A World Like That

Chapter XXXVII

-Dantalion-

He still felt weak, but his wings had healed enough for him to fly out of Hell with Ariel. A million thoughts crowded his mind as they flew upwards. The foremost one was that Ariel hadn't died. He was astounded at Ariel's bravery in facing Lucifer and managing to get through purgatory without crumbling in fear.

As they emerged onto Earth's surface, he pulled Ariel to him and hugged him tightly. "That was the stupidest thing you could have done," he scolded. "I don't know why you were spared, but if you hadn't been, I don't think I could have lived with myself."

"What makes you think I don't feel the same? I couldn't have lived with myself if I'd let you die."

He squeezed Ariel tighter. "You fool. Your life in Heaven is worth living for. My life in Hell is not."

"But it's not something we have to worry about anymore," Ariel murmured. "You're safe, and I'm safe, and we can be together."

He turned his head and kissed Ariel. When they pulled apart, Ariel's eyes widened. Ariel was staring at him, as if in shock.

"What?"

Ariel reached up and touched his face, his fingers gently tracing Dante's cheekbone. "Your eyes. They look like mine, except they're dark brown instead of blue."

"Why would my eyes change?" He stepped back and turned in a circle. "Is there anything else different about me?"

"No, not that I can see." Ariel took his hand. "God might know why your eyes are different. We should go."

When they came up through the clouds, the first thing he saw was Ariel's friends. They were sitting together under one of the gazebos, and it looked like a few of them had been crying. His heart ached as he thought of what they must be feeling, thinking Ariel had died.

"Hey!" he called, waving his arms.

It was Jael who noticed him and Ariel first. He watched the expression on Jael's face shift from shock to one of pure joy. Jael got up and ran over to them, hurtling into Ariel so hard that it must have knocked the breath out of Ariel. The others ran over, and Laila gave him a huge hug, squeezing him tightly. "You're alive! You're both alive!" she exclaimed. When she stepped back, she stared in amazement. "Is it really you, Dante?"

He grinned. "It is. Ariel said my eyes are different now. Less scary."

"We thought you were both dead," Charmeine said, taking her turn to hug Ariel tightly. "How is this possible?"

"We don't know yet," Dante said. "My father told us to ask God. Apparently it's outside his understanding since it has something to do with love."

All of Ariel's friends followed as he and Ariel approached God. He smiled upon seeing her. She was radiating light, and he thought her golden hair streaming across the sky behind her was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

"Ariel. Dantalion." She smiled, looking at them both with a softness in her eyes.

"My father said you could explain it," he said. "If Ariel was supposed to burst into flames upon entering Hell, why didn't he? Why is he still here with me?"

God addressed them and all the angels standing behind them. "Angels and demons aren't supposed to be together. There are obstacles in place to keep you apart, and it was thought those obstacles could never be overcome."

She looked straight at him. "The first challenge was getting a demon to love. Dante, you've been told your whole life that demons don't love. And for the most part, that's true. Your kind isn't built for it." She turned her gaze to Ariel. "The other part of this challenge was getting an angel to love a demon - something so frightening, evil, and unlovable should never have appealed to an angel. But you looked beyond Dante's flaws and loved him despite what he was."

He glanced over at Ariel and smiled at him. Ariel took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"The second challenge was getting a demon to sacrifice for an angel," God continued. "Normally their selfish nature would prevent that. But Dante, you were willing to suffer in order to be with Ariel, and you faced that suffering bravely until the end, knowing it would lead to your death. The final challenge was getting an angel to give their life for a demon. Ariel, you were willing to give up Heaven and all your friends, even when you found out that you'd be trapped in Purgatory forever after your death."

He pulled Ariel closer to him. He hadn't known about the last part, and it made Ariel's efforts to save his life even more brave. It was a miracle that they'd made it through everything that had been thrown at them.

God continued her explanation. "Ariel, it wasn't Hell that brought Dante back from the brink of death. It was your love for him, and your willingness to sacrifice your life for his. Your love was the only thing strong enough to break Hell's hold on Dante. The two of you being willing to enter each other's domains, places that would be hostile to your presence, is also what has broken the curse on Earth. Thousands of years of conflict between angels and demons made Earth inhospitable. Now that the two sides have connected and shown they can love each other, the Earth will no longer grow barren and volatile at night. It'll remain as it is during the day, which means it can be inhabited."

Excited, he looked over at Ariel, his smile wide on his face.

"Really?" Ariel asked God. "We can stay on Earth overnight now?"

"Yes."

"This is amazing," Ariel said, almost as if he were in a daze. "Everything is perfect."

"Not perfect," God said. "There is one catch to all of this. Ariel, you can visit Heaven, but you can no longer stay here at night. Dante, same with you and Hell. Heaven and Hell are not your homes anymore. Instead, Earth is your home."

He watched Ariel's face, not knowing how Ariel would react to the news, but he was relieved when Ariel smiled.

"If that's the catch, I'm okay with it. It'll be sad not to be able to stay in Heaven, but I've always wished to be able to stay on Earth. I think it's a fair trade," Ariel said.

"What about my eyes?" he asked, looking back at God.

"Since you'll no longer live in Hell, you'll experience a few changes to make you more suited to living on Earth. You can expect your teeth and wings to change as well."

"Why didn't you tell us any of this before?" Ariel asked. "You knew all along."

"It's true that I could have spared you some of the pain and fear, but I had to see if you both truly loved one another enough to persevere through this. I had to see if you would sacrifice for each other, without knowing the outcome."

He looked straight at God. "I'd go through it a million more times for Ariel. He's worth it all."

"As would I," Ariel said. "I would have taken Dante's place if I could."

"You guys are kind of sickening," Jael joked from behind them. "You're making the rest of us look bad."

Everyone laughed as the serious mood was broken.

"Go and enjoy your time together," God said, beaming down on them.

He turned to Ariel and held out his hand, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt. "Let's go to Earth. Let's go home."