Beneath the Vatican – 2:37 A.M.
The whisper lingered in the air, its presence thick and unnatural. It wasn't an echo—it was something else.
Something aware.
Lucien tightened his grip on the bleeding wound in his palm. "It knows we're here."
Leah clicked off the safety of her pistol. "Yeah, no kidding."
Nate swallowed hard, staring into the darkness of the staircase. It felt wrong. A weight pressed against his chest—a silent, unseen force.
And then, slowly, the whisper became words.
"The Gospel was never meant to be finished."
Nate's blood ran cold. "What the hell does that mean?"
Lucien stepped forward cautiously. "There are theories… that John's Revelation was incomplete. That he saw more than what was recorded." He glanced at the runes glowing faintly along the walls. "If that's true, whatever is down there—"
BOOM!
A violent shockwave ripped through the tunnel, sending them sprawling. The torches along the walls snapped out, plunging them into pure darkness.
Then came the screams.
Not from the three of them—but from below.
Hundreds. No… thousands of voices, crying out in agony.
Nate scrambled to his feet, his breath ragged. "Lucien—!"
"I know!" Lucien gasped, gripping a small silver crucifix. He took a shuddering breath. "We keep moving."
Leah hesitated. "You sure about that?"
Lucien's expression was grim. "We don't have a choice."
Together, they descended.
---
The Chamber of the Unwritten Word – 2:45 A.M.
The staircase led them into a vast underground cathedral.
Pillars of obsidian rose toward a domed ceiling, etched with unfamiliar symbols. The air smelled of ancient dust and something else—something decayed.
At the center of the chamber stood an altar.
And on that altar, bound in chains, was a book.
Nate's breath caught. "That's it."
Leah frowned. "How do you know?"
"I just… do."
Lucien stepped forward carefully, his eyes scanning the chamber. "This is it. The Lost Prophecy." He turned to them, his voice hushed. "If the Gospel of John ended with Revelation, then this… this is the final chapter that was never written."
Leah's grip on her pistol tightened. "So why was it locked down here?"
Lucien reached out, barely brushing his fingers against the book's surface.
And then the whispers returned.
Only this time, they were deafening.
The walls trembled. The altar cracked.
And the voice from before finally took shape.
The shadows peeled away from the walls, twisting together, forming something that had been waiting.
A figure emerged.
It was faceless, robed in black, its body shifting like smoke and bone.
And when it spoke—the entire chamber shook.
"You seek the Gospel."
Its voice was not human. It was many voices speaking as one.
"Then you must understand..."
The figure lifted an arm, pointing directly at Nate.
"You were never meant to survive it."