Ethan's room was draped in shadows, lit only by the soft glow of the television against the wall. The screen showed live footage of a fortified penitentiary, surrounded by patrol cars and federal agents.
📡 Reporter:
— "We still don't have official confirmation of casualties, but the villain known as Toyman is being prepared for transfer. His destination: Arkham Asylum, Gotham City."
Standing at the edge of the bed, Ethan zipped up a suitcase. Inside were a mix of clothes — tailored suits beside dark jeans and plain shirts. Nothing that would draw too much attention.
He switched off the TV, silence filling the room. For a moment, his eyes lingered on his own reflection in the dark glass.
The door creaked open behind him. His mother stood in the doorway, her smile tired but full of pride.
"This trip is a big step. Your brother just spoke to me, and he has high expectations for you," she said softly.
Before Ethan could reply, Sophia poked her head from behind their mother, arms crossed and a pout on her face.
"What about me? I wanted to go too!" she whined.
Ethan arched a brow, a sarcastic smile tugging at his lips.
"You can barely handle school assignments… imagine dealing with sharks in suits and ties in Metropolis."
— "Hey!" Sophia protested, puffing out her cheeks, but their mother only laughed, shaking her head.
— "You two…"
The sound of steady footsteps echoed through the hallway, and soon Abel appeared. The butler adjusted the cuffs of his blazer with near-military precision.
"The car is ready, young master."
Ethan nodded, snapping the suitcase closed and gripping it by the handle. Before leaving, he crouched beside the bed, where Cerberus was waiting, wagging his tail. Ethan ran a hand over the dog's dark fur, rewarded with a low, satisfied growl.
"This time, you're coming with me. I'll take you out for a little walk." he said in a playful tone.
"Hey!" Sophia ran up to him, indignant. — "Now you're taking my dog too?!"
"Relax." Ethan answered with a half-smile, clearly amused by his sister's reaction. — "I'll bring him back before he even starts missing his owner."
While laughter of the family filled the room, a shadow stretched silently across the floor like a living veil. Ethan didn't need to say a word — the Hell Vanguard merged with the darkness, followed by twenty Hell Prides, each positioning themselves as unseen sentinels around the house. For a fleeting moment, their bluish eyes gleamed before fading, melting into the darkness.
No one would lay a hand on his family in his absence.
With that, Ethan left the room. Abel opened the front door. The black limousine waited at the entrance.
Without looking back, Ethan stepped inside.
The door closed with a soft click. The interior was spacious, lit only by discreet blue lights tracing the edges of the leather seats. Abel sat at the front, facing the driver, his posture straight and impeccable as always.
The vehicle glided silently through the streets. City lights streaked across the windows like blurred trails, and for a moment Ethan drifted into thought, watching the reflections.
"Young master," Abel's deep voice broke the silence. — "Metropolis isn't Gotham, but it demands caution all the same. It's a city that shows its grandeur on every corner… and at times, it tends to swallow the unwary."
Ethan arched a brow, turning slightly toward him.
"Caution?" he murmured with irony. — "You say that as if I were going on a sightseeing tour."
Abel kept his expression serious, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of humor.
"In your case, sir, any tour can end up becoming something.. more."
A faint smirk tugged at Ethan's lips.
"Fair enough," he replied, resting his head against his hand. — "But don't worry, Abel. I know how to behave when I have to."
"That's exactly what worries me, sir — the fact that you have to try to behave."
Ethan merely rolled his eyes, offering no reply. Deep down, he knew the old man was right — trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went, or perhaps he had a knack for running into it.
The driver's voice came through the intercom:
"We're arriving at ValeTech's hangar, Mr. Vale."
The limousine slowed as it passed through the private gates of the airport. The sound of tires against asphalt echoed across the open space until the vehicle rolled to a stop in front of the large, brightly lit hangar.
Abel opened the door, allowing Ethan to step out first. The air was thick with the scent of aviation fuel and metal. In the distance, ValeTech's private jet awaited, its position lights already glowing.
The pilot approached, greeting him with a firm nod.
"We're ready for departure, sir."
Ethan returned the nod, but his voice came out firm, almost cold:
"Not yet… I'm waiting for someone."
The pilot hesitated for a moment, then simply inclined his head in respect before stepping away.
Silence reclaimed the hangar, broken only by the distant hum of warming turbines and the occasional murmur of people across the airport. Ethan stood still, the dark suit he wore shifting faintly with the breeze that drifted through the open space.
Then Ethan heard it.
Footsteps.
Slow, steady, reverberating against the concrete as if they carried more than just the weight of a body.
From the far end of the hangar, the shadows — darker than night itself — unraveled into a solitary silhouette. Raven emerged from the nothingness, walking with the calm of someone who seemed to ignore the world around her entirely.
She was not wearing the Titans' classic attire.
Instead, she wore a simple gray sweater, its light fabric resting on her shoulders with an elegant nonchalance, shaping the lines of her body effortlessly.
Her legs, clad in torn black jeans, only heightened the contrast against the rigid leather boots that rose nearly to her knees. With every step, the polished leather caught the hangar's cold light, scattering it in subtle reflections. At her side, she pulled along a black wheeled suitcase.
Ethan raised an eyebrow but didn't move a muscle. He simply let a sarcastic smile tug at the corner of his mouth.
— "I just hope your boss doesn't come complaining to me later," he murmured, his voice laced with irony. — "Because I already booked a hotel in Metropolis."
Raven stopped a few meters away. For a moment, she hesitated. The cold mask she always wore faltered, and she averted her gaze before answering:
"I didn't come here as a Titan." Her voice was steady, but a note of vulnerability hid beneath it. — "I came because… I owe you for helping me. And… well… that's all."
The words slipped out quickly, almost rushed.
Ethan tilted his head slightly, studying her in silence. The smirk lingered at the corner of his lips, but his eyes revealed something deeper: curiosity.
The hangar fell into a brief silence after their exchange. Ethan gave a slight nod to the pilot, who promptly opened the jet's door. The interior lights flickered on, casting a soft glow over the white leather seats.
Raven hesitated for a moment, glancing first at the aircraft, then at him. Ethan simply strode past her with firm steps, his black blazer swaying with each movement. As he crossed the entrance, he turned his head slightly:
"You planning to stand there all night? Or would you rather take the trip flying on your own?"
She sighed, steadying the storm of feelings his sarcasm always provoked in her, and followed him inside.
The jet's interior was a stark contrast to the cold night outside — all luxury and sophistication. Ethan dropped into one of the seats, exhaling with a tired sigh. Raven took the spot across from him, arms crossed, holding the same reserved posture as always.
Abel boarded right after, exchanging a few quick words with the pilot. A few minutes later, the rumble of turbines filled the hangar.
The aircraft began to move, gliding down the runway until it gathered speed. The city lights shimmered across the windows.
When the jet finally left the ground, the city became a tangled web of tiny lights, growing smaller with each passing second.
While pretending to watch the night through the window, Raven glanced sideways at Ethan, who was staring into the darkness without expression — his gray eyes reflecting the distant stars.
Inside, the atmosphere was calm — a comfortable silence for both of them.
Ethan broke it with a voice laced in irony:
"I bet Robin just loved your decision to come with me."
Raven sighed.
"He said I should stay away from you."
Ethan smirked, leaning slightly forward.
"And yet… here you are."
Raven turned her gaze toward him for a brief moment before looking back out the window.
"He wasn't the only one," she admitted, her voice quiet. — "But I make my own decisions, Ethan. Not them."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Fair enough."
She drew in a breath, but when she spoke again, her tone carried an unexpected lightness:
"Although… Starfire was pretty happy that I chose to come."
Ethan chuckled — short, muffled, but genuine — as he pictured the ever-energetic alien princess.
"Yeah… I'll bet she was."
Raven continued, her voice still light.
"Can I ask you something?"
Ethan smiled, already guessing where this might lead.
"Ask whatever you want."
Hesitant, Raven looked at him, her tone shifting to something more serious.
"About Toyman… you nearly killed him. Was that really necessary?"
Ethan's eyes narrowed. He kept his composure, but his voice came out steady, heavy with conviction.
"I was only going to do what I believe is right — to make sure no more deaths would ever happen at his hands again. Don't get me wrong, Raven, I don't take any pleasure in killing like those lunatics do… but I wouldn't hesitate to erase him from the face of the planet if it meant making the world safer for my family — and for everyone else."
Raven held his gaze for a moment. There was no judgment in her violet eyes, only understanding — or at least an attempt at it.
"Hm." — she let out a quiet murmur. — "I may not agree… but I think I can try to understand your point of view."
Ethan allowed a faint smile to slip.
"Didn't know you had such an open mind."
Raven sighed, still meeting his eyes.
"I'm not… If it were anyone else, I would've already walked away… But the truth is… for some reason, I trust you more than I should."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"That sounds dangerous."
"Maybe it is," she whispered, her voice almost fading. "But when I'm near you… it doesn't feel wrong."
Silence settled between them.
Ethan didn't look away. Her violet eyes reflected the soft glow of the cabin lights, and for a moment it felt as if the entire world had narrowed down to fit only into the space between them.
The pilot's voice suddenly broke through the intercom, a sharp intrusion:
"Mr. Vale, we're entering a zone of turbulence."
As if waking from a trance, both of them turned their eyes away almost at the same time, gazing at the stars outside. Yet neither could hide the faint blush coloring their cheeks.
And so, in a comforting silence they continued their travel — with their hearts beating faster than they ever remembered being possible.
(Continue...)
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