He did not know exactly what had occurred, but the sight of Joan's blood spurred on the instinct for him to yell her name, a guttural roar filled with horror and anguish.
Forgetting entirely about the demons banging against the door, Avander lunged, vaguely aware of the sinister shadow form solidifying where it stood. Joan teetered in slow motion before Satan, her eyes wide and unseeing . Around her sparks lit up droplets of blood. Every instinct in his body screamed for him to reach her, but when he was only a meter or so away, something powerful barreled into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs and hurling him back.
Dazed, Avander forced himself to sit up, aware of the tide of demons now pouring into the inner ward. But Avander's eyes were fixed on Joan's fallen form, wrenched promptly into the air by Satan. Like a puppet on strings, Joan's body swayed a bit . Satan dangled her by the hair, his laughter never ceasing.
Mad with rage , Avander leapt back to his feet and snarled. Just as his legs tensed to spring forward, a blinding white light filled the room. Demons cowered under it's radiance. Avander forced himself forward, shielding his eyes from the glare. He lost sight of Satan and Joan, catching only a brief glimpse of what could only be Heidi's shimmering form, wings spread until they seem to cover more than half the width of the room. Everything disappeared after that.
Avander woke to the sound of gentle breathing, faint and soft like the whisper of the wind. His back pressed against the smooth stone of the floor. Above, the familiar glowing stalactites dripped water onto his nose. He realized he was still in the Sanctuary, only in a different part of it.
He sat up at once, the events from before jostling for place amongst his thoughts. Looking around wildly, Avander spotted Heidi near a stone fountain. Joan lay next to her.
"Joan!" He breathed, able to speak now that he was no longer in his demon form. He rushed forward and sank beside Heidi, gazing down at Joan. She lay peacefully as if asleep, white hair fanning out below her and lips parted slightly. The only thing wrong with the picture were Joan's missing forearms.
Blood still caked the skin, a bit of bone peeking from between the flesh. The bleeding had stopped and it was obvious Heidi was working away on her injuries.
"Will she be alright?" He asked, turning to her with a plea in his tone. Heidi bit her lip and placed her hand on Avander's, a sudden flash of guilt lighting up her eyes.
"She cannot fulfill her mission." Heidi informed him quickly, not looking at the way his eyes widened. "It's over, Satan has won."
"No!" Avander said suddenly, loudly. "Heidi, it can't be over. We've come too far. Why can't she go on?"
"Joan has lost almost all her energy." Heidi murmured gravelly as she rested the other girl's head in her lap.
"During the sealing, she was to concentrate every last reserve she had into one place, in this case her hands. She would have then released it at the right moment and used it to seal me away. But when Satan cut off her arms he not only rendered her incapable of doing so, but he released all that pent up energy at the wrong moment. It was lost into the surroundings, all of it wasted. As a result, she's now nearly drained. She barely has enough to keep herself alive, much less perform a sealing. "
Avander could only gape. Gently, Heidi handed Joan's limp form to Avander and he held her close, leaning over and laying his forehead against hers. For a few minutes he sat there stroking her face, looking both dejected and lost. Heidi went about healing and regenerating her forearms.
"There has to be something we can do." Avander blurted out after a while. "We need to do something. She would want to see this mission through."
Heidi looked up at him just as the sparks faded from her fingers. Joan's arms had been restored, flesh and veins having formed out of thin air as Heidi clothed them with skin. She placed her hands on her own thighs after she was done, the grave look never leaving her eyes.
"There might be one way to help her." She started carefully. "If we were to transfer energy into her from another source, we could replenish her reserves. I would transfer my own into her if I could, but my energy is very unstable. Her body would not be able to cope." She paused, allowing this information to sink in. Avander's eyes flashed suddenly, as though he had been struck with an idea. Heidi gave voice to that idea.
"But we can use yours. You're energy will be a good replacement, but there is a problem."
"What is it?" Avander asked curiously.
"She will need large amounts of it and that too at once. " Heidi murmured. "You will be completely drained and will be unable to replenish your own supply. You will lose much of the powers you gained. You will become weaker than ever before. Also, due to your weakened state I will not be able to free you from the bonds that hold you in Hell. You will have to return to Hell once your time is up."
Avander was silent for a very long time; head bowed as she absentmindedly ran his hands through Joan's hair. For the first time since they had stormed the Sanctuary, he thought about the deal he had made with Heidi long ago. In the heat of battle, he had completely forgotten about his wish to be free. It almost seemed as if Heidi had brought up the topic on purpose at that moment. Now that he remembered their deal, many thoughts swirled in his mind, each accompanied by a sinking feeling in his stomach. He would never be free. He would forever be trapped in Hell.
And then came anger in a great, powerful wave, overwhelming his senses. Had everything he had done been for nothing? Had he risked his life and his pride just to return to Hell with his tail between his legs? He deserved a reward for all the trouble he had gone to. Why else would he have taken part in a suicide mission such as this?
But when he looked down at Joan's face his anger melted away. A voice reminded him softly how in the end, everything he had done was for her, not his own desires. He had not risked everything for nothing ; he had risked it for Joan. For her love, which he had earned. Both hers and Heidi's. That was all he needed. That was all he truly wanted. He knew that, deep down; he would do anything for the two girls. They mattered more than anything else in the world.
"Avander?" Heidi called his name tentatively.
"I'll do it." He said quietly. "Take my energy and transfer it to Joan. We need to complete this mission."
"Are you sure?" She asked, her tone more quizzical than concerned. "What about your wish? I am at the height of my abilities. I can free you from the shackles of Hell right now if you will. Are you sure you want to give up such an opportunity?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in all my wretched existence." Avander murmured. "We can't afford to put this off for another few years. It'll be a pain in the ass. Besides," He reached down and kissed Joan's forehead. "I have a new desire. I don't want power and freedom anymore."
"What is it that you desire now?" Heidi asked softly, something in her tone hinting that she already knew the answer.
"I don't want Joan to ever be along again." He said with a smile. "I don't want her to go down that dark path again. The light within her is too beautiful to be consumed with darkness. "
A smile broke across Heidi's face and she reached out to squeeze his hand. "I always knew you were a big softie." She giggle and Avander was amazed by the change that had come over her, her eyes sparkling with joy and excitement and relief. Her lips had curled into a knowing smile.
"Yeah well, don't go telling everyone that." He muttered, a slight smirk gracing his features. It vaporized instantly. Avander's expression grew grim.
"Come on, let's not waste time ."
Heidi nodded and took one of his hands in her own; the other gripping Joan's newly formed hand. Her eyes began to glow, her hair dancing behind her. A golden aura surrounded Heidi, while a black one formed around Avander and a blue one around Joan. Black wisps slithered from Avander's hand to Heidi's, twisting around her fingers before disappearing into her skin. It then reappeared, a blue wisp sinking into Joan's raw fingers.
Avander could feel his strength dwindling as the process went on, the power he gained from devouring souls slowly fading away. Soon he would be as weak as a newly created demon, maybe more.
It doesn't matter. He told himself as he struggled to remain conscious. This is for Joan and Heidi. This is to bring an end to the hardships suffered and to right all wrongs. If it means I'll end up in Hell, then so be it.
***
"Welcome back to the world of the living," Avander's voice greeted Joan as she cracked open her eyelids, looking blearily up at him. She then pushed herself up in sitting position. Her head swam.
"Don't push yourself to hard just yet." Heidi's voice advised her and Joan took a moment to steady herself. Her gaze then drifted downwards and she sucked in a breath.
"My hands, my arms..." She stammered, gawking at the newly formed, still pink skin in shock. "How–?" She stopped abruptly, clicking her fingers and watching as blue sparks crackled to life. "My powers, they've returned!" She exclaimed, looking around at the two in confusion. "But how? I felt every last drop of energy drain out of me."
"You have Avander to thank for that." Heidi smiled, shooting Avander a proud grin. "He gave you his own at the cost of all his power."
Joan stared at him in disbelief. "Avander–no! Surely such an act would have grave consequences?"
He gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. "Yeah, I won't be able to free myself from Hell now." He murmured, eyes downcast. "But it's fine, It was my decision. You needed that energy more than I did. I'm sorr–"
He was cut off abruptly as Joan's lips connected with his in a quick kiss. "You idiot. You're such a fool." She whispered, face pressed against his chest. "I'll find a way to free you. I promise, I won't let you go back there."
Her gaze drifted automatically to Heidi, who watched the two with a sad smile, the gloomy look etched deeply into her eyes as well, regret and dread struggling to make their presence known once more. It was a mystery what was going on in her head.
"It's time we made a comeback." She informed them. "Satan will be waiting for us within the inner ward most likely. He will not leave things to chance this time. This will be the last chance we have."
"We'll get the job done." Joan assured. "This was will come to an end today, mark my words."
"Thank you," Heidi whispered gratefully. "Both of you. I can never express how grateful I am for your assistance, for keeping me from fulfilling my destructive destiny. It's very heroic."
"Neither of us are doing this because we want to be heroes." Avander said. "Neither of us have any interest in saving the world. We do it because you're depending upon us."
For a minute, Joan wondered if Heidi was going to cry. Her gaze flitted downwards and Joan could have sworn there were tears shimmering in her eyes. But then Heidi looked up again and smiled.
"Alright then." She said, getting to her feet. "Let's not keep Satan waiting."