Nemesis of Hell and Evil

Chapter 12: Oracle of Fate

The commander has provided me with the means to reach Greece, but it's a one-way trip. A jet can't land in Greece because all the airports are destroyed. Demons have taken over this nation and its neighbours, but they've mostly moved on to more important fronts, such as in France. It'll take a while for the demons there to regroup, especially now that the portals there have been destroyed, something I suspect Raguel played a part in.

No one truly knows where the demons are and are not, we can only guess. The few nations that are still in touch with the UHC and the few outlying outposts serve as our only intel providers.

However, my mission lies elsewhere. I must find Pythia and learn of this path Raguel spoke of, preferably before demons overtake Earth.

We cross the geographic borders of Greece near central Greece where Delphia is. A place where myths began and faded, millennia passed. I'm in a supersonic jet and it's only me and the pilot. My damaged suit has been repaired by the finest aboard the UHC and I've been mostly nursed back to health by Marie who's with Anna. Up there, where they're safe...

"Destination reached. We can't go any further because of the mountainous terrain," the pilot says to me.

"Understood. Until next time, then," I respond and prepare to jump.

The door in the back opens and I'm flung out into the skies, high above Delphia. I deploy my parachute and look around. There are mountains everywhere and because of the ashen depressed sky, it's hard to see in the distance. Normally, I'd be having the sight of my life, but now it's no better than being on solid ground.

There is a singular place of interest in the distance, though. That must be the Temple of Apollo, I surmise. The wind isn't on my side, however, and I'm forced to land a fair distance over, which I prepare to do. My legs touch the ground as the parachute falls on me and I shuffle out of it. My communications will barely work this far from civilisation, if at all.

Locating the target as the only possibly human-made object in miles around, I start walking towards the temple. The weather is fair, but the silence is staggering. Not a peep. Not even bees or insects, it's dead-quiet. The flora here is slowly withering as well, the fragile balance of an ecosystem disrupted. Sights like these make me think; if we ever managed to drive demons back to hell from where they came from, would we be finished by nature instead? Perhaps such thoughts are best left untouched, and focus should be diverted to the temple in front of me.

There's nothing special about this so-called temple, though. I look around and it's just a bunch of marble. Not even a roof or building to enter and explore... Where could the Pythia possibly be in here?

This can't be it. There must be something hidden in here, an entrance or something of the sort. I walk over to the centre of the temple and see a circle with engravings on the ground. These symbols seem familiar. Ah—I can recognise one of these too well. The symbol for an end but also war, for wars are fought with an end in mind, omega. No war is eternal, lest all sides throw themselves into a deep void from which there's no return.

Suddenly, the symbol resonates as I touch it. The circle lights up and begins falling, dragging me down beneath the surface. I knew—There is a hidden entrance. Perhaps Raguel didn't lie after all...

Fear doesn't consume me, at least not the fear of whatever's about to happen. Only a slight fear of failure lingers, but focusing on that is only bound to move me closer to it.

The sharp descent continues until I emerge from the tight space and my eyes land on the underground complex. It's lit up by lanterns and resembles a gigantic temple. The huge cavern roof replaces the sky and I'm left wondering how this was never mentioned in any literature. I'm spared no time as the circle begins free-falling and I along with it.