Prometheus: Harbinger of Conflagration (Shatterpoint part 1)

Chapter 10

Twenty minutes later, the kid who had bound me with gold found me wandering the halls.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said incredulously.

"I'm trying to find the staircase to the third floor," I said.

"Vendetta told me you're supposed to be on bed rest. Return to your room or I'll bind you with gold again." he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, so you're Oloro. Vendetta told me you're the one who rescued me from outside. Thanks," I said, and tried to dart around him.

Intercepting me and blocking me again, Oloro squinted his eyes. "I doubt Vendetta himself would talk to an idiot like you." I raised an eyebrow.

"Oloro, who do you think gave me this suit?" I retorted, picking at the form-fitting bodysuit.

"I-" he stammered. "I'm gonna go talk to him, and then you'll be in trouble for stealing!" he cried as he ran off.

'What a weird kid,' I thought as I continued down the hall. Turning a corner, I found what I'd been looking for- a staircase. Climbing it, I noticed that the 'Sacra di San Michele' or whatever the name was based directly on top of a mountain. From this height, you could see for miles. In the distance, I could see what I assumed to be Milan, only a tiny speck on the horizon. It was gorgeous.

'Maybe getting sent from 2016 to 1666 wasn't such a bad thing. You can't find views like this back home,' I thought. Reaching the next floor, I walked off the staircase, and discovered this one, like the last, was cleverly hidden in a small side hallway. Looking around briefly at the second floor before ascending to the third. The second floor looked similar to the first, except there were more display cabinets, and definitely more apprentices or whatever Vendetta called the members of his Corps. A gong sounded from somewhere, and they began pouring out of the rooms.

'A school!' I thought. 'Vendetta has a damn school in his magic monastery? Jesus, even in 1666 kids have it rough.' Not wanting to be seen by anyone, I raced back up the staircase.

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I arrived on the third floor of the Sacra di San Michele and found it quite spacious compared to the first and second floors. I heard the sounds of people heatedly discussing something in the far room. I stepped out of the side hallway and they all stopped talking and turned to face me. A man in crimson robes stood up.

"Ah! Alexander! Compatriots, this is the next Prometheus! I'm glad you've finally arrived. I trust your journey here wasn't too difficult?"

"Uh..., mister, who are you? And it's Alex, not Alexander," I replied.

"Ah forgive me," he said, bowing deeply. "I am John the 63rd, but most know me here as Revelation! My forefather was Saint John the Apostle, who wrote many books in the Christian bible and who was blessed with the Powered ability of precognition. I dreamt of this event many weeks ago. Welcome to our humble abode!"

Another one of the guys turned and spoke to me.

"Ignore and forgive him Alex. He's always like that. I'm David Lincoln, and these are the top experts in the world on Powered abilities. That's why you're here, right?" I nodded, and he continued, gesturing to each of the people in turn. "This young lady is Mackenzie Flood. She's not really an expert on abilities, but she's the architect and engineer who rebuilt the Sacra di San Michele based on Vendetta's diagrams. Did it all in a day, too!" Mackenzie smiled and waved. I noticed she couldn't have been much older than myself. David continued, "The lovely lady seated closest to you is Doctor Julianne Greene, who is a scientist, botanist, and living tree." A tendril unfurled from the doctor's hair and made what must have been a waving gesture. I meekly waved back as David finished up with "And finally, that ancient man back there is Azrael Sage, our expert on the magical side of things, and the one who taught Vendetta most of what he knows."