Ethan pushed the door open and walked in like he owned the place, a smug look on his face.

"Yo-"

"WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

He froze mid-step and mid-sentence.

His head slowly turned toward the source of the voice, where Mark stood behind the counter.

He looked nothing like himself.

The dark-skinned man’s usual composed demeanour was gone, replaced by something raw. His eyes were wide, his jaw tight, his entire posture rigid with tension.

Ethan blinked.

’That’s new.’

Mark didn’t swear, not ever, which meant when he did, something was very, very wrong.

"I thought you’d died," he continued, his voice dropping slightly, though the intensity didn’t fade. "I went to the gate location as soon as it was reported as unusual, but the military blocked everything off. No one would tell me anything."

Ethan’s expression shifted slightly.

"I saw the news," Mark went on, his voice tightening. "You stepped out of the gate and then just collapsed."

He paused.

"I thought I lost you..."

There was a heavy and uncomfortable silence.

"...So soon after just getting you back."

That last part hit differently.

Ethan looked at him properly then, and for the first time since walking in, he noticed it: the tension in his shoulders, the faint redness in his eyes, the exhaustion.

’Did he... cry?’

He wasn’t sure what to say or think.

Ethan wasn’t good at this, and never had been; emotions weren’t his thing. When they were overwhelming him, he would distract himself with anything, be it exercise, fighting, or alcohol.

He just lowered his head slightly and eventually murmured, "My bad."

It wasn’t much, but it was genuine.

After he did, the bell above the door rang softly.

Both of them glanced over, and Elara, who had followed him inside, had quietly stepped back outside. She had been standing there, out of place and awkward, like she wasn’t sure whether she should be there at all.

’I’ll let them have their moment.’

Now alone outside the bar, Elara exhaled softly, her hands fidgeting slightly as she processed everything.

’How did I even end up here?’

It felt surreal.

A day ago, she had been alone, drifting between cheap motels without any friends or family. She was living simply to live, entering gates to earn the bare minimum needed to survive.

Now she was about to move in with someone she had just met, a guy, at that.

’I mean... he seems nice.’

She paused.

’But he’s also a little crazy.’

That part she was certain about, from how he had acted within the gate and ever since. He was hard to read and understand, but that drew her towards him even more.

’Maybe we might even end up...’

Before she could finish the thought, approaching footsteps snapped her out of it.

Elara looked up.

A man was walking toward the Black Howl with a casual swagger, hands in his pockets, an amused smile playing on his lips. It was Mace, not that she would know him.

His eyes flicked toward the bar, then toward her.

She seemed vaguely familiar, but his mind was elsewhere.

’I can’t believe that fucker’s a Titled too...’ he thought, his smile sharpening slightly. ’And the mighty Ethan is just an E Rank.’

There was something ugly in that thought, something resentful and calculating.

He stepped forward, clearly intending to walk right past her. But Elara moved just slightly, enough to block the entrance.

Her hands lifted hesitantly as she signed.

*Now’s not a good time.*

Mace just stared at her blankly and clearly didn’t understand, just like most people wouldn’t.

But his reaction was immediate and unpleasant.

"Out the way, bitch," he said, his tone dismissive. "You want some crack or change?"

He waved a hand lazily, not even remotely interested in her.

To him, she was just a jittery nobody, a crackhead and a nuisance. From her sunken eyes after being drained inside the gate, it was understandable why he would mistake her for such in this rough area.

But when he looked at her again, something in her eyes shifted.

His chest tightened.

Elara’s irises weren’t just red anymore; her entire eye was swallowed by a deep crimson as something inside her stirred.

The air grew heavier as Mace struggled to breathe.

But it wasn’t just her eyes that had changed, but her entire demeanour. Her posture straightened, and her earlier nervousness was replaced by absolute confidence.

When she spoke, it wasn’t a woman’s voice, but a layered, deep demonic sound.

"Fuck off, boy."

The words slithered out, accompanied by a surge of pure, malicious aura that pressed down on Mace like a physical force.

His instincts screamed.

This was a clear danger that could kill him.

He didn’t hesitate, argue, or try to save face; he turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

’What the fuck-?!’

His heart pounded as he put distance between himself and the bar, his mind racing.

’That’s why I thought I recognised her... But why the hell is an A Rank standing guard outside that shitty place?!’

Even without recognising her, that pressure and presence were unmistakable. It was of a person who neared those ultimate beings with S Rank Titles.

’I need to report this to the boss.’

He didn’t slow down, nor did he look back.

If Mace knew one thing, it was when to pick fights, and this was definitely not one of those times. But behind him, moments after he made a break for it, the pressure faded.

Elara was instantly hit by a wave of fatigue that threatened to knock her over.

Her body had already been pushed to its limits within the gate, so even the smallest use of mana seemed to have its toll. She stabilised on the wall of the Black Howl as the crimson in her eyes receded, returning into something softer and more human.

Elara looked down at her hands.

’I really am pathetic without it.’

Relying on an entity within her body that could take control whenever it pleased was a horrible feeling. The arrogant demon only showed up when the pride of its host was stepped on, or she was on the verge of dying.

She had no way to actively call upon it or communicate with it either.

’But maybe now that I’m around Ethan, that will start to change.’

All she could do was hope, since she was going to need all the help she could get with what was in store for herself and Ethan...