Chapter 44: Chapter Twenty-Eight: Trust Issues and Ticking Clocks (Part 1)

We left the underground and reached the outside by way of an emergency exit outside the city walls. We reached a small cavern lit by faintly glowing crystals embedded in the walls. A natural underground spring bubbled softly in the center, its water reflecting distorted blue patterns onto the stone ceiling.

The air between us was razor-sharp, tension crackling like static electricity. Ethan—or rather, A Sly Liar—stood before us with the same casual, confident smirk he had when I first saved him from the Dire Bloodfang. But now, there was no sign of the vulnerable, low-level player I thought I’d rescued. His armor gleamed with sleek design, and his sharp eyes glinted with calculated cunning.

Ethan

Level 29

Username: A Sly Liar

The name flickered above his head, glowing faintly in the low light. And now that we knew the meaning behind that name, it felt a lot less quirky and far more ominous.

I stepped forward cautiously, placing myself between him and my party. My fingers twitched against the hilt of my dagger, shadows curling faintly at my feet.

"You set that up," I said firmly, my voice cutting through the silence.

Ethan’s smirk twitched, but he didn’t deny it.

"The Dire Bloodfang," I continued. "That whole scene—the chase, your desperation—it was staged. You wanted me to find you."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Ethan clapped his hands together softly, slowly, and deliberately.

"Bravo, Kiera," he said, tilting his head. "I was wondering when you’d piece that together. Yes, the Dire Bloodfang wasn’t random—it was a setup. Not entirely staged, mind you. That beast was real enough, and it would’ve killed me if you hadn’t stepped in." His grin turned sharp. "But I knew someone like you wouldn’t let that happen."

Selene took a step forward, her daggers gleaming faintly in the dim light. "So you’re telling me you put yourself in danger just to get close to her?"

Ethan’s smirk faded slightly, his gaze flicking to Selene. "I didn’t have much choice. You have to understand that Kiera isn’t just some random player anymore. She’s… let’s call her an asset. An unpredictable, chaotic asset. And my job was to get close, observe, and—if possible—neutralize the situation if things went south."

I swallowed hard, my HUD flickering faintly in the corner of my vision.

Devon’s voice was low and edged with danger. "And what exactly counts as things going south, Ethan?"

Ethan’s grin returned, but there was no humor in it. "Oh, you know if our dear Kiera here started glitching out too much. If she stopped being controllable." He crossed his arms, leaning casually against the door's metal frame. "Lucky for her, things haven’t hit that point yet."

Lucky. Right. My knuckles went white around my blade.

"You let us believe you were just some random player," I said, my voice trembling with restrained anger. "You let me heal you, let us bring you along, let us protect you. And the whole time you were… what? Watching me? Taking notes?"

Ethan’s smile faltered for the briefest moment. "It’s not personal, Kiera. It’s… it’s the job."

I laughed bitterly. "Not personal? You’ve been lying to us since the moment we met you. You’ve been lying to me."

Something flickered in Ethan’s expression for a moment—a brief flash of guilt, maybe regret—but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

"I didn’t want it to come to this," he said softly. "But the devs… they don’t see you as a person, Kiera. They see you as corrupted data. A threat. They think you will destroy this world from the inside out." His eyes locked onto mine, steady and unflinching. "But I don’t believe that. Not entirely."

Selene stepped before me, her daggers glinting as she angled her body protectively. "So what happens now, Ethan? Are we supposed to trust you after this?"

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "You don’t have to trust me. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust me either. But I’m not your enemy. Not yet, anyway."

Devon growled low in his throat. "Then what do you want, Ethan?"

Ethan’s grin returned, faint but sharp-edged. "I want to help you. Or at least, I want to try to help you. Things are bigger than just us now. Bigger than guild politics or rogue forums or… whatever UNKNOWN wants. The devs aren’t playing around anymore. They’ve sent more Security Enforcers like me into the system, and they’re not all as reasonable as I am."

Selene narrowed her eyes. "You’re on thin ice, Ethan."

"I’ll try not to slip," he replied with an infuriating smirk.

I stepped forward, staring Ethan down. “How long have you been following me?”

Ethan sighed, stepping closer but stopping when Selene subtly shifted her daggers. “Only since the Dire Bloodfang encounter.”

Devon let out a sharp breath, his hand tightening around his hilt. “You let her risk herself for you.”

Ethan’s eyes flicked to Devon. “You think I enjoyed that? Watching her throw herself into danger to save my sorry hide? It wasn’t part of the plan, alright? But… she did it anyway.”

“And the plan was?” Selene pressed.

“To observe her. Track her movements. Understand her anomaly.” Ethan shrugged. “But it didn’t take long to see that Kiera’s not some malicious glitch or broken code. She’s… different.”

I folded my arms tightly, my voice low. “So what now? Are you going to turn me in? Drag me to the devs as corrupted data?”

“No,” Ethan said firmly. “That’s not why I’m here anymore.”

His voice carried something—genuine, maybe. He took a cautious step forward, raising his hands non-threateningly. “The devs aren’t playing games anymore, Kiera. They’ve started sending people like me—Security Enforcers—into the system to shut down anomalies, to stop threats before they destabilize the game. You might not see it, but things are falling apart at the seams.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Selene’s eyes narrowed. “And we’re supposed to believe you’re here out of the goodness of your heart?”

“No,” Ethan smirked faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “But I’ve seen enough to know you’re not the bad guy here. And if I wanted to stop you… I would’ve done it already.”

For a moment, silence blanketed the cavern again. Fi crossed her arms, frowning as she watched the exchange.

“Let’s say we believe you,” Devon said finally, his voice low and edged with warning. “What happens now?”

Ethan exhaled, his shoulders slumping slightly. “I know where the next anomaly marker is—the next fragmented binary code. I can get you there safely, bypass patrols, and navigate the security measures.”

My HUD flickered faintly as I stared at Ethan, studying him carefully. His voice had truth, but it was wrapped in layers of caution, doubt, and something else… guilt, maybe.

Ethan’s smirk twitched. “...You know you’ll probably stumble into an ambush, get surrounded by hostile guilds, and either lose your progress or be permanently wiped out by an enforcer less charming than me.”

Mason let out a faint whistle. “Well… when you put it like that.”

Fi glared at him. “Not the time, Mason.”

Ethan looked directly at me now, his sharp gaze locking onto mine. “Kiera, this is your call. You’re the one they’re after. You’re the one carrying this… anomaly, this broken code. But you’re also the one leading this group. So… what’s it gonna be?”

My mouth felt dry. Everyone’s eyes were on me now—Selene, Devon, Fi, Mason. And Ethan, waiting patiently for my answer.

Trusting him was dangerous, but refusing him could be even worse. He had knowledge we didn’t, access we couldn’t fake, and—whether we liked it or not—experience navigating this mess.

“Fine,” I said slowly, my voice steady. “You can stay with us. But you answer to me. You don’t hide anything, you don’t go off alone, and if you so much as think about betraying us…”

Ethan raised his hands in mock surrender. “Got it. No secrets, no lone-wolf heroics. You have my word.”

Selene let out a faint scoff. “Your word means nothing, Ethan. But you’re here now, so don’t make us regret it.”

We moved out of the cavern, Ethan falling slightly into step with the group. As we walked, I could feel his eyes on me now and then—watching, observing, maybe even trying to figure me out.

The weight of leadership felt heavy on my shoulders. I wasn’t just carrying the burden of my corrupted class or the fragmented binary codes anymore. I was carrying the fragile trust of my team—and now the even more fragile trust of someone who had been working against us all along.

And yet, despite everything, despite the shadows lurking in every corner of this underground world…

We kept moving forward.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The faint glow of our torches illuminated the winding tunnels as we pressed deeper into the underground network beneath Hollowcrest. Each step echoed, accompanied by the soft shuffle of boots against gravel and the distant sound of dripping water. The shadows stretched long on the stone walls, flickering with every movement of the flames.

Ethan walked near the back of the party, just far enough to seem non-threatening but close enough to remind us of his presence. Devon stayed glued to my side. Selene was just ahead, her sharp gaze flicking back to Ethan occasionally and her fingers resting lightly on the hilts of her twin daggers.

Fi and Mason brought up the rear. Mason’s massive hammer was slung across his back, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he strolled casually, while Fi alternated between watching Ethan and fiddling with a stray lock of her short hair.

The silence was oppressive, weighed down by unanswered questions and fragile trust.

The path twisted and turned through the subterranean labyrinth. Occasionally, we’d pass faintly glowing runes etched into the stone or half-collapsed structures that suggested these tunnels once had a purpose far beyond their current state. My HUD flickered occasionally, sending faint error messages at the edges of my vision, but nothing critical enough to demand my immediate attention.

“Anyone else feel like we’re walking straight into a horror dungeon?” Mason muttered.

Fi shot him a side-eye. “Stop jinxing it.”

Ethan chuckled faintly from the back. “Don’t worry, Mason. If anything jumps out at us, I’ll be sure to throw you at it first.”

“Gee, thanks,” Mason said dryly. “Now that you betrayed us, I’m unsure if that’s a joke anymore.”

I caught Devon glancing back at Ethan now, and then, his brows furrowed. Despite Ethan’s casual demeanor, there was something in how he carried himself—sharp, deliberate, calculated. Every movement seemed to have a purpose.

Selene’s voice cut through the silence. “There’s an opening ahead. Looks… clearer than the last few paths.”

We stepped into a larger cavern—a hollow space carved naturally from stone and widened by some long-forgotten purpose. Faint shafts of light filtered through cracks in the ceiling, casting long, pale lines across the uneven ground. A shallow underground stream cut across one side of the cavern, the water faintly glowing with bioluminescent algae.

My HUD pinged faintly.

[Zone Cleared: Temporary Safe Zone Detected]

It wasn’t a true safe zone—unlike the official ones in towns or outposts—but it was a reprieve, and we needed one.

“Alright, let’s stop here,” Selene said. “We’ll take ten minutes to rest, regroup, and reassess.”

I sat on a boulder near the stream, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. The cool air felt refreshing after hours in the tunnels, but my mind was still racing. Devon was a few feet away, sharpening his greatsword with deliberate care, his eyes flicking up to me every few seconds.

Ethan stood near the edge of the cavern, arms crossed, watching us all with an unreadable expression.

Selene approached me, her amber eyes softening slightly. “You alright?”

I nodded faintly. “Yeah. Just… trying to process everything.”

She glanced briefly at Ethan before looking back at me. “You shouldn’t carry all this weight alone, Kiera. We’re here with you.”

I smiled faintly. “I know. But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Selene squeezed my shoulder before walking off to talk to Mason and Fi.

Devon, meanwhile, sheathed his sword and walked over, lowering himself onto the rock beside me. His shoulder bumped against mine gently.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The faint sound of water trickling nearby filled the silence.

“Do you trust him?” Devon finally asked, nodding toward Ethan.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I want to believe him, but… it’s hard. Everything about him feels like it’s wrapped in layers of secrets.”

Devon nodded, his jaw tightening slightly. “Well, just know I’ve got your back. No matter what happens.”

I reached out and squeezed his hand briefly before pulling away. “Thanks, Devon.”

A sudden voice cut through the silence.

“So, uh… not to interrupt your very serious brooding session,” Fi said as she walked over, arms crossed and a sly grin. “But are we going to address the fact that we’ve essentially adopted a guy whose literal username spells out ‘A Sly Liar’?”

Mason appeared beside her, scratching his chin. “She’s got a point; how did we not figure that out?”

Ethan chuckled faintly from where he stood. “I’m right here, you know.”

“Yeah, and that’s the problem,” Fi shot back.

Mason smirked. “Look, if we’re going to travel together, you’ll need to pass the vibe check, buddy.”

“Is that an official guild requirement?” Ethan asked, his lips twitching upward.

“Absolutely,” Mason said with a nod.

Fi tilted her head at Ethan, her grin sharp. “So tell me, Mr. Sly Liar, what’s your favorite dessert? Because if it’s raisin cookies, we’re throwing you into the nearest pit.”

Ethan blinked, then let out an amused laugh. “Alright, alright. Chocolate lava cake. Final answer.”

Fi nodded approvingly. “Acceptable. You live another day.”

The tension in the air lessened slightly as the playful banter carried on, but I could still feel the weight of uncertainty lingering like smoke in the cavern.

When the moment felt right, I turned abruptly and locked eyes with him.

“Ethan,” I said firmly. “We need to talk. Alone.”

The rest of the group froze, turning back to look at me. Devon immediately stiffened, his brows furrowing in concern.

“Kiera—” he started.

“It’s fine,” I interrupted, raising a hand. “I’ve got this. Just… give us a moment.”

Selene’s eyes lingered on me for a beat before she gave a subtle nod, motioning for the others to move forward. Devon hesitated, his lips tightening into a thin line, but eventually followed.