The Angels of Courage surrounded the perimeter, ensuring no one would get in or out of the house. I looked at the sky. The moon was already making its way down the firmament. It was high time to join Sannarah.

We agreed that we shouldn't go in together. Khaneus seemed like a bright and dangerous type. I doubted he would go down peacefully, and there would surely be some nasty traps at his place. But Sanna insisted on going in first, arguing that I would probably make too much commotion to keep an element of surprise. Well, she was not wrong. As an Archangel of Justice, it was not my way to sneak around attacking from the back. I charged onwards with my sword raised, no matter the danger.

Yet here I was, standing in front of locked doors while Sanna risked her life inside. I waited with my hand on the handle, listening. The silence was oppressing, with no sound coming from the house. It must have been enchanted to keep the noise and dark magic aura inside.

I knocked at the wooden door firmly, expecting a reaction. I had no idea what was happening inside, but this noiselessness wasn't a good sign. Sometimes even such a simple thing as a knock could distract people.

Unfortunately, I did not receive any answer. There were no steps, no hushed voices, nothing. I raised my hand and knocked again for good measure, but I knew it was time for a more drastic approach.

I closed my eyes and reached deep inside myself. The power was there, hidden away under a tightly closed lid. But there was no reason to hide anymore, and I was itching to regain my strength. Not wasting any more time, I wrenched the lid away.

The sensation of all the power released at once was so overwhelming that I swayed slightly on my feet. My senses became sharper, and my body felt whole again. I could finally spread my wings freely. I wished I could jump in the air and feel the rushing wind on my face, but sadly, I didn't have time for that. The work came first.

I kicked the door, which almost fell off its hinges, and walked into the house. At first sight, it looked plain, though elegantly decorated. But as soon as I stepped inside, I was assaulted by the heavy stench of foul magic. I narrowed my eyes and searched for the source, which I soon located.

It was always the basement.

I didn't have time to look for the entrance. I crouched and pressed my hands to the floor, sending a jolt of power down. The wood and stone cracked with a dull rumble. Fissures quickly spread through the hall. I pushed a bit more, and the floor collapsed, leaving a huge hole right over the source of the dark magic.

I waited till the building stopped trembling and jumped into the pit. The basement was dark, and the cave-in dust was still hanging suspended in the air. I drew my sword, let it light up with flames, and looked around.

A huddled form in front of the stairs turned out to be Sanna. She got up from the crouch and brushed off the dust covering her, though it was futile considering the thick grime covering her now. She glared at me.

"Bringing down fricking ceiling?" she hissed.

"I thought you were in trouble," I protested and looked around. "And where is─"

I caught a movement in the corner of my eye, but something hit me hard between the shoulder blades before I could react. The pain erupted and spread through my body like a lightning bolt, and I fell to one knee, clenching my jaw to keep the scream inside.

The man walked out of the pile of rubble; his fancy dark robe was dusted and torn. There was blood on his cheek from some minor scratch, but otherwise, he looked unharmed by the ceiling collapse. His face was a twisted mask of anger, and dark flames danced on his fingertips.

"You dare come here and wreck my home!" he spat and threw another blast my way, but this time I was ready. I raised my sword and caught the dark energy, deflecting it to the side and crushing the nearby shelf.

"I did knock," I said, getting back to my feet. "Khaneus Surinus, you are accused of committing a series of murders. Come peacefully to await your trial. If you resist, I can't guarantee your safety."

The sorcerer scoffed. "You can't be serious. The audacity of you, winged bastards, astounds me. To come after a well-respected sorcerer instead of rampaging demons. If you just arrested this Fallen I gave you on a silver platter," he said and pointed to Sanna, "we could avoid this mess. And now I need to get rid of you both."

His voice was high-pitched, and the words were rushed and slurred together. His left eye twitched, and he kept shrugging his shoulders as if he tried to shake something off. Those were signs of overusing magic. Dark arts were not a mortal-friendly discipline. The more one used, the biggest toll it took, making both body and mind deteriorate. But when someone handling so much power started to lose their sanity, they were even more dangerous.

"So, you admit you tried to frame an innocent... demon for your crimes?" I prompted, deflecting another blast of dark energy.

"I admit nothing. And you are annoying." Khaneus raised his hands again, and I braced for another attack, but none came.

"Behind you!" Sanna screamed, her face contorted with fear and disgust.

Before I turned around, something pinned my arms to my body in a shockingly strong grip. My nose was flooded with a stench of rotting meat and dried blood. A quick look down revealed mismatched hands─one hand had an odd green tint with long vicious claws, while the other was delicate with pale skin and elegant fingers. They were both stitched to arms that seemed to belong to yet another person.

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. The reports from recent crime scenes stated that most victims were mutilated with missing limbs and other body parts.

And now I found them all together, trying to squeeze the life out of me.

The monstrosity roared into my ear, sharp fang inches away from the side of my face. A shiver of disgust ran through my body. Necromancy and raising the dead was one of the most despised disciplines of dark arts. Even the Witches and Sorcerers Association agreed the practice should be discouraged or even outlawed. Now it became clear why Khaneus was kicked out of the guild.

I tensed all my muscles, trying to break the grip, but it was like iron. Even when I pushed with all my might, the undead didn't flinch.

"A little help, maybe?" I hissed through my clenched jaw when the monster tightened its clutch, trying to crush my ribs. Neither Sanna nor growling Hell Hound moved from their spot in front of the stairs.

"I can't unless you do something with this protective circle," she replied, pacing impatiently in her invisible prison.

I huffed with frustration, barely avoiding snapping jaws that tried to bite my ear off. I attempted again to shrug the monster off, but it was futile. My arms were pinned tightly to my body, so I couldn't even use my sword.

Unless...

I changed my grip on the sword's handle, directing the blade downwards. Then I let my legs buckle under me, and my knees hit the floor painfully. But so did my sword, digging deep into the stones. I send the jolt of power through it.

The ground trembled, and the cracks appeared on the floor, spreading in all directions. I focused and pushed them towards the stairs. It was risky, considering I'd already damaged the building's structure, making my way into the basement, and the whole thing could fall on us any second. But I saw no other option.

I didn't have time to see if it worked because the monster gained easier access to my neck with me kneeling, and I had to avoid those sharp teeth. Lucky for me, barely moments later, a dark furry blur dashed at me, jumping at the creature holding me prisoner. Painful groans and fierce growls mixed, and the grip loosened enough so I could finally free myself.

A sharp whipcrack pierced the air, and Khaneus fell to the floor, his concentration broken. The undead monster was still fighting, trying to pin down the Hell Hound, but without the sorcerer supporting it with additional magic, it became slow and clumsy, so the dog had no problem handling him.

I turned to Khaneus, but Sanna was already on him. She plunged her knee into his chest and clenched her clawed hand on his neck, making it impossible to spit out more spells.

"You piece of dung!" she hissed, baring her teeth.

At this moment, I wasn't sure what she would do next. I wanted to believe that the Sanna I had come to know, would not kill a mortal even if he deserved it. But there was also something wild in her. Something that was only appearing when she was angry and upset, but it was a clear reminder of what she was.

A demon.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough. Khaneus will face the trial and be judged for his crimes."

She made an inarticulate growl. The sorcerer's face slowly turned purple.

"Sanna, let him go."

For a moment, I thought she would ignore me. But then she scoffed and stalked away with her tail lashing angrily. "You'd better make him pay for what he's done, Golden Boy!"

"He will after he faces a fair trial. Everyone deserves one. Even the likes of him," I said, cuffing the wheezing sorcerer in enchanted golden chains blocking all magic. I turned to Sanna, who was crouching over the unmoving body of the monster. There was a gentleness in the way she closed the creature's eyes. "Is it dead?"

"I think so." She turned to the Hell Hound and patted its head affectionately. "You did well, my sweet."

My eyes lingered on them. It felt surreal that I was watching a demon and a Hell Hound. The scene looked as natural as it was just a regular woman with her beloved dog.

Sanna looked up at me with a smirk. "You can pet him too, you know. He did save your life, after all."

I frowned, looking at the creature.

His ears flattened, and he growled, baring still bloody teeth at me.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want my pats."

"It's all right." Sanna scratched the beast behind his ear, and he immediately relaxed, wagging his tail. She looked at me with a small smile. "Golden Boy is not our enemy. He's a good angel."

A comforting wave of warmth spread through my body. It was unbelievable how strongly each of Sanna's kind gestures or words affected me.

The Hell Hound gave me a suspicious glance and lowered his head with a quiet whine.

I hesitantly stepped forward and offered my hand. The beast, still wary, sniffed my fingers with his blaring red eyes trained on me. The huge muscles under the thick fur were tense, but the Hound didn't move to attack.

Against my instincts, I gave the creature a gentle pat on his head. His fur was stiff but smooth and didn't feel much different from a regular dog's.

The beast cocked his head, equally surprised, and then wagged his tail shyly.

Encouraged, I gave him a good scratch behind the ears. "You saved me back there, buddy. Thanks."

The Hound barked happily in response.

"Look at you, best friends already!" Sanna laughed. "But we lingered here long enough. You can go back now, my pet."

The creature gave one last bark and disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.

Sanna got back to her feet, brushing off the dust. "Let's get out of here." 

***

We stood on the silent street watching as Angels of Courage took Khaneus and spirited him away up to the sky before the mortals woke up for the day. He would face the trial in Heaven soon.

"So..." Sanna started reluctantly, gazing at slowly disappearing angels. "That's it then. You got your killer. I can walk free now, right?"

That comment hit me like a lightning bolt. I realised that I wasn't ready to part ways yet. I didn't want to. Luckily for me, I had a perfectly logical excuse.

"We're not done yet. There's still a matter of Khaneus' trial."

"Yes, but that's on you. I was supposed to help you catch the killer, and I did." There was annoyance in her voice, but it lacked the sharp edge it had when we first met. It led me to believe that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't in such a hurry to say goodbye either.

"You did your part brilliantly, yes. But now you are an important witness. You talked to Khaneus before I arrived. I'm sure you have some important information to share with a judge."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at me. "I will tell you every single word he told me. And then I'll be off."

"Sanna, please. We must do this the right way. I can't lie and pretend I was there. You must tell what you know to the judge, not me."

She scoffed. "To the judge? Like, an Archangel of Wisdom judge on trial in Heaven? No, not a chance. I'm out of here."

She turned to leave, but I caught her hand. "Why not?"

Sanna sighed and looked up at me. "Because I'm a demon. Look at me, Melkyal." She waved a hand over her body, and another jolt spread through my body. It was the first time she had said my name. Not the silly nickname she usually used. And the way she said it was so gentle, it made me all warm inside, and my thoughts scattered helplessly in the four winds. "There is no place in Heaven for the likes of me. They would never let me in."

I blinked several times, trying to gather my restless thoughts. "You are a marvel." Sanna raised a brow with a small smile tugging on her lips, and I forced more words out, hoping they would make more sense. "You will be under my protection. No one will dare stop you."

"That may be, but they won't be happy about it. And you'll get in trouble for this," Sanna protested weakly and looked away.

"I don't care." I took her chin gently and turned her back to me. "I promised you I would help you get out of your servitude. And I will. Once we are done with the trial, I'll talk to Archangel of Wisdom."

"I don't think it's a good idea," she mumbled.

"We won't know until we try. If someone can know a way out, it's him. And if you cooperate as a witness during the trial, it would be a clear sign of your good intentions," I added fervently. "I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe with me."

Sanna looked into my eyes for the longest time, and I was almost sure she'd call me a fool and refuse.

But instead, she asked, "Do you promise?"

I raised her hand I was still holding and placed it on my chest, over my heart. "I promise."

"Fine then. I trust you."

The elation that flooded me was unlike anything else I've felt before. I felt strong enough to move mountains and make anything possible with just those three words. I grinned like a fool and grabbed surprised Sanna by the waist, pressing her tightly to myself. "Hold on tight."

Before she could protest, I spread my wings and jumped into the air.