Chapter 28

“You’re an Exorcist?” Henry stared dumbstruck at his best friend. His best friend of nearly a decade. This seemed like something he should have known about him. Then again…it was a secret organization, and Henry hadn’t mentioned it to JJ. But still. And judging by what JJ had just done, he was more than just a regular old Exorcist. After all, Henry didn’t see a single D.E.D. around him. And he had specifically put his phone away before the attack on the Hell Hound. Plus, Henry’s app showed actual exorcists on it, differentiating them with a different color on their orbs. And there weren’t any near him at this moment.

“Nah, I’m not part of that organization.” JJ was back to eating his ice cream, completely carefree. As if he didn’t just showcase supernatural powers in front of Henry.

“Then what was that?” Henry motioned toward where the Hell Hound had been just second before. He also nodded his head towards his Evil Eye, which JJ could obviously see.

“What are you talking about?” JJ smirked as he bit into the waffle cone. “Are you feeling alright?”

Henry opened his mouth and glared at JJ. This was too serious to be joking about. Then again…this was JJ. His best friend thrived on being a troll.

“The Hell Hound.” Henry said quietly. “That you straight up just murdered. If you’re not an exorcist, then what is going on?”

JJ smiled. “Ohhhh, that thing.” He chuckled. “That’s just a little hobby of mine. Something I do for fun ya know? Seriously, this app has made my life so much easier now. Used to be I had to rely on old school methods to find Rifts and Tiered Demon appearances. Now, they’re just highlighted for me.”

“But, before you have a conniption.” JJ continued. Henry was pretty sure his anger was showing on his face, which is what had prompted JJ to keep talking. “I’m not an Exorcist. In fact, as far as that organization is concerned, I don’t exist.” His voice lost its carefree nature. “And I’m expecting you to keep quiet about my existence too.”

When he’d started his day, he never would have guessed this would be happening. All he’d had planned, was tracking down some D.E.D. and leveling his up. The ‘best friend suddenly shows up with strange powers’ card was not on the table. And yet, here they were.

“Are you going to explain?” Henry asked slowly. “Or, just try and be all mysterious and sketch?”

JJ took another bite, seeming to think on it for a moment, before he motioned back towards downtown. “Let’s grab something to eat, and I’ll explain as we go.”

“Jack Quinns?” Henry asked with a raised eyebrow. It was a favorite pub of theirs downtown.

“Duh,” JJ laughed as he finished his ice cream. “I’m sure you’ll want a drink after I finish telling you everything anyways.”

“I’m blaming you for all of this.” Henry said as they started their walk.

“Hey, I thought you would enjoy the game.” JJ said simply. “I never expected you would actually awaken to it. Nor that you would have such a strong resonance, sheesh.” JJ laughed. “Like, you trying to one up me here with your potential?”

That just caused even more questions in Henry’s mind. He’d not shown JJ his app, which meant there shouldn’t be a way for JJ to know his resonation potential. The D.E.D. seemed to know, of course, but once again, this was JJ, not a D.E.D.

“You going to start explaining things?” Henry asked, his mind racing? “Because right now, you’re just causing me to question all sorts of things.”

“Such as?” JJ egged him on.

“Well first off, what exactly is going on. And how do you know all these things? Like I feel the whole, having supernatural powers things, probably should have been mentioned somewhere in our friendship.”

“Oh yeah, because you came running to me the moment you learned about D.E.D.” JJ chuckled. “Freaking hypocrite.” They both laughed, before JJ continued. “But real talk. What I’m about to tell you, I’m only telling you because you’re my best friend. Hell, the only reason I even showed up back there, was to help you out. If it had been any other exorcist, I would have laughed as I watched their D.E.D. get torn to shreds by that Hell Hound.”

The venom with which JJ made that joke, told him there was some type of bad blood between his best friend, and the organization that Henry had been pressganged into. Hopefully that didn’t cause him issues in the future.

“I’m part of an ancient line known as Demon Hunters.” JJ started. “Somewhere in history, not sure when, Demon Hunters and Exorcists actually were a singular organization. However, their ideologies changed, and they broke. The Exorcists excommunicated the Demon Hunters, and began hunting them down.”

“What? Why?” That was all Henry could really ask right there, as more and more questions formed.

“Rumor is, the original founders of the Demon Hunters were some of the strongest Exorcists, and they took with them quite the collection of powerful D.E.D, as well as various artifacts and you know, forbidden knowledge and such.” JJ shrugged. “It’s all in the past dude, I don’t know much. I just know, Exorcists are pompous dicks, and I don’t like them.” He narrowed his eyes at Henry. “Especially when they get in my way.”

“Dude, I’ve no intention of getting in your way.” Henry rose his palms towards his buddy. “I just became a part of this like yesterday. I’ve still no idea what’s going on.”

JJ nodded and sighed. “And yet, now you’re a part of them. Man this is just our luck, huh?”

“Yeah.” Worst luck ever.

“Any ways, all that aside, Demon Hunters mission, in one regard, is the same as the Exorcists. We look to keep any and all D.E.D. with hostile intent from entering into our world. However, the Exorcists have been hording their power, and militarizing it. They’ve become a massive shadow organization, with global power and resources. Demon Hunters, on the other hand, are scattered, persecuted, and hunted down by Exorcists as if they were rabid animals.” JJ shook his head. “As if we aren’t fighting the same fight.”

“Which is why you and the Exorcists don’t get along.” Henry started.

“Well that, and they killed my dad.” JJ’s voice went flat. “Straight up murdered him, trying to get the family D.E.D.”

“I thought your dad died from cancer…” Henry trailed off. He remembered when JJ’s dad had died. His best friend had been a wreck.

“Obviously I couldn’t tell you a secret organization had murdered my dad.” He said dryly. “And to be fair, I view the Exorcists as a cancer on the world. Freaking organization is stupid corrupt now.”

The more Henry learned about the organization, the more he wondered how much of them he could trust. Even Loki, who’d wielded crazy power, seemed hesitant to trust the organization, offering only words of caution to Henry before he’d departed. And now of course, he finds out his best friend’s dad was murdered by the group, in order to try and acquire the D.E.D. in the family?

He thought back to what he’d heard Jon saying, about the ancient, old D.E.D. passed down by the Exorcists. D.E.D. of unimaginable power. That lined up with everything. If JJ’s family had D.E.D. like that in their possession, and it was known…he could imagine the organization trying to acquire them. After all…wasn’t that what shadow organizations did?

“Fair point.” Herny replied, “and I know it doesn’t mean much, but I’m sorry it happened. If I’d known I wouldn’t have-“

“You didn’t have a choice.” JJ continued. “The moment they got word of your resonation potential, you were theirs. If you opposed them or refused to join, you’d either be blackmailed into joining, or they would dispose of you. That’s just the way it is.” JJ looked at him, his eyes filled with sorrow. “I’d just never expected you to actually resonate…otherwise, I would have tried to get you in on the Demon Hunter side. But without a test…”

That was the other thing Henry remembered about the app. The Director had mentioned it allowed them to find recruits pretty much instantly. Speeding up a process that before had taken who knew how long. In other words…the organization had created a way to find any and all possible candidates, and get to them, before anything…such as the Demon Hunters, could. Oh, that was sneaky.

“So now what?”

JJ looked at him, and looked at their destination. They were nearing the pub. “Now, you buy me a beer, and we hangout. I’ve no intentions of leaving my best mate, even if he is part of the enemy now.” He chuckled, and winds whipped around him dangerously. “That being said, word of advice. If you rat me out, I’ll kill that little D.E.D. of yours, and any others you’ve got hidden.” The winds died down. “Like I said, we’ve got the same goal in mind, of keeping the world safe. Just…different paths to walk to do so.”

Henry nodded, even as his mind processed everything. He knew, and JJ likely knew as well, that those words were false. Now that Henry knew the situation, he had a strong feeling his interactions with JJ were going to be a lot more fleeting. After all, the more time they spent together, the more chances there would be that somehow, someway, the Exorcists found out about him. And that, he knew, would be problematic for the both of them.

“Right,” Henry said sullenly. “Well then, here’s to saving the world with weird demon powers.” The laughter that came from Henry and JJ told them both all they needed to know. The future, their friendship, was no longer in the cards. Someday, Henry knew in his heart, there was a good chance he and JJ would be fighting against each other. And as it currently stood, Henry had no doubt JJ would destroy him.