Everton Universal Studios had a special entrance—reserved for those with special credentials.

This was one of the reasons Axel had joined the Whisper Syndicate.

…

“Sir, please proceed.”

After stepping through the special access gate, Axel and Annabelle entered what felt like a different world altogether.

In the past, just hearing about a place requiring immunization clearance would send them walking in the opposite direction. They were used to keeping their heads down, staying invisible. But not today.

“Brother!”

Annabelle’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at Axel, her excitement barely contained. She gripped his hand tightly, and he returned her gaze, calm and reassuring.

Grinning wide enough to show her little white canines, she released his hand and ran ahead with barely restrained excitement.

Watching her, Axel let out a breath.

.......

By the time the sun dipped low in the sky, painting the clouds gold and rose, the two of them had made it to the Harry Potter section of the park.

Annabelle's forehead glistened with sweat, her cheeks flushed from all the walking, but her eyes sparkled with a kind of pure wonder that made Axel smile without meaning to. Every ride, every animatronic, every shop window was a discovery to her—like magic had come alive for the first time.

Axel’s gaze shifted to the edge of the crowd and paused. There, not far from a food stall, was the same little girl with deer-like antlers they had seen earlier at the subway station. She was holding a steaming paper cup.

A menu was posted on the shop wall beside her. The first item listed: Pineapple Ice Cream – \$60.

“Sixty bucks?” Annabelle tugged on Axel’s sleeve. “That’s way too expensive.”

“Today, we spend what we want.” Axel paid without hesitation and handed her the ice cream with a small smirk.

Pfft. A harsh snort of laughter broke through the moment, followed by a mocking voice: “Shhh… ‘Spend what we want’... oh my god, that’s priceless.”

Axel’s expression froze, and Annabelle’s smile slipped. They turned to look.

Not far away, five young adults were lounging near the castle’s artificial lake, surrounded by platters of roast chicken and crispy pork elbows. The one who’d spoken was a guy with a shaved head—Carter, judging by the way the others addressed him.

A girl with a high ponytail nudged Carter in the ribs. “Cut it out. Don’t start shit.”

Carter just shrugged with a smirk. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

The girl—Isla—glanced over at Axel and Annabelle, her eyes apologetic. “Sorry about him.”

“Let’s just go,” Annabelle whispered, tugging lightly on Axel’s arm.

As they turned to leave, Carter leaned toward his friends with a grin. “Yo, what do you think the deal is with those two?”

The smirk in his voice was unmistakable. The other two guys laughed, catching on quickly.

“Probably not what it looks like, heihei....” one said.

“They don’t look related,” another added, eyeing the color of Annabelle’s hair. “And hers is obviously natural.”

Isla sighed loudly. “Don't joke! They’re clearly brother and sister.”

Carter tilted his head. “You sure? I’m just saying—”

“I said stop it,” Isla snapped. “And Carter, I warned you. Watch your damn mouth. We’re Stormwatch students now. You start shit with the wrong person here, and it’s not just your rep that gets burned.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Carter waved her off with a lazy hand. As he moved, the edge of his robe shifted, revealing the gold-dragon crest of Stormwatch Academy stitched across his chest.

The five of them weren’t just random tourists—they were freshmen from Stormwatch, one of the most elite institutions in the region. Like Axel, they’d come in through the special gate. But they had arrived earlier and staked out a spot by the water.

In a city like Everton, there are full of hidden talents and experts. But to the general public, students from Stormwatch were the elite—untouchable, born from money and bloodlines that opened doors others couldn’t even knock on.

“Brother, I want to check out that shop.” Annabelle pointed excitedly to a nearby store selling enchanted trinkets and wizarding props.

Axel nodded, watching her go. “Take your time. I’ll wait here.”

Axel hadn’t been resting long when he noticed the group of five—three guys, two girls—heading in his direction. They’d clearly seen him too, but Axel barely spared them a glance.

Something else had seized his attention. A scent—faint, metallic, unmistakable.

Blood. It was coming from inside the shop Annabelle had just entered.

The smell was so subtle it would’ve gone unnoticed by anyone without enhanced senses. But Axel wasn’t just anyone. With his force level nearing 700, his instincts had been sharpened to a razor's edge.

Shit. That’s an infected.

His face hardened. He’d dealt with infected before. Too many times. The pattern was always the same: blood, panic, and death.

He scanned the tourists nearby. No one had noticed anything wrong. Not yet. Just laughter, chatter, oblivious smiles.

Axel stood up, jaw clenched. If an infected had made it in here, it could be catastrophic. Packed crowds, kids, families—this place would become a slaughterhouse within minutes.

First step: evacuate. Find security, shut the area down. Contact local law enforcement.

How the hell did an infected get into a place like this?

But just as important—more urgent, even—was getting Annabelle out before it was too late. If the authorities showed up, there would be scanners and inspections. No way she’d pass through clean.

He turned and stared into the shop, trying to spot her, but the place was too crowded. He couldn’t see a damn thing.

Meanwhile, Carter and his little entourage had caught sight of him too.

“Why’s that guy runnin’ off like that? You scare him, Carter?” one of the girls giggled behind her hand, clearly amused.

“What can I say?” Carter puffed his chest. “I’m just that intimidating.”

Isla rolled her eyes. “You’re a student of the War Academy, not a frat boy. Try acting like it.”

Then, suddenly—A scream.

It cut through the air like a razor, high-pitched and raw. And then the blood.

A massive spray of it erupted over the nearby tourists. People froze, stunned, before the screaming spread like wildfire.

A towering figure—nearly three meters tall, skin split and scaled in sickly red—stood in the middle of the plaza.

A woman was impaled on its jagged arm. She wasn’t dead yet. Her mouth opened, trying to cry for help, her fingers twitching weakly.

And then the creature crushed her skull like an overripe fruit.

The sound—wet, crunching—was so visceral it froze several people in place.

“Infected!”

“Oh god, run! It’s an infected!”

Panic tore through the crowd. Laughter vanished, replaced by hysterical screams. Tourists scattered like ants, knocking over signs and strollers and food carts as they fled. A few people dropped where they stood, paralyzed by terror.

The monster tossed the woman’s body aside and lunged at the next closest victim.

Isla, Carter, and the others had gone pale. None of them ran, not yet—but no one moved either. Their legs were trembling, rooted in place.

“That… that was....,” one of the boys stammered. “What the fuck is that thing?”

“An infected,” Isla answered, her voice shaking but steady. “It’s an infected...”

“Run! We need to—”

“No.” Isla’s voice cracked with fear, but she forced herself to stand tall. “We’re Stormwatch students. We can’t just—just run like the rest of them! We need fight!”

But no one moved.

The scene of the woman’s head exploding played on a loop in their minds, paralyzing them with dread.

Then Axel saw her. Annabelle.

She was maybe twenty meters away from the infected, completely exposed. And beside her—a young girl, about her age, holding a Minion-shaped ice cream. The girl’s father stood nearby, trying to take a photo.

Axel’s breath caught in his throat.

The infected turned. Its muscles bunched. It roared and lunged forward.

Shit. Shit! Its claws were aimed right at the little girl’s chest.

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