Barrett nodded humbly. “But... if you were here the whole time, why didn’t you act sooner?”

Axel didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned toward the exhausted soldiers slumped nearby—some still shaking, others tending to light wounds.

Then he said quietly, “Look at them.”

They were scared, yes—but their eyes had changed. Harder. Sharper. There was something else there now: resolve.

“They’ll face more of these battles in the future,” Axel continued. “But they won’t always have someone like me around. Today was a rare chance.”

Blake exhaled slowly.

Barrett finally understood. He glanced at Kieran, who just shrugged with a smirk, as if to say Told you so.

.......

Soon after, Silas made his way over. Seeing the square littered with the corpses of mutant beasts, he finally let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Good work, Blake,” he said, patting him on the shoulder.

Blake shook his head. “Mayor Silas, if Axel hadn’t shown up when he did, we would’ve all been wiped out.”

“Huh?!”

Silas turned to Blake, stunned. Barrett nodded beside him. Silas’s gaze shifted to Axel—then lingered, disbelief flashing across his face.

How old is this kid again? Twenty?

“Mayor Silas.” Axel’s calm voice pulled him back to the moment.

“Yes—yes, I’m here,” Silas answered quickly, feeling a bit flustered.

“The slums have no real protection,” Axel said. “You’ll need to reinforce security outside the walls. This can’t happen again.”

Silas nodded emphatically, and Barrett and Blake quickly followed suit.

“I’ll let you handle the sweep. I’m going to look around a bit,” Axel added.

That strange pulse of unease from earlier had vanished. Still, it didn’t sit right with him.

“Was it just my imagination…?”

He moved across rooftops, eyes scanning the fractured landscape, killing the occasional straggler beast. Nothing out of the ordinary.

On his way, he passed by the place he and Annabelle had once called home.

He didn’t stop.

After finishing the perimeter sweep, Axel returned to find the cleanup mostly complete and the soldiers preparing to head back.

The operation was considered a success. No deaths—only two soldiers with fractures from when the blood wolves burst through the buildings.

Then, a small commotion stirred toward the back of the formation.

“What the hell is that?!” someone shouted in panic.

Laughter followed almost immediately.

“Just a couple of strays, you coward! You almost pissed yourself.”

The soldier who had raised the alarm turned red, grumbling as his comrades teased him.

Axel glanced back briefly, then moved on. Nothing serious.

Once they returned to the city, Axel thanked Silas and Barrett before heading home. Both men tried to offer him compensation for his help, but he declined. Dune wasn’t a wealthy city—he knew they needed the resources more than he did.

As they walked away, Olivia tugged Blake’s arm. “Why was the mayor so grateful to Axel? You’re the one who did all the work.”

Blake’s mouth twitched.

“Olivia… don’t say that again.”

“Huh? Why not?”

He let out a long sigh. “Because your classmate… is stronger than I am.”

“What?!”

Olivia blinked, stunned into silence. She simply couldn’t process that information.

.....

Not long after getting home, Axel’s phone buzzed.

It was Luke—captain of the Black Talon team, one of the Whisper Syndicate units sent to to hunt down the mutant dragon. He suggested meeting up for dinner at a restaurant next door.

Axel agreed, barely had time to sit down before heading out again.

.....

When he arrived, three people were already at the table.

Unsurprisingly, Luke was there. Sitting beside him was Zara, a familiar face from their mission to Shiverstone.

“Axel, there you are!” Luke greeted him with a wave. “Come, have a seat.”

“Axel! Long time no see,” Zara said warmly. She gave him a wide smile and waved him over.

But before Axel could sit down, the guy across from them leaned back in his chair with arms folded, giving him a long, appraising look.

He was in his twenties, clearly confident—by the way his eyes gleamed.

“So you’re Axel, huh?” he said, grinning. “Zara’s been hyping you up. Spar with me? Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Axel blinked, staring at the man with a flat expression.

You look like you’re Millers’ age. Seriously want to fight me?

“Joseph, knock it off.” Luke frowned and gave the younger man a sharp look. “Axel’s here to help with this mission—he’s not here to spar with you.”

Joseph gave a sullen grunt, but still stealing glances at Axel, and a flicker of stubborn curiosity remained in his eyes.

He didn’t like Zara—but she talked about Axel a little too often. He wanted to see what the big deal was.

“Axel, sorry to drag you into this while you're on break,” Luke said with a sheepish smile.

Axel shrugged with a calm smile. “It’s my job.”

Truthfully, he did want to go a few rounds with Joseph. When the guy flared a bit of Force just now, Axel noticed something surprising—while his overall volume of Force was weaker than Axel’s, the quality, the density of it… was on another level.

Luke leaned back and got to business. “Captain Lilith’s not here yet, so while we wait, let me fill you in.”

He tapped the table. “We’re hunting a Level 5 chromatic dragon. High intelligence. We've clashed with it a few times—it’s wounded, but every time it escapes, it doesn’t retreat into the wild. It heads toward populated areas instead. It’s like it’s intentionally staying within Krythos territory.”

Axel blinked. That’s odd.

A Level 5 mutant beast with that kind of power had no reason to linger near human settlements unless it had a purpose.

“Luckily, we’ve got a spiritual-type awakener and a True Eye instrument on our side—they’re able to keep tracking it through its aura. The thing’s smart, but not invisible. Right now, it’s within Dune’s jurisdiction.”

Luke’s face grew more serious. “The higher-ups want this thing dead, but the priority is containment. If possible, we need to take it down outside city walls. If it slips inside, we cannot let it get near civilians.”

Axel nodded. No argument there. At Level 5, its destructive power would tear through city blocks.

“This dragon can shapeshift into various other mutant beasts.”

“So if you spot it,” Luke added, locking eyes with him, “don’t engage. You call us.”

Axel gave a single nod in response.

Just then, a sweet, almost intoxicating scent drifted through the restaurant. Then came a voice—soft, velvety, with a playful lilt that sent a jolt through Axel’s spine.

“Oops, looks like I’m late. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Axel turned—and nearly did a double take.

A woman with long, flowing hair and a figure that could stop traffic sauntered into the room. Her smile was coy, her steps confident. It was winter, yet she wore a miniskirt and crop top that clung to her flawless, sculpted body. Her legs were pale and sleek, her waist tight, her bust unapologetically bold.

Axel stiffened. His heart skipped a beat. The air around her seemed... enchanted.

Even Luke looked mildly uncomfortable, offering a dry chuckle. “Lilith…”

Joseph, on the other hand, nearly drooled. “How could anyone blame you? Sit, please—right here!”

Lilith giggled, her fingers brushing her cheek as she tilted her head coyly. “Aww, you’re sweet. Should I sit next to you, then?”

Axel felt the strange pull again—as if denying her was some kind of moral failure. Her voice alone was enough to make his skin prickle. He couldn’t tell if it was pheromones, charm magic, or just raw aura.

Thankfully, the question wasn’t aimed at him. He wasn’t sure he could’ve said no.

Joseph, meanwhile, was practically vibrating with anticipation.

But just as Lilith took a step toward him, her smile twisted—and her aura shifted.

“Do you dare let me sit?” she asked coldly.

In an instant, the enchantment vanished. Her warmth, her allure—gone. The sultry seduction replaced by a cool, professional calm.

Joseph blinked in confusion, whiplashed. Axel felt the haze lift like smoke clearing from his mind.