Secret Places

Young man was horrified to death when he saw the mana bombs trapped between his fingers. He is planning to take him down with himself!

"…You piece of shit!"

He put pressure on his neck, trying to crush it. Ethan resisted it while looked at him with a smile. Ethan activates the mana bombs as young man try to kill him. A chime sound rang out to his ear that made him grit his teeth.

Young didn't believe that he will die like this after everything. But since he is going to die he will also take this son of a bitch with him. Young man already felt his regret. He has to exchange his life for an ant G-Rank but he doesn't have any choice anymore.

Stab.

A blade with a slightly rounded tip suddenly protruded out of his chest. Ethan looked also notice that and looked at it. Young man froze at his feet as he felt his heart stabbed from behind.

"…Adam! Now!"

Adams comes out of the shadow from ground. His right-hand was covered with lightning in a shape of blade and he slashed the arm of young man, Ethan was holding onto. Ethan felt the stress on his body lessening as his body feel.

"…Throw the bombs, you idiots!"

Ethan hurriedly throws the bombs into sky while everyone ran away. Adam while travelling through shadows grabs Ethan and ran away. Everything happened in the span of three seconds.

Boom.

Explosion rang out and Ethan got hit by force of explosion as he was only few meters away from it. He got thrown away in full speed and rolled on the ground from the side of his body and slammed into the tree. His legs and head circle around the tree as the muscles and bones on his back cracks loudly.

"Aggh."

Adam looked at Ethan and notices him rolling his body in the pain. He sighed in relief knowing that he was alive so he fall on ground and turn his head toward his enemy.

His heart was already stabbed and he was already dead by it. Young man also took the direct hit of explosion as Ethan has thrown mana bombs above him. Only a dark corpse remains on his place. Ground was also darkened by the explosion.

Adam noticed the explosion and raised his brows. He didn't notice the explosion right away but in term of power it was actually an F-Rank. The question is what the hell a G- Rank is doing around with an F-Rank bomb?

People normally carried mana bombs of respective of their own rank. Higher rank mana bombs will also harm them as they can also be caught by the explosion.

Adam whispered few words to consume the healing potion. He was not so worried after this as all of them present there are his classmates.

"Someone is sure as hell going to complain to Greenpeace…"

A teenager with black hair and black eyes with golden iris extended his hand toward lying Adam. His facial feature was just above the average and there was nothing impressive about him that is noticeable by his look but it was him who stabbed the young man's heart from behind.

"…Let's check on Ethan."

Adam grabbed his hand and pull himself until he stand. Alex raised his brows when he noticed him calling Ethan.

"Do you know him?"

"…He just sat two seats behind me. I would be stupid if I don't know him?"

"…Then who sits behinds you?"

"…"

"…You don't know, do you?"

Alex was lost for word. He just sat behind him but he never noticed him at all! Both of them looked at each other for a second and turn toward Ethan and walk in his direction. Both of them secretly came into an agreement to not talk about it ever again.

Ethan stands up slowly by using tree as a support. He noticed two of his classmate walking toward him. Ethan looked at Alex and asked him.

"What are you doing here, Alex?"

"…He is not with you!"

Adam turned his head in shock when he heard it.

"…No…"

Ethan and Adam start closing with each other as they create some distance with Alex. Alex rolled his eyes at their wariness.

"…I was just passing by close streets when I heard some explosion. I sneakily come here and saw you. I was planning to save you but Lucas and Ethan jumped in first. That cube plan was good by the way. Once you two charge toward young man, I sneak toward Adam and told him I will attack from behind while he attacked from front. But you already know that things never go as one planned ever."

Adam relaxed slightly but Ethan didn't as he still looked at him with wary eyes. Alex noticed that and just smiles at him. He knows about his weird classmate who sits behind him. It seems he doesn't him at all. It's not bad actually.

He was right. Ethan would have believed him if it was one month ago but after working for Raven for three weeks, he found out that there is no such thing as coincidence at all!

Ethan was wondering about Alex when someone came and grabbed him by his collar. Lucas raised him up and slammed him into tree he used for support before. He roared in voice filled with anger.

"…What the hell were you planning to do before?!"

"Calm down, Lucas-"

"Calm down? How? You told me you had a plan!"

"…I have. Will you give me-"

"…Give you what? Chance to explain why did you try to kill yourself?"

Adam and Alex looked at both of them and then at each other. Duo took a step back together and give both of them some space.

"…You told me you had a plan…were you really planning to kill yourself?"

"…That was a best plan I had in pocket. All of us die if I hasn't. So, I just choose what is best because that's the most reasonable thing to do. What is wrong with that?"

"Reasonable thing? You would had died!"

"Lucas, I am telling you. We didn't have any choice. We wouldn't be safe unless he died and it's impossible for any of us to deal the final blow. That's why-"

"That's why you try to kill yourself? It doesn't matter if it was reasonable or not. What I am asking, why didn't you trust me? You hide and lied to me. If that mob hadn't saved you at right moment, you would have died! How can you not understand that?"

"Oye!"

Alex felt seriously offended as Lucas called him mob while pointing at him with his finger. He wants to say more but shut himself up since he doesn't want to interfere between them.

"…I am sorry."

Ethan apologized as he was lost for words. He didn't tell him because they were in race against time. Even a second late might have cost a life. Lucas releases his grips and Ethan feet touched the ground. Lucas didn't say anything and turn around but Ethan can tell Lucas doesn't want to talk with him anymore.

"…If you two had your things straight, then I prefer we escape from this place since someone might come to check and if they figured out that we are all students from LIFE. It will cause some serious trouble..."

All four of them escaped the place. Young man's belonging are already destroyed so they didn't bother to get close to him. Spatial Bracelets are works of Rune. If Rune is destroyed then there is nothing stabilizing the void inside it. This results in items inside being destroyed together with it.

There is nothing to pick so they march off the site on their feet. Adam was just hoping that none of the notice his Darkness Art. Even though they saved his life, it is his trump card he has been saving for big battles in future. He can't have anyone found out!

One by one, they reached the crossroad. Ethan was last to reach for obvious reason. Ethan looked at Lucas who was standing a little distance away from him. He doesn't have anything to say to him so he looked at others. He suddenly remembered something as his eyes stopped at Alex.

"…Weren't you G+ Rank?"

Adam and Lucas also turned their head at him with wide opened eyes. Adam was particularly surprised as he didn't know that.

"…I am."

Trio still didn't stopped staring at him. He also didn't look away and stare at them.

"…He was weakened too much if Adam was able to hit him once then he would have won without doubt…"

Lucas and Ethan turn their head to Adam. Adam turns his head at their questioning gaze. He looks away while scratched his head with a shy smile.

"…Well, you know, my lightning is just too much destructive…It must have done some real damage to him after all…Hee…"

Lucas and Ethan change their gaze to contempt. Does he think they didn't know that he was bragging? But they have to admit that they have never seen a spell as strong as his.

"…My Destructive Lightning aside, what are you two doing here?"

Ethan pointed toward the light 200m away that Adam noticed from park.

"We were hanging out there. Lucas told me that there is a place where couples do 'that' things and we came to watch."

"Bullshit, I had passed through all places. I didn't even found two dogs, forget about couples!"

Adam rebuked him and Alex backed off in disgust as he looked at trio. Ethan circled around and went closer to Lucas with intent to put his hand around his neck.

"That's the secret place only known to Lucas-"

"Keep your hand off me…"

Lucas pushed his hand away and slipped away from him. Ethan frowned and asked him with skepticism.

"I apologized already! Now what do you want me to do?"

"It's funny that you don't even know your fault now, do you? I don't give a shit about your apology. I treated you as my best friend but what did you do? You didn't even trust me in first place."

Lucas doesn't even want to put it in words how he is feeling. When Ethan was captured by that guy, Lucas was frozen stiff in fear about what he should do. He even forgot about his pain in his chest by his kick. He just wanted to do whatever he can to save him. He felt that it's fault that it happened.

But he felt like a shit when he figured out Ethan's plan. Ethan never trusted him but try to take him down by himself. If he had done so much as consult him, it wouldn't matter but he just had done everything by himself.

"You never trusted me and just like a fool, I trusted you and treated you like a friend, no…a best friend…Now, if you don't want me to punch you, you better stay the hell away from me."

Lucas looked away and took to turn to leave. He didn't even bother to look back. Adam and Alex looked at each other and also took their leave after saying their farewell.

"Let's meet in academy later…"

"See you later."

Ethan was still standing there, looking at the same path. He took the path to club-…Raven's house.

He didn't notice when but he was already inside the elevator. Elevator opened with its usual sound. He reached the couch and spread over it.

After some time, He sat on his butt and brought his knees closer to his chest and rests his elbows over it. Was it really his fault? He just thought if one of them had to die. It will be better for it to be him. Was it wrong?

He felt a weird emptiness inside his chest when he remembers how Lucas gave him cold shoulder. He felt lonely as he thought he might have lost his friend today. Is he going to back to being alone...again?

"…What are you talking about?"

Ethan raised his head to look in front. A black haired child was sitting there cross legged and looking at him with an amusing smile.

"You don't deserve that…no, you don't deserve anything in the first place. You will be always alone wherever you go, you better accept that…"

A vision formed on his mind. Adam, Lucas and Alex were talking and laughing with each other while their back was facing him. He extended his hand toward them but their backs start shrinking and become further and further away until they become as small as dot.

"Shut up…"

Ethan lowered his head further as he was sitting on the couch and hide his face behind his knees with a bitter and painful expression.