal body that exists on a higher ne of consciousness. Through the astral self, the heir can have ess to higher levels of knowledge, understanding, and psychic abilities.

    [Active:]

    [Chronostasis] Stops time in a limited space. Only the heir can move in this space. The current limit of time is one minute five seconds. The current limit of space is 15 x 15 (in feets). Arcane points consumption: 15.

    [Psychokinesis] The ability to manipte objects with the mind, such as levitation or moving objects without touching them. Arcane points consumption: Depends on the weight of the object and difficulty in controlling it.

    [Soul Link] The heir can link a person''s soul (including himself) to ethereal anvil, anything that is made of soul energy. The heir can transmit pain or pleasure to the linked soul through the ethereal anvil. The effect will onlyst when the heir is within the distance of 7 miles. The ability will lose its effect after 3 days. Arcane points consumption: 40.

    [Devil''s Whisper] The heir''s words pry open the hidden desires and thoughts of the other person. Use with caution. Arcane points consumption: 2. ]

    ]]

 Chapter 7 Hospital Life (1)

    ?After that a month passed just like that, Ethan became used to his life in the hospital and was quickly recovering. During this time, he leveled up to six, thanks to Sasha whose interest in him was already sixty thanks to his effort¡­ and well high charm. He had alsopleted a few tasks from remnant will, like getting a blow job but he only earned measly special points.

    For that he first had requested to change his room as it had a camera monitoring him. He gave the reason that he felt ufortable in constant supervision. But it didn''t matter much to him if it was someone close staying with him, even Sasha assistance would do.

    The martial genius category was still not usable. It had a skill called ''Lightening Edge'', a sword move left behind by his father, but it was greyed out. ording to Nyx, he first had to have a hundred health to ess the martial genius category and different skills would have different requirements.

    The harem section was currently empty and as for the shop it had only a few items at a pretty high price.

    Ethan struggled with the remnant will ability, which tampered with his emotions. However, the other abilities were great and even overpowered if he used them wisely.

    For instance, Ethan''s ability to stop time caused any frozen area to be a no-go zone for normal humans, who unconsciously avoided it. But what if Ethan froze a public space being broadcast live around the world? That would result in Ethan facing severe consequences, making being ab rat seem like the best-case scenario.

    ording to Nyx, only a few people in the world of Helen could sense changes in time, and even fewer could see through it. To do so, one needed to have a deep understanding of space and time, which was tooplex for a normal human intellect to grasp.

    This was why it was rare for someone to be born as a god-like genius or have fragments of Obsidian, just like Ethan Chase. Nyx was confident that Ethan''s body and soul were special, thanks to her origin from obsidian and Ethan''s subconscious. It was as if Ethan won a big prize in a lucky draw.

    Ethan yed around with the rest of the abilities except soul link. He was tempted to use it on Sasha but resisted this urge. For them to be so close was already risky enough for her. If by any chance he fucked it up and did something with Sasha''s ethereal anvil and by chance she was out somewhere with many people, the result would not be good.

    Actually he could have leveled up fast, if he used soul link and epted other tasks that were a bit perverted, but he didn''t ept them.

    The reason for his hesitation was the remnant will which seemed to affect him from time to time, making him really pissed about it. Beside this, his days were pretty normal with his stepmother and his stepfather, Dn Chase visiting him from time to time. His stepsister Mia also showed her face a few times, and Ethan knew that she was forced toe.

    The world of Helen could be considered as an alternate Earth with really simr things except a few things. First was the few people who had superpowers, the second was that it was apocalyptic, and the third¨Cwhich Ethan found better than the first¡ªwas its diversity in human-like species.<novelnext></novelnext>

    One of them was sitting in front of him, an old man with dog ears. Ethan was currently in themon room with a few other patients. The group was ying a rousing game of rummy, and Ethan wasughing and joking with the other patients.

    The old man sitting across from him, who had introduced himself as George, leaned over and grinned.

    "You know, Ethan, I envy you. You''ve got that pretty Sasha taking care of you all the time," George said, winking.

    Ethan followed George''s gaze across the room to where Sasha was standing, a kind smile on her face as she watched the patients y.

    "She''s a great nurse, that''s for sure," Ethan nodded.

    "Great nurse? She''s got a sexy body, I would kill to have her take care of me," George replied with a chuckle.

    Sasha, who heard thement, her face turned red and her eyes red at George. "Excuse me, Mr. George, I am here to provide medical assistance and not to be objectified. Let''s keep the conversation appropriate." she said with a firm tone.

    Ethan just smiled, d that Sasha stood up for herself. Then he followed Sasha out of the room as they walked towards the therapy room. He was teasing and chatting with Sasha when a ck haired nurse walked beside him, he gazed at her, amazed.

    As the nurse walked away, Ethan couldn''t help but imagine all the things he would do to her if given the chance and her consent. He found her figure the most attractive, her curves perfectly sculpted and her round buttocks and shapely legs outlined in her uniform. He could tell that she worked out.

    His imagination ran wild with thoughts of running his hands over her curves and exploring every inch of her body. Disappointment washed over him as she turned the corner, taking her captivating figure out of his view. It was a pity that he couldn''t see her face.

 Chapter 8 Hospital Life (2)

    ?Ethan felt a sting of pain on his arm, instead of getting angry, he let out a chuckle. "What? Are you jealous?"

    Sasha rolled her eyes and said, "You were just asking for a beating with that type of gaze."

    "Then most men present here would ask for a beating."

    "..." She couldn''t refute that.

    Ethan added, "Oh! Lesbians and bisexuals too."

    They continued on their way to the physical therapy room, a ce he liked to go to most in his day to day life. Who doesn''t like working out? And when he had Sasha and a cool, sexy doctor helping him with things.

    Hearing his words, Sasha pursed her lips. Ethan shrugged, "Can''t help it. I found her really attractive. And she also works out so brownie points from me."

    "It''s pretty surprising that you noticed that."

    Ethan sheepishly grinned. "So can you tell me her name?"

    Knowing that she was the only one who he could consult with this, a mischievous glint passed through Sasha''s hazel eyes. "What will I get in return?"

    Ethan thought about it and made a deal with her.

    Satisfied with the result, she told him, "Her name is ire Mildred."

    Later hey on the therapy table, trying to hide his smirk as Dr. Emily adjusted the resistance on the exercise machine. There was something about her that drew him in, a captivating beauty that could not be denied.

    Her short orange hair framed her face in a fiery halo, her blue scrubs hugging her slim figure, and her gentle smile and kind eyes radiating warmth andpassion. A green "10" hovered above her head.

    "Alright, Ethan, let''s start with some leg exercises," she said, giving him a professional smile.

    Ethan couldn''t help but flirt a bit, "I''ll do my best to impress you, Dr. Emily" he replied with a sly grin.

    Dr. Emily rolled her eyes yfully, but he could see a hint of a smile on her lips. "I''m sure you will, Ethan. Let''s focus on your recovery, shall we?"

    As he worked through the sets, Ethan made small talk with Dr. Emily, making subtlements and jokes.

    "So, how long have you been a physical therapist?" he asked, sounding casual.

    "Oh, about six years now," she replied, adjusting the machine for him. "I love helping people get back to their normal lives."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I bet you have a lot of sess stories," Ethan said, giving her a charming smile. "I can imagine you have a lot of patients falling for you."

    Dr. Emily raised her eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Ethan, let''s focus on your recovery, shall we? I''m here to help you, not to entertain your flirting."

    Ethan let out a chuckle and stopped, he knew he had to y it cool and respect her professionalism. And as she helped him off the table and gave him a pat on the back, he knew he had to take a chance.

    "Dr. Emily," he said, turning to face her. "I know you''re my therapist and this might be a little forward, but I was wondering if you''d like to grab dinner with me sometime? As friends of course."

    Dr. Emily''s eyes met his, a hint of surprise and amusement in them. "I would love to, Ethan," she said, her voice soft and full of understanding. "As friends."

    [Emily Rathford''s Interest: +1]

    He smiled, "Great!"

    From the corner of his eyes he saw Sasha looking at them and he unconsciouslypared her with Emily. As if she guessed his thoughts, Sasha red at him.

    Then when he went back to his room, feeling pretty good, his mood got ruined when he saw his step sister waiting inside.

    Mia Chase had short brown hair cascaded down her face in soft waves, highlighting her delicate features and innocent-looking brown eyes. Her body was toned and curvaceous, likely a result of her Scarlett genes, and her simple yet alluring clothing hugged her figure in all the right ces. Despite her beauty, Ethan knew from his memories that she was aplete bitch.

    Mia frowned when he entered, as if showing displeasure. Ethan patted Sasha''s shoulder, signaling her to leave them alone. Sasha nodded and left.

    He recalled how Sasha told him that she didn''t like Mia making himugh, deepening her frown.

    He sat on the bed, making himselffortable and asked with a smirk, "Howe you are here? Did mom force you again?"

    Mia smiled, clearly forced, and said, "They are not as annoying as you."

    Ethan nodded and remarked, "Yeah a dude who was in aa for three years is annoying. Anyways, why are you even here then?"

    Mia grumbled. "Someone wants to meet you. I told him it''s worthless but¡­."

    When Ethan was about to inquire more, someone knocked the door and entered. Looking at his visitor, Ethan was surprised.

    It was one of his bullies. Damian Wales.

 Chapter 9 Stress Relief

    ?Damian Wales appeared as a typical young master of a wealthy family, dressed in a suit with ck hair and good looks. He held a basket of fruit, and his expression was uncertain.

    [Remnant Will has resurfaced.]

    [Stress: 50/100]

    Ethan was filled with anger, but he hid it behind a smile and a narrowed gaze directed towards Damian. He made a surprisingment, "I am amazed. Your skin is thicker than Mia''s ass."

    Both of them frowned at the remark. Damian signaled for Mia to stay silent, clearing his throat before speaking. "Ethan, I understand you''re angry, but please listen to me."

    Ethan responded with a harsh reply, "Fuck off." Damian stepped forward, cing the basket on the table next to Ethan, "Just hear me out for once."

    Ethan smirked, "Did you listen to me when you used to bully me?"

    Damian sighed and looked guilty. "I know I made a mistake in the past and I want to make it right. I wasn''t even there when it happened."

    Ethan let out a loudugh, "What could you have done if you were there? Could you have stopped that scumbag?" He pointed at Mia. "She''s the only one who could have stopped him."

    The air became heavy with tension.

    Ethan sneered and continued, not giving them a chance to speak. "You think I didn''t know what was going on? I wasn''t stupid. I knew how this bitch used to open her legs for Derek."

    Mia growled, "Stop talking nonsense." She turned to Damian, "I told you it would be a waste of time. Are you happy now after being insulted like this?!"

    Damian shook his head and spoke calmly to Ethan, "Let me be honest. I want to make up for my past mistakes and help you because of my guilt."

    Ethan raised an eyebrow, gripping the bed sheets tightly. "So, after satisfying your guilt, you won''t bother me anymore?"

    Damian nodded. "I want to make a fresh start with you after I help you in any way I can. But, seeing how much you hate us, I won''t force you into it."

    Ethan closed his eyes and let out a troubled breath. "And you think I would ept your help? You seem to forget that you''re the one who started all of this. Please, just leave. I don''t want to see your face."

    Damian was silent for a moment before nodding. Mia gave him a harsh look, then turned to Ethan. As they left, Ethan smirked and said, "If you run into those bastards, let them know I''ve changed."

    [Remnant Will''s hidden questpleted.]

    After they left, Ethan seemed to have lost his energy as he slumped back on the bed. Sasha entered the room, her eyes full of concern as she looked at him. He managed a weak smile and asked her to lock the door, which she did without hesitation.

    Getting closer to him, she noticed his hands were trembling.

    He turned to gaze at her and said, "Sasha I have a request."

    Sasha smiled warmly. "I am here for you."

    He bit his lips and said, "Can you hug me?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sasha''s expression didn''t change, but she felt a sense of sadness wash over her. She nodded in agreement. Ethan made room for her, and she settled in beside him, pulling him into an embrace.

    They remained there, silent and still, as they shared in each other''sfort. The feel of Sasha''s soft chest against his face and the scent of her soothing fragrance calmed down Ethan''s nerves. Sasha gently stroked his head, offering him even morefort.

    [Stress: 30/100]

    Ethan whispered, "That man was my high school bully."

    Sasha stiffened and Ethan felt her grip tighten around him. Her voice was low and filled with anger as she asked, "Isn''t that woman your sister?! How could she bring someone like him here to visit you? What if you had a stronger reaction?" Her tone softened as she became worried and fearful. "This could have been a threat to your well-being."

    Ethan pulled away from her embrace and met her gaze. A genuine smile spread across his face as heplimented, "You look beautiful, especially right now."

    [Stress: 15/100]

    Sasha''s eyes widened. She was about to say something but froze when her eyes met Ethan''s gaze. And before she knew, they were kissing passionately.

    [Stress: 0/100]

    Sasha felt her body melt into his arms as they kissed. His deep blue eyes, which usually made her heart flutter, were filled with something even more intense this time. Her heart raced with anticipation.

    [Sasha Drew''s Interest: +10]

    [Body of Incubus is activated.]

    [Charm: 100/100]

    [Remnant Will''s hidden questpleted.]

    ''Nyx, kindly shut up. Let me enjoy this moment.'' Ethan ordered.

    [No, I won''t.]

    ''¡­ suit yourself then.'' He decided to ignore her and focused on Sasha who looked so attractive to him at the moment.

    At first, Ethan felt annoyed by the fact that the damned ''remnant will'' had such a huge effect on his emotions. But then controlling himself and making those idiots scram, made him feel much better and aplished.

    He then used the situation to get close to Sasha, even though they had been engaging in secret sexual activity to satisfy their carnal desires but not their hearts. Ethan could tell from her expression that she was bing increasingly attracted to him, and the sensation he felt was strange yet satisfying.

    Their tongues were intertwined in a sloppy mess, and Ethan''s hand snaked its way underneath her nurse''s uniform, squeezing her soft butt. Her hazel eyes widened in surprise, and she let out a muffled moan.

    When they finally parted and gasped for breath, Ethan uttered, "Sasha, I really want to do it with you."

    But then¡­

 Chapter 10 Darkness

    ?Later in the attached bathroom, Ethan washed his hands and sighed. In the end, Sasha declined him. Her eyes were burning with desire but more than that, she gave the reasoning that Ethan was still notpletely healthy. Sex was something physical intensive.

    She had logic with her side so Ethan epted that but still asked for a blowjob. Recalling her flushed face and sparkling eyes when she did it made his lips curl up in a smile.

    Sasha was waiting outside for him, so he quickly checked the status window. The result was surprising.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 10]

    ????¡ºHealth: (87/100)¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (46/46)¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (0/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (67/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 232¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (68/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 10¡»|¡ºAgility: 5.2¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 5¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 0.7¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 26¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    The rest stats were alright and consistent like arcane points that increased by two with each level but he actually jumped from level six to ten. And more importantly, Ethan had actually received a whopping two hundred special points.

    It took him more than a month to get 32 points but now he got so many in such a short time.

    He heard Nyx''s alluring voice, [The hidden quests give more points. Lowest should be 50 and highest should be 200.]

    Ethan inquired, ''And what''s the maximum amount for normal quests?''

    [At your current level, it is around 40. But as you level up, your rewards for quests will also increase.]

    ''So basically I need to spam these tasks in the initial levels?''

    [Yes], Nyx confirmed.

    ''¡­''

    Sensing his worry and frustration regarding the low number of tasks, Nyx said, [It''s alright. Once you discharge from here, you''ll start getting more tasks. And right now you also have Sasha with you.]

    Ethan''s mind was jolted by the mention of Sasha''s name and he reflexively went quiet, not revealing his thoughts to Nyx. He tried to mask his emotions by shaking his head and offering a bittersweet smile. The thrill of the moment had passed, and his mind was no longer clouded by any carnal desires. He couldn''t help but reflect on Sasha and his future.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Finally, Ethan let out a sigh and spoke, "Okay, show me the hidden quests that I''vepleted."

    [Okay!]

    The screen appeared in front of Ethan and its title read.

    [Ethan Chase''s frustration.]

    [Ethan had the physical ability to stand up to his tormentors, but for various reasons, he held back. However, finally putting one of them in their ce and starting his revenge brought a sense of satisfaction and fulfilled his burning desire for retribution. Special points: +150]

    Ethan couldn''t resist rolling his eyes and muttering, "What start of revenge... but it looks like these tasks from my remnant will have something to do with it. I don''t have any objections to it, though."

    Suddenly, a memory came back to him, leaving him momentarily stunned. A sneer appeared on his face as he murmured, "Mia, just how low will you fall?"

    Before now, Ethan only knew Mia''s demeanor, personality, and that she was a member of the bullying group. Although she wasn''t a direct participant, Ethan had still seen her smiling and relishing in the torment at times.

    Only now did Ethan understand how someone like Ethan Chase ended up trapped in this cycle of hatred and pain. It all started in his first year of high school. Even after a few years had passed since his father''s death, he still couldn''t escape the darkness that consumed him after losing the swordmaster he respected the most.

    The weight of his grief gradually ate away at him, making him more prone to emotional outbursts. If it weren''t for the care of his step-parents, Ethan didn''t know what would have happened to him.

    Although Mia treated him poorly, Ethan always showed patience and even had a soft spot for her. But that all changed when she betrayed him, stabbing him in the back... or, to be more precise, hitting him from behind.

    At the time, Ethan was surrounded by many peers his own age. He had the strength to fight them and if things escted, he could easily outrun them. But then Mia entered the alley, and the group shifted their attention to her, gaining the upper hand over Ethan.

    Despite feeling frustrated, he tried to intervene and protect her, but then he felt a blow to the back of his head and everything went ck. When Ethan awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, with Mia crying beside him, using him of rape.

    Confused and shocked, Ethan couldn''t understand what was happening. But when Damian and his friend entered the room and showed him the photo they had taken, everything fell into ce.

    The evil woman that Ethan once cared for wiped away her fake tears and smiled maliciously at him, her eyes shining with glee. Ethan hated the group with a passion, but more than that, he felt fear.

    The truth was, he didn''t do anything to Mia, but she had fake evidence against him¡ªthe photograph of her half-naked, crying, and with his fingerprints on her.

    Ethan was consumed by fear. His mind raced with the disastrous consequences of the situation he was in. The thought of losing the only people left in his life who cared for him sent chills down his spine.

    The fear soon gave way to darker thoughts, including the idea of killing those responsible for his misery. But he knew that such a violent reaction would only bring more severe consequences.

    The bullies, led by Damian, had powerful connections and it wouldn''t take much for them to find out the truth. Thus, Ethan became their next ything, subjected to constant torment and abuse.

    More bullies joined in, not understanding why someone as strong-willed as Ethan had be so vulnerable. All they cared about was their own pleasure.

    The so-called "fingerprint evidence" was debunked eventually, but the photograph of Mia crying half-naked and Ethan''s fingerprints still yed on his mind. The sadistic intentions of Damian, Derek, and Mia to torment Ethan had already seeded in capturing his weaknesses and manipting him.

    "How can kids nowadays be so fucked up?" Ethan sighed and then he thought about his own past, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

    He consoled himself. ''Atleast I wasn''t this bad¡­ just a violent idiot.'' His eyes dimmed with a hint of sadness.

 Chapter 11 At Night

    ?[So you have your own dark past.]

    "No shit." Ethan rolled his eyes and said, "Just please don''t make fun of this sensitive topic."

    [I am not insensitive like you.]

    "Bulshit, you are a stupid AI like being who always makes fun and ys with feelings."

    [No shit,] Nyx sneered.

    "¡­" He was amazed by her shamelessness. But considering that she was a system, not like she should have shame¡­ Well, never mind, no need to think about this stuff.

    He then asked her to open the next hidden quest.

    [Crush on Ethan Chase]

    [Ethan Chase always wanted to have some girl like him. The heir made this possible. The remnant will is satisfied. Special points: +50.]

    "This dude feels like some king giving out his leftovers to peasants." Ethan grumbled.

    [Well you can consider the will like that, after all it provides the maximum special points.]

    Ethan smiled, "And so far the most trouble too."

    Ethan remembered feeling satisfied and aplished as Sasha''s interest in him grew, but now he felt uneasy about it. When he shared his difort with Nyx, she was puzzled.

    [I don''t understand. Shouldn''t it make you feel good when someone is interested in you?]

    Ethan responded, "It does feel good, but I''m worried I won''t be able to return her feelings."

    Nyx pointed out, [You were the one trying to seduce her, and now you''re being hypocritical by not embracing her interest in you.]

    Ethan washed his face and sighed, "I may be hypocritical, but I don''t want to have regrets."

    Nyx finally understood and said, [So, you''re just being selfish.]

    Ethan simply replied, "Yes."

    Nyx countered, [But you''re also considering Sasha''s feelings, so it''s not entirely selfish.] Nyx then grumbled, [I thought you were just a simple-minded, lustful fool.]

    Ethan replied with sarcasm, "Thanks for thepliment, miss." He dried his face with a towel and continued, "As I said, I don''t want to have regrets. I don''t care if my actions are right or wrong, I just don''t want to feel that way again."

    Nyx became silent as Ethan took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. He saw Sasha sitting on the bed, her face still flushed.

    He went and sat next to her, cing his hand on hers, and smiled at her as she gazed at him with wide eyes. She looked so cute.

    Sasha mumbled, "Why do you look so attractive right now?"

    Ethan''s charm was a hundred right now, but more importantly, he told Sasha, "Because you''re starting to like me."

    Sasha looked taken aback, confusion and uncertainty crossed her face. "I-I think I do feel that way, but that''s so unlike me. I still have so much to learn about you, so it doesn''t make sense for my heart to race for you so suddenly."

    Ethan nodded and exined, "I noticed that, which is why I wanted to make things clear. I don''t want either of us to feel badter on."

    Sasha asked, "What do you mean?"

    Ethan took a deep breath and told her, "I''m a womanizer and won''t be satisfied with just you. Even if we start dating, I''ll still pursue other women. I''m sorry, but I can''t control this."

    Sasha was stunned and didn''t know how to respond.

    Ethan knew that he needed to rify his stance. He could already see how the influence of the "remnant will" would impact him and his future decisions. Rather than resisting this supernatural force, he decided to go along with it and he also knew his nature.

    Most importantly, he acknowledged that he did not love Sasha. He believed that simply finding someone attractive or likable did not equate to love. If he truly loved someone, he would be willing to fight even gods, if they existed, to be with them.

    Sasha''s face fell into a frown, but Ethan tenderly eased it by cing his hand on her cheek. "Take your time, Sasha," he saidfortingly. "I''ll ept whatever decision you make."

    Sasha nodded and closed her eyes, slowly rxing. Ethan patiently waited.

    [Sasha Drew''s Interest: -20]

    ''I guess that''s it then,'' Ethan thought.

    However, Sasha suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Sasha Drew''s Interest: +5]

    Confused, Ethan watched as Sasha chuckled. "I had started to have hopes for our future, but then you showed me the truth. You don''t like me."

    "I''m sorry," Ethan said, feeling guilty.

    "Don''t be," Sasha replied, squeezing his hand and smiling softly. "Actually, thank you for being honest. It just shows that you have a good heart. Despite feeling disappointed, I still want to get to know you better. So..."

    Sasha leaned forward and ced a soft kiss on Ethan''s lips. "With this kiss, let''s start fresh."

    Ethan admired Sasha''s outstanding character and realized that she was a much better person than he was. He could feel his attraction to her slowly increasing.

    Laughing, Ethan nodded, "Great!"

    A few dayster, Ethan was in the physical therapy room and had just finished a session. He chugged in some water and said to Dr. Emily in a casual tone, "By the way, I haven''t seen nurse ire around for a while.

    He wanted to know more about her but he couldn''t see her for some time and of course, he wouldn''t ask Sasha about it, until she gotfortable with his antics.

    Dr. Emily cocked her head. "You know ire?"

    Ethan shrugged. "Sasha has mentioned her a few times, so yeah."

    Dr. Emilyughed and jokingly said, "Sasha must be envious of her beauty."

    Ethan smiled. "Dr. Emily, it''s not nice to talk about her like that."

    Emily grinned. "It''s all in good fun. We''re close friends so she wouldn''t mind even if you told her."

    "I wouldn''t do that," Ethan replied.

    "Good," Dr. Emily nodded and added, "ire was a great nurse."

    "Was?" Ethan asked, sensing a hint of past tense in her words.

    Dr. Emily let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, she left the hospital a while back. Otherwise, she would have been helping me with your therapy."

    Ethan thought to himself, ''What a shame,'' and asked curiously, "What happened?"

    Dr. Emily shrugged. "I don''t know. I tried asking, but all she said was that she had some family issues."

    "I see," Ethan responded.

    "It''s really a shame that the hospital doesn''t have such a talented nurse anymore," Dr. Emily continued. "She''s quite young and doesn''t have a medical degree, but she scored high on the FET exam."

    "FET?" Ethan asked.

    "It''s an exam that every physiotherapist has to take," Dr. Emily exined.

    "Ah," Ethan said,prehending.

    "Yeah, she was really amazing. Her knowledge of human anatomy even surprised me. Too bad she was also a shy and reclusive person," Dr. Emily added.

    Ethan guessed, "So you don''t have her contact information?"

    Dr. Emily smiled bitterly and then yfully smacked her forehead. "We shouldn''t have talked so much. Come on, you need to do some more stretches."

    Ethan smiled and nodded in agreement.

    Later that night, Ethan was drifting off to sleep when he felt a presence beside him. He thought about how Sasha had been so stubborn, refusing his offer of sex, iming that even a seemingly rxed position like cowgirl was too physically taxing.

    He remembered how she had been so embarrassed by the thought that, if they were to actually have sex, she wouldn''t be able to control herself and wouldn''t be gentle, which made him smile.

    Ethanughed. "Can''t control yourself now?" and turned to look beside him, only to find that it wasn''t Sasha, but a tall, dark figure wearing arge robe and a mask that obscured their face.

    Hisughter died away as a thought urred to him: ''Am I fucked again?''

    Nyx was quick to respond, [...sorry, maybe you are.]

    ''...''

 Chapter 12 Problems

    ?The following morning, Ethan woke up with a nk expression, staring at the ceiling. He muttered, "Was that just another strange dream?"

    [Not this time.]

    Ethan sat up, frowning. "But I can''t recall anything, just that ominous figure."

    [I don''t have any recollection either.]

    "That''s even more concerning," Ethan remarked, sighing at her.

    For the first time, Nyx stumbled in her speech, [W- well, whatever urred seems to have been for the better... I hope.]

    "What are you trying to say?" Ethan asked, confused. Instead of answering, Nyx disyed the status screen to Ethan.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 10]

    ????¡ºHealth: (87/100)¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (46/46)¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (0/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (67/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 232¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (68/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 10¡»|¡ºAgility: 5.2¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 5¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 0.7¡»|¡ºArcane RR: 26 (x5)¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    Ethan was bbergasted. "You''re telling me that ''x 5'' is actually multiplication?"

    [Correct, it is.]

    Ethan couldn''t believe it. "This doesn''t make sense. How, why, what in the world is going on?"

    [Please give me a moment to trace the source of this boost.]

    Ethanplied, waiting for just a moment before asking, "So you can analyze anything then?"

    Nyx considered this. [To a certain extent, yes. As long as it''s not tooplicated and is within your body.]

    "That should make things a lot easier then. You can utilize Obsidian fragments," Ethan pointed out.

    [Not exactly. I only know how to use the fragments, but I don''t understand why or how. It''s just instinctual. And don''t worry, I won''t do anything unless I''m one hundred percent confident in my ability to do so.]

    Ethan nodded, "Fair enough."

    [Ah! I see. It''s the chain ne you''re wearing.]

    Ethan looked down at the simple-looking ne he always wore, one of the only reminders of his parents. "Really?"

    [That person has altered the ne, allowing it to absorb astral energy at a faster rate, at that] Nyx exined.

    "This is so suspicious," Ethan thought, deciding to keep the ne away from him for safety reasons.

    However, before he could take action, a sharp pain shot through his head and the cursed screen appeared before him.

    [The Remnant Will has resurfaced.]

    [Ethan Chase has a strong attachment to the ne and cannot simply throw it away.]

    [Stress level: 100/100]

    "Are you kidding me?" Ethan yelled, clutching his head. "I wasn''t going to throw it away, I just wanted to keep it in a safe ce."

    But the Remnant Will wouldn''t listen and the headache persisted.

    "Okay, okay, I won''t take it off. Just stop this!" Ethan surrendered.

    The pain slowly subsided and Ethany down, panting for air. "If this was a story, I''d say this is pure plot maniption," he muttered.

    [Indeed,] Nyx agreed.

    "Indeed? What the fuck, Nyx," Ethan snapped. "Shouldn''t you be helping me instead?"

    [I apologize. At this point, there''s nothing I can do.]

    Ethan was incensed. "Why not? You said before that you came into existence to improve me! Can''t you see that this Remnant Will is causing problems?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    [¡­]

    Ethan knew that Remnant Will could affect his emotions and stress but he didn''t expect it to be so extreme. It could give him a headache... which clearly meant that it could affect his head. Who would like such a thing? Just thinking about it made him feel a sense of fear and anger.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Ethan asked, growing frustrated.

    [It seems you have the wrong idea,] Nyx replied in a low voice. [My primary purpose is not to help you, but Ethan Chase.]

    Ethan was stunned and his face went white as he heard Nyx''s words. He felt his mental state deteriorate. All of this was only for Ethan Chase¡­ not him. His existence was this pitiful.

    Noticing this, Nyx spoke softly, trying to ease the situation. [I mean¡ª]

    Ethan opened his eyes and said with a heavy heart, "No need to exin. I understand what you mean."

    [I apologize,] Nyx expressed her regret in her voice.

    He shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "No, don''t apologize. I was just getting away from reality. I forgot that I am only here to help Ethan Chase achieve his goals."

    He went silent and didn''t speak for a while.

    [...]

    After a few minutes, he asked in a quiet voice, "But do you know what I''m good at?"

    [I do not know.]

    "Adapting," Ethan replied with a glimmer of determination in his eyes. Setbacks like this wouldn''t stop him. They never had, and they never would.

    Nyx was taken aback for a moment, but then burst intoughter. [Looks like we''re in the same boat,] she said.

    Ethan asked her quizzically. "How so?"

    [Neither of us can do anything against the remnant will], Nyx exined, and Ethan finally caught on, joining her inughter.

    Nyx''s tone became yful and mischievous. [So, let''s overthrow it.]

    Ethan''s expression softened. "You''re being a bit hypocritical, but I like it. I wish you had a physical form so I could give you a bro hug."

    [No way,] Nyx retorted. [You''d just try to fuck me.]

    Ethan shook his head, but he felt a little better after her teasing. He started to n ahead and asked Nyx for any hidden quests rted tote Ethan Chase''s wishes.

    He could guess the list but just to be sure he asked her. And good that he did, because it had a few things he didn''t think of.

    [These are in no particr priority order. And there can be more to the list.

    - Be a sword master.

    - Make Scarlett love him as a man.

    - Experience familial sisterly love.

    - Revenge

    - Kill the King of the Underworld]

    Ethan let out a groan. "Scarlett is attractive, but she sees me as a son. Kill the King of the Underworld? Bing a sword master and experiencing sisterly love? This feels impossible."

    [These are just my assumptions,] Nyx replied.

    "Bullshit," Ethan shot back. "You wouldn''t have mentioned them if you weren''t certain. The real issue isn''t the tasks themselves, but the negative consequences if I fail them."

    Nyx tried to reassure him. [These types of quests don''t have a deadline.]

    "Great," Ethan said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "Just the stress building up until it reaches critical mass."

    "At worst, the stress will continue to pile up,] Nyx admitted.

    "Permanently?" Ethan asked, concern evident in his voice.

    "There''s a chance," Nyx said, "but you shouldn''t think of it as permanent. You''ll be rewarded once youplete the task."

    Ethan sighed. "Guess we''ll just have to go with the flow."

    Next he asked her how he could gain abilities. Nyx told him a few ways. First one was to use the fragments of Obsidian but they were unpredictable. Second was to gain them with time, like for example, after punching hundreds or thousands of times, he may gain an ability rted to that. This was the most time consuming way.

    The third one was even more unpredictable and passive. Nyx gave the example of Astral Self and Psychokinesis. In short, he would be getting psychic abilities as he levels up. As for what and when he would get one, even Nyx didn''t know. Such an unreliable helper she was.

    Nyx ignored hisint and told him thest one, which she also rmended. To use special points and create one. The only downside for this would be that the ability created would be of lower quality. But Ethan could just use quantity over quality.

    As such, in the end, Ethan used all of his special points and created an ability that could evolve with him¡ªDivine Sense.

 Chapter 13 Discharged

    ?After more than two weeks in the hospital, Ethan was finally ready to be discharged. He said his goodbyes to George and the other elderly patients he had befriended, and then went to see Dr. Emily.

    "I''ll finally stop troubling you," he said with a smile.

    "Yes, finally," Dr. Emily said with a nod. "You were quite the nuisance."

    Ethan chuckled. "I meant that I''ll stop troubling you here in the hospital, but outside¡­" He winked. "We should meet up from time to time."

    Dr. Emily rolled her eyes and said, "I don''t think so."

    Ethan''s smile grew softer as he hugged her. "Thank you for everything you did for me."

    Dr. Emily''s expression softened, and she gently patted his back. "It''s my duty, Ethan."

    He stepped away and blinked innocently. "Still, I''ll have to treat youter."

    Dr. Emily snorted at the reminder of their date and waved her hand to shoo him away. Despite her attempt at feigning disinterest, her eyes glinted with amusement.

    "I hope I won''t see you again here," she said.

    Ethanughed. "Yeah, don''t worry."

    Later as he walked down the corridor, he spotted Sasha from the corner of his eye. She looked at him and quickly averted her gaze, clearly trying to hide her embarrassment.

    "Cute," he thought to himself, remembering their passionate night together. His lips curled up into a grin as he thought about it.

    ????

    Ethan gazed in awe at the captivating sight before him. Sasha''s red hair flowed over her shoulders, her cheeks tinged with pink, and her glistening body was an irresistible invitation. He marveled at her shapely breasts and firm nipples, her inviting lips, and her moist insides that embraced him so warmly. He couldn''t help but feel like he was in heaven.

    Sasha nced away shyly and whispered, "You look so handsome too."

    Ethan smiled and started to move his hips, at first gently while passionately kissing her. Their tongues intertwined and her limbs held him tightly. He wanted her to get used to his big cock, but he could only hold back for so long. In a raspy voice he whispered, "Sasha, I can''t control myself anymore. I want to do it hard."

    Sasha blushed more and replied, "Yes, Ethan. Fuck me hard."

    Ethan stood up and lifted her soft and supple buttocks, cing a pillow beneath her. He inserted almost half of his cock, as she covered her mouth and moaned. Then he started pounding her.

    His every thrust became more and more powerful as he stared into her eyes, watching her full breasts bounce and swell with every movement.

    His roughness drove her wild and her eyes shed with pure lust as she pulled him down for a passionate kiss. They were intertwined together, their bodies rocking with pleasure in unison and her body shook and trembled as the most powerful orgasm of her life washed over her.

    Ethan groaned, not slowing down, and said, "Sasha, someone might hear us."

    "Ahh¡­ B-but you feel so good," she said, her voice full of pleasure.

    He felt her inner walls tighten around him even more, making him moan in satisfaction. He couldn''t hold back any longer and said, "Sasha, I''m cumming."

    "Yes! Cum! Ethan, fill me up!" Sasha moaned, her body quivering in anticipation.

    Ethan groaned and released his hot load inside her, their bodies shaking together. Heid on top of her and kissed her softly, still inside her. "That felt really good," he smiled.

    Sasha''s face lit up in a bright smile, her eyes twinkling with delight. "That was the most amazing thing I''ve ever experienced," she whispered, her satisfaction evident in her voice.

    Ethan gave her nipples a gentle squeeze, and his smirk widened as he said, "I''ll make sure you experience it even more."<novelnext></novelnext>

    She bit her lip, trying to hold back the moan that threatened to escape her, her eyes narrowing as she gazed up at him. He was so handsome, and she wanted to have more of him. Ethan also didn''t want to stop and he was still hard so they changed position and did it again.

    Sasha''s ass jiggled as Ethan pounded her hard from behind in doggystyle, her panties stuffed in her mouth. He pushed harder and faster, the fabric muffling her moans of pleasure.

    As he reached his climax, his hot seed filled her, and he slowly pulled out of her. She gasped, her expression one of pleasure and awe as she felt the overwhelming sensation of his semen spilling out of her.

    Ethan  gazed at the scene, feeling a rush of pleasure and pride. He gave her ass a tight squeeze and leaned in close, his lips against her ear as he murmured, "I can still go more times."

    Sasha''s eyes widened in desire, but he could still feel her body trembling, her face full of exhaustion. Ethan smiled and kissed her forehead tenderly, "I''m satisfied, so no need to do more."

    Then they cuddled together in bliss, and soon she fell into a deep, contented sleep.

    Ethan had asked Nyx to stop the ''notifications'' whenever he had sex otherwise he would just be bombarded with them, irritating him to no end.

    Ethan had asked Nyx to show him thepleted tasks in such a way that they were concise. And even skip tasks that didn''t give important or new info.

    [Ethan Chase is finally no longer a virgin. +300 experience. +80 sp.]

    [The feeling of ejacting inside someone is really good. +100 experience. +30 sp.]

    ''Cringe,'' Ethan thought and clicked on the tasks tab. It only had a few tasks like ''cum on Sasha''s body.'' The special points gained from this was a little three to four and the experience gained was in the range of twenty to thirty. Ethan ignored the sexual ones and looked at the daily tasks. It had stuff like ''Stay hydrated. Drink 3L water. +3 experience.''

    Overall, the tasks weren''t that difficult but also gave little to nothing. Ethan sighed and looked at the status window.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 16]

    ????¡ºHealth: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (60/60)¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (0/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 157¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (68/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 12.5¡»|¡ºAgility: 6¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 10¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 1¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 38 (x5)¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    ''Well things are going fine I guess?''

    Ethan had specially asked Nyx not to show him the amount of experience he needed to go up to the next level. He didn''t want some numbers to dictate him and lose his sense of self. He could always ask Nyx for the informationter if he desired.

    Ethan''s gaze shifted to Sasha, peacefully sleeping in his arms. She looked so vulnerable and delicate, making him remember Amelia, his first love. He had made mistakes in the past and disappointed her, but now if he ever fell in love again, he would do whatever it took to ensure his partner''s happiness.

    Ethan held Sasha close, a twinkle of hope in his eyes for the future thaty ahead.

 Chapter 14 Rave

    ?Ethan looked out of the car window and was taken aback by the sight of Brine. He had memories of thete Ethan Chase but the city seemed to have developed even more in the past few years.

    The city was a marvel of modern architecture, with towering high-rises that sparkled in the sunshine and a monorail that zipped by overhead. Despite its modern appearance, the city was surrounded by a high wall that served as a stark reminder of the untamed world beyond.

    Ethan''s eyes were fixed on the nearby wall, as his mind was inundated with information about it. It was erected to guard against the mutated cannibals, a consequence of the catastrophic First World War of Helen.

    During the war, the world was in turmoil with three dominant powers vying for control: the Northern Alliance, the Southern Confederacy, and the Eastern Collective.

    A rogue group of scientists from the Southern Confederacy developed apound that boosted the physical abilities of their soldiers in order to fight the strongest species on Helen, Valors, who were then supporting the Northern Alliance.

    The Eastern Collective, in response, created the Rave virus tobat the superhuman soldiers. Although the virus was intended to only affect the enhanced soldiers, the scientists failed to consider all factors, and their actions resulted in unintended consequences.

    The virus affected one of the strongest Valors, Zabek, causing him to turn berserk and kill everyone in his unit. He went on a rampage, devouring and killing anyone in his path. Those who survived became like him, and the mutation rapidly spread like wildfire.

    It waster discovered that Zabek was infected by the Rave virus and had mutated into something beyond imagination. The world was plunged into even deeper darkness.

    With a shared adversary, Helen appeared to be united, although it was only skin deep. The World Council was established as a result. The world, which was on the brink of significant progress, declined abruptly, and it took hundreds of years for stability to be restored.

    Ethan couldn''t fathom what life was like during that period, known as Hell. At least now they were protected from the highly evolved virus that had infected everything, even nts. It was a curse for humans and other species for the mistakes they made.

    "What are you looking at? nning to jump from there?" Mia''s annoying voice broke him out of his thoughts.

    He turned to look at her driving the car and snorted. "You appear much better when your damned mouth is shut."

    Seeing Mia sneering, Ethan said with a serious face. "No, let''s make this clear. I don''t want you bullshit to affect mom and dad''s happiness. Just why the fuck do you hate me so much, Mia?!"

    Mia suddenly mmed on the brakes, causing the car to skid to a stop. Fortunately, Ethan was wearing his seatbelt and there was no car behind them. He furrowed his brow at her. Mia gripped the steering wheel tightly and red at him with venom in her eyes.

    "Why do I hate you? Don''t you remember pushing me down that hill?"

    "What nonsense--" Ethan paused as a memory came to mind and he corrected himself. "I never pushed you."

    Mia''s face turned red with anger and she panted heavily. "You never pushed me? Alright, fine, maybe you didn''t push me, but I fell because of you. You son of a bitch could have helped me. I still remember reaching out my hand and asking for your help, but you just stood there and did nothing. You just watched as I fell!" Tears streamed down her face. "Do you have any idea how painful it was?"

    Ethan was at a loss for words. She was correct. ording to his memories, he could have saved her, but he just stood there, immobile. He was never the type to stand by and not help someone close to him, especially after losing his parents. It was strange and confusing.

    He tried to argue that he took good care of her after the incident, feeling guilty. Mia shot back, "What care? All you cared about was lusting after my mother and then me once I grew up. Who wouldn''t hate someone like that? Only my parents are blind not to see your true colors."

    Ethan hung his head and closed his eyes, leaning back against the seat. She was right. That damned Ethan Chase!<novelnext></novelnext>

    [Stress: 50/100]

    [Ethan, the lower cap of stress has be 2 now.] Nyx softly informed him.

    ''I don''t give a fuck.''

    [Ethan, try to rx and take some deep breaths.]

    ''I am trying.'' After a moment of calming himself, he thanked Nyx and opened his eyes to ask Mia, "Why didn''t you tell me about this earlier?"

    Mia shrugged. "Would it have changed anything? Would it have reduced my hate towards you?"

    "It might not have, but I would have at least understood you and tried to make amends," Ethan said with a sigh.

    "Are you serious? Damian tried to make amends out of guilt, but you didn''t ept it. Why do you expect me to forgive you now?" Mia retorted.

    Ethan shook his head. "Our situations are different. We''ll be living under the same roof, and even if I did make things right, what you did to me was wrong. Because of you, they found my weakness and I ended up in aa for three whole years, Mia."

    Mia looked straight into his eyes and coldly said, "I wish you were dead."

    "Really? I don''t understand you anymore," Ethan said, shaking his head. "No matter what happens, our rtionship will never improve?"

    She nodded firmly. "No matter what." Ethan took a deep breath and nodded, acknowledging the situation.

    [Stress: 17/100]

    "Alright, it seems like our parents are unaware of your involvement, which is why they haven''t disowned you."

    Mia let out a cynicalugh.

    "I don''t want to cause them any pain," Ethan continued. "So let''s put on a united front in front of them, okay?"

    Mia started the car and replied, "That''s exactly what I intend to do. Just like always, I''ll conceal my hatred for you."

    Ethan gazed ahead at the road ahead. Despite his attempts toprehend Mia''s perspective, she remained obstinate and unreasonable. He had given up trying to understand her and was now focused onpleting the tasks set forth by the Remnant Will¡­ in his own way.

 Chapter 15 Divine Sense

    ?The following morning, Ethan woke up feeling a little sluggish. As a fitness enthusiast, he knew he would bounce back soon. He got out of bed, washed up, and brushed his teeth. He dressed in his workout gear and stepped out of his room.

    The house was not that big, but charming and cozy, with four rooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a front garden. It was peaceful, especially without Mia around.

    Ethan put on his new earbuds and started listening to thetest music from Grabeth. Although he wasn''t a huge fan, the songs worked for him as background noise. He stepped outside and greeted the morning, receiving a warm smile from Scarlett.

    In the garden, he saw Dn sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper. Ethan smiled, seeing that his stepfather was still the same. Dn was of average height with striking features, light brown hair, and blue eyes that made him appear friendly and approachable.

    It was no surprise that Scarlett had fallen for him. They had once talked about it with a shy expression, discussing how Dn''s personality had captured Scarlett''s heart.

    After the morning run and shower, he sat on the bed and looked at the harem tab of the system, he hadn''t seen it for so long. He didn''t explore the featurespletely, no wonder Nyx always seemed to get mad at him.

    [Finally,] Nyx said.

    ''Alright now show me.''

    [Aye sir!]

    [Sasha Drew

    Interest: 75

    Sexual Preferences: doggy-style, missionary, cunnilingus, fetio, and more.

    Sasha Drew is a dedicated nurse at the Richardson Hospital. Although she is diligent in her work, she may be absent-minded at times andmit errors. She takes responsibility for her mistakes and works tirelessly to better herself, both as a person and a nurse.

    Sasha has a deep fascination for the heir and desires to learn more about him. Despite her tendency to feel easily envious, she can also be easily won over by someone she has affection for.

    As long as the heir is honest with her, she will ept him, even if he is involved in a polyamorous rtionship. Secretly, she hopes that the heir will eventually develop feelings for her exclusively.

    ]

    "Oh?" Ethan raised his eyebrows. "Sasha is interested in cunnilingus? Guess next time I''ll give her a pleasant surprise. But she never told me this so howe you know about it?"

    Nyx replied, [Sasha hinted this a few times but you didn''t get it.]

    "Is that so? Next time if I miss some hint then do tell me immediately."

    [Alright.]

    Then Ethan opened Emily''s panel.

    [Emily Rathford<novelnext></novelnext>

    Interest: 36

    Sexual Preferences: Unknown

    Emily Rathford is a highly skilled and aplished physician. In addition to her medical career, she runs a sessful gym in West Brine. She is approachable and holds her profession in high regard. She has a deeppassion for others and regrly contributes to various charitable causes. Emily has a keen emotional intelligence and is drawn to the heir, although she does her best to conceal her feelings.]

    Ethan realized that he had only acquired a limited understanding of each person through his interactions with them. He asked Nyx to disy their dislikes, which the system agreed to do.

    After the system screen disappeared, Ethan thought to himself, "Maybe I should have a chat with Emily about her gym."

    He was interested in joining a gym, and if Emily''s gym was nearby, it would be a great opportunity. He was attracted to her, but what he was really looking for was the support of a physiotherapist.

    Ethan lived in the residential area of West Brine. While the east part of the city was modern with towering buildings, the west was more of a quaint neighborhood with historic sites and a well-known market.

    In the evening, Ethan made his way through narrow alleys, the cobblestone streets lit up by the soft glow of the streetmps. He could hear the hustle and bustle of the city, theughter and conversations of the people around him.

    He turned a corner and found himself in a marketce, the air filled with the smell of freshly cooked food and the sound of merchants calling out their goods.

    He felt the warmth of the sun on his skin and the cool breeze of the evening air brushing against his face. He smiled as he felt the energy of the ce and its people.

    Ethan chuckled as he remembered the adorable argument between his stepmother and stepfather in the afternoon. Scarlett kept reminding him of the things he shouldn''t do and ces he shouldn''t go, which didn''t bother Ethan, but Dn got frustrated when Scarlett suggested Ethan share his location with them periodically.

    In the end, Scarlett realized she had gone too far and apologized to Ethan. He wasn''t annoyed with her at all, as it was a testament to their love and concern for him.

    ''I wonder what they wanted to talk to me about. Oh well, time to focus on the task at hand.''

    Ethan ventured down a deserted alley with a mission in mind - to put his "divine sense" ability to the test. This ability, which he had designed to be incredibly versatile, allowed him to sense the presence of others and gather basic information about them, even from inside a room.

    At higher levels, Ethan would be able to identify those individuals and obtain additional details. The "divine" aspect of the ability connected to his fate energy and destiny, and would instinctively guide him to the best tasks and events, which were essentially groups of rted tasks.

    Although Nyx had tried to exin the concept of fate energy and destiny, Ethan couldn''t quite grasp it. Nevertheless, he was eager to experiment with his ability, as it held the potential to bring him great rewards or evennd him in trouble, ording to Nyx. And that was just the kind of adventure Ethan was looking for.

    Currently, the feeling grew more and more as he walked forward. From the corner of his eye, he saw a closed shop with a dusty signboard saying ''Dragon Cafe''.

    He slowed his pace and asked Nyx, "Hey, the system name has the word ''dragon'' in it. At first, I thought it was just Ethan Chase being cheesy, but now I feel like I''m forgetting something. Did dragons actually exist in mythology or something?"

    Nyx promptly replied, [The world council hasn''t confirmed the rumors of whether dragons still exist or not, but it''s true that the world of Helen used to have dragons in the past.]

    Ethan''s eyes lit up as he eagerly asked for more information.

 Chapter 16 Destiny

    ?Nyx informed Ethan about the rumors surrounding dragons, saying, [There are a lot of stories floating around about what the dragons did in the past, but there is no written evidence to back it up.

    Some believe that dragons once ruled the world, but then something caused them to start fighting among themselves. Some im that thest remaining dragons protected the west during the first world war, while others think that the Valors are blessed by dragons.

    These are all just unverified assumptions, but there is one solid proof of their existence.]

    Ethan guessed, "Their corpses?"

    Nyx confirmed, [Yes, the dragon remains are kept under the close observation and research of the world council.]

    At that moment, Ethan''s divine sense intensified. He knew he was getting closer. With eager anticipation, he turned right into a smaller alley and froze when he saw what was in front of him. It was a sleeping brown female dog.

    [Destiny event started.]

    ''This is just a dog...but maybe there''s something special about her,'' Ethan thought.

    As he approached, the female dog woke up and looked at him with curious eyes.

    "She''s cute," he said.

    [Indeed.] Nyx agreed.

    Ethan was a little uncertain, "She won''t bite, right?"

    The female dog got up and barked, startling him a little but then he calmed down when he saw her tail wagging.

    He bent down to pet the dog gently and asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

    The dog barked in response and Ethan smiled.

    "Wow, you are smart, Wait, let me get you something," he said.

    Ethan went to get some buns and offered them to the dog. As she ate, he stroked her head affectionately.

    ''So what now?'' Ethan asked Nyx.

    [I suggest you wait for some more time.]

    ''Fair.''

    Just then on the street opposite to him, he saw a group of thugs and with them he saw someone familiar.

    Ethan blinked, "Is this it?"

    Ethan smiled at the female dog. "Alright, guess we will part now."

    She stopped eating and looked up at him, giving him another bark. Man, he really liked her. Ethan decided to bring her back home after checking out that group. Besides Mia, Dn and Scarlett would also like such a smart dog.

    Ethan had only taken a glimpse of the long pink hair of a woman in the group, he wasn''t really sure if it was that girl. He quickly walked and peeked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A familiar sexy girl was surrounded by a group of thugs of eight. She had fear filled eyes, as she inched closer to the wall.

    [Remnant Will has resurfaced.]

    [This is the best chance for the heir to take revenge against Rose Buckerman, one of Ethan Chase bullies.]

    The leader of a group, a tall thin man snarled impatiently, causing Rose''s heart to race with fear. She stammered, pleading for more time to fulfill their demands, but her words were met with cruelughter from the thugs.

    The leader moved in closer, his cold fingers digging into her cheeks as he held her face captive, his eyes dark with sinister intent. With a sadistic smile, he ran his other hand over her chest, evoking a cry of pain from her lips.

    The thugs around him snickered, their lecherous gazes devouring her body. The leader tore down her shirt, exposing her bra, and it was clear what was about to happen. Ethan stood by, witnessing the horrors unfold, before finally turning and walking away, abandoning Rose to her fate.

    [Remnant Will is satisfied by the heir''s action. +250 sp. +100 exp.]

    Ignoring the situation, Ethan noticed that the female dog had already left.

    He heard Nyx mumble unhappily, [This feels bad.]

    Chuckling, he replied, "You don''t even feel emotions. What are you even talking about?"

    Nyx seemed to be displeased with his reaction, asking [How are you still so calm?]

    Ethan smiled, "Isn''t our purpose to help Ethan Chase with his wishes? I am doing that."

    [¡­ This was just unexpected. You seemed to be a nice person.] Nyx sighed.

    Ethan stopped walking and his smile became sincere. "Nyx, you passed the test."

    [Huh?] Nyx was taken aback and confused.

    Ethan turned around and started walking back. He could sense the struggle on the other side.

    He said, "I just wanted to see how low you guys can fall for some retarded task or some shitty revenge. You passed the test, but as expected, the Remnant Will didn''t. That''s understandable though. Remnant Will is just an obsession¡­ an umtion of both negatives and positives of a person."

    Nyx was speechless. She asked, [Now what?]

    Taking a deep breath, Ethan said, "I once said that I don''t want to feel regret. I don''t care if I do something But there is a line that I will never cross. Knowing that a woman may get raped and doing nothing about it is something that I will never do. Not even in my dreams." His lips curled up into a smile as he dered, "Let''s beat these shits up and help Rose. Fuck this Remnant Will."

    [Yes,] Nyx agreed, [My primary purpose is Ethan Chase''s development and this type of thing leads to regression. So fuck remnant will.]

    Ethan smiled as he reached the corner. He quickly muted his mobile and then used some special points to temporarily enhance the divine sense ability. He used it to see if there were any hidden cameras in the surroundings and the weapons these idiots had. And then he used the ability: Chronostasis.

    This world had people with powers¨CMystics¨Cas such it also had many rules and regtions regarding these people. Ethan didn''t want to be discovered¡­ at least not so soon. He first had to get stronger to at least defend himself.

    At this time, he didn''t know that his decisions that made sense in the current scenario would cost him a lotter on.

 Chapter 17 Rose Buckerman (1)

    ?When Ethan turned to look at the group, he frowned. They had dragged Rose in the center of the street by pulling her hair. Her upper body was bare, her full breast exposed. Her face was full of tears and pain.

    "Idiot," he muttered. He should have first helped her instead of doing stupid shits like testing out the system. But now that he had already made a mistake, he had to quickly move.

    Ethan first covered his face with a handkerchief, then  disarmed the group, they mostly had knives, and threw them in a box beside the wall. He then tied theces of the few in the front with each other. He picked up a stick from nearby, it was not that thick but it worked. He took a few steps back near the corner, and jumped lightly, to warm up. He''d rush from here, making it appear that he came from the narrow alley.

    Then he stopped using the chronostasis ability half way through, the arcane points used were not returnable but that didn''t matter. He immediately moved.

    [Martial Genius activated.]

    Ethan sprang into action before the thugs even had a chance to react. With a powerful hook, he took out the first guy, sending him sprawling away from Rose. The second thug was caught off guard and tripped because of the tiedces and Ethan took advantage, kneeing him in the face.

    In a sh, Ethan kicked the elbow of the leader who was viciously yanking Rose''s hair. The sound of bone cracking echoed through the air as the leader let out a blood-curdling scream.

    But the thugs quickly regained theirposure, trying to brandish their knives. One of them bellowed, "Where the hell is my knife?!" Another roared, "Forget that, let''s take down this bitch first!"

    Ethan shouted to Rose, "Get up and run! Now!" And used his stick to take out the nearest goon. Rose, still in shock, stumbled to her feet and fled towards the alley. But one of the thugs was quick, moving to intercept Rose''s escape. That was until a stick smashed into the back of his neck, sending him crashing to the ground, taking the tied-up goon with him, who also earned the stick on his nose.

    Ethan felt a strange connection to the stick, the result of years of relentless training with a sword. Ethan Chase had trained through illness, through the loss of his father, and through being bullied.

    Ethan pointed the stick at a thug charging towards him, and with a flick of the wrist, it shattered into pieces, striking him on the chest. The thug clutched his chest, his face going pale, before copsing to the ground.

    The leader, tears streaming down his face, attempted to rise, but Ethan kicked him on the nose, sending him into unconsciousness with another sickening snap. The two goons Ethan had taken out earlier were back on their feet, their eyes filled with rage. But Ethan tripped them again with psychokinesis.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The leftover idiots swarmed Ethan like a pack of wild beasts, but he was ready. If Ethan Chase was adept with a sword, then he, Ethan Hunt, was good in a brawl. In no time, the floor was littered with writhing bodies, groaning in pain and blood spilling on the street.

    Ethab''s t-shirt was a bit torn and he could feel his right cheek burn with slight pain, making him smile bitterly. This body was athletic butpared to his past life, it wasn''t that strong¡­ at least not for now.

    He quickly dragged the thugs to the side and tied them up with their own clothes. Then he walked towards the street Rose ran. Just then an orange cat jumped in the distance, its golden eyes looking at him in interest.

    Ethan could feel the same thing when he met that female dog before, making him guess, ''Nyx, do I have this so-called destiny with animals?''

    [Fate and luck areplex. So wait and observe, you will get your answer.]

    Ethan hummed and turned to find Rose sitting on the ground, her body curled, her face on her knees. She was trembling and crying.

    Ethan sighed and went to his knees, he softly said, "Rose, it''s alright. Now you are safe."

    She slowly looked up, her face stained with tears. He wondered why the Remnant Will hadn''t reacted yet but consoling Rose was more important.

    Before he could say anything, she threw herself on him and tightly hugged him, crying even more pitifully.

    Ethan silently caressed her head, too speechless to say anything as she kept on repeating, "Ethan, I am sorry¡­."

 Chapter 18 Rose Buckerman (2)

    ?Later they were walking on the maze-like streets. Rose wore his t-shirt while he was in his vest. ording to Rose, her home was ten minutes away and she didn''t want other people to see her state so they took the usually empty alleys. Ethan safely held a polybag that had the thug''s knives.

    Yes, Rose was one of his bullies but Ethan knew that she was just acting. She pulled a tough front and used the stronger people to shield herself. Back then, she used to order him a lot, to do this, to buy that.

    At worst, she would pull his hair, trying her best to hide her guilt. It was just to show that she was not weak, that she was in the same line with the stronger people. She was also not there when that incident happened.

    Her behavior was understandable and typical,te Ethan Chase knew that but he, of course, still didn''t like her.

    Hunt had nned to take revenge against everyone, to satisfy his stubborn little grandpa. Of course, the degree of punishment depended on what they did. Derek Mia, Damian on the top of the list and Rose on the bottom.

    Now no way he would be able to bring himself to do anything with her. Fortunately, the Remnant Will also stayed silent.

    Rose, who was silent, suddenly said in a soft voice, "Are you hurt?"

    He smiled, "No. Just a small scratch."

    She looked down and said, "I am sorry."

    Ethan sighed. "Rose, it''s alright. Focus on yourself right now."

    Rose was about to say something when Ethan suddenly asked, "Can you give me your mobile?"

    Though confused, she nodded and gave it to him. Ethan said, "I am sorry but I hope you will not tell anyone that it was me who helped you."

    "Ah, okay", she said, her expression still nk.

    Ethan stopped walking and turned to face her. She also stopped and looked at him, ''50'' hovering over her head.

    He exined with a serious face, "Listen, I just saved you from those thugs and I don''t want any trouble with the police. I''m asking you to keep my identity a secret. Can I trust you to do that?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rose took a deep breath and nodded.

    "As for borrowing your phone," he smiled, "just wait and watch."

    Ethan had also been sensing for any camera in the street, and he found none. This helped him but also made him  a bit worried that these streets were not that safe. He had also bought a new ability with special points, Voice Modtion and now he called the police and used it.

    Rose was surprised by his change in voice, it was deep and rougher, and kept silent. Ethan informed the police about the thugs, the location and all, and their facial descriptions.

    The officer on the other side had recognized the goons but he still found him suspicious. He asked for the proof.

    Rose held her hand out. Their gaze met, he could see she wanted to help him in any way she could, so he nodded and passed the phone.

    He knew that she was a good actor. She disyed it brilliantly by making her voice timid as if she was just crying.

    "Okay, we will quickly go to that ce," the officer asked, "Where are you currently?"

    "Sir, I am sorry, I don''t want to disclose my identity. But I am safe, thanks to this person."

    "I can understand. I won''t involve you in this as per your wish. Those people already have a few charges on them." The officer was cooperative so Rose thanked him, her voice now sounding slightly calm.

    "But please tell me that person''s identity. It''s important. He may even be an undiscovered Mystic."

    Rose stared at Ethan''s face and said, "I am sorry."

    Hearing the officer sigh, she rified, "Sir, it''s not because I don''t want to tell you. He has a mask on his face and has worn a robe."

    She saw Ethan mouthing a name, she blinked and told the police officer. "He says he is Shiroyasha."

 Chapter 19 Agreement

    ?Rose chuckled softly, clearly amused, as she repeated the name. "Shiroyasha? Why did you even bother talking to the police? I would have just made something up from the start."

    Ethan was relieved to see that Rose was feeling better. "I wasn''t sure if you''d be able to handle their questions and the pressure," he replied with a shrug.

    "Don''t worry, Shiroyasha, I''m on your side," Rose reassured him with a smile. "But seriously, where did that name evene from?"

    Ethan replied, "I just made it up out of the blue." He of course would not mention that it was the nickname of one of his favorite characters from a masterpiece.

    Rose nodded thoughtfully, then the two fell into silence as they walked towards her home. Ethan''s head began to throb from the constant use of his divine sense, but he pushed through it.

    He shifted his focus to the other matter at hand, cutting to the chase. "Is there any way to get rid of the remnant will?" he asked.

    [No, not even I can do that,] came the reply. [You could say that the remnant will and I are on the same level.]

    Feeling helpless, he pondered for a moment before asking, ''And why didn''t the remnant will attack me when I helped Rose?''

    [It was all my doing,] Nyx exined. [Imunicated with it and convinced it that seeking revenge on Rose now was pointless. She had already suffered a lot. Our method ofmunication isn''t quite the same as humans'', though.]

    Ethan''s curiosity was piqued. ''I can''t even imagine what that would be like,'' he admitted. ''But if you hadn''t intervened, what would have happened?''

    Nyx replied, [If I hadn''t intervened, you would have experienced another sharp headache and likely lost the fight, just like before. However, I also made it clear to the remnant will that its actions were not in alignment with Ethan Chase, which ultimately prevented it from doing something.] As Nyx finished speaking, Ethan''s lips twitched as he processed the information.

    Ethan stole a nce at Rose''s side profile before looking away. He decided that he needed to find something else for her to wear, as his shirt was too oversized for her frame and made her look too alluring.

    He asked, ''Can you act as a middleman between me and the will? I need to negotiate, otherwise we''re not going to get anywhere.''

    [It''s not going to be easy,] Nyx replied, [but give me some time to work on it.]

    Ethan knew that Nyx had released the Remnant Will before because its tasks aligned with Ethan Chase''s mindset. Chase may have had some perverted and mischievous thoughts, but he never entertained criminal ideas. Nyx was well aware of this fact.

    Using this to his advantage, Hunt was finally able toplete the difficult negotiation after much back and forth. The terms were clear: the Remnant Will wouldn''t assign him any fucked up tasks, and regardless of how hepleted them, it would only focus on the results.

    While the Remnant Will agreed to this, it had its own conditions. It wanted Ethan to ensure that Mia, Derek, Damian, and the man who betrayed his father all suffered, regardless of how pitiful they may be.

    Ethan could take care of Mia and Damian however he saw fit, but the other two were to suffer in the most hellish way possible. Of course, he also had to kill the king of underworld, but he was still too weak to even stand in front of that man.

    Although this was only a verbal agreement, Ethan trusted that Nyx would be fair and ensure that the Remnant Will didn''t break its promise.

    Rose, who had been silent most of the time, finally spoke up with a soft "Umm." Ethan turned to her. "Mmh?" he replied.

    "That''s my home," she said, pointing towards a small apartment on the opposite side of the street.

    Ethan stopped using his divine sense. He had already checked the area and found no cameras, nor any humans outside. However, the neighborhood gave him a sense of unease with its old, decrepit houses and ack of obvious security.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Despite his apprehension, he put on a calm facade and replied, "Alright, let''s go."

    But Rose stopped him. "It''s just across the street, so there''s no need for you toe with me. I mean, someone might see you."

    "Okay, do you want me to buy a shirt for you?" he asked.

    "It''s fine," she smiled.

    They both stood there, gazing into each other''s eyes. Rose''s hands clutched tightly onto the t-shirt, and she had a hesitant expression on her face. Ethan smiled warmly and gently ced his hand on her cheek, bringing his face closer to hers.

    Her eyes widened, and her face turned a deep shade of red. Rose bit her lips and tiptoed, their lips meeting in a short, sweet kiss that conveyed all her unspoken feelings.

    When they separated, her face was even more flushed, and she opened and closed her mouth several times in a cute, flustered manner.

    Rose finally said, "Thank you."

    "Anyone would have done the same."

    "I have wronged you in the past, but you only responded with kindness. I want to make things right and do whatever it takes to make up for my mistakes," she said with a determined look in her eyes.

    Ethan observed that Rose and Damian expressed simr sentiments, but he sensed a genuine desire in Rose to make amends for her past mistakes, while Damiancked that sincerity.

    Despite the harm that Rose and Damian had caused, Ethan Chase took note of their behavior and personalities, carefully devising ns for revenge.

    Hunt knew that his desire for revenge might cloud his judgment and distract him from his goals, but as long as his actions didn''t cross his moral boundaries, he was willing to use them for his own benefit.

    As Rose hurried towards her apartment, Ethan halted her and inquired, "Will you be safe?"

    Assuredly, Rose replied, "This area ispletely safe. There are many retired demon hunters here."

    "That exins it," Ethan muttered.

    Observing Rose as she cautiously checked her surroundings while ascending the stairs to her apartment, Ethan noticed her turn back and waved at him with a bright smile, a glowing "60" above her head.

    Feeling uneasy, Ethan decided to utilize his divine sense onest time, which resulted in him raising his eyebrows in surprise.

    After peeking through the window of the neighboring house, Ethan knocked it, but received no response. He knocked again and dered, "I know you are there."

    With a click, the window opened. It was a fox woman with fair skin and delicate facial features. She had a voluptuous figure with blonde hair and matching eyes. Her dress was open to her shoulders, giving him a tantalizing view of her ample bosom. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked at him, her lips curling into a knowing smile.

 Chapter 20 Vixen (1)

    ?The fox woman smiled coyly at Ethan as she introduced herself. "My name is Izora," she purred. "It''s a pleasure to meet you."

    "You took a picture or video of ours, didn''t you?," Ethan said with a serious gaze.

    Izora showed a look of surprise. She then asked, "so how did you know that I took a photo of you guys?"

    Ethan shrugged. "I guess I just knew."

    She smiled, her eyes twinkling in the evening light. "Well, what''re you going to do about it?"

    He pushed his hands into his pockets and cocked his head to the side. "I''d like you to delete it."

    [Izora''s interest: +5]

    She blinked her eyes at him, her gaze inviting, her curves alluring. "Oh~"

    Ethan stepped closer to her, her sandalwood scent entering his nose, captivating him. But this made him appear even more serious, as he asked, "What are your reasons for taking that photo?"

    "You are no fun," she pouted, "I was taking a selfie and you guys got into it. It''s just that."

    [Izora''s interest: +10]

    Actually he knew that, still he acted like he rxed, apologized and introduced himself. Izora also apologized and deleted the pictures.

    Ethan smiled. "So, if you weren''t taking a photo of us, what were you capturing in your selfie?"

    Izora smiled back, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, just my gorgeous smile."

    Ethan chuckled, not taking his eyes off her. "Well, in that case, can I be in the next one? This time not by mistake."

    [Izora''s interest: +5]

    Sheughed, her voice like honey. Leaning closer, Izora offered a teasing glimpse of her cleavage. "Of course, but I have a better background. Come with me and I''ll show you my room, just a few minutes away from here."

    So fast? Ethan was a bit surprised. Looking at her inviting gaze and glorious breasts, he agreed with a nod.

    When he had used divine sense before, he had noticed that there was a fox woman with twin tails. Curiosity got the better of him and he peeked inside and saw her naked.

    She had her back facing him, her blonde twin tails couldn''t even cover her big ass. With that, he made the decision that he would try to hook her up.

    She was taking her selfie and from her angle, Ethan guessed that the outside view would be visible. So he just created a random excuse to start the conversation.

    It was just that he didn''t expect her to be so fast, that even before he tried she was seducing him and invited him to her house.

    One thing that Ethan liked a lot about this world was that it had no sexually transmitted diseases, at least not if the species was a Vrion. Just like Earth, Helen also had many ssifications under animalia kingdom and Vrion was one of them.

    The speciesing under it were a bit simr in body structures as such it included humans, elves, dog girls, cat girls, vixens like Izora and more. If this world was not apocalyptic then Ethan would consider it as a heaven.

    Later in her room, the space was small but the atmosphere was thick with tension. Ethan pushed Izora against the door, his lips eagerly seeking hers. She responded in kind, her hands slipping around his waist to rub his hardness through his trousers.

    When they finally pulled apart, Izora''s lips were swollen from his passionate kiss and she bit them yfully. "You bad boy," she said, her voice husky with desire. "I can smell the blood on you. Let''s clean up first."

    Saying so, she stepped back and began to undress, her clothing falling away to reveal her curves. She was wearing nothing underneath, and Ethan''s eyes devoured her hungrily.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Izora''s skin glistened in the light, her ample H-cup breasts rising and falling with each breath. Her pink nipples had hardened in anticipation, and her pussy was slick with desire. She stepped closer to Ethan, her hands reaching out to touch him.

    Naked, Ethan sat on the edge of the bathtub in the bathroom that was the same size as the bedroom, anticipation coursing through his veins. Izora stepped closer to him, her gaze not leaving his big cock as she lewdly applied soap to her body, creatingther that made her skin glisten.

    She smiled seductively, "Baby, let me help you~," and before he could respond, she was already behind him, pressing her ample breasts to his back as she began to rub him down.

    He felt her softness and her hardened nipples against his back as she moved her body across his, and from time to time she would tease him by gently biting his earlobes or brushing her tail past his throbbing cock.

    This vixen was too much for the current him, so he without hesitation bought a sexual potion from the shop. Potions and all had no side effects but the more they were used, the lesser their effect. This was his first time using one, so it worked the best. His sexual stamina and strength increased by a good amount.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 17]

    ????¡ºHealth: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (62/62)¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (2/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 170¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (68/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 12.5 (+17.5)¡»|¡ºAgility: 6¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 10 (+20)¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 1.5¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 40 (x5)¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    He had leveled up by one. It must be because of the soand, like programmed he didn''t receive these little notifications while doing something sexual. Even after buying the potion, he still had thirteen more special points than earlier. Ethan guessed that it must be the bratty will.

    With S. Stamina at ten, he could have sex for five times before he would bepletely spent. Now, with his current stats, he estimated that he could go for fifteen times or even more.

    If he held back his ejaction for thirty minutes, the number of times he could do it would of course drop, but the lustful glint in his eyes showed that he was still eager to try.

    After that they changed their position, with the shower on, cold water pouring down on them, Ethan wasfortable, with his back leaning against the cold corner of the bathtub as he stared at her with a fervent desire.

    With her eyes ced just a few inches from his rest, she had propped herself upwards, putting the voluptuous mounts directly at his eve-level. Her dripping cunt just above his cock.

    Ethan grabbed her butt, his fingers dug in them, and she moaned in pleasure, her face flushed red.

    Ethan groaned, "You are so lewd." And was about to insert his dick inside her, when her mischievous tails circled around his cock and started moving, making him experience heavenly pleasure.

    He looked at her wide eyed. She smiled coyly and said, "And you are so cute¡­ Aha~" She let out a seductive moan, as Ethan inserted two fingers in her wet pussy and his mouth captured her hard nipple, and started sucking her boobs hungrily.

    No way he''d let her dominate him. Izora also didn''t want to relent as her tail stroked him even faster.

    The bathroom was filled by moans and groans of the two, who wanted to make the best of the time they had together.

 Chapter 21 Vixen (2)

    ?Izora moaned in delight as Ethan''s lips and tongue trailed along her tantalizing breasts, giving attention to both nipples. His fingers moved skillfully, delving deep inside her tight pussy and trying his best to make her cum first.

    "Aha~ baby not my chest~" she begged, her voice thick with desire.

    Ethan let go of her nipple and pulled her closer, his lips eagerly seeking hers. Their kiss was passionate and desperate, as if each one was trying to get closer to the other.

    Ethan changed his mind, he stopped fingering her, and pulled her closer to him, his hands fondling her big ass.

    Their tongues entangled in a hot kiss, as Izora didn''t stop giving him pleasure. Her tail moved to the base of his shaft and moved up and down while she slowly rubbed her clit on the head of his dick.

    This woman was so amazing! After a few minutes, Ethan stopped holding back and the pleasure soon made him erupt with a thick load.

    They gazed at each other, and without saying anything, they embraced each other tenderly.

    "You were really good," Izora whispered.

    "I still have a lot to learn from you," he chuckled as he held her thin waist.

    Izora giggled, her fox ears trembling adorably. Just then, he heard Nyx''s sexy voice in his head, making his dick twitch. Nyx ignored this and said, [Ethan, you got a new ability, ''Touch of Pleasure''.]

    ''Hmm? Tell me more about it.''

    [This skill, as its name suggests, enhances the pleasure experienced by women through your touch. Skillful use of it,bined with your appearance, can result in hooking up with multiple women. Typically, it requires two special points, but if your charm is hundred or S. Stamina is more than sixty, you can use it repeatedly. Izora''s current interest in you is sixty-nine.. Time to put your skills to use!]

    "Let''s wash seriously no¨C" Izora paused mid-sentence when she felt Ethan''s hard cock pressed against her stomach. She looked at him and saw the smirk on his face, causing her to swallow hard.

    Without a word, she stood up, turned around, and bent down, holding the edge of the tub. Her inviting big butt enticed him to take her roughly.

    "I know you were peeking at me before," she said, her voice sultry. "You like my ass, don''t you? Soe and fuck me."

    Ethan smiled and turned off the shower beforeing close to her. He spread her legs, exposing her pink insides, which made her moan in pleasure.

    "Baby, stop looking and fuck me~."

    "Nope," Ethan chuckled and began tasting her, his tongue delving deeply into her depths. She had a sweet, fruity taste that was simply delicious.

    With Touch of Pleasure activated, she felt sensations she had never before experienced. Making her moan loudly, her pussy getting even wetter.

    "Nooo~ baby don''t tease me so much," Izora begged, "I can''t take it anymore, please fuck my slutty pussy~."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ethan continued for a minute, before finally getting up and rubbed his cock on the entrance. He held her ass in ce, not letting her move back making her purr in displeasure, her tail circling around his waist trying to push him to fuck her. Her actions were really cute.

    Ethan slowly entered her, prating her until he had reached her cervix. He once again felt amazed at the size of himself as he had only inserted a little more than half of his cock.

    Izora moaned the loudest yet as her warm insides tightened around him, and she trembled from the intensity of her orgasm.

    Ethan was unable to contain himself any longer as he started fuck Izora with deep, passionate strokes.

    "Ahh~ ha~ yes, baby, harder!" Izora met his gaze, her eyes zing with a need for more.

    "You are so sexy, Izora," Ethan murmured as his thrusts increased in intensity.

    Her round, quivering ass looked and felt divine. Ethan raised his hand and began spanking her, making her insides quiver even more.

    "Noo~ don''t spank me~," she gasped, her moans bing louder and louder as he took her to the peak of pleasure.

    Finally after five minutes, Izora felt his hard cock twitch, as he reached his climax, spilling his hot cum deep inside her. Ethan pulled out, his semen oozing out of her.

    Ethan gave her onest spank, eliciting a moan of pleasure and displeasure. The sight was so tantalizing. He was still hard and ready.

    Ethan leaned down and cupped her breasts, marveling at their weight in his hands. He found himself wondering how her slender waist could support such ample mounds.

    He teased her entrance with the head of his aroused member as he softly whispered in her ear, "Izora, I want to do it again."

    He felt her body quiver in response to his words, her eyes widening. She said, "No, baby, let me rest. Then we can do it."

    Ethan groaned in response and murmured, "No, just one more time."

    He pulled her out of the bathtub andid her down on the cold tiles, her body shaking from the chill and his heated gaze. Izora bit her lip, arched her back and spread her legs wide, tempting him to take her.

    She was exhausted and satisfied, yet she still wanted more; she did not want this to end. She knew that bringing him to the house was the best choice she had ever made. She gazed at his thick, powerful cock and said coyly, "Come, baby."

    Ethan knelt down and gently lifted her hips up, creating an inviting angle for him to prate her. He pushed his thick, pulsing shaft inside of her with a forcefulness that he hadn''t shown before. Hepletely inserted his huge dick this time.

    Not expecting this, Izora''s eyes widened in disbelief and her mouth made an ''O''. The overwhelming sensation made her, made her body tremble. Her insides enveloped him so tightly that he felt like he woulde in no time.

    Izora let out a loud, reverberating "AHHH~" of pain and bliss as the orgasmic sensations coursed through her body, reaching its peak in an explosive climax that shook her to her very core.

 Chapter 22 A Call

    ?"Ah~ Aha~," Izora''s loud moans reverberated throughout the bathroom.

    Gazing at her amazing breasts creating an arc with his every movement, her slutty expression and her trembling twin tails, made Ethan thrust with an increasing fervor.

    Holding her waist up, Ethan said, "Mmmh¡­ Izora just a little more. Hold on for a little more."

    But she didn''t respond and kept screaming in bliss, her voice almost crazy. That was to be expected as Ethan had been fucking her for around fifteen minutes now. Now Ethan was also feeling exhausted.

    After that, Ethan groaned and with thest hard thrust, came inside her; this time it was his thickest load. Her body arched and her toes curled as she got overwhelmed by the intense pleasure.

    Ethan also felt his muscles contract and his body shake as he unloaded inside her. Both of them felt as if they were electrified.

    After taking his cock out of her cunt, he got up and looked at her in satisfaction. Izora''s body was flushed red, and was sweaty because of the intense sex. Her breasts heaved with every deep breath she took. His thick cum overflowed out of her pussy and spilled on the floor.

    ? Her face was contorted in an ecstatic ahegao, her eyes rolled up in pleasure and her mouth open in a silent cry, her tongue lolling out. Her tail and ears twitching. She looked so erotic that unconsciously Ethan looked down at his cock, it wasn''t hard¡­ but the night was still long.

    Ethan had the sudden urge to capture this moment so he went out in the room and brought his mobile. He took a few pictures of her. Of course he would delete them if she told him to.

    Ethan refilled the bathtub and let himself sink in it, waiting for Izora to get back to her senses. After a few minutes, she recovered butined that her whole body was aching so Ethan should help her.

    Ethan didn''t mind and then to her surprise, he seriously showered her.

    After that, in the tub, Izora smiled charmingly and said, "Baby, I think I love you."

    Ethan lightly flicked on her forehead and said, "You have only fallen for my dick, not me."

    She chuckled, "It''s the same thing for me."

    Her tail and ears were perked up, as she gave him a cute peck on his lips and smiled. She was clearly in a very good mood. Her fresh sandalwood scent also made himfortable.

    "Oh, by the way, I took a few pictures of your naked body, should I delete them?"

    She raised her brows and asked, "why would you delete them?"

    "I mean I took them without your permission."

    Izora rolled her eyes and said, "Baby, from now on, my body is yours."

    "Ugh¡­? Okay then. I will keep them safe."

    After that he told her that he was going to send a message back home that he would note that night. His reason was clear to her. They would be fucking the whole night. This made her so excited that she started to wag her tail.

    Then he went out and sat on the bed, he looked around andmented. "The bathroom is fancier than the room¡­. She is also so good at this. Is she by chance¡­ anyways even if she is, that doesn''t matter." He shrugged.

    Izora was cleaning herself so he used this time to look at his status.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 19]

    ????¡ºHealth: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (66/66)¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (2/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 510¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (68/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 12.5 (+17.5)¡»|¡ºAgility: 6¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 13 (+20)¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 1.5¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 46 (x5)¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    [Do you want to look at thepleted tasks?] Nyx asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''Nah. They will just have cringe descriptions. I got the special points. That only matters."

    [Yes,] Nyx actually agreed with him.

    ''So how long will the boostst?''

    [Five more hours.]

    Ethan''s gaze brightened. ''Amazing.''

    Nyx took the initiative to say. [As you don''t like looking at the descriptions, you don''t know the pattern.]

    Ethan sat cross legged and raised his brows.

    [So far, you get the highest points in the tasks which are considered you ''first time''. Like for example, you getting masturbated by a tail, that''s a first time for you.]

    ''Interesting.''

    Nyx giggled, [Yes so go get pegged, you will earn a lot.]

    ''...''

    Two hourster, at eight o''clock, Ethan and Izora hadpleted another intense session. Ethan was amazed that this woman had shown her many sides to him.

    Izora blushed, "I am going to pee."

    "Why are you blushing?" Ethan raised her hand to spank her but before that happened she hurriedly jumped from the bed and harrumphed. Swinging her tails, she walked to the washroom. Ethan gazed at her incredible ass and thought, ''Man I can''t get enough of her.''

    Just then his phone vibrated, looking at the screen, it was Sasha''s call. Ethan recalled that in the morning he had promised her to contact herter.

    He unconsciously gazed at the bathroom, hesitated for a few moments and then epted the call.

    "Hello?" Sasha''s sweet voice entered his ears.

    "Sorry, Sasha, I wasn''t able to contact you."

    "It''s alright, Ethan," Her voice was soft. "Spending quality time with family is important."

    Ethan''s lips twitched. He asked. "Yeah so what''s up?"

    "Not much. I just wanted to talk with you. Oh by the way, I sent you Dr. Emily''s gym location. But you haven''t seen it yet."

    "Ah! My bad. My phone was on stand by. So where is her gym?"

    Sasha chuckled. "It''s twenty minutes from both of our houses. A great spot if I say so myself."

    Ethan smiled. "Yes it is. Maybe you should also join it with me."

    "Ugh¡­ I''ll think about it."

    Then they became silent¡­ It felt a bit awkward.

    Sasha said from the other side, "Umm, Ethan, can we meet?"

    "Not tonight, Sasha."

    "Hey, I am not that desperate, okay." Sasha grumbled. "I meantter whenever you want."

    Ethan was about to set a date with her, but then a smiling face appeared in his mind. He froze, his mind going nk.

    "Ethan, can you hear me?" Sasha''s voice broke him out of his stupor.

    He closed his eyes and told her. "Sasha, I am with a woman right now."

    "...sorry?"

    Nyxmented, [What a man.]

 Chapter 23 Pain

    ?Ethan ignored Nyx, took a deep breath and said, "I am not with my family right now but with another woman in her house."

    "Oh, okay¡­ I guess?" Sasha sounded confused. Her voice was no longer cheerful, of course. Then they became silent once more.

    "Sasha."

    "Yes?"

    Ethan opened his mouth and then closed it, his lips pressed in a thin line. His mind had gone nk and he just said it without thinking. Ethan used to think that he had recovered from this but it seemed he didn''t. What could he say to her now? He was sorry?

    "...Nothing," he said.

    "... Okay Ethan, we will talkter then."

    "Alright." After the phone disconnected, Ethan covered his face with his hand.

    He was just repeating the same mistake he did before. No, it wasn''t the same but simr.

    "What should I do?" He groaned.

    Nyx asked in amazement, [Ethan, how can you be such an idiot?]

    "...I didn''t want to lie to her."

    [Idiot you could have just told herter, in a more subtle way at that. Usually you think a lot before doing something and when ites to this, you always fuck it up.]

    Ethan bit his lips and said, "Then I should go to her?"

    [No, go to her mother.] Nyx harrumphed.

    Ethan closed his eyes and slowly cleared his thoughts. Nyx was right. There was a right time and right ce for everything.

    He sighed. He still had a long way to go.

    ''Okay first I''ll meet Sasha.''

    With that thought, he got up and in a rush, he slipped. He reacted fast, using the support of the wall and psychokinesis.

    But his lips twitched. He had actually broken the wall!  He gazed at the hole and his arm inserted in it and sighed. How was the wall here so thin?

    Nyx like usual added salt to the wound. [You sure like inserting your hand in holes. Hopefully next time, you will not do this with a girl.]

    "At least the hole is not that big."

    [Enough for your dick, yes.]

    "Shut up, Nyx," Ethan snorted, and slowly pulled out his arm. But the wall just cracked and more and more sections fell down.

    Then when he saw the thing behind the wall, his eyes widened.

    "What the¡­"

    There was a small room there. What was shocking was that there were many pictures on the wall. One of them was Sasha''s.

    ????

    Some timeter, in the Bruic bar, the loud music boomed giving even more headache to Sasha, but she gulped another ss of alcohol, receiving another cheer from one of her friends.

    She genuinely liked Ethan. And even had epted him being in a polygamous rtionship¡­ with a heavy heart. Because of the apocalypse, Helen had a very low poption, and the ratio of male to female was also low as such in a few regions polygamy was legal. She had given herself many excuses.

    Still, Ethan''s action felt too cruel to her. Yes, he was honest but still it really hurt her. She thought she had epted it, but her heart didn''t listen to her. The sadness that washed over her was too much to bear. And now, her friend brought her to this bar.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After the call had ended, she felt her mood go sour, so she listened to her favorite music that usually cheered her up. But that didn''t work so she called Sara and started talking about random things.

    Until Sara noticed that something was off and asked her about it. Sasha only told her that the guy she liked didn''t like her back, the typical stuff that happened everywhere.

    Sara tried to console her and then proposed toe to the bar with her. Sara was invited to it by her colleagues, Sasha joining in would also be good. Sara said that they would enjoy things together. Then she specially came to her house, didn''t ask about Ethan''s details and tried to cheer her up.

    Sara told her to enjoy herself and the night, forget about anything. In the end, she agreed but now she didn''t feel good at all.

    Charlie, the man her best friend introduced, ced his hand on hers, leaned closer and asked, "Are you alright?"

    He looked handsome, but of course, he was nothingpared to Ethan. At first, he appeared to be friendly and subtly made his intentions clear, she had yed along.

    Not like Ethan and she were dating, if he could fuck around, why couldn''t she? That was her thought at first. That was where the alcohol was leading to. But the more she drank, the more she felt the headache rising, the more she felt like shit.

    ''I don''t like this at all,'' she thought and softly smiled at Charlie and said, "I am fine. Just need to go to the washroom."

    "Ah, alright," Charlies nodded, his eyes brightening. "I''ll help you go there."

    ''I am not hinting you, you fool!'' Sasha groaned inside.

    "No, it''s alright. I''ll go myself." She got up and started leaving. Her best friend, Sara, also wanted to join her, but she declined.

    Sara was a good girl, it was just that she always forced herself to be and act modern. She had introduced Charlie and his other friends in a hope to make her mood better, this fool of a girl. Though Charlie also felt like a nice guy but still, he was too desperate for sex.

    In the washroom, Sasha looked in the mirror, at her reflection. Her face was flushed red, the result of the alcohol. She wore a red one piece dress that emphasized her figure, and showed her cleavage.

    "Why the heck did I even wear such a dress?" She mumbled, "I shouldn''t have listened to that idiot Sara."

    Now alone in this washroom, looking at her reflection in the mirror, a drop of tear that she had held back for so long dropped down.

    "Don''t cry idiot," Sasha told herself and washed her face, but the tears didn''t stop. Then she stopped resisting the urge, and started crying.

    "Idiot, Ethan," she whispered.

    After a few minutes, she finally calmed down. As she still felt a bit dizzy, she decided to go back home. She took out her phone in order to call Sara and tell her that she was leaving. She would ask her if she wanted toe with her.

    But then Sasha noticed that there were many miscalls from Ethan. She recalled that when she was talking with Sara, Ethan had called but she didn''t ept the call.

    Sasha let out a deep sigh as she dialed Ethan''s number. The phone rang and rang, until finally, a strained voice answered on the other end. "Sasha!"

    "Ethan, I¨C"

    "Where are...," his voice barely audible.

    "Ethan, I can''t hear you properly."

    "Listen... it''s....," Ethan''s voice was full of urgency, making Sasha''s heart race in concern.

    "There is awork problem." Sasha said. "I''ll go outside and call you again."

    "Dange¨C" The phone disconnected.

    ''Dange¡­? Danger?'' Sasha was left with a gnawing feeling of unease.

    She quickly gathered herself, stepped outside the bar, and tried calling Ethan again. But it was unreachable. Her face drained of color as she realized the gravity of the situation. Did Ethan get into trouble?

    Suddenly, a hand sped onto hers from behind, sending chills throughout her body.

 Chapter 24 A Bleak Hope

    ?[Warning: sensitive content ahead.]

    An hour ago, Ethan stood dumbfounded, staring at the small room full of pictures of many women and young girls. Just then Izora walked out of the bathroom and asked, "Baby, what was that noi¡ª" she froze.

    Ethan turned towards her, his gaze serious. He saw her eyes drifting to a certain ce in the room, only for a few moments. He immediately used divine sense. He had made a mistake of not using it, lust had blinded him.

    ''Tch, I still have a long way to go.'' He thought as he discovered a revolver and a hidden camera. He walked towards that drawer and pulled out the hidden threats. Izora stood there frozen, her face paled as she saw what Ethan did.

    He took a deep breath and said in a low, threatening voice, "Izora, tell me what is happening¡­ or do you want me to use force on you?"

    "Baby, I¨C"

    "Baby?" he sneered, "You are still calling me that?"

    "Ethan, I-I mean let me exin to you. It''s like this¡­ I got fooled in¡­ ining here by them but then they kidnapped my daughter and then¡­" She stuttered.

    Ethan frowned, "Speak clearly."

    "How do I calm down?!" She eximed and fell to her knees, tears fell down her face. She muttered, "They will kill you¡­ kill everyone."

    Izora lookedpletely devastated,pletely opposite to how she felt dominant just some time ago. Ethan sighed. There were many problems. He wasn''t sure if she was a mystic or acting to make him drop his guard.

    Ethan also felt that the picture she had taken of his and Rose was not by mistake. Of course, there was also this hidden camera that clearly recorded their sex. But she was the only one who could give him valuable information.

    He groaned and asked Nyx, ''What should I do?''

    Nyx took a moment and said, [What weck is information. Now how should we get it out of her? We don''t know if using force would be counterproductive. Not only because we don''t know if she has some power or not but also because we don''t know if she is a victim or not. So¡­ go with your gut feelings. Andter use special points and n out things to counter such a situation.]

    After thinking about it, he nodded, ''Makes sense¡­ at worst I''ll just die again.'' Strangely he didn''t feel that afraid of death. Of course, it didn''t mean he would jump straight at death.

    Ethan first removed the bullets from the gun, ced the knife with the other knives and held the bag close by. Then he softlyforted Izora. She looked at him wide eyed, as if not believing what happened.

    "I may be making a mistake but I am going with my gut feeling. I''ll trust you." Ethan smiled lightly, as they sat on the bed, still naked. "You are pretty lucky. I mean I could have also tortured you to get information out of you."

    With red eyes, Izora nodded, lookingpletely submissive.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ethan held the small camera and asked, "I have my guesses but the content of this camera is stored somewhere else or in it?"

    Ethan wasn''t too sure of the technological advancement of this world. So he could only take a gamble and trust this woman on this. ''Talk about not having any regrets but I have made so many mistakes after the rebirth. I should have gathered more information about such stuff.''

    "It''s in the camera."

    "Do you know how to delete the video it recorded?"

    Seeing Izora shaking her head, Ethan threw the camera with the knife. Then he asked her to talk clearly about what she said earlier.

    Izora bit her lips and said in a begging tone, "Can you please leave after I tell you?"

    "Because they will kill me? I''ll decide what I will do after listening to you."

    Izora''s body looked tense, with her fox ears ttened. She spoke in a rush, as if she was afraid of ''them''ing. While she was telling him about her life, she burst into tears once again. Ethan was speechless. He hesitated before pulling her into an embrace.

    Izora said that she came here with her daughter Sydney a year ago, from the poor part of Rogan city. She was dumb and got bewitched by life in Brine. She just wanted to give her daughter a good life.

    It was going all good in the first month. That man, Tim, who had coaxed her toe to this ce acted good and helped her a lot. But that was just a false¡­ or the only good part until she suffered hell.

    Tim was actually a part of a criminal organization called ''Dark Moon'' and his father, Sam, also a member of the group. Human trafficking and drug deals were their main source of ie.

    The Dark Moon kidnapped her daughter and Izora was abused for many days. And finally when she had the chance, she contacted the police. But to her despair, the police were also in cahoots with these people. Then the policeman who hade for the so called ''investigation'' also had his fun with her.

    Tim and Sam gave her one final warning that if that happened again even that man would not protect her. ording to them, a rich man had taken a liking to her young daughter and wanted to groom her to be his ything. Otherwise they would have sold her to some even more perverted man.

    How could a mother ept this? But the only good thing in this hellhole was that the rich man was not some perverted pedophile, he was patiently waiting for her to ''ripe''. Until then Izora was forced to serve him.

    That man was doing all this for his enjoyment. He had told Izora that if she earned the same amount he paid to get Sydney then he would let them both free. And as such, Izora became a prostitute.

    Ethan''s mood was heavy as Izora trembled in his arms. He recalled how half an hour ago she asked him to do it slowly and embraced him. She was just filling the hole in her heart when she felt that Ethan could do it. Of course it was just temporary. She knew earning so much money until her daughter grew up was close to impossible and that they might go back on their word.

    Still she hoped that they would be able to break free from this life. A bleak hope that made her endure this for a whole year.

 Chapter 25 Conversation

    ?"Sydney doesn''t know about this." Izora whispered.

    "hmm?"

    "That man sends her to a big school, pays for her expenses and keeps her in the dark."

    "¡­ then what do they tell her about you?" Ethan asked softly.

    "They let me asionally meet her. Under heavy monitoring of course. I have told her that they have given a loan at a good interest rate to me for her education and our daily expenses. So I am mostly working to pay off the loan¡­ I tell her that everything is alright. That we will have a good future." Izora choked. "I¡­ sometimes I feel like I should take the chance and kill both of us. I am such a shitty mother."

    Ethan held her tightly. "No, you aren''t."

    "But then when I see her smile, I think that it''s alright. Maybe things will improve when she ages up. There are still many years so maybe she will break freeter on. I just have to endure it for now¡­ endure it¡­"

    Izora then softly said, tightly clutching Ethan. "Now you got your answers didn''t you? Please leave now. I''ll make some excuse for the wall breakage. I-I don''t want anyone else to suffer because of me."

    Izora stopped hugging him and looked at him with bloodshot eyes, begging him to leave.

    Ethan stared at her silently, and after a few moments, cupped her face and softly kissed her. She felt salty because of her tears.

    [Izora''s interest: +20]

    After kissing her, he nodded. "Okay, I''ll leave."

    Then he saw Izora cing the dagger and bulletless gun back to their ces. She took out a new camera and set it up. Izora asked for five hundred novas that she would give to Sam or Tim as a proof that she only had a customer.

    Nova was the universal currency of Helen. During the dark age, many major steps were taken and one of them was only using a single currency¨CNova.

    Then Izora dressed up and sat on the bed with a nk gaze.

    After thirty minutes, that felt like eternity, someone mmed on the door and growled, "Slut open the door."

    Izora''s body trembled, she bit her lips, took a few deep breaths and went to open the door.

    She immediately stepped back, making distance from the door. Sam menacingly entered, irritation clear on his face.

    "Kim said that you were at it for hours. Just how many men did you take in at the same time?" He snorted.

    "Man, I am so pissed. Damn I need to vent it out." He clutched her wrists tight, ignoring her pale face and started pulling her towards the bed.

    But then he froze when he saw the hole on the wall. His face reddened in anger as he roared. "What the fuck bitch?!"

    He had clutched her so hard that she yelped in pain and said in a sobbing voice, "Master, let me ex¡ª"

    But Sam didn''t give a fuck. He was already so pissed that his retarded son got captured by the police. He turned around and threw a punch at her.

    At that moment, everything froze.

    With a sigh, Ethan entered the room from the window. He had hidden somewhere nearby and continuously monitored the surroundings by divine sense. He observed that with passing time he was getting better at using it.

    This was something that Ethan didn''t want to back off, no matter how dangerous it was. First, it involved Sasha. Second, he hated this damned gang to the core. Third, Ethan had a strong feeling that this was the destiny event. Fourth, if he left Izora alone, there was a chance that she might be tortured to death or anything would have happened.

    For Izora to endure this shit for so long, she wasn''t a weak woman but still torture could have made her leak information about him. So he had to move.

    And so he did, he rushed to Sam''s side, who was clearly the father of thenky goon who got the worse beating earlier.

    Ethan shoved Sam down with force and mercilessly kicked him all over his body. "Like son, like father," he spat, tugging on Sam''s hair and giving him several tight ps.

    After a minute of letting out his rage, Ethan pulled Sam onto a chair and took out a set of handcuffs and thick brown tape from a nearby drawer. It was clear that they were for Izora.

    He wasn''t sure if Sam could break free from this. But at least through Izroa he knew that he had not awakened any power. He used all this to tie him up on the chair. Ethan had already taken out the bastard''s various ids, weapons and all.

    Ethan then took out a rope from somewhere else and slowly started tying him up more. When he was halfway done, the chronostasis ability effect stopped.

    Izora looked around,pletely confused and baffled. Sam was also bewildered but then started struggling, earning another p from Ethan. "Stop moving," Ethan growled but Sam didn''t stop.

    Etha frowned, took out the empty gun, and pressed it on his cheeks. "Now move."

    Sam''s eyes widened in fear.

    Izora finally got out of her stupor and asked in a confused voice, "Ethan, what just happened?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ethan simply said, "I am a mystic."

    "Ah!"

    Ethan tied the final knot and heard Izora''s saying, "Ethan still you are alone and¡­."

    He stood up and asked, "So you expect me to back off now?"

    Izora was speechless. "Still¨C"

    Ethan sighed and walked up to her. He gently touched her face and said, "Don''t worry about me. We are in this together now."

    She looked into his blue eyes, dazed, and then softly nodded.

    [Izora''s interest: +3]

    Next he was going to interrogate this bastard but his cell phone started to ring. The caller was ''Boss''.

    Ethan frowned. What should he do now?

    Izora suddenly said, "Sam never misses the boss'' phone. They always keep the conversation small and start with a code. This boss curses a lot and Sam is pretty fearful of him."

    "You know the code?"

    Izora nodded. "It''s ''pink panther''."

    Ethan smiled at her. It was great that she had calmed down and was thinking properly. Ethan would have made many mistakes if not for her.

    Sam groaned on the side and looked at her with venom in his eyes. If ring could kill, he would have killed this bitch hundred times!

    He gave the gun to her, her eyes widened. But she knew that it didn''t have a bullet so she only appeared to be hesitant but she wasn''t.

    Ethan ced a knife on Sam''s throat and warned him. Seeing him nodding with pale face, he epted the phone, and kept the speaker on.

    A hoarse voice sounded. "What''s the code?"

    Sam said, "Pink panther," trying his best to sound normal.

    The boss started to curse. "Fuck you Sam! What the hell did your kids do?! They got fucking captured by the police!"

    "B-boss I wanted him many times but he didn''t listen."

    "Fuck your mother! Fuck your family!" he growled. "I am so pissed."

    "What should we do now, boss?"

    "It''s your mess. I won''t do shit."

    Sam bit his lips and asked in hesitation, "Then should I ask help from Fuse?"

    This made the boss lose his control and he started to curse even more. Calling this ''Fuse'' son of a whore and many other vulgar things. Ethan frowned and pressed the knife on his throat, creating a line of blood.

    Sam''s eyes widened in fear, he looked up at him in a begging gaze. Ethan mouthed him to quickly end this and stopped pressing the dagger.

    Sam gulped. "P-please stop boss!"

    To Izora and Ethan''s surprise, the boss actually stopped. Then after a few moments of silence, his serious voice sounded.

    "I know you are there. I don''t know who you are but you have made a big mistake."

    Sam''s shoulder suddenly started shaking. His eyes became a slit as he startedughing. "hehehehe."

    Ethan really felt like slitting his throat when the boss said in a solemn voice. "Okay I won''t care who you are but leave Sam alone. If even a single hair falls from his stupid head, we will make your life worse than hell."

    Ethan and Izora exchanged nces, speechless.

    Just who was this Sam? And how the heck did the boss find out that Sam was in danger?

 Chapter 26 Out Of Control

    ?Sam was just a lowly thug of the neighborhood. He had no specialties and was even a coward. His life felt like shit but that changed when he met that man.

    In reality, he didn''t remember what happened after he met that man but he didn''t care about it because he became an important member of the group ''Dark Moon''.

    On the surface, he was told to operate like usual, aka do nothing. But actually he was given money, women, drugs whatever he asked.

    The best of them all was his exclusive toy Izora. He could use her in any way he wanted. When she cried, when she begged him to stop, he really loved that.

    The only shitty thing in all of this was that there were a few restrictions on him. Like he couldn''t go out of a certain area and he had to answer their call in fifteen seconds. Then in the conversation if he used words like ''help'', ''please'', ''attack'', ''stop'' then Dark Moon would take everything in their disposal to get him out of whatever situation he was in. To signal them that everything was okay, he had to use words like ''nothing'', ''safe'' etc.

    Boss had also trained him in this. Sam found this really irritating but he couldn''t do much about it as they gave him almost everything he asked.

    As for the pictures in that room, they were his collections: the bitches he had already tasted once or would taste in the future before they were sold. Of course, it was possible only when that man agreed. After all, some of the buyers wanted them to be virgin.

    And now this slut and bastard were going to suffer. That man would definitely make them suffer. This white head bitch looked delicious so he could also get another ything.

    With that thought, Sam couldn''t help but startughing, "hehehehe."

    Just then he felt a chill down his spine. He had a feeling like he was a deer and a lion was about to eat him. He immediately regrettedughing. Fortunately, the boss spoke at the right time, "Okay I won''t care who you are but leave Sam alone. If even a single hair falls from his stupid head, we will make your life worse than hell."

    Sam shut his mouth tightly and closed his eyes. He was still in this bastard''s hand. Whatever this white dude did, Sam''s body ached a lot. It was better to not do anything. Dark Moon would get him out of this situation. He just had to wait. And then¡­

    His lips curled up once again but he suppressed hisughter.

    ????

    Ethan didn''t know how this boss found out about him but still not everything was against them.

    He used the voice modtion ability and told Izora in a deep voice. "Get small important things and also take pictures of that small room. If there are any documents, take them too. We need to quickly leave this ce."

    Seeing Izora not moving, he called out again, "Izora!"

    "Ah! Yes, I''ll do it." Actually she was regretting inviting Ethan to the room. She feared that her daughter would be affected because of this. With things having gone this far, she couldn''t do anything and be with Ethan until the very end.

    Ethan tapped Sam''s mouth again and took a deep breath saying, "What can you give me? And don''t waste my time, be quick." He first had to find out how important this dude was to this Dark Moon group and of course quickly leave this ce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Boss said in a low voice, "How much money do you want?"

    "I don''t want money."

    "Fuck you bitch¡­ damn what do you want then?"

    Ethan said, "Leave Izora and Sydney alone."

    The boss groaned. "That''s impossible. I mean we can let go of Izora but Timothy L''oreal has already bought Sydney, we can''t do anything about it."

    Ethan didn''t say anything in response. He just removed the tape again, and mmed the knife down, inserting it in Sam''s back of the hand.

    "AHHHHHHH!" His blood curdling scream reverberated throughout the room, even going out of the house. Tears and snot fell as he writhed in agony and pain.

    The boss growled. "You psycho, what the fuck are you doing?!" his voice started to sound a bit panicked, "Stop it! Let''s negotiate properly man. Don''t do anything to him! You will get all of us killed!"

    Ethan tapped Sam''s mouth again and removed the knife. He threw it aside not liking his disgusting blood.

    Izora came out of the small room and gasped as she saw the sight, her face paling.

    Ethan was about to start the real negotiation when he felt his scalp tingle.

    He turned to look at the door. There was someone behind it. One? No, there were more than one. He had been constantly using the divine sense but still he wasn''t able to notice their movements.

    He frowned. This meant that whoever they were, they were professional or they had the ability to hide their presence. Either way, it was troublesome. Dark Moon had made their move really fast.

    To make things worse, Nyx gave him another piece of news.

    [Ethan, Arcane Suppression devices have been set up all around the house. You cannot use Arcane Points now.]

    ''...''

 Chapter 27 Hidden Danger (1)

    ?Ethan immediately moved towards the bed, where Izora had kept the gun. He picked the gun and loaded it, pointing it at the door.

    Izora held some small bottle and her gaze widened as she saw Ethan''s movements and the frown on his face. It was clear someone was there behind the door. Someone dangerous.

    ''So I was not able to sense them because my level is not that high?''

    [Yes,] Nyx said.

    Ethan quickly and calmly said, ''I can''t use arcane in this house but that also means that they also can''t use it.''

    [Yes. Only someone with highly concentrated arcane can make those suppression devices useless. Basically more than 200 arcane points.]

    ''Alright so first I''ll give you all the permission to use the special points. First use them on divine sense, enough for me to at atleast sense were these devices are. And then use some of them to buy potions from the shop. You know my body''s state better than me so use the points efficiently. Then let them umte and ording to the situation, we will either convert them into defense or offense. ''

    [Roger that.]

    Because Nyx was basically inside of him, their conversation got over in a split second.

    Ethan felt his senses enhanced and he could now tell that there were a total of six people in the corridor outside. Two held swords, one had a gun, while the rest wielded knives. They wore ck clothes just like some ninja covering everything beside their eyes.

    As for the suppression devices, there were five of them, one on the rooftop, and other four outside the apartment, at its edges. There might be more of theming so he had to quickly move and get these six people as fast as he could. And then get those arcane suppression devices.

    For some reason, they were not moving, Ethan guessed it was because Sam was in the room, they didn''t want to harm him. So Ethan had the time to say to Izora, "Do you have something that can be used to make him unconscious?"

    "Ah, yes," Izora pointed at the bottle she was holding.

    "Good," Ethan said, his gaze not leaving the door, divine sense monitoring their every moment. Eerily, they just stood outside like statues.

    He told Izora, "Then use it on this bastard. Then turn the chair, make him face the door, and hide behind him."

    Izora''s lips trembled so he narrowed his eyes and said with a serious voice, "Izora now there is no time to regret. And I have trusted you, so don''t break it. If you do it then¡­" He took the moment to coldly look at her, his voice was  "I''ll make you experience another hell. I really will as someone close to me is their target and I can''t afford to lose here."

    Izora hurriedly shook her head and said, "Never, Ethan. You are my only hope."

    [Domination on Izora: +100]

    Ethan nodded. Of course, he wouldn''t do anything to her, at least not as bad as these people. Still, he knew what fear could do to a human. So he had to be better safe than sorry.

    He then went close to her and whispered something to her. She gulped and didn''t reply.

    "Damn, what the fuck are you doing?" The boss''s voice sounded. Ethan held the gun with his right hand and picked the phone that was on the bed from his left. His physical abilities were enhanced so he was confident to at least handle the gun''s recoil if something happened.

    Ethan sneered. "Your men are already here so why are you acting?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Boss'' dumbfounded voice sounded. "They are already there? How the¡­ Wait¡­" He said, rmingly, "What is their attire?"

    Ethan frowned. "Some ck shady ninja like clothes. They have covered their whole body except their eyes."

    "Are they standing like some dumb statue?"

    "Yes," Ethan affirmed.

    "Motherfucker! Damn shit! How the fuck?! Just who the hell are you¡­ Nevermind, just do whatever you can and survive."

    "What are you on?" Ethan was baffled.

    Boss'' voice became even more serious. "Listen to me. I don''t know what you did to get the wrath of these monsters but now they are here, they will kill everyone including that damned Sam! We can''t afford this, goddamn it. So fucking survive until out men are there."

    "Then who are they? Why aren''t they moving? Just what the heck is going on?"

    "Fuck, I don''t know. These fuckers came out of nowhere and started killing random people. No one has survived till now. But I hope you can¡­ I really hope that nothing will happen to Sam."

    "Then truthfully answer my questions. How are you so sure that they are after me? How do I get rid of them? Why aren''t they making their move?"

    Boss quickly said. "Damn you ask so many questions. Listen, I may have said that they go at random people but that''s not true. There is some pattern to their murders. They mostly targeted people who have potential to be powerful. Unknown Mystics, rising political powers etc.

    One thingmon was that they always left behind a note after the murder. The note always stated how these people had offended ''Zero''. And now don''t ask who this shit is. I don''t know. Some of the reasons they gave were also nonsensical like ''this dude red at Zero''. In short, anyone who shows aggression against Zero.

    There is no way that the target is Sam. He is a whimp who only dares to raise his hand on the women and girls we send to him. So it must be only you.

    They kill anyone and everyone present with their target even at the risk of getting wiped out. Fucking madmen.

    Now ording to the records and all, these fuckers can attack at anytime. Two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes¡­ no one knows. But if you try to run, they will attack immediately.

    And the only way to stop them is killing them."

    Ethan frowned.

    Boss panted. "Even if you cut their limbs they will fucking try to bite you. Even if you stab at their heart, they will still move. The only way to kill them is fucking attack their retarded brain or beheading them. And yeah after killing them, no matter what, don''t touch their dead body otherwise your fate will be worse than death."

    "Okay, I''ll contact youter." Ethan said. Boss roared in anger and he heard the sound of breaking ss but he disconnected. He told Nyx to remember the phone number and then switched off the phone, throwing it away.

    Ethan''s frown deepened. "Just what the hell is going on?"

 Chapter 28 Hidden Danger (2)

    ?Was he aggressive with someone? Ethan didn''t think so. Besides Damian and Mia. But were they involved in this? And more importantly, could he really trust the boss''s words?

    His fear of these people and losing Sam seemed real. What should he do now? Ethan groaned, from the corner of his eyes he saw Izora covering her ears and her body trembling as more tears fell down her face. She was truly scared. And honestly, he also was. Who wouldn''t be scared of the unknown?

    He took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward, towards the door. He had a few pocket knives with him, one dagger and a gun. One of those people was standing just outside, as ifpletely lifeless.

    He had divine sense so he adjusted his trajectory and pointed the gun at a position that went straight for the person''s head. But could he really press the trigger?

    If he pressed the trigger, the other person would die. He might again go to jail. He might again lose his loved ones. But if he didn''t he might also die here. Maybe he wouldn''t, maybe he would¡­ He felt like he was going crazy. Was there no other way?

    He could immobilize them, he thought. But the boss'' words still lingered in his head. They were monsters. The only way to stop them was to kill them.

    Color drained from his face. He had experienced this before, killing someone that is. It was idental, but he paid a lot of price for it. Ethan''s hand started to tremble.

    [Stress: 62/100]

    The dark figure on the opposite side of the gate seemed to be peering at his soul, slowly digging out his ck memories. He had suffered a lot and also made many people suffer.

    With a new chance at life, he should have striven to improve. But he didn''t. He was still trash. Ethan''s gaze became nk.

    Why was he struggling like this? He should just let go.

    [Stress: 100/100]

    At that moment, Nyx''s voice rang in his head. [Ethan Hunt! You still haven''t apologized to Sasha. Don''t be a fucking coward!!!]

    Ethan broke out of stupor. "Yes¡­ I-I have to call her."

    [Stress: 95/100]

    His decision perplexed her. But maybe it could improve his condition. Nyx was a bit surprised by how vulnerable Ethan was. He seemed to be confident in everything. Though he had hinted that he had a troubled past, still he seemed to be improving.

    Nyx was speechless. The reason she couldn''t figure out this was because Ethan didn''t ept his weak side. His coping mechanism was dangerous for not only him but all parties involved.

    Fortunately, he had given her the permission to use special points so now she could get some calming pills for him. Still she waited for him to call Sasha.

    With his left hand, Ethan dialed Sasha''s number. Earlier when he was hiding outside, he had called her a few times but she was always busy. He wanted to warn her and tell her to stay safe.

    It rang for half a minute, but she didn''t pick it up.

    He dialed again¡­ she still didn''t pick it up.

    [Stress: 100/100]

    "Sasha, you are also going to leave me?" His lips trembled.

    His memories started to resurface, a pain pierced through his head.

    Third time¡­ still no response. Ethan''s eyes became blood red. He felt his chest stiffen, it was suffocating.

    [Stress: 150/100]

    Nyx was highly rmed. Stress level of a hundred was the upper cap for a reason. If prolonged for a long period of time it could lead to many physical and health issues.

    At this level, the body''s stress response was activated, leading to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and the release of stress hormones. This could cause symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, muscle tension, and difficulty sleeping.

    And prolonged periods of stress could result in depression, extreme fatigue, suicidal thoughts and much more. As a result, the Remnant Will having control of Ethan''s stress was really concerning to her.

    Because they were on the same level as both of them were born from Ethan Chase''s subconsciousness, she didn''t have much say in its actions, of course the same went for it. So she was always looking for an excuse to keep it in check and finally she had one.

    But now Ethan Hunt''s stress level was more than a hundred! Theoretically, at this unimaginable point, his stress response would be overloaded and getting a heart attack would not even be the worst case.

    But besides a few issues, Ethan''s condition wasn''t that severe. How was that possible? Nyx couldn''t understand it. But she didn''t do anything about it as she sensed many obsidian fragments moving. Nyx instinctively stopped, still she was really worried about his state.

    Ethan muttered, "If you don''t pick it then¡­"

    He nced at the gun. His hand was no longer trembling. He had made a horrifying decision.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The call rang¡­ seconds turned into a minute. Sasha still didn''t respond.

    [Stress: 200/100]

    Ethan closed his eyes and exhaled, ignoring the immense pain throughout his body. "I made a mistake, yes¡­ not just one mistake but many mistakes. But I don''t want to lose anyone. Not this time. Never in the future."

    [Stress: 300/100]

    Ethan opened his eyes and a red glint passed through it. He ced his mobile nearby and held the dagger with his left hand and the gun with his right.

    Nyx: [!!!]

    [Hidden ability Berserk activated.]

    [Martial Genius activated.]

    ¡ºHealth: x 3¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: x 3¡»

    ¡ºStrength: x 3¡»

    ¡ºAgility: x 3¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: x 3¡»

    ¡ºArcane RR: x 3¡»

    Without hesitation, Ethan pointed the gun at the door and pulled the trigger.

    The deafening bang that followed marked the beginning of his legend.

    ***

    It should be clear by now that Ethan doesn''t check the status much. So I''ll be adding the status at the end of every chapter with an additional info: current state (this is only for readers. It will show his current state of mind or his physical state.) This is for you all to see his progress and the result of his every action (numerically).

    ???????????????:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 20]

    ????[Current State: Critical]

    ????¡ºHealth: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (70/70) [x 3]¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (300/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 510¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (115/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 12.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 6 [x 3]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 16 (+20) ¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 50 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    I want to point out one important thing here with an example. The calction in ''Arcane RR: 50 (x5) [x 3]'' will be 50 x 5 + 50 x 3 which is 400. Simrly, in ''Strength: 12.5 (+17.5) [x 3]'' it will be 12.5 x 3 + 12.5 + 17.5 which is 67.5.

    Now back to the story. ^^

 Chapter 29 Thirty Seconds

    ?Just as he fired the bullet, Ethan felt his senses getting amplified even more. He could now sense that there were even more assassins outside. At least five more. Fortunately there were only five arcane suppression devices.

    Despite being named "Berserk," Ethan''s hidden ability had not caused him to lose his mind. In fact, he felt even sharper than before. Ethan felt as if a restraint fell off him.

    Was it because now he could use arcane points again? Or was it because he hade to a point of no return? He didn''t know and also didn''t care. Just he had a huge ufortable urge to kill, though he could control it¡­ for now.

    Ethan quickly opened the door and jumped out, avoiding the still falling body, his aim at the bastard with the gun. The corridor was narrow, allowing only two people to stay side by side. That man''s reaction was good as Ethan saw that he had also pointed the gun at him and he fired before Ethan.

    Everything felt slow. It was as if he was frozen in this state. Everything happened in a few seconds. Just before the man fired, in that split second Ethan used psychokinesis to change the direction of his hand and the bullet hit the guy near him. Ethan head-shot him.

    Not caring about their fallenrades, the assassins rushed towards Ethan, their movements fast. But Ethan was faster. Just as his feet touched the ground, he twisted his body a little and with the dagger in his left hand, he stabbed at the female assassin head who had reached him.

    Ethan fired another bullet at the wounded assassin''s head who had grabbed the gun while falling, trying to get Ethan even with the gaping hole on his body. Boss was right, these bastards were monsters.

    As if to prove this point, the assassin''s hand behind Ethan was still moving, even with her eyes lifeless and the knife inserted in her head. Ethan clicked his tongue in annoyance and took a few quick steps forward, turned around and fired at her head. He heeded to the boss'' warning and didn''t want to touch their bodies so he took a few more big steps, avoiding her blood.

    Ethan felt his stomach churn at the sight and smell of blood and dead bodies but he had no time to react. There were still two assassins left inside, one infront and the other behind him, both of them holding a sword.

    Both of them rushed at him at the same time, Ethan pulled the trigger again but there were no bullets left. He groaned and threw the gun at him, using psychokinesis to control the trajectory and make it go even faster. It was enough to stop him for a few moments.

    He pulled out the pocket knives and turned around to intercept the sword strike at the right time. But he was off bnce and the assassin''s strength was more than he had expected. Ethan was still able to deflect it, but the next strike came even faster for his neck.

    Ethan bent down his knees, dropped the knife he held with his left hand and urately punched at the sword t side, at the same time he also used psychokinesis, sessfully avoiding the sword with a hair''s breadth. At the same time, he shed at that man''s wrist with full force.

    He knew that they didn''t feel pain so he immediately moved. He used his psychokic powers to push himself off the ground, leaping backwards at the same time snatching the sword from the assassin''s hand. In mid air, using the inertia, he spun around and shed at the other dude. The assassin''s head flew from his shoulders, blood spraying across the corridor in a gruesome arc.

    Ethan had made the mistake as his face got covered by the man''s blood. He quickly told Nyx to analyze it and be ready to counter whatever wasing. Fortunately, whatever it was didn''t ur immediately.

    He noticed that thest remaining assassin had moved back to pick up the gun from the ground. Ethan used his psychic ability again and the gun flew towards him.

    The assassin finally showed a reaction as he growled, leaping forward with ferocity, the floor cracking beneath him. Ethan''s feet had just touched the ground and he knew that the assassin would reach the gun before him.

    So he used psychokinesis again with utmost focus. The gun spun midair, its nuzzle pointing at the assassin''s head. Another loud bang sounded in the corridor, followed by the sound of the body falling and then there was silence. Pin drop silence before another storm.

    All of this happened in just thirty seconds¡­.

    Ethan wiped the blood on his face and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying his best to not vomit.

    Nyx also bought a good grade calming pill to ease his headache. Then Ethan slowly walked out of the house, after picking up the gun and after checking the bullets left, ced it in his pocket. There were only six bullets left.

    Ethan quickly nced at his status.

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 21]

    ????¡ºHealth: (100/100) [x 3]¡»<novelnext></novelnext>

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (74/74) [x 3]¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (300/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 510¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (115/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 12.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 6 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 16 (+20)¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 2.1 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 53 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    Outside it waspletely dark, except a streemp that gave blinking orange light, making the atmosphere even more eerie. There were six people outside.

    Five were the same as the assassins and Ethan was able to detect them earlier but thest one, it was an old man with a ugly twisted face wearing ck robes and holding a staff with some sort of orb on top of it.

    Ethan positioned himself in a simple stance, holding the sword hilt with both hands. He asked the old man, "You gonna answer me why are you targeting me?" Of course, chances were low, still he asked.

    Ethan had already thought of his next course of action. If they did something he''ll quickly use it.

    The old man actually answered, "Because you are the son of the traitor of Helen," his voice hoarse and mocking.

    Ethan''s lips twitched, he took a deep breath and said, "Then die!"

    He used the chronostasis ability he had stored, being cautious of these people outside. He ced the sword down, took out the gun and head shot all of them.

    Ethan sighed, "finally over," feeling exhausted all over.

    But just when he canceled the ability, something unimaginable happened.

    In an instant, Ethan''s world was turned upside down as a wriggling ball of ck blood shot out of the hole in the old man''s head. Before he had the chance toprehend what happened, the blood had already entered his body through his nose.

    His eyes widened with shock and horror as he fell back, gazing nkly up at the sky. Ethan sensed more people drawing closer, and this time they were thugs armed with guns.

    In his head, he heard Nyx''s urgent voice: [Ethan! You have been affected¡­]

    ''I know I am goddamn it. What is this shit?!''

    [It''s rave virus!!!]

 Chapter 30 Countdown To Death

    ?Ethan''s body waspletely stiff as if he was paralyzed. He thought, ''seriously? Now I''ll be some kind of monster?''

    [No. This is some kind of variant. Your cells are reacting to it unusually. ording to the public known information, the virus affects the brain, stomach and heart of the affected person at first but in your case, it''s spreading throughout your body.]

    After a period of fear and uncertainty, Ethan felt a bit calm. It was an unusual feeling but Ethan took advantage of it. ''Nyx can you use obsidian fragments and get rid of this damned virus?''

    Nyx replied shocked him, [No, I can''t. I am afraid using obsidian to try and get rid of it will have an adverse effect. It''s because it gives the same feeling as obsidian. By feeling I mean there is a high chance that the virus originated from obsidian fragments. I am sorry, due to my ipetence I can''t get rid of it.]

    Ethan closed his eyes and processed the information. "No wonder even after so many years, we still cannot counter the virus¡­ Nyx don''t be like that. You are my only support right now.''

    [Yes, you are right.] Nyx said softly.

    ''We cannot get rid of it. But can''t we suppress it?''

    [Yes! I didn''t think of that. I''ll also try my best to not let you go unconscious right now. But I am afraid that you will get unconscious in ten or so minutes.]

    ''It''s alright. Gotta survive this first.''

    Nyx was doing her work at a fast pace. Ethan could feel his body rx with every passing second. But still there was a high chance that the thugs would reach him before he would be able to move.

    Just then he felt someone panting above him and some liquid fell on his face. Opening his eyes in surprise, he saw the brown female dog he had met before.

    "Go¡­ go away," he said in a low, breaking voice. This female dog was clearly different, after all he was not able to detect her.

    She bent down and started licking his face. He gasped in horror, "Hey.. no go away¡­ you will also¡­ be affected."

    If she got affected then Ethan would have no choice but to kill her. He didn''t want that to happen.

    [No way¡­] Nyx suddenly gasped.

    At that moment, his body trembled and he could move his body again. He slowly got up and coughed out some dark liquid that actually corroded the ground. He turned to look at the female dog with wide eyes.

    Even without Nyx saying anything, Ethan knew that this dog was really really special. Just by licking, she became a catalyst and helped Nyx to suppress the virus easily.

    Ethan felt dizzy and his body was still weak. But still he was out of danger thanks to her timely arrival.

    "Why¡­ Why did you help me?"

    She looked at him with a sense of pride, barked and then turned around to slowly walk away, her tail wagging.

    "Hey wait!" Ethan hurriedly stood up and asked, "How can we meet again?"

    The female dog paused and looked back. She gave another bark and shook her head left and right.

    Later, Ethan gazed at the alley the dog had disappeared to and sighed, "So she really was my destiny."

    [You will definitely meet her again.] Nyx was sure of it.

    Ethan turned and said, "Before that I will have to survive first."

    Ahead of him, the thugs had started to gather, their machine guns aiming at him.

    "Nyx, let''s finish this quickly."

    Ethan instructed her to use the special points in two things: boost his agility by ten times and create a new ability: psychic shield.

    Nyx hesitated as it was a big gamble but she knew that they had no other choice as currently Ethan''s blood-thirst was so high that the first person he saw would die, so she did what he said.

    As for him not attacking the female dog, it was bizarre. So many strange things were happening that even Nyx couldn''t understand them. All of this just increased her drive to improve.

    Ethan took a few deep breaths, trying his best to clear his mind. He picked the sword and muttered, "This sword will break."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The shortest goon said in the distance with a fear filled voice, "Damn boss, he actually killed these monsters. What should we do now?"

    The shirtless burly man beside him snorted, "Idiot, it''s clear what we have to do." he pulled out his own gun and roared, "Kill this bastard!"

    More than fifteen thugs fired at the same time, the whole street was filled with the vicious sound of bangs. There were fifteen more behind them, ready to attack when needed.

    At that moment, a golden translucent screen covering the whole width of the street appeared in front of Ethan, bing an impregnable wall to the first round of bullets.

    The burly man shouted even louder, "Don''t worry, guys! Even if he is a mystic, it''s impossible for his shield tost forever. Use everything and make hundreds of holes in his body!"

    The thugs gave a battle cry and kept on firing at Ethan. The shirtless man was right. The shield would disappear in forty seconds.

    Ethan took a deep breath and took a basic sword stance, holding the sword diagonally upward. He could run away but he would be captured sooner orter.

    So Ethan was going to use the skill ''lightening edge''. It was a legendary sword skill passed down by his father. A sure kill sword move that had eliminated many foes.

    Thirty seconds¡­

    Ethan closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. The essence of this move was speed and the foundational movements of a swordsman.

    Ethan had boosted his speed. And fortunately, Chase never missed his training and had a good foundation. Ethan just had to concentrate, recall and implement what Chase had done everyday.

    It was easy but somehow it wasn''t working. Sweat dripped down his face. By now, his sword should be covered with purple lightning but it wasn''t happening.

    The geniuses of this world had found many ways to use arcane energy without being a mystic and these people were called drifters.

    After conditioning their body and meeting some requirements, if they performed certain movements and breathing techniques, they would be able to use the powerful skills they created or inherited.

    Fifteen seconds¡­

    The sound of bullets colliding with the translucent screen was piercing to him, making his head ache.

    He again used the chronostasis ability to stop time for three minutes. Nyx helped him remember all the training his father gave him but he still couldn''t see the answer.

    The time resumed again.

    What was he doing wrong? Maybe he should really run away. Cracks started to appear on the screen. He had to calm down. There had to be something he was missing.

    Ten seconds¡­

    "No," Ethan growled. He didn''t want to die. He still had a lot to do. He still had to apologize to Sasha.

    Five¡­

    At that moment, his father''s words echoed in his head: "Son, sesses not from strength or money, but from having a pure heart."

    Four¡­

    That''s why he wasn''t able to use this skill.

    Three¡­

    His heart was not pure but filled with filth.

    Two¡­

    Tears dripped down his face.

    One¡­

 Chapter 31 Dark Edge

    ?Just then Nyx shouted in his head, [Ethan, use chronostasis!]

    Ethan unconsciously did what she said and gulped as he looked at countless bullets near him. He took many steps back, sweaty all over.

    Heined. ''Nyx, you should have reminded me earlier. I almost fucking got a heart attack there.''

    [I am sorry, the arcane energy in your body was about to transform into lightning, attracting surrounding astral energy to start the lightning edge move. But the rave virus somehow got in between at thest moment stopping your astral energy from umting.]

    Ethan knitted his brows. ''Didn''t you already suppress it?''

    [It''s suppressed but somehow it was able to obstruct. I am sorry, it''s because of myck of understanding of obsidian.] Nyx''s voice was full of guilt.

    Her sole purpose of existence was Ethan Chase''s improvement but from time to time, she failed to do so. There were many reasons but in the end it showed her shorings. She gave mental pressure to Ethan Hunt, didn''t understand his troubles properly, her poor understanding of obsidian and more.

    She had to improve herself first, faster and efficiently. Only then would she be able to help Ethan. Before that, they had to get out of this situation.

    Nyx gave a few proposals that again made her think howcking she was, how because of her Ethan would suffer.

    [Ethan we have two choices. Use rave virus or run away.]

    Was there even a choice? Ethan smiled bitterly as he thought of the thin walls of the house. Clearly other houses were also made of the same material. If he backed off now, many families living here would die. It could be said that he dug his own grave and was half step into it.

    He took a deep breath and said, ''So how will we use the rave virus?''

    Nyx said in a strange low voice, [Rave is full of dark energy so we can use the dark energy instead of lightning, modifying the move lightning edge.]

    Ethan''s gaze widened. ''You are right.'' He now understood the main requirement of the sword move so it would be really difficult for him to use it. If he changed lightning to dark energy then he strongly felt that things would be much easier.

    He then asked the main question. ''But how will we control this shitty virus?''

    Nyx said, [I''ll use obsidian fragments and some part of me to fuse with it.]

    Ethan frowned, ''part of you?''

    Nyx actually started to sob. [I-I don''t want to see you in pain again. You have suffered a lot because of my ipetence and attitude.]

    Ethan was speechless. He sighed and said softly, ''Oh Nyx, I don''t know why you are saying that but knowing you, I am sure that you will be adamant about this. But I don''t want you to put yourself at risk.''

    She sniffed. [I am not sacrificing myself. You idiot won''t be able to do anything without me.]

    Ethan smiled when he heard that.

    [The rave virus won''t affect you that much. You''ll only have trouble controlling your thoughts, and you won''t be able to contact me for a few hours. But I''ll try to fix that too. So please don''t put yourself in harm''s way. After you''re done, go home and don''t leave until I return. You''ll have full ess to the system screen without any issues. And...]

    Ethan chuckled, ''I get it. Now stop worrying like a grandma. But this does mean that your primary objective from now on will be to assist me, correct?''

    Nyx was stunned and then she said without hesitation. [Yes!]

    Ethan felt his mind rx a little as he nodded. ''Good.''

    ''So what will be the effect of the modified move on my body?''

    [You will not be able to move for some time as your body is still not that strong to handle such a move.]

    His lips twitched. ''That means if I don''t get these idiots at once or someone elsees, I will be more than dead.''

    [That was why I was crying.]<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''You are cursing me to death?''

    Nyx eximed. [No! I just¡ª]

    ''Yeah you didn''t want to see your hubby in pain.''

    [...]

    Ethan''s heavy mood had lightened because of this small conversation. He stretched a little and asked, ''So how long will it take?''

    [You will have to use chronostasis one more time.]

    ''Gotcha.'' He suddenly thought of something. ''Oh and whoever touches me won''t be affected right?''

    [Don''t worry, you will be able to have sex all you want. I dare say after this your physical abilities will increase. Still it''s amazing that you are so consistent with your horny thoughts.]

    ''...'' He of course didn''t mean it that way. But good that she was back to her usual self.

    Later, Ethan finally used the new move, ''Dark edge.''

    The air around him grew thick and heavy. He raised his sword high and brought it down. As he did, a wave of darkness erupted from the de, coalescing into the shape of a ck dragon. Its scales shimmered with an eerie, otherworldly light, and its eyes glowed with an insatiable hunger.

    The dragon let out a deafening roar, and the ground trembled beneath its frame. Ethan watched in awe as the dragon devoured everything in its path, leaving only a trail of darkness in its wake.

    In the end, only ck lump of flesh was left behind of the thirty or so thugs.

    Ethan suddenly felt a headache rising. How would he exin all this? But before that, his body stiffened and he fell back. Dark veins appeared on his whole body as he twitched in pain.

    ''Nyx you fool! You said that I''ll only freeze. But what the fuck is this!?''

    ***

    ???Status:

    ????[Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 22]

    ????[Current State: Extremely Critical]

    ????¡ºHealth: (50/100) [x 3]¡»

    ????¡ºArcane Points: (90/90) [x 3]¡»

    ????¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ????¡ºSpecial Points: 415¡»

    ????¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    ????[Stats:]

    ????¡ºStrength: 17.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 8 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ????¡ºHealth RR: 3 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 60 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 32 A Missed Call

    ?As a white van zoomed through the streets of Brine, Ethan sat in the passenger seat and let out a weary sigh. Despite his relief at finally being on the move, he couldn''t help feeling anxious about his phone''s low battery, which had just died. With no way to contact Sasha, he turned to Izora, who was driving the van. She looked worn out, with tangled hair and a sad expression.

    In a feeble voice, Ethan asked her if she had a phone he could use. Izora shook her head, her eyes glued to the road. "I forgot it," she said softly. Ethan suggested stopping at a public phone nearby, but Izora exined that they were almost at their destination and there were no public phones in the area.

    Ethan nodded slowly and closed his eyes, still feeling weak and vulnerable. If it weren''t for Izora''s assistance, he would have been left lying on the street, surrounded by lifeless bodies, unable to move or escape.

    Then, out of the blue, Izora offered a solution. "Wait a minute," she said. "I think there''s a charger in the glovepartment." Ethan opened his eyes and pulled out the charger. He quickly plugged it in and breathed a sigh of relief as the phone began to recharge.

    "Thank you," he said gratefully. Izora smiled softly and replied, "We''re in this together."

    ????

    Just twenty minutes ago, Izora had heard the terrifying sound of gunfire ringing out outside the house where they were hiding. The ear piercing roar that followed was like nothing she had ever heard before, causing her entire body to tremble. And then, suddenly, everything went silent.

    Now, as she sat behind Sam''s chair with her eyes shut tight, Izora''s lips trembled with fear. What should she do next? The oppressive silence seemed to smother her, reminding her of the nightmare she was living through.

    Why was she still fighting? How much longer did she have to endure this? Maybe it would be easier to just give up and die. It was a thought that had crossed her mind many times before, but...

    "Sydney," she whispered, taking a deep breath. No, she couldn''t give up. She had to see her daughter again. Ethan''s face appeared in her mind, the only person who had shown her any kindness and support in a long time.

    He had just risked everything for the person he cared about. He had listened to her, believed in her, and promised to help her when things got tough.

    Izora wiped away her tears and stood up, her determination reigniting. She picked up her phone and muttered, "Ethan, you trusted me. And now, I will trust you and do what you said."

    Izora trusted Ethan''s judgment despite her previous reservations. She felt an intuition, something she had almost given up on, but she wanted to rely on it onest time.

    After making a call, she approached the window with caution. The outside was pitch-ck except for one blinking streetlight, and she could only see Ethan''s figure lying on the ground.

    She hesitated, but eventually made her way towards the exit. Suddenly, she froze and her expression changed as she saw a horrifying sight in front of her.

    A dposing corpse was melting away in a disgusting pool of putrid liquid, its skin dissolving and dripping onto the wooden floor. The thick, acidic fluid was corroding the wood, and the putrid smell was overwhelming.

    Flies were swarming around the corpse, attracted by the smell of decay. The sight and stench were too much for Izora, and she doubled over, retching and vomiting on the floor.

    Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Izora stumbled back to the window and jumped out of it, bracing herself for the impact. As she rushed towards Ethan''s motionless body, she couldn''t help but panic. Was he really dead? His eyes were wide open, and his body waspletely stiff.

    Izora knelt down beside Ethan and held her trembling hand near his nose. She felt his faint breath and let out a sigh of relief. As she watched, Ethan''s lips moved, but no sound came out. She leaned closer to hear him better, and he spoke in a quiet, breaking voice.

    "Izora, please drag me to the house, near the window, and then drag Sam towards the window too."

    Izora was momentarily stunned. "What? Okay, I can drag you there, but Sam¡­should I throw him out? Even that will be difficult."

    "No," Ethan''s voice was hoarse. "We still don''t know why he''s so valuable to the Dark Moon group. Just drag him near the window, and then I''ll use my ability. For now, just pull my arms."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Okay," Izora replied, biting her lip. She ignored the stench of burning and carefully dragged Ethan towards the window, taking her time to avoid injuring him further.

    But when it came to Sam, Izora covered his head with her tail to protect him and roughly dragged him towards the window.

    After a few minutes, Ethan still had his eyes closed, and his breathing wasbored. Izora decided to let him rest and hurriedly picked up a key before dashing towards a garage located a hundred meters away from the damned house.

    ????

    Izora''s hands tightly gripped the steering wheel as she drove the van, her mind and body exhausted. She was still terrified, wondering if she would ever see her daughter again. Whaty ahead for her? Despite her fear, she pressed on, determined to reach her destination.

    After what seemed like an eternity, Ethan''s phone finally charged enough to turn on. His face went pale as he saw a notification on the screen. It was a miscall from a familiar number¡ªSam''s boss.

    "How...?" Ethan muttered, his voice trembling. "How did they know it was me!?"

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 22]

    [Current State: Below Critical]

    ¡ºHealth: (70/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (90/90) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 415¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 17.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 8 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 3 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 60 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 33 Assault

    ?Outside the Bruic bar, a hand sped Sasha from behind, causing her to jump in surprise. She turned around to find Charlie, the guy her friend had introduced her to, with his face red and his body swaying with each hup.

    "Come," he slurred, trying to pull her along with him.

    Sasha''s expression darkened as she struggled against his grasp. "What do you think you''re doing!?" she demanded.

    But Charlie was surprisingly strong for someone so thin, and he dragged her along with him. "I''ll make your night enjoyable," he promised, his words slurring together. "Don''t worry, I''ll even pay you a good amount of moneyter on."

    Sasha growled, "Let go of me! Or else..."

    But Charlie didn''t listen. Instead, he yanked her back and screamed, "Bitch, stop resisting! You slut, you were the first one to seduce me!"

    Enraged, Sasha raised her leg to kick him in the nut. But before she could, Charlie grabbed her leg and pushed her down to the ground. Sasha gasped in pain as he grabbed her ankle and began to drag her along the pavement.

    "Help! Someone help!" she screamed, but the area was empty, and no one seemed to hear her cries.

    Just when she thought all hope was lost, something dark shed past her, and then there was a thud and a groan of pain. Sasha''s vision blurred for a moment, and then she shook her head to clear it. When she stood up, she saw a woman dressed in ck standing over Charlie''s crumpled body.

    She wore skin-tight ck clothes that hugged her curves, showing a hint of cleavage. Her raven hair tumbled in loose waves around her face, and Sasha could see the glint of crimson eyes behind a cloth mask. The woman''s features were obscured, but Sasha could feel the frigid air surrounding her. The woman turned to Sasha, her eyes softening slightly. "Are you alright?" she inquired.

    Sasha, still shocked, said, "Thank you," not knowing how to express her gratitude as well as quickly rush away from the ce; she was still worried about Ethan.

    Charlie tried to get up, but he was in too much pain and could only groan weakly. Sasha watched, bewildered, as the woman stood over him, her eyes widening.

    "You should have had something to defend yourself," the woman scolded Sasha, sounding like an older sister despite her youth. "It''s not safe to be out alone at night without protection."

    Sasha nodded, grateful for the advice, but feeling embarrassed by herck of preparedness. The two women stood in awkward silence until Sara suddenly appeared on the scene.

    "Sasha! What happened? Are you okay?" Sara eximed, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend.

    Sasha exined the situation, feeling relieved to have a familiar face around. Sara''s eyes widened in shock as she realized she had introduced Sasha to Charlie.

    "I am so sorry, Sasha. I had no idea he would behave this way," Sara said, her voice filled with remorse.

    Charlie tried to speak, but Sara was having none of it. "You are a despicable excuse for a human being!" she yelled, punctuating her words with a series of hard ps to his face. Sasha watched in stunned silence as Sara vented her fury.

    "Thank you," Sasha said, her voice trembling. "I don''t know how to repay you for what you did."

    The woman ced a hand on Sasha''s shoulder. "Just be careful out here," she said. Sasha nodded, her mind still reeling from the incident. "I will," she said before quickly walking away into the night, Sara following after her.

    The woman watched her go, her eyes following her until she disappeared from sight. Then she turned to look at Charlie. He was clearly in pain but there was a hint of fury in his eyes.

    She sighed and muttered, "what should I do with him now?"

    Just then, Charlie growled, "You bitch will pay for this."

    This made her take out her phone and call someone. "Nemesis," she said.

    Nemesis''s voice came through the other end, professional and cool. "Is this work-rted, Eva Cobb?"

    The woman in ck, Eva, nodded even though Nemesis couldn''t see her. "Yes, it is, Nemesis."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Alright," Nemesis said. "Tell me what happened."

    Eva took a deep breath before ying along with Nemesis, her tone just like her friend. "I caught a guy assaulting a woman, and I want you to teach him a lesson. But don''t take it too far. Please."

    There was a pause on the other end before Nemesis replied, "I won''t see him. Just send some people to beat him up for a few days."

    Eva picked Charlie up like a sack and walked outside. She stood on the street corner, waiting for the hired muscle to arrive.

    After a few minutes, a car pulled up, and several burly men got out. They respectfully addressed Eva before taking Charlie away, to teach him the lesson she had asked for. Eva watched as the car disappeared around the corner and then turned around to enter the bar.

    Ignoring the stares of people, she climbed up the stairs and then entered a room. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit room until theynded on her target.

    Seated in a corner, she saw a man with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. A scar above his eyebrow that gave him a rugged, dangerous look.

    Despite several women in skimpy clothing vying for his attention, his posture betrayed a sense of boredom and disinterest.

    As she drew closer, Eva noticed the man''s sharp features and strong jawline, which only added to his aura of danger.

    Beside him on the sofa sat a woman who seemed out of ce in the seedy ce, engrossed in her tablet. The woman looked up and gazed at Eva, her brown eyes shining with curiosity.

    But Eva focused on the man with the scar. Without hesitation, she announced her purpose to him: "Derek Dawson, I am sent by ''fear''."

    ***

    I am pretty sure, you forgot who Derek is. He is one of the bully of Ethan as well as his major target of revenge.

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 22]

    [Current State: Below Critical]

    ¡ºHealth: (70/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (90/90) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 415¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 17.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 8 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 3 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 60 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 34 Fiery Embrace

    ?Derek gestured his hand and the scantily d women filed out of the room, leaving Eva and a meek-looking woman with thick-rimmed sses and a disheveled ponytail. The woman seemed to blend into the background, barely making a sound as she took a seat and stared at her tablet.

    Derek turned his attention to Eva, his eyes scanning her up and down. Eva felt a hint of anger but she kept her cool. "You don''t know martial arts," he said abruptly, surprising her.

    Eva furrowed her brows. "What does that have to do with anything? I am a mystic."

    Derek shrugged. "Just making conversation," he said with a sly grin. "Anyway, let''s get down to business. Your target is--"

    Suddenly, the silent woman let out a small gasp, drawing everyone''s attention to her. She held up her tablet, which disyed an adorable video of a cat ying with a ball of yarn.

    Eva rolled her eyes, irritated by the interruption. "Can you please focus?" she snapped.

    Derek coughed, attempting to regain control of the situation. "Sorry about that," he said and was about to continue when the door mmed open.

    Derek frowned, clearly annoyed by the uninvited guest. It was a bald fat man wearing old gangster-like clothes, lookingical. His face was full of sweat and his words urgent. "Boss, there is a really big problem." He said as he nced at Eva.

    Eva took the cue and said, "I''ll wait outside. Finish this quickly."

    Derek nodded. "I''ll not let you wait for long."

    As Eva turned around to leave, she felt his pair of eyes on her lower back, making her angry. She clenched her fists and took deep breaths.

    After Eva left, Derek chuckled, "She''s a wild one. Just my type."

    The nerdy woman snorted.

    Derek turned to the fat man and said in a serious tone. "Fatty, if it is not important then I''ll really kill you for taking my valuable time."

    The fat man''s face paled as he stuttered. "Boss, it is really important but it will also make you angry."

    Derek raised his brows. "Interesting," he said. "What did Sam do now?"

    The fatty bit his lips and said, "Someone kidnapped Sam."

    For a moment, the room was filled with heavy killing intent. It was so dense that even Eva who was outside felt a chill down her spine. She gulped and thought, ''Good that I kept my calm. This man is too dangerous.''

    Inside, Derek calmed down and leaned back on the sofa, his eyes narrowed and voice cold. "Tell me the details."

    The fat man quickly told everything. To his surprise and relief, Derek didn''t get angry again. He nodded and asked in aposed voice. "So we don''t know how many men there are?"

    "No. I only talked with one guy. He seemed to be the leader."

    "Hmm. You sent heavily armed people and now you can''t contact those idiots?" His tone became lower with the passing second. "Why didn''t you keep him under heavy monitoring?"

    The fat man was scared stiff. He wanted to protest that it was not his duty but he kept shut. Much to his relief, Derek waved his hand and said. "Give the assassin from fear the information about that traitor. I want his head in a few days."

    The fat man swiftly nodded and walked out at a hurried pace. Derek closed his eyes and muttered. "Do I have to take action now?"

    The Dark Moon leader''s promise to Derek was crucial for Derek''s n. He worked with this shitty group only because of that. He couldn''t understand that when Sam''s existence was so important for the leader, they let him be so free. That was so irrational and now see what happened.

    As hey there, a mischievous chuckle caught his attention, prompting him to open his eyes. He turned his gaze to the woman who stood before him, her eyes alight with a familiar mischievous gleam. He couldn''t help but let out a sigh, knowing exactly what that look meant.

    "What do you want in return, Kim?" he asked, already anticipating her answer.

    Kim chuckled, surprising him with her response. "You''re not even going to ask how I can help you?"

    Derek shrugged. "I trust your ns implicitly. So, what do you have in mind?"

    Kim tilted her head to one side, deep in thought. "I wonder," she mused.

    Derek guessed her intentions. "A date?" he asked.

    Kim scoffed, unimpressed. "What date? We''re together all the time. I need something else."

    Derek stood up and moved closer to her, yfully flicking her forehead. Kim pouted in annoyance, but her expression soon softened.

    "I''ll give you anything you want after this is over. Anything," Derek promised.

    Kim''s eyes lit up as she thought it over. "Alright," she said finally. "I''ll trust you this time. But don''t break your promise."<novelnext></novelnext>

    With that, she handed him her tablet and pointed to the screen. Derek''s eyes widened as he looked at the footage. "This," he said, throwing his head back and letting out a wildugh.

    He tossed the tablet onto the sofa, causing Kim to yelp. But Derek was already lost in thought, his mind racing with possibilities. The footage showed the interior of a van where the Dark Moon gang had hidden ''that''. And there, in the van, were two people¡ªa fox woman and a very familiar face.

    "To think that their stupidity led me to him!" Derek eximed, his eyes shing with a ferocious glint. "I can''t wait to have some fun with you, my dear younger brother, Ethan~."

    Kim shook her head, knowing all too well how Derek became a different person whenever Ethan was involved.

    Derek couldn''t contain his excitement when Kim managed to obtain Ethan''s mobile number. He quickly called the chubby man and snatched his phone, before telling him to leave. However, his joy was short-lived as he found out that Ethan''s phone was switched off and was only being charged.

    Growing impatient, He paced back and forth until Kim interrupted his thoughts. "The van is in the Sheyden area. Ethan is moving towards the police station," she said.

    Derek''s expression turned from excitement to confusion. "Impossible," he muttered. "Ethan hates the police to the core. So how..."

    Kim interrupted him, holding his hand gently. "Derek, you know what will happen if Sam gets arrested," she said softly.

    Derek''s hand trembled, and his face flushed with fury. Kim felt a sharp pain throughout her body but tried to ignore it, continuing to rub his hand.

    But his rage soon turned to despair. "And what about the rage burning in me?" he eximed. "What about my hatred!?"

    He pushed Kim away and started to leave. But she called out to him, desperation in her voice. "Derek!"

    He stopped, but didn''t turn around. "I am going to kill all these damned moon bastards," he said coldly. "Because they didn''t properly care about that bastard, this happened."

    Kim pleaded with him. "Derek, please..."

    But he had made up his mind. "I''ll let you handle Ethan''s case," he said.

    Kim was stunned by his words, but cautiously asked, "You won''t hate me for it?"

    "No," Derek replied before disappearing from sight.

    ????

    Ethan and Izora were silently driving down the quiet road, lost in their own little words, with Sam still unconscious in the back seat. Ethan was about to dial back, but the deafening roar of a fiery explosion engulfed their van in a split second.

    The impact caused the vehicle to lift off the ground, and left it tumbling through the air. A shower of twisted metal and mes was all that was left of it at the end. Shattered windows and debris flew in all directions.

    Ethan, Izora, and Sam ended up in a coffin made out of pure metal. Their bodies ripped apart, torn asunder, and spread like the dead''s ashes. Their final moments, nothing more than sheer agony as the mes erased their presence from this very world.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 22]

    [Current State: Dead]

    ¡ºHealth: (0/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (90/90) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 415¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 17.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 8 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 3 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 60 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 35 Eerie Gleam

    ?[Hidden ability Prophecy was activated.]

    [Just now the heir saw his bleak future.]

    Ethan sat in the passenger seat, staring nkly at the screen in front of him. It took a few seconds for him to process what had just happened before he used divine sense, ignoring the resulting headache.

    His blood ran cold as he sensed a bomb and a hidden camera in the van. He had been too weak before to use divine sense, which required mental energy, but who would have expected a bomb in a random van?

    He shouted, "Izora, stop the van!"

    Izora looked bewildered and asked, "What?"

    Ethan repeated, "There is a bomb in the van!"

    Izora''s gaze widened and a hint of panic appeared on her face as she hit the brakes and the van skidded to a stop. They both jumped out of the van, with Ethan almost falling to the ground. Izora rushed towards him and supported him, and they quickly moved away from the van.

    Izora slumped on the pavement, gasping for breath, while Ethan leaned against a nearby pole for support. After a few moments, Izora asked, "What about that Sam?"

    Ethan shook his head, with the memory of the sudden st still fresh in his mind, and said, "Our safety is more important. Let''s call the police first."

    After he got the information of those assassins from Sam''s boss, he had asked Izora to contact the special department of police, the mystic control division.

    The mystic control division handled all the matters rted to the mystics and drifters. Ethan was sure that the ruckus that the ''Zero'' group was causing, though unknown to the public, was being investigated by this department.

    This was difficult for Izora as she once already got betrayed by the police; she didn''t trust them at all. She was really unlucky that the person she got in contact with worked with the dark moon. So Ethan was grateful that Izora was able to trust him in this.

    Ethan had asked her to only mention the assassins and not Sam. His n was simple. He would go near the police station and then contact the dark moon again, telling them that if they didn''t listen to his conditions he''d give Sam to the police.

    It was a risky gamble, with the potential for Izora''s daughter, Sydney, to be harmed. However, Ethan couldn''t think of any other viable option. But fate had other ns.

    Unexpectedly, Ethan contracted the dreaded Rave virus, which caused even Nyx to fall silent. On top of that, there was a bomb in the van, and Ethan was suddenly getting some new hidden abilities.

    He also couldn''t help but worry about Sasha, and with so many questions and problems arising, Ethan''s headache began to intensify.

    Thankfully, Ethan felt his body steadily recovering with each passing second. He turned to Izora, extending his hand and taking a deep breath before saying, "Izora, just a little further."

    She met his gaze and nodded in agreement. They made their way to a nearby house and knocked on the door, their luck finally seeming to take a turn for the better.

    The residents of the home turned out to be an elderly couple, and though they were hesitant to involve themselves in any trouble, they did allow Ethan to charge his mobile phone, despite refusing to let them use theirndline.

    ????

    Kim and Derek were glued to the tablet screen and then exchanged nces. Though they couldn''t hear what Ethan said but by his reaction, they knew it was about the bomb in the van.

    Kim asked, bewildered. "How did he suddenly know?"

    Derek chuckled with narrowed eyes. "As expected of Ethan. He always surprises me. More importantly, where are they right now?"

    Kim nodded and after sometime told him in a strange tone. "Sheyden area."

    Derek''s expression changed. He sprang up at his feet and said, "How? This¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking at his flickering expression, Kim sighed. "Derek, we still have time. Fuse is operating in that area so we should contact him to get Sam."

    Derek clenched his fists, his jaw set firmly as he nodded in agreement. His eyes held aplicated mix of emotions as he spoke again, his tone grave. "Tell him not to kill Ethan."

    They sprang into action, with the chubby man taking the wheel with Derek, Kim; while several mystics and drifters piled into different cars, all racing towards Ethan''s location. It was a race against time.

    The assassin from Fear had already left, and would likely meet her end. The traitorous member of the organization was on par with Derek in terms of strength, though heavily injured.

    Derek had merely wanted to test the waters, hoping that the assassin would seed in killing that bastard and sparing him the trouble of dirtying his own hands.

    Derek had instructed Fuse and his team to share a live feed of their actions, so that he and Kim could monitor the situation. They watched intently as two men on bikes arrived at the location first.

    As the two men raced towards the van, a figure suddenly darted towards them from a nearby house. Kim''s eyes widened in disbelief as she realized it was Ethan, moving at a speed faster than the bikes.

    The camera feed flickered and went out, causing Kim''s heart to race even faster. When it came back on, the sight of Ethan standing over the camera sent chills down her spine.

    His cold eyes seemed to bore into her through the screen, as if he knew they were watching. Suddenly, with a crushing stomp, he destroyed the camera.

    Kim was left stunned and confused. She had just witnessed Ethan''s weakened state mere minutes ago, and now he was disying an incredible level of strength and agility. How was this even possible?

    A low chuckle from beside her made her heart jump. She turned to face Derek, who was wearing a disturbingly wide smile and had an eerie gleam in his eyes.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 22]

    [Current State: Recovering]

    ¡ºHealth: (80/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (90/90) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (50/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 415¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 17.5 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 8 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 3 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 60 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 36 Flying Confession

    ?Izora already knew Ethan''s mobile password, so she opened his phone and dialed the number ''1980'' again. A serious woman''s voice answered, saying, "We are almost there."

    As Izora watched, arge ck van pulled up some distance away from Ethan, with two unconscious goons lying beside him. "Miss," she said into the phone, "the Dark Moon people are already here."

    There was a pause, and then the woman on the phone said, "The person with you is a mystic. He should be able to handle them for a while."

    Izora felt frustrated, but she said okay and hung up. Just then, the door of the ck van opened and armed men emerged. The most imposing of them was a shirtless, muscr man holding arge hammer.

    He stepped forward and pointed the hammer at Ethan, saying, "I am Fuse. Kid, you''ve caused us a lot of trouble today. Tell me your name."

    Ethan raised his chin and replied, "I''m your dad."

    To Izora''s surprise, Fuseughed heartily and then vanished from sight. She soon realized that he had leaped high into the air and was now hurtling toward Ethan, ready to strike him with the hammer. Izora couldn''t help but cry out in horror, "Ethan!"

    To her relief and amazement, Ethan blocked Fuse''s strike with both hands, his legs bent and the concrete beneath him cracking from the impact. The shockwaves threw the unconscious goons away, one of whomnded near Izora.

    Fuse raised his eyebrows and said, "You handled that? Great job, Ethan!"

    But as the other goons started approaching her and Sam, Izora''s mind froze. She had only been following Ethan''s lead until now; what should she do?

    Then, out of the corner of her eye, Izora saw a dagger sticking out of the stomach of the goon next to her. Without thinking, she used her tail to yank out the de and hurled it with all her strength, shouting "Ethan!"

    Her actions surprised everyone, except for Ethan, whoughed out loud and eximed, "Izora, I fucking love you!"

    Then the same thing happened. In the blink of an eye, bodiesy strewn around Ethan, their throats slit open. The once-fierce burly man nowy lifeless with his hammer beside him.

    Ethan turned to her and was about to say something when more vehicles pulled over. Even before he told her the next n, much to Ethan''s surprise, Izora rushed towards the white van with determination while shouting, "You get the bike and I''ll get Sam."

    Izora was risking her life just to meet her daughter, which meant that she valued her life again. Ethan felt great admiration for her.

    Dark Moon members came out of the vans and seeing the situation, they started firing without hesitation, to meet the psychic shield. Ethan swiftly got the nearby bike up. He felt his heart race as he watched Izora open the door. Much to his relief, She dragged Sam out and threw him at the pavement.

    He used the psychic shield again and started the bike, rushing towards the two. He stopped the bike and after buying and consuming a few calming pills, he used psychokinesis again to make them sit on the bike. With Sasha sitting in front of Sam.

    He took out his belt and tied Sam to her. This way they won''t be able to fire from behind. Noticing white foam flowing out of Sam''s mouth falling on Izora. He softly said, "just hang on a little."

    "Stop being like this and let''s fucking go." Izora growled with wide eyes.

    This made him chuckle. Looking at hisughing face, Izora was stunned and then a smile appeared on her face. Cracks started on the shield so Ethan used the ability again.

    [Stress: 100/100]

    They raced down the long street, Izora clinging to him tightly with her tails wrapped around Sam. He could hear the sound of engines roaring behind them, the Dark Moon members in hot pursuit.

    With a curse, Ethan realized he had missed their only turn and the end of the street was quickly approaching. The wind hit his face with a searing pain and he used divine sense to scan for any potential threats.

    Just as he feared, even more cars appeared in front of them, blocking their escape. Without hesitation, Ethan twisted the throttlepletely, the bike reaching an incredible speed of over one hundred forty kilometers per hour.

    The bastards started firing, but Ethan activated his psychic shield once again, feeling blood flow down his orifices from the strain.

    As they approached the blockade, Ethan used his psychokic abilities to bring a nearby metal te to make a ramp.

    The two-wheeler soared high over the heads of the stunned Dark Moon members, leaving them gaping in disbelief.

    As the bike flew through the air, Ethan''s heart pounded in his chest. He didn''t have time to think about what to do next before Izora''s voice cut through the rushing wind. "Ethan, you confessed to me before."

    His mind raced as he struggled to keep the bike steady, knowing they were in grave danger.

    Before he could respond, Izora said. "I have a daughter and we really are going to die now. So sorry, I can''t!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    His mind raced as he struggled to keep the bike steady, knowing they were in grave danger.

    Before he could respond, Izora said. "I have a daughter and we really are going to die now. So sorry, I can''t!"

    Ethanughed hearing her words. He then focused on the task at hand, using psychokinesis to dodge an iing truck that threatened to end their lives.

    Even though his body felt sharp pain, with his heart racing and adrenaline pumping through his veins, Ethan expertly changed the bike''s direction andnded it safely on the ground. They sped away, leaving their pursuers in the dust.

    [Stress: 500/100]

    After finallying to a stop, Ethan staggered off the bike and promptly vomited a copious amount of blood and other vile substances.

    Izora stood nearby, unsure of how to help, but offered some smallfort by gently patting his back. She had already thrown Sam nearby on the grass.

    Gasping for air, Ethan used all the leftover points to buy mind calming pills and various recovery pills, hoping they would help him regain his strength.

    [Stress: 200/100]

    After taking some time to recover, Ethan turned to Izora with a smile that lit up his face. "So, how will you answer?" he asked, eagerly anticipating her response.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, Izora threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, and burying her head in his chest. Despite the blood and mess, nothing else mattered in that moment.

    "I love you, you idiot," she dered, holding him even tighter.

    [Remnant Will''s hidden questpleted.]

    [Special points: +1000]

    Ethan ignored the notifications popping up in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered softly in her ear, "I think I like you too."

    The shock on Izora''s face quickly melted away as she pulled his head down and kissed him deeply.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Critical]

    ¡ºHealth: (50/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (200/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 70 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 37 Bloodlust

    Derek''s heart was a tangled web of emotions as he observed Ethan''s unwavering determination. They had once been like brothers, their bond stronger than the blood that flowed through their veins, both having been raised under the infamous shadow of y Dawson.

    But as destiny would have it, they were now separated, consumed by a vicious hatred that ate away at their very souls.

    When he was young, Derek had discovered the truth about Ethan''s birth. He was y''s bastard son. The revtion had rocked Derek''s world, leaving him reeling with shock and disbelief. But as he stood there, watching his mother Noelle gaze at Ethan practicing with an affectionate smile, Derek felt his heart soften.

    She spoke softly, "Love is not logical. It''s above anything and everything." Her words echoed in Derek''s mind as she recounted the story of Ethan''s birth. Derek''s father had been kneeling before her, tears streaming down his face as he cradled the newborn Ethan in his arms. He begged for forgiveness, consumed with guilt, yet unable to let go of his love.

    Noelle had been torn between feeling betrayed and feelingpassion for the innocent child. But as she watched Ethan and Derek grow up together, her heart softened, and she fell in love once again. She turned to Derek with a smile that shone brighter than the sun and ced her gentle hand on his head. "You both are my precious sons."

    Derek was young at that time, so besides being speechless and a bit shocked, he didn''t have that muchplex thoughts. To him, what mattered was his mother, his father, and his younger brother''s happiness.

    As he grew older, Derek began to understand the magnitude of his mother''s struggle during the first few years. She had borne the weight of her husband''s infidelity in silence, enduring the taunts and sneers of society with unwavering strength. And yet, her love for her husband never wavered.

    Though his father tried to make amends, perhaps out of guilt, Derek couldn''t help but confront him in anger one day. "Why did you do that, Dad?" he demanded.

    y''s response left Derek stunned. He gazed up at the sky, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Love is illogical," he murmured, as if speaking to himself.

    Ethan was a genius, cherished by all who knew him. His intelligence, charming personality, and striking good looks brightened the lives of those around him. He was the pride and joy of his family, a shining example of what one could achieve with dedication and hard work.

    As adolescence set in, Derek began to experience feelings of jealousy towards Ethan''s prodigious talent. Despite this, he still cared deeply for his younger brother.

    But everything changed when their father was betrayed by his closest friend. A renowned figure in Helen, he was once asked to be a member of the World Council but turned it down to live a simple life with his family and to aid those in need.

    The great man had saved countless lives through his generosity and valiant efforts against hordes of demons. However, he was branded a traitor by the very people he had saved, and was shunned and despised by the masses. Tragically, he was ultimately killed by the infamous King of the Underworld, Aidan Fletcher.

    The weight of her husband being called a traitor and his subsequent death had crushed his mother, leaving her in a state of utter madness. And when Ethan turned his back on her, it was the final nail in the coffin.

    The weight of his mother''s madness, coupled with Ethan''s betrayal, had driven Derek to the brink of insanity. His knuckles turned white as he clenched them tight and blood oozed from his bitten lips.

    How could that bastard forget about her? Forget about everything their parents had done for him? Ethan didn''t even recognize her face! Derek seethed with hatred towards Ethan and the world that had brought him such pain.

    Derek wasn''t confident in his ability to best Ethan in a fair fight, let alone take on the behemoths that were Aidan and his damned uncle. So he resorted to underhanded tactics, inflicting as much pain as possible on his brother. It was childish and stupid, but the satisfaction he felt watching Ethan writhe in agony fueled the darkness within him.

    Since Derek didn''t view Ethan as innocent, he felt justified in his actions. However, when the incident urred, resulting in Ethan''sa, it shattered Derek. As a result, he spiraled even further into despair.

    As time passed, his hatred only grew, consuming him like a raging inferno. He wished for nothing more than to see this wretched world burn, to watch as everything he despised crumbled into ash.

    Hate consumed him, for Ethan, for his father''s betrayal, for the people who had driven his mother to madness, and even for himself. His father had always preached about the importance of a pure heart, yet he himself had been a hypocrite.

    Derek was done with the lies and the facade of morality. He was finally strong enough to kill Ethan with his own two hands, and he relished the thought of rising up to take on Aidan as well. The world would know his wrath, and they would fear him.

    "Derek!" Kim''s voice pierced through the silence, snapping Derek out of his violent fantasies.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As he turned to face her, she recoiled in terror, as though a cold de had sliced through her flesh. "What happened?" Derek demanded, his eyes alight with a feverish madness.

    Kim, no stranger to his insatiable bloodlust, pointed to her tablet. On the screen was a close-up shot of Sam on his motorcycle. His face was ashen, foam oozing from his mouth, and his hand was still bleeding profusely.

    Derek cursed under his breath, his mind already racing with a new n. "Fuck! Tell everyone to forget about Ethan and focus on Sam. We need to burn him alive or decapitate him."

    Kim nodded frantically, sending out the orders to the members of the dark moon. Though they were all shaken by Derek''s order, they knew better than to disobey him. The fear of what he might do to them if they refused was too great.

    a??????a??

    Meanwhile, Ethan and Izora were locked in a passionate embrace. Suddenly, Ethan pushed her away, his eyes zing with defiance. But it was toote.

    Sam, who had been lying motionless, sprang to his feet and lunged at Ethan with a ravenous hunger. Blood dripped from his eyes as he lunged forward, eager to devour his prey whole.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Critical]

    ?€?Health: (50/100) [x 3]?€?

    ?€?Arcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]?€?

    ?€?Stress: (200/100)?€?

    ?€?Charm: (100/100)?€?

    ?€?Special Points: 1000?€?

    ?€?Fragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)?€?

    [Stats:]

    ?€?Strength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]?€?|?€?Agility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]?€?|?€?S. Stamina: 20 (+20)?€?

    ?€?Health RR: 4 [x 3]?€?|?€? Arcane RR: 70 (x5) [x 3]?€?|?€?IQ: 125 ?€?

 Chapter 38 Paranoia

    I wasn''t able to publish because I had writer block and exams. This chapter is a rough draft, but it''s okay, I''ll publish the edited version as soon as possible.

    ***

    After immediately using chronostasis ability, Ethan''s eyes widened, taking in the sight of Sam. The monster''s face was a grotesque mess, as if it had been peeled off and left to rot. Blood dripped from his red, mad eyes and his mouth hung open, revealing a bloody, decaying mess inside.

    Ethan knew that this abomination had to be destroyed, and fast. He scanned the area, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. His eyes settled on arge rock nearby, and he knew he had found his weapon.

    Before he could act, however, he carefully set Izora aside, making sure she was safe. Then, with all his strength, he lifted the rock and brought it down on Sam''s face, the sickening sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing filling the air.

    Sam fell to the ground, blood and brains spilling out of his ruined skull. Ethan quickly backed away, avoiding the stter of blood and gore. With a final, decisive blow, he crushed Sam''s headpletely, putting an end to the monster once and for all.

    Ethan''s body swayed as he supported himself with the nearby tree. He gazed up at the tree canopies that blocked the moonlight, only allowing a little light to enter. Just like these bastards who kept oning in his way to peace.

    Walking back to Izora, he hugged her, taking in her sandalwood scent. His head felt dizzy, his body ached all over... he just wanted to rest.

    After the time resumed again, Izora already used to things happening all of a sudden was not surprised that Ethan dealt with Sam, but by how he hugged her... almost desperately.

    Izora circled her arms around him and said softly, "Ethan?"

    Ethan whispered, "I am tried," his voice expressing much more than just fatigue. Even though Izora didn''t know his past, she still felt that he was simr to her.

    Izora bit her lips and said, "Mystic control division ising. We just have to hide for some more time."

    Ethan stopped embracing her and sighed, "Those people already found us."

    Izora was speechless. After Ethan told her to stay behind him and hide. He also said that she shouldn''t look at Sam''s state. Looking at his back, Izora felt a sense of sadness wash over her.

    She was weak. She couldn''t do anything, not in the past, not now. She gazed up at the dense canopies and felt that she was just like these branches and leaves. Entangled and messy.

    Ethan hadn''t used divine sense instead it was his awakened sixth sense that told him that there were people around him. As such, he couldn''t point out, how many, where, and what they were.

    If they were like the assassins he fought in the house then he would surely die. He had less than hundred arcane points left and his body was weak. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself optimistic and jumped up the tree, he''d take advantage of the environment.

    Fortunately Chase had also trained in light body movements, and with Hunt''s current speed and the blowing wind, he might be able to hide his presence. At least he wouldn''t be captured.

    He jumped from one branch to another, and observed that he wasn''t making that much sound. "Good," Ethan muttered.

    He then rushed to the ce where he had sensed people. Halfway through, he saw armed people, unlike the goons they were properly dressed with protective gears.

    Looking at their movements, it was clear that they were trained. Some distance away from the group where Ethan couldn''t see, he heard a female loud and clear voice, "Ethan, you don''t have to hide. We are from Mystic Control division. I am Brine division head, Avery Hebrew."

    The armed forces became alert hearing her words as they weren''t able to detect where he was. Avery''smanding voice sounded again, "Boys, stand by."

    The people immediately and orderly went back. Ethan narrowed his eyes, taking support of the tree, he thought. What should he do now? This could even be a trap for him to lower his guard, after all they had already seen what he could do.

    He said out loud, different voice, "How can you prove your identity?" And jumped to a few trees behind him.

    Avery said, "Mystic Control Division received a call from Izora Weaver half an hour ago and we got in contact many times. We have already procured the evidence left in the van and safely kept away the bomb. It was all thanks to you that we were able to you that there were no civilian causalities."

    Ethan told her toe near and show her face, changing his position once again. Who hadn''t seen Avery Hebrew''s face? But then he frowned and said, "How will you prove that what I will see is not an illusion?"

    The movements ahead stopped and instead of Avery''s voice, another female cursed. "Damn, aren''t you being too paranoid?"

    After a few moments, Avery apologized for her subordinate words and told him that she didn''t have any way to prove that it was not an illusion.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She sounded sincere but that just made Ethan even more suspicious. Maybe he was really being paranoid but he had already faced so many unexpected events in such a short period of time.

    He bit his lips and changed his ns. Instead of making them approach, he''d go near them. He could use chronostasis and psychic shield onest time. But after that? He didn''t know.

    Ethan jumped ahead, his legs trembling a little, and said, "Okay, I am trusting you in this." and added under his breath, "please be the real one. Otherwise..."

    Just then, Ethan sensed someone running from behind. Turning back he saw, it was Izora. "damn!" He cursed.

    She was being sharp so far so he didn''t ept she would throw herself in danger like this. But this was understandable, not everyone was as suspicious as Ethan; Izora was also at the end of her string.

    He heard her shout, "Ethan, I can see, it''s really Miss Avery whom I talked with."

    But Ethan didn''t move. He focused, his eyes eyes sharp, ready to use chronostasis again.

    Just then he felt like his body got electrocuted, and bingpletely stiff, he fell down.

    Ethan saw Izora throwing herself towards him and catching him, just before his head could hit the ground. There was a thud and cracking sound. The people in front were now much closer.

    But Ethan was speechless as he looked at Izora below him. Her head had collided with a rock. He could smell the disturbing smell of blood.

    "Why?"

    Izora pulled his head into her bosom and said weakly, "If you can bleed for your loved ones, why can''t I?"

    This was thest thing Ethan heard before he lost his consciousness.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Paranoid]

    ¡ºHealth: (60/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (70/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (300/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 70 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 39 Bizzare Illusions

    I had been facing many issues this week so wasn''t able to update but now I will start updating regrly. (or at least 6 more chapters in thest ten days of this month.)This chapter is also a rough draft. I''ll edit it by tomorrow and republish. Guys doment and share your thoughts!

    ***

    Ethan had a dream, a dream that he didn''t want to wake up from. In it, his mother was still alive, still hardworking and energetic as ever. She was still that kind woman who liked to make people around her happy.

    And then there was his friends, still stupid but an integral part of his life. His girl friend, Amelia, had not left him and he hadn''tmuted and sins. It was so good... that it felt unreal.

    a??????a??

    Waking up, Ethan was greeted by blinding white light. He immediately shut his eyes. He could hear the sound of horns. After adjusting to the light, he opened his eyes. Though he still felt groggy, he checked the state of his body. Then he looked at the driving seat to see a woman.

    The woman''s side profile was quite striking, with her slender figure entuated by the slight curve of her hips as she sat on the driver''s seat. Her short white hair fell in loose waves, adding to her beauty, and her facial features were delicate and feminine.

    Despite the ck blindfold partially obstructing her face, it only added to her allure, and Ethan''s mind couldn''t help but wander to what it would be like to deep-throat her. The disturbing thought startled him, and he tried to regain hisposure. After all, there were more pressing matters at hand.

    Ethan leaned back on his seat, and asked, "Can I know you name, Officer?"

    "Mystic control division, information department, Remora Kroft." She answered and then asked in an amused voice. "You believe in my identity?"

    "I have no choice but to do it." Ethan shrugged. "I mean if you were from dark moon or zero group, then I would at least have a broken limb or two."

    "Worse," Remora stated.

    His vision seemed to be getting blurry but he ignored it as he suddenly recalled thest moments before he got unconscious. "What about Izora?" he asked in rm aand concern.

    "She''s fine. Her injuries were not serious. She is in the hospital, recovering."

    "Bullshit," Ethan frowned. "I clearly remember a bone cracking sound."

    Remora chuckled, which annoyed him slightly, but her words surprised him. "To prevent her from getting seriously injured, you broke your hand."

    Ethan looked down at his hand, moving them slightly. he muttered. "They are fine though."

    "That''s the interesting part. We were taking you to hospital but then saw that your physical injuries were healing at a fast rate. So team leader decided that it''s better for you to go back to your house. There maybe questions that we want to ask you, but you helped us so taking you in custody will be bad."

    Ethan turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. "Doesn''t make sense. I mean good that you let me go, but why not wait for me to regain my consciousness?"

    Her head suddenly snapped in his direction, startling him a little. she said, "It''s strange? What about this world then?"

    What the fuck was she talking about? No, more importantly, how the fuck was she able to drive like that? What happened next dumbfounded him even more.

    The buildings and all behind her started to change shape. Ethan rubbed his eyes and looked around in disbelief. The world except the Vrions like humans, dog people etc had transformed into jigsaw like puzzle. Ethan''s mind nked out.

    He felt Remora hand on his pants, rubbing his cock that got hardened in response. She stopped the car mid highway and got out of the car. Ethan also did the same.

    Even though there was enough space on the road for other cars to go ahead, but strangely they stopped behind Remora''s car and started cursing for creating a traffic jam.

    Ethan and Remora didn''t care about this though. Remora got on her knees and unzipped his pants, letting his big member free.

    She bit her lips and started licking his shaft expertly and soon, started blowing him with passion. Her skillful tongue, warm mouth, and puckered face looked so hot.

    He grabbed her white hair and started pounding her face, his cock reaching till her throat. Remora gagged and patted on his legs, asking for him to stop but Ethan didn''t. Instead his intensity increased.

    A couple stepped out of their car and approached the two. The man looked at the erotic scene in front of him and gulped. "Aye man," He said, "Can I join too? I also want to fuck this bitch."

    Ethan snapped, "Scram." And the man burst open like a watermelon, his insides sttering everywhere except near Ethan and Remora.

    The woman next to him screamed in horror, and then ripped her clothes apart. Completely naked, she started crying and dancing, swaying her hips left and right.

    Soon more people stepped out of their cars and surrounded the woman, cheering her. The woman all of a sudden attacked a man nearest to her and ripped his clothes apart. He also howled and grief and started dancing wildly.

    Soon everyone became like this. Ethan was unconcerned though, as they were not approaching him. He continued fucking Remora''s face with wild abandon.

    Then changes appeared on Ethan too. Shimmering silver scales appeared on him, and his body becamerger. His limbs transformed into ws and a beautiful looking wing snapped out of his back, alongside a long tail that pped on the ground creating a crack.

    Ethan unruffled his wings and pped them, slowly going up the messy sky. Ethan looked down at the people, his aura full of awe and authority. His tail had circled around Remora''s waist to prevent her from falling and his hips didn''t stop moving in and out of her mouth. She was unresponsive, her limbs dangling to the side.

    The people stopped their crazy dance and fell to their knees, banging their forehead on the ground. Ethan let out a dragon like roar and all the people below got sliced apart into multiple pieces by some invisible des.

    ***

    Ethan jolted awake and cursed, "What he fuck was that?" A familiar roof greeted him. He was in a hospital.

    Ethan felt someone holding his hand. It was Remora, her face full of sweat.

    Before he could ask anything, she said, "Wait, I''ll tell you what happened."

    Ethan nodded, then saw her taking out a handkerchief and wiping her face. She sat with her back straight, her hands on her knees and said, "I am sorry, I used my ability without your permission."

    Ethan got up and sat on the edge of the bed. His mind and body felt really light and fresh so of course she didn''t have bad intentions.

    Remora looked exhausted but there was a smile on her face as she continued, "I had sensed that even though physically you were recovering fast, your state of mind was in chaos. Dark energy had surrounded you and was corrupting your spirit. So I took leader''s permission and used my ability and helped you release the energy. Otherwise I am afraid you would have be something else."

    Ethan trusted Nyx''s arrangements so he didn''t think that he would be something else, still he thanked her. He then asked in a curious voice if she could tell more about her ability. Of course if she didn''t mind. He wanted to know why he saw that messy dream.

    "It''splicated. I cannot exin the specifics but I act as an intermediate for the people and their illusion world. I have no control over what happens there. I just send and receive information."

    "Interesting." Ethan muttered and then froze. He gulped and said, "So you saw my illusion...."

    The smile on her face disappeared as she nodded.

    Ethan''s lips twitched and a heavy silence followed.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Recovering]

    ?€?Health: (70/100) [x 3]?€?

    ?€?Arcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]?€?

    ?€?Stress: (100/100)?€?

    ?€?Charm: (100/100)?€?

    ?€?Special Points: 1000?€?

    ?€?Fragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)?€?

    [Stats:]

    ?€?Strength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]?€?|?€?Agility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]?€?|?€?S. Stamina: 20 (+20)?€?

    ?€?Health RR: 4.2 [x 3]?€?|?€? Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]?€?|?€?IQ: 125 ?€?

 Chapter 40 In The Hospital Again

    Remora stood up and said, "It''s alright."

    Ethan did a double take. "Really? I mean ugh¡­"

    She smiled at him, this time it felt a bit strange and started walking towards the door. Ethan''s gaze widened as he looked at her back.

    Wearing tight pants, that emphasized her big round ass. She was really sensual. An image of her bouncing her ass on his hard cock appeared in his mind.

    He heard her say, "Stop having dirty thoughts ande with me."

    Remora looked back, her lips still curled up. Ethan scratched his head, feeling a bit bewildered. Why was he feeling so horny at the moment? This was what Nyx meant by not being able to control his thoughts? Ethan had a strong feeling that there was more to this.

    As for her noticing this, he gazed down, his dick was not hard so that meant it must be rted to what she had said earlier. She could sense the energy surrounding people. As for what exactly this energy was, of course, Ethan didn''t know.

    What Ethan found the best was that he didn''t have the sense of urgency and stress that haunted him like thirty minutes ago. He would first make sure about something with Remora and then call Sasha. Only then would he contact Scarlett or Dn.

    The order of events just proved his selfishness. He sighed.

    Ethan got up and followed after her. He greeted the familiar doctors and nurses, who had a strange gaze but still responded back.

    Then he turned to Remora and asked, "You will tell everything to the team leader? I mean the illusion scenes?"

    "Why are you asking the obvious?" Remora asked back, her unchanging smile now creeping him out a bit.

    She suddenly chuckled. "Don''t worry. I won''t say anything. And in truth, the leader doesn''t ask me the content of the illusions unless it is important information."

    "Or some person who is suspicious of you guys." Ethan said.

    Seeing Remora nod, he added, "Like me."

    As they took the corner, Remora suddenly stopped and turned towards him. "Don''t think you are someone important."

    "¡­"

    "Yes, it''s pretty nice that you survived the attack of those people but that doesn''t make you some hotshot."

    Ethan didn''t get angry or feel bad because of that, instead he chuckled. "That''s good to hear."

    Even though Remora felt a bit weird, she was still approachable and friendly. Because of the things that happened, Ethan dide under their radar but it was good to hear that he wasn''t treated differently.

    As if pouring cold water on him, Remora licked her lips and said, "Unless I specifically tell my observation to the leader."

    Ethan pressed his lips in a thin line. He took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want?"

    "I¡­" Remora paused and then looked away, saying the rest in a whisper. "I want to feel the same."

    [Remora Kroft''s Interest: +20]

    Seeing the familiar screen in front of him and the tinge of redness on her face, Ethan was speechless¡ªonly for a moment¡ªbeforeing to a conclusion. She wanted to be dominated just like in the illusion.

    Ethan didn''t know what to feel about this. Well, maybe it was good that he could shut her mouth with his dick.

    He shook his head and went near her, asking, "In illusion you said that I can leave so can I? Or do I have to meet Miss Avery first?"

    It was amazing that Remora''s expression turned to normal when she was just blushing. She said, "No, you don''t have to meet leader."

    "Where are we going now?"

    Remora cocked her head to the side. "So cold of you. You don''t even want to see Izora and Sydney?"

    Sydney was also here? They worked fast enough. He grumbled under his breath, "If you were this fast when I needed help, that would have been great." And then said, "I want to make an urgent call. Izora and Sydney are safe so meeting them can wait. It''s not like the call will take much time."

    "Alright," saying so, Remora took out his phone from her pocket. "I have already charged it."

    Ethan thanked her and walked to the nearby staircase.

    He saw that he had many missed calls and messages from Sasha, his stepmother, stepfather, and even from Mia.

    He called Sasha. It rang for not even five seconds when Sasha picked it up.

    "E-ethan?" Her choking voice sounded.

    Ethan was pretty calm but now he didn''t know why but tears fell down his face. He wiped them off and tried to speak in a normal voice. "I am sorry, Sasha. I-I am fine so don''t worry about me."

    "I saw¡­ saw a picture going viral. It was a picture of a man who looked like you.. blood all over his face. It was scary. I was so scared. Are you really fine? Where are you?" Sasha sobbed. "I really want to see you, Ethan."

    ''Nyx, you scammed me again,'' Ethan thought. He felt like he was losing control. Just listening to her voice made him feel so emotional.

    "I also want to meet you, Sasha." He said, "Where are you? I''ll quickly get there."

    "I am with Sara. In the park near my house."

    "Can you wait for me for some more time? I''ll try to quickly get there."

    Sasha seemed to have calmed down a little as her voice was not that sad now. She said, "now that I know you are safe. I am fine. I''ll wait."

    After disconnecting the phone, he wiped his wet face and turned to Remora who was silently standing behind him. Even before he asked, she said, "All the people in the list we got from you are under safe monitor of our agents."

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Recovering]

    ¡ºHealth: (70/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 41 Crazy

    Ethan nodded at Remora before turning to her and asking, "Do you mind waiting a bit longer? I need to make a call home."

    Remora replied with a simple "Sure," and Ethan hesitated for a moment before dialing Mia''s number. After a few rings, she picked up with an irritated tone, "Where are you, you dumb fuck?"

    Ethan winced at her words before getting straight to the point. "Mia, did Mom and Dad see that picture that''s going viral?"

    "They did," she confirmed.

    Ethan''s heart sank, and he quickly asked, "Can you handle it? I don''t want to worry them."

    Mia scoffed at him, calling him a "retard" before adding, "I''ve already calmed them down about the picture. They were just worried about not being able to reach you. Okay, Mom wants to talk to you now."

    Ethan took the phone, hearing his stepmother''s angry voice on the other end. "Ethan? Why haven''t you been answering our calls? Where are you?"

    He could sense the disappointment and frustration in her voice as she continued, "You just got out of the hospital, and you''re already acting like this? You need to take better care of yourself, Ethan."

    "Mom, please listen to me. I''m okay," Ethan said, quicklying up with a story. "I was on my way home, and I ran into an old ssmate who I haven''t seen in years. We got to talking, and then he invited some other people to celebrate my recovery. I''m sorry I didn''t let you know earlier, but when I went to call, my phone died."

    Scarlett didn''t sound convinced. "Can you prove it? Let me talk to your friend."

    Ethan''s mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. Should he get angry and confrontational, or try to be calm and rational? He couldn''t decide.

    Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Remora was holding out her hand, asking for the phone. Ethan hesitated, but then decided to hand it over.

    He saw her smile widen, which made him nervous. He wondered why he had given her the phone, as he wouldn''t normally do such a thing.

    Later as they walked to Izora''s room. Ethan let out another sigh. Remora was able to handle it perfectly. But in the end, she hinted that they were dating. Scarlett would have caught on that and now there was a misunderstanding.

    He nced at her side profile, her smile annoyed him. He had a sudden urge to punch her face.

    She chuckled, "Having violent thoughts now?"

    Ethan shook his head and stayed silent. After reaching the room where Izora was admitted, Ethan saw Sydney from the door''s ss.

    Sydney appeared to be younger than her actual age of thirteen, with her small stature and her head bowed down as she sat beside Izora. Her yellow ears, which matched the color of her hair, were drooping, adding to the sense of frailty that emanated from her.

    Ethan''s blood boiled with rage as he thought about the disgusting intentions those fuckers had towards the young girl. The killing intent surged through him, simr to when he activated his berserk ability.

    Suddenly, he turned to Remora and spoke in a low voice, asking if he could see the bastard who had caused the girl''s suffering.

    Remora shook her head, leaving Ethan feeling helpless and infuriated. She sensed a dense, murderous red-ck energy swirling around him, and a thought popped into her mind. Was she crazy? As she ''looked'' at Ethan, she felt something change inside her.

    "It''s your fault," she murmured, sensing the intense energy emanating from Ethan. It had awakened something inside her, just like the changing energy that symbolized his intense thoughts.

    Remora stepped closer to Ethan and whispered, "You can take out your anger on me."

    The fiery red energy surrounding him changed, and a hint of creamy white appeared in it, mixing with the rage to be something strange, something erotic. Remora was excited by it.

    Ethan closed his eyes and replied, "Don''t be crazy."

    Remora purred, "It''s okay. You can use my virgin body to calm down. We don''t have much time, so be as rough as you want and finish quickly."

    ''I must be going insane,'' Remora thought. Something was definitely wrong here. But first, she had to calm the fire burning inside her.

    Ethan''s grip on her wrists was like a vice as he forcefully dragged her up the staircase. Once they were on the rooftop, he used his divine sense to scan the area, and finding no one, he proceeded to take her to the spot with the camera''s blind spot.

    He pushed her against the wall, wrapping his fingers tightly around her throat as he began to choke her. "What the hell have you done to me, you bitch?!" he growled, unleashing the power of Devil''s Whisper upon her.

    ording to the description, his words could open the hidden desires and thoughts of the other person.

    Ethan was well aware of his own sexual desires and how much he loathed people like the man who had bought Sydney. However, he knew he could never let himself lose control to the point of being consumed by lust or rage, even if seduced by a woman.

    It was clear that something was seriously wrong, and Nyx''s warning about hisck of control was not enough to exin the intensity of his emotions. It had to be Remora who had done something to him.

    Remora''splexion drained of color, and she didn''t resist, instead, she spoke in a strange, raspy voice, "I... I didn''t do anything. I... myself don''t know what is wrong with me." Her face contorted with an unsettling mixture of pain and pleasure.

    Tears streamed down her face, but there was something off about them, as if they were tears of joy. "I don''t know why I... really really like the way you choke me~." Her words wereced with a sense of desperation and arousal that made the hairs on the back of Ethan''s neck stand up.

    "Crazy bitch," Ethan snarled, his eyes shing with rage as he let her go. Remora''s hands flew to her neck, struggling to gasp for air. She coughed violently, her body convulsing with each spasm.

    Ethan''s fury boiled over, and he bared his teeth, feeling like a wild animal. He clenched his fist so tight his knuckles turned bone-white, and then he let loose, delivering a savage punch to her gut.

    The impact was sickening, and Remora''s body contorted in agony as she let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed into the night. The pain was excruciating, a white-hot fire that seared through her gut and left her gasping for air.

    Her body shook with each heaving breath, and tears streamed down her face, mixing with the sweat that ran down her skin. Ethan stood there, his chest heaving as he stared up at the cloudy sky, feeling like he was losing his mind. The violence had consumed him, a crazed frenzy that had taken hold and refused to let go.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Extreme Chaotic Thoughts]

    ¡ºHealth: (75/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 42 Electrifying

    What should he do to calm down? Ethan closed his eyes and tried to think. His head was filled with many alternating thoughts. Once he thought of brutally murdering that bastard, the other time he thought of fucking Remora hard. He also thought of wanting to see Sasha again as soon as possible.

    No, he couldn''t see Sasha in this state. What if he harmed her? He bit his lips. Just then he heard Remora''s groan. He opened his eyes and silently stared at her.

    Ethan''s eyes were fixed on Remora''s wide, curved backside as shey groaning on the ground. Her position stirred something primal within him, and he felt his groin twitch in response.

    A thought flickered through his mind - he could use her body to distract himself from his worries about Sasha. But a lingering sense of guilt over the punch he had impulsively thrown held him back. He wavered.

    Just then he heard her say, almost in a moaning voice, "Ethan, you idiot~."

    That made him make the decision. He first went and locked the door, preventing anyone from entering and then helped her stand up. She had to take his support to keep standing. He ced his hand on her stomach and used a soul link for the first time.

    It was an ability where he could link a person''s soul to something called ethereal anvil which was made of soul energy. He didn''t have much understanding of it but he instinctively knew what he had to do. In the end, he would either be able to transmit pain or pleasure to the soul.

    Right now, Remora was in physical pain and this ability would give her soul pleasure so Ethan didn''t know if it would work but he still tried to do it.

    After giving in to one of his chaotic thoughts, Ethan found himself strangely calmer than before. He couldn''t help but make a sound of disapproval at the realization that he could have gone to Sasha without hesitation if he had known this earlier.

    After a few moments, Ethan stopped touching her stomach and a ball of golden light appeared above his palm.

    Remora muttered with heaving heavily, "What is this?"

    "You can see this?" If people could see the ball then Ethan would have to use this more cautiously in the future.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á §«?¦Í¨º|,§ã¨°§® "Yes, but as it is made of soul energy, only people like me will be able to see it." She turned her face and their lips almost grazed together. Her breath felt warm as she said, "This golden ball of light seems to be in link with me. I can''t understand how you did it."

    Ethan didn''t reply and willed the ball of light to enter his body. He could feel a sense of connection with Remora.

    Ethan spoke in a soft tone, "You are not angry that I punched you?"

    Remora let out a sigh and answered, "Oddly, no."

    Ethan cracked a smile, "I guess that makes the two of us crazy."

    Remora chuckled as well, "Yes, something is definitely wrong with our heads."

    Ethan''s thoughts then drifted towards Remora''s body. As he applied pressure to her abdomen, a wave of pleasure washed over her, causing her body to quiver and a sexy moan to escape her lips. She gasped, "What''s happening to me?!"

    Remora was twitching so much that Ethan felt like he had done something wrong. Her soft whimpers, however, made his erection harder, and he really wanted to have sex with her.

    "Oh, why does this feel so good?" Remora cried out, clutching Ethan''s arms tightly. "Please...stop...I feel weird. The pain has stopped, and something is happening to my body."

    Ethan ignored her pleas and aggressively grabbed her breast, feeling their weight and softness in his hands. He couldn''t resist giving them a firm squeeze before moving his hand down to her lower region.

    His touch was rough, but it was clear that she was enjoying it. As he continued, he could hear her moans and gasps of pleasure, driving him to push further.

    Oddly, Ethan''s mind wandered to other things, even during this intense forey. Shouldn''t this distraction be enough to stop him? Maybe he should stop this and just have sex with her. As he touched her through her clothing, her moans became louder and more pleasurable. Finally, he couldn''t take it anymore, and he stepped back, releasing her from his grasp.

    Remora fell to her knees, her face flushed red. With one swift motion, he loosened the hospital pants and pulled out his throbbing cock. Remora''s breath caught in her throat as she realized what was about to happen.

    Ethan''s voice was heavy andmanding as he spoke. "Didn''t you want to be dominated? Now bend over and show me that slutty ass of yours."

    With trembling hands, Remora hurriedly removed her pants and bent over, pressing her palms against the cool wall. She could feel her heart racing with anticipation as she presented herself to Ethan. "Please, take me," she begged, her voice thick with desire.

    Without any hesitation, he grabbed her moist panties and shoved them into her mouth, muffling her moans of ecstasy. As he plunged into her virgin pussy, Remora was ovee by a potent mix of pleasure and pain, electrifying her entire body.

    Her mouth fell open, and the panties slipped out. It was a sensation she had never felt before, but one that she craved deeply. Every nerve in her body was alive with excitement. The wind blew through her hair, enhancing the thrill of the moment, as she submitted herself entirely to Ethan''s desires.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Extreme Chaotic Thoughts]

    ¡ºHealth: (75/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 43 Fall

    Remora felt her pussy stretch by Ethan''s huge cock. The sensation was overwhelming - pain mixed with pleasure as Ethan started pounding her relentlessly. Remora''s moans echoed off the walls of the rooftop as her body shuddered with each thrust. Her ass jiggled with every impact, and she relished in the raw, unbridled power of Ethan''s dominance over her.

    As he spanked her, the sound of flesh against flesh filled the air. Remora''s skin burned with the impact, but she couldn''t get enough. She orgasmed over and over, her body writhing with pleasure as Ethan took her to new heights of ecstasy.

    Finally, with a deep grunt, Ethan came inside her. As he pulled out, Remora''s legs gave way beneath her, and she fell to the ground. A mess of thick cum and blood oozed out of her pussy, a testament to the raw, unbridled passion that had just taken ce.

    Remora finally felt the heat inside of her calm down as she felt her body twitch. She gasped for breath as she tried to think of the reason behind all this. Yes, she enjoyed the hardcore sex but finding out the reason behind all this was more important.

    She turned to Ethan and asked, "Have you calmed dow¨C," her words got caught in between as she gulped.

    Ethan stood there looking at her with wide eyes, his cock still hard. Remora felt a sense of danger and fear. She could sense the intermingling energies of different colors surrounding Ethan.

    That only meant that his thoughts were so messed up and entangled that he could do anything. A golden screen appeared in front of him and he touched and examined it, deep in thought.

    She was about to say something when she saw Ethan take many steps back and then her white hair flew with a whoosh as Ethan charged towards her with incredible speed.

    Remora gasped in horror as the speed was so fast that her trained ''eyes'' couldn''t follow. At that moment, the golden screen appeared in front of her and Ethan collided with it.

    He bounced a few steps back and nodded to himself. Remora''s jaw dropped as she saw Ethan running around and colliding with the screen, kicking it, punching it, and even headbutting it with incredible speed.

    His weird act seemed to have worked like charm on her as she somehow no longer felt the fear she had for him like a minute ago, she asked him, "Have you gone mad?"

    Ethan didn''t answer her question and said, "I am going to do something. Don''t move and react much. I''ll be fine."

    Remora was confused. What the hell would he do now? She said, "Well, my legs are still weak so I won''t be able to stand up for now. Do whatever you want."

    Then what she saw made her eyes behind the mask almost pop out. Ethan dressed himself up, ran to the corner and jumped from the roof.

    "..."

    She looked up at the dark cloudy night, thinking, ''Well, he said he''ll be fine so no need to react much¡­. Fuck you, Ethan!!!!!''

    Ethan boost was still active so he used his enhanced divine sense to check the surroundings and jumped down when there was no one in the area.

    In a few seconds, he would hit the ground. The psychic shield appeared underneath him. This was his n. It was not suicide. He had already tested that the psychic shield would absorb the most damage and he wouldn''t die even if he jumped from an eight story building. Of course, his body strength and all was also high because of his berserk ability. He wondered when this boost would be over.

    Even after fucking Remora, he felt like shit. He had a huge urge to fuck her¡­ untill she died. This disturbed him a lot. Also the fact that Sasha was waiting for him and he was having sex with another woman troubled him a lot.

    He had to do something of his damned thoughts and that was when he thought of the soul link ability he was using on Remora. More importantly, the fact that it could give pleasure¡­ or pain.

    He could help but recall the word of Simon, the man who had taught him a lot in his previous life.

    The world only knew pain. If he wanted to live, he had to learn to embrace it. That was the only way to find the strength to endure the agony and maybe find the truth.

    Simon used to say many things, and they were either hit or miss. His talk about pain was something Ethan understood¨Cexcept the truth part¨C because of life experiences, but couldn''t implement it.

    Right now, he decided that If pleasure didn''t work, then he''d use pain to stop himself. Normally, Ethan wouldn''t do something so foolish like jumping from a rooftop but he was not normal right now.

    His impulsive action of punching Remora was proof of that. Now he''d shock his body and mind by the fall and get normal. Just before his body collided with the psychic shield, and he lost his consciousness, he thought, ''I sure have be crazy.''

    After an unknown time, he found himself t on the ground. Besides his body feeling a bit, he didn''t feel much pain. That was a good sign.

    He got up and dusted himself. Ethan ignored the screen that showed.

    [Health: -15]

    That was when he saw his phone lying beside him,pletely broken. His lips twitched.

    "Anyways," he picked it up and started walking back to the hospital. His legs felt heavy but still he felt a lot better. His mind was not filled with fucked up things.

    "Embracing pain really helped me, Simon," Ethan muttered. He used soul link on himself. It wouldst for five days and Nyx would be back the next day still Ethan didn''t think it was a loss.

    If he went wild again, he''d just use this ability. That thought made him freeze. Why the fuck didn''t he use it before? Ethan sighed and rubbed his temples, "Seems like I have be dumb too."

    That made him chuckled as he recalled Simon berating him. He couldn''t help but reminisce about the time they met for the first time.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Chaotic Thoughts]

    ¡ºHealth: (60/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 44 Simon

    On Earth, in the outskirts of the city of New Ork, Ethan gazed out the car window, taking in the sight of the secludedmunity. The houses were enormous, their walls made of sturdy brick or stone and their windows lined with ck steel bars.

    Each residence was surrounded by a high wall or fence, and several had gates with imposing metal spikes. The streets were wide and well-paved, lined with carefully trimmed trees andndscaped gardens. Ethan noted that there were no parked cars on the street and only a few people walking around.

    As they approached themunity center, Ethan saw that it was a spacious building with arge open area in front, surrounded by benches and flowerbeds.

    Ethan sighed. So this was where his new life would begin.

    "Ethan, I really don''t think this is a good idea,'''' A voice broke him out of his thoughts.

    Ethan turned to face his friend, Henry who was on the driving seat. The thin office worker looked worried as he nced back at Ethan. Henry had a sharp nose and thin lips that were currently pressed together in a concerned frown. His short ck hair was slicked back neatly, and his sses glinted in the light.

    He smiled. "I have told you many times that my decision is final."

    "Ethan, not even ten days have passed since you got out of jail. Now you will participate in something dangerous again."

    Ethan shook his head. "What else do you think I should do? I¡­ I had killed him."

    Henry bit his lips. "It was an ident."

    Ethan looked ahead. "He still died. And even if you say so, you also know it was my fault. If I had more control over myself it wouldn''t have happened." He sighed sadly. "Amelia wouldn''t have left me."

    "..."

    "And that led me to see how bad this world could be. The corruption of the police, the twisted mind of those criminals. Staying there, I decided I had to do something. I¡­ I won''t be able to ignore what I have experienced."

    At that moment, someone knocked on Ethan''s side. Henry''s face became tense, and Ethan turned to see a young ck man standing beside the car. The man wore a crisp white shirt that was tucked into his jeans, and he had a ck leather jacket slung over his shoulder.

    He tried to make himself look dangerous, with a scowl on his face and a slightly hunched posture, but in reality, he looked kind of funny. His curly hair was styled in a way that made it look like he had just rolled out of bed.

    Ethan lowered the window and asked, "Yes?"

    The man sneered. "I should ask you that. What the hell are you doing here?"

    "I am here to see Simon."

    The ck man looked at him in contempt and said, "You want to meet the leader? You don''t have the qualification. I am his left hand man, Andre. Tell me. Oh and first get out of the car."

    Ethan nodded and was about to get out when Henry called out. "Ethan¡­"

    Andre replied instead of him. "You chipmunk, stop being a woman and get out."

    Henry exchanged a quick nce with Ethan and both of them stepped out of the car.

    After Ethan told Andre that he was the one who had killed Marcus and wanted to meet Simon, Henry almost died of shock. Wasn''t it asking for a bullet in his head?

    Marcus was part of their group! To his surprise, Andre burst outughing. "You sure have gutsing here. Great! I like you."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    Andre stepped closer and said, "Follow me," before turning on his heel and striding off down the street. Ethan and Henry followed him, Henry especially feeling uneasy as they passed groups of rough-looking men loitering on street corners.

    Ethan nced at Henry, even without saying anything he signaled him to go back but Henry shook his head.

    Suddenly Andre stopped and let out an oh. He turned around and checked their bodies for any hidden weapon.

    Then Ethan and Henry followed Andre into the backyard of the simple looking house. A group of ten rough-looking men gathered there looked like they had seen their fair share of action, with scars and tattoos crisscrossing their skin.

    In the center of the group sat Simon, a bald man who exuded an air of quiet authority. He was casually smoking a cigar on a rocking chair. As they approached, Simon''s gaze lingered on them for a moment, as if assessing their worth.

    Simon''s dark skin glistened in the afternoon sun. He was a middle-aged man with a noticeable paunch, and he wore a simple white shirt and khaki pants. Despite hisck of imposing physical stature, there was a quiet authority about him thatmanded respect.

    Andre went near and whispered in his ears. Seeing a frown forming on Simon''s face, Henry tensed even more and even Ethan felt a bit ufortable. He had heard a lot about this vignte and that he was a figure who one could freely talk to. This vignte group was the biggest and most popr in the city, other groups also operated thanks to their support.

    Simon was known for his sense of judgment and Marcus wasn''t that popr in the group because of his personality. But what if that was false and he really did shoot them without any talk? That was why he didn''t want Henry toe with him but Henry was really stubborn.

    Then Ethan and Henry watched in surprise as Simon suddenly pped Andre''s head and pushed him away. "Stop acting like a hotshot, you brat," he scolded. "These two could have introduced themselves."

    Andre pouted, but Simon''s stern look silenced him. "Stay back," Simon snorted, then added, "For beingte, you''ll be punished."

    The rest of the group sniggered, finding amusement in Andre''s imminent punishment.

    Ethan and Henry stood silently as Simon turned his attention back to them, his gaze piercing.

    "What brings you here?" he asked, his voice low and serious.

    Ethan took a few moments before taking a deep breath and speaking. "I was the one who killed Marcus, and I want to rece him in his work. I want to be a vignte."

    The words Ethan spoke seemed to hang in the air, and he felt the weight of the group''s judgmental stares upon him. Simon''s expression remained unreadable as he considered Ethan''s request.

    The silence was deafening, and Ethan could almost feel the group''s disapproval, their eyes fixed on him as if he were a fool. Yet, despite the overwhelming pressure, no one spoke, and the tension continued to mount as they waited for Simon''s response.

    "Alright," Simon said. Andre protested, "Leader!"

    Simon growled. "Shut up. This is a serious matter."

    Simon then barked orders to his men, who quickly scurried off to bring ta tied up man. Henry''s heart raced as he watched them approach with the struggling figure, confusion etched on his face. Meanwhile, Ethan tried to keep calm. Simon directed the men to make the man kneel at a distance, then turned to Ethan with a stern expression.

    He handed Ethan a gun, and everyone collectively gasped in shock. One of the men even whispered, "What is he doing?" under his breath.

    Simon seemed unfazed by their reactions as he continued, "Marcus was our best shooter. If you want to rece him, you''ll have to prove yourself. You''ll have to shoot that man."

    Ethan''s hands shook as he hesitated, looking from Simon to the tied up man and back again. The group surrounded Simon protectively, ready to react if Ethan tried anything rash. "Go ahead," Simon urged, his voice cold andmanding. "Prove yourself."

 Chapter 45 Smile

    "Calm down boys," Simon said, walking out of their protection. The men were dumbfounded by his actions but they obliged with his order.

    Simon took the gun from Ethan, cocked it, and gave it back. "Now you only have to aim and press the trigger." He said.

    "Y-you are telling me to kill him?" Ethan asked.

    Simon shrugged, "If you aim at his head or heart, then of course, you will kill him. In the end, it''s your choice."

    Simon nced at frozen Henry, and then back at the pale Ethan. "Let me help you," he said, his voice clear. "This man is a criminal."

    "B-but I ...." Ethan was already regrettinging here. More importantly, Henry also got involved in this mess.

    "Ethan, I know you were in prison for some time, so you already saw what these damned criminals were up close. You wanted to join our group to get rid of them, didn''t you?"

    Ethan shook his head. He never nned and would never kill again.

    "Let me tell you a story." Simon said slowly. "Many years ago, I had once let one young man go. He had joined that bastard''s group quite recently at that time and had not done anything wrong. So I let him go."

    Simon''s voice got lower and threatening. "A few dayster, I found out that man had killed an innocent girl while escaping from some thugs."

    There was a deathly silence. Simon''s words were like a devil whisper as he said, "So do it. Press the trigger and shoot him. This man has done worse than the bastard I let go. He has killed many innocent people. You won''t be jailed again, don''t worry. All you have to do is pull the trigger to prove yourself."

    He lightly patted on Ethan''s shoulder. "But if you can''t do it, get ready to face consequences."

    Ethan gazed nkly at the man who had terrified eyes. Just then Henry shouted, "I''ll do it!" His voice breaking him out of his stupor.

    The group turned their attention to him, his face was deathly pale and full of sweat, but there was a determination in his eyes. "Please let Ethan go. I''ll do it."

    Simon raised his brows. "Oh?"

    Simon saw Ethan shaking his head so he stepped back and looked at them in amusement. Ethan turned to look at Simon, his eyes no longer clouded with confusion. He said, "I''ll not shoot him."

    Simon''s smile didn''t tter, instead it widened as he said, "Then you ready to face the consequences?"

    Ethan shook his head and bent down to ce the pistol down. Ethan violently attacked the kneeling man by kicking him in the liver with full force

    Ethan was unfazed by the man''s crying and convulsions, turning instead to meet Simon''s gaze. Simon calmly picked up the pistol, aimed it at Ethan, and pulled the trigger.

    a??e???a??

    Ethan walked back up to the hospital roof. He wondered how the hospital surveince team would be reacting right now because of his impulsive and shitty decision.

    Ethan shook his head and thought of the past. At that time, the gun had no bullets. Simon said that he was not a fool to give a weapon to a guy he just met.

    Simon had psychologically yed with the inexperienced Ethan. He had pressured him to do something he didn''t want to. But in the end, Etan passed the test.

    Simon didn''t want a man who could kill. He wanted a man who could handle pressure and make decisions correctly or at least not make the worst decisions.

    Joining that group of people was Ethan''s one of the best choices. He started to miss them and sighed. After reaching the rooftop, he saw Remora properly dressed up, looking at the distance.

    He heard her say, "Revived from the dead?"

    Ethan shrugged, walked beside her and said, "It was a really bad decision."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    "At least it worked."

    Ethan asked if she could do something about the surveince team. She agreed and then both of them became silent.

    After a few moments, Ethan turned to Remora and said, "I''ll quickly go and check on Izora and Sydney. After that we can discuss the weird stuff happening."

    "Mhh." Remora said, her expression unreadable in the silent night. She suddenly asked, "You are not going to ask if I am okay?"

    Ethan felt awkward. He hesitated and asked, "Are you okay?"

    "You tore my pussy apart."

    "..."

    Remora suddenly turned towards him andughed out loud for the first time. She cooed, "Just kidding~," and pulled Ethan down to kiss him.

    She was clumsy but tried her best to suck on his lips. After they separated, she smiled.

    Later they were again in front of Izora''s room. Before they entered, Remora told Ethan that when they brought Sydney she was clearly hungry but she still hadn''t eaten anything. Maybe he could help with it.

    As they entered the room, Sydney turned to look at them. Despite her puffy eyes and tired appearance, she still managed to look cute and beautiful, with all the best physical traits of her mother.

    She stood up and bowed deeply to Ethan, thanking him for helping her mother. Ethan helped her up and replied, "Your mother helped me too. We''re here for each other."

    Ethan turned to look at Izora. Though she was hospitalized because of overexerting herself, still she looked peaceful to him while sleeping on the bed.

    It made him feel calm and at peace after what felt like eternity. Ethan unconsciously touched Sydney''s head and softly rubbed her hair. He was d that at least he was able to make them together once again.

    [Stress: -10]

    Sydney didn''t want to leave her mom so they softly talked beside her. Actually there was not much to talk about or more like Ethan didn''t know what to say to her. Meanwhile Remora was having fun looking at Ethan like this. He felt so cute to her.

    [Remora Kroft''s Interest: +15]

    Sitting on the chair beside the bed, Sydney suddenly said, "Uncle Ethan"

    "Mmh?"

    She softly continued. "Actually I sensed that something was off. But then I thought that it was an adult''s problem. My mom should be able to handle it. I just had to focus on my studies and make her proud. That''s what I thought."

    Her gaze was clear, and her words even more so. "I had once watched something on a TV show. The TV show talked about life choices. Something about listening to our heart. Only now did I understand the meaning behind it." She took a deep breath and dered. "I will not let anyone hurt my mom again so I will be powerful enough to protect her."

    Ethan and Remora were left stunned. They knew that this little girl was serious. Remora muttered unconsciously, "I think the right choice is always the one thates from your heart. Even if it''s something scary or seems impossible, if you listen to your heart, you''ll know what to do."

    Ethan turned to look at her in doubt. She whispered, "It''s the quote from the TV show Sydney mentioned. It''s a pretty popr one." She looked over at the girl and sighed, "Such a good child."

    Ethan nodded in agreement, and once again, he affectionately rubbed Sydney''s head. Sydney turned to look at him and smiled for the first time.

    Ethan couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief wash over him as he saw the bright smile on her face. It was like all of the struggles and hardships he had faced over the past few hours had suddenly be worth it.

    Just as he was basking in the warmth of the moment, a system message appeared before him. It read, "The heir is on the brink of a life-changing epiphany."

 Chapter 46 Linking Together

    ?

    A car dashed through the city highway, in the backseat, Ethan gazed at the twinkling lights of buildings in the dark night.

    Though they only talked for sometime, Ethan and Sydney seemed to have formed a repo. He was able to persuade her to eat something and rest. After that, he left the room after giving onest look to the sleeping beauty.

    Remora then prepared clothes for him, she had someone buy the same clothes he had worn before. She even arranged a driver and was currently sitting beside him, silently looking at her mobile.

    It was clear that she wouldn''t let him go until she got her answers and also that she had some say in the mystic control division.

    After meeting Sydney, he had felt a bit calm but then her words stuck something inside of him. The system message was clear proof of that.

    "Listen to my heart," Ethan muttered under his breath. Ethan mused over it and felt that first he had to take care of his wild thoughts that had fogged his mind. But how?

    He first had to know what it was and where he got it from. He turned to Remora and asked softly, "You have any idea what affected us?"

    Remora stopped fiddling on her phone and told the driver not to listen to their conversation in an ordering tone. The man obliged and took out earbuds, and inserted them in his ears.

    Ethan blinked and questioned, "You have a high post in the division?"

    Remora chuckled. "No. It''s just that the leader likes me and I take advantage of it. Of course, I can not go too far, otherwise the leader will just kick me out no matter how likable I am or what my ability is."

    Remora then spoke seriously, "I don''t know what exactly it is but after thinking about it, I am sure that it affected our soul and not our physical body." She then groaned. "If I didn''t help you then I wouldn''t have been affected by it."

    Ethan asked another question. "Why did your pain stop when I used my ability on you? Let me tell you, it doesn''t have healing capability and is just for pleasure¡­ and pain."

    When he said pain, he saw her licking her lips. As if not knowing that she did that, Remorained, "Why are you going off track?"

    Ethan shrugged and leaned back. "My thoughts are messed up. All different shits are piled in my poor brain. For example, I am thinking about your breast size."

    "Oh," Remora said, "it''s a C cup¡­ anyways your ability to give pain and pleasure should be psychic. My body is a bit special and psychic stuff is a lot more effective on me."

    "Mmh. So I can kill you right now if I want to."

    "Yeah, that''s a bit scary to be honest." She said calmly. She must have some countermeasures with her, anyways. Ethan went back to thinking about this ''weird thing that affected them''.

    It was something that he got after Nyx was no longer active. There was a high probability that it was Sam.

    When he inquired about it with Remora, she quickly guessed that Sam was the culprit but unfortunately, she didn''t know much about this matter. Sam''s body was too messed up and taken for further investigation.

    "Can you tell me more about the dark moon group?" Ethan pressed, "I am of course not asking for confidential things but something that you can share."

    "Mmh.." Remora said, after a brief thought. "I don''t think that telling you their crimes will be of any help. But let me tell you that your brother, Derek Dawson is an integral part of that group. And yeah, the bomb in the van was remote controlled."

    Ethan got stunned¡ªonly for a few moments¡ªas he knew that Derek could be a criminal, and he did be one.

    Ethan snorted at Remora. "He is not my brother." and then asked. "Did he get caught?"

    "No."

    If it was Derek of the past then Ethan knew that he wouldn''t target anyone else but him. That was how egoistical he was. But currently he doesn''t know. People changed with time after all.

    Sensing his worry, Remora said, "The leader has already increased the security in your area but still, I will rmend you to some trusted organization where you can get security. You just need to have enough money."

    Ethan nodded, a bit grateful to her and closed his eyes. He tried to filter out important stuff from his messy thoughts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Things were starting to link together. Like how they found out about his identity. Derek knew that Chase hated police to the core, so his decision of going to police must have surprised and alerted him a lot. So he triggered the bomb, not to kill Ethan but to get rid of Sam.

    But because of his sudden new ability, Ethan knew what would happen, and Sam got in the hands of mystic control division. Sam affected him with something and the way he had attacked him made him feel like some zombie.

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Ethan linked this trait with the Rave virus and then with the assassins who had attacked him. Normally, he wouldn''t think of it in such a way. But right now, his train of thoughts weren''t normal.

    Wait, if Sam was somehow linked with those assassins; it meant that the dark moon was also linked with Zero.

    Ethan shook his head. That wasn''t important right now. What was important was how he got infected by Sam. He hadn''te in contact with his blood then how? Maybe just being around the transformed him got Ethan infected?

    Ethan''s eyes suddenly snapped open as he asked Remora in a sense of urgency. "Was Izora also affected by this? I know you can tell that."

    Remora gulped and didn''t answer him promptly. She thought about any and every hint, as by his reaction, she knew that he''d do something to her if she answered wrongly.

    In the end, she shook her head and said, "No, she is fine. Both physically and spiritually, she is unaffected. I have seen her blood report as well as the energy surrounding her."

    Ethan felt confused, then how? He wisely decided to let this go. Then the next question, what could he do to stop this shit.

    What did Ethan have? Of course, it was system. So he opened the system screen in hope of finding something that could help him, also taking a note that he would explore everything about it in detailter on.

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    ¡ºHealth: (63/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000 ?¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

    Everything was the same in the status screen, besides a new symbol in the special points. Ethan willed and information about it appeared in front of him. It was a message from Nyx.

    [Nyx: Ethan, I don''t know how but something happened and I got corrupted. I''ll have to fix it so it will take some more time for me to get back. Don''t worry about me. I changed a few things and now you will be able to use special points to create abilities until I get back.

    Don''t worry, it will not be difficult. You just need to think about what you want in detail after pressing on the symbol. Then the system will prompt you with the number of special points it will consume.

    If it will require more points than you have then you will be prompted to ept if the system can make changes ordingly and lower the cost. As you know, the system is really friendly so as long as you don''t think with your dick then everything will be alright. ^^ ]

 Chapter 47 Illusion World

    ?

    Sitting beside Ethan, Remora became stunned as she ''saw'' a rectangle of bright golden color appear in front of Ethan. It was so bright that it stung her eyes, even her protective eye mask couldn''t stop the bright light from harming her.

    The burning pain was too much and brought bad memories making Remora cry out in pain, "Ethan, stop what you are doing. It-it''s so painful!"

    Ethan frowned and closed the system screen. Remora''s chest heaved as she gasped for breath. Just a few seconds, and she felt a pain that she never wanted to experience again. It scared her.

    Ethan asked, "Are you fine? This gave you pain?" Saying so, he made the screen appear again and Remora gasped, her hand tightly grasping Ethan.

    "Bastard," she cursed. From the corner of his eyes, Ethan saw the driver sneaking looks through the rear window so he closed the screen. He was only testing and wouldn''t do it again.

    Still he came, held her hand and gently rubbed it. He softly requested, "Remora, you have seen I have many abilities. Can you keep it a secret between us? I have a few things that help me use my abilities from long range too."

    Remora felt dread and horror sitting beside this madman. What should she do? He was clearly threatening her. Ethan continued, "I just don''t want people to trouble me over stuff like these. Can''t you help me with this? We are dealing with the same issue after all, so we should be helping each other.."

    She felt her body and spirit lighten and a sense of pleasure that made her mind light washed over her. She bit her lips and whispered. "D-don''t do it."

    "This heals you, no?"

    "I-it also makes me horny. Please, Ethan stop~." She felt a surge of shame as she realized the driver was watching them. Ethan had a way of getting under her skin, making her feel things she didn''t want to feel.

    It was humiliating to admit, but she found his touch irresistible. She couldn''t even me the strange phenomenon that had affected her in the past; this was all her own desire.

    Ethan stopped using the soul link and leaned back. He asked her to tell about the illusion world, how she made connections with it and anything she knew.

    Remora felt confused. Still, she was going to answer when Ethan added, "Oh and our soul resides in this ''illusion world''?"

    "Ahh¡­" Remora started to think deeply about this. She had actually thought about this many times before. She muttered, "I named that space inside of people as an illusion world because they weren''t real or at least I couldn''t see the spiritual energy. It felt more like a projection. I am not a hundred percent sure, but it is possible for the soul to be there."

    Remora then hesitantly asked, "But if it is really there, won''t it be dangerous for¡­"

    Ethan sneered, "For you to enter again? Remora, you are a goddamn special cop. Stop being a loser. And I am not giving you a choice. Even if you get infected again, I''ll just fuck you again."

    Remora pursed her lips. Worse could happen but she seemed to have no choice. She wasn''t sure if he really had long range ability but so far things he had done were not normal, so him having long range stuff was highly possible.

    To think that someone was ying psychologically with her. He was right, she was a loser and if not for her unique ability she didn''t deserve to be in mystic control division¡­ to be liked by Avery.

    She took a deep breath to calm herself down and told him about the illusion world.

    After he listened to her, Ethan blinked and said, "Then isn''t ''Heart Lake'' a better name instead of an illusion world?"

    "... ah. I didn''t think of it."

    "... seriously? No one else suggested this name?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Remora pursed her lips and didn''t say anything. He was the first one she was telling things in detail. Even to the leader she only told her interpretation.

    So basically, ording to Remora, the illusion world or heartke was as important as a person''s soul. A person lived only when their soul existed. Heartke appeared to look like a never endingke inside a dimension in the heart. It was also where the heart demon was born.

    Heart demons didn''t have a fixed shape. A heart demon could be a rock, a de of grass, a familiar person, a stranger, an enemy, an animal, a monster¡­ or even things like darkness, the rising sun, or the bright moon.

    In addition, the heart demon would target the weak points of a person. In short, if a person was afraid of something, the heart demon would transform into that thing and pester them. It was basically the projection of their deep rooted troubles.

    ording to Remora, most people of course didn''t know that such a thing existed and affected their psychology. So in short, heartke was a projection of a person''s heart and personality, just in a more abstract way.

    When a child was born, heartke was in, ck its purest and clearest form. And with passing time, changes appeared in it depending on the person''s personality and the path one walked on.

    These changes could either strengthen the heart demon or the willpower¡ªthat also had different forms in the heartke¡ªor both.

    One''s personality didn''t change unless something life changing incident happened. So his ever-changing heartke only showed how much he was affected by ''that''.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Chaotic Thoughts]

    ¡ºHealth: (60/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 48 Flames

    ?

    Ethan asked, "You said that it''s as important as the soul but also that it''s just a projection. I don''t understand this. I mean even if there is no heartke, things won''t change much."

    Remora replied. "It''s an intuition. I canprehend the illusion world... I mean heartke thanks to this intuition. And whenever I connect to someone''s heartke, I have the same feeling as when Ie in contact with a soul."

    Ethan tilted his head, "How does a soul look... ugh I mean feel?"

    "I have seen souls. Two of them. They... they were myte parents'' souls."

    Her most painful memories surfaced in her mind, making her lips tremble. She missed her parents a lot but that memory where she lost them was something she had been trying to forget for a long time. And she thought she was sessful but what Ethan did made her think about it again.

    All Remora could remember was the unbearable heat and the bright, relentless mes that consumed everything in sight. It was a nightmare that she couldn''t escape from. And then, something heavy fell on her face, scorching her skin and robbing her of her sight. It was agony, but the pain was nothingpared to the terror of being trapped in a burning inferno.

    Her parents were there, desperately trying to rescue her from the fiery hell that was destroying their home. They did everything they could, but it was toote. The rescuers arrived toote, and only she survived. The loss of her parents was a wound that would never heal.

    She spent days in the hospital, lying in bed, unable to move, unable to speak. She was just a broken, traumatized teenager, consumed by fear and darkness. She couldn''t face the world, couldn''t bear the thought of a future without her parents. She wished she could turn back time, go back to when her parents were still alive, and tell them how much she loved them.

    But then, in the midst of her despair, something miraculous happened. In the darkness, she saw a faint light, a glimmer of hope. It was as if her parents were reaching out to her from beyond the grave, telling her that she wasn''t alone. That they were still with her, watching over her, guiding her.

    For the first time since the fire, she felt a sense of peace. She reached out, trying to touch the light, and saw her parents'' souls. They were transparent, but their love and warmth were more real than anything she had ever known. They told her that she was strong, that they were proud of her, and that they would always be with her.

    Even though her parents were gone, their love remained. And with their guidance, she found the strength to face the future, to ovee her fear and find hope in the darkness.

    At that time, Remora wept uncontrobly, her sobs echoing throughout the room and beyond. Her pain was so intense that anyone who heard her cries could feel her heartache. It was in that moment that she realized she possessed a unique gift¡ªthe ability to see a special type of energy.

    It was the energy of the soul, but it was more than that. She could see people''s emotions, their innermost feelings.

    Her intuition was so acute that she could easily understand their state of mind, even if they didn''t express it verbally. She felt connected to the people around her in a way that she had never experienced before.

    In the beginning, it was a difficult journey for her. But she held onto her parents'' words and they became a source of strength for her. Slowly but surely, the world around her began to change.

    It was no longer a dark and bleak ce, but a vibrant and colorful one. She discovered that even inanimate objects had their own unique energy and colors, albeit dull and faint.

    This newfound awareness fascinated her to no end, and she delved deeper into this mystical world. It was a world that was full of wonder and amazement, and it gave her something to look forward to besides her long-held dream that she may never achieve.

    Despite the odds, she refused to give up on her dream and worked tirelessly towards it. And finally, after years of hard work and dedication, she achieved her goal. She became a police officer, a special officer in the mystic control division.

    As Remora felt Ethan''s palm wiping away her tears, she heard him whisper softly, "I am sorry," with genuine remorse in his voice. She sniffled and let out a smile, this time it wasn''t forced.

    She realized how silly she had been earlier, thinking that she didn''t deserve to be in the department. Yes, she had her own struggles, but she was determined to ovee them and give it her best.

    She turned to look at the person beside her. He was aplex mix of colors, some of which she had never seen before. She knew that getting on his bad side would only bring more trouble and pain to her life.

    But if she could somehow get on his good side, she might have a chance to explore and discover new things, adding even more colors to her world.

    "Alright, don''t act like this. The bad boy personality suits you more," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

    Ethan just grinned

    "Alright then. We will enter your heartke. Actually it will be my first time taking another person together so let me prepare. It''s better that you meet your girlfriend first."

    "Not gonna tell how you will do it?" Ethan raised his eyebrows.

    Remora shook her head and said, "Don''t you know it''s hical to ask about details of powers?"

    Ethan sighed experately. "Talking about being hical now? After doing all that?" Seeing her pursed lips, Ethan nodded. "Then let''s make a deal. I''ll also tell you about one of my powers."

    Remora actually considered it and said, "I''ll choose what you will tell."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Seeing Ethan readily agree, Remora felt suspicious. Then she understood what he was doing. Remora muttered. "Carrot and stick method, huh?"

    Ethan shrugged. Remora said, "You will tell me about your long range ability and then I''ll try my best to exin mine. It will be a bit iprehensible so don''t me me afterwards."

    Ethan purposefully acted thinking about it and said, "Deal!"

    He proceeded truthly tell about his only long range ability, soul link but made it sound like he had more. Remora sighed. "So I lost huh. Anyways now let me tell you about my power¡ªAura Insight."

    They were close and whispering that the driver couldn''t help but sneak nces at them. He observed the handsome Ethan and murmured under his breath, "fucking pretty boy."

    Next she told him everything she could. In the end, Ethan didn''t understand the crux, which meant that he would be able to replicate simr and make a new ability using the p symbol.

    And then they finally reached the park. Ethan suddenly felt a sense of hesitation. How should he face her?

    Remora thanked the driver and told him to go. He took a deep nce at fidgety Ethan, thought, ''psycho fucker.'' and drove away.

    Remora held his hand and started pulling him to the park, saying, "Why are you hesitating now?"

    Ethan said, "Wh-what if I harm her too?"

    Remora looked back at him and gave augh, "Speaking of that, you still have to pay me back for that punch. We''ll talk about thister."

    After a brief hesitation, Ethan entered the park and spotted Sasha sitting with her friend. Despite the presence of buildings and other surroundings, his eyes were fixed solely on her. She appeared stunning, causing his heart to race as he couldn''t resist calling out, "Sasha!"

    Upon hearing his voice, Sasha quickly got up and ran towards him, looking slightly awkward but not caring as she threw herself at him. "Idiot," she said, "I love you," before kissing him.

    Her taste, soft body, and smell all seemed to hypnotize him, and although he had experienced a simr feeling before, he still felt hesitant due to a lingering doubt in his mind. He wondered if what he was feeling was only due to the thing that had infected him.

    However, he eventually pushed those doubts aside, held Sasha''s head, and kissed her with passion. With their bodies intertwined, they seemed to forget about the world around them.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Heir ] | [Level: 25]

    [Current State: Passionate]

    ¡ºHealth: (60/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (100/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 1000¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 4.2 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 73 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 125 ¡»

 Chapter 49 Potential

    ?

    At first, they sucked on each other''s lips almost aggressively, after separating, not leaving eye contact, Ethan soft said, "I am sorry."

    Sasha smiled and initiated the kiss again. This time they embraced each other gently. Feeling her soft body on him, Ethan felt as if a huge weight had been finally lifted from his shoulder.

    Remora was stunned as she looked at the pair. So she had seen Ethan''s wild side, so she was curious what color he would show with Sasha. She didn''t expect it to be so¡­ pure.

    White aura revolved around them, looking like mesmerizing snowkes. They gave the feeling of purity and affection. Actually she had seen lovers kissing before, but this time, the sight before was so beautiful that she fell in love with it.

    Remora saw Sasha''s friend, Sara, sneakily taking pictures of them. As their eyes met, she froze and kept her mobile in her pocket as if nothing happened. She walked around them, making sure to keep her distance as if she would disturb them.

    Sara looked younger than her age, with a slightly short height, cute face, and long hair tied in a ponytail, she gave the feeling of warmness.

    Sara came closer and held out her hand, said in a low voice, "Hi. I am Sara."

    Remora smiled warmly and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I am Remora."

    Hearing her name Sara gasped and came even closer, her eyes shining. "Are you Remora Kroft?"

    "...yes?"

    Sara seemed to have be so excited, but still she didn''t make a loud voice. Her face flushed red as she muttered, "I am a big fan of yours."

    Remora felt awkward by her brimming energy. She had a fan? For what?

    Sara said, "Actually I also wanted to be a police officer but I am not that physically strong or smart so I failed the entrance exam."

    "Hehe," She chuckled awkwardly and said, "And then I saw you passing the exam and bing the youngest officer in Brine. Mystic control division at that!"

    Remora''s face turned red in embarrassment. Never had she experienced such a thing before. She didn''t know how to respond to her.

    Just then her expression changed. She went closer to the pair and started to pull Ethan''s hand, shouting, "Ethan! Let her go."

    Sara was dumbfounded by the sudden change but then she saw that Ethan seemed to have frozen, his eyes nk. His grip on Sasha was tight so she soon started to suffocate making Sara gasp in horror.

    Fortunately, Ethan loosened his grasp, and stood there like a statue. Sara gasped for breath, but seemed to care much about herself as she called out Ethan''s name worriedly and tried to go near him again.

    But Remora stopped her and softly said, "Don''t worry, he''s alright. Don''t disturb him. It''s an awakening moment."

    Sasha froze when she heard that. Her racing heart slightly calmed down as she recalled that Ethan was from the drifter''s family line.

    Drifters were martial artists who could harness their inner power. For them, an awakening moment, also known as enlightenment, was a rare and really important point of life. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Enlightenment was very rare. Someone getting a single one of such moments was a matter of joy.

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel The three women then made distance from Ethan, silently looking at him. Remora took out an earbud and inserted it in her ears. She softly said just a few words. "Adept potential Arcanist is having an enlightenment right now. Need assistance."

    After a brief hesitation, she added as she looked at the turbulent and vast energies in front of her, "Ethereal potential is also possible."

    After a brief silence, a robotic male voice sounded. "The request is approved. Assistance arriving in a few minutes."

    Remora had given Ethan the potential of ''Adept'' based on what she observed. The Mystics, as they were called, were categorized based on various factors such as the impact of their powers on the environment and people, their origin, and any potential side effects. Rarity also yed a crucial role in their categorization.

    The order of Mystic categorization ranged from Ade, Aco, Ethe, to Otherly. Once a person''s category was recorded in the world council, they usually remained in the same category. The world council meticulously measured and estimated the powers of each Mystic using Lexa, a high-tech technology that incorporated thousands of years of research and development.

    The data of the Mystics was stored in one of the world''s safest servers, essible only to a select few in the top echelons of the world council. Despite being categorized, it was still possible for a Mystic to progress to higher levels. However, the journey was arduous, and the difficulty level increased with each new category.

    Aco were the starting point for all mystics, just beginning their training and learning to control their powers. They possessed limited abilities, which were not yet fully developed and often uncontroble.

    Aco had minimal impact on the environment or people around them, with their powers being weak and generally unnoticed. They were susceptible to side effects such as fatigue, headaches, or even unintended consequences.

    Ade were more advanced mystics who had gained greater control over their powers. They possessed more potent abilities, which could impact the environment and people around them significantly.

    Ade had a deeper understanding of their powers and could use them with fewer side effects. They required more training and experience than Aco and were much rarer.

    Eth were a rare and powerful ss of mystics, with abilities that could have profound effects on both people and the environment. They had mystical or supernatural powers that were oftenplex, requiring a high level of control and skill to use effectively.

    However, their powers could also have significant side effects, such as mental instability or physical deterioration. Eth were highly respected and revered among mystics and their powers sought after by many.

    Otherly mystics were the highest level of mystics, possessing incredible powers that transcended the physical world. They had unparalleled effects on both people and the environment, with abilities beyondprehension.

    They required immense control and training to use their powers effectively, and their abilities coulde with unintended consequences or side effects that were difficult to predict. Otherly mystics were exceptionally rare and were treated as the most important people of the world.

    Remora had already seen many of Ethan''s abilities and having so many powers was already rare. He was both a mystic as well as a drifter, in short an Arcanist. Now seeing the vast amount of energy surrounding him, she wasn''t sure anymore. In the end, they would have to use Lexa.

    Thinking about the categorization, Remora couldn''t help but recall the unwritten rule. A sapient could awaken a power after a traumatic experience also known as trigger event. This was ssified information and strictly maintained by the mystic control division.

    Of course, after so many years there were rumors but the world council had alreadyid out ''proofs'' that trauma wouldn''t give superpowers.

    Otherwise, the death rate would just increase, threatening the world order. Remora took a deep breath and thought about the person who had burned the house. She would definitely catch that person.

    The culprit had left a message on the wall scrawled in blood: "Let''s see if you awaken something."

 Chapter 50 Enlightenment

    ?

    When Ethan gently held Sasha, her sweet scent calmed her nerves even more than when Remora had used her ability on him. His mind felt at peace and for the first time after many hours, he felt himself free of any distraction.

    He had been thinking about what this ''epiphany'' was all about since he got the message but now he finally understood it.

    The young girl, Sydney, mentioned listening to the heart. But what exactly was it?

    His current state had made him very extreme. His thoughts were sometimes dark, sometimes good, sometimes weird, entangling in a mess that made him feel like his brain would explode.

    But now, with a clear mind, he could finally see what his heart wanted.

    Simrly to Izora, he also unconsciously wanted hope. A hope that showed him that he could still be a human.

    Ethan recalled his father, y Dawson''s words. Sess didn''te from strength or money, but from having a pure heart.

    Could someone have a pure heart, untainted by this world? His past few hours of experience made him conclude that it wasn''t possible. It was a fact that almost everyone knew but Ethan thought about it more deeply.

    A ''pure heart'' understood the contrasting nature of the world. It acknowledged the coexistence of joy and pain, as well as brightness and obscurity. Such a heart epted that human beings wereplex creatures with varying degrees of virtues and ws.

    Tools such as methods and ethics were employed to navigate through life. This kind of heart perceived the reality of things, assessing whether something was advantageous or obstructive.

    A ''pure heart'' understood the contrasting nature of the world. It acknowledged the coexistence of joy and pain, as well as brightness and obscurity.

    It recognized that human beings wereplex creatures, with a constant intery of virtues and ws. The mind, however, could be subject to conflicting thoughts and desires.

    Despite these conflicting thoughts, a pure heart strive to choose the path that aligned with its values and principles. Such a heart employed tools such as methods and ethics to navigate through life and make decisions that aligned with its innermost desires, aspirations, and beliefs.

    It perceived the reality of things, assessed whether something was advantageous or detrimental, and chose the path that aligned with its deepest values.

    In short, Heart was pure only to its desires.

    [Hier has leveled up and ascended to the title, Profane Prince.]

    [Profane prince created a new skill.]

    [Dual Metamorphose]

    [On will, the profane prince can change from light to darkness, from evil to good. The profane prince will be able to harness the power of dual and opposing nature for a set period of time. Do note that this skill also affects the personality. Time limit: ten minutes. Arcane points consumption: 50]

    ????

    Ethan had kept on surprising Remora. Currently as she looked at the sight in front of her, she was awed by its sheer magnificence.

    From who knew where, vibrant light streamed towards Ethan, encircling him in a mesmerizing disy. Blue, red, yellow, green, and orange lights shifted gently and changed shape like softly blowing curtains. It looked incredible.

    Tears of joy as well as sadness fell down her face, as she extended her hand towards the light. It felt like her mother was embracing her. She missed this feeling for so long.

    She knew that what embraced her and all of the lifeforms was the mother Helen. The world protected everyone and treated them as its child. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Sasha and Sara were dumbfounded as they looked at the silently crying Remora. They exchanged nces and chose to keep silent. Suddenly, Ethan moved¡ªand everything changed.

    A sword materialized in his hand, pulsating with purple lightning and dark ck energy. Crackling with an eerie power, he began a swift and deadly dance that left them all gaping in amazement. The sword sliced through the air like a thunderbolt, each movement precise and sharp enough to make their hairs stand on end.

    The purple lightning illuminated everything around them, casting a supernatural glow over the night that left them awestruck. Each of Ethan''s movements was apanied by a trail of purple light, zing a path that was both beautiful and dangerous.

    As Ethan danced, the others watched with trepidation, knowing that the sword was no mere prop. It was a weapon capable of great destruction, and every sh of light sent shivers down their spines.

    Finally, with a flourish, Ethan brought the sword down with a swift and deadly strike. The lightning crackled with such intensity that it lit up the sky and sent sparks flying in all directions.

    The sword dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, leaving them all standing in stunned silence. They gazed at Ethan with bright, awestruck eyes, each feeling the surge of adrenaline coursing through their veins. They knew that what had just happened was something that they would remember for the rest of their lives.

    Ethan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Because the girls were around him, he didn''t unleash the full power of what he imagined. It felt strange but so serene. He felt like he was connected with this world and could understand things he couldn''t understand before.

    [Martial Genius did it again! A new sword skill is created without the system''s help.]

    [What should be its name?]

    Ethan blurted out a random name, "Nightfall''s Fury," and focused on thest remaining inspiration he had.

    He took many deep breaths and recalled the feeling of the move, "dark edge". It was really powerful, yes, but it clearly left many injuries on his body. So he wanted something else.

    As Ethan opened his eyes, a ck light began to glow over his piercing blue gaze. He extended his hand, palm up, and focused his mind. With a sudden burst of energy, a dark, ominous fire materialized over his palm, its eerie mes silently hovering in the air.

    Despite its deceptively harmless appearance, Ethan knew all too well the full extent of its capabilities and the devastating destruction it could unleash upon his foes.

    [Martial Genius did it again! A new skill is created without the system''s help.]

    [What should be its name?]

    "Abyssal ze."

    He then asked the system, ''By the way can I upgrade these skills using special points?''

    With Nyx absent, the screen had text appear on it.

    [Affirmative. But they will require a huge amount of points depending upon what upgrade you will like.]

    ''Cool,'' Ethan nodded to himself and the screen disappeared. He smiled coolly and walked towards the girls.

    Ethan let out augh, "How was it?"

    Sara began pping with a flushed face, but stopped when she saw no one was joining, her face turning redder. Ethan smiled at her.

    Ethan had noticed that Remora was crying so he asked her if she was fine. She pursed her lips and didn''t reply. He shrugged and turned to Sasha, asking for some private talk.

 Chapter 51 Communication

    ?

    Ethan and Sasha walked through the park which was quiet and peaceful, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon and the flickering of distant streetlights. The rustling of leaves in the cool breeze added to the serene atmosphere, creating a sense of calm that enveloped them both.

    Ethan started, "I am sorry."

    "Didn''t you already say that?" she asked, her fingers intertwining with his.

    The memory of Simon''s lecture on rtionships still lingered in Ethan''s mind, and it made him a bit emotional. After getting out of jail and settling together with Simon''s group, he had be adies'' man, going from one woman to another, drowning himself in alcohol to forget the emptiness in his heart. But Simon had seen right through him and had decided to confront him.

    "Come on, man, why do you have to do this to yourself?" Simon had asked, with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

    "What do you mean?" Ethan said, his words slurring together.

    "You know exactly what I mean. You go around ying with women''s hearts, and for what? Just to feel a fleeting sense of pleasure?"

    Ethan had felt a pang of guilt and shame wash over him, but he couldn''t let Simon see it. So he hadshed out instead. "What about you, huh? You''re not exactly a saint either!"

    At that moment, Andre and Henry had chimed in, their drunken words slurring together. "Yeah, Simon, don''t act like you''re better than us. Your wife left you, remember?"

    Simon had taken a deep breath, and for a moment, Ethan had thought he was going to hit them. But instead, Simon had looked at them with a sad smile on his face.

    "You''re right. My marriage fell apart, and it was my fault. But I''ve learned from it, and I want you all to learn from my mistakes too. Love is a tricky thing, and it can be hard to navigate. But the key ismunication. Alwaysmunicate, no matter how hard it may seem. I am saying this because you all are like sons to me."

    That had been the moment when Ethan had broken down in tears, unable to contain the emotions that were bubbling up inside him. Simon had turned to him and smiled, cing a hand on his shoulder.

    "I know you me yourself for what happened with Amelia. But it''s not all on you. You''re a good man, Ethan. And I have faith that you''ll find love again. And when you do, remember what I told you. Alwaysmunicate."

    In the present, Ethan gazed at the night sky. The clouds had parted and he could see the glowing moon. He muttered, "Someone had once told me this. Communication is the lifeline of any rtionship; without it, the connection dies."

    Sasha nodded and her eyes softened as she took in his words.

    Ethan sighed and said, "I want to tell you why and what happened when I called you back then. This might sound like an excuse but I want to tell you my side of things. And then hear yours."

    "Mmh." Sasha let out a smile. "I''ll listen to you and then honestly tell you all the things I felt."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ethan took a deep breath. "When you called me, it was clear that you were happy. At that time¡­ I was about to lie to you. But then my mind went nk and I told you the truth in the worst way possible."

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Ethan confided in Sasha about his past with Amelia, but he didn''t tell her the whole truth. He changed the story and said that Amelia was just a childhood crush, when in reality, she meant much more to him. He wasn''t trying to hide anything from Sasha, he just felt insecure about his past.

    Ethan told Sasha that one lie ruined everything with Amelia. It was just one mistake, but it caused their rtionship to fall apart. There were some signs of trouble along the way, but they both missed them.

    As they sat on a bench together, Ethan continued to open up to Sasha. "Looking back, I wish I hadmunicated more with her. I didn''t realize that the small problems I was facing would build up and eventually be the reason for our separation."

    He let out a deep sigh as he gazed up at the bright moon. "I''m sorry," he said.

    With her palms on the bench, Sasha looked ahead and was silent for a few moments. She said, "if this were a few hours ago, I would have thought that you are making up a story just to gain my sympathy. Because I was angry and felt hurt by your words.

    You had clearly mentioned this before at the hospital. Still I didn''t expect you to cruelly tell me that you were having sex with another woman."

    Ethan turned his gaze towards Sasha''s profile as she continued speaking. "I actually thought about having a one-night stand with someone else," she confessed. "I mean, we''re not in amitted rtionship, so I figured it wouldn''t be cheating. But when I was out at the bar, and this guy was hitting on me, all I could think about was you.

    It made me so ufortable, and I felt terrible. It''s like I''ll always have feelings for you, but they won''t be returned."

    Ethan''s heart sank as he listened to Sasha''s words. The thought of her being with someone else made him feel sick to his stomach. He took a deep breath and reached out to hold her hand, hoping tofort her in some small way.

    He was a hypocrite, and he knew it. Normally, he did not mind being one, but this time he felt genuine regret. This time, both of them felt terrible because of his actions.

    Ethan bit his lips. What should he say to her now? Promise her to not do it again? He was currently affected by something and didn''t even know when he would go insane. And even when he was normal, he didn''t trust himself.

    Just then, Sasha''s face lit up with a genuine smile, her eyes filled with warmth as she turned to look at Ethan. "But that was then, and this is now," she said, her voice soft and reassuring.

    "I know now how much I love you, and how much I''m willing to wait for you. I''ve realized that no one is perfect, and I understand that the key to a sessful rtionship ismunication. We should ept each other''s ws and work towards being better together."

    She continued, "And you know what? I''ve seen you grow since that time. You''ve be more open, more willing to share your thoughts and feelings with me. It''s not easy to change, but you''ve shown that you''re willing to put in the effort. That means a lot to me."

    Emotions overwhelmed Ethan as he gazed at Sasha. How could anyone be so kind and understanding? He gently ced his hand on her cheek and whispered, "I really wish that the feeling that I am having right now is not false."

 Chapter 52 Zen Focus

    ?

    Sasha hummed, "Yeah, I also wish¡­ wait what?" She looked at him in confusion.

    Seeing his hesitation, Sasha encouraged him to speak, "Ethan, you just talked aboutmunication." He smiled bitterly and said. "I don''t know. I am affected by something and now I can''t control my thoughts."

    "No one can control their thoughts," Sasha said.

    "I mean that my thoughts get dark and extreme way too fast. Not even that but my actions have also been unpredictable for a few hours. Only with you am I able to calm down. Still I am afraid that I may do something to you."

    "So that picture was true." Sasha looked at him with a worried gaze. "Are you hurt somewhere? Can you tell me in more detail what you are experiencing?"

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Now that he had started speaking, he didn''t hide anything from her except the dark, gritty details.

    Ethan told her about the events since he met Izora. How he got attracted to the fox woman and then had sex with her. After Sasha called, Ethan was going to meet her and apologize but then he discovered the small room and the events after that. Sasha paled listening to him, her clutch on him tightening.

    Ethan didn''t tell her about the things he was himself not sure of, like the Berserk and Prophecy ability. Ethan even told her how Remora got affected after she gave unneeded help and then the craziness on the rooftop except his stupid jump from the eight story building.

    Sasha felt a surge of horror as he finished his story. She looked at him with disbelief and said, "You need help."

    Ethan gave a bitterugh. "Of course I''m not right in the head."

    "No, I mean it." Sasha stood up and grabbed his hand, her voice trembling with worry. "You need medical help. Why did you leave the hospital? You should go back there. They can do something about it. I''ll talk to Dr. Emily and other doctors I know."

    She tried to pull him up, but he resisted, shaking his head. "I just need some time. Trust me, I''ll be fine in a few days."

    Sasha let out a frustrated cry. "Ethan, I''m a certified nurse! I can''t just ignore this."

    She felt a wave of panic wash over her. She had never heard of anything like this before, and her mind raced with terrible possibilities. The worst one was losing him.

    Ethan rose and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair gently. He whispered in her ear, "Don''t worry. Everything will be alright."

    But Sasha couldn''t stop the tears that should have dried up from flowing. They spilled over her cheeks as she sobbed into his chest. "B-but what if something happens to you? I-I''m scared."

    Ethan immediately decided. He opened the system screen again and created a new skill¡ªZen Focus.

    The system had prompted him a better suggestion. Zen focus became a unique ability that could be used both passively and actively. Passively, it would reduce his stress by 2 every hour.

    Its active use was simr to a calming pill from the system shop but slightly less effective. Plus point was that it could be used on other people too. If those people had emotional connection and even better a soul connection then the effect would multiply.

    As Ethan used Zen focus on Sasha, she felt a sense of tranquility wash over her, as if a cool breeze had blown away all her worries and anxieties. Her tense muscles rxed.

    Sasha looked at him in amazement. He smiled and wiped her tears. "See. I can do it."

    Sasha sniffed and asked, "Why did you not use it on yourself before when you were in trouble?"

    Ethan used divine sense to survey the surroundings and went near her and whispered in her ear, his hot breath tingling her. "I created this skill just now."

    Sasha nked out. Created? What? Ethan quickly exined about his system. The more Sasha heard, the more she felt like she was in a dream.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ethan stepped back and smiled as he looked at her dazed expression. But then a frown formed on his face. Why did he tell her this?

    The reason he was not telling anyone about the system was clear to him. It was for his own and that person''s safety. And now just to make her stop worrying, he spilled the secret.

    In no time, Ethan understood why this happened. Since the time he saw her in the park, he couldn''t think of anything else but just her. Did he start to like her so much that he''d do such a thing that might bring her harm sometime in the future but calm her down currently? That didn''t make sense.

    That was why he concluded that the culprit was again the thing that affected him. Ethan had a faint feeling of this that was why he didn''t reply to her confession. He didn''t want to hurt herter on when he became normal. As in what if he didn''t like her as much as he thought he would?

    Ethan took a deep breath. At least he felt extremely rxed. Simon was again right. Sharing one''s secret and opening up with someone closed one really made a person feel great. Just then something happened, stunning him.

    Sasha got out of stupor and was about to say something when she saw Ethan standing like a statue with closed eyes. It was simr to when he got enlightened. She was again speechless. Wasn''t enlightenment really rare?

    But then she thought about the impossible to exist ''system'' Ethan mentioned and sighed. If it was Ethan then it was possible.

    Sasha hesitated and took many steps back. What if he used some new skill again? She bit her lips and looked at him anxiously.

    A few seconds ago, Ethan was stunned as he saw the system screen in front of him.

    [Special event! Profane prince and Remnant Will are in harmony. This is the best moment for the prince to fuse thest will of thete Ethan Chase and get many benefits!]

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Profane Prince ] | [Level: 26]

    [Current State: Calm but Doubtful]

    ¡ºHealth: (75/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (130/130) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 900 ?¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 5 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 78 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 127 ¡»

 Chapter 53 Heart Lake

    ?

    ''Wait, give me details.''

    [Affirmative. I''ll list the pros and cons of the fusion.

    Pros:

    1) After fusion, the special points for thepletion of every task will increase by 50%. In special cases, the increase will be 100%.

    2) The hidden quests will appear as the normal quests in the Task category. They will only be visible if the prince has the minimum level requirements.

    3) Skill ''Intimidate'' will be created. This skill will have more effect when used together with Dual Metamorphose.

    4) t increase in stats:

    ¡ºHealth RR: 5 + 3 ¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 78 + 5 ¡»|¡ºIQ: 127 + 15 ¡»

    Cons:

    1) The fusion will result in ''Remnant Will'' to no longer exist.

    2) As the prince is affected by a spirit bug, until Nyx is back the prince may have trouble facing people like Scarlett Chase, Mia Chase etc. ]

    Ethan was still not used to the cringe titles but anyways, even though he wanted details about the harmony but this still did help. The prospect of fusion was attractive.

    The best being that the ''remnant will'' would no longer exist. He also got to know that he was affected by some spirit bug.

    ''Wait, why didn''t I ask the system about this before?'' Ethanmented, disliking his present dumb state.

    But still, Ethan was hesitating. The second con looked way too daunting to him.

    ''Isn''t there no way to contact Nyx?'' He asked the system interface. Though he didn''t think he''d get an answer.

    [There is.]

    ''... why didn''t you tell me this before?''

    [The prince had not shown any intention of contacting Nyx. Here is how the prince can get in touch with Nyx.]

    Ethan went dazed when he read the instructions. If it were old him, he''d have first gone to aparatively safer ce. But currently he followed the steps.

    Ethan closed his eyes and imagined a never-ending vastke in a dark space. Theke was covered by a faint fog. He only had to do that as the rest was handled by the system.

    Ethan suddenly felt his body feel extremely light as if he was floating and then he was inside his heartke.

    It was exactly the same as he imagined it before. Just that he was in a small wooden boat that slowly floated to an unknown destination. In front of him sat a woman, a mesmerizing smile on her face.

    The woman before him appeared to be mature, with striking gray eyes that seemed to look right through him. Her wavy creamy-blonde hair cascaded down her back, covering her left eye with stylish bangs. She wore a fitted pair of ck straight-leg trousers, paired with a long ck coat that boasted a daring V-neckline, revealing her ample cleavage. He had a sudden urge to taste them.

    However, there was something peculiar about her appearance. Certain areas of her body and clothes appeared to be pixted and glitchy, almost as if she were not real, but rather a faulty creation.

    "Nyx?" Ethan asked, his voiceced with uncertainty.

    "You can call me Nyx," she replied in a calm and collected manner, her voice carrying the same alluring tone as the original Nyx. "But in truth, I am merely a residual will, left behind by her to oversee Ethan Chase''s remnant will."

    Nyx knew what he would question so she told everything to him. Her original n was to improve the system and herself by using obsidian fragments and the modified rave virus she had suppressed. She also got a spiritual form as it would be more convenient for Ethan that way whenter he''d have the ability to explore the aspects of soul.

    When she was halfway done through things, suddenly the heartke got attacked by strange spirit bugs. The rave virus that was under her control took advantage of this and also created trouble.

    Ethan could also be seriously affected by them so Nyx decisively enclosed herself and the troublemakers in a space, to take care of them once and for all.

    Nyx had also left behind a will of hers to monitor the remnant will and try toplete the things she was doing. It would not be exactly the same as what she intended but it would still be good.

    "Will Nyx be alright?" Ethan couldn''t help but worry about her.

    Nyx''s will smiled. "I am not like the remnant will as in I cannot exist without my original spirit. So I know she''s alright, trust me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ethan slightly rxed and asked. "Can you reach out to her?"

    The will smiled bitterly. "I can send a message there but cannot receive it."

    Ethan sighed, epting the situation. He almost told the will to send a message that he missed Nyx but stopped himself. Otherwise, Nyx would undoubtedly take pleasure in teasing him relentlessly.

    Ethan then inquired about the harmony and the changes Nyx was making in the system. He wanted to know everything the will was aware of regarding the situation.

    Ethan watched as Nyx''s Will suddenly grew agitated, her form trembling with an intensity that surprised him. Despite his confusion, he couldn''t help but appreciate the way her chest heaved with excitement. However, his amusement was short-lived as the glitchy area began to spread, intensifying the situation.

    "Hey, what''s going on?" Ethan asked urgently. "Has something happened to Nyx in that other space?"

    "I''m fine," Nyx''s Will replied, after taking a moment to calm down. She settled back, and Ethan''s next words made her pout.

    "I don''t care about you. Did something happen to Nyx?"

    However, her expression softened into a smile, and her gaze grew gentle. "Don''t worry about her. Like I said before, I was created only to monitor the remnant Will andplete the system updates. Now that the system updates are almostplete, and you''re about to fuse with the remnant Will, my job is almost over. After that, I''ll disappear."

    "I still haven''t decided if I want to go through with this fusion thing. I don''t even understand why it''s happening, and there''s the issue of me not being able to control myself around Scarlett, Mia, or anyone else," Ethan voiced his concerns.

    She giggled. "I know you will."

    She then proceeded to tell him that Nyx would be over with virus and those bugs and what not in a day or two.

    This was a good opportunity to take care of the troublemaker ''remnant will'' as this harmony might note in the near future.

    There were criteria for this harmony to take ce. Ethan would have to experience everything thatte Ethan Chase had experienced in his final moments, as well as what he himself wanted to experience. This would include a range of emotions, from love and happiness to regret and agony, even life and death experiences, all in a short amount of time.

    It was a tall order, and experiencing all of these things again would undoubtedly be something that Ethan wouldn''t want.

    "So what you''re suggesting is that¡­" he trailed off.

    Nyx''s will nodded, "You should do it."

    Ethan took a deep breath and made his decision, "Let''s do it then."

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Profane Prince ] | [Level: 26]

    [Current State: Determined]

    ¡ºHealth: (75/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (130/130) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (65/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 900 ?¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 5 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 78 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 127 ¡»

 Chapter 54 Only Time He Could Have Come Into Contact With The Bugs

    ?

    "But before that, quickly tell me everything else," Ethan urged.

    "I''ll tell you about the system changes first," Nyx''s Will replied, her voice low and smooth. "With all the things you had to face, I understood my shorings. For that, I nned to make many changes but for now, I could only do one. Which is also pretty good in my opinion."

    Ethan nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. He couldn''t help but admire her curves, the way her body moved when she spoke.

    "The major change is that now the system will not just give rewards at thepletion of tasks but also during the process."

    "Oh, interesting!" Ethan eximed, his gaze brightening. He felt a sense of excitement as Nyx''s Will spoke, his heart racing with anticipation.

    As his gaze traveled down her body, his eyes fixated on her plush, rosy lips, which parted slightly as she spoke. His attention was then drawn to her ample chest, which was entuated by the tight-fitting top she wore. His eyes lingered there for a moment, taking in the curves and contours of her form.

    A sudden urge surged within him, a growing hunger that made him feel almost dizzy with desire. He couldn''t help but feel a stirring in his loins, a heat that spread through his spirit like wildfire, as he continued to gaze at her in rapt fascination.

    Looking at him, she chuckled softly and said, ignoring his lustful stare, "Yes. For example, let''s say the task is toplete a hundred pushups and onpletion, you will get 200 points. But let''s say you were able to do only 10 pushups. In that case, you will still get some points. And then after doing 20 more, you''ll get some more. Basically, therger task will be divided into smaller tasks and clearing these tasks will get you points and rewards."

    "Mhh. So that I get motivated to at least try it," Ethan said.

    "Yes. But as always you will also have small punishments if you aren''t able toplete tasks based on the given criteria. Like let''s get back to 100 pushups. The time limit in it can be 4 days."

    Ethan pondered, bing ustomed to the persistent desire that burned within him. "Won''t this be easily broken? I mean like I can do 90 push ups the first three days, get points and thenplete 100 pushups on thest day. This way I''ll get many points."

    Nyx''s Will shook her head. "The tasks will not be that easy to break."

    "Fair," He nodded.

    "Any question you want to ask?"

    Seeing him shake his head, her face became serious as she said. "For the next topic. I also need your input. The situation is confusing even for me."

    "Mmh." Ethan groaned inside and thought about using zen focus. Fortunately it worked, as his wild thoughts calmed down a little.

    "I''ll start speaking from when you modified the skill ''Lightening Edge''."

    Suddenly Ethan interjected her. "Ah at that time, you said that you will go to sleep but¡­?"

    When he talked about sleep, he thought of something else. It seemed that the spirit bug had more effect on him in the heartke. He didn''t tell Nyx''s Will this though as he wanted to verify something crucial.

    "Not being able to talk to you is the same as going to sleep."

    "Then what about now?" Ethan felt confused.

    Nyx''s Will grinned, looking even more attractive to his eyes. "I cannot contact you because of how this space works but that doesn''t mean I cannot see what is happening outside.

    Seeing you struggle so much, I wanted to bang this space and go out to help you. But of course that''s not possible."

    Hearing her, he wanted to question if she was disappointed with how he reacted to Remora, but kept his mouth shut. Nyx''s Will continued, "When Remora exined her powers to you, I was able to understand them. And now, here we are talking."

    "Mmh," Ethan slowly nodded, taking in the information and then smiled bitterly. "I won''t interrupt you again."

    "It''s alright. Feel free to ask questions in between. Anyways, getting back to the topic. After taking care of the virus during the so-called sleep, I also investigated your sudden awakening of hidden skills.

    Thanks to the obsidian fragment, I was able to level up quickly and locate the source of the skill. It was your blood. Your blood had veryplex spiritual imprints on it."

    Ethan was stunned. "Wait, what?"

    Nyx''s Will paused for a moment, observing Ethan''s reaction. "Yeah, I was also startled," she said, breaking the silence. "I mean, yes, your body is special as it is able to hold obsidian fragments, but I didn''t expect it to have another mystery."

    She continued. "Unfortunately, as I had forced myself to level up and didn''t do it naturally, my understanding of things, though high, was still not enough toprehend everything about the imprints.

    Still, I was able to find out that there were some cracks on the imprints and there were signs of two spiritual essences. At least I was able to find out that they meant no harm. One was Berserk ability and the other I still don''t know. Do you have any idea what the other ability is about?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Honestly, she didn''t have much hope if he could give something, but she still sought his help. Nyx''s Will remained silent as she watched him contemte the situation.

    Ethan''s eyes felt heavy as he looked up from the vast darkness surrounding him. The gloominess of the environment made him mutter under his breath, "Can''t this environment be changed?" He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to shake off the disorientation he felt.

    "Yes, you can change it," Nyx''s Will replied with a smile. "This is your heartke, and you have the power to transform it into anything you desire. Just be careful not to overdo it, or you''ll end up with a severe migraine."

    Ethan nodded, and with a deep breath, he closed his eyes and visualized a new setting. In the blink of an eye, the surroundings transformed into a breathtakingly expansive and contemporary space.

    The brilliant illumination radiating from the walls entuated every detail of the room''s exceptional furnishings, such as elegant tables,fortable bed, plush chairs, and a luxurious sofa.

    Nyx''s Will looked around, clearly amused. "This is way too aesthetic. Ethan, that was unexpected of you," she said, eyeing him with amusement.

    Ethan took a seat on the plush bed and watched as Nyx''s Will walked towards him, every step filled with sensual appeal. "Okay, let''s continue our conversation on the bed," he said with a sly smile.

    The blonde woman rolled her eyes, but couldn''t help but be intrigued by his flirtatious behavior. She sat down next to him, her own eyes scanning the luxurious surroundings with interest.

    Suddenly, Ethan''s eyes bore into Nyx''s Will''s, his tone serious and urgent. "Did you not witness the same thing I did?" he asked, his voice low.

    Perplexed, Nyx''s Will furrowed her brow. "I can perceive what you perceive, or more specifically, the sensory inputs that your eyes transmit to your brain," she replied, clearly confused by his intensity.

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Ethan''s expression grew even more somber as he probed further. "You mentioned that you were suddenly attacked by spirit bugs. What was I witnessing during that time?" he asked, his mind racing.

    Nyx''s Will hesitated for a moment before recounting the details. "It happened while you were inside the car, just before you discovered the bomb," she said slowly.

    Ethan''s mind raced as he tried to connect the dots. He confided in her about his additional power, Prophecy, and the weight of the foreboding revtion hung heavy between them.

    As he sifted through his memories, it hit Ethan like a bolt of lightning. He and Izora had been with Sam when he transformed, but only Ethan had been infected by the bugs. He had assumed that Sam was like the other assassins, just crazier, as such he had been careful not to touch his blood. Then what exactly happened?

    It took him a moment to grasp the enormity of the discovery. "The prophecy - the explosion would have caused our blood to stter everywhere. That''s the only time I got in contact with his blood."

    Nyx''s Will was speechless. "So these spirit bugs came back to present from the future you saw?"

    Ethan''s expression was grave as he slowly nodded, struggling toprehend the implications of what they had just discovered. As well as what would happen next in this room.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Profane Prince ] | [Level: 26]

    [Current State: Deep Concern and Suspicion]

    ¡ºHealth: (75/100) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºArcane Points: (130/130) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (75/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 900 ?¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 5 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 78 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 127 ¡»

 Chapter 55 Room Inside The Heart Lake

    ?

    Suddenly, Ethan groaned andy back on the bed. He sighed. "No point in thinking about this. My brain is already fucked up. Nyx will take care of it."

    "Well¡­" Nyx''s Will trailed off.

    Ethan turned his body to look at her side frame. He mused inside, ''as expected, her ass is also big.'' but outside he smirked and said, "You are just her will so yeah you cannot do anything about it."

    She puffed her cheeks, appearing cute and then sighed, acknowledging the fact.

    Ethan then questioned her. "By the way, how long can i stay here? As in I know talking with Nyx with my thoughts could be done in split second but currently I am inside my own heartke¡­ ugh, I am not able to put up my question well. Just tell me what exactly is my current state? Is this my soul?"

    Nyx''s Will smiled and started exining, knowing very well what he wanted to ask.

    "It''s not your soul. Your soul is currently in its infant stage and is deep inside theke. Only when you have a better understanding of the heartke and spiritual energy will you be able to make your body connect with your soul. This is called ''Spirit and Mind unity''.

    Only after that will you have conscious control over your soul. Currently all your soul does is sleep and operate while being asleep."

    "Hmm, Interesting." From the start, he could feel a connection with something inside theke, so it was his soul.

    Nyx''s Will chuckled and added, "Though it will be much easier for you because of your Astral Self."

    Ethan recalled the skill''s description. It was an ethereal body that existed on some ''higher ne of consciousness''. It helped him gain psychic abilities.

    Then he nked out and pointed at himself. "Wait, this is my Astral Self."

    Seeing her nod, he snorted, "Couldn''t you just tell me this directly? "

    She shrugged and said, "I was about to say that but you guessed it yourself."

    Ethan rolled his eyes and told her to continue.

    She acknowledged and said, "Twenty four hours here is the same as one minute outside."

    "Ahh." he mused, "Then I can stay here with you until your job is over. I mean it''s kinda sad to be alone at thest moment."

    That stunned Nyx''s Will for a few moments and then she shook her head, "I am just a part of the system," but her eyes clearly brightened.

    Ethan casually moved his index finger left and right, saying, "You are part of the most important Nyx. So of course I''ll have to care for you."

    Nyx''s Will rolled her eyes, her smile bing softer and kind of more alluring to Ethan. "Alright, let''s stop this and ask me more questions. I know you have more."

    "Can I use my skills here?"

    "Yes," Nyx''s Will affirmed and added, "But only the skills that have no physical effect."

    "Obviously." Heid back again. Looking at the white marbled roof, he muttered. "So how long will the things I imagine exist?"

    "You imagine them, that is you use your consciousness unconsciously to guide the spiritual energy inside the heartke to create whatever you want. As long as this consciousness is present, the things you imagine will not disappear."

    "Ah! That''s why over-creating things here will strain my mind. But what exactly is this consciousness?"

    Her voice trailed over from his side. "You won''t be able to understand it right now. It includes goodprehension of the working of your brain, spiritual energy, soul, and link between the physical body and soul."

    Ethan''s lips twitched, "Leave it then."

    He heard her giggle. "But you can see it like this. Consciousness is something that is generated alongside your thoughts.

    Your physical brain controls your body and thoughts of course influences your brain.

    In the case of consciousnesses, the soul uses it to operate and do things. You creating this room is the biggest example."

    "So I guess, the consciousness generated with thoughts, the amount is very very less." Ethan contemted. "That''s why I shouldn''t overuse them. Also it seems that consciousness is used in many things that I am unaware of."

    "You have surprisingly be smarter, considering you are still under effect of that shitty bug."

    Ethan turned his body and ced his head on his palm. His eyes remained on her luscious breasts for a few moments before he looked into her gray eyes. "What do you think about me being so casual right now?"

    "mmh, I wonder why~"

    Ethan smirked. "I''ll ask you one more question and then tell you the reason for me deciding to stay here with a dying will."

    His words clearly amused her as she nodded. He asked hisst question. "Yes, Nyx cannotmunicate but can she see what''s happening here?"

    She shook her head. "She sees what I share with her."

    Ethan sat up and pped lightly. "Perfect!"

    He turned to her and ordered her not to move. Nyx''s Willined about his attitude but did what he said, that is didn''t move.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ethan went behind her and hugged her waist. he could feel her body, maybe because both of them were in spirit form.

    "The reason I want to stay here is that¡­" His mouth was near her ears as he whispered in a seductive voice, "I will fuck you."

    There was silence in the room. Her awkward chuckle broke the silence. "That was one of your worst jokes yet."

    "I am not joking." Ethan said, "You should already know how wild my thoughts are. Extreme violent, bizarre, obsessed as well as perverted thoughts are making a mess out of me."

    His voice was like a devil as he muttered. "I want to do things with you that I cannot do outside."

    He used Devil''s Whisper on her, saying, "Isn''t your priority my development? What is important for my development? Of course it is me being sane. So give your spirit body up and let me use you. Let me unleash my desire on this dying body of yours."

    Nyx''s Will wasn''t struggling and silently listening to him. He continued. "I have already seen that when I choose to do one of my crazy ideas. I feel calm. So if I use you for hours or even days, I should be able topletely calm myself down. At least until Nyx is back. What do you say?"

    Nyx''s Will grumbled. "Alright, first stop using your skill." he grunted and stopped. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay. I''ll do it. I''ll not share anything that happens in this room to Nyx."

    "First of all, you will call yourself Nyx."

    "That''s what I do," Nyx''s Will rolled her eyes and said, "You weren''t just epting it."

    Ethanughed out loud, and gave her racks a tight squeeze. They really felt good.

    Ethan used his consciousness to ''heal'' Nyx''s Will. It was more like covering her mosaic and glitchy part with an illusion. He also made it like outside it was night.

    They wasted no time as their clothes disappeared and they kissed each other with wild abandon. The room was dimly lit with only the faint light of the moon seeping through the curtains. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft whispers of Nyx and Ethan''s heavy breathing.

    Nyx''s body was perfect and the ideal type for Ethan. Her ample bosom, curvaceous hips, and seductive yet cute face made him crave her more. He was overwhelmed with desire for her.

    Without hesitation, Ethan let himself go and wildly sucked on Nyx''s enormous breasts. He had ordered her to be his submissive bitch and she eagerly obliged, submitting herself entirely to his desires.

    In between the moans, Nyx said, "I have altered this body of mine, and now I am more sensitive to your touch and can feel lust, pleasure¡­"

    Ethan was not one for talking during fucking, and he growled, "Stop talking. You are just a slutty bitch now. So shut the fuck up."

    Saying so, he proceeded to eat her out. He roughly sucked on her clit as his tongue went inside her pink pussy, wildly exploring it. Nyx let out screams of pleasure. "Yes, Ethan, I am your private cum dump so use me as you want~."

    Her words were like music to Ethan''s ears, and they fueled his hunger and inner demon. He stopped eating her but didn''t let her go. Instead, he pushed her legs up, and with his angle, he could see every inch of her sensitive spot.

    It was so hot. Nyx''s breaths came in short gasps as she braced herself for what was toe. Ethan didn''t hold back as he started fucking her in the pile driver position.

    The sound of flesh pping, their moans, and groans echoed throughout the room. It was a debauched scene as Ethan spread her pussy with his huge cock and thrust inside her with increasing pace.

    Then he let out a moan that sounded more like an animal''s low growl and came inside her. Ethan took out his dick, let her go, and shifted back to let her fall.

    He looked at the mess he created. Nyx''s beautiful face was flushed red, and her eyes dazed. Thick white cum flowed out of her tight pussy.

    "Amazing," he said, pulling her up and changing the position to one of his liking. The heat between them never waned, and the night was far from over.

    ***

    Status:

    [Name: Ethan Chase] | [Title: Profane Prince ] | [Level: 26]

    [Current State: Maniptive]

    ¡ºHealth: (75/100) [x 3]¡»

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® ¡ºArcane Points: (130/130) [x 3]¡»

    ¡ºStress: (200/100)¡»

    ¡ºCharm: (100/100)¡»

    ¡ºSpecial Points: 900 ?¡»

    ¡ºFragments of Obsidian used: (210/??)¡»

    [Stats:]

    ¡ºStrength: 19 (+17.5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºAgility: 9 (x 3) [x 10]¡»|¡ºS. Stamina: 20 (+20)¡»

    ¡ºHealth RR: 5 [x 3]¡»|¡º Arcane RR: 78 (x5) [x 3]¡»|¡ºIQ: 127 ¡»

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!