A blinding light filled John's vision, pulling him from a deep, dreamless sleep. He found himself sprawled on the cold, hard floor in front of the altar, the faint scent of incense clinging to the air. As he struggled to his feet, the remnants of a dream, a vision, flooded his mind.
"John, the time has come. Go forth! Deliver my coming. For the day of Judgment has just begun."
The words, whispered by a voice that resonated with the power of eternity, resonated through his heart. He had been called, chosen, tasked with a mission. He had to go.
The sanctuary, usually a place of peace and solace, felt charged with a strange energy, a palpable sense of urgency. As he pushed through the heavy wooden doors, he was met with a spectacle of celestial drama. The sun, normally a radiant orb, pulsed with an unnatural glow, and four luminous pillars of light pierced the heavens, their beams striking the earth with a force that shook the very ground beneath his feet.
A crowd had gathered, their faces a mix of awe and terror, gazing skyward at the spectacle. John pushed through the throng, his steps determined, his gaze fixed on the luminous beams that reached down from the heavens.
"John, just ignore it. You have something to do," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible above the murmur of the crowd. He knew his destination, knew why he had been awakened, why he had been given this vision.
A car, its driver startled by his sudden appearance, screeched to a halt.
"Father, where are you going? Get on," the driver urged, his voice filled with concern.
"Thank you," John replied, accepting the offer with a slight nod.
"I want to go where that pillar of light is," he said, his voice firm, his gaze unwavering.
"What a coincidence," the driver replied, a strange glimmer in his eyes. "I also want to go there and have a look."
As they drove towards the bay, the spectacle grew more intense. One of the luminous pillars struck the coast, its radiant beam illuminating the waves with an unearthly glow. The others stood at the center of the ocean, like celestial sentinels guarding the horizon.
John stepped out of the car, his heart pounding in his chest. He walked towards the pillar of light, his steps measured, his eyes focused on the shimmering beam that seemed to draw him closer.
"Father John! It's dangerous to go there! Stop!" the driver called out, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and awe.
"Don't worry. I know what I am doing," John replied, his voice firm. He knew that this was his destiny, his calling, his mission.
As he entered the beam, he felt a surge of energy, a sense of being lifted, transported, carried away. The world around him dissolved into a swirling vortex of light and sound, a breathtaking spectacle of divine power.
He emerged into a world of pure light, a realm of ethereal beauty and celestial splendor. A wedding ceremony was underway, the participants dressed in formal attire, the air filled with the fragrance of flowers. The bride, adorned in a flowing white gown, was breathtakingly beautiful. Beside her stood a handsome groom, their hands clasped in a symbol of everlasting love.
And at the center of it all, a priest officiated the ceremony.
The ceremony paused as the pillar of light descended, striking the earth with a force that shook the very foundation of the world. The crowd gasped in astonishment, unable to move, their bodies locked in a silent tableau.
John's heart ached. He recognized the bride, the woman who had once filled his life with joy and sorrow.
"Lisa," he whispered, his voice filled with sorrow. He reached out, his hand trembling as it touched her cheek. The coldness of her skin sent a shiver through him.
The bride's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up, her face a canvas of confusion and fear. She saw him, her brother Elven, the man who had once loved her. The man who had been torn away from her, a victim of fate and circumstance.
"Brother Elven," she said, her voice filled with disbelief. "You've changed so much."
"Lisa," he whispered, his voice hoarse with grief. "I'm so sorry."
He had been called to a higher purpose, to deliver God's message, to prepare the world for the coming judgment. But he had also been called away from the life he had known, the life he had loved, the life he had shared with Lisa.
The memory of their love, a bittersweet ache in his heart, flooded back. He saw her again, her laughter, her smile, the way she looked at him with a love that had burned bright but had been extinguished too soon.
He had been torn away from her, forced to make a choice between his love and his duty. He had chosen duty, and he had sacrificed his happiness for the sake of the world.
"Elven," Lisa whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I never understood. I never knew why you left. I never knew what happened to you."
He looked at her, his heart heavy with sorrow.
"This is not the end of the world, Lisa," he said, his voice soft, his gaze unwavering. "This is just the beginning of a new chapter."
"It is not your fault," he said, his voice filled with a gentle strength. "This is my choice. My path. My destiny."
The world around them, the city, the sky, the very air, seemed to pulsate with a strange energy, a sense of impending change. The luminous pillars of light, now a spectacle of both beauty and terror, reached down from the heavens, their beams illuminating the world with a glow that seemed to promise both salvation and destruction.
"The world is about to change, Lisa," he said, his voice filled with urgency. "And you, my love, are the key to its salvation."
"I don't understand," she said, her eyes filled with confusion. "What is happening?"
He reached out, his hand trembling as it touched her shoulder, a touch that transcended the boundaries of life and death.
"I have to show you," he said. "I have to show you the future."
And then, with a surge of energy, a divine intervention, they were transported. The world around them dissolved, the city vanished, and they were caught in a swirling vortex of light and sound. When they emerged, they found themselves in a desolate wasteland, a world ravaged by war, famine, and despair.
The future that John had seen in his vision, a future he had fought so hard to prevent, had come to pass.
"This is the future, Lisa," John said, his voice filled with sorrow and determination. "This is the world that awaits us if we do not change our ways."
He held her close, his touch bringing a strange comfort in the midst of the chaos. He had brought her here to show her the horrors that awaited them, to show her the darkness that threatened to consume their world.
"It's not too late," he whispered in her ear, his voice full of hope. "We can still change things. We can still bring back the light."
He felt her tears against his cheek, her grief mirroring his own. He knew that she had been given a gift, a burden, a destiny.
He had to show her what was to come. He had to show her the price of greed, the cost of hate, the dangers of despair. He had to show her the world she would inherit, a world that was teetering on the brink of destruction. He had to show her the path back to the light, back to God, back to hope.
And then, he would let her go. He would leave her with the responsibility, the burden, the opportunity. He would leave her to save the world.
He had been their shepherd, their guide, their light in the darkness. Now, it was time for her to become the shepherd, the guide, the light.
The world waited.
And so did the future.
"I am this world's shade," John said, his voice a whisper of the past, a reminder of the sacrifices he had made, the path he had walked. The world held its breath, waiting for the inevitable. The pillar of light began to fade, pulling him back, back to the place where he had been reborn, where his mission awaited him.