Again, I heard the Voice; but this time it took on the vocals of a girl.
Watch. It commanded me.
Do I have a choice? I inquired sarcastically.
An explosion of white light filled my vision then, and my sarcasm left me. The brightness of the light burned my eyes. I couldn’t see, but I could feel myself drop to my knees and onto my stomach. To my surprise, I felt dry, soft sand running through my fingers. The light disappeared and my vision slowly returned. I found myself looking down at black, seemingly burnt, sand.
I heard the voice again, but this time it didn’t seem so dreamy, or so far away, “Get up!”
I turned upwards to see a small, silver skinned, girl standing over me. She looked metallic, like a robot, or one of those androids who had attacked me; but a little more humane, alive. Her eyes glowed blue, and her mouth showed the same color as she opened it to speak, “Get up. Hurry!”

I was still too stunned to stand, “Where am I?”

She ignored me, “Seraph please! I’m scared!”

It was strange; the moment felt somewhat real, but I felt very different. I figured it would be any moment that some powerful urge be a hero would fall over me, and I would save the day from whatever it was that was scaring the little girl.

I was wrong.

I found that I could move nothing but my head. The rest of my body was stiff as stone. The silver-girl was still urging me to get, shaking me and banging on my chest violently to the point where it almost hurt. I wanted to get up, I wanted to help her, but I simply couldn’t.

“I can’t move,” I tried to explain, “What’s happening? What are you so afraid of?”
Luminescent blue tears began rolling down the silver-girl’s cheeks, “They’re coming back, look! They’re coming this way!” The girl got down on her knees and lifted me upright with a straining grunt. “You have to get up! I’m not strong enough.” Her weeping became louder. I could feel her tears dripping onto my back; feel her throbbing against me as she cried and cried without end.

I could see why she cried now as I sat up. There was a city before me, with large black and silver towers that reached to the heavens. Rolling white hills stretched on in the distance. I imagined that it would be a beautiful place if not for the towers of grey smoke and what I can only describe as black fire rising from every tower and spitting from every spider-webbing crevice in the ground. Something tugged at the strings of my heart, and I began to ache. I was attached to this place in some strange way. Like the world burning around me was my own.

I tried to get up one last time as a dark shadow fell over me. No, not just one shadow, shadows hovered over me. I turned as I righted myself into a kneeling position.

There were six of them. Four men and two women all dressed in dark, skin-tight attire that put their flawless, red, god-like bodies on display. They all wore black cloaks to match each other, their red skin seemed to glow, and they all wore boastful, malevolent grins. The most striking of all these things though, was the way they hovered, toes pointed, above the ground.

“You’ve lost Seraph.” One of the women, who dressed in crimson red, her head shaved, spoke. Her voice seemed to echo into the air, “Your city burns, your planet dies, and your people will soon be without their hero.” She hovered closer to me, her hands positioned behind her back. I felt the silver-girl’s grip on me tighten. “But I’m still willing to show grace. You have been a great adversary and deserve as much.”

I could finally stand. The bald woman landed softly in front of me, her gaze shifted quickly to the little girl as she continued her speech, “Give me the girl, and her sister. They have the potential to be great Goddesses as myself one day and should not be wasted,” she paused for a moment and arched an eyebrow, “Where is her sister?”

I said nothing, but arched an eyebrow as well.

The ladies features changed from subtlety to sudden outraged as she dug her sharp nails into my shoulders, “WHERE IS SHE?!”

Finally I spoke, “Lady, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I have a strong feeling that you’re one of the bad guys. I won’t let you take this girl or her sister, whoever she may be.”

In a move that was probably one of my dumbest ever, I smacked the “goddesses” hands away from me and put a hand on the silver-girl’s shoulder.

This did not make the goddess happy at all, “Insolent fool!” Her five hovering friends floated to her side, poised in fighting positions. “You and your people will die!”

I ducked and shielded the silver-girl just as the goddess swiped her clawed hand at me. Faster than I ever imagined myself moving, I swooped the girl up in my arms effortlessly and bolted off through the double doors of a smoke filled building.

I had only moment to ask, but I forced myself too as I carried her in my arms, “What’s your name?”

Tears still streaked her cheeks, “You- know-my-name,” she managed in between sobs.

I do? I asked myself.

The voice appeared again, and gave me the answer I was looking for. Nera.

“Oh yeah,” I tried my best at acting like I knew what I was talking about, “Nera, Where’s your sister?” I dodged my way around a pile fiery black debris.

“Eden? We have to find her!” Nera shouted.

I didn’t know how we would do that, but I tried to reassure her, “We will, I promise.”

Just then I saw a figure through the black fire. The figure of a girl. I thought, No way. There’s no way I’m that lucky.

Sure enough, I figured out that I was that lucky. I heard the girl, who I presumed was Nera’s sister, shouting to us.

“Seraph? Is that you?” She shouted

I didn’t know why people here kept on calling me by my last name, but I accepted it anyways, “Yes, over here!”

She came bursting through clouds of smoke, a girl that shared so much resemblance to the little girl, Nera, it was almost weird. She was older though, probably as old as me, and her sliver skin was tainted with black smears. She had long curly hair, much like her sister, and her eyes shone white.

“Eden, I presume?”

Things became even more confusing as she wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed me tenderly on the lips. It didn’t feel cold or metallic as I thought it would; there was a strange amount of warmth and softness to her touch. Sweet, white tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto me. And if you have to ask; yes It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever felt or tasted.

Sadly, the moment ended in abruptness as the six floating beings emerged through the black fire. My world went dark and I fell unconscious…..again.