Intemperance
Prolouge:
The setting sun cast a deep orange glow over the city as Seji sat cross-legged on his bed, his laptop perched on his lap. The soft hum of the fan filled the room, mingling with the faint echoes of distant laughter from the streets below. Seji, a seventeen-year-old student at St. George's Secondary School, was about to embark on a journey far more thrilling than he could ever imagine.
Through the flickering light of the screen, he became engrossed in a world of hidden secrets and mystical artifacts. “The Vatican holds many secrets,” he read from a forum, his heart racing with excitement. “Talismans, grimoires, and other religious relics.” Magic and witchcraft had always captivated him, and now, he felt the pull of the unknown stronger than ever.
His fingers danced across the keyboard, navigating through pages of information until he stumbled upon a mysterious site: KingOfSolomon (KOS). As he clicked on a link in a user’s profile, his breath caught in his throat. Before him was an image of a celestial being, pulchritudinous and radiant, with five shimmering wings. The sight was so breathtaking that tears welled up in his eyes, a mix of awe and something darker tugging at his soul.
Suddenly, his focus shattered as the screen flickered, revealing a series of blueprints labeled “The Vatican's Chambered Archive.” Panic set in; he had to secure this information before it vanished. With frantic urgency, he sent the pages to his printer and stood by, heart pounding, as the sheets began to emerge one by one.
As he pinned each blueprint on his wall, he felt a strange sensation—the walls seemed to pulse with energy, and the air thickened with anticipation. “Secret rooms?” he muttered to himself, eyes wide. “What could they be hiding?” He paced back and forth, the weight of the world settling on his shoulders. “If I could just find a grimoire, I would finally learn real magic!”
Determined, he returned to his laptop and crafted a plan, typing furiously. “I need someone to handle the cameras… and an extra set of hands.” He created a thread on KOS, asking for assistance in disrupting camera signals. Drained from the excitement, he eventually succumbed to sleep, his head resting heavily on the desk.
RING!! The shrill sound of his alarm clock jolted him awake, and he cursed under his breath, slapping the device off the nightstand. “Already time for school?” he groaned, dragging himself into the morning routine.
The aroma of a quick egg omelet filled the air as he sipped lavender tea, thoughts racing back to the blueprints. Did anyone reply? With a nervous excitement, he powered on his laptop. To his surprise, a message blinked on the screen from a user named Skull: “Yes, what’s it for?”
Act 1: Intemperance
Seji’s heart raced as he began typing back, “I need help disabling cameras in the Vatican. I found six hidden chambers in these blueprints. I don’t have much to offer except the potential treasures inside. Would you be able to help?” Almost instantly, Skull replied, “Let me talk to my partner about it; I’ll text you l8r :)”
Seji spent the rest of lunch scribbling details in his journal, formulating the perfect plan while listening to the smooth sounds of Frank Sinatra’s “Something Stupid.” The thrill of his upcoming adventure made his heart race, but an unsettling feeling crept in as shadows lengthened outside the café.
As dusk settled, he hurried home. A few blocks away, a motorcycle roared to life, pulling up beside him with a sudden stop. Panic surged through him. “Am I going to get robbed?” he thought, eyes wide.
“Hey, it’s Skull. Let’s make this quick. You have everything planned out?” The voice came from the rider, who removed their helmet to reveal slick black hair and piercing yellowish-bronze eyes.
“Fuck… you scared me! I thought I was going to get mugged!” Seji exclaimed, relief flooding through him. “Here, take a look at my plan.”
The two exchanged details, and Seji introduced the concept of infiltrating the Vatican. Skull nodded in approval. “This is crazy; I love this approach! But you need an extra set of hands, right?”
The girl on the back, still in her helmet, leaned forward. “I wouldn’t mind helping out while you stay on cameras. I’m curious about those chambers and what we might find.”
“Doll, are you sure?” Skull asked, concern etched on his face. “It’s dangerous.”
She looked up, crimson eyes glistening with determination. “I promise I’ll run if anything goes wrong. I have this bewitched feeling compelling me to go inside.”
Skull sighed, clearly torn. “Fine, but be careful. I love you, Darli.” She threw her arms around him, tears in her eyes. “I love you, Rynz, I love you…” Their moment was tender yet charged with the weight of impending danger.
Act 2: The Descent into Darkness
That night, as Seji tossed and turned in bed, a chill swept through his room. He awoke to find himself face-to-face with a dark figure, its eyes glowing with a sinister velvet mist. The entity began chanting, “BOW BOW BOW BOW BOW BOW…”
Seji tried to fight it, but an unnatural force compelled him to his knees. Blood trickled from his mouth as he gasped for breath, each syllable of the chant tightening its grip around his throat. “Is this how it ends?” he thought, fear consuming him.
With a sudden burst of strength, he shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat and terror, heart racing wildly. The darkness lingered in his mind, and he knew his journey was just beginning. My heart thundered in my chest, each beat echoing the panic that surged through me. I was drenched in cold sweat, the remnants of that sinister figure still haunting my mind. I gasped for air, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that clung to me like a shroud.
“What was that?” I muttered, clutching my head in my hands. The velvet mist, the chanting... it felt too real, too tangible. Shaking off the remnants of terror, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I had a mission to prepare for, and I couldn’t let fear paralyze me.
I glanced at the clock—it was just past midnight. I fumbled for my laptop, hoping to find some solace in the familiar glow of the screen. The KOS forum was still open, the blueprints of the Vatican illuminating my path forward. I needed to gather my thoughts, to outline my plan and solidify my resolve.
As I scrolled through the posts, my phone buzzed on the desk, startling me. A new message from Skull. “Hey, we need to meet ASAP. Can you come to the café tomorrow morning? Darli wants to discuss something important.”
I replied swiftly, “Sure! What’s it about?”
“Just some intel we got. You’ll want to hear this. See you at 9.”
The anticipation grew inside me, mingling with the remnants of fear from my nightmare. I knew that whatever Skull and Darli had discovered might change everything. I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. I couldn’t let the fear of the unknown consume me. I was on the brink of uncovering something incredible, something that could change my life forever.
The next morning, I barely slept, my mind racing with possibilities and fears. I forced myself through the motions of getting ready, the usual routine feeling foreign as anxiety coursed through my veins. After a quick breakfast, I made my way to the café, the morning light glaring down as if it knew the weight on my shoulders.
As I entered, I spotted Skull and Darli at a corner table. Rynz was absent, and I felt a twinge of unease. “Hey, guys!” I greeted them, sliding into the seat across from them. “What’s the intel?”
Darli’s crimson eyes sparkled with excitement and worry. “We discovered something about the chambers you mentioned. It’s not just relics and books. There are reports of an ancient artifact—a talisman that could grant unimaginable power.”
Skull leaned forward, his expression serious. “It’s said to be hidden in the deepest chamber, heavily guarded. If we’re going to pull this off, we need a solid plan.”
“We’ll also need to disrupt the security cameras. I’ve been working on a plan for that, but we need your final blueprint to ensure we hit all the right spots.”
I pulled out my journal, flipping to the pages filled with blueprints and notes. “Here’s the layout I created. We can use the maintenance access points to get closer to the main chamber without being seen.”
Darli leaned over, studying the drawings. “This could work. But we need to be prepared for anything. I have a feeling there’s more to this than we know.”
still writing...
