Ghost Town

Deaths Embrace

Azraels form seemed to change then, the clothes changed to something that looked like black gothic looking armour which seemed to form out of shadows that reached for him.

His pupils expanded and took over the iris only leaving darkness behind.

His form trembled a little as he suddenly started to grow, taller and more muscled, he stopped growing when he was about a head taller than everyone.

This change reminded Stiles of boss transformation at the end of a video game.

Then finally two huge black feathered wings uncurled themselves from his back out of nowhere.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Azrael" He said, the pure power and danger in his voice making the living wince.

"A-Azrael?" Lydia said shocked, repeating the name. Stiles had never told her his name but it all seemed so obvious now!

She would have known instantly if she had heard the name.

"Azrael? Is that your real name?" She asked shakily.

"I have been called many names" Azrael replied, looking amused as she figured something out.

"What is it? Do you know him?" Scott asked hurriedly.

Lydia looked grim as she said "I don't really know him but in...some cultures Azrael means Angel of death"

A wave of fear sliced through the pack at the confirmation.

"I-I kept on trying to tell Lydia your name but I couldn't. I kept on forgetting it, was that you?" Stiles said shakily.

Azrael grinned as he replied "The dead can not speak my name unless I give them permission nor can they truly remember me unless I give them permission. When you saw me next to the river, you asked if we had met before and said we have, I wasn't lying Stiles. I will give you permission, do you remember now?"

Suddenly Stiles stiffened as he was a memory that he had completely forgotten about sprung forth.

He was nowhere? Nothing seemed to make sense? Everywhere was darkness. Fear and nervousness overwhelmed him, where was he? What had happened? Why couldn't he see? He couldn't see anything.

"Oh, hello little soul"

Soul?

A voice spoke to him from the darkness but it made Stiles shiver in terror.

But he couldn't seem to move away, like his limbs were not working.

"I think you'll be right at home inside me"

Inside him?!

Hell no!

No way!

Yet it like there was no reasonable way to get away. He couldn't feel his limps or anything.

This was honestly terrifying, the most fear he'd ever felt. He felt so alone in the darkness, alone and scared.

No, no, no!

This had to be some sort of nightmare!

It had to be!

Some sort of energy sparked around him, for a moment he though he could see a face with dark deep black eyes staring at him then it all faded into darkness.

But whoever was there, seemed to feel it too...

"Ah, you're a candidate, how tiring" The voice sighed and he sneered "Good luck little soul"

Stiles slammed back into reality with a gasp and he stumbled away from Azrael who was watching him with cruel amusement.

"I...I was a soul? You-you tried to eat me!" Stiles snapped, having a hard time processing what he'd just remembered.  

Azrael shrugged as he said casually "Of course, that's what I do. Sending souls to abyss is so boring. I am the personification of death. I meet everyone who dies, even now I have billions of versions of me, greeting everyone who dies and accepts my embrace"

"By eating them?" Stiles snapped.

Azrael chuckled as he said "You have no right to condemn me Stiles"

Stiles paled even more, swallowing loudly at those words. Azrael knew that he had also eaten other souls it seems, thankfully the pack weren't following the conversation because they couldn't hear Stiles talk.

Lydia stepped forward angrily as she defended Stiles "There's a difference between eat five or six souls that were originally reapers trying to kill you and eating billions of souls a day!"

"Is there? Do numbers really matter?" Azrael hummed but Lydia then thought of something else...

"Wait, you're taking us is of track! If you are literally the personification of death there's still something that doesn't make sense though" Lydia said, narrowing her eyes at him, she was stalling for time but her mind was also running a mind a minute, certain puzzle pieces clicking into place or still unable to fit.

Finally she said "If Stiles has to defeat you to win then why haven't you killed him already? The reapers are essentially minor creatures who are under your service, why haven't you wiped them out?"

Azraels expression which had been amused suddenly became more serious and his jaw clenched but he didn't respond.

Lydia continues, feeling like she was getting somewhere "Unless you can't. Unless you're under some kind of restriction. You didn't chose them to become a part of this competition, in fact I would say you hate that this is going on so someone or something higher than you, is pulling the strings and started this event. This event with the dead wouldn't be going on if no one that's chosen couldn't defeat you"

Lydia steps forward, feeling more confident as she continues to talk "If I read the book correctly you're way too powerful to even be picking candidates of one by one, so there has to some sort of restrictions on your powers which means you are defeatable"

Everyone stared at Lydia.

Azrael for a moment was silent but then he laughed, actually laughed but it was cold and something in it made everyone freeze "Clever, very clever but there's one thing you didn't account for little banshee"

He grinned and it genuinely looked evil right there. Scott sensing danger flashed his red eyes as he growled "What are you doing!"

But Azrael ignored him and only spoke to Lydia, his voice made them all shiver.

"You see, my restrictions only apply when I'm dealing with those who are connected to me, connected to death, those who's aren't on the other hand..."

Azrael smiled darkly.

Lydia felt it before it happened. 

"No!" She shrieked in pure despair.

The air became freezing all around them.

Stiles didn't have any time to react, no one did.

Because right then...

In a heartbeat, four other heartbeats stopped.

Scott, Liam, Derek and Malia collapsed to the floor, light blue balls of fire rose up from their bodies.

Their corpses.

Their souls floated confused and scared around their bodies.

They hadn't even had any time react.

Their eyes, now blank eyes staring lifelessly forward.

Stiles didn't feel sad or regretful, instead his, shock and horror gave way to a desperate rage he had never felt before in his whole life.

A murderous rage that overwhelmed him completely, so much so that he didn't even hear the furious scream of the banshee right behind him as he lunged at Azrael.

The fury would help them to vanquish their tears.