From a distance, Axel spotted Vince waiting in a quiet courtyard and waved.

“Captain, where are we?” Axel asked as he approached. Beyond the courtyard stretched a dense pine forest, its trees bowed under snow.

“Once Mr. Charles finishes his tribute, we’ll head out,” Vince said quietly.

Beneath the trees stood three gray marble gravestones. Charles knelt beside them, speaking in a low murmur that was lost to the wind.

“This is his home,” Vince explained. “His wife, son, and daughter-in-law are buried here.”

Axel froze. He hadn’t expected this. Charles—who’d seemed so upbeat, so solid—was standing in front of his family’s graves.

Vince’s voice softened. “You ever wonder why Mr. Charles never came back to the team?”

Axel nodded silently.

“It wasn’t because he was hurt,” Vince continued. “Back then, he was Obsidian’s acting captain. When Rosaline and I broke through to Level Five, he started stepping back, taking fewer missions. Millers and Kaia were both personally trained by him.”

He fell silent, eyes drifting toward Charles, who still sat by the gravestones, a cigarette burning between his fingers, lips moving in quiet conversation with the dead.

The man had personally put down his infected wife.

Axel’s chest tightened.

He glanced over his shoulder at Annabelle, who was laughing softly as she built a snowman near the fence, her hair catching the light like a glint of crimson silk.

A terrible question rose in his mind.

If she ever lost herself… if she became one of them… could I do the same?

The thought alone made his stomach twist.

He exhaled sharply and turned away, forcing the image out of his mind. Some things were too cruel to even imagine.

Rosaline added quietly, “If my sister-in-law were still here, we’d have a hundred percent chance of qualifying for the elite ranks.”

Axel turned to her, surprised. “You mean… Mr. Charles’s wife was part of Obsidian too?”

Vince nodded. “And every bit as strong as he was. It’s a shame… she was infected.”

Rosaline’s voice dropped even lower. “I was still a rookie then. Couldn’t believe it when I heard. It happened during their vacation—Mrs. Molly got infected and… killed their son and daughter-in-law. Only their granddaughter survived—she’d been playing outside at the time.”

Vince’s eyes hardened. “Charles buried them himself.” He turned to Axel. “That’s why I’m telling you to be careful, Axel." Power climbed fast—but the faster you rose, the easier it was to fall.

Axel met his gaze and nodded slowly. “I understand.”

..........

A few minutes later, Charles returned from the gravesite, brushing the cold from his hands. He poured a small cup of wine beside the tombstone, bowed his head once more, and turned back toward the courtyard.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, his tone gentle, almost embarrassed. In that moment, he looked less like a high-level Awakener and more like an old farmer from the mountains—quiet, humble, and tired.

“Mr. Charles,” Vince said softly, “let’s go pay our respects to your wife.”

Charles hesitated, then nodded. “Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ve made my peace with it. I’m moving on.”

He followed the others up the slope. Because Molly had been gone for years, the place was quiet—no crystals, no lingering energy, just the hush of snow and stone. After several bows, they made their way back to the courtyard.

“Since Mr. Charles has officially rejoined the team,” Vince began, “let’s rendezvous directly in Ebonveil.”

“Ebonveil?” Axel asked. They had originally departed from there on their way to the City of Sin.

Vince nodded. “When the military wiped out the Stormhold Imperium, a few of their people slipped through the cracks. We’ve been tracking them down. After a month of chasing leads, we finally have something solid. The team leader’s currently after a Level Six Awakener, but the rest of us have our own assignments.”

He gestured for everyone to pull out their Whisper Syndicate-issued communicators. Data files transferred instantly, flickering across their screens.

“Here,” Vince said, tapping one of the files open. “Valerie—Level Five, Peak Class Illusionist. She’s a secret member of the Wandering Fellowship. Went underground a month ago, last seen near the township of Ebonveil.”

“Illusionist?” Axel frowned. He wasn’t familiar with that awakening type, but judging by the name, she sounded like a psychic Awakener.

Scrolling through the report, he read quickly: Illusionists create dream realms capable of trapping their opponents inside. If the target fails to recognize the illusion, their consciousness becomes lost within the dream. Once that happens, the illusionist can devour their soul.

Axel exhaled sharply. “That’s... dark.”

“Their powers are tricky,” Vince agreed. “Even though she’s only a Peak Level Five, she’s dangerous. Some Level Six Awakeners without proper mental defense have been taken down by illusionists before. That’s why this mission’s rated A-minus.”

Charles, who’d been silent, finally spoke. “Still, this one’s manageable.”

Vince nodded. “Exactly. With Mr. Charles back, the odds are in our favor.”

Illusionists, like most psychic Awakeners, weren’t strong in direct combat. If you got close enough to land a hit, they’d crumble fast.

Charles, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. A Peak Level Five Awakener, his talent—Abyss Walker—ranked forty-third on the Federation’s High-Risk Sequence.

Abyss Walker was a psychic awakening, one that bloomed fully after reaching Deep Awakening. Charles commanded three major skills:

Eyes of Fear, which Axel had witnessed firsthand against Vernon—a burst of psychic force that instilled pure terror. Victims’ strength could drop drastically, and in extreme cases, the fear would shatter their will to fight, driving them into mental collapse.

Mental Protection, a defensive technique most psychic Awakeners mastered.

And Spiritual Link, which was the same ability Kaia possessed—an empathic connection between minds.

“With Charles leading, the illusionist’s influence should be limited,” Vince said confidently. “Even if we get dragged into Valerie’s dream world, he’ll sense it immediately.”

Charles gave a small nod of agreement. He’d fought illusionists before and survived.

Illusionists—dreamers, as some called them—were notorious not for brute strength, but for deception. The real danger was not realizing you were dreaming. If you couldn’t wake up… you died without ever understanding how.

“Other organizations will probably be gunning for her too,” Vince said, sliding his phone back into his coat. “Let’s get to Ebonveil fast. One more successful mission—even an A-minus—and we’ll have enough merit to petition for promotion to elite squad status.”

Rosaline nodded. “I’ve already ordered Millers and Kaia to assemble there. Axel,” she turned to him, “if you plan to bring Annabelle, make sure she stays put in the city. This one’s not safe.”

Axel nodded quietly. Behind him, Annabelle bit her lip, clearly wanting to protest—but in the end, she only gave a small, obedient nod.

At Shiverstone Military Airport, the team gathered in the VIP lounge, waiting for their flight. Outside, the wind howled against the glass.

“What’s the final verdict on the Brighthelm affair?”

“Vaughn attempted murder, and you detained him illegally,” vince said, approaching Axel with a steaming cup of coffee in hand, “but the board ruled it as self-defense. No charges. The Brighthelm family’s still looking into Vernon’s death, but they’re being quiet.”

He paused, taking a slow sip. “Vaughn wasn’t exactly beloved in his family. If this turns into a scandal, it’ll hurt their reputation more than yours. So let it die quietly.”

Axel let out a long breath. He’d been worried that the Brighthelms would dig too deep and uncover the truth about his sister. Fortunately, Vernon’s sudden death had diverted all attention elsewhere.

“In my opinion,” Rosaline said, leaning back in her chair, “the Brighthelm family should be compensating Axel, not questioning him.”

“The plane’ll be here in about half an hour,” Vince said, glancing at his watch. “Before we board, let me fill you in on Valerie. Mr. Charles can handle her, but that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down—”

He stopped mid-sentence as a thin man in his thirties jogged toward them from across the terminal.

“Teacher Varric?” Axel blinked in surprise.