Michael: Last Angel of Earth

After a much-deserved rest, Barjon and his friends met with the Pope in the council chambers the following day. Judodius and others were there as well. Taking a seat, the Pope asked why they had come to Rome. Barjon turned to Ruzla, who reached into her satchel bag and pulled out the various maps and charts from the chapel. Barjon then handed the Pope Ambrose’s journal, bookmarking the pages referencing the tomb of Azrael. Taking the documents, the Pope studied them. He began the maps and charts and nodded to his fellow cardinals and councilmates. Setting the maps aside, he reached for the journal and opened the book laid out by the bookmark. Reading each line carefully, his Holiness had one of his guards write down everything the Pope said. The young guard scribbled down all the information he could from his Holiness. Pope George cleared his throat by closing the book and returning it to Barjon.

“So this is why you have come. To find the fabled tomb of Azrael,” spoke the Pope.

“That is correct, your Holiness,” replied Barjon.

“What is so special about this tomb?” inquired Cathrin, who was also present.

“The tomb houses the armor and weapons of Azrael, one of the most famous and powerful watchers in Angelic history. He was our order’s top swordsman and skilled tactician. No one could match him with his blade,” stated Barjon.

“I thought all angelic weapons were powerful. What makes him different?” spoke Lawrenz.

“Most Angelic weapons are powerful, but they do have one flaw. A holy weapon can destroy any demonic physical form but never the soul, thus allowing the soul to take another body later. The Azrael sword is different. His is the only kind to kill both the physical body and soul, killing the being entire. Upon forging the sword to completion, it was dubbed Gladius Mortis, or the sword of death. Its power was unmatched, but the sword was unstable. It killed many users in its inception. Thus, to balance out the power of death, it needed equilibrium of life. As such, the Council made Clypeus Regenerantur, better known as the shield of rebirth. Just as the sword could take life, the shield could restore life. Now balanced, the Council had to select an angel to wield this power. The Council selected many angels, but ultimately they chose Azrael. It is through his deeds and his original team of Watchers that the war between the forces of light and army of darkness were locked in a cold war,” explained Barjon.

“Fascinating. What happened to him, if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Judonius. Barjon explained that after Azrael’s passing, through circumstances unknown, the Council ordered the armor, along with the shield and sword, to be buried on earth. The whereabouts of the tomb had remained lost for eons until now.

“You believe the tomb to be here in Vatican City?” inquired Constanza.

“All the signs point here and surrounding areas,” chirped Margret. The Pope and his allies turned to the young woman.

“And you, young lady?” questioned Judonius.

“Forgive me but allow me to introduce my friends, your Holiness,” said Barjon. “These three are Fiona, Colum, Margret, Horus, Ruzla, and Vanhildr.”

“And how did you all come together?” inquired Cathrin.

“I have been with Barjon since the beginning,” said Magret.

“We joined in to help honor a friend’s request,” said the Irish soldiers.

“And we had to be convinced to help in that quest,” said Horus, speaking for himself and the other mystics. The Pope was intrigued by this, but he was more intrigued by the young Egyptian.

“Horus. That is a very unusual name. Why did your parents name you after an Egyptian god?” he asked.

“Because they are gods themselves,” replied the prince casually. A burst of soft laughter filled the room. Barjon, however, was not laughing.

“He is serious, your Holiness,” said Barjon. Before the Pope could utter another word, Horus removed his hood and mask and revealed his unique eyes. Everyone at the table was stunned and amazed. Putting his hood back on, the Pope turned to the other two.

“Then you two are...”

“Yes, your Holiness, I am indeed a Gargoyle. The same ones that protect your cathedrals all-access Europe,” said Ruzla.

“And I am a real Valkyrie, loyal shieldmaiden to lady Frigg in Valhalla and the halls of Odin,” stated Vanhildr.

“Quite a company you have amassed,” said Lawrenz. Barjon smiled and returned to the matter at hand, the location of Azrael’s tomb. Looking back at his notes, the Pope asked Barjon if any other clues he could provide about the tomb itself. Barjon could only retell what little he heard. He said to the Pope that the elders mentioned something of the tomb deep in the earth, surrounded by the faithful, and only the purest hearts can pierce the darkest of the abyss. Just then, Matteo snapped his fingers.

“The Vatican Necropolis!” he shouted.

“What?” said, everyone. Matteo turned to the Pope.

“Holiness, remembered many years ago when our stonemasons were gathering stone to rebuild the north walls, one of them fell into a newly discovered section of the Necropolis. Completely pitch black, he said. I remembered that one of these gentlemen, stumbling through the darkness, felt what seemed to be a stone door with an ancient lock.” This news perked the former’s angel’s interest.

“Go on,” said Barjon.

“Well,” said Matteo, “when we went down to see the tomb, we had to bring in several dozen torches to see in the dark. When we found this tomb, its creation, and design told us that it was not made by the Romans nor the Etruscans.”

“Where is this tomb?” asked Barjon. Matteo offered to show the way. Getting up from the table, Barjon and the others followed the young swiss guard. Exiting the council chambers, they made their way to another section of the Vatican, St Peter’s Basilica. Regarded as the most famous structure in all of Rome, St Peter’s basilica was a 14th-century renaissance Cathedral and is considered one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe. Nearing a flight of stairs, the swiss guard followed them down.

Further down, they realized the air was growing stale, and their vision was going. Reaching the bottom, Matteo was joined by the others as they found themselves in the Necropolis. Matteo grabbed a nearby torch and lit the fuse. As the orange glow filled the room, everyone saw the tomb and sarcophagus of the different popes that had come before. Cobwebs and dust were apparent everywhere the group went. Following the young man, they traversed deeper into the Necropolis. As they did so, the setting around them began to change. Soon tombs of popes were replaced by ancient stone and dark metal. The path they followed also altered. It became more narrow and tighter the further they went into the earth. Everyone was near the point of bunching up next to each other and smelling their breath. Suddenly, Matteo stopped at an opening, and soon everyone began filling in the space. Standing before them was a massive stone door carved from eons past. In the center of the rock, the door was writing of an ancient angelic tone. It was so complex that not every Barjon could attempt to decipher it. Upon further inspection, the party noticed a giant lock mechanism in the center of the door, just above the writing. Moving his way through the others, Barjon inspected the door even closer. His eyes examined the entire surface area until he came to the main point of interest, the giant lock just below the wiring on the door. Rubbing his hands across it, he could feel that this was the work of a master angel mason. No mere mortal could create such a barrier. This had to be it.

“You mentioned something about a key,” stated Barjon.

“We hypothesize that a key might exist, but we don’t have a specific location of where such a key might be,” said the Pope.

“Any suggestions?” asked Horus.

“A good place to start would be the old Roman catacombs not too far from here. If your kind did place this tomb here during ancient times, that is the place to begin,” said Judonius.