Fucking thing!

Alexis kept on trying to make the claw hold still; it was moving wildly, viciously. He was holding it by its big palm and slim wrist, while those sharp nails tried to stretch and rip his face off.

“Uriel?! Could you give me a hand here?! Or more like get one off?!”

Alexis yelped and fell onto his back, because the claw jolted and tried to lunge onto his head. Meanwhile, Uriel snarled and panted; he parried Gwen’s other two hands with the sword. He bared his teeth and stood his ground against his attacker’s pressure; she had lunged onto him as well.

“I would, but I’m kind off BUSY!”

Too busy, Gwen was attacking with the aid of some vines. He growled when she laughed, while both pressured against the sword, to push the other away or down.

Alexis paled, because a sharp nail was descending onto one of his eyes. It was nearing slowly, pressuring against his hands, and he barely could push it away.

This thing is going to-

Alexis let out a strong and relieved pant when something kicked the claw and sent it far along the ground. His shoulders slumped, because he saw Ayako huffing at his side, with some vines still hanging from her body.

The hunter quickly lowered a hand towards him, for him to take and stand; because she was seeing the plants around them shake and begin to stir closer. Her icy eyes filled with worry, once she noticed that he was not taking it; he was just staring at it, with an emotion she could not read.

Ayako sighed and glanced around her anxiously. Both demons were focused on each other, something that was winning them time. The one she guessed to be named Uriel was keeping Gwen away from them. However, they could not keep standing there like idiots, because the vines would eventually dash and Uriel only had two claws and a tail. They had to move, and she needed Alexis to understand that.

“You trusted in me. You knew all that time what I was.” She glared at the blond, who seemed to finally register her voice with her next words. “This does not have to change anything. Alexis, I have no reason to hurt you!”

Ayako growled and whipped her free hand to slash in half a vine, which had neared with intentions of piercing her. Alexis reacted, at last, when he saw the plant fall onto the ground, still twitching and stirring. As she glared at the thorns, she felt her hand be grasped, firmly. She looked at him again and saw that he was standing tall, with a stern expression. Whatever thought had haunted him into silence was gone, drowned under resolve.

“One thing I know, Aya.” Alexis stood fully, and then took a deep breath to dare look over his shoulder. He cursed having let his trauma freeze him again, let it risk her safety. The vines had crept closer, all around them. “You have to get out of here, now. If we cut our way through, you can escape the woods.”

Ayako did not seem to like his idea. She only shook her head and looked again at the demons. Alexis gasped and tensed, because she lunged to cut the vines again, but not in the direction that would allow an opening to flee. She ignored his words, never one to surrender.

She could not run. That beast would find her, anywhere.

While Ayako tried to fend off some thorns, Uriel kept fighting. His violet eyes were full of fear while he blocked with the sword, to stop every slash of claws or spines. He felt dread, but he also felt hopeful and determined. He smiled, because he saw a small opening after one of her swipes; she had backed away, with her arms at her sides.

The young demon smirked and roared; he outstretched his arm forward, strongly and fast. The sword rushed and met her skin, tearing her chest. He pierced her squarely and precisely; he could see the tip of the sword peeking behind her.

His sense of victory did not last for long though. His smile turned into a surprised frown when he saw her react calmly. Gwen only chuckled a little and looked down at her ribcage, with an eyebrow raised.

“Oh my… Looks like I have been impaled!” He saw her shrug, and then grasp the sharp edge, without care. “Let’s stop playing already, shall we?”

Uriel gasped when the vines whipped up and loomed over him, more in numbers. He had to let go of the sword when some tangled around his hand and sunk their thorns into his skin. In just a second, they covered his arm, legs and torso. Gwen’s eyes narrowed sweetly, making sure to hurt him as she pulled at him with the plants.

Alexis had been trying to move past some vines to reach the axe he had dropped, in order to join her efforts. But he flinched and looked back when he heard a pained growl. He froze, because he saw something trash between all that white. He cried with horror when he realized that the vines were thrashing Uriel in the air and along the ground, like if he weighted nothing. They slammed him down multiple times, after raising him up to take drive. The angel stood there like a fool when his demon was hauled fiercely, hit against the cliff and flung past it. The vines only stopped slashing at him when they lost their grip with that strong haul; they did not crawl up the cliff to grab him again, as they seemed satisfied with the loud thud that echoed above.

Ayako had seen as well, she was startled by how easily Gwen dealt with the tall demon, with a sudden swarm of white. However, she got out of her shock, more quickly than the angel. Her hands tightened around her daggers, something in her twisted; something she could not recognize or explain. Her heart ached at the sight of Uriel being lashed, even if she believed that she did not know him. She glared at Gwen fiercely, but the demon did not stop smiling calmly; her claw had already pulled the sword out of her chest… and was now throwing it on the ground like if it was worthless.

“You…!”

“Bitch…”

Alexis did not doubt to word Ayako’s thoughts. But it was her who lunged to try to rip the devil apart. She ran towards her, daggers up. She began to slash where Gwen stood, but the demon only dodged her with graceful moves, which almost seemed a dance around her. The human felt even more rage and humiliation when Aeronwen dared to yawn at her face.

“I will cut you down to pieces!” With every word, her stabs and swipes only met air. “I will turn your limbs into firewood!”

“Aya, look out!”

His warning came too late. Ayako let out a whimper when a vine shot up from the ground and tangled around her arm from behind.

Aeronwen leaned calmly against a tree, to look with faked boredom while Ayako was tied down. Alexis shook in horror when a thin vine tangled around her neck. He shook his head and opened his mouth, because that vine began to pull, upwards, to rise her up off the ground, letting her feet dangle.

“No… Nonono!”

Before, Gwen had tied Ayako almost harmlessly, to mock her; but now, blood was pouring. Ayako’s feet hanged and kicked, her knuckles were white and red while her hands tried to rip the vine that was strangling her. She was not managing to free her neck; she was only making her hands bleed as she grabbed the thorny rope.

Alexis could not see or hear any movement on the top of the cliff, there was only water. So he looked again at the distance, where his axe had fallen. It was not close, and Ayako’s breaths were getting shaky and heavy, more weak and desperate.

He saw the sword. It was closer.

A red eye glinted and narrowed, because it saw the angel run and reach for the weapon, where Uriel had dropped it.

Alexis trembled, but held his blade strongly. He looked at the devil and Ayako, reluctantly but firmly. It was clear that she was losing her breath under the vines; her hands were barely pulling anymore against her bounds.

“L-let her go!”

“Gladly, little angel. When she stops breathing.”

He let out a long exhale; his tears fell as he noted how sweetly the beast spoke while she hanged her. A whimper escaped him and his legs wobbled subtly, because he saw Ayako’s eyes roll back and her arms slump down. Her leather armor was now painted in red, as cuts layered her trembling hands.

Something in him… simply broke. But instead of letting go of the sword, his hands tightened on the handle, painfully. His feet tensed as he leaned in anger; his eyes seemed to sharpen and glint. His voice rumbled for the first time in his life, with the same disdain a malevolent angel would have displayed.

“I said let her go!”

He screamed and ran forward without second thought. He only wanted to free her from that deadly grip. Those hollow eyes widened when he raised the sword over his head, ready to swing it onto the vines. In that instant and motion, the sword emanated a blinding light. Alexis’ amber eyes filled with shock as he let the sword go down. A golden fire tangled and pulsed, from the runes engraved on it.

Aeronwen flinched when the sword released the human with a rapid cut… and the fire crawled onto the vines with an unnatural hunger. Alexis stumbled backwards, startled; while Ayako dropped heavily to the ground with a pained wheeze. The plants around them began to trash wildly, in agony, because the golden flaming glow crept on them; it was consuming and devouring. It resembled a spell more than a fire; the plants were not only burning, but almost melting and decomposing.

Ayako stared at the ground in shock, almost as surprised as Alexis. Both saw the vines try to crawl and squirm away in distress, only to end up in flames. The glowing fire extended through them, through everything that it could touch.

“What the…”

Ayako held her neck in pain as she looked up to him. The angel was frozen; he was holding the sword in a daze. He did not understand what had just happened, he seemed almost unnerved.

Aeronwen was backing slowly away from the flames, keeping her distance from the vines that crawled weakly towards her, begging her to save them from the blaze. She did not let them touch her in their desperation; she let them curl and die alone in agony. She did not dare get near, too afraid of letting the fire spread on her as well.

Alexis only looked up when the demon gave him a weary glare, with surprise in her bloody eyes.

“Only a few could… How many eons have you lived, angel?”

Alexis kept silent, confused by the question. He lowered the sword a little, still baffled by the light that had engulfed the clearing.

The angel was still young, very. She could see it in his eyes.

Then, how can he know this incantation?

Gwen did not dare approach the angel and human. She kept the vines that had not been consumed at a distance, all the ones that the fire had not touched. If a single ember of that unnatural fire touched anything imbued with her blood… it would be reduced to ashes. The spell sought demonic flesh; it almost seemed to have a mind of its own. It devoured without halt, without measure.

Alexis gasped worriedly, because Ayako coughed and tried to stand. He quickly crouched and held her so she wouldn’t fall; she had almost been hanged to death.

“Don’t move! You are bleeding.”

She met his eyes, with a grateful and trusting look, though weak. For the first time, below her sureness… there was fear. He could feel it in her, even though she tried to hide it. He could swear he could sense her pain, maybe even her grief. She felt helpless, feeble.

Time seemed to slow as he looked into her tired blue eyes. Part of him felt an instinct he could not describe. He had only wanted to save her life… but the manner in which he did so made him dread. The sight of that ravenous light made him recall the tales of his kind.

Since the beginning of time, angels had always bowed to protect humans. Angels found their golden age when they took men under their wings, away from the torment of demons. They found a hidden strength as they faced demon kind for the first time. Deadly incantations, which were said to be able to destroy a demon with a single thought. However, even angels died; none of their ancestors survived such endless battles. His kind lost that knowledge in war and the flow of time. They still struggled to regain that power to this day, bowing to use it against their enemies once more.

He remembered well their preaching. The elders always said that such power and might was dormant. They preached that it was waiting to awake, strong as ever, like in the old times; they were sure that it would return, when an angel proved to be worthy. Only the most devoted would be worthy, the ones who could surrender their soul to cleanse the world of demons and their evils, at any cost.

The runes of the sword seemed to entrance him. The thought that those lights could have been one of those ancient incantations made him feel uncertain. If they really were… he did not feel worthy of their strength.

He had never learnt any spells in his life. He had never paid mind to the preaching he was forced to listen to. He never proved to be skillful with swords, or any other instruction they all had to follow. All his life, he had never shared their devotion to war. He was not a warrior, not a fighter.

He had wanted to protect Ayako… but when he did so, perhaps he had felt hatred; a cold hatred that coursed through his kind’s veins, much colder than any Uriel or Ayako could ever express. It could have been there, as he dwelled on the pain the demon was bringing her. The pain their kind brought him…

He did not want it. He did not want to think himself capable. He had not wanted to find reason in their ideals, not after meeting his demon. That spell should not be able to come from him, not only because he was no warrior. He should not know it, not if it meant embracing dark and murderous emotions.

I do not want to kill anyone.

The choice however, would not be his. He could not bargain, not when he could feel two red eyes fix on them both, murderously. He looked over his shoulder and stood again to defend Ayako, because he saw how the demon was circling them silently.

Am I sentenced to follow those tenants after cursing them?

He would not think about it now. He shivered as he raised the sword between him and the demon, with his eyes fixed on the runes. A thread of vines shook and parted. A few moved away from the rest, to crawl closer to him, expecting to be burned. They would welcome it, too far away from others for his fire to consume them all.

Alexis growled and swung the weapon against them, when they tried to stab lightly one of his sides. Even if he cut them and made them stop, he shuddered; because he saw no fire, only a subtle glint in the runes. He could only smile fretfully, while those hollow eyes filled with glee.

He has no idea what he is doing.

He stood there, sword in hand. He wanted to run, but he did not, because he had Ayako behind him, still recovering from that strangling. He raised his gaze, slowly, because the demon stepped closer and loomed over him. He began to sweat, his eyes unfocused as they stared up; because those claws rose over him, because that maw was open with a silent laugh, and because the vines were up and ready to lunge onto him at her sides. She was going to kill him first.

And he did nothing. He could not bring himself to do it. The anger he thought was there was nothing but an illusion in his mind, a self-loathing fear of his. He was not a hateful soul like other angels. And he couldn’t ever admit or realize it.

The spell would not shield him now, not as he tried to unearth dark emotions that were not there. He really did not unveil its real nature. He was close to it… but he was misguided by the pain he had lived. It was not resent what would give him strength.

Alexis closed his eyes tight when the vines leaned back to take drive. He heard a loud rush of air over him, the thorns fall. But he blinked, because he did not feel a single trace of pain after the loud blow that echoed.

His legs were not able to help him stand anymore, he let himself drop onto his knees with a tired pant; he saw Uriel, there, a few meters away, rolling on the ground after having tackled Aeronwen fiercely.

Uriel had seen her loom over Alexis from the waterfall, after he had recovered from his fall. He had a few broken ribs, but no matter how it hurt, he could not just lay there while this thing attacked them.

The demons’ roll finally ended, after a few jolts. Uriel slammed his claws around her head, while his nails tangled with small violet flames. He pushed her face first against the hard ground, and heard a small crushing sound. His tail got a hold of the vines that tried to stab him, and both began to pull to try to overpower the other. He let out a strong roar of pain when one of Gwen’s claws shot backwards and scratched his neck. He could only huff when one of her legs kicked his chest and left him without breath. Even if she managed to stand after that, he did not let go. He bared his fangs while he kept her under his grip, thanks to the fact that he had sunk his nails into her sylvan skin.

Gwen hissed when those violet flames grew stronger. However, Uriel saw that she barely seemed hurt by it, while he grew exhausted from the effort. The flames did not seem to be able to make her burn, because her skin was too rough. He let out a whimper when her claws pierced his sides, when she began to push him back. Gwen’s voice was tired, but it was still firm and sure.

“I burned once already, little devil.”

Uriel cried; his arms trembled while he tried to keep his fire strong. She was stabbing and pressuring him, doing much more damage. She did flinch with every lick of flame… but it was not lethal to her, not anymore. The fire could not bring her down like that time. His flaming spell summoned real fire, even if its hunger was tied to his will and control. It was nothing like the fire of an angel. Those golden flames were nothing like what the humans carried to keep the dark away; it was nothing like the combustion that alchemists understood. Those golden glows had been pure light, a will turned physical by a wish, a prayer.

Uriel could only use his forte against her, nothing else to aid him. And she was stronger. He huffed; he was forced down onto one knee. He kept his arms up weakly, while she tried to pressure him down. His violet eyes cried as he leaned to look to a side.

Alexis and Ayako were surrounded again by lone vines and branches. The trees around them were moving and trembling with sick looking jolts. Both were holding their weapons, barely keeping them away with slashes.

Uriel growled, outraged by the sight of them being threatened.

We have not gone through all that pain for it to end like this.

Aeronwen’s eyes widened, her expression stopped being so confident when she received a sudden punch to her face. Uriel let out a huffed breath when her nails pulled out of his flesh, now even more reddish with his blood. He had an opening to stand up and try to end her; and that was what he focused on, with a loud roar and a dash.

While both demons clashed again…

Alexis gasped, because he spied a root moving behind him, towards her. He was fast enough to realize that Ayako had not seen it, too focused on another vine. She was the one who yelped, when she heard a pained huff. She quickly cut the nearest vine and turned, only to see the angel there, behind her. Alexis had gotten in between her and the danger once again, and now that root was tangled around his foot, instead of hers. He was swinging his sword down onto it repeatedly, to make it let go, but he was only managing to scratch it, slice after slice. The root was moving and squirming too much while it cut his foot with its thorns.

Alexis smiled when Ayako stepped onto the agitated root, pinning it strongly, allowing him to land a more precise slash. He cut it at last with a snarl, and then gave her a grateful glance, which she answered with a worried frown.

“Can’t you burn them?!”

He shook his head. Both slammed their backs against each other, to erase the blind spot that had almost made her lose a foot.

“I try, I do! But I don’t know how to repeat it!”

He did not stop thinking while they kept the vines at bay with their weapons. He thought about the runes, he thought of being strong and vindictive… But with every swing, he only kept seeing a faint golden glow on the runes.

They both gulped, because the clearing was getting smaller, whiter, with every minute. All the plants were moving subtly, to erase slowly what little space they had near the cliff. The mass of vines had no end, no matter how many they cut in half. And they did cut a lot, considering that Ayako was fierce and wild. Uriel was doing a great job too, against everything, but he was not having much luck either.

“Hey, Aya…”

Ayako looked at Alexis over her shoulder. He was smiling sadly, with a faint sarcastic chuckle.

“Yeah, Alexis?”

He did not stop smiling, but there was sorrow there, in his voice and eyes.

“I’m sorry for hitting you. Twice.”

She raised an eyebrow. She tucked her black cowl closer to her neck and leaned her daggers, as if to ignore his apology.

“Are you seriously trying to chat now? You’ve got to be kidding… It was only a wimpy slap at my hand; and you tossed a fish bone at my cheek! Like if that hurts anything!”

He laughed silently… Because he remembered well the kick that had made her fall and hit her head, that horrible night.

He closed his eyes. There was too much white around for his comfort; too many vines, with thorns as sharp as needles.

“Just saying, in case we don’t get out of this one.”

“Oh, we will manage… Somehow.”

“Do I hear doubt in the mighty hunter’s voice?”

“If you told me why your devil is here helping us, maybe I would be one hundredth percent sure about our survival! You know, you’re an angel, he’s a demon; these things never end well!”

Alexis shrugged and snorted sharply.

“He is kind of clingy, yes… But he won’t turn against us later.” Said devil was now head-butting his opponent, unfazed by the branches that were hitting him. “My demon is… weird.”

Ayako’s eyes opened suddenly, with a thought she had forgotten.

Demon…!

Alexis jolted a little when Ayako gasped loudly and threw her hands to her mouth, in sudden realization.

“How could I have forgotten?!”

Alexis cringed and shuddered; his voice wavered, because he thought she had suddenly remembered Uriel.

“W-what-?”

“My demon!”

He expected her to leap over the vines and somehow tackle Uriel. Instead, he saw her take out a small whistle; and that made him feel baffled and relieved at once.

He had not seen Lykaios in a long time. And he had been happy about it. He had not dared speak about him either, because he should not give her the idea that he knew him. It was hard to admit, but now he was less dreadful of seeing the lynx, as she raised the whistle to her mouth.

A faint but intense sound echoed.

—————————-

She is alive.

The lynx cried, because he felt the most soothing of reliefs. He kept running fast, without stopping looking ahead. He heard the whistle. And that meant two things. She was alive; she was not dead yet. But she was in trouble.

He growled loudly and tried to fasten his leaps and dashes. He took risky turns around the trees and terrain, knowing that he was near. He had been faster than he had ever been; he was heading straight for that clearing. He knew that she had to be there; he was following the sweet scent, the trace that beast left while she tracked Ayako. The loud sound of her whistle only confirmed that she was near the angel’s nest.

He could already smell her cowl, he could hear the river. He clawed at the ground, his nails sharpened, while his eyes turned even redder. He could smell blood, from three different species; the blood of an angel, of a demon… and a human.

That made him howl furiously; his jaws opened, and he lost all sense of mind. He jumped off a ledge, barely seen by the wildlife that hid.

He was almost there.

————————————-

Aeronwen swung her arm; she let her body fall to take drive. Uriel snarled, because he was pushed off of her fiercely. Both stumbled back, away from each other; they slammed their feet down to regain their balance, and then glared from a distance.

Uriel’s claws trembled, his tail whipped anxiously, because he realized that he was now closer to the two he was shielding. Alexis and Ayako looked back at him; the angel did with dread, even if not for him, while the human was weary. Both showed fear in their eyes, for multiple reasons.

Uriel averted his gaze from them, and then let out a fiery exhale as he glowered at the other demon. Gwen was now standing near the river; her clawed feet were brushing the soft flow. His violet eyes blazed with ire, because he saw her sink one of her feet into the muddy shore. Her hollow maw became bigger when she grinned at him. The vegetation around them seemed to turn even whiter as it shook weakly. Ayako knew well that couldn’t be good. She had seen before what Aeronwen could do. She was not surprised like Alexis and Uriel when the trees fell dead, when the vines squirmed and dried. Any color that had been left banished in seconds. And she…

Aeronwen chuckled; the three could only stare while her body grew, subtly. All the plants that had tried to hurt them left them alone, because they fell dead to the ground. It could seem that without the vines they would have a bigger chance against her… But their problems were far from over.

Uriel moved one foot and looked down to the ground, because he felt a rumble.

“Fuck…” His eyes widened, because something sharp began to come out forcefully at their feet. “Move!”

The angel and human yelped when Uriel dashed to grab them both. He hauled each in one arm without second thoughts and began to run. He pulled them away, a second before the ground opened below their feet. Some sharp and gigantic branches emerged from the earth fiercely, belonging to a huge tree that grew without stop. Its leafs and wood were red as blood, like the one they had shed.

Aeronwen’s eyes filled with glee when she felt her own skin shudder. She laughed when one red thorny flower bloomed on her claw, which she outstretched for them to see.

Amber, blue and violet eyes glanced up fearfully, at the huge weeping tree in the center of the clearing. It was looming over everything, even the tall waterfall. Uriel could not avoid raising an eyebrow when Ayako reacted like the woman he had known: she outright ignored her worries in favor of whistling in amazement at the tree, even if she was hanging from his arm. On the other hand, Alexis was not as comfortable as she was. Uriel frowned, because his angel was trashing and struggling to wiggle free of his hold, jerking his arms and legs wildly; his amber eyes were full of panic while they stared up at the gigantic tree that was leaning over them.

“Let me go! Let go! LET GO!”

Uriel frowned, nervous that Alexis would accidentally cut him as he thrashed, sword still held in his trembling hand. He lowered them both out of his tight hold, carefully and gently. However, his angel still managed to fall onto his butt when he began to stumble away from the tree, rather clumsily.

Ayako and Uriel kept their position; they did not cower or back away. They knew that the tree could lunge onto them and crush them at any moment. They decided to stand still, to calculate their dodge for when it moved. They glared at Gwen, who laughed and mocked near the river.

“The more you bleed…” She crushed the flower in her claw and showed them her sylvan fangs with a grin. “The less I do!”

Uriel raised a claw to his eyes and sighed. Ayako saw as well. They saw how Gwen began to heal; the stab that Uriel gave her with the sword closed, every burn on her dark skin faded, and all the hits she received mended. Her red hair shivered and grew downwards. With her laugh, the huge tree swayed like her, sweetly.

Her laugh was the only thing they heard… until a loud howl echoed. They all yelped when a huge feline dashed out the bushes and slammed himself against Aeronwen. Both fell against the water, in a chaos of tails and wooden limbs.

Ayako beamed, hopeful as ever.

“Lykaios!”

Uriel clenched his teeth and leaned to run towards the other two devils, ready to fight again. But he halted to do something first. He outstretched an arm and pointed at Ayako; he commanded with a firm tone, which was suddenly gentle.

“Both of you, flee. Now.”

The order was short, direct. Ayako stood baffled while Uriel dropped down and bolted like a lion towards the river. She did not take much time to react with her usual ferocity.

“Who are you to boss me around?!”

If you knew…

Alexis leaned onto his sword and stood with its help. He jogged to Ayako’s side, because the branches of the tree were leaning down, like how those vines had done before. Of course, Ayako was not obeying Uriel, so he raised his sword when she juggled her daggers. Both faced the tree, not without dread.

While both of them tried to stop those sharp branches from spreading too much… Lykaios smiled furiously; he pressured her a little more against the mud, while his tails strangled her. She was grinning back at him while her claws pulled at his long black mane.

“You took your sweet time, vermin. I want to see you mourn her death.”

“Over my dead body. I will rip you to pieces before allowing you to touch a single hair of hers; not in my presence.”

“I would like to see you try! Last time, I almost crushed you like a bug! This time, no human will manage to surprise me!”

A third voice interrupted their argument.

“Maybe not a human!” They both turned their heads, to see Uriel there, standing tall over them. “Just another demon; one who can’t wait to make a nice pyre with your timber!”

Lykaios smiled more; Gwen began to struggle under his grip with more fierceness and hurry, because Uriel dashed at her. She hissed when she felt both their claws sink into her skin, their tails crush her limbs. Uriel and Lykaios growled angrily, the sharp thorns of her skin unavoidable to the touch. They did not let go however, no matter how she jolted and trashed under their clutches.

Once Uriel was sure that he had a good grasp on her, he spoke up to Lykaios, with a trace of resentment.

“You wanted to protect her, didn’t you?! Then do it!”

Both their eyes met. They both felt anger for each other, but they could agree in this moment. Uriel heaved when Lykaios let go and let him deal with Gwen alone.

Not too far, Alexis and Ayako were arguing while they tried to not lose their heads, literally. With every minute, it was clearer that the tree was far too big for them to handle like they did with the vines. Alexis was dodging side to side, with every swipe the branches made; he was hectic, but he still was able to yell at her.

“Aya, I told you to run! Are you deaf?!”

“I’m staying, Alexis! I brought her here!”

“The only thing you are going to do is die, if you don’t scram! You damn stubborn-!”

“And who will make me?! You need me here, you-!”

Alexis frowned when something huge and black flashed before his eyes. He smiled sadly when he saw Ayako’s eyes open with surprise and shock, as she was lifted and held by multiples tails.

“He will.” The angel gave a sideways glance to those red eyes, and then looked away with a quick and firm command. “Go.”

The lynx did not doubt for a second. Alexis bowed his head as he heard Ayako scream with rage, a scream that faded as she was dragged away into the woods.

“No! Lykaios! Stop!”

He stopped hearing her voice, because the demon ran fast with her in his hold.

Alexis took a deep breath and looked at the tree again. It was looming and swaying over him, like if it had seen and understood that Ayako had just been taken away. Its branches were giving strong swipes to the air, while things that resembled hands formed in between those bloody leafs. The branches grew with anger, not liking having lost their main prey; they moved and blocked the sides of the clearing, with resentment and obvious malice. Alexis would not be able to follow her, not as long the tree wished to punish his interference.

Not that he wanted to flee. It would not do any good. If he fled or died, this thing would not end its bloodlust.

He laughed a little and looked down, to the sword in his hands, somewhat delusional.

“You are not going to help me out, will you?”

There was only a small glow, too subtle for it to be the fire he had seen before.

Great.

He was scared out of his mind, but even then he kept glaring at the tree without cowering. He was ready to dodge anything that it tried to do with those new claws on its branches. He knew it wanted to impale him and toy with him, to make sure he paid for being a nuisance. Because that was what he was, a nuisance. There was no hurry from this beast; it was only erasing barriers between it and Ayako.

While he took a first swing against a branch, Uriel had a struggle of his own. He growled loudly and slammed Gwen against the ground, once more. He was managing to hold her, to prevent her of clawing at him. He smiled tiredly, because she was jolting and struggling in vain, unable to make him let go. The branches of that huge tree were too far from the small river to attack him, and there were no vines that could move.

He felt confident, but that hope soon faded. Aeronwen looked at him over her shoulder, and outright winked at him. His violet eyes widened with horror, because he heard a yelp.

Uriel gasped and looked towards that voice. He saw his angel there, alone, hardly keeping the tree at bay with his sword. All those clawed branches were around him, they had made him back away slowly against the cliff.

Uriel’s grip on Gwen loosened a little, disturbed by the sight, his angel cornered. He wished to bolt, to defend him, to open him way to flee from the demonic tree. However, he only held her more fiercely, because she took his doubt as her chance to try to get free with a good jolt. She did not manage thanks to his fast reaction, but she did startle him more. She whispered, to mock him.

“Let go and run to him… you know you want to. Near the tree and perish at his side.”

Uriel felt a cold shiver, understanding that he had no way out. If he let her go, she would overpower them both. He would not be able to subdue her again like she was now, not without Lykaios. But if he kept holding her, he would not be able to face that tree, and so…

He knew there was no time. He began to stab her with his claws, desperate to end her. But she only laughed between huffs, because every wound healed in seconds.

Alexis panted with am angry grimace; his eyes filled with urgency, because the claws were now inches away. He kept cutting them with swings of sword, and for some minutes, he managed to hold on. Until one lunged from a side to grab him, after one of his wild thrusts. He let out a pained sob when that claw gripped his head like Gwen had done before. It scratched his forehead and face, while it pulled at his hair in a painful angle. He began to swing his sword blindly, with more rage, because he could not see much with those nails over his eyes. He heard and felt how he cut some branches, but he just won time; he could do nothing to stop others from tangling around his legs and right arm.

Aeronwen jolted backwards and almost made Uriel let go. He huffed and pulled at her arms, causing both of them to stumble out of the water while they tried to overpower each other. Both pushed and pulled, in a stance from where they could not move away.

Uriel cried with horror, because he saw that the tree had grabbed Alexis, and was now raising him up slowly, not as agile as its master. Nevertheless, it had the same intentions and strength, and too many claws.

“Alexis!”

The angel was growling and trashing between the wooden talons; he could feel them pressuring and clawing. Each branch he managed to cut blindly was quickly replaced in a second; the tree was huge and dense.

He could not stand being crushed and clawed; the grip of the tree was fierce… But nothing compared to the terror and hurt that he felt next. His eyes widened when a claw lied onto his shoulder blades, when it ripped his shirt and exposed his skin, sharply.

A shudder ran through his body, a jolt that stole all emotion in his expression, as a nail brushed the same scars that once had been torn open. The touch was as cold… not at all different from the one of that monster.

No.

Motionless before, the angel tensed abruptly, his fear suddenly drowned in anger. He raised the sword at his side, while he screamed at the top of his lungs, with pure outrage.

“NO!”

The sword swung down strongly, furiously. As he let it strike, the only thought he had… was the remembrance of that night.

His amber eyes had the most aggrieved look they had ever had, as his mind recalled every single moment that led to the loss of his wings… the loss of their bond. He recalled his own pain, but theirs much more strongly. The hearts of the ones he loved were torn apart, only because for cruel bloodlust.

It was by demonic hands that they suffered… but that was not the core of his torment. It was the fact that he had been powerless to stop them, from hurting them.

If he fell now… the claws would lay on them next, kill them.

He did not even blink when the sword blazed with light, a light that engulfed everything in a blinding fire. Uriel shivered as he saw his angel shout with ire; he heard him curse, with each fierce swing he gave.

“I won’t let you!”

A pained gasp escaped Aeronwen. Uriel glanced at her with surprise, because she cowered painfully in his hold. The branches that held Alexis had combusted with the shining glow.

The eyes of the angel held no disbelief, at all. There was only anger, indignation.

Alexis huffed and tried to free himself; he felt the hold of the claws loosen quickly, the fire consuming them at an alarming rate. He gave a last cut and kick to one branch that held him, and then fell to the ground onto his hands. He quickly looked up to the tree after regaining his freedom; he glared at it angrily, seeing it screech with an unnatural sound. It was swinging wildly, attempting in vain to extinguish the flames that were crawling to its core. The fire was growing fast, without halt, almost with hunger, towards every inch of demonic flesh it could find, it being leaves or wood. The spells’ hunger would consume it all, for all was tainted in demonic blood.

He panted tiredly; his amber eyes lost some of their choleric trance at last. He glanced down to the sword, dawning on what had just happened.

Words and intent… Angelic spells were raised by those two things. The flames had needed a spark to burst alight, fueled by emotion. While other angels invoked cold incantations with their hateful slights… this spell resided in warm passion. He had called out in fear of Ayako’s life when those flames first burst.

He couldn’t think much of it, he had to let go of that trail of thought. He was startled by the tree, which was moving with erratic jolts, torn and consumed. He saw and understood that it was falling and crumbling. Onto him.

Uriel screamed in alarm, as he saw Alexis jump and roll on the ground to avoid the ruin that was falling onto him.

“Al-!”

His voice was muffled with the loud howl of the dying tree; the fire that hit against the ground made everything rumble. They closed their eyes, blinded by the burst of light.

———————————–

Lykaios continued to ignore her kicks. And her screams.

“Stop! Turn around! Go back! LYKAIOS!”

He kept on holding her with one tail; he did not stop running away. He refused to obey her pleas.

“Please! It was me who she wanted! Not them! He’s an angel! She will kill him! And the other demon too! Let me go!”

She cried, realizing that he did not even glance back at her. His red eyes just stared ahead, without thought or emotion.

Lykaios did not react to her kicks or yells. But he did flinch when he felt a faint cut, which made him let out a sharp whine. He slammed his paws down and halted, then whipped his head back to look at her; he was not surprised when he saw a dagger in her hand, which was scraping his skin under his fur. She yelled again, demanding.

“I said let me go! I have to go back!”

Lykaios growled deeply and pulled her closer in the air with a tail, to huff at her face.

“No. I must keep you safe. Once I take you where she won’t find you, I will go back and-“

“It will be too late!” She punched him on the back, with urgency and despair. “Go back to the clearing! Turn back I said!”

He was going to ignore her again… until he heard her scream the next words.

“You owe it!”

She noticed that the tail lowered subtly; his ears trembled and slumped.

“You saved my life, indeed. I owe you my protection, I swore it. You can’t go back; if I let you go, you will be-”

“You only promised your aid that day, to my hunt! You made up all the rest with time, this stupid fixation on my welfare!” Lykaios flinched when she gave him another kick, with a yell much more loud and furious. “This time, I NEED to hunt that devil! If they die, I won’t ever forgive you! My hunts are meant to help, to save! That thing is back, to kill, just like it tried to kill you! It’s my fault that it has found that angel, I lured her there! His demon defends him, so both are as good as dead!”

Her hits got weaker. So did her pleas.

“…Please…”

Lykaios’ eyes fixed on her, less stern. She was crying. And it hurt him; his cold heart felt a sting of guilt, because he saw a subtle violet glint in her eyes, which faded when she closed them and sobbed. She hanged from his tail, heartbroken.

She cried, until she heard it.

“I owe you… my unconditional support.”

She sniffed and blinked when the tail began to lower her gently… until she was sitting on his back. She tried to calm down while the demon turned around, to look back to the clearing in the distance.

“T-thank-”

“You can be grateful once she is dead. I should have not let her get out of that retched tree.”

Ayako beamed, immensely relieved by his change of mind. Lykaios huffed when she let herself fall against his mane and gave him a tight hug.

He owed her happiness. They were her happiness. She would never smile again if they disappeared.

He let out a strong exasperated growl, and then began to run the way back to that clearing.

He cursed his coldness.

———————————————

The two coughed, dazed by the strong sweet scent in the air. There was dust everywhere, from the impact of the tree against the ground. The weeping tree died between golden flames, in the chaos of slashing branches, which soon melted.

Alexis was crouching on the ground, covering his eyes with an arm. He was trying to recover, to clear his blurry vision; he could only see glimpses of the wooden ruin around him, which almost crushed him. Meanwhile, Uriel sighed, because he spotted Alexis between it all, alive. The tree was melting, literally; the flames faded and died when there was nothing more to consume, when there was nowhere to crawl and grow on. Both were able to see clearly once again, because the golden glow disappeared. It did not leave ashes or burned timber behind, it left nothing. There was only a devil left by the river, which was still held down by Uriel’s claws.

Aeronwen trembled with an unfocused look in her eyes, dazed by the sight of the ashes of her new core, what would have been the heart of the forest she would rise. She could only shiver, because she saw the angel stand, and then look at her with the same revulsion he had for the tree.

Violet and amber eyes met. They did not need words or gestures to know what to do; they did not even look at the sword.

Aeronwen hissed and began to kick back against Uriel, to try to get free. No matter how she struggled, Uriel did not falter; he was firm, with his claws still sunk in her sylvan skin.

Alexis frowned, glancing at them and his sword worriedly.

“…Uriel, move away from her.”

Only one thing could harm her.

Uriel blinked, understanding what his angel meant. However, he only held her more tightly, because Gwen growled and moved her claws in a painful angle to scratch him; she doubled her efforts to flee. Her jaws bit the air, while she warned scornfully.

“Try to pierce me with that thing, and I assure you, my last breath will be solely meant to tear your head off, angel!”

She could rip his heart out, easily. She only needed a second while she burned down…

The angel tensed when his demon seemed to ponder, her words planting a dangerous thought in his mind. Alexis’ eyes filled with worry when Uriel shook his head and pulled her against him again, closer. He spoke firmly… and with resignation.

“Strike her. I’ll hold her.”

He couldn’t let Alexis face her and risk that he missed; he could be easily overpowered. He could hold her, for him to strike without peril.

Alexis’ mouth dropped, with an expression that turned even more terrified with every second that went by. It took him a minute to comprehend what Uriel was suggesting. Gwen would not die by any normal stab; she would close any gaps in her skin. So he quickly replied, while he lowered his sword.

“Uriel, I can’t control this thing or its flames! They seek devil’s flesh, without exception or reason! If you are touching her when she burns, you will-!”

“I know!”

Uriel did not let go of her, not even when Alexis gave him a horrified look, understanding he knew of the implications of the spell. He tried to reason with his angel, coldly.

“We can’t kill her in any other way…” He growled down at her, and she returned the gesture with a dark smile. “You just keep on healing!”

She laughed calmly, with mockery. Uriel hissed when she leaned against him, with a sway of head that would seem sweet, were not for the cuts that her skin was giving him.

“But of course, dear. You would be able to do it as well, if only you lived as long as me… Something you won’t do.”

Uriel could not hold her forever. He was tiring, while she only seemed to recover from the tree’s decomposition. Little by little, she was twisting out of his grasp.

Alexis begged; he could not even think of what the flames would do to Uriel, if he was close to her when he swung the sword.

“Uriel, please! Let her go! I can handle-”

“No!” Alexis was taken aback when he saw Uriel lose his composure. A few violet flames busted around him for a second, out of his anger and sorrow. “I do not want to risk your safety, not for mine! What does it matter what happens to me?! All this time I have been meant to be slayed! By your hand! So do it!“

“I don’t want that! I don’t want to kill you, I can’t-!”

“What if I want you to?!” He roared more than ever; Gwen squirmed a little more when his flames tangled angrily. “Alexis, my life had no meaning! I was alone for years! I only felt like I had a sense of being when you fell! I met you, and Ayako! But what did I do?! What did I do to you both?!”

He felt more anguish and rage when he saw Alexis shake his head in denial. He denied his lament, with disbelief. His angel did not dare answer him, so he yelled in impotence.

“You know well what I have done! I took away your wings! Blindly! I scarred everything I had at reach, everything I could! Your life, hers! I’m alone, again! And I deserve it! I have nothing, and I don’t want anything!” He laughed bitterly, while he slammed a claw around Gwen’s neck, because she managed to free one of her arms. They were wasting time. “I beg you; just do what you were meant to do when you fell. I don’t care, I won’t resent you! If I save her, if I let you slay me… maybe… maybe I could be forgiven, by whatever deity that has allowed this to happen. You would not be frowned upon back at home, you would be free! All would be over, like it was meant to be! So raise your sword and end me!”

Alexis could only stand frozen. He could not do this. Not to him.

His horror was buried by rage again, when he heard the beast laugh, with faked pity for both.

“You both are such emotional beings, equally naive…” She rolled her eyes, and then grinned up at Uriel. “Your angel won’t do it! Really, you left him broken when you ripped his wings; it’s startling that he’s unable to think of ending us both, being demons. Listen well; just let me go… and I will let you both live. I will be free anyway, sooner or later. I would kill both of you, but I offer you another obvious way out. Step back and release me… I only want to make that bothersome vermin pay.”

Uriel bared his teeth, burning her face as he exhaled a flaming breath.

“And Ayako…”

She just shrugged with an annoyed glare.

“Why do you even care? What makes both of you so distressed for her demise? Don’t you see she is human? How many years will she last? When will she begin to rot, while you both keep on living with the same youth? Why share paths why such a fragile being? Her existence was conceived to end quickly, without an impact or meaning in this world.”

Both angel and devil growled. They menaced her, with claws or a sword.

“You will be the one to die quick, you sick bastard.”

“You won’t make her life any shorter, you disgusting devil!”

Alexis faltered slightly after his yell, as he realized his words made Uriel nod thoughtfully, in a sad agreeable manner.

“We are all beasts…” His violet eyes narrowed, with a tired sigh. He yanked at her, displaying her before him. He whispered, pleading. “Now, strike, Alexis. We both want her to be safe.”

With that last part, he could not argue.

Alexis looked down to the golden weapon that he was pushed with. Something he never thought he would have to use. He expected it all to end as soon as Uriel laid eyes on him for the first time.

Instead of death… He found a hunter, who spared and cared for him; and a devil, who left behind his hate to try to understand, even if he failed once. He did not want to let go of that.

Does one of us really have to die for things to be alright?

Angel and demon crossed glances, in a moment without time. The answer was clear as water. She was in danger, and neither of them wanted her to die.

All would be alright… they understood the price.

Uriel closed his eyes as Alexis did. The sword was raised, slowly, solemnly. Gwen snarled and showed her hidden feral side, because she saw the angel lean… and then advance.

“Don’t you dare!”

Aeronwen managed to free one of her sides with a hit to Uriel’s side, desperate; she tried to give a strong slash to the angel, to stop him. However, when Alexis raised the sword over his head with tears in his eyes… Uriel stood firm and held her down, preventing her from halting their killer.

Alexis cried out with a broken voice, incapable of finding any deterrent against his assault.

“I’m sorry!”

He let the sword strike down.