Axel was genuinely happy to see him. In the whirlwind of blood and chaos, Skye’s familiar face felt like an anchor to simpler days.

“You bastard, you really joined the Whisper Syndicate!” Skye laughed, slapping him on the back. “I knew you were talented, but damn!”

Just then, Annabelle approached, brushing her hair back as she stepped forward. “Uncle Skye.”

Skye turned, surprised. “Annabelle? You’ve grown taller again!” he said warmly, bending to ruffle her hair.

Knox raised a brow. “You two know each other?”

“Hell yeah. Same hometown,” Skye said proudly. “Watched this kid grow up.”

Knox chuckled, but quickly turned to the scene. “Alright then. You catch up, we’ll process the site.”

“Got it.” Skye wrapped an arm around Axel’s shoulders like they were still in Dune. “Man, you’re a beast now. How long’s it been since we saw each other?”

“It’s been good. How about you?”

Skye gave a half-hearted shrug. “I got promoted, thanks to you, actually. But if I knew it came with this much red tape, I might’ve said no.”

His gaze shifted to the gory remains of the two infected creatures. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “You hit Level Three?”

Axel blinked. Skye’s senses weren’t sharp enough to feel his level… so how had he figured it out?

“I’m not quite there yet,” Axel said. “But close.”

Skye gave a low whistle. “Shit. You’re the real deal.”

By examining the size and mutations of the infected corpses, Skye had roughly estimated their level. Then, by comparison, he'd guessed Axel's strength.

A younger officer jogged up and saluted Knox. “Captain—scene report. Five fatalities. No signs of additional infected. We’re conducting immunity checks on the nearby civilians now.”

Knox exhaled slowly. Two infected, only five dead.

That was a miracle.

If Axel hadn’t been here, the death toll would’ve been in the dozens. Maybe more.

He turned back to Axel, his voice formal again. “Mr. Axel—on behalf of Everton law enforcement and every civilian in this city… thank you.”

He saluted, and the rest of the officers followed.

Axel nodded. “Just doing my job.”

Knox looked around. “There’s still cleanup to handle tonight. Mr. Axel, would you do us the honor of joining us for dinner tomorrow?”

Others nearby perked up. Whisper Syndicate members outranked every local authority short of the top brass. If they could build a connection here, it could benefit them for years.

But Axel shook his head. “Sorry. I’ve got a new mission tomorrow.”

Knox's smile faltered. “That’s a shame. But if you’re ever back in Everton, let us know. We’ll clear our schedules.”

“I will.”

On the other side of the scene, cleanup crews had already started collecting the bodies—both the innocent victims and the infected alike.

Axel glanced over, brow furrowing. “They’re not going to destroy the infected on-site?”

He remembered how things were handled back in Dune. Infected bodies were usually melted right there on the spot—quick, clean, and final.

Skye shook his head. “Everton’s got more red tape. Here, they run blood tests to identify who the infected used to be. Sometimes they can even trace how the infection started.”

Axel nodded slowly. Made sense. Slower, but more thorough.

“You’ve got a mission ahead, so I won’t keep you.” Skye gave a casual wave. “Once you’re back in Dune, we’ll grab a meal.”

“Definitely,” Axel said, then turned to Knox. “Captain, we’ve still got things to take care of. Do we need to go through any processing before we go?”

Knox gave a warm smile and shook his head. “What are you talking about? Mr. Axel—safe travels.”

Axel nodded. “Thanks. Captain Knox, Mr. Skye—we’ll be off.”

He took Annabelle’s hand, and the two of them began walking away as the sky dimmed into twilight.

But they hadn’t gone far before a voice called out behind them.

“Ax—Mr. Axel, wait up!”

It was the five students from earlier—three guys, two girls. Carter stood at the front, cheeks flushed. Isla gave him a shove from behind.

He stepped forward, nervous. “Mr. Axel… I’m sorry,” he said, looking down. “I laughed at you before. That was… I was an idiot. You’re incredible. If you wanted to teach me a lesson, I’d deserve it.”

Axel blinked. He saw the shame in their expressions—and a small smile tugged at his lips.

Before they could say more, Axel simply turned and continued walking, hand still in Annabelle’s.

The five of them stared after him, confused and a little deflated. “…Did he just ignore us?”

But as the sun set behind them, casting long shadows of the pair ahead, Axel suddenly raised a hand over his shoulder and waved without turning back.

Their eyes lit up.

“He waved!” Carter grinned, immediately waving back with both arms. “You think we’ll see him again?”

“If we train hard enough, we will,” Isla answered with a determined smile.

......

At the hotel, Axel sat by the bed, gently wrapping gauze around Annabelle’s wrist. He even tied it into a neat little bow.

“I’m fine, brother,” Annabelle said with a wide grin, her voice light with pride.

Axel held two life crystals in his hand, rolling them between his fingers. A quiet breath escaped his lips—relief. Annabelle was healing faster than expected. It had only been a couple of hours, and the deep cut had already scabbed over.

“What are you smiling about?”

Annabelle snapped out of her thoughts, her grin softening. “I was just thinking… this is what it feels like to save someone.”

She tilted her head, recalling the father and daughter sobbing in each other’s arms. That moment was still fresh in her heart. “It feels… kinda good.”

“You did good, Annabelle,” Axel said, ruffling her hair. “You’re growing up.”

She leaned against his shoulder, her voice quiet. “Do you think Dad would be proud… if he knew what happened today?”

Axel’s smile faded slightly. “Yeah,” he said softly. “He would.”

His thoughts drifted to the secret compartment back home. It had been moved. There were very few people who even knew it existed—aside from their father.

......

Far away, in the windswept mountains of the northwest plateau, an armored vehicle caked in mud crawled along a narrow mountain road.

Inside, Millers was behind the wheel. The others—Vince, Kaia, Phoenix, Rosaline—were half-dozing in the back, recovering between shifts. They’d been running this mission for days, hunting down a dangerous fugitive. Everyone was exhausted.

Suddenly, Millers’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen—and a wicked grin slowly crept across his face. Everyone else was still half-asleep.

He slowed the vehicle down a notch and adopted a grim tone. “Guys… something happened.”

That got everyone’s attention. Vince sat up immediately. “What is it?”

Rosaline’s eyes flew open, anxiety already rising. “What happened to Axel?!”

Millers kept his poker face. “It’s bad…”

Kaia leaned forward. “Spit it out.”

Millers said in a low, serious voice: “He made a major contribution. Took down two infected. Saved a ton of people.”

Silence.

Then Kaia’s brow twitched. “…That’s good news. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I am a serious man,” Millers said with a straight face, then immediately cracked up laughing. “Come on, that was gold!”

He didn’t laugh long.

Because everyone in the vehicle was staring at him like they were ready to kill.

“You’ve got a death wish, huh?” Kaia growled, grabbing his ear.

“Millers!” Rosaline hissed, grinding his name through clenched teeth.

Phoenix stretched, cracking his knuckles one by one with a menacing smile.

Millers’s face turned pale. “Guys—guys! Chill! I’m driving! You wouldn’t really—”

Nobody cared. He turned to Vince for backup.

But Vince just looked out the window and said calmly, “Nice weather tonight.”

A beat passed. Then Millers’s panicked scream echoed through the armored car.

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