"Benjamin..."

  Zane went quiet. That was one of the few people in the gang who actually scared him, aside from Orion.

  Though he hadn’t fought him much, Zane knew that Benjamin was definitely stronger than him.

  Didn’t expect this...

  "You two... are not enough. If you go, you'll just die." Zane’s words were blunt.

  But he soon realized that his warning was useless. Cassia’s eyes alone told him that she wasn’t afraid of death.

  Zane was stuck.

  If he let Cassia go and die, he’d only complete half the job.

  "Even if I’m in, we’ll only have three people. Can we find another ally?"

  Cassia was shocked when Zane said he’d be in. She hadn’t expected him to follow her, knowing the risk. It was clear he wasn’t a fool, and the fact that he was willing to help her at all meant something.

  But now he was talking about finding another ally. Who could they possibly bring in?

  "Axel," Zane finally said.

  Axel? Cassia froze. Could it be…?

  Zane gave her a firm nod. "You know, I was sent to the death ring by Orion, and I killed Tyler there. The one who saved me was Axel."

  Everything connected now. Even though Axel wasn’t there and knew nothing about what was happening, he’d helped Cassia indirectly when she needed it most.

  Axel… A month and a half ago, his Force was at 159, and now, it was probably even higher. If he were here, their chances of success might improve slightly. But…

  Cassia’s eyes softened for a moment. "I know better than anyone how much Axel has gone through to get where he is today. Forget it."

  Even if Axel were here, three out of the four of them were still low-grade first-class. And Cassia herself had no combat experience—so it would still be like sending them all to their deaths.

  After rejecting Zane’s suggestion, Cassia didn’t try to convince him any further.

  Even though she and Orion had never been close over the years, she couldn’t deny the power he held. She didn’t want to drag Zane into this, knowing the risks.

  As she packed her things, she felt a surprising sense of relief, as if a heavy weight she’d carried for years had finally been lifted.

  This time, she could face that man without any guilt.

  "Leave, thank you. Don’t tell Axel about me. Run too. If you let me go, Orion won’t spare you."

  Zane stood still, thinking. He grew up in an orphanage and had dropped out of school in junior high because he hated studying.

  He used to think all the smart kids in school were nerds. But recently, both Axel and Cassia—people who weren’t afraid of dying—had left a deep impression on him.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Alright, I’ll call Orion and buy us some time. But wait here. Don’t leave yet."

  Cassia nodded. Zane turned and walked away to go to the bathroom. She didn’t notice that he had taken her phone with him as he left…

  He really did need to call Orion to buy time, but there was a more important call he needed to make. It was to Axel.

  .......

  At a small restaurant near Dune train station.

  After seeing Cassia off, Axel, Drayke, and Storm had finished their meal.

  "I’ll pay this time. Dad’s really happy with my grades. I’m the first one in my family to go to college," Drayke said, his voice filled with pride.

  "If you don’t make a name for yourself later on, come back and do business with me. Then, you can pay me back," Drayke joked, laughing.

  "Sure," Storm muttered.

  Just then, Axel’s phone rang. He took it out and saw it was Cassia calling.

  In truth, he still felt guilty. Even though Vince had set a tight deadline, he had really forgotten about it.

  Luckily, he had some free time after college. Annabelle had been wanting to visit Langford City for a while, so Axel was thinking of taking her on a trip there and maybe visiting Cassia too.

  "College life." If it weren’t for so many complicated reasons, Axel would’ve chosen the War Academy over the Whisper Syndicate.

  "Hello?" Axel answered.

  "Cassia…"

  "Hello, Axel, right? My name is Zane. You might not remember me, but I’m the one you saved."

  The moment Zane said those words, Axel’s relaxed expression froze.

  Zane from Ironfang Syndicate… Axel had almost forgotten about him. Zane had taken advantage of the chaos during the gang fight, gaining a lot from it. Later, Axel heard someone was looking for him, but as the days passed, the search faded and he didn’t think much about it.

  Now, though, why was Zane holding Cassia’s phone?

  "Where is Cassia?"

  Axel's voice was steady, betraying no hint of worry, not allowing Storm and Drayke to catch on to anything unusual. As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward a quieter area, away from the others.

  "She's fine, but she might do something reckless soon. You don't know, but her adoptive father is Orion, the leader of the Ironfang Syndicate."

  The mention of this information stunned Axel for a moment.

  Cassia? The daughter of someone involved with the gang? In the past three years, Axel hadn’t picked up on any of this. Cassia had never mentioned it once.

  "She's in some trouble right now."

  Zane went on, explaining everything he knew—from Orion’s plan to marry Cassia off, to the mission 'escorting' her to Langford, and finally, Cassia reading a letter that pushed her to team up and assassinate Orion. Zane was brief, but it still took him five minutes to lay it all out.

  Axel stayed silent through the entire story, processing the details. This was all tying together in his mind now.

  No wonder…

  Axel remembered back to the days of applying for schools. Cassia had never once brought up any of her future plans, not even when she’d asked him to meet her at the station. She was always so quiet, so distant.

  The reason she kept it all hidden was simple: telling others would only bring sadness, but it wouldn’t help at all.

  "She’s ready to go back and kill him. Orion’s power is nearly at the second level, and even if she has help, it’s only at the upper end of the first level. They’re nowhere near strong enough to take him on."

  "If they go back, they’re as good as dead."

  "Now, only you can stop her."

  Can I?

  Axel’s mind flashed back to high school. To the rough stones hidden under his desk. To the teasing jokes Cassia used to make to lighten the mood, knowing he was sensitive about his self-esteem.

  "Axel, call me ‘sister,’ and I’ll give it to you."

  "Axel, you’re not progressing fast enough."

  Axel wasn’t the type to joke around, but when Cassia teased him, he’d just frown and stay quiet, yet he’d remember every word.

  In the past three years, Axel had realized how much he owed her. Deep down, despite their teasing, he had always seen Cassia almost like an older sister. He knew her well, and even if he did step in, he knew there was no way he could convince her.

  Cassia wasn’t a warmonger. In fact, she had a gentle personality. But Zane’s words made it clear: something had snapped in her after reading that letter. She had gone from following Orion’s orders to plotting his death.

  From the way Orion had used Cassia, Axel could guess what was going on. The truth was as clear as day: Orion wasn’t just using her. For over ten years, Cassia had been grateful to him. But once she realized that gratitude was really just a deeper kind of manipulation, the hatred inside her had erupted.