Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Outside the private room, Ryder and a group of local Dune students were chatting idly.

When they saw Axel arrive, someone's eyes lit up. "Yo! Axel's here!"

The chatter stopped. Everyone turned.

"Axel! Glad you made it, man," Ryder greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hey," Axel nodded politely.

But even as he responded, he could feel someone staring at him—too directly.

"Axel, what's your level now?" a sharp voice broke in.

Knight. Of course. He was sizing Axel up with an expression that practically screamed I want to spar right now.

Axel gave him a flat look. "If you're asking about cultivation… I'm probably ahead of you."

He said it casually and walked right past him.

Knight's pupils contracted. He was stunned silent for a moment, but his fists clenched at his sides.

Ryder stepped in quickly, grabbing Knight by the arm and laughing to break the tension.

"Knight, relax. You'll get your chance to compare notes. No need to stir things up before the party even starts."

"…Fine," Knight muttered, but his eyes never left Axel's back.

Ryder looked satisfied. "Good."

"Axel!"

He didn't need to guess who that was—Cassia.

She waved him over with a grin, already seated at the long table. Axel smiled and took the seat beside her.

Drayke was there too. He hadn't powered up much, but he had definitely packed on some weight.

Cassia, on the other hand, had changed a lot. Axel could feel it immediately. Her energy was stronger, more refined. She had to be nearing the peak of Level 1 now.

"Busy man," Cassia teased. "Took an act of god to get you here."

Axel smiled faintly. "Cassia, come on. You know why I've been tied up."

Only Cassia knew about his recruitment into the Whisper Syndicate. Not even Drayke or Storm had been told.

Cassia leaned in a little, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "So? What level are you at now?"

Axel thought for a moment. "Level 3. Maybe 4."

Drayke, who had just shoved a piece of roast meat into his mouth, nearly choked.

Cassia stared at him, her lips twitching. "What the hell do you mean '3 or 4'? Pick a number. That's not how it works."

The party officially kicked off.

Ryder rose from his seat and clinked his glass.

"Alright, everyone. I have something to bring up while we're all here."

He looked around at the familiar faces, his voice confident but serious.

"With the way things are going, war could break out at any time. One person alone won't be enough to deal with what's coming. That's why I've decided to form the Dune Awakener Alliance."

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A few murmurs went up around the room.

"I don't just mean students like us," Ryder continued. "I want all Dune awakeners—regardless of age or affiliation—to join. We need to stand together."

He lifted a hand. "If you're in, raise your hand."

There was a moment of silence. Then, slowly, hands started going up. One after another.

In the end, everyone raised their hand—except for two people.

Axel.

And Drayke.

Drayke wasn't an awakener, so no one gave him a second look.

But Axel? He stood out like a sore thumb.

Ryder noticed immediately. His brows creased just slightly.

"Axel," he said, voice cool, "you didn't raise your hand. Got a problem with it?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on him.

Axel sighed inwardly. He actually liked the idea. Ryder's plan made sense. But…

"I don't really have the time right now," Axel said calmly.

Ryder studied him for a moment, then nodded.

He'd half-expected Axel to challenge his position, to pull rank or something.

"Got it," Ryder said with a small smile.

Just then, a mocking voice cut through the conversation.

"Axel's a genius, remember? Of course he wouldn't want to mingle with the rest of us."

Axel turned his head slightly, eyes cool. "That's a meaningless thing to say."

"Oh? Sounding pretty confident there," Knight replied with a smirk. "Why don't you put that to the test—want to go a round?"

Knight had been waiting for a chance like this. He stood up, eyes glinting.

But before Axel could speak, another voice snapped out.

"Enough. You want to fight so badly? Then fight me, Knight!"

Cassia shot to her feet, eyes blazing.

Knight paused, thrown off. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but then his confidence returned. He sneered, "Oh? Letting a woman take your place? Fine by me."

Before the tension could rise further, a light, teasing voice called from the doorway.

"My, my… things are getting rowdy in here."

Everyone turned to look.

Olivia stepped in gracefully, dressed in a stylish winter coat, her arm looped through the much more mature-looking Blake's. Heads turned immediately.

"Olivia! You're here!" someone called out.

"Is that Mr. Blake?"

"Wait—isn't he a Level 3 Awakened?!"

Whispers rippled across the room, with admiring glances shooting toward Blake from all directions.

But Blake ignored them all. His eyes found Axel, and a rare, sincere smile appeared.

"Axel!"

He guided Olivia past the others and walked straight to Axel's side. "Mind if I sit here?"

Ryder blinked in surprise but nodded reflexively.

"You two know each other?" someone asked.

Blake nodded. "Yeah. We met recently."

There was a pause. A quiet ripple of confusion and curiosity passed through the room before the atmosphere slowly relaxed again.

Under Ryder's careful hosting, the party picked up once more—jokes, laughter, drinks clinking.

But Axel felt it again. That sudden jolt of unease. A faint, inexplicable throb deep in his senses.

That same unsettling feeling he'd gotten during the hunt outside the city.

"Excuse me," Axel muttered. He stood and left the room, heading down the stairs without another word.

Once outside, he expanded his mental field carefully.

Nothing. The strange energy vanished again.

Axel narrowed his eyes. Whoever's doing this… they're stronger than me.

He retracted his force immediately, suppressing his presence and going completely still.

Footsteps behind him.

"Axel? What are you doing out here?" Drayke called from the stairwell.

He and Cassia came down, catching sight of him.

Drayke raised an eyebrow. "Come on, man. Don't let those guys piss you off. Let's go back and have a few more drinks."

Cassia stepped closer, crossing her arms. "Seriously. Don't be angry!"

Axel smiled faintly, about to respond, when something else pulled at his senses.

Then Drayke's voice piped up again. "Wait… where'd that dog come from?"

From the shadows of a nearby alley, a thin, ragged-looking stray dog ambled out into the light. Its eyes were dull, its fur patchy. It looked barely alive.

Cassia grimaced, waving her hand in front of her nose. "Ugh, gross. It stinks. Let's just—"

"Wait a sec…" Drayke pointed. "Is that dog just… walking past those bones? What kind of stray doesn't stop to sniff a bone?"

The wild dog froze mid-step, then slowly turned its head, sniffed the bone... and finally bit down.

Axel stood motionless, eyes locked on the dog's ragged back.

Something felt wrong.

The dog hadn't shown the slightest interest in the bone at first. It only went back after hearing Drayke comment on it. As if it understood.

Before Axel could process that thought fully, more strays appeared—skinny, hairless, and feral. They skulked in from behind the alley, growling lowly as they saw the first dog eating alone.

A second later, they lunged, howling and snarling in a chaotic frenzy.

"What's going on?" Drayke asked, puzzled.

"Axel?" Cassia followed with concern.

Axel turned around slowly. "It's fine," he said flatly. "Just a few wild dogs."

Cassia and Drayke exchanged glances. He was deadly serious.

"Let's go," Axel added. Neither Cassia nor Drayke asked anything more—they simply followed him quietly back inside the restaurant.

As soon as they stepped into the warm glow of the lobby, Axel raised a hand to signal silence. Then, without a word, he pulled out his phone and typed out a message:

> "Get upstairs immediately. Tell all students to move. Evacuate every resident within a 3-kilometer radius—now."

Cassia read it. Her heart dropped. Whatever Axel had noticed, he wasn't even willing to say it out loud. That meant it could be listening.