Souls of Perdition

Prologue: Veil

The air beneath the Etruscan tombs clung heavy with damp and decay. Every breath tasted of rot, the stench of ancient earth and long-dead souls gathering like a film on their tongues. Shadows slithered along the walls, crawling into the cracks of the ancient stone, following them deeper into the catacombs.

Aro's marble fingers trailed over the rough-hewn walls, brushing against the ancient symbols carved into the stone. As his fingertips traced the worn grooves, he felt them hum beneath his skin—whispers aching to be heard.

Behind him, Didyme's presence radiated. The air around her was softer, more breathable—almost intoxicating against the oppressive gloom. She glanced over her shoulder at the yawning darkness behind them.

Aro's voice cut through the silence, soft but deliberate. "Sister, we stand upon the threshold of a mystery even the ancients feared to speak of," he murmured, his voice reverberating off the damp stone. "This place... it was whispered of when we were still mortal. The old men would tell us not to venture near these hills, lest the spirits of the damned drag us beneath the earth."

"And yet, brother, it was not fear that led you here today," she whispered, her voice tinged with a blend of curiosity and concern.. "Tell me true, Aro—what compels you to seek out such darkness? I know your ambitions, but this place..." She drew in a breath, her lips tightening in distaste. "It reeks of death."

"This is no simple tomb, Didyme." Aro pressed his finger into the grooves of the symbols carved on the wall, the dust clinging to his marble skin. "The Etruscans believed this to be a gate—a passage to realms created by the gods. It is a place where traitors and murderers find neither rest nor salvation." He paused, his fingers pressing into the stone, as though trying to absorb its secrets. "Not even immortality can protect us here."

Didyme gazed around at the impending ceiling, at the moss hanging limply like dead bats. "The gods themselves have turned their eyes from this place," she murmured. Her aura dimmed slightly, the faint glow around her flickering like a candle in the wind. She took a step closer to Aro, her fingers brushing against his cold arm. "You speak of godhood, brother, but we are not gods. Your gift shows you every thought, every secret; my aura can bend the sorrows of the living. What could the dead offer that we have not already surpassed?"

"The abyss does not judge like men, Didyme," Aro replied, his gaze fixed on the darkness ahead. "It senses the truth beneath the surface—what even we may hide from ourselves. But..." He turned back to her, his expression sharper now, focused. "Your gift, Didyme, your ability to bring joy even to the hopeless... that is what will unlock its power. You were born to bring joy to the world, but here—here, you may bring dominion."

Didyme's eyes flickered with disbelief. "Dominion?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "You believe that my gift, can bend this abyss to your will—to command death itself?"

Aro turned to face the abyss, his gaze fixed on the black water. "Not just death," he whispered. "All of it—life, death, joy, despair. We can bend it all to our will. Not as conquerors, but creators. Together, will ascend."

Didyme's posture faltered slightly, her fingers curling into the fabric of her cloak. Her gaze moved from Aro to the gaping void ahead of them. "Aro, you are playing with forces beyond our understanding. I have no desire to command the abyss, nor shall I let it command you." She grasped his arm tighter, her nails scratching across his skin like stones over granite. "And what of your soul? Or have you forgotten you had one? If this place is as you say, then it will judge us both. The souls of the dead may rise to meet us here, and they will not care for your grand designs."

Aro's voice lowered to a whisper, his eyes fixed on the cavern before them. "I was never one to heed warnings, Didyme. This is no myth, no fable from frightened men."