"But what we have some level of control over is the present," Ethan continued. "And right now, your present includes the reality that you’re on this side of the world. It includes the prince. And it includes the reality that you’re now living as a member of the Stark family."

Ishtar glanced at Ethan, her emotions slowly welling as he continued.

"The prince was saved that night only because of this power," he reminded her. "And who knows, the members of House Stark might be the ones you save next. Then there’s you, who should be your number one priority."

He let that sit for a moment before delivering the final point.

"But if you do not accept that this power is yours now and can also be used for good, then you’re slowly shaping a path for a future where you’re all alone again. Or worse, dead."

She felt an alarming stir within her at those words.

Ethan then turned to her with a reassuring smile. "Don’t stay out here alone too long."

Then he slowly took steps forward, heading back toward the guild.

As he walked, a notification screen materialized before him.

[Self-Imposed Objective Complete: Playing the Role of Guardian]

[Reward: +6,000 XP]

[Total Experience Points: 192,250]

"Oh?" he said, mildly surprised as he hadn’t seen that one coming.

He glanced back once at Ishtar, who was still leaning against the car but now looked... thoughtful.

Ethan smiled to himself and kept walking.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

-

Percival was leaning against the balcony railing upstairs, staring out at the road with a glass of whiskey in hand.

Ethan walked up behind him. "Hey, man."

Percival turned around. "That girl’s got some power"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "And you’ve got to cut Wilson some slack."

Percival gained a puzzled expression.

Ethan continued. "Look, I get it. What he did back then was messed up. But it’s been, what, a month now?"

"Dude, it’s not just about that." Percival replied. "He is a vampire, and if you haven’t realized, they are inherently evil. Wilson has shown us that someone has got to keep an eye on him... hold on, don’t tell me you’re beginning to trust that guy?"

"I don’t have to trust him to work with him," Ethan replied. "And i’m not asking you to trust him either, I’m simply asking you to tune it down. At least a little. You don’t have to take shots at him every chance you get."

Percival was quiet and he turned back to the road’s view.

Ethan stepped closer until he was resting on the railing beside him. "This isn’t like school, Percy. We’re running a guild now, and there’ve been times in those breaches when Wilson was the one watching your back. I still remember that time you got blindsided by a second monster, and Wilson took it down before it could reach you."

"I would have handled it myself," Percival muttered, remembering the incident too.

"Maybe," Ethan said, then added, "But It’s not just you, Wilson’s saved Aliyah too. Even Hayley, who’s at the peak of S-tier, has had moments where she slipped up, and Wilson caught it in time."

"When it mattered—"

But Percival cut him off there, "okay okay fine, I hear you already ugh!...I’ll back off."

"Thank you," Ethan said.

Percival turned and walked past him, heading back inside without another word.

Ethan watched him go, then let out a breath.

A notification screen materialized before him.

[Self-Imposed Objective Complete: Brokering Peace Between Guild Members]

[Reward: +3,000 XP]

[Total Experience Points: 195,250]

He dismissed it with a thought, then turned and made his way back downstairs.

-

A few minutes later, Ethan was back in his office.

A lot of his things had been sent to the ground from the shockwave earlier. The first thing he noticed was the desk.

Or rather, the item missing from that desk. The miniature Vanguard gift from Hayley.

He sighed and walked through the room’s length, crouching down to pick it up. His hands were careful as he lifted it, turning it over to inspect for damage.

When he confirmed there was none, he let out a long sigh of relief, then stood and walked back to his desk.

He placed the plaque back in its position, adjusting it until it sat just right. Then he sat down, exhaling again as he leaned back in his chair.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Ethan said.

The door opened, and Ishtar stepped inside.

"Lord Ethan," she said quietly. "Is it alright if I ask for another trial?"

Ethan looked at her for a moment, then smiled and gave a nod. "Yeah, sure. Let’s head back."

She nodded, and they both left the office.

They entered the training room, and Ethan stepped over to the side. "Alright, Let’s try this again."

Ishtar moved up to the center of the room, and closed her eyes.

At first, the thoughts of the past of her family’s massacre returned. But then, her mindset shifted.

Instead of dwelling on what she had lost, she thought of what she had now. She thought of Eduardo, Francesca, Valerie, Ethan and even the summons staying in the next room. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She thought of Princess Isabella.

And finally, she thought of Rayleigh.

Her eyes remained closed, but her expression softened.

Then, the markings on her arms began to glow brighter once more and a greenish aura swirled around her.

Slowly, her feet lifted off the ground into levitation which was a newer development.

Ethan had a smile on his face. "Ishtar, can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened, with a green glow in them. "Yes, Lord Ethan."

He nodded. "Good. That’s good."

A notification screen materialized before him.

[Self-Imposed Objective Complete: Getting Through to Ishtar Dessendre]

[Reward: +5,000 XP]

[You Have Received a Special Reward]

—

A/N: (7/22)

Castle Bonus (0/5)

Special Thanks to Mr Looney for the consistent support and the castle gift.

I really appreciate