Satisfied with his work, he stood up and began looking around, wondering where the bomb was. He could feel it…but where?
Then he realized its location. It was below him.
The bomb was in the cargo section of the plane, beneath their feet. He quickly moved back down the aisle from where he had come, until he was sure he was standing right over it.
Ironically, the girl – Madison – was right next to him again, watching him wearily. He knelt on his hands and knees to bring himself closer to it, uncertain of what to do. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, as they strained to see what the teenage who had saved them was doing.
Miriam, he called out, I’m not sure what to do. You can’t both fly the plane and remove the bomb. If only I could fly, then maybe I could get this bomb away from everyone.
Miriam’s response was immediate. Even that might not work, she admitted. The bomb might detonate if moved. We don’t know anything about how it’s set up.
Then what do we do? We can’t let them die. He curled his fingers into fists against the floor, feeling helpless again. It caused him to remember the woman calling out to him in his vision, and it began to sink in that she was a real person, someone who wasn’t going to die immediately from the blast – she would suffer first.
Miriam abruptly interrupted his train of thought. Love, trust yourself. I refuse to believe that these visions would lead you to your death, so trust yourself.
Michael knew what she meant. Miriam was confident that she would be fine if the bomb detonated, but his body was still too fragile. Between the two of them, only his life was at risk, which is why she initially didn’t like the idea of him coming.
However, as she had said, if they couldn’t stop this from happening then he was dead anyway – because it meant they couldn’t stop Ragnarok from killing him either. The villainous demon king had already almost succeeded twice now.
If it weren’t for both his and Amelia’s supernatural abilities, then Michael would already be long dead. His sister had saved him the first time, and he had saved himself the second time – although Gilgamesh had certainly played a large role in that, by solving the biting issue. Still…
Sighing heavily, Michael tried to calm himself down and focus on the problem. He suddenly realized he felt hungry again, scoffing that his body wanted food at a time like this. I don’t have time to eat, he told himself. I won’t need to eat, if this bomb goes off.
Yet he couldn’t stop his mind from distracting him, yearning for him to feed. There was something calling his attention, something he wanted – no needed – to eat…below him.
The bomb?! He questioned himself abruptly. He knew he couldn’t eat the bomb, and even if he could it would denotate from being torn apart. Yet still…
Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax himself and focus on what his body wanted…Suddenly, he realized his body was eating already, but he was holding it back. It was sucking up the radiation directly from the bomb several feet below him, absorbing the energy potential held within.
Oh! He exclaimed, wondering if this was normal. Deciding it didn’t matter, he allowed his body to do what it instinctively wanted to – he set it free and felt the energy rapidly flow into him until the bomb was nothing more than a chunk of dead metal.
As he finished, he heard the girl next to him whisper. “What are you doing?” She wondered hesitantly.
He looked up at her to see his slightly glowing violet eyes reflected in her deep brown irises. After a second of mirroring her shocked expression, he responded honestly. “Saving your life.” He then stood up and turned around to grab the unconscious terrorist behind him.
Grabbing him by the legs, he began dragging him down the aisle, wondering if his eyes were still glowing. The expressions of the other passengers indicated they might be.
Once he had thrown the guy next to the other unconscious terrorist, he quickly collected the gun on the floor and turned around to face everyone, holding it up. “Anyone feel comfortable using a gun?”
An older man a few seats back tentatively raised his hand, so Michael quickly walked over and handed it to him. “Feel free to shoot them if they don’t comply.” Then, once the guy accepted the firearm with a shaky hand, Michael walked back up to the front to join Miriam in the cockpit.
She had remained silent to allow him to concentrate, but she was already aware of what he had done. I didn’t realize we could do that. She began. I mean, I had already figured out that our energy has to come from somewhere, so it makes sense we absorb radiation, but I never really noticed it like you did just now.
He sat down next to her in the copilot seat, finding it amusing seeing her at the controls. She had dropped her illusion the moment he had closed the door, revealing her mostly exposed demonic form. The two men who were supposed to be flying the plane where practically laying on each other in the cramped space next to her on the floor, both still alive. The last terrorist was unconscious next to his seat, also alive.
Without looking at him, Miriam explained what he had missed while he was gone. The pilots had both been shot, actively bleeding out, so I cauterized their wounds. They should both live.
Michael looked at her surprised. How did you do that?
Cauterize? I just stuck my finger in the wound and raised my body temperature until it stopped bleeding. She stated matter-of-factly.
Michael placed his hand over his face and leaned back in the seat. What can’t you do? He wondered.
Project lightning out of my body, she said teasing him. Granted, I’ve never really tried either.
I can’t really control it. He admitted, before sitting forward again and looking at her. Wait, why not? He wondered.
Why try something you don’t think is possible? Like reading someone’s mind, in your case. She then glanced at him with a smirk, before abruptly turning to look at him fully. Michael, your eyes. They’re glowing.
Oh, yeah…Are they supposed to be purple?
She shook her head. Your eyes are probably turning red like mine. However, because you originally had blue eyes, it makes sense that they might look purple as they transition.
Michael shrugged. Oh…that’s good I guess.
Miriam grinned at him again. What? Don’t want purple eyes, love? I kind of like it, although I think I’ll like the red more.
Oh…well… He hadn’t really thought about it. Really, he didn’t care what color his eyes were, as long as he could be with her. They could be pink as far as he was concerned. I guess it doesn’t matter, he admitted.
He sighed and looked at the floor, noticing that someone was speaking in the headset lying on the ground next to her. Should we get that? He wondered.
She shook her head. No, our job is done. We just need to land this plane, and then the humans can take care of the rest. She then paused. But you know what this means, right?
When he indicated he didn’t know, she continued. There’s hope we can protect you from Ragnarok. It’s not guaranteed, just like we could have chosen not to intervene here, but at least we know we can prevent your visions from happening – at least the bad parts.
Right. He leaned back in his seat again, still finding it difficult that this was really happening. The only reason they were here is because he had somehow seen the future, and even stranger was that they had been able to prevent that future from happening.
Before long, despite the yelling on the headset, Miriam was landing the plane at the airport it had originated from. It touched down smoothly, as if she had done it a thousand times. In the distance, they could see that there were a ton of police vehicles speeding up to meet them as she drove it off the runway and stopped in a field. It looked like every police officer in the city had been called.
Alright, let’s go. She said triumphantly, standing up.
He followed a human Miriam out of the cockpit, trying to ignore the passengers as he watched her engage the door’s arming system so that an inflatable slide would burst out when she o
pened it, allowing everyone to get off safely. She then abruptly spun around, scooped him up in her arms again, and leapt out the door into the air, immediately ascending high into the clouds.
Well, that was kind of fun. She mused as the wind whipped at her hair again. We did it, love!
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Thank you, Miriam. I definitely couldn’t have done it without you. He thought tenderly.
She smiled at him. We make a great team. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.
How long will that be? He suddenly wondered curiously.
Her grin widened. Forever! But then her expression became somber. Assuming…we can keep you alive for the next day.
R-Right. He had almost forgotten briefly about the threat that still loomed over them. Still, she really did mean forever. He had never imagined that he might get to have her indefinitely. He was so accustomed to their being a time limit on everything, including life.
Granted, technically there was a time limit at the moment. If only he could survive until he was fully like her.
Michael clung more tightly to his beloved, hoping he might realize that dream of being able to hold her for eternity. I guess I should eat then, he mused, knowing he wouldn’t grow horns, wings, and a tail without it.
What are you in the mood for, love?
Everything. He replied, more determined to transform as fast as possible. Metal, bones, meat, crystals…diamonds – actually, jewelry sounds really appetizing. And I’m going to keep eating even if I stop feeling hungry, so I can grow faster.
Miriam smirked at his enthusiasm. Keep in mind your body has to digest it, love. If you eat too much it might be counterproductive.
He pulled himself closer to her again, as they continued to fly, pressing his forehead against her temple. I know. I just want to try to speed it up. I’m a liability while I’m weak.
While she didn’t disagree that him being stronger might help, in the event that they were attacked, she would never consider him a liability. For her, protecting him was all that mattered in the world, because he was her world.
Chapter 19: Stalemate
They landed in a forested area away from people, so she could find food for him to eat without having to worry about humans running into him. Within a matter of minutes, she had collected enough things to keep him occupied for a while, including everything from steaks to road signs. She then kept an eye on their surroundings, mentally scanning the area to ensure they weren’t in any danger, while he quickly devoured it all.
He found it strange that he could chew and swallow metal without cutting himself. As he felt it slide down his throat, it again felt no different than eating something crunchy like chips or crackers.
According to her, the horns were always the first non-human feature to grow, and before long they were roughly half a foot sticking out of his head. However, they didn’t grow how he would imagine. Rather than growing from the base of his skull, they seemed to grow from the ends. It was like how a plant grew, rather than normal animal horns. They weren’t dead like how hair and fingernails technically were – instead, they were just as much a part of his living body as an organ.
First, his horns began with a solid foundation formed about two inches above his ears, and then they grew from that foundation away from his skull before suddenly changing directions towards the front.
Miriam found it amusing that, for a while, he looked like he had bunny ears sticking from the sides of his head at ninety-degree angles. But before long he was beginning to develop a triangular shaped halo over his head just like she had, as the horns continued to grow from their new foundation upwards and to the front.
Finally, after only a few hours, and a few more trips for food, his black horns mirrored hers perfectly. He was finally beginning to feel like he was really becoming like her now. Because to him, while the wings and tail were important, the horns were the most icon part of her appearance, along with her red eyes.
Now that he shared both features, his own eyes having fully transitioned to crimson, he felt much closer to her than he had previously.
I’m really like you now, he mused, grasping his horns on his head. Surprisingly, despite the rough texture, he could feel his own touch just as if he might be touching his arm, which meant that in the past when he had held onto her horns she had felt it too.
Miriam nodded in agreement, revealing that him holding onto her horns was arousing for her. She imagined it might be similar to someone gently tugging on a girl’s ponytail, which is one of the many things she had pulled from Riley’s mind.
Michael promised to take that into consideration if they were ever able to have sex again, causing her to blush at the thought. He wanted to take advantage of her now – to grab her by the horns and pull her into his lap – despite his ongoing discomfort, but they both knew it wouldn’t be safe to be distracted in that way.
His body had already grown a few inches taller too, which he hadn’t noticed initially. She had pointed it out, having him stand next to her briefly for reference.
Not counting her horns, they had always been about the same height, but now he was definitely taller than her. She seemed to be pleased by that fact.
When she blushed while thinking about his new body, he wondered if she had been dissatisfied before.
No, not at all, love. She reassured him. I’m just looking forward to not having to worry about you breaking so easily. It’ll be nice to have a normal physical experience with you.
He immediately looked away, trying to hide his own flushed cheeks. He wanted to fulfill her wish now, again having the urge to grab her by the horns, but they both knew it was far too risky. Still, just the idea popping into his head made her excited. She tired to hide it, failing miserably.
Feeling reserved, Michael sat back down and returned to working on a bag of jewelry she had secured. Ironically, he could easily determine what was fake and real, because certain gems weren’t appetizing. Surprisingly, even diamonds yielded to his strong teeth, breaking in his mouth like an almond or peanut.
It was while he was finishing the bag and moving on to some frozen meat that Miriam’s expression abruptly changed.
NO! Her internal voice rang out, causing him to drop what he was doing and give her his full attention.
What’s wrong?! He questioned, suddenly worried.
We… She stopped talking, immediately scooping him up in her arms again. Instantly, they were in the air flying as fast she could muster. She was pouring out as much energy as possible, trying to accelerate even faster. He tried to see in her mind, beyond the panic…And then he saw what she sensed.
They were completely surrounded on all sides, including from above. At least twenty demons had formed a net that Miriam was desperately trying to penetrate before they drew it in too close. But it was already too late. Now their enemies were close enough even for him to sense, and they were all moving just as fast as she was, quickly converging on where she was headed.
Realizing they weren’t going to make it, Miriam quickly changed directions and dove for the ground, so that at least he wouldn’t be handicapped by being trapped in the air without wings of his own. She didn’t even have time to slow down as she rapidly twisted herself in the air and planted her feet on the ground at full speed.
The ground snapped from the pressure instantly creating a crater while simultaneously swallowing her legs up to her knees. She quickly freed herself by pushing herself up with her wings firmly planted on each side, just as she threw him behind her in response to four gray-skinned demons attacking at once.
The battle immediately turned into a blur, but Michael found he could at least keep track of it this time. The fight was nothing like he had expected.
Every limb was used as a weapon, as she smacked one with a wing while kicking another in the face. Then she grabbed a tree with her other wing and pulled herself into a full headbutt against yet another. They were no match for her, but as two more arrive
d, followed by another four, she was quickly being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Over half of them had arrived in less than a second, and more were on the way. He knew Ragnarok would be there any moment as well, and then it would be all over – she would be no match for a fellow demon ruler, along with nineteen followers.
The initial attack had all happened so quickly that he hadn’t even had time to react, yet now that he considered helping, he knew he would just be in her way. Surprisingly, none of them had bothered trying to attack him yet, even though that was their goal. He realized they were focusing on restraining her first, knowing that she would likely kill to protect him.
And then it happened. Ragnarok showed up and within a matter of seconds, Miriam was restrained from behind by him alone. He had her in a bear hug, holding her a foot off the ground, trapping both her arms and wings. His own wings wrapped around to trap her legs, so she was almost completely immobilized against him.
She still violently struggled to free herself, cursing at him in their foreign language, but he remained in control, despite using all his effort to do so. She kept screaming the same thing over and over again in their language, and Michael suddenly realized the meaning: I’ll die if you kill him.
However, Ragnarok seemed unconcerned, and in Miriam’s mind it all finally clicked. He didn’t care if she died too, because that would only tip the balance of power more in his favor. He would prevent one ruler from existing while simultaneously eliminating another.
Miriam realized that of course Ragnarok didn’t care if she died. He had actually developed a bond with Gilgamesh and Gabriel, but he had no particular affiliations with the most recent addition to the rulers, who was still a child in his eyes at a mere fifteen-hundred years – most of which she literally had been a child.
Michael could sense Miriam’s defeat settle in, even though she still struggled fiercely to free herself. He could feel the devastation overwhelm her, realizing they weren’t going to be able to prevent this future from happening.
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