Chapter 18

The angel's words sent shockwaves through the room, and every face revealed a mixture of surprise and concern. However, Larkin caught something peculiar in the angel's statement. "What do ya mean by again?" he asked, confusion etched on his face. As Larkin pointed this out, Xain realized something. *That's right! Of course, he would know about Erkie and the war!* It made sense, given that he was an angel. In Aetheria, everyone seemingly forgot, considering those events stories or fiction.

The angel sighed, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that," he mumbled under his breath. Grace, using her ability to read thoughts, suddenly looked dumbfounded as she delved into the angel's thoughts, or more accurately, the lack of them. *I can't read them; they're completely blank,* she thought. Despite this revelation, the angel continued, "That was a slip of the tongue. I've faced off against a few demonic invasions, and I got mixed up."

As he spoke, the demon nodded in agreement. The angel rubbed the back of his neck in annoyance, adding, "Anyway, another one's brewing, and if I don't step in, it'll break out." Larkin scratched his beard, still somewhat confused, but said, "Okay," accepting the angel's answer. Meanwhile, Xain observed the angel and demon suspiciously. *Why did they react like that?* He pondered but chose not to voice his thoughts, understanding that neither were willing to discuss it.

The demon decided to address the underlying issue. "So, you attacked both Xain and I because you believed we were part of this impending demonic invasion?" it inquired. The angel nodded in acknowledgment and added, "And I already apologized for it, alright? Speaking of which, sorry about that, kid. I thought you were a demon in disguise. But you can't really fault me for it, especially with all that demonic energy oozing out of ya."

Larkin and Zee, (Who came back in the room,) directed incredulous looks at Xain, both exclaiming, "What!" Caught off guard, Xain feigned confusion, responding, "Excuse me, what?" in an attempt to act oblivious. Internally, panic surged as he silently pleaded, *Please don't tell them about Ercale. Please don't tell them about Ercale. Please don't tell them about Ercale.* He repeated the plea in his mind, not even using the nickname he gave Ercale.

The angel clarified, "Relax; it just means someone in his family made a deal with a demon or something from hell. He's not demonic in any way, from what I can sense." Xain, now genuinely confused, wondered, *Can he not sense Erkie like the priest?* That question lingered until he felt an intrusion in his mind. *Do not worry, Xain. He cannot sense Lord Ercale, nor does he know anything about him,* echoed the demon's reassuring voice. It was a strange sensation for Xain, but one he had grown accustomed to due to Ercale. *Can you talk telepathically?* Xain asked, but there was no response. *I'll take that as a no,* he concluded.

Alcor, with a hint of skepticism, raised a valid question, "If what you're saying is true, then why aren't you heading to Verandez's estate to stop him? And better yet, why aren't there more angels mobilized to counter this invasion?" he asked, pointing out the apparent inconsistency in the angel's mission.

Addressing Alcor's concerns, the angel clarified, "To answer your first question, I was on my way there, but then I sensed a high amount of demonic energy from this place. So, I first came here to stop whatever was happening. You heard how well that shit panned out." Alcor and the others nodded in acknowledgment. The angel continued, "As for the second part, we're short-staffed." The statement prompted bewildered reactions from everyone present, except the demon, who remained impassive. "Eh?" Zee vocalized her surprise, while Larkin sought further clarification. "Could you elaborate?" he asked.

The angel expanded on the matter, stating, "There just ain't enough angels to deal with all the demonic threats. Compared to demons, our population might as well be nonexistent. Also, this might sting a bit, but the higher-ups don't really give a damn about this world."

"The hell do you mean?" Grace demanded, her tone laced with anger. The angel looked down at her, ready to respond, but then the demon raised its clawed hand. "Allow me to explain," it offered, capturing everyone's attention. As the focus shifted to the demon, it began elucidating, "Simply put, Aetheria, in the eyes of angels, is just one of many worlds. Moreover, the people of Aetheria do not follow the religion angels like him..." The demon gestured toward the angel before continuing, "...are a part of. Therefore, they lack a reason to save its people, as their efforts yield no gain and result in losses when combating a demonic invasion."

The demon's straightforward explanation held everyone's gaze. "You hit the nail right on the head. My explanation was just going to be that the higher-ups are massive assholes who don't give a damn about humans, which is still true, by the way. Most angels don't care about you guys—only a few, like me, actually do," the angel added, his nonchalant tone underscoring the harsh reality of their situation. The weight of his words settled heavily on everyone in the room.

"So, uh, what are you going to do now? Are you just going to head over to this Verandez guy and stop his plans? Speaking of which, just how is he going to cause a demonic invasion? 'Cause I feel like we all just glossed over that part," Xain asked, curiosity etching his voice. Larkin chimed in, nodding in agreement, "That's right. We don't even know what's happenin', other than that an invasion is going be a thing."

The angel glanced them all before releasing another sigh. "Alright, whatever. I'll explain," he conceded, preparing to elucidate. Verandez Rasanto is somewhat of a summoner. His magic revolves around being a little bitch who gets others to fight his battles for him. Recently, someone—I don't know who—gave him the resources to summon demons, which he normally couldn't do. And even if he could, they would be very low-ranking little bastards like imps and shit. Anyway, he wants to obviously use these resources to summon demons and do something. What exactly? I don't know. But if I were to guess, it'd be the typical ambitious shit you humans tend to pull."

"How did you find out about all this?" asked Zee. The angel turned to her, and she noticed he wasn't making eye contact. "I overheard a couple of my superiors talking about it while I was stuck doing annoying bloody paperwork. Heaven kinda functions like a corp, by the way. Not that I think any of you would know what that means." He was right; only the demon seemed to grasp the reference. Alcor, acknowledging the information, said, "I have to go have a talk with Collin," before hastily leaving the room. Grace, reading his thoughts, saw that he intended to share all the gathered information.

"Okay, I guess that answers that. Anyway, are you planning to go stop Verandez right now?" Xain questioned. The demon added a cautionary note, "I would recommend that you do not attempt that. I highly doubt you'll be able to put up much of a fight against several demons. You're just barely above me in terms of power, and that's with those bracelets of yours."

"Don't remind me. I know I can't do it alone. So, despite how weird this is gonna look and feel, I'm going to have to ask for help," the angel admitted, visibly struggling to make the request. "Help me put a stop to Verandez and the invasion."