For the rest of the day, Nero continued to spar with the Sergeant.

Finally, once the sun had been swallowed by the grey skies, he was allowed to put down his spear.

Breathing heavily, his body smothered in sweat and dirt, Nero felt pain from every inch of skin and flesh covering him.

Despite how exhausted he was,bthe pain made sure he remained awake.

He didn't even have the strength to curse.

Compared to him, the Sergeant had barely broken a sweat.

Seeing Nero's pummeled body, he spoke indifferently,

"Tomorrow, we meet in the early hours right after the mass."

Nero nodded and began rising to his feet.

Al he needed at the moment was a cold bath, and some rest.

Just as he turned around and was about to depart, Sergeant Vane spoke,

"Before you leave, I want to show you something."

Nero paused then turned around, his brows raised suspiciously.

Then he noticed that the harsh frown on the Sergeant's rather unfriendly face had mellowed quite a bit.

Sergeant Vane returned his sword to the rack and gestured to Nero,

"Come with me."

Then he turned around and began walking towards the entrance of another corridor connected to the arena.

Nero hesitated for a moment. Then he began limping in the same direction.

Upon entering the dark corridor, they began walking until their reached a flight of descending stairs.

Nero frowned. For some reason, the dungeons came to mind.

His body trembled and he spoke up quickly,

"W-where are we going?"

The Sergeant was silent for a moment.

Then he spoke. Instead of answering Nero's question however, he said something rather strange,

"Do you know what happens to us when we die?"

The uncomfortable silence was cut by only the sound of Nero's labored breathing, and the heavy sound of footsteps as the descended the flight of stairs.

"When we die, our souls are released back into the earth. Those souls either latch onto something, becoming reborn as an Abomination or a vengeful spirit. That, or it acquired by any of the four Kings of Hell and is taken to the Hell realms for a fate worse than death itself."

Sergeant Vane nodded, "You are well read in scripture, boy. But that is not all that can happen."

In the darkness, Nero could see the Templar raise his gaze a little.

"With the gaze of the Divine One turned away from us, there is none that can reach salvation anymore. The only hope for us humans, is to turn to other means to preserve our souls."

His gaze shifted slightly and he turned to glance at Nero. Nero felt his heart skip a beat under the intensity of the gaze,

"Some choose to align themselves with the Kings of Hell so that they might be welcomed into their kingdoms, even in death. Others choose to diligently serve the church. By serving the church, a Templar can gains a powerful body that severely delays his death. And when the time does inevitably come, a Templar chooses to offer his soul to the patron god of his Order. In them, the afterlife is one of eternal servitude to the church, keeping the dreadful beings asleep for much longer."

Nero felt his heart crawl to a stop.

"What?"

Sergeant Vane chuckled,

"This is supposed to be classified information, but the ears and the lips of a man are rather untrustworthy companions."

He paused for a bit then continued,

"Nero. Our world hangs in a delicate balance. The beings we pour our prayers to protect us from the unimaginable horrors and darkness that fills this world. But they are not salvation. They are a double edged sword wrapped around our throats. The souls of the dead offered unto them appeases them to remain in their slumber while we make use of their power."

"They are horrors. They are evil, and they are madness. But they are a... lesser kind. One that can be used by the Church to create true salvation. One where we have to face the damnation no more."

As those words were spoken, Nero sought out the voice of the Oracle;

{That is the truth, Heretic. The souls of both humans and Templars tied to the patrons of the Everlasting Church are used to keep these beings from ever awakening. These beings were once worshippedz but they fell to the darkness of corruption. Even then, they serve humanity, acting as the final beams of hope that light is tethered to upon this world}.

Nero couldn't help but tremble.

'Then, does that mean...'

{The Heretic's purpose is to see to the end of this order. When the final day comes, the Seals of the earth, the heavens and the hells will be broken. On the day of the final battle, the Heretic shall watch everything be reborn, or it shall all fall into chaos. For the belief of he who believes in nothing cannot change the predestined outcome}.

'I... I don't understand.'

Just when Nero sought to seek more answers, Vane's voice pulled him away from his reverie.

"We are here..."

They had stopped before a set of large metal doors. The doors were made of a dark steel with a black much darker than actually Darksteel. There were runes that ran along the edges of the doors, and on the dark metal face wereurals of terrifying beings, mountains of skulls, and rivers of blood.

Standing above all these things, holding a shining sword painted to the heavens was the visage of a Templar clad with heavy golden armor that radiated brilliance and a halo around his head.

Sergeant Vane muttered,

"This is where the fallen bodies of our brothers are laid to rest. Even in death, their souls do not rest, constantly fighting for the salvation of humanity."

He turned to face Nero. There was a deep sadness in his gaze. Something that had been weathered across more than a hundred battles,

"Come in." He said as he walked forward and slowly pushed the doors open.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.