Chapter 113 Before the Mission
Axel's eyes slowly fluttered open, the brightness of the morning sun flooding the room. His mind groggily registered the sunlight streaming through the wide-open windows. **Bright morning sun?** He furrowed his brows in confusion. **I didn't leave the windows open.** His gaze drifted to the empty space beside him in bed. Trisha was already up.
With a long, tired yawn, Axel stretched his arms, still half-draped in the warm blankets. He glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand, its numbers glaring back at him. Just as he was about to settle back into the comfort of his bed, a familiar *ping* echoed in his mind. A system notification popped up before his eyes.
**[You have received a new mission.]**
Axel squinted at the message. **A new mission?** He rubbed the back of his neck, already feeling the tension knotting in his muscles.
**[You have been challenged to a battle.]**
**[Time limit before expiration: 6 hours 30 minutes.]**
**[Penalty: severe.]**
He sighed. **A challenger notification.** Over the past few months, these had become routine. However, challengers had appeared less frequently as Axel's reputation grew. Only a fool would dare challenge him now. Still, this one caught him off guard. It had been weeks since his last battle.
Axel stroked his chin thoughtfully. He recalled his conversation with the system when he had asked a bold question not long ago.
**"Why have the challengers stopped coming?"**
The system had responded: **[You have become a figure of great reverence. Only the unwise will challenge you to a duel.]**
**"So, who's this fool?"** Axel mused, his mind already running through the possibilities. Whoever this person was, they either didn't know who they were dealing with, or they were strong enough to believe they stood a chance.
He exhaled deeply, dragging his feet toward the bathroom. **"You'll have to wait,"** he muttered to himself, **"My food comes first."**
***
#### Months Ago…
Annie knelt in the dimly lit corner of the small, cluttered room, her hands trembling. It was silent. Unnaturally silent. The weight of their mother's death suffocated the air between them. But worse than that—far worse—was the stabbing. Their mother had stabbed Axel before she took her own life.
The thought alone made Annie sick with grief and confusion.
Axel sat on the edge of the bed, hands grasping the fabric of his shirt as if clinging to some semblance of control. **"I don't understand…"** His voice was small, hollow. **"Why did she do it?"** His knuckles whitened from his grip. **"She wasn't under any mind control. She wasn't possessed… So why…?"**
Tears welled up in his eyes. He doubled over, head in his hands as sobs wracked his body. Annie, sitting across from him, wiped her own tears, her face streaked with sorrow. She recalled Loki's warning to her before she entered the room, and her heart clenched. It was now or never. She had to tell him.
**"Axel..."** Her voice cracked. **"I'm sorry, brother."**
Axel raised his tear-filled eyes, confusion written on his face. **"What do you mean?"**
Annie inhaled deeply, her throat tightening. She had never felt so vulnerable, so ashamed, in her life. **"I—I'm pregnant."**
The air between them turned to ice. Axel's eyes went wide with shock. His heart pounded in his chest as her words hit him like a punch to the gut. **"What did you just say?"**
Annie's voice faltered as she struggled to continue. She tried, but the words caught in her throat, her lips quivering. **"I… I'm… Pregnant."**
The revelation crashed down on Axel, a wave of anger, fear, and disbelief swirling inside him. **"How the hell did you get pregnant?"** His voice shook with fury. **"Who is it for? Why would you do something like this, Annie?"** His sadness twisted into rage, an uncontrollable storm of emotions he couldn't hold back. **"With everything that's going on with Mom… and you—are you a harlot now?
Is this what's become of you?"**
Annie's heart shattered at his words. She felt her spirit break into a thousand pieces. But she had expected this. Her eyes blazed with hurt and rage. **"Shut up!"** she screamed, cutting him off mid-sentence. The raw pain in her voice startled Axel, but it didn't stop him from clenching his fists, his own emotions spiraling out of control.
He opened his mouth again, but Annie wouldn't let him. **"Shut up!"** she yelled again, louder this time. **"You have no idea what I've been through!"** Her voice trembled as the floodgates opened. **"You left us with nothing when you died, Axel! Nothing! Did you even bother to ask how I survived?
How I kept Mom alive, paid her hospital bills?"**
Axel froze, his anger giving way to confusion. **"What are you talking about?"**
Tears streamed down Annie's face as she confessed the truth. **"I had to do it… I had to become a slut, sell my body to those disgusting men just to save Mom… I did what I had to, Axel! I had sex with our landlord to keep your apartment because I believed you were coming back. I had sex with Williams, your best friend, and now..."** Her voice broke, and she choked on her sobs.
**"And now I'm pregnant with his child."**
Axel's body went cold. His knees weakened as the truth of her words sank in. He took a step forward, his voice barely a whisper. **"You did it with Williams...?"** The name felt like poison on his tongue. His childhood friend, the one person he trusted beyond anyone else. And now… he had betrayed him in the worst way possible.
Annie's words were a hammer to his soul. **"I'm sorry, Axel… I didn't want this. But I had no choice. I didn't ask for any of this!"** Her voice was desperate, pleading for him to understand. **"Do you know what it's like to be raped by those filthy men? To feel powerless?
You wouldn't know, because you're not a woman! You're a selfish bastard! Everything's always about you! Dad disappeared because of you! Mom got sick because of you! And I…"**
Axel collapsed to his knees, the weight of her accusations crushing him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All he could do was reach out and pull Annie into a tight embrace. **"I'm sorry,"** he whispered through his tears. **"I'm so sorry… I'm an idiot. Please forgive me."**
Annie's sobs wracked her body as she clung to him. **"Please, Axel… don't go after Williams. I don't want you to commit murder. We're all we have left now. Just me and you. Don't leave me alone again."**
Axel nodded silently, his chest heavy with guilt and sorrow. There were no more words left to say.
***
"Luxiam! Stop playing with your food!" Trisha's voice echoed through the dining room as she tried, unsuccessfully, to restrain the small two-year-old boy wriggling in his high chair.
Luxiam's red hair gleamed in the morning light, just like his mother's. The boy was a spitting image of her, except for his father's striking blue eyes that glowed with mischief.
**"You're so stubborn, Luxiam,"** Trisha muttered with a shake of her head, trying to prevent him from tossing more food onto the floor.
Annie, seated at the table, laughed at the adorable sight. **"Aunt Trisha, just let him be. He won't listen to anyone anyway."**
Luxiam turned his big, pleading eyes toward Annie. **"Mummy, this grandma won't let me play!"**
Trisha's cheeks reddened, her embarrassment clear as she flustered. **"Who are you calling grandma, you little rascal? I'm not past twenty-five!"**
The struggle between the S-rank hunter and the cheeky toddler continued as Annie laughed at the scene. Axel stepped into the room, fresh from the shower, his eyes softening at the sight of his family.
**"Hey Dad!"** Luxiam called out, a grin spreading across his small face. **"This old lady won't let go of my hands! She's being mean!"**
Axel couldn't help but chuckle. Luxiam, barely two years old, was already fluent in English—another effect of the Cell evolution. His words were sharp and often cheeky.
**"Stop calling me old!"** Trisha huffed, playfully swatting at the boy's hands. **"I'm not past twenty-five!"**
As they continued their lighthearted bickering, Axel watched them with a smile, feeling a rare warmth bloom in his chest. **The family I have left,** he thought, his heart heavy yet grateful for this fleeting moment of peace.
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Thanks for the support. Wanted to write a family Chapter so I did so. Thanks.