Chapter 7: The Boy Who Shook the Skies.

As the two lackeys closed in, Adrian stepped in front of Ethan, shielding him with his body.

"Take Elise and head back. I'll stop them here," he said, his voice steady, but there was a hesitation, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. He was ready to activate his ability, but fear gnawed at him—not because of the battle ahead, but of the terrifying possibility that he might lose control. He knew all too well the consequences of his power slipping out of his grasp.

But before Adrian could make his move, something unexpected happened. Ethan reached out and grabbed Adrian's collar with an iron grip. Without warning, he yanked him backwards, his force sending Adrian stumbling. The sudden motion threw him off balance, and he staggered, landing hard right besides Elise.

"What the he—" Adrian began, his words cutting off abruptly as he locked eyes with Ethan.

It was like a switch had been flipped. The Ethan standing before him wasn't the same boy he knew. The usual composure that defined him, the calm intelligence in his gaze, was gone. What replaced it was a terrifying emptiness, a coldness that seemed to freeze the air around them. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—sharp, focused, and filled with an intensity that cut through the silence—told a different story. It was as if he had shut off every last ounces of emotion, becoming something more dangerous.

"Are you alright, brother?" Elise's voice trembled as she reached toward him, her concern clear in her words. She took a hesitant step forward, her eyes filled with worry, but before she could close the distance, Adrian's arm shot out to stop her. He wasn't looking at her, though. His attention was entirely on Ethan, his focus rigid, as if the world had narrowed down to just one person.

One time. There was only one other time he had seen this expression. Six years ago. The day everything had changed. The day Ethan had become someone else—someone unrecognizable, someone terrifying in a way that wasn't about physical strength, but about the force of his mind and will. It was the day of the 'auction,' the day Ethan had used nothing but his wits and presence to turn the entire Upper City upside down.

The chaos that followed wasn't from fists or weapons, but from the power Ethan wielded over people's minds, their fears, their doubts. He didn't need to raise a hand. He didn't need to throw a punch. His words, his calm authority, the quiet way he commanded attention—it was as if the entire room had no choice but to bend to his will.

And that was how he earned the name.

The Boy Who Shook the Skies.

The name that only those who had been there truly understood. The name that still sent shivers down the spines of those who had witnessed it.

The look Ethan wore now—it was the same one from that day. Adrian's throat tightened as the memory settled like a weight on his chest. That expression wasn't just cold—it was the kind of cold that made even the strongest hesitate. Even the bravest men had second-guessed themselves when Ethan had turned his gaze upon them back then. His presence alone had been enough to reshape everything.

Adrian swallowed, instinctively stepping back, even though he knew Ethan was still the same person he'd grown up with. But this was different. The change wasn't physical—it was in the air, in the way Ethan's very being made the world around him feel like it was teetering on the edge of something huge. Something that could tip the balance. Just like that day.

Stay out of his way. Keep Elise safe. Adrian's mind was sharp with the old familiar instructions, just like before.

A slow chuckle broke the tense silence, cutting through the still air like a knife.

"Hah! Is the famous genius actually going to fight us now?" Lackey #1 sneered, his legs morphing into solid stone, each step bringing him closer with the weight of the earth behind him.

"Well then, we better go easy on him," Lackey #2 chimed in, a wild grin stretching across his face. His body bounced lightly on his feet, each subtle hop increasing his speed, making him almost blur with the growing momentum.

Victor's voice drifted lazily from behind them, the mockery clear in his tone. "Yeah, yeah, make sure you don't kill him. I still need him to prove my worth to _them_. But breaking a few bones? That's not a problem."

"Yes, boss," the two lackeys replied in unison, a cold promise in their voices as they prepared to close in.

Ethan stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate—like a predator approaching its prey. Every inch of him radiated control, as if he were calculating every move before it even happened.

The lackeys smirked. They misread his calm as hesitation, as weakness. But the dog knew better.

The beast, a terrifying creature from the infamous _Ravager's Den_, had been eyeing Ethan closely, its presence tense but oddly restrained. It wasn't snarling or straining against its leash anymore. Instead, it was almost as if the dog was minding its manners, sensing the weight of Ethan's presence and the quiet, undeniable danger that radiated from him.

Before Ethan even took a step, the dog's instincts had already recognized the threat. And when Ethan finally moved, the beast's fear surged to the surface. In an instant, it turned tail and fled, its claws scraping against the ground as it desperately tried to escape. Its whimpers echoed through the air, a sound of pure terror that sent shockwaves through everyone watching.

The suddenness of it left everyone in stunned disbelief.

Even Elise and Adrian stared, their faces frozen in shock, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

Victor, however, was rooted in place, his mind reeling.

That dog had cost him a fortune. A beast from _Ravager's Den_ obeyed only the strong. The fact that it had refused to listen before—was it not simply stubbornness, but something deeper? Fear? Fear of Ethan?

Victor's heart skipped a beat. He clenched his fists , shaking his head in denial. "No. That's ridiculous. He's just a C-rank brat with no real battle experience. There's no way—"

Before he could finish, Ethan's voice sliced through the tension, cold and calm, like the chill of a blade on bare skin.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his tone bone-chillingly calm, a small smile curling at the corners of his lips. "I thought we were going to dance."

He raised a hand, the motion inviting them forward, almost mockingly.

Victor's breath hitched. For the first time since the confrontation began, he realized just how much he had been avoiding Ethan's gaze. It was subtle at first, but now that he was looking directly into those eyes, it hit him like a punch to the gut.

Ethan's eyes hadn't changed color, but to Victor, they might as well have been blood-red. The depths of them seemed endless, cold, and merciless. It was as if Ethan's very soul had bled into his gaze, pulling Victor's own being toward a darkness he didn't know how to escape.

A chill ran down Victor's spine, something foreign and terrifying creeping up from his gut. It had been years—no, _decades_—since he had felt this sensation. Fear. A feeling he had buried beneath the weight of his power long ago. And yet here it was, raw and unmistakable, threatening to undo everything he had built.

His face went pale. His composure cracked.

"What are you doing?!" he shrieked. "Get rid of him! Get rid of those Eyes!"

His own men—his loyal lackeys—paused, their hands frozen, clearly taken aback by the panic in their boss's voice.

It was the first time they'd ever seen Victor lose control.

Before Lackey #1 or Lackey #2 could process what was happening, Ethan was already in front of them.

Lackey #1 instinctively stepped back, lifting his leg to kick—but before the attack could even begin, Ethan's fist drove into his gut. The force sent him crashing to the ground, completely unconscious.

Lackey #2 hesitated for only a brief moment before charging forward. His footwork was a mess, panic clouding his judgment. In his desperation, he threw himself at Ethan with a wild, uncoordinated tackle.

Ethan sidestepped effortlessly. With a swift motion, he swept his leg out, sending Lackey #2 off balance. The lackey barely had time to recover before Ethan struck—a precise, merciless blow to the same spot as his partner.

Lackey #2 crumpled to the ground in a heap, just as unconscious as the first.

Silence.

The crowd, the lackeys, even Elise and Adrian—all of them were frozen, unable to fully grasp what had just transpired.

But the one who was most stunned of all was Victor.

For as long as he'd held power, no one had dared to defy him. Not once.

Ethan had just shattered that illusion.

And worse—he had done it without a single hesitation.

Victor's mind scrambled, unable to process the turn of events. _This isn't possible._ This wasn't just about the dog or the lackeys. Those were merely distractions. What terrified him now was the realization that if one person had the courage to stand against him, what stopped others from doing the same?

If just one crack appeared, the entire foundation could crumble.

That thought sent a jolt of panic through Victor's chest. But panic quickly gave way to something far more dangerous—rage.

Victor's face twisted with fury. "What are you doing, Yuki?!" he screeched, his voice shrill and full of frustration. "I will handle the consequences! **Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!**"

Throughout the entire ordeal, Yuki, Victor's loyal personal guard, had stood by, entirely uninterested. He hadn't so much as twitched an eye.

But now, as Ethan stood unwavering, something flickered in Yuki's eyes.

Amusement.

For the first time, Yuki moved. His steps were slow, deliberate—not out of duty—but out of curiosity.

Crackling arcs of lightning sparked between his fingers, lighting up the air around him.

"Interesting," Yuki murmured, his voice calm and calculating as he took another step forward, his gaze locked firmly on Ethan.

"Kill me?" Ethan's voice was devoid of emotion, his gaze cold and unwavering. "Can you afford it?"

Yuki smirked, arms crossed as he leaned slightly to the side. "Well, no matter how worthless or pathetic he is, he's still the boss around here. So yeah, I'd say he can kill you just fine."

Ethan turned his sharp gaze on Yuki, locking eyes in a way that made the air feel heavier. "Do you really think so?"

Something in that stare made Yuki pause, his smirk faltering for just a second. He wasn't an idiot. He already knew the answer.

Victor couldn't kill him.

Victor had power in name only. But real power? The kind that mattered? He didn't have enough of it to stand against Ethan.

Ethan said nothing more. He simply smiled—not wide, not cocky, but the kind of smile that made it feel like he already knew exactly how this would end. Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward. Not stopping at Yuki. Not even slowing down.

Yuki didn't move to block him. He only watched, eyes sharp with curiosity.

Victor, however, wasn't nearly as composed. The moment Ethan stood in front of him, he recoiled like a cornered rat, panic twisting his face.

"What—what are you doing, Yuki?!" Victor shrieked, his voice cracking. "I told you to kill him! Why are you just standing there?!"

Yuki said nothing.

Ethan tilted his head slightly. "Because he's smart," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Then, in a blink, he grabbed Victor by the collar, yanking him forward with ease.

"You, though?" His grip tightened. "You're not."

Victor trembled, but before he could sputter out a response—

Smack.

A sharp slap echoed through the air.

Victor's head snapped to the side, his cheek instantly reddening.

"You talk about power," Ethan murmured, his voice eerily calm. "But what do you really know about it?"

Another slap. Harder.

"You think I have no power because the Blaze family is gone?"

Another slap. Victor let out a strangled yelp, his body shaking.

"Did you forget who I am?" Ethan leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper—but somehow, it felt deafening. "I am Ethan Blaze. The man who changed the world with my inventions."

Victor's breath came in ragged gasps, but Ethan wasn't done.

"I'm the one who made those old coots so scared that they had to personally take me down," he continued, voice dark and steady. "The one they feared so much they destroyed everything I had."

He let go suddenly, shoving Victor back like he was nothing.

Then, without another word, Ethan turned and walked away, expression unreadable. He signaled to Adrian with a simple motion—Take Elise. Leave.

Adrian didn't hesitate. He grabbed Elise's wrist and led her away, pushing through the stunned crowd.

Ethan stopped briefly, turning back just once. His voice cut through the silence like a blade.

"Tell those old coots in their little nest—don't push me." His eyes darkened. "Because this time, I won't stop at a threat like I did six years ago."

And with that, he left.

A suffocating silence settled over the street. No one spoke. No one moved.

Even after Ethan left, Victor remained on the ground, his body locked in place. His underlings had to physically shake him before he snapped out of his trance.

But as he staggered to his feet and left the market, one thing was clear to everyone watching—

No one knew what was now running through Victor's crazed mind.