School of Angels

Chapter 9 - The Mission

Jim had made up his mind: he wouldn't be joining the elite warrior training program in his second year. Mr. Godwin, though visibly disappointed, accepted Jim's decision. Jim didn't mind combat training, but the idea of being a full-time warrior wasn't something that appealed to him. He wanted to protect, yes, but his real passion was learning, understanding, and someday teaching. Combat felt too... chaotic.

On the other hand, Adam, Jim's best friend, had embraced the life of a warrior. Over the summer, he had grown significantly stronger, his confidence soaring as he went on dangerous missions with his mentor. Adam was frequently absent from school, off investigating demonic activity across the human world.

One afternoon during lunch, Jim sat with Adam and Sally, curiosity gnawing at him.

"So, what's it like? Going on these missions?" Jim asked, trying to sound casual as he took a bite of his sandwich.

Adam shrugged, though his eyes gleamed with excitement. "We've been tracking demonic activity. Some of them have infiltrated human society, even posing as leaders of terrorist groups."

Jim's eyebrows shot up. "Terrorists? Demons are involved in that?"

"Yeah," Adam said, lowering his voice. "My mentor thinks they had a hand in 9/11. Demons are great at working from the shadows, pulling strings behind the scenes while humans have no idea what's really happening."

Sally, sitting across from them, frowned deeply. "But why didn't the angels stop it? If demons were behind something as big as 9/11, why didn't we intervene?"

Adam sighed, pushing his food around on his plate. "It's not that simple, Sally. Angels aren't all-knowing, and humans have free will. Even if we suspect something, it's hard to intervene before things spiral out of control. Demons thrive on human weakness—fear, greed, anger. We can't always see everything before it's too late."

"But still," Sally persisted, her hands clenched into fists on the table, "how can they get away with something so horrible?"

"That's the thing," Adam explained, leaning in. "Demons don't get directly involved in human affairs unless they have to. They influence from behind the scenes, whispering in the ears of the powerful and manipulating events. It's insidious."

Jim was silent, absorbing the conversation. He hadn't realized how deeply demons could entrench themselves in human affairs. The idea that they could hide so easily among humans, causing chaos without revealing their true nature, made him uneasy.

"How do you even find them?" Jim asked after a moment. "If they're hiding so well, how do you know who's a demon and who's just... human?"

Adam took a sip of his drink, considering the question. "We track suspicious individuals—people who are in positions of power, people who seem to influence events in ways that benefit chaos. Once we find them, we watch them closely. If they slip up, if they reveal something—anything—we act. But it's tricky. If they don't make a mistake, we can't just go in guns blazing."

Jim frowned, his mind racing. "So, they could be anyone? Anywhere?"

Adam nodded grimly. "Exactly. And the worst part is, they don't always operate alone. Sometimes, they form networks, helping each other stay hidden."

A heavy silence fell over the table. Sally looked disturbed, staring down at her half-eaten meal. Jim, too, felt unsettled. If demons could be anywhere, hidden in plain sight, what hope did humans have?

In the following days, Jim found himself reflecting more and more on what Adam had said. What if I had stayed human? Jim wondered. Would his life have been simpler? Easier? He imagined what it would be like to live a life without the burden of protecting others, without the constant pressure to be better, stronger, faster. Sometimes, he envied the humans who could just exist without the knowledge of angels, demons, and the eternal war between them.