Enter Max Harper

Gabriel stood stiffly before Rax's desk, his eyes locked on the smirking imp who seemed far too pleased with himself. Behind Rax, lava bubbled ominously in rivers that cast flickering shadows across the dark, charred walls of Hell's administrative wing.

Rax flipped through a scroll labeled Shrine Incident Report, his sharp claws tapping against the desk. "So," he began, leaning back in his chair. "You actually found the shrine. Impressive. Aside from the fact that little to no damage was found around the structure."

Gabriel raised his chin. "Well, that's probably because I did more than just find it. I entered it."

Rax's grin faltered, his beady eyes narrowing. "You what?"

"I said—"

"I heard you," Rax interrupted, leaning forward. "But that's impossible. No demon has ever entered that shrine. It's warded against us."

Gabriel shrugged, unaware of that ever being a thing, even when he was a angel. "Maybe I'm just that good."

Rax eyed him suspiciously. "Did you see anything inside? Find anything?"

Gabriel froze for a split second, his mind racing. If Rax found out about the shard, he'd probably confiscate it faster than Gabriel could protest. Worse, it might derail his only lead to reclaiming his halo. His response came finally, his voice calm. "Nothing of interest."

The imp stared at him for a long moment, his grin returning slowly. "Huh. Guess that means you didn't do your job."

Gabriel frowned. "My job?"

"You were supposed to desecrate the exterior of the damn place," Rax snapped, slamming his clipboard down. "Graffiti, broken pillars, maybe a small explosion or two! But no, you miraculously managed to waltz in, have a look around, and leave it intact?"

"I thought the goal was to assess the shrine," Gabriel muttered, his fists tightening at his sides.

"This is Hell, Gabriel!" Rax exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "We don't assess—we ruin! You know destroy, vandalize, cover holy things in graffiti!"

Gabriel blinked. "Graffiti?"

"Demonic graffiti!" Rax clarified, scribbling wildly on his clipboard. "The shrine is a symbol of celestial order! You were supposed to desecrate it, not leave it looking like an untouched tourist attraction!"

"I... wasn't clear about the objective," Gabriel muttered.

Rax groaned, dragging a clawed hand down his face. "This is why you're the least impressive recruit we've ever had. No explosions. No curses. Not even a single cracked pillar."

Gabriel's jaw tightened. "What's my punishment?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" Rax said, his grin turning wicked. He slapped a new scroll onto the desk. "You're being reassigned to Tokyo. Food truck festival. Go cause some chaos. Or..." He pulled at the chains to the human skin curtains behind him, revealing the Pit of Eternal Suffering. "This will be your reality."

"Food truck festival?" Gabriel echoed, flinching at the sound of eternal screaming.

Rax shrugged. "Hey, it's got potential. Spilled chili, broken churro machines—it's a goldmine of petty evil."

Gabriel sighed, begrudgingly grabbing the scroll.

****

In Heaven's immaculate halls, Lily stood dramatically in front of Seraphina's desk, gesturing wildly as she recounted her "heroic" mission.

"And then," Lily said, her voice rising, "just as the fifteen-foot demon lunged at me, I unleashed my righteous fury. BAM! Took it down in one hit. You should've seen it—absolute carnage."

Seraphina, seated calmly with her usual clipboard in hand, raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Fascinating."

"I know, right?" Lily continued, grinning. "Honestly, I'm kind of a big deal now. You're welcome."

Seraphina sighed, sliding a glowing report across the desk, her expression unreadable. "Lily."

"Yes?"

"We reviewed the shrine."

Lily blinked. "You did?"

"There was no sign of any demon presence," Seraphina said flatly.

"Of course not!" Lily scoffed. "Demons are sneaky. Covering their tracks is, like, their whole thing."

Seraphina closed her eyes briefly, clearly praying for patience. "The only disturbance reported was... you. The shrine sustained minor damage to the interior. This is where your story doesn't add up. Demons... cant enter the enchanted shine."

"Reall?" Genuine surprise replaced Lily's usual grin. "I knew I should've read that damn- uh- I mean... that very informative guidebook."

Seraphina ignored Lily's un-angelic behavior. "You're being reassigned."

"Reassigned?" Lily perked up. "Where to? Somewhere fun, I hope."

"Tokyo."

Lily's grin widened. "Tokyo? Ramen and karaoke? Count me in."

"To find and assess Gabriel," Seraphina added.

Lily froze, her grin vanishing. "Wait... WHAT?"

****

Max Harper sat on the edge of a stone fountain in the middle of the bustling food truck festival, staring gloomily into his lukewarm coffee. Around him, laughter and the smell of sizzling street food filled the air, but none of it lifted his spirits.

Rent was overdue. His job applications had been met with silence. And now his dream of drowning his sorrows in overpriced tacos was stalled by endless lines.

"Figures," he muttered, taking a sip of coffee that tasted more like regret than caffeine.

He was mid-sulk when he spotted something strange out of the corner of his eye.

Near a taco truck stood a tall man with singed clothes and a faint, dark glow emanating from him. The man muttered to himself, pacing like he was deciding which truck to curse.

Max blinked and shook his head. "Great. Now I'm hallucinating. Too much caffeine."

But the man didn't disappear. Instead, he attempted to tip over a condiments table but only succeeded in spilling ketchup on his boots.

Max frowned. He watched as the man waved his hand dramatically at a nearby fryer, but nothing happened except an awkward silence as the food truck workers stared at him.

The man muttered something angrily, wiping mustard off his robe. Finally, he grabbed a bag of chips, stared at it with what looked like existential dread, and put it back.

Max blinked. "What the hell?"

As the man moved to his next "target," Max hesitated, then followed, gripping his coffee cup like a weapon.

When he got close enough, the man turned sharply, catching him mid-stare.

"Can I help you?" the man asked, his tone irritable.

Max hesitated, then blurted, "Uh, yeah. What's with the... glowing thing? Are you, uh... okay?"

The man frowned. "I'm not glowing."

"You're definitely glowing," Max said firmly. "Are you... like, evil or something?"

The man groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't have time for this. Just... go away."

"You're not human, are you?" Max pressed.

The man froze for a moment, then laughed nervously. "Of course I'm human! You're just... tired or something," he said, pointing towards Max's now ice cold coffee. "Go grab a churro or something."

"Right," Max said, unconvinced.

Before the conversation could go any further, a new voice chimed in.

"Oh, Gabe, you're so bad at lying."

Max turned to see a woman with dark hair and a faintly glowing halo. She wore a mischievous grin and carried herself like someone who had just walked out of a prank gone wrong.

"And who's this?" she asked, eyeing Max.

"Nobody," Gabriel said quickly.

Max frowned. "I'm standing right here."

"Hi!" Lily said brightly.

"Lily," Gabriel hissed, his tone warning.

She ignored him, circling Max like a curious cat. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Oh wait—" She gasped theatrically, pointing at Gabriel. "Is he telling you he's human? Wow, classic evil spirit move."

"Lily," Gabriel groaned.

Max blinked. "Wait... is he?"

Lily smirked. "Oh, absolutely. The dark energy thing? Classic sign."

Gabriel groaned. "Lily, stop."

Max stepped back, his heart racing. "I knew it!"

Max's mind raced. This wasn't just a bad day—this was a supernatural crisis. And if movies had taught him anything, there was only one way to handle it.

He grabbed a nearby bottle of water, holding it up like a weapon. "Back, foul spirit!"

Gabriel stared, bewildered. "What are you—"

"Performing an exorcism!" Max declared.

Gabriel blinked. "That's... not how it works."

"It works in the movies!" Max shot back, unscrewing the cap.

Lily doubled over laughing. "Oh my gosh, this is amazing. Please, keep going."

By now, a crowd had gathered, watching as Max raised the bottle of water high.

"Be gone, evil spirit!" Max shouted, splashing water toward Gabriel.

Gabriel dodged, throwing his hands up. "I'm not a spirit, you lunatic!"

The crowd gasped, murmuring among themselves.

"Oh no," Gabriel muttered, realizing the attention they'd drawn.

Max readied another splash, his confidence bolstered by the onlookers. "Reveal your true form, spirit!"

"Lily, do something!" Gabriel hissed.

"Why would I stop this? It's the best entertainment I've had in weeks," she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

The festival descended into chaos as the crowd grew louder, the vendors watched in confusion, and Gabriel tried desperately to avoid another spray of water. Before he could respond, a low, rumbling laugh echoed through the festival.

Lily's grin faltered. "Uh... Gabe?"

Gabriel turned sharply toward the source of the laugh. "Max," he said quietly, "put the water down."

But Max didn't move, his voice steady. "Not until this demon leaves!"

From the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes emerged, and Gabriel's stomach sank.