CHAPTER I: TEMPLE'S DEPTHS

A great temple of black marble it was - surrounded by fortifications of bone and flesh...

The marine stood up and turned around, intending to walk away. He stopped. Still under the influence of the amazing tale he had just heard, he felt uneasy, almost dizzy. Talking to a creature that had lived for millennia and knew so many things – it was an experience that would definitely leave its mark. As he heard about his own deeds, told from the perspective of the demon, he could almost sense his own tension while fighting through the legions of fiends that had crawled out of the Pit, longing for his blood and flesh. It had to end, yet the Gatekeeper's last words foretold of more fighting and conflict to come. Thinking about all things that were said about his destiny, the marine thought that perhaps it was his fate to lead an endless war against the forces of darkness. No one, not even the Gatekeeper, could predict what these forces' next move could be. He had to do something about it soon. The obvious choice was to try and discover the location of the mysterious last outpost of Hell that, hidden somewhere in space, planned its terrible revenge.

There were still hours before the Space Marine Corps would finally arrive at the scene (long after everything was over, as usual), so he had enough time to take a closer look at the Temple of Darkness that had survived the Gate's catastrophic implosion. It appeared that the Temple was the only building remaining intact after the long hours of desperate fighting. The marine tried to find a way through the chaos of debris and torn metal. The only safe way was through the sewers that he had passed through before he approached the Gatekeeper's lair. As he descended into the dark and cool subterranean tunnels, he thought about the task before him – he had no idea what to look for once he reaches the Temple. The demon's tale suggested that he should try to delve into the deepest crypts, where many of Hell's secrets still lay buried. The marine walked in silence by the darkened corridors, filled with the corpses of demons and undead monstrosities, their walls marked with bullet marks and spots burned by explosions or plasma discharges. This arena of death stood as a dark reminder of the battle that he had led. Quiet and abandoned, these tunnels were even scarier than before.

The last explosions had created few very convenient cracks within the structure of the old UAC bunker – through these, the lone man could reach the Temple and look for some clue about the mystery he was trying to unravel. The computer monitors that were not shattered still showed the UAC insignia and the words "Plutonia Project – Ensuring the Safety of our Home Planet." The late afternoon sun stood brooding on the reddish sky, as if dismayed by the events that had taken place beneath it. The heat of the summer day made the whole place resemble the Hell that the marine had gone through. Twice. The dark shadow of the Temple looked like a frontier between the "normal" world and a realm of creeping shadows and living nightmares. There was no telling what awaited under the surface of the cold earth, though it was certain that all demonic troops had been wiped out. The marine had learned that the place he was about to enter was the heart of the Gatekeeper's ancient empire of darkness and corruption. It was a symbol of humanity's weakness and vulnerability against evil, a mocking reminder of the alien intervention in the civilization's development.

It was apparent that the steps of the huge ceremonial staircase were not designed for humans. The climbing was exhausting and annoying, at the top awaited a small chamber made of black marble, surrounded by golden poles that bore obsidian skulls on their tops. Runes, shining with an unnatural red glow, covered the platform's floor, assembled in mystic patterns. The heavy bronze gates of the chamber were broken by the clumsy UAC researchers and lay on the ground, covered in dust. Inside, there was a stone altar, covered with long-dried blood that had been spilled centuries ago. There had to be a way into the crypts – but the chamber was empty, the old chandeliers stood as silent witnesses of the marine's futile efforts to find a secret passage of some kind. The walls were solid – covered with images of vile rituals and human sacrifice. The marine noticed the small figure of the Gatekeeper on one of those images – he wore a strange-looking crown on his horned head. The astral symbols on the ceiling were probably not the key to the problem's solution, but the floor... A complicated network of lines covered the floor – the lines had different colors and formed seemingly senseless shapes on the marble. These lines had to converge in one point – that point was behind the altar. He went behind it and saw a small pentagram carved into the floor. He pushed it with force and it sank. A rumbling noise broke the silence of the chamber and the altar moved, revealing a dark stairwell that led into the unknown depths of the Temple. A gust of stale air blew out of the opening.

The marine pulled out his flashlight – it was still operational after being hit, dropped, and immersed in muddy water for about a hundred times ever since he received it when he joined the Marine Corps. He went down, deeper into the cold dank catacombs. Beside the stairwell, he saw side corridors, sealed vaults, large empty halls, dust-covered libraries forsaken mausolea, and dungeons filled with old skeletons that did not seem human. He stopped for a while, looking at a chamber that had a pit in its center – an unnatural glow and blood-chilling howls came from that pit, and the marine was sure that he would never approach that thing. Finally, the stairs ended – he reached what was supposed to be the lowest level of the crypts. From where he stood, five tunnels branched out. They were marked by different colors – black, white, red, green, and purple. Unable to choose which one to take, the marine decided to explore each of them. With luck, he would survive whatever traps they could contain. On the other hand, it was presumed that no one would enter this place uninvited, and security measures would be unnecessary. Whatever the case, the marine felt much safer with his trusty double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun in his hands and the rocket launcher on his back.

He chose the red corridor, as it seemed most ominous. The stone that covered the tunnel's walls, floor, and ceiling was unknown to the human... assuming it was actually stone – he knew well about the ways demons used flesh and bone in their constructions. A foul smell permeated the air – a smell similar to the odor of blood, or the smell that could be felt in infirmaries where severely wounded marines were held. There was no place for hesitation – he had to go on, whatever awaited in the tunnel's end. He reached a chamber that looked like a storage silo of some kind – there were numerous cylindrical containers assembled in the room, as well as some machinery with an unknown purpose. The man carefully approached one of the containers and opened it. A loud hissing was heard, clouds of gas went out and the content was revealed – a dark liquid of some kind. He leaned forward and looked closer. It was blood. Shocked and disgusted, he backed away. Apparently, all containers were filled with human blood, and were designed to keep it fresh. He remembered that blood was demons' favorite sustenance, and this chamber was the Gatekeeper's personal nourishment cellar! The machinery in the corner was used for the liquid's extraction from unwilling victims, as was suggested by the blades and needles on them. And the other boxes – the marine did not dare look inside them, having the bad feeling that they would contain whole body parts. Assuming he had seen enough, the man left the room and went back to the intersection with the other four tunnels.

"The white tunnel should not be that bad," the marine thought as he walked carefully in its direction. He entered a large hall that had shelves by the walls and a large demonic symbol drawn on the floor. The marine approached the symbol with caution – it seemed to be nothing but a weird ritual drawing on the floor, ornamented with many tiny runes, astral symbols, and precious stones. The man could only assume that this was a summoning circle, used to bring demons from Hell to do the Gatekeeper's bidding. The deformed bones of demons that were lying all over the room were proof of that assumption. The shelves were filled with small cylindrical crystal containers that seemed to be empty. A closer look revealed their true purpose – there were small glimmering images inside them that looked very much like the faces that appeared in Soul Spheres. Those wraiths' attention was drawn towards the human, who realized what he had found. A Soul Library! When he started hearing the faint voices of the creatures imprisoned there, the marine decided to leave immediately.

The green tunnel invited thoughts of something rotten, and the human expected something really bad to be waiting in the end. What he found was a room filled with many objects. He increased the power of the flashlight's beam and... quickly backed away as he saw the Gatekeeper himself!

"What the..."

It was only a statue. An obsidian statue that was put in the room's center. It was about three meters tall, its intimidating look enhanced by the glowing eyes. It looked so real, yet it was not alive. The marine decided not to look at it, as the thing gave him chills. A quick survey of the place showed that it contained a large throne that was set in front of a huge table. There were many chests containing scrolls, tomes, jars filled with unknown substances, and many objects that he could not recognize. That was the Gatekeeper's personal lair. The many tomes of archives could not be read as they were written in ancient runes and other arcane symbols. In one of the chests, the human found the crown that he saw on the painting of the Gatekeeper. He decided to take it – it was unusually light for its size. Apparently, there was nothing else he could do in that room...

The black tunnel had to lead to something of value – black was the color of darkness and evil. He was right – it led straight into a system of storage cells. The marine did not have the time to go through all the supernatural things that were stored in that area. He recognized some of the artifacts: the glowing blue orb was a Soul Sphere, the crates filled with blue potions were used for healing, and those completely black small crates covered with strange devices had to be the dreaded Black Containers that raise dead humans as Former humans. The marine decided not to touch anything. At the bottom of one of the chambers, there was a sealed vault that was now opened and abandoned. Inside it, there was a small pond filled with a water-like liquid. Within this substance floated several black spheres. Void spheres! He went closer to look at them – they were all dark, and seemingly inert. Perhaps the Gate's explosion had damaged them in some way? The human thought that when the scientific team arrived, they would study these artifacts with special care. He did not know how the idea came to his mind – he hesitated for a moment, then picked up one of the spheres and hid it in his backpack. He hoped they would not find it...

The last tunnel led into a chamber that contained a large crystal encased within rings of green-colored metal – a material he had never seen on Earth. Close examination of the crystal did not show anything – it just stood there in the empty room. The marine was suddenly scared by the faint vibration that he felt in his backpack. The Gatekeeper's crown was the source of that disturbance – the gem set into its forehead glowed and hummed. It looked as if it was inviting the human to put it on his head. As if in a dream, he lifted it and put it on. His hand touched the crystal and a storm of images and sounds filled his mind. Very briefly, he saw visions of other worlds and other times... The continent of Inferno and countless Hell Knights marching through it... The Unholy Cathedral and many workers constructing its towers and walls... The Temple of Darkness and a procession of fanatical demon-worshippers... Human sacrifices at the temple... Battles, destruction, ceaseless wrath... A revenant made of pure ice and sapphire, emanating eternal cold... The same revenant, lurking within ancient forsaken crypts... The planet Jupiter and one of its moons... The moon of Io... A cacophony of meaningless voices...

The images blurred and disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. The crown did not work anymore – as if it felt that it was being used by a human. He understood that the crystal was some kind of memory storage device, accessed through the crown. It contained many recorded memories from many creatures – including some memories of the Gatekeeper himself. The moon of Io that he saw disturbed him – he remembered the Gatekeeper mentioning something about it, and the ancient catacombs where powerful demons would awaken to threaten humanity once again.

He realized that he had to go to Io – this was the first step to discovering what he sought. Having found the information he needed, the marine decided to go out and think of ways to get there – he knew there was a UAC research center there. With a sense of relief, he returned to the stairs and left the crypt.

As he went out of the Temple, he heard the distant sound of helicopters and trucks – the Space Marine Corps arrived... at last! They noticed the marine and ordered him to remain where he was, and wait for them to pick him up.

He sighed – it appeared that he would have to deal with angry officers once again...