“He’s a herbalist!” Axel had shifted back into beast form and was already nudging the sphere forward again. His voice echoed in Kaia’s mind through their mental link.

“Too dangerous for a kid,” Kaia replied, frowning as she looked at the thin child beside her.

Hearing about Killian’s situation made both Kaia and Rosaline soften instantly. Their gazes filled with sympathy.

“Hey, you hungry?” Millers pulled out a strip of beef jerky and handed it over casually. “Here, kid. Take it.”

Killian looked up, eyes bright. “Thank you, big bro.”

He took the jerky politely, chewing carefully as he glanced curiously at everyone inside the sphere.

They were out of the deeper mountains now. The air was lighter. The mutant beasts thinner, weaker. And for the first time in days, everyone’s shoulders began to relax.

.......

But deep in the Mirabelle Mountains, something else was stirring.

The Black-Scale Python thrashed in the muck, its scales coated with mud, its massive body coiled restlessly at the cave mouth. Madness burned in its eyes. Rage.

Several enormous serpents, each over ten meters long, slithered forward and hissed lowly beside it.

The Black-Scale Python suddenly froze.

Its head rose high, tongue flicking. And then—it howled.

HIIIIISSSSS!!!

The rasping shriek that tore from its throat was guttural and terrifying, vibrating the air itself.

Moments later, across dozens of kilometers, buried in swamps, ridges, and caves, massive mutant beasts stirred—eyes snapping open.

And they ran. Toward the city wall.

......

“Finally.”

Axel stepped out of the woods, the towering Mirabelle City wall rising like a fortress in the distance.

They’d made it.

Behind him, Vince exhaled deeply, taking in the sight with tired eyes. Rosaline stared up, jaw tense. Even Kaia’s usual humor was muted by awe.

A week ago, they’d believed they’d never see it again. Now, it was within reach.

“Let’s go,” Axel said, transforming back into his human form and pulling his clothes on. He straightened his back and led the group out of the trees and into the clearing ahead.

The wild gave way to a rocky plain, and soon they’d be in range of the outer guard posts.

“Finally home. I would give golden apples for you all.”

“I’ll throw in a feast,” Kaia added with a laugh, ruffling Killian’s hair.

From Vince, Axel learned the truth behind the so-called golden apple. Its real name was Energy Fruit—the primary ingredient in crafting Earth Element Pills. It could significantly boost a child’s chances of awakening their abilities. In the upper circles of society, it was priceless.

“One apple goes for a million dollars on the private market,” Vince explained. “The rich and powerful feed them to their kids like vitamins—starting as early as seven or eight, one every month.”

A million per fruit?

But Killian had said that The official city price for each one was only ten thousand. Axel’s heart sank.

Less than ten kilometers from the city wall, Axel stumbled across something else.

Before leaving the city, he had left several life crystals—hoping to return for them one day. But now, some were gone. The rest had shrunk to barely a tenth of their original size.

“What the hell?” Axel muttered, lifting one between his fingers. “These things... deteriorate?”

It was the first time he’d ever seen this happen. Until now, he’d assumed life crystals were stable—perfect for long-term storage or recovery on the battlefield.

If they decayed with time or ambient exposure, then all his plans to collect crystals from major battle zones were suddenly worthless.

......

They were now close enough that the city wall’s defenders should’ve spotted them. Axel gathered his Force and projected his voice outward in a sharp, powerful beam:

“Open the gate!”

The shout echoed across the rocky plains, reaching the massive steel walls of Mirabelle like a shockwave.

Up on the wall, a group of guards lazily playing cards jerked to attention.

“What the hell was that?!”

“Someone’s out there—check the scopes!”

One soldier lifted a pair of military binoculars and gasped. “No way… those are Syndicate officers! That’s Mr. Vince down there!”

The group erupted into noise. Vince and his team had been assumed dead long ago. Their early exploits had earned them a reputation—many guards still remembered their fierce stand on the frontline.

Troy, a grizzled platoon leader in his forties, rushed forward and leaned over the edge. “Holy shit, they’re alive!”

A younger officer hesitated. “Should we… report it first?”

“Open it,” Troy snapped, then paused. “Wait… yeah. Shit. Report it.”

Opening the city gates wasn’t easy. The energy shield that protected the wall required layered clearance—from security, the military council, and internal affairs.

Troy got the message up the chain immediately. Within moments, the news reached the ears of two people who were the last to want this development:

Cody and Jude.

“What did you just say?” Cody’s voice cracked as he stood up, his face draining of color.

“They’re back,” the messenger repeated. “Axel, Vince, the entire Whisper Syndicate team… alive.”

Jude nearly dropped the glass of wine in his hand. The room went still.

Cody looked like a man seeing his execution papers. “Shit... what do we do now? If they report what I did back then—I’m done! I’m fucking dead!”

“Don’t panic,” Jude snapped. “Tell the wall guards we can’t verify their identity. Stall them. Say the gate can’t be opened without confirmation.”

He grabbed his coat. “Come with me—we’re going to the wall.”

Back on the wall, Troy’s jaw clenched as he heard the order relayed.

“You’re joking, right?” he growled. “That’s Mr. Vince—THE chief of Whisper Syndicate—down there! He’s a damn hero!”

“Sorry, sir,” the comms officer said grimly. “Orders from Jude and Cody. Do not open the gate until they arrive.”

Troy slammed his hand on the railing. “Fucking politics…”

But he knew better than to act without authorization. All he could do now was wait—and watch Vince and his people slowly approach the gate.

.....

Cody and Jude reached the top of the city wall in less than a minute, their Awakened speed turning them into gusts of wind.

Jude didn’t hesitate. His voice echoed across the walls.

“No one is allowed to open the gate! Those people below were killed by Black-Scale Python. This is a trick! It’s the mutant beasts mimicking their forms!”

A wave of confusion spread among the guards.

“What the hell’s going on up there?” Millers squinted toward the city wall, confused.

That’s when they saw them—Cody and Jude, standing at the top of the city gate like crows waiting for a funeral.

Axel narrowed his eyes, pulled out the phone he hadn’t used in days, and powered it on. He fired off a single message.

But before anyone could even breathe—

“BOOM.”

The ground shook beneath their feet, a low, building rumble echoing from behind them.

“What the fuck was that?!” Millers snapped, whipping his head around.

Before anyone could answer, a terrifying roar tore through the air—loud enough to split stone.

“ROARRRRR!”

Kaia’s face turned white as a sheet. Her mental detection surged outward like sonar, and what she found nearly made her stumble.

“Level 5 mutant beast… an Armored Bull. And a Mountain Dragon. No—three Mountain Dragons! All level five!”

Everyone froze.

“Distance?” Vince’s voice was ice.

“Ten kilometers. Maybe less.”

They all exhaled shakily. Just enough time—if the gate opened now.

The city walls were only three kilometers away. Close enough that they could see the guards’ expressions.

Vince stepped forward and shouted up at the wall. “Jude! Open the damn gate!”

Jude raised an eyebrow and called back with a smug smirk.

“Sorry, we can’t verify your identity. You’ll have to wait until a mental-type Awakened can confirm you.”

Cody stepped up beside him, wearing that same shit-eating grin. “You understand, right? Just being cautious.”

Millers lost it. “Are you fucking INSANE?!”