A week had passed since the night Ethan revealed his true face to Abel. During those days, Ethan had chosen a different routine: not going out into the streets as a vigilante.
He knew Batman was active in the city, along with other members of the Bat-Family. And if he, the public face of ValeTech, vanished for an entire week while the mysterious vigilante also disappeared, the world's greatest detective would connect the dots within hours.
In truth, Ethan already worked with the assumption that Bruce Wayne suspected his identity. Perhaps he even knew it. But just in case, Ethan chose not to give him any extra ammunition.
Instead, he dedicated himself to ValeTech, made public appearances alongside executives, and even attended a few social events. He made himself visible. Present. Almost mundane. Meanwhile, his secret burden remained hidden — now shared with Abel, who helped him maintain the façade of a carefree playboy.
With the exception of the System's daily missions, it had been the first week in a long time that Ethan allowed himself to simply… exist.And it was precisely because of that that, as soon as he found time away from corporate duties, he returned to Jump City — to fulfill a promise: making up for the time he had lost with his sister.
Jump City – 4:35 PM
The late afternoon sky reflected blue across the tall windows of the amusement park, a place that radiated a joy almost too artificial. Children ran around clutching balloons, vendors shouted about cotton candy and popcorn, and the Ferris wheel spun slowly, cutting across the horizon.
Amid the crowd, Ethan walked beside Sophia, his fourteen-year-old sister. He wore nothing but a simple black T-shirt and jeans. Sophia, on the other hand, had the cheerful, cute style of a lively teenage girl: a light skirt, white sneakers, and a soft cardigan over a printed blouse. Her long hair swayed in the wind, complementing the pale skin that caught the fading sunlight.
"So you actually came?" — Sophia teased, holding a soda cup larger than her hand.
"I thought the "genius of Gotham" didn't have time for theme parks."
Ethan arched an eyebrow, hiding a grin." Genius? No… I'm more like the watchman of paper mountains. That's the legacy Nate left me after running off to Metropolis."
" Paper mountains?" — Sophia chuckled. — " Better than the mountain of trouble you used to drag around… I missed you, you know?"
Ethan sighed but didn't answer. Instead, he let Sophia drag him to a shooting booth. Her laughter when she won a teddy bear was enough to ease the weight he had carried since the particle reactor accident.
Walking beside him, hugging the plush toy, Sophia beamed." See? Didn't even need you to win."
" Impressive" — Ethan said with mock seriousness, hiding a smile. — " A sharpshooter in the making. Gotham better watch out."
Sophia rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder." Stop talking about Gotham. This is different. Here, you're just my brother, got it? No ValeTech, no meetings, no work."
Ethan drew a deep breath, letting the weight slip out with the air." Fine. Deal. Today, I'm just your brother."
They wandered among the stalls, Sophia dragging him toward a rickety wooden roller coaster that creaked with every turn. Ethan hesitated. " That thing looks ready to collapse any second."
" Which is exactly why it's fun! " — she laughed, tugging him along by the arm.
Her laughter still echoed when Ethan turned to follow her toward another ride.
But for a brief moment, his steps halted.Amid the color of balloons and artificial lights, one figure stood apart.
A girl, standing just a few meters away, as though she didn't belong to that cheerful scene. Her pale skin caught the glow of the lamps, and her eyes — deep violet, sharp enough to cut through invisible layers — held him firmly in place. Her straight hair, dark at the roots, carried faint purplish glimmers at the tips, as if embers burned secretly within.
She wasn't smiling. She wasn't having fun. She was simply staring at him — steady, unshakable. There was something enigmatic in that cold beauty, a silent weight that made Ethan feel stripped bare in the middle of the crowd.
For a fleeting instant, he was almost certain he knew her from somewhere. But from where?
Before he could hold on to the thought, another figure appeared: a red-haired girl with a radiant smile and an energy that clashed with the other's stillness. She clasped the dark-haired girl's hand and tugged her toward a game booth. The spell broke, leaving Ethan frozen for a few more seconds, as if he could still feel that gaze burning into his skin.
Sophia poked his arm. " Hey… Earth to Ethan!" — she teased, biting the straw of her drink. — " You're spacing out again."
He exhaled and shook off the strange feeling with a crooked smile." Yeah… I guess I was."
Sophia tugged him again, this time toward a cotton candy stall. "OK forget about the ferris wheel, last stop, I swear!" — she said, licking her lips in anticipation.
Ethan just sighed and followed. There was something comforting in the way she let herself be carried away by such simple things.
But then… something changed.
The park's lights flickered once, twice, before going out completely for a second. The crowd's confused murmurs were drowned out by the sharp sound of shattering glass and failing machines. The artificial glow that gave the place life was swallowed by unstable shadows, cut only by erratic sparks.
And in the middle of the confusion… a laugh echoed.
Atop one of the booths stood a girl as if she owned the place: bright pink hair, mischievous eyes, and a cruel smile." Ugh, so boring… " — Jinx muttered, resting one hand on her hip while the other lazily spun, gathering pink energy at her fingertips.
Behind her, a man in a dark, skin-tight uniform with a flowing white cape adjusted his visor, folding his arms. The glowing emblem on his chest pulsed faintly with light as he spoke. " Weren't you the one who insisted we needed to 'blow off some steam'? " — Dr. Light's dry tone contrasted with the chaos unfurling around them.
Jinx arched her brows, a wicked gleam lighting her gaze." Blowing off steam is fine… but it's way more fun when people scream."
With a snap of her fingers, pink energy erupted, blasting through a row of claw machines, shattering them into splinters. Children screamed, parents scattered, and the amusement park fell into panic.
Through the stampede, a massive shadow loomed closer. The ground shook under each heavy step, and when the dust cleared, the hulking brute known as Mammoth emerged beside the two villains, grinning like a beast freed from its cage.
"Showtime" — Jinx declared, spreading her arms as if hosting a macabre performance.
Chaos engulfed the park. Lights flickered uncontrollably, screams spread like waves, rides stalled mid-track. Ethan clutched Sophia's hand, pulling her away.His heart pounded.
"I can't act… not here… not now…"
But every step, every terrified face rushing past him gnawed deeper into his insides.
A flash lit the night sky. Starfire descended into the chaos, her incandescent body firing bursts that exploded into sparks against Jinx's waves of bad luck.
On the far side, Raven was already locked in combat with Dr. Light — dense shadows clashing against searing beams, a duel that alternated between blinding light and suffocating darkness.
And then… the trigger.
Mammoth, laughing in mockery, lifted a bumper car above his head like a toy. With a roar, he hurled the mass of metal straight at Raven.
She dodged on instinct, floating aside, but when her eyes flicked toward the car's trajectory, her blood froze.
Two civilians. A girl clutching a teddy bear. A man shielding her with his body.
Raven raised her hand, her voice steady despite the urgency:" Azarath… Metrion.. Zin.."
But she never finished.
A brutal beam of light struck her back, hurling her into a booth that exploded into wooden shards. The bumper car kept flying — directly toward Ethan and Sophia.
In that instant, time seemed to slow. The reflection in his sister's eyes. The acrid scent of scorched metal. The crushing weight of choice.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
The ground shook as he stepped forward, his arm rising with brutal force.
His fist, wreathed in the Emperor's Touch, collided with the bumper car. The impact detonated the metal into hundreds of fragments that rained across the park. The shockwave made the very air vibrate, as if thunder had erupted within.
Behind him, Sophia froze, her voice escaping in a trembling whisper:" E-Ethan…?"
His shoulders were tense, his breath steady. He turned to her again, more serious than she had ever seen him.
" Get out. Now."
She tried to protest, but his tone sliced through, firm as steel:
" Don't argue. Find Abel and leave."
For the first time, Sophia felt that heavy authority in her brother's voice. Swallowing hard, she stepped back.
Ethan watched her for an instant.Then, coldly, he thought:
"Protect her."
The park's lights stretched his shadow across the ground. And from it, something stirred — a presence that fused into his sister's darkness. Sophia noticed nothing, but Ethan did: bluish eyes flashing once before vanishing. The Hell Vanguard was already on guard.
A heavy crack snapped his attention back.
Mammoth stared at him, lips curling into a sadistic grin.
Ethan clenched his fists.
A mental command opened the System before his eyes.
Inventory → Rift Reaper´s mantle.
A blue window glimmered at the edge of his vision:
[Item Equipped. Bonus Acquired: +15% HP and MP]
The black coat materialized over his shoulders, stitched by lines of shadow that unraveled in the wind. The crowd still screamed, but for Ethan, the world had narrowed to a single enemy before him.
He raised his gaze, cold and furious.
" You picked the wrong target."
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