12: The First Judgment

The Chamber of the Unwritten Word – 2:48 A.M.

The robed figure loomed over them, its presence pressing down like an unbearable weight. The torches along the walls flickered, casting grotesque shadows that seemed to crawl toward them.

Nate's pulse pounded. "Who… what are you?"

The entity tilted its head—a slow, unnatural movement.

"I am the keeper of the Unwritten Word. The one who remains where no light has tread."

Leah tightened her grip on her pistol. "That's not an answer."

Lucien's voice was quiet, but firm. "It's a Watcher."

Nate blinked. "A what?"

Lucien swallowed hard. "There were angels who were tasked with observing humanity, but some of them…" He took a cautious step forward. "Some were condemned for what they saw. They weren't cast into the abyss, nor welcomed into heaven. They were bound to the words that were never meant to be spoken."

The Watcher lifted its skeletal fingers.

"And yet here you are… mortals, clawing at the edges of what was sealed."

The altar trembled. The chains around the book groaned as if alive.

Nate felt it—a pull in his chest, something calling to him. The book… the prophecy… it was meant for him.

He stepped forward.

Leah grabbed his arm. "Nate, what the hell are you doing?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I think I have to do this."

Lucien looked at the Watcher. "If this book is truly the final prophecy, why guard it? Why not destroy it?"

The Watcher did not move.

"Because once it is opened… judgment begins."

A terrible crack echoed through the chamber.

The chains around the book snapped.

---

Above Ground – St. Peter's Square – 2:50 A.M.

The city was silent.

And then…

The sky split open.

---

The Chamber of the Unwritten Word – 2:51 A.M.

A howling wind tore through the underground cathedral as the book hovered above the altar, pages flipping wildly.

The Watcher let out a deafening wail, its body unraveling like burnt parchment.

Nate clutched his head, visions flooding his mind—a throne of fire, the sky raining blood, beasts with many heads crawling from the sea.

He saw the world ending.

And then… he saw something worse.

Lucien grabbed him. "Nate! What do you see?"

Nate gasped, his eyes unfocused. "It's not just a prophecy." His voice trembled. "It's a map."

Leah stared. "A map to what?"

The words burned in his throat.

"To the place where the Seventh Seal will be broken."

Lucien paled. "Then we have to stop it."

The Watcher's voice returned, but now… it was laughing.

"Fools."

The walls began to crumble.

The final prophecy had been set into motion.