Erin walked up the steps to the stage with apprehension. It was their first real gig - not counting the one time they were the opening to some hugely known band and no one paid much attention to them. That time, she knew all eyes were not in fact on her, so it wasn’t nerve wrecking. It was different this time. These people were actually there for them. The three had been a band for three years now. The had an additional member, but she had to leave the band for personal reasons. Before her departure, though, the band had compilation CDs with other indie bands that were given to school kids who, sadly, probably tossed them as soon as they exited the auditorium. They had a couple of videos on YouTube that gave them a few hundred fans. Of course, they had fans from when they first started out and were playing in Josh's basement and the neighborhood kids would come and listen to them. That was in Buffalo. Tonight, they were on a stage in Central Park. In New York City, with thousands of screaming fans awaiting their arrival.

Erin shivered as they walked up to the front of the stage. It was an October night, and it was pretty cold. She cursed herself for wearing short sleeves, she honestly didn’t know what was going on in her head. Buffalo was much colder than NYC though, so it wouldn’t kill her to stand on an outdoor stage for an hour or so. She glanced at her band mates as they got into position. She gave a curt nod to Josh, their drummer, and he gave the introduction. They had agreed that it would be him. She would have stumbled over her words, and Leisha couldn’t care less. The crowd screamed louder as Josh ended his speech.

"We’re starting this off with an amazing song that Erin composed herself; this is Minute!"

Erin sighed and closed her eyes. Nervous was an understatement to describe how she felt. What if she messed up? If her fingers slipped? If her voice croaked?

There was no time to worry about those things. Why be a musician in the first place if you can’t handle a crowd of people gawking at you?

She started her guitar solo.

*******************************************************************

Two high schoolers stood near the front of the crowd, trying hard to contain their excitement. Nasalynn had been a fan of The Juliett since their debut, and she in turn converted her best friend, Cassandra. The shorter girl wasn’t impressed by their music at first, but one song in particular had made her re-evaluate her hasty decision. The song was a bit melancholy, with its lyrics and minor key, but she loved it.

How Nasalynn had convinced Cassandra’s mom to let her go to a concert in the City on a school night was beyond her, but she was so glad that she did. Nasalynn was a more reserved girl, but whenever her friend was with her, she would jump out of her shell and break it. Cassandra’s outgoing personality was something she really liked about the Junior.

As soon as Erin strummed the opening of the song, both girls immediately looked at each other, then screamed to the top of their lungs with glee.

“The sky is falling down…”

*******************************************************************

In a room somewhere between The Underworld and the Spheres of Heaven, a grey skinned boy sat in a very white room, coincidentally enough, called White Room. He was the overseer of White Room, located in The In-between. It wasn’t fully a purgatory, but it was where souls of murdered humans went first after they died to determine their final destination.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary to find both an angel and a demon here, as they were representatives of their corresponding domains. The soul would go either with the angel or the demon depending upon answers they gave to specific questions. The boy really didn’t have much to do with this; he was just basically in charge of the room and had to make sure a spirit went on their way. He was also tasked with contacting the representatives. They weren’t authorized to enter his domain with his approval.

Something that was out of the ordinary was the fact that he had been sitting alone for a few hours. People were murdered all the time, and so normally there was someone here every few minutes or so. Though there wasn’t much to do here in the first place, he still got restless at times.

He sighed and stared at the white walls, reclining deeper into his chair. That’s when he heard a small noise from behind him. Startled, he turned around, expecting to see the former shell of a human, but saw walls instead. He stood up, still looking in the direction of the sound, waiting. Nothing.

Confused, he turned back around, and was met with the unfamiliar face of a blue haired demon.

This wasn’t right. He wasn’t supposed to be here, and as the boy started to comment about that, he froze. The sinister look in the demon’s eyes told him that he knew that very well. The grey skinned being backed up into his chair. He wasn’t all powerful or anything of the sort. He barely had power to begin with. So when the demon reached out towards him, consuming him in a black mist of Banishment, he could do nothing but let it happen.

The red skinned creature smirked as the mist disappeared, along with White Room’s Keeper. That was easier than he thought, and he wondered why no one did it sooner.

A black mist similar to the one he just used appeared, but it was different. He was basked in it, and in an instant his transformation was complete. No longer was he a tall, handsome, red skinned demon with shining blue hair.

He now appeared to be the grey skinned, black haired overseer of White Room. He laughed, sitting down in his new chair, taking in his new territory.

*******************************************************************

The Dominion half listened to her fellow angels. The were talking about a nation that was planning on gaining more power, but it wasn’t anything new. She stood - or rather - floated near a table where the two other Dominion’s talked. The table wasn’t necessary for them, but they had liked the concept of this human item. It floated as well. They were in the Second Sphere of Heaven, and Dominion’s ranked fourth of all the angels, making them pretty important. One of their duties was to oversee the lower angels.

The Dominion was starting to actually take in interest in the conversation when suddenly a Principality kneeled before her.

“Mistress Hashkyrian, they are moving once again,” he said. He carried a scepter similar to hers, but his lacked the Light. His eyes were covered by a golden cloth. Atop his head was a crown.

‘They’ must have referred to demons. Principalities normally reported to Hashkyrian and her Dominion comrades about these things. They were of the Second Sphere, and they were ranked seventh. Their task was to oversee groups of people, but Hash specifically wanted to know about the movements of demons if they affected humans.

“They never fail, do they? What this time?” It was aggravating, but they were technically allowed to do what they wanted until the End Times.

“From what I understand, one of the Keepers of the In-Between was banished,” the Principality responded.

This was new. No one really messed with the In-Between. Suddenly she panicked. She personally knew someone there. “Lisirion?” she asked.

“Gage,” he responded and relief washed over her.

She was curious then. “What’s become of White Room?” White Room was a very important place, and if the Keeper was banished…then what of the souls?

“My apologies, Mistress. My information stops there.”

She was disappointed, but she understood. Not every movement can be tracked. “I see…”

The angel waited for her to give a command or dismiss him as he continued to kneel down.

Hashkyrian looked off into the splendid distance. Gage had been White Room’s Keeper for hundreds, if not thousands of years. She wasn’t well acquainted with him, but knowing that he was gone made her uneasy. That, and slightly interested.

“I’m curious as to how this will play out. What is their goal? What is it that these demons wish to do? Yes, very curious…” She dismissed the Principality soon after and continued to think.