'She believes in me so easily,' he thought, a flicker of self-disgust rising within him.
'Yet I can't even uncover something this basic. I'm… incompetent.' The realization stung more than he expected, like a dull ache that refused to fade.
Just as his thoughts tangled further, a message arrived one evening from an unknown number. The screen glowed coldly in the dark.
"If you want to know about Lana's birth origin," the message read, "come to this hotel."
An address and room number followed.
Axel stared at the message for a long moment, the faint hum of the city filling the silence around him.
'A trap?' he wondered. Then his lips curved slightly. 'So what if it is?'
He went.
There was no fear in his steps as he arrived at the hotel.
Axel walked with calm confidence, certain that whatever awaited him, he could handle it.
Standing outside the designated room, he paused briefly, then pushed the door open.
Inside, his gaze sharpened.
