Rise of the Dragon Lord: Supernatural Awakening

Chapter 002

THE AWAKENING 

Ethan walked out of the room with his heart filled with pain, and reached the lobby downstairs where he met two people who had once been family—his mother-in-law and his wife’s younger brother. 

His mother-in-law, Mrs. Henderson, a woman of sharp features, looked at him with a mixture of disdain and impatience. Her arms were crossed, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. 

Beside her, his wife’s younger brother, Logan, a lanky young man with a cocky smirk, leaned against the wall, his hands stuffed into his pockets. 

Ethan had always felt a certain distance from them, but today, the air between them was charged with tension.

Ethan took a deep breath. He had helped his mother-in-law’s company rise from the brink of collapse. He had poured his heart and soul into it, working tirelessly to ensure its survival. And when his wife inherited the company, he had supported her every step of the way. 

“ Mother-in-law, my wife is trying to divorce me! You need to talk some senses into her. I think someone is trying to manipulate our marriage.” 

He had thought that his mother-in-law, of all people, would understand him. She had seen his dedication, his sacrifices. Surely, she would see the truth of the situation.

“She wants me out of her life because the company is at a new height! After everything I have done for this company.* 

As he began to speak, pouring out his frustrations and grievances, he stared at the two people before him, their brows creased even harder. 

His mother-in-law’s expression didn’t soften. Instead, her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head in disgust. 

“You’re a shameful man,” she said, her voice cold and cutting. “Are you trying to call my daughter an ingrate? Have you forgotten where we picked you from? The gutters?"

Her irate words cut into Ethan's pride like daggers. He never expected such words from her. 

“M….” Ethan tried to speak but he was interrupted instantly. 

“You are a hindrance to my daughter's success. Celine deserves someone better and capable. Someone who would have an impact in her future and also in the company. 

 But you are nothing but a stagnation in my daughter's life. You should have left on your own initiative a long time ago.”

Ethan felt a pang of hurt, but he waved it off instantly. He had expected her to be harsh, but not like this. Not so dismissive of everything he had done. He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off once again.

“And where is the 5 million dollars divorce compensation given to you?” she demanded, her voice rising. “You don't deserve anything from my daughter. Where is it? Bring it out”

Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. “I never received any compensation,” he said firmly. “I don't need any money from your family.”

His mother-in-law, Mrs Henderson, scoffed, clearly unconvinced. She turned to her son, who straightened up and stepped forward. 

“Can you imagine this idiot? He really thinks I'm a fool, right?" She mumbled, glancing at Ethan disdainfully. 

Logan’s smirk widened, and he cracked his knuckles.

“He is definitely lying. Let’s just search him.” Logan said, his tone casual, as if he were suggesting something as simple as checking the weather. 

He added, an evil grin appeared on his face. “If he’s got nothing to hide, he won’t mind.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened instantly. He knew them to be very desperate but not to this extent. 

He wasn’t about to let them violate his privacy like that. “No,” he said firmly. “You’re not searching me. There's no money with me!”

But Logan didn’t listen. He stepped forward, reaching out to grab Ethan's arm. 

“You really think you're smart, you good-for-nothing fellow!” He spat, trying to force his hand into Ethan's pocket. 

Ethan reacted instinctively, grabbing Logan's wrist and twisting it. With a swift motion, he pinned Logan face-down on the table, his arm locked behind his back.

“I said no,” Ethan growled, his voice deep and dangerous.

The younger brother struggled, but he was no match for the hero’s strength. 

“I never knew this bastard is really strong like this!” He said to himself. 

Then, in a flash of movement, Logan pulled out a folding knife from his pocket. The blade glinted in the light as he swung it toward Ethan. 

Ethan spotted the knife and tried to dodge, but he wasn’t fast enough. The knife struck him, but instead of sinking into his flesh, it hit something hard—a gem he had been carrying everytime on his neck.  

The gem shattered, and the blade pierced his chest. The gem gushed out blood-red liquid.

Ethan gasped, clutching his chest. The liquid wasn’t just blood—it was something else, something strange. It burned as it seeped into his wound, spreading through his body like fire. He could feel it coursing through his veins, a searing heat that made his muscles twitch and his bones ache. 

But then, something incredible happened. The pain began to fade, replaced by a surge of strength. His bones felt tougher, his muscles more powerful. The wound on his chest closed up, the skin knitting together as if it had never been cut. He stood up straight, his breathing steady, his body thrumming with energy.

Logan stared at him, wide-eyed and trembling. He had never experienced anything like this. 

He stammered, “W..what is going on? Who are you?”

Ethan glanced at him, his face contorted with rage and fury. He reached down and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. 

Logan, on the other hand, was scared and struggled, but he was powerless in Ethan's grip.

With a fierce motion, Ethan threw him onto the table near them. The wood splintered under the impact, the table collapsing into pieces. 

Logan groaned, clutching his ribs as he lay among the wreckage. Uncontrollably, he spat out blood. 

Ethan turned to his mother-in-law. She was frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock and fear. But there was something else in her expression—something like awe. She was staring at his eyes.

Ethan didn’t realize it at first, but his eyes had changed. They were no longer their usual color. Instead, they were a brilliant, burning gold, like twin flames. They glowed with an otherworldly light, piercing and intense.

For a moment, no one moved. Ethan stood there, his chest rising and falling with each breath, his golden eyes locked on his mother-in-law. 

Mrs Henderson’s heart pounding in her chest. She had never seen anything like it. The man she had once dismissed as weak and unworthy was now something else entirely. And

those eyes—those golden, burning eyes—was something out of this world. Supernatural!