The  time had come, at last, after so many long years of fighting. Ascension was at hand. The prophet Kane had led the faithful to victory, and with the great tower left by the visitors, transcended from humanity's cradle into the heavens above, ready to follow the messiah into a glorious new future! Or so Isaac thought. But instead of being at Kane's side, with the Brotherhood, the Grand Confessor found himself amidst the streets of an unfamiliar city. It wasn't the vast bunkers and cathedrals of a Nod settlement, nor was it the high-rising cityscape of a GDI held zone. 

Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, it was comforting to see his most loyal men at his side. Soldiers who had stood by him during Kane's absence, and during the great heresy which nearly destroyed the messiah's dream of ascension. Ephraim, Ishmael, and Joseph of the Black Hand, his finest soldiers and protectors, there to guard their Grand confessor with their lives. They were as crusaders of yore, clad in holy armor and armed with the weapons of the faith. Holy fire and tiberium-based chemical weapons to purge heathens, heretics, and apostates. Red cloaks were draped across their shoulders, concealing their weapons and much of their bodies. They waited without a word for their Confessor's commands, ever dutiful and pious. 

	Ezekiel, a veteran of the third and fourth Tiberium Wars, and one of the finest saboteurs available to the brotherhood. Beneath the domed head-case of his hazmat suit, glowing red eyes barely outlined his skeletal features, dark and expressionless as always. Slender mechanical fingers danced across a datapad and a sigh of annoyance hissed from the suit. "My Confessor, I cannot reach any Nod outpost or patrol, what's more I cannot detect any sort of transmission, be it Brotherhood or GDI."

	A soft chuckle came from Adam, veteran Nod Shadow and at times the Grand Confessor's own personal assassin. "Perhaps something went wrong with the ascension. Alien technology tends to be rather fickle after all." The man looked rather comical standing next to the Black Hand disciples in his slim and form-fitting stealth-suit. 

	"Nonsense! Kane himself oversaw the calibration of the great tower. He would not have made any miscalculations, there should not have been any errors in our ascension!" The saboteur hissed, voice soft and full of venom.

	Isaac simply stood there, taking in their new surroundings. A city of great antiquity it seemed, the likes of which he had only ever read about in the scriptoriums of Nod temples. It was rather peaceful, quaint. A far cry from the war-torn badlands he was born into, with the Tiberium fields growing closer and closer every day. For a while he simply wandered through the back alleys of the city, silently contemplating to himself as his faithful defenders kept in close step behind him. All the while a trail of green tiberium gas trailed behind, lingering for a few moments before dissipating completely. They passed rotting homes and tenements, crumbling hovels and rat-infested camps. The people were weak, filthy, and looked upon the black-armored strangers in a mixture of awe and fear, shuffling away from them as they passed. Eventually, Isaac stopped, and quickly turned to face his brothers. 

	"My dear brothers. Do not be disheartened, and do not lose your faith. I have thought deeply on our situation, and it seems to me that this is a test. A test of our faith, of our resolve, and our humanity. Look at these people, look at the lives they live. Truly they need, no they have a right to our aid! Through Kane, God in all his infinite wisdom has sent us here, with the teachings of the Brotherhood. We are to be their saviors, and spread the word of Kane as the messiah had to us! His eminence spoke of a great universe for us to conquer, and now I see that it will not be by blood and steel alone we do it! Pray with me brothers, that we might be granted the strength and the wisdom to honor Kane's path!"

	The four knelt and bowed their heads in prayer, weapons lain upon the ground. The Grand confessor passed his censer before each of them, the green fog surrounding them as they softly chanted prayers. People gathered cautiously to watch the strange ceremony, at a safe distance of course. Eyes peering from broken windows and shabby tents watched on, and children in rags clung to their parents as they tried to gain a glimpse of the strange knights in black. Soon the chanting ceased, and Isaac raised his hands as he praised the name of Kane.

	"ONE VISION! ONE PURPOSE!"

	"PEACE THROUGH POWER!"