Chapter 14: Unexpected Encounters
The old church stood quietly beneath the evening sky as Ethan pushed open the heavy doors. The familiar scents of candles and polished wood greeted him immediately—a welcome contrast to prisons, criminals, and Fallen Angel governors. The moment he stepped inside, Asia looked up from her work and hurried over with a bright smile.
"You're finally back! I was starting to worry because you haven't returned since this morning," she said.
"I had some business to take care of," Ethan replied as he set a folder down on one of the pews and took a seat.
Asia's curiosity was immediately drawn to the folder.
"What are those?"
"Documents." Ethan opened it briefly, revealing an identification card, registration papers, and several other official documents. "At least now I won't have to explain to every police officer why my documents don't appear in their system."
Asia looked genuinely pleased by the news, not bothering to ask why he had not possessed them in the first place.
"That's wonderful!" she said warmly.
"It'll make things easier," Ethan replied.
"That's great," Asia added with a gentle smile.
The conversation was short, but Ethan found himself appreciating it more than he expected. After everything that had happened recently, there was something strangely comforting about discussing ordinary problems.
---
Later that evening, long after classes had ended, the streets of Kuoh were illuminated by the fading light of sunset. Rias Gremory floated above the road, watching Issei continue his training from overhead while the young devil struggled through another lap around the district.
"Keep your pace steady," Rias called down. "And don't slow down."
Below her, Issei resisted the urge to collapse on the spot. Sweat soaked his clothes, his breathing was uneven, and his legs felt heavier with every passing minute. Ever since their conversation in the clubroom, he had been taking his training much more seriously than before. The idea that someone stronger could simply decide Rias's future without caring about her opinion had bothered him far more than he wanted to admit.
Unfortunately, determination did not magically improve his stamina.
"Buchou, I've been running for nearly an hour. Can't I have a break?"
"No."
"You're way too strict."
"You are the one who wanted to become stronger."
"I did, but I didn't know becoming stronger involved this much suffering."
Rias smiled despite herself. She was the one who had pushed him into this training, even though she pretended it had been entirely his idea.
"Keep running."
Issei muttered something under his breath but continued forward. Even while complaining, he never actually stopped.
The city had grown quieter as night approached. Most people had already returned home, leaving the roads largely empty beneath the streetlights. For several minutes, the only sounds were Issei's footsteps and Rias occasionally reminding him to maintain his pace.
Then something appeared in the distance.
At first, Issei barely paid attention. He assumed it was a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction. A second later, he noticed the flames. As the figure drew closer, more details became visible: a black leather jacket, a skull engulfed in fire, and flames dancing around the rider. The image was so bizarre that Issei briefly wondered whether exhaustion had finally begun affecting his vision.
Only then did he notice the vehicle beneath the rider.
"…Is that a scooter?"
Above him, Rias fell silent.
She was seeing the mysterious individual directly rather than relying on Sona's descriptions. The reports had accurately described his appearance, abilities, and actions, but they had failed to capture the reality of seeing him in person. Nothing about the rider resembled an angel, a devil, a fallen angel, or even a Sacred Gear user. He simply looked out of place, as though he belonged to an entirely different world.
As the distance between them closed, Ethan briefly turned his head. His burning gaze passed over Issei before shifting toward Rias. The glance lasted only a moment before he looked away and continued forward without slowing down.
Neither side spoke.
The scooter quietly rolled past them and continued down the road. Within moments, the strange rider had disappeared into the darkness ahead, leaving behind only fading engine noise and several unanswered questions.
Only after he was gone did Issei finally break the silence.
"…What was that?"
Rias kept her eyes on the empty road for several seconds before answering.
"It's the person I told you about."
Issei blinked before anger appeared on his face.
"The one who wanted to take you away?"
"Yep."
The answer only made him more irritated.
For a brief moment, Rias found herself even more confused. The rider looked like something pulled directly from a nightmare, while the scooter looked like something a student would use to travel to school. Somehow, the combination made the entire sight even stranger.
Eventually, Rias turned back toward Issei.
"Enough resting. Keep running."
Issei stared at her in disbelief.
"Buchou, at least give me five minutes to rest."
"Oh? If you want, you can rest for the entire night while I go look for him."
The moment those words left her mouth, Issei immediately panicked and resumed running while Rias followed overhead.
---
As they disappeared down the road, both of them tried to put the encounter out of their minds. Meanwhile, Ethan continued riding the scooter, still unable to decide whether he looked intimidating or completely ridiculous.
The vehicle itself was not particularly impressive. The battery-powered machine certainly had not been designed to serve as a vehicle of vengeance.
Even knowing that, Ethan slowly increased the flow of power into the scooter. Flames spread across the frame before crawling along the wheels. Almost immediately, the vehicle's speed increased.
The electric motor no longer struggled to keep up as supernatural power compensated for its limitations. The scooter accelerated far beyond what it should have been capable of achieving.
What Ethan failed to notice was the trail of fire spreading behind him. The road suffered considerably more than his image did. Small cracks appeared in the pavement while scorched marks spread across the asphalt wherever the burning wheels passed.
Ethan continued the experiment for several more minutes. The results remained surprisingly consistent. Despite being little more than a glorified commuter vehicle, the scooter responded to the Ghost Rider's power almost as naturally as a motorcycle.
Eventually, Ethan slowed down and guided the vehicle into a quiet side street. The flames gradually faded, the burning skull disappeared, and the leather transformed back into ordinary clothing.
Several moments later, Ethan was sitting on an entirely normal scooter.
As he looked down at it, an idea suddenly came to mind.
Maybe I should just buy a few broken motorcycles and repair them using my own powers.
The thought seemed increasingly reasonable the longer he considered it.
Having reached that conclusion, Ethan turned the vehicle around and began the journey back toward the church, completely unaware of how much trouble he had just created for the maintenance department and the people actually responsible for managing the town.
---
Author's Note: I honestly have no idea how I'm supposed to write 300 chapters, so if you have any ideas, feel free to share them. Otherwise, you can visit my Patreon, where multiple stories are waiting to help you pass the time. Most of them are free, but if you choose to support me, it would make writing much easier.
If I could reach $250 per month, I would be able to write one chapter every day. The money would help me purchase a new chair, visit a doctor for advice about painkillers, and improve my diet.