Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

“Think carefully about what you’ll say,” Riley added lightly.

Then she turned and went upstairs without another word.

“Axel, you bastard—if you’re fine, why are you still lazing around like this?”

Millers laughed loudly as he stepped inside and lightly punched Axel’s shoulder before moving aside.

“Enough rest. Everyone’s been waiting for you to come back.”

Vince, Rosaline, Kaia, and Phoenix followed him in, all smiling, arms loaded with bags and packages.

“Don’t listen to that idiot,” Phoenix said cheerfully. “I brought you pork leg.”

She pulled an enormous cured ham from her back and set it down with a heavy thud.

“Axel, you alright?” Vince came closer, arranging several boxes beside him and giving his shoulder a reassuring pat.

“I’m fine, Captain.”

As Axel looked at the familiar faces filled with concern and relief, a suffocating weight suddenly pressed down on his chest. It became hard to breathe.

“You little shit,” Rosaline said, her tone soft despite the words. “Millers is right. Come back to the team soon. Your merits are waiting for you.”

“Taking Valerie down, seizing all those B-grade Original Instruments—plus the later discoveries—you’ve earned another A-grade merit.”

She placed a slim metal case beside him.

“Golden Brain. Deep Sea Pharmaceuticals’ latest product. Take it. It’ll help.”

As the last of the gifts were placed beside him, Axel remained unnervingly silent.

Kaia nudged his arm with a grin. “Everyone’s waiting for you to come back. We’ll avenge Mr. Charles together.”

For a moment, Axel seemed far away, as if he hadn’t heard her at all.

“Axel?” Vince asked gently. “What’s wrong?”

Axel slowly looked around the room. Then, in a quiet but steady voice, he said,

“Captain… I want to withdraw from Obsidian.”

The air froze.

Every expression in the room went still. Even Millers, who had been smiling a second ago, stared at Axel like he’d just been hit in the head.

“Axel, don’t joke like that,” Kaia forced a laugh. “We still have—”

“I’m not joking,” Axel cut in sharply. “I’m serious. I’m sorry.”

He stood up and bowed deeply to everyone.

Vince did not react immediately. His eyes were calm, steady.

“Give me your reason.”

Before Axel could answer, Rosaline shoved past him and stopped directly in front of Axel. Her eyes burned with fury.

“I don’t give a damn what secrets you’re hiding,” she snapped. “Your resignation is not approved.”

Kaia and Phoenix sat frozen in their seats, staring at Axel as though they no longer recognized him.

“Rosaline… thank you,” Axel said quietly. “But there are no secrets.”

“I’m just afraid of dying. You just never noticed.”

His head dropped. His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw trembled.

“Bullshit!” Rosaline grabbed his collar and yanked him close. “You’re braver than any of us—and now you tell me you’re afraid to die?!”

“It’s the truth!”

Axel wrenched himself free and stepped back from the group, his gaze hardening.

“It’s different now. Before, I had nothing. Now I’m nearly a Level Five Awakener.”

“I could teach at one of the four war academies. I could run a Havoc Division branch in a mid-sized city. I have options now—real options. A better life. One that doesn’t involve crawling through corpses every day.”

“You all used to warn me how dangerous the Whisper Syndicate was. I never really felt it.” His voice cracked. “But this time… I watched Mr. Charles die right in front of me. And I was scared. I was truly scared.”

They stared at him as if he were a stranger.

Axel’s chest ached, but he forced the words out anyway.

“These past days in Everton showed me something. A Level Five Awakener can live well. Peacefully. I already have everything I ever wanted. Why should I keep gambling with my life?”

“Yes, Mr. Charles is dead, and I’m sorry. But how are we supposed to catch someone even the military can’t capture? How are we supposed to get revenge?”

“Kaia said they’re after me. I don’t know the details—but I know they’ll come again. I’m leaving for your sake!”

His voice sounded excited, almost persuasive—but it rang hollow even to his own ears.

“Axel,” Vince said quietly, kneeling before him. His gaze was heavy with something unreadable. “If you’re in trouble, you can tell us. If it’s inconvenient, you can tell me alone.”

Every pair of eyes locked onto Axel, waiting.

Axel closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Captain… these are my real feelings. I don’t want to die.”

Kaia rose stiffly, gathered her gifts, and looked at him with naked disappointment. “Coward.”

She yanked open the door and stormed out.

Phoenix stood as well. He sighed, let out a short, bitter laugh, and gave Axel one last complicated look before following her.

Vince took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

Rosaline spoke first.

“I was blind to you before. Get out. Obsidian doesn’t need people like you.”

Her footsteps were sharp as she left. Outside, Axel heard the metallic clatter of the Golden Brain being thrown into a trash bin.

Axel stood there, face drained of color, lips trembling, his stubborn expression barely holding together.

“Axel… you’ve changed,” Millers said softly.

He reached out as if to pat Axel’s shoulder—but his hand stopped midway. Slowly, he withdrew it and left the room without another word.

Only Vince and Axel remained.

Vince looked at him in silence. For a moment, it felt like the very first day they had met all over again.

At last, Vince spoke.

“Take care of yourself.”

Axel’s body shuddered. That single sentence nearly shattered the composure he had worked so hard to maintain.

He looked up at Vince’s retreating back. The gentle, humble man raised a hand in farewell—and disappeared through the doorway.

“Captain…” Axel whispered.

His clenched jaw finally loosened. His throat tightened painfully.

Memories flooded his mind like a broken reel of film.

Their voices and smiles echoed in Axel’s ears—then shattered all at once. What remained were only the sharp, angry words they had hurled at him.

In the deafening silence that followed, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He turned away, his eyes burning. Somewhere deep inside, a voice screamed at him to run after them, to tell them everything—to tear down the lie he had just built with his own hands.

That voice tempted him like a devil.

A flash of memory struck him like a blade—

The road you’re on is too dangerous…

So—

Axel straightened his back. He walked to the window, wiped at his eyes, and bowed deeply toward the retreating figures of Obsidian.

“Goodbye, comrades.”

When he lifted his head again, the turmoil in his eyes had settled into a cold, ocean-deep stillness.

At the shadowed corner of the hallway, Riley crouched silently like a cat, watching him through the gap. She had worried he might break midway through—spill the truth, fabricate some flimsy excuse.

It seemed she’d worried for nothing.

What a ruthless kid, she thought.

.....

After leaving the villa, the Obsidian team split up without another word.

“Millers. Phoenix. Drink with me,” Kaia said abruptly, her eyes red as she grabbed them both by the sleeves.

Millers took a long breath before nodding. After everything that had happened, he had no mood left for romance—or anything else.

The three disappeared into the crowd.

In a narrow alley between towering buildings, Vince heard soft, broken sobbing. He slowed, then turned into the shadows.

Rosaline was there, leaning against the wall. Her narrow shoulders trembled faintly.

“Rosaline…” Vince called softly.

He walked to her side and leaned against the wall beside her. They stood in silence for a long time.

“I don’t need your comfort,” she said hoarsely. She wiped at her eyes and pulled out a cigarette—then froze, realizing she had no lighter.

Vince dragged the edge of his blade against the pavement. Sparks flared. He tilted the heated tip toward her cigarette and lit it.

“Don’t blame Axel,” he said quietly. Then hesitated.