"The book is still there under the wicked crest."
"We sent the vision, even through the darkness, to guide you."
"The Chairman's blood must be spilled by a Neteru's blade to break his illusion."
"You may not be able to do it now. We can only hope." Voices collided with voices; information was being shouted at Carlos in varying timbres till he wept. He'd messed up, had finally gotten played. The Light was furious; the dark side was laughing at him. His sanity was on the brink of fracture. The voices bounced off the tiles and nearly made his ears bleed. But they would not relent as the voices swirled around him, gathering like a white-light storm. "Even the one who remains nameless could not see it."
"They are from the same seed, their treachery near equal."
"Their province over certain realms is distinct. Only the Chairman ever entered the Garden - not his father. All of our forces are attempting to assist. The Neteru Councils are involved, as well."
"This is why the Chairman's father hunts him. In the end of days, the book will reinforce or deplete soul armies of Light. His father cannot obtain it without a Neteru's blade."
"This has always been the way. A Neteru's hand allowed fruit from the tree to be consumed - branches to create the pages gleaned, thus a Neteru's hand must break the Chairman's hold."
"This is the only reason his father cannot acquire it; we have been in wait for this opportunity since the dawn of time when Dante went into permanent hiding with the book!"
"Your destiny was greater than you knew."
"We allowed you to learn Dante's world so that you could walk through it, but not ultimately be of it, and to teach the female Neteru all that we could not."
Carlos felt hot, wet splashes on his shoulders that burned as voices above him wept.
"Do you know your value to us?"
"You and she were our most cherished weapons."
"A tandem secret weapon, brought together as one. The darkness never knew. We were simply awaiting your choice! It is still always your choice - that is what remains fragile."
Carlos stared at the Light. "All this time... you wanted me to turn, allowed it? Needed me to be a councilman? Let us both walk - "
"We never left you."
"We prayed that you would make the right choices, and you did. You both did."
"It was not punishment. You both were being honed for greatness."
"The challenges of this millennium are more arduous; the time draws nigh."
"Desperate times called for desperate measures. What we face now required our Neterus to know that which those that went before them have never known. The Light has ultimate knowledge, beyond the dark thrones - this has always been their quest to seek the knowing of The All."
"The Chairman's head must roll."
"He'd been lied to by his father, was told he would release those armies."
"He is not the one chosen to be the unspeakable."
"Lilith knew this, for she came before him."
"The female Neteru only wounded her, but must take her head, as well."
"The Himalayas."
"The Himalayas."
"The Himalayas."
"We called home the Covenant to prepare the twelve paths for certain war."