Ethan’s consciousness slipped fully into Riley’s mind, and his physical body went motionless.

His eyes closed. His breathing slowed. A steady stream of soul energy flowed from the center of his forehead, bright and continuous, like moonlight pouring from an open wound.

Hayes and the others could only stare.

None of them had ever witnessed soul power used this way. Even the most accomplished shamans released energy carefully, sparingly. What flowed from Ethan now was overwhelming, a relentless current like a river breaking through a collapsed dam.

Just how much power did this man possess?

The question barely finished forming before danger struck.

A streak of light shot out from within their own group.

Fast. Precise. Silent.

It aimed directly at Ethan’s undefended body.

"Onyx!"

"What are you doing?"

"Stop!"

Onyx moved like a drawn blade released from its sheath. His brush extended forward, hardened by energy until it resembled a spear aimed straight at the back of Ethan’s skull.

He was not hesitating.

He was going for the kill.

The others froze, not because they lacked the will to act, but because they physically could not intervene.

Onyx was the fastest among them. Ginger specialized in speed, yet even she knew she would never reach him in time.

Their thoughts collided in confusion.

Why?

There was no time to protect Ethan.

CRACK.

Onyx’s attack struck something solid mid-charge.

The sound resembled a fastball slamming into a catcher’s glove.

A hand had appeared around his throat.

He hung suspended in the air, feet kicking uselessly.

The hand belonged to Ethan.

But something about him was terribly wrong.

Ethan held Onyx aloft without effort, yet he was not looking at his attacker. Instead, he stared down at his own body with open curiosity, flexing his fingers slightly as if testing unfamiliar machinery.

"So this is what having a body feels like."

His voice sounded distant, thoughtful.

Only then did he lift his gaze toward Onyx.

Power radiated outward from him, invisible yet crushing. The air itself seemed heavier, pressing against everyone’s lungs.

Hayes and Ginger spoke at the same time.

"Stop!"

Ethan turned his head slowly.

Every person present flinched.

The familiar mischievous expression was gone. The relaxed troublemaker they had traveled beside had vanished, replaced by something unsettlingly pure.

His eyes were clear. Untouched. Like someone witnessing existence for the very first time.

Except for the unmistakable killing intent behind them.

"Why?"

The word came out flat, empty of emotion.

No one answered.

What excuse could exist? Onyx had just attempted murder. Ethan owed him nothing, least of all mercy.

Yet none of them could stand by and watch Onyx die.

They had seen Ethan overpower Vale at full rage. They had witnessed soul energy beyond anything their generation understood. And now, even while unconscious, he had intercepted a perfectly timed assassination with a single motion.

Everything they learned about him only deepened the mystery.

"It... it must be a misunderstanding," Ginger said finally, voice tight with strain as her eyes remained fixed on Onyx’s rapidly darkening face.

"A misunderstanding?" Ethan repeated, genuinely puzzled. "What is a misunderstanding?"

His fingers tightened unconsciously.

A faint creak came from Onyx’s neck.

Brock exchanged a glance with Hayes and Ginger. Onyx had grown up with them. He was even betrothed to Ginger, regardless of her personal feelings. Bonds like that were not easily discarded.

But the stranger from the Ancestral Star had every justification here.

They could not overpower him. If they tried and failed, there would be no turning back.

They were completely powerless.

"I know what to do with him."

Riley’s voice cut through the tension.

Her eyes had opened. Though pale and weak, her gaze was sharp and steady.

"Don’t kill him," she said calmly. "Break his arms and legs."

Her tone carried no hesitation.

Ethan looked at her, irritation flickering across his face. He rolled his eyes as if mildly inconvenienced.

Then he released Onyx.

Four bursts of energy shot outward from him, wrapping around Onyx’s limbs like tightening chains.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

Onyx’s eyes snapped open as agony tore through him. A raw scream escaped his throat before his consciousness collapsed again and his body fell limp.

Ginger exhaled shakily.

Onyx’s limbs lay twisted at unnatural angles, muscles torn and blood staining the ground beneath him.

But he was alive.

She did not understand why Ethan had listened to Riley so easily.

What she could not see was the truth: Ethan’s main consciousness remained inside Riley’s mind. The figure standing before them was acting through his autonomous Avatar, a fragment operating the body while his true self worked elsewhere.

With the threat neutralized, Ethan’s attention drifted.

He began walking around aimlessly, touching nearby rocks, flexing his arms, even turning his hands over as if fascinated by simple physical sensation. The movements looked oddly childlike, experimental.

Ginger knelt beside Onyx. When she looked back toward Ethan, there was no hatred in her expression.

Onyx had brought this upon himself.

Still, the sight hurt.

"Well," Brock said with a crooked grin, attempting to lighten the suffocating atmosphere, "at least he kept all four limbs. If he’d lost the fifth one, you’d really be in trouble, Ginger."

She shot him a glare sharp enough to cut stone.

Brock was still chuckling when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

He turned.

Ethan stood directly behind him, staring intently.

Brock nearly jumped.

"What’s a fifth limb?"

Brock blinked in confusion. Was this some strange joke?

But Ethan’s expression remained completely serious, eyes filled with genuine curiosity.

"Uh... it’s..."

Before he could finish, a streak of white light flew toward them and struck Ethan’s forehead.

Ethan’s body jerked violently. White mist flooded his eyes for a brief moment before clearing.

Brock turned toward the source.

Riley was opening her eyes fully now.

The hand lifted from his shoulder. When Brock looked back again, Ethan felt different. Not physically, but in presence alone.

The relaxed, slightly lazy troublemaker had returned.

Ethan walked calmly toward Onyx’s unconscious body.

Across from him, Riley stood with Hayes supporting her weight as she approached.

"What are you doing?" Ginger asked cautiously.

"Let him speak," Riley said, watching Ethan closely.

Ethan nodded once.

A pulse of soul energy flowed from him into Onyx’s mind.

Onyx’s eyes snapped open again. He screamed, breath coming in ragged gasps as sweat immediately covered his forehead.

Hayes instinctively stepped forward, healing energy lighting her hands as she hovered them above his shattered limbs.

Ethan observed silently.

He could have repaired the injuries himself within moments. A few techniques would have restored bone and muscle completely.

He chose not to.

"I don’t need your help."

Onyx’s hoarse voice cut through the air, his glare fixed entirely on Hayes.

Everyone froze.

Hayes lowered her hands slightly, confusion evident on her face.

Ginger frowned. "Onyx, what’s wrong with you? She’s trying to help."

Ethan resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands.

Please don’t make this worse.

"I’ll do more than yell at her," Onyx spat, turning toward Ginger with blazing hatred. "I’ll kill her."

Ginger stiffened. Tears gathered despite her efforts to hold them back. She was strong, stubborn even, but she had never heard Onyx speak to her like this.

Hayes gently placed a hand on Ginger’s shoulder.

Onyx struggled to rise but failed, helpless against his injuries. Rage burned in his eyes as he stared upward.

"Take your hand off her," he hissed. "She belongs to me."

He lay flat, breathing heavily.

"I was so close," he muttered. "One more second and you would’ve been dead. Then she appeared. Then he appeared. Why? Why is everyone against me?"

"What?"

The word slipped from Ginger before understanding slowly settled over the group.

"I’ll explain."

Ethan’s voice drew every gaze toward him.

He looked at each of them in turn.

"You remember how we ended up here?"

"We were looking for a campsite," Vale said thickly, his swollen face barely recognizable. "Saw that big tree."

Ethan nodded. "And who pointed it out?"

Silence fell.

Gradually, everyone’s eyes turned toward Onyx.

Onyx laughed weakly.

"Yeah. That was me."

His smile twisted.

"I activated the formation myself. Hayes was walking in front. She would’ve fallen first. Nobody would suspect anything. I’d guide everyone out afterward. Perfect plan."

"Why?" Hayes asked softly, her voice trembling. "What did I ever do to you?"

Onyx’s expression warped with bitterness.

"What did you do? You and Ginger turned me into a joke. The entire clan laughs behind my back."

Hayes and Ginger exchanged stunned looks.

Riley spoke quietly from beside them. "Zatan told me to slow your group down. But when I saw you walking toward the cliff, I released bloodwing moths to scare you back."

She paused, breathing unevenly.

"Then Hayes kept moving forward. So I trapped all of you in the swamp instead. Otherwise..." Her voice faded.

Understanding settled over them all.

Riley had never tried to kill anyone.

She had been protecting them.

Ethan rubbed the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. He had nearly killed her because of a misunderstanding. When his Soul Spike shattered the illusion earlier, he had seen the truth in a single instant: Riley had redirected them away from death, not toward it.

That realization was why he pulled back at the last moment, letting most of the attack disperse. Otherwise Riley’s head would not have remained intact.

Now everything made sense.

Hayes and Ginger looked at each other, finally understanding the jealousy, the resentment, the motive behind Onyx’s betrayal.

Ethan decided the emotional aftermath was not his problem.

He grabbed Brock by the collar, dragged Vale along with a casual wave, and motioned for Riley to follow him away from the tense scene.

They moved to a patch of flat ground nearby.

With a flick of his hand, a tent appeared from spatial storage. Ethan handed it to Brock and demonstrated how to assemble it. Two more tents followed shortly after.

They would camp here for the night.

Hayes and Ginger could deal with Onyx.

Jealousy, wounded pride, unspoken feelings, and Hayes hiding her true identity, those were personal matters best settled without an audience.

Ethan’s thoughts were already elsewhere.

Inside Riley’s memories, he had glimpsed fragments of something larger.

Zatan was planning something.

Riley herself knew little, only hints and shadows, but Ethan intended to learn far more before this journey ended.