The Angels Have Fallen

Chapter 4: Siris

I awoke to the sun kissing my skin and a breeze that blew a leaf onto my face. The soft grass provided no comfort to the throb in the side of my head. I cautiously sat up and touched the side of my forehead, I was bleeding. Looking around, I spotted a large stone on the ground. I probably tripped over it. My sense of urgency quickly returned when my memory of the earthquake returned me to reality.
"MA, PA!" I quickly got up and flew off of the floating island. I was moving like never before, the clouds parted as I burst through them, practically tearing them apart with my speed. My Ma and Pa might be hurt, there was no time for delay.

....
I was flapping my wings, practically treading the air in front of the area where my town was supposed to be. It was gone. No sign of its existence remained. I gawked at the lack of land in shock. How did a floating island just...disappear? Where are my Ma and Pa?
Frantically, I flew south towards where I knew there should be a farmers market and a town that my parents often enjoyed to visit.They must be there right? I'm sure I just got lost and this is the wrong spot. My heart beat so loud that I could hear it from an artery in my neck, and feel it try to burst out of my chest. Anxiety was catching up to me as I panicked.
Once again I was met with nothingness, the island was gone. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any islands aside from the one holding the forest I was in previously. The only things here were me and the clouds. And somehow that forest that managed to survive.
Kyran's words rang through my head. Angels might be hurt, towns destroyed. My Ma and Pa....I looked up at the sun and suddenly it hit me, it was the afternoon. Wait, I was knocked out for more than half a day!? This was even worse. So many things might have happened in my absence. They might be searching for me.
"MA, PA, ANYONE?" I desperately called out to see if anyone was still here. How could I be the only one in a region where there were thousands of towns. I heard a faint rumbling again from up above me and watched as pieces of land nearly knocked me out of the sky. I had to weave through the falling rocks and trees. It was the forest I had just been at? I didn't know that the islands were doing this when the land rumbled. Where did the angels in the towns go?
The answer hit me when I began to free fall. My wings stopped working almost Immediately after I had questioned the angel's disappearance.
"SHOOT!"
My body fell through the clouds along with other pieces of land. Coming from above me. I'd say this was relaxing but falling to my death really wasn't. I peered down and could see a red atmosphere getting closer and closer.
Wait am I falling to- I'm going to die! In a futile attempt I tried to make my arms work like my wings were supposed to, which obviously didn't work out well for me as I just kept falling. How did the world fall apart in merely a week? I couldn't take in what just happened- no what is happening- as if this makes sense.
Shocking heat passed through my bones once my body passed through the border between the world of demons and mine. It was crazy hot down here. Not to mention dark, I was surrounded by black and red, a rather harsh scene.
I could see out of the corner of my eye a red sun. It was harsher than the soft glow of our sun. The ground that I was being thrown towards looked like a desert, a much darker desert than what I'd seen in painting previously.
My body collided with the ground, it seemed to fly up around me and envelop me at impact. My wings probably hit the ground first because they were unable to be moved at all without me hissing in pain. Other than that, my senses worked fine. I was just covered in darkness, heavy and warm darkness. But my hand could move at least. I couldn't tell where it was but it certainly could. I could feel something coarse but fine beneath my fingers. It felt like...sand, or powder?

...
After what I felt like was an eternity. Something poked my hand. I was too exhausted to respond so I just let it. It felt sharp. Like a knife. No better time to die than the present right? Wait, I don't want to die. It took a few minutes but I think whatever found me freed one of my legs because I could move it.
Red light broke the darkness and some hands removed sand from my face. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the light and stared at the creature above me. She had tan skin with a red undertone, similar to mine, dark hair that looked like ashes, and eyes that appeared to be like those of amethysts. She was beautiful. And..I saw her wings, dark colored and clearly stiff on her back, a demon. Wait a demon??!!
My eyes widened in shock and she just stared at me with an unamused look on her face.
"Why are folks always like this when they see me? I'm not that ugly, sheesh." Her voice reminded me of a violin, it had this undertone to it that sounded like the rubbing of the bow along the strings.
"Well are you going to say anything," she questioned, "you're welcome for helping you? I don't know why you chose to be buried in a pile of ashes but uh you seemed to be immobilized for a bit there."
"I- I uh," I couldn't make a full sentence come out of my mouth. "Thank you?"
My mysterious savior rolled her eyes and helped me free another one of my arms. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I felt as if all the weight of the world was just lifted off of my shoulders. That sand-wait she said ashes- was heavy. Why is there a pile of ashes, okay you know what, whatever.
She drew back immediately once I emerged from the sand and looked at me as if I was some type of monster. Did she not realize I was an angel before?
"Hi," I nervously waved, "thanks for the uh- the help."
"Uhuh.." she took a few steps back and I noticed her hand go to the hilt of what appeared to be a dagger on her hip.
Fear was evident in her eyes. She was much shorter than me. I thought demons were these huge scary creatures. Not only that, but she appeared to be around my age too.
"So i'm going to leave now, stay away from towns and have fun." Her feet kept shuffling backwards as she eyed me with caution.
Something jumped out of a hole behind her and silently glared at her as she drew closer to it.
"NO WAIT!" I reached out my hand towards her and threw her aside with my mind. I basically just threw her into her own pile of sand-no, ashes- and drew the attention of whatever creature this was towards me. It had 8 big red eyes and looked like some type of giant spider.
Instinctively, I snapped its body in half with a quick clench of my fist. The act made my core ache even more than it had ached before.
"Ow ow ow. What on earth is that thing." I clutched my chest and looked at the monster a few meters in front of me. It was dead, somehow. I'd never killed a monster before, how did I do this?
     The demon got up and glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
"DID YOU JUST THROW A LADY ACROSS THE GROUND AFTER SHE SAVED YOU??!!" She angrily stormed towards me with no regard of the fact that I could stop her if I really wanted to and slapped me hard with her hand. She grabbed the collar of my cloak and pulled me towards her.
"HOW RUDE."
"IM SORRY IM SORRY," I raised my hands up and closed my eyes," I WAS TRYING TO SAVE YOU!"
"You what-" she let me go and I took a few steps back, now scared of this little demon that probably now was imagining my death.
"Look behind you." I gestured towards the giant spider hybrid that was mangled on the ground and gagged in disgust at the guts protruding out of its skin.
She looked at the spider and just stood there, then glanced at me.
"We're even then." Her voice shook momentarily and behind her eyes I saw fear.
"I- wait what?"
She began to walk away and I chased after her. Closely trailing behind her as she quickened her pace. At some point she began to run and I ran right after her. Not because I wanted to chase her, but because I myself was shocked at what I had just done to the monster. I somehow mangled it...from afar? I fought the urge to throw up at the thought of what just happened. I'd never killed anything before, much less a sentient being. But my adrenaline from the events kept me going. That and the fear that I'd be stuck here with these monsters forever.
"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?"
"STOP FOLLOWING ME YOU CREEP! YOU DON'T NEED TO KILL ME BECAUSE I SLAPPED YOU."
"I WON'T KILL YOU," I thought about the real reason I was trying to follow her, to ask for her help. "I JUST NEED HELP."
"WITH WHAT."
"WITH GETTING HOME."
I heard a sigh come from her and she slowed down to a walk, I stopped beside her and we walked side by side. She seemed reserved, her hand still at her side. Her body was visibly tense, she side-eyed me once every five seconds. Maybe she thought I was dangerous because of what I'd done.
"So you want to get home huh?"
"Yeah."
"And you trust me to take you home?"
"Yeah."
"Why would I take you home?"
"Uhh I could pay you?"
She perked up at this and looked at me. I guess money is the proper incentive huh?
"Don't you remember how you got here?"
"Nope." Come to think of it i don't. All I remember was playing my harp, now I'm here. Considering how much the back of my head hurts, I might have lost my memories.
"Wait what," she stared at me, "you don't remember how you fell?"
"Uh no? I just ended up down here somehow."
She chuckled. Almost too quickly, she agreed.
"Fine, I'll assist you."
"Wait really?" My eyes lit up. My insides screamed at me to not trust this lady. I mean a random demon I'd just met? What has gotten into me? Honestly though, I didn't care. She agreed, I guess i have no other option.
"Don't look at me like that." She glared at me.
"Like what?"
"Like how you are looking at me now."
"I'm just grateful!"
"Shut up."
I looked her up and down and poked her stiff grey wing.
"Is the rumor true, that your wings don't work?"
"Yes, now stop touching me." She cautiously removed her blade from her knife and i increased the space between us.
"What's your name?"
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to call you a demon all day."
"It's Myrah."
"Oh cool, I'm Siris."
She rolled her eyes and kept walking.
"Look man, i don't want you causing any trouble, you listen to me okay?"
"Mhm."
"Wait, no questions?"
"Nope."
"You dont think I'd fight you and kill you."
"Have you seen your height, you are practically a dw-"
"I will slap you again."
"Ohhh, " I rubbed my cheek where I'd received my previous slap,"I was joking I was joking."
"Sure, now be quiet."
I smiled slightly as we kept walking towards...well I'm not even sure but I'll ask later.

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Your opinions on Siris' new friend??

-Thanks for reading so far!