CHAPTER 15
Ethan stood still, the faint sting from the electric strike fading almost immediately. His eyes, however, fixed sharply on the strange glowing shard the man dropped when he fell. The faint pulse coming from the crystal didn't match any superpower artifact he had ever seen.
He knelt, picked it up, and held it between two fingers.
"This… isn't normal," Ethan murmured.
Ivan stepped beside him, studying the man on the ground. "Where did you get this?"
The man swallowed hard, trembling. "F-from the power crystal… I—I swear I don't know anything else."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Power crystal? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know!" the man shouted immediately. "I'm a low-ranking member. I only got lucky… I was allowed to touch it. That's all. I swear!"
The fear in his voice was raw. The electric attack not working on Ethan had clearly shaken him.
Ethan and Ivan exchanged a silent look — the kind that communicated an entire conversation without a word. Something wasn't right here.
Ethan stepped closer. "Take us to it."
The man's eyes widened, and he shook his head violently. "I can't! I can't take you there!"
Ethan leaned forward slightly, voice low. "What did you say?"
The man practically screamed, "I truly can't! We're not allowed to know where it is! Every memory of its location was erased. They only let us touch it — then they wiped everything!"
Ethan and Ivan both paused. They scanned his expression, heart rate, body tension. He wasn't lying. Everything pointed to genuine fear and genuine confusion.
Ivan exhaled slowly. "So someone is keeping the real crystal hidden… distributing power only to selected people. Why? What are they planning?"
"And why give powers at all?" Ethan added. "Unless they're tied to the Uncertainty."
They both fell silent for a moment.
Finally, Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "Get out of here."
The man scrambled to his feet and ran without looking back.
Ivan turned — and realized the woman and the teenage boy were still huddled near the wall, staring at them with wide eyes. But their expressions weren't just fear… there was awe.
The woman suddenly pushed herself forward and bowed deeply.
"Oh divine beings… please forgive our disrespect. Tell us how we may repay our gratitude."
Ethan blinked. "Divine beings? Who are you talking to?"
"You," she answered immediately. "Both of you. Only divine beings can handle the divine power with such ease."
"Divine power?" Ivan repeated. "You mean superpower?"
The woman frowned. "What is superpower?"
Ethan and Ivan exchanged another look — this time in disbelief.
Ethan pointed at the direction the man ran. "What he used. Electricity from his hands. That's a superpower."
She shook her head. "No… that is a divine blessing. The chosen ones receive it from the God."
Ivan rubbed the back of his neck. "So they don't even know the word superpower… That explains a lot."
They weren't going to get any proper information about abilities here. Whatever existed on this island was isolated in knowledge, culture, and even vocabulary.
Ethan turned back to the woman. "What is the name of this place? The actual name. We've been asking people but no one gives an answer."
The woman hesitated, confused. "Do… do you not know the name of the world?"
Both Ethan and Ivan froze.
Then it clicked.
People here didn't know they lived on an island. They thought this single place was the whole world. So when Ethan and Ivan asked for the name of their "country," the locals didn't understand the question.
Ethan sighed. "No. We don't know the name of this place. What do you call it?"
The woman nodded slowly. "This land is called St. Lawrence."