"Hey! How did you do on the test?" As soon as Ethan stepped out of the school gate, before he could blend into the crowd, someone hooked an arm around his shoulder, accompanied by a hearty, unrestrained laugh.
"Can you stop being so jumpy? Do you even need to ask how I did on the test?" Without turning around, he knew who it was. Besides his best friend since childhood, he didn't have many friends who matched his mature mindset.
He turned to look, and a towering figure blocked out most of the sun. Even with Ethan's height of six feet, he looked a bit small standing in front of him. Just as he was curious about his own good looks, he was equally curious about how his friend had grown so tall. His parents weren't that extraordinary, were they?
"Tsk, tsk, listen to that smug tone of yours. Can't you give us ordinary people a break?" The boy said with a displeased expression, squeezing Ethan's shoulder in a playful yet firm grip.
"Jake, I think you should let go of your paw first, otherwise I'll call Emma over." Ethan hissed through gritted teeth. Without using his Moon Power, he couldn't compete with Jake's pure physical strength. A jolt of pain shot through his shoulder.
"Hey, I'm telling you, at a time like this, when we're finally free and can soar freely, can you please not bring up such a buzzkill topic?" Jake said with a look of displeasure. The pressure in his hand loosened a bit, but he still didn't let go.
"Actually, I've always been curious, how can a giant like you be afraid of such a little girl? Could it be that you're henpecked? Or perhaps... the legendary masochist?" Ethan sneered with a hint of cunning, catching a glimpse of familiar red out of the corner of his eye.
"Me, afraid of her? How could that be? I just don't want to stoop to her level, okay?" As if a sore spot had been hit, Jake immediately retorted loudly, but anyone could hear the guilt in his voice.
"Really?" Ethan smiled charmingly, unintentionally attracting the gaze of many young girls around them.
"Of course, I can make that fiery girl obey me in minutes!" Jake declared with great bravado.
"Who are you planning to make obey you?" A clear voice sounded behind him. The pleasant and melodious tone made Jake's body tremble.
"Bro, you set me up!" He looked at Ethan with a pained expression, silently accusing him, but in just an instant, he put on a fawning smile.
Turning around, he was met by a girl in a red school uniform. Her dark red hair cascaded down her back, and her delicate face was no less beautiful than Ethan's. At that moment, she looked at the big man in front of her with a playful expression, and the sound of bones cracking could already be heard from her slender, jade-like hands.
The girl's name was Emma, full name Emma Grace. She was the daughter of the master of the Red Lotus Dojo, one of South City's two major dojos, and also Jake's fiancée since childhood. If nothing unexpected happened, they would officially get engaged after the college entrance examination, then spend a few years cultivating their relationship, and officially marry after graduating from university.
People in this world married very early. To adapt to a crisis-ridden world and preserve the human race, the legal age for marriage had been lowered to 18, and girls could marry at 16. Of course, almost no one married before graduating from high school. There were quite a few university couples, but only in ordinary universities. It's still rare for people to marry in Spirit Universities.
"No one! No one! You misheard, it was Ethan! Ethan said he was going to make Emily obey him!" Jake's ability to shift blame was truly exceptional, quickly throwing it back onto Ethan.
"He wouldn't say such a thing." Before Emma could speak, a slightly cold female voice sounded from the side. Jake's attempt to shift blame failed before it was even completed.
Hearing the familiar voice, Ethan's face lit up with joy. He pushed away Jake, who was blocking his view, and the girl, also in a school uniform, appeared before him.
Unlike Emma's fiery demeanor, this girl had a head of raven-black hair. Even though she wore the same school uniform, everyone could feel a chill emanating from her, a soul-piercing coldness. However, Ethan didn't care about any of this. As soon as he saw her appear, he enthusiastically went to greet her.
"Emily, you're out too?" Ethan asked with concern, his face already beaming with a gentle smile. However, this time, the girls who saw his face were destined to have their hearts shattered.
"Mm!" The girl didn't say much, merely giving a faint nod.
"Let's go back. Mom said there'll be a surprise when we get home, and I'm already a little impatient." Ethan said, feigning nonchalance, seemingly very interested in the evening's surprise. But those who knew him well knew that he, who was always composed, just wanted to make the girl in front of him smile a little.
"Okay!" Still a brief and indifferent reply, but Ethan clearly didn't mind. He casually waved to Jake and the others behind him, and the two walked side by side out of the school. One could still vaguely see Ethan's occasional exaggerated movements and Emily's unwavering steps.
"Tsk, tsk, only a charmer like him can handle such an ice queen!" Jake sighed, watching their retreating figures.
"What do you know? Emily has feelings for him. That's love!" Emma said with a face full of envy, clearly displeased with Jake's words.
"Yes, yes, everything you say is right!" Jake said with a pout. Emma wasn't aware of what happened back then, and as Ethan's best friend, he only knew the general outline. After all, everyone was young when it happened. But he knew that from then on, both she and he had changed. Of course, Ethan was still his best friend, and that would never change.
"It's good that you know you're right. But next, we should have a good discussion about this 'obeying' matter!"
"Uh... Emma... I suddenly remembered I have something to do at home. I'll head back first, okay?"
"Bastard... don't run!"
Unlike the lively scene over there, Ethan and Emily walking on the road were unusually silent. Of course, both of them were used to such an environment. This mode of interaction, which was difficult for ordinary people to understand, made both of them feel exceptionally comfortable and secure.
As a reincarnator, Ethan had a childhood sweetheart that everyone envied. Not only that, but he also had Jake, a two-meter tall best friend. One had to admit that sometimes fate was just that magical.
Originally, Ethan, with an adult soul, disdained those childish kids. As an adult, he naturally wouldn't play in the mud with these little brats, and indeed, that's how he spent the first few years.
But unexpectedly, first came Emily, the childhood sweetheart who grew up in his house since she was little, and then came Jake, his best friend and mysterious deskmate for eleven years. Ethan couldn't help but marvel at the magic of fate. The most crucial thing was that his best friend was the richest man in South City, while his childhood sweetheart had a car, a house, and was an orphan.
An indescribable sense of guilt and heartache rose from the bottom of his heart. The scenes from back then seemed to reappear, and Ethan's eyes couldn't help but turn a little bloodshot.
He and Emily could be said to be family friends. Both their fathers were Alliance investigators, in the same squad, and had a very good relationship, so good that when they bought houses, both families bought units directly across from each other.
They originally thought they could be neighbors for life, watching their children grow up and start families... But unfortunately, Emily's mother passed away due to complications during childbirth on the day she was born. From then on, her birthday became her mother's memorial day.
After that, she was raised by her father. Because their houses were across from each other, her father, as an Alliance investigator, often left her with Ethan's family. After all, Ethan's mother was a breeder and university lecturer, so she had enough time to take care of two children. Thus, Ethan's childhood sweetheart entered his life.
Especially after they started elementary school, not to mention Emily's father, even Ethan's father rarely showed up. Alliance investigator was a glorious but busy and high-risk profession. The two sides could only contact each other through communication, and Emily also entered a life of long-term fostering at Ethan's home.
Towards such a little girl, Ethan, with an adult soul, showed enough care. Food, necessities... he never forgot to leave a share for her in everything. He, who had never had children, finally experienced the joy of raising a daughter. What he got in return was naturally Emily's closeness and dependence on him, which was also how children express love and intimacy.
Unfortunately, good times don't last. The life that seemed like childhood sweethearts but was actually like raising a daughter lasted for a full eleven years. On the day they graduated from elementary school at the age of eleven, they participated in a summer camp organized by the school, and this summer camp was the beginning of everything's destruction.
...
The world is not just bright. The claws of evil and darkness are spread throughout the world. In places where the Alliance cannot reach, the vast world not only brings vibrant life but also contains endless darkness.
The Temple was such an organization. They had no faith; everything was for their own benefit. Not to mention assassinating high-ranking officials, as long as the money was right, they even dared to assassinate esteemed leaders. But unfortunately, during one of their operations, they encountered a group of students who were on a summer camp.
Killers and assassins who were accustomed to bloodshed would naturally not easily let anyone ruin their plans, especially not a group of defenseless students and teachers. Therefore, they acted without hesitation.
Of course, it wasn't to kill, but to capture. Any organization that wants to last forever cannot do without a reserve force, and these children were their future successors. Dark organizations had ways to make these children obedient, sensible... and then teach them to kill.
This was Ethan's first direct encounter with the darkness of this world, and it was the first time in his two lives that he saw blood splatter. Living in an era of peace, he faced the power and terror of spirits for the first time, and saw living lives disappear before his eyes for the first time. This time, he acted like a child for the first time, stunned on the spot.