Chapter Twenty-Two: Unveiled Desires

As the weighty conversation about Azzrael's love unfolded, Raizel, always adept at navigating the delicate dance of emotions, decided to shift the narrative. Sensing the need to lighten the mood, he ventured into the realm of personal tales.

"You know," Raizel began, a casual lilt in his voice, "I had a first love once. His name was Khalil."

Azzrael, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, raised an eyebrow. The soldiers, ever attuned to the nuances of their exchange, subtly adjusted their focus.

"Khalil," Raizel continued, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips, "was charming, ambitious, and utterly obsessed with the idea of fame. He wanted the world to know his name."

Azzrael's stoic demeanor cracked ever so slightly, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. "What happened?" he asked, the question betraying a hint of guarded interest.

"We broke up," Raizel replied, his expression shifting to one of mixed emotions. "He wanted fame—I mean, he was willing to sacrifice everything for it. I, on the other hand, just wanted a quiet life, a groom, and maybe a couple of cats."

The soldiers, eavesdropping on the personal revelation, exchanged glances, sensing the unexpected layers of Raizel's past. Azzrael, though reserved, couldn't deny the intrigue that sparked in his eyes.

"Idiotic, right?" Raizel chuckled, a touch of bitterness in his laughter. "But hey, people are driven by different dreams. Khalil wanted the world, and I just wanted him. In the end, our paths diverged."

A subtle shift in the air hinted at the unspoken understanding between Azzrael and Raizel—the shared complexities of love, loss, and the divergent roads that led them to this moment.

Azzrael, seemingly contemplative, nodded. "People are driven by different dreams, indeed."

Azzrael, typically composed, found himself entangled in the web of Raizel's past. As the scientist spoke of Khalil's aspirations for fame and the unraveling of their relationship, a flicker of emotions played across Azzrael's face—curiosity, empathy, and, unmistakably, a tinge of jealousy.

As the soldiers continued their duties, a contemplative silence settled over Azzrael. In a moment of vulnerability, a wishful thought flickered in his mind—perhaps a fleeting desire that, in the face of Raizel's revealed history, Khalil had met the same fate as so many others in this world overrun by the undead.

"You know, little brother," Azzrael mused, "I kind of wish Khalil had been bitten by zombies. Maybe then, you wouldn't get hurt."

In that charged moment, Azzrael's eyes met Raizel's, and a surge of jealousy coursed through him—an unspoken acknowledgment of desires and emotions tangled in between them, but before raizel could speak "W-what?!..w-why would you want my ex get bitten by an undead just because he broke my heart??!" azzrael already cut him off-

"So here we are-" Military Base 9th Infantry Division, Philippine Army.