Azalea spun around, her heart racing as the crowd ahead suddenly parted like a turbulent sea.

Emerging from this human tempest was the girl from her class earlier, with her countenance twisted, and a chilling grin smeared across her face. Blood and saliva dripped from her mouth, matting her raven hair. Her eyes locked onto Azalea, and she emitted eerie, guttural sounds. With waxen-yellow hands resembling clawed talons, she lunged forward, as if intent on strangling Azalea.

Azalea, weakened from her earlier ordeal, could only hobble away, desperately trying to evade the girl's relentless advance.

The pursuing girl's nails hissed through the air, growing closer with every heartbeat.

In the midst of her panic, Azalea stumbled, her left foot catching her right. She toppled to the ground, instinctively reaching out for the people nearby in a futile attempt to break her fall. Yet, they heartlessly sidestepped her, leaving her to her gruesome fate.

She had resigned herself to what seemed an inevitable demise, her mind bracing for the worst.

But then, in the blink of an eye, her world spun, and she found herself cradled in strong, protective arms. As she inhaled, a fragrant scent filled her senses, a blend of icy purity and gentle warmth, like a snow-covered pine basking in the morning sun.

Her gaze met the intense, captivating eyes of the person holding her. Just inches away, those eyes enveloped her, and her own widened in astonishment. In a voice filled with disbelief and gratitude, she whispered, "Thank you."

The stranger's eyes, reminiscent of a crystal-clear spring shimmering under the golden rays of sunlight, held her in a mesmerizing trance. They were pure, inviting, and surprisingly familiar.

"Hey, Galaxy Enlight!" A voice from nearby shattered the enchantment. "Stop daydreaming, buddy! Come lend a hand! What kind of zombie is this, anyway?"

Azalea's breath caught in her throat. "Galaxy Enlight?!" she echoed, her heart pounding as she made the connection between the face before her and the missing student from her class.

"Yes, it's me," he replied, his voice serenely calming, inexplicably soothing to the soul.

[https://i.imgur.com/tiWJjd7.png]

At that moment, a voice from a distance called out, "Hey! Can't you hear me? Your buddy is in mortal danger!"

Turning towards the commotion, they spotted a bespectacled, geek-looking male student who had managed to restrain the frenzied girl. However, the "zombie" was incredibly strong, while the student was frail and thin. In the blink of an eye, the undead broke free from his grasp, effortlessly lifting the young man high into the air.

Watching the buddy flail his arms and scream, Galaxy Enlight steadied Azalea, his other hand swiftly forming intricate gestures, his gaze unwavering, and his incantations flowing smoothly.

His shirt and hair fluttered without a breeze, and a strand of golden light shot forth from his fingertips, encircling the frenzied girl like a chain, restraining her movements. The golden light then followed her breath, seemingly purifying her soul. In just a few seconds, the girl regained her senses, her entire body going limp as she knelt to the ground.

"Is this person some kind of Damon Exorcist?" Azalea shivered, quietly pulling her hand back from his shoulder, ready to slip away.

"I'll take you to the hospital?" Came Galaxy Enlight's voice from behind, clear and gentle.

"Well, it's not necessary, really. I'm fine," Azalea replied with a forced chuckle, reluctant to impose, especially on someone who seemed adept at dealing with supernatural creatures.

"But you... seem to be having a nosebleed," he observed.

"What?!" Azalea instinctively lowered her head, discovering her black shirt soaked in sizable patches. More drops of blood trickled from her nose, creating small, crimson blossoms as they hit the ground.

"Uh..."

She raised her hand to stem the bleeding but accidentally tugged at her shoulder, causing a sharp twinge of pain. Quickly switching hands, she almost lost her balance again, her heavy backpack slipping from her shoulder and crashing to the ground, adding to her embarrassment.

"..."

Galaxy Enlight stifled a laugh, picking up her backpack and slinging it over his own shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? How about I take you home?" His tone remained gentle, but it left Azalea feeling uneasy. What if he discovered that she was different? Was he here to hunt her?

"Um... I..." She started to refuse when suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over her, her vision spinning.

She blacked out before she could say anything more.

###

Half an hour later, Azalea found herself in the hospital.

She lay in a solitary room, with her right hand swathed in bandages and the left tethered to an IV drip. It was stem cell fluid this time, exactly what her special body required for stopping those troublesome nosebleeds. The presence of the medication hinted that her doctor, Dr. Lemon Young, had paid her a visit during her slumber.

The room was encased in white curtains, bestowing upon it an aura of tranquility, privacy, and a dash of monotony.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

The unmistakable sound of high heels grew louder, finally halting just outside the curtain.

Azalea recognized the unique cadence of those footsteps. She playfully quipped, " You are late, Dr Young, been so long that I might have made a full recovery without you."

With a gentle swish, the curtain parted, revealing Dr. Lemon Young in her pristine white coat. The coat, though somewhat loose, did little to mask her graceful figure. With the long brown curls cascading gently over her shoulders, her beauty and poise were evident.

[https://i.imgur.com/IgBOT2w.png]

"My apologies for the delay; Jeffry Chromen needed some attention," she explained with a warm smile.

"Jeffry Chromen?" Azalea tilted her head inquisitively.

"Yes, the valiant savior who stood up to the 'zombie' student," Lemon replied.

"Oh," AE recalled the bespectacled young man. "Is he in bad shape?"

"Don't fret, he only requires a few days of observation. Now, as for you..." Dr. Young's tone took on a gently chiding quality as she approached Azalea. "How many times must I remind you not to push your cloned body to its limits? You need to take things one step at a time. We treated you just last week, didn't we? So why the recurring nosebleeds?"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Azalea sighed, deep in thought. "Well, there was an emergency, so I had to dismantle a few skeletons."

Dr. Young looked somewhat surprised but not entirely shocked. "Ah, I see..."

She walked over to the medical monitoring equipment, retrieved Azalea's blood cell data, and then reassured her, "Once this dose of stem cells is administered, you'll be ready to head home."

"Alright, thanks, Lem. By the way, did you notice anything unusual about Jeffry Chromen's friend?" Azalea pondered his spells and powers.

"Who? Oh, you mean Galaxy? He appears quite ordinary, maybe a bit distant, and aloof." Lemon replied.

Azalea then described how she had seen him neutralize the zombie. However, Lemon explained that the female student had actually inhaled some chemicals from those skeletons.

"Have you considered the possibility that your perception might have been affected, especially given the nosebleed you were experiencing?" She suggested.

"Well, that's a valid point," Azalea conceded. "Anyway, when you finish your shift tomorrow morning, how about I prepare some chicken soup for both of us?"

"Tomorrow morning it is," Dr. Lemon Young responded with a warm smile. "And my soup, if you please, with matsutake mushrooms. Thank you."

###

Not long after, Azalea had recovered from her injuries and was ready to leave the hospital. Suddenly, thoughts of Galaxy and Jeffry, the two individuals who had come to her rescue just moments ago, filled her mind. She requested their address from the hospital staff and made her way to the ward where they were recuperating.

While waiting in the elevator lobby, Azalea crossed paths with Galaxy Enlight, who happened to be carrying a bag of peaches – her favorite fruit. Upon seeing her, he remained composed, offering a polite and friendly smile as he raised his hand in greeting.

Azalea couldn't help but notice that he was neither distant nor aloof. So she returned his smile, saying, "I wanted to express my gratitude for what you both did back at the school."

Galaxy nodded thoughtfully, his expression a blend of good humor and seriousness. "Glad to see you're alright. I've never seen anyone with that much nosebleed."

Azalea chuckled, feeling a tad awkward, and briefly contemplated making an excuse to return home. However, before she could voice her thoughts, Galaxy Enlight spoke again.

"Would you like to visit our ward?" he offered.

[https://i.imgur.com/X3Q6dGz.png]

Azalea readily agreed, saying, "Yes, actually, that was my plan."

As they exited the elevator, they walked through a well-lit and orderly corridor. However, upon entering the ward, it felt like stepping into a void. The room was dimly lit, with sunlight entirely blocked by thick curtains. Besides the glow of a computer screen on the hospital bed and the soft hum of a vital signs monitor, there was no other source of illumination.

Initially, Azalea believed that Jeffry Chromen might be severely injured and resting. However, the sudden silence of the clattering keyboard caught her attention. The person in the room noticed the door opening and promptly ceased his activities. With caution in his voice, he inquired, "Gal?"

Azalea couldn't help but suspect that something suspicious was unfolding in the ward.

"Yes," affirmed Galaxy Enlight.

Jeffry visibly relaxed and commented, "I've just sent you the data you requested for Azalea Everest. What's with the sudden interest in her, anyway? Oh, and she accessed the system this morning, but I highly doubt she discovered the fabricated nature of your file... You owe me one, buddy."

This conversation abruptly came to a halt as the room flooded with light, revealing Azalea and Gal standing at the door.

"Uh... well..." Azalea smiled gently, her tone tinged with a touch of frost. "Care to explain?"

Jeffery briefly stumbled but quickly regained his composure, adjusting his glasses. "I believe the question should be directed to you."

He swiveled the computer screen toward Azalea. "Your history is quite suspicious. I've searched through all the databases, and the only record I found was from ten years ago when you emerged from an abandoned base. Then, within just one year, you completed the primary, intermediate, and advanced courses required by the Jupiter Alliance, even qualifying for a Ph.D. But instead of becoming a professor, you chose to work as an ordinary assistant."

Azalea raised an elegant eyebrow. "So?"

Jeffery, pushing his glasses up once more, asserted, "So, I deduced that you're a spy for the Solar Union."

Azalea burst into laughter. "I did spend many years in the Solar Union, but I'm not a spy."

"Then what are you?"

Azalea shrugged. "Who knows, maybe some criminal."

Jeffery looked apprehensive. "You're joking, right?"

Azalea quipped, her tone playful, "Well, you are the professional hacker here. Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Jeffery with a hint of defeat, "I tried to hack into the Solar Union's database, but I failed."

Azalea chuckled heartily. "Well, my background has been thoroughly investigated by the Jupiter Alliance. They trust my loyalty, which is why they've allowed me to work here. But what about you two? Going to such lengths to infiltrate the medical school, what's your objective?"

Seeing that neither Jeffrey nor Galaxy were speaking, she decided to take a seat and wait patiently. To her surprise, Galaxy, seated beside her, pulled out a peach from a plastic bag and began peeling it with focused attention.

Jeffrey glanced at Azalea, then at Galaxy, and finally asked, "Shall we spill the beans?"

Galaxy smiled and nodded. Jeffrey finally opened up, "I hope you won't find this unbelievable... A few days ago, as I was taking out the trash, I saw Galaxy descending from the sky. He claimed to be a guardian deity of the multiverse and offered to grant me a wish. In return, he asked for some assistance..."

Azalea couldn't help but express her disbelief, "Such as infiltrating the medical school's system?"

"Exactly," Jeffrey replied with earnestness.

Azalea hadn't encountered someone so wide-eyed and sincere in a long while, so she couldn't resist asking, "So, did your wish come true?"

A gleam lit up Jeffry's eyes as he tapped a few times on his computer screen, revealing a beautifully crafted line graph, "This is a AI model I've been training, specially designed to predict the probability of my wish coming true. No matter how hard I tried before, the results always hovered close to zero. With Galaxy's help, it's now reached 1%."

Azalea meticulously scrutinized the metrics displayed on the screen, and to her genuine surprise, it was a work of remarkable dedication. "Well... that's quite impressive," she acknowledged with sincerity.

"Thank you," Jeffrey responded, his face brightening with pleasure.

Azalea then shifted her attention to Galaxy, who had just expertly peeled a peach. With a warm smile, he offered it to her.

Azalea initially tried to decline, saying, "You should give it to Jeffrey..."

However, Jeffrey quickly interjected, "I'm allergic to peaches," and waved his hand dismissively.

Hearing this, Azalea narrowed her eyes at the peach, recalling a familiar saying, "There's always something up behind a free treat." But then again, peaches were her absolute favorite… So, she accepted the peach, took a bite, and savored its juicy sweetness. Indulging in the fruit, she momentarily forgot about what Jeffrey had just mentioned regarding Galaxy descending from the sky. That is until...

Galaxy began to speak, his tone dreamy, "Many years ago, someone arrived at the edge of the universe, and we met beneath a peach blossom tree."

Azalea nearly choked on her peach, realizing that Galaxy was now looking at her intently. His gaze was profound, making her wonder, "Could this person be me?"

In an attempt to maintain her composure, she continued to eat her peach.

"And there, beneath the delicate petals, amidst the fragrance of blooming love, we forged a solemn soul contract: 'I bind my soul to yours, to have and to hold, from this day forward, until mountains cease to rise, until heaven and hell unite, until thunders echo in the void.'"

Azalea, with her sharp memory of every movie line she ever watched, reflexively finished the sentence, "And snows turn into sunlight?"

"You still remember?" Galaxy's face lit up with joy, but he was met with Azalea rolling her eyes.

"Bro, that's straight out of an Earth wedding vow. Anyone would remember it."

"That's not necessarily true," Jeffrey chimed in. "As a Europa local, I wouldn't remember."

Ignoring him, Azalea finished her peach in three bites, wiped her hands, and stood up. She walked over to Galaxy, bent down close to his face, so close it seemed like she was about to kiss him.

"Hey! Public place!"

Jeffrey was on the verge of covering his eyes, but then he saw Azalea's serious expression. She raised Galaxy's head and closely examined his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Jeffrey asked.

Without acknowledging him, Azalea let go of Galaxy, said nothing, and walked out.

After a while, someone knocked on the door. The duty nurse entered, checking the patient charts. "Jeffrey Chromen and Galaxy Enlight? Dr. Lemon Young requested a CT scan for a possible concussion. Put on your patient gowns and follow me downstairs."

Azalea, the benevolent soul who extended assistance without seeking reciprocation, peeked her head out from behind the nurse, wearing a sly smile. "Well then, here's to a swift recuperation for you two. Farewell!”