His wings fluttered a little on the soft blankets. Alexis moved his head to a side and frowned, but he did not wake yet. Soon, he felt the lack of leafs below him. His eyes opened a little; his mind was finally free of exhaustion. He felt relaxed, something that he had not felt in a lot of time.

Luckily for the demon some corridors away, Alexis did not freak out when he awoke.

The angel pushed himself up onto his elbows, and then sat up a little. He brushed his left eye sleepily, while his other one blinked at the dark room. He could remember clearly, and that made him smile a little. He could not see the same light shine through the window, because it was almost night.

How much time have I slept?

He shook his head and hair, to try to wave off the fogginess he always felt when he woke. He got out of bed slowly, and he felt grateful for the lack of tension on his wings. It was the first time he had slept without hugging or folding them.

He stared at the bed for a while, with a faint smile. He was tempted to go back and rest more on it. But he resisted the urge. He walked towards the closet and began to take out all his things from his bag, without hurry. He ignored the rumbles his stomach made.

He wondered how things would go from now on.

—————————————————————————-
Uriel was sitting in front of a big fireplace, leaning back comfortably on his black couch. His hands were holding a book, never leaving a scratch on it with his sharp nails. His eyes were glinting with the warm light of the fire, which reflected as well on the pages he was reading.

He always got entranced when he took a book. Reading was one of the few things that entertained him, or that he could do besides playing a harp or cooking. He was so focused, that he did not hear the steps in the outer corridor, or how the door of the living room opened.

Alexis stepped shyly into the room; his eyes glanced over the many bookshelves in it. He had seen them before, but he could not stop looking, because it was a huge collection. He leaned his head, and then looked at his demon. Uriel had not noticed him, he was still reading; his tail was swaying side to side. So Alexis raised his left wing slowly, and then gave two knocks to the door’s frame.

That managed to get Uriel’s attention. He gasped silently and lowered the book to his lap, to look over and give him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I did not hear or see you. I always get carried away.”

Uriel stood up and spoke while he walked over to a bookshelf, to leave the book where it belonged. He never left something out of its place; he loved to have everything in order.

“You have slept through the day.”

Alexis nodded and brushed his neck awkwardly, with his gaze fixed on the ground.

“Yeah… It’s a nice room. I kind of drifted off.”

Uriel laughed to himself, knowing perfectly that Alexis had been tired of walking, that he needed a good rest. He understood; however, his angel was still looking at him with apprehension, with obvious nervousness.

The angel did not really know how to act; he was feeling uncomfortable about being his guest. So the demon tried to just act welcoming.

“Are you hungry?”

Alexis looked up, taken aback. He was unsure as if to answer to the calm but sudden question. He did not want to be a nuisance, nor ask too much of him. So he ended up shrugging and averting his gaze to the fireplace, like if he was not hungry at all.

That did not please Uriel. He did not like how his angel still behaved like he was a burden, that he still showed anxiety, and that he wondered what he could do around him. He crossed his arms and looked at him all over with a smile, tired of his hesitation.

“Alexis, must I really make clear that with the offer of being here, food was included?”

“Well, I don’t know; I always got my food from the woods. I could-”

“Find food? Here? Yeah, sure!” Uriel pointed at a window, to the woods surrounding the manor. “As if one could find anything in this crooked forest. There are no fruits, no rivers… It’s dead.”

Alexis trembled subtly when Uriel approached and laid a hand on his shoulder, not enough for his demon to notice. Uriel gave him a serious look and explained carefully.

“I get everything I need from a market handled by demons. They are nomads; they settle themselves east from here, monthly. You don’t need to worry about it, alright?”

Not all demons were beasts. Though, they indeed were less eager to be with others. That did not mean they were not able to form small communities between them. Some liked to live in small groups; a lot of them behaved like humans did.

Uriel was a lone demon. He sometimes exchanged a few words and resources with others when he needed to, but nothing more.

Alexis was looking at him with a frown, and his wings were low. His mind was full of worry, because he did not like that Uriel gave so much, to him.

“I’m just going to live here without giving anything in return?”

Uriel gave a nod to the corridor, asking Alexis to follow him. He was grateful to have him here; he would never admit it, but he had always felt lonely.

“Nothing?” Uriel snorted, as he led the concerned angel towards the kitchen. “Are you not here to help me stop feeling that spell?”

Alexis only nodded and crossed his arms with a frown, unable to look him in the eye. Uriel had enough of his attitude, and for that reason, he turned around to try to cheer him up.

“Look, we both are in this, so don’t act like I’m the one getting the short end of the stick. I still have my home, nothing changes for me. While you… you lost much more when they pushed you down.”

Uriel opened a door and halted. Alexis peeked behind him, to see the room he had opened.

It was a kitchen. Uriel really felt at home in one, it was where he could let out everything while he created. Alexis had seen already how Uriel loved to cook when they had been in the clearing. But now, he could really see how passionate he was about it, by how he walked surely towards the counters.

Alexis walked towards the nearby table and sat on a chair without saying word, to let Uriel do his thing. His violet eyes were full of familiarity and focus while he grabbed multiple things. His claws grasped a knife and some ingredients, to then place it all at his reach on the counter. Alexis did not feel nervous while Uriel twirled the sharp tool in his hands. His demon cut a piece of bread into slices, and spoke to him without breaking focus.

“I have a lot of salted meat… Which I know you can’t eat. Even if I have some salted fish as well, I don’t think I have enough to give you until the merchants come back. I don’t have many vegetables either, just some rice.” The fruits he had were rotten, because he had spent too much time away. “Maybe I could do something with bread, for the time being?”

Alexis leaned his head on his hand and shrugged. Anything was good if it was not meat. He let out a thoughtful whisper, wondering about something.

“Maybe I could try to make another garden.”

Uriel chuckled sarcastically and waved his tail at him.

“Good luck, you are going to need it to make something grow in here. I sure have tried! I can’t remember how many years have gone by since this place withered.”

Alexis pouted at him grumpily; his voice was full of pride.

“You will see… I will not be a leech.”

“Do I have to throw something at your head, for it to get that you are helping me?”

“Try. I have learned to dodge Ayako, I can dodge you easily.”

Both chuckled a little, not feeling as tense as before. They both were more at ease, unable to feel the same apprehension.

Uriel had put some tomato sauce on the bread, to then leave it in the nearby stony oven. Alexis could not avoid noticing the good smell, nor could ignore his stomach’s rumbles. While he glared at his belly with annoyance, Uriel got out the food and brought it carefully to the table. He laid the plate in front of Alexis, for him to take.

“Here you go. I know it’s not much, but it’s something.”

Alexis looked at the plate with wonder. It had bread on it, toasted and red, because of the tomato that covered and filled it. Uriel had as well thrown some herbs and seasonings in there. It really looked to be very simple… but Uriel knew it was good, even if the ingredients were not outstanding. He would have liked to put some meat in it, but quickly reminded himself not to, not wanting to feed the angel something his traditions forbid.

His violet eyes filled with expectation when his angel took a slice of bread. He stared at it, and then took a small bite. Those amber eyes blinked, surprised, while he chewed very slowly.

“This…” Uriel feared it was not good enough… But that slice quickly disappeared, to his surprise. Alexis devoured it, literally, without second thoughts or bothering to eat politely. His angel was smiling bright while he lunged to grab another piece. “Man, fuck what I’ve been told at home! This is delicious!”

And it is only bread!

Uriel’s expression turned into one of pure relief, pride and joy. Alexis’ words where the best thing he heard in a long time; he loved to be praised for his virtues.

“Really?” He had been blushing slightly, shy as always. But then he blinked and lost that expression, to raise an eyebrow at Alexis. “Wait, what did you hear?”

An angel would never speak with its mouth full. They were very formal creatures, which always behaved graciously, and as protocol wise as possible.

Alexis was the exception…

“Thaf devilfs eaph likfe beafts!” He gulped and breathed, to not end up choking. “One elder told me once, that you love to eat humans; sometimes even your own kind! Any prey you can find, not minding to devour it alive! It is always said, that you eat the most disgusting things ever, like eyeballs, guts, and anything you can snatch! But dammit, is it a lie! Your food is better than most I ate at home! And this is only bread with sauce?!”

Alexis could not wait to see what Uriel made next. He continued to eat happily, not noticing how his demon was staring at nothing, baffled. Uriel could only sit frozen, while his mind went through Alexis’ words slowly. He ended up paling, for the mere idea that anyone could eat those things. He had been horrified enough by that soup Alexis had tried to make.

He really took food seriously.

—————————————————-

It only took a week for her to pay them a visit.

Ayako stared up at the huge building. The manor stood tall in front of her, in all its glory below the sun. It did not seem as malevolent like this; it was more inviting and normal looking. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere and in a dark forest, she would say it was beautiful, with strong wooden arcs and stony structures.

She stopped looking up; because there was something different since the last time she was here, apart from her judgment. There was a patch of earth in the courtyard, near the outer wall. It seemed to have been recently worked on; there were multiple sprouts of plants peeking from the ground. Her blue eyes looked intently at the small garden, which still had to grow tall.

Has Alexis-?

She could not think much about it. There was a loud creak, which made her turn to look at the doors. Two violet eyes peeked shyly and wearily between them, while a tail waved nervously in the shadows of the inner hall. But that weariness was gone in a second. A smile grew on Uriel’s face, when he saw her there, smiling too.

Ayako did not doubt to walk up the steps to the doors, as Uriel pushed them wide open. The demon found amusing how she moved cheerfully and playfully, while the human paid note on how his tail moved with happy slow sways.

“So! How have you two been doing, Uri?”

By the time Ayako ended her sentence, she had already gone into the hall, like if it was her own home. Something that Uriel did not mind at all. He shrugged, while his fangs showed in his small laugh. He had missed her, and he could not hide it in his tone.

“We are still trying to get used to it, I guess. Actually, we had been wondering when you would come.”

Ayako pushed aside her black cowl and looked around, curious.

“Where is Al-?”

Her question was interrupted by the echo of a yelp, which flowed from the corridors deeper into the hall. Both she and Uriel turned slowly to look at each other, neither needing words.

A few hallways away, a hiss and a slam echoed out a room.

Alexis groaned and glared at the knife he had thrown against his desk in frustration. He moved away his hand against himself, angrily. He had been cutting wood, crafting what resembled now a small figurine of a rabbit. And of course, when one used sharp tools, there were always incidents, no matter how skilled. Or maybe it was just his bad luck.

All because I was fucking bored…

Uriel opened the door of Alexis’ room without knocking, already knowing what Alexis was doing. All these days, he had been carving wood, sometimes until dawn. He was one hundred percent sure he was doing it now, again, because he could smell blood.

Both Ayako and Uriel kept themselves at the door, and stared down poker faced at the angel. He was sitting on his chair at his desk, holding back the hand he had cut accidentally, to try and hide the blood from them. The three just stared in silence. Until Alexis spoke, trying to wave off the tension with a nervous and sheepish smile.

“H-hey, Aya. H-how’s it going?”

Ayako answered him with a blank stare. Uriel rolled his eyes when he heard his angel speak like if nothing had happened. He approached, to look more closely at the cut. He felt relieved when he saw it was barely more than a scratch.

“Look what you’ve done. I told you, you could just read one of my books, they-”

Alexis huffed and grumbled. He leaned onto his other hand and complained with an annoyed pout.

“They are all silly romance novels! Thanks, but no. I’d rather work all day!”

Uriel was not amused by the stubborn and clumsy angel. He leaned away from Alexis and whipped his head up, with pride. He then waved a claw and began to lecture the blond.

“Not all of them are like that. I as well have many cooking books, with useful recipes. And a lot of compendiums about elementary spells, which-”

“Boring… I don’t plan to read to fall asleep.”

“…” The demon turned to leave, done with him and his comments. “Fine! Let me just go grab some bandages, before you somehow cut off your wings or something else.”

Ayako chuckled, amused by them both, but much more by Uriel’s exasperation. His strong steps echoed from the hallway while he walked away. She took Uriel’s absence as her chance to inspect what Alexis had been crafting.

Alexis raised an eyebrow and moved on his chair, in order to look sideways at her. Ayako had leaned at his side, and was now looking intensely at the figurine he had not finished.

“You really like the little rodents huh?” She once caught him staring intently at some rabbits, which roamed near his nest. “You sure carved all the little details!”

Alexis did not mind that she took the figurine and looked at it closely. Even if the knife he used was not the best one to do this, he had made a great job with what he had. He had marked realistic ears, paws and a head; he only had to carve the rest of the body on the wood. He grumbled while she inspected the rabbit happily.

“It’s a product of boredom. We have a chess board, but Uriel gets too deep in his books sometimes, and it’s not easy to snap him out of it. Don’t get me started when he needs to do chores around the manor; like, really needs to erase every bit of dust from existence, or he gets anxious about it. Everything is a routine, there’s no real work. Here, I don’t have to worry about going to the lake or search for fruit. The garden outside won’t grow in just a day, it needs time.”

Both blinked and stopped paying mind to their conversation, because Uriel came back into the room. He was holding some bandages and some alcohol. How he fetched those things so quickly, they did not know.

The demon coughed and outstretched a claw, silently asking Alexis to surrender his hand. He was looking down at him patiently, but it was obvious in his gaze that he wouldn’t accept any complaints. Alexis groaned, but ultimately complied. He got even more annoyed when he caught her laughing.

Uriel bandaged the cut quickly, with precision and carefulness. When he was done, he let go, allowing Alexis to retrieve his hand grumpily.

“It was barely a cut…”

“Which could get infected! No more carving; not until I bring you a proper knife for the task! Just wait a week, will you?”

Ayako found funny how the demon always worried like an overprotective and strict parent. Uriel’s eyes were full of kindness, which he always tried to hide behind his firm stances. As much as he tried, it was unavoidable that Ayako and Alexis noticed his inner emotions, because like Alexis’ wings, Uriel waved his tail along with his thoughts.

Uriel stopped complaining mentally about his angel, because he remembered something. He looked down at Ayako and asked with a faint smile.

“Now, I don’t think I have shown you the manor, have I?”

She smiled and swayed side to side playfully. The idea of seeing his home, without having to run away from flames, sounded very appealing.

“No, you have not! Inexcusable, issue must be attended! Now that we know he won’t do more stupid things-” She dodged easily the small swat of a wing. “I want a guided tour! This place is huge!”

Uriel nodded and bowed a little with an arm, in order to invite her to follow him out the room. She was going to follow suit when he got out the door, but she halted when she felt a small nudge on her shoulder. Alexis had patted her with a wing, and when she turned, she saw him there, leaning on his chair and giving her a mischievous smile.

The angel pointed a finger at the door, and then whispered with mockery.

“I really suggest that you divert the tour towards the west wing, somehow. The kitchen is over there, and I’m sure you would like to see him ramble about his dear recipes. Careful though, he really gets carried away.”

She grinned like a fox and laughed a little, as she looked sideways to the door.

Yes, it is an excellent idea…

Until now, she only had tasted some simple soups that Uriel made. She was dying to see what he was able to do with a real kitchen.

Alexis did not say word when Ayako rushed out his room to follow the demon. He just looked back to his desk, the knife and the figurine. Knowing he was alone and that Ayako would distract Uriel… he grinned and grabbed the knife again to keep on carving.

Ayako wasted no time and went to Uriel’s side in the corridors. She smiled, because he had not noticed that she had not followed right away. He was walking ahead, explaining trivial details that seemed to enthusiasm him.

“-if one looks above, some interesting facts may be perceived. The structure of the manor is very old, as you may notice with these wooden arcs and beams. The trees outside were strong and full of life once. Most of the building is made from that wood, and it has stood the battle against weather and time.”

Ayako had a warm smile on her lips, loving to see him talk with so much interest. He was focused on leading her through his home, of which he was proud of. She decided to walk a little ahead of him, to be able to divert the guide subtly. Uriel smiled when he saw her nudge an armor they walked by, give a curious pat to the spear it held.

“You really like these armors, don’t you? And these spears…”

Uriel blushed and coughed, and then tried to explain why there were so many armors and weapons.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want them to do any harm. I may have used them to try to halt you and Lykaios that time, but it was out of need.” He stopped for a moment in front of one, and then motioned to it carefully. “They are simple decorations. They are very old. When they first got here, they had no use other than look pretty. But let’s just say… that loneliness makes one do things to feel less sorrowful.

Ayako watched sadly how Uriel moved subtly one of his claws. The armor moved; it leaned and bowed respectfully, after a glow glinted faintly in its black helmet.

She gave him an intense look, with her icy blue eyes narrowed in thought.

“How many years does this manor have anyway? How long have you lived in it?”

Uriel bit his lip and waved his tail; he joked while he grinned again.

“Are you trying to guess my age, by any chance?”

She just shrugged and laughed. She began to walk ahead again, playfully.

“Ah, is it rude to ask that to a demon? Are you that old? Because you don’t seem to be…”

“No, I’m not old. Not by my kind’s standards at least. I could say, comparing our races, that I have a similar age to yours. However, this manor has stood for more than a century, and I began to live here just a few years after its grounds were built. So, you have the final say.”
“Heh. Even if you have lived for more than a century, you really keep looking good!”

“…” Uriel coughed and walked past her, without meeting her eyes. “D-do you want something to drink or eat? The route from your village is long, and you might have only eaten rations on the way here. I think I have some snacks left in the pantry, if Alexis has not found them…”

Ayako followed him happily. Little did the demon know that she could end with all the food left, without even blinking. Uriel found out soon enough, when he gave her a plate of food. Ayako’s blue eyes glinted when she ate one of his recipes. She asked for more, with so much eagerness that he could not say no to her. Not that he would ever say no, because he loved to see her smile.

Nonetheless, his pantry did end up empty. And later, he had to try to calm things down, when Alexis got into the kitchen and saw that Ayako had the last pieces of cheese and bread in her hand, which he had set aside for later. Both began to argue for the food that was left… And Uriel resigned to write all the things he would have to buy, while they yelled at each other. Ayako ended up fleeing the kitchen, food in hand, because she refused to hand it to Alexis. And Alexis was fast to chase her into the corridors, annoyed and angry.

Obviously, Ayako won the argument. Little could Alexis do when he tripped and collided against an armor. He lost sight of her through the labyrinth of rooms while he trashed below metal pieces; and so, he lost the meal to her unending hunger.

Even if chaotic and short lived, her visit was amusing.

——————————————————————
He wouldn’t stop rambling and pondering…

“Maybe some books that you might like? Or maybe some cards to play with?”

“Nothing. I will be fine, I don’t need-”

“Ah, of course, more vegetables and fruit! I can’t forget that! Nor the carving knife we noted down! And maybe seeds for the garden! You really are managing to make it grow! Maybe I could buy some-”

“Uriel, as long as you get me some fish to eat, I don’t need anything, alright?”

The demon lowered his hands and the list he had been holding with a timid and sad look. Alexis sighed and shook his head, giving Uriel an apologetic look, for having cut his words short.

“Look, don’t worry so much about me, I really don’t need more!” He pointed at the doors with a wing, frowning. “What you should worry about, is that you will be far. The spell will-”

Uriel waved a claw in negation and sighed tiredly.

“I will only be away for a day, or two. I can stand it.”

Alexis gave him a look, with his arms crossed. He was clearly not okay with his denial towards the possible pain.

“Are you really sure you don’t want me to go?”

“It’s a group of traveling merchants, but demon merchants, Alexis. I’m not risking that they try to do anything. They could dare to harm you, even if they know we are bound. Besides, it would be weird to see us both tagging along, when it has never happened in history. So, no, you must stay here.”

Uriel bolted for the doors and tugged closer his backpack, which was where he had the money, and where he would put all the things he would buy. He got out into the courtyard, and only halted at the gates to smile back to the angel, who was looking at him with disapproval.

“Will be back tomorrow; hopefully at night. Hopefully. You know where everything you need is.”

With that, he walked out the gates. Alexis was standing by the doors, and he saw how an armor trembled as soon as Uriel walked away outside. A glow grew on that helmet, and those gauntlets reached to close the entrance, like its master wanted. The entire hall grew silent when the armor returned to its spot and stopped moving.

Once truly alone, Alexis ruffled his hair and looked around himself, uncertain.

He knew Uriel would keep an eye. If he focused, he could control the armors. He was sure he wouldn’t even have to make his own dinner even if he was technically alone.

His amber eyes looked all around, at every corridor. He began to ponder, somewhat bored. Uriel had only shown him the main area of the manor; he had deemed unnecessary to show him all the labyrinth of hallways that led to more useless rooms. He had not shown him the entire dungeon either, because now it was clear that it was just a lower floor, full of storage. He trusted the demon when he said it was only a mass of darker stony corridors and a few locked rooms, including his own chambers.

The angel shook his wings a little and turned to face the tall stairs behind him. There were two, at each side of the hall, which led up to the floor above. Those corridors looked alike from below, even if darker, unused. He still had not seen them, because Uriel said the upper floor was empty and uninteresting.

His thick eyebrows furrowed with curiosity.

“I guess I could kill some time.”

He did not have much to do anyway. Without Uriel, there was no one with who he could play chess. And he would never resort to speak to his plants outside like a madman. Maybe he could find a room where the armors had a hard time going into, because he was tired of Uriel trying to clean every single inch of his home.

No armor was haunted while the angel walked up the stairs. He began to venture into the old corridors, thinking it would be only a small peek.

———————————————

He did not have this in mind when he got into the upper floor.

“Fuuuuuck…”

Alexis let out another groan, and then let his head collide with the wall at his side, tiredly.

“How many damn rooms do you even need in your home, Uriel?!”

Fucking lost. I had to go and explore the corridors Uriel told me not to, I had to.

He had thought Uriel told him not to because they were all the same, because they were not worth seeing.

Well… I was not wrong in that.

There were too many halls, rooms, and dark corridors. Before he knew it, he had forgotten which way led back to the stairs. And then, he tried to find them again.

Now, he had no clue where he was. He could only see doors, and more doors, and more turns and hallways, and more dark empty corners. Every time he thought he was going in the right direction, he found himself in a dead end, and even more lost.

Alexis huffed and stood upright with an annoyed intake of breath. His eyes narrowed, at an armor that stood nearby. He approached, hopeful.

“Uriel?” He waved a hand in front of its helmet, which was eerily unlit. “Can you hear me? Are you there?”

Nothing. There was no glow; no demonic weird power made it move. He was completely alone.

He hugged himself with his wings and glanced again around himself. Of course, there was no light; he would not see anything if he was human. He should have taken a candle before he got into the upper floor, because none were lighted in here. And he, unlike Uriel, did not know any fiery spell. To be honest, no magic at all.

I should have tried to learn magic at home… but no; I had to assume I would never need it. Stupid. If I had shown some interest, I would have some form of light right now.

He had been roaming for a full day already. He could keep going without eating for a long time, but he was sure that Uriel had haunted an armor near the kitchen, and that there was food at the table. He had heard the rustling of metal some hours ago. Being far, his demon surely had not bothered to control the things for long, only to make some quick food for him. Uriel couldn’t possibly know what was going on. He was surely assuming that he was in his room, and then, he was only focusing on ignoring the ache and pain, which he had to be feeling.

Alexis resigned to just keep on walking. Maybe he could avoid the embarrassment when Uriel returned if he somehow managed to find his way back. He really did not want Uriel to have to look for him, and then find him here. He did not want to be here by the time he came back. So he gave a sharp angry flap of wings, and then walked faster through the dark.

The corridors looked older with every step he took…

———————————–

Uriel sighed, with a small smile on his face. He was walking surely, through the road that led back to his home. He could feel that with each step, the ache faded. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, to the bag he carried, which was full of food and materials he bought.

The journey had taken more time than he had expected. The way was long, and it did not help that he pondered carefully what to buy once at the market. There had been more things for sale this month, and he ended up bargaining a lot. The demons were not very friendly, they were greedy and wary; they loved to hoard treasures of any kind, be it human money, gold or a simple trinket.

That did not matter now.

His tail swayed with relief, because he saw the outlines of his manor, between the dense dark woods. He was almost there. Now he did not feel the ache in his heart as much, so he could focus on seeing how things were in his home. He did not stop walking when his eyes sparked ablaze and glinted in the dark. A lone armor moved in the manor.

The demon frowned while he watched through his puppet. The corridor was silent; he could not hear snores or the usual sounds Alexis made when he used his tools. After seeing that Alexis was not in his room, he stopped haunting that armor, to control another, which was closer to the kitchen.

Nothing…

His eyes widened with surprise, seeing that the food he had left was untouched. It was cold; the plate was in the very same spot he left it on. No one had gone into the kitchen, the candles were out.

Uriel stopped haunting the armor. He let his eyes regain their natural violet color, then, he reached into his pocket with a hand. He took his stone, which still pulsed and pointed to the manor with its glow. Alexis was still there, judging by how the beat became more precise with each step he took. He let out a trembling sigh and tried to calm down. His angel was not dead; if he was, he would feel instant freedom, no ache in his chest.

Then… what is he doing?

He hurried. While he ran, he began to control different armors, one by one, each in different areas. He was too tired from walking to control them all at once.

He did not haunt any in the upper and dustier corridors…

—————————————-

Alexis halted, and then narrowed his eyes. There was a huge door in front of him, at the end of a huge corridor.

The angel felt confused, because the walls and door were too big for them to be of a normal room. They were not like the many others he had seen. What made him feel curious was the big lock that hanged from the handle of the door. It was a big lock, completely rusted. The door was heavily locked.

He would have not neared, much less try to open the lock; because Uriel had to have locked it for a reason. But the lock was very rusty, full of dust, like if it had been there for a long time, too much. It looked like it would break all by itself, at any moment.

Alexis gave the lock a nudge with one of his fingers. He did not even want to inspect it; it was a curious nudge, he planned to walk away. But to his surprise… He stood baffled; staring deadpanned, because the lock literally broke in half and fell to his feet. Only with that soft nudge, only with a subtle touch. He did not move nor change his expression for a minute, with his hand still up.

“…Well, It really was old.”

Alexis doubted for a few minutes, debating if he should be here.

Uriel would not hide anything… Right? No demonic things he planned to use, or…

No, he had already proved he had no intention of harming him. It was stupid to think otherwise.

However, even with that thought, he still kept staring at the door. He felt a faint trace of insecurity, deep inside.

Why would this door be locked? Why did it have a lock so heavy? Why did this floor look so abandoned?

If it was something dangerous, Uriel would have told him. After all, he had let him roam freely around; he was not locked away or told to stay put. He had not forbidden him of going anywhere. He was not a prisoner.

Curiosity took the better of the angel. He slowly laid a hand on the door, and then pushed a little. The eerie creak that echoed made his seriousness become concern.

The corridors that he had seen were older than the ones below, but still well kept. Not like what was inside this room. The angel’s mind pounded with a million thoughts, as he stared at what was inside from the door. He stared at the huge kitchen, four times larger than the one Uriel used daily. There were a lot of stony ovens, cauldrons, counters, kitchen tools, and a big pantry. Anything a skilled chef would need. It was a huge room, which Uriel would surely love. He went in slowly, glancing at very counter. He noticed how all were full of dust, untouched for what seemed years, maybe decades. The wooden floor creaked with every step he took, the stony ovens were beginning to crack with time, and all that was made of metal was covered by rust.

He stood in the middle of it all, silent. He was slightly unnerved by the eerie silence and lack of light. Every shadow, of every knife, loomed on the ground.

He now knew Uriel. The demon hated disorder, with all his soul. He despised to see a single stain of dust.

How could he leave this room like this? It is part of his manor, is it not?

The air was stale; it was not easy to breathe. No one had opened that door in years. He would have left, if it was not for the fact that something took his attention. There was a big portrait hanging from the farthest wall, in the shadows. He glanced at it in wonder, while he neared wearily. His amber eyes met with the ones painted on the canvas. He saw the two clear bright eyes of a slim man, which looked up with adoration to a tall woman, who held him between her strong arms. The woman’s gaze was firm, stern, but still loving. All the paintings in the manor were not worth to look at. Most were boring landscapes. All were mindless decoration. There was only one more portrait in the manor, in a hall, one depicting Uriel. But this couple…

He raised a hand, and then brushed away some dust off the canvas. They were clearly human. It looked to have been carefully painted; the faces had too much detail. The painting was of real people.

While he wondered why Uriel would have this here… he did not notice the big shadow that began to loom at the door. Two glowing eyes sharpened behind him, while he admired the well painted picture.

Alexis blinked slowly, when he finally noticed the eerie glint that loomed over him, from behind. It did not help that Uriel spoke suddenly, right behind him.

“Are you lost?”

“AH!”

Uriel leaned a little away when the angel jolted up into the air and batted his wings up in shock. After the scare, Alexis tried to steady his breathing, because he saw how Uriel raised both his claws with an apologetic look on his face.

“Fuck! D-don’t be so silent! You almost gave me a heart attack! Again! Stop doing that!”

Uriel fumbled with his claws and tail, clearly embarrassed. He really never wanted to scare him, but he could not help it sometimes. He was very tall, and his horns, eyes and claws could be terrifying in the dark. It was not only that Alexis was easily scared, anyone could be afraid of him easily.

“Sorry… I really did not mean to startle you.”

Alexis shook his head and wings, relaxing somewhat.

“I know, just- Say something before you step right behind me.”

Once Alexis calmed down, Uriel raised an eyebrow and asked again.

“Why are you here?”

His question had not held any trace of anger or scorn, nor any accusation or reprimand. But Alexis still flinched and worried, remembering the lock. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and then tried to explain between quiet mumbles.

“I- I was bored, and maybe I j-just… roamed? I did not mean to go into this room! It was locked, I don’t know why, b-but it must have been for a good reason! The lock broke, and I-”

“It’s alright.”

Alexis stopped his ramble and glanced up at him once more. Uriel had looked away; his eyes were now fixed on the counters. The angel could see clearly the sadness, no matter if his demon chuckled quietly.

“It’s just another empty room.” Uriel could notice as well, somehow, the doubt his angel felt. He did not need to look to know that his wings were trembling. “You see… this manor was an inn, a long time ago. Not anymore; so I have no need for all these things.”

Alexis’s eyes opened, now getting why there were so many rooms, so similar. But there was still something he did not understand.

“Why lock this room?”

Uriel’s tail twitched a little, and his eyes showed true nostalgia. Alexis slowly followed his sad gaze. The demon was staring at the portrait, intensely, unable to look away.

After a minute of silence, Uriel whispered with doubt.

“The inn was owned by my family.”

The angel felt the sorrow and loneliness, all flowing from the tall demon. Uriel was alone. There was no one in here but him; for years, according to his words.

Alexis only managed to say one word, regretting having asked.

“They…”

Uriel smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. He had no reason to not tell Alexis.

“It was the best inn, not only because I say so. A lot of travelers came here, to rest from the long journey through the woods. There are no villages around; this was the only place that offered shelter to humans until they arrived to their destinations. My parents were the owners. I always helped them, all I could. They were the ones who taught me all I know.”

He held his claws against his chest, and then looked at them again. He had not seen this portrait for years. His father had always been calm and loving. His mother was kind, even if she looked stern. He missed them.

Alexis’ and Uriel’s eyes met, both knowing well what happened. Uriel did not age like humans. No demon ever did.

“Time passed by… and I inherited the inn, unwillingly. I tried to honor their memory, I tried to keep the inn going, but I soon discovered that humans don’t trust my kind. No human would come to an inn only owned by a demon. Furthermore, demons don’t need shelter; most have their own homes or territory. There’s not even a point if they are wild ones.”

He was alone for a very long time. The forest had been green, but now it was withered. This region had been safe to roam, its roads had been in many maps; but now it was a place that no human dared to think of. All was forgotten. No one knew about this old manor anymore.

“I had no more use for all these rooms. I can’t bring myself to use this kitchen again either.”

Alexis raised a hand; he tried to apologize, truly ashamed of having brought the subject.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Uriel. I’m an idiot; I should have left this room alone.”

Uriel laughed suddenly; he interrupted him and gave him a questioning glance.

“I should have just told you why it was locked in the first place. I did not. Besides, I told you that you could go anywhere you wanted to. So who is at fault?”

“But-”

Uriel shook his head, reassuring. He did not want Alexis to be concerned.

“Don’t. I have never tried to forget, I only kept it away. I remember every day, seeing the painting or not.”

Both looked again at it. Both stayed silent. Alexis did not say word, because Uriel was smiling, with that caring look in his eyes. The angel could feel how the tension faded around them, because Uriel was thinking of beloved memories.

Alexis stared intently at the couple. Then, he glanced sideways at Uriel. He could not ignore a question, which pounded in his mind now. The answer to it was unclear, no matter how much he pondered.

“Uriel?”

“Hmm?”

The demon tensed when he heard the next words.

“You are a demon. How…?

They were human. Demons did not become from nothingness, they were born. Uriel was not a lesser demon, neither of his parents were devils. Humans rarely neared demons, they feared them; and demons usually considered humans inferior.

Did they take him in, or-

Alexis heard a thud. He glanced at Uriel again, shivering as he did so. His tail had dropped onto the floor, his claws were clenched at his sides, his frame was tense and his eyes had an unreadable glint. His head was bowed, with a darkened look. His voice lost all the kindness that defined it; he whispered coldly, which made him seem feral.

“Yes. I am a demon.”

Alexis saw clearly that he had touched a nerve. He could feel it.

His demon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, clearly trying to decide what to say or do. Uriel turned and began to walk to the door, calmly, but firmly. He left Alexis behind with his uncertainty; he left him alone in the kitchen, with a few last words tainted with disdain, even if not for him.

“It does not matter how.”

Alexis had curled his wings around himself, fearful of Uriel’s rage. Now, he saw that he had only triggered a sorrowful ire in him. Uriel had not screamed at him, nor accused his wonder.

It had been a legitimate question. One he simply did not want to answer.

Outside the kitchen, Uriel waved his hands in a quick dash while he walked away through the dark hallways, back towards his room. The candles around him lighted aflame, and many more burned while he advanced. He closed his eyes, and left behind him a flaming trail, which Alexis could follow back to the lower floor.

He wanted to be alone for a while.