"Devyn?" Ilya lowered her hands as she saw the surprised human staring at her with wide eyes. "Thank Hades you're alright. Klein said Etta had disposed of you. I feared the worst."

Kilo and Castyr lowered their weapons as Devyn walked up to the female demon but remained on high alert for safety precautions. "Monir, why are you here alone? Where is Denzyl?" Devyn inquired as he quickly scanned the woman for any visible wounds.

"I've been locked up here since Denzyl was brought back by Etta. Other than some guards and young infants and their mothers, the rest of the clan is accompanying Klein on the trek up Holeback Mountain."

"What do you mean? Klein locked you up? But the door was not guarded. And Holeback Mountain? Is Denzyl with them?" Devyn had so many questions but felt he had so little time to understand what was going on.

Ilya pointed to the chain around her ankle that was anchored into the stone wall behind her before quickly explaining the situation with Holeback Mountain and the ceremony at the elders' cave.

"What?" Devyn voiced in disbelief. "They're going to remove the mark?" Devyn felt sick at the thought of Denzyl's mark being given to someone else, and his brows furrowed as he looked at the monir, his gaze becoming hard as steel. "Where is this cave?" There's no way I am letting anyone take Denzyl away from me. We've been through too much to be together. They're delusional if they think I'll just sit back and watch it happen.

Understanding that the female was no threat, Kilo walked over to the monir who stood deathly still as the angel lifted his sword and sliced through the chain keeping Ilya locked in the room like butter. Ilya's eyes widened at the angel's ease when cutting through the strong metal. "Thank you," Ilya said to Kilo, who nodded before returning to stand by Castyr's side.

"Will you guide us to Denzyl?" Devyn requested as Castyr walked over to the window and peered through the curtains to make sure they had not been discovered. 

Ilya nodded before asking, "Is your ship still functional?"

"It is," Devyn confirmed.

"We'll have to take that. It would take too long otherwise." With that, Ilya started toward the door. "Come with me; there's something you will need."

Nodding to Kilo and Castyr, Devyn quickly followed Ilya out of the room and up the stairs to the highest floor of the mansion. Kilo and Castyr kept a lookout as Devyn followed the monir into the room at the end of the hall. Walking up to a glass case, Devyn stopped just behind the monir as Ilya lifted the lid and lifted a silver sword from the case. "This is Gallen. His blade was cooled by the water of the Soul Sea thousands of times during his crafting until the water of the sea was fused into the metal. As you know, the most common way to kill a demon is to sever our heads. With Gallen, the essence of the Soul Sea allows for the elimination of a demon through a singular, deep cut."

Devyn gazed at the silver blade in awe as Ilya handed him the sword. It was unexpectedly light and perfectly balanced. "May he serve you well," Ilya said with a small bow of her head as Devyn sheathed the blade. "Now, let's hurry. We have no time to lose. They should be arriving at the cave at any moment."

Understanding the urgency, the four hurried down to the ground level of the mansion and stopped just short of the entrance. "The ship is just a few minutes away. Will you be alright?" Devyn inquired of Ilya as she anxiously stood before the barrier that separated her from the deadly mist. Being a demon, Ilya was more susceptible to the fog than the three men who stood next to her. 

"I'll be f-" Ilya was cut off by Kilo walking up to her and scooping her into his arms. The woman's eyes bulged at the sensation of being held in a man's arms, and she looked up at Kilo with heart-filled eyes. Although she was a strong, independent demon, any woman would be flustered by a strong man lifting her into his arms.

"Thank you," Devyn said to Kilo with a bow of his head before turning to Castyr. Devyn knew the star could withstand the fog for longer than he would, so he called upon Castyr's supernatural physique and stamina. "Run ahead and get the ship ready. I'll cover you." The star nodded and placed his hands on the doors' handles before swinging them open. The moment the doors were opened, Kilo activated his energy and covered the demon in his arms in the purple glow before racing into the fog. Taking the lead at the start, Devyn scanned the mist for any sign of the searching light. 

With no apparent immediate threat, Castyr dashed off into the mist leaving the human and angel behind. Holding his breath, Devyn followed behind Kilo as closely as he could while keeping an eye out for the guard who was patrolling the empty village. Knowing Kilo's energy would soon attract the guard, Devyn prepared to defend the angel and monir to the best of his abilities. He was not trained in swordsmanship, but how hard could it be? He had mastered martial arts and the utilization of guns, so he took this as his opportunity to try his hand at mastering the sword. 

A whirring sound approaching from behind alerted Devyn to the presence of the guard. They had been spotted. Well, time to put your skills to the test. Wait... don't fight them with the sword unless you're in hand-to-hand combat. They're in some sort of vehicle, so fight with your gun for now. Devyn mentally laughed at himself for preparing to fight with the sword Ilya had given him when Gallen would not be able to do much in terms of fighting a vehicle. 

Keeping Gallen sheathed, Devyn drew the gun from his hip holster and turned around to aim it at the light heading directly for him. Devyn's breath was running out by this time, but he continued to hold it and shot three rounds into the fog before turning back around to resume running toward the ship. Being an expert marksman, Devyn heard the bullets land into the vehicle, and the light swerved from its crash course to disappear into the fog. 

Devyn's lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, but he kept running. He could no longer see Kilo's purple energy orb nor was he close enough to see the ship. He could only hope they had arrived at the ship and were waiting for him. Devyn held his breath until he was on the verge of passing out. Heaving the poisonous mist kickstarted the freezing of his soul, and Devyn fell to his knees clutching his chest. The human's breathing became strained, and his body grew stiff from the chill that consumed him. 

I can't die now. I have to find Denzyl. I can't...I can't... Struggling to stay on his hands and knees, Devyn crawled through the fog and dragged himself across the rough ground. He had to stay conscious. He had to make it back to the ship. Denzyl...I have to find Denzyl. Saying the avex's name over and over again forced Devyn to remember what he was doing and why he was on Sendrum. It forced him to not give him and continue dragging himself through the mist. 

Just when Devyn was sure the last of his energy had been spent, he faintly made out flapping sounds that were coming toward him. Eh? A bird? I didn't know they had birds on Sendrum. Devyn tried to keep his eyes open, but the coldness that consumed him lulled the human to sleep. His hands and face had grown numb, so he did not feel himself being lifted from the ground.

It was not until a hand was put over his mouth and fresh air was supplied that Devyn came back to his senses. The human gasped for air, and his eyes snapped open to find himself flying through the air. Black wings beat down on each side of him. Kilo had scooped Devyn from the ground and was flying him toward the fresh air that was above the dense fog. Meanwhile, the angel had surrounded his hand with his energy and placed that over Devyn's nose and mouth to supply the human with clean air until they were high enough above the dark haze to breathe freely.

This was the first time Devyn had gotten a close look at Kilo's wings. They were huge and spanned at least ten feet from either side of the angel. The black feathers matched Kilo's dark hair, and a slight shimmer coated them creating a beautiful contrast with the dark color. Devyn bet they would be beautiful in the morning sun and wished for a time when he and Denzyl, Kilo and Castyr, and Miren could spend the days together in peace where Kilo could show off his beautiful wings in the glory of the dawn and Castyr could smile once again.

Kilo coming to a hover above the fog pulled Devyn from his wishes as the ship appeared and came to fly beside them. Kilo flew toward the ship as the ramp lowered and kept Devyn in his arms until they were safely inside. Ilya, who had been delivered to the ship before Kilo set out to find Devyn, immediately came to the human's side and checked on Devyn's condition. 

"Did everyone make it?" Devyn asked through pants. His chest was still cold as ice, and his heart rate had slowed to a dangerous rate. "Mm," Ilya sounded in confirmation as Kilo bent to one knee and opened his hand where a glowing purple orb was created from his energy. Moving his gaze to Devyn, Kilo placed the orb into the human's mouth where it traveled through Devyn's body and soaked up the mist and chills of the Soul Sea. Once Devyn's heart rate had returned to normal and heat had returned to his cheeks, Kilo extracted the orb from Devyn and absorbed it back into his body. 

"Thank you, Kilo." The angel closed his eyes and nodded before gently setting Devyn in one of the chairs behind the captain and co-captain's seats. Devyn grabbed the armrests on either side of him and sat up straight as Kilo sat next to Castyr in the co-captain's chair. 

"Can you lead us to Holeback Mountain?" Devyn inquired of Ilya as the monir took the chair next to him. 

"Certainly," Ilya responded before relaying the directions to Castyr who set a course for the elders' cave. "We should arrive in a few hours. Why don't you rest until then?" Ilya suggested to Devyn, who nodded in agreement. Kilo and Castyr continued to steer the ship and keep an eye out for any potential threats while Devyn and Ilya rested.

I'm coming for you, Denzyl. I'm going to crash this party and take you home.