Chapter Eleven: Awakening in Discord

The moment Major General Azzrael's eyes flickered open, the atmosphere in the tree house changed. He glanced around, disoriented, and his gaze landed on me—standing there with an air of nonchalance.

"Well, look who's decided to join the land of the living," I remarked, a cheeky grin playing on my lips. Azzrael's response was swift and unexpected. He lunged at me, a sudden burst of aggression catching me off guard.

"What the—!" I began, but before I could finish my protest, I found myself pinned against the wall, Azzrael's hands around my throat. His eyes, once clouded by unconscious nightmares, now burned with an intensity that startled me.

"You're not as charming as you think you are," Azzrael growled, the transformation from comatose patient to a man possessed by anger unsettling.

My survival instincts kicked in, and I smacked the side of his head. "That's for attacking the person who saved your sorry life!" I retorted, my cheekiness remaining intact even in the face of unexpected aggression.

But Azzrael didn't seem to be cooling off. The fire in his eyes suggested a turmoil that ran deeper than the immediate circumstances. I could sense the storm within him, and I needed to find a way to quell it.

"Easy there, General. I don't make a habit of getting attacked after saving someone," I remarked, the tension in the air thickening.

In a bold move, I decided to try something unconventional. Ignoring his aggression, I gently guided Azzrael's head to rest against my shoulder. It was a gesture of unexpected comfort, an attempt to bridge the gap between the discord that had erupted.

"Come on, old man. You're not the only one who's seen the ugly side of this world," I muttered, my voice a calming presence against the storm within Azzrael.

To my surprise, the effect was almost immediate. His grip loosened, the anger in his eyes subsiding. The weight of his trauma seemed to momentarily dissipate as he rested against me.

"There, there. No need for a wrestling match," I teased, the tension dissipating with each passing moment.

It was a peculiar scene—the grizzled Major General finding solace in the unexpected comfort of a survivor's embrace.