?Aki lowered his mask and took a long breath, the scent of sea salt and wind biting at his lungs. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the crumpled note again. The message had been brief, barely a sentence, but Axel's handwriting was unmistakable.
?
?He didn’t know why Axel had called him here, of all places. But if he had gotten a letter, there was no doubt Knox had too.
?
?A few more steps brought him to the cliff’s edge. His sharp gaze scanned the surroundings—empty. Coast clear. With practiced ease, Aki summoned the familiar crackle of electricity between his fingers. A thought, and the energy transformed into gusts of wind swirling over his palm. He took a step forward into open air.
?
?Descending slowly, the wind held him like an invisible elevator. He’d been here before. Years ago. Four? No—five. Time blurred.
?
?The temperature shifted, just slightly. Warmer.
?
?A ball of fire streaked through the sky toward him like a meteor. It landed with a deafening thud, melting rock and searing the grass. Aki didn’t flinch. He just watched, arms crossed, as the fire faded and revealed a tall, broad-shouldered figure, skin glowing orange before fading back to its familiar deep brown.
?
?Knox, still messy as ever.
?
?“You certainly know how to make an entrance, don’t you?” Aki grinned slightly, the warmth of nostalgia slipping into his voice.
?
?“I had to get here fast. Don’t have time for games,” Knox muttered, brushing ash off his cloak. His signature scowl was already in place as he pulled his mask down.
?
?“And here I was thinking you missed me.”
?
?“Don’t kid yourself, Aki. Why did he call us here?” Knox crossed his arms, the wind tugging at his golden-yellow cloak.
?
?“I’m as clueless as you are,” Aki replied, shrugging.
?
?Knox’s lips tightened. "If he tries to flirt again—"
?
?"Thank you both for coming."
?
?They both stiffened. That voice wasn’t cocky. It wasn’t smug. It was... tired.
?
?Axel stood a few feet away, arms crossed. His usually vibrant pink hair was streaked with jet black, like rot creeping through rose petals. Dark circles pooled beneath his eyes. His skin looked pale, his stance guarded.
?
?Knox took a step forward, blinking. “Saints... what did you do to yourself?” His voice held something rare—concern.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
?
?“I called you both here to tell you that—”
?
?“Don’t dodge the question, Axel!” Knox snapped.
?
?“Recently, you may have noticed—”
?
?“Listen, asshole! I don’t know what you’re pulling—”
?
?“That there have been a series of attacks—”
?
?“AXEL!”
?
?“What!?”
?
?The air trembled. Axel’s voice cracked through the silence like thunder. He turned sharply to Knox, frustration and fatigue flashing in his eyes.
?
?Knox faltered. He’d never heard Axel yell at him before.
?
?“What have you done to yourself?” Knox’s voice softened, quieter now but edged with frustration.
?
?“Why does it matter to you?”
?
?“Are you kidding? Of course it matters! I—” Knox stopped, the rest of his sentence dying in his throat. His fists clenched at his sides.
?
?Aki watched the two of them carefully. Axel’s energy was different. Not just tired—detached.
?
?“Axel... is this about the crown?” Aki’s tone was measured, calm.
?
?Axel laughed bitterly, but there was no humor in it. “I couldn’t care less about the fucking crown. I called you both here because we have something more important to deal with. If you’re not going to listen, I won’t bother again.”
?
?His words cut through the tension, silencing them both.
?
?“There’ve been a series of attacks,” Axel continued, eyes narrowing. “Targeting civilians without cursed blood. Evidence suggests a blood manipulator may be behind it.”
?
?Aki and Knox both stiffened.
?
?“You think it’s... Daniel?” Aki asked.
?
?Axel nodded slowly. “I’d bet my life on it.”
?
?Knox snarled, “What’s he got to do with this?”
?
?“Don’t be daft. You really think the Father of Blood Manipulation isn’t involved in an organized campaign against non-cursed humans? It’s textbook Daniel—feed off fear, provoke chaos, manipulate the balance.”
?
?Knox fell silent. Aki folded his arms. “Even so… we can’t risk a war with the North.”
?
?“Who said anything about war?” Axel’s gaze was cold. “The only reason the North hasn’t crumbled is because of Daniel. They fear him more than they fear us.”
?
?“So what’s our move?” Knox asked, his eyes locking with Axel’s.
?
?“For now... we wait. Lily is being crowned tomorrow. I’ll try to guide her, but I doubt it’ll be enough.”
?
?Aki blinked. “Wait—Lily? Why won’t it be enough?”
?
?“Because I have reason to believe the kingdom has been infiltrated.”
?
?Knox swore under his breath. “Then why the hell are you so calm?”
?
?Axel gave a bitter smile. “Because I’ve already lost my place in the family. After the coronation, I’ll likely be tried for my ‘crimes.’ I’ve got no power left to stop it.”
?
?Aki’s heart dropped. Axel, the brightest among them, now reduced to an outcast.
?
?“But that’s why I’ve got a plan.”
?
?Axel turned to Knox, tone unreadable. “You have to marry Lily.”
?
?The air stilled.
?
?Knox reeled. “What?”
?
?“You heard me. If she’s queen, she’ll need someone beside her who can fight, lead, protect.”
?
?“But what if she doesn’t want—”
?
?“She does.” Axel’s voice barely wavered. “Trust me. She’d love to marry you.”
?
?Aki felt something twist inside him. He looked at Axel—at the faint quiver in his voice, the bitterness in his eyes. Everyone knew Axel loved Knox. Always had.
?
?“But... I can’t,” Knox said, the words quiet, conflicted. “I thought you—”
?
?“You thought wrong,” Axel's voice was cold, blunt, final.
?"I... I see. If that's what you want."
?
Aki could almost see it—just a flicker—pain tightening Knox’s features before he wiped it away, locking it behind that impassive mask he wore so well.
?
?Axel gave no reply. With a swish of his cloak and a burst of displaced air, he vanished, leaving the earth scorched beneath where he had stood. The silence he left behind felt too loud, too heavy.
?
?Aki’s eyes met Knox’s across the clearing.
?
?“Knox—” he took a step forward.
?
?But Knox was already gone. His skin glowed orange, flames flaring up like a shield, wild and angry. In a rush of heat, he soared into the sky, the grass around him singed and curling from the force of his departure.
?
?And just like that, Aki was alone.
?
?He stood still for a moment, letting the silence close in. The air felt thinner now, heavier. He glanced around—the edge of the cliff, the cracked stones, the breeze dancing through the empty space that once held the world’s strongest trio.
?
?It used to be theirs.
?
?He remembered a different time—Knox laughing so hard he fell backward into the sea, Axel pretending to be unconscious after getting punched by Aki during one of their training sessions, the three of them sharing stolen drinks and bad jokes, the wind filled with fire and lightning and joy. They’d been invincible.
?
?Now?
?
?Now there were silences that couldn’t be filled, wounds that no longer healed.
?
?He stared at the horizon, the sun dipping low and bleeding orange across the sky.
?
?Maybe this was it. Maybe it really was over.
?
?With a soft exhale, Aki let the wind gather beneath his feet. He snapped his fingers, and with a sudden shift of air, he vanished—leaving behind nothing but the memory of what they once were.
?
?
