"So... moon dates are a thing now, huh?" Ethan joked, his voice carrying a sarcastic edge. "Remind me to book the next one with better reservations."

Nefera sighed, exasperated. "Do you ever take anything seriously?"

"Not when I’ve just been roundhouse-kicked across space," Ethan quipped, brushing moon dust off his jacket. "But hey, it builds character."

Isolde, now fully in control of her memories, managed a faint smile. "Still as cocky as ever, shadow boy."

Ethan pointed at her. "See? That’s what I’m talking about—everyone keeps calling me shadow boy! It’s Ethan Cross, The Masked Virtuoso, thank you very much."

Mia's voice crackled faintly through their communicators back at the safe house. "Did you seriously leave me out of a moon adventure? Rude."

---

As they made their way back to Earth, Ethan’s thoughts drifted to his apartment—or what was left of it, thanks to Nefera’s earlier fight with Isolde. The once-cozy place was now a pile of rubble, scorched and shattered by powerful artifact energy.

Nefera shifted uncomfortably as they walked past the site. “Sorry about your apartment, Ethan.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Sorry? You vaporized my sofa, destroyed my kitchen, and left a crater where my TV used to be. Saying ‘sorry’ is like putting a Band-Aid on a meteor impact.”

Mia chimed in, grinning. “To be fair, it was a pretty ugly sofa.”

Ethan groaned. “It had sentimental value!”

Nefera bit her lip. “I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Great,” Ethan muttered. “I’ll add it to the list—right after ‘find a new place to live’ and ‘don’t die from Council assassins.’”

They passed by Mr. Romano’s pizza shop, which miraculously had survived the chaos. Romano stood outside, arms crossed, glaring at Ethan.

“You’re like a walking bad luck charm, Cross!” Romano bellowed. “First my basement, now your whole apartment block? What’s next, the entire city?”

Ethan forced a sheepish grin. “Good to see you too, Mr. Romano.”

Romano huffed. “Just stay away from my shop!”

Mia snickered. “Looks like someone’s not getting free pizza anymore.”

---

They regrouped at an underground training site—a vast cavern reinforced with ancient glyphs designed to contain artifact energy. The walls pulsed faintly with protective runes.

Isolde crossed her arms. “If you’re going to stand a chance against the Council, you need to master that shard of yours.”

Nefera nodded. “You’ve only scratched the surface of its power.”

Mia twirled her dagger. “And maybe learn not to get kicked into the sun next time.”

“Noted,” Ethan said dryly.

Isolde gestured to the center of the cavern. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Ethan took a deep breath, closing his eyes. The shard’s energy pulsed within him, warm and wild. He focused on letting it flow naturally, remembering Dr. Harrow’s advice.

The shadows around him coiled like living serpents, forming a swirling vortex. His eyes glowed with a deep purple hue as he extended his arms.

“Not bad,” Isolde admitted. “But can you control it under pressure?”

She launched a volley of energy blasts straight at him.

Ethan’s instincts kicked in. The shadows formed a barrier, absorbing the impact. He retaliated with a burst of tendrils that snaked toward Isolde, but she dodged effortlessly.

“Too slow,” she taunted.

Ethan gritted his teeth, pushing harder. The shadows grew denser, shifting into blades that whirled around him.

Nefera watched intently. “He’s getting stronger.”

Mia leaned against the wall. “Yeah, but he still looks like a dork doing it.”

Ethan’s concentration wavered. “I heard that!”

Mia grinned. “Focus, shadow boy.”

Isolde capitalized on his distraction, closing the distance with blinding speed. Her fist glowed with golden energy as she aimed for his chest.

Ethan reacted instinctively, teleporting behind her in a swirl of shadows.

“Nice trick,” Isolde said, smirking.

“I’ve got more,” Ethan promised.

---

As the training continued, Ethan pushed himself further than ever before. The shard’s energy coursed through him, filling every fiber of his being.

Isolde launched another attack, but this time Ethan didn’t defend—he absorbed the energy, redirecting it into a concentrated blast that sent shockwaves through the cavern.

The ground trembled, and cracks formed along the walls.

“Whoa!” Mia shouted. “Dial it down, shadow boy!”

Ethan’s eyes glowed brighter as the shard’s power threatened to spiral out of control.

Nefera stepped forward. “Ethan! Remember—flow and balance!”

Her voice cut through the chaos. Ethan took a shaky breath, reining in the wild energy. The shadows settled around him like a protective cloak.

Isolde lowered her guard. “You’re getting there.”

Ethan wiped sweat from his brow. “Yeah, but I think I broke something.”

Mia pointed to a massive crack in the cavern wall. “Ya think?”

---

After the training session, they returned to the ruins of Ethan’s apartment. The Council’s investigators had already cleared out, leaving only ashes and rubble.

Ethan sifted through the debris, his heart heavy.

“You really miss this place, huh?” Mia asked gently.

“It was home,” Ethan said quietly.

As he moved a piece of shattered concrete, a faint glow caught his eye.

“What’s this?” he muttered.

Nefera knelt beside him, her eyes narrowing. “That’s... an artifact shard.”

Isolde’s expression darkened. “The Council must have missed it. But why was it here?”

Ethan picked up the shard, feeling its strange energy hum against his skin.

“Looks like we just found our next clue,” he said.

Nefera’s gaze hardened. “We need to figure out what this means—and fast.”

Isolde nodded. “The Council won’t stop coming after you, Ethan. But now you have something they want even more.”

Ethan clenched his fist around the shard. “Then let’s make sure they regret it.”

---

To Be Continued...