It felt like he was swimming in a pool of darkness. Slowly pain began to creep up on him. It was a hot crushing pain that was familiar. Soon he was surfacing towards consciousness as the pain felt like knives stabbing him. He was now growing aware of the world around him, the firm bed under him, a soft pillow under his head, and a lightweight layer of fabric covering him. He then felt bandages covering his face and he immediately moved to feel it with his fingers. This flared his pain so harshly that he was now audibly voicing it.

  “ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!” He jerked and tensed from the pain.

  “Help! He's awake!” He heard from not far beside him. It was Lux.

  “HAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!” There was some shuffling around the room then a warm rush of liquid gushing into his veins. The pain began to subside. Remington slowly came to a rest while breathing heavily but relieved.

  “Lux, can you go and make Vezaias aware that both Ava and Remington have woken up?” He heard Zexich ask. There was a pause then a whooshing sound as Lux must have left through a portal.

  “Is your pain subsiding?” Zexich’s voice spoke. He sounded funny, not his usual politeness, but more solemn.

  “It's tolerable..” Remington mumbled.

  “Hmph….lucky you.” Zexich said softly. That remark hurt. Remington was quiet and worried beyond this moment now.

  “Is there anyone else here with us?” Remington asked.

  “I'm here Remi.” Ava's voice was not far to his left.

  “And so am I.” It was Ephraim who was very close. He felt a soft hand take his and hold it firmly.

  “Eph..” Remington said softly. “….where is Vezaias? Is he here?” He asked.

  “Lux went to go and find him.” Ephraim said. Remington took a deep breath.

  “Is he…..is he angry at me?” Remington asked worriedly.

  “I'm not sure, Remington. He hasn't said that he is. He was worried about you.” Ephraim said seriously. Remington was quiet now for a while until the question he worried about next nagged at him enough to be asked.

  “Did…..did I lose my remaining eye? Am I……completely blind now?” He feared the response.

  “I could not save your eye. The attack was powerful enough to crush your eye, you are lucky that you are alive.” Zexich sounded sour, and Remington wondered if he wished that Maxwell would have killed him. Maxwell, his ray of sunshine, one of his favorite people, probably dead now. They were so close to each other. Remington cringed at the emotional response he felt knowing that he had helped to sever this connection, which was most likely lost forever despite Zexich's ability to recreate him. Remington began to cry which without eyes to water or tear ducts with a fresh facial contusion, this shot his pain level through the roof.

  “I'm sorry!” Remington choked out. There was silence. “I'm so sorry Zex!” He cried harder. “I had to do it! Please understand! I do not have a choice! I'm so very sorry!” He sobbed harder.

  “I would advise you to keep your emotions in check. Crying will put you in so much pain that the pain medication will no longer help.” Zexich said solemnly. Remington continued to cry while struggling to stop.

  “Remington please calm down.” Ephraim said softly to his left. He felt Ephraim place a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

  “I cannot see…..Eph please stay near me? I do not want to be alone in the dark.” Remington cried softly now.

  “I won't leave you. I will be right here next to you. I will keep a hand touching you so you know that I am here.” Ephraim reassured him. Remington spent some time now trying to calm down and relax his facial muscles. He knew from losing his previous eye that any amount of emotion or facial expression would be excruciating. He steadied his breathing and was finally coming to a full rest after a long struggle with fighting back his emotions when suddenly there was a whooshing sound not far from him, then firm boot clicks coming towards him. Remington's breathing quickened automatically. Was it Vezaias? He felt Ephraim squeeze his hand firmly then let go which nearly made Remington panic until he heard the most enchanting voice.

  “Rem…” It was very soothing but frightening at the same time. He could tell by the pitch that he was still in his demon state. He only had one chance to see Vezaias's demon form before he lost his vision and now he was aching to have sight to behold the dark angel. Maybe he just wasn't worthy of such a thing. He began to cry again.

  “Aww Rem don't cry.” His voice was caring, deep, and smooth.

  “I'm sorry!” Remington choked out. “I'm sorry Zay! I tried my best! You warned me that he would be the most dangerous! But I was stupid and I didn't listen! I wanted to beat him myself but I couldn't! I nearly lost us the battle! Now look at me! I can't see, I won't be able to fight! I won't be able to protect you! I'm useless!” Remington cried hard then feeling the intense burn of his pain jolt him into sobbing harder. “You must be so angry at me!” Suddenly he felt a hand cup the back of his neck and with a firm squeeze draw him forward slightly into a passionate kiss.

  “I am not angry at all Rem.” He said as he pulled away. “I was worried about you. I thought you might die. I threatened Zex to fix you, when that didn't work I had to offer him a chance to see his friends again so he would cooperate. I just wanted you to be alright. It didn't matter to me if you could beat him on your own. If you needed help that would have been fine. It was far too important to take the chance of losing, I had to help you. Plus I am much more powerful now. I don't need protection. I want to protect you now. Just relax okay? Everything will be fine. You still trust me don't you?”

  “Of course!” Remington replied without hesitation.

  “Good. Now rest.” He ordered slipping his hand away. Remington snatched it.

  “Please don't go. Stay here with me. At least for a while!” Remington said shakily.

  “Alright Rem. I will.” Vezaias took his hand and intertwined their fingers. Remington felt a sigh of relief to hold his cold smooth hand. He relaxed quickly into his pillow. A while passed and he began to feel drowsy then eventually he felt Vezaias lay his head against Remington's ribs and lovingly lay his other arm across Remington's hips. He must have been tired, and Remington could only assume it was very late at night. A soft voice roused him enough to hear Ephraim speak.

  “Vezaias, Remington is asleep. I will stay with him. You go and get some rest.” Ephraim said softly. He felt Vezaias lift from his spot against his side and let go of his hand. Something so simple felt like a tragedy. He didn't want Vezaias to leave or let go of his hand. He wanted to protest and beg Vezaias to stay, but he also wanted him to get rest, and he couldn't be so selfish to prevent that, plus he was so exhausted he could only sink back into unconsciousness.

  Lux was deeply asleep. Soaking in painful bites and scratches made it difficult to relax, and he had to lay very still in order to help the pain subside. The medication helped him sink into deep unconsciousness, and he slept hard for several hours before he became aware again. He realized someone was hugging him. He wiggled a bit to the right of the embrace then shifted to see Vezaias sleeping peacefully against him. He blinked in bewilderment. He tried not to react but he could feel his body's arousal almost immediately. Vezaias was nearly naked and his cool skin was plastered against him and around him with soft chilly breaths against his shoulder and the sound that a purring cat would make deep and vibrating his throat and chest. Lux was afraid to move but settled into the strong arms around him feeling emotional then pressing his ear close to Vezaias strong chest to listen to the rumble and his strangely fast heart beating. He took a deep breath and sighed trying to enjoy the quiet rhythm and peaceful non-violent moment. Lux laid in Vezaias's arms for a long while but eventually he became restless and wanted to get up out of bed and at least go and have a cigarette. He slowly shifted trying to slip out from Vezaias's arms carefully so as to not wake him. He hadn't made much progress when suddenly the grip tightened and Vezaias was now nuzzling into his neck very lovingly.

  “Lux…” Vezaias hummed, shifting to look at Lux. Lux froze now as the blood colored eyes gazed at him that nearly reflected the slight glimmer of what little light there was in the room. Lux didn't reply. “I wanted to tell you that you did a good job yesterday. I know that I've always expected so much from you, but you have no idea how much I appreciate it, or how much it helps me, or how much I love you.” Vezaias said in such a lovely voice that Lux's heart could have fallen completely apart, crumbled like ashes, and floated away from him completely.

  “Pff whatever.” Was all he could manage to say. It was the lack of nicotine. Vezaias smiled smoothly and dug his face into Lux's neck, rubbing softly and purring louder with a deep rumble in his throat. Things progressed quickly as Vezaias began licking and sucking on Lux's neck then rubbing his hands over every delicious spot he wanted to touch then sinking downward under the blankets. Lux was throbbing now and could barely breath. Never in his life was he so afraid of oral pleasure before. He grasped Vezaias's hair urging him to begin.

  “Ahh, Vezaias what the fuck?” He mumbled as he anticipated what would happen as he felt Vezaias pulling away the fabric that imprisoned his prize.

  “Shit Vezaias….Uggn, but wait! Haahh….fuck…..” He felt lips graze and slip gently across. “Ahhhhh oh fuck please hurry…..” The blanket lifted and he could see the creepy red eyes glowing under the covers like two flames flickering in the darkness. He pushed Vezaias's head harder.

  “Why did you punch me last time?” Vezaias asked softly, then he placed his lips resting at the starting line.

  “Ahh, uhh, oh……well…..haaah……I um……I get very aggravated when you bite me. I fight back on reflex…….I can't help it……..heh, sorry…..” Lux panted getting impatient.

  “Mmm, well I kind of liked it. You are the only one who has tried to match my violence.” Vezaias said smoothly.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Uhnn oh maybe…..haaah……maybe I'll make it a habit…” Lux pouted for more.

  “Mmmm, you should….don't worry….I'm a sturdy guy…..you won't hurt me very much…..” Vezaias cooed.

  “Pff, heh ‘very much' he says, Vezaias you are a fucking…AHHH!! HAAH HNN…. AHH SHIT……” he felt the mouth drop down and it immediately caused him to thrust. “HAAH AH FUCK MPFF SHIT……. I'M SO FUCKIN CLOSE….AH AHH HAAA!” Vezaias stopped and sat up. “Oh please Vezaias don't stop yet…..I was so close….”

  “But it's my turn.” Vezaias cooed then he snatched Lux and pulled him into position making Lux sit on his lap and pressing down against his hips and with a quick thrust he was in.

  “FUCK AHHHH HAHHH FUCK ME VEZAIAS SHIT…….”

  “You take over Lux, you dirty slut.” Vezaias hummed. Lux did as he was told and began to lift himself and drop down repetitively. He wrapped his arms around Vezaias's neck and clutched a wad of his hair with one hand and scratched the cold skin with his other. Maybe Vezaias would like a taste of his own arsenal. Lux bit down on his shoulder as hard as he could finding that he was unable to break the durable leathery skin.

  “Ahh, fuck me Lux. That's right you dirty slut.” It wasn't much longer after the dirty words were said that Lux splashed his delight with an agonizingly wonderful shutter as his sore body and muscles began to give out on him.

  “Mmm…such a slut.” Vezaias hummed in his ear. “I'm next.” Vezaias laid Lux’s limp body on the bed and grabbed him by the pelvis and began to slap himself harshly with increasing speed and ferocity. He hunched over after flipping Lux to his stomach and began to pound harder and harder until Lux was screaming and pleading him to finish. He pressed Lux into the bed drawing blood again with his sharp nails then latched onto his shoulders with his fangs. Lux screamed as if someone was killing him and only calmed after Vezaias was finished as he lapped up the blood like a cat licking a dish of milk.

  “You taste so good Lux.” Vezaias mumbled and continued to lick the blood as it gushed out. Lux was crying now. Eventually Vezaias was ready to get out of bed.

  “Thanks for breakfast. I will be hungry later today. I will need more than just blood.” He said as he slipped his clothes on. Lux cried harder after Vezaias left the room.

  When Vezaias landed in the infirmary there was already a very dramatic situation happening. Vezaias stood quietly observing. He immediately had Ephraim's attention, as well as Zexich who looked afraid for a moment then he proceeded cautiously with the interaction he was trying to handle.

  “The dose I gave you was sufficient. Why do you feel like you need more?” Zexich asked.

  “Because I’m in FUCKING PAIN!” Ava then kicked the bed tray and it crashed to the ground. Zexich jumped in fear at the noise then quickly composed himself.

  “I do believe if the dose I've given you feels like it is not enough that is because you have an unusually high tolerance to the pain medication. In my medical opinion I do not believe you should be taking higher doses, in fact a detox would sound like a much better idea.” Zexich said in as professional of a voice as he could possibly muster while feeling terrified of the situation as a whole.

  “What?! You can just go fuck yourself with that stupid suggestion….!” Ava was now getting to his feet from the bed and he shifted to look like Sigil for just the right amount of emotional damage. “…..now give me another fucking dose RIGHT NOW!” Zexich turned and shut his eyes and desperately tried not to crumble. Vezaias shot forward, jumping over the bed and glaring at Ava angry.

  “Eek! Ahh hello Vee! Heh heh heh…” Ava was backing up nervously. Vezaias snatched him and with an effortless lift and jerk, smashed him into the bed. Ava yelped in pain and quickly shifted back to himself, as Vezaias crushed him.

  “Don’t you EVER do that shit to Zex again! You are being a fucking fiend and if you do not control yourself I will fucking rip your arms and legs off one at a time and have them for fucking breakfast!!!” Vezaias shouted at him angrily.

  “AHHH help! Someone!” Ava whimpered as Vezaias continued to crush him.

  “Shut the FUCK UP Ava, do you honestly believe anyone in this room would fucking help you?!” Vezaias shouted. Ava was crying now and angry but very afraid.

  “I hate you Vee! You don't understand! I'm in pain! I need more of that to make it stop! It hurts so bad!” Ava cried angrily.

  “You are not in pain, you are just desperate to get a fix!” Vezaias snapped back.

  “I am in pain Vee! I am! I've been in pain for 19 years!” Ava sobbed. “….and it never goes away! It's the only thing that helps!!” Ava cried and struggled. Vezaias lifted him and tossed him like a rag doll to the floor.

  “Well guess what? Your going to have to deal with it some other fucking way!” Vezaias demanded. Ava cowered on the ground while crying but he didn't dare move from where he painfully landed. Vezaias took a deep breath and reeled in his anger, before turning to Zexich. He was on his knees crying and covering his face with one hand while cupping his chest with the other.

  “Zex…” Vezaias said softly. Zexich only continued to try and reserve himself. Vezaias let him cry for a long while before speaking again.

  “Come with me Zex.” He said finally. Zexich looked up at him with eyes full of tears then reluctantly got up to follow him. He took Zexich through a portal to the office.

  “Sit down.” Vezaias ordered. Zexich sighed and wiped his eyes as he sat as instructed.

  “First I would like to apologize for my brother being a completely revolting drug whore. When he knows that offering his mouth as payment won't work, he turns into a horribly violent hurtful bitch. He cannot help it, at this point in his life it is his true nature to behave this way even though he hides it very well. I’m not trying to make excuses for him. I do not feel like anyone deserves to have to put up with his bullshit, and you did not deserve that at all.” Vezaias paused for response.

  “I don't believe apologies make any difference to me at this point, but I appreciate the effort.” Zexich said seriously. He was still afraid of saying anything that might anger Vezaias, because it would be a serious threat to his life. Vezaias only looked amused and then sat down across from Zexich and stretched out looking relaxed while spreading out his wings then folding them back against himself.

  “Look, I know that you probably hate me….”

  “I don't believe 'hate' is entirely an accurate way to describe…”

  “Shut up Zex. I’m talking.” Vezaias cut over him. Zexich was quiet.

  “….you may feel that I am a horrible person, a dangerous person, a villain even, maybe you wish that I was dead, or that you never should have recreated me…..” Vezaias trailed off then paused. “It's okay, you have my permission to speak freely.” He added.

  “I suppose I have fleeting moments where these assumptions are accurate.” Zexich sighed. Vezaias still looked amused.

  “That's perfectly understandable. I am not going to even attempt to deny any of this. In fact I will openly admit that you are justified to feel this way because it's all true. I am, in fact, a horrible villain for the shitty things I've done. Especially to you. I could never make up for the atrocities I've caused. Beyond this reality, I would like to be true to my word. I promised you that if you fixed Rem, and my shitty brother, that maybe I would let you recreate your friends. That is still a possibility for the future, however I would like to prioritize my goals first.” Vezaias said seriously. Zexich only remained quiet. “So if you help me, as you are very important when accomplishing what I would like to accomplish, then of course I will give you what you want. So will you continue to help me in exchange for seeing your friends again?” Vezaias asked very curiously. Zexich didn't answer right away. “Of course you would need more context to make your decision. I am not about handing out spoilers, but if you hadn't guessed already, and I know you have, I am working towards a very specific goal, several in fact, as well as following a very well thought out plan. I cannot give away all the details, not even to my team out there, because I find that even when I trust people with my plan details, well it tends to create a much larger possibility for my plans to get side-tracked or ruined. So nobody will even know what my true goal is and I will only hand out the immediate next relevant step to those who it actually involves.” Vezaias explained humdrumedly.

  “Then I suppose, tell me what I need to do. Then I will decide.” Zexich said solemnly.

  “I do not put people to death for no good reason. Everyone I have chosen to die had some sort of a purpose, beyond frivolous reasons like; anger, hatred, or simply out of cold blood. For example I order Remington to kill my brother because I need servants who have skills that I can utilize. I needed Lux to die because I needed a way to feed myself without murdering hoards of innocent people. I killed your friends because I needed a one time mass surplus of meat to sustain my body.” He paused as this truth was difficult to hear for Zexich. “…..now when feeding on Lux I will always remain ahead of my nutrition requirements and I can stay in this form until I have to exert a large amount of soul calories. I need to get used to being in this demon body. It is very strange from a human standpoint. Sure I could have just gone on a killing spree, but then those people would just be dead. Your friends were a necessary sacrifice, as they are all safely tucked away inside, and can return again when I decide to let you make them, thus keeping the human casualties to a minimum. Plus, I needed your friends to get the fuck off my back for a while so I wouldn't have to sneek around anymore and I could be free to achieve my goals out in the open. Now, I will need to kill two more people, but have them immediately recreated so that I may have one more set of skills that will give me the advantage, and to repair the damage from the battles. Can you guess who I am talking about?” Vezaias led on.

  “Remington and Ephraim.” Zexich said unhappily.

  “Correct! That is your next job. Of course I want my team to heal first. Then once Rem has had some time to heal you will recreate him and then Ephraim. I do demand that you fix Remington's eyesight and make sure to do everything exactly as I want, then when we are done with this step, we will move on to my next goal. So what do you say? Is it a deal?” Vezaias asked keenly. Zexich considered this heavily.

  “What happens if I refuse the offer?” Zexich asked curiously.

  “Heh, well I will lock you up in a holding room and make you useful to me by way of blood donation. I won't let you recreate your friends. Then I will seek out the only other person I know that is capable of doing the same work that I've requested from you. I believe he is nearly an exact copy of you, only more human.” Vezaias looked amused.

  “Alright fine I will accept but only on these terms;…”

  “Oh? Making demands are you? Let's hear them.” Vezaias laughed.

  “For one, I want one of my family members immediately. I find I work much better when he is near.” Zexich pressed.

  “Oh, your mate. Only if you can convince him not to be hostile right from activation. Otherwise I will just kill him again and feast on his meat.” Vezaias chuckled. Zexich cringed.

  “I assure you I can sway him.” Zexich said seriously.

  “Any other requests?” Vezaias asked amusingly.

  “I will get the rest of my friends back. And three; you will keep me informed of your plan as information becomes available.” Zexich said firmly.

  “Gah, relevant details only, and if I detect any funny shit out of either of you, I will kill both of you on the spot without asking questions or any hesitation.” Vezaias said unamusingly.

  “Fair enough.” Zexich said seriously.

  “Welp, you drive a hard bargain Zex. I hope that you will try and trust me as the rest of my team does. And to start off this business relationship with a positive note I will give you this.” Vezaias stood up and put a hand to his chest and drew out a bright crystal. He held it out for Zexich to take. “Be careful, it is very delicate. I've kept them all very safe. I know how precious they are to you.” Vezaias said in a tender sincere voice. Zexich reached and carefully took the crystal and was just big enough to cup in one hand. It was shimmery and warm and reflected a beautiful teal color, the same as Sigil's eye color. He pulled it closer to his chest and began to cry. Vezaias watched him in satisfaction.

  “Perhaps you are not as vile as I had begun to believe!” Zexich sobbed with relief in his smile.

  “Zex, I didn't do this for you just to convince you that I am not such a horrible person.” Vezaias said with sadness behind his amused look. “….I did it to serve a purpose that will benefit me and my ultimate goal. I hope you don't forget how much of a villain I am just because of this. If you would have asked for any of your other friends I would have shot your request down immediately.” Vezaias looked away now.

  “It is in my nature to look past the darkness to find the light, but I will try not to think too highly of you if that is what you demand.” Zexich said in light-heartedness.