They climbed inside Mark’s old car, Ethan sitting beside Mark in the front and Elara sliding into the back. The interior smelled faintly of old leather, takeaway food, and something vaguely mechanical.

’I never ended up getting my licence,’ Ethan randomly realised.

He’d driven around the block before being locked up, and it hadn’t really been on his list of priorities upon getting out.

’Would be great if I could just ride Wolfy around, but eventually my stats will get so high I can whizz around the city.’

Ethan smiled just thinking about it, but he was snapped back to reality when Mark inserted the key and turned it.

The engine coughed.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then suddenly, a grinding, protesting sound filled the car.

Ethan slowly turned his head.

"You sure this thing’s making it there?"

"It’s fine."

The engine sputtered again before roaring to life.

Mark smirked triumphantly.

"Told you."

Ethan leaned back.

"Barely."

With that, they set off.

The car rumbled along the road, every slight bump making it creak like it was reconsidering its life choices.

Still, it moved, which was good enough.

Mark kept his eyes on the road, but his posture was tense. One hand on the wheel, the other occasionally drifting near his waist to the pistol, he was nervous and alert, his mind racing.

Meanwhile, Elara sat quietly in the back, but her gaze was sharp, observant, and curious. From what she had seen so far, whenever Ethan acted like this - vague, relaxed, almost careless - something crazy usually followed.

As for the man himself, he was asleep.

His head tilted slightly to the side, eyes closed, breathing steady as if completely at ease.

Mark glanced over.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Elara leaned forward slightly, peering between them, then typed.

"He sleeps a lot."

"Yeah, way too much," Mark muttered.

They both stared at him.

The amount he slept was genuinely absurd.

And how could he sleep now in this loud, rattling car as they made their way to something exciting like this?

But what they didn’t know was that this was some of the only actual rest Ethan had gotten since receiving his Title. When he was supposedly sleeping, he was fighting for his life in the tower, a place where rest didn’t exist.

Vroom!

The car continued forward, the city slowly thinning as they moved further out.

Streetlights grew more spaced, buildings gave way to wider roads, and eventually the looming silhouette of something massive appeared in the distance.

Mark’s grip on the wheel tightened slightly.

"There’s no way," he muttered under his breath.

Elara’s eyes narrowed, focusing ahead while Ethan still slept completely unbothered.

-

The location on the card was the largest stadium in the city, where a series of sports and large events took place. It was the kind that could accommodate tens of thousands.

Of course, Mark found it hard to believe that was the case since that wasn’t exactly underground. Still, they headed over since that was all they had to go off, and Ethan was adamant about attending.

By the time they arrived, their confusion and doubt only deepened.

The stadium loomed ahead, massive but dark and silent.

There were no crowds, lights, or signs of any event taking place.

"This is it?" Mark asked slowly.

He couldn’t get any closer since there was a blockade ahead, so he parked up on the side before waking up Ethan.

They got out and continued on foot.

As they approached, the atmosphere shifted again. Men stood at the blockade dressed similarly to the Association’s black suits, but they were different.

They were less refined, but more dangerous, all with blank expressions and sunglasses standing there silently. There were dozens of them stationed around the perimeter of the stadium, similar to how they closed off the area around gates.

Mark slowed slightly, letting Ethan go ahead of him.

It was hard not to be intimidated by the suited figures, but his blue-eyed counterpart didn’t seem bothered by them.

’Why does everyone love wearing black suits? They’re all like NPCs,’ was Ethan’s immediate thought.

He stepped forward, reaching into his pocket and flashing the card.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then one of the men stepped forward to take a look. Shining a light on it that revealed hidden patterns, he stepped aside.

"You may proceed."

His voice was flat and emotionless.

Ethan walked forward without hesitation, but when Mark and Elara tried to follow, they were stopped.

A hand shot out, blocking their path.

"Only cardholders."

Mark frowned immediately. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Hey, we’re-"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted in the same tone, "Only cardholders."

Elara stepped forward slightly, but Ethan raised a hand, stopping her.

A faint smile formed on his lips.

"Give me a minute, I’ll sort it out."

If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he was attending that fight club after coming all this way. And he was also somehow going to get his friends inside.

"How are you going to do that?" Mark wasn’t convinced.

"I’ll just go in and get more cards."

Mark blinked, "That’s your plan?"

Ethan shrugged.

"What else could I possibly do?"

Elara, standing quietly beside him, tilted her head, her red eyes scanning the perimeter again. There was something off about the place. The stadium loomed ahead - massive, yet eerily quiet, unnaturally so.

Even if it wasn’t in use, there would be some sound, but something felt off about it.

"What does ’going in’ even mean?" Mark asked, also feeling something wasn’t right despite being untitled.

There was nobody in sight, and the stadium was dark, yet this place was so heavily guarded.

None of it made sense.

But of course, Ethan was relaxed and cracked a small grin.

"Guess I’m about to find out."

He had considered forcing his way through, which should be possible with Elara on his side.

But he decided against that.

The men guarding the perimeter gave off a presence he didn’t like. It wasn’t just that there were many of them. It was like they could see right through him.

And despite his growing strength, he wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight he didn’t understand.

’Well, maybe I am,’ he laughed internally, since he was about to do exactly that with Mace.

Without dwelling on it any longer, Ethan walked past the blockade, and something that defied logic occurred...