HELL ON EARTH: APOCALYPSE
PROLOGUE

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"My Lord, you have a visitor."

The Dark Lord Voldemort looked down upon the man who stood before him. He narrowed his eyes in mistrust, and sat up straighter in the throne that he had ruled from for the past six months - ever since the last War had ended. He glanced up at the doorway to his domain as something caught his eye. From beyond its limit, he could see a pulsating light, waning and waxing to the tune of its own time. His gaze became fixed, and he forgot that Rodolphus Lestrange waited for a response.

"It says that it's urgent."

Voldemort was brought back from his thoughtless wondering by Rodolphus' words. A visitor. Why would he have a visitor? How could this person possibly have penetrated the defenses that he had established around the old Ministry's perimeter?

He voiced his confusion. "How did he get in, Rodolphus? Did you authorize his entry?"

Rodolphus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, my Lord. I was in the Atrium, and I saw a light appear behind me, near the broken statue. I called out to it, but it did not stop on its advance towards the lift. I followed it - mind you, it wasn't an easy task - and asked it of its agenda. It told me that it wished to see you, and I offered to bring it here."

"Why?" Voldemort's cold voice reverberated throughout the empty room. "You know that he is not a Death Eater, and he managed to steal away past my defenses. I believe that to be grounds for execution, as I have told you in the past."

"I tried, my Lord," Rodolphus bowed his head in respect. "But, and forgive me, my Lord, but I could not do it. I could not kill it."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes once again. "You couldn't kill the man. Why not? Have you grown weak of mind in your inactivity?"

Rodolphus considered it, but then shook his head. "I do not think so, my Lord. A Muggle child accidentily wandered into your territory earlier today, and I was able to do away with him."

"And yet you could not kill this man."

"No," Rodolphus shook his head in shame. "It was strange, my Lord. I pointed my wand at it, ready and willing to do it, but I could not bring myself to utter the spell. I couldn't even do it non-verbally. It - it just seemed to defy death, my Lord. Lucius and Bellatrix couldn't do it, either."

At this, Voldemort's gaze wandered once again towards the light outside his chamber. "Explain."

"It was strange," Rodolphus repeated himself. "After I tried to do it, I fetched the two of them. The being waited there patiently, but it knew that we were trying to kill it, my Lord! When we returned, Lucius and Bella took one look at it, and decided that they too could not do it. Lucius remained with me, but Bella skirted away. She could hardly even look at it, my Lord. Though its surrounding light was not that vivid, greater harm seemed to come to her if she looked upon it."

Voldemort continued to stare at the light in the chamber beyond the room. He had previously thought that the light belonged to some sort of lamp or torch. "The light surrounds him?"

"As crazy as it may sound, yes," Rodolphus nodded. "Though the day is old, and the morning hours upon us, it is completely visible in the darkness."

Voldemort thought intently, attempting to pinpoint what this person or thing was. "It could be some sort of a nymph."

Rodolphus shook his head. "No, my Lord. Nymphs do not have the ability of speech, and this being didn't look much like one. Nymphs are small. This thing is at least five feet tall, and shares human physical characteristics."

Voldemort leaned back in his throne, and stroked his chin in thought. "A Wizard, then?"

"I don't think so," Rodolphus replied. "It doesn't come off as human, or, not to Lucius and I, at least."

"So then it is some sort of creature."

"It could be, but I am not sure," Rodolphus looked back over his shoulder towards where Voldemort's gaze remained fixed. "The way it moves, and the way it talks ... it doesn't even seem to be from this world."

At this, Voldemort brought his attention back upon Rodolphus. "What do you mean by that, Rodolphus?"

"I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but it moves and talks very slowly," Rodolphus tried to elaborate. "Eerily, almost. If you would see it, you would understand."

Voldemort considered it, and slowly nodded. "Yes. Bring it in here."

His curiosity had surfaced as to what this being was, that had managed to permeate his lair. He watched as Rodolphus moved towards the exit, and left the room. He heard Rodolphus invite the being in, and the light began to grow stronger. Rodolphus reappeared first, but evaded what was behind him. It appeared to Voldemort that he wished not to speak or see this thing further, and he would not force him to.

"Rodolphus," Voldemort addressed him as he sank into the shadows. "Leave us. Return to your post in the Atrium."

Rodolphus hastened a quick bow, and then turned to leave. He gave the being a wide berth as he passed it on his way out.

As the being entered the room, Voldemort discovered that Rodolphus' feelings of confusion and surprise were valid. He found that, even though it could be deduced that the light emanated from this creature, it was not true. It seemed more so to Voldemort that the light actually followed it, instead.

The creature appeared human, but Voldemort now understood what Rodolphus meant when he said that it couldn't be human. It moved as the Dementors did, eerily and unearthly, but it was not in a terrifying way. As it slowly came closer, Voldemort studied its physical appearance. It wore white robes and held a scepter. Its skin was pale, its hair golden and curly, and its eyes soft and blue. If it were not so tall, Voldemort would have thought it to be a child.

It stopped before Voldemort, and looked up at him in wonder. Then, as slowly as it had moved, it bowed before him. Voldemort narrowed his eyes in immediate dislike, for it was not a bow of worship, but merely one of greeting.

"Hello, Tom Marvolo Riddle," it spoke, and Voldemort once again saw what Rodolphus had meant when he described this entity. "My name is Gabriel, and I come in His name."

Voldemort raised his eyebrows, for he did not know of whom this Gabriel served. "You will not call me that."

It blinked, and smiled innocently. "But then, what shall I call you, if you do not wish for me to call you by your given name?"

"'My Lord' will do just fine."

Its smile disappeared, to be replaced by a frown. "I reserve that name for my own Lord, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Is there no other title that you would bear for the duration of this conversation?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, but did not reach for his wand. As Rodolphus had told him, it did not seem possible to murder this being. "If you will not call me by my title, then you will not address me by name at all."

"Very well," it bowed again, and its smile returned. "I have come to you on behalf of my Lord and his council to speak to you in regards to your future plans."

"My future plans," Voldemort repeated as he leaned forward in his seat. "What future plans? The Second Wizarding War is over, and I have gotten what I wanted. The Ministry is mine, the Wizarding world is under my control, and any form of resistance against me is dead. I have triumphed over Harry Potter, and have personally seen to the murders of every member of the Order of the Phoenix. What more could I possibly want?"

The entity named Gabriel waited until Voldemort had finished speaking before replying. "You and I both know that you are not completely satisfied with all that you have obtained."

Voldemort smirked, and emitted a small laugh. "Oh, believe me. I am very satisfied."

"Yes, you are satisfied," Gabriel nodded. "But you still yearn for more. You wish for more death, more war, more corruption, and, more than anything, more power. You and we both know that once you have achieved your aims in the Wizarding world, you will turn your attention to the Muggle world, as well."

Voldemort's smirk fell, and he commenced to eye Gabriel with a suspicious eye. The thought of taking the Muggle world, as easy as it would be, had crossed his mind once or twice, but he had told no one of this. "How did you know that?"

The being did not answer his question, but instead continued to speak. "I have come in representation of my council to ask you to reconsider these plans."

Once he had registered what Gabriel had requested, he erupted into laughter. "And why would I do such a thing?"

For the first time, Voldemort felt a small amount of hostility emanating from the being before him. "Because the balance of what you call the Muggle world has been thrown off, and whatever you're planning on doing will surely finish it-"

"Good riddance," Voldemort dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"You do not understand what this means," its voice was growing louder and faster. When Voldemort glanced down at it, there was a fire in its eyes that had not been there before. "The Wizarding world is merely hosted by the Muggle world. It cannot exist without it! If you commence with your plans, everything will-"

Gabriel was cut off as the light faded, and a cold wave overcame the room. Before Gabriel had arrived, the room had been dark, but not this dark. Voldemort squinted where the being had stood, and was slightly disgruntled to find that it was, indeed, still there.

"What did you do?" he asked it.

"I didn't do anything," it replied, its voice returning to its initial speed. Voldemort was disconcerted to detect a note of fear.

The torches that lined the walls slowly came to life, and Voldemort realized that another being had entered the room. This one, however, did not offer any of the hospitality that Gabriel did. This one felt dangerous, hostile, and full of hatred. As it drew closer, Voldemort realized that, as opposed to Gabriel, the darkness clung to this entity, instead.

Voldemort furrowed his brow as the new entity moved closer. Its physical appearance was also the opposite of Gabriel's. It did not wear robes, but instead a black suit. A dark hat sat on top of its head, and long, black hair cascaded out from beneath it. When it looked up at Voldemort, he received a great shock: the new entity had eyes, yes, but no pupils.

"Why must you tell lies?" it spoke in a harsh voice to Gabriel, who shrank away. "Is this man not entitled to what he wants? After all, power should be given where it is due, and this man has more than earned it."

Voldemort considered what the new entity said, but Gabriel shook his head. "No, you must not listen to it. This demon was birthed by lies, lust, and hatred. It exists only to bring pain to those it considers beneath it, and to deceive all-"

"How do we know that it is you who is not trustworthy?" the other spoke overtop of Gabriel. "How do we know that you have not just walked in off the street, and are working with this poor man's enemies?"

"My enemies are dead," Voldemort pointed out. "I have vanquished all of them."

"Or so you believe," it replied, moving towards Gabriel. "Some still remain behind, and this is one of them. It would have you throw away what you have achieved, but my Lord ... He wants you to have exactly what you deserve-"

"No, he doesn't," Gabriel cut him off. "Your Lord wishes to deceive this man, and then let him do all his dirty work!"

Gabriel turned to face Voldemort. "His Lord would have you do everything, only to take it away and bind you to the chains that he has possessed since his banishment-"

The other laughed. "Oh, Gabriel, how your Lord has deluded you-"

"Oh, how you try to delude me!" Gabriel retorted. "My Lord represents the light, love, and truth of all things. Your Lord, on the other hand-"

Voldemort stood from his throne. "Enough! Both of you!"

Gabriel and the mysterious entity obliged, and watched as Voldemort moved closer towards them. He disregarded the other, and turned on Gabriel. "I have made up my mind."

Gabriel's eyes grew wide, and he took a few steps back. "No, you can't. You will usher in destruction, death, and-"

"You cannot change his mind, Gabriel," the other taunted him, advancing as Voldemort did. "You would be best to return from whence you came. There is no hope here for you."

Gabriel's eyes flicked back to Voldemort, and it watched as he drew his wand. "You can't kill me, Tom Marvolo Riddle. I will not die."

"You may not die, but he can dispel you," the other then began to insist upon Voldemort. "Do it! Kill it!"

Voldemort pointed his wand at Gabriel, and made to utter the incantation that would desist this creature's existence. His words seemed to catch in his throat, though, and he was only able to stare.

The other entity moved closer, and egged him on. "Do it, now! Kill it!"

As Voldemort watched, Gabriel stood straighter. "No mere mortal can do it. So long as you are the possessor of a soul, you will be unable to harm me-"

Voldemort smirked as he felt the block he had just experienced deteriorate. "Does a fragmented soul count? Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of green light expelled itself from Voldemort's wand, and hit Gabriel in the chest. It stumbled backwards, and let go of its scepter as it fell to the ground. However, instead of succumbing to death's embrace, Gabriel began to speak once again. "You will regret the decision that you have made, Tom Marvolo Riddle. It is now assured that whatever happens to you will not and cannot be stopped. I only bid you good luck in the times to come. You are going to need it."

With that, Gabriel stood up, picked up its scepter, and gave Voldemort an unreadable glance before it faded before his eyes.

Voldemort scanned where Gabriel had just been standing. He couldn't believe it ... it had not died! It had somehow defied death! But, was it even alive to begin with?

A small chuckle came from behind Voldemort, but when he turned around, the other was no longer there. However, he still managed to hear its voice. "You have done exactly what I needed you to do. Now, if you do not mind, I must return to my Lord and let him know that everything he desired for is done. Thank you, Voldemort. I will be seeing you again, and soon."

"Who are you?" Voldemort hissed. He realized that the one he had just tried to kill had been right. "Who is your Lord?"

Before him, a black mass formed in the vague shape of a man. The room's temperature rapidly dropped, and the torches that had been lit extinguished themselves with nothing more than a flicker of flame. "You will find out, Voldemort. You will see, soon enough."