Father Halo etched into the marred walls of his prison cell. In his hands he held a piece of flint, worn dull from his years of usage. He dusted off his hands and stood back to admired his work. On the wall before him was another cantos of psalms, his crab-handwriting etched the letters of an ancient script from the times of the Anointed Age; when gods, angels and beasts communed on the same planes.
Father Halo smiled as he breathed in the chalky air. As he traced the psalms with the tips of his bruised fingertips, he whispered the cantos, carefully annunciating each syllable in the foreign language of the script. He could feel the air vibrate with power. This was the creation of a new religion, born without prophets, unfettered by rites and rituals, unburdened from scholastic interpretation, and unsullied by schisms. This was a new message, without the wrinkles that age would bring it to eventually. He loved it as his own child.
The bars of his cell creaked open. Father Halo tore his eyes from holy passages and looked to the origins of the sound. There in the doorway of his cell stood a tall man, wrapped dark robes.
"It is time we left, Father."
The voice was like rusted iron. Father Halo peered at the man.
"Espectro? Well, if you're here, I suppose it is time indeed." Father Halo dropped the piece of flint and walked dully towards the doorway.
Espectro nodded and folded his arms within his cloak. Father Halo looked at him for a brief moment. He knew that the crimes committed by him condemned him to permanent isolation by the Church. After all, he was too sacred and his blood too holy to be spilt. The Church of the Anointed Ezr would hate to set precedent that any of their order, no matter how wayward, could be treated with the same base contempt as ordinary humans.
Yet when he looked into Espectro's eyes, he didn't wonder how his old friend found him, or why he was allowed to leave his isolation. He knew that their journey, the one foretold to him years ago, twould transition this age into the New Age. And he was the Vessel. He was the Prophet.
I'd love to see more description at some point of Father Halo and Espectro. I kind of know their names before I know anything about them. I like it the other way around --- like that there's a man in black robes and an unkempt beard that everyone's calling Father, and then we find out his name is Halo. Why is he called Halo? Is this a nickname because he's so pious (or holier-than thou), or is his family from a long line of priests?
ReplyDelete