"Why is she taking so much time?" someone said while standing before a carriage. The person was none other than Ethan. Looking at him, he appeared a bit different. There was a small, deep mark running from above his left eye to below it. He must have been really lucky to not have his left eye destroyed by whatever caused that mark.
Today was the day he would be leaving Emerald City with Lucy.
"You took quite a long time. I was just about to think we were being attacked again and was about to walk in," Ethan said.
"Sorry to get you worried. I was trying to look better for you," Lucy said. She had light makeup on and wore clothing that emphasized her curves.
"I don't know why you stress yourself with all that when you know I prefer seeing you without clothes," Ethan said as he stretched out his hand to help Lucy down.
"I can't move around naked," Lucy burst into laughter.
"Yeah, all thanks to the first people who thought of clothes," Ethan said as he led Lucy up into the carriage. They didn't have a lot of belongings, so the carriage was enough for both their possessions and themselves. After helping Lucy settle into the carriage, Ethan moved out to take the beast's reins. "Bless me with a peaceful journey." Ethan kissed the cross hanging on his neck. He was actually becoming more afraid, which was why he hurried their departure from Emerald City. As they set off, the carriage began finding its way to the city gate. Soon enough, they were already outside the city gate, as Ethan had been living close by.
"Sweetheart, I'm feeling somewhat uncomfortable. The baby seems to be giving me signs," Lucy's voice sounded from inside the carriage.
Hearing her, Ethan's face creased slightly. The last time Lucy had said something like this was before he got the injury above his left eye. "Don't worry, as long as I am alive, nothing will happen," Ethan reassured her. He immediately started thinking about what a spatial zone representative is and how important it is for so many people to be hunting them in the past few days. He couldn't think of any other reason why Lucy would feel this way, apart from the fact that people were already on the hunt for them. Two days ago, they were attacked because of Belle's case. Ethan had been lucky so far, with no serious injuries other than the one above his left eye. "I really hope the group coming doesn't have updated information about me," Ethan thought to himself. He had survived the last two days, only getting injured because the group that came didn't know he was no longer an Ascendant rank.
Gallop, gallop, gallop. The sound of the beast's hooves echoed as the carriage slowly made its way through the forest. After some time, the beast growled and Ethan pulled them to a stop. He had noticed some movement.
"Don't you think leaving town at a time like this will put us all under stress?" a voice emerged, walking out and leading five more people behind him. They had been noticed by Ethan.
"I already said it. I killed him myself and buried him. You should've dug to confirm," Ethan said as he let go of the beast's reins. He had said that out loud to give Lucy a hint to lock the door behind her. He had actually spent a fortune acquiring the carriage with the thought of something like this happening.
"Oh, we heard that. We just happen to have trust issues. You see, we trust people when they're dead. They can never lie when they are," the man leading the group of five said. He was wearing a two-colored tuxedo suit and had a wide grin that stretched across his face whenever he spoke.
"Okay then," Ethan said, deciding not to talk anymore as he stood up. "Let's decide who lives then."
"Sure, it seems to be our advantage though," the man said, the grin still hanging on his face.
Boom! Ethan exploded with great speed, covering the little distance between them as lightning crisscrossed around his body.
Ethan's fists clenched, crackling with electric energy as he went head first against the group of five. Determination burned in his eyes as he prepared to unleash his own power.
The man in the two-colored tuxedo suit, the leader of the group, stepped forward with a sly grin. "This will be interesting," he said, excitement gleaming in his eyes. Suddenly, the ground beneath Ethan's feet began to tremble, causing him to lose his balance for a moment. It was the woman standing next to the leader, her ability to manipulate earth evident.
Refusing to back down, Ethan gathered his strength and summoned more lightning as bolts of electricity crackled around him, illuminating the dark forest. With a swift motion, he sent a surge of lightning towards the woman, aiming to disrupt her control over the earth. But she quickly created a shield of rock to protect herself, deflecting the attack.
Meanwhile, another member of the group, a tall and muscular man, charged at Ethan like a raging bull. His speed was astonishing, but Ethan, who with his improvement on his rank learned how to make use of his lightning to increase his speed, sidestepped the charge, causing the man's fists to be slammed into the ground. Seizing the opportunity, he released a blast of lightning, striking the man's exposed back and sending him crashing to the forest floor. He attacked to kill, as the man was immediately charred.
Thump! Thump! Two members of the group closed in on Ethan, with their abilities becoming evident. One possessed the power to control fire, while the other wielded ice. Flames erupted from the palm of the fire manipulator, attempting to engulf Ethan. But he refused to succumb to the scorching heat. Using his lightning, he increased his speed, then circled around the dude and delivered a punch right to the back of his head with a lightning-covered fist, sending him flying through the air.
The ice manipulator, however, proved to be more cunning. She encased herself in a protective dome of ice, making it nearly impossible for Ethan to reach her. Undeterred, he channeled his lightning into a concentrated blast, heating the air around him and creating a vortex made of pure sinister lightning that charged directly to the dome. It cracked then struck down on the ice user, obliterating her completely.
Boom! Ethan's leg was immediately rooted to the ground by the earth user who had actually recovered back to the shock of Ethan already taking out three of them. She confirmed that Ethan is no longer an Ascendant like they thought. With only the leader remaining, Ethan braced himself for their showdown. The man's grin had faded, replaced by a determined expression. He raised his hand, and suddenly, the area was shrouded in darkness. Ethan's vision was obscured, and he knew that the leader's ability was to manipulate shadows.
But Ethan had trained for moments like this. Drawing upon his inner strength, he called forth a brilliant flash of lightning, illuminating the entire area. The shadows hesitated, momentarily retreating from the intensity of the light. In that split second, Ethan leaped forward, delivering a powerful punch to the leader's jaw. The impact sent him sprawling backward.
As the leader struggled to regain his footing, Ethan unleashed a barrage of lightning strikes, each one hitting its mark with uncanny precision. The leader fought back, using wisps of shadow to defend himself, but ultimately, it was no match for the sheer power of Ethan's lightning. Finally, the leader collapsed to the ground, totally charred.
A sense of relief washed over Ethan as he stood amidst the aftermath of the intense battle. He looked around, making sure that none of the group members were still a threat. Exhausted but victorious, Ethan allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. The air crackled with residual energy as he surveyed the forest, his gaze finally returning to Lucy inside the carriage. With a relieved smile, he made his way back to her, ready to continue their journey.