Ethan let them bicker for a few monts before finally clearing his throat, neatly cutting through the lupine argunt.
"You know," he said, his tone casual, almost conspiratorial, "since you’re already here, and since one of you is facing punishnt anyway while the other might never get another chance, wouldn’t it be a sha to go back without actually experiencing a little of what you ca for?"
The suggestion was carefully placed bait, dangling just within reach of two predators already half‑tempted.
One large wolf and one small one exchanged a look. No words were spoken, yet an entire conversation passed between them.
"You promise not to run?" Xenon asked at last, his voice stern but betraying a thread of hope. "If you promise, I’ll take you to the amusent park."
"Mm‑hmm!" Xeisha nodded so hard her silver hair bounced wildly.
Xenon studied her for a long mont, searching her face for deception. Finally, he exhaled, shoulders sagging in surrender. "Fine. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. When we go back, I’ll say I found you and we ca straight ho."
He set her gently on her feet.
"Yay!" Xeisha squealed, hopping in place.
Relief washed over Xenon’s face as the crushing weight of his mission evaporated. Ethan’s reasoning had struck ho. Why waste the journey? If nothing else, it would beco a story worth retelling for generations.
"Then it’s settled," Ethan said, making the invitation official. "You’ll stay with for now. As you’ve probably noticed, the human world is... in transition. I have a few sses to clean up first. Once that’s handled, the amusent parks should reopen. They’re all closed at the mont."
Privately, Ethan was pleased. He had just secured another asset. Xenon was no Uncle Jed or Regis, but he was still formidable, strong enough to contend with most Energy Users. More telling was the fact that he was not even among his clan’s strongest. The Seal’s breach imposed limits, allowing only those beneath a certain threshold to pass through. The fact that Xenon had pulled strings to be chosen spoke volus about his curiosity and desire to see the outside world.
For the return trip, Ethan decided against using his ch. He had granted the invaders forty‑eight hours. That window bought him a brief, precious calm. After it closed, the purge of the unregistered would begin, followed by the quiet removal of registered individuals whose files, compiled by the Noble Eight, revealed cris that could not be forgiven.
Ember City. Magnolia Valley. This was ho.
Ascension Isle had been beautiful, almost idyllic, but here, where every VR Capsule player ford a node in the awakening Energy network, was where true power would gather. The streets, the skyline, even the scars left behind by recent chaos all felt familiar. It grounded him.
He slung the Mad Engineer over his shoulder like a sack of grain and shifted smoothly into Travel Form. "Hang on."
Then he launched forward, becoming a streak of motion tearing through the empty city.
Xenon followed without effort, Xeisha secured safely in his arms. A soft white glow enveloped him, shaping itself into a streamlined aura that split the air ahead of him and allowed him to match Ethan’s speed, which quickly climbed past two hundred kiloters per hour.
For their passengers, the experience could not have been more different. Xeisha, cushioned within Xenon’s protective field, felt nothing more than a pleasant rush. The Mad Engineer, on the other hand, was pinned awkwardly over Ethan’s shoulder as the wind howled past, tugging at his face and rattling his teeth. It felt like clinging to the nose of a rocket with no windshield. Thrilling, terrifying, and profoundly uncomfortable. He kept his mouth tightly shut, afraid his cheeks might balloon if he dared to breathe wrong.
They traveled in a straight line, Ethan bounding from rooftop to rooftop, clearing walls and gaps with practiced ease. Xenon mirrored him stride for stride, never once lagging behind. A flicker of competitive irritation stirred in Ethan’s chest. It was the first ti soone had kept pace with him in Travel Form. Wolves really were fast.
They reached the eastern villa compound sooner than expected.
As Ethan slowed to a walk at the gate, he began making introductions. The group greeted the newcors with easy curiosity.
Xeisha adapted instantly, her eyes lighting up the mont she spotted the Third Princess of the rfolk. With a delighted gasp, she imdiately took off after the bewildered rmaid, laughter echoing through the courtyard.
Xenon, surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces, grew noticeably restrained, his earlier confidence giving way to a quiet reserve.
Then Ethan said his na.
"Xenon."
Markham reacted as if soone had flipped a switch. "Xenon? That’s a great na. Strong. morable." He clapped his hands together and grinned. "Co on, Xenon the Guest. Uncle Markham will show you around, get you settled in."
Before Xenon could respond, Markham had already slung an arm around his shoulders and started guiding him away, seamlessly assuming the role of host. As he walked, he glanced back at Ethan and flashed a confident wink that clearly said he had things handled.
Ethan smiled. Markham had a gift for people, and that made him invaluable in ways raw strength never could.
With the wolves quickly absorbed into the group’s rhythm, Ethan briefed the others on their origins and on the situation in the Extre South. The forbidden continent captured everyone’s imagination, questions flying faster than he could answer.
A glance at the ti told him it was four in the afternoon. Ethereal would go live in two hours. He summoned Shatterstar’s remote surveillance feed on his watch piece, checking in on Sandra and her family.
Nothing had changed. Her aunt remained deep in ditation. Sandra herself was studying, hunched over her materials. Her father still lay in his open pod, staring blankly at the ceiling where his legs should have been.
The sight struck Ethan harder than he expected. He had been there once, in another life, trapped in a broken body, staring at sterile white panels with nothing but despair for company.
On impulse, he opened a channel to Shatterstar.
[Query: Can his injuries be reversed?]
[Analysis: Neural and spinal damage is permanent under current human dical paradigms.]
The answer was unsurprising, yet the familiar heaviness settled in his chest all the sa.
Then another line appeared.
[Addendum: Cybernetic prosthetics are a viable alternative. Full mobility restoration possible. Combat augntation modules available.]
"Really?" Ethan murmured, his eyes brightening.
He didn’t hesitate.
[Command: Initiate remote biotric scan of subject. Design and fabricate optimized cybernetic leg assemblies with neural interface.]
"Ethan?" Lyla’s voice pulled him back. She, Amber, and Rainie had stayed close, watching his expression shift from quiet pain to sharp focus.
"It’s nothing," he said, and this ti the grin that spread across his face was genuine. The solution felt like a burden lifting from his shoulders.
He turned to the three of them. "Co on. Let’s go upstairs." His tone turned playful, almost dangerous. "If I rember correctly, the bed in my room is... pretty spacious."
Before any of them could protest, his arms swept around all three at once, locking them into a single powerful embrace.
"Ethan, what are you doing?!" Lyla yelped.
With a single explosive leap that drew three perfectly synchronized shrieks, he launched from the living room floor to the second‑floor balcony, landing lightly and laughing as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
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