LOGINAxel’s POVI didn’t sleep that night. Couldn't actually.Because every time I closed my eyes, I saw those cursed colours. That soft, unnatural glow staring back at me like I was the one who didn’t belong in their world.So instead of letting the nightmares swallow me whole, I stayed awake. Sat on the edge of the bed with my elbows on my knees, staring at nothing but the gentle swaying of the curtains at the edge of each window.It should be peaceful enough to let me drift back to sleep any moment from now. The key word here is, it should be.But it wasn't.If anything, it made me aware of how temporary the peace and quiet in our lives have been for the past few months now.It was like, we were built for drama—built for war, rather than a normal life. And as much as that's been my childhood dream, I think….I think this is getting out of our hands now.Getting out of my wife's hands as well.Looking to the side, my eyes remained on Brielle, noticing how her chest rose and fell too caref
Brielle’s POVThe ride back home felt longer than it should have.Axel didn’t say much after the call. He just drove—fast, reckless, cutting through the narrow jungle roads like the car had some mysterious flying engine that could activate any minute from now.Sadly, that technology didn't exist. Yet.Alexei sat in the back, unusually quiet for once.And me?I couldn’t stop hearing the nanny's words ringing at the back of my head. My fingers tightened unconsciously against my lap.“They’re fine,” Axel muttered suddenly, like he was trying to convince himself more than me. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, but he choked out yet again, “They’re fine. It’s probably just—lighting. Kids do weird things.”I didn’t answer. Because deep down, we both knew that was far from the truth.The moment I placed my hand into that scanner to clear my head… something weird happened.I felt it. Not just pain.Something else. An energy that didn’t belong to me alone—someone else was activated.“Fa
Axel’s POV“Move!”I didn’t remember saying it. Didn’t remember making the decisions here—all I remembered in that moment was the adrenaline pumping through my veins.But suddenly, I was the one moving—with Brielle in my arms, her weight barely noticeable as my grip tightened more around her hips, afraid that I would lose her through all these.Again.“Left—take the left corridor! Now!” Alexei’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears, snapping my head towards his wide-eyed figure.I didn’t think to argue with him at that moment. Heck, I didn't even think.I just ran.The countdown was still burning loudly like a buzzer into my skull, a reminder that death was only an explosion away from us.02:31Shit, this was moving way too fast. Everything was moving too damn fast.The corridor lights flickered continuously overhead, casting sharp, flickering shadows across the walls as the system around us began to malfunction. A low, mechanical groan suddenly echoed through the structure—a low
Brielle’s POVEverything went quiet immediately after the authorization was completed.Heavy, with a laced suffocating tension as my body slowly felt weightless—and at the same time, unbearably heavy.Pain still bore through my veins like thousands of needles, my hand trembling uncontrollably as Axel held me against him. His voice sounded distant, like I was hearing him underwater.“What happened to her?”I wanted to answer.I wanted to tell him I was fine. But my lips barely even moved.“System shock,” the chairman said somewhere behind us. “Her body just went through forced extraction and neural synchronization. It’s…expected.”Expected?I would’ve laughed if I had the strength.Axel tightened his grip on me, his hand pressing against the back of my head like he was trying to shield me from everything—including my own self.“Fix it,” he snapped.“There’s nothing to fix,” the chairman replied. “She needs time.”Time.But we didn’t have time.After what felt like an hour, my eyes fina
Axel’s POV“Perimeter sensors start about thirty meters out,” my father muttered under his breath, crouching slightly as he studied the ground ahead. “Thermal grids are layered over motion detection.”Alexei leaned in beside me. “And…what does that mean?”“Don’t breathe too hard in this place,” I said flatly.“Ah,” he nodded. “Excellent. My specialty.”Brielle didn’t look back at either of us. Her eyes were locked on the pyramid, her glance sharp and focused, as if waiting for something out of the ordinary to move.“Path?” she asked.My father pointed towards a barely visible dip in the terrain, the bob in the throat moving as he didn't look away, “There. The blind spot. Twelve-second window between sweeps.”“Twelve?” Alexei repeated. “Generous.”“It used to be eight.” He confessed.“That does not help.” He frowned.I ignored them, and focused on the situation. “On my mark,” I said under my breath, in hopes of calming every aching nerves.Get set.I nodded to their waiting faces and i
Brielle’s POVThe jungle might have been the worst suggestion I'd come up with…The moment our boots hit the ground, the smell of rain and rot wrapped tightly around my throat. It was thick, and worse, suffocating as every breath felt heavier than the last.I didn’t like it.Not because it was nature. But because something else was unnatural about this place, I just couldn't figure it out yet.“Remind me,” Alexei muttered behind me, swatting at something invisible near his neck, “why we couldn’t just bomb this place from orbit?”“Because we need the core intact long enough to shut it down,” I replied without looking back.“And because you’d probably miss,” Axel added flatly.“I do not miss,” Alexei gave a dramatic scoff and glared at Axel for explanation, but I simply ignored them.Because ahead of us, the chairman was slowing down yet again.His movements were far from steady—and looked too careful in the first three steps, then too rushed in others that came after. The bandages arou
Axel’s POVThe stinging on my cheek was nothing compared to the phantom burn in my chest.She slapped me. Brielle slapped me, and honestly, she should have done it sooner. Maybe it would have knocked some sense into my head.She walked out, just pushed past me like I was a piece of furniture, and e
Axel’s POVThe tension in the atmosphere wasn't hard to miss.Maybe it was the ACs at the corners, each hitting harder than they usually did, making the moment awfully cold.Or maybe…it was the twenty-two shareholders staring at me like I'd suddenly grown two heads—or possibly gone rogue.Probably
Jason’s POVPower had always been a game to me — and I was very good at it.I leaned back in my chair, my fingers drumming lightly on the glass surface of my desk as I reread the text message I’d sent earlier that morning.“Congratulations on the baby. Don’t think you can hide it forever.”The word
Axel’s POVShattered glass lay scattered across the polished marble floor, remnants of the vase I’d thrown across the room moments before the grand entrance.The metallic tang of my own rage lingered in the air, a physical manifestation of the storm that had erupted between Jason and me.But none o







