Axel stood before the large, arched doors of the mansion, his eyes tracing the sheer grandeur of the estate that stretched far beyond what he could fully grasp. It was massive, like a castle posing as a home, yet strangely, it lacked the heavy security one would expect of a place owned by an S-rank hunter.
No guards, no high-tech surveillance, just a sprawling green field separating it from the nearby civilian homes. Unlike other S-rank hunters who isolated themselves in hidden strongholds, Trisha lived here—among the people.
He raised his hand, hesitant. *How do you even knock on a door like this?* Surely, an S-rank hunter's door wouldn't be so... regular. He imagined it might have some digital mechanism, or maybe even something more advanced that only rich, powerful hunters like Trisha would own. With that thought, he gave it three firm knocks.
Nothing. The door didn't flash with lights, no hidden sensor activated. It was just a door.
For a moment, Axel felt a strange urge to leave. His instincts screamed for him to turn around, disappear into the world again. This wasn't where he belonged. He wasn't even sure what he was doing here—what could someone like him offer Trisha? The guilt clawed at him, whispering harsh truths in his mind. He was a murderer.
That was the only real thing about him.
Before he could act on his impulse to flee, the door creaked open. Trisha appeared, dressed in a casual crop top and jeans, a simple cardboard box in her hands. But the moment her eyes met his, the box slipped from her grip and fell to the ground with a soft thud.
"Axel!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy as she launched herself into his arms, wrapping him in a tight, warm embrace.
Axel stiffened, his heart pounding with confusion. *Why would she hug me?* His body screamed at him to retreat, to pull away. He couldn't savor the feeling of her arms around him. The weight of his sins bore down too heavily. His mind dragged him back to all the blood on his hands. *I'm not worthy of this.
I'm a killer.*
"Trisha... I'm sorry I took so long," he mumbled, his voice low, shadowed by guilt.
"Shut up, Axel!" she yelled, pulling back just enough to glare up at him. "Why do you always do this? Why do you always start with some heavy, serious crap? Can't you just say 'thank you' or 'I'm glad to see you' like a normal person?"
Her words struck him like a sharp slap, knocking the walls around his heart loose. He felt something rise within him—something he hadn't let himself feel in what seemed like forever, at some time in his old life he got the same feeling although was broken when people ended up using him... He wanted to curse it to be fake although. It felt.. warm. This was...
Warmth. And with it came the prickling sting of tears. *What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I don't have to carry everything on my own when I'm with them?*
Forcing a smile through the emotion welling up inside him, Axel managed to say, "I'm glad... thank you, Trisha."
"No!" Trisha's voice sliced through his sentence, raw and full of anger. She shot to her feet, her hands trembling with a mix of fear and determination. "You're not leaving, Axel! I won't let you! Not Annie, not your mother, and definitely not me!"
Axel blinked in shock as she grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to meet her fierce gaze. "Do you hear me?" she shouted, her face inches from his. "No matter how many times you lose control, I'll knock you out of it! If you try to kill me in my sleep, I'll wake up and knock you out again! You're not leaving your family, Axel. You're not leaving us.
This isn't just your burden—it's all of ours!"
Her words slammed into him like a tidal wave, dragging him under emotions he had long buried. He felt his chest tighten as tears threatened to spill. *Damn it,* he thought, trying to rein in the flood. *Why does this feel so overwhelming?* In both of his lives, no one had ever said anything like this to him.
He had never had people who truly cared—people who didn't want to use him for what he could offer.
Axel's voice broke as he whispered, "Thank you... all of you. I—"
Before he could finish, the violent ringing of a phone shattered the moment. Trisha's phone buzzed loudly, cutting off the silence as she hastily answered, signaling the others to keep quiet.
Axel, annoyed by the interruption, seethed inwardly. *Why does this always happen?*
After a brief conversation, Trisha's face lit up with a wide smile, her eyes gleaming. "Axel," she said, her voice trembling with excitement. "It's great news."
Confusion flickered across Axel's face. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Annie just called," Trisha said, her grin widening. "Your mother's been discharged from the hospital. She's coming home."
Axel's heart stopped for a beat.
***Author's note*** Continue reading on m|v-l'e -novelhall.net
Axel finally grew a bit... He finally understands what I do not.
This is a true life story though so let's keep observing Axel's life. Support me.