Entanglement

remain

Phil POV

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When we returned to Heaven, the angels began to plan.

I was anxious. More nervous than I'd been in years, my skin prickling each time Korey retold the plan for the next day. As soon as our feet had touched the clouds in Heaven, he had begun shouting, telling us all that the demons had gone too far and this was the end of our streak of peace. Alfie and I attempted to calm him down and get the whole story, but I knew that when he was like this, it wasn't worth it.

I'd been told that I was meant to lead a team of angels into Hell tomorrow morning, early, so that we could surprise the demons. Overpower them. Make it to the offices and corner those in charge once the population was weakened. Get what we wanted.

There was no use in arguing with his plans. They did make sense, if we ignored the fact that we'd fought against any wars for a year straight, and the fact that our population had once again dropped and we didn't have enough fighters to go against theirs, and the fact that with how much strength and numbers had grown in the past year, this could become the worst war we'd ever had.

We weren't supposed to feel anger, yet when the idea of a war sat around the corner, it happened. Though this was the one time I didn't feel anger when everyone else did. I felt disappointed and afraid.

Tomorrow, I would have to march into Hell with a thousand angels behind me, knowing that Dan was on the other side. Knowing that the worst was most likely going to happen, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. I would have to act like this was what I agreed with.

I already knew what I wanted to do, though 'wanted' was most likely not the correct term for how I felt. I had a good feeling we could win, but only if every fighter tried their very hardest. I did not have a good feeling about me trying my very hardest to win this for us. I didn't feel good about fighting the demons when that was the side the love of my life was on.

I wish I knew what exactly had gone on in order to cause Korey to send that warning signal. What the group of four demons had done to make him angry enough to declare a war.

He wasn't telling me, and that was the biggest problem. I knew that the decision he'd made was irrational, no matter what had happened while he was alone in Hell, but the fact that he wasn't discussing any of it with me made my eyes burn with annoyance. I could always ask Dan, but when would we be able to talk? He would be busy with whatever angels attacked him, and he was a sure target because of his status beneath Tyler; it was the same position I was in here.

Quickly, I decided I would try to protect him. If I found him before anyone else, I could pretend to fight him, take him far away from the others and let everyone think I was giving him punches when in reality, they would be kisses. Everyone remembered how much we had snapped at one another towards the beginning of the meetings; if I told the angels I wanted him to myself, they would understand and believe I would beat him in a battle. It was a good idea.

My main concern was making sure he didn't get hurt. I knew Dan was powerful; when angered enough, that energy spiraled out of control and turned him into a forest fire, latching onto each item in his path and destroying it with the force of smoke and heat. The problem, however, was how not violent he had become. I didn't know if that anger still existed inside of him, let alone enough of it to bring on the power that had engulfed him multiple times in the past. I feared that if a battle came to him, he would freeze, and that would be it. A lost arm, a spine paralyzed with pain, eyes blinded with angelic light. I wouldn't be able to handle something like that happening to him.

My night tonight would involve no sleep. I desperately needed it; I'd barely slept for the past week and I needed as much energy as I could get for the battle. But my thoughts were too much.