Pious

Good news. 1 - Categories will be repositioned under the banner. 2,3 - Kay is looking into darkening hyperlink and editbox font colour. 4,5 - Currently rethinking the Characterbox background colour and Main Page articles layout. Please, do take some time to show your appreciation to Kadekawa for all his efforts concerning the Handbook, and especially the new Equilibrium skin design.

I'll see what I can do Aurrius, although I'm very busy with university until the holidays. Liz, in my original post, there is a link to a photobucket gallery with over 200 named avatars, it does an okay job, but intentionally, it only exhibits the ones I have drawn.

Thank you for the feedback. Here are the issues that will be addressed in due time. [6396]

<ul type="square">[*]List of categories are inconveniently placed.
[*]Equilibrium's hyperlink colour should be darker.
[*]Equilibrium's Body text colour should be darker.
[*]Character box background should probably be lighter.
[*]Equilibrium's menu shouldn't jump to a second row.[/list]Please appreciate that personal issues take the foreground in priorities, the Handbook will be polished, soon.

Origins of the Damsel Part One: Fall of the Priest [WARNING: Contains scenes of extreme violence]

Villa Montrose, Port Oakes. November 16th

Emil Marcone and Alicia Barzini sat at opposite ends of a long dinning table. Tall windows lined the expanse of the room, allowing great streams of the afternoon sunlight to pour in. The wallpapering, carpets and ornamental decorations resounded with traditional Italian Romantic designs. A number of chefs were busy clearing empty plates, cautious of the woman at the end of the table. Alicia found herself rather comfortable in a long strapless black dress with laced floral patterns. She accessorised with black rings, a dark beaded necklace and large-hoop earrings of expensive black materials. Her make-up comprised of black mascara, eye shadows, deep black lipstick and a pale white foundation.

“There is something different about you Alicia,” said Emil, smartly dressed in his trademark white suit. “Ever since you were resurrected, you’ve been all dark and gloomy. The Alicia I used to know was bright and colourful, a lot more fun to have around.”

“Get used to it Emil, I no longer have a purpose in life. Except of course, to bring death and destruction when and where I feel, you understand me?” said Alicia.

“Yesterday when we went to see your father, his dying wish was for us to get married, primarily so you can live a happy life, but also for me to take on the legacy of the Barzini family,” said Emil.

Alicia shot up from her chair and made to leave. “Take the Family, but you can forget about the marriage. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel like killing a few people.”

“One last thing, your killing spree is starting to draw unwanted attention to me. Now, I’m not foolish enough to stand in your way, but I have to protect my home, my family. Maybe you should go back to Le Sicarose.”

Alicia smirked in disbelief. “That’s it? You take all my money, all my men, my status, my power and my Family. Wham, bam thank you Ma’am, [censored] me up the [censored] and kick me to the curb. Oh no. No, no and no Mister Marcone. You don’t get to rid of me. In this relationship, I am in control.” With that, Alicia walked into her shadow and was gone.


The Dockside, Port Oakes. Later that day…

Sweat trickled down the fisherman’s face, all sixty-two years of his life flashing before his eyes. This was it; he would die at the hands of a crazy zombie-woman dressed like a cowgirl.

“Three, two” she counted, her back turned to him, hands dancing over the flint-lock pistols holstered to her waist. “One, draw!” she commanded, spinning around with her face contorted, weapons drawn. She readied to fire but the old man was no where to be found. “What the hell!”

“Up here” came the familiar voice of Pious Hunter. He remained airborne metres above the Docks, his holy cassock fluttering in the gentle breeze.

“I remember you” said Alicia, in a demonic voice, deep and echoed. She closed her eyes and the cowboy attire was gone, replaced with a black, battle-scarred skin-tight leather outfit. She opened her eyes to reveal hollow ink-black sockets drowned in darkness. “It was you who chased me to the world of Virtue. You came to kill me”

“No” said the Priest. “I came to help you”

In a blur of darkness, Alicia leapt up and somersaulted over the Priest, drawing her flint-lock pistols all the while. She fired two shots simultaneously, hitting the Priest at point-blank range. The force was so powerful; it knocked the man out of the air, sending him crashing into the river. With practiced ease, Alicia summoned forth the demon within; the souls of Nasfahtu, a dark servant to do as it willed.

The Priest regained consciousness at the bottom of the river, thinking very fast about which power would better match his foe. Minutes later, he shot through the water dragging along a set of large demonic wings the span of five meters below his shoulder bones.

“I aught to thank you, really, Pious” said Alicia. “My experience in hell has made me a whole new person. You see, the thing you have to understand is; only in death are we truly ever free. Let me show you exactly what I mean”

Without warning, Alicia unleashed a second hailstorm of dark bullets. They ripped at the surroundings, shredding away the wooden piers and burning through the water, but the Priest remained unharmed.

“For some reason or the other, Alicia, a very close friend of mine was sacrificed for your resurrection and ever since, you have left a trail of death and destruction in your wake,” said the Priest, his voice darkened with pure rage. “It’s good to hear you enjoyed hell, because I’m sending you back”

Quicker than the eye could see, the Priest flew upwards, grabbing the woman by her neck. As he gathered speed, he positioned her at arm’s length, allowing her body to collide with the air particles, shredding through her skin. She fought back, swiping and kicking at his face, accidentally knocking off his eye-plate, which hurtled back to the earth.

Higher and faster the Priest flew, his hand corroding at Alicia’s neck with deadly radioactive emissions. Piece by piece her body began to erode, her back suddenly tore open, muscle and bones spurting into the atmosphere. Then at last, the woman’s neck dissolved into nothing, her severed head tumbling towards the earth.

High up in the sky, the Priest sighed in shame, a feeling of deep regret washing over him. Of all mankind, he, the exemplar of God should have known better than revenge. But without his partner, he felt so alone, so vulnerable. He began to realize just how much he had loved her, more than anyone, more than Alicia Barzini. No, his sister-in-law was a monster and the world was a better place without her, despite his want for revenge, the death toll that followed Alicia meant sooner or later, he or another hero would have came after her anyway.

With his mind lighter, he made to descend. A flash of shadow, and another, suddenly the entire sky was black. “Sorry Pious, this time, you don’t get to rid of me” said Alicia, hidden in darkness. How could it be, was this woman immortal? A sharp pain cut across his shoulders and he realized as he began to fall that his wings had been removed.

As he fell his wings re-grew and the darkness clouding his vision began to fade. He could make out a figure chasing after him. Wings steady, the Priest righted himself and unleashed balls of darkness from his fists; they shot through the air and collided with the figure, knocking her off balance. Then the figures began to multiply, the souls of Nasfahtu, slowly surrounding him. Suddenly, in unison they sprung a line of oppressive gloom into him, he screamed in terror, held and unable to move.

“Do you fear death, Pious?” asked Alicia, now hovering directly in front of her victim. “I wouldn’t think you did, being immortal and all. However, the people around you aren’t. That’s why you live alone, in solitary, ever since the Princes of Hell made you the top most wanted soul. Now I have you. Aren’t I amazing?”

“I have no-one. No-one you can hurt to get to me, she was killed to resurrect you, and as it seems, you really immortal, but not without vulnerability.”

A sudden flash of light as intense as the sun swept the planet, then the immediate area around the Priest began to compress inwards, sucking in the demons like the vacuum of space, then, without warning another flash swept the face of the earth, this time, it was pitch black, momentarily blotting out the sun.


Paragon City University, Founders Falls Campus.

Star student Rachel Grey looked up at the afternoon sky as the sun was suddenly blotted out. Everything went black for about three seconds, though it felt like a lifetime. She rightly guessed it as the aftermath of yet another supernatural conflict. Little did she know just how supernatural her own life was about to become.

As the skies cleared and the sun returned, something metallic sparkled high above the university grounds. It soon became evident the object was falling, fast, towards her. The books clutched to her breast and the weight of her handbag dragging along the ground restricted her movement. With a loud clunk, the metallic eye-plate collided against the concrete floor, bounced twice and arrived at its target, squarely onto the exposed forehead of Rachel Grey. With a mighty thud, the poor girl hit the ground, unconscious.

[To be continued]

(Written with Damsel)

Change of plans. LINK!

[470]

The new skin, Equilibrium has now been finished and the drop down menu fully functional. There will be a week's notice, from today to give people a chance to learn that Equilibrium will shortly become the wiki's default appearance. This means office workers who would rather use the original "research website" looking skin, will need to manually select it as their preferred skin.

The Paragon Times, Monday 12th (Text):

It has now been revealed that the disaster at the Chiron Medical Centre in Atlas Park last Thursday was the result of an assassination and kidnapping. Nineteen year old Sabrina San, better known as the young hero Dragonfly was brutally murdered after giving birth to twins. Her husband Hayate San, also known as Genesis Blade was also attacked and although the couple fought tremendously against all odds, they were eventually outnumbered by Tsoo warriors and gunmen of the Family.

The casualty to date was said to have been over thirty dead and twenty injured. When police arrived on the scene, they managed to apprehend several injured members of the Tsoo gang and one member of the Family who apparently had been involved in a fight with the Tsoo following an insult on his sexuality. An investigation is currently being carried out on why Dragonfly’s twins, one boy and one girl were of such significance to the criminal groups. However, there have been speculations that the Circle of Thorns may also be involved.

It is yet unknown how the criminals escaped the detection of Police Drones, but it is highly likely that Tsoo sorcerers snuck past en mass, under the cover of bad weather. Twelve civilians were injured during the raid, mostly staff within the hospital, also, seven civilian deaths, including the two retired heroes, Dragonfly and Genesis Blade. Their volunteer services to the City shall never be forgotten. - Josephine Reynolds.

The Paragon Times, Monday 12th

Any comments and feedback appreciated. The story obviously continues in-game and by now, the Priest will be distraught with guilt and Dark Pistol should be out causing mayhem all over the world. Tyger, Sitania's horns were cut off, so she could have survived and could also regrow the horns.

In fact, there is an alternate ending where the Priest arrives during the Birth of Evil, just in time to interrupt the ascension of Dark Pistol. This ending features a heated battle between the two. After which Ouroboros steps in. Look out for that soon. I promise it'll be thrilling.

Birth of Evil Part Ten: The Birth (of Alicia Barzini) [WARNING: Contains scenes of extreme violence]

November 8th.

Oranbenga, a location directly underneath the Golden Giza Casino.

An assembly of Circle of Thorns mages lined up around a thirty-foot wide pit lined with old masonry. They numbered over a hundred, dressed in their usual attire of mystic robes with baggy sleeves and long slender hats. A magus dressed in all-white approached the edge of the pit with a sickle in one hand and in the other, a blood-soaked slab of stone engraved with ancient hieroglyphics. Upon reaching the pit; he began to hover, upwards toward the three sacrifices trapped in a gravitational mishap, one woman, one baby and one demonic hybrid.

Silently at first, the assembly began to chant. A quick flash of the sickle and the baby’s head was severed, suspended in a gravitational hold and later coming to rest upon the stone slab. The morbid chant grew louder, boiled with excitement. Another flash of the sickle and the demon hybrid’s horns toppled. The chant grew faster.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles above ground, outside the Golden Giza casino. A security guard posted at the main entrance looked curiously at the night sky.

“What the hell are you looking at Billy?” his partner asked.

“To be honest Nathan, I’m not sure. For a moment there, I thought it might have seen a UFO”

Only the sparkle of his blade, high in the sky announced his arrival. A sudden gush of wind struck the earth at the casino’s gate, a cloud of dust concealing his tall, dark figure. Eventually, the heavy winds revealed the unidentified flying object, his holy cassock billowing in the wind. With an authoritative stride, the Priest advanced upon the guards, the burning desire to judge and punish piecing through his eye mask.

“Where is she?” he asked, sword-in-hand. The guards however, responded with the fatal error of drawing their weapons and opening fire. A line of bullets ripped through the Priest only for his body to heal instantly. His cloak however, was mercilessly shredded. As soon as he was within range, the Priest knocked the guards out cold with the butt of his sword.

Inside the casino, a boy from the future materialised out of space. He had landed right where he wanted, the men’s toilet. The room was empty, save one occupied cubicle. The sounds of someone flushing and out came Emil Marcone. Without hesitation, the boy poised the sharp end of two katanas at the mob-boss’s neck.

“About an hour ago, you killed my mother. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you” said the boy.

“If I do not exit this room within the next sixty seconds, my security team will come looking for me, they will come with guns, and they are well-trained to kill assassins, especially Chinese sword ninjas” said Emil, calm as a fisherman. “Honestly, if you knew the amount of ninjas who try to kill me on a weekly basis; it’s [censored] ridiculous.”

The boy’s eyes lit up with pure contempt, his following words filled with unwaivered hatred. “The name is David Tai San; I am from a different timeline. All my life I have yearned for the power to bring my mother back to life, equally, I have prayed for a chance to be the one to have killed you. Today, at least I can fulfil the latter” with that, the boy held both swords like a flat scissor and effortlessly removed the bald head of Emil Marcone. In a flowing, graceful dance, the boy carried through the momentum into a combination of slices, hooks and jabs that shredded the man’s body into an unrecognisable pile of flesh and bone.

“Are you satisfied?” came the voice of the Menders of Ouroboros. David spun around, following the voice. Instinctively, he assumed a defensive pose.

“I have no quarrel with Ouroboros, I warn you, leave me be!” said David, before disappearing into the stream of time.

“Should we follow him?” said one of the two agents.

“No, young he may be, but he wields great power. When the new project begins, we’ll send a hero to bring him in instead. For now, we do what we do best; undo.

Suddenly, the toilet was empty, save one occupied cubicle. The sounds of someone flushing and out came Emil Marcone. Without so much as washing his hands, the man exits the room and makes his way down to Oranbenga.

Meanwhile, having searched the casino at superspeed with no signs of Codename, the Priest came to the conclusion that his accomplice was either airborne or underground. Either way, her mental signature was nearby. Common sense alone indicated that underground was the most likely choice, he had sent Codename to an ex-member of the Circle of Thorns and they operated from their underworld, known only as Oranbenga.

Emil Marcone entered an elevator, flanked by his security team. His hired assassin Vincent Zampelli was already inside, waiting.

“You did a good job with the nun Zampelli, only to lose to a woman just out of labour” said Emil, in a provocative tone.

“It could have happened to anybody. It’s a good thing you turned up when you--” said Vincent, but he was cut short by Emil.

“Name your price Zampelli” Emil said flatly. Vincent didn’t hesitate.

“I have a twin sister in China but to find her, I’ll need resources.”

“That’s it?”

“Finding my sister means a great deal to me Mister Marcone”

“I always liked you Zampelli” said Emil. “Now I know why. Family comes first”

As the elevator arrived in Oranbenga, Emil Marcone stepped into the hall of the Pit just in time to witness what the mages were calling, the birth of evil. The sacrificial ceremony was over and now, every head in the room was bowed in respect of the Pit. The entire assembly began to chant. ”Caelo missus Rex”

Slowly, a fog of pure darkness clambered into view, extending giant tentacle-like shadows across the pit to support itself high above the cavern. Then, it spoke.

“You have awakened the damned souls of Nasfahtu. What is your name?”

“Emil Marcone”

“What is your quest?”

“To resurrect a very close friend of mine, Alicia Barzini; I have provided you with the necessary offerings.”

A moment passed and the chanting of the assembly grew so loud Emil could not hear himself speak. Suddenly, the darkness began to take the familiar shape of Alicia Barzini. Her body looked younger than he remembered, her face was flawless and her skin was deathly pale. In her hands were two flint-lock pistols, their golden bodywork glimmering in the firelight, every inch of gold was engraved with demonic hieroglyphics.

“We are the souls of Nasfahtu, for a hundred years this woman shall be our animated host, to bring death and destruction to the living world.”

“Interesting” said Emil, now standing directly on the edge of the pit. “Problem is; that doesn’t exactly fit well with the plans I had in mind.”

In the time it took for Emil to bat an eyelid, the possessed body of Alicia Barzini had raised her guns and unleashed a swarm of strange bullets upon the hundreds of singing mages. In an instant, the room was lifeless, save Emil.

“Fine, have it your way. Kill everybody” said Emil, turning on the spot and heading back to the elevator. “The thorns are gonna to want my head. Nasfahtu, Alicia or whoever the [censored] is in there, we got business to attend to. Vincent, make sure this elevator’s destroyed. I want no connections to whats happened here.”

The naked form of Alicia Barzini descended from the air; her toes felt the cold stone floor as she landed gracefully onto the earth. She walked three or four steps across the hall before disappearing into a wall of shadows, only to reappear inside the elevator. Emil studied her up close and noticed that her eyes were shut tight. “Nice guns” he complimented, only to be largely ignored.

As the elevator rose out of sight, a tall man in dark robes materialised out of space. Instantly, he could feel the overwhelming presence of evil. Scanning the room, he saw no signs of life. Bodies upon bodies lay atop one and another, among them was the unmistakable form of Codename, Altair Mary Stevens, naked and without a head.

“No” he whispered, overcome with a sense of failure. The girl was dead and he remained powerless to change that. Whoever committed this evil he would find them and he would deliver his judgment.

End.

Equilibrium is available now, via preferences but the drop down menu will be delayed by a few days. Technical issues that we hope to get around soon. In the mean time, the affected links are provided at the bottom of the main page.

Everything should be operational now.

Website is down temporarily as Kadekawa is working on the skin. Will be back up as soon as possible.

Birth of Evil Part Nine: The Death (of Sabrina San) [WARNING: Contains scenes of extreme violence]

November 8th.

Chiron Medical Centre, Atlas Park.

Self preservation is a natural instinct required for the most basic survival tools, the need to feed for example. Pain, emotional or physical is an alarm that triggers several human defence systems, muscle seizures and increase in blood pressure for example. However, what surpasses pain and the need for self preservation is the natural urge to protect one’s own offspring. A woman’s physical strength and sensory detail increases dramatically to protect her children, its nature’s way.

Within minutes, bed number 7 was surrounded by two dozen Tsoo Warriors, each man paired and supported by sorcerers. This was an assassination mission designed to deliver.

“You’re all here for my daughter, aren’t you?” Sabrina whispered. A nearby warrior flicked the butt of his blade from its sheath in response to the question. “Why?” Sabrina quizzed. “What is it you want?!” she screamed madly, as if loosing her mind. “What is it that you want from me?! Leave me alone! You won’t take my children!” Without warning, she stole the Golden Dragonfly katana from her husband’s grasp and poised it at the nearest Tsoo. “You will not take my daughter, so long as I live”

No sooner had she spoken that a sorcerer clouded the hospital ward with a small but violence gust of water vapour. Sabrina and Hayate were completely blinded with only their swords visible before them.

“Hayate, you have the speed of the Dragon, take the twins and get them out of here” Sabrina commanded, but Hayate refused. “No, you take the children. With the blood of the Dragon, I can regenerate from their attacks. Go, now!”

Reluctantly, Sabrina mounted her son and daughter upon her back and snuck through the violent gust of moist, struggling to keep her footing. Suddenly, a Tsoo warrior’s face appeared before Hayate, who instinctively sliced it clean off. Two more faces jumped him, but he stood his ground, parrying with his katana and striking at the earliest opportunity. Three more warriors stepped into range, only to be sliced in half. Soon, an entire horde of tattooed warriors and sorcerers were upon him. Twelve archers readied to fire, three swordsmen prepared to charge and the sorcerers began to chant. Hayate knew their magic would weaken him, and that was something he could not allow. In the blink of an eye, a dozen arrows shot through the air but were immediately frozen in place. Hayate had moved fast enough to penetrate the time and space continuum, albeit with some difficulty. He positioned himself behind his foe and began to strike. One by one, the sorcerers fell. The hurricane soon cleared, leaving Hayate exposed to concentrated attacks. Javelins were flung, arrows shot and blades swung, each piecing gaping holes through the swordsman. Yet, he stood his ground.

The elevator dinged as it arrived; Sabrina hastily entered and selected the ground floor. She hadn’t really noticed the man hidden behind her, and suddenly, a stabbing noise. For a second, everything went silent, then slowly, it all faded to black.

Genesis Blade was battle-worn; his clothes were loosely hanging off his broad shoulders and blood was gushing from several wounds, struggling to heal. Just as he beheaded a Tsoo Ink Man, two more warriors leapt at him, swords held high. He couldn’t react in time and the blades severed both his arms. He fell to his knees and accepted his fate. The only thought in his mind was his wife, he hoped she escaped in time, he hoped his children were safe. As the Tsoo’s katana approached his skull, Hayate San heard the desperate cries of his babies, screaming at his mind.

The sound of the twins crying jerked Sabrina awake. She had lost her grip and the babies had fallen to the elevator floor. From her ribs, she could feel two short blades being driven through her, again and again as though shredding a piece of meat. Suddenly, her muscles tensed, locking the blades into her ribs. The hair on her neck slowly began to rise, “ahhhhh!” she screamed, uncontrollably. Sabrina couldn’t see her attacker, but she could smell him; she turned on her waist and in a blur of flesh and blood, unleashed a barrage of punches into the camouflaged assassin. She pummelled and pummelled again, leaving great big dents in the metal walls. Soon, her adrenaline rush subsided and she realised the blades had come loose. Her attacker’s camouflage malfunctioned and revealed the bloody mess of a face, decorated with broken teeth. The body fell limply onto the elevator floor, but Sabrina was not satisfied. She climbed onto her attacker and withdrew the Golden Dragonfly katana. She held it up high in an execution stance and swiftly brought the sword slicing through the air. Just then the doors opened at the ground floor and the sounds of Tommy guns filled the hospital. A hailstorm of bullets ripped apart the enraged mother, painting the elevator with her remains.

“I told you they’d be hard to take down” said a voice, with a thick Italian accent.

“Just shut up and grab the baby Joey”

“Boss, which one’s the girl?”

“What’re ya [censored] blind? The one without a… you know what; just take em both, alright? And unless you wanna spend some [censored] bonding time with your missus on the inside, you might wanna hurry it up, the cops are coming. Tony, grab Vincent” said Emil, calmly exiting the hospital towards a line of black SUV’s.

Minutes later, a costume-clad boy with golden hair, no older than sixteen appears before the hospital elevator, he his flanked by two Menders of the Ouroboros.

“Late again” said an agent. “Sorry David, this was your last attempt. We have to go back”

“No” said David, his eyes starting to water. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair! This is entirely your fault, it’s your fault we arrived late; Ouroboros are incompetent! Leave me here, I shan’t be returning; the future holds nothing for me.”

“I’m afraid we can’t let you do that” said an agent. “The rules you agreed-“ the agent’s words were cut short as the boy ran into the elevator, seized the Golden Dragonfly and flew upwards through the shaft. He quickly found his father and seized the Soaring Dragon katana. With practised ease, the boy sheathed the two blades and disappeared.

Current visit count: 14,104. Divided by 92 days, approximately 153 visits per day. Should do this analysis monthly. On estimate, I'd guess August received 22% (2820 hits, 90 p/d) of the current total visits, September maybe 34% (4795, 159 p/d) and October with the remaining 44% (6205 hits, 207 p/d). Maybe someone whose been paying closer attention disagrees with this correlation.

Nah, you might be confusing that for Ms Deedee. http://union.virtueverse.com/index.php/Magazine_5

Edit: woops, my correction arrived late.

((Haha. Hurray for the midnight zombie wedding. Its like a script right out of Resident Evil))

I wanted to show my 'artist's impression' of what the inside window layout will look like, but Chief Administrator Kadekawa demands it be kept secret until release. Hehe.

Prepare to be blown away. From the design team that brought you the information mega-library Handbook of the Union Universe. We present to you an amazing new skin with a more polished, professional facade and a contemporary atmosphere. Pushing the boundaries of technological and artistic balance we bring you, Equilibrium!! Release date: November 10!!

http://union.virtueverse.com/images/Skin.jpg](171kb version of the screenshot image)

http://union.virtueverse.com/images/Skin2.jpg] (800kb version of the screenshot image)

The sunlight faded and the confetti littering the nave became dry pieces of dead skin. The Priest was gone and so was the illusion. Moth cathedral was once again dark and eery as the clock neared midnight.

"I'll trust you to handle the undead Britanic, I'm afraid I must return to Egypt. I fear for the safety of my accomplice." said the Priest, getting ready to teleport away.

(Long concluding post, all beware!)

As the couple kissed, the zombie choir slowly and gently rose to their feet for the Hymn, Ave Maria.

Ave Maria (Hail Mary)
Gratia plena (Full of grace)
Maria, gratia plena (Mary, full of grace)
Maria, gratia plena (Mary, full of grace)
Ave, ave dominus (Hail, hail the Lord)
Dominus tecum (The Lord is with thee)
Benedicta tu in mulieribus (Blessed art thou among women)
Et benedictus (And blessed)
Et benedictus fructus ventris (And blessed is the fruit of thy womb)
Ventris tuae, Jesus. (Jesus)
Ave Maria (Hail Mary)
Ave Maria (Hail Mary)
Mater Dei (Mother of God)
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus (Pray for us sinners)
Ora pro nobis (Pray for us)
Ora, ora pro nobis peccatoribus (Pray, pray for us sinners)
Nunc et in hora mortis (Now and at the hour of our death)
Et in hora mortis nostrae (And at the hour of our death)
Et in hora mortis nostrae (And in the hour of our death)
Et in hora mortis nostrae (And in the hour of our death)
Ave Maria (Hail Mary)

"Eric and Suzanne are going to light their Unity Candle, a symbol of their relationship and love. The candles from which they light it have been lit by their friends to represent their lives to this moment" said the Priest, urging the couple to light the candles positioned on the alter.

"The lights, representing the faith, wisdom, and love they have received in their lives, are distinct, each burning alone. Eric and Suzie will light the centre candle to symbolize the union of their lives. As this one light burns undivided, so shall their love be one. Amen."

"May the radiance of this one light be a testimony of their unity, may these candles burn brightly as symbols of their commitment to each other, and as a tribute to their family and friends' everlasting love for them. Amen."

Afterwards, the Priest continued with the prayer of the faithful. "My dear friends let us pray to our Father in heaven that he will keep Eric and Suzanne Mitchell united in undivided love, and that he will bless them throughout their married life. That their love may be patient and gentle, ready to trust, and to endure whatever comes. Lord, hear us. That they may pray together in joy and in sorrow, and always give thanks for the gift of each other. Lord, hear us. That God will bless their daily work and perfect through them his work of creation. Lord, hear us. That his peace may dwell in their home and give hope of peace to the world. Lord, hear us. That all married people may be helped to renew and deepen their love. Lord, hear us. That the Church will bring salvation to the world by expressing Christ's love for all people. Lord, hear us. Almighty God, you have come into the lives of Eric and Suzanne Mitchell through the gift of married love. Remain with them always, and show your great love for those who call you their Father. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Father, by your power you have made everything out of nothing. In the beginning you created the universe and made mankind in your own likeness. You gave man the constant help of woman so that man and woman should no longer flesh, and you teach us that what you have united may never be divided. Father, by your plan man and woman are united, and married life has been established as the one blessing that was not forfeited by original sin or washed away in the flood. Look with love upon this woman, your daughter, now joined together husband in marriage. She asks your blessing. Give her the grace of love and peace. May she always follow the example of the holy women whose praises are sung in the scriptures. May her husband put his trust in her and recognise that she is his equal and the heir with him to the life of grace. May he always honour her and love her as Christ loves his bride, the Church. Father, keep them always true to your commandments. Keep them faithful in marriage and let them be living examples of Christian life. Give them the strength which comes from the gospel so that they may be witnesses of Christ to others. Bless them with children and help them to be good parents. May they live to see their children's children. And, after a happy old age, grant them fullness of life with the saints in the kingdom of heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

The zombie choir, who had remained standing, opened into the last Hymn of the night.

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
O'er the world's tempestuous sea;
Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
For we have no help but thee;
Yet possessing every blessing
If our God our Father be.

Saviour, breathe forgiveness o'er us,
All our weakness thou dost know;
Thou didst tread this earth before us,
Thou didst feel its keenest woe;
Self denying, death defying,
Thou to Calvary didst go.

Spirit of our God, descending,
Fill our hearts with heavenly joy;
Love with every passion blending,
Pleasure that can never cloy;
Thus provided, pardoned, guided,
Nothing can our peace destroy.

After the Hymn, the Priest produced the Certificate of Marriage and signed his name as Minister. He then passed the two quills to the bride and groom, to sign their names.

"The Lord's prayer" said the Priest, after the couples had signed their names. "Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallow'd be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the kingdom, And the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."

"God the eternal Father keep you in love with each other, so that the peace of Christ may stay with you and be always in your home. May your children bless you, your friends console you and all men live in peace with you. May you always bear witness to the love of God in this world so that the afflicted and the needy wilt find in you generous friends, and may almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen"

And then, one by one, the zombies of the gospels faded to ashes, and the ashes fluttered through the air, slowly becoming confetti and small flowers dancing through the Cathedral.

The church organ now played itself, concluding the ceremony with the Wedding March.

The Priest collected the rings and prayed over them. "A circle is the symbol of wholeness, perfection, and unity. Like circles, these rings have no beginning and no end. They are tokens of the growing relationship that Eric and Suzanne have come here to celebrate and confirm. Lord, bless and consecrate Eric Mitchell and Suzi White in their love for each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind them of their love, that they are one in heart and mind. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen"

With that, the Priest offers the rings to the bride and groom respectively. "Exchange rings and speak any custom vows, afterwards... well, I guess it wouldn't be inappropriate to kiss the bride"

"You have declared your consent before the church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, no one must divide. Amen" prayed the Priest, before looking to the groom. "The rings, please."

The Priest turned to face the beautiful bride, smiling warmly with his eyes. He hoped that God had given her the assurance she needed, and that she had listened and learnt enough. "Do you, Suzi White, take Eric Mitchell, as your lawful husband, to love and to honour, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of your life?"