Chapter 353: The Blessed Part 1

Ethan and his companions were inching closer to the truth, and the demon residing within Elara had been a significant help in uncovering it. They had learned more in the past few hours than most had managed to discover in years of searching.

But there was still one thing about Ethan himself that didn’t make sense.

And they were finally tired of glossing over it.

When Ethan returned to his body, Kaela and Elara had already figured out what he had been doing.

"The first time, it was that fire spirit," Kaela began, leaning back in her seat as she studied him. "And this time, it was that bird thing."

Elara nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful.

"It looked like you fell asleep, but..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "It was almost like you possessed those beasts."

Ethan didn’t confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

His silence was answer enough.

Mark, who had been listening from nearby, finally chimed in.

"I’ve seen your sleep for the longest," he said.

Ethan glanced toward him.

Mark folded his arms, his expression becoming more serious.

"You used to have trouble sleeping unless you were blackout drunk. Now you sleep for hours at a time, wake up stronger, and come back looking like you’ve been tortured."

He paused for a moment before adding, "It’s like you fight in your dreams to get stronger."

Ethan simply smiled.

"What can I say? I’m just built different."

The three of them stared at him.

It was obvious that wasn’t going to be enough.

They weren’t going to let Ethan get away with brushing the question aside, especially when they had all been so open with him about their own secrets.

So, for once, Ethan decided there was no point hiding it.

"Elara, can you make some kind of barrier around us like Liora?"

"I mean, I can try."

She raised her palms, and a crimson cube formed around them as they lounged in the Association aircraft.

’Can’t be too careful with the government.’

Ethan still wasn’t sure who he could and couldn’t trust outside of his three current companions.

"We’re waiting."

Ethan smiled, then told them everything.

He explained what had happened when he first received his Title. He told them about the Tower, the floors, and the beasts within them. He explained how brutal the lower floors had been before he became strong enough to establish himself, and how many times he had come dangerously close to dying.

Most importantly, he told them about the system.

The game-like system that appeared before him, which gave him objectives, rewarded him for completing them, and governed almost every aspect of the Tower.

"It’s even what took over all the Gates I’ve entered so far."

They listened without interrupting.

At first, disbelief was written across their faces.

But the more Ethan explained, the harder it became to dismiss.

After all, there was already a woman sitting among them with a demon living inside her body. Another woman could instantly recover from wounds that should have crippled her and somehow became an even more violent warrior the more damage she suffered.

And then there was Mark.

A man whose existence they still didn’t completely understand.

Compared to all of that, Ethan’s story didn’t sound quite as impossible as it should have. And when he finally finished, the three of them looked at him with a strange mixture of pity and amazement.

Ethan had been eaten alive during a trial he had failed.

By sheer luck, or perhaps something they didn’t understand yet, he had received the Title anyway. And instead of simply being given power, he had been forced to hunt and fight inside his dreams just to become strong enough to survive in the real world.

Kaela stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"No wonder you sleep so much..."

Mark let out a quiet laugh.

"You really are crazy. If it were me, I don’t know if I would’ve gone back into that Tower."

Ethan shrugged.

"I told you, I’m just that guy," he joked, though he was clearly putting on a strong front to avoid letting the effects of his experiences show on his face.

For once, there wasn’t much more to say.

They remained quiet the rest of the journey, landing safely before being driven over to the Black Howl. But when they entered, they found a man sitting at the bar with a beer in his hand.

A man they had become quite familiar with.

He wore the same black suit they had seen on countless Association operatives, but something about him looked different. The man didn’t have the usual alertness of an operative waiting for orders, nor did he look like someone who had simply stopped by for a drink.

Greg sat perfectly still, his drink resting in one hand while his other arm remained against the bar.

His expression was unusually grim.

The moment Ethan and the others entered, Greg’s eyes shifted toward them.

Then he spoke.

"Aisha, right?"

Ethan immediately moved toward him.

"So you did know her."

His hand instinctively went to his neck.

The marking Aisha had left behind felt more noticeable now, itchy almost. Ever since the demon had explained what it might be capable of, Ethan couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Greg didn’t answer.

He simply stared into his drink for another moment before reaching over and turning on the television behind the bar.

The screen flickered.

A beautiful, tanned woman appeared on the screen. She looked completely composed, almost elegant, with a calm smile resting on her lips. Behind her stood a man who appeared to be her butler.

The man’s posture was unnaturally straight, frozen in place as though he were a statue.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

Something about the broadcast immediately felt wrong.

This wasn’t a local news station.

Every major channel around the world was showing the exact same broadcast. Somehow, Aisha’s people had hijacked them all. In doing so, they hadn’t simply broken into the public networks, but had somehow bypassed the security systems of the various international Associations as well.

That alone was terrifying.

But what Aisha was about to say was even more disturbing.

"Hello."

Her voice was smooth and eloquent, almost soothing.

"I am Aisha Valemont, and the man behind me is my loyal servant, Bilal."

She paused, allowing the camera to remain focused on her.

"I represent the Blessed."

Her smile widened slightly.

"You may think this is a joke. You may think we are nothing more than madmen, and perhaps your governments and Associations will label us as such."

Her expression remained perfectly calm.

"But we are anything but."

She spoke as though she were delivering a formal announcement rather than declaring herself the leader of a worldwide threat.

"The world is changing."

Her eyes seemed to look directly through the screen as she went on to say something that made Ethan’s heart race...