She felt his wing remove itself from about hr as she saw his eyes open. There it was, his truer nature, the one he denied. He could be a king among her kind! And apparently he could claim her if he only chose to. He certainly found a way to subdue her. She fell to her knees as he fell backwards, she saw the struggle and quick transformation in his eyes as he did. AH, gone again. Somehow, she almost preferred the pain the arousal it caused her to be taken, even if it was just her power, in such an instant and forceful way. She felt the dirt beneath her knees now, as the clouds still spun in chaotic swirls about the sky and the mist swirled about her. She breathed in softly as it did, feeling her power begin to be restored slightly. The mist was where she carried her extra power.. that which was too much to absorb at once, that she had sucked out of human souls. She let her minds eye follow down to where he had fallen. He was.. bruised.. nothing more. He s healed as well. Would he have drained her completely of life if he had been given the chance? Did she at this moment care? For in the passion of pain, she delighted so much so that death would be welcome if it held enough of it to consume her. ---- His vision was blurred as he opened his eyes again: He couldn't have been out of it formore than a few seconds but much seemed tohave happened. First of all, he didn't stand on the cliff anymore and the woman he had talked to wasno longer present. No. Not woman. Demon. He remembered in an instant and sat up to get a view of his surroundings. He was sitting on sand and to his left was the lake. To his right the forest and straight ahead the line between the two. He threw his head back and looked up and behind him and there was the cliff, towering up some 10 feet into the air. Above, the sky was filled with clouds of ill omen and he thought he could scent blood in the air. A ringing headache was slowly laying itself to rest behind his left eye and he blinked a few times to regain his full vision. Always looking up, he slowly got to his feet, facing the cliffs. She was still up there, he could feel it. Not in the way he usually felt the aura of demons but in a new way. As if he carried something of hers with him. Not bothering to call upon more memories, in risk of finding ones he didn't want, he jumped. A single strike through the air of his massive bat-like wings and he was up on the edge of the cliffs. His eyes were back to their normal black, with just a hint of the purple glow residing deep, deep within. "I didn't mean it..." Why did he care? She was a demon. She deserved the pain he had caused her by right of her heritage. She deserved to suffer, to be cast down to the flames and shadows of which she was spawned. But still, he felt remorse and regret for his actions, and his face showed it. He could not hide such strong emotions. -- She was laying, the mist almost engulfing her now, though her form could be plainly seen. She was hurt, badly, her power drained and it seemed that the mist was not helping. He would probably smell the power within it, the scent of blood, of burnt flesh clung to it as it enveloped her. She looked suddenly s if she were choking, grabbing at her own throat as the mist became almost violent in its flowing in and out, it appeared in forms that seemed as if they were swords, long stretches of it formed together as if it were attacking her now instead of healing her. She did not have the power to fight against it either as she looked up at him as he appeared there before her, saying he had not meant to. She knew this, she knew it had been instinct to take her power, as it would have been hers. And now that her power had diminished so much, the souls of those she had trapped within the mist, the powder she drew off of when feeding from the living was not an option, they were turning on her now, attacking her as she lay there helpless pretty much, to defend herself. She reached a hand from her throat out towards him were blood tears welling up in her eyes, slipping down her lovely face as the mist ripped at her body now visible tears in her flesh as she grew even weaker. “Help.. me.. please? You owe me that.. this one time.. help me.” Her voice cracked in a pitiful desperate plea for her own existence now. -- He found himself hating the mist as he watched it ripping her skin. He didn't know its origin but he was well determined to find out one day. And when he had the answer, he would end its existence, one way or another. He figured it was the cause to her malice, seing as how she was so helpless now when it attacked her and if it could be driven away, perhaps, she could be saved. He needed to believe that, for if she could be turned... maybe so could he. With two quick steps he was by her side, kneeling down beside her and covering her with his wings. A deep growl thundered from his throat at the mist to keep away from them and he slowly reached his arms in under her back and knees. The mist swirled around them, trying to get to her and he used his wings to stir up winds to hamper the attempts. Then he stood up, gently holding her in his arms and with a strong thow of his wings, he took to the air, carrying her up and away from the ground-bound fog. He figured the mist needed some form of contact to the ground to move about at great speed and that he could outmanuever it once carried by the winds of the skies. Higher he tok them, high above the ruins of the village and the depth of the demon caves. Once he felt to be on somewhat safe distance from the mist, he spread his wings out to their full extent and hung there on the mountain winds, still and peaceful he hovered with the demon in his arms. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered, and he had almost killed her. As he looked at her face, studying her features, he gently let go of her legs and used bothhis arms to hold her tight to him, face to face, body to body. Her eyes were filled with blood, and his with black tears like tar. He knew what had to be done to save her. He had to give back at least parts of what had been taken. But if he started it, would he be able to stop? Could this all be a part of the demon's game? A game designed to lure him and devour him. He had to take the chance. The purple fire in his eyes flared once again, not as powerful as before since he kept the demon within at bay. He could do this quite easily at this point, filled with both his own power and hers. A tremour tore through his body and he opened his mounth slowly. A stream of purple glowing smoke sought its way out between his lips, took a small loop through the air and the streamed down towards her mouth. Slowly, he tapped himelf of power, and as the force connected to her being, he felt the tug on his soul. He had but two things to focus on. Control the flow of power... and don't let her go. -- She was a bit surprised when he actually did come to her aid. His arms felt tender about her as he lifted her, the wind surrounding her now as she could breathe again. She took in a great gasp of air once they were outside of the range of the mist. How he got her out of it was beyond her. She was sure she was going to die then. She had been powerless to control it. That had never happened before, even in the heat of battle it had never happened. Then again, she had never been so drained before. She felt the cool air of the upper parts of the mountain air as it blew softly past her alabaster skin. Her hair fluttered in the wind before her eyes as she tried to keep them open long enough to see him, see what his intent was. She had enough power to sense something in him. What was that? That feeling deep within him? It was neither demon nor man, it was something in between, something deeper still than any plain surface emotion. She felt herself begin to go limp in his arms as the purple smoke began to flow form his mouth and whip slightly about. When it hit her, she felt her body jerk and tighten in his arms, her eyes opening wide as she suddenly began to feel the power grow within herself. The smoke, filling her mouth, drew her closer to him, tightening them together, pulling them together as if they should become one. She felt her whole body press to him now as hr mouth drew so close to his she felt his lips upon hers. Softly they brushed hers at first. Then, she leaned forward just enough that their lips pressed tightly, as if in a intimate embrace. She felt her lips part more as the power began to surge through her. She had more control of this once hr power was restored enough and broke the flow of energy from him to her as soon as she had enough to regain control of her own powers. But she did not break the kiss. She was enjoying his lips on hers and allowed her tongue to slip slighting into his mouth, teasing at the inner parts of his lips as she lifted her arms about and wrapped them about him to keep herself up there in the air if he let go of her. Sure, she could always call the storm to come catch her, but this was much more fun. It had been literally centuries since she felt the arms of one so much like herself. -- His eyes closed as her lips touched his and as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and neck the flow of power siezed. He found himself not even touched by the event, as if the power he had stolen had magnified as it touched his, so even by giving pretty much everything back, he was more filled with power than ever. He held her just as tight as before as she kissed him. New feelings rushed through him and he felt the flow of his black tears run dry. Their hair blew entangled in the wind, entagled like their arms, legs and tongues, and they were slowly carried higher on the wind until the air was too weak to carry them higher. He slowly closed his mounth, his lips still pressed against hers, before he slowly pulled his head back, ever so slightly. He looked at her now, and she looked even more wonderful than before. What trickery was this? Had he lost his mind? Had the demon soul of his father taken over? No. He was still himself. And yet, in a way, he didn't hate her. But she was a demon. Surely he should hate her? Then why this? He tilted his head forward so that his forhead and nose touch those of hers and without a word he raised his wings slightly, making them decend slowly towards the ground. His eyes were fixed on hers, only an inch away. -- She knew what it was now, that she felt form him at that moment when he was filling her with power, that moment when all he wanted to do was save her. It was exactly as she felt when her demon blood and past human nature finally began to work as one. When she was embraced and taken into the fold of Sheol, it had been a struggle at first, even though it had been what she had searched for so many of her human years. She had become what she was by choice, a long thought out and sought for choice. He, however, had been born with it. He had no idea the gift that was bestowed upon him at birth. She would have sold her soul back then to be one by nature or by birth rather than to have had to seek it out go through what she had to endure just to be what she was. When he broke the kiss, she was unsure of what he intended to do. She looked at him, her eyes kind, caring even, endearing to hr he was, how could she not look upon him in this way? He was everything she had wished for when she was young. He held it all in the palm of his hands since birth, and yet he denied it. It baffled her as the look of confusion filled hr eyes as well. His fore head touched hers, his nose as well, her eyes locked with his, refusing to let them out of her sight as they glided now down to the earth. The mist that had attacked her slipped back form them both now, claming, slowly resting in place, as if it knew it’s place once more. She rubbed her nose slightly against his as her smile returned, those lush red lips curling in a tender expression as she then pulled back from him a bit, her arms removing themselves from his neck and lowering to her side, stepping back form him, her eyes saddened now as she did. She could not do this to him. She could not force him to become something he did not wish to be. He was too pure to lead down this path. She put her hand out in front of her to keep him at bay as she stepped back more, towards the calm deep mist behind her now. Her voice tender, almost loving in a sad sort of way as she began to let the mist envelop her like a lover, “Do not follow. You are not ready for the path I take. You struggle within yourself, even if for that one moment you were able to join peacefully, you still struggle. And I will not pull you down that path unwillingly. Not if you are yet unready. But be assured, if you ever want me, just call out my name. Abbeline. I shall come to your side, stand by you, guide you, what ever you wish. I owe you that much lovely one. And you are lovely. Beautiful to be hold, even for a Sheol as myself. “ And with that, the mist completely took her over, engulfing her as she smiled sadly upon him and then drifting so quickly down the mountain side that it seemed as if it had never been there. The sun came back out and the birds began to sign again as the day light warmed the earth below his feet. -- Sheol. He knew that place far too well. Long ago, when he had first met his father, the demon had spoke of the Abyss, the Hells, Sheol and the Black Wastes. He had told him of the wonders of Sheol, how he wanted to bring him there. That was before the fighting had started and before his father had been torn to shreds. Abbeline. He knew that name too, but from where he could not remember. Somewhere in his mind a voice screamed at him to follow her, and another screamed at him to run and never look back, never to think of her again. Before he could react, she was gone and he was standing alone. He closed his eyes for a short while, to treasure the memory of her face and of her lips against his. As he opened his eyes he hoped for her to be there, but he was all alone again. Again. He returned to the cliff and picked up his helmet and slowly let the demonic mask cover his face before he lept off the cliff and took to the skies. Next time, he thought, there would be no demons. Just a peaceful place where he could rest. But he knew in his heart that it would not be. There was always a demon around the corner.