NOVEL NEXT Chapter 552: Logging Into the Wrong Faction
Ethan, unable to find Leo, eventually returned to the others and joined in the work of assembling the three-story villa. By the time evening came, the house stood complete. With so many Energy Users working together, no one had to worry about tiring themselves out. Ladders and tools ended up forgotten in a corner, little more than decorations. When it came time to fit the skylight on the roof, Blackie simply lifted the massive pane of tempered glass, shot into the air with a whoosh, and set it neatly into place. With that kind of efficiency, what couldn't they accomplish?
The Whitmore family's Hidden Territory had a constant, pleasant climate, so insulation was unnecessary and the villa was ready to live in at once. Ethan conjured several large beds and placed them in the bedrooms, and with that, everything was set.
When dinner came around, he went to eat with the others. Over the meal, he finally pieced together what had happened the night before. After blacking out, he had apparently wandered into Lyla's assigned room and fallen asleep there for no reason anyone could explain. That would have been bad enough, but Astrid had clung to him and refused to let go. No matter how hard the others tried, they couldn't pry her off without risking hurting one of them.
In the end, Lyla, flustered and out of options, allowed Astrid to stay beside Ethan. She kept watch through the night to make sure nothing happened, though Ethan's hands had roamed where they shouldn't have, and all the while he was murmuring Lyla's name instead of Astrid's. Mortified beyond words, Lyla had finally dragged both of them into her own room and thrown everyone else out, wishing she could sink through the floor in shame.
When Ethan learned all this, he nearly choked with embarrassment. That soft sensation he remembered from his dreams really had been Astrid. But when he'd opened his eyes in the morning, things had looked different—he had been lying with his back to Astrid, and it was Lyla's head resting on his arm. What exactly had happened in that room? No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't piece it together.
He could only sigh. He had never been drunk before, and now he realized just how shameful his drunken self could be.
Dinner continued. Those with War God-level strength, who once had little need for food at all, had, for reasons no one understood, fallen back into the habit of eating since coming to Earth. Only Blackie and Regis remained unchanged, showing no signs of hunger. The rest of them ate like ordinary people again.
In the middle of the meal, Victor set down his spoon with a scowl. "That brat Leo—don't tell me he went to sleep in the wilderness again?"
Ethan blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Victor gave a weary sigh. "The night before last, Leo didn't even enter Ethereal. Said he couldn't stand your Second Avatar anymore. By the way, who on earth is controlling that thing? It's always hanging around the Orange Tavern, and the second Leo logs in, he gets dragged away. The Elite Corps has been raiding dungeons for days, and our main tank hasn't been able to join once."
At that, Ethan could only grind his teeth. Who else could it be but that old geezer Morzan? The shameless rogue!
In the blink of an eye, it was time for Ethereal to open. Ethan hadn't logged in for what felt like ages—or perhaps it was more accurate to say he had never truly left it. As everyone headed back to their rooms, Astrid once again clung to his arm like a shadow. In the end, he had no choice but to bring her along to Lyla's door.
To his surprise, the Dragon Child was already inside.
"Why is she here?" Ethan muttered, peeking through the crack.
Lyla shot him a look that could pierce steel. "You've got some nerve asking that. After the mess you caused last night, who else is going to clean up after you if not me?" Her voice was sharp, but there was a playful lilt beneath it that made Ethan's heart skip.
"Uh… then how about you clean this up too?" He tugged Astrid forward as if presenting evidence.
Lyla rolled her eyes, but after a moment's hesitation she opened the door. She bent down, whispering softly to Astrid, coaxing her for what felt like ages, but Astrid shook her head stubbornly and refused to go inside.
"Sweetheart," Lyla murmured, "today I'll let you wear something pretty. You can choose anything you like, all right?"
Ethan slapped his forehead, exasperated, cursing Bongo under his breath for sticking him with this responsibility. But then a thought struck him. "Wait… did you two change clothes while I was asleep yesterday?"
Lyla's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "That's right. Too bad someone slept like a dead pig, otherwise he would have had quite the show." She giggled at his expression.
Excitement surged through Ethan, and he started forward, raising his foot to step into the room. "How about I just—"
"Dream on."
The door slammed in his face. His nose met wood with a solid thud, forcing him back a step. Rubbing the sore spot, he stared at the firmly shut door with deep regret. If only he'd stirred awake for a moment yesterday… what might he have seen?
With that thought gnawing at him, he left the villa and returned to his Star Chamber tent. He hadn't moved in yet, mostly because of the sheer size of his VR capsule. Without threading it through his Mindscape, there was no way it would fit through a doorway.
He checked the time. By now, everyone else—aside from those he had brought back from the Sea of Death—should have already entered Ethereal. Ethan slipped into the capsule, lay back, and let the lid close. Celeste's situation crossed his mind, but it was too late to do anything about it tonight. He resolved to deal with it properly tomorrow.
The connection flared to life, and the familiar login sequence unfolded before his eyes. The interface revealed that the countdown for the Fortress Wars expansion had already begun. Ethan's thoughts were muddled; eight long years in the Sea of Death had left him disoriented, and it was still difficult to adjust to the fact that only three days had passed here.
The world loaded around him, and he found himself staring into endless darkness. Then he remembered: he was still aligned with the Carnage Faction. After eight years away, Ethereal felt strangely foreign.