The rain didn't stop until morning.
Ethan barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes—
He saw Adrian standing beneath the streetlights, calm and unreadable.
You haven't decided yet.
Those words replayed in his mind over and over again.
Not because they were threatening.
Because they were true.
Ethan sat alone in the apartment kitchen long before sunrise, staring at the untouched cup of coffee in front of him.
The city outside was quiet.
Still half asleep.
But his mind refused to rest.
"You look terrible."
Lena's voice came softly from behind him.
Ethan glanced over slightly.
"…Good morning to you too."
She walked into the kitchen wearing an oversized hoodie, her hair slightly messy from sleep.
For a second—
Things almost felt normal again.
Almost.
Lena sat beside him quietly.
"…You didn't sleep."
"…A little."
"That's a lie."
Ethan sighed softly.
"…Probably."
For a moment neither spoke.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
It had become familiar.
Then Lena finally asked the question sitting heavily between them.
"…What did he mean?"
Ethan already knew who she meant.
Adrian.
He leaned back slightly in the chair.
"…I'm not sure."
"That's also a lie."
Ethan looked at her carefully.
"…I think he meant I'm changing."
Lena stayed quiet.
Listening.
"…And I think he meant I could become dangerous."
The words felt strange saying out loud.
Not because he disagreed with them—
Because part of him understood why others would think that.
Lena frowned slightly.
"…Do you think that?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Because honestly?
He didn't know anymore.
He remembered the feeling during recent fights.
The surge of power.
The loss of restraint.
The instinct to overwhelm.
And the worst part?
A small part of him had liked it.
"…I think power changes people," he admitted quietly.
Lena watched him carefully.
"…Only if they let it."
That answer hit harder than expected.
Ethan looked down at his hands.
Still steady.
For now.
"…Adrian said something else," he said quietly.
Lena tilted her head slightly.
"…What?"
"…Someone higher noticed me."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Lena crossed her arms slightly.
"…Higher than Executors?"
"…Apparently."
That alone was enough to make the room feel colder.
Before Ethan could say more—
The apartment door opened.
Again.
Without knocking.
Kai walked inside calmly.
Lena immediately pointed toward the door.
"…See? This is why people hate you."
Kai ignored her completely.
As usual.
His eyes moved directly toward Ethan.
"…You spoke with Adrian."
Not a question.
Ethan nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
Kai stayed silent for a moment.
Then—
"…And?"
Ethan leaned back slightly.
"…He wasn't what I expected."
Kai raised an eyebrow faintly.
"…You expected violence."
"…Honestly? Yeah."
Kai crossed his arms.
"…Executors rarely waste energy on unnecessary violence."
A pause.
"They only act when conclusions are already decided."
That sentence bothered Ethan immediately.
"…Meaning?"
Kai's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…If Adrian had decided you were a threat…"
Silence.
Ethan understood without needing the sentence finished.
Lena looked unsettled too.
"…Then why didn't he?"
Kai looked toward the window quietly.
"…That's the dangerous part."
Ethan frowned.
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
Kai turned back toward him.
"…It means he sees potential value in you."
That somehow felt worse.
Because enemies were predictable.
Interest wasn't.
Ethan rubbed his forehead slowly.
The fracture pulsed faintly again.
Still unstable.
Still recovering.
Kai noticed immediately.
"…You're thinking too hard."
"…Helpful advice."
"It is."
Lena sighed softly.
"…Do you always talk like a robot?"
"Yes."
"…That wasn't a joke."
"I know."
For the first time that morning, Ethan laughed quietly.
Small.
But real.
Then—
The connection shifted.
Sharp.
Instant.
Ethan froze immediately.
Kai noticed at the exact same moment.
"…Someone's moving," Ethan muttered.
Not close.
Far.
But fast.
And unlike before—
This presence felt chaotic.
Unstable.
"…That's not an observer," Kai said immediately.
Ethan focused harder.
The ripple was violent.
Like emotions crashing into each other uncontrollably.
"…No," Ethan whispered.
"…It feels wrong."
The pressure intensified suddenly.
Closer now.
Lena stood up instantly.
"…Another attack?"
Kai's expression hardened.
For once—
Actually hardened.
"…No."
That single word made Ethan's chest tighten.
"…Then what is it?"
Kai looked directly at him.
"…Someone who lost control."
Silence hit the room instantly.
Ethan's mind immediately flashed back to Adrian's words.
You haven't decided yet.
The ripple outside grew more violent.
The air itself almost felt distorted.
Ethan moved toward the balcony quickly.
Then froze.
Below—
People were running.
Screaming.
Cars stopping suddenly in the middle of the road.
And at the center of it—
A man stood shaking violently in the street.
Dark energy pulsed erratically around him.
Exploding outward in unstable bursts.
A woman nearby was crying.
Others were backing away in panic.
The man grabbed his head violently.
Like he was fighting himself.
"…Help me…"
His voice sounded broken.
Desperate.
Then the energy exploded again.
Streetlights shattered instantly.
Car alarms screamed across the road.
Lena stepped beside Ethan slowly.
"…Oh my god…"
Ethan's chest tightened heavily.
Because he understood immediately.
This wasn't an enemy attack.
This was someone losing themselves completely.
Kai's voice came quietly behind them.
"…This is what happens when control breaks."