No one, absolutely no one, spoke to a general's son like that.
Han's face contorted with rage. "You're dead."
His hand shot to his waist, drawing a gleaming short sword. The blade hummed with enhancement energy as he charged forward.
"Ethan!" Tiana screamed.
Too late. Han thrust the blade toward Ethan's chest with textbook form but amateur execution.
Ethan activated Basic Footwork, shifting his weight at the perfect angle.
The blade missed by millimetres. Before Han could recover, Ethan's fist connected with his stomach.
The impact lifted Han off his feet. He crashed into a nearby fruit stand, apples scattering across the street.
"By the only true god," someone whispered. "He just attacked Han Wei!"
Ethan stood calmly, waiting. Han struggled to his feet, vomiting on the cobblestones.
"I'll kill you!" He charged again, this time activating his Basic Swordsman Stance. The blade glowed faintly as he swung.
Ethan dodged the attack.
The crowd went silent.
Ethan stepped forward, his speed carrying him into Han's guard before anyone could blink.
One precise strike to the chin sent Han crumpling to the ground, unconscious.
The entire fight lasted less than ten seconds.
"You..." Tiana stared at him with wide eyes. "What did you just do?"
"Made a mistake," Ethan admitted, looking around at the stunned faces.
His cover was blown. Every person in the crowd had just witnessed him defeat a general's son.
"We need to go," he muttered, taking Tiana's hand. "Now."
The whispers followed them as they hurried away.
"Did you see that shield?"
"He moved faster than my eyes could track!"
"Someone get the city guard!"
Before leaving, Ethan did not leave Han Wei, he grabbed the short sword and took it.
"Someone get the city guard!"
Before fleeing, Ethan scooped up Han's fallen short sword, testing its weight with appreciation.
"Ethan!" Tiana gasped, eyes wide.
"What?" He shrugged, sliding the blade into his belt. "I've already knocked him out. They'll hunt me either way, might as well have something to defend myself with."
They sprinted through back alleys, dodging confused pedestrians until they reached an apartment building in the research district. Tiana fumbled with her keys, hands shaking as she unlocked her door.
Once inside, she slammed it shut, sliding the bolt home with a definitive click. She kicked off her shoes, throwing her bag onto a nearby chair before rounding on him.
"Ethan..." Her voice trembled between rage and concern. "What have you done? The general's son—his ONLY son. Everyone knows he dotes on that boy obsessively. No one, absolutely NO ONE, dares to even raise their voice to him, let alone knock him unconscious in public!"
She paced the small living room, hands gesturing wildly.
"You just made an enemy of a SILVER-RANKED POWERHOUSE!"
Ethan leaned against her bookshelf, surprisingly calm for someone who'd just committed social suicide.
"You're right," he admitted. "But I couldn't control myself. I couldn't watch him harass you like that."
Tiana stopped pacing, her cheeks flushing pink.
"You... what?"
"I couldn't let him treat you that way," Ethan repeated, surprised by his own sincerity. This wasn't just his predecessor's emotions. Something about Tiana resonated with him too.
She sat heavily on her couch, studying him like one of her research specimens.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"The Ethan I knew would never..." She gestured vaguely. "He was kind, but never confrontational. He avoided fights. And he certainly didn't have a talent to make him so powerful,"
The accusation hung in the air between them.
"People change," he said, fingers tracing the spine of a research book on her shelf. "Sometimes dramatically."
"Not like this. Not in months." Her analytical mind was piecing it together too quickly. "You were able to knock out Han Wie, and he is Bronze Ranked Warrior."
Ethan sighed. His cover was blown anyway. The question was how much to reveal.
"Second awakening," he said, the prepared excuse rolling easily off his tongue. "Happened during a scout mission. Almost died."
Her eyes widened. "That's—"
"Rare, I know."
"But documented," she finished. "It happened to General Feng eight years ago. Nearly dead, then suddenly—"
A pounding on the door interrupted them. "City Guard! Open up!"