"You could be right, Zack. But… I don't know." Melody looked thoughtfully as Donovan began to scream in pain again, blue veins tearing as the wings began to come loose. "I've heard of this kind of thing before, but I've never seen it for myself. It's sort of like how mortals are kidnapped and have drugs surgically inserted into them by drug dealers and gangs. He's being used, I'm sure of that. None of his magic matches his aura, so it can't belong to him. But then, who?"
Zack tore out the left wing, tossing it over his shoulder with a grimace. "If that's the case, maybe we can rip these off and make him talk." He went to the right one, which he started to tug at with more confidence now that he had removed the left. His wings kept beating happily behind him, the feathers absolutely quivering with happiness.
Melody smiled. "Yeah, if we can keep him conscious for long enough." She kicked at him, laughing as he moaned. "What do you think, bastard, you think you can help us?" She received no answer, though she really didn't expect one.
Zack finally ripped out the second, but kept it in his hands. He snuffled at it, his breath stirring the faint skin of the wings. They seemed fake and hard in his hands, which explained the clumsy takeoff. Whichever Demon had given this Human their Magic, they weren't fond of Donovan.
"Right" Melody's voice appeared in Zack's head once more. "But the question is who. He must have a lot of enemies, for sure, but who from hell would want him? There were much more powerful people they could have possessed…"
"No one. He's so evil the Demons were scrambling to… make money off of him." He continued snuffling at the wing, pacing the alley. It smelled familiar to him. Not immediately, of course, but the scent smelled of his breed and it was nestled back somewhere in his memories. He just had to find it…
"Tell me when you do," Melody says. "I have a friend who can give me access to a specific data base back in hell. I may find something helpful. Until then…" Melody shifted her head to Donovan, who trembled only slightly at this point. "What do we do with him?"
Zack turned thoughts over in his head. Greedy… smells kinda nice… I know he was nice to me… Argh…. He suddenlt gasped loudly. Dreamer! It's Dreamer! The Demon who was always poking around with Humans for fun. Always bringing them a sense of power, only to secretly belittle them in his work for cash and popularity. Though the Demon was quite sweet in Hell.
Then he hears Melody give a sharp gasp, sitting next to Donovan with sudden, pallid skin. She was holding Donovan's limp arm, staring at his wrist in shock.
"Za- Zack." She holds her voice firm, but it is easy to see that she is shaken. On his wrist, a series of strange symbols are burnt into his flesh. It is written in the language of the underworld, but its words are sinister and almost emphasize the fiery sunrise that begins to conquer the sunken shadows. The symbols read,
Hell will be extinguished,
Hail the King.
Zack turned quickly reading the symbols with wide eyes.
"We need to go down there." He whipped around and collected the wings, his own still quivering.
"If you can go to Hell, I want you to follow me with that sack of shit. There's a high chance the other Demons don't know about this."
"Alright, but we've got to hurry. I'm not as strong in daylight." She picked Donovan and swung him onto her back, his unconscious body easier to hold onto than if he were awake. "I'm ready when you are."
Zack nodded and inhaled slowly, looking at a wall in a building. He took some of the Human's blood off of the ground and started tracing symbols, murmuring softly. They soon gleamed a black-red color and burned into the building, opening up slowly into a window.
"You first."
Melody nodded in thanks, then in a flying leap she sank into the building wall and into a circular blur of darkness. She felt the heat of Zack's body as he caught up to her, and the two went swirling in the infinite blaze of shadow until their sight was ignited by a world of orange flames and volcanic heat. Melody couldn't help but smile.
"It's nice to be home."
Zack scooped down the hill that they were first introduced to, not wasting much time as he found himself back in his home. It did feel nice to be back in the tickling heat and with the laughing Demons around them. But they had a mission and a Demon to find.
Melody followed him, although the raging temperature was now causing Donovan to regain consciousness. Melody did well to ignore his defiance and punches of despair. And after delivering a few, presumably harsh words to him, he was once again silenced. Melody suggest,
"My friend works as the secretary for the Identity Crisis Incorporation, the company for keeping track of current criminals or past threats to Hell's safety. Maybe our guy doesn't have a criminal past, but it could be helpful to look into it anyway. Unless… is there someone you think we should visit first?"
Zack landed on the hot ground after clearing the hill, sighing and shaking out his wings. They were in the middle of a quaint little town with little Demon kids wandering around.
"I'm not sure, I know the Demon who gave him the Magic, but Dreamer would never pose a threat to hell. It's not how he is."
"Alright, then. Maybe take Dreamer with us to the company? My friend will probably still be doing her shift; she has her break in another fourteen hours. I'll just let her know really quickly." After becoming silenced in great concentration, she spoke again. "Alright, she knows. Her boss is with her right now, too, so this would be our best opportunity."
Zack sighed and nodded, starting to walk along the ground like a human. "Dreamer's house is just up this way. I suggest we walk, because Dreamer doesn't like it when we fly into his house without permission."
"Alright, then. Lead the way."
Zack was already walking to his destination, sighing softly as he wove neatly through houses and children. Soon they were brought up to a nice little cottage nestled up between another two. Zack approached the door and knocked slowly.
Melody murmured to her stunned fiance, finding that a fire in her veins coursed at the power she carried at that moment. She pitied him; she wanted to see him despair, and wanted to be the only one to hold the key to his ecstasy. She cherished the bleached emotion in his haunted eyes, and the lines of faded fear that hid under his eyes. Yes, she was a demon, but had never been told of what. However, did it matter? She imagined the blood spit from Donovan's tears, she pictured the scarlet scars she would leave engraved in his consciousness. Melody craved a song strummed from Donovan's cries of loneliness and pain, and if history were to be reflected in the golden flash in her eyes, then she would have her way. But this moment was static, awaiting for the door before them to open.
Melody's next journey had finally found its way to her, but the trio's had only begun.
(Wait what's going on?
I've literall had this on unread for like 2823829928272299292 years)
oof man i think you're knocking on your buddy's door at the moment
( )*
(Blep ok so what should we do now?)