"Lord, I am Damned. And justly so. Yet I have purpose. Your purpose. I am forever shut out from You. But still I serve. Like Brother Longstreet, who lays here before me, I rejoice in my Damnation, as the Dark Prophet instructed us to."

Words ring out in the darkest recesses of the Catacombs. Here, deep in the underground, there is no one to hear the Burned Man's prayers. Least of all Longstreet, who rests torpid and senseless, on the ground just in front of Cross where he kneels.

Arms outstretched, flesh exposed to the cool dampness, the Burned Man continues:

"Yes, Lord: I am Damned, and I do not deserve Your guidance, but if I am to continue in my duty, as a Wolf among the Flock, I must beg You for it. So much has happened and I am so angry, Lord. Brother Longstreet has fallen in battle with Heretics. Alice..." Should he say her name in his prayer, this woman he loves and who has devoted herself to the Crone? To do so may be blasphemous, but to do the opposite would be to lie. So he does: "Alice, who does not believe, but who serves Your purposes just the same, has been struck down by those who serve the Domain. And I am so angry," he repeats, though the words do not capture the depths of his wrath.

Arms remain open, flung out, but now his hands form fists.

"I would destroy those who led my Family, which shelters the only believers in this city, into such a dire place. I would put them to flame, or leave them for the sun. I would have revenge."

Yes, revenge. Not justice. Suddenly, Cross sees it: his selfishness, his monstrousness laid bare before him, fresh and awful. Long moments pass as he processes this new revelation.

"But, revenge, it is the work of the Beast. It is unthinking and it is a sin against our Damnation. Revenge is not the work of a predator. But the balance of justice? Lord, I believe. I believe. I am Damned, yes, but not without purpose. And now I know: justice is my present purpose." Conviction washes over him like a benighted wave, cooling and honing his rage. "First, I must make sure that my Family is restored: Longstreet and Alice, brought back. And then, I will act as a predator, not a Beast. I will work carefully, I will work thoughtfully. I will work toward justice. In Your name."

Black silence again, Cross's words dying out in echoes around him.

And then he begins to recite, solemnly: "For I am Damned and my Damnation has purpose. It is Your Will that I am what I am. And it is Your Will that the Damned exist to show the evils of turning away from You. I am a Wolf of Heaven and in my presence, only the faithful do not tremble. I am holy lightning. And when I strike, only the faithful do not burn. Where I walk, evil is destroyed. Where I walk, You take those worthy of Your Love to Your side. Amen."

Standing, he covers Longstreet again, pulling the sheet over the length of his Bishop's prone body.

"You will walk again, Brother."

And Alice, Alice would rise again as well.

With that, the Burned Man turns and strides away into the dark, knowing the arc of history is long. Especially for one of the Damned.