Axel walked through the front door of his apartment, exhausted from the long day it had been. The martial arts session had completely drained the daylights out of him. He needed to get some rest, and part of him hoped that Raya was asleep, as he didn't have the energy to entertain any of her dramas, at least not today again.He knows she has so many unanswered questions, but when it is the right time, he will let her in on it, but for now, no.As he walked further into the house, his exhaustion quickly turned to shock. The room was in disarray—furniture overturned, vases shattered, and papers scattered everywhere."Raya!" Axel called out, panic creeping into his voice. "Raya, where are you?"He rushed through the living room, eyes scanning the area for any sign of his wife. But she was nowhere to be found.His heart dropped as he let out a frustrating hiss, yelling out her name."Raya, answer me!" Axel yelled, his panic turning to fear.He dashed into the bedroom, but it was in the
Axel walked through the front door of his apartment, exhausted from the long day it had been. The martial arts session had completely drained the daylights out of him. He needed to get some rest, and part of him hoped that Raya was asleep, as he didn't have the energy to entertain any of her dramas, at least not today again. He knows she has so many unanswered questions, but when it is the right time, he will let her in on it, but for now, no. As he walked further into the house, his exhaustion quickly turned to shock. The room was in disarray—furniture overturned, vases shattered, and papers scattered everywhere. "Raya!" Axel called out, panic creeping into his voice. "Raya, where are you?" He rushed through the living room, eyes scanning the area for any sign of his wife. But she was nowhere to be found. His heart dropped as he let out a frustrating hiss, yelling out her name. "Raya, answer me!" Axel yelled, his panic turning to fear. He dashed into the bedroom, but it wa
Raya sat in the corner of the dark room, her body wracked with sobs. Every inch of her ached, a reminder of the brutal hands that had dragged her here. The room was too dark and suffocating, making her feel like she was drawing in her nightmare even though she was. Slow and silent sobs escaped from her lips as she tried to adjust her sitting position, but she had to bite on her lower lip to stop the cry that threatened to slip. She couldn't see a glint of lightness, and the silence in the room was oppressive and scary; it made her heart skip every here and there. The only sound that was heard was her deep breaths.Her mind raced with the thought of Axel. She had tried so hard to warn him not to get involved with her uncle or Darius, along with his father; they are two dangerous men that one shouldn't dream of mingling with. She hoped that he had realized that, but he was too bullheaded for a poor person.He never listened, always so confident in his abilities, never realizing the d
Axel stood in his penthouse, his eyes fixed on Liam. It was the weekend, and it's part of today's schedule to have training. Liam gazed at Axel with a critical eye. "You're getting better, Axel. Your strength is intensifying, and your movements are more precise." Axel nodded, his face set in doing the best he could. "I practice all the time. Too bad I haven't used my skills on anybody, but it's becoming very tempting, and I worry that sooner or later I will lose my cool." Liam smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Axel. You have potential—great potential. Sooner or later, your powers will be revealed, and you'll move into the academy. Before then, I suggest you keep your anger contained and not harm any civilians." Axel's eyes widened, his heart racing with excitement. "The academy? You mean... the Phoenix Academy?" Liam nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, Axel. You have the makings of a great warrior. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Use your gi
His brows furrowed with his gaze fixated on the book he was reading. One look at him and you could tell he was too engrossed in the book he was reading.The noises running around have Axel releasing a groan in frustration trying so hard to focus yet to no avail.He hissed giving up and shutting the book looking up to see the causes of the noise. His eyes followed in the direction of where students had already packed up forming a crowd.“Hey! What’s up? What’s going on there?” Axel asked stopping one of the students that were rushing to reach the scene.“Yo! Bro, you haven’t heard? Check your phone and see for yourself” he answered walking away.Axel didn’t own a phone, he couldn’t afford a 20$ meal not to talk of buying a phone. Whenever he needed the services, he’d ask one of his roommates who is also his long-time friend whom he met on his first day at EUNY; the elite university of New York.Axel is a 20-year-old orphan who has been trying to make ends meet by running countless shif
Ashley fell into Darius' arms, shivering vigorously. “He…He—” she stutters letting the crocodile tears stream.“What did he do?” Darius demands sending daggers at Axel.“He tried assaulting me” She stares bursting into a new set of tears.“The hell!” Darius curses pulling Ashley aside carefully and handing her over to one of his minions that stood beside them while the other one held a phone recording.“You dare lay your hands on my girl. Who the hell is this guy!?” Darius demands."That's Axel Storm, the poorest student on campus. He can barely afford three square meals a day, and his outfits never exceed $20. Despite his financial struggles, he's a scholarship student at EUNY, thanks to his exceptional academic record and intellect," John, one of Darius' minions, explains.Darius snickered, “You poor thing. For you to have the guts to lay your finger on my woman you think you could get away with it? Huh?” Darius states.“Put it on live John, I want everyone to witness this or gather
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 droppin
“I don’t want to believe you. How sure am I that you won’t harm me when I don’t even trust you? I mean, what if Darius sent you to finish me off–” Axel trails off.Mr de Storm laughed out inaudibly while Axel followed him with his stare mentally questioning if the old man was alright or not. He wasn’t even taking Axel seriously and that was beginning to frustrate him.“Just how much has that Mickelson traumatized you?” Mr. Storm couldn’t help but ask.Axel shrugged not finding it funny, “Please just let me go. I agree to have caused enough trouble but please do me this one favor”Mr de Storm shakes his head. “This is no manner of the Storms’ we don’t coward away our troubles, we stay and fight for ourselves. Look, Alex, I know it’s a lot to take in and I am not here for jokes–”Axel makes an attempt to chirp in but Mr de Storm manages to stop him before he can utter a word, “I am going to have the doctors move you back home now that you are awake, you’ve stayed here for too long and I
Axel stood in his penthouse, his eyes fixed on Liam. It was the weekend, and it's part of today's schedule to have training. Liam gazed at Axel with a critical eye. "You're getting better, Axel. Your strength is intensifying, and your movements are more precise." Axel nodded, his face set in doing the best he could. "I practice all the time. Too bad I haven't used my skills on anybody, but it's becoming very tempting, and I worry that sooner or later I will lose my cool." Liam smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Axel. You have potential—great potential. Sooner or later, your powers will be revealed, and you'll move into the academy. Before then, I suggest you keep your anger contained and not harm any civilians." Axel's eyes widened, his heart racing with excitement. "The academy? You mean... the Phoenix Academy?" Liam nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, Axel. You have the makings of a great warrior. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Use your gi
Raya sat in the corner of the dark room, her body wracked with sobs. Every inch of her ached, a reminder of the brutal hands that had dragged her here. The room was too dark and suffocating, making her feel like she was drawing in her nightmare even though she was. Slow and silent sobs escaped from her lips as she tried to adjust her sitting position, but she had to bite on her lower lip to stop the cry that threatened to slip. She couldn't see a glint of lightness, and the silence in the room was oppressive and scary; it made her heart skip every here and there. The only sound that was heard was her deep breaths.Her mind raced with the thought of Axel. She had tried so hard to warn him not to get involved with her uncle or Darius, along with his father; they are two dangerous men that one shouldn't dream of mingling with. She hoped that he had realized that, but he was too bullheaded for a poor person.He never listened, always so confident in his abilities, never realizing the d
Axel walked through the front door of his apartment, exhausted from the long day it had been. The martial arts session had completely drained the daylights out of him. He needed to get some rest, and part of him hoped that Raya was asleep, as he didn't have the energy to entertain any of her dramas, at least not today again. He knows she has so many unanswered questions, but when it is the right time, he will let her in on it, but for now, no. As he walked further into the house, his exhaustion quickly turned to shock. The room was in disarray—furniture overturned, vases shattered, and papers scattered everywhere. "Raya!" Axel called out, panic creeping into his voice. "Raya, where are you?" He rushed through the living room, eyes scanning the area for any sign of his wife. But she was nowhere to be found. His heart dropped as he let out a frustrating hiss, yelling out her name. "Raya, answer me!" Axel yelled, his panic turning to fear. He dashed into the bedroom, but it wa
Axel walked through the front door of his apartment, exhausted from the long day it had been. The martial arts session had completely drained the daylights out of him. He needed to get some rest, and part of him hoped that Raya was asleep, as he didn't have the energy to entertain any of her dramas, at least not today again.He knows she has so many unanswered questions, but when it is the right time, he will let her in on it, but for now, no.As he walked further into the house, his exhaustion quickly turned to shock. The room was in disarray—furniture overturned, vases shattered, and papers scattered everywhere."Raya!" Axel called out, panic creeping into his voice. "Raya, where are you?"He rushed through the living room, eyes scanning the area for any sign of his wife. But she was nowhere to be found.His heart dropped as he let out a frustrating hiss, yelling out her name."Raya, answer me!" Axel yelled, his panic turning to fear.He dashed into the bedroom, but it was in the
Axel stood in his penthouse, his eyes fixed on Liam. It was the weekend, and it's part of today's schedule to have training.Liam gazed at Axel with a critical eye. "You're getting better, Axel. Your strength is intensifying, and your movements are more precise."Axel nodded, his face set in doing the best he could. "I practice all the time. Too bad I haven't used my skills on anybody, but it's becoming very tempting, and I worry that sooner or later I will lose my cool."Liam smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Axel. You have potential—great potential. Sooner or later, your powers will be revealed, and you'll move into the academy. Before then, I suggest you keep your anger contained and not harm any civilians."Axel's eyes widened, his heart racing with excitement. "The academy? You mean... the Phoenix Academy?"Liam nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, Axel. You have the makings of a great warrior. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Use your gifts w
Axel trudged through the front door, exhausted from a long day of work. He expected to find Raya asleep, but instead, she sat in the parlor, her eyes blazing with anger."Where have you been?" she demanded, her voice low and menacing.Axel sighed, too stressed from dealing with Darius all day to engage in a fight. "I've been working, Raya. Where else would I be?"Raya's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Axel. I know you've been leaving early in the morning, before I wake up, and returning late at night, when I'm asleep. What are you doing?"Axel shrugged, trying to brush her off. "I'm just working, Raya. That's all." He responds, wanting the conversation to get over real quick.He didn't want to get involved in an argument, and he wouldn't tell her about working for Darius, but he knew he had to tell her about it, not just that it had to do with Darius.But Raya wasn't having it. She stood up, her eyes flashing with accusation. "You're cheating on me, aren't you? That's why you're neve
Axel's eyes narrowed as he waited in line at the cafe, his mind still reeling from the morning's events. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and his ex, Ashley, stood before him with a smug smile on her face."Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The poor, worthless Axel," she sneered, her voice dripping with venom.Axel ignored her, but Ashley wouldn't let up. "Hey, I'm talking to you. You're not too good to respond, are you?"Axel's eyes flashed with anger, but he remained silent."Oh, I see. You're still as mute as ever. No wonder you're stuck in a dead-end job, working for my sweetheart, Darius," Ashley taunted.Axel wanted so badly to ignore her, but no matter how much he wanted to resent her, she had been his first lover.He can still remember when he made things official with her and how she showed him what it meant to be loved.She made him believe in love; they had plans for each other, and he wanted to fight the world for them just so he could give them a decent li
Axel's eyes fluttered open, his gaze falling on Raya's peaceful face. She was lying on his chest, her body warm and soft against his. A chuckle slid out of his throat as he gazed at her, finding her adorable in her sleep.He gently placed a kiss on her forehead, not wanting to wake her. She stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open, but then closing again, her body relaxing into his.Axel smiled a guilty one, knowing that he was responsible for her current situation.He felt a sense of pride wash over him. want to protect her if it's the last thing he's been doing.But as he gazed at her, his smile faded, replaced by a scowl. He remembered where he was going and who he was working for. Darius.His anger palpitated, and his heart raced with resentment. He didn't want to work for Darius; he didn't want to be at his mercy. But he had no choice.With a heavy sigh, Axel carefully removed himself from Raya's embrace, not wanting to wake her. He disappeared into the bathroom, his mind alrea
Axel trudged through the front door, his feet heavy with defeat. He felt like he was surrendering, like he was losing himself. The thought of working for Darius and being at his mercy made him feel cold and numb.He went straight to the bedroom, seeking to clear his mind. As he walked into the room, he came into view of her lying on the bed, her eyes closed and her face pale. Axel's heart ached with what he couldn't fathom. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her everything, but he couldn't find the words.He stood there, frozen, his eyes fixed on her face. He wanted to say something, anything, but his voice was trapped in his throat. He felt like he was drowning, like he was losing his grip on reality.He watched here's split open, knowing that she was never asleep but was only pretending, and he didn't make any attempt to wake her up or anything. Their eyes clocked as she sat properly, her eyes roaming around his face, which had bruises that had already begun to heal due to the ring