The chamber looked as though it had been carved directly from the dark stone that made the walls, floors, and massive ceiling, which stretched upwards with cathedral-like grandeur. In fact, it was. Shadows filled every corner and the farther reaches of the room were completely black, as the only light came from the multitude of candles and a massive brazier that sat in the center.

Thirty-two figures surrounded the brazier, their hands folded, chanting in unison, but at such a low volume the exact syllables were almost indistinguishable. Each wore a robe of red and adorned in glyphs and symbols of gold, their faces completely hidden by hoods.

At one end of the room stood an immense wooden door. It bore an ornate carving of demons and angels in battle. At the very top of the carving, an image of God, arms spread wide, looked down upon the battle. His expression was troubled. At the bottom, another figure. This one had long flowing hair and resembled Michaelangelo's David in physical appearance. It was Lucifer. His arms, too, were extended, embracing the battle which lay between him and The Creator. His face showed a similar expression of angst at the battle which unfolded. Neither side appearing to have the advantage. Around the frame of the door were carved thirty-three robed figures. Each figure faced the battlefield, their arms extended as though they were offering something.

The door opened and a figure in a golden robe and hood emerged, joining the others gathered around the brazier. The figure lifted their hands and chanting stopped in unison.

The golden robed figures voice resonated throughout the chamber. It was in a language that only a handful of mortals know, and one that even fewer speak aloud.

"It is by His will that we gather here tonight."

The group repeated the words in unison.

"Oh, great Lord. We have done what you have commanded. The pawns of your grand game are in play and soon we shall witness your return."

In flash, all of the candles and brazier were extinguished, leaving the room silent and completely dark. A terrible voice began to fill the room. It spoke in the same language as the robed figure.

"Know that this plan is mine. You are not the architects. Know that you are mine. You are not here of your own will. Know that your lives are mine, to take or grant as I choose. Know that your souls are mine, to devour."

From the blackness, the group responded in unison. "We acknowledge this, Lord."

"The seer will be delivered to you. You must extinguish the light within her. She must be the last." rumbled the voice in the darkness.

"Yes, my lord. She will be.", said the golden-robed figure.

The dark voice hissed, "Your devotion has been witnessed, and those who witnessed now fear me. You have been a trusted and useful servant and you will be rewarded."

The robed figure replied, "Thank you, my lord. It is by your power and will that I succeed."

"However, concern has emerged."

"Oh? What is that, my lord?"

"There is a powerful mage in play, now. One that had remained unseen. Hidden. Their potential is incredible. They must be found and given to me, either through choice or through sacrifice."

There was a moment of silence. The golden-robed figure stammered and said, "I...I will personally see to the elimination of this new mage, my lord."

The dark voice rumbled, "I know."

The van pulled into the morgue parking lot. Joshua turned off the ignition and rest his head on the steering wheel. "Some days it's almost too hard.", He said quietly. A knock on the window jarred him to attention.

"Hey. Ready to do this? We've only got about an hour before the morning guy gets here." Steve said through the window.

In the morgue, Steve rolled a corpse from one of the freezers. It appeared to be a young woman. Her hair looked blood red against her pale white face. Her eyelids were sunken in, giving her face a skull-like appearance. Small black lines stretched out like roots in all directions from her closed eyes. The expression on her face was locked in pain.

Joshua gestured to Steve for permission to look closer. Steve motioned with his hand obligingly. Joshua gently opened her eyelid and a dark yellow glow from the sigil burst out of the empty eye-socket. He jumped back quickly.

"It's corruption. The sigils are corruption." Joshua quickly said. His voice was distressed. "They've damned her soul."

"Who did? Who did this?" Steve asked.

"I should have brought Heinrich. Those sigils...I can't be sure." He paused for a moment in thought. He seemed deeply troubled. "You mentioned something about bite marks?"

"Uh, yeah." Steve paused. "I hope you haven't eaten anything recently." Steve had a disgusted look on his face. He pulled back the cover revealing the rest of her body. From her neck down to her hips was a gaping hole. What remained of her internal organs looked like they had been chewed and ripped. Her rib cage had been gnawed on and broken. She had been almost completely hollowed out.

Joshua winced. After a moment he looked at the girl and touched her face gently. "You poor thing. You didn't deserve this." He leaned in and whispered something into her ear. The dark tendrils on her face began to recede until they were gone. Her face relaxed, the expression of pain faded and all that was left was an appearance of peace.

"You know she was a prostitute, a drug addict, and we're pretty sure she was involved with some really shady people, right?", Steve said.

"Sometimes, people lose hope in the darkness. They forget what it's like to exist in a world where evil and hatred aren't waiting for them at every turn. That doesn't mean they don't deserve to find their way back to the light. And...she didn't deserve this." Joshua looked endearingly at the young woman.

"Sorry. I...you're right," Steve said and hung his head.

Joshua placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. "It's Ok. We all find ourselves lost in those dark places. Some of us make it out. Some of us don't. You see a lot of darkness here, too. Don't lose your way, friend."

Joshua reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. "I need your help finding this girl." Steve looked at the photo and then at the corpse on the table. The resemblance was clear. He flipped the photo over and read the name.

"This wasn't a coincidence, was it?" Steve asked.

Joshua looked at the girl, "Not at all. It rarely ever is. The weaver's web is wide and we're all caught in it."

"We haven't contacted the next of kin, yet." Steve handed the photo back. "Do you know anything about her?"

"Yeah," Joshua said as he pocketed the photo. "She's gonna save the world."