The Extra's Transcension-Chapter 117: Azrael Darkbrone [3]

Thunder struck outside the house, and the rain grew heavier by the second.

Water crashed against the windows, and the wind howled like something alive in the darkness.

The front door opened with a slow creak.

A man stepped onto the steel-tiled floor, droplets of rain sliding down his black coat.

His hair was slightly damp, sticking to his pale forehead.

His sharp, light-colored eyes scanned the hallway before resting on the nurse standing near the end of the corridor.

"How is the treatment going, Nurse?" the man asked in a calm but firm voice.

The nurse adjusted her glasses nervously. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"It is... progressing, sir. But the patient’s condition is unstable."

The man walked closer, his footsteps echoing softly against the hard tiles.

"Unstable in what way?" he asked.

"She regains consciousness for a few minutes," the nurse explained carefully.

"But then her heartbeat becomes irregular. The fever is not going down despite the medication. We are trying another dosage, but we are unsure how her body will respond."

The man’s expression did not change, but his jaw tightened slightly.

"Has she spoken?"

"Yes," the nurse replied.

"She keeps asking the same question."

"What question?" His voice lowered.

"She asks if you have returned."

For a brief moment, silence filled the hallway except for the distant sound of thunder.

The man looked toward the closed door at the end of the corridor. "And what did you tell her?"

"I told her you were on your way," the nurse said gently.

"It seemed to calm her down." The man nodded once.

"Good. Make sure she is not left alone."

"Of course, sir," the nurse said quickly.

"But... there is something else."

His pale eyes shifted back to her.

"Speak."

"The test results," she whispered.

"They show something we cannot explain. Her condition is not natural. It is as if... something is interfering with her recovery."

The man’s hand slowly clenched at his side.

"Interfering?" he repeated quietly.

"Yes. The medicines work for a short time, then suddenly stop being effective.

It is almost like her body is fighting against the treatment."

A flash of lightning illuminated the hallway, casting sharp shadows across his face.

"I see," he said at last. "Prepare everything. I will see her myself."

The nurse hesitated. "Sir, are you sure? If her condition reacts again, it might—"

"It might what?" he interrupted calmly.

"It might become dangerous."

Another rumble of thunder shook the walls.

The man turned toward the door, his expression unreadable.

"It is already dangerous," he said softly. "That is why I am here."

He reached for the handle, pausing just before opening it.

"Whatever happens," he added without looking back, "no one enters the room unless I allow it. Do you understand?"

The nurse swallowed. "Yes, sir."

With that, he opened the door and stepped inside...

When he entered the room, he stopped for a moment.

The lights were dim. The sound of the storm outside felt distant now, muted by the heavy walls.

His eyes slowly moved toward the bed.

A figure lay there, motionless.

He took a quiet step forward.

"Maja...?" he called softly.

There was no response.

He moved closer to the bedside. The woman lying there had long yellow hair spread across the white pillow. Her breathing was slow, almost too quiet to hear.

"Can you hear me...?" he asked again, his voice lower this time.

Still no answer.

He exhaled deeply. "Haa..." The sigh carried exhaustion and something heavier, guilt.

He reached out carefully, intending to touch her forehead to check her temperature.

But before his fingers could reach her skin, her emerald eyes snapped open.

Her hand shot up and grabbed his wrist tightly.

He froze.

Her grip was surprisingly strong.

"It is your fault... isn’t it?" she whispered.

Her eyes stared directly into his, but there was something strange about them, something distant.

"It is your fault, Azrael... We’re all dead because of you. It is your fault..."

She repeated the words slowly, like a broken record.

Azrael frowned. "Maja... what are you talking about?" His voice was calm, but his heart began to pound. "You’re not making sense."

He tried to gently pull his hand free.

He couldn’t.

Her thin fingers tightened around his wrist with unnatural strength.

"Maja, listen to me," he said more firmly.

"You’re sick. You’re hallucinating. Let go."

But her expression did not change.

"It is your fault... We’re all dead..."

The air inside the room suddenly felt heavier.

The lights flickered once.

Azrael felt a cold chill spread across his skin.

"Maja."

Her voice began to shift.

At first, it was only slightly deeper.

Then it began to echo.

"It is your fault... your fault... your fault..."

The soft tone he knew so well disappeared. In its place came a hollow, melancholic voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

The shadows in the corners of the room grew darker.

The walls seemed farther away.

The temperature dropped sharply, and his breath became faintly visible.

Azrael’s eyes narrowed. "This is not her..." he whispered to himself.

Maja’s lips moved again, but this time the voice that filled the room was layered, like several voices speaking through her.

"You opened the gate, Azrael..."

Lightning flashed outside the window, but for a moment the light inside the room didn’t match the storm. It was darker than it should have been.

"You were warned..."

Her grip tightened again.

"And now you will watch everything fall."

The bed sheets began to lift slightly as if caught in a silent wind.

Azrael finally forced his wrist free with a sharp pull.

"Maja!" he shouted.

Her eyes were still locked onto him, glowing faintly in the dimness.

The room trembled.

Then, slowly, she smiled.

Not a warm smile.

Not her smile.

"You can’t save anyone this time."

The echo of her voice lingered long after her lips stopped moving.

Her body suddenly began to tremble.

At first, it was slight, just a small shake of her shoulders.

Then it became violent.

"Maja!" Azrael called, stepping back as the bed frame cracked beneath her shifting weight.

Her spine arched unnaturally. The shadows in the room twisted toward her, as if drawn by an invisible force.

A sharp tearing sound filled the air.

From her forehead, two dark horns slowly pushed out, curving upward.

They were smooth and black at first, but faint purple lines began to pulse through them like veins of light.

Azrael’s breathing grew heavier.

Her body lifted from the bed.

The white sheets burned away into dark ash before touching the ground.

Something formed around her, like armor, but alive.

A thick, purple, shield-like shell grew over her body, shaping itself into a tall, humanoid figure.

It was muscular but distorted, layered like overlapping plates of living crystal.

The surface glowed faintly, as if something inside it was breathing.

And yet—

Her face remained human.

Maja’s face.

But her expression was no longer hers.

A thick purple mist began spreading across the floor. It carried a toxic aura that made the air sting.

The walls darkened, swallowing what little light remained.

The hospital room was gone.

In its place stood a void-like chamber, endless and shadowed, as though reality itself had folded inward.

Azrael’s eyes widened.

"No..." he whispered.

The creature slowly lowered its head to look at him.

The emerald eyes were now glowing with a deep violet light.

"You finally see it..." the layered voice echoed.

Azrael stumbled back one step.

"Y—You..." His throat felt dry. His voice trembled.

"S—Slepinir..."

The name hung in the heavy air.

The monster tilted its head slightly.

Purple energy pulsed along its body.

The toxic aura intensified, causing cracks to spread beneath Azrael’s feet.

"So you remember me..." the entity replied, its voice reverberating as if spoken inside his mind rather than aloud.

Azrael clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand firm despite the pressure crushing around him.

"You were sealed," he said through gritted teeth. "I destroyed your core."

A distorted laugh filled the chamber.

"You destroyed... a fragment."

The shield-like armor expanded, forming jagged extensions along its shoulders and arms.

"You cannot destroy what was born from despair itself."

Azrael’s mind raced.

"This is inside her consciousness," he muttered. "This isn’t the physical world."

"Correct," Slepinir answered smoothly. "You are inside her fading soul."

The words hit harder than any physical blow.

Azrael froze for a split second.

"What do you mean... fading?"

The creature stepped forward. Each movement caused ripples through the dark dimension.

"She carries your sin, Azrael. The gate you opened... allowed my essence to cling to her."

The purple aura flared violently.

"While you lived in ignorance... I grew."

Azrael’s chest tightened. His hands shook, not from fear this time, but from realization.

"No... I closed that gate."

"You closed it too late."

The horns gleamed under the dark light.

"She has been dying slowly since that day."

A deep silence followed.

Only the low hum of toxic energy filled the void.

Azrael’s expression hardened.

The trembling in his voice disappeared.

"If this is her consciousness..." he said steadily, "then I’m not leaving without her."

Slepinir’s monstrous frame straightened.

"You think you can fight me here?"

Azrael lifted his hand slowly.

Dark patterns began forming along his skin, glowing faint silver beneath the purple haze.

"This time," he said quietly, his pale eyes

sharpening, "I won’t fight a fragment."

The void trembled as power gathered around him.

"I’ll erase you completely."

The toxic mist swirled violently as Slepinir let out a low, echoing growl.

"Then come, Azrael... Let us see whose will is stronger."

****