By My Side - Sam/Aomaris Fanfiction

65) Family

Endless darkness. I felt like I was floating through water, but I wasn't being suffocated. It was peaceful, in a way. My mind slowly shifted from pleasant nothingness into soundless, flickering memory. I watched silently through metal bars as Sam clashed with Malix, and re-experienced the panic and pain I'd felt as I saw him get injured. It had been awful, trapped at Malix's mercy. I couldn't control myself at all, no matter how hard I tried. My body moved on its own, doing anything and everything it could to avoid being in more of that excruciating pain. It grew used to the agony and in time, forgot how to fight against it. Sam's pain though, was an entirely new experience. In the entire year that we'd been soul-bound, I'd never felt him in pain. The feeling was almost overwhelming. It was the kickstart that my body needed. It caused a torrential flood of memories, each one of them forcing my mind into a complete reset. I knew I had to fight. Not even for myself, but for Sam. No matter what, I could not let him die. I couldn't let all of the times he'd saved my life be in vain. From the danger of Malix to the danger of my own brain, he'd been there for me, ready to pull me back from the edge and support me through anything.

Sam's injury snapped the binding of Malix's control, and then the idiot felt the need to monologue and give away his very source of power. In a flash, I knew what I had to do. I was the demon from the prophecy, I knew that much. But Hell couldn't freeze over if Hell didn't exist. It felt so incredibly liberating to be the one who finally brought Malix down. To chain him and cage him, forcing him to witness the end of his own life with no hope of escape. To cut off his source of power and leave him completely vulnerable. I could see Sam watching me with eyes full of awe, and I would've felt embarrassed if I hadn't been so furious. There was my chance to finally end the torment that the devil had plagued my life with. I was not about to leave any chance for him to come crawling back. I spent so much energy during my fight, though. Hell was collapsing around me and it hadn't been long before I collapsed too.

Quiet music began to fill my mind as the memories faded back out into blackness, and I suddenly became aware of something soft beneath me. Light started to shine through my closed eyes, and I recognised the song that was playing. Starlight, my favourite song. Even though I didn't listen to many of their songs, STARSET was one of my favourite bands. My tired eyes forced their way open at a snail-like pace, adjusting to the sunlight beaming through the room I was in. I didn't recognise the room in the slightest. Heavy wooden beams ran across the ceiling, connected to pillars of the same wood at the corners of the room. In between the wood were whitewashed walls, plain and nondescript. A window was set into the wall on my left, cracked open to let fresh but freezing cold air into the room. I noticed the turquoise covering my arms and frowned slightly, shifting myself so that I was sitting on the edge of the bed. Apparently, I was still in my demon form. I shivered at the cold air touching my skin and moved over to the window to pull it closed.

My sight fell upon the town square outside my window, and my eyes widened at the people that were bustling about. Some with pale red skin, some with concubus taint. Some had demon horns, some had devil horns. It wasn't hard to figure out that they were all hybrids, like Tenebris. Was this a village of theirs? I spotted a creepy stone archway in the middle of the square, surrounded by a magic red barrier. It was then that I noticed a demon with huge black bat wings perched on an empty market stall. Standing next to him was an incubus with messy brown hair and long green horns. My heart jumped to my throat and I scrambled away from the window, out of the room and down the first staircase I found. I surprised a small succubus child sat at a kitchen table, but I paid them no attention and barrelled out of the front door, heading directly for Sam's comfort.

I heard Sam gasp in surprise at my arms wrapping tightly around him, and at the fact I'd almost knocked all the wind out of him.
"What the- Nix! Oh my god, I'm so happy you're okay..." I felt him embrace me and both of us sighed, relieved at having the other back and in each other's arms. I soaked up everything I could from his closeness. The feeling of his muscles tensing as he pulled me closer, his soft breaths against my neck, his hair tickling the side of my face. His heart pounded steadily in sync with mine as we relaxed into each other's arms. Although I didn't say anything, it wasn't long before I pulled back, taking in the square from a new angle.
"Where are we?" I asked quietly.
"Somewhere in Slovakia. It's a place called Miscere." Sam answered me.
"But... Why?" Sam pointed at the archway not far from us. From where I stood, I could make out a small plinth that stood directly in front of it, holding a small, clear ball.
"Because that gate is the only way to get to Hell without a devil opening a portal. Or was, I guess. Apparently, hybrids don't have a strong enough connection to Hell to create their own portals, so they had to build one."
"Huh... Is that the ice ball I made?"
"Yeah. It's the only reason I knew where to look for you."