Just a short chapter to introduce the Pillar Men, but it does show some changes, especially in the dialogue.

Rome, Italy has a bit of an oddity to it. Even with a population that exceeds four million, there are only two subway lines, compared to other cities of a similar size that have upwards of six or more. Though there is a reason for this, as Rome is riddled with underground ruins, and odds are if you dig for any amount of time you will quickly discover a new one. This has caused construction of new subway lines to halt due to it not being worth the time and money it would take to build around them.

And so it is that in the Romantic Capital, secrets are buried that are more than two-thousand years old, many of which are still unknown. But right now, the Waffen-SS have stumbled onto a new one beneath the ruins of the Colosseum. UV lights were illuminating the stone wall holding the three Pillar Men, though one of them showed signs of starting to stir, an opening appearing on his forehead. "Look," one of the soldiers said, "He's starting to move."

"Don't panic," a Gestapo officer said, calming his men, "He can't move under the influence of the UV lights." He stepped in to take a look. "Our compound in Mexico was decimated by Santana. Lucky thing someone was present capable of destroying him, but that has caused the Fuhrer to rethink our strategy regarding gaining power from these evolved beings. The decimation of Stroheim's team proved useful for learning more about them. While under the influence of ultra violet light, they will remain as stone. Now we just have to cut them into harmless pieces while keeping them under that light, and transport them to Berlin."

Just then, he heard a whistling sound, like wind moving through the wall. "That's doesn't sound promising," he noted, "Private, check it out, but carefully. We can't afford to take chances, or we risk another incident like the one with Santana." The private nodded and approached the Pillar Man that had the hole. "It sounds like wind is coming through it. But I don't see the other--" He was cut off as a horn shot out from the hole in the Pillar Man's forehead, spearing the private through the brain. The Pillar Man then opened his eyes.

The Gestapo gasped. "He's awakening! The lights are not strong enough! Turn up the power! We must keep him petrified!" In response the Pillar Man started causing his horn, really a concentrated spike of hair, to whirl around and tear through the private, causing his blood to spray everywhere, including over the UV lights. "Nein...," the Gestapo muttered, terrified, "Without those lights, we cannot keep them from waking up... He must be far stronger than Santana. Sunlight was enough to keep him from moving long enough for his brain to be destroyed."

As the Pillar Man turned to flesh and left the wall he noted the officer's words. "So, the child they call Santana was killed. Unfortunate... The humans of this time seem to have developed much. They are able to replicate the power of the sun in a simple light. Fortunate that I and my masters are strong enough to resist it for longer periods of time. Not enough to stay in the sun for longer than an hour, but enough to still move more delicate parts of my body."

He looked at the officers. "It's amusing you thought artificial sunlight could keep I, Wamuu, from awakening, however." The Gestapo blinked. "You... Already have a name? Then did Santana have another name from the last time he was awake?" "He was born some centuries after me," Wamuu noted, "We never got around to naming him before he decided to slumber, so for clarity's sake we'll have to resort to the name you humans offered him. Now, before my masters are to awaken..."

He moved with a fluid grace through the group of Nazis, as if dancing. The soldiers and officers noted with horror that their hands had been fused together. Wamuu then grabbed the Gestapo and drained him, draining the soldiers at the same time due to them all being connected. "Now that the area is free from these arrogant insects," Wamuu said, "Awaken, my masters! Esidisi and Kars!" The other two Pillar Man turned from stone to flesh, dropping down from the wall.

Esidisi rolled his neck around. "Ah... I feel refreshed after sleeping for a couple of millennia. I'm curious as to what the world looks like now. No doubt the humans have made some minor advancements while we slept." Kars smiled. "So it would seem, if their attempts to replicate the sun's rays are any indication." "I overheard from those soldiers earlier," Wamuu said as he knelt before the other two, "In the land over the ocean, which they now call Mexico, the child which the humans have now dubbed Santana was killed. From what I overheard, one of the people responsible was able to use Hamon."

Kars raised an eyebrow. "Hamon? I thought we had wiped out that clan just before our slumber." "As did I," Wamuu admitted, "But clearly some remnant escaped our notice." "It's to be expected," Esidisi noted, "Superior as we are to humans, we are not yet perfect." Kars nodded. "Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if humans learned how to evade even our sharper senses. But we have more important things to be concerned about than a couple of humans. I was able to catch snatches of their conversation as I stirred, and it sounded like these two had to use everything at their disposal to kill Santana, meaning for now they couldn't possibly keep up with us."

Wamuu nodded. "As for the rest of the world, it seems likely from the sigils these soldiers carry that the Roman Empire has not continued. And if that is the case, then we can assume the Red Stone of Aja is lost to the winds." Kars leaned on his arm. "That stone is what we need to complete our ascension to that of a true ultimate life form. Powerful as we are, even we have our limitations. When our kind began evolving alongside humans, we gained many advantages, but at the expense of being able to bask in the sun the humans thrived under. But when we lay our hands on that stone..." He held up a stone mask, with a curious hole in the forehead. "That will all change."