Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Just then, a strange unease clawed at Axel's chest.

He looked up. The chromatic dragon lay still in the distance, clearly dead—But its body… was swelling.

Before Axel could process it, Luke and Lilith both turned at the same time. Luke's eyes widened.

"Get down!" he shouted.

Axel felt a hard tug on his arm—Luke yanked him behind a large slab of concrete just as—

BOOM!

A sickening explosion rang out from the dragon's corpse.

Blood—black, thick, reeking—erupted into the air like a geyser, drenching the street in a hot, red rain. The sky darkened with it. The blood hissed as it hit surfaces, vaporizing into a crimson mist that spread outward like a storm cloud.

A blood cloud.

"Force barrier! Now!" Luke shouted. "Contain that shit—quickly! That's not a wild mutant! It's a tamed beast from the Holy Light Organization!"

Axel froze. Tamed? The Holy Light Organization?

He watched, still crouched behind cover, as the Syndicate members scrambled to deploy the force barrier. As the protective dome locked into place around the vaporous red cloud, Luke muttered something about pre-prepped disinfectant packs.

Thirty minutes later, the team returned. They wore thick, black hazard suits and gas masks. The blood cloud was gone, neutralized.

Luke walked over, holding a small golden token—square-shaped and slick with dried blood.

Axel stared. "What the hell was that?"

Luke let out a low breath and gave him a look. "It's okay. Most people don't."

He dropped onto a nearby stone, lit a cigarette, and exhaled slowly.

"That beast back there wasn't from the wild. It was bred—by an Awakened in the Holy Light Organization."

Axel blinked. "They… breed these things?"

"Yeah," Luke said. "That was a fuckin' lab rat."

"The Holy Light Organization," Luke continued, "they're lunatics. Fanatics. You want to understand them? You need to understand the infected."

He held up four fingers. "Guess how many Awakened have turned infected since the outbreak started?"

Axel thought a moment. "Forty thousand?"

Luke gave a bitter chuckle and blew a smoke ring. "Four *hundred* thousand."

Axel's stomach turned. That was four hundred thousand soldiers. Powers. Gone.

"Krythos' policy on infection is simple: Kill on sight," Luke said. "No hesitation. I've seen it myself—comrades forced to kill teammates who lost control chasing power."

"And if I ever become infected," Luke added, "I expect the same.."

He paused, then flicked ash from the cigarette.

"But here's the thing everyone forgets—those infected? They had families. Parents. Kids. Siblings. Wives."

"And a Level 3 or 4 Awakened? They're often the sole pillar of support."

Axel finally started to piece it together.

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"That's how the Holy Light Organization started, isn't it?" he said slowly.

Luke nodded. "Bingo."

"Thirty years ago, it was just a grieving support group. Their philosophy? 'The infected aren't monsters. Just temporarily possessed.' They pushed back against state-sanctioned executions. Wanted infected to be contained, not killed."

Axel quietly nodded. It didn't sound like a bad idea. At least not at first.

"But as more and more people were put down… and the government's stance got harsher, the Holy Light movement got more radical. Violent. Their doctrine shifted."

"They wanted to spread the infection. To cleanse the world. Force humanity to 'evolve.'"

Axel didn't speak. The idea was horrifying. If everyone became infected… what would be left of humanity?

A terrifying thought flickered through his mind—Annabelle.

His little sister. She was infected. But not like the others. She was different. In control. But if the Organization ever found out about her…

"They're dangerous as hell," Luke muttered. "The reason so many cities were overrun a few years ago? It wasn't random outbreaks. It was them."

"In recent years," Luke continued, "they've been pushed back hard. Official suppression. Mass raids. And now? Anyone infected gets put down, and their families are placed under surveillance, given counseling, financial aid, all that."

Axel didn't answer. His eyes were dark. Cold. He didn't care how "well-meaning" the system was. If anyone tried to lay a hand on Annabelle…He would burn the world down first.

"Is the Holy Light Organization really that big of a threat?" Axel asked quietly.

Luke's expression turned grim. He paused, then said, "About four years ago, they developed something—something seriously fucked up. A potion."

He gestured toward the remains of the chromatic dragon. "That thing was dosed with it. When it died, it detonated. The blood cloud? That wasn't just gore—it was a concentrated infection source. If we hadn't neutralized it fast enough, Dune would've turned into a slaughterhouse."

Axel's gut tightened.

So that's what the blood cloud was...

These people weren't just extremists. They were maniacs playing god with biological warfare.

"And get this—whoever can command a level five peak mutant like that isn't some grunt. Someone with real authority in Krythos. That's what makes them so terrifying."

Luke's tone lowered.

"If you ever encounter a blood cloud like that again, purify it immediately. The HQ will provide you with the proper neutralizers once we're back. If you breathe in too much of it…"

He didn't finish the sentence.

Axel swallowed hard. It was the first time he'd heard of an infection that could affect Awakened. He thought they were immune.

Then Luke pulled something from his coat pocket—an object wrapped in a bloodstained cloth. He unfolded it slowly and showed Axel a golden, square token.

"This," Luke said, "is the mark of the president of the Holy Light Organization. Name's Liorael. Their so-called 'spiritual leader.'"

Axel leaned in. Then froze.

The face carved on the token was hard and weathered—scarred down the left cheek, unshaven, around forty-five, maybe forty-six. Cold eyes. Grim mouth.

But it was unmistakable. It looked exactly like his father.

No. This had to be a mistake. It couldn't be...

Luke kept talking. "He's the one credited with developing their high-risk infection source. The blood cloud formula.."

"But he's dead," Luke added casually. "Three or four years ago. Got taken out by a military commander.."

"Dead?" Axel repeated numbly.

His heart pounded in his ears. That timing. Three and a half years ago. Right when their father was declared missing.

Luke clapped him on the back. "Anyway—congrats. You're racking up quite the list of accomplishments."

But Axel barely heard him. He stood there in silence as the city swirled around him—Silas coordinating rescue efforts, Luke reporting to headquarters, students and officers swarming the blast zone.

Axel said nothing to anyone.

He just walked. Slowly, through the side alleys, alone.

........

By the time he made it home, the street was quiet. His door was lit by warm red glow—decorative lights Annabelle had put up.

"Brother, you're back!" she called out, her voice bright.

Axel tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He collapsed onto the sofa, exhaling like he'd just come back from war.

Annabelle, always sensitive to his moods, sat next to him without a word and gently took his hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Axel didn't speak right away. Then he pulled out the golden token.

"Annabelle… do you recognize this man?"

She took it in both hands, examined it—and then.

"Dad?" she whispered, voice trembling. Her fingers tightened around the token. "Where did you get this? Is… is there news about Dad?"

Axel's jaw tightened.

"I found it on a chromatic dragon. It was carrying this. Luke said the man on it is the spiritual leader of the Holy Light Organization. Liorael."

He explained everything—about the beast, the potion, the blood cloud. About what Luke told him. About the man who'd supposedly been killed three years ago.

The same time their father vanished.

As he spoke, the light faded from Annabelle's face. The joy drained away, replaced by something hollow.

"This can't be," she said. "Brother, maybe it's just someone who looks like him?"

"I thought so too," Axel said quietly. "I even wondered if Dad had a twin. But he never mentioned one."

"And the dates line up too perfectly."

Annabelle didn't respond.

Axel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"If this is true… then we're in more danger than we ever imagined."