How the Modern World Went to Hell
This is an Urban Legend from our world.
It's said that beneath the Vatican are vast catacombs that serve as storage areas for strange artifacts, forgotten sacred objects and bogus relics.
One day in 1914, a novice monk was pestering an elderly monsignor with questions about the "secrets of the Vatican."
"There are no secrets anymore," the old priest said. "Every document in the Archive, every book and manuscript in the library, ever work of art in the museums has been catalogued."
But the novice persisted.
"That can't be true. There must be some things that were overlooked."
The old man sighed. It was past noon and he wanted his lunch. More to the point, he wanted this chatty, irritating, would-be monk to leave him in peace.
"Yes. There is one place that is still secret. The ancient cellars of the Vatican are filled with peculiar objects that have not seen the sunlight in centuries. Adam's rib is said to be down there, and a feather from the wings of the Angel Gabriel and no less than 27 skulls, all purporting to be the true head of St John the Baptist."
"It sounds wonderful!" the novice said.
"You would think so. But other objects are down there, too, things that should remain hidden and forgotten. You're too curious, boy. It will only get you into trouble."
But the novice begged and pleaded to be allowed to explore the storage rooms. Finally, the monsignor relented.
"Go to the Security Office. Tell Fabrizio I said he should open the door for you."
"Oh! Thank you monsignor!"
"Good. Fine. Enjoy yourself," the old man said as he walked away.
An hour later, the novice was wandering happily through the storage area. The old monsignor had been right, most of what the novice saw was junk. But then he spotted something out of the ordinary.
In a cabinet all by itself was a clay jar of great age. The novice held his lamp closer to the ancient jar and saw a label which read "Tenebrae Aegypti" - the Darkness of Egypt. Below the heading was this verse from the Book of Exodus: "And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out thy hand towards heaven: and may there be darkness upon the Land of Egypt, so thick it may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven: and there came horrible darkness."
A shiver ran up the novice's spine. The jar slipped from his grasp, shattering on the filthy stone pavement. From the fragments rose a dense black cloud that began to spread through the catacomb.
With a cry of horror the novice ran for the door, slammed it and locked it behind him. But the dark cloud seeped out from under the door and through every crack in the wood.
Once again the novice took to his heels, running back the way he came, up through the catacombs, through the sub-basements and cellars of the Vatican, back to the light of day and the crowded, noisy streets of Rome. Yet he felt no relief when he stood in the sunlight. He knew the darkness would spread over the city, perhaps over the whole world and there was nothing the novice could do to stop it.
Within a few weeks, the novice saw the first sign that the supernatural darkness was at work. First came the horrors of World War I and then the bloody chaos of the Russian Revolution. This was followed by the rise of Stalin and then Hitler, World War II, the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Communist take-over in China. Year after year the monk saw bloodshed, hatred, and the collapse of the old social order.
And he knew it was all his fault.
((From The Baby on the Car Roof and 222 More Urban Legends. Chapter 8: The Phantom Car and Other Supernatural Encounters. It just fit too well with the set-up of the world Kage and Company come from.))
It's said that beneath the Vatican are vast catacombs that serve as storage areas for strange artifacts, forgotten sacred objects and bogus relics.
One day in 1914, a novice monk was pestering an elderly monsignor with questions about the "secrets of the Vatican."
"There are no secrets anymore," the old priest said. "Every document in the Archive, every book and manuscript in the library, ever work of art in the museums has been catalogued."
But the novice persisted.
"That can't be true. There must be some things that were overlooked."
The old man sighed. It was past noon and he wanted his lunch. More to the point, he wanted this chatty, irritating, would-be monk to leave him in peace.
"Yes. There is one place that is still secret. The ancient cellars of the Vatican are filled with peculiar objects that have not seen the sunlight in centuries. Adam's rib is said to be down there, and a feather from the wings of the Angel Gabriel and no less than 27 skulls, all purporting to be the true head of St John the Baptist."
"It sounds wonderful!" the novice said.
"You would think so. But other objects are down there, too, things that should remain hidden and forgotten. You're too curious, boy. It will only get you into trouble."
But the novice begged and pleaded to be allowed to explore the storage rooms. Finally, the monsignor relented.
"Go to the Security Office. Tell Fabrizio I said he should open the door for you."
"Oh! Thank you monsignor!"
"Good. Fine. Enjoy yourself," the old man said as he walked away.
An hour later, the novice was wandering happily through the storage area. The old monsignor had been right, most of what the novice saw was junk. But then he spotted something out of the ordinary.
In a cabinet all by itself was a clay jar of great age. The novice held his lamp closer to the ancient jar and saw a label which read "Tenebrae Aegypti" - the Darkness of Egypt. Below the heading was this verse from the Book of Exodus: "And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out thy hand towards heaven: and may there be darkness upon the Land of Egypt, so thick it may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven: and there came horrible darkness."
A shiver ran up the novice's spine. The jar slipped from his grasp, shattering on the filthy stone pavement. From the fragments rose a dense black cloud that began to spread through the catacomb.
With a cry of horror the novice ran for the door, slammed it and locked it behind him. But the dark cloud seeped out from under the door and through every crack in the wood.
Once again the novice took to his heels, running back the way he came, up through the catacombs, through the sub-basements and cellars of the Vatican, back to the light of day and the crowded, noisy streets of Rome. Yet he felt no relief when he stood in the sunlight. He knew the darkness would spread over the city, perhaps over the whole world and there was nothing the novice could do to stop it.
Within a few weeks, the novice saw the first sign that the supernatural darkness was at work. First came the horrors of World War I and then the bloody chaos of the Russian Revolution. This was followed by the rise of Stalin and then Hitler, World War II, the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Communist take-over in China. Year after year the monk saw bloodshed, hatred, and the collapse of the old social order.
And he knew it was all his fault.
((From The Baby on the Car Roof and 222 More Urban Legends. Chapter 8: The Phantom Car and Other Supernatural Encounters. It just fit too well with the set-up of the world Kage and Company come from.))