Ben opened his eyes to a blue sky, the white and gray clouds slowly trudging across it. He looked to his side, where a blonde, beautiful girl laid in the meadow next to him, her hand intertwined with his. It was then that he realized who it was.
Ariana, he thought, her name is Ariana.
The moment he laid eyes on her, everything that had happened came rushing back into his head. Untold death and destruction, families torn apart, all at his hands. But there was also more, those crucial moments he had spent with her: the dancing, the battles, and finally, their kiss in the Creator’s timeless realm.
Ben froze as he remembered why he was sent back. He had to find the remaining Soraphim and his sister, Lilly.
He knelt over and started shaking Ariana, whose eyes fluttered open and glittered in the gentle sun. She sat up, a few pieces of golden wheat sticking out of her hair. Her eyes widened once she saw him.
“Ben,” she began, gripping her chest. “We’re here. On Earth.”
“Yeah,” he said, giving himself a moment to take it all in.
“That means we have to find your sister, and the other Soraphim…”
“I know, but first...” Ben reached for her and hugged her tight to his chest. His heartbeat thumped in his ears. It was the first moment of peace that they had in forever, and for the moment, he just wanted to sit there with Ariana in his arms and enjoy it. After an hour in each other’s embrace, they released each other with a gentle smile.
“Well, I guess we have a job to do,” he said, not wanting the moment to end.
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Ariana’s smile morphed into a frown. She must have felt the same.
“I know.” A low growl erupted from Ariana’s stomach. “Can we get something to eat first? I don’t think I've eaten anything since the Sky City.”
Ben nodded and instinctively checked his pockets. To his surprise, he found a few dollar bills, different from what he remembered. As he reached deeper for change, he felt something. Sharp, slightly jagged, and smooth, all at the same time. He pulled it out to find it was a seashell, the same one from the Sea of Stars. Ben swallowed as he clenched it in his fist, holding it to his chest.
No matter what, he thought, I will find you, Lilly. We’ll visit the beach again one day.
Inhaling sharply, Ben stood and offered Ariana his free hand. She smiled and rose from the ground, interlocking his hands with hers. They walked down the endless road to a building in the shimmering distance. The fields of wheat fluttered in the wind on either side as the breeze gently egged them on.
Ben glanced at Ariana as they walked. Her green shirt was torn, her matted blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders. She stared at the setting sun, the tall, golden grass dancing in the wind. It reminded him of Riverglade, though he was sure that Ariana was thinking the same thing. He knew that deep down she was grieving, scared, and more anxious than she had let on. Beneath it all, however, her eyes sparkled with joy and her smile radiated happiness as she stood there with him.
His lips curled up. He was glad that, despite what they had gone through, that they had made it together. She loved him, even when he was losing himself to the demonic infection. The truth was, Ben loved her back…more than anything.
Ariana stopped in her tracks as she gazed over the golden fields as the day faded, slowly giving way to the darkness of the night sky. A gigantic mass of black clouds rumbled in the distance. Her smile slowly melted into a frown.
“Hey, Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“We really are alone, aren’t we?” she asked, her lips curled down.
Ben paused, meeting her frightened gaze. He turned to look at the storm clouds that were forming and saw a ray of light pierce the darkness. From that light, somehow, he knew that the Creator, Zachariel, and Kira were watching over them.
“No,” Benjamin Blake said as he brought Ariana’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. “We are not alone.”
END OF BOOK ONE