Jerusalem, Israel
2:37 A.M.
The old man was dying.
Father Gabriel had spent his life protecting secrets—ancient, dangerous secrets—but the time for silence was over. His fingers trembled as he pressed the code into the security panel. The steel door unlocked with a heavy, mechanical click, revealing a hidden chamber beneath the monastery.
Inside, the air was thick with dust, the scent of parchment and centuries-old stone. The walls were lined with scrolls, some so delicate they would crumble at a touch. But Gabriel had eyes for only one.
It lay inside a glass case, its edges burnt as if someone had tried to erase its existence. The parchment was yellowed, the Aramaic script scrawled in a frantic, almost desperate hand.
The Gospel of John… but not the one the world knew.
This text—this warning—had been hidden from history. Unlike the Book of Revelation found in every Bible, this account told a different story. It spoke of manipulation, deception, a carefully orchestrated lie disguised as prophecy. It did not foretell the end of days; it revealed how someone—some group—would try to make it happen.
Gabriel's breath came in ragged gasps. He did not have much time. The Church had kept this hidden for nearly two thousand years, but now it had to be seen.
He reached for his phone, his vision swimming as he typed the message.
Nathaniel Asher.
A name he had memorized, a journalist who had once exposed a Vatican cover-up. He was the only one who might understand.
His thumb hovered over "Send."
Then he heard it.
The door to the chamber slammed shut. Footsteps echoed in the darkness, slow, deliberate.
Gabriel turned. A shadow moved at the entrance. A figure in a dark suit, hands gloved, a silencer attached to the pistol.
The old priest closed his eyes and whispered a prayer.
The last thing he heard was the gunshot.
And in his phone's outbox, the message to Nathaniel Asher was sent.