Sweat beaded on Axel's temple as he carefully swung Genyr over his head. The sun was nearing its peak in the sky signaling it was nearly time for Axel to begin learning the basic stances of swordsmanship. It had taken him an hour to be able to lift Genyr over his head and another two to be able to swing the blue blade through the air. Recalling how easily Rae had wielded Genyr, Axel knew he had a long way to go before he would be able to move the sword with ease.

Axel had been practicing moving the sword around for seven hours before he could swing it above his head in a controlled manner. His arms and back ached from the stress and power it took to wield the sword, however, he continued to push forward and practice moving the sword for as long as he could.

"Take a break, Axel." Aniela's calm voice reached Axel as he swung the sword over his head for the nth time. "Your body needs to rest."

"She's right, Axel," Makio agreed with his fellow vernal. The raven-haired had joined Aniela in watching Axel a few hours into the hangel's practice session. He had remained quiet up until this point, so Axel heeded his commanding officer's words and carefully lowered Genyr. Makio approached Axel with a bottle of water, which he accepted and drank from while Aniela walked up to him with her arms crossed.

"You're going to pass out at this rate if you're not careful," Aniela said as she took the sword from Axel and slid Genyr into the elegant scabbard she had been holding. "You've just started and haven't built up as much stamina as you need to continuously train like this."

Axel acknowledged Aniela's words of caution with a nod, but he had no intentions of slowing down. It had been nine days since Dexys was invaded, and hundreds of thousands if not millions had already lost their lives to Hades' wrath.

Nine days. It's been only nine days. How long will it take for me to be ready? Months? How many will die until then? I can't waste any time. I must push myself harder. I must do more. Axel's eyes slanted as determination coursed through him. With the new surge of energy, Axel took the scabbard from Aniela and unsheathed Genyr.

"Axel-" Aniela started to stop Axel from continuing, but Makio placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

Let him be. He needs to do this. Not only for the billions he will save but also for himself.

Aniela closed her eyes as she heard Makio's voice in her mind. She tilted her head to the side and released a sigh before taking a step back and joining Makio in watching over Axel as he continued to practice. Makio was right. Aniela could only imagine the stress Axel must have been going through. It had not been long since the hangel had lost everything and everyone he held dear. And now, he had been told that the fate of the world rested on his shoulders.

The fate of billions of lives depended on his strength. If he could not master his abilities, the universe would burn.

So, Aniela and Makio silently watched over Axel as the hangel continued to practice the basic stances of sword-wielding techniques.

The sun had just set when Axel lowered Genyr for the final time that day. His arms shook as he set the sword's point into the soft earth. Hurrying over to the exhausted hangel, Aniela quickly took Genyr and sheathed the sword as Makio steadied Axel when he swooned.

"That's enough for today," Makio voiced softly as he held each side of Axel's shoulders.

Axel nodded in agreement as he slowly walked toward the group of chairs Makio had fetched from one of the storage rooms. Makio grabbed a water bottle and handed it to Axel as the hangel sank into one of the chairs.

"Thank you," Axel said as he accepted the water bottle.

"Take this, too," Makio told Axel as he dispensed a vitamin pill. Taking the white pill from Makio's palm, Axel set it on his tongue before taking a swig of water.

Axel closed his eyes and relaxed in the chair while Makio and Aniela continued to watch over him. Axel was exhausted and on the brink of passing out due to the training he had put himself through. Makio and Aniela remained quiet and joined Axel in sitting in the other two chairs.

Sensing movement coming toward them, Makio lifted his head to see Kenji and Iris approaching the three. Makio stood to his feet to greet his fellow vernals while Aniela and Axel remained sitting. Axel did not open his eyes until he heard Kenji speak.

"Lt. Colonel Sinjae found some food in one of the storage rooms, so he's cooking up a hot meal. It would be good for all of us to eat, especially Axel. The colonel wants all of us to gather in the main building."

"Thanks, Kenji," Makio responded. "We'll be there shortly."

Iris released a sigh when she saw the state of the hangel. Axel was clearly worn out and needed rest. Turning to Makio, she made a silent inquiry. Should I ask Captain Zetha to restore Axel's energy? He seems exhausted. 

No. He is not injured. There's not much Captain Zetha will be able to do. Even so, this is something Axel must recover from on his own. The purpose of this is to make him stronger. Restoring his energy forcefully won't help him build up strength or endurance.

I see. Iris nodded her head slightly as she absorbed Makio's response.

Having delivered their message, Kenji and Iris left the three and returned to make their way back to the dining hall. While Kenji and Iris returned to the main building, Axel breathed in one deep breath before standing to his feet.

"Ready for dinner?" Makio asked as he watched Axel rise from the chair.

"Ae." Axel nodded and followed Makio and Aniela as the two angels turned and started after Kenji and Iris.

The dining hall was already filled by the rest of the unit – except for those guarding the border of the camp – when Axel, Makio, and Aniela reached the main building. The aroma of the hot meal that met Axel as he entered the dining hall caused his mouth to water. It had been over a week since he had had any hot food, and he did not realize just how much he had missed a hot, fresh meal until Sinjae was scooping the steaming stew into his bowl.

Sinjae had discovered a stash of dried meats and vegetables while rummaging through one of the storage rooms, and with the help of Seraphine, one of R-10's vernals, the two had been able to make a large pot of stew using water collected from a nearby stream and the food and seasoning supplied by the rangers who used to occupy the small camp. Bowing his head in thanks to the major, Axel carefully brought his bowl of hot stew to one of the tables.

Sitting beside Makio, Axel waited for the rest of the table to fill up before enjoying the steaming stew. The hot liquid warmed Axel's heart and helped him to relax after a long day of training. He had not realized just how tense he had gotten until he felt his shoulders slack a little and his legs relax.

"Hear, hear, I have an announcement to make!" Destil's voice caught the attention of those gathered in the dining hall. Turning toward the major, everyone looked at Destil in surprise. He was covered in dirt but was smiling with joy. "Plumbing is back in business!" He announced gleefully.

Cheers and applause followed Destil's announcement, and the angel then quickly joined the line to get his bowl of hot stew while Zetha chased him around with a damp cloth.

"Destil, you're covered in dirt!" Zetha called after the major as he hurried after him, spurring laughs from the rest of the unit as they watched the two's funny exchange.

Destil had been busy all day working on repairing the plumbing system to the camp and had just succeeded when he was called in for dinner; thus, he was still coated with dirt.

The remainder of the meal progressed quietly as the hungry angels filled up on the hot food. After everyone had had their share, several of the angels worked together to clean the dishes. And now that the plumbing was working, they accomplished the task fairly quickly. Three bowls of stew were set aside for Azyr, Minhyuk, and Nivii, who were returning from their shift of guarding the perimeter, and the next crew began to prepare for the long night ahead of them before leaving to replace the first three.

Once the dining hall had been cleaned, it was now time to wash up and relax for the rest of the day. Since there were multiple showers, it did not take long until it was Axel's turn to wash up. Using the soap and shampoo left over by the rangers, Axel quickly showered and changed into a pair of clothes provided by Makio. It was the same as what he had seen the colonel wear earlier that morning.

Slipping on the white shirt and black cargo pants, Axel towel-dried his hair before quietly exiting the dorm building. The cool breeze swept over Axel and ruffled his damp hair as he walked toward the edge of the camp. Curious about what surrounded the small base, Axel left the safety of the camp and ventured into the dark forest.

Knowing that he would need to unlock his abilities faster than any angel ever did, Axel understood that meant he would need to be practicing nearly 24/7. So, he decided to practice his combat skills during the day and would use the night to improve his angelic abilities.

With that in mind, Axel scanned the ground for an object to utilize during this time of self-training. Spotting a rock roughly the size of his palm, Axel stooped and fetched it from the ground as he continued walking deeper into the forest. Aware that he should not venture too far out, Axel stopped in a small grove in the forest where he decided to make his practice area.

After setting the rock in the center of the grove, Axel backed away roughly twenty feet until he came to stand in front of a thick tree. Extending his hand, Axel concentrated on the rock. Okay, let's see if this works. Attempting to move the rock toward himself, Axel closed his eyes and tried to stimulate his heavenly abilities. However, as he began to concentrate, a voice sounded from behind.

"What are you doing?"

Axel's eyes snapped open at the voice, and he whipped his head around, his brows scrunching together when he found himself alone. Who was that?

"Don't you know that's not how it works?"

The voice sounded again, causing Axel's heart to pound in fear. Someone was with him, but he was the only one in the grove. It was not until he heard the voice again that he realized it was his voice.

"You cannot merely unlock your abilities in an instant."

A faint glow approached Axel as he turned back around, his breath catching in his throat when he saw himself standing just in front of him.