The second sun approached midday as they neared the summit. Allan struggled to keep his head above the surface of the darkness that muddled his thoughts. Allan recognized the dark voice that had echoed through his dreams, but now it was louder and more adamant in its demands. He felt like Sisyphus, bearing an impossible weight up the mountainside. The temptation to yield up his soul was overwhelming. Though his legs ached from the long hike, he felt even more drained from his exhaustive efforts to silence his mind.
“John…” Allan forced himself to focus, “…if you’re really John the Beloved as you claim, wouldn’t that make you more than two thousand years old?”
“It’s one of my unique gifts.” John explained. “I was commissioned to protect the Earth. This prevents me from succumbing to death.”
“But… that’s impossible…”Allan staggered, lightheaded.
John faced him with concern. “Let’s take a break. You look like you need to sit down.”
Allan slumped to the ground, an internal darkness threatening to swallow him up.
“You must learn to ignore the lure of the Leviathan.” John said. “If you ignore it long enough, it will eventually leave you alone.”
“I don’t…” Allan wheezed. “…know how. It’s… too strong.”
John sat beside him in the dirt. “Your Amulet can help you focus your thoughts and give you clarity of mind. Here, let me show you.”
Allan pulled the seer stone from his pocket. It felt warm to the touch. The longer it sat in his palm, the more the voices receded. Allan closed his eyes in relief, and a peaceful tranquility settled over him. The voices had finally stopped.
“Well,” John smiled. “I’m impressed. You figured it out on your own.”
Allan opened his eyes and returned the smile. “Finally. Some peace.”
“Should we get going then?”
“Please,” Allan pleaded, “just a few more minutes.”
“Of course.”
Allan drew in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. As he bathed in the peace, many troubling questions took form in his mind.
“John?” he asked.
“Go ahead.” John laid a reassuring hand on Allan’s arm. “Ask me your questions.”
“I’m sure you already know them.”
“Indeed, I do. But I’d like to hear them come from you.”
“All right. You got me.” Allan sighed. “I believe you now.”
“What do you believe, exactly?”
“That this isn’t a game.” Allan gestured around them. “Zion, Atlantis, Dragons… This is all real.”
“Good. That’s good.” John beamed. “What more would you like to know?”
“Who am I?”
“You are the Final Seraph.”
“You’ve told me that already. But what does that even mean?”
“You are the Fifth and final Horseman.”
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“Horseman?” Allan’s face scrunched in confusion. “As in, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s absurd.” Allan retorted. “Everyone knows that there are only four horsemen, not five.”
“Ah, my boy.” John chuckled. “But where does the Four Horsemen story come from?”
“Somewhere in the Bible, I suspect.”
“Yes.” John smiled again. “In the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation, to be precise. Are you familiar with this account?”
“Vaguely.”
“Good. Then you should know who wrote it.”
“I’ll be honest.” Allan shrugged. “I’ve never been that religious. So I don’t know.”
“Ah, I see.” John rubbed his chin for a moment. “The full title of the book is The Revelation of St John the Divine.”
It took a moment for Allan to fully register what John was saying.
“Wait…” Allan stammered, his mouth agape. “You wrote it?”
John nodded.
“But…” Allan shook his head in bewilderment. “If that’s true, then why did you only write about four horsemen?”
“I omitted the Fifth on purpose,” John explained. “for I knew that the Fourth Horseman would have tried to destroy you had he known of your existence.”
“So, you’re saying that these Horsemen are actual people?”
“Yes. They are the last five Seraphim who were commissioned to prepare the world for the Apocalypse.”
Allan took a deep breath, letting this new information sink in. All his life he had been an Atheist. Now he didn’t know what to believe anymore.
“The King James Version of the Bible recounts the First Horseman as sitting upon a white horse, going forth ‘conquering, and to conquer’. This verse however was translated into English incorrectly. Instead it should read, ‘converting, and to convert’. My fellow disciples and I had preached throughout the Middle East over the course of our lives, and had established seven main churches in the provinces round about.”
“So, wait…” Allan’s face contorted. “Are you the First Horseman?”
“You’re catching on quick.” John pressed on. “The Second Horseman sat on a red horse and wielded a great sword. Power was given to him to take peace from the earth, that they should kill one another. This man was Attila, ruler of the Hunnic Empire. His wartime success can primarily be attributed to his Amulet, the Holy War Sword of the Scythians.”
“You’re not suggesting that the Sword of Mars is real?”
“Ah,” John nodded, “so you’re familiar with it.”
“I’ve heard stories.”
“Then you know that the mystical properties of this sword assured him supremacy in every war he waged.”
“But that’s just a myth.”
“Yes,” John smirked, “but all myths are derived from fragments of truth.”
Allan let that thought simmer.
John continued, “The Third Horseman sat upon a black horse and held a pair of balances in his hand. This was Alexios I Komnenos, the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. It was by his order that the Crusades took place. His army of knights stormed the Muslim-occupied community of Jerusalem and laid siege to the city, slaughtering thousands of innocent people. Their actions became a permanent scar in history that will forever remain an atrocious account of genocide.”
“Eventually Alexios became remorseful for his actions.” he continued, “In time he awakened and Ascended to the throne of Atlantis. He was given a pair of balances as his Amulet, symbolizing God’s wrath and judgment as a reminder of his failure to protect the people of Earth. The end of his reign in Atlantis was rather abrupt and unexpected. Many years prior to his untimely death, he became terrified of the prophecy surrounding his successor, the Fourth Horseman. The prophecy revealed that he would sit upon a pale horse and be given power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Alexios reacted in fear, found his successor, and locked him in a deep dungeon where he was left forgotten for decades.”
Something clicked in Allan’s mind. “Timur Demyan is the Fourth Horseman, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” John confirmed. “Upon breaking free from the deep dungeon, Timur unknowingly broke Alexios’ Amulet and thrust a dagger through his chest. Alexios died immediately because his Amulet had broken and his powers were shaken, rendering him susceptible unto death.
“In that instant, something truly unexpected happened. As Timur attempted to withdraw his dagger, a green aura encompassed him, and both of them were transported to Earth.”
“So, the dagger was his Amulet?” Allan guessed.
“No.”
“Then how did he transport?”
“The prophecy states that his name is Death, and Hell follows after him.”
Allan stared ahead for a long minute until an ugly thought crossed his mind.
The body?!
“Correct.” John sighed, his heart heavy. “It was the first blood that a Seraph had ever shed after Awakening. He now uses a reliquary of Alexios’ cremated ashes for transporting between worlds.”
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