The sun was finally setting, once more.

He did not bother to glance at the sky. He kept on leaping with strong jumps ahead; his claws and feet barely brushed the ground while he ran. He could discern how the trees looked even deader, if that was even possible. The air was colder, with a faint mist in it. If he did not have a sharp eyesight, he would deny he was seeing a dark grey tone in the breeze.

He remembered. He had been here before, for other reasons. But it still was for his angel.

He did not doubt or show second thoughts while he neared the core of such a retched place. He continued to dodge the sharp trees in his way, in the direction he thought was right. The terrain was getting uneven and more chaotic. He was not far; he had run for a full day. He could feel and see it, he was near that tall mountain, in the dark of the woods, the one that had multiple cavities and was hollow.

The few birds that slept in the rotten forest flew away, scared by the determined growl that echoed. The demon was not stopping for even a second, for he wished to reach what he thought he had to reach, what he believed Alexis needed.

What he did not know, was that said angel was not as far as he imagined. He was not in the manor; he was not waiting for his return.

Alexis was still far, but he was gaining distance, soaring through the cloudy sky. His wings were moving strongly, even if he felt tired. He was not stopping flying for even a second. His amber eyes were trailing every shadow below him, between the sharp trees. He hoped to see a violet glow or a moving shadow, anything that told him if Uriel roamed near.

He had to be close, at least closer. He had seen claw marks from above. The trees were higher, because the ground was now leaning up, beginning to form the feet of hills.

Alexis huffed and leaned his upper half downwards, to lose height. His wings stopped flapping down to take advantage of the wind instead of his strength; he kept soaring fast thanks to his drive. He would have been scared of hitting the sharp tree branches, which now were too close to him and his wings, but he wasn’t. He would have feared in other circumstances, but not today, not now. His eyes held no hesitation for flying too close to the ground. He only wanted to see the trail Uriel had been leaving, the faint clawing on trees or ground.

Even if he had been fast… it was not enough. He snarled and looked up again. He could see the mountain ahead. He had wanted to forget it. The dark trees almost made it blend with the night sky as it rose tall and wide. He was still far. Even if he was flying, he would take some minutes to get near the big mouth of the caverns, those ravines. No matter how fast he tried to be, it had not been enough. His inhuman sight allowed him to see well, and well he saw. He saw a shadow venture down a ravine, into those tunnels, with a faint violet glow around it.

“Uriel, wait!”

He tried to call, but he was too far. His demon did not hear him; he had already gone into the emptiness. The distance, the humid and decrepit walls, the rocks and trees surrounding the mouth, the long tunnels… it all muffled his scream.

Alexis snarled and wiped his head sideways, in order to look for a place to land. He swung his legs forward and let his wings give a strong flap at the same time, to stop soaring. He landed with hesitance, for the first time in his life. He paid no mind to how close he was to hitting the sharp branches as his feet slammed down.

While the angel ran downhill between trees… the demon made way calmly through the narrow tunnels; he descended through the hollowness of the peaks.

Uriel’s eyes glanced at every wall and path, now able to pay more mind to them. That night, he had been too focused on catching the terrified angel. Now, he could really look at the sharp stones that loomed everywhere, with disgust. Each wall and tunnel was full of them; all was tainted in shadows and a sickening humidity. The droplets of water that fell from the ceilings smelt rotten, putrid.

He had forced Alexis to flee into these eerie caves. He now knew him; Alexis would have never considered going into such a place.

I really have been a stupid brute…

He shook his head and tried to push away his guilt for the moment. He could pay for the problems he gave Alexis. He just had to focus and stop wasting time.

He finally reached a bigger cavern, after going through many tunnels. There were multiple paths that he recognized. He raised his left claw up and tangled it in flames, to light the dark. Even his eyes were having a hard time seeing through the grey mist. The air was stagnant, rancid. It smelled like if a bear had dragged many carcasses in, hiding them into crevices where they would never be taken out from.

While Uriel moved his hand and glanced between the tunnels… Two bloody eyes watched attentively from the ceiling.

The bat smiled wide, glad to see the young demon below him. He could feel it, the angel was nearing. He could feel slight vibrations, how he was batting his wings in the upper tunnels, venturing deeper to follow his demon.

He had always been able to predict and manipulate humans. He was a little disappointed with the two. All this time he had watched… and yet he would never say that Uriel was a demon, or that Alexis was an angel. They were just like her, foolish and weak. He knew well that Uriel would fall for his own righteousness. And he knew that the angel would fear Uriel’s actions as well. He knew emotions were a weakness he could exploit.

He did not move while he hanged; he watched silently as Uriel took the tunnel that led up. That path, even if it had many turns and twists, led to that ledge in the biggest cavern. He was heading for the sword he threw there that night.

It was as if fate allowed it to fall there, for him to lure them both back. As well, he had… made preparations, adjustments.

He laughed silently and trembled with anticipation. He opened his wings, and then caressed the golden feather he held in one claw, looking at it maliciously.

It is a shame that I can’t lunge onto the angel. A true shame. I just need to… set things into their natural order, how it should have been from the start.

He grinned when his prey rushed into the opening, gasping for air.

Alexis grimaced with tiredness and halted for a moment. He bowed his head and tried to regain his breath. He couldn’t see Uriel in the divergence, because he was deeper into a path.

There is no sense in running now. Uriel is near, at reach, even if I am slightly late.

Alexis went into the path that went upwards, towards that ledge that loomed over; he followed Uriel’s steps more calmly, but with the same exasperation. He moved carefully through the narrow tunnel, making sure to not get a wing stuck into any of the cracks that layered it.

Meanwhile, Uriel had reached the end of the tunnel and the precipice. However, he did not find his objective, not right away; he could not see the sword yet. He walked sure of himself on the sharp edge, careful of the sharp stones on the walls and floor below. He did not feel much worry for the long drop ahead. No matter how dangerous was it to walk there, or how slippery it could be due to the humidity, he advanced, even closer. He only had eyes for one thing.

The sword. Where is it?

It had fallen here that night. His eyes scanned the sides of the cliff, the uneven terrain at his feet. There was no glint he could see, no golden hilt or silver blade. So he looked closer; he dared step right by the edge, to look down towards smaller openings below. Those edges were not big enough for someone to stand on them, but enough for something smaller to lay on. His heart pounded as he scanned the dim lighted sight, fearing that the sword could have fallen from the cliff, tumbling with the force with which he threw it that day. Perhaps it was far below, out of reach. As he leaned and peeked, he also could only think of the runes he searched for; he wanted to see them again, even if once they had brought him immense fear.

Those beautiful runes can take him home.

His eyes narrowed a little, his hopeful expression turning into a sad one. The thought that he could be near that item made him ponder; it was not a joyful feeling. His gaze froze for a moment as he looked down, the gloom below seeming to grow up to him as he lost focus. The look of his surroundings only made his realization even darker.

I would part ways with him, forever.

He was too lost in his own emotions to notice that there was no more pain in his heart. The pulse of the spell was gone. Alexis reached the end of the path, his shadow small at the mouth of its termination.

The angel smiled a little. He halted his steps, seeing Uriel ahead, leaning and glancing over the edge. He could see that he had not done anything stupid yet; because he had not found the sword. He relaxed his posture, surprised to notice that his demon had not picked up on his advances through the tunnels; Uriel’s focused search and the putrid air seemed to have allowed Alexis to fool the senses of his demon for once.

Neither knew that Uriel was not looking in the right spot. He would not find the weapon on the edges that lined the walls of the cavern. Alexis was still partly concealed in the tunnel. As he spotted Uriel, he had halted to analyze the situation. And doing so gave him the chance to get distracted, spy something else, something that was jammed by some cracks. Shadowed, in the dark, some glints managed to escape enough to hint him the golden hue. Leaning sideways, he dared reach for the crevices of the arching walls, moving past some small rocks to get a closer look. Spotting the sword there first, concealed, filled him with pride for such a find; enough for him to not question how on earth could it have trashed enough to jam there in the cracks.

And so, before a demon could, an angel grasped the golden weapon. Amber eyes filled with relief, realizing that Uriel had not cut himself; there was no blood on the sword. Frowning deeply, he faced the cliff again. He took one more step, then two, beginning to near him slowly. He leaned up the sword in his right hand by his side, his posture one of reprimand, his expression one of exasperation and disappointment. He was going to call his demon, perhaps surprise him, and once he turned, lean the incriminating sword to his eye level. He wanted to see his shame, make him apologize; then throw the sword down the cliff and take him away from this place.

Finally, close enough behind him; his demon was still oblivious as he kept glancing down. He was not only ready to scold him, but curse his idiocy. And so, his mouth opened slightly to announce his presence… But he only managed to feel how his breath died short in his throat.

Alexis’s eyes widened and unfocused. He felt cold. Suddenly, he could not move… A horrible sensation crept through his whole body, in just a second, which felt an eternity. His hands and frame trembled for a moment. He felt like if something put a weight on him, pulling at the same time, to tear him in two.

At that very same moment, the young demon heard a faint wheeze behind him. He moved and started to turn around… and so did the other.

Alexis could barely hold back when he acted, unwillingly. Abruptly, his right arm heaved in an arc, as if with its own resolve; his fingers tightened their grip. Before Uriel could fully lean back to look over his shoulder, something flashed behind him at his side. Both froze, without time passing by, as the sharp edge of the blade sunk into Uriel’s flank, his flesh. Their eyes only met for a second; neither seemed to register the sight of the sword sinking in.

Dismay sunk in, instantly. In instinct, Alexis pulled away his arm, sideways. With the sudden pull on it faded, he slid the weapon away as much as possible. However… with such fast move and step back, his body was then in a dangerous stance. Right arm and shoulder leaned back; left side closer to the demon… the coldness took over once more. The feeling was not as forceful then, even if still strong. It did not need to be. One single soft pull and his left wing inclined forward, closing in the distance between them. Uriel felt the top of the wing lay on his back, like a gentle hand would have done. But then, in a second, it jerked, suddenly forceful. The wing’s broadness, its long length, set the ultimatum. The angel could not stop or retrieve his limb as the demon stumbled forward, over the edge. In fact, trying to move away only let his wing open and outstretch more in front of him. Each attempt at backing off only brought more hurt. Uriel did not even have the chance to reach for the wound at his side before falling down, his feet slipping on the edge as his body was forcefully inclined forward.

Two seconds. It was all it took.

Only one stood now above. Alexis heaved and wheezed painfully, because the coldness and weight pushed him down onto his knees and hands. His fingers finally released their grip on the weapon, its blade now red. At the same time, he heard the air rush below. It was quickly followed by a sickening thud and rip. He struggled to breathe, his vision was foggy…. Just like Uriel’s. The demon had no recognition in his eyes; he did not comprehend he had fallen yet. Not until he began to feel a horrible burning sensation, which crept in his torso and flowed through all his body. He finally cried out, when he tried to push himself up. He stared with disbelief at the sharp rocks that were tearing his flesh apart. Most were stabbing his shoulders, but not deeply… the tallest and sharpest boulder had stopped his fall, supporting most of his weight. It was now being painted red, with the blood from the sword’s slash. He was sprawled on sharp uneven rocks, barely able to do much more than shake in pain and shock.

Soon, Uriel let out a long, strong and tortured scream. He showed his fangs in an anguished roar while blood dripped from his mouth. The droplets of red were mixing on his jaw, where another stony edge had brushed him, almost stabbing his head. He was feeling like if he was going to die; some of his bones had cracked and broken, he had a huge bleeding laceration on his side and deep cuts on his back. Some shards of broken stone had sunk into his flesh, he could feel them. He was suffering more than ever, and not only in body, but in mind.

The young demon growled between bloody wheezes, he raised his hands with flames, with what little strength he had left. He was full of fear and pain.

Flee… Before he…

Alexis finally managed to breathe. The strange force that pulled at him lessened, somehow.

The bat lowered one of its claws and laughed as the angel crawled weakly to the edge, in order to look down with haunted eyes. He cried in horror. He peeked over the brink, just in time to see Uriel scream… stab his claws onto the rock that kept him immobile, protruding into him. He was trying to break it with a fierce heave. His violet eyes were full of betrayal and fury, all below the pain.

Alexis tried to call, scream, because he did not understand what had or was happening. He really tried to call Uriel, but he felt his neck tighten, like if something was strangling it. He had to clench his teeth and close his mouth; he was unable to exhale. He could only squirm and watch, watch how Uriel struggled to stand. His demon was below, between sharp stones, in the humid ground. Uriel had managed to break free, and was now drawing shards out of his chest, with bloody rips. The ground was tinted in red.

Uriel allowed himself a moment to bend over in agony. He held himself with a claw, while he coughed and wheezed, with his eyes fixed on the ground.

He stabbed me. He pushed me.

If any sharp stone had pierced through his heart as he collided, he would have died, slowly and without hope. He closed his eyes and slammed a claw on the bloody gash on his side; it somehow hurt more than any other wound. He let out a deep feral growl, and used all his strength to get to his feet, no matter how it hurt, no matter if he limped.

Alexis tried to stand as well, but he couldn’t, no matter how much he wanted to. So he used his wings to crawl forward; he looked sideways at the bloody sword… and then let himself drop over the ledge. He opened his wings weakly, enough to soften the fall. Sadly, by the time he descended, Uriel had already moved towards one wall. There were multiple small cracks and cavities between the rocks, which surrounded the entire cavern.

Alexis barely avoided being cut by the rocks himself; he fell onto his hands between them, after multiple flaps to muffle his fall. He did not care, he had to reach Uriel.

The demon could only fear. Alexis was now down below with him, even if at a distance. He could only scream with hate as he fled for his life. He feared letting himself be wounded by the one he thought he could trust.

“Y-you…! Coward!”

A liar. He had… He really had been faking. He had been playing; just like that monster did.

Even if short of breath and dazed, Alexis ran towards Uriel once he regained his balance. He raised a trembling hand as he dashed towards him, unable to speak. If he was not in a desperate moment, he would have noticed how his throat felt smothered. He was unable to say anything or stop Uriel from slamming his hands against one wall fiercely; his demon broke it to make way and flee. There was a loud rumble, his fire tangled desperately. Alexis had to back off and shield himself with his arm and wings, because a lot of rubble fell all over. Uriel broke his way through a crack, and then dashed into an outer tunnel, out of his reach. The demon let the falling rocks block the hole, as he crawled in. The debris prevented Alexis from following, so he only ended up leaning onto it in impotence, with a look full of shock and tears.

Uriel halted and slumped against the wall of the tunnel, and then held his nastiest wound. He roared back at the angel, knowing he would hear him, and that he couldn’t follow him yet.

“I- I w-will make you pay! I- I will…! M-make you see how it hurts!”

On the other side, Alexis leaned his forehead on the wall that divided them. He was breathing painfully, and too fast. He was trying to mouth words, which always died short in his throat. He could only let out trembling exhales, which mixed with Uriel’s wheezes, more pained and agonized.

Alexis only stopped feeling that horrible cold sensation when he heard Uriel limp away. He stopped feeling that strangling, but it was far too late. His demon had moved away, he was fleeing. He still tried to speak once he could breathe; he called with a confused and horrified whisper at first.

“U-ur-” He coughed and slammed his fists on the rocks, with no spells or fire to make him way. “U-Uriel!”

There was no answer. He backed away from the debris; he pushed himself away with a haunted shake of head.

He had swung the sword. He had stabbed Uriel. Then he pushed him. He had pushed Uriel down over a tall ledge, onto sharp cold stone. The fall had been higher than the cliff in that clearing. The stab had not been lethal, but still deep.

He stared at himself for a moment, with an unfocused, fearful and disgusted look at his own hands. He trembled, repeatedly going over those two seconds in his mind. No matter how shocking to him, there was no denying it had been by his own doing, both with weapon and wing.

I have… Why have I…?

One thing he knew clearly. Uriel was wounded, badly, alive by mere luck. And he was the one who had done it.

Alexis could not follow through where Uriel had fled. So he bolted desperately towards the mouth of the caverns, crying while he ran. His tears fell down, and mixed with the blood on the ground at the bottom of the cave. It satisfied the devil that had watched it all from the shadows.

While Alexis hurried for the exit to find him and try to explain… Uriel had broken his way out through an external tunnel. He managed to get outside, through dust and his own fire, weakly. He breathed in the cold air of the night, with a raspy intake.

He crawled far from the feet of the mountain, out a ravine, and then let himself fall against a tree, sliding until he was sitting. He shivered, because he felt too many things at once. He could feel his bloody tears on his face, the pain, and a horrible sense of loss. All he knew was wrong; all he let himself trust was a lie. His emotions were worse than the burning and ripping in his flesh, even if it made him wheeze and see everything blurry from blood loss. Not even a demon like him could ignore such ache, no matter if he had survived. He knew that his wounds would heal, but the scars would stay.

The worst thing… was that it could get worse. Far worse, because Alexis was still near, looking for him.

Uriel had managed to get away from the mouth of the caverns. He had crawled and hid between the surrounding trees. He could not move more, it hurt too much. He could only hide and pray not to be found. That’s what he did. He prayed while he cowered, like so many years ago. An angel was nearby, and it wanted his blood, his death.

Alexis reached the exit of the caverns by the time he had hid. He stood at the mouth, and looked frantically all around him, trying to spot him. The demon tried to be as small as possible in the shadows, because he heard him call. He heard him, even if he wished he couldn’t. He did not want to hear him, not when his voice was still able to hide the hate behind a caring tone.

“Uriel?! Please! W-where are you?! Answer me!”

Alexis cursed and snarled, because he was answered by his own echo.

Uriel held himself and covered his mouth with a hand, to not make a single noise. He heard those wings flap. He could feel those amber eyes trail the shadows from above, to find him in the dark of the night. The angel flew erratically but surely around the area, turning and searching in a panic. He did not notice the trails of blood on the ground; the humidity mixed with them, allowing the demon to stay still, and wait.

He waited for the monster to go away, again. A monster that was not clad in white, but golden hues. And somehow, that fact made his situation a million times worse. White wings had no color, but golden ones had a beautiful glint, they gave a sense of warmth and safety. Those wings could look so comforting… But they only had hurt him. He brought him pain. He wounded him in a way that would never heal; he waited for him to let down his guard, to trust, and then he struck. A literal backstab.

Alexis hugged himself in the air; he closed his eyes for a moment, to breathe in and calm his anxiety. There were a million thoughts screaming in his mind, and every single one of them tore him inside out, with guilt.

Uriel’s gone.

The demon held his breath, still able to hear him fly uncertainly. Soon, he heard a strong flap, and the air hiss in another direction. Then, he heard no more. Even if he began to feel the pounding become stronger in his chest, he did not dare move. He only cried while Alexis flew off. His angel believed he had moved away, so he was flying north, towards the manor, where he believed that he would go.

Uriel let his hand drop from his mouth after a while. He let out a trembling and pained sob; he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree trunk behind him.

Alexis was not a normal angel. He was not. He was weak, he knew no spells, and he had no chance of winning in a fair fight. But in the end, he was not so different from his kind. He knew how to lie; he knew how to keep himself alert and aware of his surroundings. He noticed those sharp rocks the first time he was there, and he saw his sword fall on that ledge. He knew very damn well that he would never go back home if he did not kill him. He knew he would have no chance face to face. So he wanted his trust, for him to destroy the gem that kept him tracked and at bay. He wanted to be able to act in the shadows; he wanted to backstab him, to fool him and lure him to death. A push and long fall could weaken and wound him more than a stab of sword… and make an easy kill out of him.

He… That book… His wings were soaked.

Alexis had gone into the rain that night.

Uriel’s shoulders jolted. The sobs that he had contained escaped him at last. He crumbled down, now that the adrenaline faded. The sorrow made his rage and fury vanish below his horror. He lamented loudly, knowing that no one would hear him.

He felt lost.