The hall was filled with the sounds of weapons clashing against each other. The noise composed its own symphony with the thunder crackling outside as the rain pattered against the windows in a melodic rhythm. It makes me wonder if this was what our ancestors heard when they were waging their war and were then banished to this forsaken land.

   There were two girls sparing against each other at the moment, I believe it was Elvira and Vesper, who were the same age as me. All of us were sitting in smaller groups on the sidelines and watched the fight with sharp eyes, trying to catch every flaw that would help us learn.

   Elviras long brown hair was already sticking to the nape of her neck due to the drops of sweat that coated her skin. She was losing to Vesper at the moment by what I could see. Her weapon of choice was to large and sometimes even a small dagger can cause more harm than a sword for example.

   I watched as Vespers yellow eyes narrowed to slits at the other girl. The two of them continued to spar against each other until Elviras focus faltered and the snake-like girl took that as an opportunity to knock her down and place her dagger to Elviras throat, alongside her own weapon that was taken from her hands.

   The sound of cheering and applause filled the gothic structure as the two girls helped each other up with a small smile. Our teacher pushed himself away from his spot from the wall and walked over to the middle of the room.

   "Well done, girls." He praised as he motioned them to sit back down. "However, Elvira, don't let the fact that you are sparing against someone you love distract you. There might come a time when not even love can stand between."

   Our teacher, Mavros, was one of the first angels to be banished to this land. He has seen it all with his thousands of years living. Everyone would've thought that he would be dead by now and would look like a shriveled up grandpa, but that was not the case. He still looked youthful with his jet black hair, green eyes and built frame. Apparently he fought alongside the group who arranged the war against God back then, which is why many of us idolise his fighting skills. The only gruesome feature that he still had was the remaining pieces of his two wings, that were a constant reminder of what we were all stripped from.

   "If only he wasn't our teacher..." A voice beside me mumbled and I looked over only to find Vivienne twirling her blonde hair around her finger.

   "Vivi!" I exclaimed with a breathy laugh, not expecting that statement. "He could be our grandfather."

   The blonde girl grinned at me as she tilted her head to face me. "Even better."

   Her tail flicked as she let out a sigh, still staring at the teacher in front of all of us. Soleil was sitting on the other side of me while our other friend, Damon, sat beside Vivienne. The four of us have always been friends, ever since we met even.

   "Vivi, he is legit older than your own father." The black haired girl added as she picked at her horns in boredom.

   "Plus he has those ugly wing things sticking out of his back." Damon nodded along as he threw a glance at the blonde.

   Everyone knew that Damon had a silly little crush on the blonde girl. Who didn't? He wasn't very secretive with his advances towards her but she always turned him down. It was funny to see his face when she was looking at someone else or when he was trying to see her reaction to something he said.

   "And I have a tail that has a mind of its own, so what?" She shot back and turned back to stare at the gorgeous fallen angel.

   I rolled my eyes and met the dark eyes of Soleil who was probably thinking the same that I was. The two of them were constantly bantering with each other and Roxanne and I already placed a bet on when Vivienne would finally realise that he was there.

   The horned girl huffed as she leaned back against the cold walls of the training hall. "I am so bored... when is this class going to end? I'm starving to death over here."

   "You and me both." I replied as my stomach grumbled just on cue. "There shouldn't be too long left of this class, maybe one more fight and that's it."

   "Yeah, probably." Soleil agreed and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back.

   My green eyes scanned around the hall and over every member of the group. I never exactly fitted into this world as I lacked the unusual features that everyone else had. I didn't have horns, a tail, wings, scales, ears, interesting eyes. I was just a plain canvas compared to everyone else, the only thing that had me look the part was the two horns that I made out of my everyday hairstyle.

   "Annika, Damon and Soleil!" The teachers voice cut through the silence and the peace that we were all feeling.

   The horned girl jolted upright as her wide eyes glared at the man. "Fuck off!"

   "Not the reaction I was expecting..." Mavros pulled his lips into a thin line as he looked stunned for a moment. "Come up here and show us your talents, you are one of the best students of mine anyways."

   Vivienne looked like she was a kicked puppy. "Why did he leave me out?"
  
   I couldn't help but laugh at her offended tone as I stood up and grabbed my two glass-like daggers. Soleil on the other hand was glaring angrily at the teacher as he dared to disturb her peace with the last fight of the day but grabbed her spear nonetheless. Damon sprung up from his place in excitement as he twirled his sword in his hand.

   My white boots created a sound that echoed through the hall with every step I took. I loved sparing with others, it was the only class I genuinely enjoyed. The fact that I didn't exactly need any talents to be good at this subject was helpful since I didn't have any specific powers.

   I glanced down at the marble floor and stood in one of the circles that served as the starting points for any of these matches. Soleil and Damon also took their own destined places as the hall came to silence.

   "Two against one." Mavros stated as he nodded at my two friends standing opposite me.

   The grip I had on my two daggers tightened as I shuffled my feet into a better stance. I drowned out any other noise and only focused on my breathing and when they would make their first move. To me it always felt like time has slowed down and that it was only us in the world at the moment.

   "Now!" Our teacher yelled and the two of them wasted no time to attack.

   Soleil came at me first as she lunged her double sided spear at me from both sides. I luckily managed to deflect all of her attacks.

   The rule was that the first to draw blood wins and everybody took that seriously.

   I quickly turned around just in time to duck underneath the sword that was swung at me by Damon. My daggers clashed against their own weapons with every move I made to defend myself. The lightning still crackled outside as the storm raged on which led to the hall darkening with every passing minute.
  
   My feet moved in an organised pattern as if I was dancing. I rolled past the sword that Damon swung at me which ended up impaling the ground with a harsh clash. I took that opportunity to attack Soleil who tried to deflect the advances I made but after a sudden kick to her abdomen she fell to the ground as I knocked her spear from her grasp.

  One down, one more to go.

  Damon brought his sword against one of my daggers and we were suddenly locked in a fight of strength. His weapon was getting closer and closer to my face, so close that I could see my own reflection in the steel. My lips curled into a snarl as I pushed against the sword, trying to keep it away from my face.

  Just as Damon almost managed to overpower me a sudden crack of thunder caused the whole hall to turn dark, almost black. I couldn't feel or see Damons sword anywhere I turned. In fact I couldn't see anyone.

  "Damon?" I called into the never-ending darkness. "I know you can manipulate the shadows but this isn't the time!"

   A few footsteps echoed through the void of nothing and I immediately turned around trying to find what direction it came from. It wasn't clear to me which way was left or right, I didn't even know where I was. All of my senses were playing tricks on me.

   The sound of metal scraping against the marble shrieked against my eardrums. My face contorted into a grimace from the intensity of the noise.

  "Sir? Is this another lesson or are you just testing me?" I called out to our teacher but no answer came.

   The hair on the back of my neck stood up as a shiver ran through my spine. As if on cue I felt the cold air swirl past me as I caught a glimpse of metal flying past me. I managed to duck away just in time for it to only slice a few strands of my hair off.

   I looked around in confusion, desperately searching for answers of what this was. That was until I saw a hooded figure emerging from the darkness with a curved weapon in his grip.

   My eyes widened in fear as I tried to find any signs of familiarity. The daggers in my hands were beginning to slip from my grip as my heart hammered against my chest.

   "Who are you?" I asked whilst trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.

   Don't show fear, do not show fear.

   A chuckle came from the figure as he shook his head slightly. "Lucifer was right, this is so much fun."

   "Answer me!" I yelled at them as I readied my daggers for a chance of an attack.

   The figure gave no sign of replying and only came closer and closer. Right as I was about to swing my dagger at them they dissappeared into thin air. My weapon slashed into nothing as I stumbled forward, not expecting my attack to not be met with a physical body.

   I could hear the laugh echoing around me as I once again turned around and around in circles trying to see. I swung my dagger into the direction I heard a step come from but this time I was met with a counter attack as it clashed against the curved piece of steel.

   A gasp escaped my lips from the amount of strength this person possesed with only a single hand on the weapon. The sound of metal against metal filled the silence as the two weapons screeched against the pressure.

   Once I felt like I was going to be over powered I quickly rolled out of the way. Not even a second after I stood up the figure lunged at me and began to attack me with all their might. This was definitely not a test. This felt too real.

   My daggers seemed tiny compared to this scythe-like weapon. It felt like I was dancing with this person, as every single attack was deflected and countered by an attack of their own. It was like a never-ending fight as we both had a similar fighting style.

   I kicked at the person and managed to throw them off their balance for a moment so I managed to strike an attack right at their face. I could feel the way my dagger sliced their skin and as I brought it back I saw the red blood tainting the tip.

   The figure stood still for a second as they brought their hand up to their face that hid under the hood. I watched with apprehension as they brought their finger back down only to see it tainted with a few drops of crimson. A light chuckle escaped their lips as they tilted their head up to me and I managed to catch a glimpse of their deep brown eyes.

   Just as I thought they were about to attack me again they were gone once again. It seemed like any time I blinked they were not there anymore and it made this so much harder.

   "What do you want from me?" I asked again even though I knew I would not get an answer. 

   My ears pricked up at the sound of a breath behind me so I quickly turned around once again to attack but there was nobody there. That was until I felt someone wrap their hand around my waist. I thrashed around in their hold as I tried to claw at them in any way that I could but with their other arm they mamaged to grab my daggers and throw them far away from me.

    "Get off of me!" My legs kicked at the figure behind me but to no use.

    Any thought of defiance left me when I felt a blade right at my neck. I glanced down only to see the weapon of theirs only millimetres away from my skin. One wrong move and my throat would be slashed.

    I slowly turned my head to the left to face the enemy who has rendered me powerless. Once I caught a glimpse of the person I couldn't help but to gawk.

   It wasn't a monster or some old man that I thought they were going to be. It was a boy, most likely my age with the deepest brown eyes and a taunting smirk resting on his face. His curly brown hair was tousled from the previous fight and hung just above his eyes. There was a cut on his nose that was still leaving a trail of blood behind as it leaked from the wound. That was most likely where I managed to scar him.

   He leaned closer to my ear and I could almost feel his hot breath against my face. "Why, hello, angel."

   "Who the hell are you?" I managed to ask once again, hoping for an answer this time.

    His grin deepend and I caught a glimpse of his sharp teeth peeking out. "You have to earn that, I don't give it away so easily."

   I glared at him with anger and accidentally moved causing the sharp blade to cut the skin slightly against my neck. The boy looked down to see the blood leaking out from the wound before bringing his finger to it and collecting a bit of my blood against the tip of his finger. I watched in disgust as he took it up to his mouth, stained with my own blood, and licked it off of his finger.

    "...what are you?" My voice cut through the tension as I kept my gaze locked on his.

   He breathed out a laugh and looked deep into my own eyes. "I think you angels would refer to me as a demon."

   I couldn't help my eyes from widening in shock and also from curiosity. He kept his calculating gaze on me for a moment before pulling away and taking his arm from my waist and the weapon away from my neck. I spun around to face him just to see him pick my daggers up and slide them back towards me.

    "Until we meet again." He bowed and looked back up to me as he did so.

   I stood still, not even being able to move a muscle but once I blinked he was gone and I was once again standing in the hall with all eyes staring at me.

   The only thing I could hear was my heart still hammering against my chest and my breaths escaping in a hurry. My back met the cold wall of the training room as I slid down the floor my hands gripping the daggers that were now in my hands or that were still in my hands.

    I could see Soleil, Damon and our teacher mouthing words as they looked at me but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Vivienne was the next one to appear in my vision as she rushed over with a worried look on her face.

    What the hell just happened?

.·:*¨ ✘ 🖇 ✘ ¨*:·.

   I sat in the infirmary on one of the white beds with a look full of boredom. Soleil and Vivienne were by my side since Damon was summoned by one of his teachers and he did not wish to fail that class. He also knew that I would most likely be okay.

   "I swear this to you." I said with a hand against my heart as I finished telling them exactly what happened.

   I saw as they shared a glance and looked back at me with unsure expressions. A frown immediately took over my face as I understood that they didn't believe me. "You don't believe me, do you?"

    "It's not that we don't believe you, it just seems weird." Soleil stated as she folded her hands in her lap.

    I scoffed as I pointed at the cut on my neck. "Then where did this come from?"

    "Damon must've cut you slightly when we were fighting, he was being a bit agressive today." The black haired girl replied but there was a tone of uncertainty in her voice.

    I let out a huff as I slumped against the bed in annoyance. It felt horrible to not be believed, not even by my friends. He was there, I know it. It was real.

   Viviennes tail flicked back and forth in thought before letting out an over exaggerated gasp as she snapped her fingers together.

    "How about we go to that club the humans love tonight?" She grinned in excitement.

    Soleil looked at her in disbelief and shook her head in disagreement. "No."

    The blonde groaned at the quick response to shut her idea down and turned to face the grumpy girl. "Ugh, why not? It will be fun, humans are so silly anyways it's like a comedy show."

    The horned girl was still not sold on the idea. "Just because you want to gawk at boys and girls doesn't mean we need to come too."

    "Maybe you could meet someone that would melt that ice cold exterior of yours." Vivi wiggled her eyebrows at Soleil. "Plus I think it would be great for Annika. Especially today."

    I nodded in agreement. A little party was always something I could never say no to. It took my mind off of things and it felt like I was free.

    "I agree, let's go." I replied as I swung my legs over the bed to stand up.

    Vivi stood up aswell before placing her hands on my shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey... not so fast."

    Soleil looked over at the blonde with utter distaste coating her features. She seemed like she had not a single good thing to say about the idea. I also turned my gaze to Vivi who was already grinning at me.

    "Dress up party in my room!" She giggled as she clapped her hands together in giddiness, her tail flicking back and forth mimicking her emotions.

    The horned girl slumped into the chair and didn't budge until Vivienne and I grabbed her by the arms to pull her out. We continued to push her infront of us through the endless halls of the academy towards the dorms.

   I always thought that the building was one of the most gorgeous structures that I have ever landed my eyes on. For the humans it was a church that they attended every Sunday whilst for us it was an underground academy for the fallen angels and monsters. It was quite ironic since for the humans it was a place to worship God while under them were the things that they hated.

   The academy itself was both above the ground and underneath it and it seemed to stretch for miles. There were tons of classrooms, training grounds, even a greenhouse and secret rooms that only the teachers and higher ranking individuals were allowed to access. Those being the Fallen and the elders. The dorms were located in crypts but it was solely designed for the students to live there.

    Other than that the city was split into two parts. Most of it was under the protection of the fallen angels descendants from the demons and monsters. There was however one tiny crevice that nobody dared to enter. It was considered the actual place that humans described as Hell.

    My mind was still preoccupied with the things that happened this afternoon. I was curious but at the same time shaken. How did a demon manage to enter the grounds of the Fallen and why was I the only one affected? Nobody saw him or the darkness, just me, but it makes no sense. I'm the only person who shouldn't have been affected since I have no exact ties to the fallen angels or any of the monsters.

    The storm was still raging outside as the three of us were getting ready with Vivienne who was treating us as real life barbie dolls. She was playing many different songs to get us all in the mood but I just couldn't tear my thoughts away from that boy.

    "Annie! Black shoes or white shoes?" Vivienne held up two pairs of platform shoes with the same design just different colours.

    "Hm, white?" I answered bit it seemed more like a question.

    The blonde yelled a yes in response and threw the shoes at me along with a black skirt with a belt, a black top and a white cropped hoodie. I just about managed to catch them before they would've hit me in the face. Soleil was given the same treatment before we were ushered away to change.

   Sometimes it felt like a curse that Vivienne was so focused on fashion.

   It didn't take long until we were all manoeuvring through the secret passages towards the club that humans and angels and monsters went to. That was the only place where the demons and angels were prohibited from attacking each other or trying to kill the other.

   The sky was dark but the rain has finally stopped once we got to the outside of the building. There were still flashes of thunder from the distance but the storm was moving in another direction.

   Vivienne looked into her small mirror that she carried everywhere and fixed her hair before putting it away into her purse. She turned to the two of us with a smile. "You two ready?"

   "Duh, I've been wanting to come here since last week." I replied as I leaned against the wall of the club from where the flashing lights escaped the windows.

   Soleil who was still in no mood to party grumbled as she pushed towards the entrance. "Let's just get in."

   There was a separate entrance for us while the humans always had to stand in a long line. It was a good thing that to them we were invisible so there was no need to worry about anything and we could easily cut the queue.

    At the top of the stairs there was a man with long hair and goat-like horns standing to let in the ones who fit the criteria. Once the three of us were behind the rope that separated us from the entrance the guy looked over at us and did a once over. He nodded his head and silently let us inside the club.

    Immediately as we stepped inside I could feel the bass of the song playing. Vivienne was already grabbing our hands and pulling us through the crowd that was filled with humans and all sorts of other beings.

   "Do you two want something to drink?" Soleil yelled at us over the music. "I need something to survive this today!"

    "Yeah, why not!" I agreed as my eyes scanned the sea of people.

     The blonde who was still gripping our hand so we wouldn't get separated from each other was already swaying along to the rhythm as she nodded. "Sure, but we're coming too!"

    With that agreement we began pushing towards the bar until Soleil stopped suddenly. I glanced over at her to see what she was staring at with such disgust but I couldn't see anything over the crowd.

    "What are you looking at?" I questioned as I stood on my tip toes to get a peek.

    The horned girl huffed but still wouldn't stop glaring daggers at a certain point of the club. The lights were still flashing in different colours as a popular song was playing through the speakers.

   That's when I saw them.

   Right at the back of the club by the sitting areas sat five people. There was a girl with brown shaggy hair and wings almost like leather lounging with her feet on the table. A boy with black hair reaching his chin and a cigarette between his lips and another boy with short hair and pink tips sipping on a drink. There was another girl whose legs were like a goats leaning against the last member of the group and whispering in his ear but the boy didn't seem to be listening.

   "What are they doing here?" Viviennes voice asked this time as she joined us in staring at them.

    Soleil lips twisted into a scowl as she shook her head, her mood seeming to turn even more sour. "I hate that this is the only place in town where we can't kill them."

    My green eyes grew in size as I continued to stare at the last member of the group who was sitting in the middle. His hands were resting on his knees as he leaned forward.

    "That's him..." I muttered to my two friends.

    "Who? Who's who?" Vivi turned her head to me in confusion as she looked back and forth.

     His brown eyes were staring straight at me while that stupid smirk formed on his face once again. I watched as he lifted his hand and waved his fingers as a wave, as if to taunt me.

    "He's the guy I saw. He is the demon who attacked me."