Although he had grown used to crowds, he still despised them. Far too many factors had to be accounted for, and it was exhausting mentally. It did not help that he also was fatigued physically. The past days had been an utter nightmare, even if they were not the worst in his life.

They had endured a long journey inside a claustrophobic wagon, a bombardment had fallen onto them before they could reach their destination, the consequent chaos brought many casualties they had to tend to, and once they managed to get a grip on themselves they were not allowed to rest.

They all were forced to move on, away from the coast. The days they spent in that train were insufferable, but at least they did not need to march. Many officials arrived with their own squads after the strike and began to shout orders. The most prevalent one was the need for them to move deeper into land.

So they moved, no objections were allowed. A few novices that had experienced the bombardment tried to do so, and they were promptly pushed ahead. The fierce glares of the veterans and officials were enough to silence them all. It helped that many were still shaken by what happened.

If one looked at the eyes of the novices, the regret was clear. However, desertion was not an option. Of all, perhaps the two were the ones who hated their fate the most, yet they were still sure of their decision.

That was why they followed the lead of the armoured vehicles diligently. They did not know where they were headed, but it did not truly matter. There would be risks everywhere for them, even between their allies. Due to it, they never parted, sticking close.

They received many glances from their comrades, for no demon or human kept such a close distance between them, not for long. Those glances soon turned into stares, once they reached their destination, where they were safe from any strikes and they could unwind.

He ignored it all at first, focusing on the task at hand because all were commanded to set up camp. However, as the hours passed, the division between devils and humans became quite apparent, and their bond was all the more obvious. Curiosity soon turned into derision or aversion.

“I want to punch off that stupid look on their faces.”

Uriel nodded strongly, for once feeling the same. However, he knew it was a bad idea, because the demons that were eyeing them were not exactly small. The federation had recruited rugged workers and the strongest devils of each family unit, and many matched his strength.

“Control your anger. If any step out of line I’ll make sure to confront them.”

His angel laughed sharply, letting down a crate to take out supplies and tools from it.

“What, think I can’t do it? They can’t put to use their claws and fangs without getting in trouble, so I won’t find many hindrances.”

“You are capable; I’m just saying that you shouldn’t do it. We don’t want to draw attention.”

Alexis scoffed, noting how a group of devils were looking down at him from a distance, sneering. Their closeness was odd, even if not unheard of.

“I think it’s a little too late. They are already staring at me like I’m a piece of meat.”

“They don’t want to eat you, they don’t know-“

“Uriel, the sharpness of your mind is not as constant as the one of your horns…”

He refused to spell it out to him, because he eventually got it. His demon did not fail to blink twice, and then he blurted something, to finally scowl. The indignation was all too clear in his violet eyes.

“T-they can’t possibly be thinking-!” He slammed his tail on the ground, letting out a snarl while he glared at those whispering onlookers. “No, definitely not!”

Alexis scratched his face in thought, to then sigh with a strong shrug.

“Ah, it does not really matter. That notion may help us keep another one hidden.”

“P-perhaps, but-!”

“Let me punch them. That will make clear that I’m no w-“·

“Don’t you say it!”

The blond crossed his arms and then finished with a blank stare.

“Wimp.” He rolled his eyes, unbelieving that a demon was more bothered by words than an angel. “I don’t understand how you can be so sensitive. I’ve seen you rip things and people apart.”

Uriel almost cut the rope he was fastening with the strong grip of his claws, outraged.

“I am capable of displaying flaming fury, but that does not mean I’m a vulgar brute!”

“Well, you tell them.”

“I will!”

Alexis blinked and raised an eyebrow, seeing him leave behind the tent that they were setting up, to march towards those other devils.

“Where are you going?”

“I shall fight for honour with the greatest weapon of all: words!”

“Uriel, they are rugged demonic soldiers, rationalism is not exactly their-!”

And off he went, hoping to bond with his own kin, to make their time between these troops easier to endure. The angel just growled under his breath, looking sideways subtly. Not too far away, there was a group of humans, working together to establish the camp. He could clearly see the brotherhood between them, and it irked him.

He refused to move towards them, staying put where he was, between everyone but far from all. While his demon easily started a conversation with other devils, he did not find the will to approach any other humans. After all, he was not one.

I’m just prey between predators.

——-

Blood dripped on the sand, slowly but surely. Its scent flowed into the air, mixing with multiple others. The scorching heat was ominous, almost as much as the figures that lurked, ready to lunge and bring death.

His chest felt heavy, it was hard to breathe. Still, he tried to stand tall and raise his weapon high. He clenched his teeth, eyeing the beasts that neared him slowly. Their fangs were grinding, their senses allured by the blood they managed to make him spill.

Even though he had a cut on his side, he proceeded to smirk and open his wings wide, hoping to intimidate them with the glints that his white feathers invoked under the sunlight. Two of the demons did flinch, but the third just growled and held his pickaxe tighter.

“I’ll rip your damn wings off!”

Those words did make him wince, but he did not cower. When that devil sprinted to strike him, he swung his sword. Although the devils did not have tails or extra limbs with which to strike him, they still displayed a raw strength he could not match easily.

He huffed when his sword collided with that pickaxe, for the clash was fierce. Before, he had managed to block their hits for a long while, but he could not keep up any longer. He stumbled backwards and fell right onto his wings, which made him cringe strongly. His determined smirk faded quickly.

With his fall, the other two demons lost all apprehension. They scowled and began to approach, making sure to grind their talons on the ground with each step. He tried to stand, but his body was failing him, and he could only listen to their threats.

“Not so mighty now, are you?”

“We’ll make you regret ever invoking fire.”

“Hopefully you’ll be ripped apart in the afterlife too.”

This was his first real fight, and he knew no spells. It did not really matter, for his comrades had surely been the ones to burn the relatives or homes of these three. He had wished to kill them as much, and his only regret was not having been strong enough to do it.

He tried to stand again, but he was struck once more, the pickaxe sinking into his right arm. His left hand almost let go of his sword due to the pain, but it kept its grip. It was the next kick that made him crumble and drop it.

“Pathetic freak…”

The demon was not interested in ripping his flesh to eat it, but that, he did not consider. His blue eyes glared at the three hatefully, only seeing savage beasts, ones he had been told of all his life. Their strikes only reinforced his hatred.

“Silence, you foul animal.” The three demons scoffed, unfazed by his zealous proclamations. “I am part of a divine-!”

He was kicked once more, and one of them gripped his wings strongly. The three taunted, finding strength in numbers.

“I’ve heard angels kill themselves when their wings are torn!” He paled and then tried to reach for his sword, which was too far on the ground to grasp. “Shall we see if it’s true, boys?!”

Two pickaxes and a knife would not do a very good job, he knew. He shouted and kicked, held tightly by their claws and talons. His white wings shivered, for their raised their rudimentary weapons over him. Before they could sink them into him, however, they were struck instead.

He exhaled loudly, hearing them scream in pain. Three bolts of fire struck them squarely, from behind. As they tumbled, he took his chance. He got to his feet with a strong flap of wings, dashing for his sword.

Sadly, by the time he faced them again to claim his first demonic kill, he was too late. He snarled, seeing how five members of his squad sunk their golden weapons into the devils, killing them swiftly and expertly. Some of them let flames tangle on their blades, something that he could not wield.

The demons were killed; their corpses were left to rot by the isolated crags, and his allies proceeded to eye him questioningly. He deflated visibly and let his wings drop, for his captain pushed past them all to approach him. There came the disapproving snarl, the authoritative judgement.

“Novik…” He hated the way in which his superior said his name, with scorn and derision. “My orders were clear. Any sight of devils was to be reported, for us to strike as a unit.”

They all had been commanded to scout the arid region, to survey which areas they could strike. They were not many, and the land was uncharted; if any of them died, the efficiency of the whole squad could be compromised. Their mission was one of no return, for they could not reach the gateway to go back to their homeland. He knew well that they faced much greater risks than their brothers in distant lands. Still, he tried to excuse himself.

“My apologies, sir. I was seen, and they proceeded to attack, so I-“

“Boy, you have wings, while these beasts did not! We were not far.” Novik let his head hang low, glared down by his kin. All were older than him, and he was the only one that did not commit his life to fight since birth. He was just a simple novice, a tool, with no glory. “Disobey again, and next time you come across a devil, we will let you perish. Understood?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Good, don’t forget it.” The captain turned away, batting his beige wings to fly off. “Let’s move.”

They took off, and they did not bother to tend his wounds, expecting him to follow eventually. He sat down on the bloodied sand, cursing mentally. It was true that he could have evaded those fiends and reported back for backup… but he had not wanted to.

When those three spotted him and lunged at him to avenge the many strikes that his kind had carried through, he felt his heartbeat fasten. He saw a chance, and he fought to reach it. Glory was all he wanted, to honour his lineage.

“She would have managed to bring them down, swiftly…”

There was no point in lamenting his incapabilities. After a few minutes, he stood again, with a pained groan. He glared at the horizon, with determined conviction. He opened his sore wings and took off, like the others. One day, he would prove the strength of his bloodline, or die trying.

——-

“Of all times of the day, they have to call this early in the morning?“

“Shh.”

Uriel silenced Alexis with a harmless jab, forcing him to stop protesting. They were all summoned in line as the sun rose; it was all too obvious that this was to be their first drill.

The angel despised how they were rounded up, eyed down by two officials and a few troupers. Everyone was tense, for they had not truly gone through a formal introduction to their forthcoming service. That was about to change.

A human officer yelled for them to stand at attention, while three red eyes watched carefully at a distance. Their general stepped out from a tent and proceeded to near their lines, to then eye them all as she marched near them.

Many new recruits were still baffled by the fact that a human held the highest rank in the army. It did not help that she was not the buffest of women and that she was missing an eye. Still, her gaze was intimidating enough, with an unreadable calmness that most found eerie.

“I had hoped to greet you all under different circumstances…” She halted strongly in the middle point of their line, scowling. “As you may have noticed, I don’t dispose of as many soldiers as I wished.”

She was not only speaking about them, but all the squads that were scattered through the southern regions. The coalition had not lost time, and it was marching strongly past the broken barrier. Her most capable units were fending them off. No more aerial bombardments had occurred, yet the ones that struck recently had left a mark. On their way to this camp, they saw a small coastal town… or what was left of it.

“Our current standpoint is, to say the least, dismal. That is why…” She took a few steps forward, and her eye narrowed when she spied an odd pair in between the troops. “You better prove your worth, or many lives will be lost.”

Alexis shivered, not liking how she looked him all over, with a deep frown. In fact, she had stopped marching in front of them all, to stand right there. He cursed his luck while Uriel took a deep breath, both seeing Itzal approach her.

“Captain, may I have your input?”

He stood tall in front of her, looking over them all as much, perhaps even more inquisitively.

“Always.”

She hummed with a very faint smile, crossing her arms behind her back. An angel cringed when she said the next words.

“Do you think all of these recruits are made to fight?”

All tensed, for they believed her to be questioning their capabilities, not catching the focused derision in her words. Sadly, two did understand, far too much.

Oh, for fucks sake.

Her eye was fixed on him, of course. His attempt at convincing that captain that he was capable of serving had backfired, in a way that he would regret. Those three eyes were narrowed knowingly, and he noticed well how that hairy tail was swaying in interest.

“Anything can be fixed with diligent and arduous training, I believe.”

Uriel mouthed something that Alexis did not catch, probably a curse. Dorothea nodded strongly, finding Itzal’s suggestion quite fitting.

“A severe discipline is required, indeed. We can’t let weak men form part of our troops.” The two paled, because she walked away, yelling an order that made everyone shudder. “Captain, please bring them into shape. Do not doubt to pressure the ones that falter.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

With her gone, they were at the mercy of the captain, who by the looks of it had set a metaphorical target on their heads. They would be up for a whole day of workout, perhaps through the night as well.

Alexis smiled nervously, because Uriel eyed him, scolding him even if he felt slight pity for what he would be put through. The next whisper was very quiet, but he still heard it.

“We need to work on that bullheadedness of yours… I’m the one who has sturdy horns.”

As much as he hated trouble, he sometimes ran face-first into it.