Ruin and Revival

Chapter 42: Sickness of the Soul

ARIKA

I inhale my ham sandwich, the fluffy bread perfectly complementing the savory ham.

"Gurrlll, you have quite the appetite," Bri smiles through the cheese and ham in her own mouth.

"Where is Axel?" I scan the room. Maybe he just wants some time alone.

"So you're into him? I mean who wouldn't be,"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. He's too unpredictable, but there is this strength in him that makes him seem so untouchable yet so vulnerable at the same time,"

"Deep, very deep. I like it," Bri chuckles before putting the last bit of sandwich in her mouth. I do the same, feeling truly satisfied for the first time in so long. But, something just felt wrong, off.

"Hey, I'm going to go look for Axel," I stand up from my stool, swaying slightly as the boat rocks under me. Bri gets up as well, her expression telling me she was definitely coming. We walk down to the lowest level, where I knew he would be. Gloom so heavy it makes walking hard fills me. Scarlett...

I see him, slumped against her cold, cold coffin, propping himself up with trembling arms.

"Axel," I call lightly, treading on careful ground. He doesn't seem to hear me, and if he did, he doesn't acknowledge it. I rush to his side and I am met with clammy skin. He finally looks up.

"Arika, something feels wrong. I feel sick," His eyes are bloodshot, cold sweat dripping down his moist forehead. I press my hand against it and it burns feverishly.

"Bri, go get help! He's burning up fast!" I lay him on the cool floor and I realize how light he is. Why had I not noticed sooner? His hair is long, shaggy, and unkempt. All the muscle from before has been stripped away to reveal the hollow skeleton that lay beneath. His once sparkling eyes are now a faded blue as they roll back into his head. This is what years of unending stress and grief can do to a person.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," My tears wet his face.

"Don't cry, please don't cry," He says so weakly. I need to stay strong for him. My grip on his clammy hands tightens. The door opens and I see two physicians rush toward us. Bri stands by the hallway, her face contorted in concern.

"You're going to need to move. We need to check on him now," They shove me aside urgently. I watch in horror as they drag him onto a flimsy cot and strip him of his damp clothing.

"That's not possible," One whispers in disbelief.

"He shouldn't even be alive," Bri and I exchange looks of terror.

"Would you mind informing us?"

"His body temperature is at 116 degrees. From what we are seeing so far, nothing seems physically wrong with him. We are going to need to investigate further once we reach Aquaria's labs in a couple of hours. For now, you need to keep an eye on him and prevent his fever from going up even more. We are going to transport him to the medical room," I am too utterly shocked to speak. 116 degrees isn't even humanly possible. But I do not dare fathom the thought of a world without Axel.

I watch his face, twisted in pain. He mumbles feverishly in his sleep. This is the second time I have watched Axel, the most powerful person on this earth, brought down to this state of helplessness. I guess we are all only human.

"Please get better. Fight this sickness," I mutter under my breath.

"Not everything has a scientific explanation," I jolt in my seat as I see an elderly woman leaning against the medical room doorway. I could tell she was once gorgeous and she still holds an eternal grace. Her hazel green eyes still sparkle with youth.

"Sometimes, the soul becomes so tired of the body it is occupying. It wants to free itself and find a new one. But alas, it is anchored to its body forever, so all this accomplishes is the shutting down of the body. I once was ill just like dear Axel. I had lost all of my children, my last one died in the war. And I became sick, so sick. No one knew what was wrong. But, now I know. It is the deadliest disease, the sickness of the soul," Her beautiful eyes are glassy.

"How did you recover?"

"My soul found strength, a reason to live in something else. You need to help him find his because it is only going to get harder from now on,"

"I don't know how" I shout desperately. He has lost too much.

"Not how but when,"