He had never seen such a view.

It was beautiful. The shadows of the tunnel finally lessened. As he emerged from it, his face lighted with the sunset. He stared at the chasm at his right, at the huge valley, a tall fall. While riding on the heights of the end of the peak, he could see what was below. There was snow around him, which covered every rock and cliff. In the distance, not so far now, rested the huge stony dam; the water flowed out of it from small cavities, which had been carved onto the stone centuries ago. They were mouths, stony maws, of the form of eagle beaks. There were multiple small waterfalls, which came from the huge lake between the two peaks. Right in front of the dam, a hanging bridge; this connected two tops of the eastern mountain, looming slightly over the valley. Below, the rivers flowed between the dense woods and uneven terrain, coursing through the valley to reach the human city.

The path they were riding was high, a perfect view of what humanity and nature had crafted together. Maybe it was created with some divine guidance, as he was sure that dam was ancient; he had seen those eagle statues before, even if slightly different. Long ago, angels may have roamed here.

But there was something else, something that made him think he was guided, and not following some vain ideal. Ahead, a lot of mist flowed on the horizon. For a moment, he discerned something in the far distance. His eyes widened, he beamed; in between the clouds, he saw a tall tower, part of a huge fortress, which rested on a high white mountain far away. As fast as it had been shown by the wind, it disappeared in white. No matter how he tried to see over the huge forests ahead, he only saw mist.

It all made his heart beat with hope. What the mural told of was true and not some lie crafted by time. The path they followed through led them right through the western peaks, passing the side of the dam, lowering more and more, until they lost sight of it and the valley. The mountains seemed to fuse behind the lake, forming a barricade against the water, what would look like a three-sided cavity on a map. They descended, leaving it all behind. The more they advanced, the more the road widened. Gone were the altitude and the dread inducing ledges. It only took them half a day to reach the last northern town known to man.

It was not a big settlement, but it looked like it had been just built. It really was a small town, of small wooden cabins, which had at least two floors. Tall tree logs composed their structure, thick lumber. Said wood surely came from the woods around them. Very tall trees, most lacking a lot of foliage, strong and durable in the snowy weather. The townspeople soon came to view as they neared the settlement on their horses. Uriel eyed the first man that walked by with surprise, almost with shock. The man barely paid them much mind, and that was saying a lot, knowing Uriel usually attracted a lot of attention. The human was carrying a long log on one shoulder and a very big axe in his free hand. Huffing, he was walking towards a huge sawmill at the edge of town. He was a huge muscular man, with a very thick blond beard, with the sternest expression one could wear.

Uriel thought that man was just a novelty in this town. He was wrong. They made a turn around the first cabin, and saw what kind of people inhabited this place. All around, every single person was as heavy looking as that one man. Around them, even the women were of a strong build. All were working, be it on lifting logs towards mills, hammering wood onto new cabins, or axing the trees that bordered the town. The sound of lumber collapsing was now evident, striking.

Ayako was the first to comment, eyeing it all with wonder.

“No wonder they haven’t noticed you’re a demon yet, Uri. If they only had fangs, they could look like one.”

Alexis nodded; he paled when he saw a woman drag a tree with her bare hands, triple her size.

“Uriel, I think you might want to hide your horns under a hat and your tail in your pants, because if they don’t like you around, there’s no way you can face them all.”

Uriel scoffed, knowing Alexis was half joking.

“I’m not putting on a hat!” He looked around. When he hopped off his horse, he stopped being the tallest person around. “Come on, let’s find the inn. We’ll stay for a night and keep moving.”

Ayako bit her lip, remembering the warning of the man at the tunnel.

“Uri, I don’t think there’s an inn here. Look at the buildings; almost all of them look new. And I don’t think these people are used to seeing travelers.”

Uriel cringed, worried as always.

“But we have to rest somewhere. At least we should have a warm plate of food! It is cold here.”

Before Ayako could tell him she was fine under the cold, Uriel had already moved. Against his apprehension, he neared a woman, the one he judged to be the most kind looking. She was standing behind the stall of a butcher shop, as stern looking as the others, but with a smaller complexion. He neared her slowly, and with a shy cough, took her attention.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” The lady looked up from her meat and butcher’s knife, as if having just realized he was there. He smiled gently, hoping to not startle her with his appearance. “Is there any place around here for footsore travelers to find repose?”

His well thought words did not seem to enlighten her. After looking him up and down, she spoke, with the most confused expression she could show.

“Hah?” She did not seem too worried about him being a demon, more about his choice of words. “You come from a town called Futsor and you want to find a guy named Repos?”

Uriel smiled nervously, his claw shaking on his chest. From behind him, a voice yelled, loudly and directly.

“No lady, he’s asking if there’s a place to drop in and have a beer or something! We’re travelers!”

Uriel glared at Alexis for his blunt words, but blinked when the woman seemed to have a moment of clarity.

“Ahhh! Now you speak my language! Beer!” She slammed her knife into the wooden stall and laughed while she eyed them curiously. Her deep voice was a little strange now that she seemed less serious. “We don’t tend to get any travelers around here! We don’t have any inns, but we do have a tavern! You can’t sleep in it… unless you pass out at a table! Just look around for it, it’s the oldest and biggest cabin in town.”

Uriel kept smiling nervously, noting how cheerful she had gotten at the prospect of a drink. After tipping his head a little, he excused himself away.

“Thank you, we’ll be… on our way now.”

She kept looking at Uriel, without wariness, with a curiousness he found slightly troubling. She was not scared at all. No one seemed to be. As they directed the horses through, they passed multiple men and women. All seemed to blink and realize they were foreigners. Their surprise was obvious under the thick hair on their faces. Most eyed the three with the same wonder, but ultimately kept moving to keep working. Some did look more at Uriel, with a thoughtful glare, but always ended up brushing him away with a grumble.

Only Uriel seemed to be nervous, and he could not understand how Ayako and Alexis could be so relaxed. His angel was looking everywhere, at the workers, at their saws and mills. She was walking fast, looking everywhere for the tavern.

They found it. Ayako exclaimed in triumph and stepped closer to the door. While Alexis frowned at the dents all over its walls, Uriel scowled at the mud that surrounded it. She opened the door, and all had to bounce back when a man was hurled out through it. They blinked down at him; he had been pushed out onto the mud, face first. Much to their shock, the man jumped up to his feet strongly and marched in again with a loud yell, fist first. The inebriation was obvious.

They leaned and peeked into the tavern, through the door that had been left wide open. The man that had been hurled out was now at a table, very crowded. Men were around it, betting, yelling and drinking. Two men sat there, growling and huffing, arm wrestling. It was loud, it was wild, and people were cheering and speaking loudly at multiple seats.

Alexis and Uriel followed Ayako reluctantly when she marched in. She looked at them, pointing at an empty table.

“Go ahead and sit, I’ll buy us some drinks.”

Uriel held his claws close to his chest, flinching with every pound of fist on a table.

“I’d rather not drink today, thanks. Order me some food.”

She nodded with a wink, and then proceeded to walk closer to the barman, who he was thankful to not be near to. When he looked around, he found out that Alexis had already made himself comfortable. The angel had sat at the only empty table, on a very creaky stool. He was now resting his head on a hand, watching the match not many tables away. When he sat too, he questioned, making sure to lift his tail away from the dirty floor.

“Aren’t you tense here?”

“For what?” Alexis mused, eyes narrowed. “Their love for beer reminds me a little of Angus.”

“But your uncle doesn’t behave like…” Another contestant in the wrestling match hit the ground, thrown against a wall. “Like that.”

“If only he could, he would. I think he would like this place. They seem like joyful people.”

While the men cheered and clanked their glasses, Ayako neared with her hands full. With a happy sigh, she handed Alexis a drink, Uriel a warm cup of brew, and another drink for herself.

“Quite cheap, compared to other taverns.”

Alexis snickered, knowing why it was that way.

“Well, with this much clientele, it’s no wonder. How many have they taken since we stepped in, fifty?”

Uriel shook his head, in denial.

“A human can’t drink that much without kicking the bucket.”

She sipped at her drink, lifting an eyebrow at him, amused.

“You would be surprised.”

A loud bang interrupted their quiet conversation. The wrestling match halted for a second, because someone slammed the door open and stood into the tavern. A huge man entered, bigger than the others, if it was possible. He had very fair skin, which was not obvious on his face because of the huge beard that hanged down and almost reached his knees. Clad in thick clothes, a boney plate hanged by his left shoulder. He looked like a barbarian as he eyed the room intently. His steps echoed when he marched deeper past the tables. The wrestling match resumed when he passed that table too. His presence seemed to bring respect from the others, and it was not only for his size and demeanor.

To Uriel’s horror, the man was headed right towards them. He stopped right behind Ayako and Alexis and glared at the three. His deep breath was strong while he loomed over them. The man looked at his violet eyes first, but then he lost interest. He spoke, leaning over Ayako, in order to speak to Alexis, with a tone that hinted annoyance.

“That’s my seat, little guy.”

Now, Alexis was not small compared to other men, but with these guys, he was the smallest. Even more compared with this one, he was miniscule. Uriel almost fainted when Alexis turned a little to look up at the beastly man, with all the calmness in the world. He sipped at his drink with a bored expression and looked up and down at him, thick eyebrows down. He almost gave Uriel a heart attack when he dared to taunt the man.

“Well, I got here first. Finders keepers, man.” With that, he turned, ignoring the towering looming mountain. “Grab another stool if you want, I’m not moving now.”

Uriel opened his mouth, hand shaky. He began to try to muster some kind of apology for Alexis’ sake, seeing the bewilderment in those deep brown eyes. The man seemed to inflate, huge shoulders rising, so he expected the worst. Just as he was about to stand and shout a thousand apologies, the man burst into a loud laughter. Eyes wide, he watched as the man snatched a stool from a nearby table, uncaring that it had been occupied by another big guy. While ignoring the grumbles of that poor patron, he slammed the stool on the ground, sitting strongly at their side. He slammed a palm on the table and spoke to Alexis and Ayako, smiling with amusement.

“Bold guy, aren’t you?! It’s been a long time since anyone has dared to speak to me equally!” He leaned to shout at the rest of the tavern, receiving some halfhearted shouts in answer. “You could learn some of it, you flimsy wimps! You all give me the cold shoulder ever since I beat you all in a match!”

He suddenly snapped his fingers and signaled the barman. Uriel was still mouth agape; Alexis blinked when many glasses of beer were placed in front of them. The man offered, much more cheerful than he had seemed at first.

“This round is on me!” He slammed an arm around Alexis’ shoulders, which made him huff. The angel had only stood his ground, not having expected the human to be so friendly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen new faces around! So, tell me travelers, who are you, and what are you doing in our small snowy town? Name’s Everard, by the way.”

Alexis smiled a little forcefully, not liking the arm on his shoulders. After moving away gently from it, he pushed all the beers away, giving a half felt excuse. Angels drank beer or wine in very small quantities, in a more refined manner. This was too much, even for an angel as strange as him.

“Thanks for the drinks, but I have enough with one.”

“I’ll take them then!” Ayako snatched the glasses with both her arms, sliding them closer to her side of the table. “I’ll never say no to a free drink.”

Everard laughed again, pointing a finger at her.

“Ah, you’ll fit here perfectly then! A decisive woman! Do you travelers search for a place to live? A new place to start over? Because we can do with some people that know how to handle other things than saws and axes! We haven’t tasted bread for years; we would kill for a bakery!”

Ayako was about to begin her second glass, until a claw snatched it away. Ayako pouted when Uriel took it all into his hold, exclaiming with a nervous grin.

“Thank you, but we’re only passing through.” Everard frowned, not liking Uriel’s shyness and apprehension. “We’ll rest the day here, and leave in the night.”

“Leave?” Everard snorted, making his big red beard shake. “Leave where? You came here just to see the cabins and melting snow? Travelers can only come from the south, from Feiren. You’ll head back, just like that?”

“Actually, sir…” Uriel straightened his pose, not liking how the man loomed even when leaning onto one of his hairy arms. “We will keep heading north; through the forest that borders your town.”

Silence filled the room. He did not know what could have caused it, but now, all eyes had turned to look at them, and Everard had stopped smiling. Only a cough echoed in the far corner of the tavern. Alexis gulped; he had been calm when the man had stormed in, because he could not really feel true aggressiveness, thanks to being an angel. But now, he could feel that Everard was not pleased. He was angry.

Ayako moved away the glasses, ready to stand in case Everard dared make a wrong move. She could tell he was piercing Uriel with his eyes and that his body had tensed. His voice was now rumbling, firm even if not loud.

“No one goes north, boy. No one.”

Uriel had flinched at first. After shivering under the fierce stare, he forced himself to show an even firmer expression. He did not like to be called boy, at all; it was demeaning. He retorted, laying a fist down onto the table, much like Everard was doing.

“And why is that, beardy?”

Alexis face palmed, embarrassed by Uriel’s half-assed attempt at being cocky. Uriel knew perfectly well he was not good with quick name calling, judging by how Everard laughed. A sharp laugh, amused yet defiant.

“Because I say so, little imp.” Everard stood, and with his size, he did not fail to push the table and stool to a side. It did startle Alexis, who had tried to take another sip of his drink, only to cough when pushed. “You go into those woods, and you’re dead, hear me? If any of you three try to sneak into it, we will know. We don’t let anyone step into that forest, no one. We are working on it, little by little, cutting and giving it all, and we are not going to let anyone else mess with our job.”

Uriel did not like to be threatened, but what made him see red was the fact that Everard had unintentionally pushed Alexis. His angel was coughing, receiving worried slaps on the back from Ayako, who had moved him away.

So he pulled one of his sleeves up, puffed his chest and moved against Everard. After laying his forehead against his, he snarled, showing his fangs in an angry scowl.

“Do not anger me, you witless ape.”

Everard put more force and began to push against Uriel’s head, not minding brushing those sharp horns.

“Oh, you think you are strong enough to fight me?”

“Not only fight you, but knock you out onto this dirty floor, right now, if needed.”

“Is that so? Why don’t you prove it?” Everard pointed at the table where the wrestling match had been taking place, now empty. “If you can show you’re though enough to not cry like a baby, I’ll let it slide. You will be able to leave town, but back to Feiren, without me kicking you back to it.”

A crowd had moved around the two. The men were now mumbling and cheering with each push of head they gave each other. They kept growling with an angry frown and a defiant grin.

Ayako stopped patting Alexis’ back when he stopped coughing. She leaned to yell at Uriel behind all the men.

“Uriel, it’s not worth our trouble! He’s just bluffing; he can’t tell us what to do! I would not let him touch you two!”

Uriel eyed her, scowl softening. Her words had some truth to them, given that they could just leave and sneak their way north. But in the end, he grew serious again, because Everard taunted again.

“Is the little demon going to back down now?” The man laughed, leaning mockingly to imitate a girl. “He’s a gentle demon! He grows soft with the words of a pretty maiden! She’s the only one who can enchant a devil enough to make him dress this fairly! He’s scared of staining his clothes or breaking his nails!”

Everard finally leaned away, because two pushed through the crowd. He took a step back when Ayako shoved him off Uriel, and blinked when Alexis yelled at him.

“Knock it off!”

Everard looked down at the two, leaning his head with a taunting grin.

“Still bold, I see, but it is not you who dared me. Is he so feeble that he needs you two to stand for-?”

Alexis, Ayako and Everard blinked, because someone had moved to the wrestling table. Uriel slammed a palm on it, calling eagerly, with a firm look on his face.

“I can manage on my own. Now come here and stop blurting words, because the only language you speak well is brute force.”

Everrad smiled eagerly, shaking one of his big arms with excitement.

“Now we’re talking!”

He marched fast to the table and sat there with a happy huff, much to Ayako’s and Alexis’ worry. The two followed, but had to shut up when Uriel moved a claw up to ask them for silence. His violet eyes were narrowed, fixed on Everard, glinting with determination.

Both slammed their elbows down, opening their hands up. Uriel let Everard grab his claw, both clenching strongly afterwards.

“Nice claw. Will you try to cheat and scratch?”

“I don’t need my nails to beat you. I’ll let my strength speak for itself.”

Another man neared the table, coughing to announce the rules.

“Folks, we’ve got a match today! Grab your stools and drinks, because it might be the fight of the year! Someone has finally challenged Everard, and it’s nothing else but a demon! Beast versus hairy beast, place your bets!”

Alexis frowned, shaking his head in disapproval, seeing everyone place money down on a stool.

“Betting? Isn’t that going a little too far?” He yelped, feeling a hand go into his purse. “Wh-? Hey!”

Ayako ignored his yell, slamming all their money on the stool. She yelled back, sure of their investment.

“Shh, Alexis! We’re going to be golden!” She leaned up onto his shoulders, to cheer very loudly. “Beat him to a pulp, Uriel! But try to not break every single bone of his!”

Uriel sighed, hearing her yell behind the crowd. He focused on Everard’s eyes, which were piercing him, full of eagerness and excitement. His hand was clasping his claw painfully, shaking with anticipation. When one man yelled for them to get ready, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Ready, set…!” His violet eyes opened, sharpened. “Fight!”

Everard roared, applying huge force right from the start. Uriel huffed, almost pushed all the way down. Growling and tensing, he managed to recover and lift his arm a little, struggling against his fierce push. Nearby, Alexis had paled, seeing how close he had been to losing.

“A-aya, I really fear for the money.”

“He won’t lose. He can’t. Trust in him!”

“Oh, I do trust in him, but this guy is a monster!” He let her lean a little more onto him, to prop her up. “Look at his arms! They look like they might implode!”

Everard’s arms were tense, bloated and even bigger now. Veins hinted all over, his face was red while he laughed. Uriel was red as well; his tan face wore a deep frown, one of huge focus. His fangs were clenched. Little by little, he pushed to make the fight even. Their hands finally moved to an even ground, after a very tiring minute.

“He’s winning!”

Alexis smiled, seeing Uriel push down Everard’s hand, winning ground. Everard gasped, losing some of his confidence when Uriel sent him a cocky smile and wink. The demon had the gall to wave the point of his tail, taunting. Seeing red, Everard roared like a bull. Uriel flinched, because Everard applied all the force he could, in a fierce shove that managed to make his claw lean very close to the table. Uriel cringed, and it did not fail to make Alexis pale, again.

“Oh shit…! He’s losing now!”

He blinked, feeling Ayako tap his shoulder.

“No, pay close attention, Alex.” He followed her point of finger and listened to her knowing whisper. “He’s feigning.”

His amber eyes narrowed. They opened more when they noticed how Uriel’s tail swayed side to side. If he were really struggling, that tail would be tense, lower. His breaths were steady, his face was serious, and his claw was staying still. He was letting the man apply a lot of force, keeping his own hand near losing point, to beckon him to put more effort. Uriel was tiring Everard, focusing on holding ground, somewhere where Everard would lose patience.

“You sly…”

Ayako grinned, crossing her arms in triumph, having known beforehand that Uriel would use his wits more than his muscles. The human was only a little stronger, but Uriel was more firm. Everard let out a tired huff after two minutes of trying to slam him down… and that’s when Uriel’s eyes opened sharply with a glint.

The growl Uriel let out echoed in the room; he moved sharply and suddenly, thrusting upwards with all the effort he had been keeping down. With Everard’s tiredness, he did not find much struggle as he slammed his big hand onto the table. His drive was so fast and sudden, that the motion picked up a lot of force. He had to stand back, because he slammed Everard right through the table, reducing it to blisters and broken pieces. He panted, watching as Everard hit the ground, while he stood tall.

Silence. Even Everard had not registered yet that he had gone arm first onto the ground. Only when he huffed did the room burst into a loud echo of yells and curses. The men who had betted against Uriel cried out, pulling at their beards as Ayako snatched all the money into her big rucksack, much to Alexis’ bewilderment.

Uriel stood there, panting, not smiling. He stared at Everard; he was turning a little on the ground, groaning while he moved to look up. Their eyes met, and there was surprise in those brown eyes.

“Y-you…” Uriel expected curses, but Everard just laughed loudly, smiling. “You did beat me, boy! Fooled by a devil! I’m going to be the town’s fool for months!”

Uriel stood there, watching while Everard curled in a laughing fit, holding his arm with his other hand. He would have crouched to help him up, but someone interrupted the chaos when they slammed the door open.

“What’s going on here?!”

All stopped what they were doing. All turned to glance at the woman of long pearly hair, who was glaring at the scene. She was slim, nothing like the rest of women here. She looked very out of place with her long tunic and the book that hanged by her belt. Her frown was obvious; her dislike for what she saw was all over her face. She looked down at the broken table and groaned when she spotted Everard there, looking up at her with a sheepish smile.

“Everard!” She crouched by his side, yelling angrily. “What did I say about arm wrestling?! How are you going to bring me supplies if you break an arm?!”

“B-but Cecilia, I haven’t had the chance in months!”

“Cecilia?!”

The woman blinked, spotting someone who pushed through the crowd. When she saw Ayako, her mouth opened in disbelief.

“Ayako?!”

Both stared at each other, in the last place they would have expected.

—————–

“So this is where you went.”

“Hmhm.” Cecilia finished wrapping a bandage around Everard’s arm, much to his annoyance. “It is not what I had in mind, but it is a home.”

Ayako looked all over Cecilia’s cabin, full to the brim with herbs, books and strange bones. Some of said bones where hanging by the ceiling, propped like decoration against the beams. It looked like an alchemist laboratory, with many recipients and utensils, which Alexis and Uriel were eyeing with icky faces.

Cecilia did not stop tending to Everard, not even when he fidgeted to speak up.

“She’s a blessing to this town! Before, if we got hurt while cutting trees, we just ignored the wound and drank! But now, she cares for every itch or wound! No more infections! They are a bother to sleep through!”

With how though everyone was here, Uriel was not surprised that an infection was a mild inconvenience for them.

Ayako was eyeing one of those bones that decorated the cabin. White, marble like, it looked like the spine of a whale. It was slightly bigger than one of a human, laid on a long table.

“And you’re studying… bones?”

They were not angel bones, but they interested her all the same. Cecilia smiled, turning to face her old colleague.

“Ah, that! That’s what made me stay here! Demon bones!”

Alexis took a step back from one he had just been about to nudge. Uriel had known what it was, but he had not had the courage to word it, far too grim for him to say.

“Demons?” Ayako saw a skull hanging by a wall. It was big, human shaped, but unnatural. It had pincers on its jaws, four. Its eye sockets were slender and long, and its frame sharp with multiple edges. It was thick; it looked like a gloomy craft. “There are demons here?”

Everard spoke again, pointing with a frown.

“That’s why I said that if you stepped into that forest, you’re dead! I wasn’t threatening to kill you myself! Demons roam those woods! They are very dangerous, nothing like you, boy!”

“Could you not call me boy? I literally hauled you through a table.”

“Right, right! You’re not flimsy, but you’re still nothing compared to those beasts! They could rip my head off with a single bite! That’s why we forbid everyone from heading there!”

Alexis glanced at him, deeming this town crazy.

“If they’re so dangerous, why do you live here? I mean, you’re strong people, but come on… demons! Wouldn’t you rather leave for Feiren?”

Everard gasped, deeming his words even crazier.

“Leave?! Not in a million years! We’ve been cutting these woods for centuries, or more! Each season, we change focus: west, east, south, and then north! North is where these things are. They creep in the dark, and when we cut the northern trees, they attack us, as soon as we go deeper. But we are people of tradition!” He slammed a fist onto his chest and pointed at a wall, where a lot of paintings hanged. He first pointed at one that portrayed a very angry looking man with an axe, and then followed to the next. “My father cut these forests, my grandpa did too! And his father! And my grand granddad! And his father, and the father of his father! And his mother, my grand grand grand grandmother!

All stared blankly at the portrait of a very buff old woman, who was holding a log on a hand while the other held the ripped claw of a demon of the woods with a very stern glare.

Cecilia sighed. She would complain against the town’s stubborn antics, if it were not for the fact that it supplied her with many killed devils which to examine.

“These people have battled here for ages. You can’t tell them to pack their things and leave; it is like if you curse at them. Every time one of those things lunges out of the woods and attacks, they smash it like a bug. They may get cuts and broken bones, but they do not care. Any building that gets wrecked, they rebuild it. The tavern is their most sacred place, and that’s why it is the oldest cabin.” She began to rummage through a few drawers, searching for some scissors. “I found it appropriate to help them. I am learning a lot about human durability and demonic fragility.”

Ayako frowned, looking out the window.

“We need to keep going. We saw a fortress over the woods, we need to go there.”

Cecilia shook her head, giving one of those looks she used to send Ayako years ago.

“Ayako, why would you want to go somewhere like that? Didn’t you have an inn now?”

Ayako frowned, leaning onto a wall with her arms crossed.

“We’re taking a break.” She glared at the woods through the glass, sharing Alexis’ wonder. The sooner they got what they wanted, the sooner she would see her daughters. “I want to go there, because it can hold the knowledge I need to help others. What do you know about that fortress, Cecilia? You have always had a dreamy mind; don’t you think of what it hides?”

“I do. Angel temples must be filled to the brim with scripture.” She brushed her hands under her long sleeves, fidgeting. “But the route is too dangerous. No one has managed to cross the woods. And even if someone did, that place is cursed. This town has many legends, and none speak well of what lays behind the woods. That fortress may have been a temple for angels, but it is a deadly place now, demonic.”

Alexis smiled, quickly going to the window to look at the distance.

“So it’s a temple! An abandoned temple!”

“Not abandoned. Who knows if these demons have nested there? They are feral and wild. They roam there, it’s their territory.” Cecilia walked closer to Alexis and Ayako, and then took something out of her pocket. Alexis stared at the compass he crafted years ago, shown to him with a caring smile. “I’m still thankful for your hospitality. That’s why I can’t advocate for you now. Only this town can handle this, I don’t want you to go in there.”

Everard nodded firmly, yelling from the chair he sat at.

“You tell them!”

“Shh, Everard.” She sighed and looked at the three carefully. “You can stay in my cabin. Please, if it is knowledge you want, I could show you some of my notes, Ayako. I have studied these demons for a long time now.”

“It is not demons what I need to study, Cecilia. It’s something different.” She said that while looking at Alexis. She had dreamt all this time, about curing the ache Uriel suffered, or about finding a way in which to hide Alexis’ true nature. She looked at her old friend and knew she had to lie. “We will stay the night; maybe we will roam the town for a while. I would like to spend some time with you; it’s been a long time. But then we will leave back to Feiren, you don’t have to worry.”

She only needed one glance to assure Uriel and Alexis that she was faking.

Cecilia welcomed them into their home, letting them stay the night. They did not like that Everard kept a close eye, knowing they wanted to sneak away. They stayed up most of the night, wondering how close they were to find closure and answers.