A World Like That

Chapter XXXIII

-Ariel-

The darkness finally came. 

He was sitting in bed watching the sun light up the sky. He hadn't woken Dante, wanting to let him sleep as long as possible. When Dante stirred and sat up, he gazed out at the sky. Dante was quiet for a minute, and he assumed Dante was also taking in the sunrise and feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. Then Dante turned, looking straight at him, and he was about to smile when Dante called out, "Ariel?"

He realized with a sinking feeling that Dante didn't know he was there. He was right in front of Dante, but Dante couldn't see him. 

His eyes welled up with tears as he stared at the demon he'd grown to love more than anyone else. He noticed Dante's eyes were fully white now. Dante was blind, which meant he was getting ever closer to the end.

He tried to be strong as he opened his mouth to respond, but a shuddering breath gave him away.

"Ari? What's wrong?" Dante asked.

"You don't have to lie to spare me," he responded. "I was here the whole time. You can't see me at all, can you?"

Dante seemed to consider the question, but then he saw Dante's shoulders sag slightly.

"No, I can't," Dante admitted, his voice calm, but quiet.

He leaned forward and put his arms around Dante, pulling him close and squeezing him as hard as he could. He hated this. When he pulled back, he saw tears dripping from Dante's eyes. 

"We knew it was coming. But it's -" Dante's voice broke. "It's so unfair that I can't see you." Dante reached forward, and when his hand bumped into Ariel's cheek, he began to trace the features of his face. "I don't want to forget what you look like."

He tried to smile so Dante could feel that, but his lips were trembling. A tear fell down his face onto one of Dante's fingers. Dante leaned forward and kissed his face, trying to catch all of the tears. He pulled Dante into a hug and laid back down on the cloud. All he could do was hold him and cry.

-

Later that morning, as he led Dante over to one of the gazebos and carefully guided him up the steps, he saw the smiles on his friend's faces fade as they realized what had happened.

Jael rallied quickly. "We have strawberries, raspberries, and oranges. What would you like, Dante?"

"Strawberries sound good this morning."

Jael scooped several on a plate and set it in front of Dante. "There you go."

"Do you want any help?" Ariel asked quietly.

"I think I'll try on my own first. I don't want to be completely helpless," Dante said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile.

"You're more motivated than me," Jael joked. "I'd have Ariel catering to me all day. Feeding me, bringing me wine, carrying me around everywhere."

They all laughed, and he was grateful to Jael for breaking the tension.

"You know, now that you've put the idea in my head, I might just have Ariel do that," Dante said.

He leaned over and kissed Dante's shoulder. "You know I would."

As they ate breakfast, he kept his eyes on Dante, watching for any indication that Dante wanted help or wasn't feeling well. Dante had to feel around on his plate for the strawberries, but he seemed to be doing okay otherwise.

"We might have a couple honeycombs left," Charmeine said. "Ariel, do you want to help me look?"

Dante turned in his direction. "Yes, go. Honey sounds amazing right now."