Diablo Chronicles Episode 6: The Cathedral Stairs Led Only Downward

This is a fan narrative rewritten based on the events of the original game. Character emotions, dialogue, and scene atmospheres have been reconstructed, and it contains major spoilers.

The Ruined Homeland and the Testimony of Survivors

The sight that unfolded before Aidan's eyes upon his arrival in Tristram was utter devastation. The once peaceful town was smothered by a thick fog and a sinister aura, with nothing but a heavy silence hanging over the plaza. The collapsed roofs and debris hinted at the sheer scale of the disaster that had struck this place. Rather than the relief of returning home, a chilling despair gripped his chest first.

Near the tavern, only a handful of terrified survivors huddled together, trembling. Hope had long since vanished from their eyes, and they startled in clear wariness at even the slightest unfamiliar footstep. Aidan took heavy steps toward the center of the town, where he found an old man standing, leaning on a worn staff.

Deckard Cain, the last descendant of the Horadrim, recognized the approaching warrior's face at once. A fleeting moment of gladness and deep sorrow crossed the old man's wrinkled face. Welcoming Prince Aidan's return in a trembling voice, Cain began to recount, one by one, the horrific tragedies that had unfolded in the heart of Khanduras during his absence.

The terrible betrayal of Archbishop Lazarus and the madness of King Leoric, who had lost his mind because of it, had driven the town to ruin. The truth flowing from Cain's lips was so harsh that Aidan could barely lift his head. The loyal knights had been executed, and his beloved brother, Prince Albrecht, had been led into the darkness by Lazarus's hand and vanished.

Aidan gripped the hilt of his sword with crushing force. The fact that his father had fallen into tyranny and slaughtered his own people tore his soul to shreds. While he had been shedding blood on the battlefield, the true enemy had coiled itself in the very heart of the kingdom, where it should have been safest. A wave of guilt washed over him for failing to protect his family as a prince and as an older brother.

The tragedy did not end there. Lazarus had incited the townsfolk to find the missing Prince Albrecht, luring them deep into the Cathedral. Ordinary mayors and farmers, gathered under the guise of a rescue party, descended into the depths with torches and pitchforks, only to find an unimaginably cruel trap set by demons waiting for them.

The sight of Farnham, slumped in a corner and babbling drunkenly, bore witness to the carnage. He trembled convulsively as he muttered about a blood-soaked cellar and the horrific shape of a monster tearing people apart. The extreme terror and pain his ordinary neighbors must have suffered echoed in Aidan's ears, dragging him deeper into a swamp of rage.

Aidan looked up at the Cathedral with a resolute gaze. Beyond the blood-stained stained glass, a thick darkness was churning. He could no longer remain drowned in sorrow. As a prince of Khanduras and as a warrior, he had to avenge his people and find his brother. The tightly shut doors of the Cathedral were calling to him.

Three Strangers Stepping into the Darkness

Aidan was not standing alone before the Cathedral entrance, which cast an ominous red glow. There were strangers who had come to Tristram, drawn by the dark energy or harboring clear purposes of their own. Moreina, a Rogue from the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye, drew her bowstring taut and glared at the malice emanating from the Cathedral.

Moreina sensed that the corruption blowing from the east was threatening even her Sisterhood. She possessed a firm resolve to purify this primal evil using only her bow, arrows, and agile movements. Her sharp gaze already seemed to target the throats of the demons hiding within the deep shadows of the Cathedral.

On the opposite side stood Jazreth, a Sorcerer of the Vizjerei clan, leaning on his staff. He was a scholar seeking the world's knowledge and a wielder of powerful elemental magic. In Jazreth's eyes, rather than fear, there burned an intense curiosity for forbidden arcane lore and ancient magical relics, along with an endless thirst for power.

Though their origins, purposes, and fighting styles differed, the three were bound by a common destiny to face the great evil coiled beneath the Cathedral. Aidan nodded silently, accepting their companionship. The heavy stench of death warned them that this cursed underground labyrinth was not a place one could ever face alone.

As the heavy wooden doors creaked open with a bizarre friction, a stench of rotting blood mixed with ancient dust wafted out. The Cathedral interior had long since lost its holy aura, and only broken altars and inverted symbols hinted at horrific pagan rituals. The three adjusted their grips on their weapons and cautiously took their first steps.

The Cathedral stairs led only downward. Even the handful of light filtering from the surface was completely swallowed by the deep darkness after just a few steps down. Only the faint flame of their torches illuminated their grim faces. Every time the chilly underground air pierced their lungs, they felt acutely that they were drifting further and further from the world of the living.

Unidentified sounds constantly echoing in the darkness stimulated their senses. The rattling of clashing bones, the squelching sound of tearing flesh, and the low growls of beasts echoed from all directions. These were not mere auditory hallucinations, but the way the horrific monsters roaming the depths welcomed the intruders.

Moreina was the first to loose an arrow into the darkness, impaling a giant spider. Lightning erupted from Jazreth's fingertips, turning the approaching skeleton warriors to ash. Aidan took the lead, swinging his sword in wide arcs to shatter the bones of the undead blocking their path. The brutal and long quest of the three heroes had finally begun.

The Chamber of Blood and the Terror of the Butcher

The deeper they descended, the thicker the metallic stench of blood in the air became. Mutilated corpses, damaged beyond recognition, lay scattered throughout the corridors. Rather than the work of wild beasts, it looked more like the traces of someone deliberately and brutally carving away flesh. With a grim expression, Aidan walked carefully over the sticky pools of blood on the floor.

Eventually, they arrived before a horrific room plastered with blood on all sides. From the ceiling, corpses impaled on hooks hung like slabs of meat, and on the floor, entrails and bones were piled high like mountains. This was the very slaughterhouse of hell that Farnham had been muttering about in his madness. The extreme terror the townsfolk must have experienced washed over Aidan like a vivid illusion.

At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness inside the room. A beastly roar of 'Ah, fresh meat!' shook the stone walls, ringing out as if to tear their eardrums. A massive demon covered in blood and flesh, the Butcher, charged toward them at a terrifying speed, brandishing a giant, blood-dripping cleaver.

The Butcher's overwhelming size and the murderous aura he exuded were enough to take one's breath away. Every time he swung his cleaver, a sound like tearing air echoed. Aidan raised his shield and barely managed to block the first strike, but he was pushed back heavily by the immense impact that vibrated to his very bones. His shield dented, and a pain as if his arm were breaking rushed over him.

Moreina quickly rolled to the side, slipping into the Butcher's flank. Her bowstring twanged repeatedly, burying sharp arrows into the Butcher's thick hide. Yet, the monster, seemingly impervious to pain, grew even more enraged and tried to bring his cleaver down upon her. In that split second, Jazreth's fire magic blasted directly into the Butcher's face.

His vision obscured, the Butcher shrieked and swung his blade wildly through the air. Under his indiscriminate hacking, a pillar in the room snapped in two, and stone fragments flew in all directions. Facing the monster's strength, which crushed everything through sheer brute force, one could easily guess how helplessly the poorly armed townsfolk who had followed Lazarus here had been slaughtered.

Using his rage as fuel, Aidan gripped his sword once more and charged. He could not let this monster, stained with the blood of innocent people, live. Narrowly dodging the Butcher's wild attacks, he slashed deeply into the joint behind the monster's knee. Losing his balance, the Butcher's massive frame collapsed to the floor with a thunderous crash.

Seizing the opportunity, Aidan drove his sword deep into the Butcher's thick throat. Black blood spurted like a fountain, and the monster thrashed in a horrific death throe before finally drawing its last breath. Only heavy breathing remained in the blood-splattered room. Though he had avenged the innocent, a heavy weight still pressed down on Aidan's heart.

The Skeleton King's Tomb and a Son's Tears

Passing the Butcher's chamber and descending deeper, elaborately carved marble pillars began to appear instead of damp earthen walls. It was the royal catacombs. On the walls hung tattered, rotting banners bearing the crest of Khanduras. Gazing at those familiar emblems, Aidan bit his lip, foreboding a tragic reunion to come.

As they reached the center of the massive tomb, a spine-chilling, cold laughter echoed throughout the chamber. From a giant throne of bone and iron, a skeletal monster clad in pitch-black armor slowly rose. A sinister red glow burned within his empty eye sockets. It was King Leoric, who had once ruled Khanduras.

"The living dare to covet my throne. Kneel. None shall defy me here." The voice flowing from the Skeleton King's mouth was closer to a metallic curse, but Aidan felt his heart break as he recognized traces of his father within it. The dignified and benevolent king was nowhere to be found; only a horrific undead lord, consumed by madness and corruption, remained in his place, unable to even recognize his own son.

As the Skeleton King swung his massive two-handed mace, dozens of skeleton warriors burst through the soil throughout the tomb. While Moreina and Jazreth dealt with the soldiers, Aidan had to face his father's specter alone. Leoric's mace fell toward Aidan's head with terrifying force. Aidan raised his sword, gritting his teeth as he parried the blow.

Amidst the sparks flying with every clash of their weapons, Aidan recalled memories of his childhood when his father had taught him swordsmanship. But now, before his eyes was only a cruel monster trying to kill him. The horrific reality of having to slay his own father with his own hands made Aidan's arms tremble, causing his movements to hesitate repeatedly.

"Father, please, open your eyes!" Aidan cried out as if spitting blood, but the Skeleton King only replied with an enraged roar. The mace grazed Aidan's shoulder, shattering his armor and leaving a deep wound. Amidst the searing pain, Aidan realized: his father had died long ago, and this monster was merely the product of evil sorcery puppetting his corpse.

Turning his sorrow into rage, Aidan gripped his sword anew. This was not slaying his father, but a ritual of rest to sever the curse binding his soul. After deflecting the Skeleton King's wild flurry of attacks, he slipped into an opening and struck hard at the joint of the arm holding the mace. With the sound of shattering bone, the massive mace fell to the floor.

Aidan's sword pierced mercilessly into the center of the off-balance Skeleton King's chest. The red eye-glow flickered wildly before fading away, and Leoric's skeletal frame collapsed helplessly. The dull thud of the crown rolling onto the floor echoed in the chamber. Aidan knelt before the crumbled bones and prayed silently for his father's tormented soul.

The Decaying Catacombs and the Boiling Caves

Leaving the king's resting place behind, the party headed deeper into the labyrinth. The air in the catacombs grew far heavier and more stagnant than before, making it difficult even to breathe. The sticky slime running down the walls and the decaying moss covering the floor showed that this place had transformed beyond a mere tomb into a massive nest of evil. Their footsteps grew heavier with each step.

Gleaming yellow eyes surrounded the party in the darkness. They were the Khazra, goatmen with the horns of beasts and the bodies of humans. Exhaling ragged breaths like hungry beasts drawn by the scent of blood, they brandished spears and axes. Moreina's arrows pierced their brows with precision, but the madness with which they charged, completely unbothered by the deaths of their kin, was chilling.

As they reached the edge of the catacombs, the artificial stone structures vanished, and a roughly carved natural cave yawned open. The further they stepped into the caves, the more the sudden heat dried their skin. Crimson magma boiled through cracks in the floor, spewing a bizarre red light. It was clear that the heat of Hell was breaching the earth, encroaching close to the surface.

The ecosystem of the caves was entirely different from that of the surface. Giant worms spitting acid and hideous demons hiding in the shadows, aiming for their throats with scythe-like claws, constantly harassed the party. Jazreth cast protective shields to defend his companions, while Aidan and Moreina stood back-to-back, slashing and shooting at the enemies swarming from all sides.

Extreme fatigue and tension gnawed at the minds of the three. The endless, maze-like caves paralyzed even their sense of direction. The sound of boiling lava sounded like the cries of thousands of deceased souls wailing in agony. This was a space where the living should not linger, and every moment was a continuous, desperate struggle for survival.

Nevertheless, they did not stop. Aidan crossed the lava zones, sustaining burns, driven solely by the single-minded determination to find his lost brother, Albrecht. Moreina silently stared into the darkness to find the source of the corruption threatening her Sisterhood, while Jazreth forged paths with his magical power, seeking ancient knowledge. Their bond grew even stronger amidst the crisis.

The giant gargoyle monsters they encountered deep within the caves were armored with skin as hard as stone. Just as Aidan's sword deflected and Moreina's arrows snapped, Jazreth focused his mind and unleashed a powerful chain lightning. Blue flashes filled the cave, shattering the monsters' bodies from the inside out. It was a victory born of perfect coordination.

After the battle, Aidan caught his breath and looked at his sword reflected in the red glow of the lava. The blade was chipped and stained with blood. The concentration of evil was thickening in proportion to the depth they had descended, and the enemies they would face ahead would be incomparably stronger than those they had met so far. Fear crept in, but he gripped his sword firmly once more and walked forward.

The Rest of the Cursed Knight Lachdanan

Deep underground where red light flickered, at a crossroads of darkness and heat in the abyss, the party encountered the figure of a massive knight clad in blood-red armor. Though a corrupted demonic aura emanated from his body, he did not charge blindly like the other monsters. As Aidan warily leveled his sword, the knight let out a painful groan and slowly raised his hand to signal no hostile intent.

"Hold, young warrior." Aidan gasped at the hoarse voice coming from behind the helm. That voice undoubtedly belonged to Lachdanan, once the greatest knight and captain of the guard in Khanduras. He was a tragic, loyal subject who had rebelled against the mad King Leoric, only to be cursed by the king at the moment of his death, falling into a blood-red knight doomed to wander the mortal realm forever.

Lachdanan expressed his devastating sorrow, pointing to his own horrific appearance. He was tormented by the guilt of regicide and the pain of barely holding onto his sanity within a body turning into a demon. "My soul is being torn apart at the threshold of Hell. Please, free me from this eternal torture." His earnest plea pierced Aidan's heart painfully.

Lachdanan said that only the Golden Elixir, hidden somewhere deep underground, could purify his cursed soul and grant him rest. Aidan could not turn a blind eye to the horrific punishment being suffered by the royal family's loyal subject. Promising Lachdanan that he would surely find the elixir, he plunged once more into the maze of the boiling lava zone with his companions.

The path to finding the Golden Elixir was perilous. Cliffs where lava cascaded like waterfalls and high-ranking demons wielding fire magic blocked their path. While Jazreth cooled the lava's heat with ice magic to create an opening, Moreina shot the demons in their eyes. Seizing the moment, Aidan dashed through the flames and grabbed the radiant golden bottle resting upon an altar.

Cradling the elixir that glowed warmly in his hands, the party hurried back to where Lachdanan waited. The knight seemed already at his limit, panting like a beast while emitting a red glow from the gaps in his armor. As Aidan cautiously approached and handed over the Golden Elixir, Lachdanan took the bottle with trembling hands and drank it in one gulp.

The moment the elixir slid down his throat, a miracle occurred. The blood-red aura surrounding Lachdanan's body melted away, and his hideously deformed armor began to regain its original silvery luster. The red glow burning behind his helm also softened into a gentle light before fading. At last, Leoric's cruel curse that had bound him was broken.

"Thank you, at last I have found true rest." Lachdanan left his final farewell in a peaceful voice. His body slowly turned into dust of light, scattering into the darkness of the cave. Only his worn helm remained on the floor. Aidan expressed deep mourning as he watched the end of the great knight, swearing to sever the root of the evil that had birthed this curse.

Resupply in Tristram and the Revealed Truth

Before reaching the threshold of Hell, the party instinctively knew they needed to resupply. As Jazreth opened a blue Town Portal, the three left the heavy scent of sulfur behind and threw themselves into it. When they opened their eyes, the cool air of Tristram welcomed them. Though it was a gloomy, fog-laden sky, compared to the suffocating darkness underground, it felt like a dazzling heaven.

First, they visited Griswold the blacksmith. Hammering before his massive forge, he let out a heavy sigh upon seeing the party covered in blood and filth. "It is a miracle that you have returned alive." Taking Aidan's dented shield and chipped sword, he began tempering them with practiced skill, breathing new life into the armaments.

Once the repairs were finished, Griswold handed a carefully forged, sharp longsword to Aidan. "I have poured all my skill and the remaining hope of the townsfolk into this blade. Please, end the lives of those cursed monsters." As Aidan gripped the heavy sword, the blacksmith's earnest wish resonated through his fingertips. It was not merely a weapon, but the will of Tristram.

The party made their way to the hut of Adria the witch, located on the outskirts of town. Inside the hut, which reeked of bizarre herbs, Adria was murmuring incomprehensible incantations while staring into a crystal ball. Even before the party could ask, she laid out powerful healing potions and scrolls of arcane magic on the table with a meaningful smile.

"What you have slain is merely a shadow. The true darkness has not even opened its eyes yet." Adria's chilling voice echoed in the hut. She warned them that Archbishop Lazarus was not a simple traitor, but was serving a far grander and ancient entity. It meant that the true nature of the evil squirming deep underground was far beyond anything they could imagine.

Returning to the plaza, Deckard Cain was waiting for them with an anxious face. Flipping through ancient tomes, Cain said he had finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. "The Horadrim records were correct. Behind all this carnage is the Lord of Terror, Diablo!" The old man's trembling shout felt like a cold dagger piercing the party's hearts. The legendary Prime Evil was awakening.

King Leoric's madness, Lazarus's betrayal, the Butcher's slaughter, and the disappearance of Prince Albrecht—it became clear that all these events were elaborate sacrifices for Diablo's resurrection. Aidan felt a suffocating pressure. It hit him with painful clarity that the desperate struggles they had fought so far were merely a prelude, knocking on the gates of Hell.

But there was no turning back. If the Lord of Terror fully regained his strength and ascended to the surface, not only Tristram but the entire Sanctuary would become a sea of fire. Aidan strapped the sword forged by Griswold to his waist and locked eyes with Moreina and Jazreth. In their gazes, instead of fear, burned a resolute sense of duty. The three walked back toward the portal.

Standing at the Threshold of Hell

Returning to the deepest depths of the caves through the portal, they were greeted by a horrific landscape on an entirely different level than before. The once solid rock walls had transformed into organic tissue made of red flesh and bone spears. The floor squirmed like a living organism, oozing squelching blood with every step. They had set foot in the realm of Hell.

The air was heavily laden with the disgusting stench of sulfur and burning flesh, making even inhaling painful. The red heat radiating from all directions was hot enough to scorch their skin. Far off, within a massive abyss where the earth had split wide open, ominous magical power was swirling and erupting. That was the true threshold leading to Hell.

Around the entrance of the abyss swarmed Succubi flapping blood-red wings and Balrogs enveloped in flames. They were the elite sentinels guarding the gates of Hell, brandishing hideous weapons to tear the intruders' souls to shreds. The screeching screams of the demons struck their ears like a chorus of illusions, disorienting the party's minds.

Aidan trembled momentarily at the overwhelming aura of terror emanating from the abyss. It was a pressure so horrific that an ordinary human would have gone mad from the aura alone. However, the face of his young brother, Albrecht, who must have cried out as he was dragged into the darkness, came to his mind. Thinking of his brother trapped in the middle of this Hell, his fear instantly turned into burning rage.

Moreina steadied her trembling hands and drew her bowstring. Even the teachings of her Sisterhood seemed to pale before this pure evil, yet she did not yield. Jazreth also gripped his staff, channeling his magical power. His thirst for knowledge, too, was replaced and sharply honed by the instinct for survival and destruction before the reality of Hell laid out in front of him.

"If we fall here, the surface will be consumed by eternal darkness," Aidan said in a low but firm voice. At his words, his companions nodded silently. No further conversation was needed. Raising their respective weapons, they began to slowly march toward the legion of demons guarding the threshold of Hell.

The fire whips of the Balrogs lashed through the air, and the cursed blood droplets of the Succubi poured down like rain. Raising his shield, Aidan was the first to charge into the center of the enemy ranks. His sword cleaved through demonic flesh, arrows pierced crimson wings, and lightning brilliantly illuminated the darkness of the abyss. The curtain rose on the most desperate and agonizing battle at the gates of Hell.

The long quest that had begun on the Cathedral stairs had finally reached the edge of the mortal realm. Plunging into the boiling blood and flames, the three heroes advanced toward the traitor Lazarus and the Lord of Terror waiting for them beyond the deep abyss. The path back was already severed, and piercing the very heart of Hell was the only choice left to them.

Sources Consulted

Diablo I Official Manual

Official Blizzard Chronicle: The Tragedy of Tristram

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act I

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act II

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act III

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act IV

Official Quest Data: Diablo II Act V

Official Diablo I Storefront: GOG

Official Diablo II: Resurrected Storefront: Battle.net