Temple Mount – 5:47 P.M.
The chasm gaped wide, its depths swallowing the dying light of the sun. A putrid heat rose from within, thick with the scent of sulfur and decay.
And then—
They came.
Dark figures clawed their way out, their bodies twisted, inhuman. Some bore elongated limbs, their fingers sharpened into talons of bone. Others had faces that shifted, flickering between expressions of agony and rage.
Nate's pulse thundered in his ears. "What the hell are those?"
Lucien exhaled sharply. "The Locusts of Abaddon."
Leah took a step back, raising her pistol with both hands. "Locusts? They look more like—"
One of the creatures screeched, its wings unfurling with a sickening snap. The force of it sent a ripple through the air, making Nate's skin crawl.
Then it moved.
A blur of darkness and bone, lunging straight for them.
Leah reacted first. Muzzle flash lit the dimming sky—her gun barked a trio of shots. Bullets slammed into the creature's torso, staggering it, but it didn't die.
It simply changed.
Its shape twisted, warping mid-motion, shifting its form like liquid shadow. Where once was a beast of talons and wings, now stood a man, his eyes black as the abyss.
And he smiled.
"It's been a long time, Leah."
She froze.
The color drained from her face. "No…"
Lucien turned to her. "You know him?"
Her grip on the pistol tightened. "I did." She swallowed. "Before he died."
Nate's chest tightened. "Then how the hell is he standing here?"
The man laughed softly, his voice a whisper of something far too old for his youthful face. "Because death was never the end."
And then, from the chasm's edge, he appeared.
The Crimson Figure.
He walked forward, calm, unbothered, the blood-rain parting around him like it refused to touch his robe.
The creatures fell silent at his arrival. Even the possessed among the fleeing crowd in Jerusalem's streets paused, as if waiting.
He reached the plaza's center and lifted his hood.
A collective breath hitched.
Nate felt his stomach drop.
Because he knew that face.
Rahim.
His skin was pale now, unnaturally smooth, as if time had ceased to touch him. His eyes…
They were not human anymore.
And yet, when Rahim spoke, his voice was still his. Still familiar.
"Hello, Nathaniel."
Nate took a step forward. "Rahim?" His throat tightened. "Is it really you?"
Rahim tilted his head slightly. "It was." A pause. "Once."
A cold chill settled over Nate's spine. "What the hell happened to you?"
Rahim exhaled slowly. "I woke up."
Leah's hand trembled around her pistol. "No… You were a good man."
His lips curved. "You still think in absolutes, Leah. Good. Evil. But prophecy is not so simple."
Lucien's voice was hoarse. "You're with them."
Rahim's smile widened. "I am beyond them."
Nate felt his fingers curl into fists. "Then tell me why you're here. Why are you standing with them instead of with us?"
Rahim studied him for a long moment. And when he spoke, his words were not a threat.
They were a promise.
"Because the first trumpet was only the beginning."
Behind him, the creatures stirred.
And hell itself began to rise.