The demon descended in complete silence.
The demon descended onto the marble floor through its talons while its wings expanded into a living storm cloud form. The air carried ash particles which stuck to its burned body. The demon maintained its gaze on Elias through eyes that shone like molten gold.
The demon spoke in a low voice that sounded like velvet rubbing against steel while it praised Elias for his mastery of its power. The sound produced an unnatural effect because it combined the voices of a thousand humans into a single unnatural tone.
Elias managed to grip his sword tightly while his body shook with fear. His legs tried to collapse but his anger kept him standing upright. "You killed every single person in that place."
The demon examined him with interest through its tilted head. "I freed you."
Elias spoke with a harsh tone as he spat out the word "Freed" which felt like it was burning his throat. "You slaughtered defenseless people."
The creature moved around him in a circular motion while its talons produced a rhythmic tapping sound against the stone floor. The people had asked for salvation and protection from Heaven's guardians. The demon's face expanded into a wide grin. Tell me Elias—did Heaven respond to your prayers?
The demon's words about his name made Elias's stomach churn. "How do you know me?"
The demon revealed it had observed him since before his first breath. The demon listened to all your moments of uncertainty and your silent prayers against Heaven's silence. The demon heard everything.
Elias lost his grip on the sword. The mark on his chest started burning intensely after the demon spoke. "Get out of me," he hissed.
The demon failed to respond before the sound of approaching boots interrupted the chamber. The footsteps maintained a strict and controlled pattern. Dozens of them. The Inquisitors entered the area.
The demon turned its gaze toward the entrance where the growing light of torches appeared. A deep rumbling sound emerged from its body. "Ah. Your executioners."
Elias turned his head toward the approaching noise. His heart started racing. The soldiers would execute him immediately if they discovered him among the dead bodies with the mark on his chest.
The demon brought its face near to Elias while its breath produced a smoke-like effect. The soldiers have come to execute you instead of me because they already consider you to be condemned.
The demon vanished into darkness by spreading its wings.
Elias retreated from the chamber as the torches illuminated the space. The captain entered first with his black cloak dragging on the floor while his armor shone despite the surrounding soot. His face showed the same level of hardness as stone and his eyes cut through everything like blades. The soldiers spread out in a line while drawing their swords.
The captain ordered his soldiers to search all bodies before they should burn everything to ashes. The soldiers need to eliminate any soul that has received contact from the Fallen.
The soldiers conducted their search with precision as they moved from body to body before moving the corpses toward the center of the hall. Elias pressed his body against the broken pillar while his heart pounded uncontrollably. The sound of armor scraping and steel being drawn from scabbards reached his ears.
A soldier raised his torch to examine the area where Elias hid. The fire from the torch approached the stone wall as it moved closer to Elias. Elias remained motionless while holding his breath. The brand emitted a powerful energy that pushed him to move ahead.
"Strike first."
He clenched his teeth. Not yet. His survival depended on escaping rather than killing additional soldiers. He required a way to escape.
The soldier turned and the torchlight settled on the face of Elias. Their eyes locked.
"There!" the soldier shouted.
Chaos erupted. There was no end of shouts in the room, swords sliding out of sheaths. Elias threw himself out of cover, and ran toward the fallen altar. Arrows flew overhead, smashing on rock.
"Alive!" the captain roared. "Take him alive!"
The mark burned Elias even more on the chest. His eyes became clearer, the colour bent in unnatural ways. He might have heard the fall of every scrap of metal, every breath of breath. The voice within him beckoned, more loud.
You cannot outrun them. Let me free.
"No!" Elias hissed and his legs had to move quicker.
He jumped on the debris of the stair, scrambled to the broken ceiling. Arrows rattled around him, one of them cutting through the cloth as it rubbed against his shoulder. He clenched his teeth, pushing him up, ripping stone with his nails.
The lead inquisitor got to the ledge beneath. Elias swung around and cut, with blade sliding under the arm of the man. The soldier lay back, and the blood streaming over the broken marble.
More shouts rang out. More men were climbing.
Elias dragged himself up to the roof, and shivered in the icy breeze. He fell on, kicking slate tiles. In front of him lay the destroyed city, with the smoke that was drifting in the sky.
In his rear the Inquisitors flooded on to the roof.
He ran.
Every move was a move that took him still farther away. His legs were moving in unnatural strength, and with every leap he was directed by the whisper of a thought in his brain.
Left. Faster. Leap now.
He followed, though he cursed the voice. He sprung between, and glided over broken tiles, and then threw himself down into the grass. He struck the ground, and ache in his ribs, but rolled and struggled himself up.
As he fades into the forest Elias heard the screams of the Inquisitors behind him. The hunt had begun.