Chapter 22: Training, Tension, and Temptation
<hr>
The Reality of War
Axel had barely slept since the selection ceremony.
Not just because of Iris’s unexpected concern. Not because of Valeria’s unsettling flirtation.
And definitely not because Tempo kept practicing ridiculous guitar solos at three in the morning.
No—Axel wasn’t sleeping because he knew, deep down, that the Apex Tournament wasn’t just a competition.
It was war.
And if he wanted to stand a chance against Blackthorn?
He needed to get stronger.
<hr>
The Training Grounds
The private Apex Training Facility was unlike anything Axel had seen before.
An underground chamber beneath the academy, filled with holographic battle simulators, reinforced sparring rings, and combat drones designed to mimic real opponents.
The air hummed with power, the floor vibrating slightly from the sheer energy being poured into the facility.
And at the center of it all?
Jace.
Already training. Already moving.
His Storm Wyvern, Stratos, was locked in a mid-air battle with multiple combat drones, dodging laser barrages and energy pulses like it was a dance.
Jace stood beneath him, his movements calm and precise, fists glowing with residual lightning as he directed the fight.
Axel swallowed.
“Man, he doesn’t waste time.”
Tempo, perched on Axel’s shoulder, grinned. “Neither should we.”
Axel smirked. “Damn right.”
He rolled his shoulders, stretching out the stiffness in his muscles.
Then—he stepped onto the battlefield.
<hr>
The First Challenge
“You’re late.”
Axel turned to see Sienna Vale watching him, arms crossed.
Her Mirror Serpent, Lazuriel, coiled beside her, its scales shifting between visible and invisible, light bending unnaturally around its form.
Axel smirked. “Good morning to you too, Vale.”
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Sienna adjusted her glasses. “We don’t have time to waste. Blackthorn isn’t going to go easy on us.”
Axel sighed. “I know.”
Sienna tilted her head. “Then show me.”
Axel blinked. “Wait, what?”
She gestured toward the sparring ring.
“I want to see how your fighting style has adapted.”
Axel exhaled. “You people really love testing me, huh?”
Sienna smirked. “You’re the wild card, Mercer. That makes you interesting.”
Axel raised an eyebrow. There was something in the way she said that…
Before he could think too much about it, Sienna snapped her fingers.
Lazuriel vanished.
The fight had begun.
<hr>
Mind vs. Instinct
Axel didn’t hesitate.
He knew Sienna wouldn’t attack directly. She was a strategist first, fighter second.
That meant the real threat was—
There.
Out of the corner of his eye, a distortion in the air.
“Tempo—counter left!”
Tempo swung his guitar-axe, sending out a shockwave of sound.
The attack rippled through the air—just as Lazuriel flickered into visibility, narrowly avoiding the hit.
Sienna watched, analyzing.
“Not bad.”
Axel grinned. “Thanks. I try.”
Tempo didn’t wait—he leaped, flipping mid-air, landing on a floating battle platform.
He plucked a note—
A sonic boom exploded outward, disrupting Lazuriel’s camouflaging effect.
For a split second, the serpent’s body shimmered—visible.
Axel moved.
But Sienna was one step ahead.
She snapped her fingers.
Lazuriel’s form split—three identical images appearing at once.
Axel cursed. “Damn it—illusions.”
Sienna smirked. “You’re fast. But can you make the right choice?”
Axel exhaled.
Tempo adjusted his grip on the guitar-axe, his golden eyes narrowing.
Then—
He played a single note.
The sound vibrated through the air.
And as the frequency hit the three illusions—
One of them shimmered wrong.
The real one.
“Right side—GO!”
Tempo launched forward, swinging his weapon in a downward arc.
A burst of energy exploded on impact.
The illusions vanished instantly.
Lazuriel hissed, recoiling from the blow.
Axel smirked. “Found you.”
Sienna’s eyes glinted with interest.
And for the first time—she looked impressed.
<hr>
The Watching Eyes
The sparring session ended in a stalemate.
Sienna, ever the tactician, called the match off before Axel could push for a full victory.
But she smiled faintly, a rare expression on her normally calculating face.
“You’re better than I thought.”
Axel grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Sienna adjusted her glasses. “Maybe you should.”
She walked past him, her shoulder brushing against his.
Axel blinked.
“…Huh.”
Tempo, ever the menace, smirked. “One more to the list.”
Axel groaned. “Not this again.”
But he could feel it.
The eyes watching him.
Sienna. Iris. Valeria.
And even—
Elara, Sylva, Lysandra.
This wasn’t just a tournament anymore.
It was becoming something else.
And Axel?
He had no idea how to handle it.
<hr>
A New Development
Later that evening, Axel found himself back in the Academy Archives, staring at the flickering light of O.R.I.O.N.''s holo-screen.
The AI hummed. “You’ve been making an impression.”
Axel groaned. “Not you too.”
O.R.I.O.N. ignored him. “But that’s not why I called you here.”
Axel frowned. “What is it?”
The screen flickered.
Then—
A new image appeared.
A Blackthorn emblem.
And beneath it, a roster.
Twelve names.
The twelve fighters Blackthorn was sending.
At the top of the list?
Revenant.
O.R.I.O.N.''s voice was cold. “Your first opponent has been chosen.”
Axel’s stomach tightened.
The real fight was about to begin.
And he had a feeling—
Nothing would be the same after this.