The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 249: Ch 248: The Collapse - Part 2

Ethan’s grip tightened around his weapon. Every instinct told him that something was wrong with Selene.

Her movements were sluggish, yet eerily precise, as if she was adjusting to a body that wasn’t entirely her own.

Her eyes, normally sharp and calculating, flickered with a strange golden hue. When he took a step toward her, she flinched back and raised a hand.

"Stay back’"

She warned.

Her voice—heavier, distorted—sent a chill down his spine.

"Selene? Are you okay?"

Ethan asked cautiously, gauging her reaction.

She was quiet for a long moment. Then, slowly, she shook her head.

"I’m fine."

She said, then immediately corrected herself.

No. I’m not. Something is wrong. I—"

She gritted her teeth, her breathing uneven.

"I need you to knock me out."

Ethan’s brows furrowed.

"What?"

"Do it! I need to reset—before it takes control."

Selene insisted. Her fists clenched like she was holding something back.

Ethan hesitated.

Selene was hyper-aware of his every move, tracking him even as she fought against whatever force was influencing her. He knew she’d dodge if he wasn’t fast enough.

No time to second-guess.

He lunged.

Selene started to move—too slow. His strike connected, hitting the pressure point at the base of her neck. She staggered, eyes fluttering shut as her body went limp.

Ethan caught her before she could hit the ground.

Seconds passed. Then, Selene’s lashes fluttered open. The golden tint in her eyes faded, her usual sharpness returning. She blinked up at Ethan.

"Thanks. That helped."

She muttered, rubbing her temple.

Ethan exhaled, relieved. But the tension in his shoulders remained.

"What the hell happened to you?" he demanded.

"What did Dr. Aldric do?"

Selene shook her head.

"I don’t know. He didn’t even get to experiment on me. But there’s... a voice."

Ethan stiffened.

"It’s not the system. It’s something else. It keeps offering to help me, but—"

Selene continued, watching his face.

"Don’t listen to it."

Ethan’s voice was sharp, urgent. Too urgent.

Selene narrowed her eyes.

"You know something."

Ethan didn’t answer immediately. His jaw tightened.

"Just don’t engage with it. No matter what it says." freēwēbnovel.com

The weight behind his words unsettled her. A thousand questions ran through her mind, but she didn’t ask.

Ethan looked too on edge, too wary, like he wasn’t sure he could trust her right now.

She let it go.

For now.

The building rumbled around them, alarms still blaring. The structure was beginning to collapse.

"We need to get out of here."

Selene said, shaking off the last of her haze. She grabbed Ethan’s wrist and pulled him forward.

As they ran, dodging debris and weaving through the empty halls, Ethan suddenly stopped.

Selene turned, confused.

"Ethan?"

He didn’t respond. His gaze was locked on a storage room, his expression unreadable.

Something inside was calling to him.

He didn’t think—he just moved, forcing the door open.

Inside, the room was dimly lit, filled with locked cases and containment units. But one object stood out among the clutter—a crown, shimmering with an unnatural glow.

The moment Ethan laid eyes on it, a deep, instinctual recognition hit him.

His hands clenched.

Selene stepped beside him, her gaze flickering between him and the artifact.

"Ethan?"

He didn’t answer.

"Are you going to take it?"

She asked, watching his reaction carefully.

Ethan hesitated. The pull was strong. Too strong. Like the crown was meant to be his.

But something about it felt wrong.

His instincts screamed at him to leave it alone.

Ethan’s fingers twitched as he stared at the crown.

It was beautiful. Ornate, but not in a way that screamed wealth.

The metal was dark, almost obsidian, with streaks of deep crimson running through it like veins.

It pulsed faintly, as if alive, its presence filling the room like an unspoken command.

’Take me.’

Ethan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He didn’t hear a voice, but he felt the intent. Something inside the crown recognized him—no, it acknowledged him.

Selene shifted beside him.

"Ethan?"

Her voice was distant, like she was speaking from the other end of a tunnel. Ethan barely registered it.

A part of him wanted to reach out, to claim it. The same way a drowning man reaches for a lifeline.

But a colder, deeper part of him resisted.

No.

This wasn’t right. The sensation was too familiar, too much like a trap.

Selene’s hand touched his arm, grounding him.

"Ethan, are you taking it or not? We need to move."

He clenched his jaw.

Then, finally, he forced himself to step back.

"...No. Let’s go."

He said, shaking his head.

Selene didn’t argue. She turned, leading the way out, but Ethan hesitated for one last second.

The crown sat there, still pulsing. Waiting.

With a final breath, Ethan turned away and followed Selene into the collapsing hallway, leaving the artifact—and the temptation it carried—behind.

The cool night air hit them as they finally made it out of the collapsing building.

Dust clung to their skin, and the distant sound of alarms still echoed behind them. Selene took a deep breath, relieved to be out, but her focus quickly shifted to Ethan.

He was quiet. Too quiet.

His eyes, normally sharp and observant, were distant. She could tell exactly what he was thinking about—the crown.

Selene crossed her arms.

"You keep looking back. You regret leaving it behind?"

Ethan blinked, snapping out of his daze.

"No."

His answer came too quickly, too forced.

Selene didn’t press him immediately, but after a moment, she softened her voice.

"You want to talk about it?"

For a while, Ethan stayed silent. He wasn’t one to open up. But then, he exhaled slowly, shoulders relaxing just a fraction.

"...Maybe it’s time."

He admitted.

Selene raised an eyebrow.

"Time for what?"

Ethan glanced at her before looking up at the night sky.

"For you to know a little more about me."

Selene waited, sensing the weight behind his words. Whatever he was about to say, it was important.

And for the first time, Ethan was willing to share.