Extra Chapter {Thank You Loyal Readers}
Axel stood like a statue, unmoving, his eyes locked onto the door with unblinking intensity. Ever since Trisha had told him that his mother had been discharged from the hospital, he had taken up position here, his entire world narrowing to the space in front of him. His heart raced in sync with the seconds that ticked by, each mont feeling longer than the last.
Even though this was what he had asked for, what he had begged Mictlantecuhtli for, why did it feel as if he was standing on the edge of sothing imnse, sothing he could barely handle?
Behind him, Loki and Hera stood quietly, their presence fading into the background as Axel's focus sharpened. They knew what this mont ant, and they had given him space. Trisha, on the other hand, remained by his side, her arms folded, her eyes occasionally flicking toward him. Despite her usual sharp deanor, even she was quiet now, sensing the weight of what was about to happen.
Axel's hands trembled at his sides. He had prepared for this—ntally, emotionally—but as the mont drew closer, he couldn't suppress the overwhelming fear that gnawed at him. It had been so long since he'd seen his mother as anything more than a fragile shell in a hospital bed. The guilt weighed on him, an anchor he could never fully discard. He had barely visited her before her death...
her temporary death. If he had been stronger, smarter, more present—maybe things would have been different. Maybe she wouldn't have been taken from them in the first place.
The sound of a car's engine pulling up outside snapped Axel from his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat, his pulse quickening as the car ca to a halt. The engine cut off, and for a mont, the silence was deafening. Footsteps followed. Axel's breath hitched, his body rigid as the front door's knob slowly turned. The world around him blurred, the only thing in focus was the door as it creaked open.
Annie stepped in first. Her eyes t his, and though she gave him a soft, reassuring smile, it was the figure next to her that caused Axel's heart to stop.
A woman stood beside her—no, *his* mother. The resemblance was undeniable, yet there was sothing ethereal about her now. Her long white hair cascaded down her back, flowing like silver strands of silk. Her face, though older, was still breathtakingly beautiful, her features untouched by the passage of ti.
The white dress she wore seed to glow in the dim light, accentuating the unnatural yellow shimr of her eyes—eyes that locked with Axel's the mont she stepped inside.
"Mum?... Mummy?" The words spilled from Axel's mouth before he could stop them, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees, his hands instinctively flying to cover his face as tears stread down his cheeks. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't cry, that he would be strong for her.
But seeing her now, alive and standing before him, shattered every wall he had built.
"My baby..." his mother's voice, soft and trembling, reached his ears. "Stop... stop crying." She let go of Annie's arm, taking unsteady steps toward him. Her own tears began to fall as she reached out, her hands shaking as they gently cupped his tear-streaked face.
Axel could barely breathe, the emotions crashing into him like a tidal wave. His vision blurred as his mother knelt in front of him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight, trembling embrace. The warmth of her touch was real, tangible, and it broke sothing deep inside him.
Annie joined the embrace, her quiet sobs mixing with Axel's, the two siblings holding on to their mother as if afraid she might disappear again.
Mrs. Teras, overwheld by the reunion, struggled to hold back her own tears. The strength she had tried to maintain crumbled in the face of her children's raw emotions. "I'm sorry..." Axel's voice was barely a whisper, shaking with guilt and regret. "I'm sorry, Mum... I should've done more.
I should've been stronger... If I hadn't died in that portal, maybe—maybe none of this would have happened."
He slamd his fist into the floor, over and over, the self-loathing burning in his chest. Each strike was a reminder of his perceived failures.
"Don't... don't say that," Mrs. Teras whispered, her arms tightening around him and Annie, pulling them even closer. "Don't bla yourself, Axel. None of this is your fault... You've taken care of everything while I was gone.
You've protected your sister... I'm proud of you both."
Annie buried her face into their mother's shoulder, her sobs growing louder as she let go of the pain she had carried. Mrs. Teras kissed the top of her head, gently stroking her hair. "I'm so proud of you, Annie."
As this deeply emotional scene unfolded, Loki quietly slipped out of the room. He didn't need to be there for this mont; it belonged to the Teras family. As he moved through the hallway, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening as he saw the caller ID: Thor.
In the adjacent room, Trisha, standing by the door, grabbed Hera's wrist, pulling her away with an unexpected force. Hera, startled, resisted for a mont but stopped when she saw the serious look in Trisha's eyes.
The two won entered another room, one that was much larger and fitted with high-end technology—a sleek, futuristic living space that seed more like sothing out of a military base than a family ho.
"They need privacy," Trisha said, her voice low and distant. It was clear that her thoughts were elsewhere, her normally sharp deanor softened by sothing else entirely.
Hera narrowed her eyes, studying Trisha closely. Sothing about the way she had pulled her out of the room didn't sit right. "You love Axel, don't you?" The words slipped out, a quiet observation rather than an accusation.
Trisha froze. Her entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning. For a mont, she said nothing, her back turned to Hera. "No," she finally muttered, though her voice wavered. Read new adventures at m_v-l'e|-
Hera cocked her head, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Was it that obvious?"
Trisha's shoulders sagged slightly, and though she didn't turn around, Hera could sense the blush creeping up her neck. "Shut up," she muttered, her voice barely audible.
Hera let out a small chuckle. "Let's focus on what matters. We can talk about *that* later."
***
anwhile, in the kitchen, Loki leaned against the counter, biting into an apple as Thor's furious voice echoed from the phone.
"You useless bastard! Did I not order you to bring Axel to the mont you found him?"
Loki smirked, chewing slowly before replying. "I told you I'd let you know when I saw him. I never agreed to deliver him on a platter, Thor."
"I don't care about your technicalities. You're defying , Loki."
"You know, you're starting to sound desperate," Loki said, his tone light and teasing. "Axel is my boss now, and my friend. I'm not going to betray him for you."
"First, you take in that brat, and now this?" Thor's voice was seething with anger. "When I find you, Loki—"
The call ended abruptly as Loki hung up, tossing his phone onto the counter with a casual flick. He took another bite of the apple, his mind elsewhere. 'Hurry up with your family reunion, Axel,' he thought to himself. 'You're making more enemies than I can count.'
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