The chill in the wind nipped at the demonic being from all around but couldn't break through his ample fur nor the fire in his blood. Despite the desolate environment Amon was pushed by this warmth, this burning need within him. He was compelled to find her.

He fought the frigid gales and soared over the icy fortress scanning it over for any means of entry. When his sights finally caught onto a sizable split in the frozen mass, he took his opportunity. He slipped through and into the winding catacomb-like tunnels of the glacier. Free from the cold gusts and harsh elements he took a look around. This was once the prison that for a time held millions of devils, it wasn't until the frost began to melt when the demons slowly released from their containment. Now it was seemingly all but empty. But it couldn't truly be, no she had to be here, she had to be, somewhere. He inhaled sharply setting himself off, he would scale this structure from top to bottom if he had to.

He climbed the walls and glided through the gaps of the gelid cavern releasing a low rumbling call in hopes he would hear her reply. As he went along the only responses he got were those sounds of his own echoes. He huffed but kept at it, there with his own roars and his own reflections in the ice each expressing the same level of perseverance. Witnessing these images of himself began to weigh on him, they followed him like phantoms, reminding him of who he was then, who he was to her, who she was.

"Alright see that one? That little cluster there?" A soft voice filled his ears.

The great demon's head tilted, and his eyes squinted up to a dazzling night sky.

"Umm, where again?"

"Ugh," her body slumped, and she shook her head of messy feathers humorously. "You're a big hopeless brute you know that?" she teased.

"Yeah, but yet you still keep me around," he beamed at her with an exaggerated grin. A playful nudge came as a response along with the demoness rolling her eyes and leaning sassily on her hip.

"You're right, if anyone's a fool here it's me," they shared a chuckle. "No but here follow my finger, that group of stars there is called Draco, it holds the spiritual energy of a mighty dragon!"

"Sounds like my kind of guy!"

"No kidding…" she giggled. "Here now you look up there and point out a constellation and I'll tell you the energy I get from it okay?"

"Hmm," Amon's gaze traced the skies searching for any kind of pattern or group that stood out to him. It took a sizable minute that became even more blatant the longer it went on. The demoness watched him with dismissive yet doting eyes.

"Don't hurt yourself now muscles," she joked.

"Oh, hush up woman, I can't tell head nor tails of all these little dots, I don't know how you do. I wish I did though, then I could show you up."

"Ha, you wish, but hey, you're better than every other devil I tried to show this too, so that's something. They all thought it was a waste of time until I started discovering powerful celestial beings they thought they could merge with. As if they had a chance in Hell," she puffed. Amon laughed to himself watching her annoyed little pouts. She was fun to watch, her expressions could convey an ocean of emotion and yet remain remarkably alluring in doing so. She brought the claw of her thumb up to bite thoughtfully as her three eyes frisked the heavens. Her third eye set vertically on her forehead allowing her to witness a world most could not see and aided in her mysterious sorcery. The eye split open with a glow and compelled a nearby stick to float to her hand, as she gracelessly flopped herself down next to Amon on the ground. She messed with the stick using it to doodle what Amon could only assume were runes into the dirt. The outline of a pentagram she had singed into her wings glowed with a dim ember, kindling her otherworldly talents as well. It aiding in summoning and directing her fiery witchcraft in a pinch. She seemed to be trying to lose herself in the magical mindset.

"Oh, don't let them get to you, the higher ups don't care about anything unless it makes them more powerful," he bumped her lightly.

"Don't worry I don't. Hell, I remember when the council approached me for the first time after I discovered you. The day before I was as good as a drop of water in a monsoon to them and the next day, they came up to me with that good old buddy buddy act. Oh, they couldn't act to save their skin, I saw through that dog and pony show in a second!" she snapped her fingers punctuating her point.

"That sounds familiar, I wish I caught on as soon as you, I was a fool," he rested his cheek into his knuckles. She noticed this with a twitch of her tuft like ears.

"Aww, don't beat yourself up you big lug, you were only just born, kinda," she shrugged.

"Yeah, but look where I ended up now," he looked her in the eyes, but there was a frisky nature to him that drowned out any inkling of sincerity. She lifted a brow at him.

"What, in the middle of this desolate desert assisting a crabby witch with a chip on her shoulder cause ya ain't got nothing better to do?"

"No," Amon leaned back again, closing his eyes. She turned her head curiously.

"Well, I mean ya, you're spot on…" he reiterated, triggering her less than surprised expression.

"Oh, my fluttering heart," her voice was deadpan. A low chuckle rumbled through his chest until he faced her again, this time much calmer.

"But I'm happy," he said soft and sure. "Despite your relentless efforts, you make me happy."

Her crass guard was disarmed with her face now melting tenderly. She gulped however and appeared conflicted. Her nervousness branched out into her abilities causing her to lose control over the twig she had been fumbling with. Her fingers fidgeted amongst themselves and her long thin tail twitched fanning the feathers located at its base and tip.

"Why?"

Amon opened his eyes again and looked at her, he wasn't used to her voice sounding so fragile.

"What do you mean why? I don't know. You're supposed to be the smart one, don't make me think!" he chaffed. He wanted to lighten her mood and he did get an entertained sigh from her, but she wasn't all there.

"Well, it's just, oh never mind it's stupid," she tried waving it away. The wings on Amon's head popped up as he lifted himself onto his elbow.

"No, what is it? You want a reason for real?"

It was then she came to her taloned feet scraping the dirt with her claws as she did so. Her digitigrade legs were long and pacing as she moved across the cliff top.

"Aw, don't worry about it, I'm an idiot" she laughed quietly shaking her head.

"No more than me now. If you really want a reason though I can think of one, well another besides how pleasing you are to the eye," he winked. Amon admired her dark purple skin that was covered in black markings and a few stray feathers at her elbows and hocks. He basketed in gazing over her slim yet toned figure, making sure to linger on her generous curves until he came to her bewitching face that displayed a lighthearted eye roll.

"Easy there slick," her voice was flat.

Amon smirked at her until he succumbed to a soft giggle, "But there's a lot to like about you. I just can't explain it. I mean, I like you, and I don't really like anyone much, now that's an accomplishment. I'd be proud of myself if I were you!"

"Oh, get lost Amon," she ribbed flicking her tail his way. It was right in that moment Amon's whole face lit up hauling himself up to his feet.

"Hey that's it!"

"What's it?" she turned her head allowing her tufts to quirk in confusion.

"You say that to me all the time, and I love it, you know why?"

"When you fell from the moon it was on your head?"

"No..." he corrected lifelessly before he pepped up again. "Cause you'll say it, but I know you don't mean it. Just like everything you say to me. Your curt like that to turn everyone away because you can't forget how so many wronged you before, but it didn't turn me away. And deep down you like that."

The demoness came face to face with him, her features were touched and soft. Amon couldn't help but grace her cheek witnessing the beauty that she was, he felt his heart swell when she lastly leaned into his gesture.

He cupped her face, "And deep down so do I," he whispered. For the first time Amon had ever witnessed she seemed truly stunned into silence. Her eyes shifted over his features, taking in every detail just to make sure he was honest, that this was real. She looked at him with a sad disbelief as if she were viewing something that she had never known.

His thumb stroked her cheekbone, and he lowered his head closer to her level. The intensity between them was boiling over, she felt it tickling inside her chest and the desire to meet him was strong, and yet she pulled back. She didn't want to, but she did, her heart was racing, and she couldn't take anymore. Amon seemed disappointed but more than that he appeared concerned for her.

"What's wrong?" his voice was gentle. She folded into herself wrapping her arms and feathery wings around herself. She paused in musing and didn't eye him before she began again.

"Nothing really…" she clutched her fangs as she took a sharp breath and tried to smile again. "It's just I don't understand this."

"Don't understand what?" he attempted to get close to her once more.

The grin on her face was anxious, "This! Don't you see you lug head?" She opened back up to him and tried to recapture the playfulness in her voice. Overall, her demeanor was exasperated seeming not to know what she needed to do or how to react but was desperate to convey what she felt.

"No, I don't," it was clear Amon wasn't following her, regardless of his efforts to do so.

"This energy between us, this feeling. I've sensed it so many times before, in so many places, and every time it is powerful but never as strong as I'm feeling now. Now with you…" she admitted. All became still as the tension strained between them. When Amon moved again, he slowly took hold of her forearm, she surrendered to his touch allowing herself to be closer to him.

"I know what you mean," his tone was raspy but comforting.

"You feel it too?"

He nodded watching her brighten just from the affirmation alone.

"You know, I've never told any other demon about this. They already thought I was crazy to speak for the demons they shunned as weak, but this I knew they would never accept. The worst part is, it's not something you can understand alone. When I see it, it comes from bonds, that makes each individual stronger for it. I've witnessed it rarely in demons, amongst our comrades, it's there it's possible, and here it is as strong as ever between us. And you want to know the worst part?" she sighed practically through a laugh, lending her hand to brush his face.

"What?"

"I think I understand it even less…"

His head wings eased back, and his hand came to hold hers placed on his face. He closed his eyes and breathed, absorbing the moment for all it's worth before reengaging with it again.

"Hmm… I can't say I do either, but you know me, I'm a demon that respects strength no matter what form it comes in. If this power is truly as magnificent as what I'm experiencing with you, then I will stop at nothing to harness it and learn from it myself. I'll share everything I find with you, I'll merge with the being that possesses such a power more than anything else, no matter the cost!"

"You'd do that, just because of some insane vision I had?" she asked earnestly.

"I would do it for you."

She blushed and tried to fight back a grin, "And that's why I chose you to tell this to Amon. You're such a good demon."

He shook his head, "We'll see, Hell maybe this power you're talking about it just the thing I've been searching for. The thing to save all demonkind and rid us of this divine burden?"

"Ha," she scoffed lightly. "If I'm being honest demonkind needs more saving than just the divine threat. It's just so miserable."

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I mean, we exist to survive and devour and think no further, not to think of the one next to us desiring for the same comfort of living. No, we just seek to gratify ourselves and keep finding more gratification. We step on one another to bring ourselves higher, but what does anyone really gain from any of this?" she stopped herself snorting in frustration. Amon rubbed her side, encouraging her to elaborate.

"Never mind, it's ludicrous, I know…"

"No, no!" Amon perked up. "I know what you're talking about. When I lived amongst the council, I didn't know it, but I felt similarly. A point came when the satisfaction they shoveled at me no longer worked and the acts I was committing left me with no more than an emptiness. Nothing I did was for any point, certainly not any point for myself even. I couldn't stand it anymore, ultimately that's why I left; the little stunt Lucifer pulled with that lie was merely the last straw."

There was a gleam of validation that sparked in her eyes, she was driven further in her feelings. Never had she felt the urge to speak so vulnerably before.

"Amon, do you ever wonder if things could change?"

"How so?"

She exhaled before starting, "When I finally left my elite rank among the harpies, they hated me for throwing away something they put so much value into, but you know I couldn't care less. I felt just like you described, I was empty. I just wanted to run, runaway and escape that feeling. I was so unhappy there, when I banished myself to the outer lands, it was hard out here but I was content. Much more than I was among any of my fellow demons. I always wondered if other demons felt this way, and apparently, I'm not alone. But then that makes me wonder…" her eyes drooped. "How many demons do feel this way? Certainly, there must be a better way to survive a better way for us to live. Sometimes I think if I just keep trying to understand, just to keep going even a little bit something will change. I know it's trivial even just a tiny bit, there has to be a better way than this…"

Fond and adoring arms swaddled her wordlessly. There was no communication necessary; he reacted to her in just the way she desired in just the way she needed. The reverb of his purrs in his chest relaxed her as she nestled into the course fur of his neck.

"There is a better way, I'll make sure of it. I'll fight for a world where demons can not only survive but thrive. A world that you deserve," his solemn eyes locked to hers. Their stares bonded them and for that moment there was only sincerity, only love.

When she found her voice again, an ornery smile pulled at her cheeks.

"Thank you, Amon, I believe you, and you know why?"

Amon could hear the jest in her tone allowing a smirk to creep up his face in anticipation.

"Why?"

She giggled, "Because look at you, ya lout, you could survive any world you wanted, make it whatever you wanted!"

"Oh, you really think so?" he replied unphased and doubting.

"Well with practice… lots of practice," she rose a cheeky brow at him, in turn he tossed his eyes at her. "I'd say there's hope for you yet!" They chortled together before Amon placed his finger sweetly under her chin.

"Listen here, I could, I definitely could, but making any old world my own just wouldn't do. The only world I want is the one where I'm with you, my dearest Nike."

That was the moment they both caved and lastly drew into each other. Their lips met in an adoring embrace beneath the glimmering sky, for once, there and then, their world was perfect.

The whistle of the roaring wind blasted through the icy walls and filled the great demon's ears as he sat silently on the cold ground. He leaned up against the frozen formation with his elbow at his knee and the rest of his limbs tucked close to his body. He barely moved aside from the shallow breaths he was taking. The look in his eyes was vacant, exhausted, and utterly hollow, as he set there alone in that cold setting that was wholly, bitterly, and undeniably empty.