Raziel awoke from his battle with the Wicked Giants. He was about twenty feet beneath the surface of the lake, looking upward at the sun as it made the moving waters shimmer. The occasional body or chunk of debris would pass over the light.
He felt himself sink further into the depths. If he wanted to survive, he would have to swim, to fight his watery grave, but he couldn’t. Perhaps he was exhausted.
Or maybe because I failed to protect Ariana and Ben.
Raziel’s mind shifted back to his time in the female angel’s village. As he sank into the waters, he closed his eyes and could feel the chill seeping into his bones, a stark reminder of the promise he had made.
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By the time Raziel had reached the village, it was too late. He watched in horror as the demon’s blade rammed into the angel’s gut. Her scream pierced the air as the ragged creatures howled victoriously.
The demon that had dealt the blow soon found itself vaporized by the searing heat of Raziel’s fire. The one next to it tried to flee but was crushed beneath the force of his Nephilim Shell. Fear and horror stretched across their already ragged faces as he brandished his blade and armor. His foot slid back to prepare for the attack.
It never happened. The remaining demons fled, clamoring over their own brethren to escape Raziel’s wrath.
“Smart.” Raziel sheathed his weapon as he looked down at the injured angel, her back now up against a tree. He briefly considered leaving but found that he didn’t have the heart to, like back in Riverglade when Zachariel was forced to battle the Wicked Giant. He was no ally of the angels, but he wouldn’t let one die if he could help it.
Raziel knelt next to her, assessing her wound, but grimaced. The demon blade had pierced too far, too deep to remove. At the rate the angel was bleeding, she would be dead within the hour.
“I…can’t heal you,” Raziel said, his eyes downcast. “This is beyond my capability. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t blame you.” The angel smiled warmly. Blood seeped from her mouth. “Thank you for trying.”
“What is your name, angel?” he asked.
“Kira,” she said, her breathing slowly becoming more unstable.
Raziel eyed her wound again, then tore a cloth from his cloak. “Maybe if we keep pressure on it, you can summon a healer and—”
“That doesn’t matter anymore.” Kira silenced him, placing her gentle, slender hand on his shoulder. “Don’t help me. Help them.”
Raziel arched an eyebrow. “Help who?”
“Their names are Ariana and Ben. They are both precious to me. If you could, please protect them.” She held out her hand. “Promise me.”
He hesitated, but slowly gripped the angel’s hand. Though he had his own plans for Ben, something deep inside his cold heart coerced him to agree.
Kira looked to the side. “There are angels coming, stranger. You should go.”
Raziel rose, sheathed his sword, and looked at her one last time before dissipating into smoke.
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I failed, Raziel thought, his cloak and armor dragging him to the depths. I failed to keep that promise.
The bubbles escaping his mouth slowed, the last of his air left his lungs as death crept into his vision. The black filled his peripherals until the gleaming light far above the surface was surrounded by the tunnel of darkness.
So, this is my punishment, he thought as he closed his eyes, for a lifetime of failure.
Raziel’s stinging eyes stared upward, and for a moment, he thought of his mother, Ira. The kindest of souls gone because of him. His people were slaughtered because he couldn’t protect them from Aka Manah’s wrath. His former angel companions from the days of Noah, Levi and Abigail were erased from this plane of existence. Now, the girl would die as well, and his only shot at redemption, Ben, would be lost to the demons forever. Because he had failed yet again.
Perhaps I should let myself drown.
“Raziel,” a voice called, pulling him out of his self-damning thoughts. “Fight it.”
He opened his eyes. Above the surface of the water stood a glowing being, looking down at him through the surface, as if it were standing on the tide itself.
Who are you? Raziel tried to say, but nothing came out except a few bubbles of air.
The figure reached through the surface of the water, the glowing hand reaching for him. Raziel felt his heart thump, as if spurred by the mysterious being’s gesture. His blood pulsed beneath his skin and filled him with a new determination. He used what precious little breath he had to swim and grab the figure’s hand. Finally, he broke the surface. Air rushed into his lungs as he crawled onto a piece of floating wreckage.
He coughed the remaining water out of his chest and looked up at his rescuer, surprised to see that it was the angel Zachariel from Riverglade village. Next to him was Archangel Gabriel, his friend from before the Fall.
“Raziel! You're alive!” Gabriel embraced his old friend, causing him to wince from the pain.
Raziel looked at himself. His robe was in tatters, the armor beneath it cracked in multiple places. He even noticed a few chunks of his shoulder plate floating in the water.
“Yes,” Raziel said. “It would appear I am.”
“Good thing we found you and pulled you out in time,” Gabriel said. “You could have drowned!”
The image of the glowing figure flashed through his mind, though it seemed unfocused, perhaps a byproduct of his time beneath the surface. But how long had he been under? Shouldn’t he be long dead by now?
“You? No,” he protested. “There was a figure here, one made of light. It pulled me out.”
“Raziel...” Zachariel began, “…we pulled you out.”
Raziel shook his head in confusion as another angel approached. His armor, blonde hair and glimmering azure wings made it impossible not to recognize him. He, along with Gabriel and Lucifer, had discovered him and his kind, back when New Eden belonged to the Soraphim.
“Michael,” Raziel greeted him, meeting his intense gaze.
“Raziel.” The Archangel returned the greeting in a tone matching his. “Where is Ben?”
With a furrowed brow, Raziel massaged his forehead, shutting his eyes tightly in an effort to recall the fragments of time that preceded his fall alongside the collapsing city. He remembered seeing them dart past the Wicked Giant to the safety of the mountains.
“They went further north, I think. They sought the Pool of Eden and said that it could clear Ben of the corruption.”
“It’s a bit of a risk, but it makes sense.” Michael nodded. “That must be where they’re headed.”
“There’s something else,” Raziel added. “They had a small child with them.”
“A child? Why do they have...?” Zachariel inquired, shaking his head. “Never mind. How did you find them?”
“I have my methods,” Raziel said dryly, earning an annoyed glare from the angel.
“What about this child?” Gabriel asked, “Where is it from?”
Raziel’s eyes lowered. “I’m not sure. He was extremely attached to Ben, though I suspect he wasn’t what he appeared to be.”
“Such as what?” Michael stepped onto the ruins of a tower that stuck out of the water. “A demon?”
“I believe so,” Raziel said. “I have no idea what they are planning now, but we assume they are still after him.”
Zachariel walked down the rock to the water's edge, looking at all the dead bodies that were strewn across the surface. A wooden chunk floated toward him, and he fished it out of the water. As he held it up, Raziel realized it was a shattered piece of the girl's violin.
The angel dipped his head and gazed upward at the sky. “We failed, Michael. All these people are gone.”
Michael grimaced as he turned north. “We will grieve for them later. We need to find Ben and that fortress. The Sky City may be gone, but there are still those who still live.”
Raziel glanced at the bodies in the water, thinking of how they lived, carefree and kind, only hours before. While he knew it was the work of the demons, part of him still felt responsible.
Yet another failure, he thought.
“Did Ben do this?”
Raziel turned his head to Zachariel, meeting the angel's eyes and seeing the fear behind them.
“Did he do this, Raziel?” Zachariel asked for a second time.
“No.” Raziel shook his head. “The Wicked Giants wiped out the city. I subdued one of them, but soon there was enough force put on the landmass that sent it falling into the lake.”
“So, Ben didn’t lose control?” Gabriel asked.
“A demon in disguise attempted it, but Ben resisted. Only after that did the Wicked Giants attack. They wanted to push him to his breaking point, to cause him to lose control. When the first attempt failed, they resorted to this.” Raziel gestured to the floating ruins.
“But why?” Gabriel asked. “How is Ben so different—”
Before Gabriel could finish asking, a loud roar erupted from the mountains, a deafening boom that shook the waters, making the ruins of the fallen city shift. The three angels and Raziel quickly spun to face it, seeing a colossal, dark figure rise, shadow and flame burning against the mountains.
“Oh, no.” Zachariel’s eyes widened. “That must be…”
Ben, Raziel finished in his mind as his eyes widened. Despite eons of mastering his abilities, of summoning his ethereal armor, never was he able to manifest his power in the same magnitude as the beast that Ben now was. He’s not just a Soraphim. He’s more, Raziel realized. And they knew. Somehow, they knew. This was their plan all along.
Raziel looked once more at the Colossus that wreaked havoc upon the villages in the mountains. Despite the distance, he could see an evil grin planted on the titan's face, one he had seen before, standing over the dead bodies of his fallen race.
Aka Manah.
“I know who’s behind this!” Raziel exclaimed. “But first, we need to stop Ben. He will tear the entire realm asunder unless we get to him first.”
“Agreed,” Zachariel said. “Do you have a plan?”
Raziel had an idea perhaps, but a full, thought-out plan? No. However, if Ben’s current form was an upgraded version of their ethereal armor, it would essentially have to work the same way, meaning that he could pull Ben out of it, like in the forest. The only problem was buying enough time to do so, but that was a problem for the battle ahead.
“Yes,” he told Zachariel. “But we need to get there quickly, if we are to stop Ben from massacring everyone.”
Michael and Gabriel nodded and flew off towards the mountains and the Colossus, but Zachariel stayed behind with him.
“Need a ride?” the angel asked, arching his eyebrow.
Raziel rolled his eyes. As much as he hated the angel, he couldn't form his armor at the moment, and swimming would be a massive waste of time. With a defeated sigh, he raised his arms. Zachariel grabbed them and soon they were off, ready to face the Demon Colossus.
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The shrill of birds and the voices of the townsfolk woke Ben from his slumber. He sat on an old wooden bench; the villagers walked by with their packs, crops, and animals, going about their business. The mountains towered nearby as their long-reaching shadows threatened to swallow the sun.
Huh? Ben thought, picking his head up from the back of the bench. Where am I?
“You awake, Ben?”
He blinked, and his surroundings came into sharper focus. In front of him was a child, roughly ten years old. Curly blonde hair fell down the sides of her head, with bright, innocent, azure eyes so wide they could have held all the hope in the world. As she clutched a small stuffed animal to her chest, Ben found that she also reminded him of someone.
Who is she?
Ben shook the drowsiness from his brain as he tried to recall everything that had happened prior, though it all seemed a blur to him.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
What happened? he wondered. Wasn’t I supposed to…?
Ben’s forehead ached as he clutched it in confusion. The child in front of him grabbed his hand with a gentle, innocent smile.
“Let’s go find Lilly. Okay?”
The girl pulled Ben to his feet and out onto the dirt path, into the rest of the village. The small wooden huts that they called home ran up the hills and crags, crude and humble in their design.
I guess it doesn’t matter why I’m here, Ben thought. I like it. It just feels…peaceful.
As they walked by, another child waved to Ben from his window. He smiled and slowly waved back, then leaned down to the girl as she led him by the wrist.
“How much further?”
“You tell me,” the girl replied with a curious look. “You’re supposed to keep track of her, aren’t you?”
“I suppose so.” Ben laughed. “I guess I just—”
The gentle mountain wind that egged them on stopped. A deathly silence filled the air, followed by a loud roar that nearly deafened him. After that, came a rumbling. The ground shook and trembled as the surrounding air thinned.
Footsteps.
Ben and the girl spun around. Behind the mountains to the south came a bright red glow; ash and ember peaked above and bled into the night sky. Finally came the colossus itself, easily towering against the now-burning mountains, a wicked grin affixed to its dragon-like face. Plates of transparent, ethereal armor made up its monstrous body, black smoke billowed out from the cracks, ragged wings pulled into its back. It turned its insidious gaze, staring directly at the village...and at him.
“Run!” Ben screamed, pushing the girl forward, but it was too late. First came the screams, then the searing flames that erupted from the beast as it stormed ever closer to them, faster than anyone could have expected. He watched as an old couple burned, reduced to black and white ash. Even more were trampled underfoot by the monstrosity.
Ben desperately urged the girl forward as he looked at anyone else he could hopefully save. Nearby was a young father, who held his wife and newborn in his arms. He sprinted toward them, arm outstretched. The father did the same, reaching out to Ben.
Come on, Ben urged himself, I can’t let them die. Just a little farther…
He was too late. A whirlwind of flame took them. The hand that was outstretched soon was a shriveled, ashen shell of its former self, until finally nothing was left. His eyes widened in horror.
“Damn it, no!” Ben ran further, searching frantically for someone he could save from the hell that awaited them. Anyone.
Around him, the village flew apart in a flurry of flame and blood as the monstrosity howled in victory. Ben looked ahead to the end of the village, where the girl waited for him, eyes trembling with fear.
Wait, he realized. I can still save her.
Ben sprinted onward, grabbing the young girl by the hand. “Come on!”
The young girl didn’t budge. He knelt next to her, his hands on her shoulders.
“What’s the matter?” Ben asked, his breaths shallow and his heart thumping. “You’ll die if you stay here. I—”
The girl shook her head; her shaking hand pointed to the beast in front of them. Ben turned to look closer, seeing something through the ethereal skin. His eyes widened in horror.
Is that…?
Ben’s heart felt like it had stopped. The thing inside of the Demon Colossus was him.
Ben’s hands trembled as he dipped his head. There was a reason he couldn’t save anyone. He was the one causing all the death, destruction, and chaos that consumed everything in his sight. Tears streamed down his face as the young girl stared up at him with the same look of horror she had given the Colossus.
As it raised its foot and prepared to stomp, Ben looked deep into the girl’s glimmering, tear-filled eyes. He latched onto her protectively as the beast’s foot came down in a whirlwind of flame and darkness. When he opened his eyes, he found himself trapped in the monstrosity's body that Aka Manah had turned him into as it continued its rampage.
I don’t get it, Ben thought. I was just down there. Why…?
Then he remembered. The village, the young girl, everything he had just seen. It was all in his head. The illusion of him trying to save everyone was nothing more than his mind softening the blow of the horrors he was being forced to commit. He clenched his teeth and quivered as his body and the Colossus moved against his will.
I never wanted this. Why? Why is this happening?
In the end, all Ben could do was watch as he thought of the lives below that he was damning to a fiery, horrifying death. The cries of the innocents rang out as the roar of flames silenced them forever. Down on the burnt, disturbed ground, he saw something. Among the bloodstains and ash, he saw the tattered remains of a stuffed animal, one he knew belonged to the girl.
I’m sorry, Ben thought one last time with tears in his eyes as the darkness took him once more.
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Raziel didn’t seem at all pleased that Zachariel had to carry him. For the entire duration of the flight, his face shriveled like a pouting child.
As soon as he had reached a mountain peak close to the Demon Colossus, Zachariel dropped Raziel onto it and landed nearby. Michael was already zipping around the monster, cutting, slashing, stabbing, looking for a way to crack open the armor and reach inside the chest where Ben was housed. Gabriel mainly distracted the beast, flying around its head and keeping its attention away from his fellow archangel.
Zachariel eyed the devastation below the beast. The villages were crushed underfoot and burnt to ash and cinder, a good portion of its inhabitants with it. Those who survived were desperately trying to flee but were met with the daunting realization that their only route to safety was a narrow passage between the towering mountains, leading them further north.
Toward the Fortress, most likely, Zachariel thought, clenching his jaw. Whatever demon had devised the plan, they certainly knew what they were doing. The whole time, they were after Ben, to turn him into the monstrosity that he was now. Now, the entire realm was slowly being destroyed, the people systematically slaughtered. It was an insidious plan, so cruel in its architecture. Above all, it had taken everything from him: his village, his life, and perhaps even his daughter.
Wait, Zachariel’s wings went rigid. Where is Ariana?
“Raziel!” he called. “You said Ariana had made it out of the city, correct?”
“As far as I could tell, yes.” Raziel grimaced. “Given that they succeeded in their corruption of Ben, I’m not so sure now.”
Zachariel stared back at the Demon Colossus that was Benjamin Blake as it fought the angels. He couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the creature before him, once his daughter's dear friend. And now, because of his failure to act, his worst fears had come to fruition. Ariana was likely among the crushed bodies that lay at the foot of the beast.
No, I can’t allow myself to think like that. She must be alive.
Zachariel drew his blade and slid down the mountainside, pushing himself off and tearing into the sky to join his angel comrades. Behind him, Raziel formed his armor and charged forward.
The first strike Zachariel made was at the ankle of the beast, though his blazing sword had barely made a dent in the demonic armor. It twisted and lunged at him. In response, Zachariel tucked his wings in and flew under the arm. As he did, he caught a brief glimpse of Ben deep within, using a large crack in the armor. His face seemed rigid, his expression passive. His eyes held upside-down pentagrams, a sign of the demon corruption that controlled him.
In that slow moment, Ben slowly turned to meet his gaze. The same eyes that held the demonic symbols soon shed tears. Zachariel dodged another strike and flew behind the beast.
Poor Ben, he thought. He didn’t want this to happen, either.
Zachariel ducked, avoiding a fiery blast from the massive titan as he and Raziel regrouped a couple hundred feet away.
“That armor is too strong. I can’t break it, even near the cracks,” Raziel said. “But there may yet be a way.”
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
Raziel gestured to Michael, who continued to distract the beast. “He is the highest Archangel. If the legends are true, he is also the strongest. We can use that to our advantage.”
“How so?” Zachariel inquired as he avoided a random chunk of debris.
“Momentum,” Raziel explained. “That beast has a giant pair of wings. Let's put them to use, and get him to fly into the atmosphere, where…”
Raziel was interrupted by the foot of the colossus, which had attempted to stomp him into the ground, but he had dodged.
Zachariel, too, had to avoid the foot of the giant. He spread his wings and took to the air above it. Raziel never got to finish explaining his plan, but he had heard enough to understand it. First off, they needed Ben to fly high enough into the atmosphere, and to do that, they needed his undivided attention.
“Gabriel!” His voice echoed through the air as Zachariel shouted, trying to overpower the mighty roar of the titan beneath him. “I need you to make Ben angry!”
“Why would we want that?” Gabriel shook his head and glanced at Zachariel warily, as if he had gone insane. “Isn't that the exact opposite of what we're trying to do?”
“Just trust me,” Zachariel said, his eyes meeting his friend’s. Gabriel gave him one final questioning look before he descended below and hurled insults, slashing uselessly at the face of the Colossus. The beast retaliated by flapping its massive wings, sending multiple rows of trees and Raziel flying into the side of a nearby cliff.
That’s it, Ben! Zachariel thought. Use your wings!
“Michael!” Zachariel turned to the other archangel. “Fly up there and be ready!”
Michael nodded and soared into the sky, his blue wings a mere flash as he entered the atmosphere. Zachariel turned to Raziel, who had recovered. He tore off the rest of his shredded cloak and pulled out his sword, his scarlet eyes meeting the angel’s.
“Gabriel, now!” Raziel called. “Lead him skyward, toward Michael!”
Gabriel hurriedly complied and launched himself into the sky. To Zachariel’s relief, the colossus stretched his wings, crouched down, then sprung into the air, tearing the ground below into millions of shards of debris. With each beat, the wings produced a deafening boom that shook the entire mountain range.
The Demon Colossus progressed further into the sky. It stretched its hand, reaching for Gabriel. Michael rocketed down from the upper atmosphere, hurling at the titan like a flaming meteor. He pounded the beast in the chest, sending a resounding shock wave that snapped through the air. It fell back to the ground, landing on its back with a thundering crash that cracked the mountains nearby. After the dust cleared, the beast lay on the ground, hand outstretched, not moving. The glowing eyes of the colossus faded completely.
Zachariel sighed in relief as the two angels landed next to him. “Alright, now we help Raziel extract the—”
He never finished his sentence. An inferno erupted from the dormant colossus, vaporizing everything in eyesight. They would have been destroyed too, had Raziel not jumped in and formed a protective barrier using his own fire.
Zachariel stared ahead, eyes wide as a silhouette walked through the whirlwind of flame. It was Benjamin Blake, eyes blazing with a stare that burned into them, even from a thousand feet away.
Raziel grunted as his shield dropped. He fell to his knees. The surrounding air was scorching. Ash and ember danced across the sky. The Soraphim stood and charged at Ben but was shoved aside and slammed into the ground. Ben raised his fist, forming a blade to finish him.
Gabriel darted over and tackled him, trying to restrain him. Ben slipped from his grip, pummeled the Archangel in the gut and attempted to stomp his leg. Michael and Zachariel joined as they tried to restrain him, even putting him in a headlock.
For a moment, Ben stopped resisting. Then he smiled wickedly.
“Die.”
The three archangels and Raziel narrowly avoided the new blast that erupted from him, jumping into the air. Zachariel landed in front of him, meeting his twisted gaze.
“Ben,” he begged. “Stop this. Please.”
With a glare, Ben locked eyes with him, the pentagrams in his eyes burning brightly.
“Just look at what you’ve done,” he began. “Look at all this. This isn’t you. It isn’t what Ariana would have wanted.”
“Ari…?” The glare finally faded; Ben’s expression softened. “I-I didn’t want…”
“Where is she, Ben?” Zachariel asked. “Where is Ariana?”
“I don’t…” Ben clutched his head, the demonic seals in his eyes glowing brighter, struggling to keep their control over him. “I don’t want her to—”
“Come with us.” Zachariel held out his hand. “We can find her. Together.”
“I can’t stop it.” Ben met his gaze as his body shook. He collapsed to the ground, the black venom in his body pulsing beneath his pale skin. “Please. You have to kill me.”
Zachariel gripped his blade. Now was his chance to do what he should have done the moment Ben had been corrupted. He wanted to press forward, plunge the blade into him, and end the madness once and for all. His body, however, would not let him move. Instead, he lowered his weapon. “Fight it, Ben. I know you can.”
Ben looked up, his eyes still conflicted as the corruption desperately tried to keep him subdued. With surprising speed, he charged at Zachariel like a thunderbolt.
The angel ducked to avoid his punch and socked him in the gut, sending him flying back. “Ben! Stop this right now!”
The corrupted Ben skidded to a halt as a large, hellfire-laden scythe materialized in his right hand. He glared at Zachariel, and soon the two clashed. His hellfire weapon twirled and swung wildly as he stepped back, dodging most of the attacks and blocking others.
With an inhuman scream, Ben swung the scythe down, the sound of metal slicing through the air. Zachariel quickly blocked and kicked him away, sending the ethereal blade clattering to the ground as it dissipated completely. Ben recovered from being thrown and glared at him, the upside-down pentagram in his eyes blazing as his armor began to reform. “You know what has to happen.”
“I won’t do it, Ben.” Zachariel eyed him with pity. “We can still fix this.”
“Ever since I came here, I’ve brought nothing but death. The villages, the people, the city, and—” The poor boy struggled with the words, “—Ariana, are gone. Because of me.”
Zachariel stared as the flames engulfed Ben’s body. Tears flowed from his blood-red eyes.
“I couldn’t protect her. It’s all my fault. I don’t even know if she’s still alive!” Ben threw a jet of flame at him, which Zachariel promptly dodged. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else. I just want to die.”
Zachariel felt his gut turn in knots as he heard the words leave his mouth. He knew how much pain Ben already was in, and the demonic poison was only adding to it.
Poor boy, the angel thought as he lowered his blade. He isn’t even himself anymore.
Surprising him, Ben leapt forward, attempting to drive his fist into Zachariel’s chest. In the split second he had to react, Zachariel raised his blade and plunged it through the boy, stopping him mid-strike.
“No!” Raziel shouted.
The demonic seal faded from Ben’s eyes. Zachariel withdrew the blade and caught him, helping him down to the ground. He looked at the wound, a few inches below his right lung. Enough for him to bleed out, but not instant death.
“I-I’m sorry.” Ben looked up at him, his eyes glazing over as blood seeped from his mouth. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Zachariel eyed his blood-soaked blade he had used to impale him. Ben slowly nodded, his breath shaky.
“Please.”
Gritting his teeth, Zachariel reversed his grip and raised it. The tip of the blade hovered a few inches above Ben’s face. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke-filled air as he prepared to strike him down.
Zachariel paused for a moment and looked Ben in the eye. In that second, he imagined the look of horror on his daughter’s face when the news would be broken to her, that he had killed the only friend she had ever truly had. He hesitated; his hand that held the blade shook.
I'm sorry, but this must be done, for Ariana's sake and for the people of New Eden, Zachariel somberly thought. I’m sorry you weren’t given the chance to live a good life with Ariana, that fate had given you such a curse.
“May the Creator bestow his mercy on your soul, Ben,” the angel whispered as he lowered his sword to deal the killing blow. Raziel darted forward, knocked the blade from Zachariel’s hand, and kicked him into a nearby uprooted tree. Michael and Gabriel immediately responded by drawing their own weapons and pointing them threateningly at the Soraphim.
“What are you doing? Stand down!” Gabriel demanded.
Raziel held his blade defensively. “If you want to kill Ben, you’ll have to go through me!”
Gabriel lowered his weapon and took a step towards him, trying to reason with him. “As long as Ben lives, he endangers everyone here. Zachariel is right. He needs to be stopped.”
Raziel didn't move. “He has been stopped. Since when have angels dealt the death penalty to those that were not demons?”
“The boy, as of now, is no different,” Zachariel told him, recovering and gripping his blade.
“Ben is innocent. Innocent as the day Ariana found him!” Raziel spun to confront Zachariel. “Ask yourself this: how dangerous was Ben before he was bitten? How many people did he kill?”
“But the people that lost their lives in the villages—”
“Those people that died in those villages, they were the fault of the demons and no one else. So why kill him?” Raziel asked? “We have a chance to clear him of the darkness. Would your Creator also condemn the killing of an innocent?”
“What of my daughter, Raziel? She was innocent!” Zachariel snapped. “She is captured or dead because of him!”
“Ariana loved him, Zachariel, despite everything that has happened. He sacrificed the chance for revenge on one who had hurt him down on Earth in exchange for a promise that he had made to her.”
“What promise?”
Raziel rose to his full height as he allowed his sword to drop to his side. “That he would remain who he was, and not the monster he thought himself to be. Whatever caused his transformation into the monstrosity we fought, it wasn’t his choice!”
Zachariel paused, soaking in Raziel’s words. He remembered Ariana's ecstatic face as she described Ben, the way they danced at the music festival, or their impromptu performance that he watched from a distance. Never had he seen his daughter’s eyes so full of life, then when she was with him.
He hesitated. Ariana had seen the good in Ben. Raziel has seen it too, and both were right. Ben wasn’t evil. He never meant to bring all the destruction. He was simply a lost soul, not unlike the others who came to New Eden.
Zachariel let out a weary sigh before walking over to retrieve his sword. Raziel, assuming he was about to attack Ben once more, raised his own weapon defensively. The angel quelled those fears by sheathing the blade, picking Ben up from the ground instead. The poor boy’s body was constantly twitching, the blood flowing from his wound.
The angel spread his wings. “We will bring Ben to the pool. We will try to cleanse him of the darkness—” he looked at Raziel as the Soraphim sheathed his own blade, “—and we will give Ben a chance. It's what Ariana and The Creator would want.”
Raziel's face soon reflected his relief as Gabriel walked over to him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You've made the right choice, angel. Ben will come out of the water a good person, and together we will find your daughter. That, I promise you.”
Zachariel gazed skyward as the storm clouds had parted to reveal a ray of light that shone on a mountain close to where they were. With any luck, it would be the Pool of Eden that they sought.
Please, he begged the Creator as they took off into the air. Please tell me I have made the right decision.