Five weeks later
Shilo sat on her stool and watched the paint appear with a stroke of her brush. The painting before her shows an exorcist angel with a spear and blood on their outfit, and they are smiling evilly. After five weeks, she can never get her mind off the fact that Heaven allowed genocide in Hell.
As a virtue, she was never fond of using violence and hate against men and souls. She never even used her powers to commit such an awful act; it is not what she was taught to do. The archangels trained her well to control her powers and only use them when necessary. Yet they are going against everything they told her behind her back. They're committing a horrible act behind Heaven's back.
"Forget those sinners? How can I forget when I've been lied to by the only angels I trusted with my life!?" Shilo lamented on her anger. "I've been in heaven since the beginning, and I never knew this till this month!!" As she shouted, frost began to form on the floor.
Nicholas senses her anger and powers, causing him to whimper in fright.
"How can they talk about saving lives and protecting souls when, in truth, they are killing lives that never think about Heaven!!! How hypocritical can they be?!! And nobody knew this!! SOME SAINTS THEY CLAIMED TO BE!!!" As her voice grew louder, so did the frost and the temperature. It was sensing her rage and betrayal.
A bark from Nicholas snapped her out of her mind, causing her to gasp. She noticed her frost on her attic floor. "Oh no! Not again!!" She tried to calm down, but her emotions got more robust, and the frost stopped spreading but didn't melt away.
She covered her face with her hands, groaning. "I am a complete mess right now. My mentor, my friends, my boyfriend... everything, a big lie," she sighed sadly. Nicholas jumped on her lap, licking her cheeks to comfort her. She smiled at him. "Well, at least you are the truthful thing I have." She pets him as he wags his tail.
She sighed, holding him close. Her mind was racing with endless emotions—not just rage and betrayal but also distrust, confusion, overwhelm, and feeling left out. What she told Emily was half the truth: Hell is full of demons and sinners who are killers and selfish, evil people. But it can also be filled with troublesome souls that are lost and just led down the wrong path, and some are being killed just for looking bad.
"What am I going to do?" She mumbled to herself. She couldn't move on, knowing more sinners were just going to keep coming and be slaughtered. She needs more information about the extermination to learn the story behind it. And she knows just who to get the info from.
The next day
Shilo sat in a chair. A long cape covered her body except for her head. She looked to her side, seeing Jophiel cut her hair. She was having Jophiel cut her hair, keeping her pixie cut style as she wanted. And they are very good at it, being the archangel of beauty. Most importantly, they are the most creative out of the six.
Jophiel cut one final strand of hair, stepping back to marvel at it. "Beautiful as ever, little blue star." They smiled. But when they see Shilo's expression of emptiness, they get concerned. "What? Don't like it?" They asked.
Shilo shook her head. "Oh no. Just the way I always ask for." She assured them.
Jophiel placed their hands on their hips, tiling their heads to the side. "Then what's with the doom and gloom? Tell Jophiel." They exclaimed.
Shilo looked around the room, seeing a few angels getting their haircuts. She can't ask them while there are witnesses on sight and sound. The last thing she wanted was to reveal her thoughts. She removed the cape from her neck and sat it on the table.
Then she grabbed Jophiel and dragged them straight to the back room, where they kept hair products and the only soundproof spot. The two entered the room, and Shilo closed the door, leaving them alone in a dimly lit room surrounded by boxes of shampoo and conditioner.
Jophiel blinked. "Shilo? What is going on?" They asked.
Shilo turned and faced them, her eyes filled with determination. "Okay. I have to know something, and you are the only angel I know who doesn't gossip like Gabriel." She told them. Unlike Gabriel, Jophiel was the only angel who never started gossiping and talking about anyone behind their backs.
Jophiel chuckled. "Well, I can't help it; I've got a lot to share." They give their long hair a toss.
"Focus!!" Shilo shouted.
Jophiel cleared their throat. "Sorry. Go on." They ushered her to proceed.
Shilo breathed. It was now or never. "Is it true that Sera and Michael both agreed on letting exorcist angels go to hell and kill sinners?" She asked them. "And you were in on it?"
Jophiel's expression changed from encouragement to pure shock. Their eyes widened, and their lips formed a thin line. "Where did you learn about that!? No one but the seraphim and my brothers are allowed to know about the exorcists and the exterminations!" They shouted.
"Oh!? But no one else, like me, can at least acknowledge what is happening here and what they are doing!?" Shilo barked back. "Why couldn't you just tell me this?!"
"I can't, little blue star. The seraphim and my brothers all agreed that nobody in the lower ranks, not even the cherubim and the thrones, should learn about this horrible event." Jophiel explained. "And you weren't supposed to know about it."
"So you all did lie to me." Shilo hissed, her voice filled with venom and ice.
Jophiel frowned. "Shilo, listen to me-" but she interrupted them.
"How can I listen to you when you seven have lied to me my whole life?! I trusted you and looked up to you!!" Shilo shouted. "You all are killing those mislead sinners-"
"You think we have no choice!!?" Jophiel interrupted her; their hair opened rows of eyes, and their chest had two eyes, sensing their anger. "Hell was getting too crowded with sinners arriving in hell and demons creating hellborn! But because Lucifer put a full pardon on the hellborns, our only option is the sinners!!"
Hearing this, Shilo froze in place. So that's what Michael was saying about going after sinners. They're not born in hell, not created either. But crowded? Like hell was getting so crowded that they decided to send a group of killers to remove them to make bigger rooms? It just doesn't feel right to her.
"So killing them is the only solution?" Shilo hissed.
"We tried our best to devise a less gruesome solution, but humans are becoming too easily tempted and reckless to join heaven," Jophiel informed her. "Our system just... stopped working." They sighed, letting go of the heavy burden in them. "I don't want to see any souls getting hurt, but... it pains me to see them going into this fate. So, with a heavy burden on us all, we all agreed to put Adam in charge of the exorcist team, and once every year, they would go down to Hell and slaughter every sinner."
The world around Shilo started to pause in time. It all makes sense now; this wasn't about power but about controlling a population group. Too many human souls are failing to meet Heaven's status and are placed down here and killed by the one who created them. The system is getting lazy.
Shilo lowered her head down, bowing it as she faced the floor. "I can't believe this... being slaughtered like they are nothing but animals..." she whispered.
"Well, it wasn't a problem before, at first." Jophiel trailed off.
That caught her attention, lifting her head up and facing them. "Before what?" She asked them.
Jophiel realized they said too much. They lifted their wrists, pretending to wear a watch. "My! Look at the time! I need to get back to cutting hair, and so do you!" They shoved her out of the back room. "I don't mean with hair; I meant with teaching the kids!"
"But-!" Before Shilo can get a word out, she is out of the salon, and the door slams behind her, making her flinch at the impact.
She groaned; she was so close to getting her answer. But at least she got parts of it. The extermination is another form of population control, all because Heaven got too picky and lazy. It's no wonder Emily was upset over it. She wasn't told about how it worked or the problem.
But she still needs more information. She can't ask Uriel and Raphael because they will punish her for being too nosy. But she knows a couple of angels that won't tattle.
Gabriel and Azrael sat in the cafe, their orders at the same table. Azrael was looking bored as he listened to Gabriel's stories.
"And then Raphael screamed like a girl in a shower!!" Gabrial laughed. "I was hilarious!!" He laughed so loudly.
Azrael only rolled his eyes. "Oh, lord..." he mumbled, sipping his tea. He always finds Gabriel a bit overexcited; it's draining and overbearing.
Suddenly, both Gabriel and Azrael were grabbed and dragged away by unknown forces. Their backs were met with the walls. Their senses return to normal when they are met face-to-face with their captor.
"Shilo?" Azrael blinked. Shilo was glaring at them with a knowing glare.
"Well, look who it is! Didn't think you'd be the one to do the sneaking." Gabriel chuckled.
Shilo shot him an icy glare that made him shut his mouth. "Alright. Tell me what you know." She started.
"About what?" Gabriel asked.
"About the extermination," Shilo answered.
Gabriel left a bead of sweat on his brow, looking away from her icy glare. "What!? Extermination!? What an awful thing!" He nervously laughed.
"It's not working," Azrael spoke. The look on Shilo's face didn't change.
Gabriel let out a groan of annoyance and defect. "I really miss your fun side." He grumbled.
"Okay, talk!" Shilo snapped. "Michael and Jophiel informed me about the exorcist angels, the extermination, and the reason behind it!"
Gabriel nervously chucked. "Yeah, funny story." He looked away.
"Jophiel, mention Lucifer's pardon. Did they?" Azrael guessed.
"They did. And they ended up saying that it wasn't a problem before." Shilo nodded, confirming. "They didn't tell me what happened before."
"Oh, before!" Gabriel nervously exclaimed. "Yes, see, actually."
But Azrael stepped in, knowing that Gabriel wouldn't explain. "After Lucifer and Lilith both fell into Hell, Lucifer lost hope in himself."
Gabriel nodded, agreeing with Azrael. "Well, I can't blame him. He started this in the first place; it's his punishment for wanting to spread free will with the apple." He added.
"Yes." Azrael verified. "Lucifer was saddened by what he did. So, with him being stuck in his own regret, Lilith stepped in and thrived."
The two angels felt the ground turn to frost, and snow formed. They noticed Shilo was showing an angry expression. Gabriel saw that while he and the others were careful when saying Lilith's name before her, Azrael was not so cautious when saying it without regret.
"Azrael! You said the 'L' word!!" He quivered.
But Azrael didn't listen to Gabriel and kept going on. "Lilith uses her power of song and her voice, empowering the sinners and demons." He informed her. "Because of her, Hell grew along with its powers."
"So you're telling me the reason they started this was because of that dirty, angel-stealing, power-hungry, no good example of a human!!?" Shilo shouted, her powers making the frost bigger and the snow falling hard due to her anger.
Gabriel gulped, not wanting to get on the wrong side. "Only part of it was her fault. The rest are just too easily won over by any sinful temptation." He tried to explain carefully to her. The snow and frost just barely dimmed down. "Sure, she did turn out to be a pretty good ruler, unlike her husband." He smiled, thinking about Lilith. "And oh Lordy, she was a vision of beauty."
He stopped, seeing Shilo more angry, and the frost and snow grew furious. He stammered, trying to come up with a better answer. "But-But! She doesn't have that thriving act of care like you have!!" He nervously chuckled. "Please calm down," he begged in a weak voice.
"It was signed in blood," Azrael added. "We can't break it once the deal has been paid in angelic blood."
Shilo's anger subsides, and the frost and snow melt away. She growls. "I really hate that woman," she mumbles.
"Yes, we know." Gabriel sighed, rolling his eyes. He has grown concerned. "Look, you got your answers. Now move on with your life." He advised her. "The last thing we wanted to hear is you starting to question everything and be the next one to fall."
Shilo nodded, understanding their concern. "Fine. Thanks for answering."
"Just be more careful, little snowflake," Azrael told her.
She then started walking away from them, leaving them alone. Once she is out of their sight, her apprentice changes. Her face held a determined aura and a new sense of challenge.
Because of Lucifer's lack of control, Lilith takes in and causes quite an empowering effect to draw more sinners. Because of this, heaven has to step in and prevent overpopulation from happening, even if it means destroying what they created. Shilo couldn't believe it; she couldn't allow them to keep doing this for eons more. It's just an endless cycle of death and control.
"Signed in blood? Huh?" She mused. "That means all their agreements and documents are recorded. And got to be in the archive. Maybe there is something I can do to stop this."
She opens her wings and flies into the sky. She holds her determined image firm, having a new goal in mind.
She landed on her balcony, opened it, and stepped inside. "How long before I get in? Before it starts, before I begin." She sings, entering her room. "How long before you decided? Before I know what it feels like."
Nicholas lay on the bed, his ears raised, hearing his owner back. "Where to? Where do I go? If you never try, then you'll never know." She grabs the rope hanging on the ceiling, pulls it down, and enters her attic. "How long do I have to climb up on the side of this mountain of mine?"
As she passed her canvas, she kneeled down on her small table. She then removed the books and the plants off the table, setting them on the floor as she lifted the table like a lid.
Inside the table are rows of binders Shilo uses for writing documents and notes that she feels are essential. She pulls out a binder empty of notes.
"Look up; I look at night; planets are moving at the speed of light. Climb up, up in the trees; every chance that you get is a chance you seize." Shilo stood up, holding the binder close to her chest like a precious thing.
"How long am I gonna stand with my head stuck under the sand?" She sings, turning around. "I'll start before I can stop or before I see things the right way up."
She looks up at the sky window, seeing the stars. "All that noise and all that sound. All these places I got found, and birds go flying at the speed of sound to show you how it all began." She sings, lowering her head and staring at her painted canvas. "Birds came flying from the underground. If you see it, then you'd understand."
She sighed. Once her eyes landed on the finished painting of her and Lucifer, they softened. She never thought Lucifer would abandon his dreams and let Heaven turn his realm into a hunting ground. It was almost like Heaven was still holding their grip on him. She gripped her binder tightly, as her eyes had a fierce expression. Heaven may have failed him, but she refused to let Heaven fail the troubled souls.
"Idea that you'll never find; all the inventors could never design the building that you put up Japan and China, all lit up." She climbed down from the attic, landing in her room.
Nicholas watched her leave her room. He jumped off. "The sign that I couldn't read or a light that I couldn't see. Some things you have to believe, but others are puzzles, puzzling me." She sings, entering her living room.
She sat on her couch, placing her binder next to her. "All that noise and all that sound. All those places I got found, and birds go flying at the speed of sound to show you how it all began." Nicholas climbs up the couch, placing his head on her lap. Shilo pet her.
"Birds came flying from the underground. If you could see it that, you'd understand. Oh, when you see it, then you'll understand." She sings. She turned her head, facing the wall that had her picture frames. They show photos of her moments with the angels she once trusted.
There is one with her and Michael sitting next to each other on their first date, another with Uriel and Raphael beside each other, and another with Jophiel giving her her pixie cut. Another shows her holding a degree in Heavenly History. Besides her are Michale and Sera, all smiling. And last, she held a young Emily as a kid.
"All those signs, I knew what they meant. Some things you can't invent. Some get made, and some get sent." Shilo sang, feeling the weight of her hurt. "Ooh-ooh. Birds go flying at the speed of sound to show you how it all began. Birds came flying from the underground. If you could see it, then you'd understand. Oh, when you see it, then you'll understand."
She lightly touched the crystal on her choker; it was a gift from Michael. The very first gift she ever received from her was an act of love. But now, it gives her a cumbersome burden. She sadly sighed.
She inhales all her weight out of her, leaving her body. "If that woman can't prove sinners can be redeemed, then maybe there can be another way to keep new souls away from hell." She mumbled. "And all of Heaven will know the truth."
She faces the window that views the angelic court building. That building has every document and information the archangels recorded and placed for research. It would most definitely have the documents about the extermination. She must gather them and show the school a hidden history they missed. She won't remain ignorant anymore, and neither will the angels.
In the angelic courtroom, Adam and Lute stood in the middle while Michael paced with his hands behind his wings. He was fuming under his breath, clearly angry and upset.
He stopped in the middle, turning his attention to the two angels. "Really? Targeting Charlie's hotel? What were you thinking?" He stated.
"Oh, please. It wasn't that important." Adam rolled his eyes, not caring. "I won. The extermination is happening in a few weeks, and Hell will be gone for good."
"Damn it, Adam!!" Michael slammed his fist on a table, causing an echo around the room. And making the angels flinched. "You don't think!!" He yelled.
Lute cleared her throat. "Sir Michael. The princess didn't come alone; our former exorcist was with her." She informed him.
Michael rolled his eyes. "And why should that concern me?" He questioned her. "I am not in charge of picking which angel is which. That's the system's duty." He heaved.
Lute stepped forward, clearly not taking this lightly from him. "But she turned her back against us, against everything we know." Lute argued.
"By showing mercy on a Hellborn?" Michael hinted, eyebrow raised. "That was the agreement, and you decided to kick her out over a little mistake?" He challenged her.
"We are angels! We don't make mistakes!" Lute shouted at him.
"I made a mistake by letting Lucifer!! My brother!!! From coming to Earth, and didn't stop him from seeing Lilith!!" Michael raged; his angelic eyes opened from his anger. He was panting through his teeth. "We are not monsters, Lieutenant!!"
Adam huffed out. "If anyone is the monster, it's those losers." He blunted.
Michael snapped his head in Adam's direction, eyes filled with rage. "Shut it, you worthless worm!!" He roared. "The only reason you are here is that you didn't cause a natural disaster!!"
Adam gulped, closing his mouth. Not wanting to get on his wrong side.
Michael sighed, rubbing his forehead to smooth his raging anger. He inhales in and out. "If you want to go down there and kill any sinners you see, be my guest." He huffed out. He narrowed his eyes at Adam. "But you do not, I repeat, do not go after Charlie and her friends."
"What!!?" Adam yelled, shocked. "But Michael-"
"You cut a few months to start an early extermination. We are still in charge of holding the end of our agreement." He scolded. "I can't risk having a war between Heaven and Hell all because of you two fucking idiots." He glared at them.
Lute narrowed her eyes at him as if he weren't the Michael he had everyone view him as. "You really have gone soft." she hissed.
Michael glared at her. "Don't push me, or I will have you fall next!" He threatened her.
Lute backed away, feeling his threat. "Yes, sir," she surrendered.
"Final warning: Stay away from Charlie and her hotel," he ordered them. "Do I make myself clear to you, two empty-headed freaks?" He asked them.
"Yes, sir." The two answered in unison.
Michael nodded, pleased with their agreement. "That's Good. You may leave," he told them.
He watched the two leave the courtroom until he was alone in it. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. He never thought this would happen and change everything they had worked hard on. "Never in a million years... and he got his princess and Shilo involved too," he mumbled. "After all we did to keep Shilo from getting curious again," he knew that the seraphim wouldn't be pleased with this. If they find out Shilo knew about the extermination, they would have her be like Lucifer, fallen, only as a dead body in hell.
In the hallway, Adam and Lute both walked down an empty wall.
Lute turned her focus on Adam. "So, are we still going after the hotel?" She asked him.
"Of course we fucking are!" Adam laughed, uncaring. "That little bitch wants to fight back, then let's give them a good fight."
'Speed of Sound' by Coldplay