That Night At The Manor...

Ethan’s eyes fluttered open to the ceiling of his bedroom. For a moment, he just stared upward, then he pushed himself upright with a slow exhale. Running his hand through his hair, he let out a tired sigh.

Then notification screens materialized before him.

[You have completed self-imposed objectives:

[Gloomclaw Extermination: +3,000 XP]

[Victory Against Hostile Forces: +7,000 XP]

[Saving The Team: +5,000xp]

[Bonus reward: +4,000 XP]

[Total Experience Points: 113, 250]

Ethan dismissed the notifications with a mental command and called up his status window.

His gaze lingered on the dragon physiology progression.

[Dragon Physiology: Skyreaver Stage - 22% Complete]

He nodded slightly. The progress was steady, even if it felt slow at times. His bond with Ragnarok had also grown considerably.

[Ragnarok Bond Progress: 47% Complete]

Then his eyes moved to the section detailing his Aspect of Charge, and smile formed at the corner of his lips.

This aspect of his affinity had proven itself invaluable. Beyond the offensive power it granted, equivalent to a Tier 5 spell in strength and potentially Tier 6 when amplified, it had become a great tool in making his inventions much possible and efficient.

Ethan swung his legs off the bed and stood, stretching briefly before making his way toward the door.

As he stepped into the hallway and approached the stairs, the sounds of conversation and laughter drifted up from the living room below.

Eduardo was standing at the base of the staircase, and the moment he noticed Ethan’s descent, he offered a respectful bow.

"Master Ethan," he said with a warm smile.

Ethan nodded back in acknowledgment and continued down.

As he reached the bottom, the scene in the living room came into full view. His teammates were clustered together, with their laughter filling the space as Ishtar moved between them with a tray, offering refreshments.

"Hey, guys," Ethan said, raising a hand in greeting.

They all turned toward him at once. Percival and Hayley’s faces lit up immediately, while Aliyah and Wilson offered smiles.

Ishtar paused mid-step and offered a graceful bow. "Lord Ethan," she said before stepping away from the group, giving them space.

The team had brought him home after he passed out from exhaustion earlier. And they stayed because they wanted to make sure he was truly alright

[A/N: See Author Notes below For full status window]

-

Not long after, the group began to disperse. Wilson was the first to leave, offering a casual wave before stepping out and driving off into the night.

Aliyah was already seated in the passenger seat of Percival’s car, waiting patiently. Percival, on the other hand, was leaning on the driver’s side door, honking the horn for the third time.

"Hayley, for fuck’s sake! Let go of him already!"

At the sound of his voice, Hayley slowly pulled away from the long embrace she held Ethan in and looked at him with this soft expression, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I hate that boy."

Ethan chuckled.

"I hate you too!" Percival shouted from the car, pressing the horn again. He heard her perfectly fine from that distance.

Hayley reached up, gently cupping Ethan’s cheek as she held his gaze.

There was a tender glint in her blue eyes when she said "Take care of yourself for me, Ethan."

"Goodnight, Hayley," Ethan said with a nod.

She lingered for just a moment longer before finally pulling away and turning toward the car.

She glanced back at him one more time with a smile, then shifted her attention to Percival.

"Piece of shit," she muttered as she climbed into the back seat.

"Just get in the fuckin’ car," Percival said, ignoring the insult.

Once she was seated, he turned back toward Ethan. "Later, man!"

With that, the car pulled out of the compound and disappeared down the road

About seven more days had passed since the ambush in the breach zone. During that time, Ethan and Lucy had been practically living in the workshop, running back-to-back hours as they worked on both the airplane and the mecha prototype.

They ran multiple test sessions on the mechanical arm, adjusting servos, recalibrating joint articulation, and fine-tuning the power distribution from the mana core.

Then came the chassis work for the legs. More testing. More adjustments. More late nights with goggles strapped to their faces as sparks flew and metal rang out under their tools.

There were wholesome moments, times where they’d high-five over a successful testing. Moments where Lucy would excitedly explain some engineering principle, and Ethan would nod along, genuinely interested. Moments where they’d sit side by side, exhausted but content, staring at their progress.

Eventually, the airplane was completed first.

Ethan and Lucy was side by side in the workshop, staring up at the massive aircraft as the painter descended the ladder, having just finished applying the final touches.

The plane was sleek and its dark metallic body gleamed so beautifully under the workshop lights. There were elegant lines with blue accents traced along the side of its body and wings.

The Stark Industries emblem was prominently displayed on the tail fin, a stylized "S" that glowed faintly with embedded mana-conductive material.

The design was modern, and every curve, every angle, every detail screamed perfection.

Lucy’s eyes were glassy, tears threatening to spill as she took it all in.

Ethan had this smile and a proud look on his face as stared at the plane.

"It’s beautiful," Lucy whispered.

Ethan nodded, then spoke. "The Vanguard."

Lucy turned to him, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. "The Vanguard?"

"Yeah," Ethan said, his gaze never leaving the aircraft. "For the first step towards the beginning of something new."

Lucy smiled, wiping at her eyes. "I love it."

The name carried weight. It symbolized legacy and progress, honoring the past while stepping boldly into the future.

—

A/N: Attached to this text is the picture of the plane incase you missed it above.

Check Author’s Thoughts Below for Ethan’s current status window. This will also be put into The Aux Chapter for reference.