Trigger Warning: Slight gore

5 Years Later

"Capture them! This time, don't let them get away!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" They yelled out in reaction to their superior's yell. Apharis and Grym rushed across the pavement, hand in hand. Faces were flushed with elation. After 5 years of being together, their relationship had developed well beyond what it had been, to the point it was impossible to see them without the other being next to them. Grym held a black suitcase containing something that created quite a lot of noise.

After the passing years, Apharis' looks continued to blossom into what one could call a national beauty. "Hehe! Grym we got a superb steal this time! Maybe you're in for a reward!" His eyes curled up into crescents as he slyly insinuate. Grym's face became even more flushed than it was already. His grip on the suitcase tightened.

"Please, Aphie!" He diverted his sight from Apharis' enticing look. Grym pulled him over to a dark lane that diverged from the major road in order to divert the arriving officers' attention away from them. As the officers ran in the wrong direction, Grym locked Apharis in his embrace. He leaned into Apharis' ear and whispered while he his forehead sunk into the crook of the other's shoulder. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Apharis only smiled in response.

"Mhm..." Grym responded while still nuzzling his neck. He took a few quick sniffs of Apharis' lovely fragrance. Apharis extended his hand to touch Grym's unruly hair. They parted ways and continued further into the alley.

They arrived at a brick wall. In the center were many odd key holes that led to nowhere.

Apharis stretched his slender hand out the covered one keyhole, and a slither of his flesh extended from his palm and changed into a key of sorts. Twisting it around, mechanical machinery from behind the wall chimed together like a chorus. A luminous rune emerged on the brick walls. They folded in on themselves¹Harry Potter anyone?, enabling entrance through it.

Grym loosened his grip on the suitcase as they reached their apartment. Taking the key out of his pocket, he quickly unlocked it. The fresh scent of their apartment filled their noses. Apharis quickly went to the bathroom, whilst Grym went into the nearby office. Opening the suitcase, lines of magic instruments appeared before his eyes.

A gleeful smile appeared on his face. Taking one of the instruments, he placed his glasses that enhanced his spiritual sense, allowing him to sense a mana flow into anything. Gathering his tools, he slowly took apart the gadget with gusto. His mind was completely disconnected from reality but was brought by the wet feeling on his back.

Looking back, he saw Apharis...

Naked!

Grym, of course, had become used to seeing Apharis naked as he said he felt free being naked but seeing the still dripping her he couldn't help but worry if he might become sick. Tilting his head to side as if he didn't know what he was doing, Apharis pressed up against Grym even more. "Sooo, does it have what we're looking for? Also, tell me what all of this does again, pretty please?" Quickly averting his eyes away from temptation, Grym's mind became enwrapped in his explanation.

"Magic is the raw energy for life. It is center to all inanimate and living things. Without it, breathing would be an impossibility, it also allows Users to be born with inherited abilities. Users can harness Magic and this includes utilizing Lumintech²Arcane anyone?. Lumintech is just a refined version that allows Users better control of their abilities, which can range from being able to talk to beings on microscopic levels to being able to obliterate an entire universe with a glance."

"And! And! What do I have?" Apharis cut in excitedly.

"Flesh manipulation, allowing a User to change their form in any way they wish." Grym answered. He picked up his tools and again started disassembling the Lumintech instrument. Picking at certain magic flows was an incredibly laborious process, especially with ones that didn't have a failsafe.

"You really know me best, don't you?" Apharis leaned next to Grym's ear and muttered, "Do you still want your reward?" His lips quirked up in an enchanting smile, especially with his body out in the open. Grym's ear turned red quickly, yet he still paid all his attention to the instrument.

Apharis sighed and left the room with the slam of the door. Grym exhaled in relief as he looked back to the shut door. Yet there was a hint of sadness in it. Looking down at the instrument, a white translucent orb was at its core. He pulled out a draw from the desk and placed it with the rest of the similar orbs.

His mind drifted over to the hole in place of Apharis' heart. On his desk, a book of unknown origin read.

'Missing Places in an Angel's Body and Their Meanings - 1st Edition'

.

.

.

"Eye on targets! Requesting elimination." A mysterious talked into their transceiver. In their hand was a sniper rifle, specialised for taking down Users with dangerous abilities. 

A distorted voice came from the transceiver. "Shadow 13, do not leave your station! Neutralise Target 01 using nonlethal use. And only ever eliminate Target 02 if they resist. Shadow 69 and Shadow 23 will assist their capture. I repeat, do not engage the targets." The line then cut off, allowing Shadow 13 to curse.

"Fucking piece of shit, thinking I actually need help for something so insignificant as two fledgling Users." Shadow 13 flipped a bird to their transceiver, hoping their sentiment would be received by their superior. "Bet, I could rough them up really easy!"

An enchanting voice appeared behind him. "Hmm. I would like to get roughed up but definitely not by you." Their head snapped back, but before they could register what the voice said, tendrils of soft flesh sprouted out. The tentacles reached for the head of Shadow 13 and slowly twisted his head off. The agony riddled on the person's face, the cracking of their bones and the snapping of muscle tissue brought Apharis so much ecstasy. He dug his feet into the back of their head before noticing the odd piece of technology. 

I think Grym has one of these. Hmm, I'll ask him later! 

Bending down, he picked up the walkie talkie. He fiddled around with buttons until he pressed the big red button. A distorted line of noise came out before it cleared up. "Shadow 13, is there any progress with Target 01 and 02? Shadow 13?" The distorted voice came out again.

"Hello! Who's the targets? I'll shoot 'em! Pow! Pow!" He mimicked a gun with his index and middle finger. A loud noise came from the other side, then there was only silence. Apharis waited patiently, whist he fiddled with his now gray hair.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Apharis, or would you rather prefer the name Aphie?" An old man's voice came from the walkie talkie, Apharis' forehead twitched in annoyance as he heard the last bit of the other man's words.

His grip on the walkie talkie, his previous beautiful appearance was replaced by something grotesque. He snarled at the voice box, "Don't you fucking dare call me that. Grym's the only, you fucking understand!?" His bat-like wings erupted from his back, black liquid oozed from it.

"I do apologise. I did not know that name had such importance to you." The man laughed lightly and tried to sound as apologetic as possible. But it only resulted in Apharis getting even angrier.

"You and I both know you're fucking lying else you wouldn't even know it existed in the first place!" Shrieking at the voice box, tendrils of flesh vibrated violently. Turning his attention over to the distance figure of Grym, he calmed down a bit.

His angelic appearance reappeared, exhaling. His voice was still filled with agitation, but it was more elegant this time.

"So. What do you truly want with us?" 

"Nothing that your abilities can't handle." He only replied cryptically.

"Get to the point, else I'll make sure that smug smile of yours won't even have a face to sit on." His agitation was oozing out again as the voice still didn't get to the point.

"I want you to join our program for User youths. And seeing yours and Grym's superb control over your abilities, I would believe this environment will nurture you two into something even better than you are now." The way he spoke sounded like a greasy business man. Apharis was starting to get bored with this long speech, but that was until their next sentence.

"Maybe it'll allow you to even change young Grym's disastrous fate. Anyway, it truly was a pleasure to meet you. School uniforms and all necessary items will be sent to your address." Before Apharis could get a word in, the line was cut. He threw it out of frustration.

He looked down apathetically towards the corpse of Shadow 13. He extended his hand and consumed them in a matter of 5 seconds. Standing up, he sauntered back to the apartment.

"School, huh? I really don't like the sound of it. Wonder why? "

***