The advanced sprinkler systems activated, but the water turned to steam before it could reach the fire. The building's state-of-the-art safety measures, designed to protect the wealthy from any conceivable disaster, proved utterly useless against supernatural retribution.

The fire burned slowly but surely, just to increase the pain they all felt.

Jack's parents woke from their nap to the smell of smoke, their screams echoing through the halls as they realized they were trapped. The flames didn't consume them quickly—instead, they burned with patience, ensuring maximum suffering for maximum time.

"Help" Jack's mother shrieked from a window, her expensive nightgown already singed. "Help us!"

Jack could only watch in horror, suspended hundreds of feet above, powerless to intervene even if Ethan had allowed it.

Jack couldn't even look away or close his eyes. Ethan was forcing him to watch and suffer.

The mansion groaned and cracked as the supernatural flames ate through its foundations. Each scream from within seemed to fuel the fire further, creating a cycle of torment that would only end when justice had been fully served.

"Stop," Jack sobbed, tears streaming down his face. "I'll confess everything. I'll clear your parents' names. Just stop this."

"Hmph. It's too late for that, besides do you really think I need you to do anything?" Ethan replied. "They're already free. Their memories are clean. This isn't about saving them anymore."

The flames reached a crescendo, and then, slowly, began to die down. When the last ember faded, nothing remained but ash and the echo of screams that would haunt Jack for whatever remained of his miserable existence.

When the fire brigade arrived they were shocked to find nothing but ash. It was a ridiculous sight, how could a fire burn so strong.

Ethan teleported all of them, and they appeared above an active volcano.

The transition was instantaneous—one moment they were watching the smoldering remains of Jack's family estate, the next they were suspended hundreds of feet above a churning lake of molten rock. The heat rose up in waves that would have been unbearable to normal humans, but Ethan's power protected his captives just enough to keep them conscious for what was to come.

Below them, the volcano's mouth gaped in welcome. Lava bubbled and roared, sending up gouts of superheated gas and ash. The sound was deafening—a constant rumble that spoke of the earth's raw, primal power.

"I'm not a masochist," Ethan said, his voice carrying clearly over the volcanic din. "I never enjoyed killing too much. But I will enjoy killing you three."

The words were spoken with such calm certainty that they carried more weight than any screamed threat could have. This wasn't rage speaking—this was cold retribution.

Seeing the volcano below them, they realized their fate.

"No," Donald whimpered, his voice barely audible over his own terror. "Please, anything but this. I'll do anything—"

"We already tried everything else," James whispered, his broken mind finally grasping the hopelessness of their situation. "There's nothing left to bargain with. Damn you jack, it's all…your fault. If we go to hell…i will fight you there."

Jack said nothing. He simply stared down at the molten death below, finally understanding that this was how his story would end.

One by one, Ethan dipped each of them into the volcano.

He started with Donald, lowering him slowly until his feet touched the surface of the lava. The screaming was immediate and inhuman—sounds that no human throat should be able to produce. The pain was beyond description, beyond comprehension, every nerve ending firing at once as superheated rock began to consume flesh.

Before death could claim him, Ethan pulled Donald back up and healed him completely, restoring his body to perfect condition while leaving the memory of agony intact.

Then James. Then Jack. Then Donald again.

He did it ten times for each of them before he stopped.

With each dip, their screams grew more desperate, more animalistic. They begged and pleaded between each healing, offering everything they had ever owned, everyone they had ever loved, their very souls if it would just make the torture stop.

But nothing happened. Ethan's expression never changed.

He wanted to let all the anger out of him, because if a person of his power kept such rage bottled up, it would be disastrous to everyone around him. Better to channel it into this focused retribution than risk it exploding outward to consume innocent worlds.

By the end, the three bullies were broken. Their minds had shattered under the repeated trauma, their spirits crushed by the hopelessness of their situation. They no longer even tried to speak—just whimpered softly like wounded animals.

Finally, Ethan took them back to the river where it all began and released them there.

They collapsed onto the familiar concrete embankment, their bodies unmarked but their souls permanently scarred. The same spot where they had once held power over a helpless victim now witnessed their complete destruction.

"This is where you killed me," Ethan said, looking down at their broken forms. "And this is where your old lives end. Pray you don't come anywhere near me…because I will do it all over again."

He turned to leave, his form beginning to fade from their reality.

Then he was gone, leaving three broken men drowning in the river that had started it all.

***

A few years had passed since the Jack incident. Many things had occurred, and Ethan had used his abilities to create something truly beautiful—a safe haven for him and everyone he loved.

The metropolis he had crafted existed in a pocket dimension, accessible only to those he deemed worthy. It was a city that defied imagination, where towers reached toward stars, and gardens floated in mid-air alongside flowing waterfalls that defied gravity. Every street was paved with materials that shimmered like captured moonlight, and the air itself hummed with gentle magic that promoted health and happiness.

His parents had regained their life's glint and were doing much better than ever. The trauma of their false imprisonment had been erased from their memories, replaced with proud recollections of their son's success abroad. Now, with the power of Platinum rank awakeners that he had granted them, they moved with vigor. They looked young, no longer old.

He hadn't given them Saint rank immediately, wanting them to get used to their enhanced abilities slowly. Year by year, he had increased their rank by one level, allowing their bodies and minds to adapt gradually to their growing power.

"Ethan, dear, you've outdone yourself with the garden today," his mother called out, her voice carrying the warmth he had missed for so many years. She tended to a section of the floating gardens where impossible flowers bloomed in colors that had no names, their petals shimmering with inner light.

His father worked nearby, his once-trembling hands now steady and strong as he crafted furniture for their neighbors. The old man's eyes sparkled with purpose again, his skills enhanced by his newfound abilities but still fundamentally human in their application.

"Mom, you say that every day," Ethan laughed, his voice filled with genuine joy.

Tiana appeared at his side, their daughter Seraphina cradled in her arms. The child was barely a year old but already showed signs of inherited power, her beautiful eyes sparkled at the sight of her father.

Their son Marcus, four years old, chased after floating butterflies made of pure energy that Ethan had created for his amusement.

"She's getting stronger," Tiana observed with a smile, watching Seraphina accidentally heal a wilted flower with her touch. "I think she might surpass you someday, hehe."

"Let her be a child first," Ethan replied, gently stroking his daughter's cheek. "Power can wait. Happiness can't."

Uncle Lin had established a restaurant in the city's heart, serving both familiar dishes and exotic cuisine from across dimensions. His establishment had become the social center of their little paradise, where residents gathered to share stories and laughter.

Lin worked alongside her father, they both created perfect flavor combinations that brought tears of joy to those who tasted them.

Hong Wei had grown into a formidable warrior, but more importantly, he had found love with one of the other residents—a gentle healer named Mei who had been rescued from a war-torn world. Their wedding had been the city's first major celebration, with Ethan himself officiating the ceremony.

The city housed nearly ten thousand residents now—people Ethan had saved from various disasters. Families torn apart by war, children orphaned by catastrophe, elderly individuals abandoned by cruel societies. All of them had found new purpose and happiness in this sanctuary where power was used only for creation and protection.

"Papa, papa!" Marcus ran up to Ethan, his small hands glowing with the same golden light that had once marked Ethan's transcendence. "Look what I can do!"

The boy concentrated, and a small butterfly made of pure light materialized in his palm. It was beautiful, delicate, and completely harmless.

"That's wonderful, son," Ethan said, kneeling to his child's level. "But remember what we talked about?"

"Power is for helping, not hurting," Marcus recited dutifully, then brightened. "Can I make more butterflies for the garden?"

"As many as you want," Ethan agreed, ruffling his son's hair.

As evening approached, the sun began to set, painting the sky in colors that shifted and swirled like a living aurora. The city's residents gathered in the central plaza for their daily community meal—a tradition Ethan had established to ensure no one ever felt alone or forgotten.

Families sat together on grass that never died, sharing food that never ran out, surrounded by beauty that never faded.

"You know," Tiana said quietly, taking Ethan's hand as they watched their community thrive, "I think this is what you were always meant to create. Not destruction, not conquest—but this. A place where love can grow without fear."

Ethan squeezed her hand gently, feeling the truth of her words resonate in his very soul. The power still flowed through him, vast and terrible and capable of reshaping realities. But here, in this moment, surrounded by family and friends and the laughter of children, it served only one purpose.

To protect what mattered most.

"I love you," he whispered to his wife.

"I love you too," she replied, leaning against his shoulder as their children played in the twilight of their perfect world.

And for the first time since his journey began, Ethan Brandon was truly, completely happy.

The End.