"And all of Zelophehad's actions, which you know of, at last... have been not only forgiven, but understood by this being here. A wingless being, one who has helped and shielded the first of the plague we know as devils." Alexis looked up a little from the stand, with a…

Blackness; pure unending darkness. What had been a clear intangible energy became an abyss that had no end. Sense and feel became numbness, and thoughts grew into lethargy. What existed trespassed into nothingness, all was gone. But it was not a true disappearance. There was nothing left in that world,…

A long life; all had that. An unending eternity in which they felt safe. Numbers mattered, but did not at the same time. Death was something known and foreign as well. Death in battle was a dream; death in old age was a rare occurrence, counted with a single hand…

A mix of rage, hate, fury, sadness... that was all he could feel while he soared up in the sky. There was no halt, there was no looking back; he had taken flight, and he did not stop until he found his objective. With the only thing that could take…

It still hurt like hell, but it was getting better. His heaves became snarls, then groans, then silent huffs. The hits burned, but with less intensity with each minute. His uncle let him take it slow, not overwhelming him with long sentences or questions. Angus eyed his shackles and chains…

He did not know how long he had waited there in the dark. Hours? A full day? Fuck if I know. Slowly, he lifted his head back against the wall, to look again at the ceiling. He could not see the sun or moon, not even a glimpse of what…

Her heart, it broke when she saw them come out. At first, she had beamed, smiled. The fires had stopped. When she saw them inside that tunnel, she believed the three of them were coming out. Uriel was carrying a body, which she thought to be her father, unconscious, but…

It was thanks to her that they escaped without harm. Her wings kept moving, and those huge claws kept ripping through the tall trees, trying to claw her down from the sky. With a low flight, she taunted the monster repeatedly, calling for its attention, for it to leave them…

At first, all had been yells and fear. Now, there was just quiet grief. Sitting with her head low, she kept staring at the wood of the table; she barely looked up from her claws when her mother neared. She felt tired, impotent. Gone was the fierceness that boiled inside…

"That frog has lied to you, Ariel. That path is not as guarded as you believe." Her blue eyes narrowed. The resent for that scaly demon grew in her heart, but it did not matter now. They could have gone through a safer route, but she could not regret it…