I clicked the link. A video began to play.

“This is the beginning of peace for the three races,” an angel’s voice proclaimed. He was standing behind a podium with Peal at his side. “Humans, demons, angels: we will all be able to truly coexist. Rest assured that the angels of Colony 19 will put every available resource towards turning these striking observations into viable solutions.”

I soon found out what observations he was talking about: a picture of Knell came up on screen. Not just any picture, either; it was a picture of his dismembered body in my arms, from back when I first met him and found out what he was. And from back when we first met Peal. The angel who had said explicitly that Knell’s demonic nature would remain a secret.

It only got worse after that. There was footage of the two of us in the video, recent footage. It showcased Knell shapeshifting and devouring other demons during our hunting trips. Some of the shots were from as few as 3 weeks ago. The angels had been surveilling us this entire time.

The narrator was saying something about “hybridization” and “genetic material”, but I wasn’t really listening. I was too mortified.

“It looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” Knell whispered behind me.

I swiveled my head around in surprise. “How long have you been standing there…?” I asked him.

“Long enough to know I’m in trouble again,” he replied. “I thought you said Peal was going to keep me a secret…”

“I thought she was!” I cried. “I should have known all that nonsense about morals was just smoke and mirrors…she only wanted me to trust her so we’d let our guard down in the future. That slimy little weasel of an angel…”

I held my head in my hands. I’d only wanted Knell to be safe for once in his life; now he was all over the news. Everyone in the entire world was seeing his face, and seeing the abilities that had inspired enough fear to make his own parents want to kill him. Were the angels insane? How could they do this to him??

Knell had taken my PC to finish watching the video. He seemed far calmer about this than I was.

“…There’s good news and bad news,” he said, after it finally ended. “The good news is that they’re trying to make a hero out of me.”

“…Are you serious…?”

“They’re saying that, if people can combine with demons like I did, then they won’t get attacked by them anymore. The demons will have hosts that will feed them for the rest of their lives, and the humans- and even angels- will finally be safe, because demons don’t eat their own. Not to mention all the cool powers you get from being a half-demon. I would know.”

So that’s what the angel had meant by “truly coexist”. They were hoping we’d all meld into one species.

Of course, I doubted everyone would be on board with the idea of becoming half-demons, even if it was for their own safety. And then, having millions of people running around with that kind of power sounded like a recipe for disaster. Maybe the angels weren’t aware, but humans have already done atrocious things with far less at their fingertips…

…But all that was in the future. I had bigger fish to fry at present. “So…what’s the bad news?” I asked hesitantly.

“Well, the bad news is that they really need me for their research,” Knell replied. “And they’re probably coming here to get me as we speak.”