Beyond Reality : the beginning of the end : Ethan path

Ethan didn't sleep well that night.

After returning to his apartment, he remained in bed for a long time, trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past few days. Just a week ago, the biggest things on his mind were theft cases and suspicious husbands. Now he knew that witches, elves, vampires, and half-dragons existed—and somehow, without fully understanding how, he had joined a group of humans who each possessed abilities he couldn't explain.

Worse, he had begun to feel that the group was hiding something.

Clark was the clearest example. The man talked about killing supernatural creatures as casually as if he were talking about swatting flies, yet he never seemed interested in anything beyond whatever he wanted at that particular moment.

Adrian was even worse. He acted as if the entire world were some giant game, drinking, gambling, and stealing without showing the slightest concern for the consequences.

And then there was Trevor...

He was different.

Trevor knew a lot, but he rarely gave a complete answer to any question.

Ethan remembered their first conversation after the hotel burned down.

Trevor had hinted that there was something putting humanity in danger—something bigger than the creatures Ethan had seen at the hotel.

"Maybe they're protecting themselves from something."

Ethan said it quietly to himself as he stared at the ceiling.

But from what?

He had no answer.

Eventually, sleep took over.

***

Ethan woke to the sound of something hitting the floor.

He opened his eyes.

For a few seconds, he remained still, trying to figure out whether the noise had been part of a dream.

Then he heard laughter.

The television.

And then a man shouting,

"You cheated!"

Another voice immediately answered,

"Me? You're the one who changed the rules!"

Ethan sat up in bed.

He didn't need his intuition to know there was a problem.

He walked out of his bedroom and opened the door.

The kitchen was directly across from him.

A girl he had never seen before was sitting in front of the pot that contained the remains of last night's chicken soup.

She was completely absorbed in eating it.

Ethan stopped in the doorway.

He looked at her.

Then at the pot.

Then back at her.

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"...What are you doing?"

The girl briefly raised her head before continuing to eat without answering.

Ethan decided not to question it.

He turned his attention toward the living room.

And somehow, things were even worse there.

Trevor was sitting comfortably on Ethan's couch, holding the remote control and watching television as if he were the one paying the rent.

On the floor, Clark and Adrian were playing cards.

They looked like they were seconds away from starting an actual fight over the bet.

And in the corner sat a masked figure Ethan hadn't noticed at first. She was so still that, for a moment, he thought she was some kind of statue.

Ethan closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his forehead.

"I need an explanation."

Trevor looked at him from the couch.

"Good morning."

"Don't say good morning. Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you."

"You could have knocked."

"I did."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"When?"

"Before I came in."

Ethan couldn't think of a suitable response.

He pointed at the others.

"And them?"

"Members of the group."

"I know they're members of the group. I mean, why are they in my apartment?"

Without looking up from his cards, Adrian said,

"Don't worry about the small details."

Ethan gave him a cold stare.

"You're the last person who has any right to say that."

Clark laughed.

"I'm starting to understand why Trevor chose you."

Ethan looked at him.

"I haven't even started my day yet."

Trevor stepped in before the conversation could turn into something else.

"Since you're officially a member now, I think it's time you learned why we actually exist."

Ethan sat down in the chair opposite him.

"I've been waiting for that sentence."

Trevor placed the remote on the table.

"The world you know isn't the same world that existed thousands of years ago."

"I figured that much out."

"Back then, humanity wasn't the dominant force. Magic was widespread, and the creatures you saw at the hotel lived openly. Some of them even treated humans as if they were inferior."

"Because of magic?"

"Because of the difference between us."

Trevor nodded.

"Humans didn't possess enough power to compete with most of them. Over time, that became the cause of countless conflicts, until the balance of power changed."

"How?"

Trevor smiled.

"Humans learned how to be dangerous in different ways."

Ethan was silent for a moment.

"And that explains the world as it is now?"

"Partly. There are also the battles that take place every thousand years."

Ethan looked at him with interest.

"What do you know about those battles?"

"Every thousand years or so, a confrontation takes place to determine which side will hold power during the next era. It's not a tournament, and it's certainly not some friendly agreement. It's a real conflict."

"Humans won the last one."

"That's why you live in a world controlled by humans."

Ethan was silent.

Then he said,

"And you want things to stay that way."

"Exactly."

He didn't particularly like the answer, but it made more sense than he expected.

Ethan pointed toward the kitchen.

"Fine. Who's that?"

"Alexandra Frederick."

He looked at the girl, who was still trying to scrape the last bits of soup from the pot.

"She's infected with a strange virus. Its origin is connected to creatures that came from outside our world. Since becoming infected, her body has gained the ability to regenerate and transform into different forms."

"How far does that go?"

"If she eats something containing suitable genetic material, she can reproduce the characteristics of that creature."

Ethan stared at Alexandra.

"Why is she eating my soup?"

Trevor answered casually,

"Because she was hungry."

"So she's going to turn into a chicken."

Alexandra stopped eating for a second.

Ethan decided not to comment further.

He pointed toward the masked figure.

"And the other person?"

"Doctor Amanda Light."

Ethan looked around.

"Where is she?"

Trevor pointed directly at her.

Ethan stared at the figure.

Then looked back at Trevor.

"I thought she was a masked man."

Amanda didn't move.

Ethan quickly said,

"Sorry. I didn't mean—"

Trevor leaned slightly toward Ethan and whispered,

"Don't worry. This happens with her all the time. If you don't want to bother her, just don't talk too much."

"Is she always this quiet?"

"Pretty much."

"And is she always this creepy?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure she won't kill me because I didn't notice her?"

Amanda stopped moving her hand.

Ethan looked at her nervously.

Then she spoke in an extremely calm voice.

"No. I won't kill you."

"That's reassuring."

Silence returned for a moment.

Ethan looked around the living room.

Cards were scattered across the floor, cups were everywhere, and there were scraps of food on the table.

"Who's cleaning all this?"

Everyone answered at the same time.

"Amanda."

Ethan looked at her.

Then at the mess.

"No."

Everyone raised their heads.

"I'll clean it."

Adrian looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because she didn't make any of this."

Then Adrian added,

"If you care about Alex's shit, she turned into a dog earlier and crapped on the carpet."

Ethan slowly turned toward Alexandra.

Then he looked at Clark and Adrian.

"Neither of you is leaving until this place is clean."

Clark said,

"I didn't start the mess."

Adrian immediately replied,

"You started the bet."

"And you agreed."

"Because you said the rules had changed!"

Ethan sighed.

"I can't believe I'm part of this."

Trevor laughed.

"You'll get used to them."

"That's what scares me."

Ethan stood up and began picking up some of the cards from the floor.

Then he stopped.

"Wait. What are we doing today?"

Adrian answered while gathering his cards.

"We're going to the human organization."

Ethan looked up.

"What organization?"

Trevor answered,

"The organization that represents human governments in the peace agreement with the magical races."

Ethan paused.

"Why are we going there?"

This time, Trevor didn't smile.

"Because there's a problem."

"What problem?"

Trevor looked toward the window.

"The truce won't last forever."

Silence filled the room.

"There is an agreement between both sides, but the agreement isn't permanent. When the time comes, the battle that occurs every thousand years will begin."

Ethan stopped picking up the cards.

"When will that happen?"

Trevor looked directly at him.

"Soon enough for us to care."

Then he turned toward the door.

"Get ready."

Ethan watched him leave.

Then he looked at the mess everyone had left behind.

He looked at Alexandra in the kitchen.

At Amanda.

At Clark and Adrian.

Then he sighed.

"All I wanted was an ordinary missing-person case."

Adrian looked at him.

"Then you're in the wrong place."

Ethan stared at him.

"I'm starting to figure that out."

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