I kept staring at the ceiling.
"What the fuck did he mean?" I asked myself.
The light from the outside window was brighter today—maybe because I ripped the blinds off it.
I got up from my bed, wanting to start the day. I walked to my wardrobe and put on a T-shirt and some shorts.
As I went downstairs, a cold gust of wind from an open window made me shiver.
Hungry and thirsty, I headed to the kitchen.
I grabbed a plastic bottle and opened it, drinking until my thirst was quenched.
My stomach grumbled, so I grabbed a banana off the counter.
After finishing my breakfast, I sat on the couch in the living room.
I looked behind me—
And saw a tall, black creature in the corner of the room, staring straight at me.
Goosebumps popped up across my skin.
I stared.
It didn't move.
Then, with each blink, it got closer.
A slow, creeping rhythm, like a ticking clock.
I froze—solid, like a statue.
Inches from my face.
Centimeters.
I blinked.
Gone.
"F-Fuck," I breathed, releasing a tight sigh of relief.
"Check your room," something whispered.
I spun around.
Nobody.
I got up and walked to my room.
I walked to my desk, looking around—nothing.
I started opening the drawers—
Top drawer, empty.
Second drawer, nothing.
Finally, the bottom one.
There it was. A book I didn't recognize.
Its title was in some strange language, but curiosity got the better of me.
I opened it to the first page—
And there, staring back at me, was the angel from the barn.
The writing looked like Morse code, similar to something I'd seen at the military base when I went with Matilda... before she died.
I bolted from my room, heading straight to the attic, searching for any kind of translation chart.
I dug through boxes, until—finally—I found a small, folded paper that had each pattern translated.
I ran back to my room.
Sat down.
Started translating.
"Cherub Raziel. One of the highest-ranking angels in the hierarchy of heaven. First mentioned in Genesis.
Raziel was not like the others. He felt regret. Guilt.
He believed humans didn't deserve some of the punishments God gave.
He wanted to rebel—but he knew it wouldn't end well.
He remembered Lucifer.
He knew what God did was sometimes wrong, but he didn't fully understand humanity.
We have no further records on Cherub Raziel, but we believe he is plotting something.
– November 16th, 2026"
"That was written a year ago…" I muttered. "Didn't know they knew about that guy."
A cold gust of wind hit my back again, making me shiver down to my spine.
"Non est salus," a whisper said.
I didn't know what it meant, but I didn't stop reading.
I turned the page—
Blank.
The next—still blank.
Every page.
"What? What is going on? Why are they blank?" I asked aloud.
I closed the book and looked at the cover.
"Sigillum Interdictum."
"What is this? Ancient Greek? Latin?"
I couldn't tell, but I could read the Morse code inside.
I opened the top drawer of my desk to place the book—
But froze.
Inside was a single black feather.
Bloody. Ragged.
"This... this looks like the wing from Raziel," I whispered.
I picked it up.
Underneath it, a crumpled note—
Stained, but still legible.
"The blood moon is coming."
I remembered.
The strange Bible I found on top of my desk had said something similar... something about a blood planet.
I crumpled the note and threw it into the corner of the room.
I stood in front of my mirror.
Looked at myself.
But what stared back was not me.
A stretched smile.
Blood-red eyes.
Clothes—torn, soaked in red.
I flinched and punched the mirror with all my strength.
"Get out of my head... get out of my head... GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I screamed, falling to my knees, gripping my skull.
"Nothing will happen... nothing will happen..." I whispered, trying to comfort myself.
I looked back up at the mirror.
My reflection was normal.
My hair slightly covering my left eye.
"I-It's back to normal?" I asked.
I sat down at my desk chair.
And started drawing.