The day began with rain, the kind that didn't fall in sheets but clung to the city like gossip—drizzling just enough to be noticed but never enough to warrant an umbrella. Inside Axis Goods, the shelves were freshly stocked, the bell above the door rang with occasional foot traffic, and Alexis Prince was casually flipping through a shipment invoice while sipping cheap coffee that tasted exactly as expensive as it cost.
System: "Observation on Vaelore has increased. Forum clusters in elite channels have noted the rapid attention. Some groups speculate mythological backing. Others believe in a covert financial entity—God's Axis."
"Let me guess, Group 7B still thinks we're a Reddit conspiracy thread and a guy in his mom's basement?"
System: "Correct. Group 7B report quote: 'God's Axis is not real. Just a branding myth for Vaelore hype. No group could operate unseen in this age of surveillance.'"
Alexis raised an eyebrow and stirred his coffee. "Then let's remind them subtlety doesn't mean absence."
System: "Silent warning already issued last cycle. Local shell companies ceased targeting Vaelore by midnight. However, new players from Consortium of Twelve have shown interest."
"Consortium? Fancy name for a handful of leeches." He leaned back in the small shop's breakroom chair. "Let them whisper. But if they think silence means weakness... we'll turn up the volume. Quietly."
The bell above the shop's door rang again. Iris.
She entered with a light knock on the counter, eyes narrowed. "You ever think about wearing color?"
Alexis looked down at his black hoodie, black jeans, and black sneakers. "Color is a social construct."
"You look like you escaped a minimalist cult."
"I'm the high priest of grayscale," he said, deadpan.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed a soda from the tiny cooler. "You're weird. You don't act broke anymore."
"I meditate on abundance."
"That sounds like rich-people nonsense."
"I'm aspirational."
She took a sip and leaned against the counter, eyes still sharp. "Word around campus is you're some startup guy or crypto kid."
"Do I look like I own a Lambo?"
"No, you look like someone who sold a Lambo to fund a secret militia."
Alexis smiled slightly. "Now that's flattering."
"Why is the Axis Goods store so… suspiciously calm?" she continued. "You don't advertise. You don't have employees. You somehow got a vending license before midterms."
"It's called operational efficiency."
She raised a brow. "It's called suspicious. I Googled your shop once. Found nothing."
"See? Our SEO is amazing."
"Your SEO is missing."
He shrugged. "I'm just a student with good taste in tea and better luck in bureaucracy."
Iris stared at him for a beat, then muttered, "One day you're going to do something so ridiculously shady, and I'm going to be the only one who saw it coming."
"I'll deny everything with a smile," he replied, lifting his coffee cup.
She lingered for a moment longer before returning to her booth, but her gaze remained fixed on him now and then, full of narrowed suspicion and half-suppressed curiosity.
Back in the rear storage room, Alexis checked the secure console embedded behind a fake crate of instant noodles.
System: "Client 002 has circulated word of satisfaction through encrypted channels. Result: Minor panic among low-tier black-market jewelry houses. One competitor has ceased operation."
Alexis exhaled, satisfied.
System: "However, Entity: Redwave Financial has classified Vaelore as 'emerging threat to legacy luxury economies.' Internal memo suggests probing Vaelore's ownership trail."
"They won't find one."
System: "Noted. Also, one internal leak from Group 7B suggested: 'If God's Axis exists, they've yet to make a real move.'"
Alexis stood slowly, stretching his back. "They think whispers aren't moves."
System: "Would you like to activate Protocol: Wraith?"
"Not yet. Let the vultures circle. They'll choke on their curiosity soon enough."
System: "Public chatter increase by 0.7%. Estimated curiosity factor rising in isolated financial circles. Mild pressure from lobbyists to uncover Vaelore's legal roots."
Alexis turned back toward the front of the shop, where a child was happily choosing between two oddly fancy packs of chewing gum.
"No one suspects the corner store," he muttered.
He stepped behind the counter and adjusted a tiny decorative bonsai.
System: "Message received from Client 002: 'The silence speaks louder than war drums. Impressed. Watching closely.'"
"Good," Alexis whispered. "Let the myth grow teeth."
Outside, the clouds had broken apart into strips of pale blue sky, and pedestrians strolled by, unaware of the slow, deliberate shaping of empires beneath their feet.
Let them question.
Let them mock.
Let them sleep.
But when the crownless roars—
Even kings listen.