O~o~O

Time passed as if it were fighting through molasses.

"Let's go." Arthur repeated, his voice a little less sure than it was before. He looked away from Ivan, who was eyeing him with a cold expression. But he could still feel Ivan's dark eyes digging into the back of his head, prodding him with accusation. There was nothing he could say or do that wouldn't make the situation even worse, and he knew Alfred was becoming desperate to help when he went silent trying to think of something to say.

No one moved, everyone seemed focused on Ivan's apparent challenge to Arthur, and Arthur couldn't ignore it when not a single demon made a move to take off with him. Slowly, he steeled himself and turned around to face Ivan, bearing that harsh look he was getting. All it did was make Alfred a little more distressed.

The tense period of silence did nothing for him. "H-hey, what are we waiting for?" Alfred laughed nervously. "Artie's just a little cold, right? There's nothing wrong with that! I think we should just get going so we're not around when the Demonocracy comes looking for-"

"I think now's a good time we ask Paranomia what he's hiding from us." Ivan spat, approaching Arthur until they were face-to-face, their noses nearly touching. Startled, the other demons backed away a few steps, trapping them both in a circle where everything they did was watched upon. "I've had enough of you and all of your lies."

Arthur kept his gaze steady and cold. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said lowly, venomously.

Ivan snarled, wrinkling his nose and revealing his fangs. Both Arthur and Ivan could hear Alfred trying to coax them apart, but nothing could break the challenge, not then. Arthur struggled to not turn and tell Alfred it was okay, that he could handle it. But he couldn't shake the sinking dread in his gut that this wasn't going to end well. The air felt heavier and colder, and the skies above them darkened and swelled.

His mind went through countless scenarios, trying to think his way out of the direction he knew they were headed. But he couldn't concentrate with Alfred trying to get their attention, so he had no choice but to pretend to crack his knuckles to disguise the correlation of his closing his fist to Alfred's sudden silence, and hope no one would think too much about the magic they could probably sense. For a moment, he reflected on how grateful he was that he learned how to make Alfred shut up. And still, Ivan persisted. "That is what a liar would say." he spat, raising his wings.

Arthur responded by raising his chin and puffing out his chest, eyes flashing with indignance. "I do not need to listen to your blind accusations." he sniffed to resist a sneeze from the cold and opened his fist once Alfred got the point to be quiet. Then, he turned around, aiming to stalk out of the circle. But none of the demons moved for him.

"Blind?!" Ivan bristled, suddenly rushing forward. "It is you who is blind! You cannot see what you are becoming!" Arthur turned around just in time to see Ivan lunging for him.

"Don't lay a hand on him, goddammit!"

Both Arthur and Ivan stopped in mid attack to see Alfred, practically trembling with anger, and now everyone's eyes were on him. Arthur was the first to recognise that wild look in his eyes, and his heart missed a beat. Alfred didn't seem sure if he should approach or back away, but the way he was looking at Ivan made it clear he would like nothing more than to rip him to shreds.

Arthur took a shaky breath, and his eyes flickered to Ivan. "We will finish this later." he muttered, before turning to carefully go to Alfred. Then, it seemed to click for everyone else what was happening, because the demons began murmuring nervously and backing away, creating a wider circle.

Still feeling Ivan staring at him, Arthur tried his best to focus on just Alfred, while his wings and legs tensed, and a cold sweat formed along his forehead. The demon before him was absolutely livid, not moving his hard stare from Ivan. Carefully, Arthur walked through the tension and swallowed nervously when he was close enough to touch Alfred. "Oi, listen to me. Just me. It's okay, everything's fine. I'm not hurt, see?" he reached out with a shaking hand to Alfred's. He could hardly hear himself over the blood roaring in his ears. "Take my hand, Alfred, I promise it's okay."

For just a moment, he was convinced Alfred wasn't going to take his hand. He was taking long, shuddering breaths, and each one only created more agitation in the demons around them. But, after shutting his eyes tightly, and shaking his head faintly from side to side, he finally rested his hand in Arthur's.

"Good, good," Arthur breathed, his pounding heart finally slowing. He recognised that Alfred was doing his best to convey that it was safe for Arthur, and now all he had to do was calm him down enough so it was safe for everyone else too. That could only be done if Arthur was patient and relaxed himself. So, he swallowed any doubts in himself and fears of the situation waiting for him. He stepped closer so he could force Alfred to focus on him and him only. "Listen to me, Alfred, please, everything's fine. I'm okay, you're okay, we can do this, yes? I'm with you, we're in this together." he murmured softly.

Alfred opened his eyes in an incredibly intense look right at Arthur, and finally gave a begrudging nod. Arthur smiled a little when Alfred then lowered his eyes to the ground and petulantly shifted closer, so Arthur heaved a relieved sigh and pulled Alfred's head down to his shoulder to embrace him.

"...How did you do that?" Arthur heard Ludwig's voice speak up behind them, quiet and reluctant. Trying to keep himself and Alfred serene and calm, Arthur closed his eyes and smiled, holding Alfred firmly in his arms. "He was about to...There's no way anything could have stopped it…"

There were some general noises of agreement and confusion. Rage was a rare thing to witness, and no one had ever seen it stopped before, Arthur realised, and set his jaw when he came to realisation that he was really only making his case worse by saving everyone. But he just couldn't put everyone in danger...Though, he didn't know if it was actually possible to stop Rage once it started. Alfred had once explained something along those lines to him but he couldn't quite remember then…

Ludwig and Ivan were discussing something behind them too quietly for Arthur to hear. "Arthur," Alfred whispered, making Arthur look down. "Arthur, I...I have to leave, but I can't, because if I leave they might…"

Arthur shook his head, and frowned skeptically. "What do you mean?" Alfred let out a breath he was holding in and held on to Arthur like he was the only thing keeping him grounded.

"I don't think you stopped it...But I can't leave you here to them." he reiterated more stiffly this time, gritting his teeth. "I can still feel it there...Urgh…"

Startled, Arthur quickly tried to figure out what their options were, and started petting Alfred's head a little roughly without meaning to. They couldn't both leave, because that would only make Ivan suspect them more and possibly split up the group at the worst possible time to lose anyone. Alfred had a point; they couldn't separate because either Alfred raged on the army or the army possibly ganged up on Arthur. They couldn't leave the first circle now that Alfred was at risk of Raging and Ivan was suspecting Arthur of the truth. But they couldn't stay because the Demonocracy was coming…"Dammit we don't have time for this…" he muttered, and Alfred nodded helplessly against him.

The muttering behind them got more prevalent, and Arthur shut his eyes tightly, his hands shaking a little while he firmly kept Alfred close. It was getting darker, and snowing a little more heavily than before. But, it didn't feel as much like it was snowing; snow was much softer and Arthur felt like sharp little prickles were raining upon them. They stung his face and made it harder to breathe.

"Paranomia." Ivan said behind him, getting his attention. His voice was quiet, perhaps out of consideration for Alfred who everyone was watching as he gradually breathed heavier and heavier. Arthur held him close almost desperately, thinking of both Alfred and the demons surrounding them. Every single one of them was in danger for more than one reason. "Paranomia, I will not ask again what you are hiding from us. There's no use in denying it now: you're different. We should all be dead right now but somehow you're keeping Alfred calm. I can no longer follow a dishonest leader without question. It would be defying the very values you try to teach us."

Arthur gritted his teeth when the others agreed quietly. "You'll have to. We don't have a choice, Ivan, we have to go now, I can explain everything later, y-"

"I will not take another step away from this circle until I know what you're hiding." Ivan interrupted him coldly, and Arthur cursed under his breath. Alfred was only growing more agitated because of the rise in conflict yet again. He clung tighter to Arthur, burying his face in his shoulder and murmuring "No, no, no, no…"

Not knowing how to answer, Arthur started saying quiet, soothing things to Alfred to distract everyone. He could feel them, all of them watching his every move and scrutinising it to his very breathing.

He couldn't mess up now.

Slowly, he pulled Alfred more comfortably against him and allowed the demon's trembling to disguise his own from the cold and the situation. He was still shivering, but having Alfred pressed up against him helped a little. Taking, a reassuring, shuddering breath, he turned his head slightly and raised his voice so they could all hear. "We do not have time to wait. The Demonocracy is coming, we have to leave. Now." he said calmly.

Ivan hissed behind him. "On what grounds? The death of one of their own? How can you trust that?" even some of the other demons seemed surprised by that answer, but Arthur didn't falter.

"We have every reason to trust her; she died by crying. Would any of you like to meet the same fate?" Arthur didn't look around for an answer. "Her last words were a warning to us. We cannot stay here over something so trivial, there's too much at stake."

Arthur could nearly feel Ivan's outrage, despite how contained it was. "Trivial?" he asked. "You think this is trivial? I'm questioning you and you call it trivial?!" he laughed bitterly. "You're even more foolish than I thought."

Not quite, Arthur thought, and resisted a grimace. "We do not have time to wait." he repeated himself.

Footsteps approached from behind, slow and deliberate. "Oh, I think we do," Ivan growled, taking his time to come near. "Your own values are working against you, don't you see? You tell us we can't trust anyone in power and to question anyone with authority. You're practically asking us to question you! And how are you handling that? You're going in circles and hoping to reason with us that way. It's not getting you anywhere; we're still here, and we're not leaving until you answer me."

Lowering his head, Arthur looked at the ground and let out a long sigh. As if he could sense what Arthur was thinking, Alfred gripped Arthur's arm and looked up at him, shaking his head. "No," he whispered. "Please, Arthur."

Alfred was still trembling from the effort of suppressing his Rage. Trying to calm him, Arthur rubbed his back and smiled at him a little sadly.

There were larger things at stake. Nothing really mattered, nothing right could all die within the next few moments and even that would be insignificant compared to what they should be concerned about. He looked into Alfred's pale eyes for the reflection of the space all around the army, and the cold grey skies of Hell.

He knew what he had to do.

O~o~O

"How are you feeling?"

"...How are you today?"

The questions echoed gently around the small room, and was answered with the soft, mechanical shifting of the contraptions in the back. The only answer was a whirring sigh, and faint flickering in the colours of the small lights. They blinked impatiently

A small smile came to Camael's face. "Oh, you do want out, don't you?" the figure jolted weakly in a reaction, a result of his rerouted nervous system. It seemed to seemed to sense Camael's increasing smugness. "Hnn, you've made such remarkable progress. I'm admittedly surprised, considering your firm rebellious attitude. Perhaps your treatment was more powerful than I thought."

It was impossible to tell if the soft clicks and flickers were out of bitterness or were merely an acknowledgement.

Still, Camael gave a satisfied hum and casually crossed the room towards the figure. At times before, the figure would have been jerking and the whirring would have gotten louder and the reactor would make noises like an alarm. Bathed in red by the blinding lights, Camael would laugh. Now, the figure hung its head, and was still. The lights were faint, the gears turned indifferently.

"At last." he let out a pleased sigh. The figure appeared almost calm, if uncomfortable. But that wasn't what Camael was looking for.

He may have still been adapting to his new form, but he seemed ready enough.

Camael grinned. "Rise." he told the figure.

Slowly, miraculously, Francis uncurled himself and began to get to his knees. In a mechanical fashion, imperfect but still strong, he got to his feet and met Camael's eyes in an unfeeling stare. Then, he made the angelican salute.

Camael nodded in approval. "Perfect."

Outside, the angels lived in oblivious harmony, as always. No one thought anything of Francis's strange outburst all those moons ago, in fact, it seemed like the witnesses had mostly forgotten about it completely. The choirs and the cathedrals and all the peace seemed perfectly undisturbed. It was a perfect kingdom of compliant little lambs, just as God had intended.

And Camael was loving it. All was well in Heaven as far as he was concerned, as far as the angels were concerned. All was well to all but one.

O~o~O

Alfred shook his head vigorously. "Arthur, no, please, you can't! They won't understand!" he pleaded, his eyes wide with horror. He shook Arthur by his shoulders, and looked around when the others reacted to his raised voice.

All around them, the air felt heavier, and of course the other demons were very curious to find out just what in the hell Alfred was talking about. Alfred met eyes with Basch, with Ludwig, with the others who were so close before, and now so far in nothing but a moment. Their faces held doubts, questions that had been eating away at the back of their minds for so long. Only now, their complacency with their new leader had been interrupted and they wouldn't follow without answers. Alfred wanted to beg them to understand that they couldn't understand, and keep Arthur from making a huge mistake.

But, Arthur wouldn't be moved. He moved Alfred aside roughly to face Ivan and the other demons with a cold expression, silencing their whispers with nothing but a look.

"Understand what?" Ivan sneered, seeing that he had won. "Understand the lies? The-"

"Shut up, Ivan." Arthur sighed, looking right at him. "Alfred's right. None of you will understand. But you leave me no choice."

The silence faded again with the confused murmurs from everyone else. Alfred rushed up and held Arthur's arms at his sides desperately, but it was obvious that Arthur had made up his mind. "Please Arthur, please no. They'll kill you!" Alfred begged.

Arthur turned just slightly to look at Alfred before calmly looking away again, any hint of caring lost. "They can't kill me." was all he said.

His eyes glowed and his hands rose, and Alfred backed off helplessly as Arthur began to transform.

O~o~O

Hello! Ah, man it's been forever hasn't it? Was the last update really Christmas? Haha, I'm so sorry to any loyal readers, it's been quite a year so far.

Did everyone hear about Chester Bennington? For those who don't know, pretty much half of this story is inspired by Linkin Park songs, and Chester was the lead singer of Linkin Park. He committed suicide, and pretty much everyone in my generation is affected greatly because a lot of us have been through hard times, emotional turmoil, and perhaps have even contemplated suicide before. It's very sad that we all have lost such a bold hero to our time. Wherever he may be, I hope he's found what he was looking for.

It's been awhile since I've written, I've barely touched Messenger all year. A lot happened in my life, not anything bad, just a lot of stuff that's made it hard to think about writing. I mean, I figured out what I want to do with my life, I found love, and I've grown considerably...And I'm not done yet! Updates will still be few and far in between possibly, but I have not given up on Messenger!

I won't even bother with the disclaimer anymore, everyone knows I don't own anything XD

I hope all of you are having a wonderful year! Keep doing you, and I'll try to stick with this as often as possible. Love y'all!

~Madz