The last thing Ben remembered was spawning his ethereal armor and putting a beating on Raziel. After that, he teleported him to what appeared to be a strange old cabin. He couldn’t make out much, given that his vision was blurry, but remembered him stumbling away and disappearing into smoke.

About a minute later, Raziel teleported back into the cabin, but this time with someone else.

“Ben!” a familiar voice cried out.

Ariana? Why is she here?

There was a sudden burning sensation in his chest, like someone had lit gasoline inside his organs. He convulsed, but then saw Raziel run over and pin him down to the ground. The darkness filled his blurred vision, tunneling to focus on the man who had attacked him and Ariana.

Ben’s eyes narrowed. Right now, he hated him more than anything in the world. A voice in his head hissed, the words burning themselves into his mind.

Kill them all.

“Girl!” Raziel said. “Get his attention! I’ll reduce the...argh!”

Ben's menacing growl reverberated through the air as he unleashed a torrent of hellfire, pinning him against the corner. He sat up and aimed his hand at Raziel to finish him.

Kill.

“Ben, no! Please.” Ariana grabbed his hand and forced it away from Raziel. “Listen, you’re better than that. You can beat this.”

Ben looked at her. His vision slowly came back into focus on Ariana. Her tangled hair fell across her soot-covered face; a minor burn touched her cheek to her eyes that were darkened from worry. Despite it all, Ariana was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

“Just focus on me.” Ariana placed her hands on Ben’s face. “Don’t think about any of that. Please, it’s okay.”

Lowering his hand, Ben obeyed. As the minutes passed, the rage and hate within him dissolved like ice under a warm sun.

Raziel recovered and assisted Ariana in holding him to the floor. He muttered an incantation in a strange, holy language. The burning pain in Ben’s stomach subsided, and the fog steadily cleared from his mind.

“Well, that was difficult,” Raziel mused as he clutched his wound. “Nice shot, by the way. You must have put some serious venom into it.”

Ariana turned to him. “He didn’t mean it! It was the—”

“Thank you for stating the obvious.” He eyed Ben. “We should go, now that we bought some time.”

Ben arched an eyebrow. “We?”

Raziel tried to stand but fell onto his knees. The wound in his side pulsated with the remnants of Ben’s hellfire. He sighed.

“Nevermind. I suppose we’ll be staying here.”

“There is no us, Raziel.” Ben glared at him. “Do you have any idea what that stupid fight cost me and Ari? We were so close. We would have been at the Pool of Eden by now.”

Raziel arched an eyebrow. “The what?”

Ben grunted and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Enough of this crap. Ari and I are leaving.”

“Fine. By all means, begone.” Raziel dismissively waved them away with a mocking gesture. “Unless you want to know the truth.”

Ben scoffed. “About what?”

“Our kind, the Soraphim. Why do we exist? What happened to us? What are we capable of?”

“And how does any of that relate to me?”

Raziel leaned in. “Because, like it or not, you are a Soraphim, Ben. Above all else, you have a duty to us to at least hear me out. You can continue to stumble along your little journey with no knowledge, or you can listen to me and have actual guidance for once.”

Ben quickly exchanged glances with Ariana, whose azure eyes pleaded with him not to listen. With a sigh, Ben turned to sit in front of Raziel. Ariana reluctantly followed suit.

“Fine. Tell me what you know. Make it quick.”

Raziel stood up and pulled a nearby chair to him as he gently lowered himself into it. “We, the Soraphim, were a fire-wielding race discovered by the Archangels, later inducted into the Host. Our true purpose remained a mystery, but the Creator graciously granted us a tranquil realm of our own. One day, an angel named Lucifer spread his ideas of anarchy, and many other angels followed him, especially one who would one day be called Aka Manah.”

Something in Ben clicked. A memory.

We have him. Inform Aka Manah.

“Wait,” Ben interrupted him. “Who is he? I overheard a demon say that name.”

“He is an Archdemon,” Raziel said with a grimace. “He specializes in deceit and evil intent. Before that, he was an angel like all the others, who shared Lucifer’s ideals of supposed freedom.” His eyes lowered. “In my younger years, I fell for those ideas. Ever since my people were inducted into the Host, we were regarded with disdain, treated as if we were abominations, creatures from the shadows. I wanted us to be free from them once more. In my foolishness, I…agreed to help Lucifer.”

“You joined them?” Ariana asked.

Raziel nodded. “Lucifer convinced me that the Creator was a tyrant that denied us free will and the right to do as we pleased, and likewise, I tried to convince my people. Despite their treatment they received from the beings in the Heavens, they refused to disobey the Creator. In return…” Raziel’s scarlet eyes shut, his jaw clenched, “…he and three other demons slaughtered them. They almost killed me, too.”

“Wait, they’re all gone?” Ben asked. “Wouldn’t there have to be a survivor? At least one?”

“You would think so. But as their leader, I knew every single one of them. Once I discovered the atrocity, I canvassed my village, counting every corpse, every innocent killed. But they were all gone.” He struggled with his words. “Even the kindest of them. My mother, Ira.”

Ben and Ariana stared at him steadily, the hostility in their eyes slowly faded.

“We…didn’t know.” Ariana frowned. “I’m—”

“I felt so lost. So angry. I was angry at Aka Manah for his betrayal, at the Creator as he stood by and did nothing!” Raziel scoffed, ignoring Ariana as he ranted. “All that infinite power, and yet, he ignored them while they died in agony. Damn him!”

Ben quickly exchanged looks with Ariana before turning back to Raziel. “What happened after that?”

Raziel’s eyes glistened in resolute anger. “After I found my dead brethren, I discovered that my ability to manipulate fire had evolved. Now, I could truly weaponize it, even form it to whatever I desired. Take the Nephilim Shell, for instance.”

“What exactly is it?” Bed asked.

Raziel leaned back in his chair. “Think of it as a solidified version of your fire. Any shape, weapon, armor you can think of, so long as your mind and body have the strength to wield them. In certain instances, such as…” He paused, giving thought to his words. “…our battle. Your infection had overtaken you. In your blind rage, you held a full set of armor for the duration of the battle without exhausting yourself. I hoped your resolve was strengthening finally, but—”

Stolen story; please report.

“That’s why you kept provoking him?” Ariana questioned. “Even though you knew his demon infection gets worse every time he uses it?”

“I didn’t know, and yes. Our abilities as Soraphim manifest at their strongest when we face danger or great stress,” Raziel corrected.

“No kidding,” Ariana grumbled.

“So, where does it come from? The fire?” Ben asked. “Also, why the weird name?”

“I met a Nephilim who had been freed from demonic control on Earth. I noticed that when I spawned my armor, I was roughly his height. Also, that particular Nephilim was a good friend of mine, so I saw fit to grant him that honor. As for the fire…” Raziel looked at his palm and briefly lit a flame before extinguishing it. “Even I don’t know why we have these abilities. An angel I knew theorized that fire was our true form, that this human-like shell is simply that. A shell.”

“Alright,” Ben answered simply, more confused than before. “So, what did you do after that?”

“I killed two of the three demons that murdered my family and went to the battlefield to find Aka Manah and exact vengeance. But to my surprise, I discovered they had banished him to another realm—Earth, of all places. I spent most of my time there searching for him. Eventually, it led me back to New Eden.” He eyed the forest outside. “Our home, before the slaughter. The realm originally gifted to us by the Creator.”

Ben and Ariana’s eyes collectively widened in shock. She stepped forward. “New Eden was your home?”

Raziel nodded as he continued to stare at the outside tree line as a cold wind shifted its way into the cabin. “I remember it, the dim lights, the sky above, all so peaceful. Some of us grew adventurous, traveled as far as these mountains, though at the time they were far smaller.” He grimaced. “And now, to see how time and the Creator have forgotten us. Every trace of us, gone. Erased, as if we never existed. I’m sure you can imagine how I feel.”

Ben’s eyes widened as a thought came to his mind. If New Eden was the ancestral home of the Soraphim, would that explain his mysterious arrival here?

But what about my memories of Earth? My death? Ben thought. What about Lilly?

“That’s terrible,” Ariana said, her lips curled. “I’m sorry you had to endure that.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but…” Raziel hesitated, “…this, I’ve learned, is the way of the universe. Life grows, dies, and gives birth to new life in a pointless bid to resist the inevitable darkness that awaits all of us.”

“Oblivion?” Ben asked.

Raziel eyed him, though not with hostility. His gaze didn’t carry his usual arrogance. Now, they held what seemed to Ben like despair.

“Yes. The Great Darkness, as some call it. The angels and Host call it ‘The Final Death.’”

Death. The word echoed in Ben’s mind, reminding him of the judgmental eyes and deathly fire in his recurring visions. A being, the rings of orange light with holy, evil scripture embroidered into seven smaller ones surrounding the main. Below it lay a dead world, a sea of blood…with him in it.

Ben hesitated, briefly considering telling Raziel. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ariana interrupted.

“What about the Final Realm? The Creator’s land?” she asked.

Raziel scoffed. “A fairytale, if you ask me. I’ve been alive since the very beginning and I’ve yet to see anything remotely close to an afterlife.”

“Then what is New Eden for?” Ben asked. “People come here from Earth. They live here, just like they did before.”

Raziel rolled his eyes. “Correction, I’ve seen nothing indicative of a permanent afterlife. As you saw, people here still die.”

Ben avoided his scarlet gaze as his jaw clenched. He felt tempted to throw another fireball at Raziel just for bringing it up. As if sensing the rising tension, Ariana asked another question. “So, if the Soraphim are gone, then why is Ben here?”

“Yeah.” Ben blinked. “How do you know that I’m not your descendant?”

“Well…” Raziel paused thoughtfully. “I’ve had a few human partners over the eons...”

“And you called Ari a tramp,” Ben joked.

“So that’s what a ‘tramp’ is?” Ariana blinked, her brows narrowing. “Wow.”

“They were my partners, not my playthings.” Raziel rolled his eyes and continued. “Doesn’t even matter, considering I outlived them all. Anyway, I tried to restart our race myself, but it…never happened.” He scowled. “For so long, I thought I was doomed to be the last, until I found you.”

“And how did you find me?”

“I never stopped searching. There were always rumors that more had appeared out of the darkness, as was theorized before. I investigated many of those claims but found nothing. One day, I had overheard a group of she-demons talk about their plan to capture and ‘corrupt’ a Soraphim. I was skeptical until I saw you snap the she-demon’s neck myself.”

Ben’s eyes widened. “You were there?”

Raziel nodded.

“So you waited until after Dad left to go after him?” Ariana concluded.

“Of course. The two angels he left behind weren’t a challenge.”

Ariana glared. “They were our friends, you know. You nearly killed them.”

Raziel glared back. “I don’t kill angels, but I also don’t tolerate those who get in my way, your father included. Although…” he scratched his chin, “…he has a resolve I’ve not seen in an angel since the beginning age. He’s strong.”

“Dad?” Ariana’s eyes widened. “He’s not…?”

“Dead? No. In fact, he and I took down that Wicked Giant, but not before your village became a smoldering wreck. Last I left him, he was still there. I would assume he’s not far behind. All he needs to do is follow the chaos.”

“Then we wait for him,” Ben suggested. “We team up, and…” A pulse thrummed in Ben’s chest, and he froze. He doubled over as he felt the demon influence once again creeping further into him. A few deep breaths and a clear mind later, he forced it back down into the depths. As Ariana placed her hand on him worriedly, Raziel’s eyes narrowed.

“It would appear time is a commodity we do not have.”

Ben grimaced. As much as he hated to admit it, Raziel was right. They had to get moving. His use of the armor in the forest had sped up the infection even further. Soon enough, in Daniel’s own words, he would be no different from the demons.

“Wait…” Ben paused as he stood to his feet. “Why do the demons want me? Why not go after you?”

“They want to corrupt you, turn you into a monstrosity like them.” Raziel sighed. “That aside, I truly do not know. But let me ask you a question. What are you going to do when you finally give in to the darkness? How do you know you won’t kill your precious Ariana?”

Ben’s brows furrowed. “I would never hurt her.”

Raziel opened his mouth to retort but didn’t, turning to look at Ariana. Her eyes were wide, her lips pursed as she shook her head in protest. The two stared, as if sharing some unspoken words between them. He sighed in defeat.

“Either way,” Raziel said. “What exactly do you plan to do about this infection? Demon bites aren’t something that one simply purges. Yours is getting to the point to where even your body is—”

“Raziel!” Ariana begged. “Please.”

Ben arched an eyebrow. “What about my body?”

Raziel and Ariana exchanged a quick look before their concerned gazes turned back to him.

“Ben,” Raziel began. “Go look in that mirror over there.”

Slowly, Ben complied, turning as a wary look came to his face. Ariana stared nervously as he walked in front of the faded, cracked mirror. Ben’s fractured reflection stared back at him, but he noticed something. He was changing. Paleness had washed over his skin, his eyes now hollowed, and his hair marked with streaks of white.

The biggest difference was the infection. He rolled his sleeve up to see his arm nearly covered in it. The blackened roots stemming from the demon bite had invaded him to where it nearly stretched across his whole body. The dark veins coursed and pulsed under the skin of his face. As he stared in horror, his half-gray, half-red eyes glared back.

“Oh, crap.”

Raziel nodded solemnly. “It has progressed farther than it should have at this point. I don’t know if there’s anything more we can do.”

“Actually, there is,” Ariana said. “Further up the mountains, past the Sky City, is the Pool of Eden. It can heal him!”

“More fairytales,” Raziel said with an eyeroll. “How do you know it isn’t a trap?”

“We got the information from a close friend. An angel named Kira.”

Raziel’s eyes briefly widened, as if he recognized the name. He shrugged. “I… suppose it’s credible.” He cleared his throat as he continued. “So, tell me. Do you really wish to bring him onto a floating rock crowded with people?”

“Our plan was to go around, but…” Ben turned to see himself in the mirror once more, “…we might not have time for that now.”

“So through, then.” Raziel nodded. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is a bit of a walk from here. This cabin is a few miles before the mountains.”

“Wait just a minute, now,” Ariana started as she stormed up to Raziel. “You mean to tell me after all that walking that we did to get there, you teleported us all the way back here?” She growled. “Now we’re even shorter on time than we were before!”

“Yeah.” Ben glared at him. “Thanks, jerk.”

Raziel rolled his eyes and threw up both of his hands. “My apologies. I only wanted to capture you and somehow begin our race anew, but unfortunately, your little infection poses a problem. Seeing as how that girl…” he gestured to Ariana as he spoke, “...is the only thing that can keep you sane, it’s not worth separating you from her. If her little tale about this supposed ‘Pool of Eden’ holds up, we can cure this petty annoyance of a disease. On top of that, I’d rather not deal with you when you’re out of control again. I can’t even imagine what would happen if you squashed poor little Ariana here.”

Ben resisted the urge to punch him and eyed him carefully. “What exactly are you suggesting? That we stay here?”

Raziel tilted his head in thought. “Actually...” he leapt out of his chair and grabbed them. They reappeared at the edge of a cliff. The rest of the landscape was filled with majestic mountains, their peaks reaching for the sky, while a massive landmass loomed above a serene lake. On the floating rock was a Venice-style metropolis, with a large spire erupting from the middle. A road extended to the landmass, allowing for travel. A rogue wind howled as Raziel, Ariana, and Ben gazed upon the city.

“...I was thinking we could stay here.”

Ariana and Ben looked at each other, smiling. Finally, they were one step closer to ridding him of the demonic corruption once and for all.