"A prayer to the grey clouds..."
With eyes closed, the members of the guard slowly recited the words of the prayer known to every human living in the empire with their hands clasped over their chest and their knees kissing the rock hard floor.
Their mutterings curled through the air, rising past the roof of the church and into the firmament above with twisted grace, disjointed and strangely eerie in the dark morning gloom.
The shadows flickered and churned as the candles from the night before still burned on and across the altar.
Nero slightly opened his eyes and looked up.
Beside the raised stone altar stood a rather wretched looking old man. He was dressed in heavy drapes and linen clothing with golden ornaments and tasteful embroidery hanging across its surface.
This was the head priest of their small town church. He was also the only priest the church had ever known.
Staring at the old, wrinkled priest, Nero couldn't help but think that even the slightest breeze would cause him to topple over.
The priest opened his mouth and began to speak, his voice hoarse due to age, but somehow still clear.
"May the secret eye of Marthenus watch over you all. Please, strive to keep the tenets of the church as you go about your duties as usual..."
It was customary for all the guards to receive blessings everyday. This was to make sure even if they died, their souls would not be bound to the earth.
If that happened, one could only hope the madness consumed their soul quickly...
Nero sighed. The mass was not for long and quickly neared its end.
Peter the head guard climbed the steps until he was a single step below the priest. There, he addressed the kneeling guards,
"Word has come from the city. The sorcerers say the Grey cloud has thickened. We might be looking at another descent very soon."
Nero frowned.
The faces of the other guards paled.
The Grey Cloud could be compared to a phenomenon. Like the constantly changing weather.
However, it was also a bit different.
And that was because the Grey clouds that seemed to be ever present in the heavens above them was an actual living, breathing entity.
The so-called Grey Clouds was its flesh. And its offspring were the Grey Crows.
The Grey Crows were terrible Abominations that constantly plagued the world. Vile, wretched creatures steeped in madness and chaos.
A single one could, and would tear a man open just to devour his innards and skin, leaving behind a hollow, skinless carcass.
They came in the form of five to six foot tall birds with greyish feathers and enormous bills with dagger-like teeth running from one jaw to the other.
Of course, the Grey Cloud was one of the many horrors the Age of Angels had brought to the land of man.
Peter Auswish had a dark frown on his face as he continued,
"That means we all have to be on high alert until further notice. Keep your swords sharpened, count your bullets, and rest your shields at your bedside. Because when the time comes, you— we will all have blood to spill."
'As for who's blood will be spilt...' Such a thing was better left unsaid.
Nero turned his neck to face Declan. The usually witty, blabbermouth Declan had turned as while as a sheet, his fists clenched and brows furrowed.
Nero couldn't blame him. After all, the Grey Crows were an existence that filled the hearts of many with fear.
He sighed and gave him a pat on the shoulder,
"Don't let it weigh you down. We've survived up until now, right?"
Declan forced a smile,
"You are right. Still, we've never fought against actual Abominations before. What if..."
Nero looked him right in the eye,
"If it comes to that, our only choice will be to fight. And if it comes down to it, we'll run. We won't die."
Seeing Nero speak so boldly, Declan felt his fears wash away.
"When you put it that way..."
Seeing his friend's grin return, a small smile appeared on Nero's face.
Although he wasn't very confident, he absolutely didn't believe the town would fall to the Grey Crowd.
And with good reason.
Although the Grey Crows were terrifying to ordinary men, in the face of trained guards like themselves, they were less terrifying. All the guards underwent conditioning and training everyday.
Even if not all of them had fought against the abominations, they were always prepared to do so.
And even better, they had the backup of a captain that had once belonged to a Templar's Order, and a priest capable of sorcery and divination.
With such advantages, the only way their situation would become bad, is if the Grey Cloud itself descended upon them.
And what were the chances of that happening?
"Now, you can receive your blessings." The Head Priest stretched out his arms and began chanting in a low, humming voice.
The words of the blessing were not spoken in the language of men, but rather in the language that could be perceived by those that understood the language of the Divine.
Sure enough, a moment later, Nero felt absolutely nothing.
He sighed.
'Blessings, huh...'
These so-called blessings didn't make him feel more powerful, or faster, not did they seem to increase his stamina.
Maybe it was a result of his doubts, but he was more inclined to believe that there were no blessings being granted by some Divine Will.
He glanced down at his hands.
'There is no hope, nor is there any salvation to be found in praying into nothingness. Instead, only my hands and my sword can save me.'
It was something he had become accustomed to say to himself and he believed that was the way of the Templars as well. They relied on their weapons and sorcery to defeat the Abominations and keep the Nephilim sealed, not on wishful prayers.
That was what he truly believed.
After all, his parents had prayed all the time and yet, they were still torn apart.
That was the same for all the unfortunate souls that had held onto their faith until the very end.
'Maybe that was why we were given sorcery. To be able to save ourselves.'
Maybe that was the case, or maybe it wasn't.
With the priest concluding his blessings, Nero and the other guards rose to their feet. Now that they had been properly blessed with good fortune, they could guard their homes with their very best.
The day had truly begun.
The doors to the church slowly opened as the guards began pouring out.
"Peter..." As he made his way down the altar, Peter heard his name being called out.
"What is it, father?"
Nero stopped in his tracks.
For some reason, an ominous feeling of dread and danger washed over him. He spun on his heels and turned around.
Motes of dust drifted through the air as the first crack of dawn bled in through the stained glass of this holy place.
The grey eyes of the priest seemed brighter than the world for a split second as he opened his mouth,
"It is coming."
BANG!
The ceiling of the church shattered into a million pieces.
Like a dropped mirror, it shattered, splintered wood and dust flying everywhere.
A grey shadow fell in and smashed right into the priest from above, turning him into a bloodstain in the stone altar in a split second.
Far faster than anyone could respond.
The edges of Nero's eyes stretched wide in visceral horror and fear, his throat tightening as he took a trembling step back.
The rays of dawn vanished as suddenly as they had appeared.
Nero's heart turned frozen as the creature that had flown in stretched its grey wings and let out a terrifying, earsplitting screech.