Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

2 - First Man

RAEVANNA KEPT FLYING UNTIL SHE REACHED THE EDGE OF THE TREES, WHERE THE ISLAND ENDED AND THE OCEAN BEGAN. Landing on a tall, rocky bluff that overlooked the sea, she fell to her hands and knees before she burst into tears.

What had just happened to her? It was like an dark force had taken over her body; something sinister and wicked. She'd been angry at her aunt in the past, but she'd never gotten so furious that she lashed out like that. And it was so uncharacteristically like her to do something as brutal as choke someone — especially someone she loved. Raevanna had never experienced this type of rage before, and it scared her, because deep in her heart she knew it had to have been there from the beginning.

Part of her wondered if it had something to do with genetics. She'd always been a little different from the other dark fae, and though no one could put their finger on what it was, the fact that she was different was always a subject of debate. But both of Raevanna's parents were dark fae, through and through. She couldn't imagine being anything else.

Raevanna took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then used one hand to wipe away her tears. But then, a strange, deep whirring sound caught her attention, and she looked up to see a ball of fire streaking down from the middle of the sky. Her eyes narrowed, and she squinted at it, using her enhanced vision to get a good look. It was some sort of winged machine, and a man was in the front of it, seeming to struggle to free himself.

Raevanna saw no wings on the man. Which made him a human.

As the tail of the man's machine broke in half and he began to sink into the sea, Raevanna watched with wide eyes. She had no idea how this man had gotten to or even found Elyon, but she could tell that he was in trouble. Her mind was telling her that she had to leave the man; protecting Elyon was her duty, and saving a human could risk the safety of the island. But her heart was telling her that she had to do something; she couldn't just sit there and watch him drown.

And in the end, she listened to her heart.

Raevanna leapt off the cliff, tucking her wings close to her body as she sped down to the sea in a nosedive. Then, just before she hit the water, she extended her wings and flapped them hard, causing her to shoot out across the sea and towards the wrecked machine. As Raevanna landed on the floating part of the wreck, she saw the front end sinking towards the bottom of the ocean, with the man hanging limply in the seat. She rolled her shoulders, making her wings disappear before she took a deep breath and dove into the water.

Thrusting through the water, she reached the man, tearing off the harness that had him strapped to the seat. Then, she wrapped one arm around his chest and kicked up to the surface, taking in a huge gasp of air the moment she broke the surface of the water. With her arm still around the man, she turned around and used her free arm and her legs to swim through the water. Once her feet touched the sand, she stood up, keeping her arm around the man until most of her body was out of the water, and as soon as she was submerged from the ankles down, she grabbed the man by the collar of his jacket, dragging him along as she walked through the water. Then, she dropped him on the sand and smoothed back her wet hair, making her wings reappear before she kneeled down beside him.

He looked to be a little older than her — by human standards, at least. He had short, dark hair and a pale complexion, with a thin mustache on his upper lip, and he was dressed in very fancy clothes — a sign that he had wealth or some sort of high status. Raevanna had no doubt that he was important in the human land, which made her glad that she had chosen to save him.

That was when she realized he was breathing, but wasn't moving. Placing two fingers on each side of his head, Raevanna closed her eyes, whispering a gentle incantation to rouse him. Then, she removed her hands and leaned back, and seconds later he rolled over, coughing up a mouthful of water before he began to wheeze heavily.