32 Waking Up

Ashe breathed in and out in a rhythmic manner, before slowly shaking her head and observing it.

It had stopped attacking her, as Ashe covered her wounded body and slowly started to regain her breath.

Even after she awakened, she was almost at her limit, and she felt utterly suppressed and humiliated by this inner demon that had possessed the boy she had challenged to the fight.

And now, he had stopped in the middle of the field, a deadly red aura that weakened and strengthened at every moment.

And then he watched it slowly start to walk up to the spear of the weird material and stab itself with it.

Suicide?

Ashe only saw the aura strengthen after the inner demon stabbed itself with it, so Ashe created an ice arrow, one that was a lot bigger and stronger than the one that she conjured on her bow.

But a figure approached her, teleporting in front of her.

"Elder , Yvonne...." Ashe saw the graceful teleportation of the Elder, as she gave the command to Ashe

Yvonne only gave her a glimpse stare, before saying. "You have won the battle, go and help evacuate the arena."

"But...but....but." Ashe tried to find the words, but she was immediately cut off by a hand on her shoulder.

"Rest, my daughter. You have me proud, but this is outside your capacity to help."

"But-but im awakened! I can be useful!."

"Yvonne." Grena only shook his head, before Yvonne looked at Ashe and muttered one word.

"𝕊𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡."

Ashe suddenly fell to the ground, in a state of consciousness as a war maiden carried the young girl out of the stadium.

Grena raised her double axes, enchanted with a beautiful woven edge of true ice.

Yvonne raised her needles, her eyes scanning the former shell of Ajel.

Yvonne looked at Grena hesitantly, before shaking his head and throwing a needle at the Azakana in the middle.

But to her surprise, the needle was blocked by the hand of the Azakana.

"Yvonne....." A weak voice came out of the Azakana, as Yvonne and Grena's eyes widened.

"Ajel...?" Yvonne looked curiously, but she didn't lower her needles.

"If I ever had grandkid, this will be one hell of a story." Ajel mused before a thud could be heard.

"He's collapsed," Yvonne muttered, as she slowly started to approach after seeing the thick red aura start to dissipate.

"Get a solider to send him to the prison, and tend to his wounds," Grena said.

"I will oversee him, just make sure Ashe doesn't try to kill him at this point."

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Ajel woke up , before looking down to the chains that binded him to a bed.

Waking up in a room was one thing , but waking up pratically naked was another. Atleast he had bedsheets.

Ajel sighed , before looking around at the cell.

"Your awake." Yvonne muttered , before grabbing a chair and sitting on the other side of the metal bars.

"if i was some murderous bloodsucking demon , what would make you think that some metal bars would stop me?" Ajel asked straight up , causing Yvonne to laugh. "Good to see you haven't changed."

"I have changed , just not in the manner that you exepect."

"A positive change is a positive change , and a negative change is a negative change. Tell me , which one is yours?"

"It's time to find out , i suppose elder."

Ajel examined where the rose thorn's markes were in the box , totattoo'stoo's of thorns that speread from his upper arm all the way upwards to his back.

the thorn's were inky black , and it reminded that the events in the box was not fake.

Moving , Ajel felt a large stinging on his front , where a wound and mutiple others were.

"You gave me quite a shock when you stabbed yourself with your own spear."

"Hm." Ajel muttered , his eyes fixated onto the tatoo's.

"Tatoo's have a great meaning in the Freljord. It recounts the experiences of someone. The pain of a defeat, the joy of a victory."

Meditating , Ajel felt the strand that Yvonne uses to read his mind as he snipped it with his own mana.

"The ttattoo refences the pain of a lose , and the acceptance of the consequences."

"Very well , Ajel." Yvonne said , before shaking her head. "You have been out cold for three weeks."

"Ashe?" Ajel asked , causing Yvonne to shake her head. " She woke up after a few days. The Iceborn legacy ritual took alot out of her."

"Iceborn legacy?"

"I will explain it to you later. For now , i wish to know what is going on with you."

"I know little of it myself. Any hypothesis?"

"What's that?" Yvonne looked confused to the meaning of the world.

Ajel sighed , before shaking his head. "have you got any idea's."

"A Azakana possesed your body." Yvonne frowned , before getting some of her signature tea and pouring herself a hefty amount of it. "You know of it , yes?"

Of course he did. The stories that people told children to scare them into going bed when he was going to the orphanage. The only way to destroy a Azakana is to see through it and find its name.

"But they are parasitic entities , correct?" Ajel looked confused , before looking at Yvonne sip her tea. "I haven't had the chance to get one , as i meditate fairly frequently."

"Well then , there is a simple solution to that."

The rotemperatureature dropped , as Ajel saw Yvonne stare at him eerily.

"You made a Azakana."

Ajel nodded his head , before putting his head on the bed and groaning.

"And im going to spend the rest of my life here?"

"No , we will examine you for the next two weeks. Those rose tattoo's are probably a result of the Azakana , and should be monitored to make sure they dont spread up your body."

Ajel had no quarrels for this himself , as this dangerous thing could be a problem for him later down the line.

"Very well then. I shall be on my way." Yvonne put down her tea , before hastily making her way out of the prison.

After checking things using mage vision , Ajel looked around one final time before he heeded the call to something that had been present in his soul. Something that he could feel , but not physically.

And so , he called for it.