Xian Xi

Her words surprise me. I can't help blinking.

She hasn't changed sides, I realize, she's just declaring her individuality.

"I respect that." I mutter.

She nods briskly.

Cheers erupt from the others. I glance in their direction.

Jakota is sitting up, coughing his gut out.

I rush to where they are, leaving Dove to follow.

"I was going to go to heaven and drag you out of there if I had to." I tell him.

His eyes are wide and watery.

A smirk curves his blue lips.

"If I was in heaven, why would you want to disturb my eternal peace?"

I scoff. "You must find that peace here before you depart this world."

We clasp hands.

Valen rubs his back.

"What makes you think he'd even go to heaven? He's far from being a saint."

My smile fades. "He saved me. That's saintly enough."

Jakota shrugs, refusing to give into sentiment.

"I did what a hero would do. There was nothing to it. That's the difference between fleeing to fight another day and dying with honour."

I avert my gaze.

Then, I bow with my head to the ground.

"I respect your beliefs."

Kross pulls me up roughly, swatting sand out of my hair.

"Your hair is pure white. Do you age faster when you become nice?"

I ignore his question.

"I can't even remember what happened out there. Everything happened so fast." Jakota says, rubbing the side of his head.

"Enough of the chat." Dove's stern voice cuts in. "The time you're wasting here is enough for us to be on our way. It won't be long before the demons discover our hiding spot."

All smiles fade. All conversation ceases.

She holds out her hand to me.

I look up at her eyes, hesitating before I take it.

"I'm not going to break your arm." She mutters, rolling her eyes.

I take her arm. The strength in her arm as she pulls me up rivals mine - if it doesn't supersede it.

"There's a lot of surprises waiting for you where we're going."

I raise an eyebrow.

"The only surprises I can think of is an ambush of demon soldiers from the Imperial army."

She shrugs. "You'll see."

She turns and walks up the hill.

Then, she bites her arm and transforms.

Everyone backs away from her as her large wings spread out.

She lowers her head to the ground with a snarl.

"We better hurry, the demons are heading this way." Rames says.

I grab the makeshift robe around her neck and mouth.

When I glance down, my breath freezes in my throat.

The demons surround the entire bay.

I help kross up. Choi and Valen haul Jakota up before climbing after him.

Then Rames and Arcane.

The demons reach us before we take off, pulling at Arcane's legs. He screams out loud, reaching out his arms to grab the garments of the nearest person he can reach.

We clutch his arms, holding him as securely as they can.

The monsters scratch at Dove's wings and torso in an attempt to bring her down from the air.

Some pull her tail down.

Her struggle is apparent in her groan. Every flap of her wings is laborious.

The demons cling to her, eating through her thick scales, unrelenting.

Arcane smashes his booted leg into the multi-headed demon and it falls into the sea of monsters below.

We hoist him up immediately. His legs are severely bruised, marked with several cuts and claw marks.

Dove spins in the air, throwing us into a wild frenzy.

The monsters fall off her wings and tail, but not all of them.

She flies higher into the sky.

The beasts pile up below us, forming an ugly mountain.

The one at the peak grabs her tail and gradually climbs upward.

We all look back with wide eyes.

She dives straight for the clouds. The speed of her ascension threatens to throw us all off.

The clinging monsters fall off gradually, one after the other.

I peer down at the ground. They are littered everywhere. From this height, they look like ants, or some hideous cluster of crawling insects.

There were no Annihilators among that brood, I realize.

I look at Dove's wings. There are several holes scattered around.

She maintains a steady altitude for a while, but then, she starts to descend gradually.

Her wings stop flapping.

It takes a while before I realize that we're falling.

Land looms just a mile ahead.

"Dove! Hang on! We're almost there!" I call out to her.

The wind swallows my words.

Kross clutches me tightly.

Gritting my teeth, I pull the robe up with all the strength I have.

Her eyes flutter open at the pressure.

Then, her wings begin to flap again.

Sighs of relief erupt from the crew behind.

"She's bleeding badly!" Rames calls from behind.

His words drift towards me like a song lost in the breeze.

The shore is now in full view.

She starts sinking again, her eyes closed.

I close my eyes, waiting for the fall.

Then, I see it.

The sun. It's even more beautiful than I remember it.

Tears burn behind my eyes at its intensity.

We crash into the forest.

The closely packed trees slow our descent.

Unable to hold our grip on the makeshift rein, we get thrown off by the impact of the fall.

She transforms back before she lands on the ground.

My robes get caught on a tree branch, leaving me suspended mid-air

Rames is the first person I spot.

"A little help here, please." I call out to him.

Whistling, he climbs up the tree.

When he reaches where I am, he unhooks my garment without any prior warning.

I fall flat on my face.

A muffled groan escapes me.

He clambers down to help me up. I draw myself up, ignoring his outstretched hand.

"Where are the others?" I ask him, my tone coarse and brittle.

"I don't know. I found you first."

"Let's find them." I mutter.

We trudge through the dense forest, crushing twigs and dried leaves beneath our feet.

"It's weird to see so much blooming life. Well, what can I expect? The only living things in the Demon realm are the darkness and the silence."

I nod in silent agreement.

Dove lies on the ground, surrounded by a growth of thick rose bushes.

There are no other roses around - except for the ones around her. A rose thorn blooms everywhere her blood touches.

Her face is pale, her eyes closed.

Her arms are bent at an unusual angle.

"Dove." I whisper in her ear.

She is covered in blood. Even the porcelain skin of her face is smeared with black blood.

I shudder at the thought of having the same blood running in my veins - instead of the usual red blood.

"I heard demons heal quickly." Rames whispers to me.

I've heard the same tale too. But Arya didn't heal all the time - does it have anything to do with their masters?

She moans quietly. Other than that, she makes no other movement.

Kross reaches us, clutching his arm.

"That was the most incredible landing I have ever had."

I glare up at him. "This isn't the time for jokes."

He smirks, leaning down to brush leaves out of his hair.

His eyes remain blank when he sees her.

"Is she dead?"

The lack of emotion in his tone forces me to glance at him.

Rames hisses. "Get out of here. Go find the others."

"Especially Choi." I add.

He turns and leaves the way he came.

"You have to overlook that. You don't expect any of us to suddenly fall head over heels for a demon after everything they have put us through, do you?"

My gaze falls to the woman before me.

Would they still feel the same way about Arya if they find out that she was a demon? I wonder.

"Arcane was badly injured. I wonder how he's faring."

"Wake up." I mutter under my breath.

My hands find her limp ones and clutch it.

I realize with sadness that there isn't much I can do to help her.

Choi and Jakota emerge through the trees.

Choi is gripping the broken pieces of his beloved instrument. His eyes are full of sorrow beyond words.

Jakota is walking slower, his right hand clutching his abdomen.

"She's more saintly than any of us." Jakota murmurs, his head bowed.

"She's not dead." Then as an afterthought, I add, "Yet."

Kross comes back with Valen. Valen's face is contorted in pain, although he tries his best to hide it. Still no sign of Arcane.

Valen has a twig sticking through his side. My insides twitch at the sight.

There's rustling in the trees.

We all stare in the direction, alert.

Jakota reaches for a stick on the ground.

Chen emerges, carrying Arcane. He's not alone. Venus is holding Arcane's legs.

Their eyes widen with surprise as they see us.

Then the women and the boy join them.

Last time I counted, they were two women.

Who's the third?

I close my eyes as it dawns on me.

This isn't true.

She had died, right?

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