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dark, foggy night enveloped the city of Karachi in cold, wet tears. I clung tightly to my bright emerald cape, a sanctuary in this bastion of The Unspoken One.

I made my journey of virginization to the land of Dio Brando, the god of the sand. My final night in the hospitable sands was coming to end with a squall. I hurried to my hotel, and fought against the whipping winds to the entrance.

No sooner had I crossed the threshold did a crack of thunder so loud shake the entire lobby. I looked up. The smokers lounging in their chairs were gone. The bar, empty. The valet who had been at my elbow, shielding me from the coming storm, disappeared.

The lights went out.



A single candle made itself known, floating as if caught in the air itself.

The candle shifted towards the street, and I was compelled to follow through some ethereal power. The rain had ceased, and the night was bathed in absolute darkness. The candle led me to the fringe of the harbor, and the ocean lay before me in majesty.



From the sky came a single crack of lightning, so bright it lit the dusky seas on fire. The candle sped into the abyss of flame, becoming one with its brethren. Entranced, I crept to the shore, where the fire lapped at my boots like waves. I looked into the sky, and the stars, obscured by billowing smoke, disappeared.

"Friend. Perhaps you need some coaxing."

I was being summoned by a god into the flames. My faith resolute, I stepped in.



Whence came a god, yea, and an emperor of men. He did not stride, but descended, balanced on an enormous globe of the earth, wearing only the cloth of a simple peasant. He cleared a small circle in the flames.

"Serendipitous, what is this robe of emerald? This buckle of gold? Cast aside these aspersions before you further besmirch my name.

Eager to please my god, I stripped to my breeches and knelt at the feet of this lord.



"My lord Dio Brando, what can I do to please you?"

A hearty laugh rang out in the night, rippling through the night, and plumes of white appeared in the sky, as if the very fabric of the universe had briefly been disturbed.

"I am not Dio, my child. I am one of his followers, but I myself, have been enlightened."

My eyes filled with wonder, my heart swelled to encompass the entirety of my existence, and I looked upon this long-locked lord with a fervor I had never known myself to possess.

And again my god spoke:

"Serendipitous, you have traveled far and wide through your life. You have sought riches, comrades, and opportunity with every man in every land. You have transgressions of the heart to answer for, and today, you will be cleansed by my sagely flames, and you will emerge one of my most dedicated servants. For I, Dio Publius, Imperator of the land, am a just god."

I sat in silence for many minutes. Finally the god grasped my shoulder and tenderized it, as if testing my mettle. He bade me stand up, looked deeply into my eyes, and said the words that changed my life.

"Serendipitous, go now from this polluted sand and return to whence you came. There you will find my other gospels, your friends among enemies, and you will proclaim my reign in every corner of this earth."



Dio Publius lifted his globe, compressed it into a scepter, and conjured a bit of fire. The fire shone brightly, blinding me. As I covered my face and readjusted to the light, the glowing fire had been crafted into a single spike of living flame, encased in a block of magic fireshell.

Dio Publius handed me this fire fragment, and waved his scepter in front of himself, disappearing instantly. I stared deeply into this pocket fire, and the flicking, flying flames connected themselves, forming the United States.

Knowing what I must do, I looked up and found the flames gone, a blinding golden light rising from the east, and deep blue seas at my soggy shoes.

This beautiful day tempted me, for certain, but the Imperator could not wait.

"Faithful though I was, Dio Brando, I must serve a different lord. Glory to Dio Publius!" I shouted, and dock workers spun to spit in my face. I was unfazed. Hurrying back to my hotel, I knew the world was irreparably changed. I had to find the Gospels of Publius.

SPQR IN OUR MINDS
SPQR IN OUR HEARTS
NOW AND FOREVER