Paradise Made

Forty-Four: The Throne

"I know very little about dimensions greater than this one, but I can feel in my soul that we will find each other again, no matter what happens."

"Would you think it cowardly of me?" Sara asked, "If I told you I wanted to kill myself? Or at least the self I am here, in this universe."

I shook my head slowly, choosing every word with great care. "I'd say it was brave. I'd say you'd done your time. I'd say..." I paused, almost deciding not to say what I was about to, but decided in the end that if there was any time for honesty it was now, "that maybe we're better off without you now, just like you are without us."

Sara turned away from me, and I had the urge to apologize.

"Will you promise me something, Xavier?" she asked, turning back with a look of deep concentration on her face.

"Anything."

"There's something at the back of my mind... like a forgotten dream..." she trailed off, shaking herself. "Will you promise me that when I go you won't let this fall apart." She gestured around her with a grand, sweeping movement. "I know you care for humanity as much I do. I know you love them"

I wanted to ask her what I could do. Her words had thrown me slightly. But I was so close.

"I promise."

Her face a mask of serenity, Sara looked up at the swirling grey clouds above. There was a thin break in them, and a feeble beam of sunlight shone through onto the rooftop. It illuminated Sara's face. Her eyes were closed, and as I watched, she left. Her body fell backwards, as if in slow motion, crashing hard against the cement.

"Sara!"

I dropped down beside her, grabbing onto her. Was this it? Was she really gone? I hadn't expected it to be so sudden. I don't know what I'd expected; maybe for her to blow out her brains or step off the edge.

But she was gone. I could feel it, just like I could feel that something was wrong. The world looked wrong, but looked was not the correct word. I felt sick, but sick did not describe it. There were some things that human words and human concepts could not hope to encompass.

What had I done? The world was falling apart.

Suddenly Dumah was beside me, like she'd been waiting.

"Come on," she held out her hand for me to take, "we don't have much time."

Her voice was soft and songlike, not at all what I'd imagined. I did as she asked, and was pulled after her into light.

We stood in a hallway. It was wide, and made of white stone. Pillars arched upwards, so high I could not see where they joined together to make the ceiling.

"Is this heaven?"

She nodded. "A part of it."

We were not alone in the corridor. Not too far ahead of us, stood Azazel. He stared blankly up into the whiteness.

"It's gone," he said, and I was unsure if he was speaking to us, "everything, everyone. We're the only ones left."

"Why are you here?" Dumah asked, taking him by surprise.

"Because Lucifer is. He made it before everything collapsed."

A look of panic crossed Dumah's face, she grabbed my hand and took off running. "We need to make it to the throne room before he does the unthinkable. How could I have let this happen?"

In one of the white walls sat a set of golden doors. We banged through it, skidding to a stop beside Lucifer himself. Azazel had joined us, and the four of us stood in shock, taking it what was before us.