The Shepherd X

"For as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

— Proverbs 27:17

Part I – Face the Devil

Lucas and Rebecca walked down a dry dirt path beneath a heavy gray sky. The air smelled of dampness and fear. Before them stood Lorenzo Marquez's mansion — a castle of shadows surrounded by dead trees and shattered windows.

"This isn't a house," Lucas said. "It's a tomb."

Rebecca held his gaze.

"If we want answers… we go in."

The door was slightly open. As if they were expected.

Inside, silence reigned. Candles flickered atop rusted candelabras. In the center of the hall, seated on a black leather chair, was Lorenzo Marquez .

No elegant suit. No fake smile. Just cold eyes. A face that no longer needed pretense.

"Welcome," Lorenzo said without rising. "Are you here to investigate… or to die?"

Rebecca didn't flinch.

"We know what you've done. The girls. The fire. The bodies with scripture."

Lorenzo chuckled softly. Hollow. Empty.

"My, my… it seems The Pastor has admirers."

Lucas clenched his fists.

"You know him?"

"No," Lorenzo replied. "But I know he's declared war on me. And I won't lose."

A long silence followed.

Lorenzo slowly rose. Walked toward them with steady steps. Each footfall sounded like a sentence.

"That madman in black has been cleaning up my territory," he continued. "Killing my men. Leaving holy books beside corpses. Judging us as if he were God himself."

He fixed his eyes on Rebecca.

"I don't know who he is. Or why he does this. But I do know one thing…"

He paused. His eyes gleamed with icy fury.

"If he touches anything that's mine again… I'll kill him like a dog."

One of his men gestured toward the exit.

"Out. Now."

Lucas and Rebecca exchanged glances.

They knew they wouldn't get anything else that night.

But they also knew they had seen the real demon.

And now, The Pastor had an enemy who feared no death.

Part II – The Double Confession

It was 3:05 AM.

Samuel and Mateo walked through an abandoned warehouse near the docks. The air smelled of rust, salt, and dried blood. There, tied to iron chairs, sat two men: Diego and Ramiro , twin brothers working directly under Lorenzo. Responsible for drug trafficking and child prostitution rings.

"Stand up," Samuel ordered.

The brothers trembled. One tried to speak.

"Pastor, please! We didn't do anything!"

Mateo stepped forward. Cold. Determined.

"You did," he said. "You sold souls."

Samuel stood before Diego.

"Confess Jesus Christ as your Savior," he said. "Or die without redemption."

Diego wept. Begged. Finally, he spoke.

"Jesus is my Lord!"

Samuel fired.

Mateo turned to Ramiro.

"Your turn."

Ramiro shook his head.

"You're monsters!"

Mateo stared at him.

"We are only judgment."

He drove the blade into Ramiro's thigh.

"Confess," he ordered. "Or die screaming."

Between tears and blood, Ramiro did.

Mateo closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.

And fired.

Samuel watched as he wrote the verse on the wall:

"The soul that sins shall die."

— Ezekiel 18:4

Mateo looked at him.

"Should I write something too?"

Samuel nodded.

"Choose your voice."

Mateo opened the Bible. Flipped the pages slowly. Until he found one that felt perfect.

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin..."

— Romans 5:12

In black ink, he wrote it across Ramiro's corpse.

When he finished, he turned to Samuel.

"Now everyone will know I'm not just his shadow."

Samuel studied him carefully.

"You're not his shadow anymore."

"You are his flame."

Part III – The Rumor Spreads

The next day, whispers filled the streets.

In cafés, secret bars, and dark corners, rumors spread.

"The Pastor struck again."

"Yes, but this time… he wasn't alone."

"What do you mean?"

"There was another. Younger. Faster. Colder."

"A disciple?"

"No.

A disciple forgives.

This one kills."

"What's his name?"

"No one knows.

But they call him 'El Discípulo Amado'.

"So it's not just one anymore.

It's a war."

Part IV – Doubt Grows

Lucas and Rebecca returned to New York with a new concern: Lorenzo knew El Pastor existed… but didn't know who he was. And that made him even more dangerous.

"This wasn't random," Lucas muttered, reviewing notes. "He doesn't feel fear. He feels hatred. Toward someone he doesn't even know."

"Do you think he has any theory about who he is?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," Lucas replied. "But he won't tell us. We have to find him ourselves."

That night, in the newspaper office, Rebecca typed furiously:

"Who is 'The Beloved Disciple'? Rumors say The Pastor no longer acts alone."

She uploaded photos of the latest corpses. Noted differences: some verses were written in a younger, firmer hand.

"Two hands," she whispered. "Two souls. Two executioners."

She took out her notebook and wrote:

"If this continues… we won't just have to find The Pastor.

We'll have to find his shadow."

Part V – Human Hell

That same night, in a hidden corner of the city, Lorenzo ordered a public execution. Five underage girls were bound to iron posts. Dressed in torn clothes. Faces full of fear. Lips split. Eyes hollow.

"They failed," Lorenzo announced to a crowd of criminals. "They tried to run. They cried. They begged. They showed mercy."

He pointed at one girl. Barely thirteen. Fair skin. Dark hair. Blue eyes.

"She was the worst. She thought she could be free."

One of his men threw a canister of gasoline at their feet.

"That's why… she will be the example."

The others began to scream. To plead. To cry.

Lorenzo lit a match. Watched it burn.

"God may forgive you," he said. "I won't."

He dropped the flame.

The girl's scream was the first to vanish.

Then came the rest. Short. Sharp. Painful.

The scent of burning flesh filled the air.

Lorenzo didn't flinch. Didn't blink.

"This is how they learn," he said.

"The weak burn.

The strong survive."

Part VI – Shared Fire

That same night, back at the church, Samuel and Mateo shared a private conversation.

"You acted alone tonight," Samuel said. "Without hesitation. Without doubt."

Mateo met his eyes.

"I considered letting him live. Then I remembered the girls. The victims. The burned ones."

Samuel nodded.

"You chose your path."

"Do you ever hesitate?" Mateo asked.

Samuel picked up the Bible. Turned the pages until he reached one marked years ago.

"Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

— Luke 22:42

He closed his eyes.

"I hesitate every night.

But I learned to silence my heart… and listen to my pain."

Mateo swallowed hard.

"Then… am I wrong for feeling peace when I kill?"

Samuel looked at him deeply.

"If that peace comes from justice… then you are right.

But if it comes from pleasure…

then you are no longer saving souls."

Mateo nodded.

"I know what I'm doing."

Samuel watched him for a few seconds. Then handed him a pistol wrapped in white cloth.

"Then prepare yourself.

Because tomorrow… we preach again."

Part VII – The Shadow Grows

The next morning, an old shopkeeper read the local paper with interest.

"Two Dark Avenger: The Pastor and The Beloved Disciple – Myth or Real Threat?"

A customer glanced over.

"That duo again?"

The owner nodded.

"I don't know if they're angels or demons.

But no one stops them."

The customer drank his coffee in silence.

"Maybe… we don't want anyone to."

"Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

— Matthew 10:16