Descent
Someone was stroking her hair. Oh, please let it be Dyston, she thought, no one else but Dyston.
“Let her go, Lakyn. She’s as good as dead. No angel has survived this,” said a man with a gruff voice, whom Scarlett didn’t recognize. But Lakyn, Lakyn, was stroking her hair. Unbeknownst to them, Scarlett was listening to every word, because her soul was still intact.
“You don’t know how special she is,” whispered Lakyn.
“You are letting your feelings get in the way of our mission. Let her go, Lakyn. She’s dead.”
Lakyn stared at Scarlett’s lifeless body. She was as pale as if she were a photograph that the entire colour had been saturated out of. He scooped her up and carried her outside in his arms.
Underneath the Bridge of Wings was an abyss, a black hole that swirled like a soup of millions of distant galaxies. This was where Angels in The Beginning began their fall after receiving judgement. And this was where Lakyn would be sending Scarlett.
“See you back on earth.” He kissed her pale lips and let her slip from his arms into the sea of galaxies. He knew she wasn’t truly dead, he knew he would see her again. He knew he had to kick start the healing process. He needed her fit and healthy for the next part of his plan. That was why he kissed her. He had the gift of healing, which was ironic to the blood that flowed through his veins. Walking away from the void, Lakyn couldn’t help but feel like he had just thrown away the one thing he had been striving for most. Like a child who had saved up all his pocket money to buy that one thing he had always wanted, and now to have it literally slip through his fingers due to his foolishness… he shook his head and went inside. Who was he turning into?
When you are about to die your organs shut down one by one, and then your senses with your hearing being the last to go. That was why Scarlett had heard everything Lakyn, Abraham, and the Realm Technicians had said. She couldn’t feel his kiss, but she knew what he had done before he let her fall. That was why she could remember it vividly. His kiss had ignited something inside of her. It started at her heart, and began to spread throughout her entire body.
“No!” she screamed, but the words didn’t escape. She couldn’t think about Lakyn like that. Lakyn had tried to kill her. She loved Dyston. She could no longer live in denial. Lakyn had done something to her to awaken her, and now she was falling back down to Earth.
Scarlett didn’t feel like she was falling. There was none of that stomach-in-your-throat kind of feeling. She felt like she was floating in suspended animation, like she was floating in water, or like a baby in its mother’s womb. In reality, she was travelling towards Earth in a fireball faster than the speed of light. When she reached the earth’s atmosphere, her essence was entirely made up of fire and ice. She opened her eyes and saw the city of Melbourne below her. How did Lakyn know to send her in the right direction? She noticed Blackbell and realised she was falling way too fast—she was going to hit it. She tried to move and twist her body out of its path and all those she loved who were inside. But it was no use. She tried one last attempt to reach out to Dyston in prayer.
“Get everyone out. I’m falling. I can’t stop it.” She closed her eyes and hoped. Then she felt something itching on her back. It wasn’t the fire, she was made of fire. It was a different kind of burning. Something was growing out of her skin. Something was pulling and pinching the delicate skin on her back, and as she fell, Scarlett felt the unavoidable urge to push whatever it was out. Then something caught her eye. Like a piece of glass in the sun, the light it gave off blinding her.
Then she felt them. The wind seemed to pick her up and to carry her higher. What was going on? She looked back and that’s when she saw them—her wings. She had wings! They were the most amazing shimmering gold she had ever laid her eyes upon, just like the wings she had in her dream with Dyston. They glittered against the red and orange of the fire, and then she hit the ground.
Scarlett was only aware of one thing after she landed—she was cooling down. She opened her eyes and managed to lift her head up. She was mortified at what she saw before her. There were crumpled buildings all around. Smoke, fire, and ash filled the air. It was all she could see, all she could taste, all she could feel.
Was she in one of the Realms? She pushed her limbs off the ground. They were lying at odd angles, but she easily popped them back into place one by one. First her arms, followed by her legs, until she stood upright. She spread out her wings for balance and began walking down the debris- strewn street, looking for anything she might recognise, but she saw nothing. Everything looked the same in this new post-apocalyptic landscape. That was when she heard the screams. They were all around her. She looked up and saw wings. Angels everywhere were fleeing, leaving the destruction, which she had caused.
And then Scarlett saw the one thing that stood out amongst the ashen ruins—a lone maple tree. Her heart leapt. Was that all that was left of her home? She heard a sound behind her, the crunch of someone’s boot on the ground. She turned cautiously, and came face to face with the one whom she had been longing for the most. Her ears were ringing, and she tried to speak over the high-pitched sound penetrating her brain.
“Dyston,” she uttered, her voice coming out hoarse. She moved shakily towards him, still getting used to her body. It felt like lead, and it couldn’t hold her, so she fell again. But this time she didn’t hit the ground. This time she was surrounded by softness and the smell of rain. She was finally in his arms.
“Did you do this?” he asked, he didn’t sound angry though. She looked up at his face and the high-pitched screeching sound stopped.
“I… I don’t know,” she stuttered. He then smiled at her.
“What?” she asked in curiosity.
“You’re naked,” he smirked. He stood her up again and tugged off his white-buttoned shirt, which he slipped over her head. Then he lifted her off the ground. She felt no shame.
“What happened?” she asked as he carried her above the smoke and embers.
“I’ll tell you soon. And tuck in your wings. They’re beautiful, but no one has ever seen wings like yours before. They’ll stare.” As they flew, the soft flap of his magnificent black wings made her eyelids droop.
“Rest, I’ll wake you when we’re there.”
She wanted to ask where there was, but sleep was already taking her.
When Scarlett awoke, she no longer felt drowsy, but instead, she felt brand new. She sat up and expected her head to pound but it didn’t. She was in a soft white bed in a small room with latte coloured walls that looked like a dormitory. There was another bed in the room, but it looked like it hadn’t held an occupant in quite some time. She swung her legs over the side just as the door opened. It was Dyston and a man in white and gold robes, whom she didn’t know, following him.
“Scarlett, this is Father Luke. He specialises in angelic healing. He’s here to help you.”
“Where are we?” she asked, her voice still hoarse.
“We’re at The Gabriel Academy in Sydney,” said Father Luke. Scarlett had seen photos of Gabriel. Like Blackbell, it too was attached to a Cathedral, this one St. Mary’s.
“But why? Why did we leave Melbourne?”
Dyston looked at Father Luke, and then back at Scarlett. He came and sat down beside her on the bed and placed his hand on hers.
“Scar, we left because Melbourne doesn’t exist anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Sorry, my memories are a little rusty.”
“Well, it burnt to the ground.” Then everything came flooding back, the realisation was like a train hitting her at full speed. The smoke, the fire, and the ash in the air after she had landed could only mean one thing.
“I caused this? I turned the city to ash?” Scarlett asked. She felt nauseous.
“Yes, it was caused by your fall.”
“But Blackbell… everyone…”
“Blackbell Academy is gone. But ev
eryone made it out, they’re okay.”
Scarlett’s heart sank. She wanted to scream and curse and rip something to pieces. Her home was gone because of her. No, not her. Lakyn. If Lakyn hadn’t been so selfish and taken her for his own evil purposes, then she wouldn’t have fallen, and Melbourne and Blackbell would still be standing. The door burst open and Emer and Joshua spilled in.
“Dyston,” gasped Joshua.
“What is it?” asked Dyston, gesturing at Scarlett, hinting that he was busy.
“I didn’t believe it when Dyston said he found you in the ash. I’m glad you’re okay,” Emer told her.
“Was there an urgent problem?” asked Dyston.
“Oh, yeah, we just came to tell you that they’re outside.”
“Who’s outside?”
“Lakyn and his army.”
Chapter Sixteen