Jerusalem – The Old City – 6:12 P.M.
The blood moon hung heavy over the skyline, casting an eerie red glow over the Temple Mount. The city below was in chaos—screams, sirens, the distant rumble of collapsing buildings.
And at the center of it all—
Rahim.
Nathaniel's heartbeat pounded in his ears. The man he had looked up to, the man he had once idolized, stood before him like a stranger.
No—like something else entirely.
Rahim's presence was unnatural. The air around him felt…wrong. It was the way the shadows bent toward him, the way the crimson light of the sky refused to touch his face.
And his eyes…
They weren't just dark. They were hollow, endless—a pit that seemed to pull everything into them.
"Rahim…" Nathaniel took a careful step forward. "What did they do to you?"
Rahim smiled, slow and deliberate. "They?" He tilted his head slightly. "Nathaniel… you're still seeing the world in such simple terms. You always were."
Leah's voice was a sharp whisper. "Don't get too close."
Nathaniel ignored her.
Because something inside him refused to believe that Rahim was truly lost.
"I saw you die," he said, his voice raw. "I watched you take your last breathe "
Rahim sighed.
"Death…" he murmured, stepping forward, "is a doorway, not an ending."
Nathaniel stiffened. "What does that mean?"
Rahim's eyes darkened.
"It means you're asking the wrong questions."
Then he moved.
Faster than humanly possible.
One moment, he was standing still. The next—he was in front of Nathaniel, inches away.
Nathaniel's breath caught.
Rahim leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Do you know why you were chosen, Nathaniel?"
A shiver ran down Nathaniel's spine.
Chosen?
He hadn't told Rahim about the encounter with the watcher.
Rahim must have seen the realization on his face, because his lips curved. "Ah," he said, "so you have it."
Nathaniel instinctively reached for his bag. But Rahim was already backing away, his hands raised slightly, as if to show he wouldn't take it—not yet.
But his smile…
His smile said that he didn't need to.
Not when it was only a matter of time.
---
6:30 P.M. – Beneath the Old City
The tunnels beneath Jerusalem were ancient, stretching far deeper than any modern map suggested. The air was damp, thick with the scent of earth and history.
Lucien led the way, his torch casting flickering shadows along the stone walls. Leah followed behind, silent but tense.
Nathaniel was still trying to process what had happened above.
Rahim was alive. But he wasn't the same.
And worse—he knew about the scroll.
Nathaniel reached into his bag, fingers brushing against the aged parchment.
The prophecy had led them here. To this place.
But what was waiting for them in the depths?
Lucien suddenly stopped.
Nathaniel nearly ran into him. "What is it?"
Lucien didn't answer. He was staring straight ahead.
Nathaniel followed his gaze—
And froze.
Carved into the stone was a serpent.
No—not just any serpent.
The symbol was ancient, older than the city itself. Its coiled form was engraved with letters in a language long forgotten.
Lucien's voice was hushed. "This is it."
Nathaniel swallowed hard.
Something about the marking sent a chill down his spine.
Leah stepped forward. "What does it say?"
Lucien reached out, his fingers tracing the stone. His lips moved as he deciphered the inscription—
Then, softly, he whispered:
"He who unseals the scroll… will open the way."
The air around them seemed to tighten.
Nathaniel's grip on the parchment tightened.
Because suddenly, he understood.
The first woe had come. The second was near.
And the key to it all…
Was in his hands.