The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 283: Ch 282: Trial for Humanity - Part 2

Ethan sat on the couch long after breakfast, eyes on the door Selene had walked through. The house had gone quiet, but his thoughts were loud. Obnoxiously loud.

Something was off.

She’d changed.

Not in any obvious way. She spoke the same. Moved the same. Wore the same face.

But it wasn’t her. Not the same Selene he knew.

He couldn’t explain it, but he felt it, like some invisible thread between them had been stretched too tight.

And then there was the voice again.

The real Ethan—whatever the hell that meant—echoing in his head like a second heartbeat.

"She needs your help. You see the signs. You feel the shift. If you don’t act soon, you’ll lose her."

The voice said.

Ethan pressed his fingers into his temples.

"What do you want me to do? I can’t fix something I don’t understand. Why is Selene so complicated to understand? Most people are not half as bad as she is."

He whispered aloud, voice low, frustrated.

The voice didn’t answer right away.

But Ethan felt it. That pressure again. Like someone else was living in his skull. Poking, prodding, judging.

"You chose to protect her. You made it your mission when you had a lot more to live for, right? And...you promised me as well. Are you going to go back on your vow?"

Ethan gritted his teeth.

"And what if she doesn’t want to be protected?"

No answer.

Just silence.

Mocking silence.

But even he knew that this was his loss. He was too captured by Selene to not protect her, even if she complained about it.

Ethan Park was someone who loved Selene in the past and the present and unfortunately, Ethan was not strong enough to be able to break that cycle.

He had fallen for Selene as well, and as a result. He was part of the problem here.

Later, after breakfast had ended and the others were clearing up, Ethan followed Selene into the hallway.

He opened his mouth to say something—to ask if she was alright, or maybe just tell her she didn’t have to carry everything alone—but the words never came.

His courage fizzled. Vanished. Just like it always did when things mattered.

Selene didn’t wait for him to speak.

"I’ll be reporting back to the government. Everything that happened in the last dungeon—it’s too big to hide. Once I’m back, we won’t get a break. It’ll be raid after raid."

She said, tone crisp.

Ethan stepped forward.

"Then I’m coming with you."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Selene hesitated. Her eyes dropped slightly, shoulders tense.

"No. I don’t think you should."

She said softly.

Ethan’s chest tightened.

"Why not?"

She didn’t answer. Just looked at him with something that almost resembled guilt... or fear.

Or maybe regret.

Before he could press her, Orion piped up from behind.

"I’ll go."

Selene turned to the kid and nodded, her voice firm again.

"Alright. You can join me after you are done with your task I assign you with."

That was it. Just like that, Ethan had been replaced....maybe.

Then Selene turned to the rest of the group.

"I’ve got a task for all of you."

They froze. The idea that she was the one assigning tasks now—it threw everyone off balance.

"I need supplies we will need soon. I’m assigning each of you a small dungeon to raid. Nothing major, just recon and retrieval."

She continued.

Nora frowned.

"You’re splitting us up?"

Selene nodded.

"We’ll cover more ground that way. I know it’s sudden, but I promise it’ll be fine." fгeewebnovёl.com

There was something in her voice—too smooth, too certain. It made everyone uneasy.

Still, no one argued. Not even Ethan.

And once they were gone, Selene stood alone in the quiet house. She took a slow breath and stepped outside.

"Sorry, I lied."

She whispered.

Then she headed down the street. Not toward the government building. Not toward any raid or mission.

But toward the one place she’d been avoiding all this time.

The Vale mansion.

Getting there wasn’t difficult. Most people avoided the Vale sector altogether. Too many eyes. Too many secrets.

But Selene kept her head down, her pace steady.

As she neared the outer perimeter, she stopped.

The next few blocks were different—heavily guarded, surrounded by checkpoints and scans. Entering would be suicide.

Unless...

She spotted a booth not far off. Volunteers. People who wanted to work under the Vale name, either out of desperation or loyalty.

Selene’s eyes narrowed.

Perfect.

She moved quickly, snagging a mask from a nearby stall. It wasn’t ideal—cheap plastic with a mirrored sheen—but it would do.

At the booth, she signed her name as "S. V." and handed over the form. The man at the table looked up at her. Eyes sharp. Searching.

"You need to take off the mask because it’s Protocol."

He said.

Selene stiffened.

"I can’t."

The man’s expression darkened.

"Why not?"

"My system warned me not to reveal my face. Too dangerous. Something about my ability affecting scans."

She said.

She didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch.

The man paused. Considered. Then slowly leaned back in his chair.

"Right... one of those."

Selene nodded silently.

He waved her through, though his eyes didn’t leave her for a second.

"You’re clear. Group’s forming by the gate. You’re with Squad 4."

She gave a short nod and walked on.

A small cluster of thirty volunteers stood near a gate checkpoint. Some looked seasoned. Most looked scared.

Selene slipped into the group without a word. Kept her posture neutral. Not too confident, not too nervous. Just another mask in the crowd.

But her thoughts were spinning.

Her instincts screamed that her father—the head of the Vale family—held answers. Answers about the apocalypse, the rankings, maybe even the entity behind it all.

She had to get to him.

Even if it meant sneaking into the heart of the family she’d walked away from.

Even if it meant being discovered.

Even if it meant betraying the people she’d just sent away.

Because if there was a way to stop the end of the world, Selene would find it.