"Do you have the oracle?"
"Yes, Padre."
"Good." The elder man, dressed in crimson robes, took the artifact from the younger, brown-robed man.
"Will that really answer any question? Show us anything that we want?"
"Anything within this dimension," the Padre qualified. "It is not the Axis of Pythia. But it is powerful within those limits. Yes, anything, past, present, or future." He sprinkled a fine magenta powder over the oracle. "Show us the Darkness."
Above the oracle, colors began to come into and out of existence—first red, then green, then a veritable rainbow. They began to sort themselves out, and as they did so, a figure came into the focus—a young, blonde girl.
The younger man gasped. "It is the Slayer!" he said.
The Padre shook his head. "She is tainted by demon blood, sure enough, but she is not the Darkness. But she has given herself up to Death, and the Darkness has taken her form. Show us the servants of the Darkness," he commanded the oracle.
The scene changed. Suddenly there was a different blonde girl, running as fast as she could. Behind her were three men in brown robes, X's where their eyes should be. Eventually, they caught up with her, and plunged their knives into her heart.
"The Darkness is wiping out those whose blood is tainted," observed the Padre. "It is purifying the world with its holocaust even as it seeks to corrupt."
"But . . . the Slayers," protested the younger man. "Won't we need them to fight off the Darkness?"
"We need no unholy alliances," answered the Padre. "We need no one to protect us but the Father. Remember our mission, Brother: to purify the world in our holy crusade of righteousness. We will not rest until all signs of sin are wiped from this world. And we will not fail." He turned to the oracle. "Show us our victory."
And, obediently, the oracle displayed the Padre himself as he thrust his sword through a young girl's heart.
"Yes, Padre."
"Good." The elder man, dressed in crimson robes, took the artifact from the younger, brown-robed man.
"Will that really answer any question? Show us anything that we want?"
"Anything within this dimension," the Padre qualified. "It is not the Axis of Pythia. But it is powerful within those limits. Yes, anything, past, present, or future." He sprinkled a fine magenta powder over the oracle. "Show us the Darkness."
Above the oracle, colors began to come into and out of existence—first red, then green, then a veritable rainbow. They began to sort themselves out, and as they did so, a figure came into the focus—a young, blonde girl.
The younger man gasped. "It is the Slayer!" he said.
The Padre shook his head. "She is tainted by demon blood, sure enough, but she is not the Darkness. But she has given herself up to Death, and the Darkness has taken her form. Show us the servants of the Darkness," he commanded the oracle.
The scene changed. Suddenly there was a different blonde girl, running as fast as she could. Behind her were three men in brown robes, X's where their eyes should be. Eventually, they caught up with her, and plunged their knives into her heart.
"The Darkness is wiping out those whose blood is tainted," observed the Padre. "It is purifying the world with its holocaust even as it seeks to corrupt."
"But . . . the Slayers," protested the younger man. "Won't we need them to fight off the Darkness?"
"We need no unholy alliances," answered the Padre. "We need no one to protect us but the Father. Remember our mission, Brother: to purify the world in our holy crusade of righteousness. We will not rest until all signs of sin are wiped from this world. And we will not fail." He turned to the oracle. "Show us our victory."
And, obediently, the oracle displayed the Padre himself as he thrust his sword through a young girl's heart.