2026-04-23 23:57:57
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Ethan shifted his weight—And everything about him changed.No wasted motion now.No hesitation.Peter saw it a fraction too late.Ethan surged forward, low and sharp—his foot hooking behind Peter’s ankle while his shoulder drove into his center of gravity—A clean takedown.Peter hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from him—And Ethan didn’t stop.He followed through immediately, driving a knee into Peter’s arm to pin it while his other hand struck—once, twice—precise hits aimed at the same point along the jawline.Controlled.Efficient.Not wild.Peter tried to twist out—Ethan shifted with him, tightening his hold, using leverage instead of brute force.Another strike.And another—Peter’s head snapped to the side, dirt scattering beneath him.For the first time—His grin faltered.“…Hah—” a strained breath escaped him. “…there it is…”Ethan didn’t slow.He shifted again, forcing Peter onto his back, pressing down—Keeping him grounded.Keeping him contained.Every m
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Ethan didn’t break eye contact— But something had shifted behind it. Tighter. More focused. Not on the man in front of him— But on the time slipping through his fingers. Karpeta. Unconscious. Barely breathing. Every second here mattered. And this— This was in the way. Ethan exhaled once, steadying himself. “…Not now,” he said. Peter’s grin twitched, amused already. Ethan continued, voice low but controlled. “…We can settle this later.” A pause. “…I’m busy.” For a fraction of a second— Silence held. And then— Peter laughed. Not loud. Not explosive. But deep. Rolling. Like Ethan had just said the funniest thing he’d heard all day. “…Busy?” Peter repeated, wiping at the corner of his eye like he was genuinely entertained. “You hear yourself?” Ethan didn’t react. Didn’t rise to it. “…Move,” he said again, sharper this time. Peter tilted his head, studying him like something had just become very interesting. “…No,” he said simply. The amusement didn’t leav
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Ethan didn’t move.Didn’t step back.Didn’t look away.“…Then I guess you’re used to hearing it,” he shot back.That did it.The man’s shoulders rolled slightly, a quiet crack running through his neck as he tilted it.Not rage.No—This was worse.Enjoyment.“…Yeah,” he said under his breath. “I remember you now.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.The man took another step closer, boots grinding lightly against the dirt.“…Same look,” he continued. “Same stupid way of standing your ground like you’ve got something worth protecting.”His gaze flicked—briefly—to the herb behind Ethan.Then back.“…Looks like you still do.”Ethan shifted—just enough to block the plant more fully.“…Say what you came to say,” he said. “Or move.”The man chuckled.Low.Unhurried.“…That’s the thing,” he replied. “I didn’t come for you.”A beat.“…But now that you’re here…”His eyes darkened slightly.“…Feels like a waste not to.”The wind picked up again, brushing past them—but neither moved.Ethan’s voice d
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“…No,” Elsa said, almost too quickly.Ethan held her gaze for a second, searching for something—hesitation, a crack, anything—but whatever he was looking for, he didn’t find it.His jaw tightened.“…Fine.”And just like that, he was gone.⸻The door hadn’t even fully settled back into place before Elsa stepped inside.She didn’t call out.Didn’t hesitate.Her feet carried her forward almost on instinct, up the stairs she hadn’t thought she’d climb again. The house felt… different. Tense. Like it was holding its breath.The door to the room upstairs was slightly open.Elsa pushed it gently.And there she was.Karpeta lay on the bed, unnaturally still. Too still.Her chest rose—but unevenly. Shallow. Wrong.Elsa stepped closer.For a moment, she just… looked.This was the girl who had taken everything from her. The one who had shifted Ethan’s world. The reason Norka had—Her fingers curled slightly at her side.And then—A small, quiet exhale left her lips.“…So this is how it looks,” s
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A figure stood there.For a split second, Ethan didn’t recognize her.The light was wrong. The timing was worse.Then she shifted—just slightly—and it clicked.“…Elsa?”The name came out sharper than he meant it to.Not soft. Not welcoming.Just… disbelief.Elsa stood on the threshold, one hand still half-raised from knocking, like she hadn’t decided whether to continue or leave.Up close, she looked… different.Not physically.But there was hesitation in her posture. A tightness around her eyes.And something else.Embarrassment.“…Hi,” she said, quieter than usual.Ethan stared at her for a beat too long.“…You left,” he said flatly.Not a question.She winced—just barely.“…I know.”Silence stretched, thick with everything neither of them had said the last time.The way she had walked out.The way he hadn’t stopped her.The reasons sitting unspoken between them—Karpeta.And Norka.Elsa’s fingers curled slightly at her side.“…I didn’t think you’d open the door,” she admitted.Etha
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The door to her room hit the wall harder than he meant it to.Ethan didn’t slow down.He crossed the space in a few strides and lowered Karpeta onto the bed, one hand still bracing her neck, making sure her head didn’t snap back. She didn’t react. Not even a flinch.“…Karpeta.”Nothing.Her breathing—there.Shallow.Too shallow.His fingers pressed lightly against her throat.Pulse—fast. Uneven.“…Damn it.”He straightened, already moving, scanning the room like something might suddenly appear and fix this.Milk doesn’t do this.Not like this.Not this fast.Not unconscious.His jaw tightened.“…This isn’t just nausea.”He turned back to her, sharper now, eyes narrowing as he took her in properly—really looked.Her skin.Paler than before.Not just human pale—wrong pale.There was a faint shimmer beneath it. Almost imperceptible, like light moving under glass.Ethan stilled.“…What is that?”He stepped closer again, slower this time.Careful.His hand hovered over her arm—then stopped
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