HELL'S ARCHITECT

Chapter 03. Steel and Neon Cathedral

The dawn sun had not yet risen, but the Central Sanctum Veritatis Cathedral was already brightly lit, challenging the darkness with its own light pollution. The hundred-story building was a Neo-Gothic monster wrapped in fiber optic cables.

Elios stood at the main gate. He had swapped his rented suit for his trusty worn leather jacket. His wound was crudely stitched and bandaged.

"Access Confirmed. Welcome, Paladin Elios," the gate system announced as it scanned his retina. His priority access status bypassed the civilian-level weapon screening layers.

The interior of the Cathedral resembled a tech corporation headquarters more than a house of worship. Cyborg monks hurried past with data tablets. Gargoyle statues had CCTV camera eyes.

Elios had to surrender his firearms at the checkpoint. A special Paladin Protocol allowed for weapon storage, not total disarmament—a privilege held by only a handful of names. It still made him feel naked. However, he still kept a thin silver folding knife embedded in the sole of his boot, deep enough to pass standard metal detectors, too risky for anyone but him to know about.

He stepped into the glass tube elevator, pressing the button for the 99th floor. The lift shot up at a stomach-churning speed. The city below shrank, becoming a submerged expanse of circuits and concrete.

Ding.

The elevator door opened. The room before him was vast, minimalist, and cold. The walls were floor-to-ceiling glass. In the center of the room, seated behind a desk made of a single floating block of obsidian, was Bishop Valdos.

The man looked young and pious, wearing a simple white robe. But his smile never reached his cold gray eyes.

"You're three minutes late, Elios," Valdos said softly.

"Traffic. Stardust raid," Elios replied flatly, sitting directly on the sofa without being invited, placing his dirty boots on the glass coffee table. "Don't holy men like you have all the time in the world?"

Valdos smiled faintly. "I hear you put on quite a show last night? Pointing a gun at a Cardinal?"

"I saved his life. You should give me a bonus."

"Fifty thousand has been transferred. That's your bonus. And hush money."

Elios raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Generous for once. What do you want? I'm not taking another suicide mission."

Valdos stood, walking to the window. "This isn't a regular mission. This is personal."

He tapped the desk, bringing up a holographic train route.

"The Trans-Continental Maglev train departs tomorrow morning. We detected an energy anomaly there. The same spectral signature as the incident in Sector 4, five years ago."

Elios's heart stopped for a moment. The room felt like it was closing in.

"What did you say?" His voice was low, dangerous.

Valdos turned, his face full of feigned sympathy. "The demon that killed your wife, Lyra. That species... a rare specimen. We suspect remnants of their pack are attempting infiltration."

"Don't mess with me, Valdos. You said the portal was permanently sealed!" Elios yelled, nearly furious.

"The truth is flexible, Elios. But our sensors don't lie. There are traces of purple energy on that train. We need someone who... has personal motivation to ensure the job is done."

Elios clenched his fists. He knew he was being manipulated. Valdos was using his trauma as a leash. But if there was even the slightest chance it was connected to Lyra's killer... he had to take it.

"Who is the target?" Elios asked coldly.

"Perhaps a passenger, perhaps cargo. The train is carrying important delegates. You will go undercover as a VIP. And remember, Elios... these lizards are clever at hiding."

Valdos tossed a gold ticket chip. Elios caught it.

"One condition," Elios said. "If I find that demon... I kill it. No capture for your lab research."

Valdos smiled broadly. "Of course. We just need the train secured. Sometimes, peace requires a little blood, doesn't it?"

Elios stared sharply at Valdos. "You truly are a devil wrapped in a robe."

"And you are our sword, Elios."

Elios turned and stepped into the elevator. The glass door closed, separating him from the Bishop's manipulative smile. As the lift descended, Elios leaned his head against the cold glass wall.

"Lyra..." he whispered softly. "Just a little longer."

The Morning.

The Central Maglev Station was a monument to futuristic luxury. The half-kilometer-long metallic silver bullet train hovered silently above the magnetic rails, humming softly like a sleeping beast.

Elios stepped into VIP Car 1. He wore a new, well-fitted black suit.

Two pistols were hidden beneath his suit jacket shoulders, secured in Paladin-grade internal holsters. The silver folding knife was now tightly strapped to his left ankle, concealed beneath his trouser cuff.

The car's interior was insane. Synthetic dragon leather seats, robotic attendants serving champagne, and smart-glass windows that could adjust their opacity. The other passengers in the car were the elite of the elite: arms company CEOs, ambassadors from neighboring states, and hologram celebrities.

"Please have a seat, Sir," a human flight attendant greeted him with a friendly smile, escorting him to seat 1A.

"Thanks. If anyone asks, I'm taking the silent treatment," Elios said curtly, immediately sitting down and turning his seat toward the window.

The train began to move. The acceleration was smooth but brutal. Within seconds, the city view outside the window blurred into streaks. The HUD in Elios's contact lens showed the speed: 300 km/h... 400 km/h... 500 km/h.

Elios sighed, trying to relax. He surveyed the entire car through the reflection in the window glass.

Two rows behind him sat a group of people, three men and one woman, dressed in stiff formal wear. They were silent, untouched drinks, not moving an inch. A large metal briefcase was at their feet, chained to one of the men's wrists.

"Couriers," Elios analyzed internally. "Carrying hot cargo."

But it wasn't the couriers that made Elios's hair stand on end.

As the train entered a long tunnel through the mountains, the cabin lights flickered momentarily due to a power transition.

In that fraction of a second of darkness, Elios saw it.

He turned slightly, peering over his sunglasses toward the group. One of the men, sitting on the aisle, was staring at Elios.

The man's eye... blinked.

Not an eyelid blink. But a nictitating membrane—a 'second transparent lid'—slid horizontally across the eyeball. And his pupil... the pupil wasn't round. It was vertical. Black, thin, and sharp like a reptile's eye.

A moment later, the lights returned to normal. The man had composed his face, looking like a regular human again.

Elios's heart pounded. He squeezed the armrest of his seat until the upholstery leather wrinkled.

Valdos was right. They were here.

Not a rampaging monster like at the party. This was worse—a Shapeshifter. An infiltrator. A demon that had evolved to walk among men, wearing human skin like a new suit.

Elios slowly removed his sunglasses, placing them on the tray table. His hand moved casually, as if reaching for a magazine, but he was actually unbuttoning his jacket, granting quick access to the pistol on his left shoulder.

He smirked at his own reflection in the dark tunnel window.

"VIP ticket, huh?" he muttered softly. "I hope your travel insurance covers exorcism."

His eyes darted to the automatic door between cars. He pressed the door lock button on his seat panel. The door indicator light changed from green to red.

Click.

Locked.

Now, they were trapped inside a metal tube hurtling at 500 kilometers per hour. No escape. No Witnesses.

Only Elios and the monsters.

"Your time is up, pal!"