In the other text.
The one Grand Minister Judiah allows me to study only within the privacy of his quarters—scriptures reserved for the Chosen, hidden from the wider order. If I can get inside, maybe I can find it again. Maybe I can understand why I find this so disturbing.
I retrieve my notepad and pencil from the small writing desk and carefully copy the verses down, word for word.
And in the latter days, when the seals of Heaven are loosened, and the firmament grows thin, the Riders shall walk once more among the living.
They shall come as heralds of the final hour, bearing the weight of divine purpose.
The White shall rise first, and his voice shall carry conquest.
The Red shall follow, and war shall be his breath.
The Pale One shall measure the starving with righteous scales.
And the last shall bring a great silence, and his name shall be Death.
Together they shall pass through the nations, and the earth shall bow beneath their judgment.
Cities shall fall, and kingdoms shall be humbled.
Kings shall kneel beside beggars.
The rivers shall turn dry, and the fields shall yield no harvest.
And the children of man shall cry out in fear and supplication, and their voices shall rise to Heaven.
Then shall the Great Redeemer reawaken to His creation and look upon the world in its suffering and remembrance, and His heart shall be stirred for those who endure. He shall weigh the souls of mankind not only by their deeds, but by their mercy.
From the faithful, He shall gather light.
From the broken, He shall offer rest.
Though the world be brought low, it shall not be forgotten.
Many souls shall be called home. Many more shall remain to bear witness. And Heaven’s Gate shall open for those found worthy of grace.
All before the stars tremble in their resting places, and the firmament is made rife with holy fire.
Fear shall give way to courage. Hunger shall be met with compassion. Brother shall lift brother, even as the wastelands threaten to swallow what remains.
For the righteous shall rise in those days.
And from the righteous there will rise a Chosen.
Marked by faith.
Refined in trial.
Bound to both flesh and spirit.
A Chosen to carry the memory of what was and the promise of what shall yet be, and they shall guide mankind across the valley of ending, toward the light that does not fade.
For though the world must pass, the faithful shall find sanctuary in Heaven until it is remade.
And though judgment comes, mercy shall reign.
I set the notepad aside and press my palms to my thighs, grounding myself.
