Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

Alden stepped forward and knocked on the thick wooden door of the old workshop. The sound echoed slightly, dull against the heavy grain.

He knocked again. Once. Twice.

A moment passed.

Then the door creaked open.

Standing in the doorway was an old man with broad shoulders and a frame that still carried the strength of his youth. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing forearms lined with scars and muscle hardened by years of labor. His hair was mostly grey, with streaks of black near the temples, and his beard was trimmed short, flecked with soot.

His sharp eyes moved between Alden and Ethan, unreadable for a second.

"What do you kids want?" he asked, voice low and gravelly. "I'm closed already."

Alden stepped forward and reached into his tunic. He pulled out a pendant, silver and etched with delicate runes, and held it up for Duran to see.

The old man's eyes narrowed. His weathered face stiffened.

"That's… the High Seer's pendant," Duran said slowly. "The only one with this is Hera…"

Alden nodded with a slight smile. "She's the one who sent us."

Duran's eyes darted to the street behind them. Without another word, he opened the door wider.

"Get in. Quickly."

Ethan and Alden stepped through the entrance. The moment they did, Duran shut the door and turned the heavy lock. But that was only the beginning.

Ethan's eyes widened as he heard more clicks.

Not just from the door.

Somewhere deeper in the walls, in the ceiling, even under the floor—gears shifted and locks rotated in a smooth, mechanical rhythm. It wasn't loud, but it was precise. Controlled.

It wasn't just a door locking. It was the whole place sealing itself.

Before Ethan could ask, Duran walked over to a small worktable and picked up what looked like an ordinary piece of paper.

But the moment Ethan laid eyes on it, he knew it was something else.

There were symbols on it. Tiny ones, drawn in ink that shimmered faintly under the workshop light.

Duran placed the paper flat at the center of the room.

It glowed.

A soft pulse radiated out. More symbols flared to life on the wooden floor, tracing lines into a wide circle around them.

Ethan, curious, activated his Divine Eyes.

His vision shifted—and then he saw it.

A barrier. Thin at first, then thickening. Layer upon layer. It spread across the walls, ceiling, and floor, enclosing the entire space like a dome of protection.

Ethan turned to Alden. "Is this… magic too?"

Alden nodded. "It is. A low-tier barrier spell. It prevents eavesdropping and blocks attacks from anyone below a Middle Three-Star Vessel."

Ethan blinked.

"A low-tier spell can do that much?" he muttered. That would mean it was on par with blocking attacks from a Middle Three-Star Ascendant on Earth.

He thought inwardly, 'If I had this kind of spell back on Earth… with the security I already placed for my family, this would've taken it even further. I need to learn how to make them… or get my hands on them.'

Besides, with magic and technology it could push Nova Tech far beyond what he ever imagined.

Duran, now satisfied with the setup, turned back to them.

"Who are you guys?" His eyes sharpened.

"I'm Alden," Alden replied. "And this is Ethan."

He gestured toward Ethan, who gave a polite nod.

"Why did Hera send you two? Is it regarding the Elder?"

Alden nodded.

"Hera saw a vision. Something dangerous will befall Cahaya… because of Elder Harran's betrayal."

Duran's expression darkened. His arms slowly folded.

"So now people believe me," he said. "Finally."

Alden smiled faintly. "We've always believed you, Elder Duran. But… we didn't have the strength to expose the Elder's secret."

Duran's eyes narrowed. "And what's different now?"

Alden took a deep breath. His gaze lingered on the floor for a second, then shifted toward Ethan. For a moment, he hesitated.

Ethan noticed. He wondered what was going through Alden's mind.

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Then, without warning, Alden spoke with quiet certainty.

"This time… Hera saw a vision. That I'll be the one to expose the Elder."

Duran raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised.

"I see. So… you are the chosen, huh?"

Alden didn't respond. Instead, he subtly moved his hand behind his back, fingers curling and twitching in a motion only Ethan could notice.

'Play along,' the gesture seemed to say.

Duran's gaze then moved to Ethan.

"And him? Who's this going to be to you?"

Alden froze.

For once, he didn't seem to have anything to say. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Ethan could see it clearly—Alden was torn, unsure how to answer without ruining what little trust they were trying to build.

Ethan didn't step in. He could guess what was going through Alden's head, but this wasn't his place. He waited, letting Alden settle it on his own.

At the same time, something else crossed Ethan's mind.

'Is this prophecy something everyone here knows about? Do they all know there's supposed to be a chosen one?'

Before the silence stretched too far, Duran let out a booming laugh.

"Don't fool me, kids," he said, voice full of amusement. "I've been around long enough to spot a clumsy lie. I know you're not the chosen one."

His eyes landed on Ethan, sharp and steady.

"It must be you, right, Ethan?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

Duran nodded knowingly. "I can see it in the way you move. The way he—" he pointed at Alden "—keeps checking on you. He's trying to put all the risk on himself. Take the fall. That's noble… but unnecessary."

He leaned back, arms crossed, and studied them both with a more serious expression.

"Still," he said, "it's a good habit. Not trusting everyone too easily. Especially with the kind of mission you're involved in."

He let out a long breath, heavy with something unspoken.

"And you're right not to trust me, too."

That sent a chill down both Ethan and Alden's spines.

Duran looked them dead in the eyes.

"I've been offered quite a bit of money to return to work under the Elder. They wanted me to fix his image. Say I was wrong. Say my suspicions were baseless. Make him look clean again."

Alden and Ethan stiffened. Both of them swallowed hard.

Ethan's hand twitched slightly near his side.

Then Duran grinned.

"Lucky for you, I told them to shove it."

Alden let out a quiet breath, his shoulders easing slightly as though a weight had been lifted.

"That's good to hear," he said.

Duran gave a small grin in return, the kind that tried to mask years of bitterness behind old warmth.

But Ethan didn't smile.

Something felt wrong.

He blinked—and activated his Divine Eyes.

The shift was instant.

The workshop around him dimmed, the edges of reality peeling back like mist. His gaze settled on Duran. At first, nothing seemed unusual.

Then he saw it.

The aura behind Duran's expression.

Faint but undeniable, a swirl of intent that didn't match his words. A shade of deception. A hidden weight pressed against the man's body language, subtle threads of falsehood clinging to his voice like smoke.

Duran was not telling the truth.

Ethan's instinct was to act. Say something. Call it out.

But his eyes flicked to the walls. The glowing runes. The perfectly sealed door. The barrier pulsing softly around them like a cage disguised as protection.

His chest tightened.

'Were all those locks and spells just to keep others out… or to keep them in?'

A second passed.

Ethan made his choice.

He said nothing.

Instead, he kept silent, gaze calm, hiding what he knew.

Alden continued.

"We came here to ask for something important," he said, turning his focus back to Duran. "We need the layout of the council hall. Especially the Elder's Library."

Duran nodded slowly, as if considering it.

"I see… I still have the blueprint," he said. His voice was steady. "And I'm willing to give it to you."

"Wait here for a moment," Duran stood up without another word and walked toward one of the side rooms deeper inside the workshop. His boots echoed softly against the wooden floor. The door creaked open, then closed behind him with a dull thud.

Silence lingered in the main room.

Alden turned to Ethan, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm afraid we need to find another way into the Council Hall… and maybe," he paused, "we need to prepare to fight."

Ethan frowned, caught off guard. "Wait… you—"

But Alden raised a hand and gave a small nod. "He's not being truthful. I believe he's already been bought by the Elder."

Ethan stared at him, slowly nodding back. For a brief moment, he didn't know what surprised him more—Duran's deception, or the calm certainty in Alden's voice.

This wasn't the same Alden he first met.

There was a sharpness behind his eyes now, a quiet depth Ethan hadn't noticed before.

He wasn't just kind. He was careful.

"I played along," Alden said. "The moment he started locking the door… I knew."

He motioned around them, to the layered barrier still glowing faintly on the floor and walls.

"The spell alone would've been enough to prevent outside attacks," Alden continued. "If all he wanted was a private conversation, he could've just cast that. But the lock was the first thing he touched."

His gaze hardened.

"That means he planned this from the beginning. To keep us here. Maybe to silence us."

Alden's voice dropped even lower, his tone steady but tense.

"There's something else," he said. "Maybe… maybe Duran is taking his time right now because he's not looking for the blueprint."

He looked toward the closed door.

"Maybe he's contacting someone. The Elder. Or the Protector. Telling them everything we've said."

Ethan's jaw clenched. The possibility made too much sense.

Alden continued, "If that's true, they won't let us walk out of here. They might deal with us right after."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Both of them knew they were running out of time.

Ethan's mind turned quickly, analyzing what they had, what they could do. Then a memory surfaced—something he had seen earlier, right when he activated the Divine Eyes.

He hadn't just seen Duran's deceit.

He had seen Duran's level.

Lower Three-Star Vessel.

Not weak by any means. But not unreachable either.

According to the Divine Codex, Ethan's golden core allowed him to fight opponents two whole ranks above his current level.

That meant… he was on equal ground with Duran now.

Ethan turned to Alden.

"We need to be ready," he said firmly.

Alden looked at him, puzzled. "For what?"

Ethan didn't hesitate. "To fight."

Alden's brow furrowed. "Fight who?"

Ethan met his eyes. "Duran. And not later. Now."

As if summoned by those very words, the door creaked open again.

Duran stepped out.

But he wasn't the same.

His posture was different—looser, more confident. His hands were empty, but the way he walked radiated quiet threat. And more than anything, his aura had changed.

It poured off him like a wave, thick and heavy, pressing against the air itself.

A low hum vibrated through the floorboards. The soft golden glow of the barrier now felt suffocating.

Alden stumbled back a step, gasping.

His knees buckled slightly as the pressure crashed down on him.

"Alden!" Ethan called, reaching out to steady him.

Alden nodded faintly, trying to stand firm, but he was clearly struggling. His whole body trembled, his breath short and sharp.

He wasn't built for this.

Not yet.

Alden's level was only Middle One-Star Vessel. Still far below Duran's.

But Ethan… he stood firm.

He didn't know how—but his body withstood the weight. His legs didn't shake. His breathing stayed calm. The golden core within his chest thrummed with energy, as if acknowledging the challenge.

Across the room, Duran's eyes locked onto him.

No smile now.

Just cold calculation.

"I see," Duran said slowly. "You've figured it out."

His voice was no longer friendly. No longer gravelly and warm.

It was sharp. Clear. Dangerous.

"You're more than you appear, Ethan. That's what I wanted to confirm."

Ethan didn't answer.

His eyes never left Duran's. His instincts screamed to be ready.

Then, he could hear a chime.

A clear, quiet sound echoed in his mind.