Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

A raised dance floor dominated the center, with a DJ booth perched on a high platform. Two DJs were tag-teaming, shouting into their mics, keeping the energy wild. All around, bodies swayed and pulsed with the beat, a sea of sweat, flashing smiles, and neon.

Around the edges of the club, VIP booths were stacked with massive trays of expensive drinks. Girls in tight skirts and glittering tops lounged everywhere, laughing too loudly and leaning too close.

Axel noticed that around the booths, guys with fat wallets were surrounded by groups of girls. It was obvious: no matter how pretty or average a girl was, everyone who stepped into Neon Sin made sure they looked damn good doing it.

Compared to all of them, Axel felt... well, a little out of place.

His outfit wasn't terrible—just simple and practical. In a sea of designer labels and flashy jewelry, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

There were a few other guys dressed like him, but they mostly hung around the edges, nursing cheap beers and looking like they were hoping to stumble into a miracle.

Kaia and Millers exchanged a look and chuckled when they caught Axel's awkwardness. Millers, clearly no stranger to the place, waved down the manager. Within minutes, they had a booth with prime real estate, close enough to the action but private enough to be comfortable.

Some of the girls nearby turned their heads when they saw Millers throwing money around. A flashy booth at Neon Sin wasn't cheap—and it definitely got attention.

"Dude, this looks expensive as hell," Axel said under his breath.

Millers just grinned and called the manager back over. "My brother's here to have a good time tonight. Hook us up right, yeah?"

"Of course, Mr. Millers. Anything you need," the manager said with a big, greasy smile.

Soon enough, servers rolled over carts stacked with fruit platters, bottle service, and all the bells and whistles. Millers paid without blinking.

After the transaction, he casually showed Axel the total. 4888.

Axel blinked. "Wait, so expensive."

Millers and Kaia practically doubled over laughing. Millers clapped him on the back and sat down beside him.

"Bro, look at the number," he said, still chuckling. "Think it's expensive? Sure. But this kind of money? It's nothing to you anymore."

Millers picked up a glass, downed it in one gulp, and then looked at Axel seriously. "I'm not trying to show off, man. You've been through some shit, I can tell. You're also carrying something heavy."

Under the shifting lights, with the alcohol warming his chest, Axel's face finally started to relax.
Kaia and Millers exchanged a glance—they could tell he was loosening up for real this time.

Kaia flashed her sharp little canine teeth in a grin, shooting Millers a playful look.

Credit where it was due—he'd done a good job tonight.

When Millers wandered off to do his thing, Kaia scooted closer, grabbing a glass of wine from the table.

"Axel," she said, her voice soft, "you don't have to bottle everything up. We're your team too, you know? We've got your back. Here's to that."

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She downed the wine in a single gulp, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I'm gonna go dance! And maybe check out the hot guys while I'm at it," she added with a mischievous giggle.

She caught the distant look in Axel's eyes and decided not to push him. Instead, she bounded off toward the dance floor.

Even in a place like this, surrounded by girls dolled up to the max, Kaia stood out without even trying. Within minutes, Axel watched a bunch of guys start circling around her. He wasn't worried, though—Kaia could handle herself just fine.

Leaning back into the sofa, Axel let the booming music wash over him. All around, people were drinking, laughing, and grinding under the neon haze—just a big, sweaty mess of hormones and reckless energy.

Strangely enough, after everything Millers had said, Axel felt... lighter.

It hit him that things really had changed for him. He wasn't scraping by anymore. He could actually take Annabelle to the amusement park she kept talking about. Maybe even show her the big city lights she'd always dreamed of seeing.

Thinking about it, Axel smiled to himself, almost without realizing.

"Whoa, handsome! You've got a whole booth to yourself? Impressive!"
"Mind if we sit for a bit? We're exhausted!"

The high-pitched voices snapped him back to reality. Millers' talent for this kind of thing was damn near supernatural. In no time at all, he'd brought back four girls—young, lively, and gorgeous without being overdone.

They only wore light makeup, and more importantly, they didn't have that tired, jaded vibe you usually saw in girls who practically lived at the club. They were fresh-faced, playful.

"Relax, relax! This is my bro, Axel!" Millers announced proudly, handing the girls off like prizes. "We're gonna tear up the dance floor. Let's go!"

After a few more drinks, Millers led the group away, leaving Axel alone again at the booth, sipping his drink.

That's when a soft, clear voice spoke up beside him. "Why aren't you dancing?"

He turned and saw a girl in a long white dress, her dark hair cascading down her back. She had a soft, natural beauty—big eyes, flawless skin—and carried herself with a quiet grace that felt completely out of place in a chaotic nightclub.

"My name's Rhea," she said with a gentle smile. She pointed toward the group Millers had taken to the dance floor. "I'm their classmate. They dragged me out here tonight."

It was obvious she didn't really fit in here either. She followed the others to the booth, noticed Axel sitting quietly, and saw a kindred spirit.

"I... can't dance," Axel admitted awkwardly.

Rhea's smile widened, and somehow it made her seem even more genuine. Here, where everyone was busy trying to show off, her simple honesty was like a breath of fresh air.

"Come on, it's easy. I'll teach you," she said lightly, already stepping onto the dance floor, waiting for him.

"First you move like this... and then like this."

Axel did his best to imitate her movements.

He really wasn't a dancer—but thanks to his sharp mental abilities as an awakener, he could mimic pretty much anything once he saw it.

Before long, he realized there was a wide-open space around them, and a lot of people were staring.

It wasn't because they were good.

It was because... whatever the hell they were doing didn't look like any normal dance.

Following her lead, Axel gradually realized something was off.

"What kind of dance is this? Why does it feel... weird?" he asked, puzzled.

Rhea noticed how seriously Axel was trying to follow her and couldn't help but laugh—softly, gracefully, like everything else about her.

"It's classical dance," she said with a playful twinkle in her eye.

Classical dance.
In the middle of a nightclub blasting heavy beats. No wonder people were staring.

With the wild, pounding music all around them, the two of them moving through slow, elegant steps looked absolutely ridiculous—and completely unforgettable.

But Rhea didn't seem to care. If anything, she found it fun to have someone actually playing along with her. Axel wasn't the type to worry about what other people thought either.

"Not bad at all," Millers said, not far away, exchanging a glance with Kaia.

Kaia smirked. "That girl's got a good vibe."

"Coming from you, that's a hell of a compliment," Millers laughed.

"Come on, stop being shy—drink up! These are yours tonight, haha!"

Before Kaia could reply, a sudden burst of raucous laughter broke out nearby.
Millers' face darkened as he turned toward the noise.

One of the girls who had been hanging around their group was being yanked away by a man with stark white hair from another booth.

"I said I don't want to drink! Let me go, asshole!" the girl shouted, struggling against him.

Her resistance only made her stand out more to the crowd. Most of the men lounging in nearby booths were the city's spoiled rich boys or off-duty wilderness hunters, and they were all used to this kind of scene.