They had chased. All they could do was chase.

And yet, it did not feel it was enough. They did not have wings; they could not reach as easily the place where they had ventured.

They only reached danger, and still too far, only the tip of the surface. A scorching surface, as bloody as its depths. As his violet eyes took in the sight, he knew that it could swallow them, drown them in its carnage.

For blood was everywhere. It hit his senses, even if he had barely set foot near those burning buildings.

“God…”

Panting, his arms rose slightly in front of her; Lykaios growled deeply, shielding the two in turn. They had not managed to reach the forests. Not with what was in between.

There had been many angels, a while ago. Many human corpses decorated the streets… but also angelic ones. Some men and women, who he had come to know as fierce, were struggling behind cover. The walls of the buildings were lined with holes, by magical fire or bullets. Yells echoed, from the wounded, who had managed to cull their attackers with their new weapons.

But never enough.

As soon as their horse had neared, as soon as they had tried to go past the town… something had struck from above.

Their horse was dead now; they had fallen from it as a fiery stream sunk into its side.

And now… he could only whisper, dreadfully.

“Ariel, go.”

There was only one angel alive. Even though with great cost, the humans had managed to fend these monsters.

All but one.

“…” The angel batted his wings. Its mace twirled in his hand. And Uriel could only stare with a haunted gaze as it batted his white wings, advancing on them, completely forgetting the humans he had been killing. “Devils, even here…”

The word was let out cold, determined.

His violet eyes showed true fear. Not only for the memories that stabbed him… but for what could happen.

The angel dashed, as soon as Ariel tried to run for some fallen walls, where she intended to take cover and cast fire from. The mace rose, precise and intent.

And he… lunged for it, unable to hide or cower.

————————-

 

She heard the scream, both horrified and raging.

It told her enough; she did not need the sound of his lunge and his swing of sword to know better. And yet, it made her shudder, each fact stabbing deep into her.

While she froze in a contemplative moment, hauntingly incapable of moving… another kept dashing in instinct.

Einar leaned with a scowl, sidestepping as a golden sword swung near his neck, intent and without doubt. It missed by very little, a fact that surprised him, for he had never seen him wield a blade this precisely.

Alexis growled deeply, stumbling as he took drive again, eyes almost as sharp as demonic ones, for once wanting nothing more than to kill.

It was only when Aurora heard the sound of blades clashing that she wheezed and moved forward. She quivered but got to her feet, dashing into view. Her blue eyes sharpened with fear as she finally set eyes on what had made her father lunge with such rage.

Einar’s eyes glinted, as he pushed Alexis’ sword down with his own, setting his gaze on her with a staggered glance.

“Here too? This disgusting-?“

He could not finish; his interested contemplation for the fact only made him lose focus, which in other times would have not been as grave. His old golden sword sliced against his right wing, cutting multiple feathers.

“Keep your eyes on me, fucker!”

And so he did, for once seeing Alexis show the drive he had spent a century wishing to see in him. All far too late perhaps, as he did no longer care for it.

Alexis huffed, for that very same wing pushed him off, sending him back a few steps, sharp feathers cutting his face.

“Gladly, maggot!” He raised his sword, again changing priorities, forgetting completely about her or the corpse nearby. “One at a time!”

A cut, that silver sword slashing sideways in a fast swing; Alexis let out a growled cry as Einar sliced at his right arm, giving him a superficial but extended wound. His amber eyes twitched in anger and expectation as that sword made another motion, fast. His hands moved accordingly, to put his golden sword in between.

But the blades did not clash.

Alexis let out his breath, eyes narrowing as he saw an arrow sink into Einar’s left leg, stunning him enough to stop his swing. Both of them looked fast, in time to see her load another one, aimed at his chest, where she had missed. Her eyes were impossibly sharp, her fangs showing below her furious tears.

Einar smirked angrily, ignoring the pain, his wings giving a strong quick flap. Her second arrow did not strike his flesh, but a wall. Alexis’s next reactive lash missed too, as he tried to stop him from taking distance. The bastard dived into the smoke, stepping into the dark corridors.

The wingless angel snarled… and then lunged to chase those silver glints blindly.

————–

 

A pained yelp, black fur colliding against the ground strongly; Lykaios panted, his claws fast to slash to help him stand up again.

His maws opened wide, growling up at the figure that landed above, broken roof creaking with his weight. The angel opened his wings once more, arm rising up with embers, intending to cast them downwards at the huge beastly demon.

However, that arm and wings had to lower, to allow him to dodge once more, for more fire was sent his way, both blue and violet.

Uriel and Ariel panted, one trying to catch the fast jumps of that monster, while the other kept dashing between ruin to keep herself unseen.

Lykaios evaded being scorched, but not struck again. Uriel snarled as that mace hit strongly down, onto the roof where the angel stood. In a second, it caved in, those wings leaping up again.

Ariel cursed, seeing Lykaios try to dodge away, only for the wood and metal to fall onto him, trapping his lower body under. The huge feline began to snarl and claw at it wildly, twisting and wailing in bloodlust, trying to keep his sharp eyes on the angel.

But that was enough for it to leave him behind, trapped for a minute.

A minute was all it needed.

Uriel grimaced as that mace descended towards him from above, coupled with fire. In that sight, he knew why this angel had been the only one to stand as they arrived. And why it had lived in his nightmares.

However, he did not freeze and just wait in shock. Not this time. He could not stand by idly and let it kill all around it.

His claws slammed onto the mace as soon as it would have made contact with his head. The angel landed in front of him, applying force, trying to strike him down; both now in a match of strength, his age no longer a handicap.

The demon had fear engraved into his eyes just minutes ago. But as he stared at those eyes, those wings… his grimace turned bloodthirsty, for once acknowledging his nature.

“I’ll…” His fangs showed clearly in his next yell, his own fire tangling with the fire on the mace. “I’ll make you regret falling again!”

The angel did not seem to show any trace of recognition as they exchanged the rawest of hates. It was not what it had done so long ago what made him tremble with ire, but what it had tried to do now, again. That first strike on them had been aimed towards the youngest of them…

Ariel had to duck as a wave of deep fire burst from the centre of the street, red and violet striking indifferently all around them.

There were too many flames for them to hear the sound of distant echoes, descending from the valley.

———–

 

“Stop!” She called. He could hear her. “There are more!”

And he did not listen.

His steps led him forward, his sword up, no matter if blood poured from his right arm. He could see another bloody trail on the cold stone, which mixed ahead with all that had been shed before he could have sought.

Einar’s right wing was bleeding too, and it was letting him chase through the smoke.

And so he called, hearing his wings, somewhere, while he advanced over those droplets.

“Get back here!” He trembled, what he had seen forever to be engraved in his terrified mind. “I’ll make you kneel too, and slice that damn head off your-!”

His hateful yell was silenced, and his steps slowed.

“Stop…!”

He huffed, for a claw slammed on his arm, the one that did not bleed. For a moment, he glared back, piercing the one who tried to halt him.

But soon, his raging gaze softened, seeing her there, panting, afraid, begging. Her eyes as haunted as his, as torn. Her whisper was hopeless, impotent.

“He’s…”

Deep ahead, steps were echoing, with a distant command. The sound of more wings moving to greet it.

And he could only sob, his drive faltering, looking once more towards that echo, which was coming back, but not alone. His words had spite, anger, accusation, all at once.

“H-he’s alive.” A pained grimace, a shake of head.  “Angus is-”

Aurora answered, pleading, trying to convey many things in one glance and cry.

“I know…!” They were late, too late. “We-“

Alexis seemed to regain some clarity in his eyes. As he heard another command, yelled, steps closer, that silver sword dragging along the floor.

“Come closer now.” The next question was vile, twisted. “You wouldn’t run again… while he stays behind, would you?”

In that moment, he stood frozen, those words stabbing worse than any sword. It was only when his daughter snarled and stood in front of him with her bow raised that he breathed out and realized what he was doing.

Aurora was growling, eyes and wings opened wide, ready to spot anything that peeked from the dark and smoke ahead. The steps were closer, Einar not alone anymore. She would have stood her ground, refusing to flee when he would not. She wished she had clawed harder that day, managed to blind forever.

It was only when a hand slammed on her arm and pulled that her aim faltered.

Alexis cried as she gasped, refusing to look back as he dragged her into a sprint. His amber eyes showed true regret as he fled again, away from that monster. Away from where he had seen lifeless feathers, the very same ones that had shielded him so long ago.

I can’t… I can’t face him.

Not now, not here. Not with her.

He cursed as he hid into the smoke, pulling her with him, both unable to do anything but run. The wings were chasing, and all he could hear were his words, piercing, and reproving.

“If they ever come… go. Keep them away, if you have ever valued the day I saved you from that cold place.”

He had made a promise. And he had to keep it.

I’m sorry, Angus.