The morning light slipped quietly through the tall curtains, soft and pale, touching the edge of the bed where Ethan and Selene lay tangled together under white sheets.Their bodies were bare beneath the covers, skin against skin, warm from sleep and closeness. There was no rush, no weight from the outside world yet. Only the steady rhythm of breathing and the comfort of being held.Selene shifted first, pressing closer into Ethan’s chest. Her hair was loose, her face relaxed, no trace of the sharp authority she carried outside these walls. In this space, she wasn’t feared, respected, or dangerous. She was simply his.“You’re awake,” she murmured softly, her voice still thick with sleep.Ethan smiled faintly and brushed his thumb along her shoulder. “I woke up before you,” he said. “I like watching you when you’re calm like this.”Selene tilted her head, her cheek resting against his chest. “You always say strange things in the morning,” she said, but there was a smile in her voice

By early morning, Ethan was outside his estate, somewhere in the junction which was a seven minutes drive from his estate.He was in plain clothes, standing at the curb like an ordinary citizen. He didn’t bring a convoy. He didn’t bring bodyguards. He only brought his calm, because calm made people careless.His phone buzzed. It was a message from a worried aide: At least let someone drive you to this information base master Ethan.Ethan didn’t reply. He opened an app, requested for a ride, and waited.An Uber pulled up a minute later, a simple sedan with a clean interior and a driver who looked half-asleep. The driver glanced at Ethan in the mirror. “Morning,” he said. “Linbourgh County, yeah?”Ethan nodded. “Yes.”The driver pulled out smoothly. “Long trip,” he said, trying to be friendly. “You visiting family?”Ethan looked out the window. “Something like that.”The driver laughed softly. “You don’t sound excited.”Ethan’s tone was polite but flat. “Excitement is not always a goo

The first hand grabbed Ethan’s arm hard enough to bruise.“Move,” a soldier barked, already pulling him toward the exit. “You’ve wasted enough time.”Ethan did not resist. He did not tense. He let the man’s grip tighten, let the second soldier close in from the side, and waited for the third to rush from behind. The room smelled of oil, metal, and old sweat. The soldiers smelled like confidence.“Careful,” another voice laughed. “He might cry.”Ethan turned slightly, just enough.The soldier behind him collided with the one holding his arm, their shoulders crashing together. Ethan twisted his wrist free and stepped in, driving an elbow into the first man’s ribs. The sound was dull and ugly. The soldier folded without a scream, and air was forced from his lungs.“What the—!”A chair scraped across the floor as another soldier lunged. Ethan caught the chair with his foot and kicked it forward, slamming it into the man’s knees. He followed with a sharp strike to the shoulder, droppin

The door to Vincent Korr's office was sealed with a heavy click, and the sound settled like a verdict.Major Calder Rusk was forced forward by two Tribunal soldiers, his boots scraping against the floor as they dragged him toward Vincent Korr’s desk. The room was too quiet, the kind of quiet that pressed against the ears. The smell of burnt electronics and metal bullets still hung in the air, mixing with the faint scent of coffee gone cold.“You don’t understand,” Rusk said quickly, breath uneven. “Korr doesn’t stay in one place. He’s careful.”Ethan turned from the window where he had been standing. His expression was calm, almost distant, like a man examining a broken machine rather than another human being.“You’re breathing,” Ethan said. “That means you understand enough.”Rusk swallowed hard. “If you kill me, you gain nothing.”Ethan stepped closer, his shoes stopping just inches from the desk. “I didn’t come here for satisfaction,” he said. “I came for answers.”“I told you,”

The screen stayed alive after Ethan’s last words, the glow cutting the room into two sides. On one side stood Ethan, calm and upright, Tribunal soldiers watching in silence. On the other sat Vincent Korr, relaxed in his chair, fingers steepled, eyes sharp with amusement.Korr broke the silence first. “You speak about peace like it’s still an option,” he said, his tone smooth. “Do you really think you matter because our supreme leader Marcus Herold is in your custody?”Ethan did not react. His voice stayed level. “I ensured his arrest so Darius would choose dialogue,” he said. “So this conflict wouldn’t keep costing lives.”Korr smiled slowly. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he replied. “By taking General Marcus as your hostage, you didn’t open a door. You insulted a throne.”One of the Tribunal soldiers shifted his weight, but Ethan remained still. “No throne is worth civilian blood,” Ethan said. “Five people are dead from your recent attacks on my franchise. Eighty are injured. That is