Chapter 3

As the bonfire crackled and sparks flew into the night sky, Ken sat back and watched as more and more of his fellow believers arrived in the village square. They came from all walks of life, from all corners of the world, drawn together by their shared obsession with the darkness.

One of the first to arrive was a young woman named Lily. She had long, curly black hair and bright green eyes that glinted in the firelight. Lily had been raised in a strict religious household but had always felt like there was something missing. When she stumbled upon the book that would change her life forever, she knew that she had found her true calling.

Next to arrive was a man named Marcus. He was tall and muscular, with a shaved head and a thick beard. Marcus had been a soldier and had seen things in his time that had left him scarred and broken. But when he embraced the darkness, he found a new sense of purpose, a new reason to keep fighting.

As the night wore on, more and more people arrived, each with their own unique story of how they had come to be a part of the gathering of the damned. There was a woman named Sarah, who had lost everything she loved in a terrible accident and had turned to the darkness for solace. There was a man named Jackson, who had been a criminal all his life and had found a new kind of power in the darkness.

Ken listened as they shared their stories, feeling a sense of kinship with each and every one of them. They were all outsiders, all misfits, all searching for something that they couldn't quite put into words. But together, they had found a purpose, a reason to keep going.

As the night wore on, the group grew larger and larger, until there were dozens of them gathered around the fire. They shared food and drink, telling jokes and laughing as if they had known each other all their lives.

And then, as the moon began to rise in the sky, a figure appeared on the edge of the square. He was tall and thin, with a shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes. His name was Elijah, and he was the leader of the gathering of the damned.

Ken watched as Elijah made his way through the crowd, his eyes scanning each face as if he were searching for something. When he reached the bonfire, he raised his arms and the crowd fell silent.

"My brothers and sisters," Elijah began, his voice booming across the square. "We are gathered here tonight to celebrate our shared purpose, our shared destiny. We are the chosen ones, the ones who have been called to embrace the darkness and use it to change the world."

The crowd cheered, their voices ringing out into the night sky.

"But we must remember," Elijah continued, "that with great power comes great responsibility. We must use our gifts wisely, for the good of all mankind. We must be the ones who stand against the forces of evil, who fight for what is right, no matter the cost."

The crowd grew silent again, their eyes fixed on Elijah.

"And so, my brothers and sisters," he said, "let us raise our glasses to the darkness, to the power that courses through our veins, to the journey of the damned. For tonight, we are one. And together, we will change the world."

As the crowd lifted their glasses, their faces illuminated by the flickering firelight, Ken knew he had found his true family. They were the outsiders, the misfits, the ones who had been rejected by the world. But together, they were something more. They were the gathering of the damned, and they were unstoppable.

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