She felt the warmth growing within her. “Because of love,” she said and smiled toward the Goddess. “Because You love them, and You love me. Because I love them, and I wanted more than anything to keep them safe and to bring peace to their lives.”
“Yes, child,” She replied. “Only the bravest and humblest souls will sacrifice their own lives so that others may live. I am proud of you.”
She bowed her head and blushed. Then, she sighed and relaxed her shoulders. She had defeated Damiana, and the war was over. She had made the right choice. Her family was safe. She frowned and looked below her, lost in thought.
“What troubles you, child?”
“Ar’ch,” she replied. “I don’t want to leave him.”
“You were a youngling when your soul came home,” the Goddess reminded her.
She nodded and looked down. “I know,” she said. She remembered her conversation with Ar’ch about the ways Diasodz died. She knew that if a youngling died before his death day, she experienced a true death. She also knew that she had died expending all her life force to save those whom she loved, so she knew her fate, no matter how much she wished it were otherwise.
“Your family has begun the celebration of life for you. In three days’ time, they will know your fate.”
She looked up, daring to hope. “Does that mean I might be able to return to them?”
“That is a decision that you must make. You can choose to stay here with me and not feel pain and suffering again. You will be at peace and live harmoniously until you wish to begin another journey on Earth. Or you may choose to begin your transition trials, but understand that if you choose to return to your current life, you do so with the commitment of fulfilling your duties as a Diasodz.”
Sofia felt the peace that the sanctuary of the heavens could provide her, but she wasn’t done living. No matter what danger the world threw at her, she knew that she wanted to be with Ar’ch. She knew that she could face anything if she was with him.
She smiled at Her and said, “I want to go back, Goddess. There is still much work to be done, and I want to be there to make sure that it happens.” She then blushed and said, “And I want to be with Ar’ch.”
She felt the Goddess chuckle and then look at her with love. “My child, if anyone deserves to transition, it is you, but that is not up to me. That is up to how much fight you still have within your soul. The transition period is taxing, and only the strongest make it. You have already taxed your soul heavily.”
She smiled and almost bounced where she stood. “I’ll make it, Goddess. I know I will.”
She smiled. “Know this, child. No matter the outcome, your soul will have peace, and I will be there to love you. Always. You will remember nothing of this time, but the lessons will be embedded within you. Now, I must leave you to begin your transition trials. Blessed be.”
“Blessed be, Goddess. And thank you…for everything,” she said. She closed her eyes and realized that she was alone. Looking around, she grinned and said, “Let’s do this!”
Chapter Forty-Two
“Good morning, brother, although it is almost noon,” Angel said and handed Ar’ch a plate of food. “Since you did not return home last night, I thought you might be hungry.”
When Angel and the rest of the family had returned home at midnight, he had known that Ar’ch would not leave her side. No one gave him a hard time about it because they all understood. As for Angel, the night’s rest had done him well. He felt lighter and more energetic. The sleep had reminded him of his role today and in the future.
“Thank you, brother, but I have no appetite,” Ar’ch replied.
He sat beside him and lowered his voice so the other arrivals would not hear him. “You do not honor Sofia by wasting away, brother. Today, we celebrate her life as well as our Goddess’ love for us and God’s love for His creation.”
“I don’t feel like celebrating.”
He sighed. “Then, you are choosing to be selfish with your misery.” This earned him a glare from Ar’ch. “Brother, you are not the only one who misses her. Liana, Rafe, and Mel have known Sofia her entire life, and yet they are smiling and choosing to honor her by celebrating the life that she lived.”
He nodded in their direction so Ar’ch would look at them. Leaders from other communities had begun to arrive, and Liana and Mel were greeting them with smiles. Rafe was speaking animatedly with Valerie about something, making her laugh.
“Today is not about you and your pain. It is not about me and my pain. Today is a day to celebrate all things Sofia. Now, eat that food, or I will shove it down your throat,” he said with a threatening smile before rising and joining his father.
He looked back at Ar’ch to see him place an apple slice in his mouth. Satisfied that his brother was complying, he turned his attention to welcome those who were coming to join in the day’s celebration. Many of the leaders from other communities, all dressed in the traditional white, had arrived. He watched their reactions to seeing Sofia dressed in red and smiled. Some were shocked and some seemed offended, but no one spoke about the break in tradition.
Valerie joined Nolan and him just as Lucas, Felyse, and Katarina arrived. It was only then that he realized that he had not seen Alexandra since before the war. He looked at his mother and realized that she, too, searched for her.
“It is an honor to celebrate our savior’s life with you,” Lucas said and slightly bowed. “I appreciate you allowing us to join you.”
“She was the savior for all of us,” Nolan replied. “She should be celebrated and remembered by all.”
Lucas turned to Valerie and took her hands in his. “With everything that took place yesterday, I am unaware if you know of your sister’s fate. She valiantly fought and killed many demons and deminions, but she lost her battle against Damiana. I saw the final blow. She fought bravely until the end. I know your relationship with your sister was strained, so I’ve taken the liberties of orchestrating her celebration of life at the Council Hall. She is being honored there, and you are welcomed to pay your last respects to her before her time in our world expires,” he said.
Angel felt a bombardment of emotions pass through his mother and realized that he had not raised his shields this morning. He sifted through shock, confusion, grief, and acceptance before settling into regret and sadness.
“Thank you for taking care of her, Lucas. She is where she felt most at home. It’s almost been twenty-four hours since the war ended, so I am sure her time in our world will end soon. I will leave to visit her within the hour,” she said.
“We will visit her,” Nolan said and kissed his wife’s hand.
Angel admired the love that flowed between the two of them and hoped that one day he would share that depth of love with someone. He looked over at Rafe, who spoke with Z and Mel. At that very moment, Rafe stopped speaking and looked over at him and smiled. It was just a second, and then he returned to his conversation. Angel pulled his attention to the people in front of him.
“We have visited the resting places of many of those who lost their lives last night and will continue our rounds after we leave here,” Felyse said.
“I know that I should join you in those visits, but…” Nolan looked at Sofia.
Katarina smiled. “Your family needs you here, and you are officially supervising the transition of our savior. We understand.”
Nolan bowed his head. “Thank you,” he said most humbly. “Now, please join us as we share stories of her life both on Earth and here.”
Angel followed his parents to the seats that had been arranged the previous night. Liana sat on his right and Rafe came and sat on his left. He looked up and realized that a canopy made of vines and white freesia covered them from the sun’s rays. Sofia’s resting bed had her own canopy.
“Did you do this?” he asked Rafe.
He beamed with pride. “If Sofia wakes up tomorrow with a sunburn, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
He laughed. “
It’s magnificent.”
“Thanks,” Rafe replied.
Nolan began to speak so they turned their attention to him. “Family and friends, thank you for joining us today as we celebrate the life of our savior, Sofia. Sofia did not know of our existence for most of her life, but in the short time that she was with us, she honored our God and Goddess with every moment. It is that love that we will celebrate today. We will share a few stories now, but I welcome you to spend some time with those of us who knew her and learn more about her life.”
He listened to the stories being shared by Rafe, Mel, and Liana about her life on Earth. He shared his own story of her determination to not show Ar’ch that he had gotten to her during her trainings. Z, Kai, and Ar’ch all shared stories, though Ar’ch had a difficult time speaking without getting choked up. Throughout the ceremony, the attendees laughed and sighed and clapped. He felt their love and admiration for Sofia, the youngling they didn’t get to really know but had all grown to love. He only hoped that the Goddess would return her to them so that everyone could truly get to know her.
After the formal stories were shared, his parents took a leave to go visit Alexandra’s resting place. The attendees broke into groups and asked questions about their savior to those who had known her. It was a time filled with laughter and reverence. The sun began to set, so the community leaders and High Council members said their goodbyes, leaving only Sofia’s family.
Once Nolan and Valerie had returned, Angel approached the group and said, “I have an announcement.” When everyone turned toward him, he continued, “Today has been a day to celebrate Sofia and to remember our Goddess’ love for us and God’s love for humans. Sofia gave her life to protect us all and to renew our purpose. I have decided that I will honor her best by returning to Earth and fulfilling my duties as a Diasodz.”
It had been something that he had thought about many times since meeting Sofia. She had questioned their reason for leaving Earth and staying in Caelagios many times, and he never felt in his heart that his responses were good enough. He needed to be where the humans were. That was why they were created, and that was where he would go.
Liana hugged him and caressed his cheek. “I will go with you. I miss my home. I would be honored if you would live with me.”
He embraced his seed mother. “I would love to!”
“I am proud of you, son,” Nolan said. “You are wise beyond your years.” He looked to Valerie, who nodded. “We will join you on Earth. I think that would make Sofia and our Goddess very pleased.”
Rafe cleared his throat. “Um, would you like to live with me in my house? I mean, if Damiana’s wards are destroyed, that is.”
Valerie hugged him. “Her wards were destroyed before she died, but any other protections would be gone with her death. We would be honored to live with you.”
Angel turned to his brother, whose eyes were set on Sofia. “I go where she goes,” Ar’ch said and then looked at him. “If she comes back to me, I go where she goes. If the Goddess keeps her, then I will honor Sofia by joining you on Earth.”
He smiled and hugged Ar’ch. “I wouldn’t want to go without you.”
“Now, let’s make something clear,” Liana said. “If the Goddess blesses us with Sofia’s return, she will live with me, and you will not live with us until you have courted her properly. I might be more laid back than Caelagian parents, but our traditions will still be honored.”
That earned a laugh out of everyone. Rafe then put his arm around Ar’ch, “He can live with us, but we aren’t sharing rooms.”
Mel shook her head. “Well, hell, if all of you are going, I might as well go, too, unless you want to stay,” she said and looked at Kai.
Kai smiled uncomfortably. “I don’t know that my eyes will be accepted on Earth.”
She pursed her lips. “Who cares what those humans think? Plus, they now have contacts or iris implants that can be done, or you can just wear your shades and be the mysteriously sexy man that you are.”
He kissed her. “Sure, why not! I will at least give it a try.”
Everyone turned toward Z. Angel felt her hesitation. She smiled awkwardly at them. “I’ve got my bar.”
“Girl, there are plenty of bars in the town next to us,” Mel said.
“I’m not living with any of you. I need my space,” she said. When everyone started celebrating, she added, “And I’m not leaving right away. I’ve gotta make sure my place at the bar is secure for when I return in a few decades.”
“Return?” Mel questioned.
“Diasodz usually come back here for a few years to allow generations to change on Earth once we’ve hit a human age that doesn’t match our appearances,” Kai explained.
“Yeah, I forgot about that,” she said. “Then, we will start looking for a place for you while you get things taken care of here.”
“Maybe other Diasodz will follow our lead and go back to Earth and fulfill our purpose,” Angel said hopefully.
“It’s what Sofia would have wanted. It’s what our Goddess wants,” Nolan said.
The two moons shone brightly, one on the horizon and the other high above them. “I think it’s time for us all to retire for the night. Tomorrow might be a long day,” Valerie said.
“I’m good,” Ar’ch said, looking back at Sofia. “I think I’ll stay here.”
“Boy, you best get yourself back to that house and shower,” Mel said. “You are a hot mess. If Sofia wakes and sees you like that or smells you, she is gonna hop off that bed and run as fast as she can from you.”
“I will catch her,” Ar’ch said.
Mel rolled her eyes and looked to Angel for help. “Brother, Sofia is going to need you tomorrow if she awakens. Go home and shower, please,” he said.
“I can’t leave her.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Rafe said. He looked at Ar’ch, honor and duty steadfast in his eyes. “I’ll make sure she is safe.”
Ar’ch took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and nodded. Angel mouthed the words thank you to Rafe, who smiled and shrugged off the gratitude with a smile.
He put an arm around Ar’ch and said, “Let’s go home, brother.”
-o-
Khameel entered the portal and crumbled to the floor. He didn’t know where else to go, and he was quite certain there would not be anyone there. He pulled himself up and stumbled out of the portal room.
“Hello, is anybody here?” he yelled with a hoarse voice. Silence. Emptiness. “Somebody? Anybody?”
He knew he would not receive a response. He had witnessed with his own eyes their destruction. He felt both guilty and relieved that he had not shared their fate. Had he waited just another minute to have made his decision, he would also be dead.
He walked to the elevator. Exhaustion consumed him, and he just wanted to lie down. When the elevator dinged that it had reached his floor, his head turned toward Drake’s room. It wasn’t as if he would ever use it again, right? He ignored the opening elevator doors and dragged himself to Drake’s room.
Falling onto Drake’s bed, he replayed the last thirty-six hours in his mind. He had confronted Z in the battle and then had left her alive. He had made the decision that he would continue to fight, not because of his loyalty to Damiana but because of his love for the demons and the deminions that he had trained. And then he had seen Martin’s sword and shield lying on the ground and knew that he had been killed.
Something about knowing that Martin had died had broken him. He had looked over to see Drake lying dead on the ground. Then, he had begun to turn around and around and had watched one deminion after another fall or disintegrate into ash. Something inside of him broke, and he realized that he no longer wanted any part of the war.
He had closed his eyes and had transformed into a black crow to fly above the battlefield. He had seen Alexandra attack Damiana and had secretly hoped that Alexandra would prevail, but when she fell, he had decided that he had seen enough. He had begun to fly away when a
singeing light blasted across the battlefield.
His tail feathers and his claws had felt the burn, so he had flown higher and faster to get away from the light. When the light disappeared, he had turned around to see that all his fellow soldiers were gone, and Damiana was nowhere to be found. The light had obliterated all of them.
Khameel had flown night and day, trying to make sense of what he had seen. He had perched in trees and listened to the Diasodz tell the tale of how their savior had destroyed their enemies and had given her life for them. He had thought of Rafe and wondered how much pain he felt with the loss of his father and his sister. He wished he could console him, but he doubted his company would be wanted.
And now, he was alone, utterly alone. Why hadn’t Sofia’s blast of light killed him like it had killed the others? Why was he still alive? As tired as he felt, he couldn’t stand the smell of himself any longer. He needed to rid himself of the blood and ash of the war.
He let the steaming, hot water of Drake’s shower cascade over him as he bowed his head and stared at his singed feet. They burned from the hot water, but he didn’t care. The pain let him know that he still lived, and for that, he was grateful.
Once the water’s heat no longer affected him, Khameel grabbed the soap and sponge and scrubbed the grime and grief away. Standing in a towel, he faced the mirror and looked at the face staring back at him. Ever since his death day, he had adopted that look: short, black, spiked hair with white tips at the end, tattoos covering his entire arms and legs, gauges in his ears, and a brow ring. It had seemed at the time to fit the badass that he believed himself to be.
But it wasn’t the real him. He had begun to believe in that image because he had worn that skin for so long, but now, without the Raizyns, it just didn’t feel genuine. He wasn’t sure who he was or what he believed anymore, but he knew that the guy staring back at him was not the person he wanted to be any longer.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He remembered who he was before his transition, before he had allowed anger and resentment to reside in the forefront of his mind and heart. When the transformation finished, he opened his eyes to see the face of his former self.
The One Awakened Page 29
