Great Angel Gabriel is the last standing in his trio.
I haven’t seen the fucker since the last realm war. He was the one who took off Zrako’s head, and now I must have his.
He wields his large axe—the same one that killed my mentor—and his gaze flicks to the sky. He wants to return to Heaven and run away like a coward, because he knows he’s no match for me. I’m not going to let him run, however, because I’ve wanted to kill him since the incident, and now’s my chance. Each time he tries to escape, I summon a wall of fire in front of him, blocking him.
It’d be much easier to take him down if I could fly, but unfortunately, most demons don’t have that ability, except for select kinds, like harpies. I can jump high enough to reach him, but I’ll start falling right after, and being in the air with no way to maneuver through it makes me vulnerable.
I shoot fire dagger after fire dagger at him, and he dodges every single one. I sweep past a few more demons, skimming them with my flames as I go, and angle more flames at my enemy. Many of my men are around me as backup, taking care of the demons that might come for my back as I battle it out with Gabriel.
“Vickal!”
Xeres is shouting for me. I whip my head around. The sight nearly stops me in my tracks. He’s in some kind of barrier with Valerie and Jared that flickers with white flames. Behind them, some of the men who accompanied us are waiting. Since when does Xeres have such a power?
I spot white light trickling from Valerie’s fingers, and it clicks in my mind that the power doesn’t belong to Xeres, but Val. But doesn’t barrier magic normally belong to angels? It belongs to a special and rare class of angel, and the most adept wielder of it I know is Great Angel Raphael. His barriers are invisible, however, and can span entire cities, although that is only achievable through considerable amounts of meditation and focus.
But we’ve been so convinced that Valerie and her brother are half-demons… they have our fire, although it’s white instead of black, can phase like we do, and, from what Sylver told me, Valerie is also capable of creating low-level illusions. Those aren’t angel-esque abilities. I’d hate for her to be one, because I dislike angels with a passion, and so do Xeres and Sylver. Angels have taken too many of my brethren from me, and our never-ending feud caused us to lose Zrako.
I continue to hurl flame daggers at Gabriel as I drown in thought, but the fucker just won’t die. My daggers chase after him, but his quick reflexes allow him to dodge them without struggling. If I’m going to beat him, I’ll need a better plan—
“Vickal!” Xeres shouts. “Forget him! We’re getting out of here.”
Some of my men have already abandoned their posts and slipped through the barrier, listening to Xeres.
I grunt, my gaze flipping between Xeres and Gabriel. I was so excited about severing the fucker’s head from his torso.
“That’s an order!”
I curse and turn around.
Gabriel uses my distraction to leave as soon as he can. He forces a wall of light from his sword—a power he’d been charging up—and cancels out all the daggers I throw, before disappearing behind the wall. I sigh and phase toward the barrier. “I almost got him.”
“You’ll have more chances to get him next time,” Xeres says.
“Guys?” Valerie says. “Can we hurry it up? I’m starting to get worried about Sylver.”
I shake my head. “He’s probably lost his way or something.” The barrier parts, letting me through, and I step in. It closes behind me. It’s a thin line of magic, but the demons are unable to penetrate the barrier. I glance at Valerie and raise an eyebrow. She’s a total wreck, with her tank top a darker shade of red than it was before, and pieces of dirt tangled in her lavender locks. Some her earrings have gone missing, leaving empty spots in her ears.
How she still looks this beautiful when in this state is a complete mystery.
“You shouldn’t worry about Sylver,” I tell her. “You should worry about yourself.”
“My senses are acting up.”
“Oh, so you have Spidey senses now?” Yes, I’ve watched those movies. We have break time and televisions in Hell.
“Feminine ones.” The way she scowls is cute. “Maybe. I’m not sure how I know, but I do. Or maybe I’m just getting worried that Sylver isn’t okay.”
We speed into a jog, meandering through demons as if they’re mere pieces of furniture.
On the leaf-littered ground, surrounded by blood, cut-off limbs, and corpses, we see a figure. It blends into the background, and we might have walked past it if not for Xeres raising a hand and halting us.
“Shit,” he says. “They got him.”
I look over his shoulder and see a familiar figure unconscious on the ground.
Oh no.
Valerie runs and cuts through the horde, sometimes stumbling from putting her barrier up too hastily. Her barrier almost lets a few inconsequential demons in, but she focuses on those weaker parts, and they strengthen with renewed vigor. We reach Sylver soon enough, and my stomach sinks as I look at his form.
Sylver has seen much better days. There’s a gaping hole in his chest, and his neck looks broken.
“Fuck!” Xeres shouts, his temper getting the better of him. “We need to get him to Hell, now.”
“He’s still alive?” Valerie asks. Her eyes have widened into the size of moons. “He doesn’t look like he’s moving at all, and those wounds… they’re not healing. We can still save him, right? We have to. Please say we can.” Why does she care for Sylver so much?
“They ripped his heart out,” I say. “But they did a pretty shitty job of it and didn’t do it cleanly, so we can still save him. Only the oracles can bring him back from this state, and he doesn’t have much time left.”
Valerie nods. Determination flares in her eyes and she begins throwing barrier after barrier in front of us. She’s tiring herself out. Dark circles have formed around her eyes and her actions are weighed down by a sluggishness that wasn’t there before. If she uses too much energy, she might do permanent damage to herself, yet she presses on. Her determination strikes a chord in me, and it makes me want to kiss her.
Strange thing to think when in the middle of a demon army.
There’s a ton of demons in front of the reddish portal. Val pushes her barrier out. She grits her teeth and spreads her hands, and veins pop on her wrists. The barrier expands, spreading around us, and pushes away the demons guarding our escape. They claw, thrash, and shriek against it. The sound pierces my eardrums.
The portal continues to pulse with the reddish glow. It’s swirling in the air, circling its own magic, flashing with its own power, and calling for us to step through.
She cuts out a pathway for us, until we’re standing in front of the veil portal. I nod at it, and my men waste no time in returning to Hell. They disappear through the glow, and I count them as they do. We’re missing a few. Some didn’t make it. I ache for those fallen or left behind, but this was to be expected.
“This leads to Hell?” Jared asks.
“No, it leads to Wonderland,” I say.
Jared lifts a brow. “You know your references.”
“It’s a common story.” I shrug. “Life can get boring in Hell.”
Xeres enters without hesitation, along with my soldiers, and he brings Sylver along with him. We need to save Sylver.
“After you,” I tell Valerie.
“I’ll keep the barrier up. Jared, you go first.”
She’s always putting her brother first. I wonder if she had the luxury of anyone taking care of her during childhood, or if she’s always had to be the strong one.
Jared does as his sister says and disappears into the portal, getting eaten up by the ominous light.
“Now you,” Val says, turning to me. I’m honored she gives me second priority, after her brother and above herself. This woman is a walking conundrum.
“I’m not leaving you here alone with all these demons.”
“I’ll be through right after you.”
“Still not going to do that.”
“Can you hurry it up? This barrier is hard to hold up.” Her hands are shaking, and her eyelids droop even as she tries to pry them open with her willpower.
I fold my arms and raise a brow.
She looks like she’ll collapse as soon as she gets a chance, and she has nothing left to fight me with. “Fine.” Her voice is soft. “Suit yourself.” Val sluggishly disappears through the portal. As she slips through, the barrier she was holding up collapses.
I glance back at the army of demons and wave goodbye. That seems to piss them off more. As soon as the barrier’s gone, they charge at me, shrieking and hissing even louder than before.
But I’m through the portal before they get anywhere close, and I return to my terrible home.