He get the feeling his progress hasn’t been smooth. A month had already passed. The second fusion was supposed to be even harder than the first. If Axel was still struggling at this stage, it wasn’t looking good.

  Just then, a tall figure strode past the restaurant doors. Rosaline, dressed in a sleek black dress, walked in with a cool, unreadable expression. "The higher-ups just notified us—the assessment date has been moved up due to ‘special circumstances.’"

  Vince frowned. "When?"

  "Next week."

  "Did they say why?"

  Rosaline raised an eyebrow. "When do the higher-ups ever explain anything?" Then, her gaze flickered to his phone. "Who called just now?"

  "Axel."

  "Oh." She gave no reaction, simply ordered her meal, and sat down with the others. They had worked together for long enough—she could already tell what Vince was thinking. He didn’t have to say it, but deep down, he probably didn’t think Axel had much of a chance.

  Vince glanced at his phone again, debating whether to tell Axel the news.

  After a moment, he put it down. I’ll tell him later.

  ......

  Seven days later, the Dune train station was packed.

  With university and war school about to start in less than a month, parents and students crowded the platform, luggage in tow.

  Among them, Drayke and Storm sat on a bench, munching on snacks while keeping Cassia company.

  Cassia was leaving today. Her train was set to depart in twenty minutes. Not far away, her family’s guards stood with their arms crossed, watching over her like sentinels.

  Cassia, expressionless as always, stole a glance at her phone. A flicker of disappointment crossed her face.

  She had made plans with Axel—but he wasn’t here. Worse, his phone had been unreachable all day.

  Drayke, noticing her mood, tried to reassure her. "Axel’s been acting real mysterious lately. Barely talks in the class group. He’s probably caught up in something important."

  Cassia shot him an irritated glare. "Smartass. Whatever. Who cares if he comes or not?"

  She exhaled sharply and turned to the boys. "Drayke, focus on college, okay? Don’t spend all your time watching anime."

  Drayke groaned. "C’mon, you make it sound like that’s all I do—"

  She ignored him and turned to Storm. "Storm, you have the talent and the resources. Don’t waste them."

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  Storm had always been distant and serious. He and Cassia had never been particularly close, but after spending time together, she realized he wasn’t as cold as she had thought. Now, she spoke to him like an older sister scolding a younger brother.

  Storm actually smiled. "Maybe I’ll even surpass Axel one day."

  He still ashamed thinking about the time he got drunk and ran his mouth, but no one had mocked him for it, so he had slowly stopped caring.

  Drayke checked the time. "Shouldn’t you wait a bit longer? Maybe he’s on his way."

  Cassia scoffed. "For what? He’s late even after we made plans. Clearly, he doesn’t take me seriously. What an asshole."

  Grabbing the snacks Drayke and Storm had given her, she cast one last glance at the station entrance. The sea of people swallowed up her view. Without another word, she turned and stepped onto the train.

  Drayke blinked. "Damn, she’s pissed."

  For the past few days, Axel had been racing against time, throwing himself into Body Forging and Meditation with almost no rest.

  The life crystals were depleting fast—he was down to his last and largest one—but the results were undeniable.

  "I didn't expect my first fusion with the Force to progress this quickly."

  He glanced at his current stats, and even he felt a little uneasy.

  - Physique: 273/273

  - Force: 275/279

  - Spirit: 277/278

  Lately, he had been checking forums and even asked Skye for insight. From what he learned, most awakened fighters at the peak of Level One—those who had undergone their second fusion—hovered around 300 Force. And he was almost there.

  A sudden thought struck him. "Shit... I forgot something."

  Snatching his phone, he saw the screen flashing with red notifications.

  Drayke: _"Bad news—Cassia leaves today."_

  Axel’s stomach dropped. Without even bothering to change, he shoved on his shoes and sprinted out the door.

  Dune wasn’t a big city—if he ran fast enough, he could still make it.

  As he weaved through the streets, something hit him. For years, he had been stuck in the same high school routine, waking up every day expecting to see the same faces, hearing the same voices.

  But this wasn’t like before. This time, they were really going their separate ways.

  "Buzz—buzz—!"

  The train whistle echoed across the platform. Dune was a backwater city, long neglected by Krythos. Years ago, before the Mutation Wave, there had been plans to build an airport, but the outbreak had crushed those dreams. Now, the old green train was all that remained.

  Inside, Cassia sat on her bunk, resting her chin on her hand. Beneath her seat, two large bags of snacks lay stuffed under the berth—Drayke and Storm’s parting gift.

  She scoffed, voice barely above a whisper. "Idiots… don’t they know I don’t even like snacks?"

  Despite her words, her throat tightened. Outside the window, she could see the two of them standing there, waving like fools. She almost wanted to look away.

  But then— A familiar figure came into view. His shirt was buttoned wrong, his hair was a mess, and he stood there, completely lost, scanning the platform in confusion.

  Cassia’s heart stopped. She lurched to her feet, banging on the window with both hands. "Asshole! I'm right here!"

  Axel’s head snapped up at the muffled shout. His gaze locked onto hers, and in an instant, he took off running.

  But the train was already in motion. The platform was too short.

  Cassia watched helplessly as Axel chased after the train, sprinting as fast as he could—but it wasn’t enough. The distance between them grew.

  Her vision blurred, her fists trembling against the glass. Then, just as the train pulled away, she saw Axel dig into his pocket.

  A moment later, he pulled out a few small, jagged stones and held them up, waving them at her. Cassia’s breath caught in her throat. She knew exactly what those were.

  A long time ago, she had given Axel a handful of broken raw stones, mixed in those, there were some that she had never used.

  But he had kept them all along.

  Cassia sank back into her seat, tears slipping down her face.

  The man beside her shot her a glance—his expression unreadable, but there was a trace of something close to pity. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

  "Miss, get your emotions in check. The boss won’t tolerate you facing guests in this state."

  Cassia wiped her face, her tear-streaked warmth fading into something cold and lifeless.

  Her voice was flat. "I understand."