10 Chapter 9: Nostalgia

"Pitied are those who know not the ones who love him so."

~Tasmiya Shaik

REALM OF ALVGARD

Eizgár~Southern regions of Aranduil

Reinhardt Estate

19:27

Hold him down!' René instructed Isaac, and Lance's brother heeded her command.

René focused intently and began to mumble a solution to herself.

'Trionitus...think René...ok calm down. Layout the facts. It's a rare organism, undiscovered by the humes, often a threat to the Warcans... except for the Phaxani tribe!'

René retrieved a syringe from the kit beside her and faced the others.

'I need panther blood,' She stated, and Andreas stepped forward and rolled up his sleeve as he flexed out his arm.

'Is it Trionitus?' He questioned, and René replied with a nod of her head.

'A blood transfusion? How will that help him?' An unannounced guest intervened with a slight tinge of malice to their words.

'There is no time to explain.' René practically jabbed the needle into Andreas' arm, but he did not respond with even a flinch. She extracted the blood and spilled its contents onto a bare metal tray. 'Artificial immunity, it is the only way,' René signaled for Andreas to her side, handed him a pair of surgical gloves and a retractor. 'Do as I say. I need to you pry open the slash wound on his shoulder when given the instruction. If we can halt the Trionitus at its source, then time will do the trick and heal both his wounds.'

René's palm hovered above the blood sample, and tiny glowing particles of green surfaced as she siphoned them by the will of her magic. She gathered them into a sphere and amalgamated it into the vial of clear fluid. The particles dispersed in the liquid and immediately dissolved. She extracted the concoction with a syringe and returned to Sebastian's side.

She observed the region of his chest before she reassessed her decision.

'The heart...' She mumbled and injected a portion of the substance into his chest region. She removed the syringe and then focused on the wound in his shoulder.'Pry it open gently,' She informed Andreas, and he followed her word. He carefully placed the retractor in between the flesh and parted it.

René exerted all the syringe's remaining contents into the open wound, and Andreas removed the retractor. She nursed the injury on Sebastian's abdomen and bandaged it anew as she had on his shoulder.

'Will he heal?' Lance enquired with a concerned expression.

'He should. I didn't perform a blood transfusion; I merely gave him artificial immunity. Panther blood has a solid immunity against the Trionitus; you might even say that the panther's white blood cells have the ability to eradicate it due to a special substance called larcerin found only within their cell contents. I extracted the larcerin and mixed it with a neutral liquid agent that will act as a medium. However, the larcerin can only prove active within a cell; it will therefore infiltrate his cells, infected or not, and will build up the cell's immunity to retaliate. All traces of the organism will be annihilated by the newly modified cells.'

'What if the larcerin is not compatible with his cells? It is only found within the panther's blood, is it not?' Isaac questioned and released his hold from Sebastian, who seemed to have ceased his convulsions.

'The panther's cells are the only of its kind that has the capacity and ability to manufacture larcerin; that is its only uniqueness. It is not completely harmful to other Warcans, but yes, it could be fatal to a hume, but in his Lordship's case, you have nothing to worry about. There will be minor side-effects; however, it is nothing life-threatening and can be treated in my care.' Rene informed.

'Earlier, it appeared as though you changed your decision when injecting it; why so?' Andreas arched a brow.

'I realized that if I were to inject the larcerin mixture into his wound directly, then his blood cells at the forefront of defense would have recognized it as a foreign substance and eliminated it. Injecting it directly into his heart would have allowed the cells within the heart region to quickly adapt to the larcerin and transfer the coding to the cells at the forefront, therefore ruling it as an aid. I injected the larcerin into the wound a few seconds after to reinforce combat against the trionitus,' René explained.

'And so you are implying that his cells at the forefront had already adapted to the larcerin's structure before you performed the second injection?'

'Precisely, we Asharra have the ability to adapt to properties which can be somewhat compatible quickly.'

'I see, you shall keep your life then, Signóra Sotiris,' Andreas smiled.

'I did not plan on losing it anyhow, Lord Duranté Rossi,' René smiled politely, and Andreas shrugged in defeat.

~You have done well.~ Kilia praised her.

'We should allow him to rest; I will remain to attend to his needs. It is best if you all allow him to recover by himself.'

René felt a little tug on her dress as the others began to depart to their respective duties.

'Miss Avery? It is good to see you again,' René smiled at her.

'I believed that you could do it,' Avery returned a smile.

'Thank you for having faith in me, but my abilities only excel in your presence.'

'I am only the source; how it is exercised is by your will,' Avery nodded and was escorted away by Andreas.

René returned to her work station and observed the blood sample she had extracted from Sebastian with the aid of a magnification device that resembled a microscope except that it was imbued with magical properties. She then removed the slide and observed the Narrak magic particles she retrieved from Sebastian's wounds.

'His blood holds similar properties to the Narrak magic...contamination? It is a possibility, but this blood sample was extracted from a piece of his shirt that was ripped during the battle...how strange'

René secured the samples in vials and seated herself on the cushioned chair beside the bed. She leaned over Sebastian and unraveled the bandages from his eyes. She discovered that the miasma immediately began to dissipate.

She stared at him blankly, captivated by his masculine features. How could a man be so gorgeous? Asharren males were popular for their unmatched attraction, but there was more of a warrior's appeal to Sebastian. Her eyes wandered over his jawline and cheekbones' sharp structures and followed the shape of his eyes. What color were they? Were they cold and unforgiving? Or warm and welcoming? She had never gotten the chance to see them up close.

Her hand lightly caressed the strands of his shoulder-length black hair that had streaks of ice-white incorporated to blend in, hardly noticeable at a distance. She tucked the loose strands behind his elvish ears. His body was well defined with muscles that didn't seem to bulge, truly the physique of a devilishly handsome warrior, and oddly enough, cold air seeped from his skin.

'So this is Lahn...as reckless as you have always been. I should hope that the injustice done to you is avenged...' She said softly.

'I should hope the same,' An unannounced guest spoke.

'Archid?' René regarded the man who bowed in greeting.

'Is he well, Lady Sotiris?'

'I have treated him, and the poison has been subdued. He should recover soon,' René smiled. 'Have you been well? Have you been injecting the serum that I administered?'

'I have, my Lady. I understand the caution that must be taken, however...I am unable to control the hound at times....'

'You are young, it will take some time, but you have been showing excellent progress, soon you will have the beast under control.'

'Indeed. Has my father departed already?'

'Yes, I believe he was attending to Lady Avery until your return.'

'Thank you, my Lady, I shall meet with him then,' Archid bowed and took his leave.