Ariana, Ben, and Raziel finished their trek across the path leading up to the Sky City. The thin cobblestone climbed higher and higher until it touched landmass suspended mid-air above the glimmering waters far below. On it stood a crowded metropolis, the occasional spire pierced the sky and its clouds.
Despite all the travels she had undergone with her father and sometimes Kira, Ariana had never been there, to the place considered the jewel of New Eden. Visitors came from across the realm to witness its wonders; be it the various art shows, the street performers, or even the realm-famous orchestra, ‘Heaven’s Symphony’, of which she was a huge fan. Before Ben’s arrival, she had planned on one day doing a show at the open theater in the city center.
Ben huffed as they finally spilled onto the beginning of the city roads, crowded to the brim with people. He caught his breath as he glared at Raziel. “Dude. You couldn’t have teleported us just a little further?”
Raziel rolled his eyes. “I tried, but it’s hard when I’m injured.” He shot a glare back at him. “Besides, if I had exerted myself further, we might have ended up in the lake.”
“Ariana and I can swim. You probably would have drowned.”
“And you still would have wasted valuable time doing that besides climbing the path. Therefore, my decision was the best—”
Raziel fell over, clutching his abdomen as he coughed up blood. He lifted part of his tattered armor to reveal his wound, the charred skin slowly, desperately trying to pull itself back together.
Ariana knelt next to him. “Are you okay?”
Struggling, Raziel took deep, deliberate breaths, his body trembling as he attempted to rise. Ben wrapped his arm around his back, allowing him to lean against him. He sighed.
“I know we are short on time, but…I need rest,” he admitted, almost grudgingly.
“So, we find somewhere to chill for the night, right?” Ben asked.
Ariana angled her head to look past the crowds and light-rimmed buildings, to the far mountains that towered even the tallest of the Sky City’s spires. It was nearly dusk, the fading light from the sun cast a long shadow, the inner-city lights illuminated.
“That would be wise. With these crowds, it’s easily half a day to the city center,” Raziel said.
Ariana exchanged a quick glance with Ben, whose tired eyes pleaded with hers. More than anything, they need to keep moving, but it would do no good to wear themselves out even further. She sighed as she adjusted the strap for her violin case.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s go.”
They continued forward, their eyes darted across the cityscape, looking for any availability. Most of them were crowded with refugees from other villages, those that weren’t full asked for an insanely high price, roughly three times the price of an inn in Riverglade.
“Sheesh,” Ariana complained. “You’d think they would be a little understanding?”
“It’s a city,” Raziel pointed out. “The market runs rampant here. People don’t know each other as well.”
She huffed as Ben marveled at the metropolis while they walked. A small, cream-colored dog came running up and sat directly in front of her, staring. Ariana patted its head affectionately. “Aw! Cute doggy!”
Raziel rolled his eyes. “Scram, dog.”
The dog gave Raziel a wide-eyed look, as if its pride had been violated. It uttered the word ‘wow’ in a quick, slightly hushed tone and took off in the opposite direction, back into the crowd.
The three of them walked again as Raziel sighed in annoyance. “Stupid mutt. Anyway, do you see anything?”
Ben craned his neck above the crowd. “Not so far. They all looked filled to the brim with people.”
“Not a good idea, then.” Raziel’s brows furrowed in deep thought as he limped, “What street are we on?”
“Err…” Ariana briefly walked on her toes to see. “Nerriah, I think.”
“See that older building just past the sign?”
Ariana stood on her toes to see it. She nodded.
“Go there. I know the owner.” Raziel said.
They obeyed and helped him through the crowd, into the inn. The three of them passed under the aged wooden arch, into a humble store run by an old man. His eyes widened upon seeing Raziel.
“Ah! My old friend!” He came out from behind the counter and clasped his hand. Ariana and Ben exchanged a confused look.
“You have friends?” Ben asked.
“More than you,” Raziel said. He turned to the old man. “I hate to bother you, Samuel, but…”
“You need somewhere to stay?”
Raziel nodded, dark circles under his eyes.
Samuel smiled. “Anything for you, old friend. This way.” He gestured for them to go upstairs. They helped him tumble up the steps, until finally, they made it to the doorway.
Raziel looked forward. “We’re here. Go inside and get comfortable.”
Ariana bit her lip as she looked at the room, which was in a disappointingly shoddy shape. The walls were full of shredded wallpaper, parts of the wooden floor were torn up, and the bed looked uncomfortable. A spring broke loose as she touched the mattress.
“Or try to,” Ben said.
Raziel broke free from their help and sat himself down in a chair in the room's corner. With a subtle gesture, he lowered his head, causing his hair to fall gracefully and shield his eyes from view. From that point on, he stood completely still, not even a twitch.
Ariana looked at Ben, gesturing to Raziel. “Maybe that’s how he sleeps?”
“Probably.” Ben shrugged. “Anyway, do you want the bed?”
“We can’t share it?”
Ben’s face flushed red. “Well…um…”
“Well, what?” Ariana asked, hands on her hips.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he admitted. “I’m sure even if we just sat on the same bed, he would probably kill me and ground you for life.”
“He’s not here, doofus.” Ariana unstrapped her violin case and placed it next to the bed. “I don’t get what the big deal is.”
Ben sighed. “Ugh. Okay, fine.” He took his shoes off and kicked them to the side of the room. “Zachariel is totally going to kill me once he finds us.”
Ariana laid against the mattress, the inner springs digging into her back. Ben followed suit, though he laid on the edge, a good foot or two away from her. She raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t bite, ya know.”
Reluctantly, Ben scooted closer. He folded his hands together on his stomach, his arms tense.
“What’s making you so shy suddenly? Why is sharing a bed such a big deal?”
As Ariana turned on her side, she winced as a spring poked into her waist. She ignored it and focused on Ben’s increasingly red face, which he had now hidden in a pillow. He briefly removed it to look her dead in the eye.
“You mean you don’t know?”
Ariana’s eyes narrowed. “Know what?”
“Just…” Ben covered his face with the pillow once more, “…never mind. I’m just surprised your dad didn’t tell you about, uh, all that…stuff.”
She stared at him blankly, her soft hands propped her head up to look at him. “I still have no clue what you’re talking about. Why can’t you just tell me?”
Ben removed the pillow once more and took a deep breath. “Um, when two, uh...two people that like each other a lot. Some of them will find a bed and…”
“…kiss?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah.” He pursed his lips. “Sure.”
“Wow.” Ariana moved from her side and laid on her back, folding her heads behind her head. “That’s all it is? Seriously? I’ve seen people kiss in the street before. Doesn’t seem that big of a deal to me.”
Ben’s face was so red and puffy that the dark infection stretching across was nearly invisible. She could feel his body heating up.
Ariana sighed. “Well, don’t worry, doofus. I’m not gonna kiss you.”
Not unless he wants it, the voice in her head teased.
Oh hush, Ariana told it. She glanced over at Ben, whose redness subsided. He inhaled deeply, slowly, closing his eyes.
“Okay…that’s good. That’s…”
The next thing she knew, he was sleeping peacefully next to her, his warm arm touching hers. She turned over again, staring at his angular face, his dark hair spread on the pillow. Her eyes moved to his soft lips, and for a moment, she imagined what they would feel like against hers.
Ugh. Ariana shook herself out of it. Jeez, I’ve got a dirty mind sometimes.
Out from the corner, in the chair, she heard a chuckle. Raziel moved from his position of rest, his scarlet eyes digging into hers with a sarcastic smile.
“Well, that’s amusing,” he said.
Ariana felt her face flush red. Her arms itched to yank Ole Betsy from her case and smack him across the face with it, but she didn’t. For one, she didn’t want to wake up Ben. Two, she didn’t want to waste her violin by smashing it against that idiot’s head. She simply stared him down. “I really, really don’t like you, and I hope you know that, Raziel.”
“I’m aware. But the question is, does Ben really know how you feel about him?”
“You assume an awful lot, ya know,” she hissed.
“Any idiot with a pair of eyes can see it. Well…” He snickered. “Minus Ben, of course. Though I suppose, in all fairness, he is distracted at the moment.”
“By the infection, you mean?”
“Of course,” Raziel confirmed. “What else?”
Ariana paused for a moment, thinking of the moment at the Sea of Stars. She remembered seeing him, ankle deep in the shimmering waters, tears streaming down his face.
She feels so far away. All I remember is failing her, and yet…I get to enjoy this?
“He’s also looking for someone,” Ariana said. “A girl named Lilly. He died trying to save her.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Yes.” Raziel dipped his head slightly. “I heard about her as well. Well, if we rid him of the infection, I promise I’ll do my best to help him find her.” He eyed the sleeping Ben. “Both of you have my word.”
Ariana frowned. “You’re really gonna take him from me, huh?”
“Saving the Soraphim race is my top priority. He is the only surviving one in existence that I know of, besides me. Considering that I cannot reproduce, the responsibility falls on him. The only remaining problem is finding a female of our kind.”
She arched her eyebrow. “And what if you can’t?”
“A female Soraphim would be best, but…” Raziel paused. “…I suppose I wouldn’t mind a human or two diluting the bloodline. You seem quite attached to him, anyway.”
“So, back in Riverglade, and the forest.” Her brows furrowed in deep thought. “You could have killed me both times, but didn’t. Is that why?”
Raziel avoided her gaze. “Not the only reason.”
“What do you mean?”
“You…remind me of my mother,” he hesitantly admitted. “Ira.”
Ariana tilted her head upon hearing the name. It seemed familiar. “What was she like?”
“A lot like you, actually. Energetic. Kind. Stubborn as a jackass, but for good reason. But like the others, I failed to save her from Aka Manah’s massacre. I still see her in my dreams sometimes, whispering words and yet, I can’t hear her voice. I look at you, and it just…hurts. Like a cruel joke.” He dipped his head. “I…miss her. I’d give anything to hear her voice again.”
Poor Raziel, the voice in her head said. Try to cheer him up. Tell him his mother would be proud of him.
“Well,” Ariana began, carefully phrasing her words. “I don’t know anything about her, but I’m sure she would be proud of you if she were here today.”
“I…thank you,” he said, the hint of a smile touching his lips. “She was a mother to us all, in a way. We were all family, a clan. I want nothing more than to make things like the way they used to be, even if they aren’t the same.”
“So that’s why you want to restart your race.”
Raziel shot her a questioning look. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s more than just saving the Soraphim,” Ariana theorized. “You want a family again.”
“I…” Raziel grimaced. “I do. More than anything, I do. It’s also why I push Ben to be strong, because when the Soraphim are reborn, I don’t want to watch them die all over again.”
“I understand that,” Ariana said. “We’ve lost people too.” She paused for a moment and looked back at Ben. He slept peacefully, his hand mere inches from hers. Slowly, she reached and squeezed it gently.
“So, you said a female Soraphim would work best, but how are you going to find one?” Ariana asked. “Didn’t you have a hard time just finding Ben?”
“That would be ideal, but…” Raziel’s eyes lowered. “…I suppose I can drop it. Once we find this Pool of Eden and clear Ben of his corruption, the new Soraphim race can begin, and you and him will be the start of it.”
“Wait. You want us to have children…for you?” Ariana pursed her lips, standing to her feet. “I think that’s between me and him. Even if we did decide to, I’m not rushing anything for your ‘dream.’”
“No, I didn’t mean…” Raziel sighed and rubbed his temple. “I meant to provide a secure future for him, and for you. That…can happen in due time. When you two are ready.”
“Oh.” Ariana slowly sat back down. “Okay.”
“Sorry,” Raziel said, running his hand through his hair. “I should have clarified.”
“It’s…alright, I guess.” She paused as a thought came to her. “So, how are people made? Is it that thing Ben talked about? Kissing in bed?”
Raziel first arched an eyebrow, then chuckled. “Oh, that’s right, I nearly forgot. Your father never told you about…well, that.”
Ariana shook her head. Her dad never saw the need to talk about how people are made, but now Raziel had her curiosity.
“Stupid angels. Anyway, this is going to be amusing.” Raziel chuckled, leaned in, brandishing his index finger and using his other hand to make a small circle. “Now listen carefully. To make children, people...”
----------------------------------------
When Ben woke up, Raziel was still passed out in his chair, leaning to the side. Ariana sat on the edge of the bed, dark circles under her eyes, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She almost looked traumatized.
“Ari?” He scooted up and snapped his fingers in front of her face. “You there?”
In the room's corner, Raziel awoke from his slumber and slowly rose from the chair. It wasn’t until he picked up a book from the nightstand and slammed it on the floor that she finally snapped out of her trance.
“Oh!” Ariana’s cheeks flushed as she sheepishly brushed her hair behind her ear. “G-good morning, Ben.”
Ben moved in front of her and felt her forehead. “You alright? You look like you haven’t slept.”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine!” Ariana sheepishly looked away from him, studying her shoes. She rose from the edge of the bed and hastily strapped her violin case to her back. “Umm...I’m going to go get some breakfast from the buffet downstairs.”
“Oh.” Ben smiled softly at her. “See you there, okay?”
Ariana gave another brief half-smile, her lips curving slightly before she hurriedly exited the room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. Ben sighed, then turned to Raziel. “What the hell did you do?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Raziel said indignantly.
He glared at him until his bearing broke.
“Oh fine. She asked, so I told her the basics of the reproductive cycle, how other humans are made.”
Ben scoffed. “Really, dude? You gave her the birds and the bees talk?”
“I didn’t go into too much detail. Besides, her father should have given her that lesson long ago, but as you can imagine, an angel like him wouldn’t know how to communicate it.”
“It’s still his job, not yours, you weirdo,” Ben pointed out. “I’m sure it doesn’t even matter in a realm where you can’t even—”
“Not quite.” Raziel cut him off. “You can, but like in the original creation, the two souls must be bonded in the eyes of the Creator first. In other words, you must be married. Even with such stringent rules, there are ways around it.”
Ben stood in silence. “You know Ariana will probably never look at me the same again, right?”
“I wouldn’t count on it, though I suspect she still thinks of you the same as before. That aside, it’s not the explicit details she’s concerned about. It’s about how things will be in the long run.”
“W-wait.” Ben blinked as they approached the bottom of the stairs. “What do you mean, the long run?”
“Oh?” Raziel smirked. “You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
Raziel opened his mouth to reply, but he froze. His stare shifted across the room; Ben followed it to see Ariana, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared daggers into their former captor.
“Ah, never mind,” he said, pushing past Ben. “I’ll be outside whenever you two are ready to go.”
The door slammed shut. Ben pulled up a chair to sit next to Ariana, who was slowly munching on her cereal. She glanced up at him as a flake dropped from her mouth into the bowl.
“Sorry for whatever he said,” Ben said, his cheeks burning. “I don’t want things between us to be…awkward.”
“It’s okay, Ben,” Ariana said. She blushed as she twirled the spoon around in her bowl. “Awkwardness is a part of life, ya know?”
“I know.” He smiled. “Anyway, are you ready to push all the way through the city? The pool shouldn’t be that far beyond it, if what Kira said is accurate.”
With a nod, Ariana dabbed her mouth with a napkin while Samuel, the owner, graciously cleared away her bowl. She thanked him and rose from her chair, strapping her violin and grabbing Ben’s hand, interlocking their fingers. She noticed him staring at their joined hands and pulled away slightly. “Oh, that isn’t too much for you, is it?”
“No, no, it’s fine!” Ben smiled at her. “Awkwardness is a part of life, remember?”
Ariana beamed. Together, they walked out the door of the hotel and onto the street, where several people had gathered. Among them, he recognized someone.
Ben stopped mid-walk, craning his neck to see above the crowd. In the middle was a woman, about forty years of age, with long, shaggy brown hair that went to her shoulders. She wore an evil, sadistic grin that reminded him of a witch.
He froze. The mysterious woman was the twisted human trafficker that had tried to sell his long-lost sister, Lilly.
----------------------------------------
The crisp air chilled Ben as he strode down the sidewalk, hands in pockets. After all this time, he had finally tracked her down. Gretchen Granary, the woman who had masqueraded as his sister’s ‘foster mother’ in order to sell her to the highest bidder. As a slave.
I never should have let them take her from me, he thought.
Ben took a deep breath. Both he and Lilly had a terrible life, ever since their escape from the vengeful tribe and the death of their mother.
Where is he? Where is the devil?
I’m not the devil, mommy…
I’ve seen it! I’ve seen what he’ll do to our world! Give him to me!
The last thing he remembered was her warm corpse at his feet, then fleeing the reservation after being branded ‘devil children.’ They kept running, alley to alley, state to state, anywhere the road took them. The only place they truly seemed to belong was on the streets.
Ben quickly checked his phone, seeing that his friend Nathan had responded. He was parked nearby in his car just in case things went south and Lilly needed to escape. Despite Ben’s protests, he had insisted on being there for him the moment he finally found his sister.
He briefly smiled, grateful to have a friend like Nathan. Truthfully, he wouldn’t need him. Gretchen was going to die, by any means necessary….and by his hand.
Devil children. Ben repeated the tribe’s words in his mind as he lit a flame in his hand. If that’s what we are, then so be it.
Ben extinguished the flame and kept walking as he rounded the corner of the street where Gretchen’s house was, all while briefly pondering his strange power that manifested itself the day his mother died. The images of the burning RV flashed through his mind, the tribe’s accusing fingers still pointing at him even if they were now nothing more than scorch marks on the ground. He never did figure out the origin of the mysterious fire, but he was grateful for it.
And now, Ben thought as he arrived at the house, once I save Lilly, I’ll burn this damn place to the ground.
As Ben took a deep breath, he could feel the resistance of the worn, rotted door, almost as if it was fighting against being opened. He walked inside to find a mess, covered with beer cans, bags of white powder, and junk food slopped all over the floor. In the room's corner sat Gretchen, grinning coldly at him.
“I was told you’d be coming to visit.” Gretchen eyed him. Her misshapen teeth made Ben’s stomach turn into a knot. He clenched his fist.
“You know what I’ve come for. Give her to me and I’ll let you live.”
“Ah, that’s right,” Gretchen teased. “You’re a killer. They found my partner with his head smashed in.”
Ben glared. “Same thing that will happen to you if you don’t give me Lilly.”
Her sadistic smirk slowly morphed into a glare, her narrowed, ugly eyes met Ben’s. “Fine.” She pulled out a cigarette and called to the back of the house. “Lilly! Come out here, right now!”
Lilly came out of the hallway. She was about fourteen years old, with long, black hair like Ben’s tied in a ponytail. Despite being mostly concealed by a worn, long-sleeve T-shirt, a few visible cuts marred the surface of her skin: some more recent, others from the day they escaped their mother and the tribe. Her wrists were marked with deep purple bruises, resembling the imprints of someone's fingers.
Ben ran over to her and embraced her as she stood, her body quivering. Slowly, her bruised hands hugged him back.
“I’m sorry,” Lilly said. “I tried to fight. They—”
Ben’s teeth grit as he spun, lit a flame, and held it threateningly at Gretchen. “What did you do to her?”
“Me? Nothing.” Gretchen smugly took a puff of her cigarette. “My customers, on the other hand…”
Ben arched his arm back to strike her with his burning fist but was stopped by Lilly.
“Please,” she began, tears in her eyes. “Let’s just leave, okay?”
Ben reluctantly put out the flame, his eyes fixed on Gretchen with a glare. He gently grabbed Lilly’s hand and led her out of the house.
“Oh, and by the way.” Gretchen called out from the corner, “If you ask nicely and treat her right, sometimes she gives it up for free.”
Something in Ben snapped. He pushed Lilly towards the door, who stumbled into it. He summoned the hottest flame he could muster and hurled it straight at Gretchen’s face. The fire struck her, her face and hair suddenly ablaze. Ben grit his teeth as Gretchen rolled around, then grabbed Lilly’s hand once more.
“Come on, run!”
Just as he blew open the door, Ben heard a clicking noise, followed by a loud snap of a gunshot. He felt a sharp pain suddenly erupt from his abdomen as he fell to the ground, his vision fading.
Gretchen came over and yanked Lilly from his grip. His sister screamed at the top of her lungs as she was dragged out of the door. She smacked her head against the frame, knocking her unconscious.
Fighting the pain and fog in his mind, Ben lifted his head just in time to see Gretchen drag his unconscious sister through the doorway. With a bloodied body and grit teeth, he forced himself back to his feet.
“Bring Lilly back!”
----------------------------------------
Reality pulled Ben back from his past, his nightmare, but did nothing to dull his hatred for that woman. He drifted through the crowd, shoving people aside, his eyes never wavering from his target.
“Ben,” Ariana pleaded with him. “Don’t...”
She tried to grab his arm, but he shoved it away. He went further in and covertly formed a blade in his hands using his hellfire, shaping the blade so that it would inflict the greatest possible pain, a cruel, jagged edge meeting the sharp tip.
Ben watched as she continued to laugh maniacally, which further angered him. She didn’t deserve to laugh. She didn’t deserve to live.
She dies today, Ben thought.
Kill.
Kill them all, Ben.
Ben raised the blade to strike her, but Raziel stood in his way.
“You need to go,” he warned. “Now.”
He glared up at him. “Get out of my way.”
Raziel stared back with his scarlet eyes. “No. You’re walking into a trap. It—”
Ben shoved him aside and ran through the crowd toward the Gretchen. He wanted to kill her, but first, he was going to make her suffer for everything she had done.
Before Gretchen could even tell he was there, Ben ran up to her and pummeled her with his fists, forcing her to the ground. He kicked her like he had promised he would, his boots digging into her fragile body like they had when he killed the pimp. She fell back against the wall as Ben grabbed her by the throat, his charred fingers digging into her windpipe. Gretchen looked up at him, her eyes widening with fear as she recognized his face.
Ben raised the knife, ready to bring it down. The night he had lost Lilly haunted his thoughts as he tightened his grip.
“Ben!” Ariana cried from behind him. “No!”
Ben ignored her and looked back at Gretchen. Her pupils were dilated from the sheer terror he knew she felt. He raised the knife once more to deal the killing blow.
“You promised!” Ariana pleaded. “You promised you wouldn’t become that monster again!”
As he turned to look back at Ariana, their eyes met. She was in tears, a horrified look affixed to her face. She tried to cry out again, her voice a mere whisper, “Ben...please. I don’t want to lose you.”
Ben glanced at Gretchen, then at his knife. The horrified expression on the woman’s face reminded him of himself, of the fear he experienced when he lost Lilly. As much as he hated her, he felt a strange sense of pity. He knew deep down that if he killed her, that he would be no better than any of the people who had hurt him and his sister in the past.
And I’d be a monster worse than any of them, he thought. Besides, I made Ariana a promise.
Ben lowered the blade and dropped it to the ground, watching as it evaporated back into smoke. He grabbed her by the shirt and glared into her terror-filled eyes.
“I really should kill you for what you and the others did to her, but I’m not like you, and I never will be again.” Ben shoved her back to the ground and inhaled slowly, regaining control of his breathing as Gretchen stared up at him. “I will find her. I’ll find her, and we will finally be free from people like you.”
Finally, Ben walked away from the crowd and made his way back to Ariana. He gently intertwined his fingers with hers and led her out of the onlooking crowd.
“Such a shame, boy.”
From behind him, Ben heard a hiss. He turned around to see Gretchen transform into a she-demon, leaping to attack. He almost summoned his ethereal armor in defense, but Raziel had leapt in the way and had run her through with his sword. She vaporized into dust with one last scream.
As Ben stared at the remains of the demon, Raziel rushed in front of them and said, “We need to leave this city now. Let’s go.”