Page 39 of Azriel

“This sounds like your side of the Fallen realm,” said Azriel. “I bet angels are treated like shit.”

“Actually, they’re not because we want peace. Most of us ran to get away from the war in the first place. We don’t need a second version.”

“I’m not taking Vali somewhere to be a slave! Fuck you.” Azriel folded his arms.

The demon turned to the window. “He’ll pretty much be as free as you decide.”

“No! Go away. I’d rather lose all of my magic forever than to bring Vali to a place like that.”

“Fine. I gave you a chance. If you change your mind, you could fly that way and find it. Patrols would let you in.”

“No, thanks.”

The demon headed for the window to climb out. “I swear, some of you find a piece of human or halfling ass, and you act like it’s worth everything.”

Azriel fumed as the demon went through and disappeared into the night.

“Are we going to have angels and demons visiting this place like an inn now?” asked Vali.

“No. He said he can sense us, so it must be a special ability, but fuck him. Like I’d take you to some place where they’d view you as a slave. That place doesn’t even sound real. How come nobody else has ever heard of it? Angels and demons have been to Earth to study humans and their ways, and everybody knows runaways don’t have it easy. I think he was lying about part of that, and he hasn't been here for too long. That's why he can still do magic.”

“Maybe it’s new,” said Vali. “Do you have loads of angels in disguise running around to study us?”

“Er, no,” said Azriel. “Maybe it is newer, but if it’s mostly demons, no wonder they keep humans as slaves. They think you’re inferior.”

“Maybe we should go to the fairy realm soon,” said Vali. “In case he comes back to nag you. We can’t tell Mother. Also, you need to be able to go outside more and not stay cooped up.”

“True.”

Vali got up to close and lock his window. Once the lantern was out, he got back into bed, and they snuggled close.

“Now I can say I’ve seen a demon, and he wasn’t red and holding a pitchfork,” said Vali.

“And he didn’t have goat’s feet.”

“It’s also good to know my ass is worth so much, and you haven’t even had it yet.”

Azriel giggled and burrowed closer.

Vali

Vali left out the demon visitor and told Mother he wanted to go to the fairy realm. It was also so Azriel could start having some semblance of a normal life. Mother was sad about it, but she said Vali was an adult, and it was about time he moved out to live his own life.

It’d be a long one, but at least he had someone to live it with.

Mr. Lambin was quite willing to help Vali and Azriel, although he warned them that some might not like Azriel too much. It would take time to get used to him and a nephilim, but most likely, if they stayed in one spot, the residents would see he was all right even if his way of magic was strange to them.

Mother helped them out by giving Vali a huge portion of money. It could be switched over at a fairy bank, and Mr. Lambin helped them find a home in the Glasswood Kingdom. It was in the south, and spring lasted all year. It grew cool at night, but it never snowed, and plants and crops thrived in the constant warm weather.

To Vali’s delight, Azriel thrived too.

He still had bad days, and sometimes he had nightmares. Nothing would erase what had already happened or the impact it had created on Azriel’s mind, but he was capable of having a good life.

Since Vali encouraged him, Azriel improved his drawing skills and started making little books with characters doing and saying hilarious things. He didn’t think anyone would like them, but it was the simplicity of his art and the characters getting into funny situations that got them to sell. A nearby copyist made wood carvings of his work to use for the printing press, and once the books were bound, they were delivered to bookshops. Kids especially seemed to love them.

It took a while since the fairies in the city of Golden Woods were leery of angels, and nephilim too, but some started talking to them, and they made a few friends. That helped Azriel even more since he had someone besides Vali to interact with.

Vali got a job at a unicorn farm.

---