Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Moments later, Phoenix walked in, cheerfully holding a bowl of freshly cut fruit.

"Axel! Man, you're finally okay!" he said with a grin.

Rosaline crossed her arms, said flatly and coldly. "You really should apologize to Phoenix."

Phoenix blinked, confused. "Huh? Why?"

"Alright," Rosaline said, exasperated. "Start talking."

......

"…I have a friend named Zane. His awakening skill is called Strange Face…"

.....

"…This is when people let their guard down. When they start to feel confident. That's the moment they're most likely to act…"

As Axel wrapped up the explanation, Millers and Kaia sat back, exchanging glances. Rosaline also had a complicated look. "You were gambling on Phoenix showing up at the exact right time. If he was late even by a second, you'd be dead."

Axel took a breath. "Yeah. I miscalculated. I didn't expect that Level 4 to be that powerful."

Seeing the look of real unease in his eyes, their tension finally softened. If everything had gone perfectly, it would've felt scripted—unreal.

Millers looked at him with a half-smile, half-awe. "Still... damn. That was one hell of a plan." Phoenix, Kaia, and Millers all stared at Axel, admiration plain on their faces.

Rosaline wasn't having it. "What are you all gawking at? He nearly died!" she snapped.

Axel bowed slightly again. "I take full responsibility. I should've told you."

The room fell quiet for a second, the tension finally easing.

"You say that," Rosaline said, folding her arms, "but you're definitely going to do the same thing again next time, aren't you?"

That caught Axel off guard. His mouth opened... then shut. Because yeah—if the same situation came again, he would make the same call.

That only made Rosaline angrier.

Vince stepped in before things got heated again. "Axel, you're sharp. We all know that. You've got the guts to pull off things most people wouldn't even try."

He scratched the back of his head. "But a team works *because* we share burdens. You don't have to carry everything yourself."

"Hey, who said Axel's the only smart one around?" Kaia muttered, rolling her eyes. "I've got brains too."

Vince shot her a look, but then turned back to Axel, more serious now.

"Look… you're probably going to pull something like this again. But at least let one of us in next time. Me. Rosaline. Someone."

He met Axel's eyes. "If anything goes off-script, and we don't know what the hell you were doing, we can't save you. Everything falls apart."

Axel held his gaze for a beat, then nodded slowly. "Understood, Captain."

"There's one more thing," Vince said, shifting the conversation. "Your original veins' expanded. You need to keep absorbing Force to stabilize it. I'll give you the original veins training method, and with that, you'll most likely be able to stabilize your River-level original veins."

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River-level? Axel froze. He thought his original veins was still at the Creek-level.

Vince nodded, seemingly reading Axel's thoughts. "We've never seen anything like this before."

He continued, "Also, your phone's dead. I bought you a new one. And we added the original veins and combat methods, you're now in debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Axel's eyes nearly popped out. He distinctly remembered having some money left over after buying the original veins training method. And what was this about a combat method?

"Don't get too confused," Vince chuckled, noticing Axel's disbelief. "Awakeners need money. You don't have a choice in this."

Vince went on, "Even though Awakeners are physically stronger than normal humans, our fighting skills aren't automatic. We need to learn them. Take my awakening skill for example. It's called Physical Advancement, but it's not exactly a combat technique. So I still need a combat method."

Axel listened closely now, intrigued.

Vince continued, "The combat method is a guide put together by a group of the top Awakeners in Krythos. It's packed with attack techniques—punches, kicks, body movements—and weapon combat like swordplay, guns, and even sticks. It's kind of like an advanced version of Muay Thai."

This was the first time Axel had heard of such a thing.

"Official price?" Vince smiled. "Six million dollars. But you're getting the internal price. That's 50% off!"

Axel's mouth twitched. Six million?! He was really in debt now. But if he trained in this method, maybe he'd be able to take on someone like Harrison without breaking a sweat.

"Actually, your total debt is six million," Vince said casually. "Phoenix also gave you his life-saving Life Pill. That's worth five million, if not him you're even further in the hole."

Axel's face fell. The crushing weight of his debts started to hit him. He glanced at Annabelle beside him, relieved that he still had a little money left in a separate account. Enough to take her out at least. That was something.

"On top of that…" Vince added, "You need to be prepared. You're going to be court-martialed."

What? Axel's heart skipped a beat. Court-martialed?

"Why?" Axel's brows furrowed. "It was Maxen who ambushed me. I killed him for self-defense. There's no reason to punish me."

Rosaline snorted, sensing Axel's confusion. "So now you're scared? Expulsion might be lenient, but if they decide to press charges, you'll end up in jail."

Axel's mouth went dry. Was he really in that much trouble?

Vince's expression turned serious. "Don't scare him, Rosaline. Axel, it's not as simple as you think."

Axel barely had time to process this before Rosaline continued. "Now that you've awakened, we'll be heading to Everton to report tomorrow."

"Why?" Axel's brow furrowed. "Phoenix killed Maxen to protect me."

Rosaline looked at him, her tone flat. "Not just Phoenix. The entire Obsidian team. The way you handled it was clean, yes, but you still didn't take that Level 4 awakener seriously enough."

"A Level 4 awakener is a bureau-level leader in a medium-sized city. On the border, they could lead a military defense!"

Rosaline looked at Axel with that hard edge of hers. "You may have used the rules to your advantage, but you're forgetting—the rules are made by people. And if those people think you went too far…"

Axel went pale. "So they are going to bypass the law for me?"

Rosaline's gaze softened slightly. "If they feel your actions were too extreme, don't be surprised if the Whisper Syndicate gives you the boot."

Axel's mind raced. If they kick me out of the Whisper Syndicate, he would live in the dark with Annabelle again. No protection for Annabelle or me...

Vince cleared his throat, noticing Axel's concern. "Axel, don't overthink it. It shouldn't be that bad. After all, the other side attacked first."

Rosaline sighed, brushing her hand through her hair. "Right. Anyway, we'll deal with it tomorrow. Rest now."

One by one, the others filed out, leaving Axel alone with Annabelle. The two siblings stared at each other for a long moment, the silence thick with unspoken words. Finally, Annabelle stepped forward, gently tracing the scar on Axel's body.

"Does it hurt, brother?" she whispered.

Axel smiled faintly, brushing her flaxen hair out of her face. "It's healed now. No pain. But you've grown taller, Annabelle."

Annabelle blinked, her face flushing as she rubbed the back of her fingers nervously. "Really?"

"Of course," Axel grinned. "You're growing up so fast."

"I'm not a kid anymore!" she huffed, a pout on her face.

Axel chuckled softly. "I know. But you're always going to be my little sister."

There was a pause, and then Axel spoke again, his voice quieter. "Annabelle… How did you know that crystal inside my body?"

Annabelle hesitated, avoiding his gaze. "I… I activated the awakening skill."

Axel's heart thudded. "No one noticed?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Axel let out a breath of relief, but the gnawing worry still lingered. What would happen if anyone found out? Infected were the biggest taboo in Krythos. Anyone associated with them... well, they wouldn't survive long.

Axel glanced out the door. He'd need to prepare for the worst. If he was expelled, his next stop would be Bloodstone Warfare School.