AZAZEL (DEMONOLOGY II)

XIV

EVA

I don't remember how long I watched Finn and the girl - who claimed to be his sister - fight. What I do remember is being frozen with fear. And rightfully so.

Finn's sister didn't give him much time to recover. Once I was down, she rushed at me to try and finish the job. Finn tackled her and tried to pin her to the floor, but she launched him off of her. Again, she lunged for me, and again, Finn blocked her. She clearly became frustrated, as she squared her shoulders and charged for him.

Finn ducked her as she swung wildly at him. He countered with fire, which she launched herself into the air to avoid. Finn used his fire to propel himself after her. I couldn't see their figures. The sky was filled with two different fires. Finn's heavenly fire, which was a brilliant orange, and the girl's fire, which was a daunting black. That could only mean one thing - this girl was a Cambion. It was the only explanation. She had managed to disguise herself just as Finn could, and now possessed a demonic aura so strong it was effluvious. Both fires sounded like earthquakes.

Part of me wanted to step in. Another part wanted to marvel at the masterpiece that was painted in the sky above me. But the majority was overcome with terror. In fact, I was so shook that I didn't even notice Raven descend from the sky. She grabbed me by the arm and shook me, but she did not attack me.

"How did this happen?" She shouted over the noise.

"I . . . I . . ." I couldn't even say "I don't know." What I was witnessing was more power than I could muster when inside of my vessel. What I was seeing was probably what others saw when I was in my primordial state.

"I've never seen anything like this." Raven said. Her eyes were dilated. Out of awe or fear, I wasn't sure. "We . . . I think we'll have to work together to stop this." I couldn't even form the word "yes." I just nodded and made a small sound as weak as a whimper.

"Here's what we'll have to do. You absorb Ivy's power and I'll absorb Finn's. It'll damage them. And maybe even scar them, but it's what needs to be done." Raven continued. Ivy was the redhead, I understood. Again, I could only nod. Raven grabbed me and launched into the air. We only reached a few meters into the air before the pressure struck. It was like all of my blood had turned to lead. Raven clearly felt it too, as she struggled to keep us in the air.

"Throw me." I managed to make out. "I should be able to reach Ivy." Raven nodded and threw me. It was weak, but I managed to get close enough to see Finn and Ivy. Their eyes were glowing orange and black, respectively. They didn't seem human anymore. Their skin was cracked and red. They looked not like humans, but an angel and demon in ancient states. But strangely, I had a sneaking suspicion that I had seen her before.

Shaking off my concern, I began to absorb Ivy's fire. It was an odd sensation. Taking in her energy was like a child taking medicine. It was uncomfortable at first, but proved to be rejuvenating. Her fire began to dissipate, giving Finn an opening. He struck her with a blast of fire so hot that it horribly burned my left arm. I let out a short scream and fell. Just as I thought I was going to hit the ground, Raven caught me.

Ivy crashed to the ground just a few meters away from us. Finn, still shrouded in flames, torpedoed towards her. Wynne held out a hand, bombarding Finn with her light. His fire disappeared and he fell to the ground. Raven and I rushed to them. Their skin hadn't reverted back to normal, and they were both unconscious.

"Do you maybe want to explain her situation?" I nodded towards Ivy.

Raven sighed. "I'm not proud of it, but here's her story:"

Raven filled me in on Ivy's story. About Seth and the succubus, her birth, and being locked away in his basement for over a decade. What I still didn't understand is the sudden bursts of power that they displayed.