"Daniel!" Ramielle shouted, too late to catch him before he hit the ground. She fell to her knees next to him and shook him in attempt to wake him up. "Daniel! Wake up! Please don't die!"
"He's not dead."
Ramielle was startled by the voice that did not come from her mind, and grabbed one of Daniel's guns and pointed it toward the person it came from.
It a man that looked around the same age as Daniel, maybe a little older. He had long brown hair that touched his shoulders and he was tall and very muscular. Ramielle noticed a scar running from the right side of his forehead, over his right eye - which was hidden behind an eyepatch - to his right cheek. His visible eye was the colour of the light desert sand.
He had a giant axe on his back. Instead of wielding it, he held up his hands in a defensive manner.
Ramielle wondered if it was some kind of demon... or a vampire perhaps.
The man's lips formed a kind smile, and his voice had the tone of someone who was trying to coax a wild animal, "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not a monster. I'm nephillem."
Nephillem? It sounded familiar. Ramielle must have read about it in Danica's book.
But Ramielle did not trust this man. She was too afraid he would transform into some creature that would hurt Daniel.
"You can trust him for now. He will help your friend," the voice in Ramielle's mind told her. "He will not hurt you. He has angels' blood."
Ramielle wondered what the voice meant by what he said. But instead of questioning him, she glanced down at Daniel who was still unconscious. What if his life was in grave danger? What if he had gotten injured during the fight?
The voice helped them thus far, so Ramielle decided to trust it once more.
She slowly lowered Daniel's gun, and carefully asked, "What is your name?"
The man slowly neared them, "I'm Ethan. Are you... Ramielle?"
How did he know her name? Was he someone from her past who she might have forgotten?
"Do... I know you?" Ramielle asked Ethan, who was now taking off his axe and slinging it over his chest.
Ethan grinned to himself, "You might." He knelt down and lifted Daniel onto his back. By the lack of effort it took him to do that, Ramielle thought that he must be very strong. Was that a nephillem trait?
"Are you hurt?" He asked Ramielle. Standing in front of her now, he towered over her. He was much taller than Daniel. "No. I am alright. Where are we taking Daniel? Will he be okay?"
Ethan chuckled, "I see Daniel has taught you some informal language. 'Okay' wasn't in your vocabulary." Who was this man? Did he know Daniel as well? Why was he speaking this way?
Before Ramielle could ask any questions, Ethan told her to follow him.
He led the way to a building that looked as much in tact as a building could possibly be in a destroyed village. The building was what seemed like a house, with its windows boarded up. It's interior was not very spacious, and it only had three rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom and one large room that must have served as both a living room and a bedroom.
Ethan layed Daniel down on one of the three beds that was in the large living space and instructed Ramielle to close the door and lock it by sliding a thick, heavy plank into slots that were on the doorframe. Ramielle struggled a little with the plank because of its weight, but she got it into place in no time.
When she got to Daniel's bed, Ethan was bandaging Daniel's abdomen, where a slight gash was. Ramielle was shocked by the sight; she did not even notice that Daniel had gotten hurt by the demon. He was so good at hiding his pain. She wondered how much more pain he was hiding.
"Were you okay with that plank? It was quite heavy, sorry that I couldn't help you with it," Ethan said. "It was not that heavy. Is Daniel alright?" Ramielle responded.
Ethan chuckled, "He'll be alright. He isn't an ordinary human being. I mean he made it this far." Ramielle sighed in relief, "Thank heavens. I was worried that he... Nevermind. He is quite... extraordinary."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, "You met other humans?" Ramielle smiled sheepishly, "No, but even if Daniel was the only human I had met... he is quite extraordinary." Ethan smiled and shrugged, "Whatever you say." He sat down on the bed opposite to Daniel and gestured for Ramielle to sit next to him. She cautiously complied.
He handed her a bottle, "Here. You must be thirsty." She took the bottle and took little sips. When her body realized how thirsty it really was, she gulped down mouthfuls of water. She then started coughing because she choked on some.
Ethan laughed and patted her back, "Careful." Ramielle calmed down and handed him his bottle back, "Thank you." He nodded.
"Uhm... Ethan? How did you find us?" Ramielle asked. He leaned back on his elbows, "I waited for you."
"Why?"
"Just because," he answered. Ramielle sighed. She wondered why the only two rational people she met so far was so secretive. She was beginning to become frustrated. It was hard enough not knowing anything about her own past.
She hoped he would answer one question at least. "What are nephillem?"
Ethan sat up and made eye contact, "That is what you call the children of angels and humans." Ramielle frowned, "How is that possible?" Ethan picked up two pebbles that lied on the floor. He held one up, "When a man loves -" he held the other one up, "- a woman -" He brought the two pebbles together, "- they marry -" he picked up a smaller pebble, "- and have a baby." He smiled brightly. His sand-coloured eye had a shimmer in it. Ramielle sensed that he must be a much brighter person than Daniel was.
Ramielle giggled, "I know that, silly." Ethan raised his eyebrows, a joking smile tugging at his lips, "Oh? You know? Didn't you lose your memories?" Ramielle did not remember ever telling him that she lost her memories, but she let it go, assuming that he must have had some way of being able to tell.
"I meant is it possible for angels and humans to love each other?" As soon as those words left her lips, Ramielle felt a sting in her chest. But before she could pin it, it was gone.
"Of course. Angels can love, just like humans do. Maybe even deeper than humans do," Ethan answered. His gaze seemed to look straight into her soul.
"So one of your parents was an angel?" Ramielle asked Ethan. He nodded, "My dad was an angel. He fell in love with my mother and came to this world from heaven to marry her. Then they had me." This was so fascinating to Ramielle. She wondered how deep one's love must be to cross worlds in order to be with the one you love. There must be a lot of sacrifices involved.
"Where are your parents now?" Ramielle carefully asked. Considering how things in this world was and how Ethan traveled alone to find her and Daniel, she thought that something must have happened to them.
Ethan sighed and looked down, reliving memories that must have been agonizing, "They... They died. My dad died trying to protect my mom... and she died trying to protect me."
"I am so awfully sorry, Ethan..." Ramielle said, regretting her question. Ethan's expression showed the pain he held within his heart. The pain which he must have hidden with a cheerful smile for a long time.
"No, don't apologise. It's not your fault. They were happy together until the end," he replied with a sad smile. Then Ethan's expression turned bright and hopeful, "Their deaths were not in vain. They saved me and now I can hopefully help save the world with you."
A dark laugh came from across the room. Ramielle and Ethan glanced in it's direction to find Daniel sitting up with a dark expression.
"What a load of crap."