The next day, the lobby was quiet and empty. Shilo quietly entered inside, checking to see if Belle was around. To her relief, she was out of sight and away from her desk, making it easy for Shilo to get in without a witness spotting her. She needed to get the archive fast. She closed the door behind her, careful not to make a sound.
She rushed to the hallway, careful not to make a sound with her heels. She hardly noticed how empty the building was or the lack of angelic beings in sight. She was too focused on finding the archive to worry about it. She saw a door with a glass window and an angelic handle on her way. The label on the top read 'Heavenly Archive.'
She quickened her pace, too excited to hear her heels clicking on the floor. Once she grabbed the handle, she tried to open it, only to find it locked. "Oh, frostbite," she whispered. She backed away while thinking of an alternative solution.
She turned around, heading to another hallway. She knew where the key to the archive was—in Uriel's office. That's where he kept them. She could use it to get in if she could get her hand on it. She just hoped that he wasn't here and out on business.
Once she found his office, she saw a door with his schedule on the window. She grabbed the handle, finding it unlocked, giving her access inside. Shilo opened the door and entered; Uriel's office was cleaned with a neat row of papers, and the blinds were closed. She closed the door behind her, giving her privacy.
She looked around the office, looking for the keys. To her most incredible luck, the key to the archive lay on top of his desk. She picked it up, holding it in her hand. With a soft breath, she used her frost powers to create a replica of the key. She smiled at her success.
Suddenly, the door handle clicked, hinting that someone was getting in. She put the key back in its place and hid under the desk.
"Yes, yes. I'll let Sera know as soon as I have the chance." Uriel's voice spoke through the door. The door opened, and he entered inside.
He approached his desk and sat down, not noticing Shilo under. She did her best to remain silent and wait for Uriel to leave. While waiting, Uriel grabbed a stack of paperwork and reviewed them. He sighed softly, looking them over. A single paper fell from the stack and landed next to Shilo.
Shilo covered her mouth, blocking her breath, and tried to hide deeper. She watched Uriel lean down to grab it, watching with bated breath. She was shaking in her spot, praying to the gods that he didn't notice her.
The phone rang, drawing Uriel's attention as he pulled himself up to answer it. "Hello?" Uriel replied to the other line. Then he let out a sigh. "What do you want, Gabe? Can it wait?" he asked. Shilo guessed it was Gabriel on the other end. "Fine. I'm on my way." Uriel ended the call.
He stood from his desk and left the office, closing the door behind him.
After the door closed, Shilo left under the desk, stood up, and headed out of the office. She resumed her goal of going to the archive, even going far to run in the hallway. She saw the door waiting for her.
She uses her frost key, unlocks it, and enters inside. The archive is enormous, with many recorded documents, information, and books written over time. Shelves filled with flies under labels of topics, drawers that carried small cards to the archive library, and dim lights hanging on the ceiling. The room is spacious enough for an angel to spread their wings without worrying about knocking shelves down.
But she isn't here to observe the wonderful sight; she must find the extermination section. She pressed forward, passing labels while scanning them with a keen eye. The room is enormous, with so many shelves that fill the space. But she's not giving up; she pressed on.
Then she found what she was looking for: a shelf with the label 'Extermination.' She let out a smirk. "Checkmate," she whispered softly.
She summoned her binder out of thin air, ready to record everything she needed to expose the seraphim and the archangels. She picked out a file and pulled it out. She opens the file and sees a pile of paperwork signed by Sera. The first paper shows a signed agreement with Lucifer and Sera's handwriting in golden blood. Azrael was right; it was an agreement signed in blood. It said that it gives Heaven's permission to kill all sinners but leave the hellborns and his daughter, Charlie, to live.
Shilo gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "That woman is his daughter?" She mumbled. So, Lucifer and Lilith had a single daughter with more than Lucifer's appearance, passion, and desire to dream. No wonder she caught her attention.
She continued reading the paper. It said that if a hellborn or the princess of Hell is killed, the agreement would be broken, and the extermination would be over. It makes sense why they have to avoid the two pardons. She pulled out a pen and wrote the agreement information, along with Charlie.
She placed it down, taking out another paper, this one with the signed agreement from the archangels to create the extermination and form a band of angels in Michael's name to go to hell once a year. She could feel her blood run colder than her powers, seeing Michael's name in golden blood, Sera's name, and others.
She gripped the binder, feeling her anger coursing through her veins. She inhaled her anger and realized she needed to focus on her goal now. She copied the agreement into her binder, making sure not to misspell anything.
After that, she set it down along with the first paper and took out a paper with Adam's information and his signature to be the extermination's leading angel. "Are they fucking kidding!?" she shouted, keeping her voice down. "My lord, they must be dense to put this guy in charge!" She doesn't see him as the leader type; he's too prideful to know how to lead. She gets to work on writing his info in her binder, looking forward to him getting the boot out of heaven.
She put the papers back in the file and put them back in their place. She turned to the file beside her, took it out, and opened it. "Okay, what do we get here?" she mumbled.
She sat down and pulled out a paper with rules for the exorcist angels to follow. One, never show mercy on the sinners. Two, they can't reveal their true selves to ordinary angels. Third, only exorcist angels are allowed to know about the exterminations. Fourth, stay away from the demons and the royals. And five, be careful with angelic weapons. They can kill angels.
"No wonder Emily and nobody here heard of them." Shio whispered. It just proves that Heaven wants them to be kept in the dark. She wrote the rules on the binder, which might help prove enough. She placed it beside her and pulled out another paper that was full of the names of the exorcist angels. One name was crossed out, but she could see it through the golden line. Vagatha. She would have guessed she was kicked out, and nobody knew she existed. She also spotted Lute's name on it.
"Hmp, a soldier for Michael?" She mocked Lute's answer. "I knew there was something I hated about her." She wrote down the names; there had to be some angels who knew them.
Then she gasped; she heard a voice, and it was coming her way. She quickly put the papers back in the file and placed them on the shelf. She ducked under the window door to avoid being seen through it.
"Mikey! Hey Mikey!" Adam's voice shouted behind the door. She groaned, irritated. Great, this embarrassment was here.
She also heard Michael let out an irritated sigh. "What is it now, Adam?" he asked, annoyed.
"Okay. No offense, but I just got to know." Adam began. "Why are you still with that virtue whore?" he asked him.
Michael growled at Adam. "Watch your tongue, or I will make you shallow with your words," he threatened.
"Okay, okay. sorry." Adam apologized, backing away a bit. "I mean, from what I heard. She was troublesome before I arrived."
Shilo listens to them, wondering who they are talking about. She knows she is the only virtue Michael has been with; no one else has.
"She was, but Shilo is much better," Michael answered. "Just as long as she doesn't start questioning, she already found out about the extermination," he added, sounding disappointed.
"Then can you have her fall? You know, save the trouble?" Adam suggested. Shilo started to feel anxious. They would never have her fall.
"No," Michael shook his head. "That would raise suspicions; the school would have noticed her gone, and Emily liked her too much to let it happen." He answered, "Shilo wouldn't go against me and my brothers. She is far too naive and ignorant to disobey us." He added, "And we ensure she stays this way forever."
Shilo's eyes widened at this. Is that what he and the others think of her? Naive and ignorant? They tried to help her stop being naive after Lucifer's fall, but only to hear they wanted to keep her that way.
"Now move on. Sera needs me." Michael pressed.
"You got it, Mikey." Adam jeered.
Michael growled. "And don't call me that," he warned him.
She heard Adam apologize as she listened to their footsteps as they walked away. She slides to the floor, taking in what Michael said about her. He called her naive and ignorant, and not in a positive tone. She can feel the heartbreaking reopening of the wound she desperately tried to heal; tears formed in her eyes as it fell down her cheek. Is Michael starting to get bored of her? Her fist gripped tighter, and her broken heart began to freeze more.
After getting her binder and wiping her tears off, she left the archive and closed the door behind her. She had some of the information she needed; she could come back again to get more before the others began to get suspicious.
As she walked down the hallway, holding her binder close, she bumped into someone in the same hall as her. She looked up, and to her shock, it was Uriel and Raphael she bumped into. She quickly hid the binder behind her.
"Ah. Shilo." Raphael greeted her.
Shilo quickly sends her binder away, back to her place. "Hi!" she replied back with a smile. "How are you two?"
"Very well. Thank you for asking." Uriel smiled back at her.
Raphael narrowed his eyes at her as if he sensed something was off about her. He watched Shilo smiling with her hands behind her back. "What are you doing here?" he questioned her. "Shouldn't you be in your class, teaching the students?" He raised an eyebrow.
Shilo gulped, shallowing her nervousness. "I was on my way. I... I was just looking for an assignment to teach the angels," she answered, lying in front of their faces. "You know, something new."
Raphael placed a hand under her chin, rubbing it. "Is that so?" he mumbled, taking his hand off. "What is it about?"
"Oh!" Shilo hummed, trying to come up with an excuse. "Uh..about Judas Iscariot!!" She nervously smiled, hoping they would buy it.
Sadly, she could see their expressions of disgust and confusion. She knew they were not comfortable speaking about Judas and the crime he did to Jesus. But she was panicking, and it was the first thing that popped into her mind.
"Why him?" Uriel asked her, arms crossed and staring down with a displeased look. "We don't allow people like him to be taught here in heaven." He pointed out.
"I know." Shilo sighed. "But what's wrong with teaching something new?" She pondered. "I mean, why can't we change a bit and-"
"Shilo Winterstone of Perseverance," Raphael spoke, cutting her off. He watched Shilo close her mouth and give her full attention. "Are you questioning what we should allow here?" He interrogated her.
She shook her head. "No. I... I don't understand what's so wrong with trying something new." She questioned them, wondering if they would allow a better way to keep sinners out of hell.
Uriel stares down at her with a stern expression, making her nervous. She is asking too much, which might reveal too much about their actions. He and Raphael need to throw her off track and fast.
"Walk with us." He ordered her.
Shilo released a frown on her lips. But she nodded, knowing she couldn't argue back on them.
The three walked down a hallway with a huge open window that looked out onto Heaven. Shilo kept her eyes on Raphael and Uriel, walking beside her on both sides. She was a little suspicious and cautious about their following action, but after hearing Michael's words, she starts to feel doubtful about the angels who spent their eons teaching her.
After a while, Uriel begins to speak. "See, we all love a good little trait of knowledge. It's what built our golden paradise." He preached, looking out through the window and watching the angels outside. "But knowing too much can be quite troubling."
Then Raphael stepped in. "And we can only afford so little here." He added. "It's why we are in charge of ensuring Heaven doesn't go out of order." He set his attention on Shilo. "And why we all decided to train you, to help you try to understand more."
Shilo only frowned at their words. "But why can't I try something new? Are you all afraid I will end up like Luci?" she guessed.
The three stopped their track, standing in the middle of the hall.
Raphael sighed sadly, as if he were being given a heavy weight on his shoulder. "What he did was out of our control," he implied. "He thought we could try to do good, but in the end." He paused on his word. "Well, you saw what happened."
"Don't remind me.." Shilo sadly replied. The memory of that horrible day still plays in her mind.
"We don't want you to feel like your actions are wrong," Uriel explained. "But we all don't want you to get a little too wiser. Knowledge can be quite troubling."
Shilo blinked. "What do you mean?"
"It's not what you are expecting." Uriel proclaimed.
"It's much worse," Raphael added.
Shilo furrowed her eyebrows as if she felt something wasn't quite right about those two and their words.
"My dear blue star. When I move, there you are not far behind." Uriel sings, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why do you walk in my shoes? Should I tailor-make this dream for you?" He put his fingers under her chin, making her look at him. "Too many roads to pick one right now. Just wait to see how it unfolds." Shilo felt a chill in her spine, getting a bad sense.
He then backed away from her as the two archangels sang. " Don't put all your eggs in just that basket. I've seen too much; that's why I ask it. "
Raphael grabs her hand, holding it. " This paragraph ," he sings while he strokes her palm. " It'll be your epitaph , my girl. " Shilo frowns; what once made her feel safe only made her feel rotten. "Go break the rules. Show them all why the system needs an overhaul . "
Uriel's face is close to her, just on her right side. " First to the eyes of the storm is the first to feel the thunder snapping at their heels. " Both sing.
Shilo backed away from them as if they were violating her. Till her back hit the wall, trapping her with the two.
" Rinse the evil from the golden temple. " Raphael sings, staring down at her with a cold glare. " Blue star, it wasn't accidental. "
They both circled around her. " They wanna clip your wings 'cause a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. They wanna stamp out queens 'cause a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, " they sang to her as she watched them surround her. " No room for a cat to swing or a bee to find its sting. They wanna clip your wings 'cause a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
They stopped circling her, only to side on both sides as they stared with a dangerous glint in their eyes. " All that I've learned, I will save it for you when I return. " Shilo could feel her breath getting heavier with each stare from them. " Till the knowledge is passed down. There's no way to know if it'll live on. " They spread their wings open and hovered over her.
" I think I'll be forgotten if fate allows, 'cause they stopped asking who , what , and how. There's too many roads to pick one right now. Just wait!" They sing as they both circle in the air while Shilo watches them.
During this, Shilo was speechless and mainly frightened. What if what they were saying was true? About using too much knowledge. She doesn't see it as a wrong thing to have; it's better than remaining in the dark and getting hurt again.
The two returned to the ground. Uriel grabbed her cheek and turned her face toward him. " Hold them close, " he sang to her. " Cause they'll remember when you're gone. "
Shilo frowned, staring into his eyes. He let her go, backing away from her.
"Teach whatever you like, but remember to keep that knowledge to a minimum," Raphael advised her. "The angels of today are essential to us."
"I understand." Shilo nodded.
"Good." Uriel nodded. "Now, head back to the school; you got a role to do." Seeing a nod from Shilo, the two nodded in satisfaction and headed away, leaving Shilo alone in the hallway.
Once they are gone, Shilo sighs, looking out the window and seeing her reflection against the window. She frowns deeply as she stares at herself. She wonders if she is doing this out of anger, mad for being lied to and misled by the angels she trusted. It sounds selfish to do all this because she wasn't informed about it.
"Knowledge is a dangerous thing," she mumbled to herself. "Maybe they're right. I could be exposing everything Sera and the others are trying to hide to protect Heaven." She bowed her head down, reflecting on her actions. She should forget this and move on with her life.
She looked through the window, watching the angels in their daily lives. In the afterlife, they had no care. They didn't know what was happening; they just lived utterly ignorant. She gripped her fist. She was ignorant like them, not knowing what was happening somewhere else that got heaven involved. If they continued to remain that way, then they wouldn't get a say on how they felt about the extermination.
"But who will protect Hell? Lucifer may let it down and allow Heaven to boss him around, but I won't let them boss me around, too." She moralized. She focused on the hall ahead, approaching her way out. "I'm done being ignorant. Heaven needs to wake up."
'A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing' by Troy Kingi and MACEY