He had the hammer ready. Yet he did not move it.

No, he was frozen. Not because he was staring at the intruders in his home, but because he recognized one of them immediately.

Even if he had a stance that was anything but dignified, there was no chance of mistaking the devil. Sharp horns, a buff and tall body, a long pointed tail, clawed fingers, fangs in his human looking mouth, a handsome face which he still wanted to punch, bluish and black tinted clothes much too neat for a lout like him, tan skin that highlighted his black hair, and to top it all, two violet eyes that glinted in the dim light of his closet.

He met those eyes, which were full of terror, while his own were full of confusion and shock.

That shock was not out of fear. Never. He had seen many demons and had killed quite a few. That two legged bull would not be a challenge anyway. His shock was for their presence here. But not in his home, or his closet. No. He asked himself why they were here, in his own world.

He did not move his hammer down. He was all too lost to react coherently, much like the devil. He forgot there were other two with him for a moment. He did not realize how his own eyes exchanged surprise for resent, directed right at the one he had judged many nights. That resent, he could not avoid showing it in his expression. His face contorted into a grimace, his teeth clenched slightly, and his hand shook around his hammer. Even a small snarl escaped him. All that, in a second.

And that second was the only thing that a girl needed to deem him dangerous enough.

“Aghh!”

Uriel finally got out of his horrible thoughts. He stopped thinking of the things the angel would want to do to him. There were more worrisome things that overtook his mind.

Ariel had jumped out of the closet, claws first.

In a slowed moment, Angus’ eyes flickered with adrenaline. With his hammer still raised, he saw the girl lunging at him in the air, inches away from tackling. The warrior in him was ready for the attack. In reflex, he almost countered. He almost let his hammer down onto her. Almost.

Her expression was an emotional one, angry, but full of something else as well: care. In her blue eyes, impulsive and young, there was dread. Her leap was fast, and protective in nature. Flickers of that night invaded his vision. He saw the face of another over hers. One instant unscarred, bloody and lifeless after.

He could have killed her, and in another time, he would have done it. His hammer was strong, a perfect craft designed to slay her kind.

“Ariel!”

Angus did not pay mind to how Uriel stood, or the fear in his voice. He was busy. Snarling, he had moved his hammer backwards and away, while his other hand latched onto the girl’s shoulder. He did not manage to stop her from scratching his chest.

She was now trying to make him let go of her, kicking and slamming her tail on his face. He yelled at her while he tried to not get blinded by her hits and slashes.

“Step back, imp!”

Ariel yelped, because Angus gave her a shove. She tripped with her tail when she tried to regain her balance, and only managed to fall a few steps backwards. She would have hit the ground or closet behind her if Uriel had not caught her swiftly from behind.

After a short gasp for breath, she opened her eyes. She sent the angel a nervous but determined glare, knowing she was no match against him. She did not care for the hammer or the possibility of getting hurt. In her mind, she only wanted to fight him off, to protect them.

She tried to lunge again towards Angus, who had taken a defensive stance and was glaring her down. But she couldn’t jump and attack. She heaved and fell back after her move, blocked from behind, held strongly.

She sent Uriel a quick and confused look, only to see he was not looking at her. He gently moved her behind him, at Aurora’s side. The two sisters peeked behind him with worry, seeing the two of them just… stare. They now realized that the angel could have slammed the hammer into their skulls by now, something that Uriel knew.

Angel and demon were doing nothing but look at each other. Uriel had an unreadable frown on his face, while Angus had a deep fulminating grimace under that messy facial hair.

“Uriel…”

Uriel answered, not without his voice quivering slightly.

“An… Angus?”

The angel could see that Uriel still did not know what to do. He was in a slight defensive stance, with his claws ready at his sides. He was wondering if he truly knew him.

So Angus spoke; he threw his hammer away to the ground, something that did not fail to startle the girls.

“Who else? If I had been any other, you would already be dead on the ground, or swarmed by those dumbasses. You are still breathing evenly, or breathing at all.”

Uriel laid a claw on his chest and took a careful step closer, as he asked with caution.

“You… know of me.”

“Yes. I do. That ugly hole we call abyss does more than mess with the view, kid. I saw you with him.” Angus spoke to Uriel with nothing but disdain. But then, he seemed to blink and remember that they were not alone. He glanced at the girls hiding behind him, his eyes losing all the anger and resent. “…”

Uriel was taken aback by what Angus did next. He had heard Alexis say that this man was harsh and stern, yet… he saw him near the girls slowly, to speak to them instead, more gently. There was still bluntness though.

“Hey, you two.” Aurora yelped and hid more, while Ariel sent a cautious glare past Uriel’s arm. They were confused by how Angus called to them, almost apologetically. “I ain’t gonna hurt you.”

Aurora peeked at last, shyly. Meanwhile, Ariel glared more, like an angry cat.

“You pushed me.”

Angus barked back, without stepping away.

“You scratched me.” She was baffled at how he pointed at his shirt with his hands, huffing grumpily. “You ruined my clothes, and I don’t have many. I don’t want to think how muddy you have left my closet as well!”

There was something familiar in his starkness. Ariel glanced at Uriel, wanting nothing more than answers.

“Who… who is this guy?” She asked her father, who did not return her glance. “Why isn’t he trying to attack us when he looks like he wants to?”

Uriel opened his mouth, sweating.

“H-he-”

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Angus took three steps closer and slammed a finger on his own chest, yelling with no hesitation. “Hasn’t my silly nephew told you of his uncle?!”

The curse startled the girls, it did. But not for its use, but because of its familiarity. Ariel stood there, recognition slowly creeping in. Meanwhile, Aurora’s eyes opened wide.

Alexis had said his name many times. He had never spoken much about him, but they had caught him talking to himself many days and nights. He would never hide his care, but he never expressed it openly. They knew of this angel, through his nostalgic quiet words. He had always mentioned the name like if it belonged to a dead man, one he would never meet again.

Aurora moved away from Uriel and quickly revealed herself to Angus’ eyes. The angel directed his gaze to her, like if she had spoken. But she had not said a word. She only walked closer slowly, doubtful and curious at the same time.

By the time she talked, she was very close, much to Uriel’s anxiousness. Angus could now see past the shadows of her hood. His expression had been grumpy before, but as he took in her features, a sad frown grew on his face.

“Angus?”

Her voice took him back, many years, to the moments in which she would call into his room, only a kid scared of the dark. Her expression was exactly the same as when he told her he wanted to become a soldier of high ranking, full of apprehension. Her eyes… No. As much as they looked similar, these were blue, and sharp.

There was no mistaking her small fangs, the subtle difference in her wings, which she had combed and tied to feign similarity. Still beautiful in their wild form.

He felt curiosity once more, for the creatures he had once slayed. And now, there was something more. It was painful to admit.

Angus stared at her for a long minute, not really knowing what to say to a kid he felt close to but he had never met before. She did not know what to do either, and it was seriously messing with him more than the drinks he had taken.

So he directed his thoughts to something that was easier to handle. Someone he wanted to punch, repeatedly.

“Uriel, you are the biggest idiot I have ever put my eyes on. And believe me, I have seen many.” Uriel gasped and recoiled, because Angus stood away from Aurora. He was now marching one step at a time towards him. His tone was rising. “You, you son of a… I don’t know what kind of devil! You better excuse yourself before I make you taste the embers of my smelter!”

Ariel flinched and found herself separated from the two. Uriel knew well that Angus would not accept any kind of excuse and that he was baiting him for a punch.

Yet he still tried. He raised his hands up and leaned back, scared of the fist that Angus raised near his face, even if he was much taller.

“I am truly sorry, I didn’t mean to barge into your home and-”

Angus did indeed throw a punch.

“Dad!” Ariel was fast to dash near her father, who was now holding himself up onto the closet. His cheek was now red, and his expression was stunned. She growled at Angus while she held her father, eyes narrowed with accusation. “You said you wouldn’t hurt-”

“You.” She stared mouth agape, surprised by the smug smile Angus gave her. “I will not hurt you two, but him? Oh, what I would do to him.”

Uriel said nothing and hanged his head low, embarrassed but unable to argue against his judgment. It dawned on him. It was evident that Angus knew many things, things that he would not justify. He had hurt Alexis many times.

Angus was now closer, again. He towered over Ariel and Uriel, smiling sardonically with his head leaned. He taunted again, darkly.

“If things were different, I would grab that tail of yours and drag you out my door, right now.”

Ariel was about to bark back, because Uriel was not defending himself under Angus’ fierce stare down. But she didn’t, because someone beat her to it. Angus blinked when Aurora stepped in between, her wings open at her sides, like two arms. While he stared at her hairy feathers, she warned him, with a soft but firm tone.

“Leave him alone.”

Angus could see her tremble in nervousness. Past her faked bravery, she was an anxious and unsure mess, much like her father. And like…

“Oh, Uriel…” The demons were surprised to see Angus back off. He let his crossed arms drop in defeat. What was a scolding glare became a glance full of pity. “What were you thinking? What were you two thinking?”

Uriel sent Angus a glance, finally standing tall. He brushed his hand on his cheek, and then answered with newfound sureness.

“We are here to find Alexis. We have to-”

Angus broke his confidence once more.

“No, I don’t mind you here. I do not care if you die trying to get him back. For all I care, you can jump off a cliff and be gone.” Angus pierced him with his stare, looking at him and the girls at the same time, expression judging. “How could you bring these two here, of all places?”

Uriel looked at his own hands. His eyes were sad when he said words that he knew could not be explained. All his choices would always be wrong, no matter how many options he could pick from.

“I was not capable of leaving them behind.”

They had been too afraid of being apart forever. The girls would have not endured the wait, which could have been eternal.

“So you drag them along to die.”

Uriel showed his teeth to Angus. The girls blinked when he pulled them closer, holding them while he pointed a nail with slight anger.

“I won’t let that happen. I assure you.”

The expression Uriel wore in that moment always instilled fear in those who saw it. It was flaming and passionate. However, Uriel shivered, because Angus burst into a loud laughter instead, pointing him back with an incredulous look on his face.

“You won’t let that happen?” He tried to breathe a little and control his laugh, which he found difficult even under Uriel’s deep frown. “Oh, you are too much, boy. Too much. Just… let me ask you something.”

Uriel felt small, in front of a man that could only be half his size. Angus wore a smile, and he even had his arms put behind him in what would be a friendly stance. Yet he felt threatened.

“How many angels have you seen in your world, demon?”

Uriel did not want to remember part of his past, but he did for Angus.

“Two by now. Wish I had seen a third, the one who took him.”

Angus nodded sideways with a thoughtful hum, not having expected such a high number.

“Hm, more than expected. But still.” He asked, grinning darkly. “How many have you seen here? How many days have you been roaming around?”

“I’ve… seen enough. I try to see as few as I can.”

“Not enough, Uriel.” Angus startled the three, because he dropped his smile and banged a fist on the closet, a wing then dashing to point at a window. “Out there, there are eager novice soldiers, priests capable of burning your skin off, veterans that would put your head on a pike before you could blink, and elders that would melt your bodies with a simple chant. I think that you should really add them to the count, Uriel. Every single one of them counts, because every single one of them wants you dead.”

“…But not you.”

Angus looked at Aurora again. He almost did not hear her whisper. The girl was frowning, stating a simple fact.

“And you are lucky for it.” Aurora trembled when Angus spoke again, because he was an honest man. Dangerously so. “Once, I would have killed you three on sight.”

Angus snorted, because Ariel dashed once more. In a blink, she was at her sister’s side, chest puffed out, glaring at him. Her tail was dancing side to side, and he could swear her nails were smoking.

He stood away, even though Aurora did not share the same anger Ariel felt. He raised his hands in defeat, all ever smiling.

“Now, see, this is the problem. You are all too young, stupid kids, all of you. You think you can face anything head on without consequence, and you have no common sense. None of you know what self-preservation means. If one of you jumps off a cliff, you will all follow! I don’t know if Alexis is lucky or not.” After a thick pause, he nodded at Uriel, who began to sweat. “Where is that she-devil?”

“W-who?”

“Her, you idiot. The mother of these two. The one who has as much fault as you, the one who should have only let you come. I know she is here, but not in my house.” Uriel paled when Angus added next, with as much resent. “That angel butcher better be here to make up for her bloody crime.”

Angus looked sideways when he heard a bat of wings and a slam of tail. The girls reacted quickly, not ones to let insults towards their family pass by.

“Do not talk that way about our mother.”

“She is not a butcher.”

Angus kept going, unfazed by their hurt expressions. He did not like Ayako and he would not hide it, even though he would be able to tolerate her for Alexis’ sake.

“She has hunted angels, like him.”

The girls shied, because his eyes were truly condemning. They wanted to defend her, but found themselves short on words. They knew that she had killed in her past. They struggled to say otherwise and lie.

The angel shot Uriel a glance. He could see that he was containing himself from defending her actions.

No. Not her. He was refusing to defend himself. He was not speaking, not because he would not fight for her honor, but because he felt that if he did, he would fail and shame her. There was guilt there, in his eyes.

Angus looked at the girls again. After a while, he realized that their love was untainted, even if there was hesitation in their expressions.

He mouthed something to Uriel, which was the only one who caught it.

They don’t know.

The demon met his eyes, reluctantly. He proceeded to shake his head with dread. He feared his knowledge, his possible words. Uriel begged him to stay silent with just one look. The fear was not for himself. He feared to hurt them, to hurt the one he promised to keep quiet. Alexis would kill him if the truth ever escaped him.

When Angus opened his mouth again, Uriel braced himself. The man was piercing him with his eyes, hateful.

Yet only gentle words came out, not only directed at the girls.

“Look… I’m not going to waste time on this. I can’t afford that luxury, not now.” Angus peeked at a window before he whispered to them. “You are probably still wondering if I’m going to leave you to your own luck. So I’ll make things clear: I have your backs. You are the guys they are looking for, correct?”

Uriel was surprised to hear him say those words. But he quickly showed him gratitude, in both his relieved tone and his violet eyes.

“They are looking for one single culprit. They don’t know who started the fire or who neared the palace.”

Angus cringed and stopped peeking out his window. He shot them an incredulous look.

“You did what now?”

Uriel brushed the back of his neck, finally trusting enough to leave the proximity of the closet.

“Umm, we lighted up a fire, to get out of sight.”

Angus would have said some incoherent mumbles, but Ariel coughed and raised a hand nervously.

“Actually, I started that fire, not them.”

Angus gave her a look. He then gave the same stare to Uriel. He wanted to ask whose idea was it to teach the girl fire magic, but he brushed it off.

“And what made you decide that a fire was good enough to get away? I saw the smoke while I came back from the tavern, and that’s pretty far off!” Uriel and Ariel opened their mouths. He stopped them with a grumble. “Don’t tell me! Don’t want to hear it!”

Aurora got closer to the window. She peeked at Angus’ side, not without giving him a nervous glance and tucking her wings away from his. She cowered a little when she heard soldiers march outside.

That made Angus begin to ponder more carefully.

“Alright. They are cutting ground. They know three things. One, you have to be hiding in these streets. Two, if you didn’t hide, you retreated towards the palace instead. Three… you can’t possibly be demons, but a foolish angel, because there is no way there can be demons in this land.” He asked, directly and to the point. “Where have you been hiding?”

Uriel found himself trusting a strange angel. Again, like many years ago, it was with reluctance, with fear and apprehension. But he could not keep himself from doing it. Angus could see right through him, he could sense the worry he felt. He confessed where his only hideout was, to somebody who could sell them out easily.

“In the woods, deep.”

Angus grumbled, but then nodded with consideration.

“The best place where you could hide in this death maze, I’ll give you that. We don’t like those trees or waters.” He scolded them, warning. “There’s no way you can run there now though. Streets are packed with scouts. You were lucky to spot my forge, and even luckier that it was MY forge.”

“If we can’t run, now what?” Ariel asked, pulling at one of her horns while she pondered. “If we hide here and morning comes, we won’t be able to be unseen. We can crawl by the statues and pillars, but only in the dark. We’ll be a walking lure. Only she could go.”

“Please, do not tell me to go to the forest at morning. I won’t hide myself if you can’t.” Aurora hugged herself with her wings, feeling small in her angelic clothes. “I’m not making you stay for something I did.”

Uriel interjected, always protective.

“Enough with that. You were disobedient, but you were of use. If it had been my choice, we wouldn’t have gotten that document.” He closed his eyes and began to rant, like he always would do. “You are stubborn and impulsive, but-”

“Shut up.” All tensed, because Angus did. “Someone’s coming.”

Indeed. Outside, two feet advanced proudly through the small street where Angus lived. The sound of his metallic boots echoed on the walls, onto every humble home he passed by. His eyes were narrowed with dislike, not ones to look at these districts.

It had been a long time since he set foot here.

His presence was enough to turn the air cold. He did not need any of his men by him. His silver wings were relaxed, even if eager at his sides. With only a small pause, he presented himself in front of his door, which he pierced with an intense look. He did not show any emotion, but he was savoring the moment.

He did not need knock. Angus opened, knowing well the sound that an armor would make in the silent night.

“What do you want?”

He gave Angus a cold smile. He could see his angry glare, even though he had only opened his door slightly to peek.

“You may be too drunk to have noticed, but there has been an altercation near the palace.”

Einar showed no satisfaction, but he was quite amused when Angus stepped out fully, wings ruffling with offense.

“I am not drunk.” Angus had opened the door, and he could now see inside. As always, his forge was a mess. A lot of things were scattered around, even his anvil. “I have heard you all scurrying around.”

Those silver wings shook with interest as he leaned to ask a simple question; which was not as simple as his tone would make it seem.

“And you wouldn’t have any idea of who could have caused it, by chance?”

“No.” A blunt response, short and harsh. “I have no idea who could have caused that fire, but if I get any clues, don’t worry, I’ll come tell you right away. After all, it is you who is supposed to keep the palace on check.”

Both glared at each other, one without doing so. The questions came again, this time spoken with a hand on a sword handle.

“I can’t imagine who could wish to trespass so late at night, Angus. Who could want to get so close, when an important trial is taking place.” Einar leaned closer, and then whispered carefully. “I have been told that only a few figures have roamed the dark streets today. A man has been seen walking from the tavern, it seems.”

“The tavern, which is far enough from the palace, I might add.”

“Not a real issue with the gift of flight.”

“Yet they saw him walking. That man walked to his home, very clearly.”

“However, that is what a novice guard says. And novices are not to be given trust, not when higher ranking angels may say otherwise.” He hinted, inching closer to his door. “That man could have done many things while unseen. And if crimes have been committed, I will punish them.”

The words were ominous. They were threatening.

“Hah.” Einar blinked, because Angus snorted. He had expected anger, maybe defensiveness. But Angus only smiled smugly. “Good luck finding the guy. If you excuse me, I have to keep telling my scribe how she will handle things in the next session, because I-”

“Scribe?”

Angus turned, shrugging in front of Einar’s surprised stare.

“Yes, scribe! You all have one! What do you think I was doing in that tavern? Drink myself out? No, I was finally fetching one of these bookworms. I want my own record of these long boring meetings, in case I fall asleep.” Einar blinked as Angus stepped into his forge, facing the only door that led to his home. “Aurea! Get your fair wings here!”

Einar followed Angus in, his unexpressive eyes filling slowly with annoyance. He watched Angus open his living room, while cursing mentally that Angus had an angel that could bail him out of any possible accusations.

Said witness to Angus’ innocence was inside the next room. She seemed startled by their approach, as she jolted at the far corner of the room. Whatever she had been holding at the desk by a nearby door, she had dropped. She took one step back, and cowered until Angus got a hold of her.

“Now, Aurea, what did I tell you?”

Einar watched from the forge, not wishing to set foot in Angus’ living space. He began to lose interest while the young scribe fidgeted in his imposing presence. He barely looked at the nervous mess of an angel while she eyed Angus under her big hood.

“A-angus, I-”

“I told you to get to work at once! You haven’t even put anything about the past sessions yet!” He sat her on the chair by the desk as she glanced anxiously at both Einar and the nearby door. “Get to it already! You got to be grateful that I have let you be my scribe, girl! Not a single one of your status could get a job like this one!”

She shrunk, but did not say word against his command, even though she looked slightly pale. Einar scoffed and looked down on the lowly scribe, until Angus stepped back into the forge and closed the door behind him with a tired smile.

“Ah, that’s what I get for letting a scribe from the lower districts help me. Ignore her manners.”

In most situations, any angel that lived around these parts would have to bow in front of a general like Einar. But he was not here so see the submission of a simple scribe. He had wanted Angus to squirm with his visit.

“She better be able to commit to such an important task. She will be surrounded by the most skilled of scholars, and she could stand out like weed in a beautiful garden.” He gave the door the stink eye, right through Angus. “But I guess that if we already have a lowly angel in the chamber, we can allow a second one. You have the right to bring a scribe, no matter how pathetic its bringing might be.”

Einar began to walk to the doorstep, snarling with disappointment. He was still sure of who committed the crime, but he could not act upon it.

“Angus, if you keep roaming in the nights, others won’t be able to speak in your favor.” He glared back, warning and promising. “And you know that soon no one will be left to do so.”

With that, he marched away, empty handed.

Angus waited a minute, in order to stop hearing his loud steps. Then, he slammed the door of his house shut. He even grabbed his anvil and shoved it against it, for good measure. He did not stop looking at it until he gave it an angry kick.

He turned sharply and opened his living room with another slam. And he caught her right there, listening onto the door. She fell onto her wings and butt, pushed forcefully as he entered. And he did not help her stand up while he walked to the chimney.

“Get up and fetch some papers from my bedroom.” She sent a nervous glance to the door, which made him yell with a roll of eyes. “And you two better get out of it! According to our books, you demons smell quite bad, and I don’t want it to get stinky!”

Ariel was the first to peek out. She proceeded to glare at him, while Aurora rubbed her wings on the floor.

“We do not stink! We all smell differently!”

Angus shrugged, standing away from the fire he lighted up. He answered nonchalantly.

“Okay, you do not stink, he does.”

Uriel walked out with a long sigh, keeping Ariel behind him before she could jump at Angus. He kept a serious expression, noting the eerie air around the angel. He did not want to get him angrier.

“Why did you tell that man she would attend that trial?” He looked at Aurora, who had obeyed the command given to her and was walking towards some drawers. “She is not a scribe. She doesn’t even know anything about your language like Ariel.”

Angus took a long breath while he looked to the ceiling. He invoked any patience he had left inside him, before he turned to face the clueless demon.

“Uriel, she better be a scribe, because that man would have killed us otherwise. That man is the headmaster of the guard of the palace.” Angus marched and poked Uriel’s chest, insistently. The first poke felt like a nudge, but with each word, they began to feel like stabs. “That man is the prosecution of the trial. That man wants to send Alexis to the gallows. That man… wants to run a sword through his own son’s neck.”

Uriel froze with those last words. Like a knife plunging into his heart, the information just given sank into his mind. His mouth opened, but it took a few second for the name to come out.

“Einar.”

The word felt bitter in his mouth. His blood boiled. The moments in which he had not known that he had been close to that angel felt wasted. Angus was surprised, but at the same time not.

“Oh, so he has trusted you with that name I see.”

Uriel nodded slowly, his haunted gaze falling to his feet. He was looking at nothing, yet seeing one familiar night at the same time. He could still hear his doubtful words while he held his newborn.

While Uriel stood there in thought, Angus pulled a chair closer. He sat on it loudly, and like a fatherly figure, he eyed Uriel like he eyed Alexis many times.

“We both know many things, but we don’t know what the other knows.” He offered, pointing to another chair by the fire. “Let’s talk, Uriel.”

Uriel pondered for a minute. For the first time, there was no aggression in Angus’ eyes. There was resignation and understanding. They both understood the fact that they had to collaborate if they wanted Alexis to get out alive of this one.

The girls now stood by the desk, eyeing their moves carefully. They were anxious and lost.

Like he was.

So he sat.