Chapter 21

KAIDA'S POV...

The men's encouraging and promising words made me feel protected, and something about the way they said it made me believe that they were really ready to give their lives for me.

But why? I knew it wasn't just because they believed I was a purifier; even before they suspected so, they were already acting as if the sole purpose of their lives; maybe they were just being too kind to me because I was the only female they've seen for a very long time.

I was still lost deep in my thoughts when Axton suddenly leaned his head down on his hands, groaning slightly.

"Axton, are you okay?" Thane asked and immediately went over to squat in front of Axton, looking up at his face.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I noticed what was happening beside me.

"What's wrong with him, Thane?" I questioned worriedly.

I didn't understand what was going on, Axton seemed fine a few seconds ago.

Thane placed a hand on Axton's shoulder and slightly lifted his bent body.

"Damn! This is not good," He exclaimed in shock.

And, that was when I saw Axton's beastly features starting to emerge.

"Move away, Kaida; he seemed to have been close to the brink of beastification during the fight with the prisoners," Thane explained.

I got anxious as Axton kept holding his head and groaning. I know Thane had asked me to move away, but I didn't, I sat beside him and watched helplessly as Axton experienced a backlash.

"He needs a suppressant," Thane said and instinctively turned away from Axton and reached for his bag, reaching for a suppressant.

But Axton suddenly reaches out his hand, stopping him.

Thane paused and turned to look at Axton with questioning eyes. "You need a suppressant, Axton," Thane informed firmly.

Axton shook his head, wincing as he painstakingly lifted his head to look at Thane, then slowly, he looked toward me. "Let her try it again," He spoke very quietly, yet his voice was very rough and gruff.

Thane immediately stared expectantly at me, making me frown.

"Try what?" I asked.

Thane lowered his bag to the floor and held my hand, "Please, Kaida, help him out. Try again. Try doing what you did with Zarek with him," Thane pleaded softly.

"Ugh!" Axton's groans got loud and I could now see his beastly paws threatening to burst through his fingers.

The situation was dire and I needed to be decisive. I was a little bit hesitant, but the moment I saw Axton's forehead starting to sweat profusely and his expression started to twist in a very painful way, I made up my mind.

I was going to try again.

I bravely stood and stepped forward, stopping in front of him, I stretched out my hand and held his hand and then used my other hand to place beneath his jaw, raising his face and looking into his eyes.

For a very brief moment, Axton's beautiful, striking green eyes almost captivated me, making me lose focus on what I had planned to do.

I slowly blinked, trying to regain my focus so I could try to help him.

My mind immediately recalled the times he had saved and stood in front of me, his presence always finding a way to calm my troubled mind each time I saw him appear in my times of distress.

Steadying my mind, I focused my mind on that subtle, mysterious feeling I had felt when I tried calming Zarek, but this time, it didn't flow as easily as before.

During my attempt, I found it difficult to control the power smoothly; it felt little at first, humming smoothly and softly across my entire body, and then it became so intense, threatening to burst out of my body.

"Argh!"

Axton's painful groan almost made me lose focus but I rather used it as my motivation and forced myself to tap into that mysterious and powerful feeling within me. Eventually, I felt like I had control over it.

I kept my eyes on Axton as I tried my best to channel the calming feeling to him through my touch.

"Relax, Axton, free your mind from the pain," I spoke in a very soothing voice.

And, like magic, I saw his eyes start to slowly dim; he was calming down, but it also seemed as if he was struggling to fight my effect.

"Uughhh!" Axton growled, twisting his upper body away from me.

He appeared to be struggling greatly during this purification process, but I never let him go, holding him gently despite his struggling, I managed to channel more intense calm and soothing energy to him, and after a few more seconds of struggling, his groans gradually reduced and finally, he fell asleep, falling on the bunk bed he had been sitting.

I sighed in relief as I saw him lying peacefully on the bed with his beastly features receding.

Thane moved forward and placed him in a comfortable position then turned to me.

"You did it," He whispered as he gently touched my arm.

I nodded.

Yes, I did it, but why did they always become unconscious afterward?

"Just like Zarek, he fell asleep. Does purification always lead to sleep?" I questioned.

If I was really a purifier, then I needed to know everything about that ability.

Thane shook his head, "We haven't seen this happen before. But, we suspect that the reason it affects them that way might be due to your unique power. As the first female purifier, maybe you're bound to have different effects on virus-infected individuals." He speculated.

I remained quiet, staring from Axton to Zarek who were both deep in sleep.

I slowly walked to the window and looked out of it. Quietly, I observed the outside, noticing that the previously chaotic scene had calmed down, and it puzzled me.

I realized that ever since Hugo announced about my presence, the whole place had been different. I surprisingly realized that the title "Purifier" holds great influence in this world, and it made me begin to think about using it to protect myself.

Maybe I could actually use it to my advantage; since everyone seemed to respect and want to please a purifier, I might as well find a way to live the normal life I've been dreaming of.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, startling me out of my thoughts.

I turned and looked toward the door where the team members were guarding.

"State your business, Prisoner," Andre commented.

A voice sounded from behind the door as a Prisoner introduced himself, "I'm number 32987, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have gathered some supplies to offer to the noble purifier. I wish to atone for the troubles we've caused and I hope to be in her noble presence," The prisoner replied in a respectful voice.

Everyone was awed, and the place fell silent for a while as we all tried to understand the direction this whole situation was heading.