As soon as they stepped back into the living room, Sean couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Ethan, that thing Ray could do—his ability…" he said, eyes gleaming.

"We'll try it tonight," Ethan replied, thoughtful. "I'm not sure if it'll work."

Sean nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah."

He couldn't hide his excitement. Ray's ability had been seriously impressive—if it could be transferred, it was a game-changer. If someone could eventually achieve full-body metal transformation, they'd be a walking tank, a one-man slaughterhouse.

Honestly, if Ray had gone full metal during the fight with Garrick, the outcome might've been very different.

Midnight.

The Nine-Star Dipper shimmered into view again, high above the city.

But this time, no one went up to the rooftop to stargaze.

Instead, they gathered in the backyard.

Ray was still curled up in the dog cage, looking pitiful and small. The same Ray who used to strut around like a prince, untouchable, untouchable—now reduced to this.

He'd grown up pampered, protected, convinced the world bent to his will. He'd never imagined he'd end up locked in a cage like a stray mutt.

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Ethan and the others approaching.

"You're keeping me alive because you're afraid of the Harlan family, aren't you?" Ray said, trying to sound calm, but his voice cracked. "If that's the case, just name your price. No need to drag this out. By morning, the Harlan family will come looking. You won't get away."

Ethan gave a short, cold laugh. "Still so confident."

He stepped closer, eyes sharp. "Too bad you're wrong. The only reason you're still breathing is because I needed you for an experiment."

He turned. "Garrick. Bring him out."

"Sure thing." Garrick opened the cage and yanked Ray out by the collar.

Ray stumbled, confused. "Wait—what are you—?"

"Kill him," Ethan said.

"!!!"

"You can't! I'm the heir to the Harlan family! If you kill me, you're all dead men!" Ray shouted, panic rising in his throat.

But it didn't matter how loud he screamed.

Sean stepped forward and, without hesitation, brought his barbell bar down on Ray's skull.

The crack echoed through the yard.

Ray's body crumpled, twitching once before going still.

Ethan activated [True Sight], eyes locked on the corpse.

Seconds passed.

Then, from above Ray's shattered head, a faint white light emerged—small, flickering, and rising fast into the air.

Ethan reached out instinctively, but his hand passed right through it.

Just as he'd suspected.

He focused, narrowing his mind, and the light paused mid-air—then slowly drifted back down, hovering in place.

"It works," Ethan murmured, eyes gleaming.

The others stood frozen, watching him, unsure what was happening—but no one dared interrupt.

"Sean. Lie down," Ethan said.

"Okay." Sean didn't hesitate. He dropped flat on the ground.

Ethan guided the glowing point of light toward Sean's forehead.

It hovered for a moment—then sank into his skin, disappearing without a trace.

Ethan exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders.

He'd seen countless lights like this in the void space—each one representing a different ability. He'd always wondered: when an Awakened dies, does their power become one of those lights?

And if so… could that light be passed on?

Tonight, he had his answer.

Yes.

It could.

"Is it… is it done?" Sean asked, his voice tight with nerves as he looked at Ethan.

"Yeah. Now focus," Ethan said. "Picture your arm turning to metal. Just concentrate."

Sean nodded, took a breath, and stood up. He closed his eyes, brow furrowed in focus.

Then—before their eyes—his right arm shimmered and shifted, transforming into a sleek, black, glowing metal limb.

"Holy shit—it worked?!" Sean's eyes flew open, staring at his arm in disbelief. His whole body trembled with excitement.

God knew how badly he'd wanted an ability of his own.

When Ethan had said they could try something, he hadn't dared to hope. It sounded too far-fetched, too sci-fi. But now?

Now it was real.

"Ethan, you're insane!"

"That's badass!"

The others broke into cheers and whistles, not out of flattery, but genuine awe.

What had seemed like a fantasy—transferring abilities from the dead—Ethan had just pulled off like it was a Tuesday night hobby.

They hadn't seen the glowing light, only Ethan waving his hand around like a magician. Then boom—Sean had Ray's power.

It felt like witnessing a miracle.

"Ethan… I…" Sean looked at him, overwhelmed, words catching in his throat.

Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. "Save the thanks. We're a team. You getting stronger makes all of us stronger."

Sean nodded hard, eyes shining. "Yeah."

"Ethan, what about us?" Big Mike and Skinny Pete rushed over, eyes wide with hope.

Ethan grinned. "Now that we know it works, of course the whole Fallen Star Squad's gonna be Awakened."

"Hell yeah!" the two of them shouted, practically bouncing.

"But," Ethan added, "don't level up to Stage D just yet. I've got a hunch—once you hit Stage D, this method might not work anymore. Even if it does, your ability might come in weaker. Stage D is when abilities evolve, so better to wait."

"No problem," Pete said quickly. "As long as we can Awaken, we don't care about waiting."

"Exactly," Mike agreed. "We're not in a rush."

"Alright then," Ethan said, stretching. "Let's hit the rooftop. We've got stars to watch."

"On it!"

The successful experiment had everyone buzzing, but no one more than Sean. He finally had an ability—and not just any ability, but a damn powerful one. No more standing on the sidelines. No more envy. He was in the game now.

They spent the night on the rooftop, watching the stars wheel across the sky. Everyone felt like they'd gained something.

But the biggest surprise came from Pumpkin.

Sometime during the night, the orange cat's aura shifted—and by dawn, she'd broken through to Tier 5.

Now the entire squad was officially Tier 5.

As they were getting ready to head back to their rooms, Ethan happened to glance down into the yard—and froze.

Among the Tier 4 zombies in the cage, one had changed.

Its aura was different. Stronger. Sharper.

A Tier 5 zombie had just been born.

"Well damn," Ethan muttered, grinning. "Guess the good news just keeps coming."

He vanished in a blink, reappearing in Ray's backyard. One kick sent the garden wall crashing down. He isolated the Tier 5 zombie, shoved it into a cage, and hoisted the whole thing—zombie and all—onto his shoulder like it weighed nothing.

"…"

The others watched in silence, expressions somewhere between admiration and exasperation.

"Is it just me," Chris said, "or is Ethan starting to act more and more like a bandit boss?"

"Remember to loot the place," Ethan called over his shoulder. "Strip this luxury home clean."

He carried the cage back to their yard and set it down with a thud.

He'd decided to return to their original house—not because it was better, but because it was familiar. And honestly, he didn't feel like cleaning up all the corpses in Ray's place.

Still, Ethan knew they wouldn't be staying here long.

Ray was dead. The Harlan family would be furious. Retaliation was inevitable.

And Ray's father, Victor Harlan, would almost certainly inform Mayor Marks. Once that happened, the mayor would come after them too.

Killing Ray had been like kicking a hornet's nest.

But Ethan had done it anyway.

This was the apocalypse. No point in playing it safe.

He didn't think he was invincible—but he wasn't afraid of them either. Worst case, they'd move. In a world crawling with zombies, even Mayor Marks couldn't control everything.

Let them come.

...

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