The Ones on the Brink

For centuries, the volcano had slumbered in silence—until, without warning, it erupted, spewing fire into the sky. As they fled the rivers of molten lava scorching everything the apocalypse touched, they had forgotten one thing: They were the Ones on the Brink. God had placed faith in humankind. Surely those before whom God had commanded the angels to bow would never betray that trust. Even if demons rained from the heavens, the children of the earth would never stray from God’s path. That was why God had granted the one created from fire the chance he sought. But it was not to be. Humanity had long since turned away from God. As the Devil roamed the earth, proving the frailty of the beings before whom he had once refused to bow, God reached out to the children of the earth one last time—and offered them one final chance. The Ones on the Brink were, in truth, the Lights of God. One could see the future; another could move freely through time. One could enter the minds of others, while another commanded the elements as effortlessly as a child at play. One could assume the forms of animals; another could detect a scent from miles away. One possessed the power to heal, while another could defy death itself. The Ones on the Brink were profoundly alike—and utterly different. When the Lights of God came together, volcanoes erupted and the Devil played his final hand. These eight, who chose to wield their divine gifts in God’s name, stood against the apocalypse while journeying toward destinies of their own. As they wrestled with the secrets buried within their lives, they encountered love—and its power to overthrow reason itself. Their journey carried them toward an inescapable end. For some, it would be the final journey. For others, the first step toward a new beginning. After all, which of us has never stood on the brink?