The ashes mixed in with the snowflakes as they fell. The fire in the village left the church in ruins of stone and soot. Villagers were scattered. Some were on their knees, sobbing over their fallen friends and family. Some were watching the smoke fade off into the clouds. Others were pulling stones from the ruins.
There were a few men whose black robes looked gray from stains of ash. They were pulling rubble and debris from one particular area. One man was tall and had a long beard, while the other two were short and stocky. Each one was bald. No words were spoken between the men, not even when one of them pulled down the last piece of wood that sat over a doorway.
The doorway led down a large stairway. The entire hall was black and burned but still standing. The three men continued until they reached what seemed like a lab. There were a few burned remains of people on the floor. Two of them were obviously fallen Angels.
The men continued to roam the burned hallways, which still held plumes of smoke, until they reached another large room. There, about half of the walls were caved in. After sharing a look and a nod with the other two, the taller man left the room, and the others began to clear debris.
After about ten minutes, the tall villager walked back in with shovels in both his hands. He handed one to one of the shorter villagers, and they began to dig. They had to be very careful, as they knew even a small piece of debris could be holding up the entire room.
After an hour of slow and careful digging, one of the short men, the one without the shovel, lifted up a large stone. As soon as he did a bright red light shined through, hitting them all in the eyes. They all shared a look of excitement once they bore witness to what lay beneath that rubble. It was a metal container holding a body. The red light shined from behind the body—the experiment was still on. The look on the villagers’ faces indicated that what they’d found meant anything but the end of the Angels of Artemis.