Entanglement

epilogue

Flames on wood and breath in air.

A boy sits on a slab of wood, staring at the fire in his yard. He pokes it and throws things into it, because why not play with fire despite all the warnings?

His name is Preston, the boy. He lives a normal life.

While he sits by the fire, the flames in front of him begin to swirl into the air, much to his young fascination. As they do, a voice down the road yells "I'll see you!" to a friend, and Preston's eyes return to the red and orange heat; something sounds so familiar about the words.

Smoke begins to seep into the air, circling around him before lifting and becoming one with the blowing wind. He blacks out just as he begins to even wonder about the event.

Images and feelings begin surging through him, so overwhelming that he almost can't find it inside of himself to breathe.

White fabric, two bodies combined as one, a cloud, white wings encircling someone, dust on skin, the color brown, lifeless eyes, a smirk, brown hair, brown and black and red, flames, fire, heat, burning, burning, burning.

It all freezes. And brown eyes with a glint in them blink once.

Preston is jolted upwards, his arms and legs spasming due to the split second in which they had felt like fire, felt like his limbs were engulfed in excruciating heat. The boy is confused once the pain leaves him; he looks around and tries to make sense of the images earlier flying around his mind.

"It's time for dinner!" A voice interrupts his thoughts, and he turns to see his mother in the doorway. He nods, standing shakily.

His eyes return to the fire. It's back to normal, burning and crackling against the ground. He convinces himself that he had imagined it all.

The boy scans his surroundings one more time. Then, he turns around and walks inside.

This doesn't happen to Preston ever again. He continues his life and forgets about the weird incident by the fire. He never again thinks of burning skin or dull, brown eyes. He moves on, gets a job, has a family, and dies in his own time.

Phil's soul continues to live through others. Boys and girls and all in between. They live good and bad, but all go to Heaven, so his existence continues on, in a way. He's soon long gone and forgotten in the line of those who share his soul. All the angels who had known Phil personally soon die and go on to live other lives.

Dan's soul disintegrates. He breaks his promise to Phil on remembering. He doesn't get to live as another life, doesn't get to even try. He doesn't get to have other people place their thumbprint on the indents of his soul. He gets the end.

They remember him, though, Heaven and Hell. Louise kept her promise to Phil; one last promise actually fulfilled. After Phil had left her standing alone, she had gone to Tyler and Korey, explaining everything to them both. Explaining how Phil wanted the story to be told. The story of the demon turned good, and the story of the demon who fell in love with an angel. The demon who the prophecy had been about, and the demon who hadn't been given what the world had meant for him to have.

Korey and Tyler had called meetings. Told and told, how good and bad had mixed, how such terrible events all lead to the war which only made it worse. Louise made sure that it was all told.

Currently, some admire Dan, while others pity, and others hate. They admire the strength he had had through all of his pain. They pity the idea of him being an angel and being able to love who he loved. They hate some of his decisions.

Heaven and Hell both continue similar to how they always have. Although, there is always a bit more of caution when a fight gets intense. Everyone remembers the story of Dan and Phil, an angel and a demon, trapped on separate sides, hoping for the middle ground that they never got.

They're remembered. By anyone who truly believes that love is most important overall. Anyone who can understand the bravery of loving through all circumstances, even dangerous.

Tyler dies years later. Along with Troye and PJ and Chris. Slowly, anyone who knew Dan passes away, and all that is left of him is the stories passed down, to be passed down for hundreds and thousands of years to come.

A prophecy is never again found. The story of the boy with so much power that ended up only being used badly remains the newest one. There is never again a fifty fifty. And slowly, ever so slowly, as generations of demons and angels pass, the story of Dan and Phil becomes unbelievable to some. Good and bad once again become the black and white.

The laws of how one should act do slightly differ, though. Angels aren't expected to never be angry. Demons aren't expected to never be afraid. One could say that Dan did have a positive impact, in the long run. One could say that Phil, being good who loved bad, had taught many about morals.

One could also say that Phil's soul doesn't remember Dan. One could say that the small memory in Preston had only been because he was the newest addition to the line, the newest personality left on such a wonderful soul.

Though, a lot of demons and angels say that a soul never forgets it's soulmate. It's argued upon; could a demon and an angel really be soulmates? Could the one stroke of unfortune Dan had had at his death really have forced them apart from eternal love? Had their souls been meant to continue life after life, finding each other in different people each time?

And it could be true. In each life that Phil's soul goes through, a piece always seems to be missing. Each human finds a partner, but never one they are fully, infinitely connected to. It seems that each person is missing another.

Maybe Dan and Phil were soulmates. Maybe they had been meant for each other in the long run. But they died too early and never found each other correctly, got wrapped up in a prophecy that hurt them in the end, were trapped as opposites, were destined to live a tragedy.

Maybe Dan and Phil were soulmates. But it doesn't matter now.

-

Thank you all so, so, so much for everything you've given me throughout this story.

My second ever book, started a year ago in June, a story I never expected to turn out the way it did. This story has been my life for the past year, just like Sinking was the year before, just like Poet will be the year from now.

I am so grateful to the amount of you that stuck with me since the beginning, getting excited for each update, genuinely coming up with theories and ideas.

!!This right here This sentence if there are any questions you still have about the plot or a characters actions ask it Right Here and i will answer!!

But seriously, it made me so happy to see you guys analyzing my foreshadowing, analyzing the prologue and the weird hints I kept giving. It was the reaction I had been hoping for, and I got it. You are all seriously such involved readers and I love it with my whole heart.

Entanglement has really, really been a journey. From writing out three chapters in two days to missing updates for two months, I would say this might be the thing I've worked hardest on in my entire life.

I also can't believe that we just hit 100k reads. Before it's even over?? How??

Again just- thank you. My writing and you guys are kind of an escape from my real world, so it's really lovely to have you all here for me, a constant audience I can fall back on. It's truly wonderful and I could go on for ages about just how much I appreciate each one of you.

So again, I hope you all stick with me. Poet is coming!! Another new era of my writing. Not fantasy, but once again realistic fiction, but also longer and with my more developed style.

Head over to my profile and add Poet to your library. The first chapter is coming tomorrow.

Goodbye to angel Phil and demon Dan, you both deserved better.