Dario jerked awake in his bed. That was no nightmare. Even nightmares scare you with something familiar. In a sweat and with shaking hands he felt around for his robe. The moon shone through the window, just enough light for him to spot the robe hanging on a hook. As he reached for it he could swear he heard the shriek of the creatures from his vision. He yelped and jumped away from his bed, only to realize that the sound he'd heard was just the bed creaking again.

Dario threw on his robe and took both his lantern and his sword. Once he was outside of his room he could hear the snoring of his fellow justicars. It was late into the night. So late that no one else would be awake. While Dario didn't enjoy the thought of waking the Revered Son, he knew that he had to.

In the dark the field between the barracks and the Sanctuary of the Father looked like the perfect spot for an ambush, even inside of the abbey's walls. Every shadow on the ground looked like it could easily be a pit, and one of those horrible creatures could crawl out of it. Dario gripped his sword tightly. Logic told him he wouldn't really need it, but the vision had him so shaken that he just felt better with it on hand. He slowly advanced across the grass, keeping an eye on every shadow around him, just in case it moved.

Suddenly, there was movement in the grass, and Dario jumped back, his sword pointed at the source. A rabbit. It was just a rabbit scurrying along. The rodent was probably more scared of him than he'd been of it a second ago. Probably. Dario hoped the vision hadn't robbed him of all of his courage.

He resolved himself to ignore everything around him and simply make it to the Sanctuary of the Father. He told himself over and over that every sound was nothing, probably just more little critters running around. That rustling in the grass and trees, that was just the wind. That snapping twig? A raccoon. Yet, as more and more sounds filled the night paranoia crept up Dario's back like a great spider. Dario dropped his lantern and ran for the door, his eyes fixated on the handles.

He yanked the door open, ran inside, gave a quick bow to the statue of the Father, stumbled over the pews, and rushed to the Revered Son's door. He beat his fist on the door and shouted, “Felix! Felix, please! Open the door! I have to talk to you about something! Please open up!” There was a loud creak, but it came from behind Dario. Had he left the front door open? He had. Dario looked back at the door to see it swinging on its hinges in the wind. The shadows of the trees outside danced, and for a split second Dario thought the shadows meant to creep inside the Sanctuary. How could he have left the door open? The sanctuary was only safe so long as nothing could get in.

“There are gentler ways to wake a sleeping man,” said the Revered Son when he finally came to the door. “What is it?”

“Felix!” Dario shouted again. “I've had a vision! The Father has seen fit to grant me one!”

“Dario...you're shaking. What manner of vision was...never mind. Come in.”

Dario entered the Revered Son's quarters and sat down on a chair in the room. The revered son poured two tiny glasses of whiskey and handed one to Dario. Dario took the glass and drank it down in one shot.

Felix sipped his. “So, tell me, what did the Father reveal to you?”

Dario recounted the vision as best as he could. He described every detail, from the strange sounds he heard, to the sight of the underground city. The twisted creatures he described in even greater detail.

“It sounds terrifying in its own right,” said the Revered Son. “But I imagine that you wouldn't still be shaking had the Father not MEANT for you to feel this frightened. It's a warning.”

“What's going to happen, Felix?”

“You know that the Father never reveals the future, because the future isn't written yet. It hasn't happened. When he gives us visions he shows us what is, or sometimes what has been. The Father gave you that vision so we'd know of some sort of threat that's rising. Judging by what you described these creatures, whatever they are, live underground, and the man you saw has something to do with all of this. How was he dressed?”

“It looked like Western clothing, though it was hard to tell in the dark.”

“So it was probably a man from around here. I wish we knew more about him, but that might be enough to work with.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“Come morning I intend to send justicars to investigate some of the old mines in the West. The man in your vision was able to enter the underground city, which suggests that there's an opening somewhere on the surface. Mines would be a good place to start.”

“Thank you, Felix.”

The Revered Son poured Dario another glass of whiskey and Dario drank it down. “Hopefully that will help you get back to sleep.”

“One more thing before I go...may I request a favor?”

“By all means.”

“Please don't tell anyone how afraid I was after receiving this vision. I feel like a fool...it would be so humiliating.”

Felix smiled and nodded. “I won't even tell anyone it was you who had the vision.”