Failure

Jaka found the King standing outside the castle, the man frozen in place as the structure behind him burned to the ground. Flames roared through collapsing stone, sending embers spiralling into the morning air. Jaka alighted nearby, his gaze flicking to the grey-robed advisor and the woman in the white dress - Yejide.

The King didn’t notice him until his advisor turned to greet the newcomer. Rage flooded the King’s eyes. His mouth foamed as he stumbled over his own fury.

“YOU! J-2! YOU FAILED YOUR MISSION!”

Jaka stood still, letting the words crash over him, trying to appear unshaken.

“YOU FAILED TO KILL EITHER OF THE DEMONS. YOU FAILED TO PREVENT THE CAPTURE OF THE CHILD. AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO ATTACK THEM AS THEY ESCAPED!”

The advisor paled as the King began stalking toward the Angel.

“WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE?”

Jaka’s processors whirred. What could he say to lessen the blow?

“J-1 was better than I. I underestimated his abilities. It will not happen again.”

The King’s glare didn’t soften, but his voice dropped to a low, trembling growl.

“This is your first and last warning. Got that?”

Jaka nodded. Fear fluttered in his chest - an unfamiliar sensation. Why was he frightened? He was far stronger than every person here put together… except for Yejide.

Yejide terrified him. Her pale, unblinking eyes seemed to look straight through him, as if reading the code beneath his skin.

The King snarled, pulling Jaka’s attention back.

“Because of your failure, not only have we lost the girl, but we’ve also lost the contraption needed to extract her energy. We had enough to resurrect Yejide, but not enough to unlock the priest.”

Jaka tilted his head.

“Resurrect?”

The King nodded grimly.

“Yejide here was ambushed by J-1 after you failed to kill him. Because of that, she was also unable to kill the Formy.”

The statement chilled him. This delicate-looking woman had been capable of killing a Formy alone? A shiver ran through him.

Then his eyes locked onto a figure approaching through the morning light. His wings unfurled, metal feathers sliding into place. The King followed his gaze, spotted the silhouette, and frantically waved his hands.

“That’s not an enemy!”

Jaka’s wings reached their full span, silver gleaming in the dawn.

“But that is a demon. A Formy. Are demons not the enemy?”

The King’s tongue twisted in panic.

“W-well, not this one. This is Kaleo, a Formy, as you correctly identified. He’s on our side.”

Jaka studied Kaleo, who had come to a stop with his hands on his hips, then slowly withdrew his wings. The King exhaled in relief and turned toward the newcomer.

“Kaleo. I see you also failed your mission.”

Kaleo grunted. “The child used some mind magic on me. A shame - I was so close to killing her, the filthy traitor.”

He spat onto the dirt. The King’s face twisted in visible disgust. Even Jaka could see they disliked each other. Whatever alliance they’d formed was fragile, held together only by their shared hatred of the Angel and the female Formy.

The King sighed.

“And to top it off, rumours are spreading of a demon army gathering in secret to take back their land. Futile. Futile.”

He stomped the ground and swung his fists at nothing.

“IT’S ALL FUTILE!”

The advisor whispered something to him, then stepped forward.

“J-2. Allow me to outline our next steps.”

Jaka focused on him. The advisor continued:

“We still require the child, but the urgency has eased. Yejide placed a tracking spell on the girl, so locating them will not be an issue. Instead, our priority is to verify or disprove these rumours. If a demon army truly exists, it could pose a significant threat to the Kingdom.”

His eyes sharpened.

“If you encounter the Angel, the Formy, or the child, you are to kill the parents and capture the child. Do you understand?”

Jaka nodded. The advisor inclined his head.

“Then you may go. Search the demon lands for signs of an army. Report your findings to whoever is present in the church.”

Jaka’s wings spread wide. With a beat so powerful it nearly knocked the four of them over, he blasted into the sky and shot north.

Kaleo watched him vanish, glaring. Then he spoke with a drawl.

“Y’know, when I was trying to kill Ylfa, she said Jere, which I’m guessing is her Angel, wasn’t human or demon. What does that make them then?”

The advisor turned. The King stared blankly at the burning ruins, unable to focus on anything.

“Ylfa? Is that the Formy’s name?”

Kaleo nodded. “Yeah. There’s few Formys, so we knew each other decently well. Never would’ve guessed she’d do what she has.”

He spat again.
“But you didn’t answer my question. What is an Angel?”

The advisor shrugged.
“We don’t know either. But they’re not from this world.”

His face darkened as his gaze lifted to the sky where Jaka had disappeared.

“We were too greedy. We still are too greedy. But such is politics.”

He looked back to Kaleo.

“As for you, demon, you will await further orders. A time is coming when your power will be needed.”

Kaleo shrugged. “Fine by me.”

The advisor nodded, turning his eyes skyward once more. A time was coming indeed.

Ylfa’s arms stung. The cuts that covered them had crusted over, tender and raw, each movement tugging painfully at damaged skin. She felt filthy - coated in dried blood and soot - and she longed to wash, to scrub everything off. But that was impossible while she was held tightly in Jere’s arms.

Eny was awake, wide-eyed, watching the drifting landscape far below. Ylfa managed a small smile at the girl’s childlike wonder, wishing she could share it the way she usually did. But her heart felt heavy, dragged down by everything she’d seen, everything she’d done.

Somehow Eny had forgotten the sight of Effie’s body. And all the others. She remembered only Ylfa and Jere - and their happy moments. The sad ones refused to surface, if they existed at all.

Then Eny’s small voice brushed her mind.

Isn’t this amazing, Mama? We’re flying!

Ylfa nodded and squeezed her tighter.

It is, honey. It is.

But the girl couldn’t understand what lay beneath those words. She couldn’t grasp the terror Ylfa felt seeing her strung up in that machine. She couldn’t comprehend the fear, the rage, the frantic anxiety that had filled Ylfa’s chest the entire time.

So Ylfa held her close. Held her as though the warmth of her arms was the only thing keeping the world from shattering again. She wanted nothing more than to vanish - just the three of them. Alone, but together. Safe. She clung to that fantasy like a lifeline as Jere began to descend.

“Wow! That’s a cool forest! And lake! Are we going to live there? Is that why we’re going down?” Eny asked, excitement bubbling from her.

Jere smiled faintly. They’d been airborne nearly four hours since leaving the village.

“Maybe.”

His wings flared, beating hard before the world steadied beneath them as he touched down. Eny gasped.

“Woah! That’s a nice cabin!”

The words made Ylfa look. She turned her head - still held against Jere’s chest - and saw it: a large log cabin tucked beneath the trees, hidden from above. It looked like some extravagant fisherman’s hut, too large to be humble, too rustic to be new. It looked… lived in. Or once lived in.

But Jere wouldn’t have landed if someone still used it.

He caught her gaze and offered a soft smile.

“No one’s home. It hasn’t been used for a while, as far as I can tell. We can use it for now.”

She nodded and let Eny slip from her arms. The girl dropped lightly onto the grass, then sprinted toward the door. Jere moved to set Ylfa down as well, but she clung to him, her trembling arms unwilling to let go.

He hesitated - then tightened his hold, lifting her securely. Her tail hung limp, brushing against his leg as she rested her head against his upper arm. Worry, pity, and something like guilt flickered across his face.

He carried her toward the door as Eny reached up for the handle. It swung open with a groan, releasing a musty scent and a cloud of dust. Eny whooped and ran inside, feet pattering across the floorboards, while Jere shifted sideways to get Ylfa through the doorway.

The interior was dark - until Ylfa raised a shaky hand. Lamps around the cabin flickered to life, casting warm pools of light across the rooms. She dropped her arm back to her stomach, exhausted.

The entrance opened into a wide lounge, dining area, and old-fashioned kitchen. A short hallway led off to two bedrooms, and a staircase climbed to the second floor. Eny had already explored everything downstairs and was now bounding up the stairs.

Jere walked Ylfa slowly around the lower floor. She took in what she could, though her body felt heavy and her mind fogged. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to.

Then Eny came scampering down again, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey, can I please have the room with the skeleton?”

Jere and Ylfa exchanged a look. Then, in perfect unison:

“No.”

Eny pouted. “No fair…”

And off she ran again.

Ylfa sighed. “I guess that’s why it’s unoccupied.”

Jere smiled. “We can make it ours, then.”

She managed a tired, genuine smile back.

“I guess we can.”