The light was no longer visible. Instead, it lingered beneath Angel's skin. Its warmth mingled with the intense heat of his anger. The pendulum had sung so far through his fury it flew past mindless rage to a cold, distant logic. His mind was clear, but on the surface only. A storm of painful thoughts barbed in his subconscious.

There's no coming back from this. How can I continue life here as normal, like nothing happened and move on?

Warm summer wind moved over and under Angel's wings as he flew over the trees. Petrichor and ozone lingered in the air. Thunder was on its way.

The triplets, as always, were his only link to sanity.

How can I face them now? It hurts too much.

Beneath all the anguish, a nothingness permeated throughout his being. It oozed through him, black and sticky like tar.

This was what he was running from and he knew it. The truth made too much sense.

No wonder Julian could never love me. How could anyone? Nyx thinks she does, but now she'll surely see I'm empty. I need to feel something. Anything.

The parking-lot was busier than he'd ever seen it. Cars, trucks, motorcycles - vehicles of all sorts crowded the clearing. People gathered in groups, passing cigarettes or joints between them. The Barn threatened to burst at the seams, stuffed to the brim with patrons. Smoke blanketed the air, coloured by the flashing strobe lights. Music with heavy guitar riffs and pounding, violent drums smashed overhead from struggling speakers.

The mass of energy in the room raised the hairs on his forearms. Thick and miasmic. It flowed outside and inside all at the same time. It was like dunking underwater and becoming acutely aware of being completely submerged and united.

No way all of these people were from the island. He recognized the more refined, stylish outfits of the mainland. Some serious money must be passing hands tonight. Angel crowded over to the bar. There was no Cassie. He bought a couple of shots. The liquor went down like fire.

To his sensitive ears, the sound of fists on flesh could not be drowned out, not even by the pounding music or raucous cheers and voices. Bones snapped and crunched. Reflexively, he touched his ribs, remembering how they'd snapped under Carl's fists a month before.

The crowd cheered. The music stopped.

"Aluminum Carl does it again!" Jeff called. His amplified voice boomed across the sea of people. "Still undefeated! One hundred-thousand dollars is on the table!"

Volunteers bellowed over each other, scrambling to get a shot at getting demolished or winning the money.

Angel drummed his fingers against the top of the bar. Not yet. He'd wait until the eager ones were out of the way. He grit his teeth. There was still a chance someone else could win, but waiting would be best.

Kismet's words pricked at his brain.

What is love anyway?

It was like trying to understand a colour he'd never seen.

There's gotta be something broken in me. Nyx doesn't deserve to waste her efforts.

His wallet thinned as the night went on, drinking one shot after another. This time when Jeff announced Carl's victory, there were a few murmurs within the crowd, but the enthusiasm had died down.

Angel plunked his glass on the counter.

"I'll do it!" he yelled.

Jeff scanned the crowd, looking for who had spoken, then found Angel. A grin split across his weasel-thin face. "Grub! You're alive!"

The crowd rotated. People shuffled to try and see who Jeff was speaking to.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Come to be flattened again?"

"If you'll let me," Angel said, unwavered.

"It's your funeral." Jeff shrugged and gestured for him to come forward.

Angel moved through the crowd toward the ring of hay bales. Their energy was like a thin gossamer around him. It was like swimming through cobwebs.

Blood stained Carl's knuckles and streaked across his bare chest. Sweat sheened on his rippling muscles. The strobe lights flashed a prism of colours, and for a moment, Angel's senses were so overwhelmed it all blended together. Then it twisted. Everything sharpened into a crisp focus again.

Carl grinned from across the ring. Blood oozed between broken teeth.

Heat erupted within Angel's chest, a solar flare desperate to escape.

Nyx will kill me if Carl doesn't. Maybe that's what I want even more than the money. Running won't be enough. It's not like I didn't warn her.

Carl threw the first punch. Angel ducked, caught him around the waist and pushed his body weight forward. The force of his momentum knocked the larger man off balance and Carl fell backward.

Angel's fist connected with Carl's jaw. Knuckles cracked and broke against metal. They shattered and reformed in seconds.

A shocked moment of marvel was all it took for Carl to regain his bearings. A metal fist smashed into Angel's stomach and he fell backward. He hit the dirt. It was damp and made muddy with the blood of previous opponents. Angel got to his feet and squared up. Each of them eyed the other, anticipating movement.

Angel lunged. Carl struck him in the face like a bat smacking a ball. He turned, spitting a tooth. Blood was thick and warm in his mouth. Angel spread his wings. When Carl swung again, Angel caught his fist, then punched with the other. His knuckles caught the side of Carl's head.

The larger man grunted and blinked, but hardly stumbled.

"Nice try," he snarled. Metal spread upward from the center of his chest. It flowed outward across every inch of his skin until he was completely covered. "Alright. Now we're playing for keeps."

Angel grit his teeth and braced himself. Sweat formed on the back of his neck. His breath rasped in his ears. The sound of the drums masked his rapid heartbeat.

Carl threw a right hook. Angel tried to duck but the metallic fist crashed into his left temple. He blinked away stars as Carl's elbow caught him on the other side. As Angel fell, Carl brought his knee up to meet him. His vision blinked out, clipping back in when he was on the ground again.

A boot smashed into Angel's ribs. The snap was loud. Pain cut through his rage. He sucked in a breath through his teeth even as his ribs healed.

He started to laugh. It was absurd.

"What is wrong with you?" Carl growled, kicking him again.

It hurt less and healed faster. Angel scrambled away and staggered to his feet.

Using his wings for leverage, he leapt forward and threw a punch. Carl tried to block it with his forearm, but Angel's fist landed with a metallic clang. Angel kept hitting. One after the other.

Carl staggered backward.

Knuckles broke and split apart against the other man's metal jaw. Then the metal began to dent. Angel thrashed forward. Ignited. Carl braced himself and blocked a punch with his arm then drove a knee into Angel's stomach again.

Angel gasped, the wind knocked out of him. He recovered and swung again. This time the metal on Carl's head began to recede. Panic clouded his eyes, as he continued to attempt to block Angel's blows.

Thoughts fled from Angel's mind, mesmerized by his own fists landing one after the other until Carl's nose crunched. Blood splurted over his face and down his chest.

The energy Angel generated as he moved consumed him. The light enveloped his entire body, but he was too delirious with it to care.

Another punch landed on flesh. Angel's fist connected with the side of Carl's temple. The man swayed. Then fell.

In a daze, panting for breath, Angel finally heard the silence of the crowd. Not even the band played.

Now he realized the blue glow surrounding his body. Blood coated his fists, splashing up his forearms. The crowd stared at him with slacked jaws and horror in their eyes. Jeff stayed on the opposite side of the hay bales.

"What are you waiting for?" Angel asked, then spat blood. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I fucking won didn't I?"

Jeff blinked then moved forward, climbing over the hay bales as if on autopilot. His purple overcoat caught on the loose chunks of hay. The room was now so silent, his scrambling footsteps on the dirt could be heard above the nervous murmurs of the people. He wouldn't touch Angel to raise his arm in victory. That was fine. It made no difference.

Some of Carl's friends jumped in to his aid. The large man groaned, then sat up. The metal coating his flesh receded entirely. Braced between the two men, he hobbled out of the ring.

"The Lich wins!" Jeff called.

A Lich. A corpse returned. Is that what I am now?

Jeff's words rang true.

The familiarity of announcing a winner brought Jeff back to himself. Perhaps he saw dollar signs. Carl had raked it in for weeks and now he'd need a new champion. Tough luck. Angel had no intentions of hanging around. Especially not now.

Bloodthirst outweighed the crowd's fear and trepidation. As if making up their minds, and following Jeff's enthusiastic lead, the crowd erupted into cheers.

Angel's heart pounded and his chest heaved, struggling to catch his breath. He thought standing on this side of the burning bridge would feel righteous. Instead, it was hollow. The tar pit of emptiness remained. If anything it was deeper than before. All he wanted was to go home to Nyx, but it was all ashes now.

There was nothing left for him to do but watch the flames.