It was evening when I finally woke up. Brad was already up, as I found out when I went into his room to discuss our plans.

“What do you think about all this?” I asked, referring to the earlier conversation with his grandmother.

He clasped his hands together. “You know, I was so shocked at first, especially when I found out about my family. But I’ve thought about it, and I can’t help but see it positively. If my ancestors have succeeded in killing demons for hundreds of years, it might mean that something sets us apart. Something that could give us the edge in a year’s time.”

“I only hope that it’s not the book.” I said. “It was my fault that you don’t have it anymore.”

“Don’t say that. We all made the decision.” He replied.

It was true that we all chose it, but I still felt responsible. However, I couldn’t bring it back by feeling guilty, so I decided to move onto more pressing matters.

“I think our best bet now is to follow the advice of your grandma. We both know too little to do any differently.”

He nodded. “She’ll only do the best for us. Or at least for me, maybe not you.” He laughed a bit.

After we both got ready, we headed downstairs. Maybe his grandma had heard us moving, because there were already three steaming cups of tea sitting on the table.

“Good evening.” She said with a kind smile adorning her face.

We responded similarly with our own greetings as we sat down.

“You’ll be pleased to know that I have found somewhere you can go to learn.”

“Where?” Brad asked before I could.

She shook her head. “Where is not so important. It is the who, that you should pay attention. I told you that there were organizations in the world which dealt with demons. I thought it would’ve been impossible to get their attention, but I sent some messages out anyway.

Luckily for you, I got a response from one. A good response. From The Archive Society.”

She left the name to hang in the air for a brief moment. “They told me they need any help they can get, so they must be quite desperate to be willing to accept people like you. Anyway, this is a perfect opportunity for you. If you can join the society, it will be perfect for your future development.”

I was pleased to be hearing such good news, but I still didn’t know the whole picture. “Sorry, but what do they do that we can help with?”

“Ah, I haven’t told you yet. They’re in the business of preserving texts and history about the world. The real world. Which means they have the information you need to get stronger, not to mention they also have very powerful people to protect themselves. You can think of them as librarians that will go to war to keep their books safe and to get more.”

Brad spoke. “I’m for it then.” It was just like him to jump to a decision without considering it fully.

Still, I wasn’t completely convinced. “If we join this organization, we won’t just be kept as glorified slaves?”

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I found it unlikely that Brad’s grandma would point us to somewhere like that, but I needed to make sure. We needed to have the ability to move freely for the next year at least, and I didn’t know what the standards of this part of the world were. Chris was killed in the blink of an eye, so I couldn’t even think of what we could do to help other than be used as free labor. Slavery still existed in certain parts of the world, even in Britain, so it wouldn’t be farfetched for it happen with such a large power disparity.

She hesitated, humming and hawing as she thought it through. “I find it unlikely. Brad’s grandfather was a member, and he never complained about losing freedom. He hated things like that.Although he joined when he had already been involved in the world for a few years. But I think that you’ll still be fine. The people involved with these things tend to have a certain pride about them. If it became known that they took advantage of the weak, then they’d become a laughingstock and their reputation would take a hit.”

I tapped the table with my fingers. If Brad’s grandpa truly had been a member, then it should be fine, but I liked to know my options before I committed to a decision.

“There’s nothing better?” I asked.

“Not unless you’re willing to wait for something that might never come.” So no, there wasn’t. Without any other leads, I had to take a leap of faith. Brad’s grandma wouldn’t put him in danger. That was what I had to believe in.

“Then I think we should take the chance.” I looked over to Brad, who just smiled back at me, as if he had only been lightly listening. He had the look of a child who was waiting for a parent to finish speaking to someone. “I'm still in agreement.”

Brad’s grandma placed her hands on the table to create a dull thud. “Well, that’s sorted. Let's get some supper for you two.”

—

Over our meal, Brad’s grandmother informed us more about what we should expect. We were going to Tonford University, a couple hundred miles west. Supposedly, they had two campuses; one for regular people, and another for spirit shapers, for people to learn and become more powerful in terms of their soul.

We were going to the latter campus in the morning, leaving at about six so we could be there early.

She showed us to our bags that she had prepared. They were fairly light and had the essentials, like food, water, first aid. I was a bit surprised when I saw a knife, but left it there after she explained that we might need to protect ourselves at some point. I had to get used to the new state of our lives. Anyway, people already carried around knives, and that was without actual demons coming after them.

She didn’t tell us anything else about the soul, demons, or spirits. Her lips were sealed, even through all our attempts to get her to say something.

With some hours to spend before we left, I got Brad to workout with me. I didn’t know what exactly we should do, so we just did push ups and squats until we were both too tired to continue. I was a sweaty mess by the end, and felt regretful for having ignored my fitness for so long. I didn’t have the same level of strength and endurance as I did in my youth. Brad managed a bit more than me, but that wasn’t much to boast about, since I had only managed 30 of each in an hour; with great difficulty.

I spent the rest of my time between looking at a map that Brad’s grandma had given us; with locations of the more secretive parts of the world on it, trying to commit them to memory, as well as researching demons on an old computer. I found lots of information, but I had no way of knowing what was real and what wasn’t. I did find several references to the spiritual and demonic planes, but mostly in the form of old, confusing texts in languages like Latin, where the publishers were convinced that the contents were fiction. I also searched for the smiling demon, but nothing matched up with what I saw.

Soon the hours passed and we were outside the car, about to leave.

“Good luck you two. Brad, whenever you come across any difficulties, always remember that this is in your blood. David, I haven’t gotten to know you well, but I can see the look in your eyes; your drive to achieve your goal will bring you far. If things look hopeless, never forget what you’re fighting for.” Brad’s grandmother said.

“Thank you.” I said.

Brad went in for a hug, “I love you.” He said.

She smiled and replied, “I love you too.” Then they pulled apart and she pushed us lightly to the car. “Now, go, quickly. Time is ticking.”

We didn’t need to be told twice. After saying goodbye, we got into the car and drove away, to the next part of our journey.

Tonford University.

I had to admit, despite all the terrible things that had happened to us. I was excited to explore this new world.