The Shores of Cyprus – 12:03 P.M.
The boat rocked gently against the tide, but Nate barely noticed. His hands trembled as he unrolled the parchment Rahim had given him, the edges still damp with blood.
Leah sat across from him, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. "What does it say?"
Nate took a breath and read aloud:
"The key lies within the first prophecy. Seek the city of seven hills. The rider of the pale horse will be revealed."
Leah's brow furrowed. "Seven hills… that's Rome."
Nate nodded. "And the pale horse? That's the Fourth Seal—Death." His grip tightened around the parchment. "Whatever the Order is planning, it's happening in Rome."
Leah exhaled. "Then we go to Rome."
Nate's heart pounded. They had lost Rahim, barely escaped the monastery, and now they were heading straight into the lion's den. But there was no turning back.
The war had already begun.
---
Rome – Vatican Archives
3:47 P.M. (Local Time)
The dimly lit chamber smelled of aged parchment and candle wax. Cardinal Vieri moved with quiet precision, his crimson robes barely making a sound as he approached the ancient manuscript.
A man in a dark suit stood beside him, his face half-hidden in shadow. "Are you certain it's time?"
Vieri traced his fingers over the Latin text, his voice low. "The Fourth Seal is upon us. The famine has begun. Now, we unleash the next plague."
The man nodded. "Then the Horseman must rise."
Vieri smiled faintly. "And he will."
He turned, lifting an old silver key. With a slow, deliberate motion, he unlocked a hidden compartment within the ancient bookshelf.
Inside was a single sealed vial. Thick, black liquid swirled within, almost alive.
The man in the suit took the vial carefully. "It will spread within days."
Vieri whispered a final prayer. "Then let the world weep."
---
Fiumicino Airport, Rome – 9:15 P.M.
The moment Nate and Leah stepped off the plane, they felt it.
A heaviness. A shift in the air.
Nate adjusted his backpack, his mind racing. "We need to find someone who knows the Vatican's secrets."
Leah smirked. "You mean a heretic?"
"More like an exiled scholar."
As they walked toward the exit, a hooded figure stepped into their path.
"Professor Nathaniel Asher," the man said, his voice deep and deliberate. "I've been expecting you."
Nate's pulse quickened. "Who are you?"
The man pulled back his hood, revealing a scarred face, sharp eyes, and a silver crucifix around his neck.
"My name is Father Lucien Moreau," he said. "And if you want to stop what's coming… you need to listen carefully."
Leah's fingers hovered near her gun. "Why should we trust you?"
Lucien met her gaze. "Because I know what the Fourth Seal truly means."
The terminal buzzed with travelers, but for Nate, the world had just narrowed to this moment.
The next step in the prophecy had begun.
And they had no idea what they were up against.