When Ben had regained consciousness, every nerve in his body felt like it was on fire. His eyes shot open, the pain sinking in, along with the realization that he was halfway buried underneath a pile of rubble. Small trails of blood trickled down his chest from three holes in his shirt.

How did I get here? Ben grunted as he shoved some bricks off his body. He grunted, finding that his right shoulder had become dislocated. With a clenched jaw, he forced it back into place.

Not far in front of him, a ragged creature landed, bat-like wings tucked in. Its skinny body cast a long shadow as sharp claws slid out from its fingertips. It flashed Ben a twisted smile.

Oh. Right. One of these ugly things threw me into a building.

Ben finished digging himself out as he scrambled to his feet, blood seeping from his lips. The demon inched closer.

“Nowhere to run, cutie,” it hissed.

“Cutie? What do you…” Ben’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “Gross.”

“Come with me. Now.”

“Go to hell,” Ben snapped.

Her wide, ragged mouth curled, pushing aside her wicked grin. She leapt at Ben, claw outstretched. He barely dodged, ducking under her swing as he skittered out of the ruined building.

Ben continued to sprint, his breaths labored as he darted around several corners. He tried to make a break straight for the town square, where he last saw Ariana, but found a panicked crowd of people in his way. The demon was still hot on his tail. He cursed.

Can’t go that way, he realized. Otherwise, I’ll be leading this demon right to them.

His eyes darted frantically towards the town square, where he glimpsed Ariana battling for her life. Reluctantly, Ben sprinted away, drawing his pursuer with him.

Please, Ari. Stay alive.

Behind him, Ben heard the demon’s ragged wings flap, its claws occasionally scratching the ground as it tried and missed him. He kept up the chase, ensuring his movements were erratic and unpredictable as he rounded the buildings to lose his attacker.

Come on, come on, Ben thought. Back off already!

As Ben continued to flee, he heard the desperate cry of a child ring out from inside one of the buildings. His eyes widened as he dared to stop and look back.

“Mom! Dad! Someone! Help me!”

The demon stopped chasing him. She froze and hovered as she listened. A sadistic grin carved itself onto her already twisted lips.

“Oh, my,” the demon teased. “Poor child. Someone should go help him.”

Brows furrowing, Bens listened for the source of the noise. It was coming from the building next to him. He ducked inside and slammed the door in the demon’s face as he shoved a chair under the doorknob. The ugly creature he assumed was Marge or Bailey slammed against the door repeatedly.

Ben spun around. “Hey, kid! Where are you?”

Slowly, the child came out from behind a large chair. He was a young boy, roughly six or seven years of age. Auburn, curly hair sprung from atop his head.

“H-hi, mister,” the kid said. “You’re not a demon, are you?”

“No, of course not!” Ben knelt next to the kid. “My name is Ben. I’m here to help, okay bud? What’s your name?” Behind him, the door shook as the demon continued to slam against it.

“Billy,” the kid said, hugging Ben tight. “I need help. I can’t find my mom and dad.”

“I’ll help you find them, but first we need to get out of here, okay?” Ben placed a reassuring hand on the kid’s head as he frantically searched the empty room. “Is there another way out?”

“No.” Billy shook his head. “Just that door, where the monster is.”

“Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do.” Ben glanced behind him. With each blow from the demon, the wood of the door splintered and cracked. He grit his teeth and faced the boy once more. “You’re gonna hide when the demon comes in, then when I distract it, you’re gonna run, okay? Just run as hard as you can.”

The kid nodded. “Okay, mister.” Obeying, Billy ran and hid behind the chair again, his innocent eyes peeking from behind.

Ben looked around the room for anything that he could use to fend off their attacker. He found a small table and broke off one leg into a large stake. A screech rang out from behind the door, followed by the flapping of wings.

Then the door shattered to pieces.

Raising his makeshift weapon, Ben prepared to attack, but found that the demon wasn’t there. In its stead stood Zachariel, his sword raised.

Ben sighed with relief. “Okay, good. There's a kid—” He tried to step forward, but a sharp blade pressed against his throat, silencing him. The angel glared at him.

“Where. Is. Ariana?”

“Town square.” Ben answered quickly, raising his hands. The angel moved forward, pressuring the blade closer. “The first demon was there, and she attacked. We got separated.”

Zachariel’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in here?”

“I was running from the demon and then I heard this kid screaming for help. He’s right h—” Ben spun around to find that Billy was now gone. “—here?”

“I don’t see a child,” Zachariel noted, his voice still firm.

“I…” Ben blinked, confused. “Unless he slipped out when I wasn’t looking.”

Zachariel continued to eye him before finally removing the blade from Ben’s throat. “Fine. We need to go find her.” He grabbed Ben by the shirt and shoved him out into the street, “Town square is…”

The angel stopped, his grip on his blade tightening. Atop two opposite buildings sat the other two demons, Marge and Bailey. They stared down, heads tilted. They flexed their claws and flapped their wings, as if vultures waiting to tear into a fresh kill.

Ben raised his wooden stake defensively. “I take one, you take the other?”

“Don’t be an idiot.” Zachariel’s sword suddenly brimmed with fire. “You know they will kill you. I’m going to distract them while you run to find Ari.”

“Distract them?” Ben asked. “Are you sure one of them won’t go after me?”

“No.” Zachariel’s brows furrowed. “So, when you run, run fast.”

Ben inhaled slowly; his legs tensed. “Okay. Count of three?”

The angel nodded.

“One…two…go!” Zachariel lunged into the air after the demons, slashing. The first met his challenge, a blade of her own clashing against his. The second demon broke off and chased after Ben.

Ben ducked her first attack as he sprinted toward the town square. He glanced back, seeing the demon only a few feet from him. Straining his legs, he bolted even faster and turned into an alleyway, attempting to shake her. She kept on him like a dog nipping his ankles, nearly catching him.

Come on, come on. Ben's heart raced as he darted down the dimly lit alleyway, urging himself to move faster. The demon landed behind him, claws scraping the stone as she skidded to a halt.

“Nowhere to hide now,” she hissed.

Ben looked forward again. She was right. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. It was a dead end. He cursed as he spun around, trapped. If he wanted to get out and save Ariana, then his last option was to fight. He faced the she-demon, teeth bared.

The demon smirked. “Oh, so you intend to fight, don’t you? Good. Make this enjoyable for me.”

Ben lunged forward with the wooden stick, the sound of splintering wood echoing through the air as his makeshift weapon shattered. The demon nearly sank her claws into him as leapt back and rolled. Blood dripped from his shirt, and his vision blurred.

“So close.” The demon grinned. “Next time, I won’t miss, cutie. Stand down.”

Ben’s body suddenly felt hot, like lava flowing down a mountainside. His blood boiled, heated by rage as smoke started rising from his wound and hands. The demon’s eyes widened.

“So, the master was right,” she said as she continued to inch forward.

Master? Ben shook the thought from his mind. Right now, he didn’t care what she was talking about. All he wanted to do was to take her down.

With a scream, Ben lunged forward after the demon, gripping her spindly arm, his other fastening on its throat. The wings flapped erratically, its body wiggling loose from Ben’s weakening grip. The demon grinned evilly as his hand slipped from the neck; she opened her jaws and bit down hard on his left shoulder, sinking her teeth deep into his skin.

Ben's arm felt like it was being devoured by acid, as if it was melting from the inside out, causing him to writhe in agony. Instinctively, he used his free right arm to manifest a full flame. Shadows erupted from his bite wound and intertwined with it, turning the core of the flame black and the rest a dark red.

Tearing the demon from his arm, Ben slammed her to the ground. The demon's bony leg felt cold and clammy in his grip as she struggled to crawl away. As he pulled, the thin but strong ligaments gave way, snapping one after the other.

Ben felt the demon's writhing body beneath his leg as it screeched in agony. For a moment, the demon morphed into someone else. The pimp who had sold Lilly. A voice echoed in his head.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Kill.

Ben bared his teeth, his brows furrowed. He raised his foot and dug it into the demon’s neck.

“Argh…I’ll-I’ll kill you! I—”

He stomped again, this time harder. Her other leg separated from the rest of her body as it disintegrated.

“N-no…please…”

With each stomp, Ben ground the demon into the earth until it was limbless. He wanted her to feel every second of pain, if it could. He wanted it to burn.

He wanted it to die.

Kill.

Finally, he raised his foot one last time. The demon screamed as Ben smashed its head, shattering it into dust. He exhaled, a low growl emitting from his throat.

Ben opened his eyes and looked at his hands, now ablaze with the black and red flame. The shadow and fire danced until he clenched his fists. He felt renewed, powerful, like he could annihilate any demon. A plethora of them, even.

Suddenly, a scream echoed from the town square nearby. Someone Ben recognized.

Ariana.

His body trembled as the fire reignited and spread from his hands.

If she lays so much as one finger on her…

Ben released that building rage in a bloody scream, his body now covered in the dark flames, his eyes blazing red.

Kill.

Ben glared in the scream’s direction. No, I will save her. Whatever this is—this hellfire—will see to that.

----------------------------------------

Ariana was getting tired of dodging Alexis' attacks, which seemed to be never-ending. Her claws were like curved, sharp knives, ready to rend her to pieces.

Ariana dodged, watching the she-demon instead dig them into the picnic table where she and Ben had been sitting previously. She almost fell, but her years of dance practice came to her aid as she regained her balance.

Come on Ari! You got this! the voice in Ariana’s head said.

Yeah, I just have to keep focused and keep from being torn to pieces, Ariana thought between breaths as she dodged attack after attack. She noticed a nearby chair from one of the other tables and decided it would make a decent offensive weapon.

After missing yet another swipe from the demon’s claws, Ariana manifested what little courage she had in a war cry, picked up the chair, and shattered it across the she-demon’s face.

“Ha!” Ariana spat. “Take that, you—”

Alexis towered over her, with sunken, beady eyes glaring, dashing both her taunts and hopes. Ariana stood, her courage fading as she held the remains of the chair, before dropping them and backing away. The demon raised its claws, and Ariana squeezed her eyes shut, prepared for the oncoming death blow that was sure to happen.

It didn’t. A large plume of black and red smoke erupted from the side, dragging Alexis across the town square. The arm that was about to strike Ariana was lying on the ground, separated from the demon.

“I’ll kill you! I—”

The demon never got the chance. Ben had put her in a headlock, shifted his grip, and finished her with a twist of his arms; the snap was so loud it might have echoed across the whole town. A few curious villagers came out of hiding to see the demon’s body dissipate in front of him, leaving Ben the victor.

I can’t believe it, Ariana thought. Ben’s alive! I—

As Ariana moved in for a hug, she paused, struck by the unfamiliar color of his eyes. Instead, they were an insidious, glowing crimson.

A cloud of black smoke encircled Ben like an asteroid belt. It lingered in a spiral column of soot and ash as if bound by his own personal field of gravity, wrapped in an aura of dark power. His head slowly turned to look at Ariana. When he saw her, he flashed a wide, sadistic grin. She paled.

The smoke dissipated. Ben’s eyes returned to normal, and he collapsed onto the street, unconscious. Ariana immediately ran over to him, her breaths quick and shallow. She flipped him over on his back and pressed her ear against his chest. His heartbeat was there. A very faint, irregular rhythm, but there, nonetheless.

Ariana sighed with relief. Fortunately, Ben wasn’t dead, but something about him had changed. The smoke, the flames, and above all, the way he had killed it. It was…effortless. Merciless, even.

Kill. The word that Ben used in his nightmares, calling for Lilly, stuck in her mind. A shiver crawled up Ariana’s spine like a spider up a tree, possibilities crossing her thoughts, each more terrifying than the next, but none more so than the one that held her in that moment.

Was Dad right? Ariana wondered. Is Ben dangerous?

Behind her, she heard the flutter of Zachariel’s wings, then his approaching footsteps. He walked to her side and knelt.

“Sorry I’m late. I only just vanquished that first demon.” Zachariel froze upon seeing Ben. “What happened to him? Is he okay?”

“He saved me, Dad,” Ariana said, stuttering. “But…”

Zachariel looked over at the pile of dust that had once been the she-demon and back at Ben.

“How did he do this?”

“I don’t know. Ben flew over and grabbed the demon…” Ariana stammered. She had no explanation for what she saw Ben do. It was scaring her as well.

Zachariel’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, he ‘flew’ over?”

The words failed to escape Ariana’s lips. Soon, she noticed other people crowding around his unconscious body. Her chest tightened, and her jaw clenched.

“Dad, can we please get him back to the house?” Ariana asked her father. “There are too many people here.”

Her father nodded, then looked at the crowd and stood to his full height. “All of you need to leave.”

The people stayed put, their eyes ablaze with curiosity.

“Now!” His wings stretched to their full eighteen-foot wingspan, acting as a barrier.

They scrambled back to their houses, wanting to avoid Zachariel’s wrath. Ariana didn’t blame them, she had faced it before and wanted to avoid doing it again at all costs.

Zachariel collapsed his wings and turned his attention back to Ben. He picked him up off the ground and rushed back toward the house, kicking the door open as he carried him to Ariana’s room, setting him on the bed. He spun to face her.

“Alright, I need to know what happened. Right now.”

Ariana took a deep breath and explained what she had seen, starting with Alexis tossing him into the building.

“…And right as she was about to claw me, this cloud of black smoke appeared, taking her across the square. When it cleared, there stood Ben with a bunch of smoke. Then he passed out.”

Zachariel’s mouth hung open. “He killed the she-demon?”

She nodded. “Yeah, broke her neck. I could probably have heard it across the entire town.”

“He must have put a lot of force into it.” Zachariel eyed the unconscious Ben, putting his hand on his chin as he incoherently whispered, “…but that fire from before…the restaurant. Was I right?”

Ariana interrupted her father. “There’s one more thing, Dad. Ben looked…different.”

The angel’s eyes narrowed. “Different how?”

“His eyes were red and…” Ariana hesitated. “He had this evil smile, like he wanted to hurt people.”

Her father froze. He spun and hastened out to the front of the cottage. With his hands clasped together, he bowed his head and whispered under his breath. The two beams of light pierced through the clouds and illuminated the ground below. As they faded, Ariana could see that they were two of her father’s angel comrades, Kafziel, a messenger, and Daniel, a healer.

Zachariel quickly shook both of their hands as he explained. They nodded and walked into the back room. Daniel beckoned for Ariana to scoot back as he examined Ben.

“Is he gonna be okay?” Ariana asked, craning her head above his shoulder.

Daniel pressed his aged, precise hand against Ben’s head. “I don’t know. I’m not a hundred percent sure, but it almost feels like something is invading him, not unlike a virus.”

“Invading?” Zachariel asked.

Daniel nodded. “Yes, although I don’t…” He froze as he pressed his fingers to Ben’s wrist.

“What is it?” Kafziel asked.

At first, Daniel didn’t answer. He traced his fingers up Ben’s arm, his eyes narrowing. He lifted Ben’s sleeve to find a large, pulsing bite mark, a black venom spreading.

Daniel exhaled sharply. “Of course. One of the demons bit him.”

“A demon bite?” Zachariel’s eye widened. “Can you remove it before it gets too deep?’

The healer nodded and placed his hands on the bite, muttering an incantation. Ben briefly shifted and reached for the angel’s throat. Daniel barely avoided it. His glasses flashed and nearly fell from his nose.

“No good,” the angel said, his chest heaving. “He’s already drawn from it.”

Zachariel grimaced. “How long does he have?”

“I’m not sure. Not long, I imagine.”

Ariana’s gut sank. “Until what?”

Daniel’s eyes lowered. “Until he becomes like one of them. A demon thrall.”

For a moment, Ariana struggled to breathe, her chest tightened. The surrounding voices seemed to fade as she focused on Ben. She felt tears form.

Why did it have to be him?

Her father placed his hand on his sword, drew it from its scabbard, and stepped towards Ben. Ariana quickly put herself in his way.

“Ariana…” Zachariel’s eyes narrowed. “…move.”

“No,” she growled.

With each step forward, he leaned in closer. “You heard Daniel. The infection is already taking root. I don’t want him to hurt you. Or worse.”

“You know he won’t. He’s the one that killed the demons, Dad.”

Zachariel scoffed. “How do you know he won’t kill you next? Or a villager?” He inhaled sharply and looked his daughter in the eye. “I appreciate that he saved your life, but the only thing I can do is put him down before he hurts you or anyone else.”

“Not necessarily, old friend,” Daniel carefully interjected as he briefly exchanged looks with Ariana. “He still seems to be far from that point. I’d venture to say that he’s still human, and therefore protected from the angel’s blade under the code.”

“Have you ever known a human to wield fire, Daniel?”

The angel’s eyes lit up. “Fire?”

Zachariel nodded. “On three different occasions, yes. The first two could have been coincidence. The last one, however, proves my theory once and for all. He can generate it, manipulate it. Use it.”

“That would explain his abnormal body temperature.” Daniel glanced back at Ben as he lay motionless on the bed. “I’ve never known a human to do such things. Perhaps he isn’t one.”

Ariana’s eyes widened. Ben isn’t human?

“So, we don’t know what he is,” Kafziel concluded. His young, impatient eyes narrowed.

“Indeed.” Daniel pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. “Although our old commander might have some idea. Perhaps you should pay him a visit, Zachariel? He still mans the archive.”

“I would love to.” Zachariel’s eyes lowered. “But I can’t leave the village and Ariana undefended.”

Kafziel nudged him. “What, you don’t trust us to handle it?”

Zachariel hesitated. “I do, it’s just—”

“In all our years in the war on Earth, we fought together. Bled together, had each other’s backs.” Daniel smiled, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “So trust me when I say your village is in excellent hands.”

Her father froze for a moment or two, then exchanged looks with both of his angel comrades. He nodded and gestured towards Ariana. “Walk with me.”

Ariana followed Zachariel out to the front of the cottage. He spun to face her. “As you heard, I will be gone for a little while—”

“How long?”

“It’s about half a day’s flight from here, hopefully one at the most. I am leaving you and the village in their hands and Ben in yours. If he wakes up, and neither Daniel nor Kafziel is around, you are to notify them immediately.”

The wind howled as Ariana watched her father spread his wings. “And if he wakes up? What if he’s…not himself?”

Zachariel paused and drew something from beneath his tunic. He tossed her a knife. She reached out and caught it.

“If worse comes to worst, use that.” Zachariel briefly turned and frowned at his daughter. “Now promise me you’ll be safe. No matter what.”

“I promise, Dad.”

On that happy note, he flew into the night in a blur of flashing light. She sighed.

Well, then…that’s just great. Dad wants me to kill him.

Don’t be foolish, girly, the voice said, you know it’s just a last resort.

Ariana examined the blade. It had a golden hilt and guard, with the handle wrapped in black leather. The steel of the blade seemed almost otherworldly, and the thin blue vein running through it pulsed with energy. Also on it was the name, written in the language of the angels.

Omega. The end.

The end of what? Ariana wondered as she sheathed the blade and loosely dropped it into her pocket. She walked back into the house to check on Ben, who was still out cold on her bed. Next to him knelt Daniel, who rubbed his chin in deep thought. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Sorry if I didn’t say something to you earlier, Ari. It’s good to see you.”

Ariana briefly returned it and sat down next to Ben. “Thank you for sticking up for him earlier, Uncle Daniel.”

The angel shrugged. “It’s my job as a healer to preserve life. Besides, I hear he’s a friend of yours.”

She nodded. “I’m worried about him, though. I don’t want him to die. Or worse.”

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “There’s always hope, Ariana.”

“I know.” She sighed, then looked around. “Where did Kafziel go?”

“Already on patrol.” Daniel chuckled. “You know messenger angels. They can’t stay still to save their lives.”

Ariana cracked a brief smile. “Do you mind if I stay with Ben? I know Dad would be worried and whatnot, but…”

Daniel smiled and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’s best practice to keep young Ben in good spirits. It’ll serve well to reduce the spread of the infection and dissuade him from using his fire should he wake up. Also…” Daniel pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. “…I know he’s a dear friend of yours. I wouldn’t separate you from him unless you were in danger.”

Ariana blinked. “You don’t think he’ll hurt me?”

“No. Even if he does, I’m not far, and Kafziel could be here within seconds. Besides, I promised your father I’d keep you and the village safe.”

“Right.” She smiled. “Thank you, Uncle Daniel.”

“Of course. I’ll be just outside the cottage if you need me.” Daniel gave her a reassuring smile before he walked out and shut the front door behind him.

Ariana pulled a chair from the kitchen table and set it next to Ben. She rested her hand on his and laid her blonde head on his chest. The faint, irregular rhythm of his heart pulsed against her ear.

She angled her head and looked at his face. Despite his outward calm, there was a hint of unease in the way he occasionally shifted. His face was rigid, like he was fighting something in his mind. Ariana raised her head and caressed his cheeks as she whispered.

“Ben. Please come back to me.”