Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Twin arcs of flame burst from his fingertips, casting the room in blinding, violent light. The temperature surged in an instant. Water in glasses began to boil. The walls groaned. Several awakeners in the front row had to shield their eyes.

"Maxen, stop! You've lost your damn mind!" Wesley shouted, already surging forward, Force surging through his limbs like a storm.

But someone moved faster.

A voice, cool and biting, echoed through the air: "Since when did Havoc Division's dogs run wild in here?"

Without warning, twin ice walls slammed into place in front of Axel, rising like silent guardians and locking him behind an impenetrable shield of frost. The flames crashed into the barrier and hissed out into steam.

"Die!" Maxen bellowed, wild with rage, the fire in his hands blazing even hotter.

"Phoenix," came the same voice, now with a note of finality. "Wake him up."

"Gladly." A bang—then a crack—and a massive figure appeared beside Maxen. In a single motion, it slammed a fist into his shoulder, forcing him down with crushing force. Maxen was lifted off the ground and held suspended like a ragdoll, caught in an iron grip.

The fire vanished. The room cooled. Wesley finally let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

The doors opened, and all eyes turned.

Rosaline walked in.

She moved like a storm wrapped in velvet—dark purple and black dress swirling around her like smoke, her expression carved from ice. Behind her followed Vince and a line of elite Syndicate members.

Maxen's rage faltered the moment he saw who had entered the room. When the ice wall had so effortlessly snuffed out his flames, he knew—he wasn't killing him today.

Rosaline didn't waste time. Her eyes swept over the room before landing on Axel. A flicker of concern passed through her gaze, but her voice came out cool and flat.

"You alright?"

"Sister Rosaline…" Axel staggered backward, blood spurting dramatically from his mouth. "I've been gravely injured…"

He collapsed to the ground, his hand clutching his chest, eyes dimming like he was moments from death.

Rosaline and the others stared at him in silence.

"Shameless bastard…" Maxen growled from where he stood. The blood that spurted from *his* mouth this time was real—he was so mad he nearly coughed up a lung.

"Take him away," Rosaline ordered, not sparing Maxen another glance. "Let the Havoc Division come pick up their psychopath."

She waved dismissively, then added without turning around, "Everyone else—clear out."

The room gradually emptied, whispers following every departing footstep. One person, however, lingered by the door—Elijah.

He studied Axel for a moment longer, a thoughtful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Interesting guy. That pitiful, bloody performance? All calculated.

Minutes ago, this guy had executed someone in cold blood and single-handedly flipped the power dynamic in the room. Now? He was feigning weakness to stack his rewards.

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Elijah chuckled.

"Interesting indeed… If I could join the Whisper Syndicate, maybe I'd finally learn to think like that."

He turned to go, but just as he reached the door—

"Elijah, right? Hold up a second."

He paused.

Now, the conference room was nearly empty. Only Axel and the Obsidian team remained.

Axel was still playing the role of the near-death, groaning on the floor.

Millers and Kaia exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. "Dude, that was genius," Kaia said, giving him a thumbs-up. "At least a few million more in compensation, easy."

"Top-tier performance," Millers grinned.

Rosaline shot Axel a look somewhere between annoyance and admiration. "Alright, everyone's gone. Quit pretending in front of us, you little drama queen."

"Got it," Axel replied casually, springing to his feet and wiping the blood from his mouth like it was just another day at work.

The huge man who had subdued Maxen earlier—Phoenix—scratched his head, looking a little concerned. "Axel, man, you shouldn't move around like that if you're really hurt…"

"He's not," Rosaline sighed. "Phoenix, don't get duped. This kid's nothing but trouble."

She turned her full attention to the gentle giant. "Listen, Phoenix. He's clever, yes—but *full* of bad ideas. You'd better be careful hanging around him."

Phoenix smiled, completely unfazed. "It's okay. I think Axel seems like a nice guy."

He gave Axel a hearty slap on the shoulder that nearly sent him stumbling again.

Rosaline sighed again—louder this time.

"And you," she added, turning back to Axel with a sharp look. "Next time you have a problem—come to us first. Don't just go blowing people's heads off like a damn lunatic."

Axel gave her a sheepish grin.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, enough of this. Let's go eat. We're celebrating—Axel's officially part of the team, and Phoenix is finally back."

She had literally put that ice wall up before Maxen's flames touched him. He was full of shit.

"Cheers!"

The bar in Ebonveil was buzzing with laughter and light. Glasses clinked as the Obsidian team toasted, wine sloshing dangerously near the rims but no one cared. For once, they were off-duty—and it showed.

Millers was halfway through an exaggerated story about his "legendary firepower support," gesturing like a madman. Kaia rolled her eyes and teased him with a lollipop dangling from her lips, calling bullshit at every turn. Phoenix laughed with a big, goofy grin on his face, completely immersed in the fun.

Even Vince—the usually stoic one—cracked a rare smile. He nodded along occasionally, sipping his drink quietly.

And Rosaline? She actually smiled. Just a little. But it was there.

The weight of the last mission was off everyone's shoulders now, and you could feel it. The tension had been replaced by celebration, by warmth.

"There's still one more member in our team," Vince said, turning toward Axel. "He's recovering from injuries. Probably another year before he's back."

Axel nodded.

"So for now, we're finally complete."

He glanced around at the team, the sense of belonging just beginning to sink in. These people were strange, loud, dangerous—but they'd also welcomed him.

They'd been asking Axel about Sin City—how he survived, how he managed to catch Crowe.

When he finished, Rosaline took the chance to lecture him, voice calm but eyes sharp.

"Don't ever pull a stunt like that again," she said. "Even without you, I might've survived. Don't go playing the hero just because you can."

Axel nodded obediently. "Got it. No heroics."

Kaia and Millers exchanged a glance and snickered. They hadn't forgotten how Rosaline had reacted when they thought Axel was dead—tears and all. The toughest woman on the team had cried for the first time. None of them dared to bring it up, but they all remembered.

"Alright," Vince finally said, clapping his hands together. "Back to business."

"This last mission's been classified as A-rank difficulty. Everyone gets a reward of three million."

There were whistles and wide grins around the table.

"And Axel…" Vince gave him a nod. "You pulled some serious weight out there. HQ is giving you a bonus. Five million."

Axel blinked. "Wait, what?"

Millers laughed. "You think we survive off base salary around here?"

Whisper Syndicate paid well, sure. But awakeners? They were always burning through resources. Elixirs, bloodstones, training gear—the costs piled up fast. It wasn't the salary that kept them going. It was the mission subsidies, the bonus payouts.

And after Sin City, Axel's stash was pretty much gone.

This new haul? It would set him up nicely.

"Now," Vince continued, "about your next mission."

Axel leaned in, the rest of the table quieting down.

"The night before we acted, everyone heard it, right? That terrifying roar?" Vince looked around. "That was the Prairie Wolf King."

Axel's eyes widened. So that's what that was.

"Krythos' top brass has confirmed it. A beast tide's coming—huge. Which means recruitment is kicking off."