Chapter 843 (2/2)

Snorting, Azriel ceased wiggling, blinking as she tried to get her eyes to focus on Helen’s face. Unfortunately, it was a slow process. It was strange. Why was she having so much difficulty focusing her gaze? “What-”

But Azriel stopped short. She had been about to ask what happened. But she remembered.

Holding those images, the violence and blood on her hands. Broken bones and bloated corpses. The whispers of death, the demands, the creeping madness. Ascending, transforming Tellus into a place where that image was dominant. Where the weak were taken advantage of and killed by the strong.

Azriel took a deep breath and faced the fact that if that image had Ascended, something precious in Tellus would have been lost forever. And she had known that and aided that very eventuality.

Would she have chosen that image on her own? No, of course not. But she owed her Master a great debt. So much so that she had been willing to sacrifice her own images to give it the chance that it had wanted.

This is gonna hurt. Randidly said, looking up at her with wide eyes. He looked so worried, and his hand was warm when he touched her-

Azriel pressed her eyes closed. “My Master…?”

Helen said nothing. After a few seconds, Azriel opened her eyes and looked at Helen. The other woman was crying but still remained silent. Inwardly, Azriel sighed. She supposed that was answer enough.

Will I cry over you, Master…? Azriel wondered. Her eyes were dry. But it was possible that this state of being was due to the dire situation of her body. When she recovered, there might be a different reaction. She examined herself carefully and realized how damaged she truly was, physically and mentally.

The crying will have to wait. The debt is paid. For now… that is enough. I hope- no, simply… rest in peace, Master. You deserved better than the role given to you. Even if the devastation you tried to cause won’t show that.

“Azriel-” Helen began, but she was interrupted as the door to the small room opened.

Randidly stood in the doorway, frowning down at Azriel. But as Azriel quirked her eyebrow in askance at him, he burst into a wide grin.

So young, Azriel thought distantly, watching the way his smile erased all the lines from his face. So much power. What will you ask from those that owe you debts, Mr. Ghosthound…? Have you even thought about it…?

“Good, you are awake,” Randidly said, moving to sit beside the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Azriel dismissed her dark thoughts and looked pointedly at the weighted comforter that was pinning her to the bed. “Like this restraint is unnecessary. Now that I am conscious, I am prepared to move around once more. How long have I been asleep?”

“Almost a week,” Helen said, shooting a questioning glance at Randidly.

Azriel made note of the glance.

It seemed that they didn’t mean to keep her long in the dark about their sinister cabal. After a brief hesitation, Randidly spoke. “Azriel, I don’t wish to rush your recovery at all, but… I’m going to head back to my planet soon. For quite a while. And I wanted to offer you the chance to come. Helen has already agreed-”

“Will you refuse to take off the covers if I do not agree?” Azriel asked.

Randidly chuckled. “No, I will not. But I don’t think you are well enough to move yet. There will be some… energy problems that I will need to sort out, so you should rest up as much as possible. I’m not sure how your body will react to the transition.”

Azriel nodded. “If you manage to solve the problem of… energy, then I would like to accompany you. I wonder about the world you come from, Mr. Ghosthound. It must be a strange place.”

Snorting, Randidly shook his head helplessly. “You don’t know the half of it.”

Azriel smiled, but she studied Randidly’s face. Although she had been knocked out, some part of her had stayed tuned to the Ascension while she was knocked out. She could feel how it had occurred, feel the shape of images. Likely, it was because she had come so close to Ascending herself. Some part of her was on that wavelength.

And she could feel, very clearly, how close Shal’s bright dreams had come close to failing. Because the ultimate truth was that dreams were seeds that were born in darkness and would not grow until they sensed warm.

And your hand held such warmth, Randidly. Azriel thought. I wonder how much of his debt to you Shal understands. I wonder if Tellus would know how hard it would be for it to take this step if you hadn’t been there, touching the images of those you interacted with…