Gun of Ashes

How long have humans truly existed in this mad world?

Lorenzo sometimes ponders strange questions, like the ”excessive thinking” he often mentions, contemplating those ideas that ordinary people never consider, exhausting himself without arriving at any answers.

So... how long have humans truly existed? It should be far longer than what history records now, but through such long ages, humans left no footprints, only in modern thousands of years have they left writings and records.

Thus, before this, before humans could write and record, what were they doing in that unknown dark era?

Lorenzo believes this didn’t appear out of nowhere, so before its appearance, what were we doing?

Perhaps this is the curse of knowledge, Lorenzo thought, yet ultimately found no answer. He had a strange premonition too; if humans indeed have an unrecorded unknown period, might it be connected to demons?

Humans didn’t appear in the world out of thin air, nor did demons; where did they truly come from?

When did these anomalies invade the normal world?

His consciousness flies swiftly; amid the eerie state, Lorenzo’s thoughts clarified much. In increasingly clear-thinking, he seems to glimpse the corner of that cause.

Maybe... perhaps it’s because of this reason?

Lorenzo thought of the reason, right after, his thoughts were forcibly dragged and pressed down, pain tearing his consciousness. He relied on Watson for the last [Gap] transit, but this time, he activated it himself, the strange feeling almost causing his consciousness to faint.

But immediately, Lorenzo saw, amid an unknown stellar sky, he traversed between radiant points, gleaming with seven-colored hues, unbelievably splendid... they were one by one [Gaps].

The Black Angel formed an Alchemy Matrix to magnify [Gap] transit, its scope extending over the entire territory of Ingwig, reaching across to the other side of the sea, instantly propelling Lorenzo’s consciousness across vast distances, arriving at the origin place.

All the radiant points accelerated, extending into dazzling light trails, ultimately enveloping Lorenzo, booming silence swathing darkness, amid slow ascent, the dark world gradually brightened, gaining grey-blue colors.

The demon hunters’ headquarters, the origin place of Secret Blood.

In the silent Holy Hall, a vague phantom stands in the dark corner, staring at this shattered palace, motionless, seemingly dead.

Sometimes life’s surprises come so fast, catching one off guard, existing only in imagined scenes, yet suddenly dropping into view, all emotions interrupted, leaving only emptiness.

The phantom tried to move; from others’ viewpoint, the phantom seemed nonexistent, like a ghost, yet now this ghost’s body quivered slightly, both excited and saddened, so angry that it could roar, but lowered its head in silent grief.

Lorenzo was indeed a ghost, a lone spirit surviving from the Night of the Holy Arrival; he should have died but lived until now, all past burned away in that night’s fire, leaving him to remember everything in these remains.

”Well... it’s been so long...”

He muttered softly, but as if using all his strength.

Lorenzo was no longer in the mood to think about anything else, nor even pondering his current state; if he still had flesh and blood, perhaps he would be tearful now... he hadn’t cried in a long time.

The ghost just advances bit by bit, stepping over rubble and stairways.

...

After Anthony went to Ingwig, seemingly only the new Pope remained in the entire Saint Nalos Cathedral, so quiet and solemn; after his brutal slaughters, amid blood baptism, the Evangelical Church seemed to return to the era that revered faith.

The Gate of Celestial Kingdom slowly closed, as darkness descended, the elevator began to drop, towards Static Holy Temple.

Only these times could the new Pope feel some ease, within this vertical shaft named the Gate of Celestial Kingdom, this place belonged neither to Celestial Kingdom nor Hell, it was a gap known to none, only here could he evade those watching entities, remove the iron-white mask, and light a cigarette.

Time passed swiftly; after a cigarette burned out, the elevator reached the bottom, the door slowly opened, revealing Static Holy Temple ahead.

Due to the loss of the Revelation, many departments within the Static Holy Temple couldn’t restart, coupled with most demon hunters dispatched to Old Dunling, so few personnel guarded here, one might even say the place was completely unattended.

This place indeed required no guard; it was once the core of the Demon Hunting Order, now nothing remains except desolation, left for future generations to reminisce past glories.

Though he manages the Evangelical Church, little is known about the new Pope; he is so mysterious with true visage hidden behind the mask, rarely leaving Saint Nalos Cathedral, even rarely appearing before people.

The subservient Cardinals never find him, unaware that the new Pope loves returning here, Static Holy Temple, whenever he’s free.

It is already a place of ruin, though later repairs somewhat alleviated the ruin, it remains hard to restore its original brilliance.