𝒲𝓇𝑒𝓉𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒟𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑒

12 | Return to Liones

"He's lying." Dalmaroz wasn't willing to believe him. Humans weren't to ever be trusted.

"Calm down, Dal, your inner Helia is showing." Tozgal patted him on the shoulder and lowered his sword. "Look, human, we're looking for someone. Someone very powerful."

"Like I'd ever help a bunch of demons." Ban stuck up his nose.

"I'm trying to be nice here." Tozgal's eyebrow twitched.

"Nice?" Ban repeated and nearly laughed. "You have a funny way of showing it."

"Look here you little shit, we're looking for Azrael and we know he must've been here. Now, where did he go?" Iris got into Ban's face. Her calm demeanor had dissipated to reveal a more impatient attitude. The men were stunned by her sudden change and Dalmaroz dreamily stared at her, loving when she let go of her emotions and truly expressed herself.

"That freak came and trashed the place then took Elizabeth. I have no idea where he went off to."

"We must've just missed him," Ace said.

"Dammit!" Iris kicked at the ground.

"I've never been more attracted to you than I am right now." Dalmaroz said.

"Someone's in looooveeee." Ace mocked him and made kissy faces.

"Strange, we didn't sense his power," Gloxinia mentioned.

"If Azrael only recently emerged, it's no surprise he won't have his full strength back." Tozgal assessed the damgage "Still, if he was able to do all this, he must retain quite a bit of his magical power."

"That guy must be very important if the Commandments are looking for him," Ban said, making Iris face him again.

"That is no concern of yours, human." Her face was scrunched into a nasty frown.

"Someone's having a bad day." Ban could be such a smart ass even in the face of great danger. When Iris gave him a deadly glare, he only grinned.

Ace chuckling passed the hot seat off to him and Iris whirled around on him. "You think this is funny? Entertaining? This is no laughing matter," she replied with menace.

"Sheesh, Iris, have a sense of humor." Ace shrugged it off. He was used to people being mad at him, so Iris's measly little glares did nothing but humor him.

"You're such an idiot." Iris brushed her hair off her shoulder.

"Obviously, we won't find what we're looking for here. Let's move on," Tozgal said and began to guide Iris away. He turned to Ace with a stern frown. "Would it kill you to not antagonize her?"

"Aw, come on, Toz!"

Feeling dejected, the group wandered around the humans' space. They were unsure where to look next. If Azrael wasn't trying to conquer this place, then what exactly was he up to?

Zeldris stopped and let out a weary sigh, unable to feel the same motivation he did in the beginning. Time was running short and he was growing impatient of the wild goose chase they'd embarked on. Maybe it was time to forget about Azrael and move one with finding Obsidian for themselves like what had been originally intended.

"This is such bullshit! We'll never find Azrael!" Dalmaroz punched the side of a building and it shuddered violently from the impact. "Why waste more time looking for him when we could be looking for Obsidian? She's our real objective. We don't need Azrael."

"Dalmaroz, shut your mouth!" Iris wouldn't allow such blasphemy in her presence.

He slowly removed his fist, his expression hardening into a quiet rage. "Funny, Iris." Iris's loyalty and obsession with Azrael was starting to piss him off. "Why are you so worried about Azrael? He's perfectly capable of taking care of himself, am I right?"

"Because he's my family," she replied without missing a beat.

"Are we not your family?"

"Dalmaroz, we're not doing this. You know I love you guys, but Azrael..."

"Is different?" He rolled his eyes, having heard it all before. "Azrael's an asshole and you know it. How can you be so brainwashed by him?"

"Cool it, Dal." Tozgal tried to get between them.

"No, everything's cool. Cool, cool, cool." Dalmaroz walked away from Iris. It felt like he'd opened the door to the past. It wasn't the first time they'd had a disagreement regarding Azrael.

Zeldris shook his head impatiently, sensing the growing dysfunction of the group. Ace, surprisingly, was keeping to his word and behaving himself. However, it was Iris and Dalmaroz who were constantly at each other's throats. Dalmaroz did make fair points regarding Iris's obvious unwavering loyalty to her former leader, and it was that loyalty that had worried Zeldris from the start. The simple idea of Azrael was enough to put her in a spin and Zeldris couldn't even begin to fathom how she'd react once they were all face to face.

The pair continued to bicker with Tozgal trying to keep the situation under control. Zeldris quietly walked away and gazed up at the darkening sky. Somewhere out there, Obsidian was watching the sun set, too. How he missed her. Even with the new editions to round out the Commandments, it still felt so lonely without his woman by his side. No one was able to give him such hope as she could.

"My O...Forgive me for I have continued to fail you." Zeldris bowed his head in shame. "Please, my love, just give me a sign."

"You must have lost your tiny pea-brained mind. Only in your dreams could you ever be right." Iris folded her arms.

"Iris, don't push me." Dalmaroz's tone was full of warning.

"Or what? What will you do?"

"You don't wanna find out."

Dreams? Zeldris backpedaled and his eyebrows furrowed together as the lightbulb in his hand went off. Of course. It was so obvious.

Zeldris walked back towards the group and Dalmaroz and Iris were still going at it. No longer trying to stop them, Tozgal sat on the ground with Ace, Gilthunder, and Gloxinia. The men had zero intentions of getting involved in their little spat and wanted to be left out of it.

The prince bent down to Tozgal's level. "Toz, I need you for something."

"Of course. What is it?"

"We're going to use your power to find Azrael."

Realization dawned on Tozgal. "Of course. I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Let's get started." Zeldris sat down across from him.

Tozgal nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes as he continued his steady breathing. He searched for his inner peace deep within his subconscious as all distractions of the outside world faded into white noise. Concentration was crucial for this to work, so all outside forces couldn't be allowed to affect him.

A dark blue aura began to surround Tozgal's form, shrinking and growing in time with his breath. He needed complete focus if he was to be successful in his endeavors. Time was ticking and his best friend was leaving everything in his capable hands.

"Hey, you two lovebirds mind keeping it down? Tozgal's trying to concentrate." Ace's request wasn't well received and he stuck up his nose.

"You think this will work?" Gloxinia asked, watching Tozgal meditate peacefully.

"If anyone can find Azrael, it'll be him," Zeldris replied. "Tozgal is capable of reaching people through a mental connection and projects himself into their thoughts and dreams."

"So, what you're saying is he can track down Azrael wherever he is?"

"If he's within a certain distance then yes." Zeldris watched Tozgal carefully.

"Alright, Tozgal, you got this," Ace whispered, hoping he would be successful. "We're counting on you."