The Troubled Soul (Volume 3: Final Volume)

Chapter 20: Finally Cracked.

Everything was dark and empty. Josh could feel cold metal against his back but his head was laying on a very comfortable pillow. Of course, he opened his eyes to check his surroundings. He found himself laying on a metal bed in the medical room he created just for himself with his head on the lap of his wife. What he found strange though was that Vixen was laying on another metal bed next to him. Other than him, everyone else was asleep.

Josh: How did I get here?

Suddenly, everything that transpired yesterday caught up to him and he jumped out of bed. This, however, only resulted in a stinging pain surging through his wrist. He quickly discovered a small plastic tube in his wrist and followed its trail. Shock ran through his body as the other side of the clear plastic tube was in none other than the demon fox's wrist, Vixen. She looked drained of her energy and pale but, thankfully, he could hear her breathing and see her heartbeat.

Although both were slow and weak, they were steady. He carefully detached the tub from his wrist before reversing the equipment, pulling whatever blood left in the tube back into her with caution. After checking her body for any serious wounds, he gently woke his wife up before she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug that he would dare say matched even his strength. Before he could say anything, though, she began sobbing and his shoulders—he had only noticed then that from the stomach up of his party clothes were ripped off—were wet with her tears.

Diana:...Thank everything you're okay.

Needless to say, her husband slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her. They stayed like that for a long time before they released each other and spoke again.

Josh: How is Vixen? How did I get here?

Diana: Vixen is alright, just a lot of blood loss. She busted in this room last night, practically about to pass out from exhaustion from running thirty miles a minute for ten minutes straight, saying you needed blood. Before anyone else could offer up theirs,—including your generals, soldiers, myself, and even the creature that healed you—Vixen quickly set you onto the medical bed and started hooking up that tube into her wrist. Thankfully, demons heal fast so she was able to give you blood all night. You couldn't heal yourself due to that dagger you got stabbed with and due to you passing out from blood loss. She saved your life, my love.

Before she could embrace her husband once again, her loving and relieved expression fell to one of worry when his suddenly grew serious and cold.

Josh: And...Kallie?

In an instant, Diana grew furious upon her name. Though, she couldn't imagine the pain he felt. The heartbreak it had on him when the one person he has always relied on suddenly attempts to kill him. There was no way she could imagine it. In her mind, he must have felt angry, confused, and scared at the same time.

To him, though...he was desperate.

Diana: She's down in the dungeon right now. Since you don't allow torture in the kingdom, they simply locked her up. The Purifiers—your companions—have been guarding her cell ever since your powers came back again. She hasn't tried to escape yet. I think she's waiting for you. She did, however, let me know you got your memories back.

Josh: Good, I'll talk to her. I have to know why she...

His words trailed off. Just the thought of her betraying him was ludicrous to him. He wanted so badly to know why she did it, but he couldn't accept she actually did it at the same time. Diana knew he needed answers so she nodded, if a bit hesitantly. Josh stopped at the door and looked back at her with a smile.

Though, she could clearly tell it was forced. This worried her because he never gave a fake smile unless something was really messing with him. However, she knew he just needed some answers from his sister and time to process said answers. So she gave him her own smile before giving him a kiss, to which he gladly returned.