Betrayal

In a car, Evans family was travelling back to their home. Alice was sitting at rear sit while resting her head on rear glass of the car, waiting for car to stop.

Empty footpath and building with different lights keep shifting backward while shrinking at the corner.

"…You're still not going to talk?"

Miss Evans called her from her other side. Alice didn't respond and keep her head lying on the glass. She is just waiting for this car to stop at their home. She will run to her room and seal the doors for rest of the summer.

"…It can't be more obvious that he was hiding something."

Alice still kept her silence. She understand that her mother figure out that both of them were hiding something.

"…your friend got me curious though!"

Alice finally peeks toward her mother from her corner of her eyes. Miss Evans noticed it but play ignorant.

"…~He was so desperately protecting you that I can't help but be impressive…~"

Alice turned her head and looked at her with a frown.

"…You didn't notice?"

"…"

"Ethan was, in fact, protecting you from the start. Didn't you notice how he avoided academy related topics so skillfully?"

Alice looked at her mother for some time with blank expression. She has been hard time focusing on her conversation but she did remember how her mother keeps asking about academy while Ethan was asking obvious question toward Guild or about her.

!

She turns her head toward the window to hide her expression. She just remembered how Ethan mentions that she likes high places and her dislike toward crowded places. Her mother was also surprise when he mentioned that. She hides about herself as much as possible while keeping a flawless front as a cover… yet she never thinks that someone will see through her.

Miss Evans stretched her hand toward Alice's hand and held it between hers. Alice turned her head and her mother looked straight into her eyes, making her flinched slightly.

"…My daughter…I know that you find it hard to share things with me. I know that you, in fact, have grown up and take care of yourself and can carry your responsibility without any problem but…as your mother, I can't help but worried about you…I will ask you only once but… did Ethan done something wrong with you?"

!

Alice panicked at her mother's words. She didn't think that her mother will understand things in such a twisted ways. She hurriedly tried to solve the misunderstanding.

"It's not that…He didn't do anything wrong…It was actually I who did to him-"

"…"

"So, It's actually you who did something…thought so. Ethan didn't look like such a person in the first place."

"…"

Alice wants to bang her head in window glass. She didn't think that she will be played by her mother like this!

"…He is such a polite child…even his manners were so good and…also shy one…he even blush…Jim, I told you he was just like you at his age. I really want to meet again if possible…"

Alice turns her head toward glass to hide her face again as her mother kept praising him without break. Her face turns sour as she heard her mother. She knows that her mother always wanted a son but was unable to have after her birth due to health issues. It was by mistake she heard it but…from that day…her view of world had changed completely…

She always blames herself for it and worked hard by learning, training extra harder than anyone else just so she can make up for it but…hearing her mother saying things like this always pain her heart…she knows that it is not her intention but it make her remembers that she was the one who is fault…she is the one who broke her dreams…her wish…

"…Alice, do you think I can meet him again?"

"…Hm?...I don't know he and I aren't that close in first place."

Alice looked at her mother for a second and turns her head again toward the window. She and Ethan had no actual relationship. He had already told her that he doesn't want to associate with her while she only wants to use him during class test.

"Is that so? I wanted to meet him again but it's a shame."

"…"

"…Mom."

"…Hmm?"

"Don't meet him secretly?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"You know what I am talking about so please don't play dumb."

"…You won't blame me if it's a coincidence, right?"

"I will if it's an intentional coincidence…"

Jim looked at the scene from rear view mirror. His eyes narrowed as heard their talk centers around that creepy boy.

Just like that…Mother-daughter's bickering continuous while gear of Jim's mind spins as family of three drives along the road with a crescent moon gazing at them.

*

Ethan lies down on the cough or it's more like his bed since he comes here. He didn't complain as anything is better than sleeping on the ground. Ethan has money that he can use to rent a poor room but just save it for his resources. SP can't be exchange for Curro in academy.

Ethan checked his account balance.

[3,156 C]

It was mostly likely safe deposit from him before he lost his memory. Ethan thinks about his past self as looked at ceiling.

Can he really be considered the same person after losing his memory? He has habit from past but it's more about muscle memories…his personality and his way of doing things were different from his past self…he doesn't know…doesn't understand…he always avoids this problem because a part of him maybe…a scared about it…what if…what awaits him in the end is not hope but something…

Ethan curls up while covering himself with blanket completely. It created an air-tight turtle shell around him.

A child with black hair gazes at him from above while sitting crossed-leg above the back-rest of the couch and resting his elbow on his knees and chin over the same elbow's hand with a sneer.

"Hope?...You sure have some high expectation for someone who shouldn't have existed in the first place…Heh…"

*

Ting.

Elevator opens and Raven comes out of it. Ravens looked at Ethan who was standing in control booth, aiming at targets in shooting range.

This time instead of stationary targets, different targets were moving constantly with 5m different. There were situated at 10, 15 and 20m away.

She moved toward him and stands behind him. Ethan reloads the bullets and aim again with his left hand. Ethan reloading speed has gotten better as he reduced it to 2 second but it's going to be hard for him to further lower it.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Multiple bullets fires out of the barrel but only six hits the target. His aim with moving targets was not best as bullets dozens of centimeter away from center.

Ethan looked above at silhouette and reloaded the magazine. Ethan noticed Raven behind him and asked her.

"…Can't we enhance gun with mana?"

"…You can but it can only be used in making bullet shells tougher that have no use at all at its strength at all. Mana, in itself, only can be used to strength weapons by Human. If we have innate element magic like other races, then it might be different but we have not so it doesn't matter…"

She shows her empty palm, asking him for handgun. He throws it toward her which she caught without an effort unlike him. Ethan thought that he might get to see her clumsily self if he surprised her but she didn't.

Raven pointed toward the other end of barrel, where firing pins exist and hammer exist.

"…Firing pins hit the primer of bullet, igniting the combustible material inside the bullet and explode it outside of barrel, launching it outside. You can't use mana to strength any part that can increase the bullet penetration. There are artifacts that can be used for it but they are really high maintenance… something you can't afford at the least. There are people who use it but not many of them are strong in the first place."

Raven had explained whole process handgun mechanism while using her finger to trace all process. She had told him there are also people use their magic with gun but not many.

"…If you are thinking for artifact, it will be better for you to first fix your aim."

"…"

Ethan looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He, kind of feel challenge when he heard her. He turns around and looked at her, thinking about what he should say.

"…If I hit all the target with a single bullet…will I qualified to then?"

"…Be my guest…"

Ethan reloaded the gun and took a straight stance looking at straight at from his firing booth. Silhouettes are moving with certain speed crossing at each other at the same time on his aim.

Quick Draw.

His pupil expands slightly and silhouettes moves toward each other from his view at snail's speed.

Bang.

Ethan fires a bullet at the same moment when they almost overlap each other. Bullets travels from his barrel to the first silhouette in his slow down view and hit at his head, just an inch away from the center of its head.

His vision returns to normal and bullet just pass through other through at instant speed while silhouette return to its normal speed.

Ethan turns back with a smirk. He was hoping to look at astonished look on her face but instead she has complete indifferent look at her face.

"…Aren't you going to say something?"

"…It's a skill."

"…"

Her indifferent reply had leave him complete speechless! That's all? Is she really not going to compliment? At the least, a normal praise is something deserve?

"…It's not!"

Raven raised her eyebrow with an amused expression.

"Then what is it?"

"…It's a personal skill I invented!"

Ethan confessed without any care. Raven also had look of interest. Ethan didn't really care if his small secret is out! Her attention is more necessary for him than anything else right now!

Raven also heard about his skill with a look of interest. She figured out that it was indeed not a skill but his delusion…

"Ethan, care for a test?"

"…What test?"

"…test to see if you're lying about your skill or not?"

"…I am not lying so what is it?"

Raven withdraws a handcuff and circle around Ethan. He just stands still at wait for do what she wants. She also took his gun in process.

Click.

Ethan heard a locking sound from behind and felt a blunt force from his left that pushed off his feet to the side, throwing more than dozens of meter away. Ethan rolls on the ground laterally.

Ethan stops his goal and stands up along it and looks for Raven at her previous spot. She was holding his gun, it was actually her gun in the first place, pointed at him with a smile on her face.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Quick Draw!

His pupil expands slightly, but more than that of past. Bullets slacken in speed in his vision at visible moving at speed. Ethan saw that three bullets were aimed at his left chest, right thigh and right shoulder. Ethan moves his body to dodge the bullet with minimum movement and fastest speed.

Bullet passed by him and his body suddenly feels sluggish. He can feel his own heartbeat and sweat was covering all over his body.

"What the hell are you doing, RAVEN?!"

"…You didn't notice…"

"Notice what?! You trying to kill me or that how many bullets did you shoot!! I trusted you, Raven…but what wrong did I do to you?! I always take your priority over mine and do everything word to word without complaining…except one time…but why?!"

"…We will talk about that later for sure but…how about you first try to control your mana…"

His whole body was trembling from pain of betrayal. His eyes were on verge of spilling tears. He wants to say lot more things but his lips keep moving without making any voice but in the end, he just kiss his lips and focus on his mana.

!

He can't control his mana! Handcuff has mana disrupting rune engraved on it. What the hell is she planning for God's sake?