"Cough, cough... Ethan... heh..."
Large, heavy tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared blankly, holding Howard Zhang in my arms. His chest was soaked in blood, and behind him, a four or five meter tall flaming giant blade appeared. Rufina Howard sat atop the giant's shoulder.
Bursts of fire shot skyward as the Flame Titan, fists clenched in rage, pounded Lord Wraith relentlessly.
I trembled uncontrollably as Howard kept coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
"Ethan, what's wrong? Why are you crying..."
Choking with sobs, I shook my head. My own body began to gradually revert to normal, like a deflated balloon, my strength slowly draining away.
"Howard Zhang, if you have anything left to say, make sure Ethan Zhang hears it," Hugh Thompson said, roaring as he charged forward.
"Ethan, you've always been like this, ever since we were young. You were always the most timid, the most afraid, but you saved me more than once. Especially that time—do you remember? Think about it."
"Howard, please, don't say any more, I..."
As he spoke, Howard coughed up a mouthful of blood. Trembling, I pressed my hand to his bleeding chest, and Howard placed his hand on my arm.
"Ethan, sometimes a man just has to stand up and face everything. Today is no different. As a man, the most important thing—you still lack it, Ethan..."
Howard's breathing grew weaker, his eyes slowly closing.
"Howard, don't die. There are still so many girls waiting for you. Think about it—so many beautiful girls waiting for you to come back. Haven't you had enough fun yet, Howard..."
"I had a dream, Ethan. I'm tired now. From here on, it's up to you... In my dream, there were so many beautiful women... heh..."
Howard's hand slowly fell, his smile lingering as his eyes closed. I stared blankly at him as my vision blurred, a sweep of darkness slowly swallowing my sight until I could see nothing.
My mind was empty. I was exhausted, mentally and physically, crouching on the ground, surrounded by pitch-black darkness. There was nothing at all.
A hand rested on my shoulder.
"What's wrong, Ethan?"
It was Howard. I turned to him, my eyes vacant, as he smiled and crouched beside me.
"Have you forgotten, Ethan? The first time we met?"
I stared blankly at Howard as the black space around us began to change.
It was the day our new home was finished. Relatives and friends came to celebrate. Back then, I'd just recovered from a serious illness caused by that ghost, and I couldn't remember much.
That day, I was tidying up my room when I heard a knock. Before I could answer, a stylish older boy burst in, several years older than me.
"You must be Ethan Zhang. I'm Howard Zhang. Nice to meet you, cousin."
With a confident smile, Howard walked right over and reached out his hand. Nervously, I shook it.
After that, Howard lived at my house for a month. During that time, he acted like the king of the kids, taking me everywhere to play.
My uncle and aunt had to travel out of town for a while. Worried they couldn't keep Howard in check, they asked my parents to look after him at our house.
In just that short month, Howard and I became close friends. I loved playing with him. When summer ended and my uncle and aunt returned, they took Howard back home.
"Qingyuan, if anyone ever gives you trouble, tell me. I'll be there for you, no matter what."
After that brief time together, Howard and I only played during summer vacations. Even as he made more friends, he always came to find me and invited me to his house every year.
When I was in high school, my school was close to Howard's university, so he often came to see me.
One rainy day, Howard and I planned to meet at a nearby park, but because of my grades, my teacher kept me after school that Saturday afternoon.
By nearly seven o'clock, I'd called Howard several times but got no answer, so I rushed to the park.
The moment I arrived, I was stunned. Thirty or forty thugs surrounded Howard—and a woman.
"Damn it, Howard Zhang! You dare steal my girl? You're dead! You, slut, get over here!"
I saw a vicious thug holding a steel pipe, pointing at Howard, who was covered in blood. Behind Howard, a woman shivered in fear.
"Please, don't hit Howard anymore. If you keep going, he'll die!"
The woman stepped forward, begging for mercy, but Howard held her, bending protectively.
"Heh, if you want trouble, come at me—Howard Zhang. Leave her out of it. Who do you think you are?"
Suddenly, several thugs rushed over and grabbed Howard.
"I hear your family is rich, Howard Zhang. Tonight, I'm going to break your arms and legs. You can afford the hospital bills, right?"
Nervously, I stepped forward, muttering under my breath.
"You... you... I'm calling the police!" In that moment, terror filled every inch of my body.
"What are you doing here? Get out of here—this has nothing to do with you."
Howard looked at me, gasping for breath, eyes pleading for me to leave quickly.
Facing thugs much bigger than me, I kept backing away step by step.
One of the thugs kicked me hard. I fell to the ground, clutching my chest, then suddenly screamed and ran.
I'd never experienced anything like this before. Fear wrapped around me as laughter echoed behind me.
I didn't know how far I'd run. On the crowded street, I clutched my head, my heart full of terror.
I didn't dare go back, but I called the police. Still, anxiety gnawed at me, and step by step, I found myself heading back.
Howard clutched his arm in pain, leaning against a tree, but there was not a hint of surrender on his face.
"Damn it, I'm going to kill you!" The thug in front of Howard pulled out a knife, but the others seemed scared and tried to stop him.
"Come on, if you have the guts, kill me today. If you don't, you'll be the ones who suffer—none of you will have an easy life. I'm taking you all on, right here!" Howard shouted.
Howard roared, and in that instant, the thug's knife dropped to the ground.
"Hit him! Damn it!" As they shouted, I rushed forward.
"Let go of my cousin!" I shouted, charging toward them.
But nothing changed. Howard and I were beaten to the ground, unable to even crawl.
"Howard, why did you come here? Why are you crying..."
It was the first time I'd ever been beaten so badly—I could only cry helplessly.
"That's enough. If you keep going, someone might really get hurt."