Agnosia | Teen Ink

Agnosia

December 18, 2023
By Amanda3636, Wentzville, Missouri
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Amanda3636, Wentzville, Missouri
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Author's note:

I was inspired to make this piece to present a question, and a reason for the reader to think. I hope that others will analyze the meaning of the ending, and why I wrote it. I didn't want my story to be typical, and I enjoy the concepts of rebellion and found that an angel would be the least to have a rebellious and destructive nature. A nature that would ultimately destroy Earth. 

In the ash of an explosion came an unlikely figure. The wings of feathers pierced the thick fog, and out walked an angel. He wore a bored face, one of disinterest. This angel’s wings dragged behind him lazily, and he yawned. Today was average. Not much had occurred, only a few measly explosions. It was time to do his daily job, walking around streets and such. Collecting lost lives and sending them on their way. It wasn’t particularly fun, but someone had to do it. If not for him, then who else? Who cared what he wanted when he was an angel? The position of going to heaven and coming back as an angel was what anyone would hope to accomplish, like a dream. Yet, it just wasn’t. 

Things were not simple. Angels competed with each other on earth, and then fought each other for higher positions in the heavens. One particular angel was bored of this life. As unusual as it may have been, he didn’t care about humanity. Earth was like a separate world from him, one of battles that he had no knowledge of. Everyday seemed to yield new wars that were even more foreign. To conform was to forget about the way things were. Agnose was his name, and he was the only angel that couldn’t remember his life as a human after he died. There was like an invisible barrier from the angels around him. Others would tell him the life they experienced, and the people they used to cherish. In his heart, however, there was nothing but empty space.

 The streets were filled with debris and explosives that were yet to be ignited. Agnose let out another yawn before assigning himself to a nearby bench to sleep on. Can angels really even get tired? Agnose didn’t think so, but his boredom led him to try anyway. The sound of explosives was quite unpleasant when he was trying to sleep. It even shook the ground beneath him. Nearly every building around him was inflamed. Humans were non stop fighters, and he knew the sounds of war wouldn’t end. The angel barely moved his hand to collect the lost souls and return them to where they belonged. He could do it with his eyes closed, and maybe even while sitting upside down. 

BOOM… boom… BOOM… explosions rang out between buildings while Agnose had flipped upside down. To his dismay it wasn’t challenging in the slightest. No challenge meant further boredom. The buildings surrounding him were large and ascended toward the sky. His eyes trailed upward to see large jets firing down at the ground below. 

Screams echoed through each explosion dropped from above. Agnose languidly sent more souls up with the swipe of a finger. He had noticed a distant soldier in camo emerging from a burning building near him. The angel noticed the soldier ran directly toward him, however he wasn’t phased. That was until the man knelt in front of the bench. This piqued his interest, and he threw a glance the soldiers' way. His hands came together as he began to prostrate in prayer. 

“Please… let me see my mother again,” he pleaded. The young soldier's head lifted as he looked at Agnose. Their eyes met, and a feeling of dread arose. Humans couldn’t normally see him. That was when it began to seep through, the blood filling the creases of his shirt. Agnose sat up quickly and spectated as the soldier’s eyes became distant, the light dispersing from them. He collapsed onto the debris covered concrete. The soldier held a small violet flower. It had been crushed within his hands.  

Feeling the discomfort creep up on him, Agnose hopped off the bench and began to pace away. While explosions still sounded in the distance, his mind became occupied by something greater. His pacing led him to hop over craters in the ground beneath him, large craters that required greater effort to pass over. What was his purpose meant to be? Did his good deeds in life earn him the reward of seeing people suffer? A life he had no knowledge of? It made him question. Of course, he didn’t care, it was just something he thought about. He didn’t care, yet the soldier was ingrained in his thoughts. Humans were selfish, they wanted to bargain for their own lives. Humans were the parasites that chipped away at the Earth. The bombs, and the explosions, were all man made. The debris of buildings and lost lives lay on the ground below, fire covering buildings and cars lying on their sides in the roads. He needed an answer.

To the heavens he went, and there he would find an answer. Unlike the usual calmness and peace that came with the territory, there looked to be panic. Agnose could faintly make out something about a ‘killer of angels.’ The looks of horror apparent on many angels' faces as they discussed in a large circle. The angels turned their attention to Agnose and hushed down, as if finding a solution to their problem.

 “Hey…” an angel began, “We really need you.” One angel approached Agnose slowly and held up a piece of paper, glowing and quite radiant. The paper greatly contrasted with the image displayed on it, 

“A human?” he asked them. On this paper was the image of a man with long dark hair, his eyes a deep crimson red. Why would they put such an ugly image on such elegant paper?

 The angels shook their heads in unison and one leaned in to whisper, “It’s a demon. He’s killed our people,” she said. The angel whispered heavier on the word ‘demon’ like one would jump out from behind them at the mention of the name. Agnose was quite sick of them.

He scoffed and shook his head, “So? What am I supposed to do–” He was interrupted by the sight of a large weapon presented in front of him. It glistened before him and was as black as the night. It was recognizably a scythe with a long razor edge, something he’d never seen before.

 “Wait… but we aren’t supposed to have something like this,” he began. Agnose was met with an unfamiliar response.

 “We have to take certain measures in order to protect ourselves.”

“This is a ploy,” he thought. For some reason, the thought of doing something so evil made him intrigued. “Then… let me do it, I’ll take him down.” This would change things.

The usually lazy angel was filled with excitement. Many clues on the location of this ‘criminal’ were presented to him, and he had a reference of the offender's face too. He wandered through empty streets, stepping over corpses and craters, through alleyways and dark tunnels. The breeze had no effect on him, he couldn’t feel it. Yet, the sound of leaves rustling and whirling in the air caught his attention. It reminded him of a feeling he couldn’t quite grasp. Whatever, he had a mission. 

Agnose arrived at the last location that the deviant was last seen. However, he was in disguise this time, a human disguise. His normally white hair was blonde now, and his eyes were a dark blue rather than an empty gray. This disguise was convincing enough, and he was greeted warmly upon entering the small shop. Supposedly, the man in question was shopping here. Even if he was long gone, it was his main lead. The inside of the shop was rather tiny and he had almost hit the ceiling upon entering. 

“What can I get for ya today?” The elderly man behind the counter asked. This man was dressed in green robes, and his gray hair was clearly balding. Agnose wiggled around the shelves trying to avoid accidents. 

“Actually, I had a few questions. Here let me just–” he paused to step over a large pile of chip bags that had fallen off the shelves. The black and white tiles beneath him were covered in dirt and bugs. It was quite humid too considering the store's front windows had been broken, and were letting waves of heat into the store. The shop owner shifted around, as if nervous once Agnose was standing behind the counter in front of him. It wasn’t like an angel wouldn’t notice, but he shook it off as the shop owner was not getting very frequent customers. I mean, who would buy stuff from here? Somebody crazy probably, so it made sense the culprit would make a pit stop here. 

“I’m looking for someone. A man that looks like this…” he presented the picture the angels gave to him. The shine that it had in the heavens was no longer present, yet the image remained the same. The shop owner fidgeted with his hands before shaking his head. As soon as he saw Agnose’s face… he was acting strange. Why is he acting weird? Was he like this when I entered? He had many thoughts, and he was ready to summon the scythe at any moment if things got bad. The angel stepped aside and was in the process of turning around to investigate the store again. That was when he halted.

“Please, take this if you’re leaving so soon,” the elderly man said. The angel spun back around and reached to grab it. Huh? Agnose took the card from his hand, yet nothing was on it. 

“Are you being serious right now? There’s—” In red ink, hidden on the back of the card, said two words. ‘Help me’ it read. Agnose threw the card to the ground and summoned the Scythe. Slashing with the weapon while pushing the man aside to safety.

“Show yourself! We’ve got all of heaven after you!” Agnose yelled. He stood atop the counter with the glowing darkness of his weapon radiating beside him. On the ground below him was a young man, his hair long and black. There was no doubt about his identity, Agnose could sense his presence the second he walked in. When the shop owner had acted strangely, it was only confirmation that he had been intimidated. 

“Fine, you got me. No need to act high and mighty,” the man retorted while climbing back onto his feet. “High and mighty?” Agnose scoffed. How was he even acting ‘high and mighty’? At least he wasn’t, you know, a murderer. Agnose picked the man up by the collar of his shirt. He raised his scythe to the man and asked him one question,

“Was it you…? If you have no explanation for yourself, then I’m required to take action. Your crime is of high punishment.”

“You’re going to kill me?”

Agnose was stumped, he didn’t have an actual response. He knew what the scythe was for, and couldn’t refute. Realizing he was caught off guard the man purposely fell backward, Agnose’s grip around his collar dragged him down to the floor too. That was when a dark portal emerged on the ground, engulfing them both and sending them to a pitch black space. Agnose found himself submerged in thick crimson muck. It was suffocating, and he struggled to escape it. As he reached the surface he spat out a mouth full of red. 

“I’m shocked you didn’t drown”

Agnose followed the sound of his voice, the man now had a different appearance. His appearance was like an angel, yet his wings were bone. His hair long and white, and his eyes a dark gray. A grin spread across his face, and his eyes trailed down. Voices erupted from around them, yet Agnose couldn’t find the source. 

“Help us.”

“We’re trapped.”

“Our punishment...”

Shadows crept closer from the corners of Agnose’s vision, arms crawling on the ground around him. Hands gripped Agnose’s arms and legs, pulling him back down into the dark pool of red. An intense feeling filled Agnose, his screams filling the air as he thrashed free. He managed to tear the arms off him, throwing them into the distance and discovering nothing connected to them. Bones cracked as the arms hit the ground, shriveling into piles of dust on the ground. With the cracks of the bones echoing through the enclosed space, Agnose could feel his chest tighten with each breath he heaved. Trails of cold sweat dripped into the cold murky waters below him. This feeling was strange, he hadn’t felt this feeling for the entirety of his angelic existence. He could feel his heart thumping against his ribcage, his hands trembling as he made his way to the solid ground. He could only clutch onto the drapery of his own clothing, nearly ripping the fabric with his grip. 

“Finally, you feel something. Are you feeling afraid?” 

Agnose felt dread, an impending doom. His gaze and his fear dissipated into anger, “Why would you put me down here?” 

“Down? We ascended, this is the heaven you love so much. Have you ever seen this place?” The demon replied, the smile on his face growing wider. 

“Why would I believe your nonsense?” Agnose leapt to his feet and summoned his scythe. The ground below them had large craters and cracks, as if they were walking on molten rock. Between the cracks were filled with crimson red that Agnose had escaped from. The man watched the angel approach and hopped down into a crater. Blinded by rage, Agnose jumped down to follow him. Slashes were heard against metal in the crater below, each crash becoming harsher than the last. This battle lasted hours, Agnose carefully blocking the man's attacks and throwing in his own, until eventually, the scythe was stripped from Agnose’s grasp. The scythe had fallen onto the molten rock. The scythe’s blade punctured the ground, leaving the crimson, murky water to rise from the punctured crater ever so slightly, bubbling to the surface. Agnose heaved for air as he looked to the man in front of him, exhaustion present in Agnose’s body. 

“Giving up? The man you once were would have never given up like this,” the man said. 

“What?” What does he mean? Agnose paused before questioning him, “What do you know about my past?” He pleaded. The demon set aside his katanas, throwing them leisurely as he approached. He held out his hand, reaching for the opposing angel. Even through Agnose’s hesitance he reached out and grabbed it. Flashes and emotions filled him as the image in front of him changed, and standing before him was now his child self. The recollection of memories began to flood him, and so did the emotions filled with every moment. His family, and the people in his life, the achievements he earned before his death. There he was, a young adult full of ambition and hope for the future. However, that ambition was lost from his eyes as he viewed the lack of empathy in his reflection. The sudden speckles of red became larger, forming pools of blood around his still reflection. What went wrong with the man in front of him? Was this even him? The reflection of memories faded, and he returned to standing in front of the intimidating figure of a man. His past was new in his memory, and his new knowledge raised questions. He shouldn’t be an angel. Everything he knew had been wrong, heaven had lied to him. His past was full of blood and full of hate. He was violent and rash, inhumanly savage. The person he saw was him, yet he felt disconnected.

“They lied to us. The angels only want to continue saving a world that’s far lost, a world that now only consists of chaos and war.”

Agnose had seen it with his own eyes, the world was truly broken beyond repair. A world so broken could no longer be helped. He came to one conclusion, 

“You’re right. However, there’s a way to make things right.”

“I’m glad you see that now. The angels kept your past from you, because they know that you’re capable of destroying this world. They wanted you on their side. Do you still want to help them? Or, are you ready to fix this corrupt world?” 

The awakening of rebellion began, the wings that now wore the darkness of the night. These wings of destruction were no longer the white wings of hope. ‘Justice’ was full of falsehoods, the gate that prevented the end. It was never worth living a lie, and to be used by the people that stood for hope. But now, he could change everything. 

In the ash of an explosion came an unlikely figure. The feathers of black wings pierced the thick fog. In the moonlight, standing above the new and humanless world, a figure in black. In his hands, was a weapon of destruction. The first flowers blossomed, and so did the opposing clock of death. The new world was only the beginning of the end. The new world Agnose had created, one without the corruption of humans.



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