03.

His eyes squint in pain groaning. He placed his hands on his forehead trying to steady his blurry vision.

The beeping of the machine urged a growl out from him as he struggled to get up but the striking pain that hit his head had him yelling returning to his initial position.

“Ugh!” He groans reaching for his forehead.

He doesn’t know what was happening to him but his body felt different almost like he lost control of it.

The pain he felt on his left pack intensified with each move he made causing a scream out of him.

The hospital room door burst open, and a team of doctors and nurses rushed in, surrounding Axel's bed. "Okay, let's move, doctors! We need to stabilize him!" Dr. Smith called out, leading the charge.

Axel groaned in pain, his body writhing on the bed. "What’s hap—" he mumbled, his voice weak.

“Hang in there," Dr. Smith said, examining his charts. "You’re going to be fine."

Nurse Johnson began inserting an IV, while Dr. Patel worked on monitoring his vitals. "BP's dropping, we need to get him on oxygen, now!" she called out.

Dr. Smith nodded, and a respiratory therapist rushed in with an oxygen tank. "Let's get him on a ventilator, just in case," he instructed.

Axel's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed up at the team surrounding him. "Ugh," he growls.

Axel's face contorted in pain, and he tried to sit up, but Dr. Smith gently restrained him. "Easy, Axel, we've got you. Just relax and let us do our job."

With swift efficiency, the doctors worked together and monitored Axel's vital signs.

Slowly but surely, his condition began to stabilize.

"We're getting him stable, Dr. Smith," Nurse Johnson reported, relief evident in her voice.

“Place a call to his grandfather and let him know he’s awake” Dr Smith orders.

Axel's groans subsided, replaced by a fragile calm. As he roamed he stared around his newfound environment trying to point out where exactly he was and why he was there.

“Where am I?” Axel asks as the other doctors and nurse walk out leaving only Dr Smith.

“I’m going to ask you a few questions Mr Storm,” The doctor says discarding Axel’s question.

“Okay?”

“What’s your name?” Dr Smith asked.

“Axel storm” he responds barely above a whisper but loud enough to be heard.

“What happened to you?” He asked again.

Axel remained mute trying to rethink what had happened.

He growled placing his hands on his temples and rubbing on them in pain as he struggled to recall what had taken place.

And just like a wave of nostalgia everything came back running to his head making him yelp in pain.

“Mrs. Storm” Dr Smith calls out placing a comforting hand on Axel’s shoulder. “It’s okay don’t think too much”

Axel ignores unable to give a response at the moment as the pain had only increased, something he thought he’d never had to experience again but rather has multiplied.

“For how long have I been here?” Axel asked his eyes bloodshot with raw unreadable emotions.

Almost like he is emotionless.

“Two months”

Axel’s eyes bulged in shock, “What?” Stuttering the word out.

How the hell did that even happen?

He remembers being shot and saved by a group of heavily armed guards he can’t point out who they were but he remembers being saved.

Dr Smith snapped him out of his train of thought. “I will make arrangements for your food. We’ll keep you here under observation until everything is cleared and you are well, then you will be discharged”

“Who brought me here?” Axel asked him.

“Your grandfather” he responds.

Axel’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Yes”

“But I don’t have a grandfather, I don’t even have a family” Axel states finding the doctor’s statement absurd.

Grandfather?

Since when did he have one? The doctor must have gotten it wrong.

“Well. It stated that he was and I can’t go ahead with that. My job here is to monitor your health and make sure you get back on your feet.” The doctor states getting up.

Dr. Smith leaned over Axel's bed, with a stern look on his face. "Axel, I know it's a lot to take in, but I want you to try not to think too hard about your condition right now."

Axel's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with questions. "But what..." he paused.

Dr. Smith placed a gentle hand on Axel's shoulder. "We'll get to all that later, okay? Right now, just focus on getting you healthy."

Suddenly a knock came through before the door pushed open, revealing a nurse with a tray of food.

"Her name is Nurse Johnson, and she's one of the best. She'll be in charge of your checkups while I’m away”

Axel's gaze flickered up. In charge of what? When he feels better. He needed to get out of this hospital before they billed him for the money he didn’t have.

Whoever brought him here has put him into a lot of trouble, one that he hopes he could get out of.

“Remember Axel, abstain from any strenuous activity that would compel you to put pressure on your wound. And don't worry, I'll be back to check on you soon."

With that, Dr. Smith exited the room, leaving Axel to his thoughts.

The room suddenly fell into silence but was suddenly sliced off by the nurse.

“I'm Nurse Johnson, and I'll be taking care of you today. How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice friendly and reassuring.

“Fine”

Nurse Johnson nodded understandingly, setting the tray down on his lap. "I can imagine. But don't worry, we're here to help you through it. Now, let's get you something to eat, okay?"

Axel nods his mind wondering how on earth he’d be able to escape this place with so much attention he is getting.

Tension began to build up in his head as he thought of every possibility but not one that could get him out of this mess he had found himself in.

“Axel” The nurse calls out for the umpteenth time snapping him back to reality.

She sighed placing aside the bowl of vegetable soup before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” She asked with concern lasted in her tune.

Axel’s lips slipped open to respond but the door creaking open paused his action.

An array of guards walked in, the same guards that had saved him if he wasn’t mistaken, yes surely that was them.

“The Master would like to be excused” One of the guards announced and the nurse got the information before nodding and getting up.

Axel’s heart was harmed with fear part of him was afraid it wasn’t Darius that came to take his last breath.

“No!” Axel blurts drawing all their attention back to him and urging the nurse's steps to cease.

“Who are you people and what do you want from me?” Axel asked demanding a response while inwardly burning with fear and externally holding a stern expression.

The nurse turned away proceeding out.

Just as she stepped out the guards split into two, a frail figure shuffled into the hospital room, his slow gait betraying his advanced age.

Mr. De Storm, in his late 90s, stood at barely five feet tall, his once-sharp features now softened by the wrinkles of time. His silver hair was thinning, combed over to cover a balding spot, and his piercing blue eyes, though clouded by cataracts, still held a glint of authority.

Axel's heart hammered in his chest as he took in the sight of the man, a mix of emotions swirling inside him.

Part of him hated how Mr. De Storm's features echoed his own, the same sharp jawline and piercing eyes staring back at him like a ghost from his past.

Mr. De Storm's gaze locked onto Axel, his eyes narrowing as he approached the bedside. "Ah, Axel," he said, his voice low and gravelly, "it's good that you’re up"

Axel's lips curled into a snarl, but he remained silent, his eyes fixed on the old man.

Mr. De Storm settled into the chair beside the bed, his movements slow and deliberate.

"Leave us," he instructed the guards, his voice firm but polite.

The guards nodded and exited the room, leaving Axel alone with the man.

Mr. De Storm's eyes never left Axel's face, his gaze piercing and unsettling. "You look just like your father," he said, his voice laced with a hint of nostalgia.

Axel's heart twisted at the mention of his father, a man he'd never known. "Who are you?”

Axel didn’t get how a random man would step into his life and claim to be his grandfather or even make him believe he had parents.

He has already successfully come to terms that he didn’t have a family, he has been on his own all this while and he’s surviving, he doesn’t need someone stepping into his life all of a sudden.

Mr. De Storm's expression remained calm, his eyes never wavering. "I've come to make amends, Axel. To explain the past, and perhaps you may forgive me."

Axel snorted, his laughter bitter and harsh. "With all due respect sir, I think you’ve got the wrong person. I am not your grandson and neither are you, my grandfather, I appreciate the help you’ve offered but right now I need to go—”

“Nonsense,” the old man says with a hint of a joke seeing the fright In Axel’s eyes, he is certain the boy is terrified.

“Calm down my boy, I’m not here to harm you, as I said I’m here to make amends.” Mr De Storm stated again his composure was better than before.

Axel is beginning to get frustrated but he knows better than to let his anger overshadow him. With the amount of guards that stood outside, they’d shoot him to death before he could even make a move to escape.

His thoughts come short when he notices a ring on his finger, an old ring made of gleaming silver.

It has a unique and intricate design, with delicate filigree work and ornate patterns that adorn its band. At the center, there's a mesmerizing gemstone, like a deep blue sapphire or a sparkling diamond, catching the light and adding a touch of elegance.

“What is this?” Axel states reaching to pull it off.

“I won’t do that if I were you” Mr De Storm states adjusting his seating position. “It is what is keeping you alive and healing, take it off and you die”

At the mention of death, Axel’s heart skipped as though he wasn’t the same person trying to kill himself.

“What?” It came out barely above a whisper.

Mr De Storm chuckled, “Look Son, we have a lot of catching up to do.”