Uriel stood nervously at the side of a small bed. His gaze was fixed on the angel that rested on it.

He was worried, torn. If he had not been feeling suspicious at that moment, he would have felt guilty. His angel had been unconscious since they left that hollow mountain. He had not woken up yet. It was clear that he had pushed himself to the limit while he ran and tried to evade him.

Uriel could be sure that the angel was safe, because he did not have any serious wounds or bruises. But it was clear that he was exhausted, that he needed to rest. Being inhuman, he was able to give it all for so long; but for that, he needed to regain himself now.

The demon ruffled his black hair and sighed. He tried to think; he was even more confused by the situation he had gotten himself into.

He had taken him to his manor, his home. He just could not leave him there on the cold ground between sharp stones because of two main reasons. One, he would have not been safe there. He had been terrified, he was weak. Honestly, he was not able to leave him behind in that humid cavern. Two… He still dreaded he was just putting up an act, that he was waiting for him to lower his guard… And then…

Then…

The devil growled in exasperation and buried his face onto his hands.

If he was faking, he was a damn good liar. Because it did not seem like he was.

But angels cannot be like this…!

He had expected a wise creature, with strong wings able to raise high to plunge down on him. This angel was supposed to be a fierce fighter, with no mercy in his cold bright eyes, with an emotionless soul. Surely, he had to hold pure hate because of his mere existence.

But this… This…!

Uriel narrowed his eyes at the unconscious blond, who did not answer when he whispered with anxiousness.

“What are you?”

He could not understand.

Uriel huffed and whipped around. He walked with heavy steps towards the door, unable to keep looking at him. He glanced back one last time into the dark cell, with fearful eyes; but soon overcame it and opened the iron and wooden door to leave, angrily.

Not understanding his own feelings was something he could not bear. He hated it with all his heart.

Alexis did not wake, not even when Uriel closed the cell’s door with a key. He was left safe, without anything that wanted to hurt him, yet.

Still, he was trapped.

——————————————————–

The tiredness was fading. He was waking, and his breathing fastened slightly because of that. His eyelids trembled, as he felt how his cheek brushed something soft.

Where…?

He usually waked up feeling the fresh leaves on his wooden bed. But now he was feeling like if his head was on a pillow.

He was lying onto his right side; his wings were limp and laid to his left, behind his back. Uriel had been careful of not making him rest on his wings, seeing how much strain they had been put through already.

Alexis whimpered and grimaced. He was feeling a strong headache, the soreness in his body. Everything hurt.

Why do I feel-

His amber eyes opened slightly, to try see if it was morning already. He did not remember anything. Not until he saw there was only darkness around him.

He jolted onto a sitting position, and for that his body sent a million waves of discomfort to his brain, to punish his sudden movement. But he could not care less, not as his eyes adapted to the lack of light. A shiver ran down his spine when he saw that he was in a strange stony room, indeed, all dark. The only light seemed to come from a small window with iron bars, on a thick wooden door.

He tried to stand; he almost fell off the bed onto the floor, because his legs trembled under him. He took a few steps towards the door, not without gulping. He tried not to crumble, he tried to ignore the noose in his throat. He could feel how the fear stabbed him again. He remembered now: the demon, the chase, and the caverns.

His words…

“I won’t kill you, as long as you don’t fight.”

Does that mean I will not die?

Alexis tried to open the door, dreading to do so. He let out a small sigh full of grief, because he saw what he had feared to. It did not budge. It was heavily locked.

What had my demon really meant? Did he mean he would not harm me?

He turned around and looked over the room again. He looked closely at every detail, with resignation. There was a bed, where he woke up. It was a very simple one, small, and not very comfortable. There was also a small table and a chair. The rest was unremarkable, a stony floor, and thick walls. There were no windows, no doors but the one he tried to open. Granted, there were no chains or instruments of torture, but it was still a cell.

If he meant he would not harm me, why I am here? Did he mean he would only keep me alive, to have fun at the cost of my misery? Will he spare me of death, only to make me suffer?

More dark thoughts began to haunt the angel, too many.

Maybe, he was locked away because his demon wanted to postpone his end. Maybe he wanted to wait; maybe he did not want to kill him in the cave.

Because he wants me here. To be able to…

Alexis backed away from the door, weary. He hugged himself with his arms and cowered onto the most nearby wall. But he felt something far worse than the cold of the stone. He looked down slowly, and held his breath in surprise. He raised his hands up in front of him, because there was something cold latched around his wrists.

He was wearing two bracelets, which he had not seen because of his panicked awakening. They seemed heavy and rough to the touch, but they actually were light and smooth, almost shiny like metal. Actually, they were made of a black stone, which he found out when he dared to brush one with his fingers. There were some faint markings in their center, some lines that went around their black surface.

Alexis let out a growl; he felt outraged by just looking at them. Because only one could have put this on him: his demon. He slammed one hand onto one bracelet, ready to take it off angrily. He hated to wear something similar to the cuffs of a prisoner. So he pulled with all his strength to force them open. However, the bracelet did not seem to be able to open in any way.

He huffed and tired of trying after a minute. No matter how angrily and strongly he pulled, it did not move an inch. He could swear that it even tightened more against his wrist, to prevent him of freeing himself. His eyes focused sadly on them, finally understanding that they were not normal. They were enchanted, to keep themselves around his arms. What he couldn’t avoid wondering was what they were meant for, because they did not have anything to tie them with chains. They were useless if they were meant to be shackles, because they had no joints.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned his head backwards against the wall. He tried to keep his breathing steady; he tried to keep himself calm. He did not want to move, not even call for help, because it could alert his demon that he was awake. He knew he had to be near, somewhere, out of the cell.

Between his frustration and fear, he could not avoid asking himself something.

Would Ayako notice he was gone? And if she did, would she even think much about it? Would she assume he had left to find another place to hide? Would she worry at all?

Can she even do anything to help?

Alexis’ shoulders tensed; his fists clenched and shook, with anger and resignation. He reached a sad conclusion.

No. How can she know where I am, when I do not even know myself?

He could not know where his demon had dragged him to. He could only see the interior of the dark cell, and the dim lighted corridor outside. All was empty, leaving him with no clue of his whereabouts.

The angel did not want to move. But he knew he had to. That beast could come back for him, at any moment. And god, he did not want to find out what he planned to do with him.

Alexis approached the heavy door again, and then leaned his hands against it, to have a better look.

He remembered well how infamous he was for the guard back at home. He was a good blacksmith; and being honest, a little rascal in his teen years. Multiple times he got past the lock of the common storage, always snatching away the best materials, which no one would even use. He got in trouble often. Luckily, there was no punishment other than more work, because no one but him acted like that at the citadel.

Now, he did not have his trusty tools, but…

“Maybe I can try a new trick.”

He took a deep breath, and then raised his right wing forward. He clenched his teeth and clutched a long feather. He contained a pained gasp, hissing instead when he plucked it forcefully with a strong pull. He ignored the pain; once he got over it with deep breaths, he got to work. He narrowed his eyes, full of focus. He inspected the lock of the door again. He saw it was a strong one, big, meant for a complex key. It was similar to ones in the temples back at home, designed to discourage any possible intruder.

He leaned more and crouched, twirling the feather in his hand to weight it. He pointed its sharp end like a needle, like a lock pick, and prayed it worked. He stood there for a full hour, fearing that the clicking noises would be too noisy. The feather was not a real tool, and it was almost impossible that this worked.

It would be impossible… if the task was not in the hands of the most stubborn, crafty, and now terrified angel.

Alexis gasped when a louder click echoed. He moved away slightly, because it had not been from his feather breaking, but from the lock.

He reached slowly with a trembling and unsure hand. He tested his luck, which could determine if he lived or died. He closed his eyes, and then gave the door a soft push, without looking. When he dared open them, he couldn’t avoid tearing up a little, with relief. He smiled without thinking, because the door was open.

“…I did it?”

He did, but he could not believe it. After staring at the now open path for a few seconds, he got out of his trance. He quickly dashed out the door, and ran through the dark corridor. He left behind the cell without looking back. His feet took him through the stony hallway, even if he did not know where it would lead him. He only ran, hoping he would reach a way out, outside.

While he hurried uncertainly through the dark dungeon, a demon pondered in its depths.

His claw was moving slowly and gently in the shadows, to brush a stone in his hands. A heart shaped stone, with a faint glow in its core. His eyes were fixed on it, and they were incapable of looking away from the golden light that pulsed and shivered inside.

He did not trust the angel. He could not know what he would try to do once awake. So, facing uncertainty, he had taken some antique gems, and had made something out of them. After all, a demon had his own tricks…

He only had to bend the black gem-like stones with his fire, craft two bracelets from them, and take one single feather. A single feather’s essence was enough, now bound in the core of the stone he held. He created a bond, a spell. The heart shaped trinket had a subtle golden light in its blackness, just like the soul for which it pulsed. That beat flowed through, in the direction those bracelets where. It was a better way of knowing where his angel was.

He couldn’t know if he would flee again, even if he had him locked away. This made him feel safer.

I can’t let him –

Uriel stopped thinking to himself, because he felt something strange. The trinket’s pulse was changing pace, every second. The glow was concentrating in one edge of the stone, in one single direction.

His eyes sharpened slightly, his own heartbeat fastened. He knew what that softer pulse meant, and it was not something good.

His angel was moving, away.

Uriel jumped to his feet with only one step. He looked at the door of his chambers, full of dread. He wasted no time in reaching the corridor that led to that cell. And when he neared and saw it, he halted strongly, horrified.

The door was open, and the cell was empty.

Alexis flinched and shuddered when a loud angered roar echoed through the hallways. He ran faster, deciding to venture into yet another corridor, because he caught a glimpse of a door in its end. A door he could not know if it led out the dungeon, but which was his only chance. Every hallway seemed unending, and exactly the same as the last.

Not too far, Uriel snarled when he heard the dungeon’s door slam open. He understood what his angel was doing, and he would not stand idly and allow it.

Alexis looked over his shoulder; his eyes widened with fear when he heard a fiery spark, that violet fire igniting from where he came from. He also could hear those strong and fast steps, rumbling.

He knew well what made those sounds. He hoped that he would not have to hear them more closely. Determination ran through him, even if he ran tiredly, because the door had led him out to a much more normal corridor. He found the exit of that dungeon; he had managed to enter what seemed to be the main area of a manor. There were doors all around him, and he could see they led to rooms; rooms without a way out. He only wanted to keep going forward, wishing with all his heart to get outside. He wanted to fly, to rise where his demon could not reach. But to his dismay, every turn and way he took led him to more halls and corridors, without end.

This place was a labyrinth. Or a haunted house, because now he could see candles, which lighted on their own, every time he stepped near. The worst part was that they didn’t even have a normal light… They glowed with the very same violet color of the demon’s eyes. No, they were not lighting up on their own, he knew that, even if he did not want to admit it. They glinted when he neared. His demon knew where he was and where he was heading, he was being tracked down.

While Alexis contemplated the futility of his flight, Uriel had stopped running. His eyes glowed like those candles, with the same flaming tone. The young demon was smiling darkly and with confidence. He made a subtle move with his claws, he waved them at his sides, and his angel would have never expected what came next.

Alexis yelped and slammed his feet down, to halt himself as fast as possible. He had been running faster than ever, and if he had not stopped, he would have collided with something. It was something that had moved, something that shouldn’t have moved at all. There was a black armor in the hallway; it had been standing near a wall, dead as it should be. But it had suddenly leaned, as soon as he ran closer. Now it stood tall, looming in front of him, blocking his way. It intimidated him with the long spear it carried. A faint violet glow seemed to stare at him from the inside of its dark helmet. It seemed to be warning him without an expression, daring him to take a single step ahead past it.

Alexis let out a small nervous laugh. He shrunk a little and began to back away from it, slowly. His hair and feathers ruffled up, when he heard the clattering of more armors in the nearby corridors around him.

When that armor took a step towards him… only a few feathers remained where he had stood. He ran away with big dashes, thanks to his wings. He almost flew through the corridor he took, in order to evade the armors blocking his way.

But maybe that route was not the safest. After a long leap, to cross a long hallway full of portraits, he stepped strongly onto the ground. And then, a loud noise echoed below his feet. Alexis yelled with surprise, because he felt the floor give away below his weight; he felt gravity pull at him.

Uriel heard it. His eyes blinked with confusion at first, but then worry, because he remembered the trap that he had placed in that corridor. One he had forgotten. He hurried again with a nervous huff, not realizing he was worried. He had no intention of it activating at all.

Luckily for both… Alexis was flapping his wings wildly, with his hands over his racing heart. He was glancing down with wide eyes at what was down the deep pit. There were razed blades lining the hole, ready to meet whoever was unlucky enough to fall. Had his wings not been ready and open, had he not been running with their aid, he would have fallen onto those sharp edges.

I almost got shredded.

He looked up again with a silent gasp, never having a break. He sobbed tiredly, because he saw the armors run and halt into the hallway. They moved their helmets to look at the trap, and then at him, seeming somewhat surprised.

Uriel sighed with relief. He saw through his armors how Alexis stumbled off the trap, without a single scratch. After catching up, his angel batted his wings to get up and run again, startled.

“He avoided it…”

The demon shook his worry away, to focus once more. He was angry with himself, for the fact that he had worried for the blond. It should not matter if he suffered non-deadly wounds, yet somehow it did. He ignored all his emotions, and chased to catch him already.

Alexis was growing tired. He was exhausted, his breathing troubled. He stopped and leaned onto a wall with a hand for a second. Only to growl, shake his head and push himself forward, without rest.

Exit… There has to be one, right?! This place looks like a damn labyrinth, unending. Full of useless rooms, creepy candles, noisy tall armors, trap-“

“Stop right now! You are not going anywhere!”

And of course, can’t forget my demon! Who will most likely give me the beating of my life, once he gets to me! Or worse!

His demon sounded even angrier. And indeed he was.

Uriel did not take kindly that he had escaped. He did not know the angel’s intentions. He was closing on him with his armors, which kept a fast chase, mere meters behind. So he just walked calmly, without running.

He needed to question him already, figure out why the hell he was acting like this. It was not supposed to be like this; it was so different from what one of his kind would do.

Indeed, Alexis was different. Another angel would have never ended up like this; any other would have turned around and fought. Alexis only ran, only to end up trapped. He screamed when he realized the turn he took led to a dead end. He faced a wall, with no doors in sight around him.

No, no, no!

He turned around sharply and bolted back for the end of the hallway, hoping to find another way. But he only gasped and let out a raspy cry, once he saw that way was also a dead end. His eyes fixed on the armors, which stepped in front of him into the hallway. All spears were pointed at him, and blocked any chance of going back.

The angel raised his hands in front of him, in a clear sign of surrender. He began to back backwards, without looking away from those unnerving violet glows. They were nearing slowly, menacingly, to corner him even more. He eventually ran out of steps; his wings trembled and went limp when they touched the wall behind him.

He did not blink, he did not even dare breathe. He only tried to shrink onto the wall; he saw the armors take a step to the side, to make way. Uriel was there, at the end of the corridor, glaring with those flaming eyes, much more bright and sharp than the ones inside the helmets. That glare was full of ire and was directed right at him. They let him step ahead towards him, with calm but firm steps.

Alexis gulped and tried not to panic. Even then, his mind screamed at top volume. Uriel seemed to want to pierce him with his eyes, while his voice rumbled all around, with aversion.

“I don’t understand why you keep on running…”

Those words, with such an intimidating tone, they did not help Alexis at all. He was frozen against the wall, looking up at the eyes of what he believed to be death itself. Uriel leaned his head to a side, when he heard him answer his rhetoric question, with a half chocked whisper, out of fear.

“I don’t want to die.”

A simple answer, quite honest. Uriel crossed his arms and looked down at him harshly. He advised him with a single glare, full of tiredness: he repeated the words he had already said before.

“I warned you already. You surrender, I don’t kill you.”

Alexis nodded wildly, with his hands still raised in blind defense. He prayed that tail hitting the ground repeatedly would not lash him for talking.

“I do! Just…! Please, don’t hurt me; I just want to go home!”

Home?

Uriel leaned closer; inches away from him, making him sob and shrink even more. Alexis leaned his face to a side, to not see how Uriel was looking at him all over, pondering with uncertainty.

His demon spoke again. But this time, his voice did not rumble, less tainted of that rage he had before. It sounded more human, more doubtful.

“Harm you…? I though YOU would make me bleed. But instead, you flee.”

Alexis raised his gaze slowly; he had been looking at the floor with a grimace, unable to move away between him and the wall. He dared to look up to his demon, with the most confused expression he had ever shown. He took a few seconds to manage to speak.

“Make you bleed? I don’t- Why would I-?”

Uriel startled Alexis again, when he slammed his claws onto the wall at his sides. He showed his fangs with a hiss, he questioned him impatiently, and every word made Alexis cower more.

“Do not feign ignorance! You are my angel! My hunter and slayer! Are you not?!”

“I-!”

“The only way you can go home… Is by killing me! What are you trying to accomplish by running?! Why do you act like this?! Why do you fake weakness?! Am I wrong?! Is the ache in my heart a simple illusion?! Is the bond I feel a mistake?! Are you not the angel whom I’m bound to?! I have never seen an angel fear! You can’t be one!”

Alexis closed his eyes and held his breath restlessly, because he felt how Uriel grabbed one of his wings, and then unfolded it up in his grasp. He did not hurt him, even if he gripped it tightly and firmly. Uriel examined the wing, up and down, with a weary expression.

“But you are an angel. These wings…” His violet eyes moved again, to look at his, even if they were closed. “What do you plan? Why don’t you fight? Why do you run from me? Answer me, angel.”

A whole minute went by, but Alexis did not react or answer. He was unable to do anything but shiver, stand frozen while he held his wing. His sharp nails were between his feathers, and it was a sensation that did not help him think clearly. It reminded him of that dark ravine.

Uriel breathed out and tried to calm down, seeing he had screamed and only made him shut down again. He waited for an answer, knowing he had him at his mercy, held with a claw, with a group of armors ready to attack behind him. It was impossible that he would run away or attack by surprise.

Alexis opened one eye after a while. Because he did not hear him speak again, he did not feel that claw pierce his flesh. Uriel was only looking at him, waiting for an answer, confused. So he gave him the same look, nervously, as confused as him. His demon wanted an answer, and he found himself giving the most honest one he could muster, even if it was not easy to voice.

“I run because… Because I thought you would devour me?”

Uriel moved slightly away when he heard that, but he did not let go.

“Eat you?”

Alexis only had eyes for his fangs now. The angel answered him with a slow nod, like if he was going to rip out his neck at any moment.

Uriel grimaced and let go of his wing like if it was a dirty rug, full of disgust. He spoke up, with accusation.

“I would not eat you. I said already-”

The demon was surprised when Alexis dared speak, more loudly.

“That you would not kill me… B-but demons hunt angels! You could have-”

His demon did not have second thoughts about shutting him up. He yelled at him again, offended.

“I have never eaten one of your kind! And I have no intention of ever trying! I don’t even like the idea of killing you! I just thought you would fight me! That’s why I chased you, why I would have taken you down! But you fear me?!”

A tense silence; Uriel huffed after yelling, Alexis just stayed still. Both stared at the other, not understanding.

Alexis saw now that the demon really would not harm him, not without him taunting or attacking first. So he lowered his hands and let out a trembling sigh.

“L-look, I might have been sent to… You know, that. But I did not want this! I was forced down! I don’t want to kill you!”

Uriel’s tail dropped onto the floor, as he pondered his words. Words which he found hard to believe in.

“Forced? Not fight? There is no way an angel can feel that way… You lie.”

The armors near them shook subtly, as tense as their master. Alexis did not miss that detail.

“No! I swear!” Alexis let out a tired sigh as he gave up on trying to explain; his voice broke a little again with his exhaustion. “J-just, please, let me go. If you are not going to harm-”

He could not finish. He shut up, because Uriel grabbed his shoulder strongly, with an angry growl.

“You won’t suffer any harm. But you won’t go away as if nothing either! No angel has ever spared a demon; you all kill without remorse! You never stop, not until we bleed; no matter what measures you must take, all it takes for us to die. I can’t believe in your word.”

“I said I don’t-!”

“Shut it! I won’t risk my own life for some lies…”

Alexis whimpered when he was pulled forcefully; Uriel made him move and follow. He hissed, because he felt that claw pressure on him. He was holding him down, dragging him along towards the dungeon, to lock him away again. All the armors let them through, and then began escorting them both. His demon spoke pridefully, to state his will.

“You will live… I won’t lower myself to your kind’s level. But I will have an eye always on you, angel.”

Alexis tried to free himself; he pulled with all his strength to move away, he tried to open the claw on his shoulder. He failed miserably; Uriel was not even looking at him while he walked ahead and made him follow forcefully. His demon was taller and stronger, a predator, naturally ready to dominate him. Without a weapon or spells, which he did not have or know… He had no chance. Not that he wanted to anger him more and risk it.

But I don’t want to go back to that damn cell either!

Uriel was lost in his beliefs, he was ignoring completely his swears. He was sure that he was only lying; even if he knew that he did not win anything by running away, that he did not have anything dangerous at his nest, that he had lost his sword. He knew he could win, easily. And even then, he still feared that he would backstab him, or attack when he slept.

Demons were creatures easily lost in their emotions. They always let themselves be guided by them. Usually, bad ones. Uriel was only feeling rage and hate at the moment, while he ignored his own reason.

Alexis would have been dragged all the way back to that cell and shoved in harshly… Were not for the loud rumble that echoed through the manor, suddenly.

Uriel halted sharply. Alexis panted and took a breath, to then raise an eyebrow up at him, surprised by his stop. That tail began to move nervously, his sharp eyes opened with worry, because he knew where that rumble came from.

“What-”

Alexis wasn’t able to ask what had happened, because Uriel leaned down to glare intensely at his eyes. He growled under his breath and pointed at his face with his tail.

“If you want me to keep my word, don’t you dare run again… Stay put.”

Alexis nodded quickly, seeing he was looking at him with little patience left. He would obey, not wanting to trigger his demise.

Uriel let go slowly, and then glared right at his amber eyes, to warn him without words. Both waited a second, to make sure the other would not make a wrong or sudden move.

Once Uriel saw that Alexis would just stand compliant at his side…

Those amber eyes filled with wonder. He could not avoid looking with fascination when Uriel’s eyes flickered alight. His claws made a movement he could only describe as a spell. Small violet flames tangled in his irises.

Uriel saw through his armors, ones standing near the entrance. The vision showed him that the doors were open wide, broken off their hinges. He saw a huge creature, which growled and showed its fangs. Before the beast leaped onto his armors, he saw a human carrying a crossbow, with a symbol on her leather armor.

Alexis leaned his head with a frown, because he saw Uriel’s expression twist into a worried one. His demon only took a moment to spy the intruders; those flames died out quickly from his eyes.

Uriel grabbed Alexis again by his arm, and startled him when he pulled again, this time hurrying more.

“We have company. Not in a good way.”

Alexis raised an eyebrow. Uriel was not wasting time; he was pulling at him again, less carefully.

“Wait, what?”

“An angel hunter.”

Alexis blinked. His mind ran fast and wild.

Hunter?

His demon did not see how is eyes brightened. Her name echoed in his mind, and gave him hope. Uriel only had eyes for the dark dungeon ahead, and what the armors were seeing.

“She must know about you. She must want to kill you. If you want to stay alive, I suggest you stay close and-”

A loud growl interrupted him.

Alexis screamed when something snatched him away from Uriel, strongly and suddenly. Lykaios landed ahead, with him dangling from one of his long tails; the huge lynx slid across the long corridor after his strong leap. His red eyes looked back just in time to see Uriel’s fill with shock and then ire.

Alexis trembled while he dangled in Lykaios’ hold, because he heard both demons exchange loud growls. Both believed the other wanted him for feral reasons.

The angel held onto a tail with his hands, because he feared falling with every movement the feline made. As much as Lykaios unnerved him, he knew that the lynx would do nothing Ayako disapproved.

She was here for a reason. She worried for him, she truly cared. So he let Lykaios drag him along as he dodged swings of spear. The armors were moving, attacking, trying to cut his tails so he would fall free.

Uriel snarled as he heard steps behind him. He would have lunged with his armors to take Lykaios on, but instead turned around when somebody approached. Of course, when he turned around, he saw blue eyes. Ayako had her crossbow pointed at him; she was smiling, but her eyes were full of rage.

“Excuse me, but I can’t let you have this angel! I need those pretty wings!”

Alexis gave Ayako a quick annoyed glare, noting her playful mockery. But before he could scream at her for joking about his feathers… another one growled at her, without need of yelling.

“You won’t take a single feather, human.”

Ayako huffed when Uriel readied his claws. He dashed towards her, fast. She easily dodged him; she moved away her crossbow when he tried to slam it away from her hands.

She smiled slyly, not only having hunted angels.

One has to be ready, after all.

Uriel gasped and hissed, feeling how a small bolt pierced his shoulder. Ayako laughed and dodged ones of his swipes again; it was a clumsy swipe of claw, because Uriel was tumbling forward, dazed by the shot. His steps became shaky, his arms slumped down, and his body leaned down more with each pained breath he took. The young demon fell down to the ground, with one last snarl.

He quickly tried to move with a loud growl; he shivered, feeling that something was flowing in his veins. He couldn’t move, only tremble.

“W-wha- W-what… Have y-you-?!”

“My anti-demon shots!” Ayako twirled and kissed her crossbow, followed by a loud laugh. “Works every time! Did you know you are pretty allergic to a kind of mushroom mixed with an exotic herb-”

“For the love of…! Aya, don’t go into a monologue while-!”

Alexis could not scream more, because he let out yet another dizzy huff. Lykaios was moving wildly, he was shaking him in his tail while he tackled an armor.

Ayako smiled apologetically and ran towards them, not doubting to leave Uriel behind. He growled, seeing his last armor hit the ground noisily. His will had decreased, because he was shot and weakened. Now it was easier for them to beat all his armors to make way.

He was too furious to notice how the angel smiled at her with relief, how he seemed to know her… So as Alexis was taken towards the exit and he could not stand from the ground…

No, you won’t.

Ayako yelped when Uriel roared with anger, when she heard flames spark ablaze. All rumbled, echoing from where they left him behind. She did not take in account what his fury could do. She yelled and began to haste her steps.

“Run!”

Alexis blinked, baffled. He saw her overtake Lykaios and run faster towards the exit.

“What, Why-?”

He made the mistake of looking back just as a flaming burst flowed around a turn they took. The fire seemed to be alive; it crawled like a wave across the corridor, towards them. Too fast.

The angel trashed and gave a panicking kick to Lykaios’ back, screaming.

“Run, run, run, dammit run! I don’t want to be burned!”

“Shut up Alex! We are not letting you roast!”

He could only panic in Lykaios’s hold as the fire rose at the back of their feet and backs.

Uriel took all his strength to make a last mighty blast, feeling they were near the manor’s doors. Ayako and Alexis screamed while Lykaios pushed the broken main doors open… Just as the fire gave a last fiery roar behind them.

A tired sigh echoed in the now empty hallways. Uriel let his head down; he slumped, exhausted. He heard them roll outside with the force of the explosion. He cried silently and closed his eyes with a grimace, because he heard the other demon stand. He heard those strong claws hit the ground, run away. Yet he could only lie on the ground, shivering. He was unable to move and stop them from leaving.

One thing he could do… fear.

—————————————————-

The manor finally faded in the horizon, between the black forests.

Ayako smiled and averted her gaze ahead. She was holding tight onto Lykaios’ big mane, riding on his back.

Alexis finally got out the daze of the loud and fierce eruption. He still felt dizzy though, because Lykaios still held him with a tail and was dangling in the air. The lynx was running fast, and he did not seem to care how he was holding or carrying him.

“Aya! P-please, can you-?!”

The human laughed when Lykaios moved his tail and let the angel fall at her side on his back. Ayako quickly prevented him of falling off; he had not expected to be dropped before asking that they did so.

When Alexis recovered his balance, he looked back over his shoulder. His expression turned serious, while gazing at the distance. He was unable to see the manor anymore. He whispered, somewhat sadly.

“Thank you. Again.”

She looked at him sideways. Alexis was hugging her to not fall while Lykaios ran. His wings were puffed out, and his eyes had a dark look in them, for all he had been through.

“No problem, Alex. Could not let that demon kill you, or worse.”

He nodded slowly, grateful to no end. But he surprised her when he whispered the next words, thoughtful.

“He had no intention of killing me. He thinks I plan to… He wanted to keep me locked, at bay.”

She frowned, understanding.

“As if you would dare to do such thing. You are a scaredy-cat.”

This time, Alexis did not retort grumpily to her mockery. He just looked sadly at the decaying trees, which slowly decreased in quantity as Lykaios took them away. He felt torn, confused.

“Can’t blame him. I guess everyone believes we are all the same…”

Maybe they all are, maybe I am the freak; an anomaly.

Ayako shrugged and spoke calmly, with sympathy.

“You are different. Strange.” She smiled and patted Lykaios’ black mane playfully. “But you also thought all demons are beasts!”

Alexis could only snort bitterly.

“Don’t remind me.”

Neither Lykaios nor his demon had hurt him in the end. And it was still strange.