Danny woke up to sunlight instead of alarms, which immediately told him something was wrong.

  He blinked once, then twice, staring at the ceiling as his brain slowly caught up with his body. The room was quiet—too quiet. No distant explosions, no arguing in the next room, no sense of the universe actively trying to kill him. He yawned, stretched, and only then noticed something genuinely miraculous.

  He was wearing a shirt.

  Danny paused, looked down at himself, tugged at the fabric once, then nodded. “Huh,” he muttered. “Progress.”

  That calm lasted exactly three seconds.

  His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall.

  10:00 AM.

  “Oh—shit.”

  Danny shot upright, nearly falling out of bed as he scrambled to his feet. That’s when he saw it: a folded envelope resting neatly on his desk, placed dead-center on his notepad like it had waited for him to wake up. The paper wasn’t normal. It shimmered faintly, edged in gold, sealed with an emblem that glowed softly even in daylight.

  Danny froze.

  “…Nope,” he said quietly. Then, louder, “GUYS!”

  He burst out of his room, skidding into the main area. “Guys, guys, guys, guys—look at this!”

  Shawny nearly dropped the mug she was holding. “Danny, what the hell—”

  Big B looked up from his tablet. “If this is about you oversleeping again—”

  Danny shoved the envelope forward. “THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE.”

  Shawny leaned in, eyes narrowing. “Is that… gold?”

  Big B squinted. “That looks… official.”

  Danny nodded slowly. “Guys. I think this is a letter from Heaven.”

  There was a beat of silence.

  “…Heaven?” Big B repeated.

  “Yes, Big B,” Danny said. “Heaven.”

  Shawny crossed her arms. “Okay, how does Heaven even know who we are?”

  Danny hesitated. “…You have a point.”

  Big B sighed. “You realize this is exactly how bad things start, right?”

  “Yep,” Danny said, already breaking the seal. “But let’s open it anyway.”

  The envelope unfolded on its own, light spilling out as words etched themselves into the page.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Danny Demon,

  Your recent actions have resulted in an unprecedented disruption of cosmic order.

  The entity known as Rezok has breached Earth’s domain. Though temporarily repelled, his presence remains unresolved.

  You, and those allied with you, are hereby recognized as active participants in a matter that concerns Heaven itself.

  Further observation is underway.

  Await further instruction.

  The light faded. The letter went still.

  “That’s it,” Danny said. “No ‘hello,’ no ‘please,’ just ‘Hey, you broke reality.’”

  Big B rubbed his face. “Great. Now Heaven’s watching us.”

  “Cool,” Danny said. “I always wanted an audience.”

  The tension hung there for a moment—until Danny’s stomach growled loudly.

  “…I’m starving,” he added.

  And just like that, they were out the door.

  The city felt different now. People stared longer. Conversations stopped when they passed. Danny tried to ignore it, hands shoved into his pockets as they walked toward the nearest store. That’s when he noticed them.

  A kid—seventeen, maybe—laughing as he dribbled a basketball across cracked pavement. He wore an oversized white sweater, sleeves too long, hair dark with a sharp green highlight cutting through it. Across from him stood a euphorian demon, skin a muted yellow, shirt torn in places, pants hanging loose like they’d been worn a decade too long. They moved like they didn’t have much—but didn’t care.

  Danny slowed.

  Without really thinking about it, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled ten-dollar bill, and walked over.

  “Hey,” he said, holding it out.

  The kid blinked, surprised, then smiled. “Thanks, stranger.”

  “No problem,” Danny replied.

  They turned to leave—but Danny felt it. That prickle at the back of his neck. He glanced over his shoulder.

  The euphorian demon was staring at him.

  Not angry. Not hostile. Just… aware.

  Then the basketball smacked into the demon’s side, and he laughed, turning back to the game.

  Danny frowned. “…That was weird.”

  The store was worse.

  Posters plastered the windows. Screens mounted above the aisles. Footage of the fight—their fight—looped endlessly. The moment someone recognized them, it was over.

  “Is that him?!”

  “Oh my God, it’s them!”

  “Are you that demon guy?!”

  Cameras flashed. People crowded in. Shawny grabbed Danny’s arm. Big B swore under his breath.

  “Run,” Danny said.

  They bolted.

  By the time they slammed the apartment door shut behind them, all three were breathless.

  “Well,” Danny said, dropping the grocery bag he somehow still had, “guess I gotta have groceries for a minute.”

  The glass shattered.

  They spun just in time to see a figure crash through the window in a spray of shards and feathers.

  Fang straightened, brushing himself off. “Thank you for the warm greeting, foreign demon.”

  Danny stared. “…What the hell are you doing in my house?!”

  Fang tilted his head. “I saw the chaos outside. Nobody gives two craps about a falcon, so I grabbed food.”

  “…Thanks,” Danny said slowly. “But have you ever heard of a door?”

  “Yes,” Fang replied. “Didn’t seem practical.”

  Shawny pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do you know anything about a letter from Heaven?”

  Fang paused. “…No. But I bet Sir Dracks would.”

  “Sir who?” Danny asked.

  Fang smiled faintly. “You haven’t met him yet.”

  Moments later, they were walking into the forest—toward something ancient.

  Toward answers.

  Toward trouble.