I could feel his steady heartbeat now. I could feel it against my chest as it beat hard in his. It was a dull, grounding rhythm that still didn't feel quite real yet. Ketch' arms clung onto me. Still weak from being revived, but holding firm like he expected me to disappear at any second.
I wasn't ready to let him go again either.
The battlefield around us still smoldered in silence. Ash drifted in the air like choking snow. Our friends, family, stood quietly at the perimeter. Some still guarded others, some healed, others just watched us. I didn't look at them as their eyes bore into my new form.
I kept my eyes on him.
"It's my turn now, Child."
The voice slipped into my mind like a soft breeze under a closed door. Smooth. Inevitable.
"You made the deal, Child. I gave your heart back. Now you give me what I'm owed."
I clenched my jaw and curled closer to Ketch so he couldn't see, pretending I hadn't heard it.
"Just a few more minutes." I pleaded with it internally. "Please."
"You're out of time."
"You'll get what you wanted. Just let me have this…for a little longer."
It didn't answer. But he didn't press back either. It felt like a silent warning, like I was living on borrowed time. But that was nothing new.
Ketch stirred in my grasp.
"Are you…alright?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "I mean, besides all of this." His hand gestured weakly toward the burning world around us.
I gave a small broken laugh in response. "I look worse than I feel…probably."
I felt his hand on my jaw then. It was a slow, careful, inspecting touch as he brushed the scales I knew now lay there. Light. Hesitant.
"What happened to you…"
I sat back just enough to look into his face. "I…"
"You've got…" His brows furrowed together as he spoke. "Scales…here. And here…" His thumb traced lightly over my cheek, then along my jaw again. "And your eyes…they're green…like a snake's."
I exhaled a long breath and sat back, just enough for him to see all of me. The light in his eyes didn't change. He didn't look afraid of me. It was almost like he was mourning.
"You made a deal for me…" he said softly.
I coughed a laugh. "You think I could've just watched you die?"
"But you gave yourself to it…"
I let my mouth snap closed.
Because he was right.
I had.
"And I will still collect."
I bowed my head. "I had to."
"I didn't want this for you. For us…" Ketch stated.
"You didn't get a say in that."
His jaw flexed, tightened. "I was trying to protect you from this."
I looked back up at him then, meeting that mercury gaze as anger cracked below my grief. "By letting yourself become Orion's plaything?"
His expression shifted. Shame, regret, and guilt played over his features.
"I never expected him to go that far." He admitted. "I knew he wanted something from me. Control, or power, maybe. But I never imagined he wanted this. I thought I could use him to help us."
"You gave him your body," I said quietly. "And he used it to kill you. In front of me. Like you meant nothing more to him than a chess piece."
"And you got rid of him." He snapped at me. "So I think we're even on that front."
I looked down at his chest again, my claw-tipped fingers curling in the blood-stiffened fabric of his shirt. "I…I'm scared, Arthur." I whispered.
He sighed. "I know."
"Surender, and I'll make the fear go away."
"Not yet." I spat at it.
A silence fell between us. It was an awkward one. It almost felt earned. Like we had done so much running in the last few months that we hadn't really had a second to just breathe.
We sat together in the crater of destruction I had made, surrounded by falling ash and the fading tingle of power. Embers lay dying at the edges still, though the heat was no longer enough to burn. It just lingered, like a memory of grief. My arms stayed around him as long as I could manage, reluctant to give up the closeness that had felt so impossible to have ever again just moments ago.
But eventually, he shifted again, gritting his teeth as he tried to sit up straighter.
"Careful," I murmured, steadying him.
"I'm alright," Ketch said automatically, then winced. "Mostly."
I gave him a tired smile. "I think we've both redefined that word."
His eyes came to my face again, searching. "It felt like more than the resurrection. Like something was…pulling me. Or trying to hold me in place."
I nodded. "I held onto him when he was still inside of you. So he couldn't retake control."
"Orion?" He asked.
I nodded again. My throat clenched. "He's gone for good now."
"I hope it hurt."
I snorted a little, but didn't respond.
I could still feel the afterimage of that demonic soul between my fingers. Ripping away like smoke caught in a flame. It had seared my palms. There was another feeling that stayed deep in my chest with it all. A feeling like I had changed in that moment. Like it hadn't just been my anger or desperation that had pushed me forward. Like I had been fully willing to become a monster.
"Does Kore know about…?" Ketch asked, dragging me from my thoughts.
"I'm sure they do now," I said. "They saw the whole thing."
Ketch' expression cracked a little. "God…"
I turned my face away. "No one's made it this far yet. I think…I think they all needed time." Or they're scared of me.
"Or space." He added. "After what I did…what he did…I can't blame them for being hesitant."
"That wasn't you. You weren't in control."
"I still opened the door for him."
Silence again.
It took a while before I finally looked at him again. "I want to hate you for that. I want to scream at you for being so stupid. For risking yourself. For choosing him."
"You can if you want." His voice was soft. "I would deserve it."
I shook my head. "It wouldn't make me feel better. I mean, look at me." I gestured to myself. "I'm the one who gave myself to something far worse."
He studied me again, quietly this time, his grey eyes tracing every mark the dark presence inside me had left behind. The scales that shimmered across my face and throat. The barely visible fangs that stuck out between my lips. Even the edge of my voice had changed, lower now than it was, like another tone echoed beneath it when I spoke.
"Does it hurt?" Ketch asked.
"No," I said honestly. "I think that's the worst part."
I jumped a little when his hand suddenly found mine.
"I don't care how you look." He said. "I don't care who you are or who you think you've become. I just want you to still be in there when this is all said and done."
I opened my mouth, but there was nothing to say. Because I wasn't sure if I could tell him I would be. Before anything else could be said, a shadow moved in my periphery. Soft, hesitant footsteps followed it.
"Kore," I said gently as they stepped into view, arms folded tightly, eyes tinged with red but dry.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come closer…" They admitted.
"You don't have to if…"
"I want to." They cut in.
Ketch tensed, but didn't speak.
Kore approached us slowly. They didn't seem afraid, just cautious.
Their gaze flicked between us. "You really came back."
Ketch nodded. "You can thank her for that."
Kore's lips twitched. "It doesn't mean I can forgive you."
Ketch sighed. "I don't expect anyone to."
"But." Kore looked down at their feet, then back to him ."I think I understand why you did it."
Ketch blinked at them.
Kore turned to me without giving him another thought. "You scared me."
"I scared myself," I said, letting out another shaky breath.
"But you did it." They said, nodding like it all made sense to them.
"For now." The thing's voice was quieter now. A purr behind a thin piece of fabric. "Your time is almost up."
I looked at Ketch again, trying to ignore the threat as a new question formed on my tongue.
"Why did you really make that deal?" I asked him quietly. "I know it wasn't for power or destruction like he said it was. So why Orion? Why take that risk?"
His mouth opened, then closed again as his gaze dropped to the dirt.
"I…"
He was interrupted as a sudden pulse of power rippled through the air once again. The ground beneath us seemed to vibrate with it as something ancient stepped into this world again. Everyone turned towards where it came from, back towards the bunker. Three sets of wing beats came from the garage before we saw anyone.
At first, I thought it was the sun's light glinting off something shiny. But as they got closer to the mouth of the garage, I saw that it wasn't an object. But Jack, glowing with a strong golden light.
Michael, Jack, and Gabe came to the opening and stood there, gazing out at the ruined earth before them. Michael still wore Adam's face, and I assumed that was where he had gone, into purgatory to help Jack and Gabe. His expression was unreadable as the power coming from Jack pulsed again.
Jack himself looked worried.
Not physically, because physically, he was still glowing with that golden power. His skin glimmered like polished marble, threaded with gold. His eyes seemed to glow with white hot heat, and his hands twitched like he couldn't keep the power inside from leaking out. Like he was holding too much.
Gabe, surprisingly, looked the same as he always had. Maybe a tad more frazzled and weary, but he still seemed to carry that witty charm about him. Carrying an energy of "I told you this would happen" before ever opening his mouth.
"Nice of you to leave us a few smoldering corpses to fight," Gabe called, eyeing the ruined battlefield. "Seriously, did no one think about how hard that was going to be on the dramatic entrance I had planned?"
Jack's eyes were the first of the trio to find me. And he froze. His lips parted slightly, like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. His eggshell eyes turned to Ketch, then Kore, then back to the scales that covered my skin.
"You made a deal…" He said softly, the words just barely carried on the wind to me.
I didn't answer him. There was no need to when I knew he could see the energy coming from me.
Gabriel clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't judge. We've all done reckless things in the name of love. Or revenge. Or pizza."
Michael didn't comment on my appearance. His eyes studied me once, then scanned over the wreckage again. When he came back to me, he frowned. It wasn't in anger, more like he was silently warning me not to take this any further. If only he knew I had already gone too far.
"You're bleeding power." He commented.
"Tell me something I don't know." I huffed.
"You don't have much longer." That wasn't new either.
I could feel that dark presence within me getting restless again. It had waited long enough for me to say my goodbyes and have my heartfelt moment. It wanted to cash in on its deal, and it wouldn't wait much longer for me to go willingly.
I stood slowly, then helped Ketch to his feet beside me. "What happened on your end?" I directed at the trio.
Jack shifted uneasily, the glow of his power flaring again. "I did it. I absorbed as much as I could."
"Did you dig deep, kid?" I asked.
Jack nodded.
"Purgatory's worst?"
"They're all here."
"So what's the catch?"
"They're going to burn me up if I don't let go soon."
Michael stepped forward. "We've bought ourselves only a few minutes. No more."
Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. "Turns out stuffing a half-angel with souls is about as stable as…well…as a Winchester's plan."
"There's no time to be a smart ass, Gabe." I snapped at him. "Are we ready or not?"
Jack looked at me and took a deep breath. "We're ready."
"Good." I gave him a stiff nod. "Then let a little bit of it out, kid. Let him know we're here."
Michael nodded too and took another step forward. He raised his hand to the sky, and the sky began to crackle. Clouds split and the sky peeled open like torn parchment. Light poured through the cracks in violent, pulsing beams as if he had torn right through to Heaven and the world beyond. The wind roared. Static snapped across the ground. The pressure of it all pushed against my skin, threatening the very edges of the soul I still tried to cling to.
Jack staggered beside him, clutching his chest as light poured from his mouth and eyes. The souls inside him began to scream in a language none of us understood. Gabriel had his blade drawn next to him, ready for the coming fight. Michael stood still as marble as he held the gate open. I took a step towards Jack, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Now." Michael's voice was deep as it shook through the air.
"I…I can't hold them…" Jack clenched his fists tight as the power fought him.
"Now, Jack!"
And Jack let go.
His body arched with the explosion of power, his arms thrown wide and head back. The explosion of divine energy was blinding as it tore from him.
I threw my arm over my face as the shockwave burst outward. The sky seemed to ripple. The very ground we stood on cracked again, splitting into new burning lines that glowed with a furious kind of hope.
A beam of light reached upward from Jack, straight into the torn sky. And for a moment, it looked like it would work.
The fabric of our reality was twisting. Something trembled just beyond it at the edges of existence. I could feel him there, staring down at us from behind the veil. We had his attention now.
"That's enough, Jack!" I called. "You can hold the rest back!"
Nothing stopped. The power continued to pour from Jack in an unstoppable wave.
"Jack!" I called again, taking a step towards him. "Stop!"
"I…CAN'T!" Jack roared.
It shattered.
Not the sky, or the ground.
The blast itself.
Jack screamed. The light faltered. The pressure turned inward. And…
Silence fell.
Jack dropped next.
His body hit the dirt with a sickening thud, the souls screaming as they tore free from his throat. Flashes of rage and hunger and pain scattering in every direction. Gabe lunged forward and caught Jack's shoulder before his head could hit the ground.
"Kid?!" Gabe's eyes were wide with panic. "Jack…hey, hey, stay with me!"
Jack coughed once. His eyes glowed dimly. Blood trickled from his nose.
"No," I whispered. "No no no no…"
Michael turned slowly, his eyes narrowing in expectation.
He had known this would fail.
Bage looked up, his face pale. "It didn't work."
The sky seemed to laugh.
A single voice cut through the broken air like a blade dipped in honey. "Of course it didn't work."
We all froze.
The light in the sky twisted, gathered, and solidified into a shape. He didn't descend. He did not need to. God stood in the air above us like he belonged there. And he did. He wore black slacks with a matching button-up and a deep red jacket. The smile on his face didn't reach his eyes.
This was the God who burned galaxies for fun. Who let angels die screaming as they fell. The God who pulled strings until people bled.
"Honestly." He said, glancing at us like a disappointed teacher. "You really thought this would work?"
Michael stepped forward, an archangel blade appearing in his hand. "We had enough power to…"
"Power," God repeated, amused. "You had a time bomb wrapped in wet paper."
Jack tried to push away from Gabe's arms, only to fall back into them. Too weak to even verbally fight back.
"I thought I told you," God said, turning to me now. "This story doesn't end with a happy ending."
My hands shook. I could feel that dark presence watching, waiting. All too eager.
"Your time is up." It murmured in my head. "You know what comes next."
"Not yet…" I whispered.
"You no longer have a choice, Child. I am going to end this."
The other had already started to regroup behind me. Sam and Dean. Cael and Cas. Elly, Ally, and Lucifer. They were all wounded to some degree, but they all still stood ready.
And Ketch…he still stood beside me, though his expression was pale.
"Alex…" He started to say.
But there was nothing to say before God raised a hand. The wind screamed.
"No!" I shouted, throwing dark energy out from me to shield us from the divine blast he'd hurtled at Jack. God's power struck the shield and scattered, sending heat and static down my spine. My scales shimmered. My eyes burned.
"Now, Child!"
I turned my gaze to God.
"I'm ready."
The words tasted like ash on my tongue. The moment I said them, the ground beneath me cracked into an outward spiral. A pulse of darkness, thick and oily, rolled up my spine and wrapped around my ribs like an embrace. My feet lifted from the ground without my command.
The wind howled. The sky, still fractured from the hole Michael and Jack had made, responded to me. Clouds churned violently above me, black and violet with veins of crimson lightning. Grace and shadow twisted together around my body, cocooning me in a storm of shifting scales and smoke.
I couldn't feel my hands anymore. Or my feet. My limbs moved without my command, raised wide, fingers splayed, power leaking from my skin like molten ink. My mouth opened, and a sound, nothing like my own, rumbled from deep inside my chest.
It was laughter.
Low.
Predatory.
"Yes…" The dark thing purred. "You are mine now and forever."
I tried to scream.
And found that I couldn't.
My body was no longer mine.
The battlefield below me blurred. I saw my friend moving, readying weapons, shielding one another, but they were all distant now, as if seen through a lens.
Ketch was shouting something I couldn't hear.
Cael had his blade drawn again.
Dean's face was unreadable.
God looked interested.
The Dark One moved my hands. Formed sigils midair with the claws that had replaced my fingers. Power surged. The air wrapped. I watched, trapped behind my own eyes, as his will flowed through my veins like liquid fire.
"You see now, don't you?" He murmured in my voice. "You were always meant for this. They can not beat him without you. And with me…we will end him."
Yet still…
Deep in the corner of my mind, I dug my fingers into the edges of my consciousness. Anchoring myself as I held tight.
"No," I whispered into the dark. "You can have my body. You can use me for your power. But you will not claim every last piece of me."
"You still think you can resist me?" He laughed.
"Yes," I growled.
"And you think that matters?"
"I always will."
His laughter faded. But I still couldn't move. Still couldn't speak with my own lips. My body still floated in the air under his control, crowned in smoke and scales and violet flames, no longer fully me, and only mostly his.
I wasn't in control anymore, but I wasn't going to just give up either. Not yet. I had to hold on. Just a little bit longer.