"Sit." Edward stared Ethan as he kept his arms folded, waiting for him to sit down. Ethan was unnerved. Edward had a frown that seemed to be permanently etched on his face. It felt like he was interrogating Ethan, trying to search for every single secret that that was hidden underneath his face as his eyes bore into him.
Ethan sat down on the mat in a kneeling position, sitting directly on his heels as he faced him. Edward nodded. "The traditional form of sitting in ancient Japan. The seiza. I'm glad that you know of it." The hard tone of his voice made it difficult to discern that he was giving a compliment.
Ethan glanced at the man in front of him. Edward was a well-built man. Not as much as some of those body-building idols that he'd seen in his past life, but enough to make a stranger on the street think twice before picking a fight with him. And that was if they didn't know he was an S rank gatekeeper.
Edward was wearing a white coloured traditional karate uniform- a keikogi- that hung loosely near his neck, slightly revealing his bare, muscled chest. There was a black coloured belt tied around his waist, signifying the highest rank in this building. His hair was white. Not like Nathan, whose hair was naturally white. No, Edward's hair had lost tits colour due to old age. But that didn't mean that he could be taken lightly. He was the second strongest man in KGS.
Who was Edward Henrick though? And why was he here, where Darius White should have been? Ethan eyed him curiously. Well, he couldn't exactly ask him that. Noah joined this club in five months. That's when Darius was the head. So there was enough time to figure out what exactly had happened.
"What are you staring at?" Edward frowned at Ethan. Ethan had a strange urge to answer immediately and truthfully. There was something about his tone that made him feel submissive. "Uh...." He bit his lip "...Nothing, sir. Its just my first time seeing such an important teacher- especially a member of the Quad- this close. So I was a bit flustered."
Edward's frown deepened. Apparently, he didn't like what Ethan said. "What's your rank?" Ethan gulped silently. He couldn't reveal his actual rank. "G...G-7, sir." Edward's blue eyes glinted slightly. "Are you sure?" "....sorry?" "I said, are you sure about that? I don't like repeating myself." Edward's voice hardened slightly.
Ethan fumbled. Did Edward find out that he was lying? "Y...yes, sir. I'm sure." Edward's frowned relaxed a bit. "Oh! Is that so? Well, you have nothing to fear then." Bzzzzt! Suddenly, Ethan felt a weird sensation from his fingertips, as if something was crawling underneath his nails. His gaze shot towards Edward.
Mana Sense! The skill that every single gatekeeper and gatekeeper aspirant had. Something used to detect the rank of monsters with perfect accuracy. And it could also be used on humans. Bzzzzt! The foreign sensation increased as mana started to seep into his arms. "S...sir?" Ethan stared at Edward desperately. He couldn't drive his mana out. "Stay quiet."
Ba-dump....ba-dump....ba-dump. "Ugh!" Ethan's hand shot towards his chest as his heart started beating loudly. Why now? Why had his heart started acting up right now? His hand tightened around his chest.
Ba-dump...ba-dump...ba-dump. Edward's mana started crawling up Ethan's arm as it reached his elbow. "Ah....Damn you! What the hell have I done to you? Fucking old man!" Ba-dump.....ba-dump.....ba-dump. Edward stared back at him with the same expression he'd held from the beginning, as if nothing had changed.
Bzzzzzt! The mana had reached his shoulders. A thin stream of mana joined the two creeping forces. "Ugh!" The foreign presence had become stronger. Ethan could feel it. The two streams joined together, descending downwards as they maoving faster than before. BA-DUMP....BA-DUMP....BA-DUMP. "Ahhh!" Suddenly, his heart started beating even faster than before.
BA-DUMP....BA-DUMP...BA-DUMP. Each time his heart contracted, his entire body shook, creaking from the pressure it exuded. Bzzzzt! Ethan could feel a spring of mana rising from his heart. It flowed through his body, crashing into the foreign mana as it attempted to shield Ethan.
Bzzzzt! Edward's mana slowed down, decreasing in speed as it travelled downwards. BA-DUMP...BA-DUMP...BA-DUMP. "Argh!" A bolt of pain shot from his heart as the foreign mana stopped right above it. An equilibrium. Right now, Edward's mana was fighting against Ethan's heart, vying for dominance as neither budged.
Ethan knew this feeling. He knew where he'd seen this strange mana that originated from his heart before. It wasn't like the normal mana that he poured into his limbs when he fought. It was a part of Ethan, no doubt. It felt right at home within his body, unlike the foreign feeling that Edward's mana gave.
Yet, this was different. Its purpose was separate. It was meant to go outside Ethan's body, not stay trapped within him. Spark...spark...spark. Tiny orange sparks emerged on the ceiling, falling down from above as they landed on Edward's head. They didn't hurt him. They were too weak to make a normal, H rank human notice them, yet alone an S rank powerhouse like Edward.
But they were deadly. When Ethan had incinerated the thorny dragon's spikes. When he had dug his blade into the emerald krait's mouth. These same sparks were there, helping him close the gap between those terrible creatures, making it easier for him to survive.
BA-DUMP...BA-DUMP...BA-DUMP. Spark...spark...spark. The pain had lessened. No, maybe it was just that Ethan couldn't notice it any more. Thud. He lifted a leg, placing it on the floor as he stared at Edward. Bzzzzzt! The spring of mana thickened, turning into a stream as it pushed back the invading force.
Spark...spark....spark. Ethan's eyes glowed blue. He stared right into Edward's eyes as he slowly got up. "Yu shouldn't have messed with me." Spark...spark...Crackle. The sparks grew stronger. Brighter. Harsher. They increased in intensity, growing in power as they transformed into tiny flames.
Whoosh! Ethan thrust an arm out, pointing it at Edward as the foreign mana was pushed back to his shoulders. The strange mana wanted to get out. It wanted to escape from Ethan's body and embrace the outside atmosphere. So Ethan would oblige. He'd let it go right where he wanted.
Crackle....crackle....Whoosh! Edward's keikogi lit on fire. The tiny sparks embraced his body, covering him completely as they tried to smother him. Crackle...crackle...crackle. He didn't move. He kept the same expression he'd kept the same time- his arms were folded, and his face was etched in a permanent frown of indifference that never budged even after seeing Ethan's spectacular show.
Crackle....crackle....Freeze! Suddenly, Ethan's flames sputtered. Icy, cold winds arose, completely extinguishing the flames as they washed over his body, chilling him to the bone. "Squawk!" An illusory bird appeared on Edward's shoulder, becoming more and more corporeal as the icy winds grew stronger.
"Squawk!" Its mouth was opened, its beak pointed towards Ethan as it unleashed a barrage of ice and snow. Bang! Bang! Bang! "Urk!" Ethan was knocked down to the floor by the projectiles. "Damn it! Fuck you! I won't die that easily."
Whoosh! Suddenly, it was quiet. The winds died down as quickly as they had arrived. Bzzzzt! The foreign mana receded. Ethan could feel Edward withdraw his attack as he retracted his mana back into his body. "Huff...huff...huff."
Damn it! His largest secret had been revealed. One that he didn't know himself. And something that get him killed easily. "Burning Dragon. You are an augmented awakener." Edward's cold, hoarse voice emerged from his throat. That wasn't a question. No, it was an assertion.
"Not only are you an augmented awakener, you also have peak S rank potential. Or, in other terms, you can become an SS rank gatekeeper. An SS rank augmented gatekeeper" He stared coldly at Ethan. "Huff...huff...huff. SO what now? Are you going to kill me? Are you going to tell somebody about this?" Ethan glared hatefully at him. This man might be able to destroy his life. But he didn't feel fear. No, he felt rage. Anger. If Edward was planning on destroying his life, he'd do the same to him.
Edward stared back at him. "Perhaps Nathan did not tell you the rules of this club. Allow me to remind. You. None of the members' names are known. Except the Club Head and the Club President." Ethan stared back at him in confusion. Rules? What the hell was this old geezer talking about?
"What do you...." "As I said before, the members' identities are not revealed. Which means that Burning Dragon is an augmented awakener." His frown eased slightly. "However, I do not know if you are Burning Dragon. Are you?"
Ethan didn't respond. "I said, are you Burning Dragon. I do not like repeating myself." Ethan paused for a moment for replying. "No, sir." Squawk! The bird perched on Edward's shoulder squawked loudly. "Well, then. You have nothing to worry."
Ethan stared into his blue eyes. "What's in it for you?" Edward didn't respond. "What do you get by keeping my....no, Burning Dragon's secret?" Edward frowned. "An opportunity," he said simply. An opportunity? What did he mean? An opportunity to do what? Exploit him?
"Come here at 5:00 a.m. Don't be a second late. Your training starts from tomorrow." He glared sternly at Ethan. "You may leave." Creak! Ethan got back onto his feet as he stared at Edward warily. There was a lot he wanted to ask him. But he had a strange feeling that none of his questions would be answered. At least for now.
Creak...creak...creak. He started walking towards the door. "Oh, and Mr Miller." He heard Edward calling out to him. "Don't forget to put on your mask." Ethan lifted his orange-red mask, bringing it towards his face as he glanced behind. "Yes, Sensei!"