Then, Orion slowly stood, his massive frame casting a shadow over the room. At over 1.9 meters tall, with muscle rippling under his clothes, he looked every bit the force of nature he had always been. The pressure he exuded was palpable, almost suffocating. His eyes locked onto Cassia’s.

  "When someone stands in front of me like this, there’s only one conclusion. We’re enemies now, aren’t we, Cassia?" His words were cold.

  Cassia’s breath caught in her chest. At that moment, she understood something she hadn’t before. This wasn’t about revenge for her parents—something deep inside her shifted. She didn’t even remember her parents’ faces. The truth, the betrayal, that was the core of her hatred. She had been used, manipulated for years by a man she had once called ‘godfather.’ She had spent so long thinking she knew who he was, but now she realized she had never really understood him.

  Would he beg for her forgiveness? Would he try to explain himself? No. He was the same as he always had been—cold, calculating, ruthless. He wasn’t interested in explaining himself or feeling guilty. He was a man who shed emotions like they were nothing, who killed when it suited him.

  Cassia felt the weight of the moment settle over her like a shroud. She had to do this. There was no turning back.

  "Come on," she whispered to herself, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her heart. She took a deep breath, the surge of her Force rising within her. Her short hair began to flutter as she summoned the energy to prepare for the fight.

  Orion made no move to attack. He simply stood, waiting, as if daring her to make the first move.

  Benjamin, meanwhile, collapsed again, weak and defeated, the blood still seeping from his wounds.

  Axel, who had been silently observing from the shadows outside, knew it was time.

  "Stop! Protect the leader!" A man burst through the door, his face covered in dust and alertness, and immediately charged toward Orion.

  Cassia’s eyes darted to him, momentarily distracted by the sudden appearance.

  "Everyone, surrender now! A large number of brothers are on the way!" His voice rang out sharply, cutting through the tension in the room.

  The words were enough to halt everyone in their tracks. Cassia’s lips parted, as if she were about to say something, but Axel’s timely interruption stopped her.

  "Benjamin, seems like you overestimated yourself," Orion muttered, his tone almost bored as he looked down at Benjamin lying on the floor, practically powerless.

  The new arrival seemed to wait for some kind of acknowledgment. Orion, now leaning slightly on his good arm, nodded as if appreciating the timely intervention. "Well done. What’s your name?"

  The man, looking flustered, straightened up and answered quickly, "Little brother Sam! I just joined the gang."

  Orion nodded absently, then turned his gaze back to Cassia, clearly uninterested in this new development. "You’re not needed here. Go," he said with a flick of his hand, dismissing the new guy.

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  But Sam, eager to prove himself, wasn’t so quick to leave. He stepped forward, a grin spreading across his face. "Understood! I’ll stay here to protect the boss!"

  He moved quickly, stepping into the space between the two enemies. He grabbed Benjamin roughly, yanked him to his feet, and kicked him in the ribs.

  "Stay down, old man!" Axel spat, his words laced with contempt.

  Benjamin, whose body was practically falling apart from the injuries, winced in pain. If he were in better condition, he would’ve retaliated immediately, but right now, all he could do was groan weakly. "You… bastard," he muttered under his breath.

  Meanwhile, Orion’s attention was solely on Cassia, and the inevitable clash between the two of them was a matter of when, not if.

  Benjamin, however, had begun to notice something strange about the young man who had just come to their aid. There was something off about him—something that didn’t quite add up.

  .....

  As Cassia and Orion clashed, Benjamin could do nothing but watch, helpless and weak.

  Breaking Orion’s left arm had already been the limit of what he could do—and that was after poisoning him and sacrificing several of his most loyal men. Now, his body was barely holding together, and his strength had long since drained away.

  In the chaos, however, he felt something—something subtle but unmistakable.

  The boy beside him—'Sam'—was quietly channeling Force energy.

  Benjamin’s pupils contracted. An Awakener?! And a newcomer?

  As far as he knew, the only newly awakened recruit in the gang was Zane. But this?

  He glanced sideways at Axel—or whatever his real name was—and caught the quiet intensity in his gaze. The depth in those eyes.....Benjamin gave the faintest shake of his head. He didn’t know what Axel was up to, but there was no time to question it.

  Orion swung a devastating palm strike at Cassia. At that exact moment, Axel made his move—his Awakening skill activated.

  Healing!

  A rush of warmth flooded through Benjamin’s body, spreading deep into his ravaged organs. The pain that had been suffocating him eased almost instantly. He could *feel* his body regenerating, his strength returning as if water had finally reached parched earth.

  He instinctively tensed, ready to spring into action.

  Don’t move. The words were written quickly across his back, traced in firm strokes by Axel’s fingers.

  Benjamin froze, stunned. Then he nodded ever so slightly. Not an enemy. A friend.

  For the first time in a long time, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart.

  Axel, still kneeling, turned his attention to Cassia.

  It was the first time he had seen her Awakening ability in action.

  The blood pooled on the floor, the water in a half-empty cup on the table, the remnants of spilled drinks—every liquid source in the room trembled, then rose into the air under her control. With a sharp motion of her hand, she shaped them into spears of crystallized water, which then shot toward Orion with a deadly whistle.

  An Elemental Awakener!

  Unlike the brute-force strength of Orion or Skye, Elemental Awakeners were far rarer. Their powers were unpredictable, sometimes bizarre, and often devastating.

  If the war academies knew Cassia had this ability, they would lower their admission thresholds just to recruit her.

  But right now, none of that mattered. Because the difference in power between her and Orion was too fucking big.

  Orion didn’t even bother activating his own Awakening skills. He simply relied on raw, overwhelming physical might. With a single, violent swing of his right arm, he shattered the airborne spears, scattering the blood and water like they were nothing more than mist.

  He advanced. Cassia paled. The gap in their Force energy was staggering.

  Cassia barely had 140 units of Force at her disposal. Orion had *twice* that amount. And unlike her, his Awakening ability was a physical mutation—his body itself had transformed into a weapon. She might as well have been throwing pebbles at a mountain.

  Orion closed the distance. Too fast!

  Cassia barely managed to summon another layer of blood, forming a desperate barrier in front of her.

  Boom!

  Orion’s punch crashed through the makeshift defense like a wrecking ball, obliterating the blood wall and sending her flying. She hit the ground hard, skidding across the cold floor, gasping for breath.

  And that was the moment.

  Axel and Benjamin locked eyes. Now!