Ethan's breath caught in his throat as Evelyn's words sliced through the silence. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, an underlying layer of something he couldn't quite place. He had been preparing for the next challenge, his thoughts racing ahead to what might come next, but her words—her observation—pulled him right back to the present.
"Ethan Solis," she repeated, her voice still steady, but this time, there was a flicker of something deeper in her eyes, something almost... knowing. "It looks like you're not the disappointment everyone says you are. You have skills, but you hide them. And your system—it's strange. You see numbers everywhere. Everything is numbers for you."
For a long moment, Ethan said nothing. He wasn't sure how to respond. Part of him wanted to deny it, to brush it off as nothing more than a guess—after all, no one knew about his system. No one knew what he could do. But Evelyn... Evelyn, of all people, was right. How had she known?
He felt his heartbeat quicken, and the weight of her gaze bore down on him. She had always been perceptive, a quiet observer. But this—this felt different. She wasn't asking. She was telling him.
He exhaled slowly, the tension in his chest tightening. The numbers—it was so ingrained in him by now that he didn't even realize it. The constant flow of data, the ability to see the level of everything around him, the metrics, the stats, the way it was all laid out before him like some kind of game. He'd learned to tune it out, to ignore it. To hide it. To hide himself.
His system wasn't like anyone else's. He could see the levels of people, monsters, the world itself. Every movement, every choice, quantified. But he didn't share that with anyone. It was too dangerous. If someone knew—if anyone ever found out—it could mean the end for him. His freedom was fragile enough as it was.
But here Evelyn was, calling him out, forcing him to confront it. His heart raced, and his hand subconsciously went to his chest where the cold, numbing pain of his past battles still lingered. The price of his abilities—of what he was hiding—was always there. Always burning at the edges of his awareness.
He couldn't avoid it forever.
"How did you know?" His voice was quiet, the question almost a whisper, more to himself than to her.
Evelyn's expression was unreadable, but her eyes held a flicker of something—was it pity? No, not pity. Understanding. "I didn't know for sure," she said softly, her gaze still fixed ahead, not looking at him directly. "But I saw how you moved in the last fight. You didn't react the same way the others did. You were calculating, like you had all the data in front of you. And when you used your Flash Step... that... it wasn't something a normal person could do. Not without knowing exactly what their opponent was going to do." She paused, her fingers absently brushing the hilt of her sword. "I've seen people like you before. People who don't just fight—they know. They always know what's coming next."
Ethan's mind raced. He didn't know what to say. It was almost as if she understood him better than he understood himself. The words were just there—she had noticed it, and she had pieced it all together so easily.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" he asked, the question slipping out before he could stop himself. He was suddenly wary of her, even though he knew he had no reason to be. She could have easily turned on him, exposed him, used his secret against him. But she hadn't.
Evelyn turned her head slightly, her gaze softening just a little. "Because it doesn't matter. Not yet. We're still in this together." She stopped walking for a moment, turning to face him, her expression unreadable but her voice steady. "But I need to know something, Ethan. You've hidden your abilities, your system, for a reason. So I'm asking you—why? Why hide it from everyone else? Why hide it from me?"
Ethan froze. The question hung in the air, thick and heavy. He opened his mouth, but no words came out at first. The truth of it was so simple, yet so complicated.
"I..." His voice faltered, and he turned away from her gaze, looking down at the cracked earth beneath his boots. "I didn't want to be a target. You know how people are when they see something that's different. I could get hunted. Captured." He swallowed hard, the weight of his fear pressing against his chest. "I've seen what happens to people like me. And I couldn't—I can't—risk that."
Evelyn was silent for a long time, and he didn't look at her. He could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't meet her gaze. Not now. Not after everything that had been said.
Finally, she spoke, her voice quieter now, more thoughtful. "You think I'm going to betray you, don't you?"
The question cut through him like a blade. He hadn't said it out loud, but somehow, she knew. "I don't know what you'll do," Ethan admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't know you. I don't know anyone here. And I can't risk losing my freedom... not for anything."
Evelyn was silent for a long time. Then, finally, she spoke, her words carrying a weight he wasn't expecting. "I won't betray you, Ethan. If we're going to survive this, we have to trust each other. There's no other way."
Ethan met her gaze then, his heart beating in his chest. For the first time since they'd been thrown into this madness, he felt something shift—an understanding, a bond, however fragile it was.
She had just made a promise. And he would have to decide if he could trust her to keep it.
He nodded, his jaw tight. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier," he said quietly. "But I'll do my best to keep us both alive. I don't want to lose anyone."
Evelyn's lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smile. "I think we can do it, Ethan. We're stronger than we know."
And as they continued walking forward, the weight of their shared understanding between them, the looming darkness ahead seemed just a little less heavy. Because, for the first time, Ethan didn't feel so alone.
Ethan kept his gaze fixed on the path ahead, his mind churning with everything Evelyn had just told him. She had known before—before they'd even faced the creature together—that he wasn't like everyone else. She had seen it in his movements, in his calculations, in the way he fought. But what she said next… the Witchers.
His mind snapped back to her words as they continued to walk, their footsteps crunching in the dry earth beneath them. Three other people like him. Witchers. The rank that came after the Climbers, three of them in total. They ruled the world, wielding their strength, their abilities, and their systems in ways that no one else could. They were legends. The elite of the elite.
Evelyn's eyes flicked sideways to him, a hint of something unreadable in her expression. "They were like you, Ethan. Calculating everything. Every movement, every decision... They don't make mistakes. That's why they became what they are. They are the Witchers. Three of them. And they rule the world with that power."
Ethan's heart sank. All this time, he had thought that his abilities made him unique. That the numbers, the levels, the data… it was what set him apart. But now? Now, he realized it wasn't some special fate that had brought him here. It wasn't some cosmic destiny he was being pushed toward.
It was the Darkness.
It was searching for someone. Someone like him.
He clenched his fists, the weight of that realization settling heavily on him. The Darkness had a purpose, but what that purpose was, he couldn't yet know. It wasn't clear, not yet. But he felt it. The Darkness wasn't random. It had been pulling people like him, like the Witchers, into this twisted game, and maybe it had been doing it for longer than anyone realized. For what? For who?
Evelyn, seemingly sensing his turmoil, spoke again, her voice softer now. "You might not be special, Ethan. But you're important. And that's what matters. The Darkness doesn't choose randomly. It tests people for a reason."
He turned to her, the question rising in his chest like a wave. "But why me? Why now? What's the Darkness really searching for?"
She paused before answering, her face unreadable. "I don't know. But I think… it's looking for someone who can break through the system. The system that holds this world together. Someone who can change things, or maybe even destroy them."
Ethan swallowed hard. He had thought that the Darkness was just a test. But what if it was more than that? What if it had been planning this for years, for centuries, pulling people like him into this twisted game for some greater purpose?
Before he could respond, Evelyn continued, her voice quieter now, almost contemplative. "The Witchers—those three—they control everything. But they've never told anyone why they became what they are, what the Darkness truly wants. They just keep winning. And maybe... maybe that's the key."
Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that this whole ordeal was about more than just strength. The Darkness wasn't just trying to see who was the strongest, who could survive the trials. No, it was searching for something deeper. Something that could change everything.
"Then we need to focus on what's ahead," Ethan said finally, his voice steady. He wasn't sure what the Darkness wanted, or if he could even survive what was coming next, but he had to stay focused. The next challenge. It was coming, and he couldn't let himself get distracted. Not yet.
His eyes narrowed as the landscape before them shifted. They had already survived one trial, but Ethan knew the worst was yet to come. The next test would be the true measure of strength. And strength was something Ethan knew he had to build, not just physically, but mentally. If he was going to survive, if he was going to unlock the answers he needed, he couldn't afford to let anything—anyone—distract him.
Evelyn fell into step beside him, and he could feel her presence, her warmth in the cold, harsh landscape. They hadn't shared much trust yet, not enough to call each other allies in any true sense, but at least they were surviving. And that was something.
"You're right," she said, her voice steady, her eyes forward. "Focus on what's next. That's all we can do now. Whatever's coming... we'll face it together."
Ethan nodded, but inside, a storm was raging. The Darkness was searching for something. He had felt it in his soul, a pull, an undercurrent. But it was too early. Too soon. There was no time to think about that now.
The only thing that mattered right now was surviving. And the next test was strength—a test he would have to pass. No matter what.
As they walked toward the horizon, Ethan couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the true battle, the true war, was just beginning. And whatever the Darkness had planned for him, he wasn't going to face it alone.