“Which means something’s wrong.” Ava’s voice was dark. She was certain the Warden was planning something big.
The sound of voices rang out overhead, playing a chord in harmony. A choir stood on the balcony, filling the room with their tune, and the crowd around us quieted. The harmonious chord should’ve sounded beautiful, but the music grated on my nerves.
This is quite the spectacle,Oberi said snidely.
The music cut off. It became so quiet that a single pair of footsteps echoed off the walls.
Ancestors, what is the Warden wearing?Oberi asked rhetorically.
He’s got on a white robe, and he’s glowing with angel magic,Ava told me.Esther’s standing beside him in a gold dress.
It sounded a bittooangelic, if you asked me. What was the Warden up to?
It looks like…Ava paused, like it made her sick to say.Like the Warden’s portraying himself as a god.
I was going to barf.
“Thank you all for joining us today,” the Warden said— as if we’d had a choice. “The time has come for me to bring you a message. Until now, we have concealed the God of The Mission. Today, we are bringing that new god into the light.”
The Mission kids clapped, and the Warden waited for the applause to die down. He was really drinking this up.
“This new god is a more fair god than all the gods who have come before,” the Warden announced. “This god believes that together, The Mission will unite to bring down the evil and unjust deities we previously put upon the throne of the afterlife, who watch and observe as we suffer on this planet, and do nothing to intercede in that suffering. Today, I proclaim that we will worship these vile deities no more. Your new god is a moral being who will rule fairly, providing mercy to the suffering, a god who will deal punishment to villainous souls. I say to you now that this god of truth and wisdom… is I.”
The sound of shuffling bodies met my ears, and I realized people werebowingto him. Panic filled my chest. The Warden was no longer concealing his true motives, but working out in the open. And people wereworshipinghim for it. It made him more dangerous than ever.
The Warden spoke louder, like he couldn’t contain his pleasure. “As there can only be one true god, there can only be one true chosen one. My dear niece, Esther Taurus, is my chosen daughter, the one I have hand-picked for the crop of The Mission, to absolve you of your sins and lead you into the light.”
Esther’s voice boomed over the crowd. “I have a special magic, to see the pain inside of all of you. As a Mission member, I vow to use my powers for good. I choose to take on the pain of every Mission member, and be the sacrificial offering in order to pursue my lord’s work! Come to me and tell me your troubles, and your lord will forgive you of your sins and crimes!”
“Rise up against your captors and join me in this battle against the gods of old,” the Warden continued. “Together, we will make this world a better place for all those who inhabit it. I vow to you now that I will end the war between our supernatural communities, and unite them all under my banner, so that there will evermore be peace in this world. Cast away your sorrows, and help me create this new world where this is no pain, no sorrow, no suffering. For in my world, we will no longer experience death! Once we overthrow the gods of the afterlife, I will abolish suffering and dying. Join our holy army, and put upon the armor of The Mission’s word, to combat those lost souls who continue to worship false gods. In doing so, you will receive a spot in eternal paradise. Defy us, and you will be cast into darkness!”
“May the lord’s eyes be upon you!” Esther called brightly.
“For he is always watching,” a collective voice replied.
It caught me off guard, and I took a step back, though the wall was right behind me. The Mission kids must’ve been learning that prayer for months in their training. It was creepy as hell.
“In order to achieve the goal of The Mission, we need to unite, and that starts with uniting our family here at the Institute,” the Warden said. “Many of our brothers and sisters are lost, but they will find their way back to us.”
Ancestors, I couldn’t believe anyone was buying the shit he was selling. The Warden wasn’t a savior. He was a tyrant, and these people needed to see that, before it was too late! He was trying to start a holy war with heaven itself, and I knew he’d use the dark gods he’d made deals with to raise hell against them.
My spirit became heavy as I realized the Warden actually had a chance at implementing, and succeeding, in his insane plan. He had dark gods on his side, and the army of The Mission behind him. He’d use the chaos going on between the supernatural communities to his advantage, and grow his cause. Desperate people who’d been displaced and hurt by the war would look for an answer to their suffering, and the Warden would offer them one. Hell, he was promising an end to the war, toallwars, forever, and that’s all some people wanted. Others outside the Institute would join him. And he’d make his followers so radical that they’d eliminate anyone who dared to stand up to him.
We were so fucked.
“Changes are coming to the Institute,” the Warden announced. “Curfew is now waived for all members of The Mission, and those who join us will be given free reign of the Institute grounds. Students who have yet to join The Mission will now be considered a threat unto themselves and put on lockdown, until they are lost no more.”
Someone booed loudly, but the guards quickly stepped in and silenced them. I heard anoof, then the sound of feet dragging as the guards pulled them out of the room. My friends and I kept our mouths shut.
“The Mission is an essential component to running this school,” the Warden said. “All professors, staff, and students will be properly educated on the goals of The Mission. Those who oppose The Mission will be detained and will undergo a training seminar. These seminars have a high success rate. All will be healed and join us.”
Of course it had a high success rate. I bet he tortured people until they agreed to bow at his feet and call himlord.
A wave of nausea passed through me as I realized that’s what he was doing to Hemlock and Takahashi at this very moment. They’d been captured, and he intended to brainwash them by any means necessary. It chilled me to think of what methods he might use.
“The time to unite our family is now,” the Warden concluded. “Our lost brothers and sisters will be escorted by the guards to their new holding cells, where they will await their training seminar. And remember… the lord is always watching.”
Thundering applause erupted toward the front of the room. The Mission kids werecelebrating, while the rest of us remained dead quiet. This was a death sentence for anyone who didn’t join The Mission.
