As the group closed in, a shadow passed by a window.

“Hold up!” it hailed, the edge of a crossbow tipping into view. “Who are you, and what business do you have with this place?”

Ezekiel bowed. “I am Brother Ezekiel, and I have returned with the Chosen One.”

“What did he just say?” another voice hissed.

A third gasped. “Can it be!?”

“Let them in!”

In a flash, a door creaked open, and a group of his Brothers rushed out, their black cloaks flowing in the wind.

…Though not ones whom Ezekiel recognized. He interposed himself between them and Liam.

“You are not from my congregation,” Ezekiel said, crowbar in hand. “Who are you?”

The lead man bent low. “Forgive us, Brother. We were all only baptized recently, and would not recognize you on sight.”

“All of you were made Inquisitors? Under whose orders?”

He blinked. “Brother Aaron, of course. The Friars guide the Inquisitors, so we report to him.”

Ezekiel grunted, but held his tongue. It would not do to show unease in front of his new Brothers, even if such a decision was one he would have never allowed.

“Go find Brother Aaron if you must then, and tell him of my arrival.” He looked over his shoulder. “We will wait here until he and Father Abraham come for us.”

The Inquisitor nodded. “Understood, Brother!”

The group went inside, and Ezekiel found himself even less at ease. Though some of these Brothers bore repeater crossbows, many were armed with rifles and machine guns. One even used a radio to call back into Pandemonium as if there was nothing amiss with this employing such an unholy device.

These matters are not your own. At least they had put some effort into preserving this holy site. The pews were freshly varnished and organized, and the floor had been cleared of dust and debris. Candles burned throughout, filling the church with an aroma that was sweet on the tongue. The stained windows held firm, radiating God’s love through the brilliant light that passed through.

Ezekiel probed the head Inquisitor – or Brother Paul as he’d been renamed upon baptism – and learned of the many developments since his exodus. As it turned out, the Head Huntress rallied a force of heretics and attacked their congregation directly, just as Ezekiel feared she might. But the Lord protected them by gifting the Father with a premonition before, sparing their community while destroying the assassins. The rest of Pandemonium had since seen the folly of their ways and been baptized in the Lord’s light, though many still resisted the Beholders’ holy crusade. The unsullied mother, Evelyn, had also been located, and now stood by Father Abraham’s side.

And yet, for all the talk of their divine cause and the faith in their eyes, it was not lost on Brother Ezekiel that these men brandished unholy instruments as their own, and used the technology of a sinful world to supplement their arsenal. Did everyone else forget how their community had been built?

You’ve been away too long. There was no telling just how many changes were made in a fight against heretics. The Lord only knew what trials his people faced in his absence. And he was far from one to judge after his own journey.

A pair of trucks rolled in sometime later, with Father Abraham inside. Ezekiel swallowed the bile in his throat at the sight of someone so pure inside a machine so ugly. More Inquisitors came out to his flank, armed with their own automatic weapons.

“Praise be the Lord’s power,” Father Abraham said, his jaw dropping at the sight of him.

Brother Ezekiel nodded. “Blessed be His name. It is good to see you, Father.”

He held up his hands. “Come to me, my son. What a truly auspicious time that we live in. As the armies of the dead converge and the hour grows late, the Lord has delivered you right on time.”

Ezekiel closed his eyes as Abraham’s fingers clasped his face. It had been so, so long since he’d felt this touch…

“Well, Ezekiel, you have become quite corrupted, it appears.”

“In more ways than one. I did what was necessary to see this mission complete.”

“And complete, it is,” he pointed out, his eyes narrowing on Liam and Leah. “Not only have you located the Chosen One, but you’ve done so without harm.”

“Where is my wife?” Liam asked.

“She awaits you back in the tabernacle, where you belong.”

He narrowed his gaze onto him. “Why didn’t she come with you then?”

“Must she have?”

Liam grit his teeth, but Ezekiel stepped between. “Forgive us, Father. It has been a long journey, and we have gone through many trials to reach this point. Please bring him to Evelyn. They deserve to see each other again.”

“But of course,” Father Abraham said with a warm smile. “We need not drag out such a holy reunion.”

The group started making their way, with Liam holding his daughter close, and Ezekiel lagging behind. But then one of his Brothers stood in between.

“Not you,” Abraham said, his tone suddenly sharp.

Ezekiel grimaced. “I must accompany them.”

“Of course. But first, there is much that we must discuss.”

“Now?” He looked around. “Here?”

“Is there a location more sacred nearby?”

“What’s going on?” Liam asked as his Brothers nudged him onward.

“It’s okay,” Ezekiel assured him. “I won’t be far behind.”

The two met eyes as Liam got shepherded into the truck. Ezekiel did his best to project assurance. If not for Liam’s sake, then his own.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He did not break his gaze until the truck had rolled away. Only then did he turn back to Abraham.

“I must ask, Father. What is the meaning of this?”

“Do not forget whom it is that you speak,” he said, his voice sharp as a knife. “I wish to understand what exactly transpired on this mission of yours.”

Though Ezekiel understood not why Abraham would be so tense, he did his best to obey. He recounted the raid at the hospital, and his chase up north, and the loss of the Brothers, and the Hunters who came for them, and the arduous trip back home. No words were minced, nor did Ezekiel shy away from his own indulgence in Sin. Abraham watched him in silence, his countenance veiled behind a wall of piety.

Abraham frowned once he finished. “So much Sin… So much heresy… And yet, you not only befriended the man you hunted, but you returned the Chosen One to us in the end.”

“God truly blessed our journey,” Ezekiel agreed.

But he remained perturbed. “Is that how you view this journey? Not merely of success, but of a divine victory gained? Need I remind you of how much was lost while you were away. It was not just your Brothers and Sisters who gave their lives in defense of something more, but the camp that we all slaved to build over many long years. The tabernacle fell as well, with the Holiest Place lost with it.” He furrowed his brow. “And you still speak of this escapade of yours as though it were all God’s will?”

Ezekiel averted his gaze. “I was certainly lost for much of this mission, and did not see the truth until I consumed flesh.” He smiled. “I suppose that only through facing Sin up close did I discover the Lord’s light for myself. I am ready to perform whatever repentance is needed.”

“As long as you’re ready to accept responsibility for your actions, there is hope that your soul can be saved yet.”

It was then that Ezekiel realized his other Brothers had him surrounded, guns in hand. A pair grabbed his arms before he could react.

He gasped. “Father, what are you doing!?”

“Exactly as you have requested,” he said. Clouds passed by the windows, shrouding his face in shadow. “That you indulged in so much Sin is license enough for an Inquisition, but the fact that you’ve deluded yourself into believing this was all part of the Lord’s plan is nothing short of the Devil’s work. Such flagrant heresy cannot be allowed to stand!”

“I returned with the Chosen One!”

“But only after you violated the peace I established with the heretics,” Father Abraham countered. “Fighting heresy with further heresy only begets more heresy. Your dead Brothers are a testament to what your hubris accomplished. Thankfully, the Lord brought the Chosen One back home despite your treachery, and not because of it.”

His lips were quivering. “But Father, I did so under your orders…” He’d done everything because of him!

He did not blink. “Do you not see how the Devil commands your tongue, Ezekiel? I made no such order. I would never violate a covenant I made under God, even if it was done with heretics. This betrayal was a machination of yours alone, and you bear responsibility for all the damage that it has inflicted.”

Ezekiel couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think. This wasn’t right. It couldn’t be! After so much time on the road and so many memories lost, there was only a single one that kept him going, every step of the way. Abraham had looked into his eyes and said those most precious words…

Save Leah Fenix. Save the Lord whom has saved your soul. Do not return without Her. The fate of the world depends on it!

And yet, as he studied the eyes of his Father, he saw neither recognition nor shame. Only that of genuine disgust. As though it was Ezekiel who held a twisted memory and not him. But that was impossible. None of this made sense!

“I don’t know what to do!” Ezekiel shouted, his voice uneven.

“Allow yourself the dignity to rest in peace, my son. Allow us to purge your tortured soul from its corrupted shell so that you may have a chance at peace in God’s eyes.”

He bowed his head in silence. What more could be done?

“Do make it quick,” Father Abraham said to his Brothers.“I wish to preserve the soldier this man once was, not the heretic he has become.”

They nodded and dragged Ezekiel away. Not that they needed to bother. He’d lost all his strength to resist.

Father Abraham turned to leave.

“Wait,” Ezekiel said before he was gone for good. “Please tell me this much, Father. What will be done with Leah Fenix?”

He looked over his shoulder. “Seven trumpets sounded to reach this point, but seven bowls must still be poured. I will make this decision, just as God wills.”

It took a moment to process the words, but Ezekiel gasped when the revelation took root. “You can’t!” He lunged forth, only to be forced to his knees.

Abraham shook his head. “Such a shame that you will not be there to behold His glory, Ezekiel. Such a shame, indeed.” He walked off without another word.

The Inquisitors muttered amongst themselves as they pulled him outside, but Ezekiel did not listen. He instead focused on the image of Abraham in his mind, repeating false words without the slightest hint of awareness. How could that be possible?

Since that first moment when Brother Ezekiel was baptized in the name of the Lord, many aspects became self-evident. God existed, He had chosen them all to behold His greatness, and Abraham would lead the way. Every family had their Father, and theirs was no exception. This position did not occur lightly. Only through Abraham’s unquestionable faith and inhuman resistance to Sin could he guide them all through these difficult times. Not once had anyone questioned this dynamic.

Until now. Ezekiel had been ordered to capture Leah Fenix. He and his Brothers entered this mission knowing the burdens imposed and the cost of failure, and they had done everything in their power to see it to its end. He witnessed their deaths, inflicted barbarism on their enemies, and blackened his very soul to see it finished. These memories could not have been the work of Satan. They were all that compelled Ezekiel onward.

So there could only be one other conclusion to make. It was Abraham’s recollection in error. Not his. No alternatives could be made.

Father Abraham was as vulnerable to Sin as anyone else.

As alien as such a thought became, there was no denying the truth now that he could see it. A thousand moments blossomed again in his mind. All the moments where Abraham assured him of some ill-begotten memories… Of unfulfilled prophecies in the Holy Word that required revision… Could it be that these instances should have been reversed? Did God speak through Abraham as he claimed?

Or had this always been the work of someone else?

Ezekiel caught his reflection in a stained glass mosaic of Jesus Christ on his way out the door. Just as this Chosen One was crowned in a wreath of thorns, so too could he see the tattoo around his shriveled scalp. All while his Brothers marched him off to his death.

The vision could not have been more revealing. The Romans chose to use this device to humiliate and degrade the name of the Lord. They considered the kingdom they’d built to be above His power.

But the true meaning had always been more nuanced. There could be no knowledge without experience. No enlightenment devoid of suffering. Jesus Christ became a Chosen One through bearing this pain. He tasted death for Himself so that He could understand the death of all men. Only through His sacrifice had humanity been saved.

Ezekiel was no messiah, but he could not ignore God’s lessons when He put them so plainly in front of his eyes.

The Inquisitors tied Ezekiel’s arms behind his back and formed a firing squad.

The fools. This knot was amateurish and would be easy to escape.

“Any final words, Brother Ezekiel?” Brother Paul asked, his reddened eyes awash with a falsified faith.

He spoke a quick prayer to the Lord for his fortune. With a crunch of the bones in his thumbs, Ezekiel slipped out of his restraints. The Inquisitors loaded their unholy weapons, not realizing their prisoner had broken free.

Ezekiel closed his eyes, feeling the gentle touch of the sun and a slow breeze on his skin. Abraham had deluded himself… Perhaps that had always been so. Though he claimed to follow the Lord’s Word, what he planned to force onto Leah Fenix could not be allowed to stand. To defile Her perfect form in this way was nothing short of heresy!

Worse yet, Ezekiel had sworn in the name of the Lord that he would keep Her safe. Such a covenant was not one to be taken lightly, and he had done so with all his heart and soul. Not even the Father could get in the way of that promise.

The Inquisitors took aim. Ezekiel opened his eyes, his resolve and faith more unshakable than ever.

No one was above God’s judgment. No one.