When I first saw Areala,
she was beautiful, brave,
but broken and dying.
-That's why I gave her my halo.
But not just to save her.
I could see the lies of this world,
and how they would eventually lead humanity into chaos.
I envisioned that, together, we could create something new.
A new religion based in truth.
But I needed her by my side.
I loved her.
That love clouded my judgment.
A thousand years ago, when Adriel came to Earth,
he began to build his own church.
Not just any church, but an inverted temple, deep underground.
Inverted? What? Why underground?
There is no historical explanation.
Adriel claimed that he wanted to use his church and its power
to bring people a new truth.
His truth.
But Areala began to mistrust him.
She prayed for guidance.
And God sent her an answer…
In the form of a weapon.
Awed by her divine encounter,
Areala took up that new weapon,
vowing to bring an end to Adriel's reign.
-Ultimately, the Halo… -The Halo corrupted her.
It was my fault. I should have known.
It's a weapon too powerful for any human to bear for too long.
The night she came to confront me, I looked into her eyes.
And I knew…
she could no longer see me as myself.
She saw me as…
A monster.
A manipulator and a liar.
A devil.
-They fought.
Adriel was stronger.
-Infinitely more powerful.
But Areala had something that he did not have.
Her sisters.
Yes.
They were her true power, her strength.
-She turned the entire… -…OCS against me.
Alas, she knew I could not be killed, not in this realm.
So she attacked him with a lunge.
-Bringing her dangerously close.
Adriel caught the Cruciform Sword with his right hand,
and with his left he drove his fists into Areala's internal organs,
bringing it up and up to clasp her heart.
She'd accomplished what she wanted.
To get close to him.
With the last of her strength, she placed the Crown of Thorns on Adriel's head.
She tricked me.
She attacked me with a weapon from the other side
that rendered me unconscious and powerless.
When I finally came to my senses,
they were already sealing the cave that would become my prison
for a thousand years.
Areala made the ultimate sacrifice.
And Adriel's temple became his tomb.
So Areala died to trap him.
Well, if it worked once, it can work again.
-Right? -That's the sole purpose of my order. But…
Ava,
no one in history has ever defeated Adriel and lived.
Well, then,
looks like we're gonna have to make history.
This is where Lilith reported in last.
-Jillian?
We need your help.
I'm sorry. I can't help you.
I know we're asking for a lot.
-And I know you're already helping Lilith. -Lilith is gone. Now, please leave.
What do you mean, gone?
Ava.
Tell Jillian her son is here.
What's this?
Where's my… my…
-Hello, Mother.
Where's Lilith?
-I don't know. She left. -To go where?
I have no idea.
All I can tell you is that Lilith was… changing.
Not just physically, mentally as well. Her mental processes were degrading.
She chose to leave, said she'd seek help elsewhere.
And you just let her leave in a state like that?
Well, she's an interdimensional being with quantum teleportation abilities.
-What do you suggest I'd done? -Something.
-Camila. -What?
Carry yourself.
Your Holiness.
Mother Superion, are you alone?
I am.
I have been researching Adriel.
Tell me.
I can't talk now.
I'm requesting your presence at a secret conclave in Madrid.
You and everyone else I can still trust.
I'll be there.
All is not lost, Mother.
We shall rely on faith.
Have you talked to the angels today?
What'd they say?
He called for me, and then the light came, and I saw him.
We found the other door.
That will change everything.
I can still feel Adriel's voice.
Implanting these images in my mind.
Using me.
I wish…
I didn't understand.
How could you?
All I ever wanted was… to heal you.
And you did.
And I'm grateful.
I'm sorry.
This must be very difficult for you.
How long was it for you
on… on the other side?
Hard to say.
Fourteen, fifteen years.
Must have been so alone.
No.
I wasn't alone.
Where did you go, Lilith?
She's with me.
-Sorry. -I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there.
I'm sorry.
It's…
I just had another headache.
-How long have you been having headaches?
Since the convent attack.
One of the older sisters…
she touched me.
Camila?
I didn't think anything of it at the time, but
that's when the headaches started.
And
I've been hearing voices.
All right.
Come with me.
Michael!
No!
Come with me, Mummy!
I ran through the portal.
On the other side…
I found what I thought would be Heaven.
But it wasn't what I expected.
It was empty… vast.
I wandered in a desert, alone, terrified.
Until I was found by wandering angels.
They took me to a shining city.
To Reya.
Reya?
Reya… is an entity.
Unimaginably powerful.
She is Adriel's master.
His master?
She healed me.
Raised me in the halls of her kingdom.
Trained me for the day I would come back to Earth…
to stop him.
Stop him?
How?
Can't tell you.
Not yet.
It's like synchronicity, isn't it?
In the Middle Ages, monasteries would house foreign travelers
in secret to protect them from religious persecution.
So, it's only fitting that… this is happening in a hotel,
if you think about it.
Fitting as it may be,
perhaps we should discuss the situation in more private company.
Of course.
Thank you… for bringing me.
This conclave, it's like a dream for me.
When we get in,
don't speak.
-Listen to everything that is said.
And not said.
Note every detail.
-Anything that can help us. -Yes.
Sorry, I get carried away.
Never apologize for your gifts.
Just… use them wisely.
Oh my God.
That's the Archbishop of Canterbury!
Discreet.
Friends, colleagues.
Thank you for joining me on such short notice.
Please, sit.
I have gathered you here to discuss an urgent matter.
One which threatens the nature of religion itself.
You are here today because you remain loyal to your faith
and those who represent it.
But it's imperative that nothing that we discuss today leaves this room.
Matthew chapter 7, verse 15 states,
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
when inwardly, they are nothing but ravening wolves."
Some say that an angel descended from Heaven to deliver humanity from evil.
But I say that a wolf walks among us.
What was it like for you, all those years underground?
It was dark, endless.
But unlike the brief candle that is a human life,
I'm not finite.
I measure time differently.
And I am patient.
Very patient.
So what are you?
I am the angel, Adriel.
So what am I?
I couldn't even begin to explain to you what you are.
But I could show you.
If you trust me.
Close your eyes.
-No, stop.
-What are you doing?! -Trust me.
Can I show you something?
Is this Reya?
No. Michael.
Talk to me.
Oh God…
What?
I was wrong to doubt.
Uh…
I thought I could change things, but…
Reya's way is the only way.
-You have some scarring.
Hold still, now. Be calm.
Me?
I'm calm.
You're not a very good liar, Camila.
Beatrice.
If Adriel is real, then all the books were all wrong.
Do you ever think about that?
Of course.
I know it's terrible,
but sometimes it's even hard to pray.
Yes.
I understand that.
And it's not just me.
Mother Superion never talks about it, but I know it affects her.
And now you.
Don't worry about me.
I'm fine.
You're not much of a liar either.
Well, I'm better than you, anyways.
I'm just trying my best to help everyone,
but I never feel like it's enough.
It's not your job to fix everything, Camila.
It's not anyone's job.
When you first joined, I know I gave you a hard time.
You had so much potential.
And you were such a rookie.
I didn't want you to get hurt.
You are the best of us.
The heart of us.
And, even if we're not okay right now, we will be.
-Yeah.
What is it?
It's divinium.
Looks like some sort of
nail?
That's not a nail.
It's a cross.
Take it out.
I can't.
It's woven into your spinal cord.
Open your eyes.
I never should have trusted you.
I apologize for the pain.
But I'm afraid it was the only way.
But why blind me? Why not just kill me?
Lilith.
Open your eyes.
Now,
tell me
what you see.
I see…
…reality.
Camila?
Mm?
I'm going to see if Dr. Salvius can help.
She may be able to block whatever Adriel's doing with her technology.
Okay.
And Camila?
Huh?
What happened at the museum wasn't your fault.
-I shouldn't have-- -It's okay.
Thank you.
Well, if there's anything I can do to help you,
let me know.
Hmm.
Beatrice.
Let me know the same.
What do you mean?
I think you know.
I'm not sure I do.
You and Ava.
It's a misunderstanding.
It's my duty to worry about the Warrior Nun and her safety.
-There's nothing more to it than that. -There's no shame in it.
It's easy to fall in love with a Warrior Nun.
It's loving the Warrior Nun that's the hard part.
They're never yours.
They never last.
How's it going?
Just practicing.
-Ava!
-Are you okay?
I'm fine.
The Halo, it… went out again.
-Like at the museum and the church.
Yeah. Yeah, it's, um…
It's getting worse.
Why do you think that's happening?
I don't know.
I don't know. How am I supposed to know how this… thing works?
I thought maybe we were training too hard, but…
I'm fi… fine, Bea.
I just need to put this thing on his head, and… and then…
I trust you. You know I do.
We'll beat him.
I want to believe your actions are not your own.
That you've been compromised somehow.
Am I?
Somehow?
You know,
another good thing about having our savior among us
is that… whenever you seek answers,
you can always just ask him.
Yes, perhaps I will.
My goodness. What happened to you?
Oh. I ran into some old friends.
You seem unsettled.
Unsettled? No.
Excited.
Yes. It is exciting, isn't it?
Just two more days, my friend.
And together
we shall deliver this world
unto Adriel.
To some, Adriel is a prophet.
To others, he's a savior.
I even heard him called the Second Coming.
But, in truth, he's none of those things.
He's a charlatan.
How can that be?
We've seen plagues, boils, locusts,
this… fog of fear.
How can an ordinary man create such things?
I'm not suggesting that he's an ordinary man.
He might be a devil, a demon, an aberration.
What I'm saying is that he's not the all-powerful deity he claims to be.
With all due respect, Francesco,
I fear you're being dangerously naïve.
And just suppose it is as they say, that Adriel is a flesh-and-blood angel.
Denying him could evoke the wrath of God.
And I say to you, my dear Archbishop,
that a flesh-and-blood angel would have no need to use Arq-Tech technology
to infect people with boils.
Or to create high-frequency sound waves to draw locusts to pre-chosen locations.
How could you know such things?
My beloved Vatican was infiltrated by a traitor
who gave up the information on questioning.
I know Adriel's secret.
Moreover, I know where he will appear to implement the next stage of his plans.
And I say to you
that we must confront and crush this corrupt entity
before he destroys our faith, our Church, and our world.
Quiet. Quiet, please.
Your Holiness.
As a matter of Church doctrine,
I'm afraid I cannot condone any attack on this man
until we are certain he is not who he says he is.
No!
You're just afraid. That's all.
I beg your pardon?
You fear Adriel.
You fear God's wrath.
You fear losing the support of your congregants.
But I can tell you that His Holiness is correct.
You cannot afford to wait to confront Adriel.
Who is this person?
I…
I am Yasmine Amunet.
I am the descendant of a Coptic order
that has prepared for Adriel's return for millennia.
And we have known from the beginning what Adriel is.
A devil.
Sent to cloud the minds of fearful men.
You would be wise to keep silent, girl, and heed your superiors.
And you would be wise, Archbishop,
to listen to someone far more informed than yourself.
How dare you, Superion?
Will you allow these women of your flock
to speak to me like some common--
-¡A basta!
Our sisters are dying.
The women of my order have been brutally murdered
while you sit and debate the intentions of God.
The integrity of a mass murderer.
This is not about protecting the Church.
Or ourselves.
Adriel poses a global threat to everyone, faithful and unfaithful alike.
If you sit by and do nothing
while Adriel's rise leads to the death of millions…
may God have mercy on your souls.
Sit down, Justin.
Mother Superion and her enthusiastic apprentice are correct.
I didn't call you here to debate.
Too many have died.
Traitors infiltrated our highest ranks.
The time for action has come.
-Hear, hear! -Yes.
Well said, Holy Father.
We have all made grave errors in the way we responded to Adriel.
We were too dismissive,
unwilling to face the truth,
to take him seriously.
But who will stand with us today,
in the greatest theological fight of our lives?
Today we take the first difficult steps
to correct the mistakes of our past.
-No!
Praise Adriel!
No! No!
Say your prayers, Sister.
-You first.
Your underestimation of Adriel underscores your failure of leadership.
Your original sin, scrawled across a newly blank slate.
For centuries, you have fallen to your knees for the worship of a man,
a myth, a deity you could barely define.
Now a savior comes to you,
of flesh, and blood, and pure unquestioned power.
Save your pious cries of faith.
Today, your sins are washed
in blood!
Praise Adriel!
Yah!
May Adriel bring you peace.
Oh, the enthusiastic one!
Francesco, let's go!
-It's me. It's me.
Check that door there.
Go! Go! Hold it.
They're insane.
Not insane. Possessed.
Move.
-Go, go, go, go, go!
-This should hold it.
Thank you. He came towards me.
-I was scared. I… I couldn't think.
You did well. Just breathe. Breathe.
Let me see where you're cut, okay?
Camila. Do you copy?
-Mother Superion?
I hear you.
The conclave has been compromised. Nearly everyone is dead.
Are you hurt?
I made it out with Duretti and Yasmine, but we're trapped on the 13th floor.
There are too many to fight our way out.
-What do you need? -Extraction.
Your Holiness. Drink this.
So much death, so many turned.
Even William.
I had no idea.
Francesco. È vero?
Is it true?
That Adriel is using Arq-Tech's technology to manufacture those plagues?
È vero.
Adriel is holding a rally at Arq-Tech on the morning of the 23rd.
I called this conclave because I believed my loyalists would help me expose Adriel.
Now it's too late.
It's not too late.
We can still defeat Adriel.
How?
Who will stand with us now?
Yes, several of our guests say they heard gunshots upstairs.
FBC, maybe eight or ten of them. Armed and likely possessed.
Oh yeah. They're possessed.
We can't take them on. Not in such a confined space.
-Sorry. -Dr. Salvius.
The energy that Beatrice saw,
it's the same stream that's been activating the Arc.
It's prayer.
It's what, now?
When you pray or focus your mind deeply on a specific desire,
your brain creates a unique electrical impulse.
And I think that Adriel
has discovered a way to tap in to that impulse,
to convert it into energy.
That's why Kristian has built all this conductive infrastructure.
Maybe that's why Adriel needs those crosses.
He's redirecting the energy to himself.
What?
Do you think he's stealing prayers from God?
Yes, God.
Whoever that may be.
I will… I will get you something to block the signal.
To keep Adriel from influencing you.
Thank you, Doctor.
-Oh God, what now?
Who are they?
Reinforcements.
How did they find us?
They heard the call.
Hey, guys.
Did I hear Adriel was looking for me?
Bring that one to me.
Yah!
Mother Superion? It's Beatrice.
Hallway is clear.
We're coming.
No, I'm not going with you.
-Francesco, they will kill you. -No.
If they had wanted to kill me, I would have died in that room.
Adriel needs me to legitimize him in front of the world.
That's his endgame.
And this is our best chance to show the world the truth.
I have faith that we can expose Adriel and put an end to this.
Mother Superion, we must hurry.
Are you sure?
Certo.
Come back for me.
I will.
I promise.
Stop! Just shoot her!
Fuck.
Shit! Fuck!
-Ava! -No. No.
-No! Ava!
Oh God, no!
Ava… Ava.
Ava.
No!
Ava! No!
-Please!
I know the world is hard and unforgiving.
And I know that Warrior Nuns die.
-Please don't leave me.
I don't want you to die.
-You know,
I'd like to avoid that, myself.
Easy. Easy.
-Sorry. -It's okay. It's okay.
They can't beat us, Bea.
Not together.
I know that.
Forgive me, Father.
But you have sinned.
May God forgive you, William,
for you know exactly what you do.
This is how Ava sees.
No.
This is how you see.
Only you.
You're not changing, Lilith. You're purifying.
We were both chosen for a higher purpose.
The path we will walk won't be easy.
There will be pain.
You may feel it.
-You may cause it.
But, in the end, you'll create a new existence.
One where true power will be shared by everyone,
not hoarded by gods.
We have the ability to slice through the shadows,
and reveal the light that cast them.
I need you by my side.