Beyond Reality : the beginning of the end : Ethan path

Ethan still didn't feel any better even though Amanda had finished treating his wounds.

His body was almost completely fine, but something else wasn't right.

His heart was beating unnaturally fast.

He placed a hand over his chest, trying to catch his breath.

Amanda said calmly:

“Don't move.”

Ethan looked at her.

“I'm fine.”

“No. You're not.”

She watched his condition from behind her mask.

“Your body hasn't adapted to the enhancement you used yet. Your heart is trying to keep up with the speed forced by the inscriptions, and on top of that... adrenaline.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“Adrenaline?”

“You were fighting as if your life depended on every single movement. It's natural for it to rise.”

Ethan tried to stand.

“I'll be fine.”

“Ethan.”

He stopped.

“Sit down.”

He hesitated for a moment, then sat back down.

But his heartbeat grew faster.

Rapid beats pounded inside his chest.

His eyes closed on their own.

“This... is annoying.”

Amanda didn't answer.

A few moments later, everything around him began to fade away.

The sound.

The light.

The faces.

Then his head fell backward.

Ethan slowly opened his eyes.

This time, he wasn't in the testing room.

He was lying on a bed that looked like a hospital bed.

He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then tried to remember what had happened.

The test.

Clark.

Lian.

Amanda.

Then he lost consciousness.

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He turned to his side.

Lian was there.

Her head was resting against the edge of the bed, her arms crossed in front of her, completely asleep.

Ethan silently looked at her.

The room was almost completely dark.

From the window, he could tell that night had fallen.

“Looks like everyone is asleep.”

He slowly sat up.

He didn't feel any pain this time, but he remained careful.

He pulled the blanket off himself, then stood.

He looked at Lian.

“I don't want to wake you.”

He carefully picked her up and placed her in his spot on the bed.

He made sure she was comfortable, then stepped away.

He opened the door.

Clark was standing in the hallway.

He was leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting for him.

Ethan looked at him.

“You knew I'd wake up?”

Clark smiled.

“I expected you to.”

“How long have you been standing here?”

“Long enough.”

Ethan stared at him.

“You're annoying.”

“Only with people I'm close to.”

Clark pointed toward the end of the hallway.

“Come with me.”

“Where?”

“The rooftop.”

Ethan hesitated for a moment.

Then he followed him.

The base was quiet at night.

Unlike the corridors Ethan had seen during the day, there were only distant sounds of machines and guards.

The two of them climbed until they reached the rooftop.

The air was cold.

Clark stood by the railing and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

He took one out and offered it to Ethan.

Ethan took it.

Clark lit his lighter and brought the flame closer.

The tip of Ethan's cigarette lit up.

Then Clark lit his own.

The two stood in silence for a few moments.

Clark blew the smoke away.

“Better than the hospital room.”

Ethan said:

“At least Amanda isn't here telling me not to move.”

Clark chuckled lightly.

“She was right.”

“Don't start.”

Silence returned.

Then Ethan said:

“I want to ask you about something.”

“I knew you would.”

“The woman who appeared when I almost killed you... who is she?”

Clark continued looking toward the horizon.

“The Lady of Death.”

“Her name?”

“I don't know if she has a name in the sense you're asking.”

Ethan looked at him.

“And what was she doing with you?”

“I have a contract with her.”

“A contract?”

“Yes.”

Clark took another drag from his cigarette.

“Years ago, I was a lawyer. I was good at my job, but I was greedy. Money wasn't enough. Power wasn't enough. Even the things I obtained weren't enough for me.”

He smiled bitterly.

“I always wanted more.”

Ethan said:

“And that's why you made a deal with her?”

“Eventually, yes.”

“What did she give you?”

“Immortality.”

Ethan looked at the cigarette in his hand.

“Immortality sounds like a bad deal.”

“It wasn't bad at first.”

“Then?”

“You discover that living forever doesn't mean you'll find something worth living for.”

Ethan fell silent.

Then he said:

“And the scythe?”

Clark's smile changed slightly.

“The Harvest Scythe.”

“Where did you get it?”

“From the same place I got my immortality.”

“And it can do what I saw today?”

“More than that.”

Clark looked at Ethan.

“The scythe doesn't just kill living beings. It can destroy them completely.”

Ethan remained silent.

Then he asked:

“When did you join Trevor's group?”

Clark laughed.

“Trevor wasn't the first person from the group I met.”

“But why did you join?”

“Because I found people like me.”

“That isn't an answer.”

“It is the answer. Adrian is the biggest example of that.”

He took another drag.

“Every one of them has something the natural world can't explain. And yet, none of them lives a normal life.”

Ethan said:

“Adrian?”

“I was looking for a place where I wouldn't have to pretend to be a good and perfect person.”

Ethan smiled.

“You? Pretending?”

Clark looked at him and laughed.

“You're the last person who has the right to say that.”

Ethan laughed too.

Then his voice became quieter.

“Today... when you showed me that you had killed Lian in front of me, I was genuinely angry.”

“I noticed.”

“I wasn't pretending.”

“I know.”

“I was ready to kill you.”

Clark looked at him.

“And that's what made it exciting and thrilling.”

Ethan looked at him without surprise.

“You enjoy trouble.”

“Most likely.”

“Definitely.”

Clark smiled.

“Now you're starting to understand me.”

Ethan gave him a sideways glance.

“Don't expect me to become your friend this quickly.”

“I didn't say that.”

They remained silent for a while.

Then Clark said:

“But you can start by trying.”

Ethan looked at him.

“Trying what?”

“To trust me.”

Ethan gave a small smile.

“I won't think about it.”

Clark laughed.

“That's the best answer I've gotten from you tonight.”

The two stood by the railing, their smoke fading into the cold night air.

For the first time, Ethan didn't look at Clark as the man who had tried to drive him insane.

But rather as someone he was beginning to understand—

an annoying person, even when he was being honest.

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