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 now safe.

It pained her greatly, to realize it was not Alexis who Uriel was carrying, but Zelophehad, the demon who lived in this fortress. She felt faint when they walked out without him, firmly, silently. Uriel had many burns, but he was still standing tall, even when carrying a body that had to weight as much as him. Ayako was holding a long trident, her gaze as lost as his. Both stepped away from the now cold tunnel, to stand on the grass and snow outside. They looked at Ariel and her, but they did not seem to be seeing them much.

While Ariel glanced hauntingly at the corpse, Aurora asked, wings shaking and dropping.

“Where is he?”

This was why Ayako could not answer her when she bolted into the temple. Ariel made the same question, but without words, just with a simple frowned glance. Her older daughter was questioning her, much more calmly, but more roughly. Lykaios eyed the corpse Uriel carried, calculative; he listened while Ayako admitted to her daughters, trying to find words.

“Alexis was not in the fire.”

Aurora’s fangs showed as her expression twisted. Ayako had stood in front of them both, close enough for Aurora to be able to grab her now, give her a little shake.

“If not in the fire, where? Where has he gone?” She shook her head, watching as Uriel lowered Zelophehad against a wall; leaving her no doubt he was dead. “Don’t tell me he’s dead!”

“He’s not.” Uriel spoke, looking blankly at both girls. His words were direct, assertive. “He has been taken away, but he’s alive.”

With that, Uriel moved. Lykaios did not flinch when he demanded of him, already walking up a hill.

“Roam; help me trace any possible hint of his scent. Any trace, any lead.” Uriel began to get out of view, without looking back. “Ayako, do me that favor, please.”

The girls did not understand that last sentence, not until Ayako moved silently with her head down. Lykaios saw her step closer to the body, which Uriel had laid gently at the feet of the temple.

“Who is he?”

Ayako closed her eyes for a moment, sighing out the truth for Lykaios to hear.

“Someone who has answered us many things.” She turned a little, and said nothing but truth, things she would have not told her daughters before. “The first demon. Far too ancient to describe all his acts, but wise enough to thank for his help and advice. He’s been slain by another ancient being, much more resentful. An angel… who has also taken Alexis.”

Lykaios only needed those words to move. He did scoff, resenting this journey of theirs, but did not scold Ayako. While the girls stood frozen with dread, the lynx finally sprinted to obey Uriel’s petition. He ran over the hills, seeking a trace.

Meanwhile, Ariel and Aurora tried to overcome their shock. They only knew one angel. And that angel had always been benevolent and well hearted. They struggled to accept an angel to be evil, because Alexis had never been. The concept of those beings was far too foreign to them, never before so real. They looked at Ayako, who not only had carried a trident out the temple, but a shovel. She had begun to dig, to make a makeshift grave.

“I’m really sorry that you have to see this. I am truly sorry, Ariel, Aurora. We couldn’t leave him there, and we… I have some time to spare.”

They had no way of knowing if Philander had gone directly for that coast, and if in that case, in which direction. That portal could be west or east, truly hidden. With a trail, they could follow. Uriel hoped to find something: a feather, a flick of hair… or blood. She could do nothing but wait, and pray. She could do nothing but face the truth, shed light onto it.

Aurora contemplated the wounds she was seeing with fear. However, her sister was stronger upon death. Ayako was surprised when Ariel walked closer and reached for the shovel in her hands. Her daughter looked at her with a serious frown, speaking solemnly.

“I can dig… you should move his body first.” Ariel pointed sideways with her tail, showing care for one of her kind, because of the sadness Ayako showed. “Maybe you could wrap him with his torn robes; he wears armor below.”

Ayako smiled sadly, thanking Ariel for her thoughts. Her daughter was efficient, like Uriel, but also shared his care.

“A warrior would like to show his armor, even in death, wouldn’t he?” She let Ariel handle the shovel, not without apologizing again. “Sorry, my little angels. I’ll explain later.”

“Don’t call me that. I am not innocent or little and you know it. I can handle this.”

“Does not mean you should see it.”

“Hm.”

Ariel was direct, and did not look much at the corpse while she sunk the shovel against the earth. Ayako moved closer to Zelophehad, and then crouched there to reach for his shredded robes. It was very easy to pry them off with only a pull, considering all the cuts that shield had given. His armor, even if sunk in at his chest, still shined in a dark way, black as night. As she folded his claws and upper wings over his chest to hide the wounds, Aurora neared.

Ayako did not know what to feel when she heard Aurora ask behind her, with a guilty tone.

“The angel, the one who killed him, how did he enter?”

Ayako frowned, answering vaguely.

“He got in like we did, of course, probably through these tunnels.”

“No… It did not.” Ayako let out a tired breath, closing her eyes as Aurora affirmed against her lies. “He was very anxious to have Alexis’ help, to cast another spell. An angel can fly, like me. I soared towards those towers; I saw that flash of light before he tackled me.”

Ayako laid Zelophehad down, slowly, after brushing away the blood on his face. After giving him a sad glance, she stood again and turned to face Aurora, who wore an inquisitive scowl.

“Whatever is running in that energetic mind of yours, Aurora, I want you to push it away.”

“But isn’t it true?” Aurora looked at Zelophehad, truly honest and sorry. “I did cause that obstacle to disappear. I have seen enough of Uriel’s books to get a clue. I have killed him and taken Alexis away, indirectly.”

“You have not done such a thing.”

“I have. I shouldn’t have-”

She blinked, because Ayako moved a finger against her mouth. Her mother was now glaring, piercing her with her icy eyes. If a human could show eyes as scary as the ones of a demon, this was the moment. Though, Ayako was still gentle.

“Listen to me carefully, because I’m not going to repeat anything. You are not at fault. Not you, not Ariel, I don’t care which of you pushed more the idea of leaving the manor. I’ll hear what you’ve done from Lykaios on another occasion, when I’m not as troubled. Right now, I just want to make clear one thing, that you did nothing evil. Maybe you were impulsive, but I would be a hypocrite if I blamed you. If you want to blame someone, blame us. However, neither of us acted maliciously. It is others who hold malice, others committed wrong deeds.” Ariel stopped digging, Aurora lowered her wings and claws; Ayako held up a hand to her chest, telling them of many things, things they had only heard in whispers before. “You two have heard of angels, of their mighty fights against demons. You have not hated them, because you have only met one, Alexis. You don’t know any other angels like you know some other demons. And because of that, you think some angels could be as good-hearted as Alexis. What you can’t understand yet, is that not only some demons can be evil. His race, it is as malicious sometimes.”

“But he is not.”

“No, he isn’t. He is the kindest angel I’ve ever met. The only one I wouldn’t slay.” Her children looked at her, scared of the thought, of her words and their implications. “Many wings I have taken, all open for murder. You have not heard much of it, but I assure you, I have fought many angels. I have not been a simple hunter or mercenary, I have not met angels by coincidence. I chased them, fully intending on taking them down. It was not a coincidence, but my profession. Angels kill; they can be unstoppable, and destroy entire towns of innocent demons. If their murders occur near humans, they do not doubt to cast their flames, even if it means scorching the people they should shield. I have seen their arrogance; I’ve heard their rightful cold words. Alexis wanted to change, because he is as ashamed of his kind as you are of feral devils. Alexis has thoughts that angels don’t share; the angel who has taken him wants to end him for it. Angels are going to threaten him, just because he has cherished something they will never have. They would never have something as beautiful as you. They would never find peace with demons; they would never reach for a bond like this. Aurora, you are unique, you’ve been born from angel and human, and his former people can’t stand that fact. I’ll tell you more, everything, when I can. But now you have to take my word; Alexis is in danger, but not because of us, but for the hate they hold in their hearts. Zelophehad knew this when he jumped to stop you. This demon here, he knew what you feel for him; he saw many things in your eyes as you soared down. You two share much more than you know. I’ll tell you of it, for he can’t anymore. I’ll show you that your existence is not to be questioned, but seen as something precious. You two, you represent many things, things I won’t let others question.”

Aurora glanced at Zelophehad’s closed eyes. Crouching, she brushed one of those wings doubtfully, ashen and burned. They had been prettier before. Her voice was curious, afraid and mournful as well.

“Was he like me? Did he… come from a human an angel?”

“He did. He was not like the nomads, or any other devil you’ve heard of.” Ayako looked at the distance, leaning her head in grief. “Alexis was relieved to hear you were not the only one. He was glad he could explain when he came back, even if not with the same sharp eyes he wanted. While you feared his change, he feared your loneliness.”

“Why didn’t you tell us anything, mom? We could have understood.” Ariel asked for Aurora’s sake, because she had been silenced by those words. “Why hide it all from us? Why did you swear you would go to Feiren, to seek this place instead? I think we would have respected your motives if we had known the reason of it all. We left, but only because we thought you were trading in a simple commercial route. After realizing you had lied, we were too afraid to not chase after you. We knew nothing.”

“We are to blame for that. We did it out of worry, but we failed to see it was not right.” Ayako promised, smiling at them sadly. “I’ll never hide anything from you again. Some truths might hurt you, but we can’t keep them away forever. That is why I let you stand here right now; I let you see his blood. I should really trust you, it is time I stop seeing you as my little girls.”

The sisters stood a little more upright, Ariel almost as tall as her. Ayako laughed sadly, closing her eyes as she lamented without words.

They dug a grave, out of respect. Ayako and Ariel moved Zelophehad into it, gently. They covered him with his own robes, which were still grand even if torn. They moved the earth over him, and let him rest at the feet of the temple. Not far, laid the body of his most loyal servant, one of his own blood. His grave stood right by those statues, which watched without weapons. Aurora held thoughtfully Zelophehad’s trident by the grave, while Ariel placed some stones to mark its location.

Ayako said nothing when Uriel returned, slowly, grimly. She just looked at him, hopeful, begging with her gaze. He looked up from the grass and eyed the grave sadly. Struggling to speak, he met her eyes. Only after a minute did he confess.

“I found nothing.”

She was stabbed by those words. She grabbed his arm and asked in denial.

“Nothing? Not a single feather? A hair of his? A drop of blood from Philander?”

“Nothing.” Uriel let out a growled sigh, clenching his fists with a grimace. “Not a single trail I could follow. His scent is nowhere to be found. That bastard must have flown; he has taken him away in the heights, over the hills, where the winds would erase any hint of their presence. Those wings must be able to fly higher than others.”

Lykaios neared too, with a book in his mouth. He lowered it at her feet, adding carefully.

“I found a camp, full of the stench of an angel. However, the scent leads nowhere. Uriel is right; if an angel has been here, it has left above, where we can’t trail them. He must be wise, for him to take care of any feathers that might have fallen. We won’t find any of his. And well… Alexis can’t shed a single one of his own anymore. As a former angel hunter, you could chase, but like in many other hunts, you will take time to find hints of their moves.”

Uriel pulled away from her hold. Her hand fell down slowly, because of her dread. He began to pace back and forth, pulling at his horns while his tail waved behind him.

“We can’t just go past the mountain without a lead! We will be too late! Any wrong move, any steps in the wrong direction, and he won’t make it. How can I search without my ache? How am I supposed to find my angel now? All I feel is that he’s dead already!”

Ariel ran up to her father, knowing when he needed to regain his coolness.

“Stop pulling at your horns, you’ll end up breaking them.”

Uriel was always direct, but this time he was not in a good way.

“Let them break then, Ariel. Maybe the pain will help me choose where to head in that dreadful coast.”

“Breathe. You always tell me to be calm, to analyze any problem I face.” Lykaios was proud when she stepped uphill, north, asking and affirming at once. Her claws moved softly, while she beckoned them to think more clearly. “I have just gotten here, and I know much less than Aurora. But even I can know Alexis is somewhere north from here. All I wanted was to find you, and now that I do, I see you like this, torn. We can’t just doubt and stay still, we have to at least head there. We may have luck.”

“Luck… we don’t have luck, Ariel.” Uriel snarled, but not because of her. He appreciated her kind words, but he could not avoid refuting them. “We have never been lucky. Nothing but bad things happen, you just have to see that grave there.”

Ariel growled at him, mocking him.

“I think you are not thinking straight right now, it reminds me of when our inn began to decay, when fewer humans visited it.” She walked closer and began to tap onto his chest, with a finger. “Tell me, do you think Alexis was unlucky when you didn’t claw him at first sight? Was Ayako unlucky when you stood in between her and that vengeful demon you told me of? Were they unlucky when you let them live in your manor? Don’t you act as luck itself? Don’t you define your own path?”

“I-”

“Crap, stop yourself from doubting and just move already! You always make a move, don’t you? You voice your choices, sometimes more calmly, but you always do! Do you want to save him or not? Because while you falter, he might be kicked around! I care for him, and I know he’s afraid of a lot of things!”

Like her mother, she could be quite verbal. Ayako showed pride on her face, while Uriel ended up shrinking under Ariel’s glare.

He lamented shakily, looking north. He wanted to walk right then, but he had too much fear to do so immediately.

“I’ll move. I’ll search everywhere. But I have no way of telling if I’m close to him. We are blind.”

“We are not.”

All looked sideways. Aurora walked up to them slowly and moved her wings away from her arms. She was holding something in between her claws. She glanced up to them, whispering quietly.

“I know you have never approved of a spell like this, Uriel. And I know you would have taken it away once back at home… But, it is the last lead we can follow.” She opened her claws, for them to see the necklace. The pulse was still there, flowing towards the direction in which Alexis’s bracelets were at. “We can find him.”

Uriel took the necklace. A twitchy smile grew on his face, disbelieving. He had forgotten about this small craft, which he had felt angry with. It could not tell if Alexis was alive or not, just where those bracelets were. Judging by the pulse, they were still in this world.

“Bless his disobedience when letting you two enter that forge.” He looked at her next, unable to show how thankful he was. “And you for learning this spell.”

Aurora shrugged her wings and glanced sideways at Ariel.

“I had help.”

——————–

 

He had not felt this hurt, numb and sore since he woke up on a bed, wingless and full of cuts.

The cold was the next thing he noticed while waking up. His mind was full, with a mix of sensations, which consisted of pain, dizziness, and exhaustion. Maybe a sick feeling too. Honestly, if he were not so lost in between consciousness and faintness, he would swear he could throw up.

However, he also noticed that he was starving as well, so there was not much he would expel.

Fucking hell…

No, he was not able to voice his thoughts yet. He tried to let the curse out, he really tried. All that came out was a long groan and snarl. He was thirsty too. His throat burned. It was probably for the fact that he had been electrocuted, but he was not about to remember that quickly.

Added to all his pain, he was not glad to realize he could not move freely. He tried to fidget and move a hand to check where he hurt more, which was everywhere, but he couldn’t. He subtly moved his hands at first. They could not lower. Then, he pulled. He began to feel he had something latched on his wrists. He yanked angrily, and he regretted it quickly. Whatever he had on his wrists, it was very tight and metallic. It was definitely not his bracelets, it was too heavy.

At last, he opened his eyes. His head moved up and down at first, as he let a sighed groaned breath. He shook his hair off his eyes, and then tried to brush away the blurs that danced in his vision. When he managed to stare at what was in front of him, he blinked. Darkness; in it, stone. Moss grew on the wall, a thick amalgamation of old rocky bricks. If it was not dark, he would say the wall belonged to a castle. The dungeon of a castle, to be precise.

Yes, the more he looked around him, the less he liked it. He grew even more crestfallen and angry when he noted the chains hanging by the wall in front of him. Luckily, those chains were not in use; he was alone in the jail.

He spoke, not easily. He was still half unconscious.

“I swear guys… if you have refurnished one cellar just to prank me…” He coughed, trying to stand. “U-uriel! Let me out of here! I-It’s not funny!”

He dropped down after trying to lift himself from his sitting position. He glared upwards, and saw that his arms were up, chained to a wall by his wrists. Gone were his bracelets, replaced by ugly shackles.

No, this was not a prank. If Uriel or Ayako intended to scare him by reminding him of when he woke up in a cellar, they would have not used any bondage. A locked door was enough for them to laugh at him. He could tell when something could be lock picked, and these things could not; the shackles were complex, too detailed to be broken or opened by a blacksmith like him. They would never, ever, put something like this on him, not even for a fun scare.

Besides, what could cause this soreness? Why-?

He remembered. He did so suddenly, frantically, causing his whole body to tense and freeze. His eyes showed true horror.

“…No.”

He could remember everything before the moment he fainted. How he wished he could not remember a thing.

Yet he did.

The shield, it had sunk. He was not sure, but every second he felt more horrified. He did not want to admit his fears, the thought of that shield going too deep. He had seen Zelophehad drop, slump against a wall. He saw Philander move away, not lift his weapon again. Not for the demon at least. He could recall seeing that shield move for him though.

Where am I?

He looked again, this time much more carefully. In silence, he glared at every corner, every wall. There were no windows, nothing but a barred hole on the ground. Whatever humidity and drops of water fell from the stony ceiling, flowed and left there. Even if he broke the iron bars on it, it was too small for him to crawl through. There were no lamps or lights, a true cell. There was even the traditional thick door, this time even larger. It had no window, but it had a plank that could be moved from the outside to peek in.

He sat motionless for a few minutes. The only sound was the one of drops falling from the mossy ceiling. He feared to draw attention at first… but then, he realized that attention was the best thing he could get. Growling, he pulled fiercely at his chains, tired to no end of sitting there.

“Philander! Let me the fuck out of here!”

Who else could do this but the very same asshole who called me a traitor and an abomination?

He could understand having a deadly duel with an ancient demon, an arch-nemesis. It was not a nice thing to do, but angels were crazy like that. What he could not understand, was him chaining him like this, onto a wall, in a mossy cell with no light.

I am an angel as well, for fucks sake.

He kicked and punched the walls with his knuckles, yelling with as much hate as possible.

“I don’t care what bigoted thoughts run in that crazy mind of yours! Shit, come here and talk to me like a man! Yes, I said talk, not fight! Words, Philander, words! Learn to have discussions and debates! They are much better than electrocutions! This is sick! Sicker than anything you claim Zelophehad could have done nowadays!” He waited a minute, and then he kept yelling in anger. “Fine! You think I’m a demon! But you’re a murderer! A killer! Who’s more devil-like here?!”

Alexis flinched, because the window of the door slid open, suddenly. He faltered and sat with his mouth open, because a face he had never seen peeked through that hole, glaring, questioning. That man’s voice was not familiar, at all.

“Is that a confession?”

Alexis sat there, staring at those emotionless eyes. The man was waiting for an answer, and he gave the wrong one.

“What?” He leaned slightly away, eyebrows going down with a frown. “Who the fuck are you?!”

He lost all his bravery when the door opened. He paled when the man stepped in, and he was not a man. He stared at those wings, mouth agape, too taken aback to react in another way than with fear. The angel was a guard, buff and strong; his voice reflected that.

“Curses are not allowed in the holy palace, not even in the lowest of cells.” The angel was wearing a heavy armor, and his hand was near the handle of his sword, at his shiny belt. There came the threat, in the form of a question. “Must I interpret your curses and words as a confession of being a devil? Because in that case, I would not doubt to slay you right here. I won’t wait for debates in the presence of a self-admitted demon.”

Alexis was as confused as possible. He stuttered a little, still baffled by the sight of another angel.

“I-I’m NOT a devil!”

The angel glared, suspicious. The lack of wings seemed to make him even more wary.

“That will be decided in the trial.” The angel turned, warning. “Remain silent; you are in a sacred place. Do not taint it with you actions.”

The door closed again with a loud slam. Alexis stopped pulling at the chains, to stare blankly at the door.

He began to connect the dots, very slowly. Paling even more, he realized what had happened. There was only one way in which he could see another angel. There was one place Philander could take him to, according to Zelophehad.

Almost with fear, he eyed the cell again, losing his breath.

“…Holy shit.” He did not know if to laugh or cry. “These old freaking cells again.”

Sans chains, of course. He had never been chained when he was a rascal. This jail was less well kept, and definitely not in the same building. He was not in a simple garrison. No, if what the guard said was true, he was…

He slumped against the wall, ignoring the sting of pain that flowed through him. He stared at nothing, rendered lost and emotionless.

“I’m back.”

And it was not a good thing. It was worse than he had imagined all these years. The word trial pounded in his brain, again and again. He had many questions, and he did not want to ask them to that guard.

The wait and silence hurt more than his body.