Chapter 2: Prologue
Inside the cradle of an ancient cave, a vast panorama of forgotten histories unfolded. The weathered walls whispered tales of yore, adorned with scriptures and violent battles between angels and demons. Against this backdrop, steeped in a timeless aura, two figures stood in the haunting echoes of the cave, a silent camaraderie enveloping them.
"David," the older one said, his voice gruff, "This is it, we're here."
The younger man, David Bianchi, nodded solemnly, his gaze tracing the ethereal carvings on the walls.
"Indeed, Lucious. Finally." He replied, his voice echoing the same grim sentiment.
Outside their stony refuge, the world hung in the balance. The relentless onslaught of the Sin of Wrath against the Seminary promised nothing but devastation. The fall of the Vatican, if its gates were breached, was a foregone conclusion. Lucious's watch warmed against his skin, a sign of their proximity to the fracture in the Veil - the gateway to Hell, the source of the very conflict that was unravelling their world.
"Let's move," David's voice sliced through the weighty silence, his hand clutching the cool, red beads of his rosary. With a curt nod, Lucious led the way, navigating the labyrinthine depths of the cave.
Before them loomed a formidable stone door, an uninviting threshold between their world and the relentless onslaught of the Sin of Wrath. This was it, the entry point through which the demonic forces had been unleashed on the Seminary.
Silently, the two friends exchanged glances, an unspoken resolve shared in the brief lock of their eyes. Lucious extended a hand cloaked in swirling darkness towards the door.
"If I am death. Death is. If I am not. Death is not."
Upon his touch, the seemingly impenetrable stone began to decay, dissolving under the potent power that resided in him.
David, anticipating what lay beyond, wound the crimson beads of his rosary around his wrist. Their pulsating energy fortified him, preparing him for the imminent confrontation. As the last vestiges of the stone door crumbled away, they stood ready.
The cave they stepped into was an ominous spectacle. Shadowy tendrils of darkness clawed at the rough-hewn walls, while an array of unsettling aramaic inscriptions appeared to weep from the rocky surface. At the cavern's heart, the Veil - a crack in reality itself - pulsated ominously, splitting the air with a chilling hum, it was a tear in the fabric of existence that led to a place of unspeakable terror.
As they ventured deeper, the voice of Azrael echoed within Lucious's mind, a spectral murmur of concern.
"I don't like this, Lucious... something isn't right."
Lucious inclined his head in tacit agreement, his wary eyes scanning the foreboding expanse.
"You're right," he whispered into the weighty silence.
A stone staircase stretched before them, leading up to the throbbing anomaly. As they ascended, the unsettling growls of the horde from behind became apparent - a monstrous chorus that scraped against their nerves.
Their attention snapped back to the entrance they'd just passed through.
"Dammit, they got through... our men won't hold out for long," David spat out the words, his voice a harsh rasp echoing off the cold stone.
As if responding to his declaration, the cries of their beleaguered comrades carried into the cave, growing louder as the horde bore down on them.
"David," Lucious started, a sense of urgency threatening to break his stoic demeanor.
His friend, however, cut him off, a reckless smile playing on his face as he turned to Lucious. His eyes shone bright with resolve.
"Don't worry about me. I will hold them off as long as we can. You... do what needs to be done."
Lucious's eyes shimmered with sorrow that belied his hardened exterior. "You have a family, David. I can't--"
"Enough." David's voice was firm, a brief flash of a smile softening his words. "We knew the risks when we walked this path."
With that, he strode away, leaving Lucious to grapple with the inevitability of their fate.
As David disappeared from view, Azrael's voice punctuated the silence. "Lucious, we're running out of time."
"I know."
Straightening his shoulders, he ascended the last few steps towards the Veil. Its pulsating aura loomed ominously in front of him, as he drew a resigned breath. "Let's do this."
Azrael, perceptive as always, sensed the unspoken words hanging heavily in Lucious' heart.
"What is it, old friend?" he asked, his spectral voice soft.
A bitter-sweet smile tugged at Lucious's lips. "There's one last thing I need from you, Azrael."
"Anything."
With that affirmation, Lucious closed his eyes, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his watch setting it gently on the ground beside him. "When I'm gone... send these to my family."
For a moment, Azrael fell silent. "If I do that, I'll be breaking Divine Law. I won't be able to shield your family any longer, Lucious."
Lucious's voice was quiet but insistent. "Azrael... please."
After a weighted pause, Azrael assented. "It shall be done."
As Lucious stood resolute before the pulsating Veil, his coat fluttered wildly, dancing in rhythm with the mystical energy surging from the crack. His hair seemed to sway in a haunting ballet of its own, drawn to the raw power that thrummed within the abyss. From the depths of his coat, he pulled out an object of immense reverence-the Cube of Cherubim.
His arm stretched out, steadied by an unyielding faith. The air around him seemed to quiver as he began to chant in the archaic aramaic tongue, a language nearly lost to time. The lyrical incantations seemed to fuse with the rumbling energy of the cave, creating an eerie harmony that resonated with every stone and crevice.
Beyond the sanctum of the Veil, the screams and clashes of the escalating battle echoed ominously. They swept through the narrow passage, finally pouring into the cavern where Lucious was performing his ritual.
"Lucious," Azrael's voice echoed in his mind, urgency threaded through each syllable, "The enemy advances. Patriarch David's resistance can't hold them back much longer."
Lucious, steadfast in his purpose, continued his chant. After a moment, he answered, "Azrael..."
For an instant, the turmoil of the battle seemed to wane. The rhythmic resonance of the Cube reverberated through the silence, each pulse matching the pounding of Lucious's heart. Azrael, his spectral companion, looked on in silence, his gaze catching the trails of tears streaming down Lucious' face.
"Child...," a ghostly whisper, carried the weight of centuries.
Tears glinting on his cheeks, Lucious smiled, the gesture reaching his eyes and creating soft creases at their corners.
His voice resonated with profound gratitude, "Thank you... for everything."
And then, a blinding flash of white light swallowed the cave, filling every crevice, every inch of darkness, with its divine illumination.
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Archangel_Gabriel
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