At this moment, they heard an ear piercing scream, causing everyone to quickly look at the source. It was then that they found Nymphadora Tonks, who was one of the aurors who were securing the perimeter, lying on the ground, writhing in agony.
"Nymphadora!"
Bellatrix quickly rushed to her side. "What happened?!"
*!!!!!*
But Tonks was in no condition to speak anything. Her mouth was stretched open in a soundless scream, and blood had begun to flow out of her eyes and nose.
"It's the Painifera! EVERYONE! MOVE AWAY FROM HER!" Yelled Gorski. He quickly went to Theron's dead body and took out the antidote from his space pocket.
"Avada Kedavra!" He killed the Jellyfish-like creature that was lying not far away from Tonks before he approached her.
"Hold her down! I need to administer the antidote!"
Bellatrix did as she was told, trying to stop Tonks from thrashing around. "It'll be fine! Do you hear me? It'll be fine!"
Gorski quickly injected the antidote, and only then did Nymphadora regain the ability to breathe again. "Kill me, please kill me!" She begged, still feeling the pain. It took a few minutes for the aftereffects to fully subside and she fell asleep soon after.
Looking at her, everyone felt goosebumps, now beginning to somewhat comprehend just how intense the pain was.
"That… is why I was certain Axel was already given the antidote," said Gorski in the silence.
"Did… did they do this Axel?" Asked Martina in horror. Now she understood why Gorski was shaken up when he saw the traces on Axel.
Gorski nodded grimly. "What you saw was the result of just one sting. Axel has several... dozen. I don't know how he's still alive, even with the antidote."
Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. Just… What kind of sick monsters were these guys to do that to someone?! To a child no less.
"Quickly check his condition!" Said Bellatrix.
Gorski strapped the Diagnostic equipment to Axel's arm. Very soon, his body's condition was displayed on the monitor in details.
But the results… Gorski was so surprised that he began doubting his knowledge and the machine. He couldn't understand what was going on right now. "This… this can't be possible…" he murmured.
"What does that mean?" Asked Bellatrix.
"There's no trace of the antidote in his body, and the Painifera poison is still present in his bloodstream!"
"What?! How is that possible?!" Asked Martina. If that was the case, then does that mean that Axel was talking to them all relaxed ALL the while having that poison in his body?!"
"Exactly my thought. But listen more… the poison… is not even the cause of his collapse," said Gorski, scratching his head full of white hair. What was going on here?! His main confusion: Why the hell was Axel still alive and sane right now?
"He was able to stay not only sane, but also quite relaxed while that poison was still running through his body. It's as absurd as the Crutiatus not having any effect on a person. I think there is something wrong with his body! Maybe too much poison has had some other side effect."
Painifera is a unique creature. Its poison itself doesn't kill anyone. It's the unholy amount of pain that causes the people to either die to escape the pain or go insane trying to bear it.
And yet, Axel just now looked completely at ease even when there was so much poison still left in his system. That's why he wondered if something was wrong with Axel's body.
But Bellatrix only sighed. "You don't need to worry about that. Him not reacting to the venom, I mean."
"It's just his pain tolerance, isn't it?" Said Akiko. Through their many spars, she knew what Bellatrix was talking about. It's really fucking scary when you stab someone but they only use that to lock your weapon in place without flinching and deliver a fatal blow in return.
Bellatrix nodded. Shrugging off Cruciatus? Yeah, she could understand Gorski's confusion. She was equally incredulous when she had heard from Andromeda that someone was able to do that.
She created a privacy ward around the four of them.
"Axel… just has an abnormal pain tolerance. He was able to take the Cruciatus curse for around 10 minutes and come out perfectly sane."
She had even blackmailed Axel into seeing his memories of the incident in order to find out how he did it. And now, he has had to go through a similar experience yet again. What's more frustrating is the fact that she is the cause of this incident. If she hadn't bothered trying to lure the Organisation out in an attempt to destroy them, those Overseers wouldn't have found Axel.
And this was all after she had vowed to secretly protect him from the shadows. Well, so much for protection. Axel had to go through another inhumane level torture barely a year after the previous one. It made her feel just how incompetent she really was.
"Just pain tolerance?!" Gorski shook his head, unable to wrap his head around the information. "That's simply not possible! Even if someone could do that, their nerves would—" Gorski paused, his eyes widening. "Their nerves would receive severe harm… holy Posiedan… his first year..."
Martina gasped.
"So… that's how he was injured," She murmured, tears coming to her eyes. She had always wondered just what could have injured him to the point that he can't even control his body properly. But Axel had always remained silent about the reason. It was because he had put through an inhumane torture.
"Who did that to him?" Asked Martina, truly wanting to kill someone for the first time in her life.
Bellatrix had an ironic smile on her face. "Dead. He doesn't really need us to take revenge on his behalf," she muttered, glancing at the very dead Atlantians who had tried to go against him.
Martina sighed. Of course. This was Axel they were talking about. Of course they weren't alive.
She looked at Axel, who still appeared tough with his eyes still open and posture defensive even though he was completely knocked out and felt extremely worried.
"If the poison is not doing anything to him, then what the hell is the cause of his unconsciousness? Is it the injuries?"
Gorski took off his glasses, looking like he couldn't convince himself with the results he was seeing.
"It's… it's exhaustion. The kind that is theoretically not possible."
???
"What does that mean?" Asked Bellatrix.
Gorski pressed his lips into a line. "I don't know what, but something has made him overexert himself in a way that is simply not possible. It's like he has run 1000 kilometers when his limit is 50.
There's a limit to how much our body and mind can take before it shuts down on its own. But this boy..." he paused, looking at Axel like he was looking at some unique creature.
"He has crossed that limit several times over. He has been forcing himself to stay conscious all this time. His eyes are still open because... he probably doesn't even have the energy to close them."
"Now that the danger is gone, his whole body is in what seems to be sleep mode. It has lowered all bodily functions to focus only on recovery."
Bellatrix shook her head in pain. "What could have caused this?"
Martina and Akiko had some idea. When they had been attacked by Voldemort, Axel had managed to generate an incredible amount of magic to survive. They couldn't imagine just how he was able to do it, and what price he had to pay in order to do it.
But, even then he couldn't rest. In that condition, he somehow managed to defeat the two executives whose powers were beyond their comprehension. There has to be a limit to how much he can take.
So, Gorski and Bellatrix couldn't understand, but they could.
"So, what do we do now?"
Gorski shook his head. "He's in no immediate danger, which is really absurd. I don't know how he did it, but he has even restricted the blood flow at his stump to prevent bleeding. But his arm though…"
"What about his arm?" Asked Bellatrix. "Can it not be fixed?!"
Gorski shook his head. "Well, I can't fix it." He wasn't actually a Healer. That diagnosis was more due to the help of the machine rather than his own expertise.
Bellatrix turned to the medics, who exchanged looks. It would be a complicated process. There is no guarantee if he'll be able to get full control over his hand."
Bellatrix gritted her teeth. "Not enough. Is there any other way? Any other healer
who can do it better?"
"Minister, if I may," interjected Gorski. "Have you thought about what you are going to do with Axel now?"
Bellatrix was flummoxed. "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, the Kraken knows about his existence now. Axel is no longer safe at Hogwarts. Even having high-level aurors as his guards might not guarantee his safety."
"Your point being?" Gorski was right about that. There even high level aurors can't protect Axel from Kraken. But how does that relate to reattaching Axel's hand?
"I think… it would be better to let the Royal Family know about this matter now. They can of course arrange for his hand to be fixed with their advanced procedures," he suggested.
Bellatrix shook her head. "No way! They can't be trusted! Not to mention we don't know what will happen to him once they know he has a rightful claim to the throne!!"
"Actually, they CAN be trusted. They are his family after all. And there would be no conflict regarding the Throne since they are desperately in need of someone who can inherit it. They would be beside themselves with joy," Gorski countered.
Bellatrix was deep in thought. Actually, she knew that deep down that contacting Atlantis was their best option. But she also knew that it would mean that Axel might never return again.
But thinking about it, what right did she have to keep him anyways?
"Um, excuse me?" Martina interjected at this moment, gathering their attention. "How about, we let Axel decide what he wants to do? It should be his decision after all," she reasoned. She knew that Axel was quite independent. He would like to make his own decision.
Gorski nodded. "We can give him the best treatment we can provide. He can then make the decision whether to go to Atlantis for further treatment or stay here."
Martina sighed, feeling a sense of incongruence. Axel, the boy she thought she knew very well, was now suddenly the prince of Atlantis. He might leave this place to settle there, take the throne. The thought that he might not attend the next year at Hogwarts made her feel sick.
Meanwhile, Akiko had already made her own decision, as a hint of resolve could be seen in her eyes. Axel and she shared the same enemy. She would do whatever she could to help.
Bellatrix sighed. Whatever happens now, it's pretty clear that Axel's life has been irrevocably changed because of her.
In the past two years, without her help, he had somehow managed to heal his crippled body and had built himself a good life at Hogwarts. He had even managed to make friends he could trust like these two girls despite the emotional wounds she had given.
Just when things were once again going right for him, she had once again made his life hell. Now he has the Organisation hunting for him, just like Tristan. And he had lost his hand and suffer terrible torture due to her.
"I am so sorry…" she whispered, stepping forward to touch his cheek, but—
*Shin*
Blades of water appeared in the air, pointing right at her. Even while unconscious, this woman was a big no to Axel.
...
Daphne waited and waited, but Axel didn't come back for hours. Now she was getting worried again. Though, she knew better than to call or message him. She almost gotten him into trouble the previous time.
The last thing she wants is Axel trying to sneak past some enemies and getting discovered due to the notification chime.
So, she waited. Finally, she got a call. Though it was from Martina.
"Hello? Is this Daphne Greengrass?"
"Yes?"
"Daphne, It's me, Martina. Er… Axel asked me to tell you he's alright…"
"Really?" Relief washed over Daphne as she sighed deeply.
"Where is he? Can I talk to him?"
"Um… he's… he's not able to talk to you right now…" said Martina evasively.
Daphne frowned. It was only then did she begin to think more about the situation. Why didn't Axel call her himself? And how is this Martina with Axel?
"Where is he?"
***
A.N.: POWERSTONES!!!
So, should he go public with his identity or not? Well, there's a third way too.
Next: Daphne Finally Knows
Next Next: Atlantis It Is
Latest: Vol 3: A King's Return™
Next: Meeting with "Aunt"
