In the Last Days (Eschatological Fantasy)

Preface

In front of us is the last completed work of Tikhomirov, known to his researchers today. Judging by the author's notes at the beginning of the text, Lev Aleksandrovich worked on it in 1919-1920. There is information that in the early 1920s Tikhomirov arranged a reading of a certain "Apocalyptic Story" for a small circle of former friends at his home in Sergiev Posad (see: S. Fudel, "Memoirs," Novy Mir. 1991, No. 4, p. 183), it is quite obvious that that it was the "Last Days." In the "eschatological fantasy" the thinker continues (or rather, completes) the theme of the "end of time", which is so important to him, but this time he puts his reflections in the form of a philosophical and artistic work. In "The Last Days" Tikhomirov quite consciously orients himself to the famous "Short Tale of the Antichrist" from "Three Conversations..." V. S. Solovyov, even the supreme magician in "The Last Days" bears the same name as in "The Tale...", Apollonius; in both works, the Antichrist is a "great man." But at the same time, the "eschatological fantasy" has significant differences from the "Tale..." - both formal and ideological. In the Last Days", firstly, is far superior to "The Tale of..." In terms of volume, and in terms of genre, it is closer to an adventurous novel than to a lapidary Solovyov's text. In contrast to Solovyov, Tikhomirov unfolds the action of "fantasy" in strict accordance with the Revelation, which is generously quoted by the author. The following detail is curious: Tikhomirov completely lacks Protestantism as an opponent of the Antichrist, moreover, there is no mention of this branch of Christianity in the text at all; In Solovyov's case, Protestantism, in the person of Dr. Pauli, is an active opponent of the "superman." On the other hand, in "The Last Days" there are Muslims, some of whom are fighting against the Antichrist, about which Solovyov does not say a word. Tikhomirov prescribes the Jewish theme more carefully than Solovyov, although its interpretation by both thinkers is almost identical. Finally, the most important thing is that Solovyov does not have the Last Judgment, all the dead are in the "Tale..." resurrected and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, here one can clearly hear the echo of Solovyov's chiliasm, which has never been completely overcome. Tikhomirov, on the other hand, finishes his work quite in the spirit of Orthodox orthodoxy. Printed for the first time according to the manuscript: GA RF, f. 634, op. 1, f. 58.

In recent days. (Eschatological Fantasy)

Dedicated to E. D. T [1]. One more and last tale - And my chronicle is over. [2]. It was started on November 18, 1919. Finished on January 28, 1920. It was rewritten on March 15, 1920. The great man sat motionless, immersed in a deep reverie, which might have been mistaken for a dream if his face had not been stamped with the expression of such intense energy. All was quiet in this midnight hour. The luxurious office was buried in the semi-darkness of the yellowish light of electric stars, outlining the mysterious outlines of unprecedented constellations on the high ceiling. The silence was broken only by the measured clatter of a clock with a huge phosphorically luminous dial and a softly ringing monotonous melody, pouring sound waves from the constellations of the ceiling. It was the "music of the spheres" recently established by the Great Magician, to the soothing sounds of which the Great Man liked to sink into nocturnal contemplation or half-slumber. He did not know a real dream at all, and his meditation and mystical slumber merged into a state of peculiar peace. In the far corner of the study, a golden altar in front of the statue of the Lord of the Future shone faintly, and on the altar, like clouds of swamp mist, a figure of vague outlines wavered. The great man turned to her: "Zerefer, call the Magician. The figure spread from the altar in wide clouds, and a minute later a man entered, tall and sturdy with an unforgettable appearance. He was covered with hair. A thick beard shrouded his face. Her eyes glowed with a cat-like gleam from deep hollows covered by thick curtains of eyebrows. Nervous force oozed from every vein of the imperious face. Sensual lips were pursed into energetic folds. But the wide silk chlamys could not hide the sagging abdomen, and the tall cap with golden figures barely disguised the baldness, which clearly captured the head. Huge feet protruded from under the chlamys, and hands with thick fingers and rough nails resembled rather an animal's paw. The nature of the beast was peculiarly combined in the wizard with the features of human nervous energy, in contrast to the strong and muscular, but bony and lean figure of his master. "May the Lord of the Future protect you," he said as he approached. "What care has interrupted your peace, Great Organizer?" "Could I ever have more care than I do now?" - I don't understand you. Haven't you slain all your enemies? There is no one on the globe more powerful than you. The eyes of all mankind look upon you with hope. You are the President of the World Union of Powers. Even the church of the so-called Christ has abandoned his teachings. If the sect of fanatics who call themselves Philadelphians has not yet disappeared, what is the meaning of this handful of rebellious people who take refuge in their underground from the light of progress directed by you? What can be troubling you at the height of power and glory? The great organizer, however, remained thoughtful. "Do not fall into careless optimism, friend Apollonius. Even on the globe, not all is well. I confess that I often think about Central Jewry, Kol Yisroel Haberim. Again they imagined that I would be their obedient creature, and now they consider me a traitor... Fools! Kol Yisroel Haberim wants the earthly domination of the Jews and knows nothing higher. I am a Jew myself, but I go endlessly further. I want to dominate the universe! I am a god, and they imagine that I am their servant. And you can always expect an insidious blow from them. They can let the Freemasons on me. This must not be forgotten... But I was not thinking about them now, but about the struggle I was waging against God. You, Apollonius, are my best friend, but you don't seem to know how to rise to the height of events either. There was no magician in the world stronger than you, no one had such a powerful command of the forces of nature. But you are too material, too full of the animal element. You do not rise above the astral plane, and it is only for this reason that you comfort yourself with the thought of our power. But if, like me, you had risen to the spiritual plane, your mood would have changed greatly, and you would not have enjoyed earthly blessings so calmly. Listen, friend and comrade. You need to know this, because you must develop all your strength at this critical moment of our struggle. -Critical?! - Yes, it is critical. We have done a lot, we have conquered a lot, and we seem to be the conquerors of the world. But all our greatness can crumble much sooner than it was created... not so much by us as by the Lord of the Future, Lucifer, by his millennia-long mighty struggle against God. Outwardly, we seemed to have achieved something, but these concessions, while greatly irritating the enemy, did not in the least crush his forces. Think, then, that if he now comes out of his carelessness and moves against us, we will be able to repel his onslaught. Earthly Enhanced Weapons have no effect on angels; They are above your astral powers. After all, the power of Christ is enormous. Remember the two defeats in Lucifer's struggle against him. Now we have the third and decisive moment. Either we take everything, or the enemy will lead us to powerless nothingness, as John boasted in his Apocalypse. We need to gather all our forces, but real forces, with which we can make an offensive against the spiritual world, which is the mainstay of Christ's sovereignty. We own the land. A miserable possession that can always be wrested from us by those who possess Heaven, the higher world of spirits. From this world flow all the forces by which the material and astral world lives and moves. It is enough to stir the forces of the spiritual world, and the whole local world will shake, and its very laws are capable of changing if the play of the higher spiritual forces leads to this. God defeated Lucifer only because He took possession of the higher spiritual world, from which Lucifer had inadvertently led his legions. Lucifer himself is stronger than God, but he has taken a disadvantage in the struggle, standing outside the source of the world's power. He relied too much on himself, and he was punished for it. When Christ came to earth the second time, He was victorious also because, because of His connection with God, He had a foothold in the possession of Heaven. But past mistakes are understood by Lucifer. Now the task is to take possession of Heaven, to oust God and Christ from it, to take their place. Do you understand? And in this task we, people, are of great importance, because the higher spiritual world is formed from our own higher souls. Heaven influences us, but we also influence it. That is why God tries to keep us in His hands. This is the supreme mystery of the world's existence. Lucifer is also aware of this, and he himself says that he needs us, our psychic power. We must now take advantage of the years remaining before the decisive clash to concentrate all the spiritual forces of humanity to the aid of Lucifer. He will take care of the angels himself. We have to prepare people. So you see, dear Apollonius, that we have no time for careless rest now. - Antiochus, I'm sorry, I still don't understand... But isn't all of humanity in our hands? Are not all his impulses, all his spiritual powers, already directed against God, against His power? Do people not glorify Lucifer under various names, who only out of modesty calls himself the Lord of the Future, but in reality has already become the Lord of the Present? Watch and listen... He made several magical passes with his hands, and Antiochus saw the vast hall of the restored temple of the Templars. Clerics and knights of the Order surrounded the statue of Buffomet,[6] singing hymns of praise to him. Then the whole crowd with furious curses knocked over the Cross to the ground and began to spit and trample under foot... A few more magical passes, and Antiochus was filled with scenes of faithful mass, in which the desecration of Christ and the worship of Messire Leonard of the Middle Ages, now glorified under his real name of Lucifer, unfolded even more terribly. Apollonius waved his hand, and all was gone. The Great Man's study was plunged into its former half-light and deep silence. "Well, Antiochus, do you want me to summon here the hundreds of pictures that are going on at this hour in the corners of the whole earth?" Their meaning is the same: everywhere there is a denial of Christ, everywhere glory and love are given to the Lord of the Future. What more do you want? "Apollonius, you understand that I know all this well. But I also know and see how insignificant and powerless are the souls of these frenzied supporters of ours. You can see in the astral spectrum of their soul bands that it is not their colours that reveal their power. The spiritual eye, if you were more capable of it, would show you still more clearly that such souls are powerless to influence angelic beings. A myriad of them cannot be compared with one soul rich in spirit. Their psychic influences also bounce off the shields of the angels, like a handful of peas from a huge rock. And among the hundreds of millions of people we have conquered, where are the souls of the strong in spirit who can shake an angel? Is it possible to count at least dozens of them? They are not to be found in us, but in these mad Philadelphians. The fanatics have been clearly defeated, they are hiding underground, but they are capturing all the strong souls that can compete with the angels... And they will not go with us at the moment of decisive clash! "So you want to transfer these souls to our ranks?" -Certainly. Without that, we risk losing again. "But that's just a dream. You know they're all drawn to Christ. I don't know what attracts them to him, why they don't want Lucifer, but they don't want to break away from Christ, and I don't see how you can force them to do that. - And yet it has to be done. I'm not saying all of them, but maybe more. And you, the great magician, the master of astral forces, the connoisseur of all things seductive, the mechanic of hypnosis, you must solve this problem. Spirit in general is capable of being passionately attached to matter and obeying it. So there are ways to get him to do it. Lucifer achieved such success with Adam and Eve... The mage thought for a moment, and his face cleared up a little. - Yes, of course, we have the funds. They won't always work, but you can often count on success. Even the mere fear of torment is already something, and the temptation of sensuality is still greater, and the temptation of pride is still stronger. The main thing here is to divert the feeling from the love for the Crucified, to arouse doubt about his love, about his desire or ability to support the person. And once hesitating, the soul will begin to reach out to Lucifer, may wish to give its strength to help him... Yes, you're right, as always. "That's not just my thought. Lucifer fully approved of it. "Very well," said the amused Apollonius, "let us get to work. You're the only one who has to seriously disturb the Philadelphians. They need to be taken out of their hiding places and given to my psychic laboratories. I am thinking of resorting to the strongest means of hypnosis, and on this basis to dispose of other influences. Let your police go into action, and I'll set about changing your mental moods. It takes a lot of experiments... But, of course, my elixirs and astral spirits will also come in handy. In the meantime, then, goodbye. After all, I'm not you, and I like to sleep." "Wait," Antiochus stopped him. "Do you remember Lydia?" - Sorbonne? Of course. She was remarkably good. It once stirred my heart. Yes, a very big untouchable! I don't like those. - My heart was moving! I was once in love as a boy. It is a soul of precious power. It almost shook my resolve to fight against Christ. But I was stronger than her, even though I couldn't drag her along. I don't know if Valentin was happier than me... Remember Valentine? Do you remember our Sorbonne company? Where did Valentine, my friend at the time, go? And Jani Kleft remained my loyal subject. Oh, what children we were, what watercolor happiness we thought about.. Isn't it ridiculous to say that the current pretender to the Kingdom of the Universe once dreamed of a girl's blue eyes?.. However, that's not the point. I just thought it wouldn't hurt to bring in Lydia. Such strong souls are few and far between. I'll try to find it, and you make an effort to process it. Well, you can go to your bed. Adieu! The dedication is addressed to Ekaterina Dmitrievna Tikhomirova (nee Sergeeva), the faithful wife and assistant of Lev Alexandrovich, the mother of his four children ^ A.S. Pushkin "Boris Godunov". The words of the chronicler Pimen ("Night. A cell in the Chudov Monastery") ^ I.e., members of the Philadelphia Church, about which Tikhomirov wrote in more detail in his "Apocalyptic Teaching"... ^ Translated from Hebrew as "All Jews are brothers". The Hebrew name for the World Union of Israelites (see note 14) ^ The Templars, or Templars, were a spiritual and chivalric order founded in the twelfth century, and which took its name from the castle of Tamp in Jerusalem, which belonged to them, and was situated near the site of Solomon's temple. At the beginning of the 14th century, the French king Philip IV the Fair initiated an inquisitorial process against the Templars. They were accused of denying Christ, idolatry, sodomy, etc. In May 1310, the Master of the Order, Jacques de Molay, and several other knights were burned at the stake in Paris. In 1312, by virtue of a bull of Pope Clement V, the Templars were declared heretics. Many secret societies (including the Freemasons) insisted that they traced their lineage back to the Templars ^ Buffomet (or Baphomet) is a head-shaped idol supposedly worshipped by the Templars. Buffomet, in their view, was a god who gives all earthly blessings (See: L. A. Tikhomirov, Religious and Philosophical Foundations of History, pp. 415-416) ^ Messire Leonard is the name of Satan on witches' sabbats ^

The bright sun of the first summer month illuminated the lively scene of Jerusalem, through the streets of which merry crowds moved from all sides to the central square. There was to be a great celebration. Until now, it was called Christ the Savior Square. By the decree of the Council of the Great Organizer, it was renamed Lucifer the Benefactor Square. The celebration of this dedication was to take place with a nationwide prayer service to Lucifer, the Giver of light and rain, and the growth of the fruits of the earth. The crowds marched merrily, reminiscent of ancient pagan festivals. Hymns were sung everywhere in honor of the beneficent Spirit. Women, hung with garlands of flowers, walked, embracing men. Most of them were very drunk, if not drunk. But there were also gloomy faces, looking with fear and indignation at what was happening around them. At the side of the crowd walked two handsome men, thoughtfully watching the people's merriment. "Well, our Antiochus shows his cards," said one, a handsome man with an expressive, intelligent face. - The formal adoration of Satan begins. What do you say about the revival of satanic mysticism, my friend Edward, a former rationalist, an opponent of Christian mysticism? "Don't prick my eyes, Valentine, with this wretched rationalism. I am ashamed to think that I supported fools who imagined to work for the same reason, when they worked only for the Antichrist. It is not the first day that my eyes have been opened, may the Lord forgive me for my past betrayal. But how I would have laughed at the Sorbonne if I had been told that I was listening to a lecture on the same bench as the Antichrist. Edward Osborne, a sturdy man with the vigorous face of his Anglo-Saxon race, and the Russian, Valentin Stozharov, were comrades at the University of Paris. Stozharov was now a practicing physician, and Osborne, who had recently arrived in Jerusalem, was the Oriental correspondent of the London Gazette. "Yes," said Valentine, "the pitiful historical role has been played by rationalism, which has refused to see the most essential side of life. But now there is no need to talk about it. We have clearly entered the last age of the world, and our question is only to keep with Christ all who are still capable of it. That's why I gave up my old thoughts about professors and science. It's no longer worth doing... But," he went on, lowering his voice. "I have not yet explained to you why I invited you to this blasphemous feast. Something very extraordinary awaits you there... Do you remember when you thought the Apocalypse was senile nonsense? But today you will see with your own eyes the two prophets of the Apocalypse, Enoch and Elijah of the Christian faith [1]. "Are you talking about famous itinerant preachers?" -Namely. These preachers, who had already alarmed Antiochus, came to the capital... And they are genuine, Enoch and Elijah. Elder John himself told me this. Have you heard of him yet? -No. - Well, you know the old legend about the immortality of the Apostle John, the friend of Christ. Our Christian people are convinced that Elder John is none other than him. He doesn't say anything about himself. But I believe the rumor, and when you see him, you will believe it too. He is a deep, gray-haired old man, with a majestic apostolic appearance, full of life and indescribable calm inspiration. He loves to talk about the Savior. But that's not the point. John, Enoch, and Elijah will appear at the wicked feast and will presumably spoil the celebration of Lucifer and our Great Provider. He stopped suddenly when he saw the white cloaks of the two Templars approaching them suspiciously. The Templars were then the Great Organizer's guard and the most intrusive part of his police. "Are you citizens so unhappy?" said the Senior Templar. "Or are you the only ones in the whole city who do not rejoice in the new beneficent era inaugurated by the wondrous organizer?" "Venerable knight," replied Osborne modestly, "be indulgent to the provincials who do not yet know much about the affairs of the Great Organizer. We also went to the holiday to be enlightened... After all, of course, the new patron of the people is none other than the Buffomet of your valiant Order. - Yes, it's the same thing. Now he reveals his cornucopia to the people who have seen their sight. Be cheerful, buddies. The two guardians of order withdrew, and Valentine and Edward intervened in the crowd to hide from their view. Then they moved to the side again. "Lydia will be with the witnesses of Christ," Valentine whispered. -Lydia? Luchitskaya? - Yes, she is, with a group of other Christians. "I thought you had been husband and wife for a long time. For her father, when he was dying, entrusted his orphan to you. "We loved and still love each other, and after the old man's death we were going to get married. But it was here that we met Elder John for the first time. "The end is near," he said, "now is not the time to think about marriages. Prepare yourselves clean to stand before the Heavenly Bridegroom." Lydia was glad to hear these words. She tried to console me for my refusal, but I thought to myself: what kind of marriages are really at such a time! Since then, we have lived as brother and sister, sometimes together, sometimes apart. Of course, I take care of her and guard her as best I can. Meanwhile, the crowd carried them out into the square, flooded with an ocean of people and luxuriously decorated. In the middle stood a huge statue of Lucifer, depicted as a mighty winged angel, but contrary to Christian symbolism, with a large beard and a menacing expression. In his raised hand he held a cornucopia, from which rained sheaves of wheat, bunches of grapes, and fruit. From several bandstands, placed around the square, the priests of the new cult - from the clerics of the so-called Universal Church - delivered sermons. Eduard and Valentine squeezed their way to one. The preacher, dressed in Christian garb, studded with some cabalistic signs instead of Christian symbols, proclaimed a new era of prosperity to the people. He said that hitherto the people had given themselves into the hands of God, who had kept them from hand to mouth, had declared all the pleasures of the flesh to be sin, and had demanded fasting and chastity. Everything that nature is drawn to was suppressed as if it were sin. Now the time of deception is over. Lucifer resolves all that is inherent in human nature. Let everyone eat, drink, enjoy luxury and beauty, love every woman he likes. The more a person's days are full of pleasures, the more pleasant it is for the beneficent Lucifer. The loud, passionate speech of the priest was interrupted by the enthusiastic shouts of the crowd: "Glory to Lucifer, down with deception, long live the joys of life!" But the real celebration had not yet begun: they were waiting for the arrival of the Great Organizer, who for some reason delayed. Suddenly, Valentine whispered to Edward, "Look, look, there are prophets coming." At the edge of the square, a small group of men and women burst into the crowd. Two old men walked in front. Their majestic posture and coarse hairshirts set them apart from the disheveled crowd. Among the Christians accompanying them, a young woman stood out with her beautiful, inspired face. "Lydia," whispered Osborne, "how she has changed." It was no longer the charm of a cheerful girl, but the matured, strengthened beauty of the holy martyress. "Let's join them," Valentine said, but it was impossible. The crowd moving in the same direction had thickened too much. It tore apart even the Christians who surrounded the prophets. The crowd parted only in front of the prophets themselves, who approached one of the bandstands. "Come down, give me a place, servant of Satan," said Elijah in an authoritative voice, and the priest involuntarily obeyed. The two prophets ascended almost alone. Most of their companions were wiped off. Lydia was also squeezed into the crowd. The whole square fell silent, all eyes were fixed on the strange aliens, the rumor of which had long since spread far and wide. And so they began to speak, replacing and supplementing each other with individual remarks. This speech sounded like a menacing denunciation. It was reminiscent of the innumerable blessings that people had received from God, whom they were now betraying, exposing the deception of Satan, who lured people with the lentil soup of sensual pleasures in order to deprive them of eternal bliss; resembled the infinite love of God and the self-sacrifice of Christ; recalled, finally, the boundless power of God, before which all the forces of his enemy were nothing. The crowd listened at first as if spellbound, and the Christians scattered among them sang enthusiastically, "Glory to God in the highest." But these voices were few in number, and at the words "We praise Thee, let us bless Thee," everything was drowned out by the loud roar of the worshippers of Satan - "Glory to Lucifer", "Down with the deceivers", "Down with non-existent bliss", "Let the joys of the earth live". The priests were the first to set an example for the crowd, which menacingly advanced on the stage. Shouts were heard: "Down with the false prophets, beat them, drag them off the stage!" But some invisible force did not allow anyone to move from words to deeds, and when Elijah raised his hand, the screams stopped. The words of the prophet resounded menacingly throughout the square: "Foolish people, you forget God's love, you respect only strength, you glorify your Lucifer, imagining to receive earthly blessings from him. By the power of the Lord given to us, we will show you that earthly goods do not depend on Satan. Let us not give you a drop of rain this summer, and let your harvests, and your grapes, and all the fruits of the earth, be consumed by drought." But then again the cries of the enraged people were heard: "Damned sorcerers, they want to starve us, beat them!" With tenfold fury the crowds rushed to the stage, but a kind of suffocating heat met them, and whole rows of assailants fell suffocating all over the square. A murmur of terror swept over the place of the proposed feast. The people fled in all directions, crushing each other, and in the midst of this chaos the prophets slowly withdrew, before whom they all parted in fear. The general confusion separated Valentine and Edward. The fleeing crowds carried them in different directions. Valentine looked around to see where Lydia had gone, but she was nowhere to be seen. In the meantime, a great misfortune awaited her. At the other end of the square, a dense crowd of runners enveloped and dragged away the young Templar, who tried to escape with curses. "Foul, cowardly dogs," he cried, "how they flutter away, it is disgusting to look at their distorted faces!" Somehow he managed to escape, and he walked down a quiet alley, stretching his crumpled arms and legs, and reflecting on the incident of the day. "I can't help admitting," he muttered, "that they are powerful sorcerers. And where did they come from? I myself felt the blow like an electric spark, and the suffocation squeezed my throat as the sorcerer swung in my direction. Suddenly he stopped and looked closely. On the other side of the alley, a familiar figure moved quietly. -Lydia... M-lle [3] Luchitskaya! Could it be you? What an unexpected meeting. Are you also caught up in the rework of this damn day? At first she stared in bewilderment. "Ah, it's you, Jani Kleft. It's been a long time since I've seen you... And well, you turned out to be a Templar... Could it be that our good, chivalrous Yani also betrayed Christ? "And you, beautiful Lydia Vasilievna, still remain a stubborn Christian?.. It's time to give up this archaeology... But you know, this meeting rewards me for all the ugliness of the day. After all, I have received a personal order from the Great Organizer to find you. You should be flattered that he remembers you. Where do you live? Lydia was embarrassed and silent. He grinned. -I see it. Probably somewhere in a secret hideout... And you don't want to get mixed up with these people! Well, I don't care, I'm not a detective. But if I cannot find out your address, I must ask you to accompany me to the Great Organizer. It flared up. "I'm not going to see him... She staggered to the side. He caught up with her in two jumps. "I'm sorry, but I'm obliged to obey orders, even if only by force..." And I don't understand your refusal. Of course, he's not plotting any evil. Otherwise, he would not have entrusted me with the task, but would have ordered the police. If he has chosen me, an old friend of the house, it means that he wants to act in a friendly way... I do not know... Maybe some request, some offer that is beneficial for you. Methinks. You have nothing to fear." I had to submit. In vain she looked all the way to see if there was any help, and after a while they were standing before the door of the splendid Great Organizer. Enoch (Enoch) and Elijah (Elijah) are biblical prophets who were taken alive to heaven. Before the end of the world, they must come to earth and proclaim it ^ Kabbalah (Hebrew - tradition) is a mystical teaching and practice in Judaism. It was created as a result of the combination of Jewish religious thought and Babylonian-Persian magic. Kabbalists, in particular, unraveled the mystical meaning of letters and biblical names. Tikhomirov writes at length about the Kabbalah in The Religious and Philosophical Foundations of History (chs. XXV-XXVIII) ^ Abbreviation from Fr. Mademoiselle - Mademoiselle, Young Lady ^

III

A few months passed, and Lydia sank into the water. In mortal anxiety Valentine searched for her, but in vain. In no shelter could he find any information about her, and only learned here and there that she had disappeared, not alone, but many others. What these mysterious disappearances meant, no one could understand. Christians had been arrested, imprisoned, and executed in large numbers before, but this was done openly, even in an effort to make the persecution known and frightening. Now people were disappearing secretly. The general bewilderment of the Christians increased even more when some of the disappeared began to reappear in the world. But in what form! They couldn't be stolen. They turned out to be zealous adherents of Antiochus, worshippers of Lucifer, and deniers of Christianity. They either shunned their former friends or tried to lead them into the path of renegadeism. It was also clear that they or others of the disappeared had revealed many Christian secrets to their enemies, since hideouts previously inaccessible to the police were being exposed. They were searched, many of the fugitives were arrested, imprisoned, and put on trial. Christians had to change their shelters, abolish the old ones, and start new ones. But it was in vain to try to extract anything from the renegades, where they had been, what had been done to them, or to learn anything about the fate of the other missing persons. They kept a strict silence about all this. "But is it possible that none of them has a spark of conscience and a heartfelt memory of their recent beliefs? Valentine pondered. "It's like some kind of bewitchment." And it occurred to him to try his luck through an old priest who had long been forced to hide in hiding. This old man was diligently sought by the police on charges of insolent denunciation of the Great Organizer and of inciting Christian fanaticism. He proved on the basis of the Apocalypse that Antiochus was either the Antichrist himself or his immediate forerunner, and that he and all his schemes would inevitably perish, together with Lucifer and all his followers, at the imminent appearance of Christ. At that time, much was said about the Apocalypse, and everyone, even non-Christians, no longer denied the prophetic clairvoyance of the Apostle John. But opinions differed sharply as to the ultimate events of the Apocalypse. Those who had fallen away from Christ asserted that their clairvoyance betrayed John in their depiction, and that he, predicting the victory of Christ and the coming of the extraterrestrial kingdom of God, no longer wrote in the spirit of the prophets, but in the Christian "partisanship." Christians, on the other hand, took the course of the future literally according to the Apocalypse. But this shook confidence in the strength of the existing government and in the correctness of government policy. The rebellious priest was therefore sought everywhere. He had a beloved spiritual daughter, the young Agnia, a dim-witted, but kind, pure soul, ardently attached to her mentor. Now Agnia was among those who had disappeared and then reappeared, a zealous renegade, so that she did not even show herself to the former spiritual director. And yet he continued to remain quietly in his former hiding-place. Obviously, Agnes betrayed everything else, but not her affection for him, and did not betray him to her enemies. It occurred to Valentine that through this priest he could learn from her about the fate of Lydia, especially since Agnia treated Lydia with the ardent love of her younger sister, presenting her as the ideal of all perfections. It was not easy to lure Agnia somewhere for an explanation. But Osborne's sister helped. She invited Agnia to her place, inquiring about the cult of Lucifer. Meanwhile, in the next room, the apostate's former confessor and Valentine sat in ambush. When Agnes began her explanation in praise of Lucifer, the old man suddenly entered in tears and sank heavily into the chair beside the unfaithful spiritual daughter, while Valentine stood at the door to prevent her from jumping out. Agnes was stunned, and the priest lamented: "My poor, beloved daughter, why have you ruined yourself, with what sorcery the wicked have bound your soul..." He wept like a child and fell to his knees before the icon with loud appeals of God's mercy to the traitor and to him, who had not been able to save her poor soul from destruction. Agnia listened and felt as if the fog was dissipating in her head. Memories of the past revived in her, and she herself began to weep when Valentine began to reproach her indignantly for daring to speak of the alleged religion of rapists, of abducting women: "Where is my poor Lydia," he exclaimed, "what have the servants of your Satanic religion done to this unfortunate woman, where have they hurt her?" The reminder of Lydia finally broke Agnia. She threw herself on her knees before the priest, begging him to save her and hide her from the terrible sorcerers who had destroyed her soul. Then began a long, rather stupid confession of a naïve girl, who was poorly aware of what was happening in the hands of the "sorcerers". But Valentine, who was well versed in hypnotism, had no trouble understanding what was going on. Agnes was subjected to intense hypnotization, during which she was instilled with an aversion to Christ and love for Lucifer, and soon succeeded. At the same time, however, they were evidently convinced that she was a mere passive somnambulist, and they let her go, without informing her of further influences, but being content with her as an ordinary proselyte. "So they need active psychic powers," Valentine reflected, "but for what?" "But where is Lydia," he inquired, "is she there, and what is being done to her?" She knew very little about it. She saw Lydia but did not speak to her, and then Lydia was transferred to some other rooms. "And all this is done in the palace of the Great Organizer?" Agnia replied in hysterical sobs that she had not been in the palace at all, and had not seen the Great Organizer in her eyes, but she was at the "of Babylon." Valentine involuntarily shuddered. The "harlot of Babylon" was the name given by Christians to a kind of dominant church of the time. About the debauchery that took place with her, about various sorcery, about the worship of an evil spirit - among them there were the most terrible rumors. Valentine was generally familiar with this church, officially called the "Universal Church," organized by the Great Magician Apollonius on the ruins of a Roman church; he knew that it was dedicated to the cult of Lucifer, and that there was no abomination that could not be found in it. It was also an institution of the Inquisition, and many Christians died in its prisons, especially in Rome. So this is the nativity scene in which the ill-fated Lydia found herself. This Universal Church, affiliated with the Knights Templar in Jerusalem, had its parish in the Temple. Of course, Agnia was immediately hidden in a safe shelter, where she prayed from morning to night, begging God for forgiveness of her betrayal. But how do you find and rescue Lydia? Agnes only knew that she was being held in the Temple, and had not been taken anywhere, since the administrator of the "sorcery," Apollonius, had recently mentioned Lydia to his subordinates. But Agnes knew nothing of the Temple's rooms except her own room. Valentine racked his brains in every possible way, thinking of how to find Lydia. It occurred to him that there was something he could do through Yani Kleft, a Templar rumored to be close to the Great Organizer. "After all, he is an old Sorbonne comrade, a friend of the Luchitsky family... Let us suppose that Antiochus himself, a former friend of mine, was received in a friendly manner, and Apollonius himself was... But Antiochus is no longer to be thought of, and Apollonius is a filthy animal nature. It would have been calmer if he had never seen Lydia in the eye. But Kleft is not that. It was a noble, honest heart. It is unlikely that Antiochus could have spoiled it altogether. Of course, he doesn't know anything about Lydia, but in his position he can certainly find out if he wants to." The idea of turning to Jani Kleft came back to him more and more often. But he decided that it would be better to consult Bishop Augustine, whom he loved and respected very much. "A mind is good, but two is better. Any mistake taken by her friends, in Lydia's position, may be fatal to her."

Amazing are the fates of human relationships! It would seem that not so long ago, some ten years ago, this same Lydia Luchitskaya, over whose terrible fate Valentin pondered, was the center around which people who were now divided into irreconcilably hostile camps united in friendship. It was in Paris. Although France had faded politically at the time, Paris played the role of ancient Athens in the world, and attracted young people from all over the world to its higher schools. He also attracted the Russian Luchitsky family, consisting of a widowed father and a young daughter Lydia, who studied at the famous Paris Conservatoire. Luchitsky himself, a former professor, was still a fresh old man, hospitable, and fond of youth. Lydia fascinated everyone who met her. Lively, intelligent, talented, she immediately attracted with the spiritual charm of her face. Her blue eyes, as deep as the sea, were especially striking. Still almost a teenager, she was able to subdue much older people with her independence. Young people crowded into the house of the Luchitskys, whose evenings were famous for their graceful liveliness. But even then Lydia was in a religious mood and disappeared from society, spending whole days in church or praying in a locked room, and no one dared to find this "strange." Among the young guests of the Luchitskys were Valentin Stozharov, a medical student who was expected to be a star of the scientific world, Antiochus Mason, Apollonius Zagros, and Edward Osborne, an Englishman who worked diligently on social issues. Antiochus Mason, an American Jew of dark origin, was striking in his brilliant abilities and energy. He delved into all the sciences and, among other things, seriously studied the Kabbalah and occultism. His almost mysterious ability to influence people was astonishing. With his boundless ambition, he seemed to be the natural leader of the masses. Apollonius, an Oriental, either Syrian or Persian, was a member of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, but he was entirely immersed in Occultism and Theosophy, and at the end of the course he traveled a great deal in the East, studying the mysteries of the Kabbalists, Dervishes, Fakirs, and Yogis. He was Antiochus' closest friend. The general favorite of the company at that time was Jani Kleft, an Albanian, not always inclined to the sciences, but attracted by his youth, cheerfulness and noble character. The young men all courted Lydia, but she knew how to prevent rivalry from quarrelling, and in general they formed a close circle of friends. Where did all this go at the end of the course? Everyone dispersed, immersed in the social life of that difficult era, full of internal struggles, which separated even the closest friends. In it, the greatest historical role was assigned to Antiochus Mason, the true exponent of the prevailing spirit of the times and the final link in human history. He was at the head of all events. And the epoch was complicated, unique, liquidation. In essence, the human psyche was, of course, the same as always, good and evil fighting in hearts. As always, good flowed from God and led to Him, as always, evil flowed from man's self-assertion, which tears him away from God and therefore binds him to his enemy. But now the results of this age-old struggle were being summed up, and in the general balance there was an immeasurable predominance of self-assertion, which had reached the point of usurpation of Divine power. There was a complete distortion of the reality of existence, which consists in the absolute predominance of Divine authority, and the direct intervention of the Deity was required to restore this reality. But with its restoration, the meaning of the old world, which was needed precisely for people to come to a conscious understanding of what the true reality of existence is, also ends. This epoch of liquidation, in spite of the extraordinary nature of its designs, was not essentially creative. It only summed up the results of the millennial work of human self-assertion in all spheres of life, everywhere banishing the Divine law and everywhere placing human desire and reasoning as the supreme law. Of course, this manifested itself in various forms. The last decades before the beginning of our narrative represented, from a socio-political point of view, the dominance of socialism, which sought to be molded within the framework of strict communism [3]. But nowhere could they hold on to this ground, because there is no place for freedom in strict communism. The aspirations for freedom constantly erupted in the form of an anarchic disorder that destroyed all the structures of communism. In this way, the productive economic forces were undermined from all sides. Communism suppressed free initiative, anarchism abolished compulsory labor. The peoples sank into poverty and insecurity, continually passing from a state of semi-serfdom to a state of savage arbitrariness, during which each one, according to his strength and fortune, seized a fatter piece for himself as easily as he subsequently lost it. Such a life irritated everyone all the more because the desire for sensual goods filled all hearts and constituted the main content of human desires. The legends of the old days of mighty bourgeois production, of wealth and splendid life, aroused only fruitless envy, because there were no longer any forces in society capable of reviving the discipline of the working class, which was necessary for the bourgeois system. But the present situation, which was always poor, sometimes to the point of utter poverty, aroused general irritation and reproach. Terrible civil wars, often turning into international ones, completed the general devastation. Weary and disillusioned peoples were ready to give themselves up to anyone if only they could be torn out of such an unbearable life. It was on this soil that the brilliant political career of Antiochus Mason grew, who, in the prime of his youth, managed to achieve the highest power in the world - the President of the Union of Nations, which he also organized from the ten powers that then divided the globe among themselves. While still in school, Antiochus became a Freemason and attracted the attention of the central Jewish community, Kol Yisroel Haberim, which worked to establish the world dominion of the Israeli people. The genius of Antiochus early aroused in this society the idea of putting him forward in due time as the Messiah. By accepting him as a member and secretly directing the activities of Freemasonry, Kol Yisroel Haberim gave Antiochus all his powerful support, which he knew how to make full use of. He became famous as a writer, became a world-famous leader of workers' organizations, received ministerial posts in various countries, played major diplomatic roles, and on several occasions showed outstanding military talents. Of his old schoolmates, Apollonius was always his constant friend and assistant. Jani Kleft admired Antiochus' talents and was ready to do anything for him, but he proved to be fit only in the military field as a brilliant partisan; Antiochus, however, greatly appreciated his devotion and courage. With his worldwide popularity among the masses, his enormous political connections, and the support of the ever-penetrating Freemasonry led by Kol Yisroel Haberim, Antiochus in a few years created for himself a peculiar position as an international figure, more powerful than the kings and presidents of the republics, and managed to unite all the powers into one Union, of which he was elected President. The power of the President was so great that the heads of the individual powers were entirely in his hands, and Antiochus immediately began extensive reforms throughout the world. Economically, he immediately introduced a new system everywhere, which, while forcibly preserving state communism and the right of unlimited state intervention, restored private property, private production, and free trade on the basis of the rights of temporary and perpetual possession. This quickly revived production, secured private interests and personal initiative, and led to a prosperity that, compared with yesterday's poverty, seemed magical. The whole world recognized Antiochus as a genius, and the popular vote in all the powers gave him the special title of Great Organizer, with the extension of the power of the President of the League to the size of the imperial. He chose Jerusalem as his capital, which at that time became the largest center of world trade. But these state reforms, for which Antiochus was praised by mankind, were but a trifle in his own eyes. He saw his true greatness and his great historical work in an entirely different idea. It was born in him in connection with the intellectual and religious evolution of the age. Long before Antiochus, this evolution was characterized by the downfall of both materialism and all positive religions. Huge masses recoiled from Christianity. The centuries-old efforts of Freemasonry were directed against it, and the main blows of all anti-religious trends - materialism, rationalism, positivism, all deniers of the mystical element - were already raining down on it. But if Christianity, as well as other religions, suffered a terrible undermining, then the anti-mystical trends, having fulfilled their historical mission, quickly began to wither. The very development of science dealt blows to materialism, which gradually became the property of only very undeveloped people. Mysticism was energetically resurrected, but on the basis of ancient pagan, Gnostic and Kabbalistic foundations, the guardian of which was Freemasonry itself. The influences of Hinduism and Buddhism joined this. In the revived mysticism, the Satanism of the Middle Ages also manifested itself more and more strongly. As an advanced man who stood at the height of science, Antiochus was fully imbued with this anti-Christian mysticism, which he transformed into a special system. He created a religion of man-worship, in which he himself occupied a central place, and the enemies to be deposed were Christ and the Christian God, understood as real persons. The internal decline of the Christian churches had lasted for a very long time even before Antiochus, and was noticeable even when, according to old memory, they still retained their authority among the masses of the people, and the governments thought it necessary to reckon with them, now by buying them with favors, now by resorting to austerity. In their general spirit, the churches of the different confessions differed little, so that the Christians who began to delve into the prophecies of the Apocalypse saw in all confessions the signs of the churches of "Sardis," "Philadelphia," and "Laodicea." Little by little, Christians began to draw closer and separate from each other, not so much on the basis of rituals and formulas of dogma, as on the basis of their spiritually religious moods. The decay of Christendom is especially marked by the rationalistic tendencies of the Sardisian epoch, of which it is said in the Apocalypse: "Thou hast a name as if it were alive, but it is dead." Theological science developed with the appearance of religious flourishing, but the very essence of faith – life with Christ – was abandoned. Christ Himself began to be presented not as God living in people and leading them to the Kingdom of Heaven, but as a wise teacher of the good conditions of earthly life. The mystical has faded, the mystery has become a rite, a belief in philosophy. But the more fervent religious people began to draw closer to each other on the basis of spiritual life, and there arose what was called the "Philadelphia Church" by an apocalyptic term. The clergy and people of this trend, without separating themselves from their churches, lived their own special lives, and the higher hierarchs seemed to be some kind of sectarians. For a time, however, the Church of Philadelphia became officially dominant because it was headed by the Orthodox Patriarchs and the Pope. This was a brief moment in the prosperity of Christianity, and the "Philadelphians" soon reverted to their former position. The ecclesiastical authorities treated them as a living reproach to themselves. The civil authorities disliked them because they did not want to give to Caesar what belonged to God. The evolution of the Church of Sardis led to a further downfall, culminating in the "Laodicea" era, in which there was complete religious indifference, and the thoughts of the pastors were concentrated on the possession of earthly goods. This was the heyday of Antiochus Mason's political career. At first, he continued to feed the hierarchs of all confessions, and with pleasure he watched their moral corruption. But his aims were the complete destruction of Christianity, and he charted the way in which the church itself was to grow into an instrument for denying Christ and serving his enemy. He had once completed the Templar degrees of Freemasonry, and now conceived the idea of restoring the Knights Templar. As in the Middle Ages the Order, which had been a sort of vicar church of the Pope, had become the church of Buffomet-Sataniel, so now the Christian church, in alliance with the Templars, could most conveniently be transformed into the church of Lucifer. Templarism, in changing certain points of the rule, seemed useful to Antiochus because it historically connected the church of Baffomet with the Roman universal church, albeit in the form of a heretical mystery. If the former popes suppressed heresy, the present ones could sanction it. And so, when in one war the army of Antiochus occupied Rome, he purposely created various quarrels with the Pope and declared him deposed. The pope fled, and the conclave, obedient to Antiochus, elected in his place Apollonius, who had previously been promoted to the episcopate. A considerable part of the Roman Catholics, among them the Jesuit Order, remained faithful to the former Pope, who, at a council of his few adherents, declared Apollonius a usurper and excommunicated him. This did not prevent Apollonius from leading a further revolution in Christianity. He declared that the Church of Rome, as universal, should include all the beliefs of the universe, and that the Knights Templar, supported by the best Popes, expressed the true spirit of the faith and rightly desecrated the symbols of Christian intolerance. A huge council convened by Pope Apollonius confirmed this and decreed that the Roman Catholic Church, freed from intolerance, should proceed to the unification of all confessions. Accordingly, several learned rabbis, mullahs, and Buddhist priests were placed among its bishops, without being baptized. The Templar Order was restored, with some changes in the statutes, with the abolition of the vow of celibacy, declared the protector of the Church, and placed under the supreme jurisdiction of Antiochus as the unifier of mankind. This insolent coup, which made a mockery of historical facts and logic, was calculated to make a multitude of nominal Christians glad to leave real Christianity on any pretext, and a multitude of clergy equally glad to restore their income and honour under the banner of any creed. And so it happened. The new Church, which assumed the title of Universal (translation of the word "Catholic"), began religious unification with the resurrection of the Gnostic teachings, with an admixture of Kabbalah, etc., and without hesitation quickly replaced the cult of Christ with the cult of Lucifer, retaining only some semblance of Christian vestments. Bishops of all denominations who did not submit to the Universal Church were declared deposed. This church, called by the Philadelphians the "of Babylon," received enormous material resources taken from the Orthodox and Roman Catholics as well as their churches. Its capital remained ancient Rome. Here, in the Vatican, the pseudo-pope lived, the College of Cardinals was located, to which all real power was given. Apollonius himself, at the end of the reforms, renounced the papal throne and received the post of Grand Magician under the President of the Union of Nations. He was in charge of all the occult institutions of Jerusalem. As for the Knights Templar, it was given its former historical seat in Jerusalem. As in ancient times, it consisted of clerics and knights. The Templar sacraments, identical with those of the "of Babylon," were under the jurisdiction of the clergy. Knights also participated in them, if they received proper initiation. But in general, Antiochus thought most of all to create a higher political police force from the knightly part of the Order, like the former Russian corps of gendarmes, but at the same time he wanted to have his own Life Guards from the knights. This duality was reflected in the inconsistency of their recruitment. Some of the knights were fond of the mysteries of Buffomet-Lucifer, some willingly played the role of police, some did not want to know any mysteries and were ashamed of police activity, dreaming of being true knights, the ideal of courage and honor. This lot of knights cared a lot about the military reputation of the Order and in their spare time led a cheerful and riotous life of guards officers. In total, the institution was deprived of internal unity. But Antiochus cared little for this, for he found that the less internal unity there was in the institutions, the easier it was for him to manage them as he pleased. It was the trait of a pure despot. He wanted only his personal power, and believed only in his own mind. The Grand Master of the Order was Larmenius, an obedient servant of Antiochus. In Jerusalem, the main "Temple", the castle of the knights, was rebuilt, on the outskirts of the city, in a grove, according to legend - the same enchanted grove where the fearless Tancred himself was once frightened, on the shore of a huge pond, which received the name of the Templar Lake for its size. There were also extensive laboratories and museums, not inferior to those in Rome, for the production of magical-occult works with all kinds of sorcery. These institutions nominally belonged to the Universal Church and its subordinate clerics of the Order, but in fact they were placed in the possession of Apollonius. As in Rome, hypnotism and psychic influence on people, objects, and the forces of nature made great strides here. Lucifer worship was already taking place in the Temple, accompanied by subtle forms of debauchery. In Rome, in the worship of Lucifer, even human sacrifice was practiced according to the Druidic ritual [6]. The prisons of the Temple in Jerusalem were also extensive, although they were inferior to those of the Romans. Under the Universal Church, the Inquisition was restored. But in the Temple in Jerusalem it was chiefly prisoners for political matters that were kept, while in the Roman prisons the graves of those convicted in matters of religion were found alive. Such was the state of the institutions at that time, to which the beginning of the events narrated in our country belongs. In Solovyov's writings, Apollonius is "undoubtedly a man of genius, half-Asiatic and half-European, a Catholic bishop" (Op. cit.). - T. 2. Moscow, 1990. p. 747) ^ Occultism (Latin: occultus - secret, hidden) is a mystical doctrine based on the idea of the existence of supernatural (occult) forces with which it is possible to enter into communication by means of magic. Theosophy is the mystical knowledge of God. In 1875 the Theosophical Society was founded in America, headed by H.P. Blavatsky, whose teaching was a kind of "mystical Buddhism" ^ Here and further Tikhomirov expounds the theses of his work "Social Mirages of Modernity" (1891) // Tikhomirov L. Liberal and Social Democracy. - Moscow, 1896 ^ "Kol Yisroel Haberim" is the proper Jewish name of the Alliance Israilite Universel (the first modern international Jewish organization, created in 1860 in Paris to help Jews throughout the world). I take this name only as appropriate in meaning, not at all wishing to say that the patriotic society mentioned in the story was the Alliance Israilite Universel ^ The name of Satan before his fall ^ Druids were priests among the Celtic peoples in ancient Gaul and Britain, who performed sacrifices (including human sacrifices) ^

The Orthodox Bishop Augustine, a native of Russia, to whom Valentine went, was hiding at that time. He was hated by the Great Organizer, especially for his work in converting the Jews to Christianity. The Philadelphia church, by the high spiritual life of its members, their firmness before the authorities, and their self-sacrificing help to themselves and others, attracted the attention of the best part of the Jews, whose church life was in a great decline. Bishop Augustine, convinced that the time of Israel's salvation was coming, was a zealous missionary among them. He had a close friendship with Baruch Hatzkiel, a scholar and the most universal rabbi who had long worked on the question of the Messianic significance of Jesus Christ. He had not yet openly embraced Christianity, so as not to alienate his fellow tribesmen, but he supported the preaching of Bishop Augustine among them, and a great number of Jews were baptized in recent years. This irritated the Great Organizer, who hoped to find in Jewry a strong support for his plans. Augustine was accused of fanaticism and sowing discord among the various confessions. He had to go into hiding, but Valentine visited him. "My friend, Father Vincent," he said, "is visiting me now, having listened to Valentine. Pater is a Jesuit, and it is useful to consult him. Yusuf, ask Father Vincent to come to us." Yusuf was a Christian youth who served the bishop on a regular basis. His father, Ivan, was a Russian who had migrated to Palestine, and his mother, Maria, was an Arab, both devout Christians. On their farm, not far from Jerusalem, there was one of the Christian hideouts. Father Vincent, a Pole by birth, was not slow to appear. Nothing in his appearance or costume betrayed his spiritual rank, and in the boutonniere of his frock coat shone a red flower with five petals, which Valentine sometimes met with passers-by on the street. Augustine related the incident of Agnias and Lydia, recommending Valentinus as a man of unquestionable trustworthiness. "There is no need to speak of Klepht Yani," remarked Vincent. This is the most faithful chain dog of Antiochus. But we can probably do without it. We have our own members in the Temple. After all, I'm a Templar myself: I'm wearing their badge in my buttonhole. It is worn when going out without a uniform. True, I am not of great rank - only a "worldly accomplice". I preferred this title in order to be less under the supervision of a grandmaster. But there are also higher ranks from the Jesuits. We need to check with them." A few days later, he received certificates, but they were not satisfactory. "In the room of the Temple," they read, "something is going on that is difficult to understand. Under the direct supervision of Apollonius, experiments in collective hypnotization and action at a distance are performed. Participants in such a collective action are recruited not only their own, but also others, voluntarily or forcibly. They are combined into special groups called "psychic orchestras" or "psychic batteries." The experiments, in the first phases, are carried out quite openly, but afterwards they are more and more shut up in secrecy from those who do not take part in these studies. What is known is that those who are intended to be members of the orchestra are subjected to complex hypnotic training, which is intended to subdue their will in order to direct it where it is required. The means of subordinating the will are varied, but, according to rumors, among them great importance is attached to the development of sensuality, for which they resort to various love filters, and even allegedly do not stop at rape. This was the story of a young scoundrel, a Templar who, he said, had been instructed to seduce one of the captured women. It is known about Agnia that she easily succumbed to hypnosis, but did not have the abilities necessary to enroll in the orchestra, so she was soon released. But Lydia's fate is more terrible. It is known that Apollonius tinkered with it for a very long time and fruitlessly. She did not succumb to hypnosis at all, she treated with proud contempt the luxury with which they tried to surround her, she did not take wine or exquisite viands into her mouth, the stupefying fumes had no effect on her. In the end, it was hidden somewhere, but where and for what purpose is unknown. Jani Kleft must know something about her, as he himself told his close comrades about her. He seems to have fallen quite in love with her, mentions her with reverence, and even seems to have grown cold to Antiochus because of her." Such were Father Vincent's certificates. "The only thing left to do, it seems, is to pray for her," Bishop Augustīns concluded sadly. But Valentine was stubborn and continued to look for ways to get to Lydia. The thought of Jani Kleft reawakened in him, and again he feared lest he should spoil matters completely. He went to consult Osborne. He didn't quite agree with the bishop. "Of course, we need to pray," he remarked, "but with the political plans that are brewing in our minds, we may be able to do something for Lydia." Valentin lived out of politics. Osborne, on the other hand, was one of those Christians who, seeing Antiochus's evident desire to eradicate Christianity altogether, wondered if his dominion could not be overthrown. Edward was at the head of them. The moment seemed auspicious for the attempt. The fact is that the threat of the mysterious Elijah and Enoch at the failed festival of Lucifer was fully realized. No one remembers such a drought as depressed the land in this year, which began under the most favorable climatic conditions. Not a drop of rain fell anywhere. Fields, vegetable gardens and orchards dried up and burned out. It was harvest time, but there was nothing to gather. The world was struck by widespread hunger. The calamity was increased by the general egoism of the time. Everyone thought only of themselves, and the starving man could not get a piece of bread anywhere. Only Christians helped those in need, but what could they do! Governments had to open up all their food supplies, but the people were still starving, and they were getting irritated and criticized. As a matter of fact, there was not the slightest sympathy for the prophets-denunciators, and no one thought of repenting before God. The prophets went through all the countries with exhortations, and everywhere they were met with hatred. Many times these messengers of misfortune have been torn to pieces, and each time death has befallen those who dare to do so. The crowd cursed the "sorcerers", but they aroused terror, and confidence in the authorities fell. "What did the Government boast of its own strength and Lucifer's?" the people explained. - Clearly, Christian sorcerers are more powerful than they are. And why are the food supplies so insignificant, why has so little been done to irrigate the fields, why has nothing been done to produce artificial rains?" Edward and his associates decided to take advantage of this to provoke a rebellion. Putting aside religious disputes, they shifted the agitation to the inability of the Union authorities and their negligence for the welfare of the population. It was necessary to remove all the rulers - such was the slogan of the conspirators. They hoped that the Christians, having become the leader of the movement, would gain popularity, and that in a coup d'état it would be possible to bring many Christians into power. "I am afraid, my friend," said Valentine, "after listening to these plans, that you will be of no use. But it is possible that in the general confusion, with the defeat of the Temple, it will be possible to free Lydia and the other missing... Well, for that price, I'm willing to join you." Even so, it was necessary to find out where Lydia's confinement was located in the Temple. And the thought of Klepht stirred in Valentine's mind again.