Ethan Wilder Rise to Power

Chapter 3: A Strange Awakening

Ethan woke to the sensation of a jackhammer pounding inside his skull. He groaned, squinting against the weak light filtering through the cracked blinds in his apartment. The smell of rain-soaked clothes and stale whiskey filled the air, making his stomach churn.

‘Never drinking again,’ he thought bitterly, though he’d made the same promise to himself countless times before.

He pushed himself up from the couch, his muscles protesting. The events of the previous night were hazy, like fragments of a dream he couldn’t piece together. Something about an old woman . . . thugs . . . and a necklace.

His fingers brushed against his chest, and he froze.

There it was.

The jade necklace.

The smooth, cool pendant rested against his skin, its intricate design gleaming faintly in the dim light of the room. Ethan’s brow furrowed. He didn’t remember putting it on.

He grabbed the chain and pulled, trying to lift it over his head. It didn’t budge.

“What the hell?” he muttered.

He tried again, tugging harder this time, but the necklace seemed fused to his skin. There was no clasp to undo, no way to slip it off. It just stayed there, unyielding.

A flicker of panic crept into his chest. “Come on,” he grumbled, pulling at the chain with both hands. The metal didn’t even strain under the pressure. It was as if it wasn’t a chain at all but something far stronger.

Suddenly, a flash of light filled his vision, blinding him. Ethan gasped, his hands falling away from the necklace as strange images burst into his mind.

He saw shadows moving across ancient stone walls, their faces obscured but their voices clear—murmuring in a language he didn’t understand. He saw the jade necklace glowing brightly, held aloft by hands that didn’t belong to him. And then he saw fire, spreading across a battlefield, consuming everything in its path.

Ethan stumbled back, his breath coming in sharp gasps. His heart raced as the images faded, leaving him dizzy and unsteady.

“What . . . what was that?” he whispered.

The necklace felt heavier now, as if it carried some invisible weight. Ethan stared down at it, his pulse pounding in his ears. He shook his head, trying to clear the lingering fog.

‘You’re just hungover,’ he told himself. ‘It’s all in your head.’

Ignoring the unsettling visions, Ethan staggered to his feet and stumbled into the tiny bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, gripping the edges of the sink as he stared at his reflection.

His bloodshot eyes and pale skin stared back at him, but the jade necklace was impossible to ignore. It glinted mockingly against his chest, a reminder of the strange events that made his headache worse.

He sighed and turned away. There was no time to dwell on whatever was happening. Rent was overdue, and if he skipped another shift, his manager would fire him without a second thought.

Ethan grabbed the least wrinkled shirt from the pile on the floor and shoved his arms through it. He stuffed his feet into worn sneakers, pocketed his phone, and grabbed his keys.

The rain from the night before had stopped, but the streets were still slick and gray as he trudged to work. The air smelled faintly of wet asphalt and exhaust, the usual perfume of the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

The rundown supermarket was already buzzing with activity when Ethan arrived. The bright, flickering "Discount Groceries" sign hummed faintly as he pushed through the glass doors.

“Wilder,” his manager barked from across the store. “You’re late.”

Ethan gritted his teeth and muttered an apology. He grabbed the faded uniform apron from the backroom and tied it around his waist, ignoring the ache in his chest.

As he stocked shelves and rang up customers, he tried not to think about the necklace or the visions—or the fact that, no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t come off.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different.

Something had shifted.

And though he couldn’t explain it, deep down, Ethan had a nagging feeling that his life was about to change forever.