Chapter 8 Three Hours

Aeris' POV

"You're finally awake. How do you feel?"

I opened my eyes. It took half a minute for my vision to return. Blake was looking down at me gently with a cloth in his hand. The moment he saw me stir, he quickly helped me sit up.

"I'd just gotten off work when I saw you collapsed on the roadside. You scared me to death. Your whole body was soaked through, and your temperature was dangerously low. I had my assistant change you out of your wet clothes, and we used hot towels to warm you up."

"Thank you… Blake," I replied hoarsely.

For the first time, I realized how much effort speaking could take. With my pounding head, ringing ears, and blurry vision, it took a long time for Blake's face to come into focus. The gentleness from a moment ago was gone. In its place were worry and grimness.

He handed me a glass of water he had poured, his gaze fixed on me as I drank.

His tone was grave as he said, "Aeris, your condition isn't looking too good. You need to be hospitalized immediately."

He stressed the last word, and then he repeated it, "And I mean immediately. The Soul Decay is worsening. Something malignant is draining your strength. You feel it, don't you?"

I lowered my head in silence.

Yes. I felt it. No one knew better than me how bad it had gotten.

In the past week, I had to lie motionless in bed for half an hour every morning before I could even have enough energy to stand. At times, I would faint without warning. Every now and then, I would cough up blood, too.

Blake sighed and rested a hand lightly on my shoulder. "You're still young, Aeris. Getting treatment is the best option for you. Don't give up hope, alright? There are still things in this world worth holding on to."

Worth holding on to?

I froze upon hearing that. Faces flickered through my mind.

At last, I whispered, "Only Dad."

"Then, do it for his sake," Blake pressed, his eyes soft and sad.

He tried his best to spark some will in me. "Live, Aeris. You need to stay alive to care for him. No one else will."

I gave him a bitter smile. "Thank you, Blake. But I can't hold on anymore."

Then, I pulled back the blanket and tried to get up. "It's late, Blake. I've troubled you too much…"

But the moment my feet touched the ground, I collapsed. My body refused to heed my will. No matter how I tried, I had no strength at all. If Blake hadn't caught me, I would have lain sprawled on the floor like a corpse.

I forced a hollow smile. "Other than the fact that I'm still breathing, I might already be no different from a corpse."

"You can't even walk. Where do you think you're going?" Blake scolded.

Exasperated, he steadied me. I attempted to stand again but failed.

Was it that bad already?

For a moment, I was stunned.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I noticed Blake's eyes flick to my bare ring finger. Once, my bonding ring had never left it. It even left a permanent mark on my finger. But now, it was empty.

"You're exhausted, Aeris. Just rest. When morning comes, I'll take you to the hospital myself when I go to work. Your only option is to get treatment. At this point, you could lose consciousness at any time. You were lucky I happened to find you this time. But if no one does next time, you could…"

He couldn't finish his sentence.

Blake had always been the most responsible healer and the most soft-hearted person. He never stopped trying to help me, even though I wasn't worth it.

"I'm sorry, but I have to sever my mate bond first. That's my only wish. I have to go to the altar. Can you help me, Blake?"

Those words cost me so much effort. My voice was faint and trembling weakly.

But Blake heard them. He sighed and left the room. After a few seconds, he returned with a vial of liquid. It was black and bubbling, and it had a very sharp smell.

"This will numb the pain temporarily. The painkiller I gave you before doesn't work anymore, right?"

He met my eyes. "But you must understand that this only lasts three hours. After that, your condition will get worse if you don't go straight to treatment. You know this isn't real medicine. It's no cure. If you hadn't begged me, I'd never have put this in your hands."

My eyes reddened as tears welled up.

Blake was merely a fellow student. Years ago, we had studied under the same teacher and nothing more. Yet, he was genuinely worried about my life. Meanwhile, my mate couldn't care less.

I felt a strong stinging sensation in my nose. I turned my face aside.

My voice was choked up as I spoke, "Thank you, Blake. Honestly… you're the only one left who still cares whether I live or die."

I took the vial. The bitter, acrid liquid slid down my throat. I didn't even flinch. Once, I couldn't swallow bitter medicine without Caius cheering me on. Now that my senses had dulled down, I could hardly taste any bitterness at all.

I couldn't help but tear up. But perhaps it was due to the sting from the potion.

I forced myself to gulp down the potion. But then, pain seized my stomach. I bent over and curled up on the bed, trembling feebly. Blood spilled from my mouth and nose and stained Blake's bed.

"Sorry… Your bed's… all dirty now…"

But Blake only patted my shoulder and gently eased me onto my side so that I wouldn't choke to death.

"Don't worry. It's a side effect of the potion. It purges some of the worst from your body first," Blake explained.

When I came to my senses and was more alert, Blake repeated gravely, "Remember this, Aeris. Only three hours. After you finish what you want to do, you must get to the hospital. Otherwise, what awaits you is death."