Vaan lost his focus when Merle struggled away from him. The black flames immediately went out, since they needed to be constantly maintained, and Merle's cheek started smoking red. Vaan's eyes widened in horror as the girl's wounds actually got worse.<span style="font-style: italic">She's going to die,</span>he thought deftly.<span style="font-style: italic">I've killed her.... No!</span>he shouted at himself after calming down for a moment.<span style="font-style: italic">That wasn't me. I know it wasn't! And that red smoke... black hellfire doesn't induce that. Something else is going on here... Dammit!</span><br/><br/>Vaan reached out for Merle again, grasping her in a tight hug. "I'm going to save you, Merle," he whispered, then lifted a finger to the back of her neck, quickly jabbing a pressure point there to put her to sleep for a while. "You're heart rate will be calmer if your asleep," he whispered to the now un-hearing Silencer. "That should give me just a little more time. When you wake up, everything will be better. I promise." And with that he laid the girl down on some leaves and bent over her, summoning his flames once again. This time, feeling pity for his host, and realizing the benefits that would come from him having a companion, Abaddon discretely aimed the hellfire Vaan summoned toward several areas around the wound housing residual magic.<br/><br/>--------------------------<br/><br/>Owari stood obediently behind the Reverend, his hands held in front of him and his head bowed to the floor. After the Reverend spoke, fully aware that he may not have been the one addressed, the boy decided to offer his small input. "Of course it's hopeless," he agreed, "but isn't that what humans do? Stand foolishly against even the most absolute circumstances? That's why we have to completely eradicate them, or they'll just come back-- like cockroaches." He paused for a moment then before delivering some more useful information.<br/><br/>"I've made arrangements for another two thousand lackeys to come through," he said. "The rebuilding process will go more quickly that way. Unfortunately, with such a large number, the portal must have a warm up time. Additionally, the demons will have to gather at the appropriate area. They said two weeks maximum, and said they'd need at least a week. I told them to come in five days; to make it possible if they could. That's how long the portal needs, and the city looks too depressing right now. Unbefitting of its new rule."<br/><br/>--------------------------<br/><br/>Azrael nodded, taking the briefest of moments to recall the exact wording of the two messages he was given. He then lowered his voice, nearly to the point of it being telepathic communication. "He told me to pass these two messages on to "Lord Death." One was "ONLY the tower was spared. Strike while their forces are few. If you are unable, leave to somewhere safe as soon as possible." And the other was "blue is not the only color in the rainbow.""