Life and Death are Lovers on a Coffee Date

Chapter 13

[20:35]

The ground shook, striking Katherine awake, the temple doors separated and Azir was finally finished. The guards raised their weapons in a stance, from point-blank range to close combat and magicians at the back, Katherine was caught off guard.

"Guards rule down your weapons and stand by, let me go in alone." Camille commanded her armed troops, with hesitant gazes from one another, they swallowed their prides.

"Not alone," Katherine stretched,

Camille and Katherine entered still seeing the victims of the recent event although, without the gore sight, she had to sigh in relief as she saw no more signs of struggles nor infectious parasite sourcing from the crystal of whatever power. Camille then noticed the bloodied Azir, his breathing is heavy as his body was covered in mixed residues of signs of what seemed to be past surgery, magic, and flesh. Camille noticed the dripping flesh in his palm is yet fresh. And around them then she noticed that the blood-covered sands were not just from past surgeries but sourced from his hands patterned to what seemed to be ancient. Is this... a ritual? Camille thought,

"Hey Katherin- "without finishing his sentence, Azir coughed out blood. Katherine immediately rushed to Azir opening her heavy bag along the way, she let out a battle of water and a med kit shaking as she rushed with her materials. Azir took in all the water in one gulp and sighed deep in relief, "Thanks Kath,"

"Don't speak. Don't do anything, you've done enough." Katherine's eyes were fierce with fire embedded with an unknown source of determination as Camille watched from the side. Azir wrapped his palm around Katherine's shaky fingers,

"Let me do something for the last time?" Many times had Katherine heard of Azir's pleads, many times had he broken his words, and many times had he exhausted himself... many times had he not slept thoroughly and yet,

"No." Katherine objected.

"Please?" Katherine hesitated, her eyes went to Azir's palm still wrapped around hers then the people behind her, she knew that only Azir can help these helpless people as it is in fact their duty and within their integrity to help those people, with one pulse or an incurable disease, Erdstrum Hospital vowed. Katherine stopped rampaging her med kit, gazing down in defeat.

"Just this once." Katherine squeezed Azir's bloodied arms. "Thank you" Azir's grin was infectious, but it infected sadness to those who can see more of the deeper depths of his beam.

"Ma'am, or should I say general, you must be the first person your people will see or they'll panic, we don't want that do we?" Azir slowly raised himself up with his staff carrying most of his weight, limping near the end trace of the bloodied pattern drawn on the floor.

"Call me Camille." Only people who earned the general's respect can call her by her name with permission, and none ever achieved that, except, from her view, this is not enough but rather a small portion of respect.

Azir closed his eyes, and in a sigh as if a whisper, he bends to the floor. The light soon illuminated the complex design on the floor as it released an omen sourcing from the death semblance, the aura caused Camille to be in fear and so had Katherine. The blue volume of light reverberates the surroundings as orange torched surrounding was veiled by the power of the semblance causing an illusion of the night, engulfing every light except its own. Now each sphere of glowing light resembled one star in the violet night.

"Do you sense that wolf?"

"I do lamb, our presence. Interesting."

"Shall we see for a visit, dear wolf?

"Come on lamb, faster"

Out of nowhere, a constellation of spheres resembled an eye illuminating the pitch-black area, almost as if it's looking and soon, the constellation disappeared in a wisp. The light grew more volume in time and like a shockwave, released a great wave of light, blinding everyone except Azir as his hands were still rooted on the floor as his chants were continuous. The night inside the temple. After the great light occurred, Camille finally opened her eyes to see her soldiers rising, the wounds disappeared as if they didn't exist. Camille couldn't believe her eyes and so did the medics and soldiers inspecting their bodies as if a miracle had happened. And it had happened.

"General...?" Ryder scratched the back of his head, "What happened?" seemingly, everyone had the same question while some inspected the supposedly area of their wounds, and some were famished by their surroundings. Caleb rushed to the medical units Willow and Jacob, embracing each other as if it's their last while the other two were stunned - his words choked him. Willow and Jacob did come back. Everyone embraced, maybe in that plane, they knew they weren't going to make it. Camille felt disheartened, although she always wished everyone a safe return as they set on a mission or be deployed on a battlefield, her soldiers had already accepted death before leaving the threshold.

"General, what happened? This sensation, it's- "Nasus groaned as he made his way to the general, joining the other captains.

"After we received Nasus' distress signal, I immediately sent the Einheriar Rescue and Medical Battlefront to your location, but I was careless, an alien arts infected everyone on the battlefield except Nasus who was cursed into a deep sleep. After the units were infected by the crystals, the air transportation medium came crashing into the front of the hospital one by one, all hope was lost... but then this doctor came, he was... unexplainable. He resuscitated all of you." Camille glanced around the temple and so did the others. Unbeknownst to them the area, their eyes widened in awe as no words came out of their mouth, even Ryder shut up for the first time as he drew near the temple walls encrypted with lost symbols, runes, and patterns.

"Azir! Azir, please wake up!" Katherine broke down as she sobbed, hammering her fists at Azir's chest. The cries caught everyone's attention and soon started circling the scene as they felt sympathetic. Camille rushed to the scene inspecting Azir's body,

"Let me..." Azir breathed deeply, "have a rest."

"Take all the rest you need Azir, any time, just promise to wake up." Katherine cradled Azir's head on her thigh despite her small size. Azir smiled wryly as he nodded. Camille noticed a glimmer of light shining from Azir's chest, upon almost removing the fabric that hides the shine, Katherine slapped her hand away earning a round of gasp. "Don't." from the experience expecting a savage and deathly scare but instead, the general did nothing. If the general acted this way, then how important is this man in front of them? The crowd thought.

Nasus pushed himself through the crowd, Azir, he whispered, somehow, the words melted in him, Azir, he whispered one more. "Nasus?" Ryder noticed his best friend's weird behavior as his gaze was unbroken and unfazed as it focused in front of him, Nasus seemed stunned as he found the source of the commotion, taunted by the man in front of him. His eyes teared as he was left breathless.

"Woah, woah, woah Nasus, what's up?" Ryder's concern earned the other four captain's attention as they themselves were shocked to see their toughest captain in tears as his feet slowly made its way towards the bloodied man.

"There's a healing ward outside this temple, we can bring the doctor there and be healed, and rest assured his rest will be highly."

"No need, Azir's room is in the hospital, he'll like it more than waking up in a random coma." For some reason, Katherine's voice spouts poison, leveling the general's level although not from the fields of war, but in the field of medicine. As weak as Katherine is, she tried to carry Azir but to no avail. As she knows the embarrassment she is feeling, it's better than letting them touch his friends who for all she knows, take him to the government and turn him into a living battery like Camille.

"I'll carry him." Nasus stepped forward, his eyes were somewhat concerned and genuine, almost tearful as it reflected light slightly but restricting for the sake of professionalism. Katherine had experienced life in the slums so she knew the eyes of liars, advantageous, corrupt, and untrue, but Nasus' eyes spoke of something else, but she knew it was not of ill intention.

"Follow me." Katherine said standing up as she made her way to the temple's entrance. Nasus carried Azir in his arms, and at that moment, Nasus felt his reason for traveling the land, his shattered memories still remained but he knows he know this man as an important asset, his first action was to cradle the man in his arms and his face nuzzling against him like a puppy as he closed his eyes, a drop of tear that will soon turn more if he won't wake up. He was addicted.