They had roamed the western regions in the past, out of curiosity, perhaps. But that had been a very long time ago; they could barely recognize those towns anymore.

As they headed towards the far coast, they needed to near those settlements, all interconnected by roads. Their eyes had once seen them, but they now looked diverse, changed. Human lives were something ephemeral, truly. They had not dared explore these regions near Feiren, not since she passed away. And much like her, those times were gone.

Humanity really had changed, still the same, but all ever novel. While they crossed and avoided attention in their fraught journey, they could not help but glance at the figures that roamed those streets. All unfamiliar, wielding the knowledge that temple released, like if it had always been there. For those people, most young, it was surely something normal in their lives, something that always had been there. Water pipes, sturdier scaffolding on their houses thanks to metal, boilers and steam conduits, armaments… They, however, could remember times in which there were none of those things.

It was something new, and dangerous. They had left the vicinity of Feiren just in time. They soon saw the fire in the distance, where a camp had been. They were far from that atrocity when it happened, but it shook them all the same. When they made a stop near a town out of necessity, Alexis heard people laughing. He saw glee, sneers; folks were glad to have heard how soldiers had decided to force compliance on those things. They congratulated themselves on finally using demons as a shield, one that would slow down their possible loss of power and normalcy.

There was no normalcy in any of this, yet these people acted as if everything had always been like this. Perhaps, deep inside, he knew it was always like this. He just had the luck of living through small moments of grace between horror and bloodshed.

Much like in the south and east, demons were being rounded up, if they were not under the command of a human. They were being chained to their whims, even if seen less like animals. Just tools, once more. And he, again, would not allow that; not while he breathed. There was one thing Angus had taught him, more important than anything else… and maybe he did so accidentally. He would die before letting any of them be hurt.

With each day, their surroundings felt lest constrictive. There had been fewer skirmishes in these parts. The civilians by the coastline were less concerned by the dealings of the capital, even if still a little bit. Whoever won this senseless war, they would still go about their lives. They were just fishermen, farmers, artisans, commoners; they would just have new lords to command them. No difference.

Though, the raw fear for angels was still there. That terror was always colder than any dread an invading army could bring. And they felt it too, even when they reached their destination at last.

All peeked from the front of the cart, halted at the top of a secluded hill. Uriel heard Alexis let out a raspy sigh, the first to look away and sit back between crates. His angel could have glanced at the town far below between two tall precipices, a bayou with big docks. Instead, he knew he had focused on the sight of the ocean, the cliffs that stood in the far distance, south. They had never roamed back to that sea, not even with her.

Yet here they were. Even Alexis was glad they finally had reached this town, somehow. Uriel was always the one to voice their next move.

“Now, we just have to find a ship.”

Ariel eyed the town, noting the big and small boats sailing the waves by the docks. All belonged to humans, of course.

“Will they… let us?”

“Hmm.” Uriel tried to be optimistic. They had to try. “Ships do travel between the two lands, even if not frequently. And where there is a heavy load and a harsh trip… there are demons to carry most of the burden for less capable humans.”

All heard the next groan that echoed from between crates.

“Fantastic, promoted to taskmaster again. Will I need to wield a whip and-?”

“If you keep on complaining I will whip my tail and smack you. I need you to act again.”

“If you dared lift a finger over me you would get a nice bullet hole through that thick head of yours. I can see guards, and you can smell the powder.”

“Precisely, we need to comply with their expectations. There are other demons trying to flee apart from us, and if we don’t act as the most subservient workers, others may take our spot in those ships. And then-“

“You two, shut up.” Both glared at Lykaios, who began to twist and jolt, gradually hiding his real nature. He ended his whisper as a small lynx, one that would soon stop talking. “Hit the reigns and let’s find a captain who may cross the sea already. I smell demons and fear. They do not mix well, and in time, they can be dangerous.”

Ariel and Aurora had been paying attention to that matter while they bickered. Their blue eyes never left the outlines of yet another camp, even if smaller. Figures came and went from it and the town; the ones who walked back to the tents seemed tired, frustrated and truly lost.

Few sailors were allowing devils to embark, and fewer were heading past that blue abyss, unbothered by a threat that did not concern them as humans. Those demons were trapped, much like them. Luckily, they did have a human to vouch for them.

Alexis stared blankly at nothing, arms crossed, noting very well how all were looking at him, as if waiting for him to surrender. Something he did without changing expression, after a minute.

“Fine; I will do the talking, again. Because I enjoy chatting with humans so much; they are so nice after all, and considerate, not at all selfish. They will be so kind and welcoming, and smile at you, with no trace of conceit in their fucking-“

He kept cursing, but by that point, Uriel had already hit the reigns.

——————

 

He had hated the idea, loathed it, more than anyone. And yet, he was the one who was trying the most, desperately. He always did.

“We also have an old armour, almost ancient! But not rusty!” He hated to offer it to this old sailor, given that it was dear to Uriel. But he had to bargain. “I can’t leave my helpers behind, so… have it as compensation! Come on! They can be useful!”

“I told ye already.” The man lowered his pint with a huff, glaring at him through the table. “I’ave a crew already. We don’t need more workers in me ship.”

Alexis stood and slammed his hands on the table, uncaring of how he startled a few patrons.

“Then just let me pay you, dammit! Just let me bring them! Why is it so hard for you people to agree to that?!”

“Because we doin’ ye a favor.” Alexis grimaced; the next words were not relieving at all, said with a generosity that was selfish in its core. “Ye see, ye be young. I spy ye ‘aven’t traveled much. That there continent, lad, be plagued by devils. An’ there, it isn’t easy to control them. Ye brin’ them demons o’ yours, an’ I guarantee ye, they will flee from yer grasp an’ stop listenin’ to ye. They ‘ave more freedom there. People there be pansies. Don’t pay fer somethin’ ye will lose.”

The angel sat back again with a loud sigh. The man asked and offered, but only for him.

“So, will ye get aboard an’ accompany us? Ye could sell their ‘elp to some courier an’ forget about them.”

“N-no.” He shook his head and stared at his own drink, not even having taken a sip all this time. “I won’t. No way am I leaving without them.”

“Frugal, aren’t ye?” The sailor stood, having finished the drink Alexis bought him to try to bribe their way in. “I wish ye luck. Demon labor be a failin’ business model these days. Ye will lose them one way or another.”

That seemed to be more factual with each day that passed. He said nothing as the man left the tavern, knowing he would only be insulted if he dared imply he felt anything more than monetary interest for some demons. He had spent two days roaming the town and docks, daring to approach gruff men he would have feared if he was not frantic. All would either laugh or scoff at the prospect of sailing through such dangerous waters. Most ships followed routes along the coastline, back and forth between docks in the south and upper northern settlements. If any did fare for that continent… they were few, and either composed by a full crew, or very wary of demons. A few did sail with some demons as aides, he heard, but he was not finding any docked yet. Time was of the essence; soldiers could near them like they did by Feiren, any day now.

Those words… he kept hearing that land had not managed to enforce tight control over devils; an unfavourable thing for humans, but something that felt so alluring to him. Surely, individuals there had less time to adapt to the knowledge released here. The ships that did sail for that continent mostly carried metal, materials and documentation, to sell to other humans there.

But he could not find a way in which to dive past that dreadful abyss that could take them to safety. There were many barriers, and he could not break them. They were built out of spite, rancour and egotism.

“I’m fucked.”

He looked at his hands, and after a minute, he buried his face in them. It was late, the tavern was full of people, and yet the migraine he felt was not due to it.

What would Angus do?

He certainly would have set his hands aflame, grabbed that old man, seized that ship, and sailed with a merry angry song into the distance.

My flames can only burn demons, however, not humans.

If only he was not useless, if he had the skill of his mother or Angus, if he was even remotely what an angel should be, he could be wielding fire right now. He could be tearing this tavern apart and stop hearing those conceited whispers around him, so carefree and unbothered by this partisan madness. Somehow, he even admired Einar’s capabilities at the moment; that bastard could paint the town in red.

He soon would, if he did not get them all out. Angels would not stop advancing. People were hopeful, because Ayako’s old guild had taken an interest in such gathering, a mass of wings just waiting to be claimed… but he knew his kind. There was no stopping them; many would drop dead, but that only would make them more adamant. They were prideful, and humans facing them in such scale would soon mean a fiery war. It was starting.

The past always echoed back. Time could not erase the ripples life left on its flow. A long time ago, an angel had fallen deep into depression, self-loathing and angered grievance… and now, one of his very own blood fell into the same aggravation.

Alexis found himself clutching his drink painfully tight, much like Angus would have. Soon enough, he had drank it all, almost in one go. And yet, it barely did anything to muffle his anger, grief and pain. But perhaps the faint numbness was there, in his veins, soon to flow into his troubled mind.

His angered attempts at bargaining had picked the curiosity of some patrons, but only one kept eyeing him as he kept ordering mead through the hour. Two figures watched from a distant table what surely would have been a suicidal consumption, but the blond seemed to hold his liquor extremely well. Those furious snarls were not the ones of a drunk.

Angels could not suffer alcohol poisoning, but that was not something anyone around him would ponder. His thoughts were now blurred, sure, but he hated that he still could think clearly. He never drank this much, and to be honest, he was disappointed to find out that this amount of mead would not take him out. He now understood Angus’ obsessive consumption; it was a faint soothing feeling, not enough, however.

Useless, pathetic; can’t even work with what I have going on for me. I look human, for fucks sake. Think like her. What would she do?

Ayako would have gotten a spot in a ship by now, even if only for her. Maybe she would haul Uriel inside a crate, and the girls inside two barrels; then she would make Lykaios push them into the storage, in the middle of the night. To then board herself in the morning, like nothing, with a foxy smile. Then, she would orchestrate a mutiny to let them out; one without blood, but a mutiny nonetheless.

Violence is so useful… Still, hard to get used to it.

No, he couldn’t manage that. But it was something he would suggest to Uriel. It was their last resort, one that would surely cause all the guards in town to try to paint them with steamy bullets.

And so, knowing he was only wasting time and coin Ariel had trusted him with, he stood. He glared at the many empty glasses, which had given him warmth that felt undeserved. He could surely order more, because his purse had plenty of coin; the price was low as well, to attract the many sailors in the vicinity. He did not do it, though.

A pair of eyes fixed on him again as he walked to the door, pushing himself past it angrily. One of those figures commented, her sharp nails tapping onto their table.

“So he has some demons in his mind…”

The man eyed her, his gentle eyes the only ones who regarded her presence in the tavern with respect.

“We are loaded already. Someone would need to sleep in the brig.”

She grinned playfully, and any would find her concealed closeness towards her superior unacceptable.

“There is always space for more, captain. Think of the coin.”

“You know coin is not my biggest concern right now.”

With a hum, she leaned back, knowing she had to tone down her look into his eyes. She spoke respectfully once more, but still toying with what she knew irked him.

“He did sound very attached to his… subordinates.”

The captain finally scowled. She stared silently for a minute, her eyes sharp. And he finally stood; his sigh should have been commanding, but it was soft instead.

“Go make some space, you harpy. We don’t need the crates loaded with incense. Fool some merchant into buying them before morning.”

“Aye, captain.”

The she-devil quickly headed for the back door, which faced the docks; meanwhile, her captain went for the main door, which faced most of the streets and the roads that led out of town. His eyes scanned the darkness once he stepped into the cold air outside, and sure enough, that blond was there, glaring at the streets, clenching his fists under a street lamp.

He seemed so focused on his own thoughts that he was not noticing him nearing from behind. He was standing tall and tense, something that he should not be able to achieve after so many drinks. So the sailor approached rather curiously, not flinching as he saw him punch the lamp, perhaps for the second time, judging by a dent on it.

“Waste of time. Waste of space and air. Whole day I’m gone, and they will probably have done more useful things. She will surely have found the herbs we were running short of, he will have piled up lumber for weeks, and she will have shot through a deer or something. Not that those things will help find a vessel, but it’s better than fucking roaming all day and ending up in a tavern! Just-!”

A cough echoed. Alexis tensed even more, and if he still had wings, they would have bristled to an extreme extent. His eyes widened, both in surprise and anger; he did not appreciate that somebody had heard his laments, and much less that someone was behind him. He hated people flanking him.

The captain raised an eyebrow, because Alexis turned sharply, jumped back, and put a hand on the handle of his sword; all of that without falling backwards, something that should have happened after all those drinks. He proceeded to yell angrily, leaning in an aggressive defensive stance.

“Back off! I have a sword, it’s not a firearm, but still! Try robbing me and I guarantee you’ll regret it! I have fou-“ He corrected himself, raising a fist. “Three demons backing me up and they are obstinate as fuck! So you better-!”

“If I wanted to rob you, I would have done so already. You slammed your head multiple times against your table, which always offered a perfect opportunity to snatch the purse on your belt.”

Alexis stammered, standing upright again, red for the knowledge that this man had seen him do that. He would have cursed him, if he did not take a moment to inspect his looks in the dim light. Slim, yet muscled under his silky brown robes; there was a well-trimmed moustache on his face, which looked thoughtful and gentle. His eyes were piercing him, narrowed, yet they did not seem to hold any malice, all the opposite in fact.

What made the angel tremble and lose his hostility was what he saw on his head. There was no way to mistake that hat. He wore a tricorn, a big black feather hanging from it at one side.

A sailor?

The man stepped closer, having noticed his sudden lack of anger. Alexis stood frozen while he waved a hand sideways, inquiring kindly.

“I heard before, but now there is no doubt, you do have demonic company. I recall you were trying to find a ship to board with them.”

“Y-you-“ Alexis let go of the handle of his sword and pressured one of his arms, trying to make sure he was not passed out in an alley and he was hearing this right. “You are part of a crew?”

“Captain, actually.”

No, there was no way he was awake right now. Things just never fell into place this suddenly for his convenience, never. There had to be a catch, a trick, a trap. He had been looking for far too long for the chance just to present itself this easily when he least expected it, and without him making a move for it.

Still, he found himself asking, his heart losing some of the dread that had consumed him today.

“You have a ship?”

“Yes.”

“Does it sail past the ocean?”

“That’s the plan.”

“And… you-“ He shook his head; he did not bother asking if he welcomed demons. The man already knew he wanted to bring them along. “Fine; how much gold do you want me to surrender?”

Of course, a human would only welcome devils for coin, so he was sure the price would be quite painful to pay; something that he was willing to do, at any cost. This man was approaching him out of interest, he was sure of it. All those facts were very probable, yet the sailor pondered for a moment and said simple words, which he did not expect.

“The usual tariff, as settled by regulations; as well, of course, assistance by your helpers if needed on deck. The journey will be demanding.”

Those amber eyes blinked, and then there was another shake of head. That was not a high charge, at all; he had checked.

“That’s the price? Are you serious?”

“If you find it too high, I will bid you goodnight and let you keep on looking. Something you may have trouble with. Many demons can offer their strength, and few ships will dock needing it.”

“N-no, it’s not-!” He stepped closer to the man, trying to think clearly, now regretting those drinks. “Look, sorry, I’ve been a mess lately; did not mean to affront you. When do you even set sail?”

The captain turned and began to walk away slowly. He did so while relaying enough details, which kept Alexis from panicking.

“We were going to set sail at sunrise, all is ready, crew and all. But we will delay a few hours, we decided to sell a few things at the last minute. So, bring them, I will measure their capabilities, and you can then get on deck.” There was a warning. “Do not be late.”

“I…” He stood there by the streetlamp, watching the sailor walk away as if nothing. “I won’t be.”

Once more, he found himself alone with his thoughts. He took a deep breath, the air cold; he truly wondered if this was a lucid dream or perhaps a trap.

“Don’t have much of a choice.”

He walked away too, out of town. They would be there by morning, and he would keep a watchful eye. This was too good to happen so easily.

I will cause a mutiny if they dare hurt them.

—————–

 

There was no way they would be able to sleep, so they got to work instead. They needed to, now that they had made a choice.

The two were alone, the shadows of the inside of the cart concealing their figures. Aurora and Ariel had gone away to that camp, to try to sell whatever they would not be able to take into a ship. If they managed, by morning a demon would be at the docks to take their cart after they unloaded everything. They could not take it with them.

Still, they needed its concealment one last time; there was something very important they needed to do, in secrecy. That journey through the sea could very well take weeks… and this, would not last all that time.

He shuddered again, not even Uriel’s nails able to make him feel at ease. He could feel them press on his shoulders, heating with his flames the liquid they had mixed from herbs. After years of practice, they knew they did not need to boil it in a flask; it was much more practical to heat it as it was poured over his skin.

That was nothing, however. It was like when they helped him tend to his scars or occasional fevers. He was used to them brushing his old wounds. What he hated, was the next part of the spell that would hide his scent from devils. They did not dispose of human blood to mix in the substance anymore, and without it, there was one last step that was needed for it to be equal.

“Draw a small one.”

Even if he could not see Uriel’s face while he sat cross-legged behind him, he knew he had just glared at the back of his neck.

“It needs to last for a longer time. A small one will fade sooner.”

“I will not appreciate having a huge bloody symbol on my back all that time.”

“You just think I can’t handle bleeding that much.”

“At this rate, with how much we’re doing it, you are going to make that scar permanent on your palm. Each time I go to a river and it dilutes, you fucking insist-” Uriel’s claw had moved away for a moment, and the droplet he felt on his shoulders next was definitely not from the mixture. “…You’ve already done it, haven’t you?”

“Now, hold still, this will take longer than usual.”

“I never thought I’d say this, and I’m glad she can’t mock me for it, but I would rather have hers right now. It could be inside that mixture, put on me in one go; still disgusting, but less.”

By the time he had finished his repulsed complaints, his demon had already brushed his bleeding palm in the shape of a rune over his back, much bigger than usual, and so, more bloody indeed. It would have been a good moment to begin to bandage his cut… but he did something else first.

There it was, some whispered words, learnt a long time ago; and with them voiced, Alexis felt a deep sting where the blood had brushed. Not horrible, but not nice either. Certainly, the bigger rune made it less enjoyable. Her life-force never needed to seep so strongly into his skin to fake a human scent. Demonic blood shared some traits with humanity, born from it, but it was not human.

After it was done, there was another shudder and an angry snarl. However, Alexis was fast to whip his head and glare back at Uriel, who instead of cleaning that cut, was looking over him with that customary worried stare.

“Bandage it, dammit.”

“On it…”

As Alexis patted the dark and tried to spot his shirt between crates, two figures peeked into the cart. It was enough for him to begin doing it faster, never used to be shirtless, even if it was something they had to deal with often.

While the angel covered his scars and the drawing of now dried blood, Uriel leaned towards the two, his claws busy wrapping a bandage over his palm as asked.

“Did you manage?”

The two nodded, their blue eyes lidding sadly.

“It’s done… One demon said a farmer wanted horses for his mill. So he’ll buy.”

“I’ve arranged an exchange. They will be at the docks to take the cart. Won’t help us unload anything, however.”

Uriel smiled and brushed his forehead with both, neither ever afraid of bumping his horns.

“Good work you two.”

Lykaios eyed the horse nearby, noticing how the girls walked close to spend one last night by it. For once, he controlled his derisive thoughts and refused to insinuate they could have eaten it instead. His eyes softened and stared at the two, who sat against the side of the cart with a frown.

Aurora was the first to comment, both alone to ponder, even if surely their fathers could hear inside.

“Remember all those trips to the lake?”

“Every day. I recall more the days in which she would swim too, though.”

“Do you think…” Both felt a noose in their throats, their claws clenched together. “Will we be able to find something like that there?”

“Surely; lakes are a common thing, aren’t they?”

Both knew what they were thinking in reality. It was not really a lake what they were pondering. The fact that they would sail so far away… meant that they would truly leave behind all they had lived. And they would not take it back as they had hoped. They refused to lament, however. Like their mother, they wished to be strong, for their sake. Still, the two inside knew. They could have become strong-willed women, as stalwart as her, but they were still their daughters.

A big demon kept watch in the night, the only one unafraid of those new foreign lands.

——————-

 

It was not an inebriated dream. He was now certain.

There was no mistaking the vessel, because that man had been waiting in the open at the docks. He was easy to spot; that hat helped him stand out in the crowd. And even more, his crew was not conventional.

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Alexis eyed warily the many demons that were hauling stuff to the ship. He could not see a single human near the vessel but the captain.

“Are we missing some of the crew?”

The man gave him a smile, amused. Uriel leaned his head when he laughed, softly.

“No. You are looking at it all.” He turned and nodded with satisfaction at how the devils around him were working diligently. “I did mention I value their capabilities. Now, need to measure theirs if they are to join.”

Alexis did not like those words, but Uriel could detect the hidden tone to them, unlike him. Aurora and Ariel prevented themselves from glaring when the sailor circled the three, hand on his chin, pondering.

“These two, yes, you two can climb and tie ropes up high. Nice claws, impressive wings.” He looked up at Uriel next, who averted his gaze nervously while standing tall to seem reliable. “Strong muscles, tall… could carry two crates at once. Good! Now, come on, this ship is not going to sail all on its own! Unload that cart and find a hammock before all these devils claim the best ones.”

Alexis flinched, because another figure walked strongly from the ship, only to stand behind him. As he turned, he stared face to face with a female devil, who was eyeing him very sternly.

“Captain, do we allow… pets?”

Lykaios’ eyes glinted and peeked from behind Alexis’ legs, sinking right into hers. She was tall, very slender, many bristly gray feathers escaping from below her leathery clothes, her head dressed in them and acting as her sharp hair. Her yellow eyes were fixated on the lynx, but they knew she was also attentive of the sailor’s response. They had not expected the second in command to be a devil. And she had revealed what Lykaios was with just her tone, even if it was composed and well mannered.

“We-“

“But of course we allow them, Aquila.” The group blinked, for the captain strided to Lykaios and looked down at him, his eyes hinting well what he knew. “…As long as they behave.”

The lynx would have turned right then and there, if not for their sake and because the docks were full of humans who would go into a panic. He looked like a feral demon, and they were never seen as more than animals. If she was not there, they would have been able to sneak him in unnoticed. Now it was not only Alexis who was baffled by the strange opportunity. It really was too good to be without underhanded interest. Still, none of the demons dared say a thing, preferring to get on board and handle any possible threats once they could leave land behind.

The second in command did her job, quickly ushering them with a point of talon.

“You three, and cat, move it. Come on, we devils are supposed to be sly and strong, go on!”

Aquila grinned, pleased to see the four finally move, but not without sending a hesitant wary glance towards the blond. He was not glad to be left alone with all these many demons walking all around him and the captain, but he decided not to say a thing either.

“You do carry along quite the entourage.”

Alexis grimaced, not liking how the captain had neared him, face to face. His eyes were curious and inquiring. So he tried to excuse what was not being outright said.

“They are really loyal, all of them, and-“

“Oh, I can see that. You did not need to say a thing for them to move; while my second in command needs to yell at these devils we recruited for them to lift a finger. Always happens when you reassemble your crew anew in each dock. These demons we just allowed into our vessel, they are just strangers; they only care for coin or the fact we sail for distant shores. But your friends there, they have been with you for a while, and they do not look up to you for that gold you carry.”

“How the hell do you-?“

There it was, the blond had dropped his polite quietness, too unnerved by his observance. So the man decided to open up to a human he thought shared his beliefs.

“If you are not going to call me captain, refer to me as Amadi.” Alexis did not flinch when he pulled gently at him, making him go on deck. No townsfolk could hear there. “I am very used to devils, been dealing with them all my life. I find they are… strong-hearted.”

His amber eyes caught how his moved subtly, to glance at his second in command, who was standing tall on her talons, firm and watchful of his ship. She seemed to sense eyes on her, so he quickly stopped staring at her when her head turned sharply.

“That…” Alexis brushed the back of his neck, surprised to see a human respect one of another race. “Now that explains why there are so many demons around.”

This man was intentionally helping devils cross. He felt empathy for their kind; something that barely any humans felt. He was risking his property under such foreign crew because he trusted her. This was their last voyage before staying for good in those lands, knowing what was building up; one last helping hand.

He found himself asking, even if he already knew the answer, able to sense it faintly.

“You love her?”

Any other would have been insulted, but the captain sighed fondly.

“Oh yes. I hate to call her my aid, like you had to in that tavern. Bothersome, isn’t it? I saw myself in your anger. I see that care; you can’t hide it from one who knows it. And I do detect love when I see it. So, tell me, are any of them an… item?” Alexis went red and wheezed, which the man ignored with a smile. “The tall one with elegant horns, perhaps one of those two beautiful-?“

“No, nonono, nooo! Don’t you fucking finish that sentence! That’s my daugh-!”

Alexis slammed a hand on his mouth. Too late; the man’s eyes glinted.

“Ah. Of the four types of love, it’s storge and philia.”

The angel did not know where to hide, because the whole ship was roamed by a lot of devils and he did not know the layout of it. And to make matters worse, if he made a run for the hatch and the hold, he would still be a nervous mess; because right now the three had come up with crates and sent him a confused glance, noting his panicked look. Luckily, the captain only kept speaking when they were gone inside.

“She does certainly look like you, now that I can brush aside the traits that conceal it. Blond hair, some faint black streaks, slender, same stature… Now your wish to sail makes much more sense. You are audacious; few dare cross paths with demons, she-devils even less so. One wrong move and they can break your heart, literally.”

There was no way two humans could bring forth a demon, and he was a terrible liar, so he sighed tiredly and admitted one truth.

“She certainly was a vixen sometimes…”

One sudden thought seemed to cross Amadi, one that soon made Alexis tremble again.

“I must say, however, that you conserve yourself extremely well. And she has reached her peak in growth. How old-?”

“Captain, may I have your attention?” Aquila did not need to ask, because her very presence captivated Amadi. “You are needed at the helm.”

Thank god.

Alexis smiled with relief, glad to not have to seem arrogant for boasting his well-handled age. This was exactly why he had to hide she was his daughter, which honestly pissed him off. If this already bothered him, the horrified looks of bigoted humans would make him throw punches.

Amadi stopped looking at Aquila to excuse himself, all ever brotherly and friendly.

“We shall sail soon. Go help your family, they may need a hand.”

It had been a very long time since he heard that word from others. He just stood there while Amadi walked away, only Aquila sending him an inquisitive glance back.

The angel quickly reacted when three demons came out of the hatch. They were too busy questioning his sudden help with their cart to notice two eyes staring at them, sharply. A figure snarled, watching from above, a forked tongue brushing a fanged grimace.

The demon glared from the top of a mast, eyes piercing the blond. His cold blood could very well boil, loathing the sight of humanity below.