The smell of freshly baked bread filled Ben’s nostrils, bringing him out of darkness and back into reality. He reached up to feel his aching head; his fingers ran across the rough fabric of a bandage. As he blinked to regain his sight, the scent of lavender filled his nose, and he found himself lying on a small, soft cot.

Next to him was a dark-haired lady dressed in a navy-blue toga, wrapped in a slender silver belt embroidered with the angelic language. Two even, feathered mandibles stretched from her back as she baked and cooked, loaves of simple bread with small tins filled with soup lined the counter next to her open window, where several people—some of which Ben recognized from Riverglade—would come to the window and receive it. As soon as his brain fog cleared, he realized who the person sitting in front of him really was.

Could this be…?

“Oh. Hello, Ben.” The lady turned to him upon realizing that he had woken up. She beamed. “You took quite a nasty fall there.”

Ben sat up in his cot, swinging his legs over the side. “You’re Kira?”

“That I am,” Kira confirmed. “I was told via a messenger that you’d be coming here soon.” Kira stopped her cooking as she spun on her stool. “I heard what happened in Riverglade, about your fight with the intruder, and…”

“Ari told you?” Ben asked. “About the village?”

Kira nodded slowly, her lips pursed.

“I see.” Ben grimaced. His body stiffened. “Wait, where is she? Did she get hurt in that explosion, or…?”

“No, she’s fine. A bit of a bruise here and there. That’s all.”

“She’s okay?” Ben breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I couldn’t forgive myself if—”

“—don’t underestimate her,” Kira said with a smile reminiscent of Ariana’s. “She even carried you and her violin until I could arrive and take over for her.”

“Ari…carried me?” Ben asked, blinking.

“Well, your feet were dragging along the ground, and she didn’t do it for too long. I saw the townsfolk arriving, so I got there, but still.” Kira beamed. “She’s a tough girl. Just like I taught her to be.”

“Oh, trust me. I know.” Ben returned the smile. “She told me about you, back near Riverglade. I’m sure you’re proud of her.”

“That I am.” Kira stood up from her seat. “How about we go see her?”

Ben nodded quickly as Kira helped him rise from his cot. She wrapped one of his arms around his neck as she used the other to fling the door open, passing into the light. It faded, and Ben’s breath caught in his throat.

Not far ahead, Ariana was entertaining a group of children with her violin and dancing, a large bandage wrapped around her waist, one fastened to her forearm. Despite her injury, her body flowed, her feet shifted, the melody from her violin brought joy to her otherwise demoralized audience. Kira chuckled as Ben stared in awe.

“Ariana always had a knack for lifting spirits and inspiring people,” Kira noted. “I’m sure this is much needed encouragement for the survivors.”

“No kidding.” Ben watched in awe as Ariana finished one of her songs with a graceful bow. She stood up and briefly winced, before flashing a confident smile to the kids at her feet.

“Alrighty!” Ariana said, her pitch high. “Who wants to hear another one?”

The kids shouted in unison and crowded her shouting requests.

“Play ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star!’” one child demanded.

“Play ‘Stars Align!’” shouted another.

“Play ‘I’m okay, Ari!’” Ben interjected, smiling.

Ariana’s head snapped in his direction, her azure eyes lit up. “Ben!” She ran over to him and hugged him tightly, her grip squeezing the air from his lungs. He didn’t mind.

She broke the hug, stepped away, and looked at him from head to toe. “Wait, you’re okay, right? Nothing broken, or…?”

“A little banged up.” Ben gestured to the bandage on his head. “Other than that, not too bad.”

Ariana gave a small sigh of relief and smiled at him. Her beautiful blonde hair shone in the sunlight. "I'm just glad you're—" she grunted, clutching her abdomen and wincing in pain. She fell to her knees as Ben broke away from Kira to check on her.

“Are you okay?” Ben asked worriedly. “What happened to…?”

“I’m okay, I promise,” Ariana said as she looked up at him. For a moment, the two were mere inches from the other’s face, their lips perfectly aligned and nearly touching. Ariana blushed as they scrambled quickly to their feet.

“Maybe we should get back inside?” Kira suggested with a chuckle.

The two sheepishly nodded, avoiding each other’s gaze as they entered the cottage once more. Kira helped them both sit down on the cot. She briefly had Ariana lean back so she could inspect her injury.

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“Is it still hurting?” Kira asked as she knelt in front of her, unwrapping her bandage and lifting her shirt to expose her abdomen. Ben noticed a couple of bruises on her side, likely from the blast they took near the tunnel. He glanced back up at Ariana, whose cheeks burned red.

“Ben,” she whispered. “Stop staring.”

His head snapped forward obediently as Kira had finished reapplying her dressing. She moved over to him and assessed him again.

“So…” Kira’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two as she examined his leg, “How did you two meet?”

“Uh…” They briefly exchanged glances.

“Hmm?”

Ariana piped up to break the awkward silence. “I found him in a forest. Ya know, just napping. We became best friends after that.”

“Oh. Interesting.” Kira’s expression hinted at a possible invasive question. “Anything else?”

The two shook their heads in unison, though Ariana’s face was so red, Ben thought her head might have popped off from her shoulders into the ceiling at any given moment.

“Very well.” The angel nodded, turning to Ben. “So, I hear you’re a Soraphim.”

“That’s what the jerk who attacked me and Ari said.” Ben shrugged. “So, I guess.”

“I didn’t think those old stories were true,” Kira explained. “The Fall happened long before I even existed, so I’ve always dismissed them as rumors or fantasy. Until now, that is.”

“Stories?” Ben asked. “Like what?”

“Is it true your kind can wield fire?”

“Yeah.”

“May I see it for a moment? I want to confirm something I was told earlier.”

Ben briefly glanced at Ariana. She sighed.

“If it helps, then…” Ariana hesitated. “I suppose so. Just for a second.”

Ben nodded and inhaled. He held up his arm, flexed his fingers, and allowed an orange flame to manifest. The angel’s eyes widened as she watched him manipulate the flame into a small, solidified dagger.

“You can transform it, too? Fascinating.” Kira continued to observe it until she noticed something. She grabbed Ben’s arm and rolled up his left sleeve. Her brows furrowed as she noticed the blackened veins stretching down his arm like tree roots.

“Ben,” Kira asked. “Can you remove your jacket, please?”

Ben obeyed and exposed the full bite mark to her. Kira’s eyes widened.

“I’m in a bit of trouble,” Ben said. “Do you think you can help?”

“How far has the infection spread?” Kira asked, ignoring his question as she examined the bite. “Is it already…?”

“In my chest? Yeah.” Ben confirmed as he extinguished it. “Daniel said it was too far in to amputate. And using my powers speeds it up, so—”

“—so we were hoping you would know of anything to slow it down,” Ariana finished for him. “Or maybe even get rid of it.”

Kira stood to her full height and scratched her neck. Her eyes darted all over, as if in deep thought. Finally, with her back turned to them, she sighed.

“No. There’s no known cure for a demon bite.”

Ben’s heart sank. Ariana looked at him worriedly. “Come on. There has to be something, right?”

Kira hesitated. “Do you remember all those legends Zachariel would tell you when you were younger? Specifically, the one about the Pool of Eden?”

“A little.” Ariana nodded. “I remember him saying that every realm had its own Garden, where the two trees were kept. And between those two trees is the water.”

“The tree of Life, and the tree of Death,” Kira confirmed. “What your father said is correct. The Garden in each one serves as the point from which the creation of that realm began. The pool between the two trees is sacred, holy water, blessed by the Creator himself.”

“What are you saying, exactly?” Ben asked. “I take a dip, and the infection is gone?”

“The infection...” Kira eyed him, “…or you. There’s no way to know for sure. If you’re already too far gone, it might just kill you as if you were a demon.”

The room fell dead silent. Ariana placed her hand on his comfortingly, turning to Kira.

“But you’re saying there’s a chance?” Ariana asked. “That we can save him?”

“It’s a longshot.” Kira smiled encouragingly. “But yes. The one for our realm lies in the far mountains, beyond the Sky City and villages in the North. If you like, I can make sure you find it.”

Ariana squealed with excitement and latched onto Ben. He blushed.

“Any chance is one worth taking,” Ben said. As Ariana released her grip, he remembered what Zachariel had said on the first day. “Kira, do you mind if I ask one more thing?”

The angel nodded. “Of course.”

“Are you any good with memories?”

“As it so happens, I am.” Kira cocked her head. “What specifically?”

“Like…if someone has amnesia?” Ben asked hopefully.

“During my time on Earth, my job was to help the poor souls face their trauma. Sometimes, I had to dig into their mind to help them release it.” Kira confirmed, though her brows furrowed. “I assume you are ‘this person?’”

“Yeah. Back on Earth, I died trying to save someone I cared about, a girl named Lilly. I’ve had dreams that filled in some gaps, but I still don’t know exactly who she is,” Ben explained. Ariana bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably.

“So you want me to recover them?”

Ben nodded.

“Alright.” Kira placed her hands on the sides of Ben’s forehead. “The transition may feel strange, at first. It should stabilize after a few moments.”

“Right,” Ben said as he closed his eyes, unsure of what to expect. “Let’s do this.”

The room around Ben twisted and disappeared, replaced by darkness. A small light hovered ahead of him, like a distant train oncoming. Before he knew it, it blinded him and replaced the darkness with bits and pieces of his memories. They all flashed by until, finally, they stopped. In their stead was a pair of large, red eyes that seemed to glare at nothing. Their judgmental gaze shifted down to Ben, then back to something else. A whirlwind of flame had whipped out from the eyes and consumed everything in sight.

Ben snapped back to reality. Kira was on the floor, her hands slightly burnt and smoking. Ariana knelt next to her, treating her wounds with one of the angel’s healing oils she stored nearby.

“Wait. What happened?” Ben asked. “Did I…?”

Ariana’s brows furrowed as she opened her mouth to speak, but Kira silenced her with a look. She turned to Ben and smiled. “It was an accident. I tried to access a memory, and you…reacted.”

Ben’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean to—”

“—hey, no worries. This one’s on me. I should have figured, with the whole fire thing.” Kira beamed encouragingly, then winced.

Ben stared down at his hands as the smoke died down. He glanced over at Ariana’s wrist, which still bore the earlier burns. He bit his lip as he felt blood pulsing loudly in his ears. Briskly standing, Ben stormed the cottage door. Ariana sprung to her feet and tried to grab his wrist.

“Where are you—”

“—going on a walk,” Ben said, cutting her off. Before she could reply, he had already exited the cottage and slammed the door behind him. The townspeople—including some of the injured refugees—stared as he rushed by them. He tensed, almost as if he could feel their judgmental glares burning into his back. To avoid them, he quickly pulled his hood over his head.

After a few minutes of walking, Ben found a nice, quiet spot to sit against the trunk of a large tree. As he sat, he curled up and rested his chin on his knees. He sighed as his fists clenched his faded, partially burnt jeans.

Ben looked up over the valley that the tree had looked over. It was beautiful. A multitude of beautiful trees blanketed the landscape in an array of red, yellow, and green. Birds soared above them, free. He smiled.

Then he noticed something in the distance. Beyond the valley, where he and Ariana had come from, rose a fading, yet still dark plume of smoke. Smoke he knew to be coming from the ruins of Riverglade village. He grimaced and tucked his head into his knees.

Why do people always get hurt because of me?