Her voice was calm but firm, the tone of someone who knew exactly how dangerous her husband had become and wasn't afraid to stand between him and a decision that he would regret later.

Hearing his wife's words, Ethan seemed to calm down a little. To say that he didn't want to destroy Earth just a moment ago would be a lie. The thought had crossed his mind—wiping clean the slate, remaking reality so that none of this suffering had ever occurred.

Removing that skill had its pros and cons. This was definitely a con—emotions dictated actions in ways that pure logic never could.

But it was fine. He had control over his emotions, even if that control required constant vigilance.

He nodded his head and gently lifted his unconscious parents, placing them in Tiana's arms. "Take care of them," he said, his voice heavy with trust and love. "They've suffered enough."

Tiana immediately took both of them into her care, her enhanced abilities allowing her to support their weight effortlessly. "I'll make sure they're more than just comfortable," she promised. "And Ethan? Whatever you're planning… come back to us."

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Ethan appeared.

The transition felt different this time—colder, more purposeful. This wasn't a reunion or a rescue mission. This was judgment.

He searched once more, and he found who he was looking for.

Jack and his friends. The same group that had led him to his death all those years ago.

They were currently inside a karaoke spot with multiple beautiful women—by their standards, of course. Compared to his wife, they were nothing. The private room reeked of alcohol and expensive perfume, filled with the artificial laughter of people trying too hard to convince themselves they were having fun.

Jack had clearly done well for himself in the years since Ethan's "death." His clothes were expensive, his hair professionally styled, and the watch on his wrist probably cost more than most people made in a year. The fruits of his lies, no doubt—perhaps compensation for his "trauma," or simply the success that came from never facing consequences for his actions.

His old companions were there too—Donald with his ever-present smirk, James looking older but no less cruel. They lounged on leather couches like kings in their castle, surrounded by women who laughed at their jokes and hung on their words.

Ethan didn't even bother hiding himself. He appeared in the middle of the room, his form materializing out of nothingness like a nightmare made flesh.

The sudden silence was deafening.

Jack, who had been surrounded by three girls and was in the middle of some boastful story, was suddenly shocked into stillness. His face went white as a sheet, the expensive whiskey in his hand slipping from nerveless fingers to shatter on the floor.

Was he hallucinating? The alcohol, the stress of keeping his lies straight for so many years—had it finally caught up with him?

Was he seeing a ghost in broad daylight?

"Hello, Jack, It's been a while."

The women screamed and scrambled for the exits, their survival instincts overriding any curiosity about the impossible situation. Donald and James pressed themselves against the far wall, their faces masks of terror as they recognized the face of someone who should have been dead and buried.

But Jack… Jack just stared, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

"You're dead," he whispered, the words barely audible over the pounding of his own heart. "I saw you drown. You're supposed to be dead."

Ethan smiled—a expression devoid of warmth or humor.

"Death," he said, "is rather more flexible than you might think."

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees, and frost began forming on the windows despite the summer heat outside.

"Now then," Ethan continued, settling into a chair that hadn't been there moments before, "we need to have a conversation…don't we?"

Ethan raised his hand and his bullies all flew into the air, suspended by invisible forces that defied gravity and reason. Their limbs flailed helplessly as they found themselves completely at his mercy, unable to move except as he willed it.

As for the females that tried to leave, they were knocked unconscious by a wave of energy before they could reach the door. Their bodies crumpled to the floor in peaceful slumber—they were nothing but cheap women from the street anyway that Jack had paid for. Innocent enough in their ignorance of the true situation.

After grabbing hold of the three suspended figures, Ethan disappeared and began appearing at each of their houses in sequence.

These three bullies were from well-off families, and through accessing their memories, Ethan had discovered they all had their fair share of shady business dealings. More importantly, they had each played a hand in his parents' imprisonment—providing false testimony, fabricating evidence, using their families' influence to ensure the charges stuck. So he was going to leave none of them untouched.

He started with Donald's family.

The suburban mansion materialized around them as Ethan transported his captives to witness what came next. Donald's family was gathered in their expansive living room—his father reading financial reports, his mother planning some charity gala that was more about social status than actual charity. Thɪs chapter is updated by ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt

They looked up in confusion as four figures suddenly appeared in their midst.

"What the—" Donald's father began, rising from his leather chair.

In front of Donald's horrified face, Ethan wiped out the entire estate and everyone in it, giving them a quick death.

It wasn't violent or drawn out. There was no suffering, no screaming, no blood. One moment the family existed, the next they simply… didn't. The house, the grounds, the servants, even the expensive cars in the driveway—all of it was erased from reality as if it had never been.

The only thing remaining was empty space where a mansion had once stood, grass growing as if nothing had ever disturbed the earth.

Donald's reaction was one of complete disbelief and overwhelming fear.

"No… NO!" he screamed, his voice cracking with hysteria. "They had nothing to do with this! They didn't even know about—"

"They profited from it," Ethan said calmly, his tone carrying the finality of absolute judgment. "Your father used his legal connections to ensure my parents couldn't get proper representation. Your mother spread rumors in her social circles to poison any potential sympathy. Your sister posted edited videos online to humiliate my family."