"Alvara..." I called her na.
Unsurprisingly, there was no response.
Her disheveled hair cascaded over her face, hiding her expression, but I could guess what kind of tornt was etched there. Even without seeing her eyes, the trembling in her shoulders and the way her hands clenched tightly against her knees told everything I needed to know.
At least she hadn't completely lost control-yet. Thank God for that. Bryelle was still alive and Alvara herself seed physically unhard. Still, her utterly paralyzed flow vessels was a different matter. It must have left her feeling helpless, a condition she despised above all
else.
That damned Sin of Sloth.
Its oppressive effects had nearly overwheld even , and I only managed to resist thanks to my own Sin of Wrath, which absorbed the brunt of its attack. But Alvara wasn't as fortunate. The unfairness of these Sins was quite a cheat.
I sighed, glancing down at her trembling fists. What should I do? I couldn't just walk away, not after witnessing this. She needed soone to pull her back from the edge-for her own sake and for everyone else's.
Lowering myself onto one knee, I studied her closer. Blood sared her knuckles, which were split open and raw. Normally, she could heal such wounds with ease, but with her mana paralyzed, she might as well have been a powerless mortal. She needed a more traditional approach to treatnt.
"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath, reaching out to take her hand.
-Slap!
Her hand shot out, smacking mine away before I could touch her.
"That hurts, you know," I said with a frown.
She didn't respond.
"It's not good to leave your hands in this state," I continued, pulling out a healing vial from my pouch.
Still, she showed no intention of cooperating. Her posture remained rigid, and her head stayed bowed, her hair shielding her face like a curtain.
I uncorked the vial, intent on tending to her wounds despite her protests. But the mont I reached for her hand again-
-Slap!
Her hand struck mine once more, this ti knocking the vial from my grasp. It shattered against the ground, the precious liquid spilling uselessly across the dirt.
"Don't touch !" She glared at hatefully.
When her head finally lifted, her golden eyes glowed fiercely, filled with rage and anguish. Her expression was a twisted mask of darkness, one I had seen before. It reminded of how she had looked in the Ga-right before she started slaughtering for pleasure.
I frowned, suppressing the irritation bubbling within . "Oi, I'm trying to treat your wounds here. Don't take your anger at that bastard Durathiel out on ."
Her glare didn't change though, but I refused to back down. Instead, I retrieved another vial from my pouch, ignoring the sharpness in her gaze.
I reached for her hand once more, and as expected, she moved to slap again. This ti, I caught her wrist mid-motion.
"This is my last one!" I snapped as I glared at her. "I won't let you waste it."
The annoyance in my tone seed to startle her, though her golden eyes burned back. I clenched my teeth, recalling how many healing vials I had already burned through on the journey to Valachia. This was it-the very last one. I had to refill myself.
Alvara tried to wriggle her wrist free from my grasp, but in her current state, her strength was a shadow of what it should have been. It was a futile effort.
"Look," I said, lifting my other hand to show her the slim, white gloves I was wearing. "I'm not even touching you. Enough already with the princess routine."
Her thrashing diminished at that, her movents slowing as the sight of the gloves seed to calm her. It stung a little-how much that small detail mattered to her-but I pushed the thought aside. Now wasn't the ti.
Gently, I placed her delicate, bloodied hand in my gloved palm. Her skin was cold to the touch. I spilled a bit of the liquid onto a fresh cloth, then began dabbing at the torn flesh, carefully cleaning away the gri and impurities.
"Ughn..." A faint groan escaped her lips, almost imperceptible, but it didn't escape my notice. Was she always this vulnerable?
The Sin of Sloth's influence was insidious, even undermining the natural defenses she had possessed since birth. Just what kind of power was this, that it could strip her of even that?
I pushed the thought aside and continued my work. Slowly and thodically, I cleaned her hand, ensuring every wound was free from infection. When her knuckles and fingers began to resemble their original form-save for the lingering redness-I reached for a roll of bandages. Carefully, I wrapped her hand with delicate precision.
I could only thank Edryn for drilling the art of traditional wound treatnt into . Countless tis, I had patched up the Blood Elves after battle, learning to treat injuries with little more than rudintary supplies. I was practically an expert by now.
Once her right hand was securely bandaged, I repeated the process on her left, applying the sa care.
"Done," I said after a minute, rising to my feet.
Alvara remained seated, her gaze fixed on the ground. Slowly, she began to flex her fingers, testing their movent.
"Oi, don't," I warned, placing my hand lightly over hers. "Let them rest," I added, my tone
serious.
Her golden eyes lifted to et mine, the animosity within them dimd but not entirely gone. There was still hatred there, but it had softened.
Then sothing struck . I could see it now-the lingering traces of Sloth within her, like
faint, silver particles clinging to her essence.
Wait... could I destroy them with my Wrath?
The thought ignited within .
Sitting cross-legged in front of her, I took her hand again and closed my eyes. I focused inward, drawing on the fiery energy of my own Sin. The particles of Sloth ca into view, clearer and more distinct with each passing second.
I could see them now. And maybe just maybe I could burn them away.
I had trained extensively in controlling my Wrath, but this task required an entirely different level of precision. It wasn't just about wielding raw power-I had to channel it with ticulous care, shaping it particle by particle. This was going to be hard.
Releasing minuscule fragnts of my Wrath, I directed them through Alvara's hand, allowing them to course through her body. Each fragnt moved seeking out and clashing with the particles of Sloth that clung to her essence.
Alvara likely couldn't feel a thing, but I could. It was like a high-stakes ga, chasing the faint white specks of Sloth with the raging purple tendrils of Wrath. The challenge lay in reigning in the natural ferocity of my power-ensuring that it destroyed only what it was ant to, without harming her fragile state in the process.
The effort was honestly quite grueling. Five long minutes passed, each second draining my stamina further. By the ti I finally stopped, I was left gasping for air, my body trembling
from exertion.
But it had worked.
I opened my eyes, wiping the sweat from my brow with a shaky hand. The Sloth's influence wasn't entirely gone, but I had made progress. The faint particles of Wrath lingering in Alvara's system would continue to combat the affliction, bit by bit.
I smiled faintly, flexing my fingers. Even through the exhaustion, I could feel the improvent in my control. This wasn't just helping her-it was refining my own mastery
over Wrath.
"Give a week," I said, standing up and steadying myself. "I'll get rid of the Sloth's
affliction."
Alvara raised her gaze to et mine, clearly not believing at all.
"I'm sure you already feel a little better," I added. "But I need a week."
I wiped the remaining sweat off my forehead with my sleeve, glancing at her bandaged hands.
She didn't reply, but the faint flicker of doubt in her expression suggested she wasn't entirely
dismissing my words.
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