Asran was unconscious in a bed stuck in his humanoid demonic state. He was hooked up to numerous machines, and nurses were checking on him around the clock. The damage he’d sustained by pushing himself well beyond his means had done intense damage internally.

The doctor walked up to Ayrie to check on her wounds. “How are you feeling,”she asked gently. After Ayrie answered the doctor began checking Ayries’ eyes checking their reaction time. Then wrote it down on a clipboard. “If you’re thinking about Asran he’s unconscious in critical condition. Before you start thinking it was your light magic. It was not, it was due to him overly using his magic after having already reached his limit. Honestly it’s a miracle he’s even alive the damn idiot.”

A doctor came to check her out, explaining that Asran was still unconscious. She couldn't help but feel at fault but the doctor said it was his exhaustion that had caused his collapse.

"That's not as much a relief as I thought it would be." She said, "I know it's not likely, but has anyone notified the priests staying with me? I don't need them out looking for me and getting a story they don't need to hear."

She shivered at the thought that they might find out what had just happened and that it was a demon Asran knew that had attacked her. Or that Asran was a demon himself. Just the fact that she had been attacked by someone Asran knew while walking home in his city could be cause for the church to take offense.

The doctor took pause she’d been unaware that the priests had come to the city already. Panic quickly spread through her features as she turned to her nurses to bar the door quickly. Along with grab a piece of paper, and pen. “Write a note on this, and I’ll have someone deliver it. Quickly now,” she said. Knowing that if the priests discovered what had occurred. Then Asran, and more importantly the county would be in grave danger.

Ayrie scribbled a not to the effect of a small accident at her new job, saying she would be fine and home tomorrow, and not to worry or try to come see her. She signed it with a symbol of light at the bottom, her personal signature, and handed the paper to the doctor.

"Get it to them as quickly as possible. They may already be looking for me." She said.

Ayrie's thoughts turned back to Asran, knowing she may have let him down with the priests. If they were looking for her, or if they had already found out, war could be on the horizon and there was little Ayrie could do about it.

The doctor summoned an air spirit. Then handed the note to them, “see that this note is delivered to the visiting priests. No matter what they are not to know what’s truly happened.” The air spirit did a little salute then took the note before taking off to go deliver it.

One of the older priests got smacked in the face by a note. Then heard the giggling of an air spirit as it swirled around them. “She’s safe gl back to your home. Go on she’s safe so very safe, off you go. Go go go,” The spirit said.

Gerrick was just leaving the house when Darrin returned clutching a note in his fist.

"Something is going on, I don't know what it is, but Ayrie is no longer under our control." Darrin said, handing the note to Gerrick.

"Then we must be vigilant in watching her, tailing her. When she comes home we get the truth from her, and if she still lies we begin following her." Gerrick said, reading the note and then crumpling it and tossing it on a table. "I still do not understand why she sould have taken the symbol off the door."

"I do not either, but it's safe to say she's being turned against us and we must find out why. The only light user in the country cannot be taken away from the church, no matter what."

Zotoria stood on a roof next to the clinic looking down on it. She was waiting watching knowing that she still needed to change Asran’s mind. Before she had to kill him, something she didn’t want to do. She summoned some of Asran’s demons who were concerned for Asran’s wellbeing. Who’d go to any means it meant to change this self destructive course he was taking.
“I know you want to protect your lord. To do that you need to remind him just who, and what he is. By whatever means it takes.”
The demons nodded knowing that they needed to save Asran. Before the light finished what it had tried doing so long ago. Before that priestess could betray him too.

"Can I see Asran?" Ayrie asked, wanting to make sure he was ok. She felt like something was coming, and she wasn't happy being separated from him. That demoness could come back any minute and she had proven she didn't care if she hurt Asran so long as she got to Ayrie.

-----

"We should go look for her." Said Gerrick, not liking the fact that Ayrie was still gone. "If she's in a hospital somewhere we should go to her."

"She says not to, and we do not know what hospital it is. All we do know is that the mayor of this city is a dangerous demon with a vested interest in Ayrie. If we piss him off he could kill us, and where does that leave her?" Darrin said, shaking his head. "No. We wait."

“You should rest a while longer Ayrie. Asran isn’t going anywhere anytime soon,” the doctor said. Then smiled sadly down at Ayrie, knowing Asran was in very rough shape. She was pretty sure that Asran wouldn’t want Ayrie to see him in such a decrepit state.

Ayrie was disappointed but she understood, she laid back in the bed and closed her eyes to try to get some rest. She fell asleep rather quickly, but her dreams were fitful. The red eyes of Wrath kept peering at her from dark corners, threatening to attack if she didn't keep her distance.

----

"I'm going to go find her." Gerrick said, fed up with waiting on more word from Ayrie. "I can't just sit here waiting."

"No, Gerrick, you could be risking all of our... Ugh!" Darrin yelled after him as Gerrick stepped outside, leaving to locate Ayrie. He was worried too, but they couldn't anger the demon that resided here. He stepped outside after Gerrick, determined to bring him back inside.

Asran woke with a start his body strained to get up. As he was panicked about Zatovia coming to finish Ayrie off. He had to protect her keep her safe from his witch of a sister in arms. The doctor, and nurses ran over trying to restrain him. Keep him from hurting himself quickly the doctor injected a heavy muscle relaxant while the nurses restrained him. Asran panted as he slowly started relaxing.
“Ayrie is okay Asran. Breath easy we will take good care of her,” the doctor assured. They set a gentle hand to Asran’s shoulder. Asran slowly relaxed swallowing trying to wet his dry throat. One of the nurses brought a cup of water to his lips. Letting him drink deeply to further relax him.

When the doctor was sure the nurses could handle him. She left to go check on Ayrie.

Ayrie stood in the center of a room, her hair unbound and her side no longer wounded. Her yellow dress was clean and no longer bloodstained, falling nearly to her ankles.

"Do you know who you are?" a voice asked, deep and comforting.

"Who's there? Where is this place?" The room looked familiar, the interior of a cabin of some sort, with lanterns lighting the corners and a comfy looking couch in the center.

"Remember who you are. Remember what happened. Remember your mistake."

"I don't know what you're talking about! Who are you?"

"Remember, Astoria." the voice said, then suddenly Ayrie was pushed from behind, sending her falling to the floor.

She woke with a start and stared at the wall opposite her. 'What the hell was that?'

The doctor went over to Ayrie to check up on her. “How are you feeling,” she asked. She checked her body over, and then applied some magic to help the healing process. “It won’t be long till you can go home. I’m sure those priest friends of yours are worried sick. We don’t want that happening,” she said

Asran looked around his room his skin was irritated, but the doctor had some special versions of the elixir that were more potent. But, caused less pain though it had to be taken internally. Which was what the IV bags were filled with that were connected to him. “Ayrie,” he called. Trying to hear her voice tell him she was okay. The nurses tried to calm Asran again telling him she was okay. “Need to know for sure... need to hear her voice. Even if it’s for her to say hi,” he said weakly.

The doctor heard Asran’s concerns, and then looked to Ayrie. She rubbed the back of her head trying to figure out what to do. “I don’t want you getting out of bed. Till I’m sure you won’t pop your stitches. Thankfully the burn is almost gone. It’s just a slight first degree burn now,” she said.

"I'm okay Asran." Ayrie said, yelling so that he could hear her. She looked at the doctor and shrugged with a smile. Her dream was still hanging around in her memory, causing her to want to get up and move around. She looked at the doctor again, "I promise I'll be super careful, you can even make me sit in a wheelchair. Just let me go see him."

For Ayrie it was more than seeing him, she needed to ask him since questions.

The doctor looked apprehensive, but nodded. She walked to grab a wheelchair from the supply room, and wheeled it over. She helped Ayrie to sit in it then wheeled her over to be beside Asran. Who was hooked up to two IV’s. Along with a heart monitor. The doctor was grateful that Asran didn’t need some of the other equipment he’d needed earlier.

Ayrie reached out, but withdrew her hand, remembering the last time he had done this.

"Asran. I'm okay. But how are you?" She asked, looking at the IV's. He looked bad, worse than he had the night before. Probably because this was now day two of over doing it.

"Are you going to tell me what this was all about? I think after being stabbed and shot by someome I don't know, but seems to know me, earns me that much." She was afraid that Wrath would return to finish her off.

“I am not great, but I’m managing,” Asran said smiling. When she asked about Wrath, and her crazed accusation. Asran sighed very deeply he knew Ayrie was gonna ask. After all why wouldn’t she be curious about the reason she was almost killed over? “That was my fellow sin lord of wrath Zatovia. She thinks your the reincarnation of the one that gave me this curse. Of my mate, who I loved with all my heart even though she betrayed me, Astoria. Even after I was cursed I didn’t not blame her. After all who could actually love a monster like me?” Asran gave Ayrie a pained smile. Then looked away from her. “The other sin lords after discovering my betrayal, and my weakened near death existence killed her. Tore her to pieces, even despite my begging. They still see me as a love sick fool. But, Astoria taught me kindness, she taught me that even if I am a demon of Gluttony. It didn’t mean I had to consume all in my wake.”

Ayrie listened intently to his explanation, connecting the dots. It made sense that Wrath would come after her if this Astoria woman had hurt him so badly, and was a light user. Just that fact alone would cause anyone to be suspicious, and she understood now why everyone around him was so suspicious of her.

She sighed, and looked at him with sympathy, knowing it must have been hard for him to talk about. She couldn't imagine loving someone that much to have them betray her.

"Why did she curse you? If you loved her, and she you, why betray you in such a way?" She asked, not wanting to pry but needing the answer.

Asran looked away, “I wish I knew.” Even after all this time he still did not understand the why. It angered him so much not understanding. It made his whole body tense with his hatred. After all this time his resentment of her grew. “I may have been taught kindness. But, after all this time I’ve grown to hate her. For causing me to experience this constant agony. I don’t care for her reasons anymore, but I want nothing more than to erase her very existence. To ensure it never comes near me again. So I don’t get hurt again as I cannot take another dose of this. As it will kill me even if it doesn’t physically kill me. It will kill the kindness in my soul as I cannot take such a deep betrayal a second time.”

Again Ayrie wanted to reach out to touch him, the anger and betrayal in his voice made her heart ache for him. She didn't know if she was a reincarnation of this woman or not, but she hoped that if she was she could avoid the mistakes of the past.

"I'm sorry Asran." She said, not knowing what else to say. She put her arms on the side of his bed and carefully put her chin in her hands. "I wish I knew how to end this curse for you. You shouldn't have had to suffer this long."

Her mind wandered to the dream she had, the voice teling her to remember. She couldn't believe that she had been capable of such a thing in a past life. Even in the fight against Wrath she had hesitated to try to harm her. Ayrie just didn't feel she had the ability to harm anyone. There had to be more to the story, and even if Asran didn't want to know she did. She had to find someone who could help her figure out the puzzle.