a farm
His original plan was simple: "borrow" a villa from Tony Stark. After all, a genius billionaire wouldn't miss a single house, right? But after using his Light Fruit abilities to travel at such high speeds for so long, exhaustion began creeping in. His body wasn't Borsalino's level yet, and prolonged travel at light speed was still draining. He needed rest.
That's when he noticed a small farm below, a village in the countryside, far from prying eyes. Slowing down, he spotted a wooden sign at the entrance: "Emall Villa." The name was odd, but Ethan shrugged.
"A farm's as good a place as any to rest."
Unexpected Trouble
Ethan landed lightly, his boots touching the soft dirt of the farm. He wandered around, looking for a quiet place to lie down, when a sudden scream split the air.
His head snapped toward the sound. In the dim evening light, he saw a group of thugs surrounding an elderly couple. The old man was on the ground, clutching his ribs, while the woman was being shoved by a tall, muscular man. A few others stood around, laughing cruelly.
"Hurry up, old man! Pay up, or we burn this place down!" one of them sneered.
Ethan sighed, cracking his knuckles. "Great. Just what I needed. A bunch of idiots making my life harder."
With a flicker of light, he disappeared from his spot.
A moment later, one of the thugs let out a choked gasp as Ethan materialized right in front of him, driving a fist into his stomach. The man crashed into the barn wall, unconscious before he even hit the ground.
The rest barely had time to react before Ethan moved again, faster than their eyes could follow. One by one, he dismantled them with brutal efficiency—
A sharp knee to the jaw, sending a tooth flying.
A spinning kick that folded another thug like a chair.
A precise chop to the throat, silencing a scream before it could start.
The last one standing was the leader, the man who had shoved the old woman. He stumbled back, pulling out a gun with shaky hands.
"S-Stay back, freak!"
Ethan tilted his head, amused. "You bring a gun to a fight against me?"
In a flash, light burst from his fingertips, and before the thug could pull the trigger, a golden beam of energy shot forward, slicing the gun in half. The molten metal hit the ground, sizzling.
The man fell to his knees, his face pale. "M-Monster…"
Ethan's smirk faltered slightly at the word, but he hid it quickly. "Scram."
The thugs didn't need to be told twice. They stumbled to their feet and ran as fast as they could, disappearing into the night.
Ethan turned back to the elderly couple, preparing for the worst.
The Old Couple's Unexpected Reaction
He had seen enough Marvel movies to know how this would go. Mutants, no matter how heroic, were always feared. He imagined the old couple would be terrified, looking at him as if he were a monster.
Instead, the old woman walked up to him with a warm smile.
"Thank you, son."
Ethan blinked. "Wait, what?"
The old man, still holding his ribs, grinned through the pain. "You saved us. That was amazing, kid."
Ethan was stunned. "You… you're not afraid of me?"
The old woman chuckled. "Why would we be? You just saved our lives."
"…Huh." That was not the reaction he expected.
Before he could say anything else, his stomach let out a loud growl. Ethan awkwardly cleared his throat.
The old man laughed. "Come on in, son. Have dinner with us."
A Moment of Peace
Ethan found himself seated at a simple wooden table, a warm meal placed in front of him. The food was basic but comforting—stew, bread, and fresh vegetables from the farm.
It had been so long since he had a proper meal. His first few bites were hesitant, but soon, he was devouring the food like a starving man.
The couple watched with amusement.
"Slow down, son," the old woman chuckled. "No one's taking it from you."
Ethan swallowed and grinned. "Haven't eaten real food in a while."
As he ate, the couple introduced themselves—Robert and Maria, farmers who had lived in Emall Villa for decades. The village, it turned out, was small and isolated, which explained why it was so quiet.
"Why is it called Emall Villa? That name sounds… weird." Ethan asked.
Robert chuckled. "It was originally called 'Elm Hill Village,' but an old sign-maker messed up the carving, and it just stuck."
Ethan shook his head in disbelief. "That's gotta be the dumbest reason I've ever heard."
Maria laughed. "You'd be surprised how many dumb things happen around here."
For the first time in what felt like forever, Ethan allowed himself to relax.
Looking Toward the Future
Later that night, Ethan lay on a makeshift bed they had set up for him.
His mind raced.
He had escaped the lab.
He had rejected the X-Men.
He had killed over 200 people without hesitation.
He had gotten stronger through Devour.
And now, he was here, in a quiet village, resting for the first time.
What was next?
He still needed a base of operations. He had thought about going straight to Tony Stark's place, but something about this farm… felt nice.
Maybe he could stay here a little longer.
Ethan stared at the ceiling, a small smirk playing on his lips.
"Maybe not all humans are bad, huh?"
And with that thought, he drifted off into the first peaceful sleep he had in years.