Demon Haters Anonymous

Despite how still the hibernating forest was, the paths of the Strange Wood
were absolutely abustle with activity. It was like nothing Amnesia had ever seen before. Sure,
she'd seen the Strange Wood busy before, but never like this, and certainly never looking this
strange. Coniferous trees invaded everywhere she looked, most with little stars gleaming in their
branches and sporting the biggest berries she had ever seen. Some even had tiny angels sitting on
top. There were other strange sights as well, most of which Amnesia couldn't make sense of, and
it all tugged fiercely at her curiosity. She sorely wanted to stop in front of a tree and question one
of the smiling angels or inspect the gargantuan berries and maybe even try one, as they looked
very delicious, but it was with a pang of regret that she forced herself to focus. She'd made a
decision, and she needed to stick with it.
Not that forcing herself to focus on the people she passed was any better. They were all bundled
up to their ears, hardly any of their skin showing, looking for all the world like they were trying
to cover themselves up and hide from something. Bare-armed and bare-footed as she was, she
stuck out like the first bit of color in the spring, and she attracted many stares. She kept marching
forward though, making her way towards the tree James lived in, where she had asked Khal to
meet her, practically bubbling over with excitement.
She'd never made a plan like this before! She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to come up
with it either, after finding out how James and Khal didn't like each other. That was something
she still didn't know... why they disliked each other... But she hoped to find out with this
meeting. She would stay with them both to make sure they were being kind to one another, and if
things worked out the way she planned, she could leave once they appeared to be getting along
well. It wasn't much of a plan... except for the part where she was bringing them together, but
remembering how they had seemed to behave at first the last time she was around them, she
hoped the same would happen this time. And she'd make sure to listen closely this time to make
sure they weren't arguing when they were supposed to be trying to get along.
It was with her plan firmly fixed in her mind that Amnesia was able to stop herself from
interrogating the angels about the happenings in the Strange Wood and keep marching for James'
tree.
 He lay alone in the silence of the room encasing him, arms placed behind the
head of blonde locks falling from him and landing on the pillow beneath. Despite his situation
and despite the events unfolding around him, he slept with a calmness and a lack of fear, one leg
dangling off his bed and hanging, not yet touching the cold wood beneath it. He seemed adamant
to sleep under the sheets of his bed, shirtless body spread out and unconscious despite his
uncomfortable looking position. If not for the subtle breaths, his unnaturally pale and unmoving
form might have been an issue. An unnatural hitch in his breathing pattern and his eyes opened,
the dimness of his room having near to no effect on the blue beneath long lashes.
“You can’t outrun me, you know. Until you die, I’ll be right here to remind you of all your
mistakes. ”
A deep voice brought him back to reality. Ignoring the pain in his neck from his current position,
he closed his eyes again, arm absentmindedly reaching out toward the table by his bedside. He
found nothing but the wood of it’s surface, though, he seemed adamant to find what he was
looking for. Next came stillness as his hand stopped, eyes opening again as he looked in its
direction. Everything that normally was still was, except for one important thing. Gone was the
bottle he turned too each time life became too hard, and, the only feeling worse than its absence
was the memory of his body being without it. Lips forming a curse, his other leg moved and fell,
both of his bare feet touching the floor beneath. A raise and a stretch of his body slapped his
senses, bringing his blue eyes to see the full clarity that was…the same dark room he’d always
known. His footsteps weren’t loud, his feet surprisingly silent as he crept across it, pushing aside
the opening to his closet. A pair of pants and a black hoodie dropped onto the bed, his body
following as he closed the sliding door to his closet. He was a tall male, body skinny yet shaping
slightly, the smallest signs of muscle found among his slender form. His hair was long and
blonde, this lightness of his hair obviously it’s natural color. No dye or anything else for a few
months now. He’d missed the way it had been…. the way it’d looked before he’d gotten
involved with this dump. Cut near to his scalp on the sides of his head and the back of it, his
bangs were the longest they’d ever grown, hair a flurry of blonde locks in his eyes, the top of his
head surprisingly tame yet long in the way the hair seemed to fight its confinement. Hand raised,
he parted his bangs to the side, taking but a small moment to rub at his eyes. Even though he
wasn’t, there were times where he felt human. Though the shake of his head made his bangs fall
slightly back into his eyes, he dismissed this as he grabbed for the pants near to him. Taking but
moments, the pants were buttoned, and the hoodie was the only thing clinging to his upper body.
Why was he going out? He needed a change of scenery. When he stepped out into the world, he
found himself immediately regretting leaving his home. The area was filled to the brim with
lights and festivities, that of which left him divided on whether he should enjoy them or ignore
them. Unfortunately, he chose to ignore them, turning on his side and beginning to walk down
the street. Of course, he knew just how different he looked to them all. They were bundled up,
barely able to stay warm, yet here he was wearing a hoodie, pants, and a pair of sandals. He felt
the smallest of bites, but, the few side glances at his attire were more noticeable. Not that he
cared, really. He’d stopped caring about what people thought of him a long time ago. His
thoughts were his distraction for a bit there, the plainness and noises of all the others around him
blending into useless background blabber.
“I think this is the longest you’ve followed me around. ”
“No. This is just the first time you’ve really noticed it ”
Ever since he’d popped up again in his head, he’d made sure to pop up more and more. He
hadn’t done a thing yet, and, sometimes he would disappear, going off to do something else,
probably. Though, it was when the feeling of being followed disappeared completely that he
returned to himself, turning to stare behind him. People walking around…nothing out of the
ordinary. He’d…just left. A sigh of what could’ve been relief followed this, before he turned
once more to stare ahead of him. There was where he caught her. He found himself chuckling,
watching her march through the crowd in a dress that probably would’ve managed hypothermia
in this weather. He found himself walking forward, still smirking slightly to himself.
“I could’ve sworn I’d given you a jacket before.”

So focused was she on not looking around and getting distracted by

everything in her path that Amnesia didn't even see James until he was nearly upon her, and even
then, it was only in part because he'd called out to her. "James!" A grin forming at the sight of
her friend, Amnesia rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his waist in her usual hug of
greeting. "I was just coming to find you," she informed him when she stepped back.
In looking her friend over, Amnesia noted that he appeared to be doing better than when last
she'd seen him. He was still skinny as ever, even a little haggard, but at least he had a smile this
time. There were times when she saw him when his smiles didn't reach his eyes and even that
one time when he'd been leaking, and there were times when he looked like he was about to fall
over at any moment. He worried her during those times, especially as he never let her take care
of him, so it was always nice to see when he was doing better. Besides, if he was in a good mood
now, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad when they met with Khal. Khal was never in a bad, after
all.
Feeling better about her plan already, Amnesia's face twitched as she fought the smile attempting
to surface, her aquiline eyes brimming with excitement and mischief. "You did. I keep it hidden
in a safe place," she said by way of answering the unspoken question, suddenly finding herself
wanting to tell him that he had to come to his tree with her. Except she couldn't do that. Then he
would know that she had something planned, and he'd want to know what. She had to keep it a
secret for now.
What did she say then? Amnesia frantically searched for something, and a bright flash of color
brought back to mind everything she'd been trying to ignore. "Come on! Let's go try the huge
berries that are growing on all of the trees here!" Taking his hand before he could protest, she
pulled him towards a tree that was in the direction of where she'd been going in the first place.

He’d expected her to be excited when she noticed him, though, he always
found himself slightly surprised when she ran up on hugged on to him. He…. could never truly
get used to someone just hugging him because they were happy to see him…well, happy to see
him and not wanting something from him. Though, she might have wanted something by what
she’d just finished saying.
“Were you looking hard enough? Kind of seems like I found you first.”
He found himself allowing her a moment to stare, as if he’d gotten used to her checking his
condition. He didn’t care…kind of felt nice knowing someone was worried enough to check. His
eyebrow raised, watching her face as she spoke.
“It’s nice that you keep it hidden…but do you not want to wear it? It’s kind of cold, isn’t it?”
He didn’t even attempt a protest, used to her ways. He simply followed along, feeling almost
dragged even though he was moving himself.
“Wait…?”
You couldn’t eat those things. Was she going to try to eat one of those things? Damn…with
anyone else this would be a perfect opportunity to get a laugh.
“You can’t eat those things though. They’re fake. Not real. Made by humans to be a decoration.
They’re not big fruits.”
He found himself needing to overexplain, mostly because of how many questions she liked to
ask at a time. He’d rather her not bleed out of her gums. Eyes wondering, he found himself once
more looking back behind him, as if he expected someone to jump out and make a mad dash
directly in their direction. He was paranoid now…he was paranoid and sober, both of which was
terrible for him.

Cold? Amnesia looked around at the people bundled up,

and her mind put the sight together with how animals grew winter coats to keep themselves
warm. James didn't look any different than usual though, and she didn't feel cold. Sure, the
ground was cooler than usual under her feet, something she confirmed by wiggling her toes,
watching as she did so, but they weren't cold. It felt nice to her. Still looking thoughtful about the
whole ordeal, she shook her head slowly. "It doesn't feel cold to me. But I've never been cold or
hot." Having come to terms with herself since Lilybaeum's attack, she was even able to quietly
admit, "It's probably because of what I am. If I'm part winter, I suppose it wouldn't affect me like
everyone else."
Still holding onto James' hand, Amnesia frowned, thoughts trekking down the same worn path
they'd gone down so many times since what happened with Lilybaeum, but as he spoke, she
forced herself back into the present. And promptly turned wide eyes on him as he told her about
the berries... that apparently weren't berries. Except he suddenly seemed distracted, and she
glanced in the direction he was looking. She didn't see anything particularly eye-catching though,
especially compared to the revelation he'd just told her, and looked back to the tree she'd been
pulling him towards moments earlier. He'd said the berries were decorations. "Why would
someone put fake berries on a tree though?" She asked aloud, and frowning, walked up to the
tree. Squinting at one of the berries, she looked at it closely and found little pieces of metal
attaching it to the tree, and now that she was closer, she saw that it didn't really look like it could
be eaten. What she'd thought were stars were attached together by a vine of some sort as well and
encased in glass. All other thoughts forgotten in the face of this mystery, Amnesia scowled up at
the angel standing atop the tree as it smiled down at her. "What's going on here? What are you
doing on this tree, and why'd you let someone ruin this tree with vines of lights and fake
berries?" she demanded.
Solstice hadn't shown up in front of the apartments like she'd said she would. As he looked out
over the crowds of people roaming the streets, attending to their various Christmas-related needs,
Khal sighed and ran a hand trough his hair. If she hadn't gotten lost in the crowds, she was
probably playing with Christmas decorations, trying to figure them out. Whatever the case was,
she should've been here by now, and he was starting to worry. While she seemed to have
bounced back since regaining fragments of her memories, that didn't mean that she wouldn't have
another episode. The emotional breakdowns always brought out her powers, and with it nearly
being the solstice, she could do some damage if she had another one, and with so many people
around...
Khal wasn't looking long when he turned a corner only to hear a familiar voice, raised and upset,
demanding questions. Moving around a tree in his path, Khal found her, obviously underdressed
for the weather, hands on her hips as she stared up at the top of the tree. "You aren't talking to a
real angel, Solstice," he explained with a patient smile--a smile that dropped the moment he saw
who was standing next to her. Had she run into James on her way to meet him? Khal forced his
attention back to his friend, who was now looking at him with guilt plain in her expression and
sighed. "It's okay. I know he's your friend. We can meet up some other time," he deferred,
guessing what she was about to say, and sent James a warning look. If he found her drunk
again...

“I mean, I’m not sure what you mean by being part winter, but I know what
it’s like to not really feel to cold or hot. Just thought I’d asked because you’re just wearing a
dress.”
He might have responded further, but the wrongness he was feeling about the situation sent his
nerves and his mind into overdrive, and he could do nothing but scan the area, thinking and
searching for any reason why his presence would suddenly disappear. And then he heard a
familiar voice….and he wanted to disappear too. The calmness of his face changed quickly to
quiet rage, muscles tense as his voice grated into his ears.
“Oh boy, look, a real angel. Get up on the tree for us, give the kids a show! While you’re at it,
fall off.”
Venom…he felt pure venom in his words, something he’d never truly felt coming free and
attempting to bite out at Khal. He didn’t truly like Khal, this was true, but he’d always made it
his life’s work to taunt and jab at the sparkly little twat. Yeah, they’d fought before…but he’d
never truly wanted to gut him but for a moment just then. He shook his head. He rubbed again at
his eyes, releasing the smallest of sighs.
“Don’t bother. I’m not about to stay. Just…make sure she doesn’t try to eat any fake berries.”
With this, he turned, stuffing his hands in his pockets, feet beginning a slow walk back toward
where he’d come from. Did he know why he was so angry when he spoke? No, he honestly
didn’t.
“See you later, Amnesia.”
 The comment was something Khal expected out of
James--though he'd noticed the kid tried to curb it around Amnesia last time they were both
around her and the heat in James' voice was new considering he'd just come around the corner.
Amnesia, however, did not expect it, even if she knew that her friends didn't like each other, and
she turned a wide-eyed look onto James that turned almost panicked when he said he was going
to leave. Right after Khal suggesting the same thing, too. She couldn't let them!

"Don't leave!" Acting without thinking, Amnesia grabbed both of her friends at the same time,
actually pulling James to a halt as he'd already started moving. "Both of you stay! No more
glares," this she pointed at Khal with a firm glare of her own, "And no more insults!" This at
James. And though this wasn't quite the way she expected her plan to go, before either could
formulate any sort of argument, she started in. "Look, I don't know why you two don't like each
other because neither of you will tell me, but I don't like that you won't try to get along! You're
both kind people. James is the first person I met when I didn't have any memories and didn't
know anything, and he's helped me a lot though we don't see each other much. No one else does
that. They try to trick me or just brush me off. He cheers me up when I start leaking, and I've
seen him leak too. You missed him talking about it, but he gave me a jacket a long time ago
because it was cold, and he thought I'd get cold because of how I was dressed. He's only ever
tried to help me. And when I started getting my memories back, I realized that Khal's my oldest
friend. He's here because he's been spending his life trying to keep a psychotic demon named
Ialikadrin in check who'd be happy to destroy the world. Who attacked me and is the reason why
I lost my memories in the first place and is the reason my sister tried to kill me. And then he
helped me through the pain when my brain was trying to put itself back together and made sure I
didn't accidentally hurt anyone. That means you're both good, and there's no reason you should
hate each other!"
 With some people, he might have pushed their hands away, though, with his
soft side always coming out when Amnesia was around, he found himself instead letting her grab
him once more.
“I can’t promise that.”
His response was quick, though he didn’t seem too interested in have an insult war with anyone
now. A part of him just wanted to get out of here…get away from the people and away from the
feeling of being watched. Yeah, he didn’t mean to sound so angry when he talked to Khal, but he
wasn’t about to shake hands and make up with him. A defeated sigh, one seemingly meant to
signal that he wasn’t going to leave. A part of him felt somewhat betrayed by the way Amnesia
so blatantly mentioned his kind nature, though, knowing he’d never told her it was secret, and
because he didn’t know why he needed it to be hidden, he lightly nodded his head, looking
somewhat like a kid who was currently receiving a lecture. His ears caught more vividly onto her
words about their past, and, though he feigned disinterest, his mind was already working to take
apart what she’d said and figure it out. He’d know there were other demons, but, hearing it again
just made him feel very tired.
“So, you two have some long history together huh.”
Though it might’ve seemed like a question, he phrased it in a way that made it seem like he was
simply stating it to himself, trying his best to run it through his head. He remembered Khal
calling her Solstice before, and, though he could see the name on her, it didn’t feel right.
Amnesia had already settled as her name in his mind.
“Alright, you want my honest opinion? I don’t hate him. I don’t know how I feel about him, but I
don’t hate his guts. Speaking since I don’t know how I feel about myself, that should honestly be
enough. It’s great that you two have some long history, and I’m glad you got your memories
back, but I feel like I’m being watched, and I really don’t want to be here right now, alright?
Nothing to do with you Amnesia, and nothing to do with Khal here. I’m feeling paranoid, that’s
it. The holly jolly Christmas goers aren’t helping me right now. Can I go home please?”
 "Solstice," Khal sighed as she grabbed both him and
James, attempting to keep them in the same vicinity, and as she spoke, he couldn't help but close
his eyes, trying to reconcile this person with the Solstice he knew. Even after so many of her
memories returning, she still acted so naive, thinking they could get along just because she
thought they were both good people. As she started talking about James specifically though, his
eyes snapped open, going to the boy in question, who just nodded, looking almost as if he were
upset about what she was saying. Even once she turned to talking about him, he continued to
watch James, thinking.
He was still considering it when Amnesia went quiet and James spoke up, and Khal realized that
Amnesia hadn't told her precious friend what had been happening with her for, essentially, the
past year. "We do," he confirmed, and when James said he didn't hate him, he raised an eyebrow
but listened in silence.
James' confession of not knowing how he felt about Khal was about as good as Amnesia
could've hoped for, but her stomach still sank when he continued because something definitely
felt off about him. And she was worried, with the way that he was talking to her, that maybe
she'd done something wrong... Him mentioning feeling like he was being watched was strange,
and she remembered how he kept looking around earlier, but she never did figure out what he
was looking for. She couldn't just back off though. Khal was being quiet as usual but this was
something close to progress! "Okay, we don't have to stay here. We can go somewhere else if it'll
help." She even released his arm, though she still held Khal's. She wasn't sure if his silence
meant he was thinking or if he just didn't want to speak, but either way, he could just disappear
the moment she let go of him, and she wasn't taking that chance.

As if feeling the stare, James turned his head, locking eyes with Khal,
eyebrow raised upward, as if he didn’t just hear Amnesia completely spill all his kind deeds and
didn’t have any idea why Khal was staring.
“Good for you two.”
A stiff reply to Khal, longing any bit of the hatred he had earlier, before he began to spill it all.
He really didn’t feel like fighting now, so, when she mentioned coming along, he shrugged his
shoulders.
“Honestly, as long as I can get out of here before I get sick, you two can go dance in the clouds if
you want.”
Again, no real anger, just a defeated reply. If Khal wanted to come, that was up to him. He just
wanted to leave at this point. If it wasn’t for all of the people here, who seemingly became louder
and more present the more he focused on them, he might not have been so obsessed with a
demon jumping out from the crowd. Of course, not like he would openly admit that was what he
was so shaken about, though, a part of him refused to believe Jonathan had ever truly left.

Khal bristled at James' statement, but more for the words

themselves than the emotion James put behind them. It almost felt like an automatic reaction,
even. The way James was acting, it was hard to summon up any feelings of animosity, feelings
that usually just leapt to the forefront without him ever trying. It didn't help that between
Amnesia's words and him meeting Jonathan, he suspected most of the reason behind why he
disliked James so much was because of the demon that'd been hiding in him. A demon whose
presence Khal currently didn't feel.
"How about the forest then?" Amnesia asked, now frowning at James with concern, her gears
having been switched with the new development to distract her. "Being there always makes me
feel better." When he agreed, still sounding to her unlike himself, she took his hand again and
this time led both of her friends back towards the forest. Whereas she'd stuck to the main streets
before for speed, however, now she pulled them into twisting alleys where there were few to no
people lurking. When she'd first started venturing into the Strange Wood, these little paths were
what she'd used to get places because of their lack of people, and sometimes she would just stand
behind a building and watch was happening, trying to understand it all.
Between her knowledge of the little-used paths and their lack of people crowding them, Amnesia
got her friends to the edge of the forest in record time, and as she led them into the trees, she
turned to peer at James to see how he was doing. With the Strange Wood still in sight, usually
there would be a few others around in the forest, but because of the weather, it was abandoned,
leaving the three alone.
 Honestly, he was very surprised by the short time it took her to work through
the alleys and bring them to the forest. He had to admit, he was impressed. Guess there were
perks to living in the forest. Before he could even register his own actions, he found himself
sitting on a large root near them, and, in a blur his two familiar weapons were stabbed into the
ground beside him as he placed his head in his hands, seeming to try and shake off his fear as his
hands ran down his face. In case either one of them wanted to ask, he quickly answered their
question shortly after he did this.
“No, I don’t aim to use them…I just really need something to make me feel a little bit more in
control.”
He said, leaning forward as he placed his elbows on his knees, elbows supporting him as he put
both of his hands together.
“You know…I thought people talking about demons made me feel sick before, but, I honestly
want to vomit just thinking about how many of them there actually are.”
He was partially talking to himself, though, he said it allowed, seeming to care little that
Amnesia was there.
“And I thought having one stuck in your head for most of your life was bad enough.”
He still hadn’t fully come to terms with that one…even though he’d talked to him-it-whatever.
As if seeking to change the subject, he glanced between Khal and Amnesia.
“So…demons, sisters, and memory loss. Anyone want to elaborate?”

The moment weapons were introduced to the equation,

Khal acted on instinct, pulling Amnesia away from James, though he relaxed shortly thereafter as
logic kicked in. James had never once acted as if he wanted to harm her, she was more than
capable of protecting herself, he wasn't even holding the weapons, and didn't look to be in sort of
state to use them.
After giving Khal a sharp look for pulling her back, Amnesia walked up to James again, this time
sitting on the ground in front of him. She didn't touch him, thinking that he'd prefer it that way
considering how he'd wanted to get away from people, but she stayed close. "In your head?" She
gave a little shudder at the thought. Just being around demons was bad enough. "That sounds
awful."
The mention of demons piqued his interest though, especially the part about one having been in
his head most his life. "You go first," he said, continuing to stand though they'd opted to sit.
When Amnesia turned to give him another of her looks, he sighed, adding, "I think the reason I
reacted so strongly when we first met might have something to do with that demon you
mentioned being in your head. Angels and demons can sense each other, and it isn't pleasant.
Honestly, it could be most of the reason why we've butted heads the past few years." He paused,
"Actually, I'm entirely sure it's at least half the reason. I've had the displeasure of having a
conversation or two with him. I thought you knew he was there though, that you'd invited him in
and wanted him. If he'd taken over your body like Kadrin, you wouldn't be here." He gave James
a once over. "Hearing you talk about demons and seeing you sitting here, arming yourself against
them, I'm starting to have doubts about that though."

When Amnesia walked forward, James lifted himself off of his elbows,
shrugging his shoulders.
“Yeah, it’s not nice.”
He didn’t seem too interested in talking about it, though, when Khal told him to continue, he
seemed to oblige.
“You want the truth? When he came to me, I did want him. Let’s just say I have parental issues
and those issues involved me getting hit and my brother being the best child ever. Kind of stupid
now that I think about it, but, my rage and everything else was enough to weed out a demon.
Came to me looking like he was on death’s door and made me a deal, he got all that I was, and
he killed my father, or gave me the power to let me do it…I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if
it was because my emotions were so strong or because he was close to death, but he wanted to
feed off of me…like a leech. I agreed, and he thought he had the upper head…but I was smart
enough to realize what happened. Turns our someone trying to possess you can get the tables
turned on them. He wanted my hate and my strong emotion, but if I tried to change and didn’t let
him have it, he’d have nothing to take…I even left home, came to Red Blood, and tried to be the
good guy. All that did was tie us closer together. He was dying when he came to me, on his last
legs…it didn’t take much before he caved and went, I guess, dormant. Aside from being
generally screwed in every other aspect, there was no demon there anymore. I was a kid…I
forgot what happened, made it up to be some kind of weird dream or something like that….
screw me for trying right? Now we’re just stuck together. He’s as tied to me as I am my body
right now. Of course, after going through shit again, I let go of all that niceness and started really
just hating everything…. guess I set his alarm clock. The only good thing coming out of this is I
could kill a demon if I’m willing to jump off a cliff or something.”
A smirk. A defeated yet triumphant smirk.
“He might have wanted or needed my body at some point, but, I think he wants something else. I
really and honestly think he could do what he wanted whenever he wanted at this point.”

All was quiet as James spoke, Amnesia's usually open

face was closed and serious. By the time he got around to the end, the wind had started to pick
up, sending bare tree branches swaying above them, and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms
around him in a hug as slow, fat snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
"Fuck."
The wind died in an instant, and Amnesia jerked back in surprise, turning wide, teary eyes on
Khal, who was frowning as if he were very upset. "If Jonathan's tied to James, I can't kill him,"
he explained in answer to the look he received and gave James a serious look. "You aren't
jumping off any cliffs. I'll help you figure out a way to get him out, and then I'll take care of him
myself." He quickly glanced at Amnesia, still crouched in front of James. "If she doesn't get to
him first."
When Amnesia turned back to James, her usually bright aquiline eyes were like ice. It was if, in
the past few minutes, her personality had taken a turn, leaving behind the innocent, naive girl
James and befriended and someone new had taken her place. "I don't like the thought of hurting
others, but he sounds as bad as Ialikadrin. Don't worry, we'll take care of him for you." Suddenly,
she gave him a gentle smile and leaned up to kiss his forehead.
When she pulled back, Amnesia settled herself on the ground again. "I guess it's my turn..."
Something in her shifted again, and she suddenly looked nervous, even going so far as to idly
play with a twig on the ground in front of her, eyes determinedly focused there.
"Solstice." Khal stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder in support and sighed as he
looked up at James. "She doesn't remember everything. There's a lot, especially bad things, and
she was convinced for a while that she was a bad person. That... well, Amnesia, the person you
know, was basically a lie. I'm explaining this badly... I think she's worried that you'll treat her
differently or will change your mind about being her friend or something of that nature."
Amnesia didn't look up or deny any of what Khal said. "I'm still me... I'm still Amnesia, learning
about the world, but I'm Solstice too. That's how Khal sees me; he's always known me that way.
That's how Ialikadrin and Lily see me too. Lily even said something to me... about how sad I
was. But I like being Amnesia better. I wanted to tell you for a while now, James, but I don't
want you to think of me as Solstice too." She peeked up at him from where she sat, offering a
little smile. "I know I probably sound crazy, like usual, but..." She shrugged, going quiet again.

James, who seemed tired and somewhat withdrawn, eyes widening with a
hint of hidden respect as Khal spoke first.
“That’s the general response.”
He said, patting Amnesia on the back with a certain casualness.
“I know a way to get him out, it involves us continuing our deal. You’d be surprised how
honorable he can be. Keeping me alive until he can get to my father.”
He paused for a moment.
“To be fair, you’ve almost killed him already. That fall, and the lightning really fucked me up.
He just wouldn’t let me die.”
A stare down toward Amnesia.
“You know…I keep forgetting you saved my life. Did I ever thank you for that?”
When he looked down and locked eyes with her, the stare she gave off made him shrug his
shoulders.
“Maybe later.”
Was all he said.
“I wouldn’t mind if you tried.”
He said, and, though he was normally a man that found could fling his entire life away, Amnesia
kissing his forehead seemed to surprise him. Well, it’s not often someone kisses you on the
forehead. When it became Amnesia turn to…try to explain, he seemed to lax up slightly,
crossing his arms and listening in.
“You know, if you weren’t crazy, you wouldn’t be any fun. You still sound like Amnesia and
look like Amnesia, so you’re Amnesia. Not like that’s gonna change just because you remember
something.”
He told her, winking playfully before he cast his glance to Khal.
“If you wanna take him on, I guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to say a thing or two.”
James started, though, when the full force of the wind hit his body, he seemed stunned, hair
flying to the opposite of him in a flurry of blonde.
“Please, allow me.”
His voice came from up high, and, if one were to follow it, they would see the male standing
straight on one of the tree branches. His hair, beneath the light shine of his body, seemed a mix
of black and white strands, and tied itself to run down his back in a single braid. His eyes, though
calculated, seemed to hold a gentle nature beneath their blue and green coloring. When he
jumped, the wind itself seemed to catch him, lowering him down to the forest floor in a flurry of
jumping leaves. His position was straight, the shirt covering his upper body black and unable to
hide the toned form beneath it. Though his feet were bare, the way he stood and walked toward
them made it seem like he was oblivious. As mentioned before, his skin seemed to glow, it’s
shine somewhat bright compared to the darkness around them.
“Flaws, weaknesses, anything you might like to know. It might be interesting to watch someone
fight him instead of crippling him myself again.”
With his mouth widening into a small ‘o’ Shape, he released a loud whistle, which echoed into
the forest. Following this noise came scurrying, some of people and some of other things, as,
with a smirk, he turned.
“And now we are alone.”

Khal winced at that particular memory. "That... wasn't

one of my better moments. I had no idea that a demon resided in you at that time, and if not for
Havoc's interference, you would have died. I... am sorry for that." As angry at James had made
him at that time, it didn't excuse his behavior, though Khal hadn't allowed himself to think that
way about it. Or to think about it much at all in general.
Amnesia frowned, remembering stumbling upon the end of that fight, but she didn't remember
seeing Khal there, and she certainly didn't know that he was the one James had been fighting.
"You did what?" She turned an incredulous stare on the angel, who shifted uncomfortably,
suddenly looking meek. James spoke again before Khal could defend himself though, and after
giving him a last look that clearly said they'd be returning to the subject later.
Amnesia turned back to James, giving him a little smile. She'd actually forgotten, too. "You don't
need to thank me..."
James' reassurance warmed Amnesia, who gave him a smile that was close to its usual sunniness,
and unable to help herself, she hugged him for the third time that day. Maybe it was the special
circumstances or maybe she was just feeling particularly emotional, but she couldn't seem to help
herself. She'd stop it if he asked or seemed uncomfortable, of course, but other than surprised
when she kissed his forehead, he seemed fine with the excess affection.
Khal sensed the approach of their visitor before the wind erupted in the clearing, but not with
enough time to warn James or Amnesia. If he hadn't recognized the aura as being angelic, he
would have been on guard, but as the angel appeared, he remained in the semi-relaxed position
standing nearby the two sitting. As he watched the angel approach, Khal couldn't help but feel as
if something was just slightly off, but he put it aside as the other spoke. "You're familiar the
demon who calls himself Jonathan?" he asked.
Amnesia, who was simply relieved to find that the winds had been produced by someone other
than her, watched this newcomer with curiosity. Something about his appearance nagged at her,
though she couldn't think of what it was. And though her friend played the newcomer's game,
Amnesia had yet to determine how she felt about him, so she stood up and walked over, gazing
up at him. "I'm Amnesia. These are my friends, James, and Khal." She frowned, still unable to
place how she felt like she'd seen him before, and shook it off as she put out her hand, now
offering up a smile. "It's rude not to introduce yourself, you know."

“Dude…. you pissed me off just as much as I did you. If anything, I

deserved it...hell of a fight though…even though I still don’t remember some of it.”
James, feeling as if he’d accidently revealed something he shouldn’t have, rubbed lightly at the
back of his head.
“I mean, I might need to thank you. I was dying.”
He seemed casual about the fact that he could’ve died…almost like it was normal. James, he
shook his head to clear away the hair in his eyes, raised an eyebrow.
“You people are the reason I’m paranoid.”
James said, to which the angel chuckled.
“A little bit of paranoia is worth your life, isn’t it?”
He replied, crossing his arms and turning, staring in Khal’s direction, seeming slightly amused.
“Familiar with him, fought him, almost had his head on my spear, and once called him a brother-
in-arms. So yes, I am familiar with him.”
A nod, though his expression was slightly grim, as if he’d lost someone important. Yerek rarely
showed his regret, speaking since much of it is buried under his hatred, directed inward and
toward Jonathan. His eyes, though they had been trained on Khal, moved downward, blinking as
this girl walked up and began to speak. In response, he grabbed her hand, giving her a firm
shake.
“I see. It’s nice to meet you. Though, I know James well enough as it is.”
He said, smile kind, though, when it came his turn to reveal his name, he dropped his hand.
“I am known as Yerechmial. You may call me Yerek.”
When his said this, his shoulders twitched, and with this came a flutter of black and white
feathers. His wings were folded, all of them fitting together nicely behind him, despite how long
they were. There were six, one pair of white wings on the upper part of his back, a pair of black
in the middle, and another white at the bottom.
“They call me a Seraphim, with six wings and a body that shines like the sun…though, our dear
friend Jonathan has left me in a state less than worthy of the title.”
When he spoke, his wings flexed, uncurling themselves as he nodded in Khal’s direction. Two of
his wings, the ones on the top and body, curled around him, almost shielding his body, while the
black pair of wings stretched out, seeming almost suppressed by the forest and trees around him.

"No! You don't deserve to almost die because he got

angry!" Amnesia argued, horrified at the turn the conversation had taken and turned on Khal. "I
gave you that power to help you against Ialikadrin, not so you could use it on someone who just
happened to make you mad!" She ran her hands over her face. "I might as well have done it."
The conversation was cut short at with the appearance of the angel, however, something Khal
was grateful for. Amnesia looked more horrified than angry currently, but he'd learned that her
mood was easily distracted.
The explanation from the angel drew a nod from Khal, who diverted his attention from the
displeased spirit sitting on the ground and gave the newcomer a sympathetic look. While he and
Ialikadrin had never been anything close to resembling friends, he could understand having an
unfortunately long history with a demon, and it sounded like that was exactly the case here as
well.
Amnesia's opinion of the newcomer went up a notch with his greeting, something many didn't
humor her on or took rudely. When he said he knew James already, she cast a confused look over
her shoulder at her friend, but asking how they knew each other was put on hold as he revealed
his wings and the fact that he was an angel, her mouth forming a small 'o'. The fact that Khal
hadn't reacted made sense now. As she stepped back from Yerek, her eyes caught on the two
blacks wings. "Jonathan did that?" It seemed... sad to her somehow. "Is there any way to fix
them?" She glanced back at Khal, whose face was also drawn, even as he shook his head in
answer to her question.
"Not that I know of," he answered her and returned his attention to Yerek. "You said you came
close to killing him once. I assume you're here because you want to ensure he doesn't live this
time? I'm not sure what the conditions last time were, but being that you're familiar with James,
I'm sure you realize that we can't simply kill him. That, and he has allied himself with a
demoness named Ialikadrin, who is her own set of headaches." Though it was the only thing he
could've done except let her escape at the time, he regretted locking her away in that prison.

James had multiple questions after Amnesia spoke up, though, when Yerek
appeared and began to speak, he found it best that he not continue that train of thought. Yerek’s
expression when Amnesia asked her question was obviously pure sadness, simply shaking his
head when Khal answered for him.
“I could have killed him multiple times after our last encounter…he chose to run and hide within
a boy, though. I choose not to endanger a human because of my own wishes. Even if they aren’t
necessarily human.”
“You said it, not me.”
James replied quickly, plucking one of his katana free from the ground, poking at the blade. It
seemed the angel’s presence had caused his fear and dread to leave him for the most part, as he
seemed much less worn than he had been.
“Regardless, yes, I do wish to ensure he doesn’t live. The angel I once shared kinship with died
the day they ripped his wings from him. The demon who now stands before us is filthy and
dangerous.”
He seemed to have more to say, though, he bit his tongue.
“Jonathan has, whether it was accidental or not, bound himself to James body and soul. There are
rare few ways to separate the two without the host dying at this point. Along with this, if his true
essence remains within James, any attempts to kill the shape he takes here will be useless. He
will simply return again. Though, count your graces while we have them. The host avoided full
possession…for the moment.”
Yerek gave a nod when Khal mentioned Ialikadrin.
“Yes, I remember her. Of course, my little spat with her was long before her pregnancy.”
He held his chin, seeming in thought and somewhat unaware that he had said something they
may not know.

Khal nodded his understanding. It was the same reason

why he endured Kadrin's antics and attempted to use peaceful means to stop her. If he killed her,
she would only come back, but more than that, if he killed her, he was killing the human who
never chose to be possessed. More than that, if he let her wander around, doing whatever she
wished, then she killed other humans and let her own host die in the process of pursuing fights.
He'd appointed himself her babysitter to limit the damage she did. Yerek's decision made perfect
sense to him.
"So that's what Jonathan attempted..." James' story of how he'd come into possession of a demon
was strange enough that Khal admittedly hadn't quite known what to make of it, but possession
made sense. He couldn't force a possession with how weak he'd been at the time of the deal,
though he'd certainly strengthened since. Except James had somehow found a way to avoid a
complete possession.
Though she'd stayed quiet, listening thus far, Amnesia spoke up at this juncture. "Okay, what are
the ways to separate them without James dying then? Because no one's attacking Jonathan if it's
just going to kill James," she said, speaking firmly as she met the gazes of both angels. She
trusted Khal and knew he wouldn't do anything of the sort, not unless he was forced into it, but
she didn't know Yerek, and just because he'd stayed his hand so far didn't mean he would
continue to do so forever.
"Her what?!" Khal's voice was a little louder than intended as he took a step towards Yerek, a
hand clenching. Kadrin had gone off the radar a couple of months ago, which had worried Khal,
but... "Are you sure?"
Amnesia went pale. The thought of that monster having a baby... "We have to do something. We
can't let this happen." Kadrin was inhabiting someone else's body though, and a baby... she
couldn't kill a baby. "We can... we can find her and lock her up somewhere, make sure she can't
escape. She won't be able to help Jonathan then, and when she has the baby, just... take it from
her. Even if its mom is a demon, that doesn't mean it's evil. Just... teach it to be good. Khal, you
could do it!" Amnesia knew she sounded like a panicky mess, but this situation was just awful.
She couldn't let it happen.

“Jonathan feeds on emotion. The feelings and thoughts of humans are his
feast, and he plays them for all that he can get. It is also true that being within his presence for an
exposed amount of time distorts the mind and leaves it damaged. It’s a simple task for him to
turn friends into foes. It…is also possible for this to take effect on otherworldly beings…such as
angels. The sympathy I held for him brought with it what could be a curse. As I am…I am
considered fallen and trapped here, only able to stall my progression by splitting my form. Being
here as I am is dangerous enough as it stands.”
He said, arms returning to a crossed position as he released a sigh. He seemed to be debating
something when Amnesia spoke.
“As they are, many of the ways, like exorcism or perhaps transferring the demon into a lesser
vessel, may be impossible due to their connection. Many of the normal ways still bring great pain
to the host, and, with his state like it is, there’s a very great chance of death. The two have grown
close together due to the long time spent sharing a body, the chances of something simple
working are low. If we can drag away the demon’s attention, perhaps by a distraction or
something big enough to make him loosen his hold, there might be a way to pull the two apart,
though it would involve myself and the shock to even someone like James could kill him. If it
succeeds and the demon is pulled free though, he will have nothing holding him back from using
all of his power.”
Even as he spoke, Yerek seemed in thought, as if he was constantly trying to think of a way to
avoid a death. It was only when Khal spoke again that Yerek jumped slightly, seeming surprised
due to how deep in thought he had been.
“Of the pregnancy? Yes. The child is a spawn of Jonathan himself, so of course I am aware.”
He seemed surprised, staring for a moment before glancing at James.
“What? They didn’t ask…besides, I didn’t know who the mom was. I just know he said
something about a baby.”
Yerek shook his head, responding quickly to Amnesia.
“I tend to think of demons as animals…and, when you try to take an animal’s young, what do
they do? Fight back, perhaps even going feral. Jonathan sees this child as something usable,
enough for him to leave James and monitor this Ialikadrin...not truly leaving James, but almost
turning his head for a moment, easily able to look back to see if anything goes wrong. Getting
close to Ialikadrin just means you’ll be fighting two demons. Even if you do manage to do all
that you say and the baby is born and taken, the child will still be a demon.”

As Yerek explained what he knew about the situation

with James and Jonathan, Amnesia listened attentively, her mind working through everything,
and she stayed quiet even once the subject had moved onto Kadrin's baby and her suggestion.
Khal, in strategy mode, stood with his arms crossed, silver eyes thoughtful. "I could distract
Jonathan. He certainly dislikes me enough that it should work. If you and Solstice stayed with
James, that would ensure he had care so that he wouldn't die when the separation occurs."
Though he understood Amnesia's thoughts on the problem with Kadrin, they needed to focus for
the moment. There wasn't anything they could do about her, but Jonathan they could take care of.
However, Amnesia had different thoughts than the two angels. She'd never been good at
prioritizing based on logic. "I'll be the distraction," she finally said, looking up at the group.
"Yerek knows Jonathan best, so he can help me, and Khal, you stay with James." When the angel
looked like he would argue, she gave him a flat look, "I'm the only one here who can't die, and
it's almost the solstice. There's never going to be a better time. You'll have some of my blood, in
case James needs it." She gave her friend a little smile. "I didn't know this before, but my blood
has healing properties." Then she looked back to the angels. "The distraction will be Kadrin.
Yerek said himself that Jonathan would go feral if someone threatened the baby. That would be
the distraction needed to separate them. Khal, once you make sure James is okay, you can come
help. I know Kadrin almost as well as you, so there won't be any surprises from her. And after
Jonathan is killed, we're going through with my plan because," here she looked Yerek in the eye
directly, "no one is killing a baby, even if it is a demon, it's a baby. An innocent. It doesn't have
to grow up to be evil. I'll take full responsibility of raising the baby and for whatever may happen
as a result. I'll even... leave and raise it from my home. Then you won't have to worry about it.
I'm a powerful spirit, I come from a different realm entirely, and I'm immortal. I can do
everything I said."
"Sol." Khal attempted to catch her gaze, but she remained fixed on Yerek, refusing to look at
either of her friends. He didn't like her plan. In the least. She hadn't been a fan of fighting before
she lost her memories, and she certainly wasn't one now. Jonathan was too experienced for her to
take on, and it was just too much in general. She was trying to solve every problem at once.
"Don't listen to her," he told Yerek. "She is everything she said she is, but she is also no fighter,
and being beyond death's reach does not mean she can't feel pain. The reason she is here right
now is because Ialikadrin attacked her, but she refused to fight back on the demon's terms. She
didn't want to risk harming Ialikadrin's human body, and she lost her memories for it. It was just
earlier this year that her younger sister attempted to kill her as well. The same younger sister that
she raised herself." He kept his face impassive, refusing to look at Amnesia, whose anger and
betrayal was undoubtedly aimed at him as he spoke, but her plan was unacceptable.

“I honestly do not know you, aside from the reports Dusk has given me.
You seem like a very close friend of James. Tell me…how would you feel if you knew you were
the difference between his death and his living. Tell me, what would you do if you were to go off
and be this distraction, and then James dies because of something you could’ve prevented? When
it comes to demons, it is best to let angels handle them. I respect your willingness to help, but
you seem quite naïve and unprepared. How easy do you think it would be for Jonathan to catch
you by surprise? How prepared are you for any traps that might be waiting? Do you think
Jonathan would even come out if someone like you made an appearance? An angel is what we
need and an angel is what we’ll have. I do not care about your immunities, your nature, or any of
the above. I refuse to even attempt removing him if you are to go off and be careless. Baby be
damned.”
When his hands moved, a flurry of feathers followed. What came from them was a long spear,
decorated in many different hanging feathers. Instead of pointing it at them though, he placed the
sharpest part into the ground, staring at her with a completely impassive stare, face straight. It
was only when James stood that Yerek turned his head.
“You know what? I hate to admit it, but they’re right. You’re not going to go out and do
something like that just for me. I appreciate it, but you wouldn’t want me to go off and get hurt
trying to do something like that for you, and, I really don’t care if you can’t die. I know he’s
explaining it, but, there could still be something we don’t know about that screws it all up.
Couldn’t live with myself if you went off and got tortured or something worse for me. You
know, if this works out, we can still get the baby. You can raise it if you want, but don’t be
stupid, alright?”
James phrased this as a question, stepping up and place his hand on Amnesia’s shoulders.
Still unwilling to do anything of the sort, Yerek turned to Khal.
“I know full well that you are an angel, though, I do not know your capabilities. If I might ask,
would you allow me test you? Not something serious…simply something to sate myself before
you jump into facing two demons at once. You have the liberty to use anything that might give
you comfort.”

The fact that Khal would speak up and attempt to dash

her plan to smithereens hurt. He didn't even give good reasons. He just used past examples to
make it look as if she shouldn't be involved. And while logically, she knew he wasn't trying to
hurt her, it felt like it. Yerek, however... She wasn't sure who Dusk was or what he'd heard, but
there was no reason for him to simply decide that it was a bad idea based on the fact that he
didn't know her. His words didn't hurt; they just made her angry. She didn't even realize that
snow had begun to fall again, heavier this time, much less that she had taken a step towards
Yerek, until James was suddenly there, his hands on her shoulders.
When she looked up at him, though she didn't realize it, Amnesia's appearance had changed
slightly. Her sunny blonde hair looked nearly white, and her oceanic eyes had become a pale
blue. His words, refusing to listen to what she had to say just like the others, didn't hurt or anger
her though. They actually helped to settle some of the anger. "It isn't just for you though... They
both need to be stopped. Kadrin murdered the woman Khal loved. She turned my sister against
me so that Lily tried to kill me, she's killed more people than I want to think about, and Jonathan
sounds as if he's just the same just from what you've told me. Besides, I said that Yerek would go
with me, not that I'd go alone, which seemed like part of his problem. And that I'd give Khal
some of my blood in case you needed it." She glared at the angel over James' shoulder. "You and
Khal are worried but he's just... mean." And it looked like they were already moving on with a
new plan. Amnesia's shoulders sagged as she sighed.
Khal had thought for a moment that he would have to stop Amnesia, after what Yerek had said
and seeing the change in her appearance, but when James stepped forward, he decided to let the
boy handle it. She was more likely to listen to him anyway, after what Khal had said. He was
secretly happy that no one liked the idea of her plan though. Then, as Yerek suggested a test,
Khal turned his attention away from his friend. "I think it would be a good idea," he agreed. "If
we're going to fight together, we should know what the other can do." With a flash of light, a
long sword appeared in his hand, and Khal flashed a wry smile, "I'm a bit old-fashioned, myself."
He nodded to where James and Amnesia still talked. "We might take it away from them."

When he agreed, Yerek found himself smiling. The calm and composed
nature seemed almost frightening when he plucked the spear from the ground, twirling it in his
hands as he grabbed the middle of it’s base, holding it in a way that left the spear pointed away
from Khal. He seemed to be holding it backwards, prepared to fight with only this part of his
weapon.
“My point exactly.”
With this, he nodded his head upward slightly, and, without another word, the wind began to
brush through the trees, hitting them where they stood. His wings seemed to flex, almost
disappearing the way he shot into the air. He rested above the treetops, floating almost casually
above, waiting simply for his chance to begin combat, hand holding firmly the spear in which he
aimed to use.
“Don’t keep me waiting now!”
James, though obviously seeing that Amnesia’s features had changed, shook his head at her
words.
“Yeah, it all really sucks, but, I don’t think it’s a good idea for either one of us to get involved
yet. Besides, he’s just going in to distract them long enough for Jonathan to separate. I’m sure
you could go join in after that’s done.”
He didn’t think it was a good idea, but if it calmed her down a bit.
“Well…from the way it sounded to me, Yerek needs to be here to watch over it. Sounds like
angel and demon stuff, really.”
Ignoring Yerek’s takeoff, James smirked.
“I don’t think he’s mean, I mean, he shook your hand and smiled at you and stuff, didn’t he? I
think he just doesn’t want anyone getting hurt. Doesn’t seem like a horrible guy.”

Even if it was only for the purpose of them getting to

know the other's abilities, he thought it should be fun. He did hesitate a moment, however, as he
glanced at James and Amnesia once more, contemplating whether to say anything, but he
decided not to and instead revealed his wings, taking to the sky as well. He already knew one of
Yerek's abilities; it seemed he could control the wind. If they were going to fight in the sky, that
would certainly make things even more interesting.
"Here?" Khal asked. Noting how Yerek was holding his spear, he let his sword disappear and
summoned a spear of his own in its place, shifting to hold it in the same fashion as the other
angel.
Though she saw both angels fly off, Amnesia didn't attempt to stop them. A part of her that was
still upset with the both of them did convince her to tap into her powers and pick up the wind,
however, in the hopes that it would make flying difficult for them at least.
Only then did her attention focus back on James and what he was saying to her. "You don't need
to get involved at all," she told him with a frown. "The only reason you are right now is because
he's attached to you." As something occurred to her, Amnesia gave James a curious look. He
wasn't acting uncomfortable around her anymore and seeming as if he were carefully considering
every word. He always got stiff when she hugged him, only calming down when she kept her
distance, which was why she always did, but it was different today. She'd hugged him three
times, and he'd seemed fine with it each time, and he'd even initiated contact by putting his hands
on her shoulders, where they still remained. What changed?
She put that thought from her mind and shook her head though, when he defended Yerek. "I
didn't say that he was horrible, but he is mean. And the way he acted... I know Khal will try hard
not to hurt Kadrin, but I'm worried he might try the opposite. It seemed like he thought the baby
would be evil no matter what."
 A part of him knew that he was completely unaware of this angel’s s
abilities, though, he found himself excited. It’d been too long since he’d just had the opportunity
to spar, and, even longer since he’d been able to spar with an angel.
“Would you like to move higher up? I’ll follow if you’d like.”
He seemed patient, wings stretched out only just enough to keep him floating. Despite this, he
took a stance, the arm holding his pole rearing back as the spear ran past his shoulder.
“Nothing that might kill. A few cuts and scrapes are different from something that could possibly
require a change in the plans we’ve made. Everything else though, is fair game.”
He said, and, noticing when Khal changed weaponry, he smirked. It was like a contained tunnel
of wind, when he raised his hand upward. It shot out with massive speed, blasting in Khal’s
direction. It had been concentrated, shooting quick and directly for him. Though, a moment after
it reached its target, Yerek flew upward, the speed in which he dived making him almost a blur.
He seemed obviously well-versed in the ways of his weapon, treating it like a tiny stick as he
went for multiple jabs with the end he had been holding before.
The pressured air had almost gone off with a boom when it was launched, causing James to raise
his head upward. Huh…he never thought this kind of battle would be a thing.
“You’re thinking about going out there, why couldn’t I? It’s not really right to tell me I don’t
need to get involved when you’re going to go in there.”
He told her, releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding it.
“I mean, I let it get this way, so I feel like I need to do something, right? That’s why I’m gonna
let them pull him out, and I really would appreciate it if you would help do that.”
He’d realized, through all of the stuff that went on, that he’d stopped trying to choose his words
around her. He’d stopped changing what he said, even going so far as to casually cuss, and he’d
even stopped worrying that a part of him may hurt her.
“I mean, do you think your sister’s evil? I don’t know if you really do, but Jonathan was like a
brother to him. He doesn’t like demons because Jonathan became so twisted. If you want to get
back at him, prove him wrong and raise the baby right. Show him that it won’t be evil. I mean,
I’ve got faith in you.”
 A thrum of excitement had taken up residence in Khal,
and his normally stoic behavior gave way to an anticipatory grin as he faced Yerek and said, "I'll
make sure to hold back then." It was partially in jest, but the truth was, he did have abilities that
would be nearly unusable in this sort of sparring match, especially with the two currently below
them. He'd have to be strategic.
When the other angel raised his hand, Khal felt more than saw the wind aimed in his direction
and quickly flew out of the way, feeling the concentrated force rip past him as he did so. There
was a sharp slice of pain as the edge of the wind tunnel clipped the edge of his wing, but he
ignored it as he kept his attention on his opponent. Okay then.
Khal met Yerek's dive, waiting until his opponent had nearly reached him before releasing a
burst of blinding light as he backed out of the way of the spear being jabbed at him. Having
closed his eyes against the expected flash so as not to blind himself, he took the opportunity of
Yerek's temporary blindness and surged forward, using the blunted end of the spear as he might
the blade, aiming sharp jabs at the angel's middle. Anything that managed to hit would cause
bruising at best, maybe a fracture if it managed to hit bone in the right place, but nothing
debilitating.
Amnesia's head went up at the same as James', concern creasing her eyebrows, though she
relaxed with a sigh as she caught sight of the smiles both angels wore. They were enjoying it...
She couldn't understand how, but they were. She watched them, flying at each other with spears
held backwards, moving with a speed and grace her eyes couldn't seem to comprehend, until
James' words brought her eyes back to him and returned the frown. "Because if Yerek's right,
you'll be weak, and besides, I don't want you in the middle of two angels and demons trying to
kill each other," she told him, her tone almost like a mother's, though the frown softened as his
next words, transforming into a reassuring smile. "None of this is your fault. You said you were
a kid when he came to you, right? That's awful. Kids are precious and innocent. They might hear
about stories of demons, but they don't know how bad it all really is, and they need guidance to
make the right decisions. You don't have anything to feel guilty about. He took advantage of you.
And of course I'll help. I'll do everything I can, I promise."
Mentioning Lily hit a nerve that not even his proclaimed faith in her could quite bring the light
back into Amnesia's eyes. "She isn't evil. I just... I hurt her. I... I raised her, James. I remember
parts of it." For the first time since announcing her plan, doubt entered her eyes. "I don't think I
can do it. What if the same thing happens?" Her eyes widened as another realization occurred,
"Would I even have the same time I had with her? I don't know how fast demon babies grow. I
don't know how to take care of a baby!"
 “I assume I’ll do the same…well…even more of the
same.”
His chuckle, though playful, signified the tunnel of wind. Finding himself silently impressed that
Khal had evaded such high-speed winds, he was only more so when bright lights assaulted his
eyes. Blinded though he was, he still seemed capable as ever, fist raising in time with the first
jab. The end of the spear that had been intended for the middle of his body went up into the air as
he pushed it away, possibly throwing it from Khal if his grip weren’t tight. When the weapon
went up, the Seraphim’s wing twitched, it’s form shone as if it were metallic. From it came a
flurry of white feather’s, seeming almost coated and shaped into dagger-like forms, flying in
Khal’s direction.
“How many times have I been weak now? I’ve pulled through worse. Don’t hate me, but I feel
like I owe the demon I nice chat anyways.”
His smile was somewhat somber, as if he felt something would go wrong but he wouldn’t dare
admit it. Of course, he tried his best to smother even the flinch in his face, instead raising his
eyebrow when she turned to smile at him.
“I mean…kids are innocent, sure, but their parents tend to shape them. Maybe it wasn’t my fault
completely.”
He said, though, his nod seemed thankful when she offered her assistance.
“Counting on you.”
He didn’t think much of what he’d said, though he recognized when she spoke again that he
might have spoke about something he wasn’t fully aware of.
“Look…again, I don’t fully know the story, but, I know you well enough to know that you
wouldn’t hurt someone on purpose. If you keep dwelling on what’s happened in the past, it’s just
going to get worse.”
Damn he was a hypocrite.
“The only thing you’re going to have is your doubts if you don’t try. If you think the baby could
be good, even for a moment, then do it. Don’t think about it. The baby’s not Lily and this isn’t
the same situation. If you sit here and make yourself nervous, you could miss out on the chance
to change a baby’s life for the better.”
It was when the leaves crunched that James turned his head to the side, staring down the shape
walking toward them. She was young, the only feature that could’ve even made anyone think
any less the bags under her bright green eyes. Her full lips stretched out into a smile, one that
complimented the shape of her oval face and raised the nostrils of a somewhat wide nose. Long
lashes blinked as they stared forward, staring directly toward the two as she took another step
forward
“You mean the first time I get to see you again, you’re giving out baby advice?”

Deflecting an attack he hadn't been able to see coming?

He's good. If Khal hadn't had a good grip on the spear, the deflection might've actually sent the
weapon tumbling from his grasp. As it was, he was forced to adjust his grip into a position he
was less comfortable with, even as he moved into a defensive position, anticipating that Yerek
would make an attack now.
The feather daggers came in a surprise, as they'd already established they weren't really aiming
to wound, but rather than attempt to dodge the attack, Khal's wings hardened as well, and he
used them to deflect the feathers back towards Yerek, even going so far as to push the boundaries
of their friendly sparring match a little by setting the feathers aflame, swooping in behind them
to take advantage of the defensive position it would press his opponent into, even if only
momentarily.
Amnesia frowned, giving James a serious look as she said, "I don't hate you." That's all she said
though. She actually understood wanting to hurt the person who'd done so much to mess with
your life, and while she still didn't like the thought of him in the middle of everything, if he was
well enough, she wasn't even sure she could stop him. After all, she'd seen him transport before.
He could just disappear from place and appear in another. She had no way to stop that. So she
kept quiet about the rest. They'd see what happened.
"I won't let you down," she promised softly.
As he tried to make her feel better, Amnesia chewed on her lip, doubt still clouding her eyes.
Some part of her knew he was right though, that she'd never let what happened with Lily ever
happen again. That she wouldn't--couldn't--make the same mistakes. She'd changed, and taking a
breath, she gave him a little nod. "O--" The word didn't full leave her mouth when the young
woman approached and spoke. Something about the woman tickled at the back of Amnesia's
brain, though she couldn't quite figure out what it was, something that was actually a semi-
frequent occurrence for her these days, and she glanced at James, whom the comment seemed to
have been aimed at. His expression immediately rang alarm bells in her head though, and she
quickly reached out to her friend, wrapping his hand in her smaller ones.
"Who are you?" Amnesia looked back to the woman, shifting her body between the stranger and
her friend as if she could protect him from whatever he'd seen that had upset him so much.

He opened his eyes as his eyesight began to return,

grinning to himself when the fiery feathers came his way.
“You want to know something that’s possibly even more important than combat skill? The
ability to think of multiple scenarios and prepare a solution.”
Wind came in a mix of haunting noises, suddenly coming alive as it surrounded him. The wind
was rapid, furious, and wrapped around his area completely. When he raised his hand, the razer
edges the feathers held seemed to disappear, their forms like that of a bird’s feather as they
burned up within the surrounding fire. When he swung his hand forward, the wind shouted,
expanding into the small area around with their force and pushing anything away that had gotten
too close.
“It’s a good tactic, turning your enemies own attack against them. I wouldn’t normally use my
feathers against an opponent I wasn’t serious with, though, you’re interesting enough to warrant
it. You can control the shape and form of your wings, you seem to possess fire, and you’re
fast…though, as of right now, you still haven’t completely convinced me you’re up to the task.
I’m debating it, though, a nice little show of something that makes you different from all the
angels Jonathan has torn holes in wouldn’t hurt your chances.”
Yerek still seemed to be enjoying himself, and, with a nod of his head, he pointed a hand toward
Khal.
“Do start us off again.”
James wanted to keep up the conversation, wanted to tell her she could do it, though, when he’d
turned his head, he’d forgotten to. It was a head of dark brown hair put up into a tail that had
walked forward, and a smile that still played her lips as she stared between the two. It wasn’t that
James knew he…no…he wasn’t very aware of who she was, but his face betrayed him. She felt
familiar…like he should know her. It was the feeling that came along as he mapped her features
that made him jump slightly when Amnesia grabbed for his hand. A small noise of disbelief
came from the woman, as, with a point of her sharp finger nail, she nodded her head at James.
“You two seem close…did he just not mention anything about me? I mean, I’m not expecting
any big show about it, but you think he’d have something to say. I was sure his brother told him
something.”
Caring little for their attitude, she came to stand near both. She was short, but only by James
standards. She came to his shoulder, still tall, but obviously not the tallest one of them. When she
crossed her arms, she did so over the white of her outfit. Her attire was surprising simply. A
simple white shirt and jeans. It was obvious by her whole outfit, youthful appearance, and the
strap-on sandals on her feet that she seemed much too young to be a mother.
Her eyebrow came to raise, smile dropping as she watched the two closer.
“You seem like you’ve seen a ghost.”
There her hand went, placing itself firmly on James’ shoulder, facing him for a moment before
she looked at Amnesia.
“I expected surprise from Alexander here, but, I don’t know what reason you have to be on edge.
Just don’t throw any ice this time…”
She caught it before she even registered it, the blade James pulled stabbing right into her hand.
She pushed, and, as if it were child’s play, put a hole in her hand as she ran down the blade. She
jerked the hilt from James’ hands, the large blade still cutting through the bone in her hand.
“Alexander…you know better than to play with little toys like that. You’re just going to get hurt.
But to think you’d try to stab mommy…”
There it was, the smile and the red eyes that stabbed into him. He should’ve known from the
beginning what this was.
“I mean…my memory is a little foggy. I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t fully remember
her, but stabbing her? Not even I’m that heartless.”
Removing the hand from James’ shoulder, she reached for the hilt of the blade sticking out of her
hand and, after releasing a small grunt, she jerked it free, tossing it to the side, then moving to
stare at Amnesia.
“I don’t like you, but I’m not here to fight you. I’d be suicidal doing it with angels playing right
up above. I just…. got a little bit impatient, is all.”
Turning back in James’ direction, she smiled and raised the hand that had been on his shoulder.
She opened her mouth, licking from the hand red liquid, as, when she dropped it, she nodded
toward his shoulder. The red print, though hidden somewhat by his black hoodie, seemed fresh,
the bright red running down from it’s spot and starting downward.
“To think I did you such a favor while you were busy plotting against me.”
 Khal hadn't expected the feathers to actually reach Yerek.
They'd originated from the angel in the first place, after all, but it was interesting to see how,
rather than block or move out of the way, Yerek simply allowed the feathers to return to their
natural state and burn, then used the wind to blow away anything that might have remained. It
was a good defense. There were bound to be some things that could get past it, but he was quick,
and his winds provided a good defense as well. Actually, the angel's talents seemed primarily
geared towards a strong defense, though they could be used for offense as well, whereas Khal's
set of skills made his offense stronger than his defense.
This he was thinking when the other angel started to speak again. "Well, I usually wouldn't use
fire against an opponent in a friendly match such as this, but as we're testing each other..." Khal
allowed with a shrug, though he couldn't help but feel a prickle of irritation. This wasn't for the
purpose of proving himself to someone else. This was so that they could get a feel for the
abilities of the other. Still, something about Yerek's words planted a seed of determination in
him. "Fine, you want to see something a friend shared with me?"
Solstice made it look like second nature--effortless--when she controlled the weather, but Khal
had to actually take a moment to concentrate. Even so, the gathered clouds overhead soon began
to answer his request, and within moments, fat flakes of snow started to come down, at first
lightly, then gaining speed and momentum as the wind picked up as well.
Amnesia frowned at the woman, having no idea what she was talking about and not liking the
way James had reacted to her appearance. She wasn't quite sure what was wrong even, only that
something was. It didn't help that there was still that niggling in the back of her mind, trying to
connect something that she just couldn't quite manage.
Her frown deepened as the woman approached, walking around her to put a hand on James'
shoulder, and though Amnesia did nothing to attempt to stop her, she continued to watch in
silence, ready to act if she were needed. Even if she didn't like the strange way her friend was
acting, she wasn't so overbearing that she was going to try and handle the situation herself when
whatever was going on was obviously between him and the other woman. Not unless she thought
he needed help anyway...
"You--" Amnesia started, though she cut herself off as the comment about the ice sank in... the
same moment James chose to attack the woman. She started, eyes widening in surprise, but
though something within her urged her to do something, she wasn't sure what. It was her friend
that had attacked, and the woman retaliated.
Her words only confused Amnesia further. Mommy? Glancing between James and the woman,
the thing that had been bothering her finally cleared itself. It wasn't glaringly obvious, but there
was a faint resemblance there, in the shape of their faces. Which made the next words all the
more confusing, because at first, the woman made it sound as if she were James' mom, and then
she made it sound as if she weren't.
It wasn't until she was spoken to that her mind made sense of what was happening, and with eyes
wide, Amnesia suddenly pushed James away from the woman and stepped up to her, a swirling
mixture of emotions in her aquiline eyes as she stared up at her sister. "You aren't hurting him. I
know you hate me, and you want me to hurt for what I did to you, but you aren't going to do that
through my friends. I know I promised I would never hurt you again, but I ever find out that you
tried to hurt me through James or Khal, I will find you, drag you back to La'syrus, and make sure
you never see this world again. Just because I've changed doesn't mean I won't. You will not
shapeshift to hurt them, you will not push the future in a direction which will hurt them, and you
will not send another to hurt them. Do you understand me, Lilybaeum?" She rarely used her
sister's full name, but it punctuated how serious she was at this moment. Anger pulsed hot in her
chest, racing to her extremities, and Amnesia fought with it internally for control lest she cause
something bad to happen.

Eyebrow raised, Yerek watched with subtle curiosity.

Instead of seeming alarmed or threatened by the snow suddenly appearing, he instead smirked,
chunking the spear abruptly to his side. When it started to fall, it exploded into feathers, that of
which floated down to the trees below.
“Are we using the elements now?”
He asked, staring upward at the sky.
“I had no intention of actually taking this seriously, but, if you’re going to pull out your stops, I
suppose it won’t hurt if I do as well.”
It was then that both of his hands moved outward, spread out on either side of his body. In
response, the wings that had curled themselves around them stirred, spreading straight outward.
His wing span was almost unrealistic, the glow they hold making them appear completely
mythical. Only when the already violent winds became even faster, and his body began to glow
with even more intensity did he speak again.
“Tell me, how much do you know about Seraphim, Khal?”
The battle up above had taken a turn. Jonathan, who remained within the body of a female,
scowled, staring upward into the sky, where snow and violent winds began. The snow wasn’t his,
but, the winds and this feeling he’d felt before. He’d seen just the thing before Yerek attempted
to beat him to death. James, who still didn’t fully understand what was going on, turned his head
and cast a glance toward Amnesia. Was this her? He had no idea…she really didn’t seem like she
summoned it, but, he didn’t fully understand what she did yet. The brewing storm became the
least of Jonathan’s worries though, cutting short his sky watching when Amnesia stepped in front
of the two. He had to admit…the girl seemed like an idiot. Even by normal standards, she
seemed to be missing something in her head. Though, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe
it wouldn’t hurt if he played himself off as Lilybaeum…if only to irritate her somewhere down
the road. What? He had no true allies. All of them were just toys to throw away when he got
bored with them anyway. Not like he would throw away someone that could see the future just
yet, though. He couldn’t necessarily dig into Lilybaeum’s mind and remember her mannerisms,
but he would do his best. Didn’t seem like he needed to have a very stellar performance with this
one regardless.
“And if the future has already been pushed? What is there to do, sister? Things are well on their
way and there will be casualties. You’re much too weak to stop anything I have in mind now.”
Jonathan replied. He wasn’t stupid when it came to acting as other people…he just had no time
to prepare for this.
“Amnesia, I don’t really think-“
Though he’d tried to make it look like he wasn’t able to see Amnesia when she stepped in front
of him, Jonathan raised his head, staring at James with a certified death glare.
“I can’t kill you, but I can torture you”
James, who seemed quite displeased with the repeated words in his head, turned.
“You realize these two are gonna end up causing a freak disaster, right?”

Who'm I kidding? This just wasn't good. Not in the least.

Blizzards caused power outages, and if they let it go this far, how much farther would they let it
go? They were still close to the village, to people. They could hurt someone all because they
were enjoying a fight.
"Stop," Khal called to Yerek grudgingly, the spear he held disappearing in a brief shower of light
as he held out a hand. Immediately, the weather began to let up fractionally. "This is going too
far. We'll hurt an innocent at this rate."
Below, Amnesia's eyes were like ice in color, but they were filled with a storm of emotions as
she stared up at her sister. Regret, sadness, shame, determination, but most elusive of all, love.
"Too weak?" In that moment, it was almost as if Amnesia transformed and became Solstice. The
Solstice that Khal remembered... and she didn't want to be. "Need I remind you that I have
undone your carefully laid plans in the past? That I trapped you in vines and stole your power to
leave La'syrus once before? That the only way you were able to exact your revenge was with the
aid of a demon stealing my memory and by attacking me on the equinox? Need I remind you that
tomorrow is the solstice? If you truly believe that the time I spent without my memories has
weakened my powers, you are sorely mistaken, and if you insist on continuing down this road, I
swear to you that we shall repeat history. This time, though, you will be left without even
Ialikadrin to come to aid in your schemes. One way or another, Lilybaeum, I will stop you from
going further down this path."
So immersed was she in her sister, Amnesia did not hear James attempt to speak to her.
Not long ago, the snow had begin to thin and wind let off, by a great degree with Yerek's
agreement that the sparring match had nearly gone too far, but the angels had hardly relaxed their
stances when it picked up with a vengeance, It whipped at barren tree branches and buffeted the
angels, snow now coming down in a nearly blinding flurry. Khal wasn't causing it, which left one
other he knew to be capable of such a thing. Solstice.
Even as he began to scan for her below, a familiar feeling hit him. He didn't know how either he
or Yerek had managed to go without noticing a demon had approached, but as soon as he
recognized that was what he felt below, he folded his wings back, dropping back to the forest
floor, where he found James standing off to the side as a white-haired Solstice faced the
unfamiliar face of the demon.

Though at first, he thought the idea of stopping now was

absurd, the mention of innocents brought the wind to a still, the bright glow surrounding him
dying to the slight dim that danced his skin.
“Quite a long time since I’ve had the chance to simply fight.”
This was all he had to say, leaving it obvious that he had lost control of himself for a moment.
Jonathan couldn’t help but become enraged at this point. Dammit! The little gnat had kept him
from keeping watch. One of them landed, and, when he did so, Jonathan cast a side glance,
before looking back to the girl before him.
“Fabulous speech…. you might have to repeat it when you see your sister though…. your words
don’t matter much to me. I played along to cast the blame on someone else, but now I’m just
annoyed that I had to waste my time instead of saying what I actually wanted to say.”
The woman’s head turned to the side, locking onto Khal with a smile curved in a way that could
only be Jonathan as the pure red of his eyes bled through his form.
“How much did Yerek actually tell you? By your faces…there’s a very good chance he forgot to
mention all that I could do.”
Only when the second pair of feet hit the ground did Jonathan turn his head, smile dropping
instantly.
“I’ll make you beg for life after I tear your wings from your body.”
“Please, go ahead and try. Your head would fit perfectly on my spear.”
For a moment, the Seraphim and demon stared each other down, before the woman snapped her
thumbs. She lit up quickly, the black flames surrounding her. From the fire he came, hair falling
onto his shoulder and falling near his body in a cascade of red. Red too were his eyes as he
stepped free from the fire, body covered only by a black pair of jeans.
“I don’t have time for angels or ice today. Someone come forward, please, I beg you. We all
know I can’t die and it won’t take much for Alexander to drop like a fly.”
His voice was no longer feminine, the deep echoing voice many knew him for returning with
surprising power.
One moment, he was surrounded by them, and the next he was leaning over James. For a
moment, he watched them all, sharp nails inches from his throat, before he lowered his head.
Raising up a hand, he put it near his lips, leaning into James’ ear. What he whispered wasn’t
much, though, the reaction was immediate. James began to shake, hands unclenching and
clenching. He blinked rapidly, seeming as if he was attempting to clear something away.
“Was that not what you wanted to hear?”

It had been a long time since Khal had seen Solstice truly
angry, and it certainly wasn't a sight he expected to see today, yet her hands were clenched at her
sights, and waves of raw energy pulsed from her. Catching the demon's words, he was quick to
confirm them. "That isn't Lily." It didn't sound like Kadrin either, but it wasn't until red eyes met
his that he was sure of the demon's identity.
Surprise flitted across his features before he locked down his expression, returning it to its usual
stoniness. It hadn't been mentioned that Jonathan was a shapeshifter. Khal had thought it must be
Kadrin at first because of the appearance, as often as she changed hosts, but this made more
sense. Kadrin wouldn't ever pretend to be any other except for herself, not even for the sake of
hurting someone she hated. She'd rather make her hatred known with expletives and combat.
Drawing this sort of reaction from Solstice though? What, exactly, had Jonathan done?
"Or perhaps we simply thought it best to first discuss your many flaws and weaknesses," Khal
responded as he took a couple of steps forward.
Amnesia did not move a muscle throughout the entire exchange, nor even once Yerek had
joined, and the woman before her transformed into the demon whom she had only laid eyes on
once before. In fact, she remained standing before Jonathan, staring at him almost as if she could
not see him, until he vanished from her vision.
The only reason Khal halted before he reached Solstice was because of the knowledge that if he
didn't contain himself, he would likely do something that he would regret. A muscle ticked in his
jaw as he glared at the demon but made no move of attack. Unfortunately, the demon was right.
Attempting to kill Jonathan would only be condemning James. While Jonathan would not kill the
boy himself, being connected as they were, there was the chance that they could in attacking
Jonathan. Still, he watched the demon with open derision and distrust as he spoke to his
unwilling host.
Amnesia slowly turned where she stood, unnoticed as all attention was centered on Jonathan, her
eyes seeking out those standing behind her. A storm raged within her colder and more powerful
than what battered at the forest surrounding them, and desperately, she sought some shelter from
it, some way to calm the freezing rage scorching her veins. Eyes nearly as white as her hair
tracked towards Yerek, a new and unexpected alley, from there found Khal, her oldest friend, but
much like a bull, a flash of red in her peripheral vision attracted her attention so that her eyes
danced over to where James stood, Jonathan at his side. She watched as he bent to whisper
something, then as her friend began to shake and the demon mocked him.
Rather than ease or dissipate, the storm within her, if anything, grew. "I warned you." The words
fell dispassionately from her lips mere moments before, much as when last they met, a wall of
ice slammed into the demon.
 “And what, angel, did you learn about me that could
possibly help you in any way? Have you found a flaw? You’ve done something I could never
do.”
Jonathan asked, and, despite the situation he was in, his anger seemed to disappear as he
chuckled. He felt too good right now to let himself be angry. He’d known the girl had kept an
eye on him the entire time, and he also knew that Yerek had leaned up against a tree and watched
them all quietly. This time, when the ice came, he’d made sure he was prepared. It hit him like a
truck, though, his burst into flames the moment it made contact. The black flames once more
whispered and screamed in unison, though, the whispers were short lived. The flames danced
across the ice, almost dashing past it as they seemingly jumped toward the area in front of the
wall.
“And I ignored you.”
Jonathan said this with his hands clasped together, standing now where the fire had been.
“If this were any…regular day…. I might feel like burning down this forest as a whole…taking
any one of you I can get with it…but, as it stands, I have accomplished…so much today, that I’m
in too good of a mood. Do we really want to ruin…my good mood just because we think that
throwing ice is going to make me go away? I may be a liar…but I’m not lying to you when I say
I can’t die. Honestly, if you keep doing it, I might just lose my temper…. but I won’t be aiming
for you. If you keep doing it, I might get so mad that I’m willing to die, and I might decide that I
want to see Alexander bleeding out on the grass. That said, I don’t quite like that option…. but
I’m not against dying to spite someone.”
Jonathan said this with a tilt of his head, smile curved on his lips as he stared toward the girl.
Jonathan seemed…different. It was almost as if whatever he had done had left him in…an
amazing mood. Once more he disappeared, reappearing once more near to James, who hadn’t
moved, seeming almost stuck in the position he’d been in since Jonathan had whispered in his
ear.
“And here you told me you weren’t human. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re
having a panic attack. Don’t you just seem so…weak right now.”
 There was a solid moment of satisfaction, briefly lived
though it was as flames consumed Jonathan and melted the ice--much too quickly. He didn't
even look the least bit perturbed as he faced her and spoke. Amnesia only managed one step in
the direction of the demon, however, when two hands that felt like searing fire clasped down on
her shoulders firmly, halting her in her tracks.
Khal had started towards Solstice the moment he heard her speak earlier, though he'd been too
late to stop her from any rash actions, but though he'd gone still the moment Jonathan was hit,
expecting the same reaction as last time, it never came. It almost disturbed him more than the
demon simply brushed off the attack than whatever had come over Solstice disturbed him.
However, as Jonathan addressed her, Khal anticipated her next action, and she only made it a
step towards the demon before he halted her. The bare skin of her shoulders felt like ice, stinging
the skin of his palms, but he firmly kept his grip, refusing to let go. He'd seen his friend in many
states, but never one such as this. She was only minimally responsive, seeming almost as if she
were a slave to her powers, so strong at this time that they overwhelmed her. "Solstice, listen to
me. You have to calm down," he told her quietly. "The only thing you're going to manage at this
rate is to hurt someone, and I don't mean the person you want to hurt."
Hurt. She hurt. She wanted to hurt. Khal hurt. James hurt. Amnesia's eyes tracked to the friend
she could see, still standing in the spot he'd been left in and looking as if the world were crashing
down around him. She didn't want him to hurt; she wanted to heal him. And Khal... Taking in a
deep breath, she felt herself let go of some of what was wreaking havoc inside, still watching
James. "Oka--" The single word she thought she could manage cut off as Jonathan once again
appeared at James' side. She felt fingers like slivers of fire press into her shoulders, but suddenly,
they no longer centered her.
"You will not ignore me." It was as close to a growl as her voice had ever gotten, and as it passed
her lips, she roughly shrugged Khal's hands from her shoulders, her feet carrying her towards
where the demon still stood beside her friend. Her friend--there was something possessive in the
assertion. "You--" She felt the heat rolling off of him before she reached him, but that didn't stop
her from storming up in front of him or shoving him back with more force than should have been
possible for her small build. "You saunter into the lives of others and think you can just do
whatever you want with them. You hurt and you take and you leave only ruin." She hit him with
more ice, this time using every bit of power she could muster to strengthen and lower the
temperature so that it would stand up against his fire, using the slab as a means to push him
farther and farther away from the circle of people in the forest. "And you think you can just get
away with it. I swear on everything that I am that you will feel everything you have inflicted on
others. I will separate you from James, I will ensure that he lives, and you are going to die
knowing that everything you have ever done will ultimately amount to nothing because after she
gives birth, Ialikadrin will die, and I will raise your child to be a good, honest person who helps
others."

For a moment, he took the blows, breathing deeply,

taking steps, if not stumbles, backwards as the ice hit him. He could’ve evaded her attacks
multiple times, though, it seemed as if his mood was going south incredibly quick, the ice
changing his grunts into something like the growls of an animal as he purposefully took the hits.
One last blow was all it took before everything around set fire. The trees crawled with it, the
ground seemed covered in patches of it, and, most importantly, his body set fire into a form
barely human.
“I just told you what would happen if you kept doing it.”
Ice melted and evaporated with the sudden heat, that of which battled and pushed against the
cold. His body moved almost before he could think, the pure fire that was his form darting
against trees and anything else that would shorten the time it took to get back where he was, the
fire crawling onto any surface that it happened to touch. It was the speed of a demon enraged that
sent him flying into the air, diving right for the male that had fallen to his knees, his breathing
quick and frantic. The male’s head raised, though, in the time it took for him to stop the demon
in mid-air, the demon turned into pure fire, surging through and tackling James onto the ground.
The two rolled, though, when everything settled, the demon was on top, what could’ve been his
knees pressed against the male’s back.
“Just for you…I’m gonna let him burn alive.”
So the fire spread, both of their bodies mixing with the flames, all but James’ head and arms
caught within. For a moment, there was silence, though, when the fire ate through his clothes,
James began a series of screams, the sounds of crisping flesh the only other noise coming from
him. Yerek, though having raised up, had missed the moment Jonathan had tackled James.
Though, when he darted forward, he found nothing to land a hit on, running directly through the
fire. With a roll, Yerek came to stand nearby.
“Nothing to hit. Just fire. It’s hot enough to burn my fingers. I couldn’t grab him.”
He might attempt to use the wind, but, with the way it fought the cold, he would need a great
deal to even try to kill it. Anything but would just irritate it.
 Khal honestly attempted to stop Solstice--he'd seen
Kadrin destroy a host just to prove a point enough times not to be sure that Jonathan's self
preservation would stop him if she pissed him off enough--but she shoved out of his grasp with a
force that even he couldn't hold on, and then all he could do was watch as she pummeled the
demon.
Son of a—
With a strong case of deja vu, the angel moved to block the demon's way to James, a sword
appearing in his hands as he prepared himself for the raging attack that he was sure was coming.
"You need to get up and run now," he barked over his shoulder to James, who'd collapsed on the
ground, appearing oblivious to everything that was happening.
Then fire was streaking right at them, but rather than focus on and attack Khal as he had last
time, the demon instead avoided the angel altogether, aiming straight for James. At which point
Yerek decided to help, only he went through the demon. "Just attack him with everything you
got, and be careful. I'll try to direct this storm." Fire and ice didn't mix, but neither did fire and
wind. Hopefully a mixture of the two would be able to do enough to get the demon off James
before the suicidal psychopath killed them both.
In the midst of Jonathan's attack, Khal lost track of Amnesia, his priority having shifted, but she
didn't lose track of anything. "NO!" As the demon flew straight for her friend, she frantically
tried to stop him, putting up barriers in his path, trying to protect James, but nothing stopped the
hellbent demon, and she was forced to watch as he tackled and set fire to her friend.
Her second scream was the furious howling of the wind, and she felt something within her crack
and shatter as the barriers she worked so hard to construct gave way, unleashing the storm
within. If any would have happened to look over at that moment, they would have watched her
disappear, swallowing by the snow, but to her, it felt more as if she stopped attempting to control
the storm and instead became it.
Visibility for her was no longer obscured by the snow being flung about by the wind everywhere,
and she was no longer confined to a single space. She was in the wind, in every flake of snow
and every particle of water. She was Winter. And she used threw every scrap of herself at the
blazing demon below. Snow, wind, ice--everything. She battered him until he ceased to be pure
fire, and then she forced him off her friend, not once letting up.
He had to be extinguished.
 Nothing would have stopped the demon after he’d lost
his temper. There was no rationality to guide his actions as he jumped from tree to tree. James
had heard Khal, and, he had tried to stop the demon before he’d pounced, give himself a moment
to get away, but the demon had broken right through whatever defense he’d intended on using,
along with everything Amnesia had set within his path. James had attempted to push him off,
though, the heat made his hands numb almost as soon as he’d made contact, and, when the two
went into a roll, James cursed himself, feeling pressure for a moment before the fire began to
attack him. The flames seemed to cease their attacks for a moment, and, instead of attempting to
see what had happened, James released a breath and placed his head on the ground. His entire
back seared liquid pain, and, with a gasp, James raised his fist, pounding it into the ground.
Though he felt the pain, the back of his body was a much worse sight. Red blisters painted his
back side, the upper and middle parts of his back seeming the worst of all. The skin seemed
almost shiny, slightly discolored despite his already unnaturally pale skin. He could only grit his
teeth to hold back the tears trying to for, head turning to the side. Jonathan felt himself snap
completely, felt the hailstorm of cold barraging his body with pain that hissed across it. The only
thing that led him through the barrage and brought him to a stand near to James was the pure
rage he was currently feeling.
“MORE! KEEP TRYING UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY HURT ME!”
Despite the situation, the demon released laughter, psychotic and well beyond the point of return.
The cold never let up, though, his body seemed to be growing hotter, the fire that had surrounded
his form growing, it’s size starting to take the trees nearest to them with it, almost devouring
them in the hungry way it fed. It wouldn’t do much, though, James put up what concentration he
could muster, only releasing the breath he was holding when the trees around them began to snap
and moan. Down multiple trees came, landing on the fire, and, though most were devoured
simply by touching it, the trees seemed to snuff it down for a moment. As if it were alive, the fire
hissed as the trees disappeared within it’s fiery heat.
“Dammit…”
James cursed, only able to watch as the fire grew closer and closer.
“Go for James, now!”
As Yerek said this, he went airborne, pushing past the pure flurry of snow and turning in the air.
His wings spread outward, his body taking on a bright glow. The already hissing winds picked
up then, their directions changing from wild to controlled. Aside from the cold around them, the
winds had come to a still for a moment. Only after a moment of silence did the air almost
explode into a chorus. All at once, wind collided with the forest, a force like a tornado pushing
all at once at the fire. They would have to hope that both Ice and wind would work at this point.

Amnesia was lost to the storm, her roiling emotions

feeding its ferocity as it attacked Jonathan in a never-ending onslaught. Rather than feel her
energy being sapped by the expenditure however, the storm's energy funneled back into her, ever
expanding upon itself and growing. But the growing energy didn't go into increasing the size of
the storm. Instead, it increased its ferocity as she continued to aim it at the crazed demon
attempting to set the forest afire.
Though he could no longer see her, and not for lack of looking, Khal knew Solstice had to be
behind the sudden barrage pummeling at Jonathan. It got the demon away from James, at least,
though it only seemed to add fuel to the fire. Still, rather than wait for Jonathan's crazed attention
to be pulled back to his target, Khal darted over towards the prone boy and all but dragged him
up. He seemed to be in too much pain to move much, meaning Khal supported most of his
weight while attempting to be careful not to touch the burns, a nearly impossible task.
After that came the problem of what to do now. The thought of simply leaving was almost a
painful thought, but he also realized there was not much he could do in this particular instance,
not under the current circumstances. The only thing he could do to help end this was get James
away. So, when Yerek took command of the winds, calming them, Khal let his wings spread.
"This is going to hurt," he warned his charge, and then, because he couldn't fly with James
leaned against him, an arm draped over his shoulder, Khal quickly and stoicly picked James up
in a princess cradle and then took off, flying away from the storm and towards the village.
She felt a compulsive tug pulling at her--part of her anyway--and rather than expend the focus,
time, and energy resisting the pull, she simply gave that part of herself over to it and refocused
her efforts into what was left: ice. For a moment, she felt the winds still, anger swelling in
response, but then they were focused wholly on attacking the demon below. Still a part of them,
she added whatever extra fuel she could to make the impact as devastating as possible.
 He felt it. The limits of this fake body were pushing at
him, the entire body begging him to cease using his powers. Instead, his pride pushed him
beyond, a high picked scream erupting from within as the winds nailed into his form. The sky
above seemed to rumble, and, for a moment the whole area began to tint into a deep red, before it
cut short completely. The fires began to die, the burns they left on the grounds and trees forever
scarring them. When the fire died, he stood in it’s center, body blackened by burns, back
slouched with his head down at the ground.
“Don’t fail me yet, dammit…I’m not done with them!”
It came as more of a croak before the wind and ice began to lash at him. Again, he stumbled,
bare body pressing against the surface of a nearby tree, the booming winds and cold forcing him
back.
“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU A-“
He was caught with his mouth wide open in a furious yell when the blade pierced through the
back of his throat, stuck in his mouth and sticking directly into the tree behind him.
“You nearly killed me.”
Then came a final boom, one that seemed an end to conflict. The blade still stuck firmly into the
tree, though, the only thing in the place of Jonathan seemed to be burnt flesh and hair, splattered
into areas many would think impossible from their current position. The katana stuck in the tree
began to wiggle, jerking franticly, before it pulled free, flying from the tree. The male that caught
it turned and began to walk away, bare back covered in vicious-looking burns.
Khal had been more than right in saying that picking him up was going to hurt. Just the touch as
Khal lifted him made his face contort as he released another painful scream.
“Motherfucker...”
The curse came before he knew it, a reaction to the bout of pain. Times like this, when he was
burned to shit and being carried like a little princess, he wished he still drank.
Yerek pushed harder, the extra force of another assisting in killing off the flames. For a moment,
he might have been worried with the way the sky changed, though, assuming the body died out
on him, Yerek let go of the wind and allowed it to do as it wished. He flinched at the boom that
echoed across the area, looking down below to see nothing but leftover parts of the demon, that
of which would disappear with time. Now all that he had to worry about was the parts of the
forest Jonathan had actually damaged….well that and the freak ice storm going on.
 Whereas another might have immediately dropped James
rather than cause him pain, Khal merely grimaced at the scream but continued with his actions.
In fact, he didn't land once they had reached the village, waiting instead until they had reached
the apartments where he remembered James lived. "Which one's yours?" He asked, glancing
down at James as he walked inside, completely businesslike despite the absurdity of the position
that they were in.
The last thing he truly wanted to be doing was taking care of James, but at the same time, he
realized it was also the best thing that he could have done given the situation. Still, he itched to
get back. Even if the two had managed to subdue Jonathan by the time he returned, he was
concerned about Solstice. He'd seen her angry, but he had never seen her beyond reason. He'd
also never seen her do anything resembling today's occurrences. Something was wrong, and he
didn't know what, much less how to fix it.
Though the storm did not dissipate after Jonathan "died", its ferocity did lessen. Suddenly, there
was no longer a target. The feelings, however, remained, still swirling and feeding the storm and
being fed in turn. Without direction, they simply played out, Amnesia caught in the midst of it
all. It felt good to let it all out, and something about being disconnected and spread out amongst
the elements was right. She'd rejoined with the pieces that made her up, and they not only
embraced her, they were her.
Still, the more time passed without Jonathan as an aim, the more the blinding fury dissipated, and
by degrees, the storm behind to lessen and disperse until only a light snow remained though
Amnesia did not reappear.

Yerek released a small breath, turning his head and simply watching the storm turn into
nothing but small flurries of snow.
“The girl was a spirit then…”
This was all he had to said, giving one last look backwards before he turned and began to fly.
He’d realized right from the beginning just how much he could’ve done to end that situation
quickly…but he’d let it play out. Though the girl had pushed the demon, he hadn’t expected
Jonathan to be just horrible enough to try to kill him. This event changed the playing field in it’s
entirety now. The chances of Jonathan attempting to go on a war path were higher than every
now, and the chances he would let their plan go smoothly as low as they could’ve been.
Being that it was his fault, he landed silently in the village, wings disappearing with a gust of
wind as he began his trek to the apartments.