Lyn's lips curled into a smirk. “Bow down? To you? You're nothing but a kid."

Axen chukkled softly, “I’ve already beaten one of you into the ground—who was it again?” His eyes flicked toward Devor, whose gaze dropped to the floor, embarrassed.

Alvar, his posture rigid with fury, snarled, “You don’t have the guts to face us.”

Axen slowly rose from the couch, his expression deadly serious. “If I didn’t have the guts, you wouldn’t be here, would you?” His words hung in the air like a challenge.

Lyn’s patience snapped. His voice thundered, “This is your last warning. Hand over the stones, or you’ll regret it.”

Axen took a deliberate step closer, meeting Lyn’s eyes. “The Guardian stone is in a place so secret that you’ll never find it. As for the black diamond…” He tapped his chest lightly. “It’s fused with my body now.”

A collective shock passed through Lyn and his men. Their eyes widened. Axen, dangerously smiled. “If you want it, come and take it. But know this: doing so will kill us both. And your boss’s dreams of becoming the Guardian will die with me.”

Lyn’s eyes narrowed, his voice venomous. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? Your predecessor thought the same. And look where that got him—buried six feet under.”

The mention of his brother ignited a deep fury in Axen’s heart. His body pulsed with energy, and before Lyn could react, Axen unleashed a burst of Purple Thunder. The sheer force of it sent Lyn, Alvar, and Devor crashing through the walls and onto the street outside.

Axen stepped through the newly made hole in the wall, his eyes blazing. “I’m not him,” he growled, his voice echoing in the air.

The street erupted into chaos as Axen faced off against the three of them. Lyn’s men quickly regained their footing, their expressions hardening as they prepared for the battle ahead. Axen charged forward, his fists crackling with raw energy.

He struck first, his speed enhanced by the Purple Thunder, as he landed a powerful blow on Devor, sending him staggering back. But Alvar was quick to counter, summoning a shield of Ice to block Axen’s next attack. The impact sent shockwaves through the street, cracks forming in the pavement.

Lyn hung back for a moment, watching, calculating, before he unleashed a torrent of White Thunder. It struck Axen from behind, lifting him off his feet and throwing him into a nearby car. The vehicle crumpled under the force, metal screeching as Axen struggled to rise.

But Axen wasn’t done yet. With a grunt of effort, he pulled himself up and charged again, launching a series of rapid strikes at Lyn. But Lyn’s experience showed; he moved with the precision of a master, dodging Axen’s attacks with ease.

Axen, now panting, could feel his energy waning. His powers, while formidable, were not yet fully mastered, and his enemies were exploiting every weakness. With a swift kick, Lyn sent Axen sprawling to the ground, his powers flickering out as exhaustion overtook him.

Lyn wasted no time. He grabbed Axen by the face, his grip crushing. “So proud, aren’t you?” he sneered. “Now, let’s see how much pride you have when we take what we want.”

Blood trickled down Axen’s brow, but he still had fight left in him. With a defiant glare, he headbutted Lyn, forcing him to stagger back slightly. “Take me to your boss,” Axen spat, his voice dripping with contempt. “You’re not even close to my level. I'm the Guardian of 8 Circe stones.”

Lyn, Alvar, and Devor exchanged glances, they broke into laughter. “See how clever he thinks he is,” Lyn sneered.

A calm smile playing on Axen's lips. “You think I’m a fool. Maybe I am,” he said softly. “But you'll reconsider that soon enough.”

Lyn stepped forward, the grin never leaving his face. “As you wish. We’ll take you to our Master. But first, you’ll need to be unconscious for the journey.”

Axen didn’t flinch. He met Lyn’s gaze with unwavering confidence. “Deal,” he replied simply.

Lyn, now inches from him, raised his hand and placed it over Axen’s head. A bluish light began to glow from his palm, pulsating with an eerie energy. But Axen didn’t waver. He stood tall, his eyes locked on Lyn’s, daring him to continue. “Is that all you’ve got?” Axen taunted, his voice calm yet laced with challenge.

Lyn's smirk faltered. He closed his eyes, focusing harder, channeling all his strength. The minutes stretched on, far longer than usual. Sweat began to bead on Lyn’s forehead. What normally took him mere seconds to achieve was now a battle against the mental fortitude Ammarah had helped Axen build.

Finally, after a tense struggle, Axen’s eyes fluttered shut, and his body sagged to the ground. Lyn exhaled sharply, his hand trembling slightly. “Tougher than expected,” he muttered, casting a glance at Alvar and Devor. They exchanged a brief look of concern.

In Robis's dim, blood-scented underground chamber, Axen lay chained, battered, and exhausted in a small room. Lyn, Alvar, and Devor had tortured him for hours, but he remained silent, his smirk unbroken. His stone still active, Axen knew deactivating it would be his defeat, so he endured.

Frustrated, Lyn stormed into Robis’s throne room. “Master,” he began, his voice trembling slightly, “he refuses to reveal the location of the Guardian stone. He just sits there... smiling. I’ve drained myself trying to subdue him, but it took everything out of me just to knock him unconscious. He either had no idea what he was walking into, or...”

“Or he’s brave,” Robis interrupted, rising from his throne his red eyes gleaming. “He’s not mad, Lyn—he’s brave. Confident. A few days with the Circe stone, and he stands against us without fear.” Robis stepped closer, his voice sharp. “I wish I had someone like him. Instead, I’m stuck with fools who can’t break one man.” His words stung, and Lyn flinched.

Robis left the room, his contempt lingering. Lyn, feeling the weight of failure, knew they had Axen in chains, but breaking him was another matter entirely.

Ammarah landed softly in front of Derin’s house, her eyes widening as she took in the destruction around her. The street was torn apart, walls crumbled, and the chaos left behind told the story of a brutal encounter. “Omar…” she whispered, panic creeping into her voice. Without wasting another second, she darted inside through the massive hole in the wall.

Derin had just regained consciousness, but as his eyes scanned the wreckage, his face paled, and he fainted again. Ammarah, quickly assessing the situation, knelt beside him. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned the power of the green fire, its warm glow filling the space as it mended the broken walls, restored the car outside, and repaired the street. Everything was returned to its original state, but her worry only grew.

She pulled out her phone, dialing Omar’s number. The automated response was cold and distant: “The subscriber you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message.” Ammarah lowered the phone with a heavy sigh, her heart pounding. “He tricked me,” she muttered, her voice laced with a growing sense of dread.

Awakening the Hira

Robis strode into the dimly lit chamber where Axen was chained. His brow furrowed, frustration growing as he approached the unconscious figure. Placing his hand over Axen’s head, he attempted to penetrate the walls of his mind, searching for the location of the Guardian stone. After several long moments of effort, he pulled back, defeated.

With a grim expression, Robis returned to his private chambers. For hours, he sat in silence, deep in thought, until at last, he grabbed his phone. His voice was low and decisive as he spoke into the receiver, “It’s time to awaken Hira.”

Moments later, a figure in a white hooded robe entered the room. Her face was veiled, revealing only her piercing grey eyes and soft lips. She moved with quiet grace, her presence both delicate and formidable. Robis stood to greet her.

“My Hira,” he said warmly, gesturing for her to approach.

She stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. “What’s the problem?”

Robis locked eyes with her, his tone shifting to one of desperation. “My stone is killing me.”

Her eyes widened beneath the hood. “What?”

He nodded gravely and spun a fabricated tale of his condition, weaving lies of illness and impending doom. “Only the Guardian stone can heal me and my stone. Axen knows where it is, but he refuses to speak. He is not of our lineage, Hira. He has no right to the stones. Yet, he holds the secret I need.”

Hira’s eyes darkened with resolve as she took another step toward him. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll bring you the Guardian stone.” Her voice was soft, yet there was an undeniable strength behind it. “But if Axen is as tough as you say, I’ll need to do this my way.”

Robis smiled, placing a hand on her head in a gesture of affection. “As you wish. I trust you more than anyone. Go and retrieve what is rightfully ours.”

Axen slowly regained consciousness, his body aching as he blinked his eyes open. His vision cleared, and he saw Lyn, Devor, and Alvar standing before him. Despite the pain, a smirk tugged at his lips. “Good morning, puppets,” he mocked, his voice dripping with defiance.

Lyn, clearly exhausted from the hours of torture, sighed and unleashed a small jolt of white thunder at Axen. The shock rippled through his body, but Axen only chuckled through the pain, “Ow... one more,” he said sarcastically, though his vision was starting to blur again.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a violent crash. All three men turned, eyes widening in shock. A figure clad in a white hooded robe stood at the threshold—Hira. Before they could react, she launched into an attack, her movements swift and precise. Axen, still chained, watched in awe as Hira took on Lyn, Devor, and Alvar with ease. Her reflexes were lightning-fast, each strike calculated. Axen's eyes widened as he whispered, “Wow.”

In a matter of minutes, she had knocked all three of them to the ground, their unconscious bodies sprawled out across the floor. Breathing heavily but composed, Hira quickly found the keys to Axen’s chains and approached him.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice calm but authoritative as her eyes met his.

Axen, still somewhat dazed, nodded. “Yeah,” he muttered, staring up at her in amazement.

Without another word, she unlocked his chains, freeing him from the restraints. “Follow me. Quietly,” she instructed, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Axen got to his feet, still sore. He followed her as they moved swiftly through a maze of twisted tunnels beneath Robis’s chambers. After what felt like a never-ending series of turns, they emerged into an underground subway station, its eerie silence broken only by the distant hum of machinery.

Axen looked around, his voice a whisper of disbelief. “What the...?” he murmured, the sheer unexpectedness of the escape route catching him off guard.

Hira, unfazed, glanced at him briefly before continuing forward.

The blue hour of dawn bathed the city in a soft, ethereal glow as Axen and Hira stood atop Phoenix Tower. The wind brushed against them as Axen dialed a number on his phone.

“Hello, Ammarah... Yeah, I’m okay... Meet me at the Phoenix Tower,” he said, hanging up after a brief exchange.

He turned his gaze to Hira, his expression sharpening with suspicion. “Who are you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Hira extended her hand. “I’m Hira.”

Axen shook her hand, a strange sensation pulsing through him from moments. He closed his eyes for a moment, his instincts humming. “I’m sensing something... something unusual.”

Hira nodded, her expression serious. “I feel it too. That’s what led me to you.” She paused before continuing. “You see, my White Diamond Circe and your Circe were one during its creation. The immense power it held was too much, so it split into two the most powerful Circe stones. That’s why we can sense each other’s presence.” She glanced away, a hint of something unreadable in her tone. “Sometimes, the wielders of these stones are drawn to each other.”

Axen’s brows furrowed, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Oh, so that’s why you seem so sweet to me,” he said with a teasing tone.

Hira shook her head. Just then, Ammarah arrived, breathless and clearly concerned. She rushed toward Axen, grabbing his hands. “Are you okay? What happened in there? I’ll never forgive you for this—you tricked me!”

Axen smiled, a touch of guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”

Hira watched the exchange, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Is she your girlfriend?” she asked, her tone neutral.

Axen turned to her, shaking his head with a soft laugh. “She’s much more than that. She’s my mentor, my best friend, my most loyal companion. A princess and a fairy, all in one. She’s the one who trained me so well that I walked right into the enemy’s lair—and they got nothing but exhaustion in return.” Ammarah smiled hearing that.

Hira raised her eyebrows, surprised by his words. She looked at Ammarah. “Hello, I’m—”

But before she could finish, Ammarah cut her off, her voice cool and knowing. “Hira... I know who you are.”

Axen turned to Hira, his gaze sharp. "With all due respect, I can't trust you," he said, his voice firm.

Hira crossed her arms, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "Hmm, okay. Was I not the one who saved you?"

Axen nodded. "Yes, you did. And that’s exactly the problem. How did you know I was with them? How did you know where they were keeping me? Where were you when the previous Axen fought alone? And why, out of nowhere, did you decide to help me today?" His questions hung in the air, each one carrying the weight of his suspicion.

Hira met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "You’ll get all your answers," she said calmly. "If you trust me, that’s good. If you don’t, well, that’s your choice. Either way, I’ll do my job."

With that, Hira turned and walked toward the edge of the rooftop. Just before leaping, she glanced back at Axen, her eyes glinting in the soft light of dawn. “Hope to see you again,” she said, her voice calm and enigmatic.

Then, without another word, she leaped from the building, vanishing into the early morning mist, leaving him, with more questions than answers.