We waited on the hill of ashes for quite sometime. Some shifted anxiously from foot to foot; others stayed airborne, waiting for the demon's arrival. I stayed on the ground next to Sara and stayed still. I did not say a word, neither did she. I glanced at God who was in the air with Ashe on one side and another general on the other side.
We all felt it, when there was a shimmer in the air; someone was coming through the portal. I tensed and a hush fell over the guardians. Satan was the first one to come through, followed closely by Vlad. I barely paid attention to Satan. I did, however, notice that his face seemed to be permanently set in arrogance and anger. He hadn't been expecting us to be waiting for him but he still did not think we had a chance at victory.
Vlad quickly scanned the guardians until his gaze came to rest on me. For a second I could have sworn I saw pain flash across his face but when I looked again there was only hatred and anger. I glared back before looking past him at the other demons coming through. I couldn't help but count. Once the last demon came out, I came to the conclusion that the numbers were fairly even but they had a few more.
Satan and God flew back behind their respective clans. This was a custom; they could not take part in the fight as they may kill all of us with their power. They would stay behind and watch, no matter what they saw.
Approximately one hundred metres separated us. We stared at each other and no one made a move. I was now in the air, as were all the Guardians and I was listening intently for the command from God to attack. He didn't give it and I briefly wondered why he was taking his time. The waiting was excruciating.
I almost missed it when Satan raised his hand. Vlad - on the front line - in return gave a war cry. I could not miss the beauty that he represented. His beautiful voice rang out over the quiet and his majestic wings angled into a position to charge. I tensed in preparation.
They flew at us with immense speed. I hardly had time to acknowledge the first cries of pain as my first opponent was on me.
He lashed out at me but I parried his attack and in return slid my sword cleanly into his ribs. He screamed in pain and his black wings became covered in blood. He fell down to the earth and I was hit from behind. I turned around to see a demon with an upraised sword about to strike me. I lifted my sword but there was no need. He looked down with a shocked expression at the sword protruding from his belly. The expression on his face was almost comical. He fell down to the earth, revealing Sara who had been behind him.
"Saved your life." she said wryly.
Despite myself, I smiled. "Thank you."
I took the spear off my back and threw it onto a demon charging up behind her. It buried into his shoulder but the demon did not falter.
"Sara!" I called as I pushed her out of the way and barely raised my sword to defend his attack. Sara gripped the spear in his shoulder and twisted it savagely. He cried out in pain and Sara screamed with him. That was when I first noticed who this demon was. He was Shar, the demon of pain. He was able to block of his own pain and transfer it to someone else. Sara was crying out from the pain she had inflicted on him.
Without thinking a second, I raised my sword and decapitated him, saving Sara from the pain. I put my hand to my shoulder, trying to ease the ache he had caused to start there. Sara was panting and her face was screwed up in pain. "Thank y-you." she huffed. I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to help her.
I scanned the battles for Vlad. I could not see him. Maybe someone had already killed him. I found that doubtful, but I could not see him anywhere.
After an hour, my white armor was stained red in places and my wings were splattered with red. I felt sick to be covered in demon's and angel's life blood. I heard a piercing scream. It was the type of scream that curled the blood and sent chills down your spine. I turned to see Aria - a guardian - fall down to the earth. She had a savage cut across one cheek and down her back. I looked to find the demon that had killed her and I froze.
"Mia! Kill him, now!" Screamed Ashe who was battling another general. Vlad turned to kill another guardian but I lashed out and blocked his sword as it came raining down to Sara. She looked at the weapon that had been about to kill her with wide eyes.
"Leave, now!" I hissed. She slowly shook her head and gripped her sword as I blocked another one of Vlad's strokes aimed to kill her. "Your hatred will just bring him power!" I hissed. She saw the wisdom in my words and solely flew away to help Ashe. I turned to face my opponent.
Vlad and I circled each other. My sword hung loosely at my side but I would have been able to bring it up to protect me at a second's notice. His free hand was clenched into a fist and his other one tightly gripped his savagely crafted sword. His sword was twisted with jagged edges. It would slide into someone easily enough but when he pulled it out, it would pull out bits of that person's insides.
I flinched as I prepared to fight him. For me, it was quiet. There must have been sound but I could hear none of it. In my world, it was just Vlad and me. I stared at him full in the eye and he did not look away form me. He frowned slightly and I guessed that Ashe's theory had been right. I did not hate Vlad so he could not draw power from me. He slowly raised his sword and prepared to strike me. I wondered at his choice of speed as I prepared to use my sword. A quick attack would have been much more affective. Now I had ample time to block his strike.
In my world, the only sound was the ring of steel that was made by our swords. I was panting after a few minutes but so was he. I knocked his sword to the side and I could have killed him bu-butt I couldn't. Instead of taking the opening, I aimed for his arm and he was able to block me.
At one stage he knocked the sword clear out of my hands and it in bedded itself into the grass below. I glanced down at it in shock before looking up at him. I prepared for death to come. Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to hate Shadow as he raised his sword to Vlad me. He brought his sword down in an arc to kill me and I threw my hands infront of my face, closing my eyes, waiting for the pain. But his sword never touched me. I slowly opened my eye to see that the sword had stopped in mid air a few inches from my face. He scowled as he lowered his weapon. "Get your weapon. I will not kill someone who is disadvantaged. I will prove that I don't need an advantage to kill you."
I hesitated. "You don't have the advantage of my hatred." I told him. He scowled.
"I do not need it. I can kill you anyway. Get your weapon or I will kill you."
I lowered myself to the ground and picked up my weapon. He lashed out at me instantly and I only just managed to block him. I vaguely noticed another demon who was flying towards me being struck down by Ashe. He really seemed desperate for me to kill Vlad.
I gave him a gash on the upper arm but his face did not betray the pain he must have felt. Instead he dropped to his knees and threw away his sword. "I give up, Mia. You have won. Kill me." He said, defeated. I felt a sudden pang of hurt in my heart. I was really trying hard to control my tears.
I stared at him sadly. All I had done was give him a gash, hardly enough to defeat him. My hand did not move, my sword hung limply at my side. I could not make myself kill him.
Ashe screamed at me. "Kill him! Kill him now!"
I flinched and stared down at Vlad's defeated eyes.
"You are not defeated." I said angrily. "I'll be dammed if a mere cut will defeat you. Get up." I hissed at him.
He slowly shook his head. "I give up. I am defeated." He said mournfully.
I growled at him. My eyes started to tear up. "You are not defeated. You can't be." I cried.
He looked up at me and prepared for the death he thought was sure to come.
I sank down to my knees and threw my sword away. "I can not kill you, Vlad." I whispered through my tears. I heard Ashe scream at me to get up.
In an instant, Vlad leapt at me and held a dagger to my throat. The realization that he had betrayed me again hit me hard. "You lied again.." I whispered, shocked.
He nodded. My mind registered the fact that every line of his body was against mine as he used his body to subdue me and render me helpless. "Kill me, if you find me so pitiful." I whispered harshly, remembering what he had said to me. He flinched. "Do it!" I said harshly. He pressed the dagger harder against my throat. He sighed and suddenly pulled it back. I felt the small amount of blood he had drawn trickle down my neck.
He slowly got off me sand said. "I will kill you. But I will do it more respectfully."
I got up and quickly grabbed my sword, ready to defend myself. "Respectfully?" I asked skeptically. "Please, you can't be respectful. Not anymore." I hissed.
He glared at me. "I should have killed you." He muttered darkly.
I screamed at him. "Are you so ashamed of me that you would kill me yourself?"
He glared at me mockingly. "Yes, I am ashamed of you. You are a weakness which will forever continue to haunt me unless I silence you."
I stiffened as I prepared to strike him. His expression suddenly became scared as his eyes were glued to something behind me. "Mia!" He called in pain.
I glared at him. "Mia, turn around!" He called as he began to run towards me. I shook my head. I was not going to fall into his trap again.
"Do you think I will be stupid enough to fall for that again? You underestimate me, Vlad." I called as I readied my sword. But he dropped his weapon and started to fly so that he would make it to me with more speed.
I stared at him in confusion. I couldn't comprehend what was happing. He screamed, "No! Stop!" He neared me, but it was too late.
I felt it. A piercing pain in the back of my shoulder as someone stabbed me with a sword from behind. I screamed as I fell to my knees. I used my hands as support. Vlad flew over my shoulder and I heard a scream form the demon that had just stabbed me.
I sank down to the earth but remained silent as I could feel the blood pooling out of me. Vlad sank down to my side and I was astonished to see that he was crying. "Mia!" He called brokenly.
"Vlad- I-" I tried to reply weakly, unable to finish my sentence. He held my torso to his chest as he cried over me. "Don't die Mia... Don't die! Please!" He pleaded. I weakly lifted up a hand and held it to his cheek.
"Vlad, I have always lo-loved y-you." I said softly, but it was as loud as I could. My vision was becoming blurred.
He looked down at me. The tears had stopped but his face was twisted into an in-human pain as he held my dying body. "Mia, I-I'm sorry." He said, not knowing where to begin.
I closed my eyes for a while before I opened them again. I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't make the words come out.
I knew I was going to die and I accepted it. I had no regret because I had managed to make Vlad come back. The only thing I had been able to do that was powerful enough was dying. My death was the only thing which had been able to get through to him.
"Mia, don't leave me. I-I love you too. I'm so-sorry." He whispered pathetically as he held me close. I stared up at him, a small smile coming across my face.
"Vlad- " Was all I was able to say.
I heard two people land beside us. Vlad did not acknowledge them in anyway. Neither did I.
"Vlad, move aside." God said coldly.
My eyes widened in panic as I gripped him as hard as I could. I didn't want him to leave me. He understood that and his face became hard, his jaw clenched. "No, I will not leave her." he said.
I stared up at him lovingly. "Stay." I insisted. He nodded.
"You are defeated, Vlad. Satan has fled and you are the only demon still alive." Ashe spoke harshly.
He did not look away from me as he said. "You can kill me when Mia is-I must stay with her." He couldn't acknowledge my death, even though it was inevitable. He was in so much pain, watching me suffer.
"Move aside, Vlad." God said again.
He shook his head. "I will not leave her; nothing can make me leave her again." He screamed at him.
Tears pooled into my eyes. It wasn't fair that Vlad could become my Vlad again, just in time for me to die. "Don't ever leave me again." I whispered as I stroked his cheek. He leaned towards me, giving a small kiss to my forehead. The feeling when his lips touched my skin, made me forget every pain in this world.
He nodded as he stared into my blue eyes. "I promise." he whispered.
"Thank you so much, Vlad." I said softly, but it sounded more like a sigh. I didn't have much time and he knew it.
He held me tenderly as he stroked my hair. Ashe began to say something but God silenced him and sent him away to see the other wounded Angels. I hardly noticed him leave. Vlad was the centre of my universe.
He looked up at God for the first time. "Can you heal her?" he asked him. God slowly and mournfully shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I can't." He said regretfully.
Vlad's fist slammed onto the grass by my head. "That isn't good enough! You can't let her die!" he yelled. His voice dropped to a whisper as he bent over me and brokenly said "I can't let her die."
Then his head shot up, hope in his eyes. "What if I gave you my life? Then could you heal her? A life for a life."
My eyes widened as I shook my head as quickly as I could. A sudden pain lanced through my shoulder and I screamed unintentionally. Vlad face crumpled into pain.
God slowly nodded his head. "I can do that. If you willingly give me your life for her, I can save her."
Vlad looked up at him and without hesitation said, "I'll do it."
God looked a little baffled. "Are you sure about it?" He asked him again, for confirmation.
"Pretty."
God nodded gravely. I cried out in pain, but it had nothing to do with my wound. It caused me physical pain to think of his death. "No Vlad, don't. You can't kill yourself!" I cried and tried to get up from the ground. His stopped me and looked deep into my eyes, hypnotising me.
"I will do it, Mia. I won't let you die. I must die for my sins." He said sternly.
"Come here, Vlad. There isn't much time." God commanded.
Vlad unwillingly got up, as I tried to hold onto him tight. But I was too weak to do that and moved away from me. "I love you. Always remember that." he said again.
I tried to crawl towards him to stop him, but I couldn't. "Vlad Don't!" I sobbed.
God placed his palm on Vlad's forehead and drew on power. I saw Vlad's face twist in pain. What God was doing was causing him pain. "Vlad!" I screamed as I tried to crawl towards him. He finally looked towards me and gave a small reassuring smile, covering his pain. I couldn't see him like this.
Vlad fell down to his knees and collapsed on his back and went still. I screamed for him. I was in unimaginable pain, I couldn't live through this. He couldn't leave me. He couldn't be dead. He had to live. For me.
Strength flowed through my limbs and the blood stopped flowing out of my wound. I touched my stabbed shoulder to see that it didn't pain anymore. I quickly got out of my reverie, jumping up at Vlad. He was still alive, barely.
I buried my face in his muscled chest and sobbed uncontrollably. He managed to wrap an arm around me but anything else was beyond him.
"Mia, forgive me." He said softly. I held onto him tightly.
"No, you can't die! Please, don't die Vlad!" I cried.
"Mi-Mia, I-love y-you." Those were his last words before his head hung back lifeless against my hand and his heart stopped beating.
I stared at his corpse uncomprehendingly for a moment before I became hysterical and threw myself down onto his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held onto him for dear life. "Vlad! No!" I let out a bloodcurdling scream. "I love you, please don't leave me!" I sobbed.
I sensed a hand on my shoulder. I looked upto see God looking at me, pitifully. "This is what he wanted. He saw the light before he died." He said in a muted voice.
I stared at him for a moment and then glared at him in pure fury. In a dangerously quiet voice I said, "How could you let him die?"
God looked at me warily. "He wanted me to." He said.
I screamed at him, furious beyond words. I stood up, gently laying Vlad on the ground and leaned up to God so that I could look him in the eye. "You killed him." I said, highlighting each word because of my fury.
God shook his head. "Mia-look-" He tried to say something.
I didn't let him speak and growled. "No, you look! How could you kill him!? He was finally the old Vlad again! And how could you give me his life? Now I must live when he doesn't and he is dead because of me! And if the guilt isn't enough, I would happily die right now. It is better than leading a life without him!"
God shook his head again and took my shoulder, turning me to look at Vlad. "No Mia, look." He insisted. "Life is full of miracles." he added.
I gasped at what I saw. Vlad's wings had turned white. Not the dark black that they were but a pure and bright white. But that is not what got my attention. His chest moved up and down as he breathed. I saw his eyes open slowly. I quickly regained from my shock and ran towards him.
He roughly got to his feet, disorientated. He was about to trip, when I held onto his arm for support.
He looked at his hands and then at his wings. He seemed to be in shock but then his head snapped down as he looked at me. "Mia?" he called uncertainly.
"Vlad.." I called back. Before he could say anything, I smashed his lips with his. I kissed him with all my might and he kissed me back. When we stopped I laughed, hardly daring to believe that he was, in fact, alive and an angel.
I stroked his face as he held me close against his bare chest. "Mia..." He said, beyond words.
I kissed him again softly, before I smiled at him. His answering smile was dazzling.
"I promised you I would come back." He said with voice full of emotion. I laughed with him.
"And I held you to that promise." I said. He held me close and cradled me against his chest. "I meant what I said, Mia. I love you, more than my own life."
I hugged him tightly. "I love you too, Vlad. The days without you were meaningless."
He pressed his lips to my forehead. "Remember what I told you, Vlad?"
I shook my head. "What?" I asked.
He leaned down and in my ear whispered, "Neither heaven nor hell can keep me away from you because I love you, more than anything and nothing will ever keep us a part again."
I stared up at him with nothing but love. He kissed me again and again. He was now, and forever my Vlad, the angel. He was no longer the Demons' Vlad. He was the Vlad I loved, my Vlad.
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