Godric was standing in front of their desk, pondering quietly. They were worried. Ayako had been gone for far too many days, without giving notice of her situation.

They wondered where she was. And their wonder was answered.

Godric opened their eye, because the door of the office opened slowly, almost timidly. The room could have not been more silent or dark; yet somehow, it became much more eerie when they saw Ayako standing at the door.

Two big golden wings were hanging down from her arms. Godric remained silent while Ayako stepped closer, slowly. She halted her steps in front of his desk, and then laid the wings on it, with a solemn and tired expression. Her voice was barely a whisper, lacking any of the joy she always had.

“…I found an angel.”

Godric raised an eyebrow at her strange choice of words. They found it odd, but they did not think much of it; they only sighed and looked down at the stunning wings. They would be beautiful, if it wasn’t for the blood that covered their ends. There were a lot of feathers, and every single one of them seemed to be made of gold, no matter if there was no more light in the room than a candle. The fragile bone that had been broken was barely visible; the perfect articulations below the feathers were not damaged. The wings had been ripped with precise and clean cuts.

These two limbs were perfect; they were what granted an angel a graceful flight. It was always a shame to take them away and destroy their original significance. But these wings could save lives.

“We have them, finally. I see there is no body…”

Ayako was the one taken aback this time. She gave Godric a perplexed glare, not understanding their words or tone.

She knew that she had not hunted one in a long time… But she was useful. There was no need for mockery.

“I found the angel all by myself. I bring you wings, from a kill I managed on my own, and you dare to-”

Godric turned around, to face her. Their eye fixed on hers, with deep concern.

“Ayako… I sensed this angel months ago.”

Ayako’s hands dropped at her sides, her face darkened a little under her cowl. She stuttered, something she never did.

“M-months?”

Godric stared at her for a whole minute. They saw obvious traces of lack of sleep and of tiredness. Ayako had been chasing that angel for far too long.

What has the angel done to her, once she found it?

They decided to not pressure her, because she could be tired and dazed, she could be suffering the aftermath of the fight with the angel. It was not strange for a hunter to break down after a hunt. Many ended up broken emotionally or mentally because of their prey. Many angels could summon horrible spells on their enemies. She was strong, but not unbreakable or invincible. This angel had not been easy to find and had killed three.

Ayako had been the only one strong enough to chase it. But not strong enough to manage unscathed, it seemed.

“Perhaps I forgot to tell you about its appearance… maybe I am losing focus. I’m sure I just overlooked warning you. You did a good job finding it for me.” Godric shook their head and spoke calmly. “Go rest, Ayako. You need it.”

The girl fidgeted and laid one of her hands on her forehead, slowly. Her icy eyes narrowed at the golden wings, not understanding.

Had Godric sensed Alexis?

She couldn’t remember being told about him. She thought that the angel had fallen far away, not close enough for Godric to sense him. Only Uriel knew, only he found his angel. Uriel was the one who told her.

Ayako let out a raspy breath, and then nodded quickly. She closed her eyes, and resigned to believe in them all.

Godric… Godric just forgot to tell her…

“Y-yeah, maybe I need to; you are right.”

Her head hurt. Her heart did too, but that, she didn’t know.

Godric did not speak when Ayako bolted for the door. The hunter left, not daring to look back at the ripped wings. She feared to think that there was something wrong. She kept telling herself there was nothing wrong.

Once Ayako walked outside, her eyes trailed to the far distance. She looked at the road that led to the small woods in the outskirts of human territory, where her lonely cabin was. She did not look down at her side when Lykaios padded towards her. He had been waiting for her at the entrance of Godric’s home; he never left her side, loyal as always.

The demon feared. He had feared what she would hear. Ayako did not even blink when he nudged her leg with his nose, she did not react when he whined with worry.

“Are you alright?”

She only nodded slowly and frowned. Her blue eyes could not show all the pain, confusion and worry that she was feeling right now. She felt broken.

“I need to see Uriel.”

Lykaios’ fur shivered. His red eyes glinted with rage for a second, even if he was hiding as his small form.

He did not know what Uriel was thinking when he seized her mind, but he had to have a very good excuse for what she did to Ayako, and a way to fix this mess. He could see the doubt in her eyes. And if she kept on doubting… she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

He could not do anything for her. Not yet. If he addressed the matter directly, he would only manage to make her question what was happening. And he could not allow that. The only one who could help her was Uriel.

He followed Ayako calmly when she began to walk through the road. She began to head back to her cabin, where she had told Uriel to hide and wait for her.

Lykaios dreaded that the young demon would not be there. He knew he would not be.

——————————————-

Ayako smiled. But that smile did not reach her eyes.

Lykaios had been silent while they walked through the woods. And now, he couldn’t avoid looking away, as she neared her cabin. He did not want to see her sorrow.

Ayako took a deep breath before she grasped the handle of her door. Lykaios let out a subtle growl when she steeped in, with trembling steps.

“Uriel, I-”

She halted dead on her tracks. Her living room was engulfed in darkness. The candle on the table was dead. The door to her small bedroom was swinging with the breeze she let in.

The lynx’s suspicions were confirmed.

Ayako stood frozen. Her demon was not lying on her bed. There were only a few bloody bandages left on the blankets.

“U-uriel?”

Her whisper trembled. And its echo came back to her, the rooms empty. Her mind began to fill with fear, with worry. The pounding she had felt began to pulse stronger. Lykaios sighed when he saw her bolt into her room, panicking.

“W-where- I told him to wait…! He should have not moved! He was wounded, why has he-?!”

She stopped screaming, because something pulled gently at her arm. She cried and looked up at the red eyes looming over her. Lykaios was once again towering, in his true form, at her side. Another of his tails moved up, and then caressed her cheek; he brushed away her tears, carefully and with care.

“Calm down.”

“B-but-”

He hushed her; he laid the point of a tail over her lips, barely touching. He shook his long black mane, and then begged her to listen to him, with just a look.

“Uriel must be scared. He must have recovered enough, and he has surely gone away to hide somewhere else. Away from his angel, away from danger.”

“That’s why I must find him, there’s no danger! I have to tell him there’s no reason to hide! He looked for my protection; he thought I could help him! A-and I- I did! Alexis is-!”

Ayako huffed, because the tails pushed her carefully and made her sit on her bed. The demon spoke firmly, with no doubt in his voice, even if he was lying to her.

“Ayako, quiet down and listen. Let me go find him, I will tell him for you. God knows where he could have gone. Now, there is no reason to worry anymore.” He closed his eyes, to tell truth in between his words. “You should wait here, and rest. You always are so…”

She always mourned every kill. He hated it. He hated to see her hurt and sorrow. Below her firm and strong demeanor, there was a caring and sensible soul. She had a soul that forced itself to do wrong, to bring good to others.

Ayako hugged a little one of his tails and stared at it for a while. He hoped she would listen, that she trusted in him again. He needed her to wait here; he couldn’t question Uriel if she was near. He couldn’t risk that she understood what Uriel had done to her. She was already trying to understand, there was no time to waste. He needed to confront the careless devil, alone. He couldn’t allow Uriel to hurt her more. He couldn’t stand to see her like this: she could not remember Alexis; she couldn’t remember anything but hate. She felt anger, a feeling that was tearing her inside out.

Lykaios dreaded her stubbornness. But a genuine smile grew on his snout nonetheless, when he saw her give a small nod and let go of his tail.

“P-please… Bring him to me, Lykaios. I need to know he is alright.”

She needed to know why she was feeling wrong, even if everything was over. She needed to see Uriel, with no fear in his bright eyes.

“I will, Ayako.”

Those caring words should have made her feel better, yet she still felt anxious. She was tired. And she did not know why. She should feel something, she should not feel empty.

Lykaios jumped onto the bed and curled at her side, even in his bigger form. His tails laid themselves around her with the most caring hold. He whispered, fearing for her, the only soul he cared for.

“Everything will be alright. You don’t need to worry.” He hated to lie to her. “The angel is gone.”

There was uncertainty in her blue eyes. His words did not manage to quell her pain. And for it, he hated Uriel with all his cold heart.