At that moment, the driver's words only made the suspicion around Ethan grow heavier.The man was still staring at him with wide, unsettled eyes, as if even now he couldn't fully process what he had witnessed earlier."I don't think he knew what he did," the driver said, almost stumbling over his own words in his haste to explain. "But he pulled the bullet out. She didn't even—there was nothing. Nothing! And yet his hands were there, and the next thing, she was breathing better."His voice carried a strange mixture of fear and disbelief.It wasn't admiration.It wasn't gratitude.It was the fear a man felt when he had seen something he couldn't explain.And once those words left his mouth, every gaze in the area sharpened on Ethan.The black dragon men stared at him differently now.Not just as some random passerby.Not even just as a nuisance.But as an unknown factor.A variable.A problem.Victoria and Grace also looked at him, though their expressions were more complicated. Grace'

Then one of the guards stepped in close, placing his hand heavily on Ethan’s shoulder as though he had already decided the outcome of the confrontation. His expression was smug, his eyes cold with that familiar kind of arrogance men wore when they believed strength belonged only to their side.“Get down on your knees now,” he said, pressing down slightly, “and this situation won’t get any worse.”For a brief moment, it looked like the guard had the upper hand. Everyone around them seemed to think the same thing, because the station had gone quiet enough that even the smallest movement felt loud. But before Ethan could even fully process the insult, something in him reacted faster than thought. It was not fear, and it was not rage alone. It was instinct, a sharp and precise motion that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than logic.His hand shot out.In one clean movement, Ethan caught the man’s wrist and twisted it with a speed so sudden the guard’s face changed almost instantly. Hi

Yet Ethan did not panic.The instant the first dagger came toward his chest, his body shifted lightly to the side, allowing the blade to pass through empty air. He did not move wildly or waste energy; every motion was measured, smooth, and almost unnaturally precise, as though he had already seen their attacks before they made them. The system’s enhancements had strengthened his body, but the martial knowledge inherited through his bloodline gave him something even more frightening—a perfect understanding of how people moved before they struck.A chain whipped toward his head from behind.Ethan lowered his shoulders at the last possible moment, letting it cut through the air above him, then turned with a speed that made the attacker’s eyes widen. His palm landed across the man’s face with a sharp slap, and the force sent him spinning sideways before he crashed into two of his own companions.Another man tried to stab Ethan from the left, but Ethan caught his wrist, twisted it just enou

Even after all this time, months now of picking Emma up from this same spot, Ethan still knew almost nothing about this teacher. He had never once seen her face fully. The sunglasses never came off, not even on cloudy days, and the mask beneath them stayed fixed in place no matter the weather. Their conversations had been few, brief, polite exchanges exchanged in passing, nothing more. That was the extent of what he knew about her.But right now, none of that mattered.The moment Emma spotted her father walking toward her, her small face scrunched up immediately, her brows knitting together in a look of unmistakable frustration. Her arms folded tightly across her chest, and her lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line. There was no need for words. Ethan understood exactly what that expression meant.She was angry.And she had every right to be.He hadn't shown up when he promised he would. He had missed something important to her, something she had likely been looking forward to for

At that moment, hearing what Emma had just said, Ethan felt genuine disbelief settle over him. He couldn't quite process the idea that Megan had actually gone as far as paying for the entire excursion out of her own pocket, especially when she had no obligation to do so."No," he said quickly, shaking his head with visible discomfort. "You really shouldn't have done that. I can handle these things myself. Honestly, you shouldn't have."Megan simply gave a light shrug, her tone calm and unbothered by his protest. "It's really not that big of a deal," she said. "Emma and I are close. Very close, actually. She's not just one of my good students, she's my best student, and I care about her a lot. I did it out of my own kindness. Nothing more than that."Before Ethan could respond further, Emma suddenly clapped her hands together with childlike excitement, her earlier disappointment momentarily forgotten in the warmth of the moment. "That's exactly why I keep praying she becomes my mother!"