Chapter 103: The Church Plots in the Shadows
Far from Nigeria's shores… in an unknown European city, beneath an ancient manor untouched by time, a vast underground chamber lay veiled in darkness.
Flickering green flames lit the carved obsidian walls. Strange sigils pulsed faintly, ancient and forbidden ,the symbols of the Church of Darkness.
Tonight, the chamber was filled with only thirteen figures ,the remaining High Priests and Shadows of the Church. They stood silently, cloaked, heads bowed.
Before them, on an obsidian throne, sat a single man ,handsome, youthful, dressed in a fine black suit. His eyes glowed faintly, a cold abyssal blue.
He was the Avatar ,the living representative of their god on Earth. The only one not drawn upon by Odii's reckless ritual.
Unlike the others, he had foreseen this possibility. He had remained distant ,maintaining a thin connection to the abyssal god, never becoming fully reliant on faith-based powers.
Thus, while the global Church had collapsed ,he remained untouched.
And now, all eyes turned to him.
He spoke ,voice smooth, resonant, layered with a subtle, terrifying charisma.
"Brothers. Sisters. We have suffered… a setback."
That word ,"setback" ,felt almost laughable, considering how utterly the Church's Nigerian core had been destroyed. Dozens of global branches crippled. Countless members dead. The Nigerian High Priest, Odii ,devoured.
But the Avatar remained calm. In control.
He rose from the throne, walking slowly before the gathered cultists.
"I warned Odii… many times. His greed. His need to 'feed' constantly. His arrogance in awakening the Seed before it was ready."
The figures remained silent.
The Avatar smiled thinly.
"But no matter." He stopped before a black mirror set into the chamber wall. Its surface rippled with abyssal energy ,a direct link to their trapped god.
He bowed his head slightly.
"Lord… we hear your will."
For a moment… the chamber trembled faintly.
Then a single thought ,ancient, cold ,filled their minds:
"REST. REGROW. WAIT."
The god's message was clear. Their actions had drawn too much attention. Even their most ancient enemies ,the Catholic Orders, the Nam tribes, the hidden sects ,had begun hunting their remnants.
If they moved now, they would only be crushed further.
The Avatar turned to the High Priests.
"You heard Him," he said softly. "For the next ten years ,no movements. No rituals. No new recruitment. All resources will go toward recovery and deep concealment."
He paced slowly, voice tightening.
"We will abandon all failed fronts ,especially Nigeria. The eyes of the world now fall there. Too many foreign factions already descend upon it."
A hooded figure spoke hesitantly:
"But… Avatar… what of revenge?"
The Avatar's blue eyes gleamed.
"Revenge… is assured."
He spread his arms.
"But not now. Not for a decade. That man is too dangerous. His connection to the World Tree has deepened ,even I can feel the shift in the world's laws."
Whispers rippled through the chamber.
"Yes," the Avatar confirmed. "It is him. Philip Egboluche. Odii's final moments confirmed it. And now the world stirs."
He turned again to the mirror.
"In time… we will return. Stronger than ever. And when the world has grown complacent again ,when the Candidate faces newer enemies… then we shall strike."
His voice dropped ,cold, inhuman.
"And next time… no mistakes."
A chorus of low murmurs answered him. Agreement. Oaths of silence.
One of the High Priests stepped forward. "What of the sleepers? Should we awaken them?"
The Avatar shook his head.
"No. Let them sleep. We will not risk more exposure. For now ,we vanish. Into the shadows."
He smiled faintly.
"The Church of Darkness is not dead. We are eternal."
The gathered thirteen bowed low.
"All praise the Lord of the Abyss."
And so, the last great conclave of the Church dispersed. Across the world, hidden strongholds were sealed. Ritual archives were buried. Sleeper agents went dark ,no contact, no orders.
The Church would become a ghost, forgotten by many.
But in ten years' time ,they would rise again.
And when they did… they would bring darkness like never before.