The Vatican kept it hidden for centuries. They should have destroyed it.
A stolen artifact. A Vatican heist. And a cult that turns men into monsters.
Professor Chloe Winters teaches archaeology at Arkham University by day. By night, she’s an astromancer for the Supernatural Activities Division — a covert government unit that fights threats no one else can. When her ex-lover Ethan Turner, a fallen Division operative consumed by religious obsession, steals a powerful artifact from the Vatican’s secret vaults, Chloe and her partner Victor Crane are sent to Rome to recover it.
But this isn’t a simple retrieval. The stolen device — the Empyrean Engine — is tied to an ancient cult called the Sanctified Order. The Vatican has kept it locked away for centuries, and Chloe is about to find out why. Something is waiting beneath Rome — something that was once human.
With Ethan one step ahead and willing to kill anyone in his way, Chloe must navigate Vatican conspiracies, centuries of buried secrets, and the ruins beneath Rome to find the missing piece of the Engine before the cult does. If they complete it, the ritual begins — and what it summons won’t be angels.
✓ Secret government black-ops division
✓ Covert operative vs. ancient cult
✓ Vatican conspiracy and hidden archives
✓ Fallen hero turned fanatical antagonist
✓ Lovecraftian cosmic horror
✓ Rome catacombs and buried temples
✓ Archaeological mystery and puzzle-solving
✓ Dangerous artifact with catastrophic power
✓ Intense tactical combat
Vibes: Gritty, atmospheric, fast-paced, darkly intelligent
Setting: Rome and Vatican City — catacombs, secret archives, and ancient temples
Series: Supernatural Activities Division, Book 0 — Prequel (complete story)
Perfect for fans of: Larry Correia, Jim Butcher, and Jonathan Maberry
The void is listening. Don’t let it find you.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
A stolen artifact. A Vatican heist. And a cult that turns men into monsters.
Professor Chloe Winters teaches archaeology at Arkham University by day. By night, she’s an astromancer for the Supernatural Activities Division — a covert government unit that fights threats no one else can. When her ex-lover Ethan Turner, a fallen Division operative consumed by religious obsession, steals a powerful artifact from the Vatican’s secret vaults, Chloe and her partner Victor Crane are sent to Rome to recover it.
But this isn’t a simple retrieval. The stolen device — the Empyrean Engine — is tied to an ancient cult called the Sanctified Order. The Vatican has kept it locked away for centuries, and Chloe is about to find out why. Something is waiting beneath Rome — something that was once human.
With Ethan one step ahead and willing to kill anyone in his way, Chloe must navigate Vatican conspiracies, centuries of buried secrets, and the ruins beneath Rome to find the missing piece of the Engine before the cult does. If they complete it, the ritual begins — and what it summons won’t be angels.
✓ Secret government black-ops division
✓ Covert operative vs. ancient cult
✓ Vatican conspiracy and hidden archives
✓ Fallen hero turned fanatical antagonist
✓ Lovecraftian cosmic horror
✓ Rome catacombs and buried temples
✓ Archaeological mystery and puzzle-solving
✓ Dangerous artifact with catastrophic power
✓ Intense tactical combat
Vibes: Gritty, atmospheric, fast-paced, darkly intelligent
Setting: Rome and Vatican City — catacombs, secret archives, and ancient temples
Series: Supernatural Activities Division, Book 0 — Prequel (complete story)
Perfect for fans of: Larry Correia, Jim Butcher, and Jonathan Maberry
The void is listening. Don’t let it find you.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Used availability for William Stacey's Void Beacon