Rome – A Hidden Chapel Beneath the Vatican
11:32 P.M.
The air was damp with the scent of burning wax and old stone. Nate followed Father Lucien Moreau through the narrow underground passage, the candlelight flickering against the ancient walls.
"You said you know what the Fourth Seal means," Leah pressed, her voice sharp. "Then tell us—what is the Order planning?"
Lucien stopped at an arched doorway, placing a hand against the cold limestone. "The Fourth Seal is not just a prophecy," he said. "It is a blueprint."
He turned to face them. "And the Horseman of Death… is already here."
Nate exchanged a wary glance with Leah. "What do you mean?"
Lucien exhaled, his face shadowed with exhaustion. "For centuries, the Vatican has hidden relics tied to the Book of Revelation. Some believe they are mere symbols. But others—" he hesitated, "—believe they hold power."
With a grunt, he pushed open the heavy wooden door. Inside, a vast underground archive stretched before them, lined with endless shelves of forgotten texts.
But at the center of the chamber, encased in glass, was a single ancient vial.
A sickly, dark liquid swirled within, as if something inside was alive.
Leah stiffened. "That looks just like the vial Vieri had."
Lucien nodded grimly. "Because it is one of four."
Nate stepped closer, his breath shallow. "This… this is the plague?"
Lucien's voice was barely above a whisper. "The true Fourth Horseman does not ride a steed." He turned to face them. "He walks among men, carrying death in his hands."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then Leah's phone buzzed. She checked the screen—an emergency news alert.
Her expression darkened. "It's already started."
Nate snatched the phone from her hands. The headline made his stomach drop.
{MYSTERIOUS OUTBREAK IN ROME – DOZENS HOSPITALIZED, AUTHORITIES BAFFLED}
Leah turned to Lucien. "Where did the Order release it?"
Lucien's gaze hardened. "In St. Peter's Square."
Nate clenched his fists. "Then we don't have time. We have to stop this before it spreads."
"Before we go, Nate look around, there's a scroll here, I don't know it... but Father Gabriel said you were chosen, you could identify it."
"You knew Father Gabriel?" Leah asked.
"He was my mentor, he contacted me a day before his demise, that's why we're here today."
Nate reached for his backpack, "I don't think I need to look," he brought out a scroll that looks as ordinary as ever. "I found it laying on the table... and for some reason my instincts urged me to take it."
Lucien nodded. "Then may God be with us. Because this… this is only the beginning."
---
St. Peter's Square – 12:15 A.M.
The square was in chaos. Sirens blared. People screamed. Ambulances lined the cobbled streets, paramedics rushing to load unconscious civilians into the back of emergency vehicles.
Bodies lay motionless, their skin ashen and clammy. Some still twitched, murmuring in fevered delirium.
Leah pulled her scarf over her nose. "Damn it… it's airborne."
Nate scanned the scene. His heart pounded. How many had already been infected?
Lucien led them through the chaos, his steps urgent. "We need to find the source. If we can contain it, we may be able to stop the spread."
They reached the center of the square, where a black-robed figure knelt in prayer beside a collapsed woman.
The man's hands were raised toward the sky, his voice low and rhythmic.
Lucien froze. "No…"
Nate turned to him. "You know him?"
Lucien's face was pale. "His name is Brother Elias. And he is the chosen Hand of the Fourth Seal."
Before Nate could react, Elias rose to his feet.
His eyes were pitch black. Void of anything human.
The moment he opened his mouth, the world seemed to tremble.
"And behold… I saw a pale horse. And the name of him who sat upon it was Death."
A gust of wind howled through the square, carrying with it a deathly chill.
And then, the bodies began to rise.