Chapter 45: Chapter Twenty-Eight: Trust Issues and Ticking Clocks (Part 2)

We walked further from the group until it was just me and Ethan left in the faint glow of distant bioluminescent crystals, I crossed my arms over my chest and squared my shoulders.

“Alright, spill. How long have you been working with the devs?”

Ethan’s smirk twitched upward, faint but amused. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“I’m serious, Ethan. If you want us to trust you, I need to know what we’re dealing with.” My voice was steady, though my heart was hammering against my ribs. “Are you a contractor? A permanent hire? How far does this go?”

He let out a slow sigh and leaned casually against the tunnel wall, one boot crossing over the other. “Permanent hire. Security Enforcer, as I said before. I wasn’t brought in as some flashy damage dealer—I was brought in to monitor anomalies, glitches, and… well, people like you.”

I swallowed hard, trying not to let that last part sting. “How long?”

“A little over a year with the devs of Nexus,” Ethan replied.

“Did they know about me before I activated the code?” I pressed.

“No. Whatever happened with that code was pure chaos—no one saw it coming, not even the devs. But the second your class icon went blank, alarms started ringing in their systems.” Ethan tilted his head slightly, his sharp blue eyes narrowing. “And here we are.”

The faint flicker of my HUD reflected in his irises, glitching faintly at the edges. The longer I looked at him, the more I could tell he wasn’t lying—not this time. But he wasn’t telling me everything, either.

“What’s your endgame, Ethan?” I asked softly. “Why stick with us? Why not just report me and get it over with?”

He pushed off the wall slowly, taking a step closer. I held my ground, though every nerve in my body told me to back away. His presence was intense—confident, sharp-edged, and undeniably magnetic.

“Because I don’t think you’re the villain they’re painting you as,” Ethan said, his voice low. “I’ve seen corrupted anomalies before—code fragments clinging to players, turning them into mindless husks. But you? You’re different, Kiera. You’re… aware. Human. And that makes you interesting.”

I took a step back, but he closed the distance again, his movements slow and deliberate. Before I realized it, my back was pressed against the tunnel wall. Ethan placed one hand against the stone beside my head, leaning in slightly, his sharp eyes locking onto mine.

“And maybe,” he continued, his voice dropping to a faint murmur, “I just enjoy being around you.”

My breath hitched, heat rushing to my face. My HUD flickered faintly, but I barely registered it as Ethan’s smirk grew faintly wider. His face was close enough that I could feel the faint warmth of his breath against my cheek.

“E-Ethan,” I stammered, my voice catching. “I… I’m with Devon. And Selene. We’re—”

“A trio, yeah, I figured that out,” Ethan said smoothly, tilting his head slightly. “But hey, nothing wrong with a side quest now and then, right?”

I froze, my blush deepening as his words registered. “Th-That’s not—! I mean, we’re not—!”

Ethan chuckled softly, the sound low and faintly amused. “Relax, Kiera. I’m just messing with you… mostly.”

His smirk softened, though his hand remained braced against the wall beside me. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The faint drip of water echoed through the tunnel, and somewhere far off, I could hear the distant rumble of something shifting deeper underground.

“Ethan…” I said softly, my voice trembling slightly. “Are you going to betray us?”

His smirk faded. For a brief moment, something genuine flickered in his eyes—something that felt unguarded, vulnerable.

“No,” he said simply. “I’m not.”

I exhaled a shaky breath, my hands clutching tightly at the fabric of my gloves. Ethan pushed away from the wall, giving me space again, though his sharp eyes lingered on me for a moment longer.

“You’re a dangerous glitch, Kiera,” he said as he turned away, his voice softer now. “But… you might also be the only chance for us to catch UNKNOWN once and for all.”

Ethan turned away, his sharp silhouette illuminated faintly by the distant bioluminescent glow of the cavern. His words still lingered in the air.

"I’m not going to betray you. But you’re a dangerous glitch, Kiera."

He started walking back toward the group, hands casually tucked into his pockets, but something in my chest tightened.

I couldn’t let him walk away.

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

Ethan froze mid-step, his shoulders stiffening before he slowly turned his head to glance back at me. His sharp blue eyes flickered with surprise, quickly masked by his usual amused smirk.

“Oh? Didn’t think you were the type to make the first move,” he quipped softly, though his voice carried an undercurrent of uncertainty.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening in my ears as shadows faintly curled around my boots. My HUD glitched at the corner of my vision, faint error messages blinking in red.

"Do it."

"Use it."

The voice in the back of my mind—faint, seductive, almost musical—urged me forward. My Succubus side stirred awake, slithering into my chest, coaxing me to act.

“Ethan,” I said softly, my voice trembling slightly as I looked up at him. “I need to know. I need the truth. All of it.”

A faint glow surrounded me, and shadows rippled faintly along my form as the charm effect activated. Ethan’s body stiffened, his eyes dilating faintly as the spell took hold. But something in his expression softened—not entirely overtaken by the charm, but clearly influenced by it.

I stepped closer, closing the distance between us until we were just a breath apart. My voice was barely above a whisper. “Tell me the truth, Ethan of your involvement as an Enforcer.”

The air between us grew heavy. Ethan’s pupils dilated slightly, his breath hitching as my power washed over him, wrapping around his mind like velvet chains.

He was charmed.

But instead of resisting, Ethan smirked faintly, something both amused and resigned in his eyes.

“So… this is how you want to play it?” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of guilt and raw anticipation clawing at me. My Succubus side, the part of me I’d been trying to keep in check, purred in satisfaction.

His lips parted, his voice trembling slightly. “The devs… they think you’re a threat to the system. A ticking time bomb. That code you activated? It wasn’t supposed to go to you—it was supposed to go to me.”

I blinked, trying to process his words. “So… you were supposed to be what I am now?”

“Not quite,” Ethan said, his voice growing softer, his head leaning slightly closer to mine. His words sent a chill through me, and for a moment, I faltered. My charm spell wavered slightly, flickering like a dying candle.

But then Ethan tilted his head slightly, his eyes locking onto mine. There was something else there—something entirely human. Curiosity. Attraction. Hunger.

The distance between us disappeared.

His hand came up, gently cupping the side of my face, his thumb brushing faintly against my cheek. My breath hitched, my heart hammering in my chest.

Ethan leaned down, his face so close to mine that our noses nearly touched.

“You want the truth, Kiera?” he said softly. “Then take it.”

Without realizing it, I leaned into him. His lips brushed against mine, faintly at first, testing, lingering, until I found myself responding. My hands gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly as the shadows around me writhed faintly, reacting to my heightened emotions.

His other hand came to rest on my hip, pulling me closer against him.

My breath hitched as the world seemed to tilt sideways. His kiss was sharp, demanding, and filled with an edge of danger. My back hit the tunnel wall as Ethan pressed closer, grinding against me, hands coming up to brace against the stone on either side of my head while his other hand traveled up the length of my attire and fondled my breast.

The shadows around me flickered, reacting to my rising pulse. My HUD glitched faintly as my Succubus abilities thrummed through my veins, making my skin feel electrified.

Our kiss deepened, a heated pull that seemed to blur the lines between charm and raw attraction. Ethan groaned softly against my lips. I had to hold back my own whimper of pleasure.

I should stop.

I should pull away.

But I didn’t stop him.

My arms moved on their own, looping around his neck and pulling him closer. My Succubus instincts weren’t just whispering—they were roaring. Every part of me felt alive, on fire, and despite the guilt clawing at the edges of my mind, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

It wasn’t until Ethan pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against mine, that reality came crashing back into focus.

We were both breathing heavily, our faces inches apart. Ethan’s eyes were sharp, focused, and filled with a mix of emotions I couldn’t quite decipher.

“The truth…” he said hoarsely, his voice uneven. “The Devs was going to use me to get the code and infiltrate UNKNOWN. But something went wrong, and you… you got it instead.”

I swallowed hard, my breathing still ragged.

Ethan leaned closer, his voice barely a murmur. “If they get their hands on the game’s code this world will burn to ashes because they’ll have the most immersive AI in the palm of their hand.”

“And how were you going to stop them, if they caught you?”

Ethan smirked. “Let’s just say the Devs didn’t hire me for nothing.”

Silence stretched between us as I processed his words. My shadows had settled now, curling faintly around my boots. The charm had worn off, and Ethan was fully himself again.

He reached up, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. “You didn’t have to use your charm to get me to tell you, you know.”

I blushed fiercely, guilt swirling in my stomach. “I… I didn’t know if you’d tell me the truth otherwise.”

Ethan’s smirk softened into something gentler. “You have my loyalty, Kiera. Whatever happens next… I’m with you.”

For what felt like an eternity—and only a heartbeat at the same time—I let myself sink into the moment. Into the charm. Into him.

A few moments Later…

I sat on a mossy stone ledge further down the tunnel, my cloak draped loosely around my shoulders. The faint sound of dripping water echoed softly in the cavern, and my HUD had finally stopped glitching, though faint warnings still blinked faintly in red.

Ethan leaned against the tunnel wall nearby, arms crossed over his chest. His shirt was rumpled, and his usually sharp smirk had softened into something quieter.

There was a faint flush along my cheeks, and I knew it wasn’t just from the shadows and dim lighting.

Neither of us spoke for a long while. The silence wasn’t awkward—it was heavy, weighted by everything that had just happened.

Finally, Ethan broke the quiet. “Your secret’s safe with me, Kiera.”

I turned to look at him, my fingers tightening faintly around me. “I didn’t ask.”

He met my gaze evenly. “Yeah. but it was implied. Besides, we wouldn’t want your lovers to know you’re sleeping with the enemy.”

His eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he turned his attention back to the distant glow of the crystals lining the tunnel walls.

“You know,” he said softly, his voice carrying a faint edge of amusement, “I told you everything that you need to know but… you still kept going and there was no charm effect at all.”

I felt heat rush to my face again. “I-It wasn’t… I didn’t mean for it to… it just happened, okay?!”

Ethan chuckled, the sound faint and low. “Relax, Kiera. I’m not complaining.”

I buried my face in my hands briefly, letting out a soft groan. “This… this can’t happen again.”

“Perhaps, I won’t complain if it does,” Ethan said softly, though his smirk remained. “But hey… this just showed me that I was right.”

I glared at him weakly, though I couldn’t keep the blush from creeping back up my neck. “Right, about?”

“That you aren’t what the devs thought you were. You’re different.”

I blinked, caught off guard by his… compliment?

“Come on,” Ethan said, pushing off the wall and offering me his hand. “The others are probably wondering if I betrayed you or something.”

I hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and letting him pull me to my feet. As we walked back toward the others, I couldn’t shake the weight of everything that had just happened—everything Ethan had said, everything I’d felt.

The Succubus side of me purred faintly in the back of my mind, pleased and content.

But the rest of me?

The rest of me was a tangled mess of guilt, confusion, and something I couldn’t quite name.

And the frightening part? I enjoyed it more than I thought.