Ethan had just volunteered to fight in an underground arena against someone whose abilities he didn’t fully understand, in front of who knew how many people.

So he was tense, understandably so.

’For all I know... he could be an S Rank.’

But that wasn’t what made his chest tight.

Not really.

It was the excitement, anticipation, and hunger.

’That fucker has had it coming for years.’

By the time the night wound down, Adonis had passed out on the sofa, a blanket draped over him as Maren carefully tucked him in.

The room grew quieter.

And then, all eyes shifted to Ethan.

"You off again?" Maren asked softly.

Ethan nodded.

Lila tilted her head slightly, a teasing smile on her lips.

"I really don’t understand why you don’t just stay," she said. "Is it because I’m a cop?"

Ethan snorted.

"That’s exactly it."

A few quiet laughs followed.

Tasha simply gave him a knowing nod without pressing or questioning him, respecting his space.

Ethan stepped forward and gently kissed Aunt Clarissa on the forehead.

"Take care," he said.

Then he turned to leave.

Elara followed immediately, close and silent as always.

But this time, there was someone else.

"What do you want?" Ethan glanced over his shoulder. "You staying at the Black Howl tonight?"

"I’m going wherever you’re going," Mark replied firmly.

Ethan paused before smiling.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

Mark didn’t respond verbally.

Instead, he lifted his shirt slightly, revealing the pistol tucked into his waistband.

"I’ll be fine."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised but also impressed.

Mark had been walking the straight path for a while now. Seeing him like this again, armed and ready, it was both troubling and comforting.

He shrugged, "Suit yourself."

There was no changing his mind, and honestly, Ethan wasn’t entirely against it.

As long as Elara was with them...

’Things should be fine.’

As such, they set off, with Ethan turning to Elara with a grin.

"I should report that illegal firearm to Lila, shouldn’t I?"

Elara nodded immediately, laughing silently.

Mark just sighed, "You’re both annoying."

And with that, the three of them disappeared into the night. They were heading straight toward what was undoubtedly going to become another complete shitshow, with Ethan right at the centre of it...

-

It was currently the 31st of March 2027.

Well, technically, it wasn’t anymore.

The clock had already ticked past midnight, which meant it was now the 1st of April.

The city was quieter than usual at this hour, the streets washed in pale yellow light as Ethan, Mark, and Elara moved through them together.

’Well, it is a Wednesday night,’ the blue-eyed man thought to himself as he looked at his two companions.

Unknowingly, they were both heading straight toward the location of this month’s UFC.

The card Mace had given Ethan had called it: "MARCH MADNESS - the third event of 2027 with a stacked lineup of Titled Fighters"

"So," Mark finally broke the silence, glancing sideways at Ethan, "where exactly are we going?"

Ethan didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he casually pulled the card from his pocket and handed it over.

"Here."

Mark took it. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Elara leaned in beside him, her red eyes scanning the sleek black surface filled with bold golden text.

A few seconds passed.

Then...

"You’re joking, right?" Mark said slowly.

Elara’s brows furrowed as she read more carefully.

This wasn’t just any leaflet; it was a visitor’s card that allowed entry to this restricted and exclusive event.

Mark turned toward Ethan fully now.

"You want to go here?" he asked, disbelief lacing his voice. "Do you even know what this is?"

Ethan shrugged.

"Looks like a fight club."

"A fight club?" Mark scoffed. "It’s more than that. These things are illegal, Ethan. Violent, underground, full of people who don’t follow rules. You’re basically asking for trouble."

Ethan smirked faintly.

"April Fools."

Mark blinked.

"...Really?"

Ethan’s grin widened slightly.

"No," he said plainly. "We’re actually going."

Mark stared at him, shaking his head, unimpressed.

"How did I even fall for that?" he murmured under his breath.

"And I’m going to meet an old friend of ours there," Ethan added casually.

"Old friend?" Mark repeated, confusion creeping into his tone. "We don’t really have any ’old friends’."

Ethan just laughed under his breath.

He didn’t explain or elaborate, and certainly didn’t mention that the "old friend" he was referring to was someone he intended to fight.

Elara, meanwhile, quickly typed something into her phone.

A robotic voice followed a moment later.

"I’ve heard of this UFC thing. It’s basically a fight club for Titled and is really popular. A lot of people show up, and it’s really hard to get access to it. So it’s impressive you even got the card."

Ethan nodded slightly.

"That so?"

His curiosity deepened, wondering just how big this thing was.

"The issue is," Mark interjected, holding up the card, "this only allows one person in."

Ethan waved it off.

"We’ll figure it out when we get there," he said. "We should just be able to buy more."

Mark didn’t look convinced at all, but went with it.

A short walk later, they reached the street where Mark had parked his car.

At this time of night, it was their best bet, and Ethan had spent enough on taxis over the past two weeks. But it wasn’t exactly the most luxurious vehicle out there.

It was old, worn, and a little rusty around the edges, but still standing with stubborn pride. Mark’s car, the same one he had used to pick Ethan up from prison.

"You’re still driving this thing?" Ethan said, raising a brow.

Mark shot him a look.

"Watch your mouth. This beauty’s got character and I’ll never replace it."

Elara tilted her head, observing the vehicle curiously as if unsure whether it was safe.

Mark ignored both of them and walked up to the driver’s side, patting the hood lightly.

"Don’t listen to him," he muttered. "You’re still the best."

Ethan snorted.

"This guy’s in a relationship with his car."

"Shut up and get in."

And just like that, they were off to what was about to be one of the craziest nights of their lives...