⛪ The Keys of Blood — Part Two Presented by the Evio Creative Podcast Network Before popes sat behind a curtain of velvet and Swiss guards… before the Church wrapped itself in ceremony and certainty… there was a Rome so fragile, a single whisper could break it. In Part Two of The Keys of Blood: The Assassination of Pope John VIII, we descend into the final hours of a papacy balancing between faith and fear. The enemies have changed — from pagan raiders on the horizon to Roman nobles at the dinner table — but the threat is the same: power without allegiance, belief without protection. This is the half of the story where hope runs thin, candles burn low, and holy walls echo with the sound of footsteps that do not belong. ⚒️ Episode IV: The Hammer and the Veil Rome is quieter now — too quiet. The Saracens have withdrawn, but the peace they leave behind is brittle, unnatural, and heavy with dread. Pope John VIII walks the halls of the Lateran like a ghost haunting his own life. He fortifies walls, counts dwindling coins, and sleeps beside a dagger wrapped in scripture. Meanwhile, Rome’s noble families circle like wolves waiting for the shepherd to stumble. Loyalty evaporates. Conspiracy thickens. In the dark chapel of Saint Leo, John studies a relic hammer older than empire — a reminder that creation and destruction are brothers, and both may wear the garments of God. ✣ Episode V: The Assassination It happens the way power always falls: quietly first, then all at once. In the bitter winter of 882, whispers crystallize into action. Doors close. Torches move through the Lateran. A pope writes his final unfinished prayer. And steel — swung not by infidels, but by Christians — finds its mark. There is no trial. No trumpet. Just the snap of bone, the hiss of oil, the severing of a throat in a palace meant for saints. Rome wakes pretending nothing happened. But history remembers the sound. A papacy believed divine learns it can bleed. 🕯️ Episode VI: The Keys of Blood The morning after, Rome resumes — markets open, priests chant, and an election begins as if faith were a garment easily cleaned of blood. Yet nothing is the same. A murdered pope becomes a mirror the Church cannot bear to look into. The illusion of sacred invulnerability shatters. The century that follows will be chaos — popes made and unmade, corpses put on trial, faith wielded like a blade. And yet, in the ashes, something stubborn endures: a harder, leaner Church that has tasted mortality… and learned to survive it. 🕯️ What This Chapter Explores A cinematic finale to the darkest chapter in papal history:     •    The final unraveling of Rome’s sacred authority     •    How a hammer reshaped a millennium of religious power     •    The psychology of holy men facing mortal danger     •    The birth of the Dark Century — and the reforms it forced into being This is not just the death of a pope — it is the death of an illusion. 💀 Credits Written & narrated by Branden Morgan Produced by Evio Creative in partnership with Bellaire Studios Press & media: eviocreative.com 🕯️ Sponsor Shoutouts Support deep-dive storytelling by visiting our partners:     •    Quince — timeless essentials, honest prices: quince.com/IDES     •    Mint Mobile — premium wireless for $15/mo: mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN     •    ExpressVPN — protect your privacy: expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN     •    MOOD — legal THC/CBD delivered: mood.com/DEVILWITHIN     •    Ollie Dog Food — 60% off fresh dog meals: ollie.com/IDES     •    Monarch — smart financial planning: monarch.com/IDES (50% off first year) 🎙️ Network CTA Listen to more from the Evio Creative Network: The Devil Within • The Devil’s Ledger • Criminal Mischief • Taboo Treasures Follow: @eviocreative • @idesofaprilpod • @thedevilwithinpod • @taboo_treasures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices