Bonus Content -- The Prologue
Somewhere around the fourth draft, I decided to delete the Prologue. This is one of those decisions that can drive writers crazy, where you like what you've written, but choose to let it go in order for the reader to jump into the story with more immediacy.
Here's the original Prologue. I'm curious to know if you feel I should have kept it in!
PROLOGUE
Compulsion drove The Master to his small, dank room in the ancient hideout below the Old City of Jerusalem. The change he'd anticipated for decades was coming. The next phase was beginning. He was more convinced of this than of anything in his life.
Settling into the wooden chair in the spartan room, he shut his eyes, cleared his thoughts, and prayed.
Oh great God, I know the confrontation is near
A clash of cultures is approaching
Now is the time for your intervention
Send back the Spirit of your Son
Help me purify the planet of all evil and wickedness.
The Master had waited for the return of the Spirit who walked the earth two thousand years ago. He'd expected the time to come sooner, at the dawn of the new millennium. He had waited years for the Spirit's return, yet nothing happened. He had prayed so often for a sign that the time was at hand, but the sign never came, leaving him disappointed and anxious.
Of late, however, signs began to emerge. Tidal waves, floods, global warming, weapons of mass destruction, and the threat of diseases that would kill millions. There was a message in all of this. A message only The Master truly understood.
Then, last night came the clearest sign of all. In his private sanctuary, The Master knelt and began praying in front of the large candle that lit the room.
"Oh Great Creator God, the signs are everywhere. Send me a message that the time is now."
He focused intensely, repeating the prayer more than a dozen times. Suddenly, the candle flickered and then burned out. Several moments later, it spontaneously reignited sending flames two feet in the air. Chills ran down The Master's spine. He watched, transfixed, as the flame grew higher and glowed brighter.
"Thank you, my Lord," he said, weeping.
He felt like Moses at the burning bush.
This could only mean one thing-that the holy document prophesied in the Sacred Scriptures was about to be discovered.
And therefore, the battle to end all battles was approaching.
It would be fought first in Israel, as prophesied in the Holy Scriptures. The battle would then spill over to all corners of the world-a war that would threaten human existence and presage the Spirit's return.
From the moment he was able to talk, his father began indoctrinating him into his group's beliefs. Later, on his deathbed, the old man revealed the most secret teaching of their sect, the prophecy foretelling the discovery of the sacred document-and the ultimate battle that would unfold between the righteous Guardians of the faith and the forces of Evil. From the ashes of this final war, the new, pure age would rise.
"You've learned your lessons well, my son, and I am proud of you." Though his voice was hoarse and his pulse thin, the dying man spoke with the passion and fervor of one already saved. "You have become everything I hoped you would be. I know our cause is in good hands. You are destined to save this world. The prophecy will be fulfilled during your reign. Do not cry for me, for even now I am going to God. And more importantly, do not cry for yourself. Do not allow weakness to divert you from your path. You must singe sorrow and pity from your heart, knowing that the greatest compassion is that which purges evil from evil itself. Our line is long and our history a proud one, but the most noble glory will be yours."
The next day, the great man was dead and his son became the 77th Master of their lineage. No son ever loved a father as much as the Master had loved his, but he steeled himself against his grief and, instead of mourning, drove himself to gain a better understanding of everything that had to be done in the name of God-the God that most people failed to understand or, even worse, didn't believe in.
Only the Master knew what the Sacred Scriptures said, and only the Master could deliver its message.
Though the thought of the violence he would be forced to unleash sickened him, he knew it was essential. Only when the Earth had been cleansed could he complete his mission and sit by the side of God. The one thing missing was the artifact.
A wave of sadness washed over the Master as he considered the near future. There would be much suffering, and this notion caused the Master to waver for the tiniest of moments. But he remembered the wisdom of his father's dying words. He had no choice; he was doing the work of God and would find his reward in heaven. He was willing to sacrifice anything-and anyone -for his beliefs. When the parchment was found and the truth validated, savagery would be a small price for saving the world.
The Master searched his soul and found unyielding resolve. The holy Apocalypse was only weeks away.