Kindle sat hunched over the book of demons, furrowing his brow in that way that he did to concentrate or seem serious, his lower lip outwards in a distracted pout. He pulled his legs in to sit on a sideways pew, which made me wonder why he didn't just set it upright. August figured there would be some sort of spell in the book to instruct Kindle on removing my essence himself.

"Is there seriously no fine print to this book?" August muttered, trying to see what Kindle was reading. "Like, hey, you need these things, here's how you get them."

"The book of demons is very old. Besides, that would be too easy." Kindle stated and August rolled their eyes. "It's never that easy." He murmured. August leant a bit on my shoulder as we sat together. I appreciated the contact, it was reassuring. Their fingertips stretched out and brushed mine.

"I'll figure out how to get the essence eventually." I told both of them. "I just... need a little time to clear my head and figure out how. Maybe I can get Seraphim talking." I wiggled my fingers, displaying the black ring. "Too bad there's no book of angels. Or, like, a pamphlet or something."

"A pamphlet?" August stared at me like they were wondering why they ever liked me in the first place.

"I don't know what a pamphlet is, but I'm sure it would've been helpful." Kindle added, giving August a glare.

Their intense stare down lasted a few seconds longer, which prompted me to look at them in bewilderment.

"What is with you two?"

"Nothing." They both said at once, which just made me even more suspicious.

"Bullshit."

Kindle stood, the tips of his ears turning a dark red as he practically stumbled off the pew. "I'm going to collect the hellfire." He blurted, and I watched as he fled, rushing past the overturned pews to the outside. I was, to put it simply, baffled.

I looked at August for an explanation, but they pursed their lips and turned away.

"You two are being ridiculous." I exclaimed, brushing an annoyingly ticklish strand of hair from my face. "I thought you were finally getting along. What's your problem with each other, anyway? Kindle literally helped save your pack. Shouldn't you be grateful for that?"

"It's none of your business." They snapped. "Just drop it and try and focus on being useful. " August paused for a moment, their eyes smoldering like the first spark of a bomb, set to go off at any second. That spark quickly died, though. "I'm...sorry...I'm going to find Sally."

I stared after them as they walked, pulling their jacket around them and stuffing their hands into their pockets.

"You're so oblivious." Ryan said, suddenly behind me. I glanced at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"I've clearly missed something important." I agreed, and Ryan snickered.

"Well, whatever, you can deal with all that drama later. If we can stop Rae, anyway..." he trailed off, looking concerned. He reached up and nervously twirled his hoodie string around a finger and continued to unravel it in an almost mesmerizing pattern. His foot tapped in a soft beat, almost close to a song of some sort.

I felt like I was viewing things in such a new way. My friends seemed so different to me. That, I didn't quite understand, much like most of the new conflicts in my second-life. Hooray.

"Ryan?" I asked, cautious about the tone of my voice for once in my life. I pushed my hair back, grimacing as I looked at him sideways. "What happened when I died?"

I watched him push his glasses up his nose. Part of the left lens was cracked. The other side had a small hairline fracture in the frame, which had been mended with clear tape that was coming undone. Finally, he spoke up. "It'd be easier to...show you. Explaining it is just.... Of course, that's probably impossible-"

I'm not sure what acted me to do so, but I stood and reached out to Ryan, my fingertips lightly touching his arm. Everything was blue. And then, all of a sudden, I found myself staring down at a familiar necklace in my hands. With a jolt, I realized I was Ryan. At least, Ryan from earlier today.

A sudden scream tore across the air, and I realized with another start that I was hearing my own, final breath, in one form or another. It sent chills down my spine.

Panic overtook me, and I watched in fear and fascination as the crystal necklace in my hands extended into a longsword.

"Somethings wrong." Ryan's voice murmured in his head. But he tightened his grip on the sword, and raced to the noise.

As he ran, I noticed the sound of heavy footsteps, and watched as Kindle sprinted past Ryan/me, his silver dagger flashing in his hands. It was strange, seeing him travel so fast. He seemed to fade to smoke as he did.

August was close behind him, as was Sally. She clasped onto the werewolf's hand as they dragged her along frantically.

My vision doubled, and suddenly, I realized I was looking at my dead body. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream, or throw something, to distract myself from the sight. I felt like small snakes were moving around under my flesh. My skin prickled. I felt an anxious fear close to what I had when I was trapped in that barn. The snakes under my skin felt like they were writhing up my arms and around my neck to constrict my breaths, writhing and just...moving.

I did nothing but stare. It was so wrong. I tried to make myself think that this was just a dummy, or a replica. A really fucking detailed replica. I was slumped over the sword that was driven into my midsection, right underneath my ribs, straight though the middle. Dark blood gushed from the deep wound prickled with frost, and it pooled at my feet. Thick, near-coagulated drops hit the earth with a soft noise, like a small stream from a keg, or rain. I was already growing paler.

My vision was blurred again, and I realized that Ryan's eyes were filled with tears.

"No!" A voice roared, and I watched through wet, blurred eyes as Kindle approached my body. He reached out, his slender fingers touching my face, lingering at my cheek, just for a moment.

A small bead of blood had started to trail down my face from a scratch under my eye. He wiped it away. His eyes narrowed, and from where I could see, there were silvery tears forming already.

He inhaled, and brought his other hand to my shoulder. Suddenly, and viciously, he ripped the sword from the tree and myself. He dropped it, and caught me as I pitched forward.

More blood quickly covered his hands, and his shirt, but he didn't seem to notice or care. He gently settled me on the ground, falling onto his knees. Kindle pulled me into his arms, and held me so carefully, he acted as if I were made of fragile paper. He rested my head on the crook of his neck. He then simply cradled me and buried his face and hands into my hair, he was silent for a minute, suddenly emitting a cry so soft and heartbroken, I couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, Sally bumped into Ryan, and she cursed into his chest. Ryan still watched, though I felt his arms pull themselves around her. Sally's tears wet his shirt.

"Kindle." August's voice was the frailest I've ever heard it. They approached the demon, small hand outstretched.

"Back. Off." Kindle snapped, his eyes flashing black. He stared back down at me, wiping blood from my mouth with his thumb, pulling me closer. His voice broke, filled with grief as he buried his face back in my hair. "You don't understand..."

"You're not the only one who...who cared about him." August shot back. "Is that what you think?"

"I said you don't understand." Kindle growled. "Just go back to where you belong, dog."

With a gasp and a feeling like an electric volt being fired into my palm, I was back in the present. Ryan held his hands to his temples with a fierce grimace. I fell back as my knees failed me, landing on an overturned pew. My joints felt like jello.

"What the hell was that?" Ryan exclaimed, staring at me in fascination and pain.

I watched as he multiplied, and I was staring at three different blurry Ryans. I blinked and strained my eyes ferociously, and my vision eventually came back into focus. "I knew I had to do that... somehow. Sorry. I would have tried to warn you, you know." I sat up with a grunt, brushing off stray leaves and dirt that clung to my clothes. It felt like someone drove a pin straight through my head. "I've been weird lately..."

"Yeah, well, no kidding." Ryan reached down and I grabbed his hand, pulling myself up.  "You gotta stop doing this creepy angel shit, man." Ryan shuddered, and rubbed his arm. "It's... unnatural."

"It's actually called the supernatural for a reason." I said, raising a brow.

"Glad to see your smartassery hasn't changed." Ryan huffed, and I snickered under my breath, throwing an arm over him and pulling him down, messing up his hair.

"Smartassery isn't a word!"

He laughed and shoved me away, readjusting his glasses.

"So I know why August and Kindle are mad at one another. But... you think August is mad at me?" I suddenly asked, and Ryan looked at me like I was an idiot.

"I don't think they're mad, per say, just... I think it's more complicated."

I furrowed my brow at the lack of a clear answer, sighing.

"Where did the others go, anyway?" Ryan glanced around, appearing puzzled.

"August went to Sally, and apparently Kindle is getting the hellfire." I responded, uncomfortably rubbing my arm.

"By himself?" Ryan asked.

"Could anyone else have gone?" I remarked, not waiting for a response. "That's what I thought, though. I don't like the idea either."

"Just steer clear of him till we can confirm it actually is Kindle this time. Not..."

My throat turned cold, like he was there. I set my jaw. "I killed Snow myself. He isn't coming back."

"Let's hope not." Ryan said slowly.

A sudden sharp howl filled the air, and my mind immediately jumped to August. But it wasn't one of theirs, I would have recognized it. This was more urgent, and more of a long bark. Like a dog, not a wolf.

"August." I called, cautious about the volume of my voice.

A few noises of shuffling and leaves crinkling, August approached with Sally from the entrance of the church.

"Shepherds." They said, narrowing their violent gold eyes at both Sally and Ryan. I noticed they had somehow gotten their hands on a few plastic flower barrettes, and their dark, fluffy hair was braided back, encircling their head, and clipped in place by two more of the barrettes, making them look a bit more feminine than usual. I had a feeling the braids were certainly from Sally. "Care to tell us what they're here for?"

Sally sidled up beside Ryan, and the two shared a sheepish look.

"Maybeee we left without telling our families... anything." She said awkwardly, and I couldn't help but shout at them both.

"You ran away?"

"To help you!" Ryan retorted.

I clutched my hair and groaned. "You're kidding. So now we've got a search party to worry about, too."

"Police are the least of it, though." August wrinkled their nose. "Where's the demon?"

I looked at August. "Kindle is getting the hellfire for us. "

"By himself?" Both Sally and August said, quirking up a brow at the same time. I shivered at the flawless mirroring.

"That's what I was saying." Ryan complained. I wanted to jump to Kindle's defense, but really, I was just as concerned over it as the rest of us.

August made a noise, one of contempt, or just simply irritation, it was hard to tell with them sometimes.

"I'm sure he's fine." They waved their hands at us, their breath rushed. They reached up and assured themselves the braids were in place. "Whatever. Matthew." They said, and I suddenly snapped back to attention. "I have to talk to you." August declared, and I glanced at the werewolf, a bit nervous, wondering whether this "talk" meant they finally bit my head off or something.

"Uh." I started. "Sure. Go wild." I winced at that, realizing it probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.

They growled, and I watched as their sharp canines glinted. There was something terrifying about it, but also really really intriguing. "Alone." August forced out, and I balked.

"Oh, sure, yeah." I straightened up, and Sally looked at me in almost what seemed to be amusement. August stepped forward and reached out towards my hand, their sharper nails lightly digging into my skin as they dragged me with them. Quietly, a voice in my head reminded me of the search party not far out in the woods around us. Despite my better judgement, I fervently advised it to shut up. My ring seemed to hum in response, like a tensed string.

They brought me out of the church, and around to the back, past a few ivy coated, unrecognizable wooden structures. The moonlight was fiercely shining above us, and it filtered through the break in the trees. It made August look even more powerful and amazing than usual. Their deep copper colored skin stood out with an ethereal glow. 

"So..." I began, as they slowed. Their hand detached from mine, and they suddenly stopped with a sigh. August rarely made depressed sighs like that. I quirked up a brow, worried. "August?"

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier." They said, glancing at me nervously. "I didn't mean... you know. I just..." Their voice cut out. "I was frustrated. With Kindle, and you. I'm sorry." They finished, and I noticed they had a habit similar to mine, twirling the strings on their jacket that were used for their hood, instead of pulling at the sleeves.

"We haven't exactly been in the most stress-free environment." I said quietly, and they laughed. They stepped a bit closer, but I didn't mind. They tilted their head at me, and I now realized what I first thought as a purely mental thing, I had gotten taller. It was weird, looking down at someone, instead of up for a change.

"You're special, you know that, Archangel? And... I really care about you..."

"That's debatable." I responded, and I met their eyes, entranced by the gold. It was like a live wire had gone off inside the depths of their irises. But they seemed ashamed.

"Don't get like that on me. Look at how far you've come. I'm... disappointed, I wasn't here for the start of your little journey. And I'm sorry I was even considering stealing Seraphim., even if it was for my family, it was just so stupid of me. Like, really stupid. But I'm glad I'm here now."

"Considering, while stealing it anyway?" I teased, wanting to say something, though their eyes still left me breathless.

"Kiss me." They said, taking my hand. I looked at them in surprise. But I did.

Immediately, everything brightened. It felt like electricity was racing from the tip of my toes all the way to my brain, short circuiting everything valuable I had stored away. Their fingers went up, laced into my hair, and I slipped my hand around their waist, pulling them as they tugged my head down. They pressed themself close. I was trying not to make a fool of myself. I had only a few kisses before, so I wasn't, by all means, a master at the act. August seemed just fine with taking lead. This wasn't just a peck on the lips. It was like being hit with a strike of lightning.

Energy seemed to be shot straight into my veins, and I almost felt the buzzing of all of it in my head, begging to be used. Around us, lights that hadn't glown in ages burst to life. Even lanterns, with no more oil, and no chance of fire, illuminated August and I in silver and gold.

It was probably the coolest kiss of all time.

Wait.
Energy. It was just energy.

I broke apart from August, the breath stolen out of me, but still determined nonetheless. "It's just- It's just energy!" I cried, and they blinked at me in a daze, and at all the lights around us that had died back out.

"What?" They asked, and I kissed them again, deeply, my arms then slipping around their waist as I spun them around a bit. I was surprised by how easily I did so. Maybe a bit too bold, but they really didn't seem to care. They reached out and flattened my hair back down, which apparently was pretty much standing on end. They reeled in amusement at the static their kiss created.

"I know how to get the essence." I told them, and their eyes lit up with even more excitement. "Come on." I urged, and grabbed their hand, smoothing down my hair myself, and shirt, which August had decided to try and unbutton amidst the chaos with the other.

"Wait, Matt." August said, and I paused expectantly. They reached into their hair and unclipped one of the intricate pink barrettes, sheepishly pressing it into my free hand, which I looked at in a bit of embarrassment.

"It can be your good luck charm." They said, and I smiled. But they didn't notice when it faded, as they pulled us back to the others. Thanks to Jade's extensive books, I knew this flower, along with exactly what it stood for. It was a birds-foot trefoil.

And it meant revenge.

________

Another bark unsettled the air, and I found myself jerked out of a daze. I had clipped the barrette into my hair, despite my realization of its meaning. It was just a hair clip. Not some omen.

"That's... different." August commented, as they wrinkled their nose, mouth quirked in confusion. They had apparently made their mind up to not leave my side. "It doesn't sound like the same dogs."

"Sure it does." Ryan commented, and Sally immediately poked him in the ribs.

"Trust the werewolf with the amazing hearing." She hissed, and Ryan mumbled something sarcastic.

We had taken refuge in a small back room of the church, previously unnoticed, but thanks to August and I's little adventure, we discovered the door, and made a new way inside.

I was holding the small vial for the essence, and scowled at the three for having broken my concentration.

"Okay, okay. Do your strange angel thing." August waved their hands at me, and I snorted.

I stared at the vial, furrowing my brows as I refocused. It was energy. I believed I finally understood it. That was what I could control, and that was what gave me the power to control other things. Everything was filled with an energy of some type, whether it was living or not. And it never disappeared. It just moved. It was just there.

I was the power source. But I was also the conductor. To make things a bit easier, I imagined my arms wrapped in thin, metal wire. I closed my eyes and slowly let myself pull from the things around me. The leftover sparks in the lights outside. I felt them rush to me, forming a glowing blue sphere in the base of my chest. It stung, but I pulled farther, reaching into a few leaves that dangled overhead. They slowly fell to the ground as their tiny spark of energy was pulled from them, as painfully as a tooth being ripped. I pulled from the small white flowers and mushrooms that bloomed among us.

I knew I had enough, but I didn't want to stop. It was invigorating, in a way, despite its pain. Like an adrenaline rush. I felt a soft touch at my shoulder, knowing it was August, and almost broke concentration. I forced my eyes tighter, to block out the light, and molded the energy into a new shape, into the vial.

I opened my eyes, and immediately saw nothing but white, and my head sounded like static, feeling like needles were stabbing into my brain. But at the same time, the numbing adrenaline was there. It was a strange feeling. Almost like you were drowning, but the ocean was too pretty, so you really didn't care.

"Matt." Then August was there, their hands gently tracing my face. "Open your eyes, slowly."

I wanted to snarkily reply that they already were.

"No, they're not."

Shoot.

There was a faint laugh, and I felt a leaf fall onto my forehead, as gentle as a butterfly.

I finally opened them, for real, that time, and August was staring down at me, my head in their lap. They removed the leaf, their nose scrunched up in amusement.

"How come it's always me that passes out." I quietly complained, and August smiled at me sideways.

"You have a ladybug on your cheek." They said, and I immediately shrieked, sitting up fast and almost nailing August in the forehead with mine.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" They cried, as I clawed at my face, glaring at the werewolf.

"Way to ruin the moment." I said, a bit childishly. They smiled and tilted their head.

"No, moment not ruined. I cradled you in my arms, you know. We had a bonding moment."

I pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead, relieved to feel the pain already vanishing. I glanced away from August haughtily, and got to my feet. "Nope, don't remember, didn't happen."

"Don't be a jerk." They sniped, and I glanced back at them.

"Did I manage it?" I asked, and August pulled a vial from their pocket, waving it around. It gleamed blue and silver with electricity. A bit of pride rose up in my chest. "What about the search party? Still on our trail?" They put the vial away.

August shrugged. "Not sure. I've been here with you."

I considered that. "The others?"

"Sally and Ryan are off fiddling with the church podium. The demon's not back yet." I felt concern flash through me, and August walked over, their fingers lacing into my hair as they reached up. "He's fine." They assured me. "It's... It's Kindle. He's been through this much." They shrugged.

"I'm just worried, August. You..weren't there when he..." I closed my eyes against their touch, putting my hand on their arm. "The last time he disappeared on his own, Snow took his place, and he was stuck with Rae, for who knows how long. Tortured, alone, and just- I-."

August cut me off with a kiss, and I felt another spark strike through me, and August smiled half heartedly as I opened my eyes.

"You care about him a lot. How funny is that?" They mused, bringing their hand down, and clasping my own hands instead. "A demon and an archangel as thick as thieves."

"We've been through a lot together. He means more to me than I'd be willing to admit." I said, rather sheepishly. I often avoided how I felt about Kindle. Especially now, as I wanted to talk about August and I, seeing all the affection being displayed at the moment. But they seemed to drift off. 

Suddenly there was a yelp, and loud, ringing laughter.

August unclasped my hands, hesitating almost like they didn't want to, and smiled at me wistfully. "Come on." They said. "I think Sally and Ryan might have found something interesting."

___

"What the hell are you two doing?" August asked, and I glanced at Ryan and Sally. Ryan smiled at August and I sheepishly, and I noticed he too had become victim to Sally's braiding skills, with random, tiny knots sticking out from the bottom of his hair.

"I was showing her some stuff with the necklace. It's kinda neat." Ryan said, clasping it in his hands with a grin.

"Kinda neat? It scared the hell out of me. Show them what you just did!"

Ryan brought the necklace close to his face, muttering a phrase I was surprised I understood.

"Accipiter aspectu."

Hawk sight.

Suddenly, the necklace emitted a beam of light, the blue crashing against the ground and shooting off into the sky. It winged back down in the shape of a large, ethereal blue hawk. I looked to Ryan, to see that his own eyes were blue, and he seemed spaced out. The hawk circled above for a moment, before diving down and landing harmlessly on Ryan's now outstretched arm.

"Redi." He said softly, and the hawk vanished back into the necklace.

"He can do some mind-sync with the hawk and keep lookouts." Sally states. "How crazy is that?"

"That's... pretty crazy." I admitted, and I found myself wondering if Jade ever used that power to check up on me. Or, of course, it was something else looking out over me as I grew. I thought back to all the nights where sleep wouldn't come, as I felt something watching me. I shivered at the thought and forced it down.

"Can you use it to look for the scouting party?" August asked, and I nudged them.

"Good idea. What do you say, Ry?"

Ryan considered for a moment, and I washed as a feeling of... comfort, passed over his face, despite the circumstances. I got the feeling that he was happy to be needed. Directly receiving that emotion shook me more than imagined.

"Of course." He then said, and repeated the words to summon the hawk. Soon enough, Ryan was looking like an eerie ghost, eyes blue and aflame as the hawk guided itself through the forest. His eyes narrowed, and Sally poked him with a finger.

"Any news?"

"There's movement... but I don't think it's the search party. Something happened." His expression shifted, eyes blowing wide. "Guys, watch out-"

A hellhound erupted into view.