At that moment his fingers tightened around the photograph until the edges began to crease.“I'm going to crush them.”More silence followed, the vending machine hummed.Ethan's breathing steadied, but the tension in his body did not ease.If anything, it deepened, because he knew what came next.He knew what he would have to do.And he knew what it would cost.“My power was sealed,” he said softly, almost to himself now. “Years ago. Sealed because you were afraid. Afraid they would sense it. Afraid they would find us. Afraid that if I ever used it again, they would come.”He closed his eyes.“You were right to be afraid.”When he opened them again, the blue in his irises the faint, unnatural blue that had appeared the night his mother died seemed deeper now. Colder. Like water at the bottom of something very old and very dark.“But the seal can be broken,” he said. “I know what it takes. Three things. Three materials no ordinary person could ever find.”His voice grew quieter, but so

Ethan stood there for a moment longer, watching the two women whisper urgently to each other, their eyes flicking back and forth between him and the injured woman on the floor.He could see the doubt in their faces.The suspicion, the desperation. And he wanted no part of it.He exhaled slowly, then said in a flat, even tone, "It seems you didn't hear what I said. You need to get her to a hospital as quickly as possible. But I'll be leaving now."He turned away.Back toward the bench where he had left his belongings.Back toward the quiet corner of the station where he could sit and wait for the bus in peace.He had done what he could. He had given them information. He had told them what needed to happen. What they did with that information was no longer his problem.But before he had taken more than a few steps, one of the women — the one kneeling beside the injured woman called out after him."Please!"Her voice cracked on the word.Ethan slowed but did not stop."It seems like you

Ethan said nothing at first.He simply stood there, looking down at the injured woman on the floor, then at the two women kneeling beside her, then at the bullet lying discarded on the tile.Finally, he spoke.His voice was calm. Flat. Matter-of-fact."It's done," he said. "But you still need to get her to a hospital for stitching. The wound needs to be closed properly. That's all."He turned to leave.But before he could take more than a step, the woman who had been kneeling — the one who had applied pressure to the wound, the one whose hands were still stained dark with blood — scrambled to her feet and moved toward him."Wait," she said quickly. "Please, wait."Ethan paused but did not turn around.She bowed slightly, her voice thick with emotion."Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much for helping us. Thank you for doing this. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't—""It's fine," Ethan said, cutting her off gently. "No problem."The other woman — the one who had been

The moment the bus driver opened his jacket and revealed the black dragon tattoo coiled across his forearm, the air in the station seemed to freeze.Both women stared.Their faces went pale.Then red.Then something harder.The standing woman's jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful."You crazy bastard," she hissed through her teeth. "You filthy, backstabbing piece of—"She took a step toward him, fists clenched, shaking with rage."How could you betray the family like this?" she spat. "How could you betray Miss Victoria like this? After everything — after all the trust placed in you — you sold us out?"The kneeling woman's voice cracked as she joined in, her tone somewhere between fury and heartbreak."She trusted you," she said. "We all trusted you. And you—"The bus driver said nothing at first.He simply stood there, hands still in his pockets, that faint, cold smile lingering on his face.Then he shrugged."I do what's right," he said simply. "What's smart."His smile widened

At that moment, upon seeing the two men advancing toward him with slow, measured steps—their hands already moving toward the guns tucked into their waistbands, their expressions cold and focused one of the women pinned to the ground suddenly screamed out in desperation. "What are you still doing standing there?" Her voice cracked with urgency, raw and frantic as she strained against the men holding her down. "You have to run! Now! They're going to come for you they're going to kill you! Just leave this place immediately! Run and hide and do what we asked you to do! Please, you have to go now before it's too late!"Ethan remained where he was, standing near the station exit with his back still turned to the armed men, the urn containing his mother's ashes held carefully under one arm. He didn't flinch. He didn't turn around. He simply stood there, his posture relaxed and unbothered, as though the danger closing in behind him was nothing more than an inconvenience he had already calcu