Ben took his hoodie and pressed it to Zachariel’s wound as Aromiel flew them back to the Pool of Eden.
“You’re gonna be okay, you hear?” Ben said, trying to encourage the angel. “You’re gonna get healed and you and Ariana can go back to the life you had, okay?”
Zachariel opened his eyes and smiled warmly as blood dripped from his lips. “I-I thank you, but that life is gone.”
“Come on, man!” Ben said as he brushed some of his wind-blown hair from his face. “Don’t say that. You’re so close, you don’t even know it. You and Ari are gonna be happy again, and I’m not gonna ruin it this time.” He pressured the wound a little more. “I promise. Just stay with me.”
“You know, Ben? I never wanted to admit it, but…” The angel coughed blood. “…you’re a good man. I-I’m sorry for trying to take your life.”
Ben forced a smile as he re-wrapped the blood-soaked hoodie. “Don’t get all mushy on me now. You can kick my ass all you want, but you gotta stick around. For Ari.”
Ariana turned, her breaths shallow as tears streamed down her face. She quickly wiped them, encouraging the six-winged bird to move faster.
“How far are we to the pool?” Ben asked, never taking his eyes from the angel’s wound.
“I—” Ariana strained her eyes, trying to see through the billowing smoke from the battle. “I can’t see it. Where is it?”
As they searched, they caught sight of two shimmering ribbons of light, one of them blue and the other silver. They were the two archangels, Michael and Gabriel, flying around and observing the damage left by the fierce battle. Ben waved to them. Gabriel zipped forward and came alongside. His silver eyes widened in horror.
“What happened?” he asked.
“He’s hurt,” Ben said. “We need to find the pool. Now!”
Gabriel nodded and led them, Michael not far behind. They swerved and ducked through the smoke that filled the dark sky until they finally found it. They landed, skidding near the edge of the pool.
Michael, Gabriel, and Ben carefully moved Zachariel from the eagle’s back and onto a nearby rock close to the pool. They dipped the angel’s hand in the water, and to their horror, nothing happened. The otherworldly power that was present in the pool before was now gone.
No, Ben thought, his heartbeat thumped in his ears. Please, no…
“It’s not working!” Gabriel shouted in frustration as he ran his hands through his silver hair. He knelt next to his comrade, his eyes quivering. “Who did this to you?”
Zachariel opened his mouth to speak, though nothing came out but a rasp as he struggled for breath.
“Was it Raziel?” Ben knelt by him. “Did he…?”
“No.” The angel shook his head as he looked down at his wound. “D-demon…did this.”
Gabriel nodded, his breaths quick as he took over pressing the wound from Ben, his free hand feeling Zachariel’s forehead. “Well, that doesn’t matter. We’re going to save you, old friend.”
“I’m…not making it,” the angel said as his brimming eyes looked at his daughter. Ben turned to Ariana, who was hyperventilating as tears streamed freely down her cheeks. She scooted close to him and took his hand.
“Dad, don’t. We’re going back home, okay?”
Zachariel brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped some of her tears. Ariana's eyes widened in shock, and she brought her own hands up and held on to his hand.
“Ari…” he began, tears streaming down his own face, “…our home is gone.”
“No, Dad...” Ariana said, lying her head on his chest as she wept. As she looked up, Zachariel reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a little stuffed animal. It was a rabbit, with black buttons for eyes, and a faded mouth sewn in. He handed it to Ariana, who took it and looked at it in shock.
“Mr. Peter?” she asked, grabbing the faded rabbit and clutching it to her chest.
“Being your dad was the greatest honor of my life. I’m so proud of you, Ari.” Zachariel smiled warmly, his eyes glazing over. “Be strong for me. I know you can.”
The angel turned his head to Ben as Ariana latched onto him tightly, crying into his neck. “Ben. I can see the pain, the darkness in you. But I-I also see the good. I want you to promise me something.”
Zachariel offered his hand. Ben gripped it tightly.
“Anything, Sir.”
“I want you to take care of my little girl for me. Protect her, make her the most important thing in your life.”
Ben’s hand shook as tears fell from his face. Everything that had happened was his fault. Nobody would have ever died if he hadn’t come to New Eden and ruined everything. And yet, here he was, being entrusted with the most precious thing in either of their lives. He choked as he struggled to get the words out. “I promise, sir.”
Zachariel nodded solemnly as he hugged his daughter one last time. “I love you, my sweet Ari.”
“I love you too, Dad. Please don’t—”
“Kira? Is that you?” His arms went limp as he smiled. “I’m coming home.”
“Dad, no!”
With one final breath, Zachariel's body turned into light and was whisked away into the sky, his soul transcended beyond death. Ariana was left holding empty air.
After a moment of pure shock, her piercing scream filled the air as she clung onto Ben tightly, seeking comfort in his embrace. Michael and Gabriel stood, their faces downcast at the passing of their friend and comrade.
Pulling back slightly, Ariana scooped up some of the water, watching the last of her father’s light fade away for good as it fell through her fingers. “What am I going to do now?”
“I don’t know, but...” Ben inhaled deeply in a futile attempt to control his tears. “I'm going to take care of you, and make sure that you are safe…no matter what it costs me. Okay?”
“Ben…” Her glistening, azure eyes met his, her cheeks still soaked. “I…”
From behind came a thousand twisted, eerie screeches. They both spun to find an entire horde of demons blotting out the setting sun as they dived toward them.
Ben turned. “Michael! Gabriel! We got—” He froze. There was no sign of the angels, as if they had vanished into thin air. He turned the other way, to find that Aromiel and Ariana were gone too.
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“Damn it!” Ben stood to his feet and attempted to summon his ethereal armor. The flames roared from his body, expanding, burning as a strange orange light erupted behind him and filled his vision.
The light faded, and Ben found the surrounding scenery had changed. In front of him now were two trees—one light, one dark—their trunks crossing, branches reaching out and intertwining in an endless dance...or a battle. Below that was the familiar, shallow water. The stars and galaxies shimmered and reflected in it, stretching as far as his eye could see. Ariana sat next to him, her eyes wide as she stared in both wonder and confusion.
Ben’s heart skipped a beat, his breath quickened. He was back in the Creator’s realm.
“Hello again, Ben,” a familiar voice said. “Welcome, Ariana.”
Ariana latched onto Ben’s arm and hid behind him. “Who said that?”
Ben’s vision briefly blurred as the two trees shifted closer to them. Out of the tree of light came a glowing being. It shifted into a tan-skinned man with long, white hair and infinite eyes, ribbon-like wings of pure light stretched from his back. His cosmic gaze flicked to them.
“You’re…” she stuttered with the words, “…the Creator?”
“I am.”
A wind whipped past them, rippling the never-ending water, shifting the branches in the two trees. Ben stood with Ariana close behind him as he stared at the man in disbelief.
“What am I doing back here?” Ben asked. “We destroyed the fortress, didn’t we?”
“Yes,” the Creator said. “You succeeded.”
“You…” Anger surged through Ben, his fists clenching, “…you call that success?”
“Ben...” Ariana warned.
“We did as you asked, but why? Half the realm is destroyed, the people, some of the angels, and even her father is dead!” Ben growled, ignoring her warning. “So much loss. For what?”
The Creator continued to stay silent, his eyes downcast, shimmering in the light of the surrounding cosmos.
“You said that you’re the one who brought me to New Eden. But why? So I could slaughter innocents and ruin lives?” Ben clenched his jaw, then continued his rant. “What the hell was the point of it all?”
The Creator met his eyes as Ben seethed. His infinite gaze turned to Ariana.
“I brought you to New Eden so you could find her.”
The two of them quickly exchanged glances. Ariana’s face reflected confusion and blatant shock, whilst Ben was filled with horror.
“Her dad died…so I could find her and ruin their lives?”
“He died because he sacrificed his life in Raziel’s stead.” The Creator grimaced. “I can't share what was on someone else's mind at the time of their decision. In the end, Zachariel's thoughts were his own.”
Ariana froze, her grip on Ben’s arm tightened. “He saved Raziel?”
The Creator nodded solemnly.
“Can you bring him back?” She stepped past Ben, tears in her azure eyes. “It shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”
“I’m sorry. I cannot,” he said simply, his voice itself heavy with grief. Ariana’s lips quivered, her jaw quivering.
“Why not?” Ben growled. “Otherwise, what’s the point of that infinite power of yours?”
“The path,” the Creator began as he looked up, almost longingly, at the twin trees. The branches, a mix of light and dark, seemed to engage in a slow, endless battle as they stretched and intertwined. “It must be followed. No matter the pain, nor the suffering.”
Ben knelt and hugged Ariana tight, trying to comfort her. It wasn’t fair that she should lose so much. Her home, her father, her life, all gone because of him. He slowly rose and faced the Creator.
“I should have been the one to die,” Ben said, his fists clenched tight.
“Ben, no!” Ariana protested. “Don’t—”
“I just don’t understand,” Ben continued. “You said I was sent here to meet her, but why?”
The Creator closed his eyes, and the scenery around Ben warped until he found himself amid his previous vision, the one with his grown-up sister and her comrades, Jess, James, Sean, and Cassie, as they all died in brutal, horrific ways, their bodies broken across a ruined cityscape. Lilly alone had survived and was facing a large monstrosity that looked like a black Nephilim Shell encased in twisted metal.
Ben shook himself out of it, finding himself back in the timeless realm with Ariana. “What was that?”
“Why ask that, which you already know?” the Creator asked. “They are like you. All of them.”
Soraphim, Ben thought, so Raziel was right all along.
The Creator continued. “I want you to go back to Earth. Find them and prepare them for the coming storm.”
“What storm?” Ariana asked, a look of blatant shock affixed to her face.
“One that will tear the Earth asunder. It will come steadily, and take its time, but I assure you, with each blast of the trumpet, it will arrive. And with it, shall come Death itself.”
Without warning, Ben was hit with another vision, the same one he had before. Countless bodies strewn about, the blackened earth, the blood-red ocean, and finally, the eyes. The judgmental eyes and burning fire that had plagued him throughout his entire time in New Eden.
“Wait…” Ben said, his hand outstretched. “…that thing in my vision. You saw it, right? Is that the storm?”
The Creator nodded, though his eyes seemed almost apprehensive.
“So, I find the others, and we stop whatever that thing is, right?”
“It—” the Creator hesitated, “—it is something that must be overcome, yes. Choices must be made. Understand that it will all make sense…in time.”
Ben looked at Ariana, then back at the Creator. A violent, whipping wind came from the void, pushing the low mist that initially glided along the ground until it swirled around the twin trees, coming to rest between the light and the dark.
His eyes widened as he realized what it was. A way back to Earth, to his sister and fellow Soraphim.
“The paths are not set, the future unclear, but in spite of that, you must move forward,” the Creator said, gesturing to the newly formed doorway. “Are you ready to make that choice, Ben?”
----------------------------------------
Ariana watched as the Creator gestured to the strange portal between the trees. “Are you ready to make that choice, Ben?”
Ben hesitated, his fists shaking with indecision. After what felt like an endless wait, he finally broke the silence with his words.
“Alright. I’ll do it,” Ben said, stepping forward to the portal, reaching out before Ariana cried out. He turned around sharply as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Ari?” He asked. “What’s wrong?”
Ariana latched onto him tightly as she choked on her tears. She didn’t want the last person she loved in her life to leave her behind.
“Please,” she begged. “Don’t leave me. You’re all I have left now.”
“Ariana…” the Creator said, his voice soft. “It’s okay. Make your feelings known.”
“Feelings?” Ben’s eyes widened. He looked first at the Creator, then back at her. “Ari…?”
Ariana stood up straight and gazed into his lovely, storm-gray eyes. The memories flooded through her mind like a raging river, from the moment they met in Leanoir forest, through all the hardships they faced together, to now. Every second she spent with him, she realized, had led to this moment.
Time seemed to freeze. Ariana locked her glistening eyes with his, her will crumbling under his beautiful, loving stare. She was losing the courage to tell him what she had hid from him for so long.
Suck it up, girl! the voice in her head encouraged, tell him the truth!
“Benjamin Blake…” Ariana began, taking a deep breath as she slipped her hands into his, “…I love you. I don’t want to spend a second more away from you. So please, don’t leave me. I need you.”
Ben’s eyes widened; his mouth gaped open as if he too came to that same realization. Smiling, he gripped her hands, staring into her tear-filled eyes. They embraced, holding onto each other so tight that nothing in this world or the next one, nor the one after that could separate them.
They loosened their hug as Ben wiped the tears from her cheek, the ethereal wind blowing his dark hair from his face so that she could gaze directly at him.
“Ari,” he said. “We experienced so much together. Despite all I’ve done, you stayed with me. I wouldn’t want to leave you. Never again. I promise.”
As Ariana buried her head into his shoulder, she felt his warmth and looked up at him, finding solace in his eyes. She inched her nose close to where his was until they touched.
Finally, their lips collided. Time moved again as they kissed, their arms wrapped tightly around each other. They broke off the kiss and looked deep into each other’s eyes. Despite everything they had gone through, all the loss, death and heartbreak, they had each other.
So that’s why I met you, she thought with a smile, for this moment.
“Can I go with him?” Ariana looked at the Creator as he stood in front of the doorway. “Whatever he has to do, I’m not going to let him do it alone.”
The Creator stepped forward. He laid a hand on each of their shoulders, his firm stare meeting Ben’s.
“The things that will happen beyond that door will test you. Your soul will feel pain unlike anything you have felt before.” He turned. “But you will be there for him. You will be his rock, as he is yours. Whatever you face, you face together.”
“We’ll do our best, uh…sir,” Ben said, taking Ariana’s hand with a smile. “I’ll make all this worth something in the end.”
“Right.” Ariana smiled warmly as she squeezed his hand. “We’ll do this. Together.”
“Now be strong. Both of you.” The Creator gazed, brows creased as if a father watching his child leave home for the first time. “It is good to see you two together again.”
The ethereal wind whipped through the air, causing them both to stare at him in confusion. Slowly, they turned back to him and nodded.
The Creator smiled. He moved aside and gestured for them to enter the door. Ben and Ariana took a tentative step forward, looked at each other, and stepped through. There was a bright flash of light as they were whisked away by some unknown force. Time and the cosmos blew by in a whirlwind as they held on tight to each other, ready for whatever the coming storm would throw at them.
Now, Benjamin Blake and Ariana Winters were headed to Earth.