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"...Monster..."

"Huff...huff...huff." Ethan breathed heavily as he was jolted awake. He looked around wildly. Where was he? "Huff...huff...huff." His breathing slowed down. He was in an unfamiliar room. There were large white curtains surrounding him. He was lying in a strange bed, much less comfortable than his usual one. Ethan breathed loudly. He was probably in the school's medical ward. "Urk..." his head hurt slightly as he recalled yesterday's events. He'd lost the fight against Zack.

Ethan massaged his forehead as he tried to compose himself. So he'd lost. Now, Class 7 would probably single him out, barring him from using any facilities. They'd stop him from completing any missions, only letting him take a few pathetic ones that would probably worsen his situation. And he'd lose the few friends he had.

Scraatch! A curtain was pulled aside as a nurse walked through. "Hey, do you know where my stuff is," asked Ethan. She didn't even bat an eyelid as she walked towards a desk as she started messing around with a machine. "Hey! Can you hear me?" She didn't reply. She could definitely hear him. But she was deliberately ignoring him.

"Oh, I get it. Is this something Zack made you do? Is he feeling bad after I thrashed him?" The nurse stiffened. So he could get a reaction out of her! She turned towards him. "Look, I don't know how you can even say Zack's name after what he did to you." "What he did to me?" She held up a hand. "Let me finish." She narrowed her eyes.

"This foolish pride of yours, this attitude of never giving up- it's only going to hurt you. You've caused enough damage to yourself by going against the hierarchy. So I suggest that you keep to yourself for the few days that you remain at this school. If you want to get out alive, that is. There is only so much that Keystone can do to protect you." She turned around as she stomped out of the room.

Ethan stared after her. He was surprised at her sudden outburst. "I guess she's a pretty good person." Her advice was probably for Ethan's own good. He wasn't going to follow it. But he appreciated the gesture. Any other person would have ignored him and walked off like he didn't exist.

He sighed. It was going to be tough from now onwards. His life at KGS would probably get much worse. But he was prepared for this. He'd gone to fight with Zack, ready to lose. But he'd managed to hurt Zack a lot before he was defeated. Now, Zack wouldn't attack him directly. He knew he had no chance of winning, even if he fought with his three henchmen.

Bringing any more people would mean that he would be letting them know that he'd been defeated by a Class 10 nobody. And there were plenty of rivals ready to take Zack's position as the king of Dust House away from him. He didn't need any more competition. Any weakness would be exploited thoroughly.

Ethan fell back on his bed as he stared at the ceiling. Zack's fight had definitely hurt him. His chest hurt like hell, probably because a few ribs were broken. But they would mend in about a day with the help of the healers. He wondered what Zack was doing right now. He definitely couldn't hide the fact that he was injured. He probably cooked up some story to explain his injury.

Ethan clenched his fist. He wouldn't let that asshole go. He wasn't strong enough right to face him right now. But soon, he would overtake Zack. And he'd make sure to tear down everything he'd built when he would defeat him. He stared at the ceiling as he continued to fantasise about the future.

Knock! Knock! "Hello! Ethan! Are you there?" Ethan could hear a voice calling out. He looked up. Long, perfect, light-blue hair with beautiful purple eyes. It was Luna. Tap...tap...tap. She walked close to him. "You got yourself into a lot of trouble!" She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Screech! Luna pulled a chair and sat down on it. Ethan stared back at her. "I'm fine, thank you." Tap...tap...tap. Luna tapped her foot on the floor as they sat without saying anything. Ethan decided to break the silence. "What's Zack saying about me?" Luna didn't speak for a moment.

"Why do you think he's talking about you?" Tap...tap...tap. Luna looked down. "Call it a hunch. Tell me." He folded his arms. "I...," she hesitated. "Zack said that you messed with somebody from Pebble House." Tap...tap...tap. Ethan sighed. "And?" Luna gulped. "He said that you were going to be punished for it. Nobody's allowed to contact you or help you in any way. He didn't kick you out of Dust House, but there's no telling what he'll do next."

Tap...tap...tap. "I see." Ethan spoke simply. They sat in silence for a while. Tap...tap...tap. "You...why do you hurt yourself this much?" Luna's voice crackled. Ethan raised a eyebrow. If Luna was acting, she was pretty good. He decided to humour her for a bit. "What do you mean?" Luna looked at him. "You went against those Class 7 bastards even though you didn't have the power to fight them. Why?"

Ethan stared into her purple eyes. He started to waver slightly. Was she actually a snake? Was all of this simply a hoax? He opened his mouth slightly. "I guess it's because I'll become stronger than them eventually. So I don't care about the repercussions." Luna scoffed. "Yeah, right!" "It's true!" She glared at him. "Well, then. If you're going to become more powerful than them, why fight against them right now? Why not endure it for now, and fight with them when you're strong enough?"

Tap...tap...tap. Ethan paused slightly. "No reason," he smiled. "So tell me, what are you doing here?" He changed the topic. "What do you mean? I came to see you because you're hurt." Ethan was slightly shocked. "Came to see me? What about Zack? Won't he punish you if he finds out."

"Well....let's just say I have my reasons. Zack's the least of my worries." She laughed awkwardly. Ethan stared at her as she ran a hand through her hair. For the first time, he wondered if Luna was genuine. Despite all the risks, she'd come to see him today. He'd never considered her to be a friend. He always believed that she was yet another snake, playing with him for some petty enjoyment. But he was shocked by her sincerity.

"You'll probably get out of here tomorrow. I'll give you a few tips to survive. First of all, you should..." Ethan sighed as he leaned on the wall. Just thinking about tomorrow made him wince. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd have somebody he could call a friend for now. "Seems like you have quite the experience." He grinned.

"Yeah, I actually do." She looked at him seriously. "You have no intention of listening to me, do you?" "Nope!" Ethan shook his head. "Haah...What a I going to do with you?" Luna held her face in he hands as she sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'll manage somehow."

"Whatever! Just make sure you don't get yourself killed. I'll be more than slightly annoyed if you do that." She stood up. "Alright, I've got to go now. Class starts in half an hour." She turned around as she started walking away. "Hey Luna!" Ethan called out to her. She looked behind. "Thanks!" He smiled. She looked at him weirdly. "No problem," she muttered as she smiled slightly.

Tap...tap...tap. The sound of her footsteps dwindled as she started walking away. "Haaah..." Ethan sighed as he slid back into the bed. His chest was hurting like hell. He could practically feel the bones mending themselves. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. He smiled. Luna visiting him was...nice. It filled him with a strangely nostalgic feeling, one he hadn't felt for a long time.

Well, he'd trust her for now. He actually hoped she wasn't playing with his feelings for once. Beep! Suddenly, his watch beeped loudly. he tapped on he screen.

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"Crackle...crackle...Hey Ethan! How're you doing?" Ethan stiffened. It was his father! Why was he sending him a message? Had something happened? "The reason I'm sending you this message is because I'm going to leave Dragopolis for a special expedition, close to the Barren Lands." The Barren Lands? Why was his father going there?

The Barren Lands referred to the largely uninhabited areas of Earth. They were breeding grounds for monsters, with gates crashing every single day. Heading out into the Barren Lands was, to be honest, suicide. There was little to no chance of survival, and people who got escaped from there told horrifying tales of their lives in those places. Was this was the 'dream job' his father landed? Going to the Barren Lands?

"Crackle...Don't worry about me. There's enough high level gatekeepers over here to keep me safe. And we're not doing something as foolish as hunting monsters over there. We'll be doing some stuff along the borders. So there's no danger...Crackle...crackle."

"But the reason why I've sent you this message is because I won't be able to contact you for a while...crackle...maybe one month at most." One month? That was ridiculous! "Estelle's currenty attending GKA, so she'll be safe as well." GKA- Gatekeepers Academy, or the middle school equivalent of KGS. That was nice. Even if Estelle didn't become a Gatekeeper, attending GKA would be enough for her to live comfortably. Where did his dad get the money to send her there?

"Don't worry...crackle...I'll be back before you know it. So behave properly. Don't get into any trouble...crackle...and don't worry. After I complete this job, our lives will change forever. So stay strong." The message ended there. Ethan was worried. What was his father getting into? He didn't want to see his father getting hurt just to earn some money.

He sighed. Alright. He wouldn't worry about it for now. His dad was smart. If he took on this job, he must be capable of handling it. He fell back onto his bed. "Dad...I hope you're not getting yourself into anything dangerous." Ethan fidgeted with his watch as he played the message once again.