Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

With that, Axel dropped the hunk of wrecked metal he'd been dragging behind him. He'd clearly been running on fumes. His knees gave out, and he pitched backward—

But he never hit the ground.

"Axel!" a voice cried out in shock and joy.

Four figures rushed forward. One of them caught him in her arms.

Rosaline wrapped Axel's battered body tightly against her, her chest pressed to his face, her arms trembling.

Even through the haze of exhaustion and blood loss, Axel mumbled, "God... you smell amazing…"

"Idiot!" Rosaline hissed through clenched teeth, face flushed, tears in her eyes. "Stupid... reckless asshole!"

But her voice cracked. The cold, reserved Rosaline was gone, replaced by someone softer, warmer—and very, very scared.

Her arms trembled as she held him upright, gently brushing dirt from his face. Then she yelled, panic rising in her voice—

"Where the hell is the doctor?! Anyone?! Get your asses over here!"

Millers and Kaia immediately rushed to Axel's side. Kaia closed her eyes, activating her mental scan to assess his condition, while Vince pulled out a healing pill and shoved it into Axel's mouth without hesitation.

Gabriel quietly stepped aside. The members of Obsidian were too focused on Axel to notice him anymore. Wesley, who had just started to relax after the earlier shock, furrowed his brow again.

"This kid's actually still alive?! What the hell…"

But then his gaze shifted—to the hunk of twisted black metal Axel had dropped at his feet—and his eyes went wide.

"Wait a second... This... this is—!"

Just hours ago, that very thing had nearly cost them their lives during their encounter with Morris. They all thought the mission had been a bust, that everything was over. But now—

"Vince! Hey—Vince, look!" he shouted.

Vince waved him off impatiently. "Not now."

"No, dammit, look! That's Crowe! Axel brought back Crowe!"

The realization hit Obsidian all at once. As the medical team arrived and began treating Axel, the rest of the squad turned to Wesley in disbelief.

That lump of twisted metal… It wasn't just junk. It was him—Crowe.

Their mission… was complete.

Vince, who'd been preparing to charge back into the city just moments ago, blinked in disbelief. "We... we actually did it?"

"Yeah," Wesley grinned, his voice rough with emotion. "Yeah, we fucking did it!"

The tension that had been strangling the group finally snapped. Wesley threw his head back and let out a loud, unrestrained laugh. "HAHAHAHA! The mission's a goddamn success!"

They had no clue how Axel pulled it off, and frankly, no one cared right now. He did it. He fucking did it.

While technicians scrambled to analyze the metal remains, Wesley and Vince stepped outside for a breather. The weight that had been pressing down on them for days felt like it had finally lifted.

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Medical had already confirmed Axel's condition—severe blood loss and mental exhaustion. But he was stable. Crowe, meanwhile, was already being transported back to Whisper Syndicate HQ.

"Time to report in," Vince said. "Let the old man know the good news."

They connected the call.

Xander's worn face appeared on-screen. His brow was tight with stress, and his voice was sharp. "What now? Is there a problem?"

Wesley, trying and failing to suppress a grin, replied, "Well, sir, there's been… a slight development."

Vince glanced sideways and snorted. This was classic Wesley, milking the moment.

Xander's eyes narrowed, and his tone turned dangerous. "Wesley, don't fuck with me. Just spit it out."

Wesley winced dramatically. "Oof, sir, that hurts—"

"Don't make me come over there and bury you in paperwork. What the hell happened?"

"Commander Xander," Wesley said quickly, before the older man could launch into a tirade, "we completed the mission."

Xander blinked. "...The fuck did you just say?"

Still suspicious, his gaze shifted to Vince. "Vince, talk. I swear to god if this is one of Wesley's dumb jokes—"

"No joke," Vince said calmly, stepping in. "We've confirmed Crowe is inside the material Axel brought back. He's comatose now, but he did it. We're still waiting for him to regain consciousness so we can get the full story."

Xander's face remained unreadable for a long moment. Then—ever so slightly—his shoulders relaxed. The tension in his jaw eased.

And for the first time in days, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Wesley, seeing it, grinned like a kid who'd gotten away with stealing cookies. "Come on, Commander. Admit it—you're a little impressed."

Xander gave him a withering look. "You're still on my shit list, Wesley. Don't get cocky."

Then, before either of them could say another word, Xander ended the call with a curt, "We'll talk later."

But both Wesley and Vince could tell—underneath all the gruffness, Xander was in a damn good mood.

"Aren't you just begging to get chewed out?"

Wesley stretched with a big grin, the weight of stress finally lifting from his shoulders. "Come on, suspense makes the payoff sweeter! He didn't yell at me when I thought I'd blown the mission, and honestly? That hurt more. Getting screamed at means things are back to normal."

"What a cheap bastard," came a cold voice—not from Vince.

Rosaline was back, now dressed in a plush, deep blue-violet coat that hugged her elegant figure. The blood and dust were gone, and she looked once again like the unshakable, graceful woman they knew.

Wesley clutched his chest in mock offense. "Rosaline, I have a generous heart!"

She didn't even look at him. Her eyes were on Vince instead.

"That guy's not waking up any time soon," she said flatly. "But I already figured out why he didn't die."

That piqued their interest immediately. Axel had been completely lifeless—every sign pointed to him being gone for good. So it felt surreal that he was breathing.

"First off, the kid's already hit Level 2. And I'm betting his Force output is over 600."

Both men froze.

Even though Vince and Wesley were seasoned Level 5 Awakeners, they couldn't hide their shock.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Wesley burst out. "Level 2 is fine, I get that. But 600 Force?! That's insane!"

Typically, someone nearing the peak of Level 2, just shy of a Level 3 breakthrough, would clock in around that range.

But Axel? He'd entered Sin City as a Level 1 newbie. Even if he advanced, he shouldn't have been anywhere near that strong.

"A Level 2 rookie with over 600 Force? That's—hell, that's not normal," Wesley muttered.

Rosaline just shrugged. "That's what the scan said. And don't forget the bionic protective suit you gave him—it helped."

She paused, then smiled faintly. "And then there's this."

She opened her hand. Resting on her palm was a small, dull, pale-blue object: an ice coffin, miniature but unmistakable.

Wesley's jaw dropped. "Wait... that's your personal ice coffin. You—you used your life-bound item on him?!"

His expression turned complicated, a mix of jealousy, disbelief, and something else he couldn't put into words.

Rosaline shot him a glare. "I'll give it to whoever I want. Got a problem?"

Wesley recoiled, muttering as he backed off to light a cigarette. "Goddamn kid… what a fucking life."

Vince and Rosaline exchanged glances and laughed.

That ice coffin had saved Axel's life—but it wouldn't have worked without the raw Force to handle it. If his output hadn't been above 600, the surge would've killed him outright.

"And let's not forget his Awakening ability," Vince added. "He's got a real talent for staying alive."

Rosaline let out a small huff. "He's lucky, that's all. But when he wakes up, you'd better give him hell. He won't always have that kind of luck."

Vince raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you yell at him?"

She crossed her arms. "That's a captain's job, isn't it?"

Vince scratched his head, sighing. "So you do remember I'm the captain."

Rosaline rolled her eyes. "Come on! He saved me. I'm not gonna turn around and chew him out."

Their voices faded as they walked off together. Not long after, the other members of the Selected Team and Whisper Syndicate began retreating back to camp. One by one, military transports arrived to take everyone away.