by Mark Mihalko
With every step, the revolting followers awaken in the eye,
My dark enemy is near.
For me, I have nothing to fear, nothing to hide,
Father, I am armed with your blessing, my survival prophesized,
Please, give me strength; help me turn the tide.
Canto II – Lighting a Fire
VII
Be My Savior
Then I heard the majesty from heaven echo through the winds on earth and quake beneath the sea. Behold the mighty warrior and prepare for deliverance, for he is the way of The Father, and through his mortal vessel, tainted souls may be redeemed.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 3.9)
Father, how much longer must I suffer through this ordeal?
How many more beasts must I slay? Or innocents saved?
Scarlet tears fall from lifeless eyes,
And the innocents beg for salvation,
Once an angelic warrior, now demonic prey,
Trapped in Levant, or oblivion, or worse,
Outside screams resonate upon splattered paths,
The keep is falling, and the lamps submit to the darkness,
Save you, save me, no one’s safe here,
Nightmares, consume every breath,
Visions of dismay infest the living; fuel the undead,
Luscious flesh left sated by sin,
Help me; give me a sign! —I beg you, be my savior,
I have prayed to you, honored you,
Yet, you curse me with a path of loneliness,
How can I redeem the order, if I am destined to fail?
Father, how many evils exist in this poisoned land?
Will I have the strength to fulfill your confidence? To finally defeat evil?
VIII
Desolate Sands
From the depths came flashes of lightning, geysers of blood, and cries of unfathomable anguish; for the exiled beasts have risen before the throne and the undead walk. Seven fallen souls, seven evils to plague man- through the head and blood a lost light will shine, and the light will be known as redemption.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 3.13)
In the distance, the moon comes to life,
Waking the souls of forgotten,
The succubus calls,
I cannot believe my eyes,
The dread,
The fear,
Her emotions consume the senses,
These demons are real, I know they are,
Hell hath overflowed into the depths of Levant,
Everywhere I look, I can hear them,
Their heavy breathing, their fervent moans,
In the sewers, in the tombs, and in my head,
Everywhere I turn, everything I see,
Helbah Oasis? A head?
Father, this cannot be real, this is not possible,
Yet, the sounds of wickedness plague me,
Tormenting everything that is; everything that was,
Damn you, infidel, what have you done?
These beasts, you have done this,
You have forsaken Levant in the name of Hell,
Unleashed the vileness of your unholy visage on humanity,
Desolate Sands, vials of blood?
These quests, my destiny, thousands of fiends line my wake,
Brimstone stains mark the walls,
The garish sighs of the elders grow louder,
Pulses quicken,
This could be my last breath,
Please, let me go...
In the distance, the sun stirs the echoes,
waking my pious soul,
reminding me of my journey-
and the pain I must face to save humanity.
IX
Lucifer Laughs
I ventured into the abyss, and there before me was a light, and inside light was hope, and inside the hope was a mortal, and this mortal would be known throughout the world as the one.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 4.1)
From the angelic crater, an abominable darkness vanquished no more,
From the lure of power that could be, to the evil, and the souls of the pure,
Sin rises from the fissure, hope wavers-
The demons, the plagued, and the heretics ascend from the depths,
I must stand tall and honor Thy Father-
For only through his wisdom can Levant be reborn,
Azmodeus? Astaroth? Evil hordes of the impure,
Tormented souls or innocent prey-
This thankless quest, an immoral reminder of the dreadful shrouds of Hell,
The infernal ones rise again-
And Lucifer laughs at the despair.
For me, my crusade continues; my holy mace in hand-
Decomposed signs of destruction, bile and blood cover the sand,
For my destiny was foretold, I must sanctify this land.
X
Poisoned
Upon the fourth day, a great beast rose to challenge the almighty, and all of creation shuddered. From the winds of corruption and the tainted scepter, the unbearable darkness overwhelmed the gates, and faith disappeared within the tears of sorrow.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 4.6)
Father, am I truly the chosen one? Am I worthy to defend your divinity?
How can I be worthy, I am but a mortal sinner and you are the Lord?
Look toward the gates, the most sacred angels await our entrance,
The Fountain of Forgiveness indeed lies inside dominion,
I sense this is a grave time for humanity,
Our evil prey have ascended into the Lords’ domain,
Taking refuge within the divine haven,
The festering vermin, the fornicators, poisoning the golden sands with sin,
The signs of my mission lay before me,
This righteous path designed by God,
Time to go forth and continue my pilgrimage,
The scepter calls to me, tormenting me with the everlasting light,
Let us condemn these demons back to Hell,
And cleanse paradise in his name-
He is the one true Blessed Trinity and through his wisdom- is the way.
Father, I bow before thee, praying for a sign. Is redemption near?
Will you absolve me of my sins? Restore our order?
XI
Damnation
Then I saw an idol, and through this idol, I saw damnation. Seven demons stand tall, six evils circling the throne, and the chasm of despair growing deeper. Darkness rises from the South, and humanity pleads for mercy.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 4.16)
Outside the monsoon rages,
Drowning the lamps with decaying tears of disease,
A perfect backdrop for the chaos raging along the hallowed halls,
On the tower, another innocent falls,
His remains consumed by putrefied rot,
I can see mysterious realities breed,
Their souls raped by the foul guardians of gluttony,
Their unforgotten sins sentencing them to serve in Hell,
I am too late to save these damned souls, yet many remain,
Sorrow engulfs my world, my faith falters,
I must destroy the evil; I must destroy Baal and cleanse this world.
My blade sharpens with the blood of every martyr,
Through this blood, truths become strengths, and enemies become dust.
XII
Join Me
Upon the desolate mount, within the ruins of Ekron, a crossroad shall appear, and the darkness shall grip the forsaken. From this embrace, a forgotten warrior shall rise from the depths, and through him, an army of the fallen shall perish, and his name shall stand for eternity.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 4.11)
Behold a new dawn,
The sun, rising like a blessed phoenix high above the mount,
I can see the brilliance of our labor at hand,
The prophecy of Our Lord, the Holy Father, lay before us.
Go forth and help me spread the gospel to the infidels,
Enlighten their feeble minds with our implements of sacred pain,
Soon, Levant shall be free, and the sun will rise,
All of our thoughts and prayers will unify.
Our brother Judas started preaching the word last night,
Converting the unwilling to our path,
Join him by increasing our army, as we destroy the hearts of sin,
As we cleanse the thoughtlessness from the delinquents.
Virgil appeared to me last night,
His message helped me visualize his odyssey into Satan’s depths,
The legendary agony he encountered as the atrocities surrounded him,
Yet, his resolve remained steadfast through the wisdom of Thy Father.
Join me, and help me find Aamon and help destroy his vile idol.
Canto III – Dunes of Despair
XIII
Protect Me
Behold, the marquise and the martyr, for their destiny grows from the tablet, and their lives destined to be crossed within the sands of the inferno.
(Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 5.1)
Father, for how long will these beasts rise from the depths?
How much longer must I survive? Or days will I be trapped in oblivion?
The sands erupt with the vengeance of Vesuvius,
And the infernal beasts decimate the pure,
For once, my passions led me toward the divine light,
Now, I stand facing the depths of anguish, or worse,
Everywhere I look, I see torment, hopelessness, and pain,
My faith, standing resolute with the glory of Thy Father,
And, culling the illicit deeds of the unholy trinity that surround me,
As the blood of the innocents, stain the golden grains before me,
I remain humbled by the power imbued into my soul,
When I was born, I was a sinner, now I stand revitalized by your conviction,
Help me; give me the strength! — Guide me through this wilderness,
Your blessing stills my panicked heart,
Yet, I wonder if my faith and blessed mace will be enough,
My destiny lay ahead, with your wisdom as my beacon,
Please Father; protect me!
Father, am I close to Baal, Moloch, or the scepter?
Am I truly righteous enough to succeed? Will Clement relent once I return?
XIV
Aamon Lives
When the Sun aligned with Jupiter, and Mars overwhelmed the Moon, there was a fiery crack upon mount as the chthonic idol unleashed terror, and the Earth quaked. From that quail and the seven souls, a forsaken evil rose among men, and the forsaken hordes wept.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 5.1)
Unspeakable truths appear before thee,
The idol, the vessel, the ancient evil wakes,
Consumed by lurid desires, her wickedness outweighs her blood,
How dare she sacrifice the maiden for her demonic needs?
And for what, the illicit allure of sin?
The emptiness, the pain, and the unjust torment-
Her despondent heart, a blackened soul pillaged by lies?
The Grand Marquise draws near, Aamon lives,
The path to redemption lies before me,
Am I strong enough? Do I have enough faith?
The splendor of Heaven calls—
--I am prepared to die.
XV
Penitence
On this day, Valor overwhelmed the righteous and he wept. Through his despair, an unfathomable horde erupted with the force of Vesuvius inside the sacred vestibule, and faith wavered.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 5.5)
Indeed, Aamon stands before me, his minion readied for battle,
And, the horde of the unrepentant persist,
I must branch out and seize the heretic,
Cleanse their bodies of the impurities that flow within them,
My chalice cannot be poisoned by bitter wine from their veins,
Forgive them in the name of the holiest of holies,
And, convert them, for our mast sacred and everlasting creator is all.
These degenerates deserve naught their penitence,
They have forsaken his glory,
And, like Clement forsaken our Order,
I must make them understand that Thy Father is the way,
The most sacred angel in the universe,
With every blow, bless them with the divinity from the light,
And, purify their souls in the name of the Savior.
I must remain strong in the face of their deceit,
They will not fall willingly,
I must prey on their weakness; their guilt,
For their sins upon this land shall forever curse them to Hell,
The power of the Almighty will guide me,
Will transform these creatures to my divine path,
And, open their hearts for absolution.
I must be precise with my sermon,
The Sands of Jericho continue to fall freely.
And, the fruit of my pilgrimage awaits my blessing,
I can feel my pulse quicken with each step,
With every breath the demonic legion in front of me awaits my failure,
Baal, Moloch, and the scepter grow near,
The blood-soaked signs of redemption line the golden sands,
And, Aamon calls for reinforcements from the pit.
XVI
33 Beasts, 33 Souls
Upon the day when the ocean cries and the heavens fall, the tainted corridor will open and a forbidden truth will rise. For through the divine beast, a hymn will be sung, and tears of blood will guide the savior toward the keep.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 5.9)
Father, how can this blight disregard the righteousness of our Lord?
Why must these sands of untruth plague the tainted meadow?
Precious Baphomet, the signs of disbelief are everywhere,
Why do the reverent dismiss the power of your scripture?
Do they not understand the true might of your presence?
The artifacts Helena discovered in your upon with the splintered cross;
Relics of divinity, revered for generations,
For in Eden, the serpent was slain, and man became man,
Through the golden dawn, eternity cursed forevermore,
Lush gardens transformed into desolate peaks,
Extinct virtues lost to the tree of knowledge, and the lies from the blasphemers,
33 beasts lined my path, 33 souls banished by my blades,
Still, the putrefying hordes of Levi infest my path,
How much longer to the throne, to the scourge of the innocents?
The scent of molding vestiges pulls me to the East, but my compass north,
Father, give me a sign,
The Sanguine Sea lay ahead and the depths of wrath overwhelm.
Father, why does the warmth of the mace flicker?
Is it not the divine marker that is destined to save our order?
XVII
Purgatory
And God spoke to the fervent, “Behold, the great deceiver stands before the altar, waver naught; for he is legion incarnate, and his commands are wrought with sin.” Go forth in the name of the lamb, and make the demon repent.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 6.2)
The solitude masking the sands of the whirlpool lay before me;
Purgatories’ maze stifles the air,
The vast tentacles grow across the horizon,
Smoldering carcasses of pillaged innocents but prey for Aamon,
Baal and his despondent hordes amass in Levant.
Father, give me the resolve to stand among men and face the despair,
The dead weep upon the dune sand the undead sl
umber in the bowels of Hades,
I can feel the warmth of the inferno,
The bile of the fallen kindles the flames,
Baal is near and Moloch with him.
He calls to me; waiting before his throne for my arrival,
Why? My presence would surely bring death and the light of the Lord,
But still, Father, something eludes me,
These demons, the devils do not quake with fear,
Their deeds, their wake, ridicule your wisdom.
My sins scorch my flesh;
And my eyes continue to well with dismay.
XVIII
Give Me a Sign
A deafening howl was heard throughout Gods kingdom, as the infernal eclipse faded into oblivion, and the Moon turned to blood. From the Heavens, darkness descended onto the plain, and the souls of the damned cursed Levant once more.
(The Epistle of Anacletus to the Priory 6.7)
Hugues, why? Do not let your faith waver,
I cannot give into the despair,
I must continue the battle,
Though, I can feel Aamon stalking my every move,
I will defeat him; all of them, I will purify Levant,
Father, show me the way,
...Help me find and destroy the beast!
Alas, the impaled disciples lead me to the throne,
Aamon stands before me.
Enlightened by wisdom,
The light again must sanctify this blessed ground,
Yet, as Aamon falls, the golden scepter eludes me,
Evil survives against the background of compassion,
A crimson flood now drowns the innocents,