A statement of a soul | Raphael x Reader

13. A compliment

'What does it mean, that he is growing impatient?' you gasp, feeling another sting on your back as you clean your hands from your own blood. You make sure not to touch the bleeding wound with the hands you soaked inside the cold stream, avoiding any infections.

Every tree in the nearby area is soaked by the rain, so there is no way for you to start a fire and purify water. Not without magic, at least. You glance above your shoulder, looking up at the Raphael standing in a shadow leaving only his burning eyes visible.

You consider for a moment if he will tell you anything at all before slowly standing up and averting your gaze away from the cambion.

'It seems that he might have misjudged your stubbornness,' he says vaguely. 'And because of that, he is... influencing the process.' You raise your eyebrow in an unspoken question. 'The clock is ticking, little mouse,' he announces in a quiet, threatening voice and takes a slow step forward. 'Tick.' Another step towards you. 'Tack.' His figure now appears in the moonlight, the cambion form towering over you. He raises his clawed finger, tilting it to the sides as he speaks. 'Tick.' You look at his hand and furrow your brows. 'Tack.'

'Process?' you ask simply.

He brings his hand to his chin, glaring down at you.
'You ought to know by now, that I never surround knowledge for free.'

'Is this not beneficial to you if I know about the nature of the curse?' you counter.

'Not particularly. It's neither beneficial, nor damaging.'

'Then why not share, if it's not going to do anything bad to your plan?'

'And spoil all the fun?' he asks, raising his eyebrows in a mock disbelief.

'It's not fun, Raphael. We are both cursed. I don't understand how you are so casual about it. We are both in the same boat.'

'How disgusting of you to even suggest that.'

'What?' you ask, then shoot him a confused look. 'You are bound to the Material Plane, aren't you? Surely that must be annoying?'

'It's mildly inconvenient, correct, but don't forget that I am a patient man,' he grins. 'And at the grand finale of this endeavor awaits nothing else, but your misery and my triumph. It's worth all of my wait. You haven't realized it just yet, as you seem to keep biting the hand that feeds you, but soon you will face the music,' he tilts his head to the side, his eyes burning right through you. 'And the dreadful melody of it is going to reach your very soul.'

You sigh.

'Cool,' you turn away from him. 'I told you I will not sign a pact. It will put my friends in danger.' You walk outside from underneath the bridge.

He laughs, exposing his pearly white, sharp teeth.

'Do you really think I'd indulge myself in such a savage form of revenge?'

That stops you in your tracks. You give him a quick glance above your shoulder.

'Would you not?'

'What is the point of such revenge, if I will have you completely?' he said, finishing the sentence breathlessly.

You move your head to the side, focusing on his words instead of his little games.

'To break me? Punish me for what I did?'

He chuckles and walks towards you.

'You will come to me broken, desperate, begging for my help with your bare knees in the dirt. I will not need to do any additional work, little mouse.'

'Let me make this more clear,' you say. 'You no longer wish me to sign the pact as fast as possible? What has changed since the last time you were trying to make me sign it?'