The green-haired stranger studied Axel for a mont, his pale blue eyes sharp but curious, like he was asuring sothing invisible about Axel.
"Shouldn’t you be at the Nexus Field right now?" he asked casually. "Your fans are probably still waiting for you to show up since you gave them one hell of a fight yesterday."
The word fans was a bit odd to Axel. Before he could respond, Kinsey muttered sothing under her breath.
"Oh crap..."
Axel glanced at her, then back at the stranger.
"And you are?" Axel asked.
The stranger smiled and stepped closer. He stretched out a hand like they were eting at so casual gathering instead of a casino.
"Kyle," he said. "I was there earlier. At the Nexus Field. Loved your fight."
Axel didn’t take his hand.
Kyle didn’t seem offended. He pulled his hand back and continued speaking like nothing was wrong.
"I liked how you fought," Kyle said. "Three opponents, no hesitations, no wasted movent. You made it look easy even though you were literally up against a dual mutant."
Axel said nothing. He had learned the hard way that praise usually ca with strings attached.
Kyle tilted his head slightly. "You must be a strong dual mutant yourself to have been able to pull that off."
Before Axel could reply, the mood shifted. A fist slamd on the table, causing a loud sound to echo.
One of the students who had been playing with Axel stood up quickly, annoyance written all over his face.
"I don’t have ti for this!" the student snapped. "I don’t care who you two are. Give us our money back or we’ll beat it out of you."
The room went quiet around them. People were listening now.
Kyle slowly turned his head toward the student. He looked amused.
"Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?!" Kyle asked.
The student scoffed. "I don’t care if he’s the Lord of Frostfall himself. I want my money back!"
Before things could escalate, the attendant overseeing the whole dice rolling stepped forward. He kept his voice calm and professional.
"He didn’t cheat," the attendant said. "Every roll was fair. The system recorded everything."
The angry student looked ready to argue, but the attendant didn’t back down.
"Fair and square," he repeated.
Axel barely paid attention to the argunt. His focus was elsewhere. Kyle knowing about the Nexus Field bothered him far more than the threats. That ant people were watching and that also ant his identity was spreading.
He leaned toward Kinsey. "We’re leaving, now," Axel said quietly.
She nodded without hesitation.
Axel turned to Kyle. "I’m done with the Nexus Field," he said. "I fought. I won. That’s it, you won’t see there again."
Kyle studied him for a second longer, then smiled again. "Fair enough," he said.
Axel didn’t wait for another word. He and Kinsey walked away from the table and toward the exit.
Once they were out of sight, Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. It looked ordinary, but it wasn’t. He brought it close to his mouth and whispered.
"I found him..."
---
Outside the casino, the air felt colder. Axel and Kinsey walked through the narrow path.
Axel sighed. "What happens when Dasha cos looking for ?" he asked.
Kinsey shrugged. "Don’t worry about her. She has other fighters. She won’t really care about you."
"Yeah, but she must think I’m a dual mutant so that makes one of the most prized fighters."
Axel’s argunt was solid but Kinsey had a counter argunt.
"And what makes you think you’re the only dual mutant she has?" Kinsey asked.
"Touché... next question. Do you know who that guy was? Kyle."
Kinsey shook her head. "Never seen him before," she admitted.
Axel stopped walking. Kinsey took two more steps before realizing he wasn’t beside her anymore. She turned around slowly.
"Who are you really?" Axel asked. "And why do you know things no random person should?"
"I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can we go?" Kinsey answered defensively.
"We’re not going anywhere. I know nothing about you so maybe it’s ti you tell sothing. Who are you? Where are you from?"
Kinsey’s expression hardened. "I don’t want to talk about it."
She tried to walk past him but Axel stepped into her path.
"Spill," he said.
For a long mont, Kinsey said nothing. "Fine!" she snapped.
"My real na isn’t Kinsey Kit," she said. "It’s Kinsey Frost."
Axel’s eyes widened slightly.
"Frost?" he asked. "As in Forsen Frost?"
"Yes!"
Axel stared at her. "Why would the daughter of one of the most powerful n alive be at Oval Academy?"
Kinsey looked away.
"My father values strength above everything," she said. "When I was born, my father had tested. The doctors found that I had little amounts of mutated genes. My sister on the other hand, she had more mutated genes. That’s how it works. More genes. More potential. More strength."
"My father despised for it. So he sent here. Under a different na. He didn’t want embarrassing the Frost na with my weakness."
Kinsey looked upset. Her voice quivered but regardless, she continued.
"Being his daughter gives access to money, places and information. That’s why I know so many things."
She looked back at him. "Don’t tell anyone. If my father finds out soone knows who I am, he’ll send sowhere I won’t co back from."
Axel didn’t hesitate. "I won’t say anything."
All of a sudden, Kinsey started laughing. It was a loud bitter laugh that she couldn’t even hide. "I’m pathetic."
"You’re not," Axel said. "You just need to train and grow stronger."
"Yeah easy for you to say." She scoffed. "You’re a demon. You have a shit ton of abilities at your disposal."
"I only beca a demon after years of being bullied and beaten for being a normal human," Axel argued.
"Do you rember the testing day? You beat without using a single ability," she said.
"I used everything I had. My ice powers, pressure, control.... I couldn’t touch you. That’s weakness."
"That’s not t—" Before Axel could respond, the shadows in the alleyway shifted. One appeared behind them. Another ford in front.
Then three figures stepped out.
One of them flexed his orange glowing fists. Orange light also burned in his eyes.
Axel recognized them instantly. They were the ones from the casino.
"You can give us all the money you have," one of them said, "or we take it. Your choice."
Axel glanced around. "Didn’t you hear what that green-haired guy called ?" he asked. "He called a Shadow Imp."
"So what?" one of them replied. "Are we supposed to be scared?"
"You’re attacking soone called a Shadow Imp," Axel said. "in a place literally filled with shadows. Including yours. That’s stupid..."
Axel stepped sideways. Suddenly, he sank into the shadow beside him.
---
Axel had been busy. Busy spending ti with Kinsey, fighting in the Nexus Field and also worrying about the contract with Rick. But Rick wasn’t the only one he had a contract with. There was also Kora and Jayden. Axel neglected them.
Soone else had been watching them, though. A certain silver-haired electrokinetic with a tendency to stalk people.
When two Spectra tried to bully the twins days ago, Nile had stepped in without hesitation to defend them. Sothing she found strange. She had never stood up for anyone. She always believed that everyone should be able to defend themselves.
Kora and Jayden stacked weapons inside a restricted training hall. It was ant for Oval officers only. They were allowed inside because they were hired to clean.
When they finished, they locked the hall and left. Nile was waiting for them outside as usual.
She watched them quietly as they stepped out and walked away.
"What is taking that alien so long to co back to Earth?" Nile wondered.
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