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 her. In silence, Ayako took out some herbs and threw them into the warm cup Zelophehad provided, to mix an infusion for her. But she did not drink, not even if all around her advised her to. Her wings brushed the ground as she admitted with a broken tone.

“I feared I would be too late… that you would have turned into something you aren’t.”

Her father was in front of her, sitting as well in the room. His amber eyes looked down at his hands while he whispered sadly.

“Don’t worry. I know now that I will never be able to change myself.” He took a deep breath with his eyes closed, admitting. “And as well, I know that I shouldn’t have even tried to.”

He tried to be honest, for the first time, in order to pay for all the years and moments in which he was silent, in which he hurt her by trying to avoid it.

“I’m sorry for lying to you, more for making you feel this way. I did not mean to, I swear.” His expression changed slightly. He dared to lean closer, trying to meet her shy eyes. There was great wonder in his amber ones. “Aurora, you flew… You learnt to fly.”

And without his aid, unhinged by his fears.

His daughter did not answer him. She brushed one sleeve against her eyes, sniffing a little. With her fear and urgency gone, there was nothing left but a sullen and exhausted young devil, who could do nothing more than to look away from the scolding eyes of her family.

They were not yelling at her, they did not. However, she could tell that all except Alexis were not pleased with her arrival. Uriel was the first to finish tying his things onto his belt, ready to move. The feelings of their daughter mattered, but there was something they could not ignore: the wellbeing of her sibling.

“If what she’s told us is true, Ariel must not be too far.”

Ayako nodded, looking at Aurora in a thoughtful manner. Her words were surer while staring at those shaky nervous wings.

“Lykaios must be with her as well. Both must be chasing; he would never stop.”

Alexis stood and looked away from those entrancing bronze wings. Reluctantly, he grabbed his old sword, looking out from a window worriedly.

“We must leave, now.” He directed his concern at Uriel, who met his amber eyes “Ariel is as stubborn and decided as you. She will probably try to cross that forest, and I don’t know if Lykaios will figure out what truly roams there.”

Both Uriel and Ayako exchanged looks, frowning. Both spoke, not quite sure of him coming along.

“Alex, you remember how agitated those things were while smelling you. They will be more aggressive.”

“If you come, your only method of defence will be your sword, without flames or spells. Ariel, Lykaios and I could burn.”

The angel faltered, but quickly retorted, a little more angry and worried.

“And what am I supposed to do while you stop them from reaching this place? Should I stay here doing nothing but pray you come out unharmed? One way or another, I will have to cross those woods, sooner or later. Now is the time to leave, now that we can halt them, before they get hurt.”

Aurora shrunk a little more when someone stepped closer from the shadows, calmly. She now felt apprehension for Zelophehad, who spoke up to her father, frightening in her eyes. The trident he held was sharp, his wings similar to hers but distorted, and his eyes bloody and gleaming. His composed voice barely hinted the agility he could show, which she had felt.

“They are speaking truth, Alexis. I have no doubt that my former followers have nothing but bloodthirsty rage, which can come to dangerous degrees when near an angel. Perhaps, it should be best for you to wait here, while I prepare something with which to aid your steps. You could cross more safely.”

Ayako’s eyes glinted, quickly figuring out what he meant.

“The elixir.”

He nodded while crossing his arms and wings worriedly.

“With it, he will be nothing more than a human. They will chase more after Uriel, a bigger threat. It would take me a while to craft it, time enough for you to halt your other family members.” Zelophehad changed his tone suddenly, seemingly thoughtful. “I must say, I have a concern of my own. When I jumped to stop her, I dissolved the barrier, which I casted ages ago. If you all leave, I will not have the means to create it again. I hope Philander does not know of its disappearance.”

“It’s gone, and you need it back… What do you need to put it up again?”

With Alexis asking, Zelophehad was blunt.

“Your blood.”

Alexis blinked for a moment, but soon nodded. Even though he felt slight nervousness, he could not feel a trace of malice in the air, just concern. He was going to agree, presuming only a bit of angelic blood would be needed over some runes; however, someone interrupted before he could accept verbally.

Zelophehad raised an eyebrow when Aurora dashed. While grabbing her father by an arm and pulling at him, she glared, almost growling at him.

“Don’t dare touch him.”

Alexis tried to shush her and explain, but Zelophehad questioned first, with a small laugh.

“She’s quite protective, isn’t she?”

Alexis sighed sadly, gently trying to free his arm from her grip. Her eyes had sharpened, like her claws, and her wings had spiked around him.

“Aurora, please.” She looked to him. Her wings relaxed subtly when she noted the tranquillity in his eyes. “He won’t harm me. Really, I promise.”

Ayako knew then one of the reasons why Uriel was gentle, when Zelophehad leaned to smile at her softly. She still hid slightly behind Alexis and eyed the other demon warily, but she listened.

“I will only need a few drops, nothing more. I won’t claw him; I’m not as feral as the demon you’ve heard of. My wings may be black, but they are nothing like the ones of that creature, the bat that plagues your nightmares. If you need proof…” Zelophehad grabbed a phial he carried in his robes, and then moved his trident. Aurora flinched when he pointed his weapon near his own claw, ready to let blood fill the phial. “He needs demonic blood to cross the forest you flew over. I will gladly let mine fulfill the task. I really don’t want to harm him or use him.”

Her defiance only lasted one more minute, in which she was eyed down by Zelophehad. Even if she kept shielding Alexis with a wing, she looked away from those red eyes. She whispered sadly, tired and exhausted.

“Will that take him home…?”

The old demon looked at her while she held onto her father. He missed the days in which he would hold on to his, much like that. She was just a fearful juvenile, hurt, by things out of her control. The difference was that he had scorned his mother, while there was still adoration in her eyes.

“It will.” Zelophehad stood upright, and then looked at the three adults seriously. “It better do.”

They did not know if it was a threat, but the demon was looking at her like if he would rip all apart if they dared isolate her. He proceeded to whisper to Alexis, batting his black wings slightly.

“I wish I could tell her all that you know of me… but it is not my task. You, my friend, as soon as you three return home, you must make sure she grows without doubt. You must guide her, not in blindness, but in knowledge. Do not let her feel like this again, I see the uncertainty I suffered in her eyes. Never leave her alone, stand together, and do not let her roam apart like me. She must know not only of devils, but of angels as well, and understand both. You have the chance to let her know of your heritage in a less hurtful manner, as she has nothing but affection for you.” The next words were a threat, for sure. His voice was dark, imposing. “If you don’t guide her as you should, I will. I will take her in the darkest of nights, and make sure she knows of this bloody history, and what her heritage means. I will not allow shame to pierce her still untainted heart. All that composes her blood is worthy.”

Only gods knew what destiny waited for her, a being that would live as much as him. He did not wish for history to repeat itself.

Alexis felt a shiver while looking at those serious red eyes; even Uriel was not able to object to that well-meaning threat. Zelophehad was eyeing Aurora, contemplating her existence and what it meant for him. He was not the only one anymore, so he felt protective, even if the demon wasn’t his.

After a minute, Zelophehad softened his stare, in order to look at them with the same care and kindness. Even his wings folded, signaling he held gentler thoughts.

“You have to go; I won’t lead your steps. I cannot leave the temple, every second I fear Philander’s attempts.” He added, turning away to begin to walk to another chamber. “I will not help you face Jarogniew. I can’t bring myself to it. However, if you find yourselves without choice… end him. He’s but a shell of what he was. He consumes others and his own, without heart or soul.”

Zelophehad eyed the four of them one last time, but then disappeared into the shadows of the chambers.

Alone, the group contemplated their options. Uriel, Alexis and Ayako were remorseful; they only needed to look at each other to agree.

All three neared Aurora and looked at her eyes. But it was Alexis who spoke with love, with a gentle tone.

“Aurora, I know I’m no position to ask for things right now, not after leaving you two alone.” She frowned and folded her wings, feeling his hands on her shoulders, brushing her kindly. His head leaned; he stared at her, hopefully. “I dreamed of the day I would see you fly. I did not expect it to be like this: you, soaring down towards me, to strike. It still was beautiful. I’m glad my mistakes did not prevent you from soaring. These wings, they can do more than mine could.”

“I still can’t do much with them.”

He laughed, showing the very same warmth that made everyone question his divinity.

“Oh, you will do much more. Give it time.”

She did not like to hear him chuckle and dismiss her worry. He listened when she retorted sadly, fangs showing.

“No, not with time… I wish I could drag you up over that forest, right now. I barely could lift Ariel.” She lamented, glaring worriedly towards the shadows. “I wish you did not have to take that strange potion to hide your smell. I don’t know what it has, and I don’t trust that demon. I don’t want you near him, nor near whatever hides in those woods. I still can’t believe you came to a place like this, full of devils.”

He smiled sadly, shaking his head. She had only trusted in two devils in her life: Ariel and Uriel. She had never trusted other demonic beings, not even herself.

“Since I told you how I lost my wings, you’ve been so zealous. Too zealous, Aurora. You would not even try to trust all this time, not even the nomads like your sister. You should not fear them all, and definitely not consider us angels as high as you imagine.” He lifted her face a little, to smile at her. “You are not a feral devil, or my angel; you are a beautiful person. A person with wings, which can take her high, where only a few can soar.”

Aurora sighed, not having been fond of her wings all these years.

“What good are these things if I can’t take you above with me?”

He squished a little on her shoulder, letting her know he would be on her side no matter what.

“I may not be able to be up in the sky, but I don’t need to. Not with your help.” He said the next words carefully, desperate to make her see that he understood her feelings. “It does not matter if I can’t fly. All that matters is that you see that you are more capable than you think, understand that the fact that I don’t have wings does not mean you shouldn’t. You have to go where I can’t. I must ask you to go with Ayako and Uriel, and watch over the forest. I want you to spy over those crooked trees and find Ariel. We don’t know if she has gone after you.”

Aurora clasped her teeth, regretful, dreadful.

“She probably has… She would dive into a deadly abyss behind me.”

There was great love for Ariel in those blue eyes, a love which Ayako shared. Alexis waited a moment, in which she spoke to his daughter without words while looking at her unsure eyes. He acknowledged her doubts and anxiousness with a sad smile.

He wanted to say many things. But knowing they had little time, he moved her gently towards Ayako and Uriel. He whispered to the three of them, trying to be supportive.

“I’ll catch up with you three later; I’ll try to be fast. In the meanwhile, take care of her for me, and find them. I would not forgive myself if Ariel got hurt in that forest.” He turned slowly, to go towards Zelophehad, who had walked away. “I have to help him pull up that thing again, before it brings him trouble.”

He was halted, by a touch. Aurora asked one last time, reaching for his hand. There was dread in her eyes. She had flown all this way for her fears, and she feared to leave him now that she found him.

“Promise we will go home after this; that you won’t try to leave because of what you are.” She demanded, never before having felt so anxious. “Promise me.”

He nodded to her. But she did not have enough with that. She had grown answered with vagueness.

“No, say it, Alexis, please.”

He affirmed, closing his eyes with a smile while brushing her clawed hand.

“I promise.”

——————

 

Another loud groan. Another call, another frustrated yell.

While holding her tools in between her arms, she kept running back and forth, towards every man and woman who had gotten bruised. All were sitting or standing by cut trees and logs, too stubborn to go to her cabin.

“I don’t know how this village can still exist!”

Yet, she felt at home; she felt useful.

Cecilia threw a bandage to a man on her way, knowing he could tie it up himself. She ran ahead, closer to the forest, where she knew she would find him.

There he was, right by the woods. He was still holding his axe, even though one of his arms was broken. Everard blinked when she ran to him and only showed mild discomfort when she scolded.

“There you are, Everard! I have been looking for you for hours!” He looked away with a pout while she yelled angrily. “You have broken your arm! You are supposed to come to me if something like this happens! What are you doing here glaring at the trees?!”

The demons of the forest had attacked the town, but that had been hours ago. Everard kept glaring, axe in hand, like if he was daring the demons to come back.

“Leave me alone, Cecilia! I don’t need your medicine! Those things have no guts! They raid the streets and claw at our buildings, but then flee! I’m not done with them! I want payback!”

Another man taunted nearby, daring him to run into the woods if he was so insulted. Everard yelled back at him, waving his only free arm.

“I would go in there after them, if they had not hurt this silly limb of mine!” He groaned and lowered the axe, mumbling. “It’s that horned devil’s fault. He weakened my arm when he slammed me through the tavern’s table.”

“Sure thing, Everard.” Hours ago, she had enough with taking care of some horses she found… now, she had to take care of these stubborn people. “Give me your arm, I’ll bandage it.”

She added when he lifted it with the axe in hand.

“Drop that already. The demons won’t come back, they always attack by surprise.”

He looked at the forest again. He only obeyed after showing great reluctance. There were no complaints, even though he wanted to voice them.

While Cecilia bandaged him there, Everard did not look at her or the town. He glared at the fields that bordered the woods, glaring. After some minutes of sitting there, he blinked, noticing something in the distance. He spotted two figures, sneaking their way to the forest. One of the figures was huge, too big to be human.

Cecilia yelped loudly when Everard bolted. He jumped off the log he sat at and snatched his axe up; he began to run his way to that field. Yelling a war cry, he dashed for those intruders, who he considered devils of the forest. In seconds, he closed in greatly, close enough to see that the big demon was similar to a fanged animal. Its ears rose, and then it dashed into the shadows of the woods with the other devil on its back. He startled them away, but did not stop waving his axe until Cecilia caught up to him. She slapped his axe down while brushing his broken arm, which made him halt sharply with a whine.

She rolled her eyes, seeing the ferocious man complain with a high pitched groan.

“Why do you stop me, woman?! I was-!”

“You’re chasing after nothing!” She pointed at the field around them, angrily. She had not seen what he had. “Did any of those devils bite you?! Maybe they have toxins I haven’t studied yet, considering how crazy you are today!”

Everard pointed where the two devils had been, swearing.

“No, no! I saw more devils! Right there, I swear, Cecilia! This is not an excuse for you to leave me alone! There are more devils around; they are going to claw our dear tavern!”

“No one’s going to claw your tavern, it’s the only building that has been left intact, and it was the first thing you all bundled together to shield.”

“Don’t look at me like I’m crazy! I know you still mock me for that time I ate those strange mushrooms, but I’m serious! I’m not chasing visions! This thing had fur, and big paws, and no exoskeleton!”

“Next, you’ll say that the devils of the forest have developed wings.”

“They could! This furry devil carried another one, it had a tail, and human complexion, and tan skin, and long black hair, and two pointy horns over her head!”

Cecilia stared at him, blankly. She slowly looked towards the forest, shaking her head.

“Everard… doesn’t that sound a little familiar?”

He grew deadpanned. He ended up yelling, remembering his rival.

“The horned devil who slammed me through a table! They must be related!”

She had to stop him from dashing into the forest to demand a match. She looked grimly while she dragged him away, wondering what did people see in those dark paths.

In that dark forest, two looked back, still able to see the light of the sky.

“When those bandits chased you, were they as loud?”

“Not as much.” Ariel sat closer to his mane, sinking her hands into it for comfort. This forest was creepy, grim. But she felt she had to venture into it, for her sister. “I smell something. Do you?”

Lykaios took a deep breath. Next, he looked back again, confused.

“I don’t understand why I smell demonic presence, because there are humans nearby.”

“It is faint though.” She tried really hard to be as sharp as him, to no avail. “How many do you smell?”

“I can’t tell.” Ariel squirmed on his back when he stepped onto something that cracked a little. It was a carcass, decomposed and rotten, devil like. “This thing here smells like the scent that taints the whole forest. It seems to have been killed with an axe.”

“So, those humans kill devils?”

“At least the feral ones that roam this place.” He looked ahead, expression full of worry. He wished to find Aurora, before she got hurt. “If humans can fight these things, so can we. If those men hunt our kind, more reason to not near that town.”

Ariel sighed, listing another hostile human village in her mind.

“Let’s go ahead then.” She warned, petting his neck. “Try to move silently. I’ll provide light if you need it.”

“No, no light.” He eyed the shadows, wary. “If we venture in this place, we must be unseen, not only silent. I don’t trust it.”

Yet they had to move forward. He could feel the anxious hold of her claws, the fear for Aurora in her trembling tail. If he was not cold, he would be lamenting, calling.

They only knew the direction of her flight. Here, they could only smell decay.

—————-

 

“I knew he was letting them into that forge, breaking my rules.”

Ayako heard him mutter again while they walked through the dark. Uriel was eyeing the trees over them, carefully. She saw too the glint behind those thick black branches, the glint of two wings, which soared over the woods.

“That necklace is what let her find us.”

“Unnecessary. And as you heard Zelophehad say, bracelets like that have another meaning. I created them as mockery when I met Alexis, and I hope he has not connected the dots. I knew of what angels did to humans, I read a lot. They represented my disdain for angelic rule, yet look at him, still giving them use, again.” Uriel stepped ahead in a circling motion, to see all his surroundings. “That stupid craft has given the girls more confidence. They should have not left the manor.”

“You are upset, yet I haven’t heard you scold her.”

“Do you expect me to scold her or Ariel now? She was scared out of her mind because of his idiotic plotting, and I don’t know how Ariel is doing.”

“So you will let her keep that amulet, even though you don’t like what it can do.”

“I may take it and stop that silly enchantment on it. I will question Alexis for letting Ariel put a spell like that on him.”

“I don’t know, Uriel… Ariel might not be the only one who disobeyed you. By the look Alexis was giving Aurora, he did not only seem proud of her wings.”

Uriel looked at her, questioning her knowing smile.

“You are saying it was not Ariel who made that spell?”

She laughed, even though she was careful of her moves through the forest.

“A mother notices things, Uri. The day she wore that necklace for the first time, I saw the pride in her blue eyes. She made it pulse with that amber glow.”

Uriel groaned, looking up again. Even though he could not spot Aurora above, he was sure she was over there.

“Maybe I should have been more controlling.”

“On the contrary.” Ayako looked sadly at the crossbow in her hands, refusing to glance up to those bronze wings. “Maybe we should have given them more: freedom, trust, and truth. Maybe we should have told them everything from the start.”

“I’m proud of not having told them of killings and war when they were small.”

“Oh, hide them without telling them there’s danger, and they will only run out of cover, to be pierced by arrows.”

He growled, glaring right through the dark. His claws were ready, sharpened. He could tell they were being followed.

“They are not going to be pierced by anything, not if I am there.”

Ayako saw it too. Shadows, closer now, over them, crawling on the branches or trees. They surely had been there for a while; they must have crept since they left the hills near the temple. They were not many, and they did not like what it could mean.

They were not the only objective.

Ariel, against every word they had agreed on, lighted her claw in blue flames. Lykaios did not object to it, not after what they had glimpsed. As soon as the light engulfed her hand, they saw it more clearly. The things that circled them in the shadows hissed silently, startled by it. They crawled a little away, but not fast enough for them to not see part of their bodies.

“Please, don’t tell me she could be around here alone…”

Lykaios tried to ease her worry, ready to claw at any of the devils around them.

“I doubt it. If Alexis is around, her necklace shines for him. She’s still chasing for sure, so he must not be here. If he’s not here, she won’t have halted. She probably has flown over this forest, rest easy.”

“Rest easy…” She glanced at those beings, so wild and different. She could not believe demons could be this creepy. “Were your relatives like this once?”

He could not call those beings relatives. The demons like him never bonded, they never shared what he had found with Ayako.

“My bloodline was not as deformed and lost. We were more like animals.” He shook his head, keeping his fear hidden. “These things, they are too far gone. They are not even beasts; I doubt they will ever regain their humanity.”

She gasped, because after some minutes, Lykaios halted sharply. He suddenly tensed and began to growl, leaning his neck down, fur rising up. She felt disgust when she spotted what he growled at. One of those things had stopped lurking, to crawl closer. It sneaked down to stand in front of them. It hissed with those pincers while it blocked their path.

Both demons were growling at each other, showing off who had the biggest fangs. Even though Lykaios could have managed, he was not the one to make the beast back off. He blinked when a flame burst over him and landed at the feet of the monster. Ariel had thrown an ember at the thing, and it made it flinch and trash those limbs wildly as it backed away.

The horned girl glared, because the things hissed in anger, considering her now a bigger threat.

“You scared them, but I don’t know if it is a good thing, Ariel.”

Those vacant holes on their skulls, even though eyeless, were fixed on her. They remembered the burns Uriel gave them.

The things moved, and so did they.

They bolted, but both knew they had a swarm of devils behind their back.

“Faster!” She gasped, ducking against his body to evade the tree he ran below. “Be careful, Lykaios!”

“Keep throwing flames at them! They hate it! It will buy us some time to reach the end of this place!”

She obeyed. Growling, she looked back, hand aflame. The things jumped back and forth every time she shot embers at their faces, hissing furiously. With Lykaios’ speed and her spells, they had a lot of ground.

Ariel beamed after she shot one last flame behind her. The things recoiled greatly, showing great fear and reluctance on their blank skulls.

“They stopped!”

So did they. She heaved, because the drive of Lykaios’ run forced her forward when he halted sharply. She looked up from his fur, and quickly paled when she looked at what made him stop.

A huge shadow hanged from above. What had looked like tall trees quickly turned out to be something that could move. Six huge limbs moved and untangled. A gigantic body, what had seemed a cliff in front of them, lowered and showed its multiple scales and spikes. An unending black maw moved into view, to show four long pincers, each full of fangs, grinding together to let out a deafening hiss. The thing untangled from the clawed trees around it, and sunk its sharp limbs into the ground.

Lykaios began to growl, as loudly as he could. He showed his own fangs and claws, minuscule in comparison. The thing moved slowly towards them, but only because he stood his ground.

Ariel sat on him, frozen. She watched as that maw neared, wide open; she lost herself in those empty eyes. She did not dare move… not until one of those scythes raised to loom over Lykaios. She reacted then. The thing roared in pain when a flame licked its skull, thrown by an angry claw. Lykaios gasped and moved, he dodged the thing, which began to trash around.

The monster was so near, that when it recovered from the burn, it had them right there to claw at. It leered down, ready to bite their heads off. It only needed to lean, which it did. It took two steps closer… but then it was stopped.

Both were taken aback when something dashed down the slope at the side of the monster. In a blur, it latched onto the thing’s neck and hauled it downwards.

Lykaios heaved, finally letting himself tremble. Ariel looked with wide eyes as Uriel tackled the thing onto its metaphorical knees, using his own weight after a jump, to bring it down and aside.

“Uriel?!”

Her father did not answer. While landing on his feet on the ground, he was forced to let go of its neck. He clawed at it for good measure when it tried to stand a little more after his push. He had to step back, because it ripped the air he stood at with those pincers. The hatred was obvious in its hisses, its swipes. He would have been bitten in two, if not for another attack.

Lykaios smiled, because a bolt soared and sunk into one of those black voids it had for eyes. The thing screeched loudly and moved back, clawing at its own skull to try and take the arrow out.

“Ayako!”

The former angel hunter loaded another bolt, not paying much mind to them for the moment. Even though Ariel was looking at her hopefully, she aimed for the huge devil, shooting at it again.

“Nice to see you two, but you really should keep running!”

She huffed in annoyance when Lykaios ran to her instead of away. Uriel was not disappointed when the lynx hauled her onto his back, like Ariel.

“You are as crazy as your daughters; if I bring her to safety, I must take you as well.”

She ignored his usual words; she just kept shooting at it. Instead of greeting her oldest daughter, she addressed her with a command, leaning her crossbow towards her claws.

“Light my bolt, Ariel!”

Ariel fidgeted for a second, taken aback. Luckily, she quickly understood and proceeded to light aflame the point of her loaded arrow. While Uriel faced the thing, she shot, providing him with a chance to run off with them.

The four bolted away, and it did not fail to make the thing chase angrily. Uriel ran at Lykaios’ side, close enough for Ariel to call.

“I’m sorry I left the manor! I wanted to go back, but-!”

“Not now, Ariel!” He huffed and glared back, swinging one arm. He lighted the decayed grass on fire, trying to slow down the thing. “You can tell me later, when our tails won’t be bitten off!”

As if to prove his point, the thing broke apart many trees behind them, running through wildly and ferociously. It lunged for them, unstoppable. Before, they had an angel to distract it, but now, it had nothing but rage for them. It could remember and hold grudges.

Ayako shot at the former general again, but even though she pierced through what would be its chest, it was not faced. Ariel kept lighting her arrows and throwing embers, but nothing slowed it down. Uriel’s fire ran through the ground behind them, but those limbs would keep moving, even when burned.

It loomed over them as they ran, and it would have bitten down. But something clawed at its back. It was not harmed, but distracted. All gasped when something dashed into the forest from above, pushing through a lot of branches and dark trees. Aurora had soared down, not easily, and had kicked and clawed at its shoulders before going back up.

The thing only saw a flash of bronze behind its head. It slowed down and turned to look up. It saw Aurora crawl and climb through the blockage of trees and branches, back to the sky. Her taunt echoed down, and it made them worry.

“Hey, ugly face!” The beast looked up, glaring to spot her. She had taken flight, but was near the forest, enough for it to see her. “Yes, you, big mean carcass! Why don’t you try and catch me?! Oh, wait, you’re too brainless to figure out where I went!”

The thing roared. It saw wings. Wings, a thing Zelophehad had warned him of, things angels had. It could smell the faint trace of one on her skin, and it made it rage. Without reason, it knew that it had to rip her apart, it considered her the very same thing it had been ordered to destroy. It remembered words that it could not understand anymore, but hold true.

It only knew one thing, the last order he received. Ayako and Uriel called, because the thing leaned onto trees to stand taller.

“Watch out!”

“It’s moving up!”

Aurora gasped and dodged in time, right before one of those scythes ripped the branches below her. The long limb cut through the woods, reaching for the air, sharp. She overcame the flow of air that resulted from it, and at first, she was fearful. She had always feared in her dreams: she dreamed of beasts as feral as this one. She would have flown away. But then, she heard Ariel, calling protectively as always, trying to take this from her.

“You brain-dead rotten corpse, don’t you forget about me! She scratched you, but I burned your face! Come at me!”

Aurora saw that limb twitch, ready to descend. She could not allow it; in her mind, she saw it rip her sister apart, kill the only one who listened in her most lonely nights, the one who would risk everything for her, the one who tried to make her feel safe.

Ariel had managed to make it look at her, and it made her feel less worried for her sister. But her hopes died when Aurora clawed at its scythe, insistent. The monster moved away with its back to them to chase after Aurora, who dashed above it in circles.

Uriel exclaimed, fearing for her.

“I have to-”

Ayako reached for his arm and stopped him. Trembling, he had to prevent himself from running at the thing again, which was swiping in the air, not managing to reach her.

“She has just learnt to fly. If you go at it and don’t take this chance, you’ll force her to keep herself up!”

He gave it one last look, mortified. As much as he wanted to help her, Ayako was right. They could only run, and let her fly down when sure that they had reached safety.

Ayako looked around, frowning. She pointed ahead, commanding.

“The hills are nearer than the town! We will go back to the temple for Alexis, and wait there to regain strength! We must cross this forest with the certainty that we all do so safely!”

He could not argue with that.

They all sent one last look at the monster, but then dashed north. Aurora kept flying in circles, only moving closer to the hills when she was sure of their location, keeping the thing fixated on her shiny wings.

————–

 

Slowly, he laid his palm onto the pillar, onto those blazing runes. It should burn him, and they did; when he let his blood brush their carvings, they shot a cold sensation through his flesh. He kept his hand there, and only retrieved it when Zelophehad moved it away, gently.

“That will be enough.”

Alexis held his hand, where he had cut himself. He watched as Zelophehad touched the runes while saying some words in a language he had not been taught. He frowned when the ground trembled; it came from the core of the temple, in a chamber between two huge towers. Here they cast the spell, where it had been before Zelophehad had broken it to save Aurora.

The rumble subsided, only leaving a faint hiss in the air.

“…Did it work?”

Zelophehad had a worried expression. The demon looked all around, eyes narrowed.

“It did. Angel blood is able to do many things, Alexis. Do not doubt it worked.” He sighed, brushing one of his wings down. “This dread I show, it is not for the effectiveness of this spell. Right now, the temple is shielded again. Anyone who tries to fly here will be cast down once more.”

“Then? Why are you so tense?”

Alexis could tell something really bothered him, the air was full of fear, he could feel it.

Zelophehad faced him, with a sad expression.

“Excuse my paranoia, my friend. All these years have made me fear every move Philander could make. I fear he might have entered the temple when the barrier vanished. I don’t even know if he might have realized it was gone. He roams, he never hides in the same place on those hills; he might have not seen, but I ponder.”

Alexis offered, slightly worried. He had seen how adamant Philander looked, and it had been only while meeting him.

“Can you smell him?”

Zelophehad moved a claw to his mouth, shielding it slightly. His eyes were now as sharp as ever, scarier, they even gleamed in the dark archaic chamber.

“I can only smell you… your blood.”

Alexis quickly shot a glance to his bleeding hand and to those bloody eyes. He tried hiding it, sheepishly, but there was no denying that nothing would make it faint for the demon. It was a scent that would drive many demons crazy, yet Zelophehad showed the same control Uriel had.

“No need for you to conceal it. Even if you were not bleeding, I don’t know if I could tell if Philander roams. For ages, we have only looked at each other from a distance; his smell has always been faint. We are at the core of this temple, and these chambers are immense and shut; barely any air flows, his scent would not come to me easily.” He moved near Alexis, and then took his hand to examine it. “Let’s forget about it, I’m sure Phil is away, lost in his own self. Look at your hand, you cut more than necessary. Come, we’ll bandage it and take care of the last thing that we must do.”

“The elixir?”

They had done this first, to ensure they were safe. Now, they could proceed with the mixture, to aid him.

“Indeed.” Zelophehad showed his own hand, smiling. “I must create it with my own blood, to thank you for lending yours to my temple. Last angel who bled on those runes did not do so willfully.”

Alexis laughed awkwardly, knowing Zelophehad was not joking.

“I’m not sure you have to give me thanks… after all, you dissolved the barrier to tackle my daughter away from danger.”

“Perhaps.” Zelophehad joked this time, showing his sharp fangs in a grin as they walked out the room. “I should be blaming you instead, shouldn’t I? For letting her roam blindly in the first place, hmm?”

“Okay, okay; I’m not questioning your thanks again. Please, stop grinning that way while my hand bleeds. It creeps me out.”

Zelophehad laughed loudly, and then made Alexis huff when he patted his back with a wing. He guided him to the chamber where he had his alchemy tools, a little sad to know that with him gone, things would soon return to their stale lonely status quo.

When they entered the old room, Alexis looked at the flasks that rested in many shelves. At a desk, many alchemy books laid, with many strange ingredients. It seemed this was where Zelophehad slept, judging by the bed on the far corner, which had some feathers scattered on it.

The demon snatched some bandages from a table, and after giving them to him, he walked over to the phials, knife in hand.

“Feel free to look around and roam, this may take a while.”

Alexis quickly bandaged his hand, sighing while reaching for some alcohol on a table. He contained a hiss as he prevented an infection, and watched as Zelophehad cut his hand much more deeply than he had.

“Didn’t you say only a few drops would be needed?”

Zelophehad filled half of the phial with his blood, and then turned to smile at him.

“The more blood and ingredients, the more it will last.” He let the phial boil over a fire he lighted, throwing some herbs in from time to time. “If it lasts, you may not only be able to cross the forest, but the whole region as well. You won’t have to stop to craft it again.”

Alexis shook his head with disapproval. He handed the bandages this time, speaking softly.

“Believe me, they are the only protection I need.” Zelophehad admired his trust for them, and the fact he was alone with a demon who had killed many. “Bandage that claw, before it paints everything in red.”

Zelophehad nodded at the ground, where Alexis had walked.

“It seems you did already.”

Alexis shrugged, dismissing the small drops behind him.

“Nothing compared to your cut. I’m serious, bandage it.”

Zelophehad refused the alcohol Alexis nudged towards him, reminding him of his differences.

“Demons heal more quickly.”

“I know. I have seen many times. Doesn’t matter.” He truly felt fascination for this angel. Alexis moved closer to the boiling water and stared at the phial curiously. “How much time will it take for it to finish?”

“At least three hours. I still have to add some ingredients in it, and change the water. Maybe as well-”

Alexis blinked. Zelophehad had shut up suddenly. He tensed, for he felt a horrible emotion around him, one that he could not decipher, but which he could tell was not good. Slowly, he turned around, and then saw that Zelophehad was even tenser, frozen. His wings were slowly opening, and his claw held his trident once more.

“What’s wrong?”

“Many things.” The demon whispered, shuddering while taking a breath. “I wish you could smell it too.”

Ages had gone by, but he would forever discern the blood that had been shed on those hands. Those wings, he could now smell them in the stale air; they had flown over many corpses, stealing souls for a senseless crusade.

Alexis had never seen or felt a fear like this. He could feel the dread a child would hold, from a demon as imposing as Zelophehad. He was edging closer to the door, which led to labyrinthine corridors, like if he was scared of the dark.

Trident in hand, he trembled each time he breathed in, able to sense him somewhere, but misled by his blood.

The voice, it called, it made both shiver as it echoed through the chambers, from many angles at once.

“You made a move far too late, beast.”

Philander knew he had been discovered. Zelophehad finally moved out of the room. He moved his trident around while he scouted, pointing at every hallway. Even Alexis took out his sword, having noted a different tone in Philander’s voice. It had been threatening, hateful. Zelophehad could not keep himself from questioning the darkness around them.

“Where are you, Phil?!”

A chuckle. Alexis shuddered again, while Philander, someone who had seemed as friendly as possible, mocked with a tone that showed true disdain.

“Do you expect me to tell you that? I have walked through those changing tunnels many times already. I’m not letting you change these upper chambers as well.” A taunt, steps. “This time, you don’t know where I am; this time, I am the one toying with your senses, devil. You shouldn’t have let him bleed.”

Zelophehad dashed. He ran towards the open arcs that surrounded the fortress, trying to spot Philander there. It was the only place he could have come in through, for the runes below did not blaze and send that noise to him.

When he reached the huge windows and balconies, the chambers were empty. There was no angel there but Alexis, who was at his side, ready to shield him.

“Do you truly think I would be stupid enough to still roam near those windows?” Zelophehad growled loudly, trying to spot him behind thousands of bookshelves and statues. “No. I made my move. I took my chance, as soon as I saw that barrier vanish. I watched, intently; I saw that sudden faint light in the sky.”

Alexis called into the dark, sword lowering slightly.

“Philander, listen; you are making a huge mistake. You-”

“Be quiet, don’t you dare speak to me, traitor.” Alexis flinched, for his voice shut him up, with hatred. “When I saw the barrier break, I thought you had ended my plight. I thought you had given reason to the suffering of millions, that you had aided my duty. But no… As I dived for one of these arcs, I saw. I’ve seen what you’ve done. Not only you’ve spared this monster, but you stand by him like if he deserves to be spoken to. Maybe… because you’re not an angel, but the very same thing she was. Her, the depraved being that spawned all devils. The abomination who gave birth to this plague. If she had not grown astray, you would have started it instead… I’ve seen those pathetic bronze wings soar down! So similar to his, so imperfect and deformed! His, hers, their wings are a sick imitation of angelic ones. It all comes from you, just like that excuse of an angel! You are nothing but a curse to this world! You deserve to perish, be slain like she was!”

Zelophehad had enough. Letting out a growl that would put Uriel’s to shame, he lunged into the dark. Alexis had been hurt by those claims, but had prevented himself of lashing out in rage as Zelophehad did.

“Wait, Zelophehad!” The demon did not listen, not even when he warned. “It’s a bait!”

Indeed it was.

Zelophehad had not lost time. He had focused on that voice, on that smell. There was no way he would ever forget the one who killed his mother, who killed many innocent demons and humans. He wore his shame with him, and he could not stand his rightfulness.

The demon stabbed right through a bookshelf, and almost had him. Alexis saw those red wings dash down, he saw him move away from Zelophehad… and he saw the flash of electricity that soared out that shiny shield.

The fire crawled upwards, out of those unnatural sparks.

Staring at those flames, he could have acted. He could have raised his sword while the angel and demon had their fight. He only begged, for Philander to come to reason, to stop his murderous moves.

“Phil, please! Stop!” He jumped over some fire, to get closer. “This won’t do anything! You don’t have to kill him!”

He had to step back, because trident and shield dashed near him. He almost got cut, but Zelophehad barely sent him a glance of acknowledgement. At first, the demon had seemed reluctant to fight, but now held the same ferocity.

“Let us be, Alexis!” Zelophehad made a thrust and missed those wings by inches, which moved in between sparks and flames. “He won’t listen, much less to you! Leave, and let me give him what he has wanted for ages! I will make him pay if he so wishes!”

Alexis shook his head, desperate. He was seeing the very scene he was meant to enact against Uriel: wings dashed, spells flowed, flames burned, and weapons cut, while growls and curses echoed around. Both beings showed the same blood lust, the same rage. He could not bear it.

“No! You don’t have to do this!”

They had to. They held too much resent and hatred. They had committed too many crimes against each other to let go.

Alexis gasped and leaned back, sword faltering. He took multiple steps away when a trident attempted to cut his face.

“Don’t interfere, angel.”

Now Zelophehad showed his former true colours. He used the word angel like an insult. A beast, raging, rueful, acceptant of what he once had been. His eyes were bloody, like his claws, which had managed a few swipes at Philander. He did not even show grief for the books burning around him.

Alexis would have obeyed, if not for one thing. Zelophehad lowered his guard; he had been distracted by his calls in between the fire. It was something that Philander saw, something he acted upon.

Alexis saw Zelophehad react far too late, slowly turn to face that shield, which was pushing forward towards him, leaning away from the block of his trident. The electricity was all over, brutal and intense.

Zelophehad would have been shocked down… if another one had not stepped in between. Using his own sword, Alexis pushed past the flames at his feet and stood in front of the demon, facing the shield that came their way.

The first thing he felt was heat. It flowed right through his sword as it touched and clashed with Philander’s weapon. Philander was surprised at first, but then huffed and pressured more. The sparks became more intense, and with it, he felt it: a raging flow, entering right into his hands. He could not let go, not even move. He stood there, clashing against the shield, while a burning sensation he could have not imagined flowed through his entire body. He was not even able to scream, he was frozen while the electricity shook him.

The last thing he felt was a push. The flow stopped, but left its mark.

Shoved away by the hit of a trident, he rolled away on the ground. He heard Philander curse, but he did not discern what. Eyes hazed, he panted, unable to stand up. He saw blurry movements, the two face each other again.

He only discerned a few words, from Philander, who shot him a sickening smile while he lay on the stony ground.

“And there it is… the last sign I need to know he is like her. A last attempt to shield the bringer of a plague.” He dashed to attack once more. The sound of their weapons clashing echoed again. “Yet his move means nothing. You’ll be slain nonetheless, beast. And he will follow, like her. And then, his disgusting spawn, in time. You all will be cleansed from this world.”

“Perhaps… but I’m the first you have to slay to get to him, Phil.”

“That’s what will happen soon, child.” The shield, it moved in a different way, pointed not as protection, but like a sword. “I have waited for so long for this. No more games, no more tricks, no more hiding. I have you at reach, at last. Face the hellfire that awaits you for your wicked acts.”

The fight, it lasted for a long while. The growls, the yells, the dashing of red and black wings, it was faint, even if it was happening nearby. It all was faint to him. His vision was going black, his body numb. He could not move; he still felt the heat and burn of that electrical spell; it rendered him immobile, even when flames crawled near him. The library was burning down, the very thing Zelophehad had spent ages protecting.

Zelophehad was young in Philander’s eyes. While Zelophehad had spent these ages reading and studying, Philander had spent them killing feral beasts and training. His spells were more deadly. Zelophehad tried, he really tried, to invoke the spell that would reduce Philander to nothing but gore… but he was not able. He looked at those wings, and he remembered hers. His remorse blocked any feral thoughts needed to destroy him.

His guilt and newfound morality sealed his fate.

Alexis watched as that shield sunk deep into Zelophehad’s chest. In a raging dash, all ended. Time stopped for a moment. But only for a moment. Philander pulled his weapon out, point bloody, smiling at the slit the spikes left. Zelophehad took a few steps back, heaving, dazed. His claw moved onto his wound, and his eyes stared at it, unbelieving. With a cough, he stood there, trying hard to stay up, to not fall to his knees. He even lifted his trident in an attempt to keep fighting. When his wings tried to unfold proudly and he looked down on Philander, the angel moved again.

Stabbed again, he was pushed against a wall. As he held onto the shield with his claws, he met Philander’s eyes. In that stare down, the point of the shield was pushed deeper, slowly. It took a lot to kill a demon, and Philander knew it. While he rested against the wall, he was stricken by that flow of sparks and energy. He kept his body still, refusing to look away or convulse as Philander shook him to the bone.

Huffing, he breathed in heaves and coughs. The shield pulled out once more, this time not to sink again. Not even a demon would survive a wound like this; he would die slowly, but in time.

Philander smiled at him, coldly. He stared at his red eyes and wounds, standing tall. His voice was tired after the fight, but contented.

“The flames will consume this unholy place, with you in it. What you will feel as you burn away will be nothing compared to what waits for you, monster.”

Zelophehad seemed to be numb at first, hurt. But then, he smiled back at the angel, grinning, taunting, even if blood poured from his mouth.

“As long as it is a place where you won’t lurk, I feel I will find peace.”

Philander scoffed, having expected weakness, fear and despair. There was just tired acceptance in those eyes. It reminded him of Reut too much; of the day she stood before him and the elders, in a trial in which she spoke pridefully of her actions.

Sickened, Philander stepped away, to let Zelophehad burn in the flames he cast. Slowly, he neared Alexis, shield in hand. Looking up with a foggy vision, those amber eyes watched Philander’s hand move the weapon near his neck. He saw it spark once more, he saw the blood… yet he could do nothing but stare at those calculative eyes, which were looking down at him intently. His sword was near, yet he could not even reach for it. He had no escape; there was fire all around him. Death itself stood before him with blood in its hands.

Feeling faint and burned, his vision blackened. And he felt no more.