"No, Azren… there is still a chance of surviving."
Fateli said while looking at Azren with serous gaze.
Azren's trembling eyes darted toward her. His lips parted, his voice breaking in disbelief.
"How… how could I survive something like that? You said it yourself… I won't be able to eat for days, I won't be able to sleep… no one can live like that for twenty days! No one!"
He shook his head desperately, his breath sharp and uneven.
"And that's not even the worst part… everything you said every single symptom, it'll kill me before I can even try!"
"Azren!"
Fateli's voice cut through the air like a whip, loud enough to silence the trembling boy in front of her.
Azren froze, startled. His panicked eyes lifted toward her, and for the first time, she wasn't calm or collected. Her voice carried something stronger, something closer to anger but not quite.
"You're not really acting like the person Moltur told me about," she said, her voice low and steady now.
"He said you were stubborn. That even when you were hurt or scared, you never gave up. So tell me where did that person go? Where's the boy who made it this far?"
Her words sank deep, and Azren's mind began to replay everything, the journey here, the people he met along the way.
He saw Moltur's wrinkled face when he sent him to the cart and gave him all the money he had and said.
"Yes… so make sure to come back, ok? I'll be waiting."
He remembered Dezork standing between him and those thugs and how he beat them and helped him get his bag back and said.
"You should be more careful."
Each person… no one left him alone. They had all helped him, guided him to this point.
'All this time… everyone… helped me get here,' he thought, feeling his chest tighten.
'They believed I could make it.'
His vision blurred as he lifted his head slightly, looking at Fateli again. Her sharp, serious eyes didn't waver. She wasn't pitying him, she was demanding strength from him.
Azren's knees weakened. Slowly, he lowered himself to the floor. The rough, cold surface pressed against his skin as he dropped onto both knees.
Then, with trembling hands, he bent forward and bowed his head deeply.
"Please…" he whispered, his voice cracking.
"Please save me, Miss Fateli…"
His fingers dug into the wooden floor.
"I… I don't want to die…"
His voice grew smaller, quieter, trembling with helpless fear and desperate hope.
Fateli stood silently for a long moment, the light from the glowing liquids reflecting in her eyes. The faint sigh that left her lips was filled with something that almost sounded like sorrow.
Dezork stepped closer and gently tapped Azren's back, his touch steady and grounding.
"Azren… we will help you," he said quietly, his deep voice softer than usual.
"All we can do is keep you alive until the third symptom. After that… you'll have to fight back yourself to survive."
There was no hesitation in his voice, only certainty and a strange determined warmth.
Fateli slowly turned her back to them and looked toward the shelves filled with glowing liquids. Her voice came out calm… but heavy.
"Azren… there is something you must know about me."
Azren lifted his head weakly, still kneeling.
"I am someone the capital is searching for," she said.
"To them, I am dangerous… because of what I know… and because of who I am. I run from place to place… not because I want to, but because I have to. I don't want to die either."
She paused, her shoulders lowering just a bit.
"I abandoned everything… my home… my friends… my childrens… all to live a while longer."
Then she turned her head slightly, just enough for her voice to reach him clearly, filled with a quiet, firm sincerity.
"But I'll tell you this, Azren…"
"I won't abandon you."
Azren's breath froze.
His eyes widened, shaky and glassy, staring at her back in complete disbelief.
A few tears slid down his cheeks without him even noticing.
"Miss Fateli…" he whispered, voice trembling.
"Thank you… and… and I'm sorry. I know I'll be a burden to you and sir Dezork for a long time… but… I'll survive. And after that… I'll repay your kindness with all my life."
Fateli let out a small, tired sigh that almost sounded like a laugh.
"Already thinking of the future, huh? you are such a dreamer."
She walked toward the door and opened it slightly.
"Dez, prepare a room for Azren. I need to handle something."
Dezork nodded respectfully.
"Yes, Lady Fateli."
Fateli stepped out, the door closing behind her as she headed downstairs.
Azren slowly tried to stand… but dizziness hit him hard. His knees buckled and his vision darkened.
Before he could hit the ground, Dezork grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and steadied him.
Azren looked up with tired, foggy eyes.
"Thank you… sir Dezork…"
Dezork smiled a little and said.
"You can just call me Dezork because from now on you'll see my face everyday and you can't say no."
He nodded toward the dark doorway beside them.
"The room next to this one is where you'll stay, Azren. For the next twenty six days… then after that, we can both walk outside again."
Azren let out a small breath and managed a faint smile before nodding.
Dezork guided him out of the strange bright room and into the next one.
"Don't complain about the food tho..I can't cook good and lady Fateli won't cool at all."
The moment they stepped inside, Azren felt an eerie calm wash over him.
The room was dim, only a small candle on the floor flickered with a weak flame, barely lighting the cramped space.
One narrow bed sat against the wall, covered with dark, worn blankets that looked rough.
A small wooden table stood beside it, empty and scratched, its surface uneven.
Other than that… there was nothing. No windows. No decorations. Just darkness and silence.
Azren stared at the empty little room, then slowly took a deep breath, letting the dim glow touch his tired face.
'I… will… live.'