"Annabelle!"

  Axel was taken aback at first, then quickly rushed to her side, grabbing her in a tight embrace. The huge force behind her nearly made him lose his balance, his arms going numb from the shock.

  What the hell is going on?

  Axel knew his sister could enter this combat state—he’d seen it before, the last time when she helped him take down No. 2. It was part of their plan. But this... this felt different. This wasn’t intentional.

  Axel immediately locked all the doors and windows, then sat next to her, waiting in tense silence.

  Five minutes later, Annabelle's hair slowly returned to its normal brown color, and her eyes lost that unsettling red glow. Axel let out a long breath, relief washing over him. He reached out to help her, but noticed something strange. Annabelle wasn’t as drained as she usually was after entering this state. Her face was flushed, but she looked... good. Not exhausted.

  "Brother," Annabelle said, her voice soft but confused. "I don't know what happened. After I absorbed that crystal, I couldn’t control my body."

  Axel’s heart skipped a beat. This was their secret—one of the few things that kept them safe. If anyone ever found out about Annabelle’s abilities, it could mean disaster for both of them. She was panicked, her fear evident in her eyes.

  Axel sat down beside her, thinking for a moment. He glanced at the other green crystals on the table and then turned his attention back to Annabelle.

  “Try to hit me with everything you’ve got,” he said softly.

  Annabelle looked at him, her brows furrowed. But she nodded, her small body coiling with the kind of focused energy only someone trained could muster. Then, in a fluid motion, she kicked off the ground, twisting her waist before exploding forward with a powerful punch.

  Bang!

  Axel raised his palm to catch the blow, he staggered back, his hand aching, and when he looked down, he saw cracks forming in the tile beneath his feet.

  "Jesus..." Axel muttered under his breath, surprised at the raw power. He looked up at Annabelle, his face a mix of shock and a reluctant smile. "It’s real."

  The green crystals didn’t just boost his own strength. They made Annabelle stronger too. And that was the kind of power they needed to keep her safe.

  He couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. If Annabelle could defend herself like this, it would be harder for anyone to use her against them. But there was one catch—he couldn’t let her use the crystals out in the open. They’d need to keep it hidden.

  Annabelle looked up at him, her small face full of surprise and curiosity. "Brother, what is this? What’s happening?"

  Axel took a deep breath, his thoughts racing. Then, with a calm expression, he spoke.

  "I’m not sure. But let’s just call it an awakening skill of mine. And you need to keep this a secret. No one can know about it."

  "Awakening skill?" Annabelle’s voice held an edge of disbelief. "Have you become an awakener?"

  Axel shook his head and smiled at her gently.

  "Not yet. But I do have this skill. So, you have to keep it between us, okay? It might have something to do with my father. Maybe it’s his doing." Axel wasn’t about to tell her that the skill came from a corpse, because it took him three years to make his sister feel that she was not a monster, but a human like him.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Even though he didn’t fully believe his father, Ronan, had the ability to grant him a natural awakening skill, Ronan did know a hell of a lot about medicine. After all, Ronan was an awakener in the medical department of the Survey Corps.

  In the eyes of the brother and sister, although Ronan's position was not high, he was calm in the face of any difficulties and always had an easy way to solve the problem.

  "Father..." Annabelle whispered, a soft smile forming on her face. Even though she was only adopted, to Annabelle, Ronan had always been the kind person who treated her well, second only to Axel.

  After calming Annabelle, Axel returned to his room and retrieved the Force-recovery Pills from his pocket.

  "Five hundred thousand..." he muttered under his breath.

  He popped the pills into his mouth. There was no immediate taste—just a slight warmth that spread through his tongue before they dissolved quickly.

  A few minutes later, Axel felt a surge of heat spreading through his body, the power of the pills kicking in. His Force began to grow at an alarming rate.

  His expression shifted. The intensity of the energy flooding his system was far more than he'd expected. He'd underestimated the potency of the medicine.

  Pain soon followed. Every muscle, every fiber of his body screamed in protest as the power coursed through him. After a few more minutes, Axel heard a strange, sharp crack—and then, everything seemed to spin.

  When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a familiar place: the ancient tree inside him.

  The tree looked more alive than before. The roots that once seemed frail and dry were now vibrant, a lush green spreading through the veins. Hanging from one of the branches was a glowing ball of light. Axel’s eyes widened as a line of text appeared in front of him, suspended in the air:

  Physical strength: 104

  Force: 100

  Spirit: 99

  Awakening skill: Recovery (1/3)

  "So... my body’s changed again," Axel murmured, more to himself than anyone else. His Force had broken the 100 mark, and his body seemed to be adjusting to the power.

  But what caught his attention was the additional information. Not only could he see his Force value, but there were also details about his physical strength and spirit. Kieran had mentioned before that a weak body couldn’t hold much Force, but he’d never mentioned anything about spirit.

  "Does the 1/3 mean I can absorb two more awakening skills?" Axel wondered. It seemed like a logical assumption, though he hadn’t come across another red crystals yet. All the crystals he'd collected so far had been green.

  Axel paused, realizing the most likely source of red crystals: awakeners' corpses.

  As Axel pondered this, he felt his Force rise by another point—101. The pain from earlier began to subside, and he pulled himself out of the spiritual world. The overwhelming pressure in his body eased up, and he could feel how much his Force had increased.

  "If my physique were stronger, I could probably push further," Axel thought, a slight grin tugging at his lips. "The medicine’s power is a bit wasted right now, but still... it’s already better than I thought."

  Breaking through the 100 Force barrier was a huge milestone. When it came time for the test, Axel could just perform a "Force recharge" to show that he was an awakener. No one would question it. That meant half a million dollars in the bank right off the bat.

  But Axel knew that the true transformation of an awakener didn’t come just from the Force number—it came from a natural comprehension when the body surpassed a certain threshold. He wasn’t sure if he could reach that level, given his unusual circumstances, but for now, the immediate reward was enough.

  With that in mind, Axel decided that he’d take the reward first when the test came. Whatever happened afterward could be dealt with later.

  In the dead of night, the chirping of crickets outside was the only sound. Annabelle had already fallen asleep beside him, her breath soft and steady.

  On the table before him lay seven green crystals. Axel knew he wouldn’t use them again for a while, so he planned to stash them away.

  “After the awakening test... I’ll gather more,” Axel thought, eyes lingering on the crystals. Whether it’s from mercenaries hunting mutant beasts or through dangerous underground boxing rings, he had ways to get his hands on more.

  But not before he actually became an awakener. The risk was too great.

  As he reached for one of the crystals, something strange happened. The moment his fingers touched it, an unexpected surge of information flooded his mind.

  Kai

  Member of the Crimson Vipers

  Time of death: June 2, 2082

  Cause of death: Carotid artery severed by a rival gang member.

  “What the hell...?” Axel blinked, his heart racing. He picked up another crystal, and the same thing happened—more information poured into his mind.

  “Maybe I’ve got the potential to be a damn coroner…” Axel muttered to himself, rubbing his chin.

  It seemed like every time he touched a crystal, he could instantly access the details surrounding the death of its previous owner.

  This awakening skill was turning out to be a lot more complicated than he’d imagined. Axel quickly made up his mind: he would keep this skill to himself.

  The power he was unlocking... it was dangerous. Too dangerous.