Finally, he stood at the edge of the cave. And even now, looking at the sheer damage surrounding it, he could feel a sliver of primal fear crawling up his spine.

Axel didn’t change back. Still in his civet form, he slipped through the narrow cave entrance.

The moment he crossed the threshold, an icy breath of death slammed into him.

His blood ran cold.

He froze. He dared not twitch a whisker.

A few hundred meters away, nestled in a deep pit, a monstrous black-scaled python slowly opened its massive golden eyes. Its body stretched dozens of meters, coiled like a mountain of muscle and murder.

Axel flattened himself against the wall, hardly even breathing. He stayed still for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually, the pressure began to ease.

"Holy shit, that thing's still here..."

If he’d entered in human form? He’d be dead. The python didn’t bother scanning him—it never occurred to the beast that a human could take on a mutant form.

Once he was sure the creature was asleep again, Axel crept deeper into the tunnel.

Each step forward confirmed his suspicions: this was the right path. Blood-streaked gauze lay discarded on the ground. Empty medkits. Bent gun barrels. Spent bullet casings.

Why the hell is it getting hotter?

Axel frowned as he reached the far end of the tunnel. There was no sign of the captain. No wounded soldiers. Just an underground river, its water bubbling quietly in the stifling dark.

In terrain like this, diving into an unknown river was a gamble with death. There could be mutant beasts lurking in the currents, or worse—no exit on the other side.

But Axel didn’t hesitate.

“Fuck it,” he muttered, sealing his pack tight and shifting back into human form. He plunged into the river with barely a splash.

The water was warmer than expected. Clear, but pitch dark. No light, no visibility. Just the dull rush of current in his ears, and a growing sense of claustrophobia.

The current was stronger than he thought—it tugged him backward, pushing him away from the direction he came. There were no signs of air pockets, no clues to guide him forward.

One hour, he told himself. If I don’t find an exit or anyone alive in an hour, I turn back. If I can.

.......

Elsewhere in the same suffocating network of caves, the sound of trickling water echoed faintly through the stone. In a narrow cavern lit only by dim bioluminescent moss, Vince let out a rattling cough.

“How’s Millers?” he rasped. His voice was dry, raw. One arm hung limp at his side, wrapped in blood-stained gauze. His eyes were glassy, sunken, but he still held on.

Rosaline looked up from beside the makeshift ice bed. “Still unconscious,” she said quietly. “But he's breathing.”

Kaia slumped against the wall, her normally bright face pale and hollow. Across from her, Millers lay motionless atop a slab of conjured frost, his face beaded with sweat.

“I’m starving, Captain...” Kaia groaned, rubbing her stomach.

Vince forced a crooked smile. “Still got some rations.”

“Oh, I’m just whining,” Kaia waved him off. “Don’t waste it.”

It had been seven days since they slipped into hiding here—seven days of evading mutant beasts, running on fumes, and bleeding through their supplies. Half their food was lost in the chaos, and what remained was barely enough to stay upright.

Rosaline broke the silence. “We need to fight.”

Vince and Kaia both looked up.

“There’s a beast tide sweeping across the country,” she said. “We’re already deep in the Mirabelle Mountains. No rescue team is coming in here. And any Level 7 or higher awakener? They're busy fighting for their own survival.”

Her tone was resolute, cold. “If we stay here, we rot. So I'd rather die swinging.”

Vince looked at Millers, then at Kaia. He nodded slowly and stood.

Kaia sighed and gave a small laugh. “Man... I’ve still got so many regrets. So many meals I haven’t eaten. So many hot guys I haven’t...” She trailed off, smirking despite herself.

Millers was still out cold—burned out from a brutal mental overload. Vince’s arm was wrecked beyond use. And Rosaline, while less physically injured, had been burning through her force nonstop just to keep the cave from cooking them alive. She was running on empty.

Rosaline stared at the stone floor. “If I have to die, at least let me look halfway decent doing it. I’m taking a bath.”

Behind her, a stone wall jutted out like a divider. A small stream passed around it, forming a shallow pool on the other side. Steam curled up faintly into the air.

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked toward the water.

“I’m coming too,” Kaia called out, dragging herself to her feet. “Not dying with a greasy face and swamp hair.”

Vince stayed behind, alone in the dim light.

Rosaline’s voice echoed faintly from the other side of the stone. “Think Axel made it?” she asked.

Vince chuckled, the sound dry and weary. “Who knows. But if he did, I bet he's pissed and sad.”

No one answered. For a while, the only sound was running water and the quiet rustling of tired bodies getting clean in the dark.

..........

“Thirty-seven minutes…”

Axel was still underwater, cutting through the river’s current like a phantom. No beasts. No threats. Just silence—and rising heat.

The temperature had climbed to nearly fifty degrees Celsius. Still manageable, but if it went much higher, he’d need to use Force to protect himself. That would mean a shorter breath-hold, and time was already running out.

Then, a flicker.

Light?

Axel’s senses snapped into high alert. He swam toward it, forcing his way through a narrow rock gap. The space opened suddenly—and what he saw made his brain stall.

A lithe, naked figure floated just ahead in the glowing water, her snow-pale skin shimmering beneath the rippling surface.

Rosaline.

Axel stared, frozen—utterly captivated. The water was crystal clear, and her every curve was on full display. His jaw hung slack. His brain melted. For a solid five seconds, he forgot how to think.

Then the woman spun around.

“What the hell?!”

Her voice cracked like thunder, and Axel instinctively felt the cold spike of killing intent. An ice attack was already forming.

“Wait! Don’t shoot! It’s me!”

The ice aura halted a hair’s breadth from launching. Rosaline blinked. “Axel?!”

In an instant, the magic fizzled out.

But she’d turned fully to face him. Every last inch—clearly visible.

He felt something warm trickle from his nose. Blood. Shit.

“Pervert!”

Rosaline’s cheeks flushed a furious pink. She darted out of the water, waved her hand, and with a swirl of Force, clothes shimmered onto her body like armor.

Footsteps echoed. Vince and Kaia rushed over, weapons at the ready.

“Rosaline?! What happened—” Kaia stopped, blinked. “Wait... is that—?”

“Axel?!” Vince’s voice was a mix of disbelief and relief.

Kaia burst out laughing. “Holy shit, Axel—your dick is huge!”

Axel’s face went crimson as he realized he’d never redressed after transforming back into human form. “Shit. Shit, shit—”

Kaia didn’t care. She kept grinning. Rosaline’s face, on the other hand, turned several shades redder.

“Do you have no shame?” she snapped. “What kind of weirdo just shows up naked?!”

“I—okay, okay!” Axel coughed awkwardly. "I'll explain this later."

That shut everyone up for a second. Axel scanned the group—and frowned.

“Where’s Millers?”

“He’s alive, just unconscious,” Kaia said gently. “Over there in the stone chamber. He’s stable—for now.”

Axel finally let out a breath of real relief.

“Wait… who came with you?” Vince asked. “Mr. Nolan? Backup?”

Axel shook his head. “Just me.”

Everyone went still.

“You came alone? Into this hellhole?”

Kaia’s eyes went wide. Vince swore under his breath. Rosaline, however, stepped forward with a glare that could melt stone.

“Are you insane?! Came all this way by yourself? Are you trying to die?!”

Axel gave a weary smile. “Rosaline, I’ve had a rough few days. Could you maybe ease up on me?”