Ethan stared at his trembling hands. His breathing was heavy, his pulse racing. The fight had been over in seconds, but his body still thrummed with raw energy—like something inside him was still hungry for more.
"What the hell am I becoming?"
Lena's voice cut through his thoughts. "We need to go. Now."
Ethan snapped his head up. "Go where? Who the hell was that? And what do they want with me?"
Lena glanced at Jason, who was still bleeding against the wall, barely conscious. "First, we get him somewhere safe. Then, I tell you everything."
Ethan hesitated. He barely knew Lena, and now she expected him to trust her? But after what just happened—after that thing had tested him—he didn't have a choice.
"Fine," he muttered. "But you better start explaining soon."
Lena smirked. "Oh, don't worry. You're about to get more answers than you can handle."
The Safe House
They carried Jason through the back streets of Greenwood, avoiding prying eyes. Lena led them to a run-down warehouse on the outskirts of town. The place looked abandoned—broken windows, rusting metal, a forgotten relic of a past industry.
But the moment Lena knocked on the heavy steel door in a specific rhythm, something clicked inside. The door unlocked on its own, swinging open with a low creak.
Ethan tensed. "What is this place?"
Lena didn't answer as she stepped inside.
Ethan followed—only to freeze at what he saw.
Inside, the warehouse wasn't abandoned at all. It was filled with people—or rather, not just people.
Some had sharp ears like his. Others had glowing eyes or clawed fingers. A few moved with an unnatural grace, their bodies vibrating with an energy Ethan couldn't explain.
And every single one of them turned to stare at him the moment he walked in.
A low murmur rippled through the crowd. Ethan caught pieces of hushed whispers:
"Is that him?"
"Another half-blood?"
"Does he even know what he is?"
Lena exhaled. "Welcome to the other side of the world, Ethan."
Ethan's stomach twisted. He wasn't just waking up to a new power—he was waking up to a hidden world that had been right in front of him all along.
And now, there was no turning back.