From the skies, an encampment filled with seemingly devils gathered his attention. He was still nowhere near Ashfall. He had left Mammon's laboratory only a few hours ago. The flight to Ashfall would likely take four days without rest.
He lowered to the ground, softly touching the earth, landing on an elevated rocky section overlooking the camp. He sat on the edge of the rock, laying the cub on the floor. It bounced around for a while, happy to be free of his clutches, stretching its tiny wings and stubby legs.
The sight was a welcome source of joy for Ratella, whose mood had been severely dampened by his mother's poor condition. He rubbed the cub's temple for a while, petting it while surveying the Devil camp in front of him, trying to determine if there was Sin inside or not.
Many Devils were stationed inside, but there was no indication of a Sin, no sign of any Devils with more than two wings. They all looked like common higher sphere Devils, fearsome to angelic soldiers, but nothing in the face of Ratella.
From Ratella's bird's-eye view, he spotted two entrances to the camp, all heavily guarded, all guards chatting happily with each other, not a care in the world for watching for enemies.
"You think they would be more on guard considering an angel is watching them?" said Ratella to the cub, rubbing its head in his lap, inviting a flurry of purrs to escape its body.
He wasn't in a secluded position at all. It only took one observant Devil to look upwards, then his cover would be blown, putting the whole camp on high alert. This was the desired result to lure the Sin out of hiding, but it would seem like that plan wouldn't come to fruition, considering the aloof guards.
Since leaving Ellis' corpse, Ratella had felt a burning sensation rippling through his back, as though he were being watched. The persistent feeling of imminent danger was his body's warning sign of a threat lurking behind him.
For someone praised for hiding her presence so effectively, she was actually lackluster at best.
Whether it was because he was already alerted to her presence that he could sense her or otherwise, he didn't know. The only emotion in his mind was annoyance, growing into anger at the distracting sensation.
"I'd appreciate it if you stop stalking me and turn into an actual person instead of staying as a dove!" shouted Ratella. The stalker dove let out a slight grunt at his words before turning its head away from him in defiance.
"Really? Please then!"
The dove swooped down from its perch on a stray tree, landing next to him on the rocky land's edge. A dark cloud of smoke began to emanate from the bird's body, oozing a sinister aura as it reverted to a Devil.
The woman's change was far more sinister than Liliana's, sending a shiver of terror rippling down his spine, the cub shivering in his hands. He regained his senses as the cub shivered, petting its tiny scales to calm its petrified mind.
The smoke dissipated, taking the sinister aura with it, leaving no trace of the cloud that embodied only death and despair. The cub's shivers calmed, and it returned to its natural state of purrs and bliss. Its calm state invited a wide smile to spread across his face, sharing its bliss with him.
"Can I pet it? I like animals," muttered Olivia, looking at the creature nestled in his arms, her eyes filled with longing. A motherly sense of care overcame her face as she gazed at the cub.
The Horsemen of Death looked nothing like her title; a beautiful, sickly set of ebony black hair rode down to her waist. Her features embody nothing resembling death, only displaying beauty and everlasting life. Her skin was unblemished despite her aeonic lifespan.
A half smile was growing on her face while she looked at the cub's cute mannerisms, pounding its head against Ratella's shoulder, searching for more pets. Their eyes met for a moment before she shyly disconnected their gaze, her starless black eyes betraying her sad existence as a tool for death. Evoking a feeling of sadness to ripple through his mind, her eyes were devoid of colour after witnessing millions of deaths.
"Of course," said Ratella, softly passing over the cub despite its many protests. She nestled the cub into her chest, and it quickly grew fond of the woman, begging for more love from her.
The two gazed towards the camp for a couple of minutes, staying silent, awaiting the other to start a conversation. The air wasn't awkward, a weird sense of familiarity and calmness overcoming him.
"Did you pick a name for the cub?"
"No, do you have any suggestions?"
"Memaru. One of my old pets was named Memaru, but he recently joined the garden of death, unfortunately," stated Olivia, a somber look spreading across her face at the memory of her old friend.
"Okay. His name is now Memaru. Memaru, son of Ellis Snow, forsaken dragon. A brave and courageous person who never ate another after regaining her mind."
"Her story is a tragic one full of heartache. Do not worry about the body, I released the shackles binding it to this world, releasing her from my sister's experimentation."
"Thank you, Olivia. If you would be kind enough to follow me as a Devil and not a bird. I would appreciate it."
Ratella hadn't picked up on this fact because of her sorrowful expression and Memaru's purrs, but the earlier sinister aura had completely vanished. No matter how hard he tried to detect her presence and identity, it never worked. The horns and black wings of a Devil weren't on her; she looked like a normal wingless angel, giving no indication of her true identity.
He outstretched his hand, reaching for the normal position of someone's wings; his hand collided with a valley of feather-soft, light to the touch, but their state was invisible. He ruffled his hand through her feathers for a second, intrigued by their invisible state.
"That's rude, stop it."
He withdrew his hand at her harsh reprimand, although her tone was sharp, her eyes held no such feeling, a tinge of curiosity running their starless exterior.
"Sorry, I was just interested in their invisible state. Did you consider my proposal?"
"Yeah, I'll follow you as a Devil, it's fine," said Olivia, shyly returning to petting Memaru, a flood of purring coming from the cub.
"I'm glad to have you. Let's go. I've got a camp to slaughter."
Ratella dropped from the rocky edge overlooking the camp, floating towards the entrance, drawing the guards' gaze. Olivia followed behind him, her attention still focused mainly on Memaru. The invisible state of her wings makes her look like a deity watching over humanity.