Alice crossed her arms over her chest, staring directly at Ethan. Her eyes had that exact sharp, piercing look she always had when she suspected someone was lying—intense, unwavering, and filled with doubt.
"So," her tone was calm but carried an unmistakable edge of threat, "you're not going to tell me who these three are?"
Ethan forced a smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "I told you… they're just some old friends staying over for a while."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Old friends? Since when do you have old friends who look like supermodel-tier K-drama actresses?"
"Uh, well, we've known each other for a while—"
"And since when do your so-called 'friends' make your entire house feel like a damn magic vortex?" Alice stepped closer, her voice dropping slightly but growing more serious. "Ethan, tell me. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"
Ethan opened his mouth to come up with an excuse, but before he could say anything, Luna suddenly leaned in over his shoulder, her usual mischievous grin playing on her lips.
"Well, well, looks like this little girl is quite curious!"
Alice's expression turned ice-cold as she looked at Luna. "What did you just say?"
Luna smirked. "I said… Ethan might not be talking, but I could very easily spill the truth!"
Before Ethan could stop her, Luna leaned toward Alice as if she was about to share a top-secret revelation. With a hushed, dramatic tone, she whispered:
"We are, in fact, Ethan's personal maids!"
Ethan immediately faked a cough to cut her off, but Alice's eyes narrowed in pure suspicion. "Maids?"
"Yep, yep! We take care of all the housework!" Luna beamed playfully. "Of course, except for those special duties—because we haven't had our first night yet, right, Ethan?"
Ethan's face instantly drained of all color. "LUNA!"
Alice didn't blink. "And what, exactly, am I supposed to take from that statement?"
Luna tapped her chin as if in thought, then grinned wider. "Or maybe… should I just say we're his three official fiancées?"
Ethan shot a desperate look at Selena, hoping she'd intervene and stop the chaos. But Selena simply ran a hand through her silky hair, exhaling quietly. "You got yourself into this. Handle it yourself."
Alice stepped even closer, her tone now dangerously low. "Ethan. A proper explanation. Now."
Before Ethan could even attempt to explain, another voice rang out from across the room.
"Oh, stop wasting time, Luna!" Faera called out impatiently. "Are we keeping this girl around, or are we getting rid of her?"
Selena immediately slapped a hand over Faera's mouth, but it was too late.
Alice took half a step back, her fingers now resting on the hilt of her sword. "Define 'getting rid of.'"
Ethan spun toward Faera, exasperated. "Did you really have to say something right now?"
Faera shrugged nonchalantly. "What? I was just asking what the plan was."
Alice took a deep breath, then fixed Ethan with another scrutinizing glare. "Well, if that's the case, I'm not leaving. At least not until I figure out exactly what the hell is going on here."
Alice watched Ethan closely, as if trying to pull the truth straight from his face. "So you, Ethan Cross, who until yesterday was completely normal, suddenly awakened your ability?"
Ethan scratched his head, still coming to terms with it himself. "Uh… yeah?"
A heavy silence.
Then—
"Pfft! Oh, come on!" Alice threw her hands up. "At least try a more believable lie! That's not how this works! You're either born with an ability, or you're not. You don't just wake up one day and suddenly have magic!"
Luna, thoroughly entertained, leaned in. "Oh no, wait. It gets better!"
Selena, who had remained mostly quiet, spoke up in her usual cold tone. "If he only awakened today, then he has no training. Which means he's completely useless."
Faera smirked, crossing her arms. "So… basically what we already knew."
Ethan shot them all a deadpan look. "Gee, thanks for the support. Really appreciate it."
"No!" all three dragons replied in perfect sync.
Alice was still suspicious. "So, what is your ability, exactly?"
Ethan hesitated. He wasn't even entirely sure himself. Explaining it would be tricky. But with Alice staring him down like a detective grilling a suspect, he had no choice.
"It's called… Coexistence with Darkness."
Alice blinked. "What?"
"Coexistence with Darkness."
"Weird name, but… what does it do?"
Ethan took a deep breath. "Well… when I was near that Corruption Gate, I felt something strange. It was like the darkness around me… responded to me. Almost like it was alive. Like it was listening to me."
Alice's expression shifted slightly, her mind clearly turning. "That's unusual. People who have abilities tied to darkness are extremely rare. They're either high-tier Dungeon Walkers or… people who have an innate connection to the abyss itself."
Luna grinned, her voice laced with mischief. "Oooor maybe he's actually a half-demon with dormant bloodline powers he hasn't discovered yet?"
Ethan's entire body stiffened. "EXCUSE ME, WHAT?"
Faera, still relaxed, added, "I mean, it's just a theory. But really, why did the Corruption react to him? A normal person shouldn't be able to influence darkness like that."
Selena, now growing impatient, finally stepped forward. "Enough talking. If we're going to analyze his ability, we might as well test it properly. We were in the middle of training, after all."
Luna clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, absolutely! But let's make it interesting. If he messes up again and chokes himself with his own shadows, I get first dibs on laughing at him!"
Selena sighed. "Luna."
"What?!" Luna shrugged innocently. "I'm just being honest! Last time, he tangled himself up in so much darkness, he almost strangled himself to death!"
Faera chuckled. "Honestly, maybe that's his real unique ability. Self-strangulation via darkness: The Unrivaled Talent of Ethan Cross!"
Ethan ran a hand down his face. "Great. Fantastic. Thanks for all the encouragement."
Alice, still watching with deep skepticism, sat down on a nearby chair. "Alright. I'll stay and watch. Let's see how you plan to kill yourself."
Ethan huffed. "Oh, thanks. That's so reassuring."
Selena remained unfazed. "Focus. This time, you're going to learn how to sense the darkness around you without letting it consume your mind."
Ethan crossed his arms. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Selena responded simply. "Close your eyes. Focus on the darkness."
Luna giggled. "And if you pass out again, I swear I'm recording it this time!"
Ethan sighed heavily. "Alice, can you please throw these three out?"
Alice, without looking at him, smirked. "No way. This is entertaining. Keep going."