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Chapter Text

"[Name], I need you to come with me."

You look up from where you were crouched in the dirt, stick in your hand as you draw sigils. You set the stick down and stand, dusting off your calf length skirt before trailing along behind the head witch. She leads you through the woods, heading towards the large stone hill that sits in the far quadrant of her land. You struggle to keep up with her long strides, stumbling over the long gnarled tree roots along the path. She reaches the edge of the tree line, then turns, pausing to wait for you. You quickly reach her side and look to the ground, waiting for her next move.

"[Name], are you aware of the demon we keep trapped here?" She asks as she turns to continue walking.

"No, ma'am." You reply as you follow her.

"Have you ever dealt with a demon before?"

"No ma'am." You fiddle with the fabric of your skirt. "Why is it here here?"

"It's powerful and dangerous. I have it sealed away because it can't be killed."

"Can't be killed? But you're so strong..."

"Not strong enough. That's why our only option is guard it."

"Guard it? Why do we have to do it?"

"We have great ties to nature, as do these demons. And as much as we are hated, there are five covens dedicated to protecting humanity by guarding the other demons."

"Other demons? So there's more..."

She nods as she continues walking. You notice a cavern carved in the side of the tiny stone mountain as you approach. You move to walk slightly behind her, peering into the yawning darkness of the cave. Then she comes to a stop. You look up at her, then back to the cave, waiting for the demon to show itself.

"Demon, reveal yourself." She calls out.

But nothing happens. That's when you take the time to look at the mouth of the cave. There are sigils carved deep into the stone, the grooves are stained dark, but some are bright red; filled with fresh blood. You furrow your brow and creep closer, staring intensely at the intricate carvings. Before you know it, you're standing right at the opening. You look forward, searching for anything in the darkness.

Then suddenly a body lunges out of the darkness. A flash of pale skin and fiery hair, then actual fire. It blasts towards you, causing you to scream and scramble back away from the intense heat. You run behind the head witch and grab her long skirt as you cower, tears forming in your eyes.

You hear someone roar with laughter within the cave and the head witch crosses her arms.

"Axel." She says sternly.

"What, witch?" The demon replies, wiping a tear from his eye. "Is this the next one? How old is she?"

"Seven."

"Damn, an actual sacrificial lamb. That's cruel, even for you."

You look up at her in confusion. "Ma'am?"

"She's gifted with sigils and seals despite only being with us for a few months." She narrows her eyes at him. "That and you did something to your current warden."

He crosses his own arms and leans a shoulder against the opening of the cave, a barrier holding him upright. That explains why you didn't get burned.

"She did it to herself. She's an adult, she can make her own decisions." He gives the head witch a toothy grin.

She huffs, then looks down at you. You look up, wiping the tears from your eyes.

"[Name], someday you'll be in charge of guarding him."

Your eyes go wide. "Why?"

"You've made impressive work with sigils. You can already make a small barrier, can't you?"

You look down, nodding slowly.

"There's no need to worry. You won't be in charge of him quite yet, you still have much to learn. And the current warden can still preform her duties, though she might require some assistance."

"You mean she needs a babysitter." Axel mocks.

The head witch turns and begins to walk away, you hold onto her skirt, trailing after her. You glance back when you hear Axel laughing.

"I'll see you later, lamb."

It was in your ninth year, when you first started joining Fawn in going down to reapply the seals to Axel's barrier. You carried the bag with the necessary tools for her task. With her ailing health, you were glad to do what you could. The two of you approach the cave as Axel saunters up to the barrier.

"Well hey there ladies." He coos.

"Axel."

"Aw, why so cold Fawn? Send the kid away and we can-"

"That's enough!" She cuts him off.

"Oh don't you worry, sweet stuff. I'll behave." But he eyes you mischievously.

You glare back at him as you hand Fawn the bag. She walks closer to the cave entrance and settles down on her boney knees. She'd grown so frail and weak in the past two years, you genuinely wonder how much longer she has. She pulls out a carved piece of wood and begins digging a sigil into the dirt, ignoring Axel as he squats down and taunts her. You can't hear what he's saying, but it's clearly getting under her skin.

"Why are you naked?" You ask to distract him.

He wasn't entirely naked, but it was pretty damn near to it. All he wore was essentially a loincloth.

He smirks at you. "Oh if you really wanna see me naked-"

"Axel!" Fawn growls.

He looks at her, then stands. "I'm not allowed a lot of clothing, too much fuel."

"Fuel?"

"Yeah, what I can burn. The more there is for me to burn, the stronger I am." He cracks a grin at you. "Can you imagine if I have a whole body to burn?"

You give him a deadpan look. "Still wouldn't be enough to get out."

"Oh you've gotten snarky since I last saw you. You'll be a fun one to play with."

"You can try." You cross your arms and pout at him.

He gives you a deep, intimidating laugh. "Oh, I will."

You look back down to watch as Fawn works, observing the kinds of sigils and markings she makes. Then she takes out a dagger and chants over it, before bringing it to her wrist. She hisses in pain as she drags the knife across her flesh, letting it drip into the dirt sigil below her. The blood quickly spreads into all of the grooves in the dirt, then she pushes up from the ground. You walk up beside her and hold her arm so she can walk to the edge of the mouth of the cave. She presses her finger against her wrist to gather her blood, then she presses it into the stone carvings. Axel continually pokes and prods at the two of you, trying to cause her to mess up.

You help her walk away and pick up the bag, then you wrap up the slice on her wrist. You sling the bag over your shoulder, then look up at her.

"Next time, should we use my blood?"

She furrows her brow. "Why would we do that?"

"I don't want you getting any weaker."

She chuckles weakly. "Worried about having to deal with him by yourself?"

It's your turn to furrow your brow at her. "No, I don't want you to die."

"You're too sweet [Name], I've still got a bit left in me... But if I decline too quickly..." She pats your head.

"I'll do whatever I can."

"Thank you. Alright let's head back."

She turns and starts heading for the tree line, you trailing behind. You dig through the bag to make sure you have everything, and that's when you notice the piece of carved wood is missing. You turn back to see it near the sigil on the ground. You quickly make your way over to it, kneeling down to grab it. Axel walks right up to the barrier and leans against it, whistling to get your attention.

"Hey, you wanna know what Fawn and I do when we're alone?" He whispers, coaxing you to ask.

You narrow your eyes and turn your nose up at him, then you turn and follow after Fawn. You know better than to give him anything.

It was in your twelfth year when Fawn eventually died, and you had to start going by yourself to upkeep Axel's seals.

You walk quietly through the trees, stepping over and around the tree roots that once tripped you. The bag sits heavy on your shoulders, the summer sun trickles through the tree's branches and leaves. You enter the clearing and pause for a moment, staring into the yawning mouth of the cave, your face a mask of indifference. Then you continue forward. Once you reach the cave, you set the bag down and roll your sleeves up. You kneel down and open the satchel, pulling out the carved wood before Axel finally makes his appearance.

"Oh, just you today?" He muses.

You ignore him as you draw out a sigil into the dirt. He hums and leans against the barrier, watching you work. He tries talking to you a few more times, but he receives no attention from you. You'd gotten quite good at pretending he wasn't there, much to his annoyance. He huffs and turns to walk back into the cave, disappearing into the darkness. You sigh in relief, at least now you wouldn't have to listen to him whine at you the whole time. 

You get done carving the seal into the ground, then you reach into the bag to pull out the dagger. You chant over it softly and bring the blade to your wrist. Suddenly there's a massive blast of fire against the barrier, along with a loud thud. It causes you to flinch and you slice deeper than you meant to into your flesh. You hiss in pain as he laughs down at you, palms pressed flat against the invisible wall that holds him captive.

"Looks like that got your attention. So you gonna answer my fucking question or not?" 

"She's dead Axel." You bark at him as you drop the dagger and clamp your hand over the gash.

His face falls for a split second before returning to his cocky countenance as you look up at him.

"Oh that's too sad." He flashes you his teeth. "I burned her up too quickly. She was pretty insatiable though, so I suppose it's really on her."

You give him an annoyed look. "Burned her up..?" You let your blood drip into the dirt.

His grin goes wider, ecstatic you finally took the bait. "Yeah, practically ate her from the inside out."

"Oh please. You can't touch anyone from in there."

"I can't go out, but someone from the outside can come in." He crouches down to look you in the eye. "She was a wild whore, good for fucking. You know what that is, don't you? All witches are sluts aren't they? Only female witches are allowed in your coven, so getting some dick is rare, right?" His voice goes low and threatening. "You ever seen a cock before, lamb?"

You give him a deadpan look, watching from your periphery as he moves a hand to his loincloth.

"Behave yourself, Axel." You warn.

"See what you're missing out on?" He ignores you and pushes the cloth aside, revealing his long cock.

You can't help it as your eyes look down at it. It twitches and starts to rise. You look back into his eyes with disgust.

"I warned you." You growl.

You grab the carved wood handle and dig a circle around the sigil at your knees. There's the sound of sucking wind as the circle is completed, and Axel pauses. His face twists in confusion as he looks down at the seal.

"What did you do?" He lets the cloth fall back down and raises to his feet.

You ignore him as you stand as well, poking your finger into your bloodied wound as you walk to the edge of the cave. You trace your red finger over the indents in the stone. Axel stalks over to where you stand.

"What did you do?" He's angry, but his voice sounds choked.

You refuse to respond until you finish all the marks on the one side, then you walk over to the other side.

"You might want to sit down, save your breath."

He takes deep breaths, like he'd just been running for his life. He follows you to the other side.

"Why can't I breathe right? What the fuck did you do, bitch?!"

"That's witch to you." You take your time dabbing more blood onto your finger, before bringing it up to the stone carvings.

He collapses to his knees. "I-I can't breathe..."

"I told you to save your air." You reply. "Hold tight, I'm almost done."

He curls over, wheezing, as he grasps at his chest. You watch him struggle as you walk back to the dirt sigil. He stares at you, furious, but also scared. You kneel down at the sigil and lift the carved wood in your hand, bouncing it casually as you watch him struggle. He narrows his eyes at you, then collapses forward. You carve a line through the circle around the sigil, listening at the audible hiss of air. 

Axel takes in a big gasp and lifts his head, glaring at you as you stand.

"Let that be a warning, next time I'll let you pass out." Then you grab your stuff and leave him to curse at you.

It was in your fourteenth year when Anne, one of the other young witches, came to confide in you.

"[Name], I need to talk to you." She grabs your arm and pulls you to the edge of small village.

"What is it?" You adjust the satchel on your shoulder.

"I had a vision last night. A bad one."

You furrow your brow. "What happened in it?"

Anne was a witch gifted with visions, but they only come to her at night in her sleep. The other witches look down on her because she can't guarantee whether it's a vision or a dream, and it's caused some issues in the past. But you would always listen to what she had to say, the bad ones always coming to fruition.

"There was fire, everything in the village was burned to the ground. Bodies were everywhere, mangled and bloody; our sister were dead. The dragon and the crown. You stood in the fire, unburned but screaming..." She shakes as she speaks. "I'm worried he's going to escape."

"When?"

"Five years at most... If it comes to be."

You bring your hand to your chin as you think. You furrow your brow as you run through your routine when you go to visit Axel. Her face grows pale as she raises her hands.

"I- I don't doubt your ability with seals! I just-"

"I'm not offended. I would much rather someone point out my flaws than have my pride kill people... I'll do some reading before I go to see him today. Thank you Anne."

She nods as you take your leave, heading for the head witch's house. You knock on the door before pushing it open and heading over to her bookshelf. If any other witch did this, they'd get flogged; but because of your status as Axel's guard, she lets you come in as you need. You pull down some books on seals and sigils and flip through them one by one. On the last book you stall, reading over a page with a specific kind of seal. One you could use.

You pull out a piece of parchment and prick your finger, using your blood to write all the necessary information down. Once you have everything you need, you stuff the books back on the shelf and leave her house. You head into the woods, gathering flower petals and berries. Then you head to the river and pull out your water skin, fill it to the brim and stuff it into your satchel. You stand upright and look into the sky, gray and overcast. A good time to try the seal. You start making your way to Axel's cave. You wouldn't be bothered, but you still don't want to risk getting interrupted.

The twisting tree roots seem to reach out for your feet, begging you to stop and reconsider the very stupid thing you were about to do. But you step over them defiantly as you march towards your fate. You reach the cave opening and take a deep breath.

"Axel."

He slinks out of the darkness. "What?" He bites.

"Do you want out?"

He narrows his eyes at you, his voice comes out a low growl. "What kind of question is that?"

"I'll let you out, but you have to let me do something first." You blurt out.

He eyes you suspiciously. "And what would that be?"

"You have to let me put a sigil on you."

"On me, you say?" He grins at you.

"Yes. Do we have a deal?"

"Well I don't know. What brought this on?" His voice is teasing. "You seem kind of desperate."

You were desperate. You need to do this before Anne's vision comes to fruition. You cross your arms and huff at him.

"What else would you want more than your freedom?"

His grin splits wider. "I wouldn't mind using that lovely body of yours for a bit."

Your face flushes. Use your body? He wants to use your body. You don't like the idea of that, but you'd do it to protect your family.

"Deal."

He looks at you in shock, then laughs. "Alright, let me know when you're ready then."

You quickly take care of the daily marking, then you pull out your parchment and read over your notes. You pull out a bowl and set the petals and berries into it, then you uncap the water skin and pour the river water in too. You chant softly over the bowl, then pull out the carved wooden handle and mash the berries. Then you prick your finger and drop some of your blood into the water. Axel watches you casually as you work. You dip your finger into the bowl as you chant some more words, and all of the liquid flows into the two largest petals.

You set the bowl down and bring the carved wood back down to the dirt, adding a few more markings to the basic sigil. Then you grab the bowl once more along with your knife and stand, walking right up to the barrier.

"A warning to you before we start."

"And what would that be?"

"I've made some adjustments to the sigil. If you kill me while I'm in there, the cave will permanently seal off, and you'll suffer for the rest of your existence."

"Smart, aren't cha?"

You huff, then walk forward. You press a hand against the barrier, and you can feel as it covers your skin with a thin film. It sucks to your skin, until you push hard enough that you breach the barrier and you step completely into the cave. Axel looms over you, pupils dilating as they roam your body. You walk around him and have him turn to face you, then you press a hand to his chest.

"Lie down." You order.

He smirks at you and sits down, then reclines back. He brings one hand to rest behind his head, his other one travels down to his loincloth. He pushes it aside and grabs his dick, rubbing at it, trying to coax it to attention.

"Hope you don't mind." He coos.

You roll your eyes, but you can feel the heat in your face. Actually, you feel the heat all over. It was really warm in the cave, and the temperature was rising. You need to move fast. You quickly undo the front of your dress and let it fall from your shoulders, the tie on your waist keeps your dress from falling off completely.

"Oh-oh! Those are growing in nicely-"

"Shut up, Axel." You step forward so your feet are on either side of his hips, kicking the hand away from his dick. "Control yourself until I'm done."

You lower down to your knees, taking a seat on his abdomen. You feel his erection twitch against your ass. You try your best to ignore it and you begin to chant quietly. He thrusts his hips up, causing you to bounce and jerk forward, but you continue your chanting. You give him a glare, but he returns you a shit-eating grin. 

"Open your mouth." He does so and you stick a petal into his mouth while sticking another one into your mouth as well. "Swallow it."

He does so and you check his mouth before starting the next step. You need to move quicker, the heat was making you lightheaded. 

You pick up your dagger and make a small slice in the center of his chest. A drop of blood blossoms forward from his pale skin and you stick your finger into it. You chant as you begin to paint a sigil onto his skin. He moans below you.

"Oh that feels nice." He teases. "I haven't felt someone else's skin in such a long time. I'm gonna enjoy this."

What does that mean? He and Fawn... Didn't they..? No time for that. Focus.

You bring the dagger to your own chest, making a small cut and pressing your finger into your own blood. You chant as you make the same sigil on your own chest. Sweat pours down your body as you finish the sigil, calling out the final word. Then you collapse forward and pass out, the heat toll too much for your body to bear.

You awoke some time later, sprawled out in the grass as rain soaked you to your bones. But despite the rain chill, your body was on fire. You shakily push up and look down at your body, the small red sigil stained into your skin. You look back to the cave, searching for Axel, but he's nowhere to be seen. You quickly pull your dress up over your shoulders, surprised he didn't tear or burn it from your body. Then you stand and stagger back towards the village.

You trip over the roots, the first time you've done so in a long time. You collapse into the mud, then slowly rise. You turn off the path and head for the river. Cool down. You need to cool down. Once you reach the river, you slip in without care, reclining back against the bank. You rest your head on the grass and stare up into the sky, feeling as the raindrops hit your dry eyes. This is bad, you can't go back into the village like this... But you have to. You want to go to bed. You rest in the water for awhile longer, then you crawl out of the river and slowly rise and slink your way back to your house. 

You stagger through the door and push it shut. You try walking towards your bed, but collapse onto the wooden floor. You close your eyes, resigned to sleeping where you fell.

The next morning you're abruptly ripped from your unrestful sleep by a strong hand throwing you to the grass outside your house. Next, a bucket of water is thrown over you. You cough and shake, pushing up from the ground to look into the eyes of the very angry head witch.

"What have you done?!" She barks at you.

"Wha-?"

She throws your satchel to the ground in front of you. "What have you done, [Name]?! I thought you were better than this!"

"I- I had to try something..."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Anne had a vision-"

"You would do something so risky for something that might not even come to be?!" Her voice is loud and booming.

"It's my job to keep him under control, right..?" You look up at her.

She glowers down at you for a long while, then her face relaxes a bit and she brings a hand up to pinch her her brow. "What did you do [Name]?"

"I put a seal on him. Anne said he might get out."

She moves the hand from her face and marches over to you. She grabs your dress and wrestles the top open, looking at the sigil on your chest. She takes in an almost inaudible gasp.

"A bonding seal- [Name], you know this could kill you. You're only alive because he's trapped."

"I'm willing to take that chance. I can't let him kill all of you if he does get out."

She sighs, tugging your dress closed. Then she grabs your satchel and stands. "I'll take care of the seals until you recover."

"No wait!" You grasp at her skirt. "I'll still do it."

Axel paced deep in his cave, his prison, looking out into the empty clearing. Movement in the tree line catches his attention and he pauses. You come staggering into the clearing and towards his cave. He can see the heat radiating off you in waves, the sweat dripping down your skin and soaking your clothes. You looked terrible. Nothing like what happened to Fawn.

"Axel?" You croak out, throat dry.

He doesn't respond, standing still in the darkness. You sigh and slump down to the ground, clumsily pulling the tools from your bag. You carve the sigil into the dirt, chant and cut yourself. He's surprised you have the mental wherewithal to focus on anything, considering your current state. 

You waste no time, finishing your work and wobbling your way back to the village. He steps forward into the light, looking down at the sigil in the dirt. Despite everything, you managed to keep your hand steady while you drew. He had to give it to you, your dedication was almost admirable.

He watched you from the dark, everyday, for a whole month, as you suffered because of his fire. But at the end of it, you returned, looking to be in good health. It shocked him. A grin splits his face and he walks forward. At least now he can go back to bothering you without feeling guilty.

It was in your eighteenth year when everything fell apart, when everything burned.

It was in your eighteenth year when Axel escaped, or better yet; when you let him out.

Chapter Text

It was a bright sunny day as you walked your way to Axel's cave, your face pulled taught in annoyance. You were at the mouth of the clearing and you could already see his gangly form leaning against the barrier, waiting for you to arrive. You groan and roll your eyes as you throw your head back. He's such a pain.

You look forward once more and continue up to the mouth of the cave. Axel turns to look at you and grins.

"Well, good morning [Name]~"

You grunt in response as you drop down to your knees. The satchel is pulled from your shoulders and set down as you dig through for your supplies.

"Oh a response! I was sure you were still mad at me." His grin spreads wider.

You look up and give him a deadpan stare. It's not that you were mad, per say. More so disgusted. Yesterday he had masturbated the entire time you had worked on his seals, even when you'd cut his oxygen off.

"Why do you insist on being so aggravating?"

"What else do you expect? You're my only source of entertainment." He throws a hand up nonchalantly.

"And whose fault is it we can't trust you to not burn anything we give you?"

Axel pouts as you start carving into the dirt. You work fast and accurately, years of practice making it second nature. You pull out the knife and mutter under your breath quickly, bringing the blade to open your wrist. You spill the blood into the dirt then stand and walk to the edge of the cave mouth. You dab some blood onto your finger, then pull it along the grooves in the stone.

"Well, there's one thing I can be trusted with." Axel speaks up after a moment. Your eyes flick to him and he turns to face you. "Why don't you come back in for a bit of fun?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why not? I didn't burn you last time."

"We made a deal, you had your fun with my body. It's not happening again." You reply dryly.

He pouts again, watching as you walk to the other side of the cave. "I should have waited then, huh? Your tits are a lot bigger now. They look a lot more fun to play with."

"For the love of the gods Axel, would you shut your trap?!" You bark at him.

"Ah there's that sass I enjoy! You want to see my dick again?" He chuckles.

You contemplate cutting off his oxygen until tomorrow.

You take a breath and calm yourself. "No Axel. I'm not interested."

He pouts again as you finish the second side and walk back to your satchel. You kneel down and gather up your stuff.

"That being said. When are you going to let me out?" He crosses his arms, his face losing all playfulness. It's odd to see him serious.

You sigh and stand. "I don't know. Maybe in a year. Trust me, I'd love to be rid of you. But, again, you can't be trusted to not burn everything."

"Yeah and who taught you that mistrust?" He mutters under his breath.

"Wha-?"

The cocky grin quickly returns to his face. "You know, the year would probably pass quicker if you let me fuck you sometime."

You roll your eyes. "There's nothing in that for me."

"What do you mean? Some wild fucking isn't good enough for you?"

You turn and start walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow Axel."

You hear him huff as you cross the clearing, then you walk into the tree line. You wind your way through the woods until you reach the village, then you head for your home. You drop the satchel on your table, then grab an apple off the table and collapse onto a sturdy wooden chair. You bring the fruit to your lips and take a bite. You pull back and observe your wrist as you chew. The wound had already sealed back up, thanks to some added words to the spell, you'd made it so it closes up after completing your task. You'll have to teach it to the witch that will eventually take your place.

You grow somber as you continue to eat. You told him another year, but what if it doesn't happen? But what if this turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy? He gets out because you told him he'd get out? You huff and set the apple core onto a dish, then you walk over and recline on your bed. You put your hands behind your head and stare at the ceiling. It was hardly noon, but you can't help as you doze off.

You're awoken by the sound of hoofbeats, men shouting, and women screaming. You jolt upright as the door to your house is kicked in and a man in armor eyes you. You jump up off your bed and make a move to grab your satchel, but the man grabs you and throws you to the ground. He puts a knee down on your back and quickly binds your hands, then pulls you up and shoves you through the doorframe of your house. You're struggling and cursing at him as he marches you to the center of the village where there was a ring of more knights guarding your sisters. You're shoved into the circle and Anne makes her way over to you.

"[Name]! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you ok?"

She nods, then both of you turn to watch as the head witch is lead out front by a man with a sword to her back.

"Captain, what is the meaning of this? If his majesty wanted a word with me, he could have sent a messenger." The head witch can barely contain her hiss.

"His majesty has no need for you. We are here for the demon."

"The demon is secure. What need does he have for it?"

"He has a new way to contain it, and a way to use its magic. So we'll be relieving you of your duty." The captain replies.

"Truly unfortunate. There's no way for you to reach it, let alone free it."

"I'll make you do it, witch." He pushes the blade harder against her back.

She glares over her shoulder at him. "I am not in charge of the barrier. Killing me will only make things harder for you."

You gulp and glance at Anne. She looks back at you in fear.

"Who controls it then?" He growls.

She doesn't respond. He snaps his fingers, and the knights start grabbing girls. She narrows her eyes at him.

"If you don't tell me I'll start killing your 'children'."

"You kill the wrong one and the barrier will seal up permanently."

"Ah, so torture is still viable then?" He motions a witch be brought forward. "She has no need for her fingernails, does she?"

The girl starts screaming as she tries to pull free from the man's grasp. You bark out without a second thought.

"Stop!" Everyone looks at you. "I'll take you to him."

The head witch gives you a look that would send you reeling if not for the current situation. A knight pulls you from the circle and pushes you forward. The captain leaves the head witch and marches over to you, bringing the tip of the blade to your chin. You look at him as he lifts your head.

"So you are its keeper?"

"Yes. If I have your word that no one gets hurt, I'll take you to him and release the barrier."

"I will harm no one. Now get moving."

"Free my hands, I need them and my satchel if I am to do it properly." You reply.

He motions a knight take you to your shack to grab the bag, then he cuts your wrists free and walks you back out front. The captain gathers a few knights then follows you as you start your trek through the trees. You follow the patch carved out for you, as you lead the men to Axel's prison. You wish the magic of the forest was built differently. The head witch had brought you here, so the trees remember you, so you can make it to him no problem. If the knight had tried this on their own, the trees would become a misdirecting maze. And yet- if they were to turn back, the woods would just spit them back out into your village. You suppose the head witch worked it that way so no young witches would die in the woods by accident, but does it ever make this decision difficult.

You pass through the tree line and stare at the cave entrance as you approach. Axel is nowhere to be seen, which is maybe a good thing. You slow your walking as the group gets closer.

"How are you going to contain him once he's out?"

"That's not for you to worry about." A rough hand shoves you forward and you stumble. "Break the barrier."

You walk to the sigil carved in the dirt and drop down to your knees. You pull out the wooden handle and the knife, setting them down, then you pause. How do you let him out? It's not something the head witch had taught you, because why would you release him? You wrack your brain, then the distant sound of screaming hits you. You turn your head, eyes wide. The captain glares at you.

"Get to it."

"You said-!"

"I said I wouldn't harm anyone. I said nothing of my men." He snarls down at you. "Let it out now and maybe we can make it back in time before they accidently kill them all."

"You lying bastard!"

You stand, but he quickly steps forward and back hands you. It hits you so hard that you collapse backward onto your ass, then glare up at him.

"Get to it before I start peeling your skin off, witch."

You turn angerly and grab the knife. You slice up the length of your forearm and drench the sigil with your blood. Then you pick up the wooden handle and stab it into the dirt above the marking.

"Axel! I release you from your cage!" You shout, then you drag the handle through the dirt, carving a thick line through the sigil.

You watch as a giant tear becomes visible down the center of the cave entrance. You drop the wood and dig your fingers into the soil and scrape them outward. The barrier is pulled open, then it dissipates. You grab the handle and the knife, then you stand and face the men.

"Where is it?!" The captain growls.

"Why don't you go in and get him?" You growl back.

The captain pulls out his sword and stalks toward you, bringing the blade to your neck. He pushes it against you and you hiss in pain. 

Then he bursts into flames. He screams and staggers back as all the liquid is boiled out of his body. A wheezing hiss escapes his lungs as he falls backward and collapses dead on the ground. His body continues to smolder and you feel heat close in on you. You stare down at the charred and still burning body when a hand grabs your wrist and pulls your bloodied arm up.

"Kill all of them." Your words come out dead.

"I can do that." Axel replies under his breath as he pulls your arm up to his face and runs his tongue along the slice.

He steps forward, the crackling sound of a fire emanates from him. The group of knights slink back, then turn and bolt into the woods. Axel gives them a wild laugh, then his body quickly coats itself in fire and he launches into the trees after them. You can hear the men screaming in the woods as he presumable catches them and consumes them. You need to catch up with him and stop him from destroying the village. But first-

You crouch down and dig through the captains remains, looking for anything that might have been used to hold a demon. But when you don't find anything with a quick once over, you opt to grabbing your supplies and running into the woods. You pass charred bodies as you go, but Axel is nowhere to be seen. You grit your teeth and run faster as you get closer to the village.

You burst through the trees to see the buildings burning. Your sisters are gathered where they had been earlier; with significantly less clothing on. Axel is looming over the head witch, his fingers on fire as he grabs the front of her dress. You panic and reach your hand out.

"Axel stop!" You curl your fingers around nothing and pull back.

He loses his grip on her clothes and is pulled back from her. You bring your hand down and he falls to his knees. He looks over his shoulder as you approach, glowering at you. You look around at all the small wooden buildings on fire.

"You burned everything!"

"It was on fire when I got here!" He barks at you. "Eileen, tell her!"

"What have I told you about using my name Axel?" She sighs. "But it's true, the king's men set the fires."

You relax your fingers and Axel climbs back to his feet. He cracks his neck and crosses his arms as he scowls at you. You look to the head witch.

"What do we do now?"

Axel snuffed out all the fires and you told Eileen about the bodies in the woods and the captain at Axel's cave. Another witch cleans and bandages your wound while the head witch goes to search the bodies. Axel stands near you, watching as everyone tries their best to salvage what they can. You glance over at him. His body had filled out somehow, more muscular lean as opposed to the scrawny starved way he looked in the cave. He looks back at you.

"What?"

"You look different."

"Yeah, I'm not starving anymore. Although I'm not too happy about my first meal being being that piece of shit earlier."

"So the fuel for a fire is your food?"

"Basically."

"Then why'd you lick my arm?"

He grins down at you. "For a little kick of sugar, obviously."

You groan and roll your eyes. He takes the opportunity to lean close to your ear.

"You should save that for when I'm fucking you." He whispers playfully.

You curl your fingers into a fist and shoot it up to connect with his chin. He reels back and brings a hand to his jaw.

"Ah! The fuck-? I could have bitten off my tongue!"

"Maybe it will keep you from talking."

He's about to respond when Eileen comes back into the clearing with something in her hand. She walks over to you as the girl bandaging your arm finishes up and scampers off to help with the clean up. The head witch lifts up a piece of charred metal in the shape of a diamond. You curiously take it from her hands and turn it over, rubbing your fingers over the char in an attempt to wipe it off. Axel takes it from you and brings it to his nose. He sniffs it while turning it in his hand.

"What are you doing?" You question.

"I think I know who this came from."

"Who? Don't you mean where?" You cock an eyebrow at him.

"It's from Terra, isn't it?" Eileen asks softly.

"Yeah, it's faint, but I smell him."

The head witch brings a hand to her chin and closes her eyes as she thinks. You take the metal back from Axel and try wiping the black stains from it once more. But as you're rubbing, you run your thumb along the edge and slice it. You pull back with a hiss and bring the wound to your mouth. Axel snorts out a laugh and you give his arm a gentle smack. Eileen opens her eyes once more and lowers her hand.

"The situation is dire. Maybe more so than we think. They have Terra, that much is evident-"

"Or the had him and he got out. He's difficult to hold down, even for us." Axel interjects.

"Ahem! At any rate, the others need to be checked on."

"Do you know where they are then, witch? I've been locked up for 400 years."

You balk. "400 years?!"

"Yeah, it's been pretty fucking boring."

"No kidding." You reply, stunned.

"No, I don't know where they are, Axel. There was a different coven in charge of each of them and we all worked separately."

"Great. So that just leaves my nose as the only option."

"Relax, I can at least give you a rough area as to where each coven is." She turns and heads for her house.

You pull the pad of your thumb away from your mouth. "How can you smell him on this?" You hold up the piece of metal.

"We have a connection, of a kind. A way of sensing one another. I'm no hound, but I should be able to track them if I happen to get closer to them."

"Weird." You curl your fingers around the metal and lower your hand.

Eileen comes back with a damaged map. She fluffs it open and makes a mark in four spots, soft enough to barely be seen. Then she rolls it up and hands it to you, so you take it and offer it to Axel. He gives you a confused look.

"Why are you giving it to me? You're the one with the bag."

"Well then I'll give you the bag. I need to go help rebuild." You stuff the map in your bag then pull it from your shoulder and offer it to him.

"[Name]." You look over to the head witch. "You're going with him."

"I-? What?"

"You've been with him the longest. And the mark-" She points to the red sigil on his chest. "I suppose it was a good thing you put it on him."

"You can't be serious..."

"I am. You should go gather what you need from your house. We'll keep it for your return." She grabs your satchel and chants as she runs her hand along the mouth of the bag. "It will hold all you need."

You take it back from her and walk to your house in shock. You wander around and grab things, stuffing them in your satchel. Once you have everything you need, you slip on a pair of boots and pull a cloak over your shoulders and head back to the center of the village. Eileen and Axel are gone, so you just stand there awkwardly. Anne runs up to you and touches your arm, pulling you from your shock.

"Are you leaving [Name]?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I have to watch Axel, I guess."

"Please be careful. Come back to us."

"I'll do my best."

Eileen comes back with Axel in tow. He has on a pair of pants and a loose shirt and a pair of boots. A cloak is wrapped around his shoulders, matching yours. Eileen gives Anne a look and she scampers away awkwardly.

"So what's the plan?" You ask her.

"All we have to go on right now is that the king is trying to collect the demons. And he possibly already has one. You need to find the others and have them double up on their efforts of guarding."

"Or maybe let the rest of them out so we can actually do something." Axel puts his hands on his hips and scowls at her.

She returns his scowl with a glare. "You two should get going."

You nod. "Oh, ma'am." She looks at you. "You should thank Anne. Were it not for her, we'd all be dead."

She crosses her arms and looks at the ground. "I suppose I should. Be careful out there."

"We will."

And with that, the two of you turn and walk into the tree line. You go through the woods until you reach a main road. You pull out the map, look it over, then roll it back up and head down the road with Axel at your side. You walk for hours, surprisingly in silence, until the sun sets. The two of you get off the road and you start carving up a large sigil while Axel grabs wood for a fire.

"What's the sigil for?"

"It will hide our presence. I don't want us getting attacked in the night." You respond.

"What? You scared?" He asks with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Yes." You reply honestly, glancing at him. "This is my first time being out of the village since I was a child."

Your answer takes the wind out of his sails and he sets the wood up into a small pyre. You turn back to your carvings and chant as he lights the fire. Once you're done, you take a seat by the fire, across from Axel. A smile creeps back onto his lips.

"Hey, why don't you come over here. It gets cold at night, doesn't it?" He pats the grass next to him.

"I'm fine over here, thanks."

"You're no fun, you know that?"

"Neither are you."

He huffs, then reclines back. You sigh and lie back, looking up into the dark sky, dotted with stars. You squint and bite your tongue.

"Hey Axel?"

"What?"

"Thank you."

There's a heavy pause before he speaks again.

"Yeah. Thank you too."

Chapter Text

You open your eyes, blades of grass obscuring your view. You grunt and try to roll over, but something firm and warm stops you. You jolt upright and quickly look behind you to see Axel, sleeping, but facing away from you. You clench your fist and raise it, intending to bring it down on his head, but you pause. You look around to see that you had moved over to his side some time in the night. You huff and scoot away from him, then stand up and stretch. He starts to stir as you walk to the other side of the somehow still burning fire to grab your satchel.

"Hn?" He rolls and glances over at you. "Is it that time already?" He groans.

"I guess..." You look down at the fire, burning a small pile of ash. "How is the fire still going?"

"Eh? Well it's my fire." He sits up and scratches his scalp.

"Ok, but there's no wood left."

"Yeah, it's my fire."

You give him a deadpan look. "What, so it can burn without fuel?"

"Yeah?" He scoffs, like you've asked him something stupid.

You scrunch your face in annoyance, slipping the strap of your bag over your shoulder. "Fine, be difficult..." You mutter under your breath as you start to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going?" He calls out to you as he climbs to his feet.

"I'm going to go find something to eat."

"Oh? What are you going to look for?"

"I don't know. Berries and mushrooms, most likely. A squirrel or bird would be nice, but I don't have any traps with me-"

"You forage, I'll take care of the meat."

"Wait-" But he's already bolted off into the treeline. "Meet back here!" You call out after him.

You huff, then walk into the trees after him. You wander around, checking trunks and bushes for any kind of fruit or fungi. After a good ten minutes, you happen to spot a bramble bush poking out from behind a tree. You walk over to it to see a large bush growing down a fairly steep hill, full of blackberries. You reach into your satchel and pull out a medium sized drawstring pouch, then slowly and carefully step down the hill. You quickly start stuffing berries into the pouch, being careful to not reach too far and lose your balance.

Once the pouch grows heavy, you pull the drawstring and tie it gently, placing it back into your satchel. You climb your way back up the hill and dust your hands off on your skirt, then continue on your foraging mission. Luckily it doesn't take you very long to come across some mushrooms. There's a small clearing, and in the grass you spot the white caps. You crouch down over them and pluck one from the grass, flipping it around to get a good look at it. Field mushrooms, a good find. You pull out another drawstring pouch and fill it with with the fungi, then stick it back into your satchel as well.

You leave the clearing and head back for your makeshift campsite. When you make it out of the woods, you spot Axel by a refreshed fire, ripping the pelt from a medium sized animal.

"What did you catch?"

"A badger."

"You know how gut and clean it?"

"When you've been alive for as long as I have, you pick up all kinds of life skills." He says as he pops the fur from the skull, then sets it down beside him.

"Yeah, 400 years is a long time..." You mutter under your breath.

"Oh I've been around for way longer than that sweetheart."

You scowl at him. "Don't call me 'sweetheart'."

"Lover?" He grins at you.

You give him a deadpan stare. "You come across any water while you were in there?"

"Saw a pond." He points in the direction of the body of water.

"Alright, that'll work. I'll be back. Stay inside the circle, alright?"

He grins at you again. "You can't make me."

You huff and start walking away. You're not going to sit there and fight with him while you have things to do. You make your way back into the woods and wind your way through the trees until you find the pond. Weird that you found it so easily. You shrug to yourself and walk over to the pond to get a look at the water quality. It's surprisingly clear, so that's good. You kneel down and reach into your satchel, pulling the mouth open as you dig through to find the wooden bucket you'd packed from your house. You pull it out and dip it into the water.

"You really going to drink that?" Axel speaks up from behind you.

You flinch and drop the bucket into the water, glaring over your shoulder at him. "Axel! What are you doing out here?!"

He ignores your question. "You know you can get sick if you drink still water."

"That's why I'm going to boil it first." You snap, grabbing the bucket.

"Whoa, no need to get snippy."

You stand and start heading back to the fire, trying to walk smoothly so you don't spill any water. Axel walks up beside you and hooks the bucket handle, pulling it out of your hands, then starts walking faster.

"Hey!"

"Relax lover, I don't want you straining yourself."

"Don't fucking call me that."

He looks down at you as you hurry along beside him. "You really so opposed to pet names?"

"Call me by my name and keep your flirty bullshit to yourself."

He gives you a sour look. "You're really uncute sometimes, you know that?"

"I don't care about being 'cute', there are more pressing matters at hand." You huff at him.

He just sighs and turns his eyes forward. The two of you reach the fire quickly and he sets the bucket down, then returns to tending the meat. You set your bag down and pull out the drawstrings of berries and mushrooms, setting them to the side. Then you start rummaging around for your cauldron and its stilts. You find the legs first and pull them out, setting them to the side before reaching back in to find the cauldron's handle. You pull it out, then get started at setting the tripod legs up. You try to adjust it so the legs aren't in Axel's way as he cooks the badger over the fire. It leaves the tripod off centered, but it should do the job well enough. Axel takes notice.

"Need more fire?"

"What? No, it sh-" The fire expands out and you jump back reflexively. "A warning would have been nice!" You hiss at him.

"You won't get burned, calm down."

You scoff at him, but set the pot handle onto the hanging hook, then pour the water into it. You turn, bucket in hand to go get more water, but Axel snatches it from your hand again. You open your mouth to scold him, but he cuts you off.

"Tend to the meat." He points to the badger. "I move faster."

He takes off again and you just throw your hands up in frustration. You rotate the stick that held the badger, then pull open the bag of mushrooms and dump them onto the grass. You pull out a cloth and a wooden plate, then start rubbing the dirt off before setting them on the dish. Axel returns quickly and pours another bucket of water into the cauldron, then sets the lid over the top. He turns and heads back into the trees as you finish up cleaning the mushrooms. You dig around your bag once more until you find two jars and you set them by the badger, then pull the stick back, getting the meat off of the fire. Axel comes back as you're trying to stake the stick into the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to season it before it cooks fully."

"Oh, I didn't know you had seasonings." He pours the water into the pot, then drops the bucket into the grass.

"It's only salt and pepper, not many people like to barter with witches..." He takes the stick from you and stakes it. "But it's better than nothing."

"That's true. Maybe we can sell or trade that pelt." He turns to you and holds his hands forward. "Do you know the current rates?"

"No..?" You look at his hands. "What are you doing?"

"Pour it in my palms, I'm going to season it."

"Uh, alright."

You pull the lids from the jars and sprinkle salt and pepper into both his hands, then watch as he rubs it into the meat. For a moment, concern runs across you, but then you remember he's a fire demon. He offers you his palms again and you dust them in more seasoning, then he rubs down the rest of the meat. You twist the lids back onto the jars and set them back into your bag, then you start reaching for the stick. Before you can reach it, Axel's hands burst into intense flames. You flinch back and watch his hands burn. Shortly after, the fire dies, leaving his pale skin a charred black. You open your mouth to question him, but then he flexes his hands and pats them together, letting the char flake off to the ground below. He sets the meat back over the fire, then looks over to you.

"Cleansed by the fire." He shows you his hand, then pulls the lid from the cauldron. "Hmm, needs more heat..."

The fire directly under the pot grows in intensity, then he turns and takes a seat next to your bag. You walk over and pull out a wooden bowl and a few metal utensils. Axel grabs your carving knife and starts slicing up the mushrooms.

"You know you can let me do things, right?"

"Just sit there and look pretty for me." You give him a look of disgust. "No, not like that. Smile."

He gives you a smile, but you just roll your eyes and reach into your pack to pull out the map. His face falls, but he just turns back to cutting the mushrooms. You pinpoint where the two of you were, somehow sure of your position despite the lack of any prominent land marks. A town should be just a day's walk away.

Axel gets the mushrooms cut, then moves the badger from the fire as you fill the wooden bowl with water to let it cool. He rips off one of the legs and offers it to you. You take the leg from him and take a bite.

"Hmm, it's good- but less salt next time." You muse, mostly to yourself.

"Yeah, badger is a salty meat." He rips off a leg for himself and takes a bite. "Probably should have mentioned that."

You eat a couple of mushroom slices, then take another bite of badger. You dip a finger into the bowl of water, finding it cooled enough, then you dump the blackberries into it. You stir them around to clean them, then return to eating while they soak. You watch as Axel quickly rips through the leg, consuming it quickly. He catches you watching him, then glances away almost bashfully.

"Don't judge me, I haven't had any real food since I've been locked up."

"I'm not..." You take another bite. "I was just thinking about food storage. Back in the village, the animals kept themselves fresh and we had a smoke hut... But traveling- we can't really afford to make a smoke hut and wait around for a whole day for the meat to smoke."

"We can work around that when we find Terra. We can make an easily portable smoke hut."

"How?"

"He can control the earth. Soil, minerals and all that good stuff." He makes a popping motion with his hand. "Can sprout food from the ground immediately too."

"Oh wow."

He gives you a pout. "You've never said 'wow' about anything I've done."

"You've done nothing to impress me." You reply coldly.

He clamps a hand over his chest. "Ow, so harsh [Name]. Infinite fires and you're not impressed?"

"Ok, fine, that's not entirely fair. I'm impressed by your fire, not your attitude."

"Same goes for you sweetheart."

"Gods, would you just shut up?" You grumble, then continue eating.

He just gives you a tiny smirk and returns to his own food. You finish your meat and set the bone on the grass. Axel rips off another leg and offers it to you. You take it and start eating, watching as he rips off shreds of meat from the carcass so he can eat it without getting it all over his face. You quickly finish off the second leg, then grab the bowl of berries and place a hand over the top. You tip the bowl and drain the water, then grab a few berries and eat them. You grab a few more and offer them to Axel.

He takes notice and leans forward. "Feed me?"

You just give him a deadpan stare, but he doesn't lean back. You just offer your hand a bit closer to him, but instead of grabbing them, he just eats them out of your hand like a horse. You pull back and wipe your hand on the grass. He chuckles at you and finishes off the badger as you refill the drawstring pouches with the mushrooms and berries. You put them in your satchel, then wipe down the cleaner utensils and set wear. They go in next, then you stand and drag the tripod back from the fire so you can let the pot cool. You curse yourself for not taking it off earlier, and now you're going to have to wait for quite awhile.

Axel grabs the bones and tosses them into the fire, then pulls the pot from the hook and sets it onto the grass. "Start packing, I'll take care of this."

"Don't dump out the water, I need to fill up my water skins."

"Yeah yeah, relax I'm just going to cool it down."

"What? How? You're a fire demon."

Axel places his hands on the cauldron and you can see as the pale skin of his hands flush red, then return to normal when he pulls back. He pulls the lid off to reveal the water, no longer boiling. You look at him in shock.

"How did you do that..?" Your voice is quiet.

"I control fire, but that also has ties to heat."

"So you can suck warmth from things too..."

He snaps a finger and points it at you. "Now you're getting it."

"... Whoa."

He beams proudly at you and closes up the tripod, handing it over to you. You take it and slide it into the satchel, then pull out your water skins. You toss them over to him and pack up any remaining supplies then bring your bag over to Axel. He fills up the skins and hands them back to you, then you toss them into the satchel. Once all the skins are filled, he pours the rest of the water over the badger skin to give it a quick clean, then offers you the cauldron. You stuff it into the bag, then sling it over your shoulder.

"Alright, let's get heading out. We've wasted a lot of time already."

"Not really. We can't help that you need to eat."

"Yes, but the next town is a whole day's walk away."

He waves off your concern. "Don't you worry sweetheart, I can get there way before that."

"Yeah, you can. I don't have the stamina of a demon."

"Well then let's make use of my stamina."

He just grins at you and starts towards you. You instinctively step back until he snatches you up into his arms. "Hey! Put me down!"

"No way, we have a lot of ground to cover." And with that he takes off down the road.

"Ack! Hey! Don't let anyone see you running! People can't know you're a demon!"

He just rolls his eyes. "Then they won't see me, sweetheart."