Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 1

The following story is based on Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. All characters, with the exception of two are from the game by Silicon Knights and Nintendo. The characters Richard Cale and Yvette Cale are characters from my own stories. ======

Prelude: Darkness Strikes

Richard Cale was reading a book on the Ancients. All his years, he had studied the occult, and never had he read about anything so horrifying. As he continued reading, he read about four Ancients. The first was Chattur’gha, who appeared to have been a creature that focused on strength and force. Even the description the book had was hideous, with monstrous mouths on it’s claws and everywhere. The next one was Xel’lotath, who Richard thought was linked to the problems his wife was having. Xel’lotath’s description often included a maddening eye that stared at you. The third one mentioned was Ulyaoth. Many of the texts agreed he was a mind with what looked like tentacles. The texts even said that his mind powers border into very dark magick. Also, those three Ancients had been in a cyclical battle for eons, until they were apparently imprisoned. They had been imprisoned long ago by a being named Mantorok, another Ancient who disappeared long ago. He then closed the book, only to reopen it to the cryptic first page. That was what prompted him to get the book in the first place. He reread the words again, this time aloud. “Richard and Yvette Cale. When you read this, it is important you call. Dr. Edward Roivas.” He also noticed the odd border around the page. It took him a while to realize it was the phone number, but now he knew what he had to do. Richard picked up the phone and dialed the number. He hoped he hadn’t acted too late, but something told him that time was running out. Soon, he heard a voice on the other end. “This is Dr. Roivas.” He smiled when he realized he got through. “Dr. Roivas. My name is Richard Cale.” He was surprised when Dr Roivas just said, “Ah. I’ve been waiting for your call. I take it you and your wife have some unique problems.” Richard was startled by the statement but answered, none the less. “Yes, Dr. Roivas. My wife and I both have problems. My wife says she sees things, but I know she is not crazy. Myself, I don’t know how else to explain it, but it feels like I’m in one place, but all of sudden, something changes. It’s like a blink of some sorts.” He was stunned when Dr. Roivas just said, “I see. It sounds like something I need to see for myself. You will have to come to my home in Rhode Island.” Richard was alarmed now. He and Yvette lived in England. It would take time to get ready to come out. He wondered why it wasn’t something Dr. Roivas could come to England for, and he needed to know why.

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Dr. Roivas listened as Richard Cale said, “Wouldn’t it be easier if you came to England. We have plenty of room here. I could even book your flight.”

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Dr. Roivas knew Mr. Cale wouldn’t understand now, but he would later. He knew that for a fact. He then calmly said, “I can’t leave the place for a few weeks. There is something going on here in Rhode Island, that I must attend to. It is better that you come to America. In fact, two weeks from now is best. I hope that isn’t an inconvenience.” He was glad to hear that Richard Cale finally agreed. “Alright, Dr. Roivas. My wife and I will be there in two weeks. I look forward to hearing what you think of our problems, and how your research into the Ancients helps us understand.” Dr. Roivas nodded and said, “It will, whatever it is, be solved in two weeks. Until then, have a safe journey.” With that, the phone call ended, and he hung up the phone. He looked over at the clock on the table in the foyer. He had not slept that night, due to his research into the Ancients. When he had heard the phone ring, he had left the secret study, and closed the secret door. It was now 6:00 AM. By now, his granddaughter, Alexandra, was sleeping in her dorm room in Seattle. He knew what was coming. He had known for a long time. He had been told what was going to happen decades earlier. That was what prompted him to write the book, and sell it. He knew it would find it’s way to the library of the Cale’s, and they would call. Now, he had made sure that Alexandra would have help in the task that was in front of her. He went back to the library and decided to read over his book again. He looked at the clock again as he went in, and saw the time. 6:30 AM. He had been thinking about everything for a half hour. Not much time was left. He went to his chair and sat down, and began to read.

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Alexandra Roivas looked around the strange room. She remembered falling asleep in her dorm room, but now she was in an odd room. It looked like it belonged at her home in Rhode Island, but the door to the room looked different, like an old asylum door. That was only part of the oddness. She was holding a Winchester Shotgun, a weapon she never held before in her life. However she did know how to use it, especially when the zombies started to appear. She didn’t know how they showed up, but she knew she was in danger. She aimed at each one, and unloaded one round into each ones head. The results were instant as the heads flew off, but for each one she got rid of, two took it’s place. She had only one course of action. She ran for the door. As she neared it, she heard a loud male voice show, “May the rats eat your eyes. The Darkness comes.” This scared her. What did it mean? What was this Darkness? Soon, she heard something behind her. She turned around and almost froze in shock. The image of a familiar person was in front of her. It was like a ghost, but she was sure it wasn’t. The figure just looked at her and said, “Remember me, Alex?” It was then she heard the ringing. She shook her head, and closed her eyes, and then she opened them, only to see she was laying on her bed, in her dorm room. She looked at the clock and saw the time. 3:33 AM. Then she recognized the ringing. It was her phone. Who would be calling her at this hour. She held her breath, dreading what was going to be on the phone. She was still groggy as she answered the phone, “Hello?” The voice on the other line sounded gruff, but calm. “Miss Alexandra Roivas?” She started to wake more at that. “Yes. Who’s this?’

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She was not in too much shock as the man answered. “This is Inspector Legrasse. I’m sorry to disturb you. There’s been an accident with your grandfather.” That was all she needed to hear. She took a moment to recover from the news and said, “I’ll be on the next flight out.” She hung up the phone and started to arrange the flight back to Rhode Island.

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Inspector Legrasse waited in the library for Alexandra Roivas to arrive. When she finally arrived. He greeted her and showed her to the scene. It was a gruesome scene, but he knew what he had to do. The other officers had done what they had to do, and had returned to their cars. It would be some time until the scene was cleaned up, but he understood why. He looked at the scene and asked the question of Alexandra Roivas. “Is that your grandfather?” She nodded, as she recovered from the sight as she said, “Yes. He’s wearing the family ring. But why couldn’t you use dental records. That would have told you who it was.” He shook his head and said, “We couldn’t do that because there was no head. This is crazy. No forced entry. The doors locked. It doesn’t make sense at all. I’m not sure where the answers are.” It was partially true, but she didn’t need to know everything. She looked at him and said, “Well, you better find answers, because I’m not leaving Rhode Island until I get them.” He watched as she headed out. He knew the police would provide a place for her to stay until the scene was cleaned up, but he wasn’t worried. When she was gone, he walked to two officers and said, “Keep an eye on her, and the house. I need to know if anyone arrives to investigate. She might be able to find out what happened.” He then headed, not to the front door, but the basement door, as he also changed forms. Instead of looking like a police detective, he now looked like a Roman Centurion. He headed down the steps, and through all the protective measures, back down to Ehn’gha. As he moved down, he said “Soon, it will be time.”

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Chapter 1: Searching For The Truth

Yvette Cale looked out of the car as her husband pulled into the driveway of the Roivas estate. She would have thought the place very lovely, if not for the creatures that were all around the place. She never really understood why her husband never saw them. There had to be a good reason why she could see them. Did they stand on the brink of reality, waiting to cross? If that was the case, how could she see them? She always saw odd things, even when her father would take her on archeological digs. Soon, she heard the car stop, as her husband said, “Here we are, hun, the home of Dr. Edward Roivas. I do hope he’s home right now.” Yvette looked at the house, noticing the odd hole in the wall on the second floor. “I hope he’s safe. That missing window doesn’t bode well.” She then pointed up at the second floor, where there was a hole in the wall. She watched as her husband followed her gaze, and when he looked where she looked, she knew he didn’t see it. She then got the answer she suspected would come. “Dear, there is a window up there. I must admit, it does look out of place. It’s a giant stained glass window.” Now she understood something about the ‘window’. She looked further up and noticed a piece of paper floating in mid air. She couldn’t tell what the paper was, but there had to be a reason it was floating in an invisible ‘window’. The ‘window’ was a hiding place. She looked at her husband and said, “Richard, there is something floating in the ‘window’. The stained glass ‘window’ you see must be hiding something. I also think that those things out there are what it’s being hidden from.” She watched as some of the creatures started to advance. They weren’t moving fast, but she knew they had planned to strike. As they advanced, she ran over to the door to the building. She turned to see Richard coming towards her, with a worried look on his face. “Yvette, was has gotten into you? Why are you acting so scared?” She looked at him and said, “I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to get inside. Something is approaching us, and I don’t think it means us any good intentions.” She saw him nod, and then watched as he knocked on the door. She hoped it would open soon. She then took a glance back, only to see that some of the creatures had gotten closer since she last looked. She hoped that none of them would attack before they got in the door. She also hoped that Dr. Edward Roivas was not so old that he lost his speed.

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Alexandra Roivas looked around the main hall. When the police said she could enter the building again, they had given her one key. She thought it was to the front door, but she was shocked to discover that the front door was unlocked. The police wouldn’t have been so careless. Not only had the estate been the scene of a murder, but the place was also old, and her family was rich. The mansion was a burglar’s dream job. However, when she thought about it, there was never a burglary in the estate’s long history. In fact, the only things she did remember about the mansion’s history was the fact that all the ills

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 5 had been caused by her family. However, now was the time to find something out about what happened to her grandfather. She was about to head up the steps when she heard someone knocking on the door. She looked over at the door, and wondered if it was her imagination. Soon, the knocking came again, and she ran to the door. When she opened it, she saw a young couple, although both appeared to be older than her. She looked at them and said, “Can I help you?” She was almost surprised when the young woman entered and said, “First of all, I’d feel better inside.” She watched as the man followed, apparently surprised by the woman’s aggressiveness. The woman then said, “It’s safer in here right now.” She closed the door, still in shock, but heard the man say, “Yvette, don’t be rude.” She watched as the man then faced her and said, “I’m sorry. My name is Richard Cale, and this is my wife, Yvette. Is Dr. Roivas in?” She started to realize a few things about these people. The first was that they didn’t know about her grandfather’s death. She wondered also if they knew him. She tried to hold back the grief the news had caused and said, “I’m sorry, but my grandfather died two weeks ago. I’m Alexandra Roivas.” Alexandra looked at the couple and saw they were in shock. She then saw Yvette walk to a window, and look out, saying, “Those things got him, hun. All those things out there got him. I don’t think they got what they were looking for, but they got him. That’s why they are watching this place.” Alexandra turned to Richard and said, “What is she talking about? And how do you know my grandfather?” She watched as Richard pulled out a book and opened it. “This is how. This book had a message from him to us. I had called two weeks ago. In fact, I think the time it ended in England was 11:00 AM. What time did you receive the call he died?” Alex was now growing suspicious, but not by these people, but by other things. She had no doubt about the book, because she recognized her grandfather’s writing. She looked at Richard and said, “3:33 AM, on the west coast. I have a feeling you two are telling the truth, but what it does leave us with is who killed my grandfather, and why?” She also wondered one other thing. She then said, “By the way, why are you arriving here now?”

Richard respected the question. He looked at Alexandra and said, “Alexandra, if I may call you that, when I spoke to your grandfather two weeks ago, he said to arrive here in two weeks. He might have known this was coming and wanted us here to help you.” He then looked around the room. He hoped there would be some clue to what had happened. It was then he noticed the clock on the table. “Alexandra, what time did you get the call?” As he walked over to the clock, he heard her say, “3:33 AM. Why did you have to ask that again?” He then saw that she was looking at the clock face as she gasped. “It stopped at that time. That is odd. To be honest, I never noticed it working. I don’t think it ever was wound.” He was startled when Yvette said, “You can’t wind that clock with that key. That key isn’t for a clock.” He then looked at the key to the clock, and saw his wife was right. He held it up, and heard Yvette say, “That looks like the key to one of the dressers back

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 6 home. Maybe there is dresser drawer upstairs that needs to be opened.” It was at that moment he saw Alexandra run up the steps. He followed her, with Yvette at his side. Maybe they could get some answers, or at least some more clues. However, by the time they were up there, he heard Alexandra shout, “Damn it. The key broke. There is no way we can get to other rooms now.” Richard saw her drop the broken key, but he quickly grabbed the pieces. He looked at her and then said, “Let’s check the other rooms. Maybe there is a spare key elsewhere. What rooms can we check?” He watched Alexandra head down the steps, and followed as she said, “Well, there is the kitchen, the music room, and the library. Let’s check the kitchen first. I know that my family had servants working here. There might be a spare in there.” He nodded and followed her in. As they all entered, he heard Yvette say, “I think we have a clue right here. Take a look at this door.” He looked right where she was looking, and he felt his eyes grow wide. On the door was a metal plate, and a glowing purple rune was on it. He then heard Alexandra say, “What is that? And what is that sword on the plate?” He thought about it and finally said, “It looks like the rune of Mantorok. He’s one of the Ancients mentioned in your grandfather’s book. As for the sword, I don’t know what to make of it, but I have a feeling that anything we need is behind that door.” He then heard a door close, and he turned around to see his wife had left the room. He ran out the door, only to see her enter a back room. “Where is she going?” He heard Alexandra answer him. “That’s the music room. My grandfather has a nice grand piano in there, as well as a fireplace, and a very odd painting.” That raised his interest as he ran in after his wife. When he entered, he saw his wife looking at the picture, and he heard Alexandra say, “That’s the painting I mentioned. It looks like that symbol in the center is the one on the plaque.” He glanced at it, and his wife said the one thing he was thinking. “Red conquers Green. Green conquers Blue. Blue conquers Red. It’s an eternal circle. Just like in the book, right?” Richard nodded and said, “Yes, my love, it is. However, this is a clue. Something seems odd about the fireplace.” He knocked on the back wall, and realized what he heard. “There is a room behind here. Now all we have to do is find a way in. I have a feeling there is only one place to find the entrance.” He looked at his wife, and then at Alexandra, and he could tell she knew where they would find the entrance.

Alexandra knew what Richard was hinting at. The only two doors that were locked were to the upstairs hall, and to the basement. That meant the only other room to go was the library, the place her grandfather died. She looked at her two guests and said, “I think you should know that my grandfather died in the library. The police might have cleaned up the mess. It has been two weeks, but I should brace you for the worse.” She watched both nod, and then led them out of the music room and to the library. As soon as they entered, she heard Yvette gasp and say, “My goodness. This room is disturbed. There is something in here. I can tell.” As she led them back to the part where her grandfather was found, she hear

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Richard say, “She’s right. Something is hidden in here. For some reason, it feels like there is more here than even we suspect. All we have to do it find it.” Soon, they were in the back of the library, where her grandfather’s desk was. This was where he did most of his work. It was then she saw the grandfather clock. Even that had stopped. Then she looked at it a second time. She smiled and said, “I think I found the entrance.” She walked over to the clock and started to move the hands. Soon, the time reached 3:33, and she heard it. She turned to see Richard and Yvette looking at a bookshelf sliding out of the way. It was a hidden hallway. She watched as Richard started heading in and said, “This is it. This is were we will hopefully find our answers.” She and Yvette followed Richard into the hall, and waited as he stopped at the door. He then said, “I think you should enter first, Alexandra.” She nodded and opened the door. She was surprised at what the room held. It was a secret room. As she entered, she saw things from all over the world. Her grandfather had been busy. In fact, her family had to have been busy. She then watched as Yvette walked in and looked at the desk. She saw her gazing at a book, only to hear her say, “That’s it. That has all our answers.” Alexandra sat down at the desk, and opened the book. Soon images flooded her mind. She saw horrible things, and dark images. She shook her head and looked up again. She noticed that Yvette looked scared. She went to ask Richard why, but realized the reason. Richard Cale had disappeared. She looked down at the book again, and was surprised to see a ghostly image of him on the first page. It was faint, almost unnoticeable, but she wondered if this dark book had claimed him. She looked back at the book and read the title of the chapter, The Chosen One. As she began the chapter, she looked at Yvette and said, “Don’t worry, Yvette. Once I read this chapter, he should be back.”

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Chapter 2: Watching The Chosen One

Pious Augustus stood with his two best soldiers. They had just fought a battle with some of the soldiers of the land known as Persia. When he was sent on this mission, his emperor had told him to retrieve a powerful icon. He had been told the Persians would do anything to protect it. It had been a fierce battle moments ago, but his men were victorious. He looked at them and said, “Tell the troops the battle was well fought, and to be ready for the next battle. Let them rest, for they will need their strength. Also, make sure they have enough water, and keep their spirits high. The desert is a cruel beast.” The first soldier nodded and said, “At once, Centurion Augustus. Again I must compliment you on your battle plan. Our enemies did not have a chance at victory.” He watched as the soldier saluted him and then went back to the troops. The second soldier then turned to him and said, “Centurion, do you honestly believe this item we seek truly exists?” He looked at the soldier and said, “I have no doubt the item exists. Look at how fierce our battle was. Our enemies seek to keep us from finding it. As for now, have the men rest, and in the morning, we shall continue our emperor’s quest.” He watched as the soldier saluted him and then left. Pious was now alone to think about the whole situation. He hoped they would find the item soon. The desert was far more dangerous than the enemy troops. He knew many men would eventually fall to the might of the desert. He looked up and said, “Jupiter, give me a sign that the item we seek is near.” He was almost startled as he heard a voice call out his name. “Pious....Pious Augustus.” It sounded feminine, and he feared it was a Siren. He also felt the powerful pull of the voice and went in the direction of the voice. Eventually, he approached a strange circle of stones. As he looked at them, he saw strange symbols carved into them. Something about them made him think that they emanated power. He heard another voice, this time masculine, say “Pious....Pious Augustus.” He knew then that this was what he sought. If he could find the item, he and his men could go home. He entered the ring of stones, and soon power from the ring zapped him. He felt what appeared to be Jupiter’s thunderbolt go through his body. The pain was more than he felt he could handle, and he hoped it would end soon. He then noticed the desert was disappearing from sight, but was being replaced with the sight of a temple with an eerie dark light. When he could move, he stepped forward and wondered if he was dead and in Pluto’s realm. He turned to look around. He had seen a figure while he entered into the temple, for lack of a better way of describing. He looked for the figure, and thought it was an minion of Pluto’s. As he looked around the room, he figured he wasn’t dead, but Death was present where ever he was. He then looked at the floor, and saw a strange purple etching. It was similar to the ones he saw on the stone pillars, and wondered if it was related to the others. However, now was not the time to wonder. He remembered his men were in the desert. He needed to find a way to get to them, with the item, if it was indeed here. The only way to go was down a ladder that was in the center of the room.

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Pious carefully descended into the next level, and looked down a long hallway. As he started down the hall, he saw a strange stone block at the end of the hall. He also saw corpses littering the hall. He was not the first to come through these halls. He wondered what fell the others in the hall, but was surprised when he saw his answer. The one corpse stood, as if willed by Pluto himself. He pulled out his Gladius and started down the hall, as the corpse did the same. As he got halfway down the hall, the corpse was joined by two others. He did not fear them. He was armed, and they were not. He beheaded them, and chopped off their rotten limbs, causing them to fall. With those three dispatched, he proceeded to the end of the hall, and picked up the block. On it was one of the etchings from the pillars, however this one was blood red. As he held it, something made him think of strength. He opened the door at the end of the hall, and entered a small room with two more walking corpses. He also noticed another block on a small table. He destroyed the corpses that approached him, and then picked up the odd stone. This one had another symbol on it, the color green this time. As he looked at it, he thought he heard voices talking. The second he looked for them, the voices stopped. He looked around, and saw two doors. He went to the door he hadn’t entered the room from. Before he opened the door, he said, “Jupiter, give me strength to endure whatever evil forces are at work.” He entered the next room, and was attacked by more corpses. He saw a block in the corner of the room, which had to be what they were guarding. These corpse fell to his blade like all the others. He then went to the block and picked it up. This was like all the others, except it had a ghostly blue etching on it. He also noticed a ladder going down. It was his only way out, and he climbed down it. When he reached the floor, Pious heard a corpse approach him. He turned, and swung his Gladius, dispatching the corpse quickly. He walked to a fork, and saw and metal gate to his left, and another door to his right. He headed for the door to his right, and hoped he would figure out a way to open the gate. As he opened the door, he saw a huge room. It was the largest he had seen in the whole place. He also heard the shuffling of corpses heading towards him. That was bad, since the part of the room he was in was very small. He needed to get out of there, and into the big room. He ran as fast as he could past the corpses, swinging at them as he entered the large room. He destroyed three of them, and came to a stop in the huge room. That stop was all the fourth corpse need as he felt it grab him and bit into his shoulder. He broke free and quickly decapitated it. Once it was no longer a threat, he looked around at the room. On the walls he saw the same four symbols he had seen earlier, and small square shaped holes under them. He looked again at the blocks he had. He put them with the matching symbols, but still one was missing. He looked at the center of the room and found it. It had the odd purple symbol he saw earlier. He placed it in the hole that was left and was amazed that all the symbols now glowed. He also heard the sound of the iron gate opening. He knew where he had to go. Pious ran out of the huge room, and straight toward the way that had been blocked by the gate. As he entered the room, one thing drew his attention. A statue that looked like him was in the center, and literally blocked his movement. As he approached it, he heard a voice say, “Pious, prove your worth to us. Destroy the obstacle in your path, and you will find what you seek.” It sounded like the gods themselves wanted him to succeed.

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He lifted his Gladius and swung it hard, destroying the statue’s head. He then noticed a door behind it open a bit. He destroyed both arms, and the door was almost open. He brought the Gladius down one more time, and as the statue fell apart, he saw the door open fully. He had proved himself worthy. He was close to the item he was meant to find. As he headed through the door, he said, “I have proven myself. Show me the way.” He then saw a round part of the next room’s wall was glowing. He also noticed three more corpses walking towards him. He looked at them and shouted, “Whatever you things are, you shall not stop me.” He cut them to pieces with a speed he never knew he had before. When they we eliminated, he walked over to the round part of the wall and pushed it. Soon he heard three pillars rise in the center of the room. He knew what to expect. He stepped into the center of the pillars and again he saw his surroundings change. He also saw the figure again. Whatever that figure was, it would not stop him, especially now that he saw the item he sought. However he was surprised when he saw three items instead of one. Now he wondered which one he should grab as he approached them. He also wondered about the odd mist in the room.

Richard had been following Pious from the second he saw him. He figured this was the figure the chapter of the book was about. He even wondered if Pious had somehow seen him. However, now it was dangerous. In the room were three artifacts, one a red claw, the second a blue veil-like thing, and the last looked like a green warped angel. He saw now that Pious was reaching for the green one. He had a feeling that all were evil. He remembered the diagrams he saw at the Roivas estate. He had to stop Pious from grabbing that artifact. He went to run forward and stop Pious, but he felt a wave of fatigue. It was one of his attacks, what he called a ‘blink’. He blinked his eyes until his head cleared. When he looked at Pious, Pious was grabbing the red claw. Rich saw the power start to surge from the claw. Richard started to run forward again and shouted, “No!!!” It was too late. He saw the power consume Pious and ducked down as the Gladius flew through the air, shattering the blue veil, and crashed to the floor down the hall. Richard looked at the sword and saw it now glowed a bluish color. He wondered if it was fate that the Gladius had become that way, but he didn’t have time to ponder it. He heard Pious move, and he turned to look at the figure. Pious had changed. His body looked like it had rotted away. He was almost skeletal. The figure looked at him and said, “You are too late, fool. You can no longer stop me from claiming the power of Chattur’gha. You shall fall to my master, as will all humanity.” Richard saw the red bolt of power leave Pious and he saw the end coming, but just as the bolt reached him, everything faded out, and he saw the room in the mansion start to appear around him. He thanked God that he somehow survived that ordeal.

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Chapter 3: Subtle Change Of Darkness

Yvette Cale watched as her husband reappeared. She could also tell that whatever he had experience had an impact on him. When he was fully back, she ran over and hugged him. It took him a moment to hug her back, but she could tell he was thankful to be able to do it. She could even tell by his breathing that what he saw had scared him. Even from what Alexandra had read, it had scared her. She looked at him and said, “Richard, what did you see?” She held her husband as he said, “I saw him make his way through whatever that place was. I saw corpses walk, as if it was perfectly natural. They were dead, but they walked. In fact, they did more than walk, they attacked. It didn’t make any sense.” She heard Alexandra get up and say, “Richard, are you saying the corpses actually walked?” She felt her husband nod, and she then heard Alexandra reply by saying, “This makes no sense at all.” She then noticed that Alexandra’s gaze was focused on the far wall. She then heard her ask, “Richard, what type of sword was it that Pious Augustus had?” She made her husband look at the sword that Alexandra had seen, and said, “Richard, was that Pious Augustus’ sword?” She let him walk over to it, as if he was studying it with great interest. After a bit, she saw him shake his head as he said, “No, Pious’ Gladius had struck the blue artifact, which I think was of Ulyaoth. If I remember from the book your grandfather wrote, Alexandra, Ulyaoth was the Ancient who could defeat Chattur’gha. The Gladius I had seen glowed a bluish color. This one doesn’t glow, which means it’s not the same sword.” She then saw Alexandra head over to a picture frame near the door, and saw a chapter page hanging on the wall. She watched her take down the page. As that happened, she heard Alexandra say, “You might as well take it, Richard. If you run into more of those creatures, you will need it to protect yourself.” Yvette then remembered one thing. She looked at Alexandra and said, “Wait, Alexandra. Richard brought something which he can use to defend himself. Richard, why don’t you go get it.” She watched her husband head to the door, and saw him say, “I’ll go get it. Let’s meet in the kitchen. I want to know how that plaque looks.” She watched Richard run out the door, and she also hoped he’d be ok out there. She knew those things were out there, and she was sure that now, her husband would see them.

Richard Cale ran out the door and straight for his car. He knew what he had to get. He needed his sword. It was the same sword his father owned, as well as his grandfather. The sword was a family heirloom. He also wondered if his ancestors ever used the sword in the way he intended to use it. Yvette had talked him into bringing it with them, but he wasn’t sure why. Now he was sure why, especially as he unlocked the trunk. He saw some of the creatures he saw when he followed Pious Augustus. Now he understood Yvette urgency to get in the door. He started to wonder how many more creatures were out there, watching and waiting. He quickly opened the trunk, and pulled out the case the sword was in. He didn’t want to open the case and provoke an attack.

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With the case now in hand, he closed the trunk and almost jumped when a voice said, “Excuse me, sir.” Richard looked straight at a man who wasn’t standing there a moment before. He hadn’t seen any other cars around, and looked at the man and cautiously said, “May I help you?” The man smiled, and Richard felt as if he looked at that smile before. “Inspector Legrasse, I’m investigating a murder that happened here. Do you mind answering a few questions?” Richard started to inwardly worry, but he wasn’t about to let it show. He looked at the man and said, “I’m not sure I can answer any. I just arrived here today. Nothing else I can tell you.” He watched as the man looked at him and said, “Are you a friend of Ms. Roivas?” Richard nodded, but said nothing more as the man leaned closer and said, “I don’t know why, but you look very familiar. Just be careful. Whoever killed Dr. Roivas may still be lurking about, might even be out there watching us.” He saw the man point out in the distance. He turned to look where the Inspector pointed, and saw more of the zombie-like creatures. He then said, “Are you suggesting that the murderer is out there, Inspector?” He turned to face the inspector, only to see no one there. He found that very unsettling. He started to wonder if the inspector had been all he seemed to be. With all the strange things they had discovered, he had a feeling that it was far from over. He decided it was time to get back inside, where it would be much safer. He ran in the door and headed right for the kitchen. When he got in there, he saw Yvette and Alexandra looking at the metal plate and saw a glowing red rune on it. He looked at them and said, “Do you see what I see?” When they nodded, he said, “Quickly, draw that rune. I think that rune represents Pious’ ancient. I’ll do the same.” He quickly drew the rune on a piece of paper. The second he was done, he felt the familiar feeling of fatigue that he associated with the ‘blink’. He shook his head and blinked his eyes, until it passed. When it finally passed, he glanced at the plate again, and was shocked. The symbol didn’t match the one he just drew. As he looked, he felt an odd sense of awareness hit him. He had a feeling he knew what his ‘blink’s were.

Alexandra looked at the shocked look that was on Richard’s face. Whatever had just happened, she could tell he noticed something big. She turned to Yvette and said, “Any clue on what he noticed?” She watched as Yvette shook her head and said, “Whenever he ‘blinks’, it’s hard to tell what shocks him. He always says things are different, but who knows what it is. However, he feels it is linked to that rune we drew.” She looked at the blue rune, and then at the one she drew. She then looked at Yvette’s and noticed that underneath Yvette’s drawing, it looked like she had a second rune there. She looked at her and said, “Yvette, why do you have the original rune that was on the plate?” She watched as Yvette looked at it and said, “Because I still see the purple rune there. It’s underlying the blue one, but it’s there.” She then heard Rich say, “Now I understand my problem. Now I see it, and it is

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 13 the second creepy thing that has happen. Look at the rune I drew.” She watched as Richard held up the one he drew, and she gasped. What he had drawn looked nothing like the one on the door. He then said, “Before my ‘blink’, that was on the door. I think there is more going on than meets the eye. I bet after my next attack, that image will be green to me.” Alexandra watched as Yvette walked to the plate and said, “That sword looks like the Gladius. Maybe it’s the key to the lock.” She looked at the Gladius she now held, and realized Yvette was partially right. She smiled and said, “You’re half right, Yvette. I need to enchant it first, somehow like Richard said the other one was. However, I don’t think that will be for a while yet. Besides, Yvette, you said there are still two runes there. All we need to do is some how enchant the Gladius to match one of those two runes, right?” She watched as Richard shook his head, and said, “I don’t know. It can’t be that simple. If your grandfather had the Enchanted Gladius, it would be in here. However, it wasn’t enchanted with the matching alignment, but the one that can beat it. Maybe the tome will have something in it. I don’t think venturing outside would be best. Those creatures are starting to appear out there. Plus, I don’t want to run into that Inspector again. He gives me the creeps.” She started to take them back to the library, where she had left the tome, and realized what Richard was talking about. She said as she walked, “Richard, are you saying Inspector Legrasse was out there as well. Didn’t he see those creatures?” She heard Richard say, “I think he knew they were there. He pointed right at them. Besides, there was something familiar in his smile, like I had seen it before. I just wish I knew where.” As they entered the secret room, she heard Yvette say, “It will come to you, hun. Right now, I think it’s time to find out what the next chapter contains. Are you ready?” She watched as Richard pulled a sword out of the box he was carrying and said, “I’m ready. Where and when is this chapter taking place?” Alexandra looked down at the page and said, “Looks like the year 1150 A.D., in the area of Angkor Thom Region of Cambodia. Must be a hidden temple in the chapter.” She was almost startled when Yvette said, “My father mentioned of hidden temples in that area of the world. Maybe after all this, you can tell him where it is?” She watched as Richard looked at his wife and said, “If Dr. Lindsey wants to search it, hun, I will tell him not too. I’m sure I’ll be encountering more corpses.” She watched as Richard then faced her and said, “I’m ready to go, Alexandra. Start the chapter.” She nodded and put the page into the book. She started with the chapter title, The Binding Of The Corpse God, and watched as Richard’s image soon appeared in the book. There was no doubt that who ever the chapter was about, Richard would be watching over them.

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Chapter 4: Poor Little Dancing Girl.

Ellia sat on the floor of the temple as she read the book her master gave her. Ever since she entered her master’s service, she had been blessed with talent. When her master had seen that talent, he encouraged her, and even taught her to read. Her master was one of the more powerful people in her town. Every day, he came to the temple. She never understood why, but it was one of the best times she had to read. In fact, she always read the same book. She even felt as if she could hear her master’s voice as she read it. She was reading the part where the Ancient, which had to be a great and powerful being, was being entombed. She was so involved in her reading, she could have sworn she heard her master uttering the spell which sealed the Ancient’s fate. Her master had a commanding voice. As she finished the book, she closed it and said, “I wish that something that fantastic could happen to me.” She was surprised when she heard the stone door of the temple closing. She quickly got up and ran towards the door, but she was too late. She was sealed in the temple. She started to wonder why she accompanied her master to the temple. He had said he had to speak with the temple priests. Now, she was worried if he was alright. He had told her she might need her short sword, and she pulled it out. Now she needed to find either her master, or a way out. Ellia looked around the entry room of the temple. She had never been beyond this room in the temple. In fact, she never even looked it over, but now she had to. As she ventured into the room, she noticed a strange pattern on the floor. It was a triangular design, with three strange markings in it. Plus, in the middle of the triangle was another strange marking. Her attention was then drawn to the multi-armed deity in the room. As far as she knew, that was who the temple was for. The only odd thing was the necklace around the deity’s neck did not seem right. She could sense some sort of power emanating from the necklace, but it seemed wrong, especially for a fertility deity. She removed the necklace, and soon she heard a rumbling. She turned to see the northern wall sealing up. She thought about replacing the necklace, but something told her not to. She then noticed the way to the south was clear. As she entered the room, she gasped in fright. On the floor were dead bodies. What made it worse was that those bodies had to have been there a while. The temple had be defiled with the corpses of the dead. She wondered where the temple guards were. She could not believe they would allow that to happen. It was the very opposite of what the temple was for. The corpses even littered the floor mural of the setting sun. She shook her head in disbelief. She also wondered how the guards and temple attendants missed it. The candle display for the setting sun was obviously still maintained. She also noticed nothing that could help her in this room. She decided to head deeper into the temple. As she entered the hall, she heard a strange sound with her first step. She stopped just as a blade came out of the wall. She gasped and said aloud, “Why would they need traps in a temple? Are they hiding something?” She also looked down where she stepped and saw that the place she stepped was a different color than the rest of the floor. Now all she had to do was watch where she stepped, and avoid the traps she had activated. Being

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 15 a dancing girl helped her, since her speed and agility got her by the traps, and kept her from setting off other traps. When she reached the end of the hall, she looked back down the hall. She hoped that those traps were the worst she’d have to encounter. When she entered the next room, she heard a stone slab slide down, sealing her in the room. She wasn’t sure what caused the slab to slide down. However, the next thing she heard was the movement, and she turned and gasped in fright at what she saw. A corpse had gotten up and now looked at her. Internally, she questioned if this was really happening. However, as the creature neared her, she knew she had to fight it. She quickly swung her sword, and as fast as she could, she destroyed the creature. When it fell to the floor, she quickly chopped it up. When that was done, she felt things were back to normal. She then looked over at the door and saw the slab rise up. She then noticed the northern door in the room was still sealed, and had the same design on it she saw in the main room. She also noticed the floors image was of the noon day sun. She looked over at the candles in the room, and noticed they didn’t match. She quickly put out the candle on the right, and she heard the northern slab lower, but not enough to get through. She turned to head back the way she came, when she saw the bronze necklace. She smiled, because it was just what she needed. She picked it up, and headed back through the trap filled corridor. When she had carefully reached the sunset room, she was startled to see the corpses that littered the room were now rising to greet her. The last room only had one, but this room had about four. She quickly sprung into action, making sure the room looked normal, and hacking all the dead bodies to pieces. At least she didn’t have to worry about any of those unnatural things following her. She returned to the main room, and looked at both sealed doors. She knew that placing the necklace on the statue would open the northern door, but she hoped it would open the door out of the temple. She still hadn’t seen her master, but she hoped he had gotten out. She walked over to the statue and placed the necklace on the statue. Soon she heard a rumbling. She looked back at the way out, but the wall didn’t move. The path to the north had opened, and that was the way she had to go. As she passed into the room, she was thankful to find it was empty. However, she did notice the images on the floor. As she looked at them, she looked over at the candle display, and said, “This room is to the dawn. The others were midday, and sunset. I wonder if the room on the end of the next hall is for the night.” She gave the room another look, and then ventured to the west. The next room was a long hall, and she noticed, before she ventured any further that it was another trap hall. This time, she was going to be more careful than last time. She carefully made her way down the long hall, avoiding all the trap triggers. Now that she knew what to look for, she knew what to avoid. Luckily, this hall had all those trap triggers along the side of the hall. Before she entered the next room, she was determined to be ready for whatever was waiting for her. There had been a walking corpse in the same room on the other side, so she would be ready for the next one. She slowly entered the room, and soon she heard the stone door lowering. She saw the creature even before it turned to face her. This was her chance. She quickly ran up to it, and cut off it’s head. Without its head, its actions were limited. She smiled as she then cut the corpse to bits. With her finishing blow, she heard the door open.

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However, her attention was on the floor. A picture of the night sky was on the floor, and she knew the candles lit didn’t represent that. The only way that could be represented was to put out all the candles. As she did that, she saw the other door fully open. She was sure that the door in the noon room did the same, but she knew that her only hope of leaving the temple was down that now unsealed hall. She knew which way she had to go. She only hoped there were not monsters or traps down that hall. Ellia entered the unsealed hall, and treaded carefully past all the trap tiles. She wasn’t about to die to a trap after fighting off the walking corpses. Every time she saw one, she felt as if her mind was slipping away. She even thought she was looking at another person, in strange garb and carrying a strange sword. She pushed that thought out of her head as she discovered halfway down the hall, a blowgun. She knew most blow guns had poison darts. However, she did wonder if that poison would work on the creatures that now lurked in the temple. However, if they were a distance away, it would be good to have a weapon that could take them out before they got near. She also hoped that by picking it up, she’d open another path out of the temple. She walked over to it, and picked up the blowgun. When she had it in hand, she felt the floor give way. It felt like she was falling for a long time, and soon she hit the ground. She was lucky she survived the fall, however, her sword had not. She saw it in pieces at her side. It was not a weapon she wanted to lose, especially when she saw two corpses approaching one of the temple guards. It seemed to her that this guard did not have a weapon to defend himself. She knew what she had to do. She had to save the guard, and hoped he would show her a way out. She readied the blowgun, and fired it at the two advancing creatures. Almost instantly, the creatures turned to attack her, but she kept them moving. She also noticed that the creatures acted as if they were hurt, even though she hadn’t fired any more darts. It had to be the poison. Using her dancing skills, she kept out of the creatures’ reach. Soon, she saw them fall to the poison. As they laid there, she shot one more dart into each one, just to be sure they were dead. It also made her feel better. She then walked over to the guard, and said, “Are you alright?” She watched as he nodded and said, “Thank you. I saw that your sword had broken. I can repair it for you, for it will serve you better than the blowgun you now carry.” She wanted to refuse the offer, but she knew he was right. She needed her sword back. She handed it to the temple guard and said, “Thank you. Can you also tell me how to get out of here. I don’t know if my master is still here or if he has left.” She saw him shake his head, and soon she heard three strange words come from his mouth. She then saw a purplish lightning arc from the ground to her sword. Soon, it was in one piece, as if it never broke in the first place. She took the sword back, and then heard the guard say, “I cannot leave my post, but if I see others, I’ll tell them to find you and get you out of here. We do not allow anyone into the lowest level of the temple, however your help has earned you much respect. Be careful, little one.” She nodded and then headed down the hall, in search of a way out, and also avoiding the obvious trap tiles. As she entered the next room, she saw a huge picture of a skeletal man talking to her people outside a temple. In fact it looked like the temple she was in, but she didn’t dwell on the picture, because creatures that were in the room started to head towards her. Now that she had her short sword back, she knew she could handle them quickly. In no

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 17 time, she had all the creatures destroyed. Before she moved to the other door in the room, she noticed a large slot, like it was part of a lever of some sorts. All it needed was a lever to work it. She then headed into the next hall. Again it was another trap filled hall, and some were almost impossible to avoid. The triggers lasted the whole length of the hall, and caused darts to fire, and walls to open and close. She managed to get by all of those, although the wall trap almost snagged her outfit. Luckily, that was all, and she didn’t lose anything. As she emerged in the next room, she saw an odd sight. There were two types of creatures there, and the majority of the ones were attacking the lone one. She watched as the creatures paid no attention to her, and rushed to be slaughtered by the lone one. She made sure she stood in the doorway until the only one left was the lone one. Once she saw that, she rushed down and attacked it. She was pleased she had taken it down, but was surprised that different versions of that creature existed. In fact, she had seen almost four different types of the same creature. She then noticed the picture on the wall of the room. It looked exactly like the last scene she read in the book. It scared her. Was the book real? Did the temple people know what was going to happen? She then glanced at the door to the north, and hoped it lead out of the temple, because she was getting scared to be here. As she walked down the hall she entered, she saw a larger room ahead. However, when she entered it, she saw why it was so large. Almost consuming the entire chamber was a huge thing. It was more hideous that the creature she’d seen walking around. She also saw huge pillars actually setting in it, and it was then she realized it. This was the thing the temple was built for. As she approached it, she heard two guards enter. Just as they went to warn her, she saw two purplish tentacles lash out and grab them. She heard their screams of pain, but was more startled when she heard a voice say, “So, you are reduced to feeding on flesh and bone. How the mighty has fallen. You will surely fester for millennia to come.” She turned to see who was speaking, and was almost horrified. The one who spoke looked like some of the creatures she had seen, but wore armor and carried a staff that looked like bone. However, she felt even more scared when it looked at her and said, “You had best leave, or you will find yourself as food for the Dead God.” As it spoke, she thought she heard her master’s voice. Part of her wanted to back away from the thing, but she watched as it left the same way it had entered. It was the only way out. She didn’t know what she should do. However, before she could decide, Ellia felt a shock hit her back and she collapsed to the floor.

Richard Cale watched as the guard approached the now fallen dancing girl. All this time, he had been out of phase with this time, but he saw everything that had happened to her. This was only the latest, as the guard approached her and said, “You are one of the chosen many, flesh and blood.” He then realized the guard wasn’t speaking, but the thing in the room. He listened as the ‘guard’ continued. “It is your destiny to fight the Eternal Darkness. I give you a gift in return for an obligation. The gift is your life, sweet dancer. The obligation is this.” Soon Richard saw the ‘guard’ was now holding a heart. It looked like a real human heart. He then heard the ‘guard’ say, “This is one of

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Mantorok’s hearts. The Essence of the Corpse God. Guard it well from those who would use it’s power to take what little light still exists in your world.” Richard watched then as the guard started to walk away, but then saw him look back, and said, “Only the guardians of light can handle the power it wields. Guard her well.” Richard realized what the guard was saying as he walked around what he was sure was Mantorok. He then turned to face the girl as she screamed. He saw the heart of Mantorok get sucked into her body. He then ran over to the girl, and prayed she was alright. When he was almost on her, he saw her look at him, and step back, asking, “Who are you? Are you one of his things?” He knew what she meant, but he was also surprised at her speech, unless it was part of the Tome’s dark magic. He stopped and said, “I know this may be hard to believe, but I’m here to help you. It’s hard to explain, but a book called the Tome of Eternal Darkness brought me here.” He heard her gasp, and she then pulled out the same book, saying, “You mean, the book my mas....” He watched as she stopped in mid-sentence and said, “The book that monster gave me. They sounded so alike, they had to be the same person. What is he?” Richard stepped close to her and said, “He was a man from many years ago. He found a dark artifact, and the power it held took over him. He’s not a man anymore, but we need to make sure he doesn’t get that heart. Any clue on how to get out of here?” He watched as she looked back at the statue and said, “That bar might fit in the lever slot I saw earlier. By the way, my name is Ellia. I hope you have a weapon, because those things are everywhere.” Richard pulled out his sword as he went to pick up the lever and said, “I know. My name is Richard, and I’ll keep you safe until we get you out of here.” However, he had a feeling she would not leave the temple. “Now, let’s head back to the room you found the slot.” He saw her nod, and soon they were off. It took them some time, taking care of remaining zombies, for lack of a better word for them, and headed right to the room. The traps were more difficult for him to avoid, but he managed. When they reached the room, he realized that the reliefs they had seen were only part of the story. Mantorok appeared to know this day was coming. It made Rich wonder if the day was planned. As he looked, he heard Ellia say, “Here is the slot. Just put the bar in there. I hope it opens the path out of here.” He did so, and soon, he heard a door open, but it was back the way they had come. He looked over at Ellia and said, “We have to go back to Mantorok’s chamber. I think the door out is back there.” As he lead the way back there, he heard Ellia ask, “Do you know a lot about that thing? I thought this temple was for a fertility god.” Richard said, “All I know for now is that Mantorok imprisoned three others long ago. It is one of them that Pious is helping. In fact, by the reliefs, Pious had been the one who caused Mantorok to start dying.” By this time, they had entered Mantorok’s chamber, and they headed around the main part of the Ancient. As they headed for the back door, they looked at the Ancient and he heard Ellia say, “If we are the chosen ones, why can’t we stop that thing?” By this time, they headed through the door into the dark shadows of a hall.

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Richard just said, “I think you guarding the heart is your part of it.” When they neared the end, he saw the room appeared to be a dead end. He just said, “Ellia, I’ll check here for a hidden door.” He stepped into the shadows, but he then heard her gasp. He turned, but stayed in the shadows as he saw Pious appear, with two guards, but something seemed wrong about them. He heard Pious say, “You should have fled when you had the chance. Where is the Essence of Mantorok?” He knew Ellia wouldn’t tell, especially as the hissing guards grabbed her. He then saw ‘blue’ lightning arc from the bonestaff Pious had as he said, “Then succumb to the horrors of Oblivion.” As the lightning killed her, he heard her say, “Bring help. Bring someone to save me.” Richard knew what she meant, and started to run out of the room. He then heard Pious shout, “Stop him. He’s escaped three times already. I want him dead.” Richard head a loud splat, but kept running. He didn’t want to know what was following him, but he felt himself stop moving as he saw the scene change. Alexandra had reached the end of the chapter, and soon, he’d be back in the present.

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Chapter 5: A Light In The Darkness

Alexandra watched as Richard reappeared in the room. She could tell by the look on his face that whatever happened in that chapter had him scared. She stood up from behind the desk and said, “Richard, what happened back then? What happened in that chapter?” She watched as Richard tried to calm himself down as he said, “This is more complicated that it appears. I saw Ellia, a girl from that region, get trapped in the temple. Not only that, there were more zombies walking around. I’m calling them zombies for lack of a better word. Each one was different. Some were like the ones I saw in Pious’ chapter. Another one looked like a skinned man; but when it’s limbs were cut off, they grew back. A third one looked like a mummy; but when it’s limbs were cut off, ghostly limbs took their place. I’m not sure about the fourth one I saw, but it looked like a drowned man. I don’t want to know what secrets it held.” Alexandra was aghast at what she heard. Various types of zombies walking around was unnatural. She looked at Richard and said, “Is that all the weirdness you saw, or was their more?” She watched as Richard looked her straight in the eye and said, “I saw Mantorok. That temple was built as its home. The people who took care of the temple told the people it was to a fertility god. However, Ellia, the girl the chapter was about, found out the truth. But there was something more unsettling about it.” She looked at him, unsure if she wanted to know and said, “What was that?” She felt her heart stop as he said the next words. “He knew this was coming. It was even detailed on the walls. The events of that day were on one of the walls. He knew Pious was coming to bind him. He even posed as a local, the one who Ellia was dancing girl for. Pious even gave her a copy of the Tome. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the exact book itself. However, there is even stranger things.” She was somewhat puzzled that Yvette had been silent all this time, but wanted to know what had happened. She look at Richard and said, “What else happened?” Richard shivered and said, “When Pious struck Ellia, she told me to bring help. When I ran, I heard Pious shout to the others to stop me, that I had gotten away three times prior. There must be two more chapters that are prior to this one. I’m not looking forward to those confrontations. When he gave that order, I heard a sickening splat. I don’t want to even know what caused it.” She watched then as Richard turned and looked over at the northern wall of the room. When she looked at what he saw, she gasped. “Those candles weren’t lit earlier. How did that happen?” She walked over to where three candles were burning in an odd pattern. She then saw the picture on the wall had that of a rising sun on it. She looked at Richard and said, “Is this like the ones that were in the temple?” When he nodded, she looked over the candles and put out the ones that needed to be put out. Soon, she saw two posts on the sides lower, and heard a panel open below the stand. She looked down to see a tube in the panel. Just by looking at it, she could tell that it’s design was over a thousand years ago. She shook it and heard something move inside. She turned to show it to the others, and then realized that Yvette was staring straight ahead. She walked over

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 21 to Yvette and started to fear for Richard’s wife. Whatever she was seeing was apparently scaring her, and Alexandra wanted to try and snap her out of it.

Yvette Cale couldn’t believe what she saw. Moments ago, she saw her husband return from whatever time and place the Tome had sent him. Now, it seemed to her, that something about the Tome’s magic had sent her to another time and place. From what she could tell, she was standing on circular platform at the base of some stairs. However, it was what was up the steps that startled her. Up there was the form of Pious Augustus, standing in front of large U-like structure. Soon she heard five strange words, only one she could make out clearly: Ulyaoth. After all the words were said, a strange energy filled the structure, and she saw what looked like a huge blue brain. She wanted to make a sound, but kept herself silent, especially as she heard Pious say, “Thy presence is long missed, my liege.” She listened as a very pompous voice said, “The universe is a yawning chasm, filled with emptiness and the purile meandering of sentience.” It became obvious to her that Ulyaoth thought no one could ever reach its expectations of intelligence, not even Pious. She watched the exchange continue, and then heard why Pious called on Ulyaoth. She heard him say, “My meditations reveal a flaw in our plan...” Before he could continue with his statement she hear Ulyaoth say in an upset voice, “OUR plan, Augustus?” Soon she heard Ulyaoth put down the other Ancients. After Ulyaoth said all that, she heard Ulyaoth say, “The binding of Mantorok will seal their fate as its power over us diminishes.” She found it odd that they were talking about the binding that just happened, according to Richard at least. If this was actually happening before the binding of Mantorok, then there must be something else the Ancient’s has planned. She then knew what it was when she heard Ulyaoth say, “You must turn your attention to Charlemagne the Frank. His continued presence in the world is far more serious to our cause.” Those words told her a lot, and she hoped the next chapter would allow them to help him. Charlemagne was the man who brought Christianity to much of the Roman Empire, and started the Holy Roman Empire. Now, the leader’s life was in danger, and by otherworldly means. In fact, her blood froze when she heard Pious say, “As you wish, my master. He will be dead before the week is out.” With his final words, she saw Pious turn and face her as Ulyaoth faded from view. She started to back up when he looked at her and said, “So, another person trying to destroy Ulyaoth’s plan. I shall show you the price for crossing Ulyaoth.” She quickly backed up and reached a back railing as Pious advanced on her. She looked at him and said, “Your plan will fail. You will be stopped, Pious.” It was then she saw blue lightning start to form from his bonestaff. She knew from what Richard had said earlier that it would be an attack, but just as the lightning started to form, she saw a look of shock cross Pious’ face. She then noticed the scenery shifted, and she was facing her husband. She saw a frantic look on his. Soon, she realized she was back at the Roivas Estate. She then heard Richard shout, “Yvette, are you alright? What happened to you? What did you see?” It was then she noticed that her breathing was rapid. Whatever she had seen had a visible effect here.

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She looked at Richard, and then at Alexandra, and then said, “I saw Pious talking with his Ancient. They’re plotting to kill Charlemagne.” She then heard Richard say, “Who is his Ancient?” Before she could answer, she watched as Richard closed his eyes, and shook his head. It was the tell tale signs of one of his ‘blinks’, which meant that if what he said was right, he would be saying it’s different than the one they knew Pious picked.

Richard could not believe the bad timing of this ‘blink’. Yvette had said she had seen Pious talking with his Ancient. He was hoping he would hear her say Ulyaoth, but every time a blink happened, it would be a different Ancient. He looked at his wife again after it passed and said, “Who is Pious’ Ancient?” He watched as Yvette closed her eyes and said, “I think it was Xel’lotath. It spoke with two voices, and all I saw was a large eyeball.” He then thought back to when he was in Pious’ chapter. Pious had been first reaching for what had to be the item of Xel’lotath’s, but when he first ‘blinked’, Pious picked Chattur’gha. He had a better understanding how his ‘blinks’ worked, but it also seemed odd that all the Ancients would pick the same path. He then heard Alexandra mention something that brought him back to what Yvette had said. “What do you mean they are going to kill Charlemagne? What threat is he to them?” Richard had a feeling he knew what the threat would be. “Charlemagne had brought Christianity to most of Europe, unifying it, and ending wars for a time. The Ancient’s would rather there be hatred, war, and bloodshed. That’s why they want to kill him. However, I believe he died in 814 A.D. I don’t think there was anything supernatural about it.” He noticed that Alexandra was now looking at the chapter page. He had seen her pull it out of the message tube. Now, something had caught her attention, as she said, “Richard, that’s the year this chapter takes place in. In fact, it takes place in France, in a town called Amiens.” Richard felt his heart stop at those words. Not just because of the year, but the name of the town. He took a step back, and felt Yvette take hold of him as she said, “You know of the town? How do you know about it?” Richard looked at his wife, then at Alexandra, and said, “My grandfather was posted there during World War I. It was a field hospital, but he was lucky. He got orders to leave before the place was bombed. In fact, after he left, a blast had taken out the power. He had seen the lights go out. He hoped all the soldiers and civilians inside were alright.” He then heard Alexandra say, “Well, if you can stop Pious’ plan, you might make it safe for them. If not, then maybe Pious has that church under his evil spell.” He didn’t want to think that was the case, but knew it was likely, especially after witnessing what happened to Ellia. He looked at Alexandra and said, “Let’s start the next chapter.” He watched her nod and said, “Alright. This one is called Suspicions of Conspiracy. I hope you are ready for this. I hope that sword comes in handy.” He watched as she started to read the chapter, and he thought he was looking through a haze,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 23 but something was different this time. He noticed Yvette was also appearing to be in a haze as well. He hoped he was wrong about that, since his last encounter required him to have a weapon, and Yvette did not have one.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 24

Chapter 6: Page Throughout History.

Anthony stood on the outskirts of Amiens, France. His leader, King Charlemagne was at the cathedral, speaking with the Bishop there. He hoped it would not take long. Something about the town of Amiens made him feel uneasy, like an air of evil was around. It made him fear for Charlemagne’s life. As he stood near one of the buildings, Anthony was surprised when one of the monks came up to him from the cathedral. He was even more startled when the monk said to him, “Take this to Charlemagne. It is for his eyes only.” He nodded when the monk handed him a message tube, and ran off. Why would the monk need to hand him a message tube, when Charlemagne was at the cathedral? He headed behind the building he was near and checked to see if the monk had indeed left. He then opened the message tube, and unrolled the scroll in it. He was startled to find that the scroll had many strange symbols on it. In the pit of his stomach, Anthony knew this was a bad thing. Soon, he felt lightning come from the scroll and knock him down. He felt something change in him. He looked at the scroll and said, “I’ve been bewitched.” As he felt the foul magick go through his body, he realized that the spell must have been meant for Charlemagne. He looked out to where the cathedral was and said, “I have to warn him of this treachery.” He ran at full speed to the cathedral. He had to warn the king. If there was a plot to kill the king, he needed to inform him of the plot. He wondered if the Bishop knew of the plot to kill Charlemagne. When he entered the cathedral, he heard a monk say, “Hello, Anthony. King Charlemagne has not finished his visit yet. The Bishop had just gone to fetch something. Charlemagne is talking with some of the other monks about the tragedy that happened today.” Anthony had remembered a tragedy had happened. When they had arrived, they had heard that one of the monks was found dead. In fact, he had noticed the casket lying in the front of the cathedral. He looked at the nearest monk, and noticed a fearful look in his eyes. He said, “Who found the monk who died?” He noticed the monk turned away, like there was some secret he was keeping; a very dreadful secret. He looked again at the casket, and did an unthinkable thing. He opened it. When he had done so, he wished he hadn’t. Anthony was staring at a dead monk, who had exploded from the inside out. It was gruesome, and something told him it wasn’t humanly possible. More of the monks had gathered round, and he heard many remark about the sign of evil. Soon, the monk who spoke to him when he entered said, “Young Anthony, you’ve exposed that a great evil is at work here. Take this sword, and use it to find whatever is behind this. I hope it hasn’t taken over the Bishop, but it will be by the grace of God if he hasn’t. Just be careful. I fear there are demons at work. May God be with you.” Anthony nodded and took the sword he was offered. He went back to the main door, and started up the stairs. Deep down in his heart, he worried about Charlemagne. If the Bishop had been possessed by evil, then Charlemagne was in great danger. As he reached the top of the stairs, however, he felt as if the whole world was changing all around him. In the blink of an eye, he felt he was in a very evil place, but he felt safe. He turned to see two glowing figures, glowing in a white light. He would have thought they

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 25 were both angels, but the one was obviously a woman.

Yvette Cale watched as Anthony appeared in the surreal hall. When Alexandra had started this chapter, she appeared in the strange hall. When she first appeared, she tried to understand the two statues and the six empty spots. However, Anthony had appeared just as she was about to explore. She noticed as he turned to her and said, “Are you an angel of some sorts?” She looked at him, and wondered why he asked that, when she noticed the white light surrounding her. She nodded and said, “In a way, I am a guardian angel for you. I can tell you that you are about to take on a very powerful evil.” She was stunned when he said, “Is that why I see two of you?” She glanced for a moment, and then realized that if Richard was right about what happened to him, he wouldn’t join reality in a while. She smiled and said, “That would be my husband. He will be there to help you when you need it. He’ll be watching over you, and he will help you.” She watched as Anthony then glanced from side to side, looking at the statues that were there. She watched as he turned to her and said, “Who are they? Were they other fighters of this evil?” She glanced at each statue and said, “I believe they were. Each one has tried to stop the evil in some way, however, I fear the Eternal Darkness had consumed them.” She motioned to the obviously female statue, and said, “Like her, she fell to the Darkness as tried to escape from a temple hiding something that could defeat the Eternal Darkness.” Yvette watched as he turned to another statue and said, “What about this one? It’s not much, but the name on it says Pious Augustus.” She felt her heart stop. Pious might have been a victim of the Eternal Darkness, but he went willingly. She just said, “Anthony, I know the may seem weird, but you need to take that Tome over there.” She motioned to the Tome of Eternal Darkness, resting on a waiting skeletal hand. As he approached it, she heard the screams of the faces on the floor. She then said, “Don’t worry, for my husband and I will be watching over you. We may have to use the very darkness we fight to defeat it.” As he neared it, she heard him say, “I am already bewitched, but maybe I can stop it with this. Thank you, fair angel.” She watched as he grabbed the book and disappeared. When he was gone, she just said, “Don’t let him fail, Richard. Don’t let him fail.” She then watched as the eerie hall that housed the Tome disappeared from sight, and saw that she was returning to the present, and the secret room in the Roivas Estate. Now she knew that Anthony only had Richard to watch over him.

Anthony cautiously stepped forward as he exited that odd realm. Knowing he had two guardian angels following him, made him feel better. He also hoped the odd book would help him. He opened the book, and was thankful when it appeared that every page was in his native language. However, as he paged through it, he could not find anything that would help him undo the spell. There was nothing that could help him. He couldn’t even see any of the strange markings from the scroll. He then remember that the Bishop might be waiting up there. He made sure he had the sword ready before he topped the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 26 steps. When he reached the top of the steps, he was relieved and dismayed. The Bishop wasn’t up there. But as he stepped forward, he felt pain run through his body as the foul magick attacked him. When it stopped, he looked at his hands and saw a horrifying sight. It appeared like the life had started to leave his hands. They had grayed in color. He had to put that out of his head. He needed to find some sign of where the Bishop went. His attention had then been pulled to a small circle like object. He walked over to it, to see a triangle, with a circle at each point. As he touched it, he saw it glow and disappear. He quickly opened the book, and saw on a page for spells the circle of power was there. He realized he was one step closer to finding a cure for his curse. He then saw something on one of the shelves. It looked like a jar with strange blue etchings on it. As he picked it up, he felt it slip out of his hands and shatter on the floor. He picked up the pieces, only to discover a glowing etching was inside it. He watched as it disappear in a flash of blue. He reopened the book, and saw it had appeared on the page with the circle. Now he needed to find where the Bishop went. He went back to the curved alcove, and noticed an odd book on the shelf. He pushed it, and saw the one shelf open. Behind it was a ladder. Anthony had to wonder why that path was hidden. He started to climb down, in hopes of finding the Bishop. When he reached the bottom of the ladder, he was shocked to see three obviously dead bodies walking. This was proof enough, that the cathedral was under the devil’s siege. He quickly moved forward, and slashed the decaying creatures. They had looked like some of the people that had been buried in the catacombs under the church. He wanted them to return to their slumber, and destroyed each one. With the last one he killed, he discovered another glowing rune. As it disappeared, he heard an unearthly voice say, “Antorbok.” With the last dead man gone, he went into the door at the end of the hall. When he entered the room, he was horrified to see a monk being attacked by three more dead bodies. He admired the monks determination to save himself as the monk struck the lead creature with the torch. He then watched in awe as the body was engulfed in flames, and the body struck a tapestry, burning it up. He quickly ran in to the rescue, seeing the monk drop his torch. He quickly picked it up, and set the two remaining bodies on fire. When he was done, he turned to the monk, whose only words were, “Thank you. Something is wrong with the Bishop. Before he stepped behind that tapestry, he had said he had to get something special for Charlemagne. Before you go, take this.” Anthony looked at the sword the monk handed him. It was better than the one he was carrying, and could probably handle the creatures better. He then heard the monk say, “By the way, the Bishop dropped a small jar. The pieces should be on the floor.” He knew the monk had mentioned that for a reason. Maybe the odd jars meant something. He searched the room, with the torch in hand, and found the pieces. With them in hand, he headed through the door that had been revealed. He emerged at the top of a stairwell, and he hear the groan and movement of what of those dead creatures. He held the torch, knowing it would help him more in the dark than the sword would. He started down the steps, only to see an odd stone tablet. He picked it up, only to briefly glimpse two words and a symbol. He read the two words aloud, “Magormor. Item.” He watched as it disappeared, and he figured it went into the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 27 book as well as the other runes he found. He then ran down the steps, and struck the corpse at the bottom of the steps. As it fell, he saw the rune that was on the tablet briefly appear, before vanishing in a glow of yellow. He opened the book again, to see he now had two yellow ruins, and a blue rune. If they were all part of a spell, he didn’t know how they worked together. He then opened the door, and headed to the next room. As he entered the room, he felt his body get racked by pain again. As he recovered, he saw his body had deteriorated more. He then saw two more bodies advancing on him. He quickly pulled out the sword and destroyed the walking dead. When they were both gone, he stopped to survey the room. The first thing he noticed was the fountain in the corner. At first he thought holy water came from it, but the foul odor of the water hit him, and told him that was not the case. It was then he noticed the red jar, filled with the foul water. He picked it, and decided that he would find the use of the three jars, and hopefully repair the other two. He then noticed a stone tablet, which had an outline of the rune that was in the first jar. He looked over the tablet, and saw only one word. As he said the word, “Ulyoath”, the panel disappeared. A quick check of the book told him what he already suspected. Two of the runes he had found had names. Now he needed the last ones name. He then saw the tapestry on the one wall. Remembering what he saw earlier, he burned it to find a hidden door. He quickly entered the door, feeling he was getting closer to the Bishop. As he ran through the corridor, he was almost grabbed by one of the dead bodies. He inwardly cursed the narrow hall, since he could not swing his sword. He did remember the torch, and quickly set fire to the monster. Almost in an instant, the creature was dead. He paused for a moment then. Whatever was causing all this was starting to get to him. He could have thought he heard the thing laughing at him. In fact, the walls seemed a bit odd as well. It looked like something was flowing from them, something red. He shook his head for a moment, and then continued through the other door. Anthony entered a small library, and just as he turned from closing the door, he saw the Bishop enter a door that slid close behind him. He ran forward, and felt the floor sink under him. He watched as the panel reopened. He saw his chance, and he leapt for it. However, when he left the panel, the door slid shut. There had to be a way to open the door. He looked down at the panel, and saw the triangular pattern on it. He looked at the full urn and placed it right at the one point of the triangle. He watched as the panel lowered, but not enough to trigger the door to open. Now he knew he had to repair the other two jars. Once they were repaired, he could fill them with water and follow the Bishop. He then noticed two more items in the room. The first was a stone slab that translated the last rune he need to know about. From it, he learned the Antorbok rune meant ‘Project’. The next thing he saw was a scroll. He picked it up, and smiled. The scroll contained a spell called ‘Enchant Item’. From what he read, he had all the runes to make it work. It would also repair any broken item, and enchant items. He knew just what he had to do. When he got to the fountain, he put the urn pieces together and said, “If I must use the devil’s tools to defeat him, I must. May the Lord forgive me.” He then cast the spell on each urn. He watched in awe as the urns became whole again. It may have been the devil’s handiwork, but a righteous spirit could turn evil’s tool into a force of good. He then filled the urns in the fountain and returned to the room with the panel. He placed the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 28 two urns on the panel, and watched as the secret door opened. He started to enter the room, but decided to enchant his sword first. He had a feeling the more powerful weapon would help him very soon. He then entered the hall behind the secret door. As soon as he entered, he was glad he enchanted his sword. It gave off a blue glow as he headed for the far end. It also helped him destroy the walking corpse in the hall. With the large enchanted sword, he quickly destroyed the thing. He also started to wonder how the Bishop had gotten past all these creatures. He even kept that in mind as he opened the door at the end of the hall. The second he entered the room, he heard the Bishop say “I knew you would return, Anthony, especially when you received my message. I knew that would bring you to me. You came in hopes of saving your king, however you are destined to fail. Now, Anthony, it is time to meet your fate.” Anthony watched as the Bishop faced him. When he saw the Bishop’s eyes, he felt as if the world was coming apart. How could a man of the cloth forsake God? He then saw the Bishop start to advance towards him. He had to act quick. With one swipe of his sword, Anthony knocked him back. He then heard the Bishop say, “It’s a shame you are here alone Anthony. However, I am not alone.” It was then Anthony noticed the two corpses on the floor. He watched as the one got up, and soon after, the second one arose. Anthony quickly destroyed the two corpses and then said, “I will not let the devil succeed. You can join your dark master in Hell.” With that, he cut of the evil man’s head. He then saw the Bishop drop a key. He quickly picked up the key and said, “I must save Charlemagne before it’s too late.” The second he ran out the door, he felt the curse strike him again. He looked at his hands, and realized that the curse had destroyed him more. He was becoming like the corpses he battled. He started to run as fast as he could to get back to the chapel, and the room Charlemagne was in. He knew the key most likely unlocked the door. However, as he ran, he almost ran into two more reanimated corpses. He quickly eliminated them in the evil Bishop’s private library, and moved to the door out. The second he closed the door, Anthony heard a very odd stepping noise. He watched as a small creature walked into his view. He watched the horrific creature as its tail wagged in the air. Anthony watched as the creature slowly moved back and forth. From what he could tell, the creature had no eyes. Inwardly, he thought all he had to do was run by it. As he started to run, he heard the creature squeal, and as he neared it, he saw a bright flash come from where the creature was. Soon, everything had changed around him. He was now in an otherworldly place. As he looked around, he heard a new voice say, “I think that thing heard you.” He spun to see the other angelic figure he had seen earlier. The man appeared to be older that him, but not by much. Anthony looked at him and said, “Are you the other one’s husband?” He watched him nod, and then he said, “So you can help me stop this curse?” He watched as the figure shook his head and said, “No, I can’t. However, I will help you get out of here, and hopefully rescue Charlemagne.” He watched as the figure looked over the small island they were on. He could see four other islands, each with a glowing circle. He then saw the man look at him and say, “Maybe we can slow down the affects of the curse. When the circle in front of us glows red, run into it.” He approached

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 29 the circle, and did as he was told. When it was red, he entered. Soon, he was on another island, and saw a circle with a glowing red rune in it. As he neared it, he heard a strange humming sound. He then heard the other man approach as he said, “Anthony. Wait for a moment. You need to know who you are up against.” Anthony turned to face the man and said, “I am against the devil himself. He wishes to destroy Charlemagne. There is nothing more you can tell me.” He was surprised to see the man say, “Your foe was once like you. His name was Pious Augustus. Long ago, he picked an artifact that turned him into a servant of evil. He’s the one who plans to kill Charlemagne. If we can stop him, then his plan will fail.” He saw a honest look of hope in the man’s eyes. Anthony lowered his head and said, “If you feel we can do it, I’ll help stop him. Right now, we need to save Charlemagne. How can I slow down the curse?” He watched as the man pointed to the circle with the red rune. He nodded and stepped into the circle. Anthony felt as if his health was returning to him. As he stood there, he heard the man say, “Well, it looks like your health is restored, but not your body. What ever spell they used, it is powerful. Right now, head for the purple circle, and then the glowing circle on that island. It will take you back. Just be careful of those things. They might not see well, but they can hear well. Be silent in passing them.” Anthony made his way to the way out, and then said, “Sir, what is your name?” He listened as the other figure just said, “You may call me Richard.” From what he remembered of the name, he knew it was a regal sounding name. It inspired hope in him. He then ran into the portal out of the nightmarish realm. He reappeared in the hall he had transported out of, and decided to carefully make his way back to the ladder to the cathedral. As he made his way up, he saw a few more of the odd creatures. He even passed the monk he had saved earlier, but the monk shied away from him. He realized he must now look like some of the creatures that attacked the man. As he approached the ladder, he hoped he would get to Charlemagne in time, however, he was surprised to hear footsteps behind him. He turned, and was grateful to see that Richard had also gotten out of that hellish place, and would fight by his side.

Richard Cale had finally phased into reality when Anthony had entered the hall with the ladder. He could sense something was going to happen. He also saw that Anthony had decayed more. He hoped that when they saved Charlemagne, they could reverse what happened to Anthony. When he finally caught up with Anthony, Richard said, “Anthony, maybe you should re-enchant your sword. I have a feeling we will need the power.” He saw Anthony nod, and soon saw three runes appear around Anthony. He knew what they did, and realized that now Alexandra had a way to fix her key. He then hoped that he would make it back to tell her. Once it was done, he heard Anthony say, “With the Bishop gone, we will have no problems getting to Charlemagne.” He then followed Anthony up the ladder. He was surprised that Anthony could still climb, given the state of his body. As he climbed, he hoped that Anthony’s body wouldn’t start coming apart. When they both reached the top, Richard saw a greenish barrier at the top of the steps. Before he could say anything, he felt the disorientation rack his body. He closed

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 30 his eyes and said, “Not now. This can’t happen now.” He heard Anthony say, “What’s happening? What deviltry is this?” Richard started to blink his eyes, and saw that the barrier was now red. Richard also noticed that Anthony’s sword was glowing green. Just as he got used to the scene, he felt the floor shake. He looked over at the far wall, and saw a horrifying creature with three heads come walking through the wall. He stared at it for a moment and said, “Deviltry is a good term, Anthony. I think this thing wants to keep us from getting downstairs.” He then saw lighting shoot from the creature, and he quickly dived to the left. He was lucky, however, he could tell Anthony took a nasty blow. “Anthony, are you ok?” He was grateful when Anthony said, “Yes, but I feel very weak.” Richard hoped Anthony would survive. Richard ran towards the monster, and swung his sword, slicing off one of the monster’s heads. The creature roared in pain, and did its lightning strike again. This time, both he and Anthony dodged the lethal blow. Richard then shouted, “Anthony, slice off the heads. It may be our only hope.” Richard then ran forward and lopped off the middle head. The creature roared again, and he jumped back, mis-landing and fell to the floor. Richard felt the mistake would cost him his life, but Anthony had closed the gap, and lopped off the last head. Richard watched as the creature managed to roar and die. Richard quickly got up, and with Anthony, slashed the remaining body to bits. It made him feel better, more sane. He then saw the barrier disappear. He heard Anthony yell, “We must get to Charlemagne.” Richard watched as Anthony ran down the steps, and quickly followed. By the time he got down the steps, he could see Anthony had already destroyed a few more corpses. Richard wondered what happened to the monks, but that had to wait. He followed Anthony as the young man unlocked the door that Charlemagne was behind. Deep down, he hope they were in time, but he heard Anthony shout, “NOOOOOOO!” Richard ran in, only to see Anthony collapse on the floor, and all the monks looking over him. He also felt two more grab him, and he then heard the monk say, “You were a fool for trying to save him.” He then watched as the monk looked at him and said, “Despite your faith, nothing can save you from the power of Chattur’gha.” With those last words, he saw the monk erupt, and a strange creature with blade arms burst out. He then heard a familiar voice say, “Use him as your new home. It will be a fitting end for his meddling.” He glanced in the corner, and saw the Bishop back in one piece, only to see him change into Pious Augustus. He start to fight his captors, and saw the creature advance. However, before it got too far, the figure froze, and Richard knew what was happening. The chapter was over, and he was returning to the present. He was thankful, as he saw the world of Riovas estate appear to his view.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 31

Chapter 7: Enchanting The Dark Insanity

Alexandra watched as Richard reappeared in the room. She could tell by the look on his face that he was thankful to be back. She had seen Yvette arrive back earlier, but she could tell Richard had had the harder time. When Richard was fully back, she looked at him and said, “What happened? What did you see?” She watched as Richard moved to lean against the one wall and said, “What I saw was insane. Pious had corrupted the monks at Amiens. They only worship Chattur’gha now. Zombies were everywhere. There were other things there as well. A strange scorpion like creature that sent Anthony to another realm. I think it was a walking trap, or a trapper would be a better term. Then there was this huge three headed thing. It was a horror to look at.” She then heard Yvette say, “Maybe you should call it that. However, what happened to Anthony? Is he dead?” She wondered if that was the case as well. She watched as Richard shook his head and said, “I don’t know. The spell they cast on him seemed to make his body decay. I think it was designed to do that, but not kill him. It’s possible he’s still alive today. I don’t think the other creatures could have taken him. When it came out of the monk, I didn’t see any bones from the monk. It was as if the creature stole his bones.” Alexandra shuddered at the thought of that. It was then she remembered that this was the first time any of the characters had used magick. She looked at Richard and said, “Didn’t Anthony use a spell in that chapter?” She watched as Richard lowered his head and said, “Yes. It was an Enchant Item spell. It made his sword more powerful. It could....” She heard Yvette say the next words, like the two were thinking the same thing. “also fix items. It can fix the key you broke.” She now realized that they were all thinking the very same thing. They now had a way to get to the upstairs rooms. She opened the Tome and quickly turned the pages, past all the stories she had read, and was amazed when she found the pages of magick. She came across a page for each rune, and finally reached the scroll containing the spell. She pulled out the key, and recited the spell. As she said each rune, she heard an unholy voice repeat them, and three green runes appearing on the ground around her. Soon, green lightning emanated from the runes, and struck the broken key, fusing it into a whole key again. She held up the key and said, “Anyone want to head up to the second floor?” She then heard Yvette say, “With things happening the way they are, I don’t think any of us should be going anywhere alone. Right now, we need to all stick together. This room is the only safe haven in the house. It’s probably why all the research materials were in here.” She then saw that Richard nodded in agreement. She led them to the door, and opened it. The second she stepped in the hallway, she froze. She saw blood running down the walls. She started to hyperventilate as she said, “Tell me this isn’t happening. Tell me that blood isn’t coming down the walls.” She was hoping it was just an illusion. However she did hope she wasn’t losing her mind. She had known her family had a history of mental illness, and she hoped she wasn’t mentally ill.

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Yvette stepped forward past Alexandra and said, “The walls are fine, Alexandra. Right now, the most important thing is to explore the second floor. Are you alright, dear?” She turned to see Richard nod his head, but she could tell by looking at his eyes that he saw the blood too. Something about her curse somehow kept her from seeing the blood. If the illusion was being seen by both her husband and Alexandra, then something was making them see it. As she lead them through the library, she heard her husband say, “Something about what we are experiencing must be affecting our sanity. Maybe we will find a way to restore it. We found a way to restore broken items. We may find a way to restore our health and sanity as well.” As they entered the foyer, she heard a knocking at the door, and a loud voice saying, “Ms. Roivas, it’s Inspector Legrasse. I need to speak with you.” Yvette turned to the others and said, “Do you want me to handle this? Should I tell him you are resting?” She saw Alexandra nod and say, “That would be best. The bedrooms are all upstairs. It wouldn’t exactly be a lie. He may ask who you are.” She then heard her husband say, “I’ve spoken with him. If you say my name, he’ll realize who you are. He might even tell you to be careful. Those creatures are starting to show up out there.” She watched then as Alexandra and Richard headed up the steps and entered the upstairs hall. When the door closed, she quietly said, “For as long as I’ve known, love, they were always there.” She knew that the Tome’s insidious magick had made her husband able to see the creatures. All her life, she had seen those creatures. Not even her father had seen the creatures when she saw them, but she knew enough not to let those things know she saw them. All her life, she learned to hide her knowledge of the creatures. As a child, ramblings of creatures sounded like kid’s fears. Now she outwardly admitted they didn’t exist, but inwardly she knew the truth. She then turned and headed to the door. She opened the door, and was inwardly shocked at what she saw. It was a skeletal-like creature. She stayed calm as she said, “May I help you?” She listened as the thing said, “I’m Inspector Legrasse. Is Alexandra Roivas around?” She could see no sense of concern on its face, however she did see a look of curiosity on it. Yvette didn’t feel comfortable with this thing looking at her and said, “I’m sorry. She’s resting right now. It’s been a very taxing day. My husband and I were offering condolences and help.” She saw a look of understanding cross the thing’s face. It then nodded and said, “I take it you are Mr. Cale’s wife. I have to admit that you look familiar. However, I’m trying to place where.” She just shrugged and said, “Inspector Legrasse, if you need Ms. Roivas to call you, I can have her call you. She just needed to lie down after our talk. There is still much to talk about, and my husband and I don’t plan on leaving until things have settled. She needs all the support she can get right now.” Yvette watched as the figure stepped back for a moment and said, “Alright. I’ll stop by at a later time. Tell her that I’m making sure that she’s safe in case the murderer

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 33 comes back.” She knew better than to believe that. She closed the door, and listened for when the figure stepped away. She then ran up the stairs, knowing she had to warn Richard and Alexandra about who Inspector Legrasse really was. When she got into the upstairs hall, she heard a scream come from the room to the right. She was sure something had happened to Alexandra.

Richard had just gotten Alexandra out of the bathroom when his wife ran in. He saw her look at Alexandra and ask, “What happened?” He looked at his wife and said, “We had just gotten done searching in here, finding some gun ammo and an odd locked shelf with no keyhole, when we started to search the bathroom. When we entered, I had found some notes from her ancestor, and she screamed in fright. I turned to see what looked like her in a tub full of blood, obviously dead. I think something is trying to drive us mad.” He was surprised when Yvette said, “I think I know who it is. Inspector Legrasse is not what he seems.” He looked over at his wife, knowing that she hadn’t seen the blood on the walls. He also knew she had not seen a window where he saw one. He looked at her and said, “What did you see?” He knew she wouldn’t lie about what she saw. It wasn’t in her nature to lie to him. She was the daughter of an archeologist, and always in search for the truth. He could also tell that whatever she would say, it would have long lasting impact. He was startled when Yvette said, “Inspector Legrasse is actually Pious. I saw what he really was when I answered the door. He couldn’t hide that from me. I don’t think he realized I recognized him. However I think he knows more about what happened to Dr. Roivas than he claims.” He then heard Alexandra say, “If what your saying is true, then he might be after me next, especially since we found the Tome. Maybe that’s why he’s around.” Richard then heard his wife say, “That’s also why all those creatures are gathering around. They are getting ready to strike at the house. I think we should find the next page and return to the secret room.” He nodded in agreement. He then heard Alexandra say, “There was nothing in here, so lets head to the other end of the hall.” He and his wife then followed Alexandra out of the room and towards the far end. As they walked, he watched the statue turn to face Alexandra as she passed. He was sure it was another trick of the mind. As they neared the end of the hall, he heard Alexandra say, “Maybe we should each check a path. I’ll look in the room here, Yvette look in the door here, and Richard, head down the hall.” He nodded and heard the two doors open. As he stepped down the hall, he heard Yvette say, “This room is pitch black, like there is no power going to the room. I’ll join you, Alexandra.” As he stepped further down the hall, he was shocked to see a ghostly man, dressed in colonial clothes. The ghost had to be from the time the states were part of his home country of England. He watched as the ghost walked through the wall, carrying what looked like a gun. Before he could do anything else, the ghost was gone. He ran to where the ghost was, but all he saw was something odd about the wall. He ran to the end of the hall, and stopped at the window, seeing a red haze all around it. He could also see a piece of paper in the window, but decided it wasn’t the page they were looking for. He

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 34 ran back to the room, only to see Alexandra and Yvette come out with the next page in hand. He then heard Alexandra say, “It was behind a picture in the guest room. Let’s head back to the secret room.” As he followed them, he said to Alexandra, “How long has your family been in this home? Was it since colonial times?” When she nodded, he said, “I think I saw the ghost of one of your ancestors. There has to be a reason to why I saw him.” He listened as Alexandra said, “Hopefully, we will find out why. Right now, we need to find out what this chapter is about.” He nodded and soon realized they were back at the room, and out of breath. As they caught their breath, he heard Yvette say, “It looks like this chapter takes place in Persia, just like Pious’ chapter. I think this one is set in 565 A.D. around some man named Karim. We better be ready for another trip.” He nodded in agreement, especially when he had caught his breath. He watched as Alexandra put the page in the Tome and said, “Alright, if you both are ready, let’s investigate The Gift of Forever.” He watched as Alexandra started to read, and saw that both he and Yvette were re-entering the eerie past the Tome of Eternal Darkness sent them to.

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Chapter 8: Insanity, Thy Face Is Love

Karim silently trekked through the desert. He was searching for an item, something he could get for the woman he loved, Chandra. For years, he had pursued her love, and now he was doing the one thing that would make her his. When Chandra first told him about the story of an powerful item in the desert, he was skeptical. He knew that many people disappeared in the desert. He had even heard tales about strange monsters living in the desert. One tale had spoken of a set of Roman soldiers that were devoured by such creatures. He also remembered that a few soldiers from his homeland had also ventured into those creatures. He truly thought the story was a legend. None of the soldiers that ventured into the desert to find the item ever returned. He even wondered why he was doing it. Maybe love did make people do crazy things. He also hoped the time in the desert was not affecting his mind. Karim almost jumped when he heard a voice call his name. He looked in the direction of the voice, and almost thought he saw a mirage. In front of him was a ring of stones with strange markings on them. As he neared them, he heard a voice call his name again. He almost thought it was Chandra. When he was finally upon the ring of stones, he looked at the strange runes he saw and said, “Is this what everyone has been searching for? Is this where that item is located?” He carefully stepped forward, and saw yellowish lightning arc from the rocks. Soon, he saw the world change in front of his eyes. As the world changed, he swore for a moment he saw two people following him. When the world finally calmed down, he looked to see he was in a vast room. He looked around for a moment, trying to see the two other figures he had seen. He didn’t see them now, but he wondered if he had seen a mirage. He wasn’t even sure how he got into the place he was now. However, he had a feeling this was were he would find the item he was searching for. He started to look around the room he was in, and it appeared to be lit in a dim eerie light, as well as a few wall mounted torches. As he walked around the room, he saw several corpses on the floor, and he was startled when he saw amongst them a fresh one. He walked over to it and saw that it was a soldier from his own land. He looked around the room, trying to see what killed the man. What ever it had been, it had fled. He then pulled out his Tulwar. He was a master of using the powerful blade, and when he fought with it, it was like an extension of his body. What ever killed this man would not kill him. After he looked around the room, he walked to a ladder along the one wall. He was sure it would lead him deeper into this ancient place. However, as he neared it, he felt dizzy, and watched as the room changed. When the change was complete, he covered his ears as thousands of screams hit him. He opened his eyes, and looked around and almost froze. The unreal location was only part of his problems, for he now faced one of the figures that he had seen before. He wondered what the red-haired woman was, and what she was going to do him. However, as he looked at her, one thought started to run through his mind. She looked very similar to Chandra.

Yvette watched as Karim appeared before her. She could tell that at first he was scared. She looked at him and said, “It all right, Karim. Although it is frightening, you

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 36 are safe here.” She hoped she offered him enough assurance, since the place did not sound safe. She then said, “Karim, when you leave here, you will be facing some things that you may never thought you’d encounter.” Soon, she saw him look at her as he said, “It’s remarkable how much you look like Chandra. Tell me, will I find what I am seeking there?” She nodded and he smiled. She then heard Karim say, “I will succeed, in the name of love.” Yvette smiled and said, “Before you head to your quest, you should know what you are up against.” She motioned to all the statue and said, “All these people have played a part in some way to fighting the Eternal Darkness. You are about to combat those evils again. The item you search for will help in stopping the Eternal Darkness.” She watched as he looked at her and said, “You need not worry. I shall take it from here, and keep it someplace safe. I will explain it to my love, Chandra, when I tell her that I found it.” Something made her wonder if Chandra was one of Pious Augustus guises. Before she could say anything, she saw him rise and head over to the Tome. As he passed the statues of Ellia and Anthony, she said, “Karim, know that you aren’t alone, and that the book will have tools for helping you. Look it over when you can. It has magick that will help you get through the trials you are about to endure.” Before he looked at the book, she saw Karim turn and say, “There is a man following me as well. I saw him. Is he the one who will help me?” She nodded and he smiled and said, “Then I will succeed. When he joins me, I’m sure we will handle all the problems that come at us.” She nodded, knowing he was right. She watched as he then grabbed the book and disappeared. As the world started to change around her, she nodded and said, “Watch over him, Richard. I’ll return to the present and await your return.” She then saw the study return to her sight, and she was back in the present time. She watched then as Alexandra continued reading the chapter, being sure to keep an eye out for any threats.

When Karim returned to the room, he heard a sound that bothered him. He turned to see that some of the remaining corpses were rising. He thought he was losing his mind, but then he remembered what the woman said. She had told him he’d be facing things he might never have encountered. He also wondered if these things were the same things that killed the others that were here. He quickly pulled out his Tulwar and moved away from the creatures, making sure he always had room to back up. He worked swiftly to stop the things and soon, not a one was standing. After the last one had fallen, he looked at the book he had found. He opened it and paged through it, amazed that it was written in his native language. As he looked through it, he saw there was a way to enchant an item. He turned a few more pages, and discovered what looked like a map. As he looked over the map, he realized it was the room he was in. He saw the hole that was the ladder down. He then remembered that he was going to head down that ladder. He went back to the ladder, looked down, and then looked at ladder. He sighed and said, “The things I do for love.” Once he descended the ladder, he entered a tunnel. When he reached the bottom, he noticed a man-like statuette. Looking at it, he knew it was important to get. He rushed forward to grab it, and stopped. He almost didn’t see the corpses starting to rise. This time, he was ready for them. Just as they started to rise, he started using his Tulwar

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 37 and hacked them to pieces. Every time he destroyed one of the things, he felt better. The whole situation didn’t seen unreal. After the ones guarding the statuette was destroyed, he grabbed the statuette. He was surprised he could lift it, but he knew he needed it. He was about to continue down the tunnel when he noticed there was another corpse, but this one had a strange marking in it. It looked like one of the runes he saw in the book. He also noticed that there was a ladder by the corpse. He knew the creature had to be destroyed. He rushed the creature and slashed into the creature. He made sure the creature didn’t hurt him, and quickly ended it’s existence. As it fell, he saw the rune rise from the creature chest and as it disappeared in a flash of yellow lightning, he heard a voice say, “Santak.” He wondered if that was the word for the rune. He put that thought in the back of his mind as he climbed up the ladder the creature was guarding. Karim breathed a sigh of relief when he entered the room. The room looked like a shrine of sorts. In the center of the room was huge pillar with three pairs of braziers on it. As he surveyed the room, he noticed three round panels on the floor. He felt there was something special about those panels. He walked over to one, and felt it sink into the floor. As it sank, he saw one of the sets of braziers light up. He went to check them out, and when he left the panel, he saw them go out. He looked back at the panel and remembered the statuette he had picked up. He placed it on the panel, and the braziers relit. He looked at the pillar again and said, “So that’s how it works. The panels light the braziers.” He looked around and saw two more panels in the room. He then said, “I wonder what will happen when I light all three sets.” He then stepped over to the wall opposite where he entered. He had seen a glowing barrier in front of him. In that barrier, he saw the very rune he found in the tunnel. As he approached, it disappeared. He did see a ladder behind where the barrier was, and figure that was the next place he had to go. After he had descended the ladder, he grabbed a nearby torch. The tunnel he was in was dark. As he cautiously advanced, he saw more corpses on the floor. He also saw another statuette and a strange tablet. He knew he needed both of them. As he approached the statuette, he saw the corpses start to rise. He quickly pulled out his Tulwar and destroyed the corpses. Once they were gone, he grabbed the statuette, and then walked over to the tablet. He saw a strange etching on it, with the word “Chattur’gha” After he said the word, the panel disappeared. He then looked in the Tome, turning to where the spells were, and saw the image on a page next to another one that glowed green. He knew that the rune helped with spells, but he wondered how this new one would factor in. His thoughts then reminded him what brought him down to the small alcove. He ran back to the ladder and took the statuette up to the round panels. He placed the new statuette on one of the two unoccupied panels, and saw a second set of braziers light up. He then walked over to the final panel and stood on it. He watched as the final set of braziers lit up. He also prepped his Tulwar for what ever would happen. He was surprised when the shrine raised up, and four scorpion like creatures walked into the room from the platform under the shrine. He froze, not wanting to gain their attention. He watched as they started to walk, not heading in his direction, but they walked with a sickening splat sound. He had prepared for something like this. He pulled out some of his Chakrams, which were circular throwing blades, and threw one right into the closest creature. He watched as all the others turned in the direction of the sound, shrieking and

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 38 waving their tails. He quickly did the same with the other creatures, and watched as they all disappeared after they fell. When the last one fell, he stepped on to the platform, knowing it was the path he had to take. Soon, he felt it descend into the depths of the unknown place he’d been exploring. When the platform finally stopped, Karim saw he was at the far end of a very long hall. He saw a door at the far end, and knew he had to get there. He started to walk down the hall, but he felt a dark presence in the hall. As he headed down the hall, he noticed some corpses on the floor. They were fresh, telling him that others had made it to this hall, but something about them worried him. On the one had been several cuts around the eyes. As he neared the door, he noticed a Tulwar had been rammed into the one’s back. Karim had been so good with his blade, he could handle two at once. He pulled out the Tulwar and tested it in his hand. As he did so, he heard a strange hiss, and turned to see the corpse the blade was in get up. He also noticed the cuts at this ones eyes. He didn’t want to think what beast had turned this man into the mindless thing attacking him. He quickly swung his Tulwars and decapitated the dead man. He thought it was over, until the body burst apart, revealing a skinny creature with bladed arms, and a skull-like head. It was almost unreal, but it happened in front of him. He watched as the creature hissed at him and jumped into the air. His instincts took over, getting him out of the way of the creatures jump. He quickly slashed at the creature and remove the foul beast’s head. He watched it fall to the floor, and then hacked it to pieces. When he was done, Karim just said, “Could all those tales about monsters be true. If they are, the item I seek must be very powerful.” He then entered the door and arrived at a room with one circular end. The first thing he noticed was the two corpses moving towards him. As they approached him, he swore he heard the hiss he heard in the previous hall. He wondered which one of the corpses hid the creature. He quickly attacked them, making sure to stay out of both creatures reach. Soon, after removing one corpses limbs, the hissing creature exploded out of that corpse. Karim moved swiftly, rendering the creature headless, and destroyed the other corpse. When he finished both off, he looked around the room. The first thing he found was a scroll containing a spell of recovery. As he read it, he realized that he already found one of the runes to make it work. He only needed to find the rune named ‘Santak’. He then noticed the plate on the one door. It had a red rune on it, and the image of a Ram Dao. He recognized the rune from the stone slab he found earlier. Now all he had to do was find a Ram Dao, and the rune that would allow him to enchant the sword accordingly. With that in mind, he headed for the only door he could enter. Before he did so, he pulled out the talisman that was in his family for years. His father told him it could heal his wounds and restore his strength. He used the talisman and felt his health return. He then entered the next room. When he closed the door, Karim wasn’t surprised to see three corpses heading toward him. He was thankful he didn’t hear any hisses. He quickly used the two Tulwars to destroy all of the corpses. When they were gone, he took a quick look around the room. He noticed a ladder behind a glowing yellow barrier. He saw a different rune on it, and hoped he would find it soon. He also saw a door on his right hand side. He listened at that door for a moment and heard something huge in the room. He looked as his Tulwars and said, “Maybe I should enchant these. If there is something behind that door,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 39

I’ll need them enchanted.” He quickly looked at the book for the spell and enchanted the Tulwars. He hoped the glowing green weapons could handle what ever was on the other side of the door. He was almost shocked at what he saw. At the end of a hall, in a large round room, was a horrible creature. He also noticed a glowing rune in the creature. It was the same on the barrier. He rushed forward, just as glowing lightning started to form around the creature. He quickly sidestepped as the lightning struck where he was, but he would not be stopped by the creature. He quickly struck at the heads of the creature, quickly removing two of them. He jumped back as the creature swung at him, and barely dodged the creatures attack. He jumped forward, and cut off the last head. As the creature fell, he saw the rune glow and a voice said, “Narokath.” He jumped back as the rune disappeared in a flash of yellow. He almost jumped when he bumped a stone slab. He picked up the slab and read it aloud. “Santak, Self. So that’s what the rune I found earlier means.” He then saw the slab disappear in his hands. He opened the Tome and saw the rune now glowed in the book. He also knew he could now get past the barrier. He quickly returned to the previous room, and froze. Some of the scorpion like creature were now in the room. He carefully walked to the ladder, and hoped they wouldn’t hear him. He didn’t want to fight anything else if he didn’t have to. When he reached the ladder, he went to climb it, but froze. He didn’t know what he was seeing now, but it wasn’t the ladder, or the temple.

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Alexandra Roivas froze from her reading as he heard the voice. All the voice said was, “Remember me, Alex.” She turned and faced the voice and saw the ghostly image of her grandfather. She looked on in shock as she faced her dead grandfather. He looked healthy, but glowed an eerie blue light. She wanted to hug him, since she missed him so much. She was snapped back to reality when the ghost disappeared, and she heard Yvette say, “Alexandra, are you alright?” She nodded and was thankful when Alexandra said, “It was your grandfather. He knows you have to complete the chapter. I think he just wanted to assure you that you are doing the right thing.” She nodded and said, “I know. You’re right. I need to finish the chapter. I don’t think your husband wants to be stuck in the past.” She saw Yvette nod, and she returned to the book. She also wondered why in the chapter, Karim had suddenly stopped at the ladder.

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After blinking his eyes, Karim was in shock at what he saw. He just said aloud, “This can’t be happening.” He froze when he heard all the creatures squeal and turned in his direction. He quickly descended the ladder and entered a hall. When he reached what looked like an intersection, he saw a stone slab on a pile of rubble blocking a door. The slab had a picture of the rune he just found on it, with the words, “Narokath. Absorb,” on it. He now had the runes so he could cast the Recovery spell. He hoped it would work,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 40 since that disturbing vision he had. He was even hearing voices coming from all around. He cast the spell, and saw three green rune appear around him. He then felt his mind clearing, and the voices had stopped. He was thankful that he could now use that spell. He started to wonder if he might be able to use it to recover his health. He then entered the only door he saw in the hall. When he entered the door, he saw a huge room at the end of a long hall. He looked around to see four runes on the walls and in a stone in the center of the room, he saw the Ram Dao. He had held a sword like that once. He knew he could handle the huge sword, but he preferred the Tulwars. He did know he would need the sword to open the door. However, he also knew that he needed one more rune. The green one didn’t match the one on the door. He walked over and pulled out the Ram Dao. The second he pulled it out, he heard a gate lower, and he turned to see it blocked the exit. He then saw six corpses appear in the room. He started to move, hefting the huge sword in his hands, and slaughtered each of the corpses. He was surprised when five more corpse appeared. He moved quick to destroy those as well. He then saw three more corpses appear, these looked more muscular than the last ones. We worked to end their existence as well, thankful that the Ram Dao went through them with ease. When the last of those fell, he saw three more appear, with the same hiss that he had heard earlier. The middle of the three was the most important, since he saw a glowing red rune in it. He headed straight to it and quickly destroyed it. Quickly, he heard the rune’s name, “Chattur’gha” and then he attacked the other corpses. He swung the Ram Dao in such a way that it spun him around, destroying the corpse and then the creature that was in it. When he destroyed the last one, he saw the gate open. When he had a moment to rest, he quickly cast the Recover spell. He then used the Recover spell with the new rune and felt healthier. He waited a moment, and then looked at the Ram Dao. He used the Enchant Item spell on the Ram Dao with the new rune, and saw it glowing red. He knew now that he had his key to the door. He left the room and raced back to the door with the plate on it. He ran back to the ladder, up it, and over to the door, avoiding the scorpion like creatures, and went to the plate. He put the red Ram Dao into the slot and watched as the plate disappeared. He had unlocked the door. Now he could find out what was behind that door. Karim was not surprised when he entered a curved hall with three more corpses in sight. He quickly rushed them, taking them down with the huge blade. Once the last one fell, he started to run down the curved hall. He was thankful when he saw no more corpses. However, he did stop running when he saw what was in front of him. Something must have collapsed on the place. He looked it over, and saw a hole small enough to crawl through. He looked into it and said, “After all I’ve seen in here, climbing through would be too dangerous. There has to be another way.” He looked over to the right hand wall and saw a ladder. He started to climb it, hoping he would get past the rubble. When he reached the top of the ladder, he saw more of the scorpion-like creatures. He then saw a small ruby statuette in the room. It looked to him like a kneeling warrior. He didn’t see any visible extra paths. He did realize that grabbing the statue, or killing the creatures, might reveal a path. He quickly tossed Chakrams into the creatures, and ran over to grab the statuette. Neither action revealed a door, but something told him to hold on to the statuette. Karim then sighed and said, “I guess I must crawl through that

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 41 tunnel.” He then went down the ladder, and climbed through the rubble. When he was finally through, he heard down the tunnel the sound of one of those horrible creatures he saw earlier. He wondered how long it would stand to the Ram Dao, even when it was glowing red. He looked at the sword, and re-enchanted it. He then ran forward, and noticed the creature was a different color from the sword. With one good swing, the killed the huge monster, and cleared the path to a ladder behind it. He looked back at the rubble, and hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by following this path. He then descended the ladder. When he was at the bottom of the ladder, he saw a gate to his left, and a stone hand like pedestal, similar to the one he found the book. He quickly realized what must be done. He put the Tome on the pedestal and heard the gate rise. He grabbed the book, and ran for the gate, afraid it would go down. When he was through it, he did hear one sound. He turned, but was thankful when he saw that it was an oddly dressed man. He realized it had to be the man who knew the woman he met earlier.

Richard looked straight at Karim as he appeared and said, “Karim, I think you know I’m here to help you.” He was thankful when Karim nodded. He then said, “My name is Richard. The book you found is the same my friends and I found. Something is going on right now that is more dangerous than anything you or I can imagine. The artifact you’ve been going after may help us stop the evil that comes. The only thing is you shouldn’t touch it.” He noticed a puzzled look cross Karim’s face as he said, “How am I going to claim it without touching it? What would happen if I do touch it?” Richard remember what had happened to Pious after he touched the artifact he had claimed. He looked at Karim and said, “It you touch it, the Ancient Evil that the artifact represents will control you. However, I don’t know which one of the artifacts is here. I know Pious took the one he claimed.” He then noticed a puzzled look on Karim’s face. He looked at him and said, “What’s wrong?” He watched as Karim pointed and said, “It looks like the someone beat us here.” He watched Karim run to the three podiums, and followed, hoping it wasn’t a mistake. As he ran over, he saw the podiums were empty. He then heard a strange sound and turned to see a red barrier had appeared. He heard Karim say, “A trap.” Rich shook his head and said, “No, a trial. Enchant your weapon of choice. I’ll be fine with my sword.” He watched Karim nod, and saw the three rune appear and enchant the sword Karim was holding. Soon, he saw corpses start advancing through the barrier. As they advanced, they took each one down. Of course, each one that fell was replaced. After the seventh Zombie, he noticed they had changed. The first of the new ones he encountered had a trick he didn’t know about. When he cut of the ones head, it slowly regenerated. He started to back up, knowing his sword might not be strong enough. He could tell Karim was having no problems, but after the eighth zombie appeared, he heard a hiss, and heard Karim say, “Be careful, that corpse is carrying something inside it.” Richard nodded and charged the new attacker. He quickly lopped off the creature’s head, and then saw the zombie explode, revealing the creature he recognized from Anthony’s era. He almost froze, but then swung his sword again, decapitating the hissing creature. When it fell, he noticed that most of the zombies were gone.

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He then froze when he heard the howl of the Horror creature. He turned and back pedaled into the round room and to the wall opposite Karim. He then said, “Karim, you attack the left, I’ll get the right. Then aim for the middle. Maybe we can bring it down before it hurts us.” He saw Karim nod, and they waited until the creature came into sight. They struck fast, and he was glad the creature’s heads were all gone before it could attack. When it fell, the barrier fell, and he watched as the barrier fell, and the warped angel artifact appeared. He watched as Karim went to reach for it. Before he could respond, he felt one of the ‘blink’ attacks. As he blinked his eyes, and held his head so he could re-adjust, he saw a ghost near Karim. He also now saw the claw artifact was there. As he recovered, he heard the ghost say, “I did not understand the power the artifact held. I must now ask you to make a sacrifice.” He could tell Karim was angry about what she had said, even though he didn’t catch all of it. Richard looked at Karim and said, “She’s right, Karim. If she’s asking you to make a sacrifice and guard the artifact, do it. Only the chosen ones will be able to help. Your task is to guard that one until they get here. You’ll know them when they come. I’ll be here to help them.” He watched as Karim nodded and said, “The things I do for love. Richard, I know you speak the truth. Do your best to help those who need to get the items where they belong.” He nodded, and then heard Karim say, “Now go. What I do, I do not only for all, but for the woman I love.” He nodded and ran down the hall to the ladder he saw Karim come down. As he ran, he heard electricity and a scream. He started to climb the ladder, when he heard another voice in the hall. He stuck his head up in time to see Pious Augustus walking towards him. When their eyes locked, he heard Pious say, “How could you still be around? I may have missed all those centuries ago, but my minions won’t. They killed the travelers, and a woman foolish to wed me, and now they will kill you.” Rich quickly descended the ladder as the creatures advanced, and as he hit the floor, he felt the world change, and watched as he returned to the present, and to the Roivas estate.

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Chapter 9: Aligning The Key To The Door

Alexandra Roivas watched as Richard Cale returned to the present in the secret room. When he was back, she saw that he staggered backwards. She was thankful when Yvette Cale ran over to his side and supported him. She knew that Richard must have taken a beating. After he looked like he had recovered from the time, she said, “What happened back there?” She watched as Richard looked at her and said, “A lot. Apparently, the artifact of the one that Pious’ Ancient can defeat is still in the place that Pious and Karim found. He also found the second alignment rune. In fact, when he found the rune, he had also had a spell to recover health and sanity. Check to see if we have them here.” She started to page through the book, and eventually got to the spell section of the book. She found the Recover spell, and then looked at the two alignment runes they had. The first they had was a red one for Chattur’gha, and the second they had was a blue one for Ulyaoth. She then looked past the page, and saw room for two more runes. She then turned to Richard and said, “We have the blue and red one. Will those help?” She watched as Richard walked over to the book and said, “The red one will restore health. Do you mind if I try it for a second?” She nodded and watched as he held the book and started to cast the spell. However, just as he was about to finish the spell, she saw him explode. She screamed, and then saw Yvette run over and ask, “Alexandra, are you alright? What scared you?” She looked at Yvette in disbelief. Her husband exploded and she seemed more concerned about something that scared her. She tried to gather her wits as she said, “Didn’t you see what happened? Your husband just exploded. He was casting a spell and exploded.” All that was happening was getting to be too much to believe. First her grandfather’s death, then the discovery of the book, and now this. She almost jumped in fright when she heard a voice she didn’t expect to hear say, “I exploded? I can’t believe that. I feel entirely better, not like I’ve been splattered all over this room.” She started to worry if she was losing her grip on reality. She then heard Yvette say, “It must have been another mind game from Pious and his Ancient. Maybe we are starting to appear powerful enough to stop him.” She wondered if Yvette was right. Maybe what she did need was a way to recover her sanity, so she could survive to the end of what was coming. She looked over at Yvette and said, “You may be right. The whole scene seemed so real.” She closed her eyes and then took a few deep breaths. Finally, she opened them and said, “Alright, what will be our next move?” She then heard Yvette say, “Well, I think we have everything we need to open the plaque lock. We have the sword, and the rune to enchant it with.” She then saw Richard nod and say, “That’s it. Enchant the Gladius with the Ulyaoth’s rune and we’ll head to the kitchen.” She quickly cast the spell and watched as the Gladius glowed a bright blue. When it was done, she lead the way from the secret room to the kitchen. They were almost to the kitchen, when she heard the phone ring. She stopped,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 44 wondering who it was calling them. She quickly walked over to the phone and picked it up, saying “Hello.” She then felt her body freeze when she heard the person on the other side answer.

Yvette Cale stood by Alexandra when she picked up the phone. In fact, something told her that something was about to happen. It was then she heard the voice on the phone, and swore her blood froze. She wasn’t sure what Alexandra had heard, but she heard Pious saying, “Remember me, Alex.” She then watched as Alexandra slammed the phone down, visibly shaken by the call. She then heard her husband walk over to Alexandra, and said, “Alexandra, who was on the phone?” She then heard Alexandra say, “It was my grandfather. He asked if I remembered him. It’s like he was calling from beyond the grave.” Before she could say anymore, Yvette put her hand on Alexandra’s shoulder and said, “It wasn’t him. It was Pious. He’s trying to stop you by messing with your mind. You need to be strong.” She was startled when her husband said, “But I heard him, love. I heard Dr. Roivas’ voice as well. Am I thinking that because my sanity is sapped as well.” She just nodded and heard him sigh. “We need to get that last rune so we can all recover. Are we even sure the phone rang?” Yvette thought about it for a moment. She didn’t even remember hearing the phone ring. She reached over and picked up the receiver and listened. She held it for a moment and then said, “The line is dead. It must be one of Pious’ tricks.” She put the phone down and said, “Maybe until you both get back to normal sanity, I should take the lead.” She watched as both nodded and then heard Alexandra say, “Maybe we should get that door open in the kitchen.” She nodded and lead the way into the kitchen. When they were there, she watched as Alexandra approached the plaque and pushed the Gladius into it. In a moment, she heard a click and saw the weapon come back out, and the metal disappear. She watched as the door then opened, and stood back, not knowing what would come out. Yvette then saw her husband look in the door and said, “I think we lucked out. Nothing but a stocked pantry. If the next chapter page is in here, we need to find it fast.” She watched as he and Alexandra looked through all the cans and jars in the pantry. Soon, she spied a jar full of a spice, but in with the spice was a paper. She picked up the jar and said, “I think I found the page.” She handed it over to Alexandra, and just as she opened the jar, she felt dizzy. She blinked her eyes, and again saw she was in the place where she has seen Pious speaking with his Ancient before. This time, she stayed in the shadows as Pious summoned the image of the Ancient he had spoke with earlier. If Richard was right, it might not be the same that he saw Pious choose, but to her, Pious was speaking to Ulyaoth. As she listened, she heard Pious say, “The pillar of flesh has been constructed.” She wondered where this pillar was, and then listened again as he said, “The planets will soon be in alignment. The next millennia will be your time. Even now, your guardians prepare the gate.” At the mention of the gate, she started to wonder where this gate was, and gasped

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 45 aloud. She realized where the gate was, and realized why Pious might have killed Dr. Roivas, and why he was striking at them. The gate must be on the grounds of the Roivas Estate. She then noticed that Pious was looking in her direction, and she closed her eyes, hoping that when she reopened them, she would be back in the Roivas Estate.

Richard watched as his wife opened her eyes. He was sure that something happened. The second Alexandra had opened the jar, he saw Yvette stop moving, as if her mind was elsewhere. He looked at her and said, “What did you see this time?” He watched as she blinked her eyes and said, “I saw Pious talking with his Ancient, Ulyaoth.” He blinked hearing the name, and wondered if the next time he experienced one of his ‘blinks’, if Pious’ Ancient would be Xel’lotath. He then heard Yvette say, “Pious was talking about a gate. I think the gate is somewhere on the grounds of the Estate.” He was stunned at that news. He was almost distracted when he heard Alexandra gasp. He quickly turned to face her as she said, “This next chapter is about my ancestor, Maximillian.” When he heard that, Richard started to wonder how long the Roivas family had been fighting Pious and his Ancient. He then felt his eyes go wide as she said, “This is even set in the time he was in the house, in 1760 A.D.” Richard struggled to get the right words together, remembering everything that had happened so far. He finally said, “Back in the time when America was the Colonies.” He watched as she nodded and said, “I think I saw his ghost walking the halls upstairs. This also might go with something Yvette just found out.” He watched as Alexandra looked at him and said, “What did she find out?” He heard his wife respond to the question as she said, “There is a gate of some sorts, on the grounds. I know we’ve looked around the entire mansion, except for a few places, but where could they hide a gate big enough for an Ancient.” He started to think about that when Alexandra finally said, “Maybe it’s not exactly on the grounds. Did you noticed the grounds behind the building. They are very hilly. Maybe there is something underneath them. Maybe you’ll find out what when we go into the this chapter.” Richard nodded and said, “You’re right. Maybe in that chapter, we can explore the basement. This gate may be located down there.” He watched as everyone nodded, and they made their way back to the secret room. As they walked through the library, he almost did a double take as he saw a book fly across the room. He felt shaken by that sight, and then heard Yvette say, “Maybe after that chapter, we can all take care of your dropping sanity.” He nodded as the continued through the secret hall. When they finally entered the secret room, he watched as Alexandra put the page in the book and said, “Alright, let’s find out where this gate is. I hope you are ready to deal with this. This chapter is called ‘The Lurking Horror’.” He nodded and said, “I’d be more worried if it were in the year 1770 A.D. At least in that time, he’d be more tolerant of an Englishman, mind you the blue jeans might confuse him.” He watched as his wife and Alexandra giggled at that. He then watched as Alexandra started to read the chapter. As she read, he saw everything starting to dissolve from sight, and he noticed that Yvette wasn’t experiencing the same thing. Maybe

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Maximillian wasn’t going to end up in the strange hall that the others had encountered.

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Chapter 10: Finding The Colonial Gate

Maximillian Roivas sat at his desk, writing in his journal. He had already been in the family home for a few weeks, and he knew that his father had a few secrets in the place. He was determined to find out what they were, and even to discover why it seemed his father had gone mad. He then closed the journal and stood up. As he walked towards the door, he was stunned to see a bag of ammo for a Flintlock Pistol. He was surprised to see it lying about, but he had heard that the colonies were becoming concerned about how they were represented in England. He also remembered that due to the troubled times, he had been carrying his own Flintlock Pistol all the time. He picked up the bag, and was determined to store it some place safe. He then left the upstairs study that he was working in. He then entered the door to his right. It was the washroom. As he looked around, he noticed one of the household staff was cleaning the floor. He also noticed another bag of ammo. He picked it up and said, “Do you know who left this lying here?” When he got no response, he just said, “If you don’t know, that’s all right. I’ll place it back where it belongs.” He knew that was true, however, he still had never seen where there were any other guns in the place. He then left the room, and headed down the hallway, towards the stained glass window. He always wondered about the window, and why his family had it put in. As he continued down the hall, he checked the door to the servants’ room. It was locked, but that was all right. He wasn’t about to bother them if they were resting. When he reached the window, he glanced down at the table, thinking he saw something there, however he didn’t see anything. He then doubled back, heading to the master bedroom. As he walked to it, he found more bags of ammo. He had never heard of so much ammo being laid out so recklessly. He then entered the master bedroom. As he entered, he noticed a letter on the nightstand. He walked over to nightstand, and opened the letter. As he read it, he learned his father, Aaron, had discovered an odd book entitled, The Tome Of Eternal Darkness. After reading that, he could swear that his father was disturbed in his old age. He then noticed on the mantle in the room a stone slab, with an odd symbol on it. He picked up the slab and saw two words and read them aloud, “Redgormor. Area.” It then disappeared, and Maximillian blinked. He then looked at the servant and saw he was a bit distressed. He walked over and said, “Lad, why don’t you take a break. You’ve been working too hard.” He then opened the door to the private washroom, and stepped over to the sink to wash out his eyes. Once he was sure that his sight was normal again, he noticed another bag of ammo. He picked it up and said, “Who is leaving this ammo all over the place?” He left the washroom and headed to the foyer to go downstairs. As he entered the foyer, he glanced over at one of the maids dusting the walls. He thought it was odd for her to be doing that, but then it was a big place. He wondered if the servants cleaning the place had a full time job just doing that. He then descended the one set of steps, and stopped by the one of the servants scrubbing the floor. Before he could say anything, he heard the servant mutter something about the room being cold. That was odd, because he felt no chill in the room. He then walked towards the back of

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 48 the room away from the door to the kitchen. He glanced at the right wall, and saw a portrait of the area, and noticed something odd. In the portrait, there was a door, but on the wall where the door would be was a triangle with an odd blue symbol in it. He then looked to the left, and saw a strange picture on the wall, with similar symbols in a triangular pattern around a fourth odd symbol. He left that area puzzled, and started towards the kitchen, picking up another sack of ammo for the pistol. As he walked, he stopped by a clock. He saw the time on it, and thought it was odd that the clock was stopped on 3:33. He then noticed another letter by the old clock. He picked it up and read it. This letter mentioned the house had been forsaken by something called the Ancients. Maximillian started to wonder if his father had gone mad in the end. He then entered the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen, Maximillian noticed a few things. The first was the stone tablet which had an odd symbol with the word “Xel’lotath” over it. He walked over and grabbed it. The second he grabbed, it disappeared from sight, just like the other stone slab he found. He then noticed that another sack of ammo was in the room. That disturbed him, especially when he heard the one maid in the room muttering to herself. He then walked over to the pantry door, and wondered why it was open. As he looked in, he saw the handle for a pump in it. He picked it up, thinking it would be best to keep that out of reach of a crazed person. After hearing the one maid mutter, it would be best to keep anything dangerous out of her hands. He then left through the rear door of the kitchen and went to the dining room from the foyer. As he entered the room, he noticed the one servant working in the room and saw how clean the room was. He then walked over to the servant and said, “Good job. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off.” He was puzzled that the servant didn’t respond. He then glanced over at the fireplace, and saw the same portrait that was out in the foyer. However, on the mantle was the statue of a raven, and for miniature diagrams of all the runes in the picture. He then noticed a message on the portrait, mentioning about darkness spreading its wings in front of Ulyaoth’s greatest foe, and a passage opening up. He then looked at all the small images and then noticed that one of the symbols looked like the one he saw on the stone slab he found earlier. He carefully moved the statue in front of it, and was surprised when he heard a rumbling sound, like a door opening. He looked down at the fireplace, and saw a path open right were a roaring fire was a moment ago. He slowly got down on his knees, and was surprised to see a room on the other side. Maximillian stood up once he was in the room, and was surprised at everything in the room. It was as if the room was it’s own research area. Note and pictures were scattered through the room. He also noticed a desk in the room, and was startled to see an old ominous looking book on it. As he walked over to it, he remembered the note his father left about the book. He walked over to the desk, and looked at the book. He wondered if the book was the book his father mention. He picked it up and opened it, knowing he might be tempting fate. The second he opened it, he saw all sorts of images. He gasped in fright when it was all done, but then he backstopped into the wall when he saw a strangely dressed man in front of him.

Richard Cale realized he must had startled Maximillian Roivas. He quickly put his

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 49 hands up in front of him, and said, “Pardon my sudden appearance, Maximillian, but I’m hear to aid you.” He noticed that Maximillian appeared to relax a bit, and he continued. “This may be hard to believe, but I come from the future. Your ancestor found that book you hold in this very room. As they have been reading it, I have been jumping back and forth in time. We are trying to fight the darkness that is coming.” He watched as Maximillian looked at him cautiously and said, “If what your saying is true, then where is the danger that this darkness brings.” Richard could tell that Maximillian was not stupid, but also a scholar. Any true skeptic would doubt the story his just told. Richard felt his blood run cold when he heard a loud thud in the direction of the foyer, and a loud bone chilling roar. It was the sound of one of the three headed Horrors he had seen in previous encounters. He also saw Maximillian’s eyes go wide at the sound as well. He then said, “That is the sign that the creatures are here. It’s a servant of an old evil man named Pious Augustus. There is something he wants under this mansion, and now that you found the book, he knows you are on to him.” He watched as Maximillian shook his head and said, “So, this is what my father meant.” He then saw a note slide out of the book as Maximillian held it. He saw Maximillian pick it up and read it. Soon, he listened as Maximillian said, “So, the mansion is over an ancient city underground. Could the creatures be coming from there?” Richard considered the question carefully before answering it. He then said, “It is possible. That city, what ever it is called, may be a focal point for these creatures. However, before we engage them, you might want to find a weapon to fight with. That pistol your carrying might not be enough. You might want to grab that Sabre on the wall there, and anything else that might help us defeat the creatures.” He watched as Maximillian nodded and said, “Indeed. However, if you think one pistol won’t be enough, I can handle two at once.” He then watched as Maximillian took a second pistol from the wall. He then noticed that Maximillian was looking at a strange parchment. Richard walked over to his side and said, “That might be helpful. It says something about revealing what can’t be seen. All we need are the runes to make the spell work.” He watched as Maximillian nodded and picked up the paper. At least now they had everything important that they might need. Richard then made his way to the entrance that Maxamillian had come in. As he crawled through, he heard two things. The first was Maximillian crawling in behind him. The second was an unmistakable hiss he had heard before. It was one of the Bonethieves. He took a quick glance around the room, and saw the only other being in the room was apparently a servant. Richard knew what it really was now. As he slowly got up, he heard Maximillian say, “Don’t worry about that man. He’s just a servant. He looks after the house.” He watched as Maximillian stood up and the servant started to advance. Before the servant moved any farther, Richard said, “Maybe at one time he did, but not any more.” He quickly swung his sword in a arc as he advanced towards the servant. He heard Maximillian gasp as his sword connected and made a severe cut in the man’s throat. Soon, he saw the man shake, and his body exploded in a hideous splat. He looked at the creature face to face as it hissed at him again. Before Richard could react,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 50 the creature jumped forward, right at his face. He was thankful that before the creature could reach his face, Maximillian had rushed forward and swung his sword in such a way that the creature’s head was severed. The creature collapsed to the floor, dead. He then watched as Maximillian looked at the creature in horror and fascination, and then opened a book. Richard watched as Maximillian quickly wrote things down. When he was done, Maximillian looked at him and said, “It’s only right we have proof of these things, and I am a doctor.” Richard nodded and said, “Very wise, but let’s hope not all the servants have fallen victim to bonethieves.” Richard then saw the Tome was glowing. Richard walked over to Maximillian and said, “Why don’t you cut that creature some more. It actually has a therapeutic effect.” He watched as Maximillian did so, and then looked at the Tome. He was surprised when he saw three entries has appeared in the book, each a type of Bonethief. He paged through them and said, “Now this is odd.” He continued looking at the book as Maximillian walked over to his side and said, “What is?” He then heard Maximillian gasp and say, “I only wrote about one of those things. Where did those other entries come from?” Richard realized it might be hard to understand right now, so he just said, “I’ll tell you later, when I’m sure of it. Right now, we need to handle the Horror that is in your foyer.” Richard then headed for the door, and opened it, stopping only to say, “By the way, I hope you can move fast. The Horror tends to have a lightning type of attack.” He saw Maximillian nod and then they headed into the foyer. As they ran forward, Richard saw the Horror was near the base of the stairs, and approaching a cowering servant. As they ran, he heard Maximillian shout, “Get away from that thing. We’ll stop it.” Richard then swung his sword, and timed it just right as the Horror turned towards them, and his sword severed its one neck. Richard jumped back as the creature tried to shock him and said, “Aim for the necks, taking out all three of its heads will kill it.” It was also then that he saw a rune floating in the creature’s body. He then knew what had to be done, and doubled his efforts. He smiled when his sword cut off the creatures right neck, leaving on the middle head left. However, he didn’t jump back in time to dodge the backswing, and the creature sent him flying away. He landed on his back at the base of the one set of stairs. As he looked up, he saw Maximillian sever the last neck. As he watched, he heard an unearthly voice say “Redgormor” and saw the rune disappear in flash of yellow lightning. He then watched as Maximillian started to examine the creature. Richard also looked up the steps to see an upstairs maid coming down. Richard started to slowly get up, when he heard a hiss come from her. He moved faster to get up, but by the time he was up, the maid backhanded him, knocking him back to the floor. As he fell, he heard his sword slide away from him. He started to crawl away from the maid, and back towards his sword. While he was fast, the creature moved faster. Before he could even shout for help, he heard a shot, and watched as the back of the maid’s head shattered. He then heard Maximillian say, “I won’t let you foul creatures kill this man.” Richard quickly grabbed his sword and got to his feet as the maid exploded, revealing another Bonethief. Before the creature could fully recover from it’s exposure, Richard quickly swung his sword and removed the creatures head. As the body collapsed,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 51 he chopped it to bits. When he was done, he looked at Maximillian and said, “Thank you, Maximillian. I feel before all this is done, our sanity will have had a nasty blow to it.” He watched as Maximillian looked over at the one servant in the room and said, “Not just ours. However, due to that creature, we now have the runes to power the spell we found. Perhaps we can reveal the basement door.” Richard glanced at where the door was, finding a blue triangle there. Richard held up his hand and said, “Do you have a green rune?” He watched as Maximillian shook his head, and Rich then said, “Then we need to find it. Mind if I check the Tome again?” He saw Maximillian offer him the book, and quickly checked it, now finding three Horror autopsies in it. He then nodded and said, “Let’s check the kitchen, and make sure it’s clear before we check upstairs.” He watched Maximillian nod and say, “That is an excellent idea. I had found a stone with a rune on it in the kitchen, maybe now we will find the rune in there.” He then watched as Maximillian headed for the rear door of the kitchen, saying, “Might as well go in the back door. It might surprise any creatures in the room.” As they entered, Richard heard a familiar stepping splat sound. He quickly surveyed the room, and saw two maids not facing him, and walking towards them was a Trapper. Richard leaned over quietly and said, “The thing is blind and reacts to sound. One shot will stop it. If it uses it’s abilities, it will send you to another dimension.” He noticed Maximillian nodded his understanding, and took aim. As he did, Richard slowly moved closer to the maids. He saw that one seemed to be putting something in the pot on the fire. When Richard heard the shot fired, and the Trapper die, he heard another hiss of a Bonethief. He then saw the other maid rise, and face him, a look of hatred and fury on her face. Richard quickly backpedaled and swung his sword. He was thankful his swing was true, decapitating the doomed woman, and allowing the Bonethief to burst forth. He went to return the swing, only to find that that his return swing would not have room to be effective. He waited as the creature prepared to pounce. Before it could, Richard saw a sword come down on the creatures neck, severing it. Richard looked over at Maximillian as he said, “I hope this is the last of these things that we encounter. If they keep this up, all the staff will be gone.” Richard then noticed what the maid was putting in the pot. He started for the door as he said, “If they aren’t physically gone, they’ll be mentally gone. What ever you do tonight, don’t have stew.” As he walked out of the kitchen, he heard Maximillian follow him, saying, “Maybe we should check upstairs. As far as I know, there are two servants up there. I hope they don’t have creatures in them as well.” Richard had to nod in agreement When they got upstairs, Richard said, “Which room do you want to check first? I know the master bedroom is to the right.” He turned back and saw Maximillian nod as he said, “Yes. I do hope he is all right in there.” He followed as Maximillian walked to the door and opened it. He waited for a moment, listening as he heard him say from the door, “Are you all right?” He listened another moment and then heard him say “It will be all right. I’ll me back in a little bit. Just stay in here for now.” He watched as Maximillian closed the door and then said to him, “I think he may be himself, but I don’t think he thinks he is. He might be close to mentally losing it.”

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Richard turned and started walking to the opposite end of the hall, saying “I know that feeling. However, before we help any of them recover their sanity, we should be sure nothing else will take it from them.” He wasn’t sure how effective that course of action would be, but it would have to be enough. It was at that point they were at the door that had to be to the smaller washroom. He remembered that in Alexandra’s time, the room was dark. He hoped that wasn’t the case now. As he reached for the door knob, he heard Maximillian say, “Let’s hope the servant cleaning in there is all right. There isn’t much room in there” Richard then opened the door, and stepped inside the small room. As Maximillian followed him in, he glanced right at the servants eyes, and saw a look of pure hatred. Richard went to react, but felt the fist hit him hard in the lower chest, knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for air, he could only watch as Maximillian did what needed to be done. He closed his eyes when his ally decapitated the servant, only to hear the Bonethief emerge. Almost as soon as it appeared, he heard Maximillian shout, “Be gone beast. Back to the Devil with you.” He then heard the creature’s death wail. As he started to get up, he felt Maximillian grab his hand. He then said, “I’m sorry you had to do that. I think those creatures enhance the strength of their victims.” He then stood up and said, “Maybe we should leave this room, and head to the window. I glanced down to it, and something didn’t seem right. Maybe it’s not the same window I saw before.” As they left the room, he heard Maximillian reply, “You may be right about the window. I noticed something by the one table by the window. I’d also suggest checking the servant’s quarters, but the door is locked.” Richard looked at the door and nodded. As they neared it, he saw an envelope aside the table, and saw what looked like a green seal on the envelope. He then said, “Something tells me that the envelope has a clue. Just be careful about picking it up.” He saw Maximillian nod and approach the envelope. It was then that Richard felt dizzy, and he braced himself on the wall. He commented aloud, “Not now. I don’t need this to happen now.” He was suffering a ‘blink’ attack. He knew he’d need a moment to recover from the attack, but he also knew what to expect. He glanced over at envelope as Maximillian pulled it out, and saw the seal was now red. It was then he also heard the window shatter.

Maximillian jumped when he heard the window shatter. He then realized that the envelope held an important item. He readied his sword for the creature’s attack, and then saw it wasn’t focused on him, but his ally, Richard. He quickly ran for Richard’s side, but saw the creature was faster, and leapt, landing on Richard’s shoulders, and prepared to plunge it’s scythe-like arms into Richard’s eyes. He grabbed the creature and pulled it off, throwing it to the floor. While it was dazed, he quickly brought his sword on the creatures body, slicing it in half. As the creature died, he walked over to Richard and said, “Are you all right? What happened that you weren’t alert?” He watched as Richard leaned against the wall, and said, “I’ll be fine. I just had a ‘blink’ attack.” He looked at Richard, a bit puzzled, and heard Richard say, “It’s just a period of dizziness. I’ll be fine.” He could tell Richard wasn’t telling him everything, and that what he wasn’t telling him was something he needed to keep quiet. Maximillian nodded and said, “All right. Let’s check out this envelope.” He

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 53 looked at the envelope and opened it. He was surprised to find a key in it, and then read the note. After he read it, he looked at Richard and said, “It looks like the creatures are after the book. And if all these notes are right, the basement, to which the key is for, is the gateway to a underground city. We might want to get into the basement.” He saw Richard nod and say, “Very wise. Let’s hope it’s going to be a quiet walk to the basement, and also hope we can reveal the door.” Maximillian nodded and then lead the way to the door to the foyer. When they reached the door, he said, “I’ll go first. I’m not sure if you are fully ready to fight again.” He watched as Richard nodded, and then he opened the door. Once he was through it, he was aware that something was odd. He looked back in the door, and saw Richard was gone. He then noticed the odd tint on all the walls. He also heard no one in the foyer. As he stepped down the stairs, he heard another of the Horror creatures appear. Like the one before, this one had a rune in it. He also knew he had to destroy it alone. He hoped his age wouldn’t factor against him. He then rushed the creature, and plunged his Sabre into one of the creatures necks. He jumped back to avoid the creature’s attack, and then repeated his strikes two more times, destroying the monstrosity. As the thing died, he saw the rune come out of it in a flash of red lightning. He then heard the word that was on the slab he found earlier. When it was all said and done, he blinked his eyes. He then heard Richard say, “Maximillian, are you all right?” He turned to see Richard behind him, and also see that he hadn’t entered the foyer at all. He then turned to Richard, and said, “I could have sworn I just fought one of those Horror’s. I even found a rune.” He then remembered about the Tome, and opened it. He was shocked to see the rune was now in the book. He also realized it was an alignment rune. He then looked at Richard and said, “I have the rune, but did I enter the room?” Richard shook his head and said, “No, you didn’t move from that spot. I think it was a trick of the mind. The dark forces that are after us are good at that.” Maximillian could tell there was a ring of truth in Richard voice. He then heard him say, “Maybe we should head down to the basement door together.” He nodded in agreement and lead the way. As they entered the foyer and headed down the steps, he started to wonder about his own sanity. He knew what they were facing was real, however it just seemed unreal. When they reached the bottom of the steps, he looked at the wall where the door was supposed to be and said to Richard, “All right, what do we do now?” He watched as Richard looked at the wall, then at the two portraits on the wall. He then watched as Richard looked at the triangular green pattern on the wall. Soon he heard Richard say, “Pious had chosen Xel’lotath, so to defeat him, we will have to use Chattur’gha. That should be the rune you just found. Try casting the Reveal Invisible spell using that rune.” Maximillian opened the tome and found the spell, and did what Richard said needed to be done. As the spell was cast, he was amazed to see the pattern disappear, and a door appeared in it’s place. He looked at the wall and saw that it now looked like the portrait. Almost without thinking, he pulled out the key and used it to unlock the door. When he heard the tumblers click, he said, “We found our key. Now, let’s find out what is down there. Let’s see if the path to the ancient city is there.” He then stopped and

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 54 stood straight. He thought he was now losing his mind. He watched as Richard turned to another page in the Tome and said, “First cast that spell. It will recover your sanity if you use the green rune.” He looked at Richard, and saw honesty in the man’s eyes. Although he was leery about doing it, he cast the recovery spell as Richard had directed. As soon as the spell was done, he felt mentally better. He then looked at Richard who said, “The red rune will recover health. I’m not sure if the blue rune will work with the spell or not.” He then watched as Richard opened the basement door and said, “Shall we?” Maximillian nodded and entered the room, and waited for Richard to close the door. Once that was done, he listened for a moment and heard movement down the steps. He turned to Richard and said, “It must be more of those creature. Can you tell how many?” He watched as Richard listened for a moment and said, “Sounds like they are human sized, but no hisses yet. It might be the Zombies. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them holds a Bonethief inside. If that’s the case, I’ll take on that one.” He watched then as Richard headed down the steps. When Richard was at the bottom, he heard a hiss, and watched as Richard headed to the bigger part of the basement. He then saw a zombie shuffle into view and ran down the steps. As he reached the bottom, he saw the thing turn to look at him. As it did, he felt his sanity start to drop, but he acted. He quickly swung his Sabre, and took out the creature’s head. He was startled when while the head was gone, a ghostly green head had taken it’s place. Before the creature could strike him, he quickly struck the two arms, removing them and causing the creature to fall. He then started to examine it. As he did, he heard the other creature explode, and listened as Richard killed the hissing beast. He took a breath of relief when it was done and said, “I hope that was it for these creatures.” He watched as Richard looked around and said, “It might be. Can I see the Tome?” He nodded and handed Richard the book again. As he looked through, he saw the man’s brow furrow. He then heard him say, “Three more entries, but I’ve seen four types. There is one missing.” Maximillian looked around the room, but saw no other creatures. “Well, once we find the way to the city, we’ll find your missing creature.” He then looked around the basement, noticing the small pool in the corner. He had a feeling that was their way to it. Before he went to the pool, he noticed some ammo for his pistols. He walked over to pick it up, and saw Richard looking at two items. One was another scroll of paper, which had a spell called Damage Field written on it. He also saw it used a rune that they did not have yet. He then saw a stone slab mentioning that rune. He picked up the slab and said, “Well, we found the slab for the protect rune called Bankorok.” As he said it, the slab disappeared, as well as the paper that Richard was now holding. Richard then said, “They’ll both be in the book now.” He watched as Richard looked over at the pool and said, “Maximillian, did all houses like this have a well in them?” Maximillian walked over to it, and saw the pump mechanism. He put the pump handle in the mechanism and said, “I don’t think this is a well. The handle for the pump was in the pantry. Let’s see what happens when I use the pump.” He started pumping, and watched as the water quickly drained out, and saw a panel in the bottom of the pool

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 55 slide away, revealing a ladder. He then smiled and said, “Your turn to go first.” He watched as Richard smiled and said, “Fair enough. You opened the door this time.” He watched as Richard climbed down the ladder. He quickly followed and as he climbed down, he heard Richard say, “I see our missing rune, and missing creature.” When he reached the bottom, he turned to see Richard lopping off the second arm, leaving the creature armless. He watched as Richard turned and said, “You want to finish him off. He has the Bankorok rune in him.” He nodded and said, “Indeed.” He then lopped off the creature’s head. As the creature fell, he saw the room leave the creatures body in a flash of yellow lightning. He then examined the creature. When he was done, he looked to see Richard descending a large circular stairwell. He quickly followed and saw Richard stop at a doorway to a balcony. When he walked out to it, he saw Richard looking in awe at a giant city. He then said, “So this is the city of Ehn’gha.” As he looked, he started to wonder if a Sabre and his Flintlock Pistols would be enough.

Richard looked out at the city, taking note of everything. It was huge, and he felt they wouldn’t even begin to examine everything. He made note of nine pillars encircling the city. Maybe they will figure out their purpose. He swallowed and then said, “Maximillian, enchant the pistols. Use the alignment rune you just found.” He looked on at the city, and then at the floor of the balcony. He was stunned to see Mantorok’s rune engraved on the balcony. He started to wonder why the rune was there, but then looked over to Maximillian. He was not surprised to see Maximillian holding two Pistols that now glowed red. “I’m ready to go. I hope this is the right thing to do.” Richard nodded and then headed back to the steps. As he started back down, he saw a yellow rune barrier disappear. As they descended, he heard Maximillian say, “Richard, what should we do if there is more down there than the creatures we’ve encountered?” As they neared the bottom, Richard said, “We double back, and try to get more help. Odds are, when we do that, I might be called back to my time.” He heard Maximillian gulp as they reached the bottom step as he said, “I may have a hard time convincing them, but I will do my best.” As they stepped out of the stairwell, Richard was stunned to see an indescribable green creature apparently looking at them. He would think it was looking at them, but he saw no eyes on the creature. He could only think that it looked like two human torso’s fused together. He then heard Maximillian say, “What in the name of God is that?” Richard stopped and looked back when he heard a sound behind them. He saw runes on the floor, glowing green, and in a polygon type pattern. He then said, “It must be a guardian of some sort. I have a feeling we should destroy it, and then double back.” He then saw lightning coming from the creature, and straight at them. He pushed Maximillian out of the way, and jumped to the side as the lightning stopped at the spot they were at. Richard then said, “I’ll draw its attacks. Shoot it with the pistols.” He then ran at the creature, and worked to keep himself out of Maximillian’s line of fire. For the first time, he knew his sword would be useless. If these creatures were getting more powerful, he was not going to be able to fight them. As he ran and avoided the lightning strikes, he heard the shots of the pistols. He

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 56 saw two connect, and the creature disappeared, turning into the ball of light. He watched as the light flew around, and kept following it. He knew that the creature would reappear when it stopped, and hoped it wasn’t too close to Maximillian. When it did reappear, he glanced over to see Maximillian was just done reloading the guns, and saw him fire again at the creature. It had taken a total of four enchanted shots, and the creature fell. He then watched as Maximillian quickly examined the creature. When he was done, he said, “By the size of this city, there must be hundreds of these creatures there.” Richard nodded and said, “Yes. We will need help. Maximillian head back up. I’m sure you can get help in time. I don’t think they are going to rush up.” He saw Maximillian nod, and started to head up. Before Maximillian left, he said, “Maximillian. Remember the time 3:33. It’s very important.” He heard Maximillian say, “That’s the time on the clock in the foyer. I’ll remember that.” He then saw Maximillian run up the steps. Richard was thankful that Maximillian would remember that. As he looked over the area, he knew that he was only safe for a little bit. He started to head back to the steps when he heard a voice come from the gate that the creature had guarded, “I thought I heard a familiar voice. You won’t get away this time. You and your friend will go mad if I don’t kill you first.” Richard ran at those words. If Pious was in Ehn’gha now, then Pious was there in the present. Richard then quickly ran up steps and reached the balcony. When he hit that spot, he saw the world dissolve and the study slowly return to view. As that happened, he also knew that most likely, Maximillian had somehow fell to the madness that Pious taunted.

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Chapter 11: Opening The Invisible Lock

Yvette Cale was glad when she saw her husband reappear, however she quickly panicked. She ran over to her husband’s side as he started to collapse. When she got to his side, she looked in his eyes and said, “Hun, what did you encounter back there?” She watched as Richard blinked and said, “It was weird.” He then looked at Alexandra and said, “Your ancestor was a scholar. He did an autopsy on everyone of those creatures. It was odd. With almost every autopsy, three appeared in the Tome. It further proved to me that my ‘blinks’ were what I thought they were. I’m literally living through three timelines.” She then heard Alexandra say, “It may prove that, but I don’t think what happened did any good for Maximillian. He was put in an asylum shortly after that.” She saw Richard shudder at that, and then heard Alexandra say, “I know. Back then, asylums were worse than prisons. I think it was because they didn’t understand everything about the human body.” She then watched as her husband said, “That may be the case, but the need for science to explain everything seems to blind people. Right now, we need to focus on the things we have learned, like the runes and spells that Maximillian had found. Maybe we can combine the runes in ways we haven’t discovered yet.” She then watched as her husband leaned forward, and used the desk to support himself. Yvette then turned to Alexandra and said, “Maybe we should let my husband sit down. While he rests, we can try combining the runes in different ways.” She watched as Alexandra stood, and allowed her husband to sit down. She then joined Alexandra at the far side of the room. When they were on that side of the room, she watched as Alexandra turned to the pages of rune in the Tome and said, “Well, let’s try combining runes we have an idea might be beneficial. Let’s try the combination of Bankorok and Santak.” She nodded in agreement, and then heard Alexandra say, “Before I cast it, what alignment rune should I use?” Yvette thought about it for a moment and then said, “Use the one for Chattur’gha, since that was the one that Maximillian found.” She then stepped back as Alexandra cast the spell and soon, from three glowing red runes, three small red orbs appeared and orbited Alexandra. She watched as the orbs circled Alexandra as she say, “I guess these are supposed to protect me, or whomever casts the spell.” She then turned through the book and said, “It looks like that the Reveal Invisible spell uses Narokath and Redgormor. I wonder what would happen if we use Antorbok. Maybe it would create a shield around an area.” Yvette was about to say something when she remember that the spell that would do that was the Damage Field spell that Maximillian had found. She turned to see three runes of glowing red appear around Alexandra. She jumped into a tackle, and felt one of the shield orbs knock her away. She then heard a yell of pain, and looked as red lightning struck her husband. She then heard Alexandra gasp, and looked at him and said, “Alexandra, what have you done?” She then hoped her husband would be alright.

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When Alexandra Roivas had realized what happened, she was scared. She didn’t want to hurt one of the people helping her, and it looked like she did. She quickly ran over to Richard and handed him the Tome. She then said, “Richard, recite the Recover spell. I think you know which rune to use.” She stood back and watched as Richard did as she said, and saw a red glow envelop him. She then watched as he repeated the process two more times before saying, “Next time you want to try that, let me get out of the room first.” She watched then as he got up and said, “Well now, since you both found two new spells, shall we figure out our next step?” She then saw Yvette run over and hug her husband as she said, “I’m glad you are alright. I was scared I would lose you.” She watched as Richard faced Yvette and said, “Not yet. I think that more encounters are going to happen. Besides, I have a feeling I won’t die in any of the chapters.” Alexandra looked at Richard and said, “What do you mean by that? Every time you enter a chapter, you come back shaken up, or wounded. How can you be sure you won’t die?” She watched as Richard smiled and said, “Because of the nature of time. I have a feeling that if I die before we find the final chapter, then we will never get here. In the past, Pious talks as if he’s seen me many times. I wonder if he even recognized me outside while he was disguised. It’s like an argument about time travel. If one was meant to travel back in time, then it happens and no one notices because it is part of history. The awkward evidence that it happened is overlooked because it’s fact. It might also be why I phase into normal time at certain points.” She then heard Yvette say, “But that would mean all the people who have seen you have a bad fate in store.” She watched as Richard shook his head, and then heard Yvette say, “Do you think they all met good ends?” She then remembered what happened to Maximillian and said, “She’s right. If they don’t die, they are thought to be crazy. Do you think we’ll run into someone who does meet and ill fate?” She watched as Richard nodded and said, “I think so. Ellia told me to bring back someone to get the Heart Of Mantorok. I bet they will survive it. Now, where should we look?” Alexandra shrugged and put her hands in her pocket, and then remembered the key she found long ago. She pulled it out and remember the odd design on the dresser and said, “The dresser in the bedroom. It’s must have an invisible lock.” She watched as Richard smiled and said, “Then let’s get up there.” She watched and followed as Richard ran out of the secret room and out of the library. She then felt Yvette take her hand. As they ran, she tried to duck the books that were flying, and heard Yvette say, “Don’t worry. The books aren’t real. Ignore everything until we get to the bedroom.” She kept up with Yvette, keeping those words in mind, and ignoring the gun ammo on the floor, and the statute looking at her in the upstairs hall. She then watched as they entered the bed room, and saw Richard casting the Reveal Invisible spell. She then smiled as she saw the key hole appear.

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She walked over and opened the drawer, and gasped when she saw the contents. She reached in and said, “Well, I think we will be needing more weaponry, since there is a gun in here, as well as the next chapter.” She saw Richard nod, and then glance at his wife. She followed his stare and saw that Yvette had apparently spaced out. She realized that Yvette must now be witnessing another meeting of Pious and his Ancient.

Richard Cale looked on as he saw his wife was staring blank ahead. As he looked at her, he heard Alexandra say, “She must see them again. Pious talking with Xel’lotath.” He nodded, knowing that the time line he was in now, was where Pious had chosen the one who affected sanity. He then sat down on the bed and said, “She’s done this all her life, especially after her mother died. It was terrible. Her father, Dr. Lindsey, had been away when it happened. He came home immediately, and then he was asked to help on another find. He left her with his parents, but when he came back, she started saying she saw things. He took her on a few finds, but soon started leaving her with my family. Her father and my mother were old friends. That’s how we met.” He then looked at Alexandra and said, “We got married before my parent’s died. In fact, their death happened on our honeymoon.” He heard Alexandra gasp and then say, “I guess that’s why you are so helpful with me. You know what it’s like to lose someone.” He nodded and said, “Yes, however, I don’t really want to say what happened to them. Right now, I want to know what’s going to happen next.” He was startled when Yvette shouted, “Pious is going after Mantorok’s heart. He refound the temple. We can’t let him find it.” He nodded in agreement, and then heard Yvette say, “The next chapter must take place back at the temple. Alexandra, when and where is the next chapter set.” He watched as Alexandra looked over the chapter and said, “It’s set in 1983 A.D. It is set in the temple, and about an archeologist named Dr. Edwin...” He heard Alexandra pause and then look up at them as she said, “Lindsey. Yvette, I think this is about your father.” Richard then heard Yvette say, “That sounds like it happened after Mom died. I remember Dad saying his encounter changed him. He fought to survive, and learned something very important. Richard, you have to keep him safe. You know what will happen if you don’t.” He could see his wife was starting to panic, and then got up and held her. He then said in his best soothing tone, “Hun, it will be alright. He will be fine.” He then looked over to Alexandra and said, “Let’s get back to the Library.” He watched as she nodded and lead the way. As they followed her, he heard Yvette say, “There was one thing I never told you about that find he went to.” He looked at her as they followed Alexandra, and heard her say, “My father said that he had a chance encounter with two spirits. He said one looked like his friends son, and the other looked like me. Back then, I was puzzled, and also confused by all the things I started seeing.” When they finally stopped, he looked around to realize that they had gotten to the secret room. He then said to her, “Yvette, if what you say is true, then we know

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 60 everything will work out with this encounter. Now, I want you to calm down, and toughen up. Remember, your father is depending on us.” He then looked at Alexandra who just returned the look and said, “I think you forgot something. I can’t start the chapter until I have the Tome back.” Richard looked down in his hand, and saw the cursed book there. He then gave it to Alexandra, and heard her say, “Alright, we are about to begin A Journey Into Darkness. I hope you are both ready for anything. And Richard, I hope you don’t need any guns. We only have one here right now.” He nodded and stood calmly as Alexandra began the chapter, and saw the world change around him He also wondered when he would show up in time.

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Chapter 12: An Ancient Find

Dr. Edwin Lindsey worked to cut his way to the temple he was searching for. When he was first approached about finding this temple a few weeks back, he wasn’t sure about it. However, now that he was within mere feet of the temple that Paul Augustine had wanted him to find, he was excited. He swung his blade one more time, and was thankful when he exposed the entrance to the temple. He put the blade into a protective sheath and entered the temple, saying to his companion, “This is it. You know, when you first presented the findings to me, I had my doubts. Now I’m glad I was wrong. This will be one of the greatest archeological finds in history.” He watched Paul Augustine look around, surprised that the old man had managed the two week trip. As he started to look around the room, he heard Paul say, “All these year I have searched, and here it was, hidden under the Ancient’s insidious magick.” Something in Lindsey told him to worry, especially when he heard the tone in Paul’s next words. “You’ve done very well, Dr. Lindsey, so well, I plan to give you an early bonus.” He knew he had good reflexes. He sometimes needed them when exploring old ruins. Even before he heard the gun fire, he ducked and rolled behind the one pillar in the room. He also fished out his revolver, and took a shot. He waited until Paul’s gunfire stopped. As he waited, he heard Paul say, “Dr. Lindsey, you are a scholar, not a warrior. If that area, I have centuries of experience.” He noticed that Paul’s voice had changed as he spoke. He also noticed that the bullet that he had shot into Paul’s arm hadn’t bothered him in the least. Edwin waited for a moment, and spun around the pillar and fired again. He then spun out of sight, but not before he saw Paul transform into a skeletal form. He was startled by the sight, but felt a wave of terror as he saw the one wall rise, and a huge creature looking like the proverbial grim reaper come walking in. He then heard what had been Paul say, “Guardians of Xel’lotath, destroy him.” It was also at that time he saw a green mist coating the floor. He also noticed that the room had now sealed, and Paul was nowhere to be seen. He quickly took aim at the creature and fired his gun again, and was stunned to see his bullets bounce right off it. He ducked behind another pillar and got his shotgun ready. He didn’t want to use it, knowing what the shotgun blasts might do to the walls, but he had no choice. He quickly loaded the shotgun, and quickly moved out from behind the pillar. He was startled to be facing the creature, and terrified when it opened its ‘cloak’ to reveal that it was actually two wings. He also noticed the scythe like thing was actually the creature’s tail, and saw the tail was about to strike him. Before he stepped back, he saw the tail coming towards him. He was startled when he heard something striking metal, and noticed that the tail had been stopped by a sword. He glanced at the sword and followed it right to the holder. It was then he saw the young man holding the sword, and heard him say, “If you don’t mind, shoot that thing in the face before it puts its wings back in place.” Edwin absently nodded and did as the man said. He was rewarded with a loud boom from the gun, and the creature’s head exploding. He stood back as the creature then collapsed, and was surprised when the man started to hack at the creature with his

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 62 sword. When he was done, Edwin looked at him and said, “Thank you for the help, but how did you get in here?” He glanced up, noticing the door he had entered the temple at was open, but could not see any signs that the man had followed him. He watched as the young man looked at him and said, “That will probably be explained in a little bit. Right now, you need to open either the northern, or southern door. The only way to do it is to place either a bracelet or necklace on the statue on the western wall.” He was startled that the man knew so much about the temple. It was almost as if the man had been here before. Edwin looked around for a moment and wanted to ask how the man knew that, but he then noticed the pile of dust in the center of the room. He pulled out his brush and started the get rid of the dirt. When the pile was gone, he saw a Bronze bracelet covering an odd diagram. As he picked up the bracelet, he noticed that the man who had helped him was looking at the diagram. He looked at the man and said, “Do you know something about that pattern?” He watched the young man nod and say, “Yes I do. The three rune in the triangles points represent Chattur’gha, Xel’lotath and Ulyaoth. Each of them were imprisoned by Mantorok, who is represented by the purple rune. In fact, this temple is built over that particular ancient.” He stepped back for a moment when he heard the man speak. He looked again at the bracelet and then over at the statue. As he walked over to it, he wondered how the man seemed to know so much about the temple. He placed the bracelet on the statue’s one arm and heard the southern door open. As he walked over to it, he looked again at the man, and swore he saw something familiar. Something also reminded him that the man had just saved his life, and he would need all the help he could get. He motioned for the man to join him and said, “Well, if we are supposed to be allies here, we might as well know each others names. I’m Dr. Edwin Lindsey.” He watched as the man nodded and said, “I know. My name is Richard Cale Jr.” That made him do a double take. He was sure that couldn’t be true. His friend, Jean, had only just told him that her little boy had just turned nine years old. There was no way this man could be her son. He then watched as the man headed to the southern door saying, “We need to get moving.” Edwin ran after the man and said, “Wait one minute, are you telling the truth about who you are?” The second he hit the door, he felt disoriented, and watched as the whole building changed around them. As he blinked, he saw the man looking around in confusion, and then saw him focus on something behind him. Edwin turned and was stunned to see a red-headed woman standing behind him, in mid-air.

Yvette Cale watched as her husband and her father appeared in the surreal hall. When she saw them both appear, she noticed her husband was looking straight at her. She then watched as her father turned around to face her. She smiled at him and then lowered herself to the floor. She wondered if the Tome of Eternal Darkness was allowing her to float when in this weird place. She then looked at her father, who appeared twenty years younger than when she last saw him and said, “Hello Father.” Before her father could even say anything to object to it, she pulled out a locket and said, “Yes, it’s really me. I still have Mom’s locket.”

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She watched as her father gasped, and then looked back at her husband and said, “It is you, but if you are all grown up, than that means that he really is Jean’s boy. Why are the both of you here?” She then watched as he looked around again and said, “And where is here?” She watched as her husband started to look over all the statues in the room, and then said to her father, “It’s a long story, Dad, but it’s important. Many years ago, a Roman centurion named Pious Augustus became the tool of an ancient deity named Xel’lotath. Since then, Pious has existed as an undead entity. Centuries ago, he cast a spell to bind the deity in this temple, but a woman from that time holds something that can help us stop the darkness that comes. My husband has been jumping back in time to help.” She watched as her father looked at her husband and said, “You mean you two are married. How many years have passed from this point?” She started walking towards the Tome and said, “About seventeen years. In that time, Richard and I got married. I now know why I see things. I’m actually seeing what is real. We are also helping a friend, who found the book in their home. Their grandfather was killed because of this. We need to help stop this darkness.” She watched as her father nodded and said, “I understand. You do know that your husband saved my life.” When she nodded, she heard him say, “If there is something important, I will find it. I’m sure your husband will help as best he can. I will say that he might want to find something other than a sword to stop some of these things.” She nodded and said, “Well, when we find a gun, we’ll try to send it back with him. However, I think you need to grab the Tome and head back.” She then watched as the skeletal hand holding the book opened. As he went to grab the book, she saw him look at the statues again and heard him say, “By the way, who are all the statues of?” She watched as her husband walked over and said, “They are all the people who died or met an ill fate because of the book. There are three more positions, and I know none of them are for you.” Before he grabbed the book, she watched as her father looked at Richard and said, “How do you know that, Richard?” She smiled as he grabbed the book, and said, “Because you attended the wedding, and gave me away.” She saw a brief smile pass on his face as he and her husband returned to the temple in Cambodia. She then felt herself returning to the present, and she hoped that everything would be well with her and Alexandra.

Richard Cale was thankful when they reappeared in the temple. When he was sure they were both back, he started heading south to the room of the setting sun. At least if he remember right, it was that room. When he entered the room, he was greeted by a few zombies in the room. He quickly rushed into action, and started cutting off the heads of some of zombies, when he hear Edwin say, “Richard, is all....” He knew that Edwin noticed the zombies, and hoped that he would realize what needed to be done. Soon, he heard the sound of a blade cutting through a corpse. He glanced over and saw Edwin decapitating a corpse like he was doing. Soon he saw the last one fall, and he turned to Edwin and said, “Now, what were you about to ask?”

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He waited a moment while Edwin caught his breath and then said, “Was all what my daughter said true?” Richard nodded, and then Edwin said, “So you are Jean’s son? How is she doing in the future?” Richard froze for a moment, not knowing what to say. He wasn’t even sure if he should mention to Edwin that his parents were dead. He was even leery about mentioning much else, afraid of what it would do to time. He knew his fears were a bit irrational, but decided that for now, he wouldn’t say. He then said, “Yes, my mother’s name is Jean. Maybe later I’ll tell you a bit more about the future, but right now, we need to find Ellia.” He then headed west into the trap hall, and stopped. He watched as he saw a Trapper start to move about the hall. He wondered how the creature had managed to survive in the hall without setting off any of the traps. Before he could think, he heard Edwin step in the hall and heard him say, “What is that creature?” Richard motioned for quiet, but it was too late. He saw the creature turn in the direction they were standing and watched as the creature moved forward. He watched as the creature stepped on one of the triggers, and gasped as the blades in the hall started swinging. He was lucky he wasn’t close to one of them, but smiled when the one blade cut the Trapper in two. He then said to Edwin, “Jump between the blades, and mind the odd colored tiles.” Richard began stepping between the blades, and working his way to the other end of the hall. When he was pasted the traps, he saw Edwin taking the same steps. When he had cleared the traps, Richard looked at him and said, “That thing was a creature called a Trapper. It’s blind and responds to sound. It does a suicide attack that sends what ever it focuses on to another dimension.” He watched as Edwin looked at the thing that used to be a Trapper as it disappeared, and said, “You know. This is the sort of thing Yvette always said was around. I guess now is the first time I’m seeing these things.” He then watched as Edwin looked over at a small podium and picked up a metal bracelet. He then watched as Edwin looked it over and said, “Think it might come in handy?” He nodded and said, “Indeed. It’s seems that whatever we encounter here will be not only useful here but even elsewhere.” Richard then continued down the hall, and stopped for a moment, almost in fright. He was staring at a huge spider web. He was scared of spiders. After seeing all the terrible creatures, his own fear of spiders had him frozen. He then watched as Edwin pulled out his brush and brushed the thing away, exposing a stone codex. He felt his fear subside when Edwin picked up the table and said, “Looks like a translation for a rune. Apparently, the engraved rune is called Tier, which means Summon.” Richard then saw the codex disappear from Edwin’s hands. Richard took a deep breath and said, “Let’s get moving. The sooner we get to Ellia, the sooner we can get out of here.” He then entered the next room and stopped moving. When he heard Edwin gasp behind him, he quietly said, “It’s a Horror, and I think it’s not going to attack us. It’s behind a barrier we can’t cross. See the runes on the floor. It’s a barrier of sorts.” He then saw Edwin look to his left as he said, “Well, if it’s behind a barrier, it’s guarding something, and I don’t think it is guarding this Bronze Necklace.” Richard glanced over at where Edwin was reaching and saw him pick up the item. Richard turned

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 65 his eyes back to the Horror, and saw it wasn’t moving. Richard then said, “Let’s head back to the statue. I don’t want to chance that creature surprising us if this is a trick.” He saw Edwin nod, and they worked their way back to the entrance room. As they walked, he heard Edwin say, “I take it that you’ve been here before.” Richard nodded and then he heard Edwin say, “Let me guess. The last time you were here, a girl named Ellia was here, and it is linked to the book we found in that odd room.” He nodded again and he head Edwin say, “So, Ellia has something needed to stop the dark forces. What does she have?” Richard was about to answer that one when he noticed they were back in the room. He then said, “I’ll tell you when we get closer. Right now, put the necklace on the statue.” He watched as Edwin did so, and he heard the northern door open. He then rushed through the door, and saw a Silver Bracelet. When he saw it, in front of the three- headed snake statue, he couldn’t believe it wasn’t guarded. He started to reach for it when he started to have a nagging feeling about the whole scene.

When Edwin entered the room, he saw Richard reaching for the Silver Bracelet, and realized why it was just laying out in the open. He quickly ran over and grabbed Richard’s hand and said, “Wait a second. Before you grab that necklace, look at that statue. Doesn’t something seem odd?” He watched as Richard looked over the statue before saying, “It looks like the mouths are hollow, like something is in them.” He nodded, and then watched as Richard said, “It’s a trap. This must have been put in after Ellia was here.” He looked at Richard and said, “That may be the case, and as we explore, you need to tell me about this Ellia, especially if we have to find her. But I do believe we need that bracelet, so here is what we will do. You take the Silver Bracelet, and I’ll replace it with the Metal Bracelet.” He watched as Richard nodded and then they made the switch. When they did it, he heard the doors start to lower, and then raise again. He then grabbed a torch in the room, and headed west into the new hallway. As they headed west, he saw Richard watching the panels, and also heard him say, “I think we have some more zombies in the corridor.” He watched as Richard went after the one zombie, and rushed to get up to him. He could see that the one zombie was falling to Richard, but the other one was coming up right behind him. He quickly lunged forward, with the torch, and set the second creature ablaze. When the creatures were dead, he watched as Richard looked at the one that tried to attack him from behind, and heard him say, “Thank you, Edwin. I didn’t realize the creature was attacking me from behind.” He watched as Richard then approached the creature to hack it to pieces, when he noticed another huge spider web. He made his way towards it, and started to brush it away. He smiled when he found another codex. He picked it up and read the translation on it. He then said, “Richard, I’ve found another codex. This one is the Nethlek codex, or Dispel.” He then watched as the codex disappeared. He waited as Richard walked over to him and said, “We have two codexs, which means we will have two runes coming up. Odds are that those runes will be stuck in creatures. I also wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll be using the Dispel rune soon.” He then

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 66 watched as Richard glanced into the next room. He watched as Richard turned to him and said, “Remember, aim for the neck with your sword.” He watched as Richard ran into the next room, and started to attack some of the zombies. He followed and attacked one zombie with a glowing rune in it. He quickly decapitated it, and destroyed it. In that brief moment, he saw the rune disappear in yellow lightning, and heard the words he read only moments before. He then continued destroying zombies in the dark room. When they were done, he heard the doors open, and wasn’t aware that they had closed when they entered. When they opened, he said, “Looks like only one way to go.” He watched Richard nod and say, “Yep. Let’s just hope there is a magic spell in the hall here. I just have a sneaky suspicion that the Horror we saw earlier is guarding a Silver Necklace.” He then watched as the young man headed south. He followed, and watched as Richard chose his steps very carefully. About halfway down the hall, he saw something reach for Richard and saw the man fall towards a statue like the one they saw earlier. He quickly ran down the hall, leaping over all the sets of trap panels, and quickly beheaded the zombie. He stopped and looked at Richard as the lad gasped. He carefully patted Richard on the shoulder and said, “Just take a moment and catch your breath.” He then glanced at the statue, and saw the traces of silver around the one wrist, and around the neck. He then looked opposite the statue, and saw another big web in the one corner of the alcove. He let past experiences guide him as he started to brush away the web. When he was done, he picked up the scroll, and saw it was a magical spell. He watched as the scroll disappeared, and then opened the tome, only to find it there. He then looked at Richard, and saw the man was recovering. He then said, “We found the magic spell. Do you think we should take on that Horror, as you called it?” He looked down the hall as Richard nodded and said, “Yes, however we should enchant our weapons first. A Horror is a very powerful creature, and we’ll need all the firepower we can get to stop it. Personally, I think that thing we fought earlier seemed more powerful, however I didn’t see it attack.” He nodded and said, “I don’t think it did complete an attack, but I’m glad it didn’t. Now, how do you enchant things?” He watched as Richard flipped the pages in the book before him, and pointed to a spell. He then nodded and recited the spell. Soon, he saw his shotgun glowing with a red glow. He then saw Richard hold the book and cast the same spell, and he then saw Richard sword was now glowing. He then said, “So what’s the plan?” He watched as Richard started to enter the room as he said, “Dispel the barrier. I distract big and ugly, and you blast it with the shotgun. If we are lucky, the first blast will kill it before it attacks.” As they entered, and he saw the Horror again, he said, “What if we aren’t lucky?” He then watched as Richard moved to the far side of the creature. He then heard Richard say, “Then we will get a quick jolt of electricity. Now cast the Dispel spell, and I’ll keep him busy.” Edwin did as Richard said, and watched as the green barrier flickered and disappeared. He then watched as Richard attacked the creature. He was almost stunned when Richard’s sword went right through the creatures one neck. He then aimed his shotgun as the creature turned to face its attacker, and fired point blank into the creature. He then heard the creature release a loud roar and collapse

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 67 dead. He then watched as Richard grabbed the Silver Necklace and said, “Nice shot. Now, let’s see what this necklace reveals.” He nodded and headed back to the statue. He then watched as Richard placed the Silver items in place, and turned to see a doorway open right across from the statue. He smiled and said, “Something tells me that we found the path. Where do you think it leads?” He watched as Richard smiled and said, “Down, the slow way, but better than the trapdoor that let Ellia fall to the bottom floor. I just hope we reach bottom from here.” He nodded and lead the way into the room. He was thankful he still had the torch, but was surprised to see that they were at the top of a large stairwell. He glanced down it, and saw a zombie walking up it, and he could see another glowing rune in it. He then noticed Richard looking down over a ledge. As he started towards the Zombie, he said, “What do you see, lad?” He felt his blood run cold as Richard said, “Another one of those winged creatures walking in a colored fog. Maybe you should use the enchanted gun on it, while I take care of the zombie.” He nodded and rushed down the steps, making sure he had the shotgun ready. He then watched as the creature started to spread it’s wings. As it did so, he fired right at the creatures head. He lucked out as the creature fell. He then turned back to see Richard lopping off the zombies head, and then saw the rune disappear. When he saw it do that, he heard from a unearthly voice that it was the Aretak rune. When that was done, he looked at Richard and said, “I think that all the creatures are gone. Why don’t we get to the next floor.” He watched as Richard nodded, and they went to the bottom of the stairs. When they got there, he noticed a glowing yellow barrier around the door. As he approached it, he saw it disappear. As he neared it, he made sure his torch was in hand as he said, “Shall we continue the hunt for Ellia?” He turned to face Richard, and saw the man who was married to his daughter in the future, start to stagger. He then ran back to the lad, and put his arm around him. He then look at Richard and said, “Are you all right?”

Richard felt Edwin grab him, but he couldn’t focus on him at the moment. He was suffering of his ‘Blink’ attacks. He closed his eyes, and was thankful that when it happened, there were no creatures around. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked at his sword. It was still glowing red. He then looked and Edwin and said, “I’m fine, but you look a bit startled.” He watched as Edwin nodded and said, “Yes. I saw you stagger, and then just as I grabbed you, I noticed that your sword is now glowing red. Before it was glowing blue. What happened?” He lowered his head and said, “It’s been a problem all my life, and only now am I understanding it. Since we found the Tome in the present, I understand more of what’s happening, but apparently I’m jumping between timelines where Pious choose different Ancients. Luckily, everything else seems the same when I ‘blink’ as I’ve called them.” He started to stand on his own and said, “Now, we should move on. I hope we ended up on the bottom level.” He watched as Edwin stepped into the hall and said, “Well, I’m not sure if we are at the bottom, but it’s another trap hall.” Richard stepped into the hall, and saw Edwin

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 68 was right. He looked north and south, and sighed. He then heard Edwin respond to the sigh as he said, “Let me guess, we aren’t at the bottom.” Richard shook his head and said, “Nope, and I think we better be careful.” He then heard some of the traps in the hall trigger. He glanced in the direction he heard the sound, and saw a few zombie heading towards them. Before they could react to the threat, he saw the blades cut the zombies in half. Richard let a breath of relief out as he said, “Well, that takes care of a few blades. Let’s head north, and get past the rest of the traps as carefully as possible.” When they were about to enter the northern room, he saw Edwin stop and ready his shotgun. As he did so, he said, “I think I heard one of those Horror creatures again. I’ll go in first.” Richard then watched as Edwin stepped into the room and fired his shotgun. He heard the gun fire again, and finally he heard the roar of a defeated Horror. Richard ran into the room and saw Edwin holding the gun, but gasping for breath. He walked over to Edwin, and said, “Are you alright?” He watched as Edwin nodded and then heard him say, “Looks like the creature was guarding that floating red rune there, but I think something else is in here.” He then walked over to the room, stopping short of the barrier. He glanced at it and saw it was the rune of Chattur’gha. He realized what had to be done and said, “Edwin, can I have the Tome for a moment?” He watched as Edwin tossed the book to him and said, “Go ahead. I’m just about to check out this web in the corner. I think something is under it.” Richard caught the book and then turned to face the pedestal the rune was on. He quickly turned to the page with the Dispel Magick spell and cast it, using Ulyaoth’s rune. He watched as the barrier disappeared and then the rune disappeared. When both were gone, Richard heard a sound like a barrier falling echoing through out the floor. He then said, “Edwin, I think we found another secret in this temple. Did you find anything?” He turned to see Edwin holding up a necklace covered in something. He then heard Edwin say, “I know there is a necklace under all this stuff. We just have to find something to clean it with. Do you think that was all in the room?” Richard shook his head and leaned back against the west wall, and was surprised to feel it moving. When he glanced at Edwin, he saw Edwin running for the eastern door, shouting, “Let’s move before whatever that triggered goes into motion.” Richard ran after Edwin and into the hall, running east. He was running so fast that he didn’t realize he was stepping on the panels that trigger the traps. He was even more surprised when none started. He then said, “Edwin, the panel I pressed must temporarily disarm the traps on this floor.” He then saw the one zombie in the hall start to rise. He then shouted, “Let’s not fight that thing, just get past it.” He heard Edwin shout, “I agree.” He then saw Edwin run into the next room, and heard the man shout, “Richard, have your sword ready.” He started to wonder why Edwin said that, and realized why when he saw Edwin fighting a zombie. He turned to face another zombie and quickly destroyed the rotting corpse. When that was done, he heard Edwin say, “Looks like we have another one of those barriers here.” Richard looked at the green rune, and said, “That’s the rune associated with Xel’lotath. That means we will have to cast the Dispel using the Chattur’gha rune. Once you do that, I’ll push the panel that looks like the one I pushed earlier. Then we head

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 69 south.” He watched as Edwin nodded and then cast the spell. When the rune disappeared, and he heard the echoing sound of a barrier falling, he pushed the panel. He then followed Edwin down the southern hall. As they were running he noticed that Edwin was holding the torch, and touching it to the zombies that started to rise. He noticed that Edwin was stopping halfway down the hall, and heard him say, “I think we found the home for our necklace. It’s another statue, which means another stairway is here.” Richard glanced at the wall opposite the statue and smiled, realizing it was another hidden stairwell. He then heard Edwin say, “At it looks like flecks of gold are on this statue. I think that means that our necklace is actually gold under all the stuff.” He nodded and said, “Makes sense, now lets head south of here. We also should be careful. I think the traps will be active again.” They then continued down the hall, avoiding all the traps in the hall. When they reached the end, and entered the southern room, he saw Edwin torch a zombie that was waiting for them. When he entered the room, he held his nose for a moment. He then said, “Good grief, there is some sort of acidic smell in the air.” He watched as Edwin walked over to a huge statue that had a sort of button in front of it as he said, “Hmm. We have a primitive sink basin here. How much you want to bet this has an acid in it.” He watched then as Edwin put the necklace in the basin and pushed the button. He watched as a fluid filled the basin, and he heard a hissing sound. Richard spun around briefly, keeping an eye out for any of the Bonetheives he had encountered before, and then relaxed. He then noticed the rune of Ulyaoth on the podium and said, “Can you hand me the Tome again. This might be the last rune set up like this.” He watched as Edwin tossed him the book, and he cast the Dispel Magick spell again. He was stunned when he heard the sound he heard before, but louder this time. He then looked down the western hall, and said, “Edwin, I think we might be near the source of that sound. Maybe we will find what those runes kept hidden.” He then heard Edwin say, “Yes.” He looked over at Edwin and saw him holding up a Gold Necklace. Edwin had been right about the necklace. He then heard Edwin say, “You might be right. I bet the runes were hiding the Gold Bracelet, or something even more valuable.” He then started to head towards the western hall. As he saw Edwin do that, Richard ran over to the wall, and pushed the panel. He then followed Edwin, and they started to run through the hall. As they did, Richard noticed a dog sized hole in the northern wall. As they passed it, something nagged at him about it. He was sure that had been where the barrier had been. He then reached the end of the hall, and saw Edwin looking at a statue. It was facing away from them, looking at two hands apparently holding something. Richard then said, “Do you see something, Edwin?” He then heard Edwin say, “Yes. We need to get this statue facing away from the hands. The hands are holding the bracelet.” Richard understood what Edwin was asking for. He started to head towards the statue, and felt the floor sink. He then heard the statue start to turn, and saw it turning to face him. He froze, and heard Edwin say, “That’s it. Richard, stay there until the statue is almost facing you.” He waited as the statue turned, and saw it was almost facing him. Soon he saw Edwin grab something, and then ran over to the wall and pushed the panel on the wall as he said, “Now, back to the statue in the eastern hall.”

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Richard didn’t have to be told twice. He quickly got of the panel and ran after Edwin. They ran quickly through the halls, avoiding the traps, and made their way to the statue. When they finally stopped, he said, “Alright Edwin, now what?” He watched as Edwin placed the gold items on the statue, and then heard the wall open up. He saw the smile on Edwin’s face and Richard said, “When they built this place, they were sneaky, weren’t they?” He saw Edwin nod as he said, “I’ve seen it a lot in old temples. They hold many secrets.” He then saw Edwin look in shock as he said, “But this is the weirdest by far.” Richard turned to look through the door, and gasped as it appeared they were looking at Alexandra Roivas. It was almost surreal.

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Alexandra Roivas looked over the Tome and felt a slight chill next to her. She glanced up and notice that Yvette wasn’t in the room. She then glanced over her left shoulder. She was looking into the face of her grandfather. As she was facing him, she heard him say, “Remember me, Alex?” She could hear the pleading tone in his voice. She looked at him and realized how much she missed him. She felt like a lost child when she said, “I’ll always remember you. You’ve meant so much to me, ever since my parents died.” She then watched as he looked at her and said, “Yes, ever since they died, you’ve been my little girl.” She looked back at the book and started to wonder if she could ask him about the tome. As she looked at it, she could swear he was saying “My little girl.” She wondered if it was her mind playing tricks, but something didn’t seem right about the tone. It was then that she heard the door to the room open, and she heard Yvette shout, “Get away from here.” She turned to look at where her grandfather’s ghost was, and saw it was gone. She then heard Yvette say, “Did he do anything to you? Are you alright?” Alexandra was surprised by Yvette questions, and then saw the worry in her eyes. She then started to worry if she actually saw her grandfather.

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Edwin stared in puzzled fascination as the scene as if played out, but when it ended, he started to wonder if he had seen it at all. He then turned to face Richard and asked, “What did we just see?” He watched as Richard stepped towards the door and said, “We just saw the future, or to me, the present. The woman in the chair is Alexandra Roivas. The ghost was apparently her grandfather, Edward Roivas, but judging by Yvette’s reaction, that might not be the case. What makes it even harder is that she lost her grandfather two weeks ago.” He took in those words as he followed Richard into the stairwell and said, “It can be hard to lose a loved one. Not to long ago, I lost my wife. As you can imagine, it was hard for Yvette as well.” He watched as Richard looked over the edge of the balcony and said, “I know.

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She helped me through a rough time after we got married.” He then watched as Richard froze and then looked at him. In the man’s eyes, he saw two things. First was fear of something tangible, and that meant more creatures. He then saw in Richard’s eyes a fear of something that couldn’t be touched. In that moment, it hit him. He looked at Richard and said, “Jean and her husband are dead, aren’t they?” He watched as his ally nodded. “Relax, Richard. I know it must still hurt, but we need our wits about us right now. If you are worried I might tell them, don’t worry. Besides, it may be hard for them to swallow that their nine year old boy helped me in Cambodia.” He noticed that Richard relaxed a little, and he then lifted his shotgun and said, “Now, I take it there are some creatures waiting for us.” He watched as Richard nodded and said, “Some Zombies, and a Horror. I’ll take out the Zombies, if that’s alright with you.” He nodded and then watched as Richard ran down the steps. He then made his way down the steps, and took aim at the Horror as it started to focus on Richard. He was glad his gun was still enchanted as he fired it right at the Horror. He watched as the creature howled in pain, and he fired again. Soon he saw the creature collapse, and he saw that Richard was killing the last of the Zombies. When the last creature fell, he heard Richard say, “I hope this is the last floor.” He smiled and said, “I hope so too. However, if this is the last floor, things may be harder. I just hope my ammo holds out.” He watched as Rich nodded in agreement, and then led the way into the hall beyond. As they entered the trap filled hall, he heard Richard say, “This seems a bit familiar, but we are heading north. If this is the bottom floor, they added to it since Ellia was here.” He then saw Richard being very careful about where he stepped. He looked along the walls and noticed that some of the wall panels looked remarkably different, and realized that some of the walls closed on people when they hit the wrong panel. When they reached the end of the hall, he noticed Richard was starting to attack some zombies. He watched as Richard dispatched the zombies, and then noticed the mural on the wall. When he heard Richard destroy the last zombie, he said, “Richard, come here. I think the mural details the arrival of an ancient god.” He watched as Richard look at the mural, and heard him say, “Yes. I think this is supposed to be Mantorok arriving on Earth. It’s a good likeness.” He wondered what Richard meant by that, and then saw a large web. He started to brush it away, and found another codex. He picked it up and looked at it before saying, “Well, Richard, we have found the codex for Aretak, or creature. Did we find that rune already?” He watched as Richard took out the Tome and looked at it and said, “Yes. I think the only rune we need to find is the one called Tier. Now, shall we continue on.” He nodded and they then continued west. As they quickly made their way west, he saw Richard point towards a zombie. He quickly lit the thing on fire with his torch, and continued following Richard to the next room. When they reached the next mural room, he saw Richard start to attack some of the zombies. He started attacking other zombies with his own blade, and was thankful when the last one fell. When that was done, he looked up at the mural in this room, and saw all the locals praising the odd creature in the previous mural. He made the only conclusion, and then said to Richard, “I think it’s time to head south.” He watched as

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Richard nodded and then ran south. He quickly followed and saw Richard rushing through the hall, jumping over all the obvious traps. As they continued down the hall, he heard Richard say, “Now we are in familiar territory. This is the hall Ellia fell into. That means we aren’t too far away from the final chamber.” He then followed Richard into another mural room, and saw Richard glance at all the zombies and said, “That one over there has our last rune.” He nodded and ran over, with his blade in hand, and said, “Let’s wipe them out, and then find out what this room has to say.” He then attacked the zombie with the rune in it. When he managed to lop off that zombie’s head, he saw the rune disappear in a flash of yellow lightning. He heard the words that were the rune as it disappeared, and then turned to help Richard destroy the remaining zombies. When they were done, he glanced at the mural and saw the image of Paul Augustine’s alternate form talking to the people. It was then that he heard Richard gasp in shock.

Richard looked on at the mural, and gasped in shock. This area had been constructed before the events they portrayed. He then remembered the odd purple rune, and how Yvette still seemed to see it. Things just appeared to fall into place, but he wasn’t entirely sure his line of thinking was right. He then heard Edwin say, “Richard, what’s wrong?” He turned to face Edwin and said, “I think the murals are predicting events that were going to happen after the place was built. I didn’t pay much attention to them last time, but now the murals all make sense. There is just one thing that bothers me about it all.” He saw Edwin give him a questioning look, and he just said, “Right now, I’d rather not voice my concerns, but a few years down the line I will.” He saw Edwin nod, and then motion to a yellow barrier on the eastern wall. He then heard Edwin say, “Shall we check out the next room?” When he nodded, he watched as Edwin approached the barrier, and saw it disappear. He then heard Edwin say, “Looks like we have the right key.” Richard nodded and said, “Let’s go. This should be the last trap hall we encounter.” He then followed Edwin through the hall, dodging every trap in the hall. When they made it through the hall, he saw they reached the final mural room. He reacted at once when he saw the Zombies. He jumped into the room, and started cutting off their heads. He also saw Edwin doing the same thing, and knew they would have eliminated all the zombies in short order. When they were done, he watched as Edwin looked at the mural that depicted the binding of Mantorok. He watched as Edwin looked at it and said, “So Paul did something to this deity, Mantorok as you called him. How did Paul manage to do that to Mantorok? Did he get help from that Chuturgha being?” He started to walk around the room, and noticed a piece of paper as he said, “Yes, he did have help from Chattur’gha, but from what we’ve been able to figure, Mantorok had sealed away Chattur’gha, Xel’lotath and Ulyaoth. I wouldn’t think that they would be powerful enough to do anything to Mantorok.” He then looked over the paper and realized it was a spell. He read it again before it disappear and smiled. He then said, “I think we need to head back upstairs. Something tells me we need to explore that hole in the wall.” He then started back the way they came.

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As he made his way through the halls, he heard Edwin say, “Richard, what are you going on about? Why are we heading back to the upstairs hall?” As they ran, Richard just said, “Remember that hole in the wall. I think it was just big enough to let a small dog through. I bet a Trapper could run through it. The spell we just found will summon a Trapper, one that we can control.” At this point, they had just started up the stairs. He then heard Edwin say, “You think something important is in that hole. Want to give me a heads up on your suspicions?” It was at that point that they reached the top of the stairs, and headed for the wall with the hole in it. As they ran, Richard said, “In the past three chapters, an alignment rune was found. However, we’ve never run across a rune for Mantorok. I bet that hole hides some clue to the alignment rune.” He finally stopped just in front of the hole. He looked down to try to gaze in the hole again, and then listened for a moment. As he listened, he heard Edwin look at him, and then say, “Something in there?” Richard nodded, and heard Edwin say, “How about this. I enchant my shotgun. Then you summon the trapper, and find out what’s in that hole.” Richard nodded, and saw Edwin enchant his gun. He then held the tome, and cast the Summon Trapper spell, and watched as a trapper appeared in front of him. He then made it enter the hole, and in that moment he could see the room. He watched as the creature walked along, and saw two Horrors in the room. He also saw a bridge, and made the creature cross it. When it had reached the other side, he saw a circular panel with a rune on it. When he had the trapper step on it, he heard something open. He then released control of the trapper. When he stood up, he turned to see a glowing purple rune in a hidden alcove. He then said, “I believe we found Mantorok’s rune. Hand me the Tome for a moment, Lindsey.” He watched as Edwin handed him the book, and he quickly set up a Damage field for when the Horrors came out. He then said, “Ok, hand me the shotgun, and your revolver. Then grab the rune.” He took the guns when Edwin offered them, and then turned to face the wall. He took aim as Edwin said, “I hope you know what you are doing.” He watched the wall, as he heard the rune disappear. He knew Edwin had claimed it, especially when one of the horrors burst through the wall. He quickly fired the shotgun at point blank range. He then started forward and said, “One horror , and one trapper to go. Come on Edwin.” He then ran into the room, and stopped in time to shoot another Horror. The only good thing was it couldn’t come and get them. He then aimed and killed the Trapper with a well placed shot. When he was done, he just said, “Thank goodness my father taught me how to handle guns.” Richard turned to see Edwin nod as he said, “Indeed. Now I think I see a huge stone behind that cobweb over there.” He watched as Edwin crossed the bridge and started dusting at the spider web. He wasn’t surprised to see a large codex for Mantorok behind the web. He then heard Edwin say, “Looks like we got everything. Shall we head back to the last mural room.” When he nodded, the headed down there in silence. He knew it would be a long walk, but it went easy. There were no creatures running around the temple now. As they walked, Richard started to wonder about what Pious must have done. He also started to wonder if Pious was actually serving

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Chattur’gha, or what ever ancient it was. Before he could even try to speculate, he realized they were in the last mural room. He then looked at Edwin, before heading north, and said, “Take this as fair warning, but Mantorok is not a pretty sight.” He watched as Edwin nodded an acknowledgment, and then followed as they walked towards Mantorok. As they entered the huge chamber, he could have sworn that someone was behind them. As they neared the statue in the room, Richard heard a voice say, “The power of Mantorok is not easily controlled.” He turned and saw Pious Augustus there. As they faced him, he heard Edwin said, “What makes you think I want to control it. I don’t think you can handle it, Paul.” He had to admire Edwin’s bravery. He shivered then when Pious said, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. In fact, you and your meddlesome friend won’t have to worry.” He then saw two Guardians start to advance. As they advanced, he heard Pious say, “You may have escaped my grasp nine times prior, boy, but this time you will not stop me.” He was ready to defend himself when he heard a crackle of energy. He took a moment to glance back, and saw purple lightning lash out and strike Pious and the two guardians. He then heard Pious yell in pain, and saw the Guardians disappear. He then glanced at Pious and said, “Looks like you are wrong Pious.” Richard then saw Pious stagger off, and saw him disappear as he said, “The darkness will come. You cannot stop it.” He then relaxed when he realized that Pious was gone. He then almost jumped when he heard what sounded like a stone slab opening. When it stopped, he knew what had happened. He then started to run around the circular platform that rested on top of Mantorok, towards the rear door. As he ran, he heard Edwin following him, saying, “Richard, where are we going?” Before he could respond, he heard a female voice say, “It is you. I heard you out there. Did you bring someone to take the Heart to the Gathering of Light?” When they reached the small room, he heard Edwin gasp as they gazed upon Ellia’s withered corpse. He then heard Ellia address Edwin, saying, “Be careful, flesh and bone. Do not directly touch the heart of Mantorok. You need to take it to the gathering of light. Only the chosen ones will know how to stop the coming darkness. The man next to you can tell you where to take it.” It was then he saw the corpse reach into it’s own chest and pull out the Heart of Mantorok. He watched as Edwin pulled out a cloth, and wrapped the heart up. He then saw Edwin turn to him, and ask, “Alright, where do I take this thing?” Richard looked at Edwin and said, “Take it to Dr. Edward Roivas. He lives in Rhode Island, in the United States. You won’t have any trouble getting out of here. I think you realize why.” He watched Edwin nodded in understanding, and then ran out of the room. As Edwin left, he saw the world dissolve around him, and saw the study filling his view again. He then realized that he survived another chapter. He also knew that he was going to survive the other chapters in the book as well.

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Chapter 13: Home Is Where The Heart Is

Yvette Cale was glad to see that her husband was returning. He had survived another trip into the past. She also realized why her father had insisted that she stay with the Cale’s for many of his expeditions after that. If it hadn’t been for that encounter, he would have never run across her husband. She also started to wonder when her father met with Dr. Roivas. As she thought that, she saw something happening in front of her eyes. She was now seeing the library, and she saw her father standing there with Dr. Roivas. As she watched, she saw her father hand a large glass container to Dr. Roivas. She then watched as Dr. Roivas put it on a shelf, and saw what looked like a book slide in front of it. It then dawned on her what she had just seen. She had seen her father giving the Heart of Mantorok to Dr. Roivas. When she blinked her eyes, Yvette was stunned to see her husband looking at her. She could see a concern look in his eyes, but she could also tell he had something good to tell them both. She also heard Alexandra Roivas ask, “Yvette, are you alright? You spaced out just as Richard got back. Did you see Pious and his Ancient again?” She shook her head and said, “No, I saw my father, here. He gave the Heart of Mantorok to your grandfather, Alexandra. They even hid it in the library.” As she said that, she saw a look of disbelief cross Alexandra’s face. She glanced at her husband and saw that he was thinking about it. She then heard her husband say, “Hmm, this is good news. If they hid it in the library, it’s probably on one of the bookshelves. Did you happen to see which shelf it was on?” Yvette thought about it and started to wonder which shelf they would hide it on. She closed her eyes to think about it. As she did so, she said, “By the way, hun, what did you find out with my father that you are happy about? I could see you were happy by the look in your eyes.” She listened as her husband said, “Yes. In that last chapter, Pious said that this was our tenth encounter. That means that we have four more encounters. I have a feeling that once we make it past the tenth chapter, we will defeat Pious.” Yvette heard all of that, but she started remembering something her father had told her once. She opened her eyes, faced Alexandra and said, “Alexandra, did your grandfather have any books by my father?” She watched as Alexandra nodded and said, “Yes. There is one out there by your father, but my grandfather never let anyone touch it.” Yvette smiled and then ran out of the room. She moved quickly to the library and started to scan the shelves. She found what she was looking for as she heard Alexandra and Richard running after her. She pushed the book, as she heard Alexandra ask, “Yvette, what did you realize?” Yvette smiled as the book moved aside to reveal the jar with the Heart in it. She then said, “My father never wrote any books, simply because written word can’t totally explain how a person feels when they first see an ancient site. That means that the book was a hidden panel to hide Mantorok’s Heart.” She lifted the jar out, and saw the surprised look on Alexandra’s face. She saw her husband smile as well, knowing he realized that both her father and Dr. Roivas were very clever people. As she started to

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 76 hand the Heart to Alexandra, she noticed that Alexandra jumped, and turned to face a door she hadn’t noticed before. She started to wonder if something was trying to come through that unopened door.

Alexandra Roivas jumped when she heard the sound of someone knocking on a door. As she looked towards the end of the library, and noticed a door that looked like it headed to the front of the house. She started to wonder if it was another way out to the front of the house. She watched it suspiciously, and then heard Richard say, “What’s wrong, Alexandra? Did you hear something?” She nodded and said, “I heard someone knocking at that door. I’ve never noticed that door before. I do remember him mentioning an observatory of sorts.” She looked at the door again and started to wonder if she really had heard someone knocking on it. She moved forward to it and said, “All right, Yvette, is there really someone knocking on this door?” She watched Yvette shake her head. That gave her some comfort, and then heard Yvette say, “It’s a trick of the mind. Maybe you should use the recovery spell on yourself.” She nodded in agreement, but knew they should check out this room. As she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was a large telescope. She then stepped into the room, and watched as Yvette and Richard entered. As they looked around, she watched the other two look at panels on the wall, each of which looked like part of a turning mechanism. She then walked over to a globe on the floor, and notice a small glass lens in it. She peered through the lens and noticed a strange panel in the room below her. She then said, “I think the observatory is over a room in the basement. From what I can see, there is a strange panel underneath this globe.” She noticed that Richard had walked over to look at the thing, and said, “We may have to check it out later. Isn’t the basement door still locked?” She nodded and then watched as Richard started to pace. As he paced the room, Alexandra heard Yvette say to him, “What about the spells you found with my father? Maybe one of them would do something to that window you two both see. I remember seeing a piece of paper floating in it.” Alexandra thought about it for a moment and then remembered that when they had last looked at the window, it had been surrounded by a strange red haze. She smiled when she realized they now had a spell to remove that barrier. She quickly left the observatory, and headed for the upstairs floor. When she reached the foyer, she heard Richard shout, “Alexandra, wait. While we are in here, let’s find out how the Mantorok rune affects all the spells.” She stopped for a moment and looked at him. He had a very good point. She paused for a moment and looked over the spells they had. Her first thought was to try it with the Recovery spell. She took a chance and cast the spell. The second she did, she felt better mentally and physically. She glanced over at Richard and Yvette, who looked at her as if she had changed for the better. She smiled and said, “Looks like Mantorok’s rune recovers both sanity and health.” She then glanced at Yvette and offered the book, saying “Do you want to try one?” She watched as Yvette took the book and said, “Yes. Let me see what happens if I combine the area rune, and the summon rune.” She watched as Yvette cast the spell

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 77 with those two runes, and the Mantorok rune, and was surprised to see the rune floating over Yvette’s head. She then saw Yvette smile as she said, “I feel refreshed. I guess this spell will constantly make one feel well.” She then watched as Yvette handed the book over to Richard then, and said, “Do you want to try a different spell, hun?” She watched as he took the book, and looked over the spells before he said, “Well, I don’t think the other spells will act differently, but I want to check the reveal invisible spell. Maybe using the Mantorok rune with it will allow us all to see the things that are approaching the house. When I stepped out to the car, I saw something out there.” She watched as Richard then cast the spell, and heard Yvette scream in fright. She knew why Yvette was screaming. When Richard had cast the spell, it looked like he disappeared just like when she started a chapter.

Richard looked up when he heard Yvette scream. He also noticed a shocked look on Alexandra’s face. He looked around for a moment, and wondered what had scared them, and then he heard his wife say, “What happened to my husband? You didn’t start another chapter, we hadn’t even found the next one. What happened to him?” He took that moment to glance at his hands, and was stunned to see they looked like shadows to him. It was then he realized what had happened. While the other runes made stuff appear, the Mantorok rune made the spell create a perfect camouflage. He appeared invisible to everyone. He silently walked over to Yvette’s side. When he was right by her, part of him wanted to break the tension they were all under, and do something a little devilish to his wife. He decided not to, and then said, “I’m right here, Yvette. The spell just made me invisible.” He then heard Alexandra say, “So that’s what the Mantorok rune does with that spell. Any clue how long it will last?” Richard went to shake his head, but realized no one would see him. He then looked at the Tome, and decided to cast the Dispel spell with the Mantorok rune. As he went to cast the spell, he said, “I’m not sure, but maybe the Dispel spell will end it’s duration.” Once the spell was cast, he saw a look of relief on Yvette’s face as she hugged him. He then heard Alexandra say, as she took the Tome, “I’ll give you two a moment. I’m going to head up to that window, and dispel the magic.” He then watched as Alexandra ran up to the upstairs hall. Once he heard the door close, he looked into Yvette’s eyes and said, “You know, hun, I was very tempted to massage you in that way you like while I was invisible. The only thing that kept me from doing that was this whole situation.” He noticed she was blushing when she responded, “It’s all right. I probably would have freaked out. Now, why don’t we get up there before Alexandra starts to wonder. Besides, right now, we shouldn’t be leaving each other alone.” He nodded in agreement, and they went up to the second floor. When they entered the doorway to the second floor hallway, Richard heard the sound of a barrier being dispelled. They rushed to where the window was, and saw it was no longer there. He also saw Alexandra reaching for a page floating in the air. He watched as she grabbed it, and heard her say, “You were right Yvette, it was a hiding a

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 78 page.” He then saw her look out the window and heard her gasp. He watched as Yvette stepped forward, and heard her say, “I told you the things were gathering. I also see more creatures arriving. Let’s just hope they don’t reach this window before we find a way to stop this.” Richard then said, “As we head back to the secret room, maybe we should try locking the door as well. Hopefully, that will be enough. Now let’s get back to the secret room, and begin that new chapter.” He watched as Alexandra led the way, and followed her and his wife. As they walked, he heard Yvette say, “When does this chapter take place?” It was a good question, since he was sure that no more chapters would take place at Mantorok’s temple. They had entered the foyer when Alexandra said, “It looks like it’s back in Amiens, France, in the year 1485 AD. I hope you are ready for another encounter in the cathedral, Richard.” He watched as she then locked the front door. When the door was locked, he just said, “Terrific. I just hope that Anthony might have died. That spell just kept rotting him. He might look just like Pious now. I just hope he is dead.” They had just entered the library, when he heard Yvette say, “With any luck, he is. However, we should find out what has been happening in the cathedral.” He then watched as she froze, and realized she was having another vision of sorts. They all stopped until she broke out of it gasping. This worried him, especially when he could see a panicked look in her eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Yvette, what’s wrong? What did you see?” He felt his blood go cold when he heard her say, “It’s a large creature. Pious summoned it to protect something, and I think it’s in the cathedral. You must be careful. It’s very powerful.” Richard took his wife’s arm and said, “I will be. Trust me.” They then continued to the secret room. As they walked, he said to Alexandra, “Alexandra, when I go back, I want you to be careful as well. If the creatures are getting nearer to us, we need to stay safe. We’ll also keep the Heart of Mantorok in the secret room.” He saw her nod when she opened the door to the secret room. “I was thinking the same thing. This room may be the safest in the entire house. However, due to Yvette’s reaction to events while you were in the last chapter, I think we should hide it, like in a drawer.” He nodded in agreement. He then stepped to the middle of the room, and said, “Alright Alexandra, let’s start this next chapter.” He noticed Alexandra hesitated a bit, and he wondered what was wrong. As he stood there, he heard Yvette say, “Hun, why don’t you take the gun we found with you. It could help.” He shook his head and said, “A gun in the era crossbows ruled. It would be very suspicious, especially if bullets were left behind. The sword should be enough.” Richard then noticed that Alexandra had been thinking about it, and finally nodded, saying “He’s right. Until we get to more current chapters, he’s going to have to go with just his sword. Just take care of yourself.” He nodded, knowing full well that he would survive the chapter. He then watched as Alexandra put the page in the book and said, “Alright, let’s begin Heresy! I just hope this isn’t the time of the Inquisition.” He nodded

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 79 in agreement, and watched as the world dissolved around him.

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Chapter 14: The Corrupted Cathedral

Paul Luther had traveled a long way to get to Amiens. One of his fellow Franciscan monks, Andrew, had come to the town earlier, to see the hand of St. Jude. He had also wanted to see the same relic. He figured he would not run into Brother Andrew, since it had been a while since any of the monks had heard from him. It was also nightfall, and he needed rest before doing anything else. With that thought first in his mind, he went straight to the Oublie Cathedral. He remembered hearing that many centuries ago, it was much smaller. Its look now was a sign of how well God’s wealth allowed them to improve the house of worship. He knocked on the door, understanding why the doors were closed. The Inquisition was in town, and the meant heretics had to beware. Soon, the doors were opened, and he was ushered inside. He told the monk his name, and watched as the monk stepped into the main part of the cathedral. Soon, the monk returned with a monk dressed in Inquisition robes. He watched as the monk looked at him and smiled. “Welcome to Oublie Cathedral, Brother Luther. I am Phillipe Augustine. How can our sacred order help our Franciscan brethren?” Paul nodded and said, “I do not wish to impose on you, Excellency. All I request is lodging for the night, and a chance to see the hand of St. Jude.” It was the truth, and he felt it would be the least inconvenient. He watched as Augustine nodded. “Many have traveled far to see the sacred relic. However, it would be best to stay quiet during your stay. The Inquisition is hear for a reason. There is a large amount of deviancy in this town.” Paul nodded and said, “I wish you luck in your search.” He stopped speaking when Augustine gave him a stern look. Something scared him about that look. He then said, “I think I’ll just go into the cathedral and meditate for a moment.” He quickly left the sight of Augustine, and entered the main cathedral. As he walked up the main aisle, he wondered why the look he had gotten from Augustine had scared him. Augustine was a man of the cloth. There was nothing unholy about the man. He then glanced to his left as he neared the alter, and stopped in fright. In one of the pews was a dead body. It looked like something had tore the man’s chest apart. It was a horrifying and most unholy sight. He also was aware that Augustine should know about it. He quickly shouted, “Guards. Help. Come quickly.” He was almost startled by how fast Augustine showed up with two other monks. “What heresy is this?” He then saw Phillipe Augustine look right at him. “Is this our first suspect? Make sure he doesn’t leave the Cathedral. We will need to check the body for signs of Deviltry.” He knew last two statements were for the other monks, and then he was ushered by them out of the main part of the Cathedral, and into the room off the right side of the annex. When they had closed and locked the door, Paul started to pace. This whole day had turned into a nightmare. He had only just arrived at Amiens, and he was being accused of heresy. As he paced, he glanced a the one image in the room, and was stunned at image he saw. It was a monk was holding a meditation staff in one hand. The only odd

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 81 thing about the image was that the meditation rod had an emerald in it. He glanced at his own, and realized why the image was odd. His rod had no emerald in it. He got close to the image, and realized the gem wasn’t part of the picture, but a real emerald. He touched it gently, but was surprised when it fell out of the picture, and into his hands. As soon as the gem was in his hand, he heard the door unlock. He turned to see another monk had entered the room. When the monk had closed the door, Paul feared the worst. In a scared voice, he looked at the monk, and said, “Are you here to pass sentence on me?” He was surprised when the man shook his head and said, “No, I’m here to free you. You aren’t safe here. Many strange things are happening here now. I don’t want you to end up like the others.” Paul found this news very troubling. He wanted to ask what was happening, but the man continued, “The body you found was that of Brother Andrew. He was killed to protect a secret. It’s not safe to talk about this here. I’m the custodian here, and we can talk about this in the bell tower.” He then looked at the man and said, “Why are you releasing me then?” He realized that if he left, he would be hunted down by the Inquisition. He then said, “If I try to leave here, they will hunt me down. Brother Augustine is convinced I killed him.” He watched as the Custodian shook his head and said, “Brother Andrew had been making several inquiries about the relic that is here. I believe in his inquiries, he came across the cathedral’s secret. That may be what cost him his life. I know Brother Andrew was doing some investigating in the old tower. I may have a key. If you truly wish to learn about Andrew’s fate, then meet me in the tower. But be careful, we can not hide from the Deviltry that I fear has invaded this hallowed ground for long.” He then watched as the Custodian left the room. For a moment, he wondered about this. The Custodian might be the only person that believed the truth. He also knew that if the truth got out, the church would take another look at the Inquisition. He knew what he had to do. He had to find out why Andrew was murdered. He then started to open the door, but froze in fright as the world appeared to change around him. The building had contorted around him, and looked like a hellish mockery of the cathedral. He then felt his fear leave him, when he noticed a woman bathed in light. He was sure that what ever hell he had entered, he was being protected by the Virgin Mary.

Yvette Cale watched as Paul Luther appeared in the surreal hall. She knew he might be scared, or even terrified. How ever, she had not expected the words out of his mouth when he first saw her. “Are you the Virgin Mary?” She gently shook he head, and then said, “No, but I’m here to help in some way.” She had to think of a reason to assure him that even though it looked evil, the only way to stop what was happening to him was to use the dark tools against it. She then said, “I know you are being pursued by the Inquisition, but the Inquisition is being led by a heretic.” She watched as he looked at her, and finally said, “Does God already know of this? Is that how you know?” She wanted to say yes, but knew that wasn’t enough. Soon, what she needed to

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 82 say hit her. “God does know, and He knows that the proof had been discovered by Andrew. However, the Lord also knows that you may have to use the heretics tools to stop them.” Yvette then watched as Paul looked around the room, and saw him focus on each of the statues that were in the room. Soon, she heard him say, “Did the heretics murder these people as well?” She nodded, but then pointed at the statue of Anthony. “Yes, however, they used some dark magic on Anthony.” She watched as Paul looked at the statue. “He was cursed to constantly rot, but never die. You may encounter him, because he was in the cathedral many years ago. If you find him, try to put his soul to rest.” She smiled as he nodded and said, “I shall. I also pledge to leave this devilry once I have gathered the evidence I seek. I just hope the Lord forgives me for using the Devil’s tools.” Yvette nodded and said, “He will. God knows you mean to do the right thing. He’ll even forgive you for using the book.” She then motioned towards the Tome which sat in the skull hand alter. As Paul neared it, she saw him bless himself. Just before he touched, she said, “Brother Paul, there is one more thing you must know.” She waited until he turned to face her. She could see he was puzzled that she knew his name, but the belief that she was a messenger from God over shadowed the fear. He then said, “What else need I know?” She put her hands together in front of her and said, “In time, another fighter of the heretics will arrive. Do not be alarmed by his appearance. He will be well versed in how to fight them.” She watched as he nodded in understanding, and then grabbed the Tome of Eternal Darkness. As he disappeared from sight, and she returned to the present, she hoped that Paul’s chapter would end like her father’s did.

Paul Luther was thankful when he was back in the small room, but a little scared. He placed the book in his robes, determined that he would only use it if he had to. Besides, he could really explain how it came into his hands. He quietly opened the door, and left the small room. He didn’t know if any of Augustine’s men were around, and kept an eye on the door to the main cathedral. He quickly crossed the annex, and climbed the steps that lead to the back balcony. He was thankful that the stairway was deserted, but it was also unnerving. When he opened the door to the balcony, he was stunned to see a corpse lying on the floor. He fought the instinct to call for the guards, but found he was now fighting the instinct to scream. The corpse started to get up, as if powered by the Devil. He was almost frozen in fear as the creature started to shuffle towards him. He knew he couldn’t run straight at it, so he headed to the front of the balcony. As he ran to the door to the bell tower, he glanced down at the main part, and saw that no one walked the church. That sight made the whole situation seem more unreal. He then continued his path, and quickly entered the bell tower. Once he was in the door, he quickly climbed the steps which held the bell tower. As he climbed, he wondered how the Custodian would get past the corpse. He figured the man had done it before, but he also wondered if the corpse had been there in the past. When he was finally at the top of the steps, he also wondered if anyone would think his

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 83 ringing the bell as a suspicious action. He then gripped the rope, deciding the risk had to be taken. He pulled the rope, and heard the sound of the bell ringing. He waited for what seemed an eternity until the bell stopped ringing. Soon, he heard the door open and close, and the footsteps of someone coming up the steps. He was thankful when he saw it was the Custodian. When the Custodian reached the bell tower, he heard the man say, “Brother Luther. It’s good you arrived here now. As you can tell, dread things have appeared here. Shambling corpses, and even worse are in this house of God.” Paul nodded and said, “Darkness is at work here, and under the very noses of the Inquisition.” He suspected more, but he didn’t need to tell the Custodian his reasons. If he did state them, he might lose the trust the Custodian was putting in him. He watched as the Custodian shook his head. “I fear it is even worse than that. Brother Andrew knew something was going on, and I fear it had gotten him killed. Brother Paul, I feel you may be able to finish the investigation that Andrew started. Here is the key to the old tower. It has been locked up since the Inquisition arrived.” He took the key as the Custodian continued. “If you do find the source of the corruption, return here, and I will help however I can.” It was then Paul realized that the Custodian was nervous about something. He didn’t want to pry, fearing that if he lingered too long, one of Augustine’s men would find him. He then went down the steps and back onto the rear balcony. Again, he ran past the walking corpse, and entered the stairway to the main floor. He was thankful when he saw none of the other monks were in the annex. That most likely meant that they didn’t know he wasn’t in the room. He then moved toward the door to the main part of the cathedral. This whole situation felt awkward to him. He had never been afraid to move around a church before. Of course, he had never been accused of murder before. He then reentered the main cathedral, and moved to the shadows on the left side. He remembered not seeing anyone in the main part. He then continued along the shadows towards the front of the church. He slowly passed the spot where he saw Brother Andrew dead, and was stunned to see no sign that a body had ever been there. He wondered where the Inquisition had taken it, and why the area was so clean so soon. When he reached the front, Paul decided to move off to the left. He knew the old tower was off to the right, but he felt he would need some sort of weaponry to protect himself. He started towards the door on the left hand side of the church, passing a few torches on the wall. Something told him he’d need light, and he picked up one of the torches. He was stunned when it suddenly went out. He started to panic. Someone might have noticed the change in lighting. He started to hold it out, and went to relight it, when it lit on it’s own. He half wanted to drop the torch then. It had to be more of the Devil’s work. He then remembered what the woman had said. Maybe this torch will come in handy. He then walked to the door and entered it. He looked around the room, and saw many robes hanging on hooks in the room. He realized that this room must be where all the monks keep their robes. He also noticed a chest in a corner of the room. When he saw it, he started to wonder. Monks, like himself, had very little material possessions. He opened the chest, and was surprised to see a crossbow in it. It was a weapon, but he knew it might not be the best weapon. It

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 84 could only fire one bolt at a time, and not good if many monks attacked him. He then checked the robes, and found a small key in one of the pockets. He had seen keys like this one. They were used to unlock small drawers in the pulpit’s podium. He quickly left the cloak room, and ran over to the alter. He wanted to move fast, and avoid any chance encounters. When he reached the podium, he glanced over at the alter, and was unnerved again by what he saw. The alter was bare. If a religious relic, like the Hand of St. Jude, was here, why was the alter bare? He then unlocked the podium drawer, and opened it. He was surprised to find a page in there. As he looked over it, he realized he had found a page of Andrew’s journal. As he read it, he realized that Andrew must have thought that Amiens was free of witchcraft. He paused for a moment when he heard a sound. He quickly ducked behind the alter, and listened as he heard two people approached. He then heard one of them say, “Augustine will be upset to know that the Franciscan has escaped. However, I’m wondering if he did do it.” He then heard another voice say, “There is no doubt about the crime. If he wasn’t guilty, then why did he run. However, Brother Augustine thinks that the fugitive had somehow gotten in the old tower. He wants you to check it out.” He stayed out of sight as he heard them go to the door, and heard it open and close. He then heard the second voice as it said, “When you come out, you will be enlightened.” When he heard the voice say that, he heard an odd hiss in the voice. He hoped he was out of sight of the far door, and then bolted for the stairs behind the alter. As he ran down the steps, he could have sworn he heard someone trying to follow him. He quickly ran down a hall at the bottom of the steps, and entered a door. He closed it, and leaned against it as he heard someone come down the steps. He listened as his pursuer ran past the area, and he heard another door slam. Paul held his breath for a moment, fearing the strange monk would return. When he was sure the danger had passed, he looked around the room. He quickly realized that he must have run into the study of one of the older monks. As he approached the desk in the room, he noticed a book on it. He opened the book to a bookmarked page, and realized what he was looking at. It was a book on holy reliquaries, and how to recognize fakes. He was surprised to discover that the bookmarked page discussed the Hand of St. Jude as a fake. He closed the book, and shuddered. How could the Inquisition ignore that? He wondered if the church was even aware of the fraud being perpetrated here. He then went to leave the room, and stopped, seeing a quiver full of crossbow bolts. He picked it up, and then left the room. He then went down the hall he was sure the monk went down. He didn’t want to run the chance of encountering the monk, but he also wanted to know how much time he might have left until the monk returned. He walked over to the door, and listened. He heard the sounds of something moving, but is sounded like small animals. He then looked around the room, making note of the huge bellows that powered the church’s organ. Lying near the huge bellows were more crossbow bolts. He picked them up, and then saw a mace on the wall. He quickly grabbed it, and ran back up the steps. He was sure the mace might help him in his investigation. He then ran over to the door, and unlocked it. He swiftly entered the old tower, and closed the door. He then froze as he saw a horrifying sight. The monk he had heard earlier was being attacked by a demon. He

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 85 watched in horror as the demon dug it’s way into the man’s eyes. When the horrifying scene was done, he saw the possessed man look at him, with a look of hatred in his eyes. As the man approached, Paul held up the mace and said, “I’ll strike if I have to.” He ducked back as the monk swung at him, and he responded by swinging his mace. He was sickened when he saw it strike the man’s face, but also thankful that the man had stepped back. He then watched in horror as the man’s body exploded, and he fully got a glimpse of the demon. It was skinny with a skull head, and two blades for arms. He then noticed the demon was looking right at him, and then jumped. He quickly stepped to the side, and swung his mace again. He heard the blow strike the creature’s skull, and noticed that the creature seemed to sprawl out on the floor. He quickly brought the mace down on the creatures skull. When he was sure the creature was dead, he kneeled with his meditation rod, and said a prayer. When he was done, he got up and walked over to the old alter, and saw a strange scroll on it. He picked up the odd scroll, and saw some strange words on it. As he looked at it, he saw it disappear in a flash of yellow light. Something in him told him to pull out the book, and he then saw the scroll had been joined to the book. He reexamined the page, and saw it was something about protection of self. As he slowly closed the book, he almost froze as a strange his echoed down from the floor above him. He had heard the demon make the same sound, and decided if he would heed the woman’s words, it would be now. Paul hoped the Lord would forgive him for using the darkness’ tool. He then cast the Shield spell, and watched as three small balls of light encircled him. He then started up the stairs. He moved up them cautiously, hoping that if another demon was in the old balcony, that he wouldn’t alert it. When he reached the top of the stairs, he looked around and listened for the hiss of the demon. He was almost startled when the demon leapt at him, but was relieved when one of the orbs hit the creature and sent it to the floor. He took that opportunity to slam his mace into the demon’s head. He was glad when the blow killed the creature, and then watched as it disappeared. He listened for a moment, and when he was sure no other creatures where there, he started to check all the shelves. As he searched, he found an odd scrap of sheet music, and another page of Andrew’s journal. As he read over it, he realized that Andrew had started to suspect that something was not right. He checked the other shelves and then headed down the steps. As he headed down the steps, he froze when he heard a loud groaning sound. He then remembered a door which was under steps. He quickly got to the bottom of the steps, and headed over to the door. He opened it and entered the small dark room. Almost instantly, the torch he had lit up, and he saw a corpse lying on the floor. He noticed two things about the corpse. The first was that its one eye appeared to be a ruby. The second was that the corpse was starting to get up. He realized the approaching danger as the corpse said in a hoarse voice, “Charlemagne.” He started to back away from the corpse as it raised a sword. He was stunned when he saw the corpse stopped and said, “Richard?” Paul wanted to say something, but was surprised when the corpse just said, “You mean the man before me is trying to fight Pious as well. Watch over him, for a lot has changed since this foul curse started.” He then watched as the corpse lowered its sword,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 86 and stared right at him. He felt more unnerved as it stared at him with the red jewel eye. He was then relieved when the corpse said, “My name is Anthony, and you are being watched over by a friend. He tried to help me long ago, but the darkness won. I ask you now to do two things. The most important is to stop the darkness. My friend says he will help you when he can, but until he can help, you must be strong.” He was stunned by this statement, but started to wonder about the second request. He looked at the corpse, and heard it scream in pain as a yellow energy went through its body. He started to feel sorry for the thing, and asked, “What is the second item?” He was relieved and troubled when the corpse said, “I have been like this for centuries. Kill me, and let my soul rest.” He then saw the corpse drop to its knees, as if praying. Inside, he felt a conflict, but he knew what he had to do. He slammed the mace down on the head of the corpse and watched as it collapsed. He then knelt over it and prayed for the being’s soul. When he was done, he picked up the ruby that had been the corpse’s eye, and the sword it had been holding. When he left the room, he remembered the sheet of music that he had found. He made his way over to the organ, making sure no one was coming. He then placed the small sheet of music on the organ and played out the notes on it. The second the last note was played, he heard something open. He glanced across the area, and saw a cabinet near the pulpit had opened. He walked over to it, and picked up a gold plate with a pentagon with five circles at the points. As he picked it up, it disappeared with a flash of yellow light. He had a feeling what happened to it, since the same thing happened to the scroll. He then remembered the door in the basement. He returned to the basement, only stopping in the room the door was in. Now that he had the sword, he no longer needed the mace. He placed it back on the wall and opened the door. As he entered, he realized that the room was the wine cellar. He also realized there were two little demons walking around the room. He realized they were almost the size of a small dog. He pulled out the crossbow, and aimed it at one of the creatures. As he watched them move, he realized that they didn’t see him. He then fired the crossbow, and watched as the bolt sunk into the one creature. He then reloaded and shot the other creature. When the other creature died, he started to look around the room. Something told him that there was more to the room. He tapped on each cask of wine, and stopped when one sounded hollow. He reached down to the spigot on the cask and turned it. When it turned, he glanced at the far wall, surprised to see the wall sliding away, revealing a odd crypt. Paul also noticed that in the crypt was a huge three headed demon. He stayed back, hoping the creature couldn’t see him, and then decided to use the magic again. He quickly recast the Shield spell, and then looked in the book and found an enchanting spell. He cast it on the sword, and then asked God to forgive his use of the foul magic. When the sword was glowing, he headed into the crypt and attacked the three headed demon. He moved as fast as he could, to avoid the blows, and also to avoid the shocking attacks that came at him. Each time he got close to the creature, he managed to destroy one of the thing’s heads. Soon, he watched the demon fall, and as the creature died, it dropped a sapphire. He picked it up, and then compared it to the other two gems he had found. All three were alike in shape and size. It seemed odd that these three gems should be like that, unless they had another purpose. He glanced around the crypt, and noticed one

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 87 stone sarcophagus had three round indentations on the lid. He noticed that they also formed a triangle, and each point could hold one of the gems. He carefully placed each gem into on of the holes, unsure if he was placing them right, or if he was ready for another encounter. He quickly turned around when he finally placed the three gems correctly, and saw the sarcophagus in the middle of the room move. He watched in amazement as it moved off to the side, revealing a hidden stairway to a door. He descended the steps, and held the torch in front of him. He then opened the door and entered the hallway. As he entered the hallway, he noticed three corpses walking towards him. For a moment, he had forgotten he was holding the torch, but was thankful when the corpses burst into flames with his strikes. When the last one fell, he moved forwards towards the far door, and enchanted the sword. He then opened the door, and entered a room with four more corpses, each looking like skinned people. In the body of one of them was a glowing icon of sorts, but he didn’t take long to study them. He quickly moved around the room, trying to avoid any attacks, and slashing at all the corpses in the room. What made the task even more difficult was that whenever he cut off a corpse’s limb, it appeared to grow back. Soon, he had managed to destroy each corpse. When the last corpse fell, he saw the icon flash and disappear in a yellow light, and he heard the word, “Pargon.” He knew what happened to the icon as it disappeared, so he walked over to the door opposite where he entered. As he opened it, he held his torch inside the door, and watched it light. He then entered the circular stairwell and headed down. As he moved, he heard another corpse moving, and torched it with his torch. When he reached the bottom, he entered the door that he faced. When he closed the door, he froze as two more three headed demons were in the room. He then watched, fascinated by the fact that they were fighting one another. As they fought, he re-enchanted the sword and then moved towards the demons. As he neared them, he watched as the one demon fell, and the other roared in victory. While that one was roaring, Paul swung the sword, and killed the foul beast in one blow. With both monsters dead, he studied the room. He picked up the crossbow bolts he saw, and then noticed something very disturbing. In one corner was an exact duplicate of the Custodian. Something about it horrified him, like it was an evil omen. It was then that he noticed three doors in the room. The first was the one he came in. The second was next to the door he entered, but he saw a huge black circle on that door. He tried it quickly, only to see it was locked. He then went over to the only other door in the room. It was opposite the door with the black circle, and he wasn’t sure where it would lead. As he entered the door, he held the torch in front of him. He was glad he had it ready. It was a dark hall, and as he turned the corner, he encountered more corpses. All those corpses fell to the flames of the torch. He then entered the next room to see it was and underground library. He also noticed that more corpses were wandering the room. He quickly got rid of them and then explored the room. What he discovered was a library the Inquisition would see as proof of heresy. He then noticed more crossbow bolts. He added them to his quiver, and then looked at the back shelf. Something seemed odd about it, and when he pushed it, he discovered it was a fake. He moved the shelf, and found another hall behind it. He held the torch out, and

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 88 continued down the hall, wondering what other things he’ll find. Paul then heard another corpse moving. He turned the corner, and torched the corpse. He then moved to the door at the end of the hall, hoping there were no more demons around. When he entered the door, he found a pagan alter, and another corpse. He used the sword to destroy this corpse, and then looked around the room. Right in front of him was a page of Andrew’s Journal. When he read over it, he realized Andrew had discovered the truth of what was happening in Amiens. The leader of the Inquisition was the real heretic. He then went to leave the room, and noticed a stone slab with the same icon he found earlier. He picked it up, and noticed the icon meant ‘power’. With all this information, he needed to return to the bell tower. He left the weird alter and ran back up to the bell tower. All the way, he ran into no demons or corpses, until he reached the balcony. He used the sword he had found to quickly destroy the shambling corpse. He then ran up to the bell tower, to see the Custodian still waiting. When he neared, he heard the Custodian say, “What have you found out, Brother?” Paul showed the pages to the Custodian. “Brother Andrew figured out that the real heretic was Augustine. I even discovered an alter to a pagan god under the cathedral. Augustine even used the lure of sacred relic to lure victims to the church.” He saw a worried look cross the Custodian’s face. “I suspected as much. I just didn’t have the courage to confront anyone. And now I feel my time is numbered. The other day, I found this on my pillow. I fear my life is next. Paul, take the dagger with you. Leave and get help.” Paul took the dagger, and then said, “Don’t fear. We shall both leave here. I’ll meet you outside the door. We must be quick, before Augustine suspects our escape.” He then ran down the steps from the bell tower. As he neared the bottom, he froze. He had two reasons for his sudden stop. The first was the odd sound that came from the bell tower. The second was the man in strange garb standing by the door to the bell tower. As he stood there, he heard the man say, “I hate to tell you this, Paul, but I fear the Custodian is gone.” As the man stood there, something told Paul that the man was right, and something also told him that the man also knew what he knew. Something also told him that this man was the mysterious Richard whom the corpse known as Anthony was speaking to.

Richard Cale stood right next to the door that lead to the balcony. While he was out of phase with reality, he kept close to Paul, but also paid attention to things. A few times, he had seen a glowing ball of red light, which reminded him of the guardian creature in Ehn’gha. He had even seen one of those balls head up the bell tower just as Paul had been coming down. He looked at Paul and noticed the monk was studying him. He realized it had to be linked to how Anthony had spoke with him. He then said, “This is not my first encounter here with the darkness. It’s a long story, involving that book you are carrying.” He watched as Paul pulled out the book, and looked at him. “Are you from this book?” He shook his head and said, “No. Some how, the book’s magic has linked anyone

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 89 who finds it together. A friend found it and started reading it, and my wife and myself get transported with each chapter. I even saw how all this began.” He then thought back to that moment, and shuddered. He heard Paul ask, “What happened?” He glanced at Paul, and saw that the man was curious to what had happened. He motioned to the book and said, “I’ll explain, but hand me the book first.” As Paul handed him the book, Richard started the tale of what had happened. “Many centuries ago, a Roman Centurion named Pious Augustus was lead to an ancient city. Deep in its depths were three relics. It turned out that the relics were linked to some ancient things. When he claimed one of the relics, it gave him powers and turned him into a demon. He’s still around, working for the dark being he worships. He is trying to bring that monster into the world.” As he paged through the book, looking for the spells, he heard Paul say, “Augustus. His name is similar to Brother Augustine. I think they are one in the same. He’s using this church as a temple for the Devil. But how did you know that corpse in the old tower?” He started to check all the spells, making them stronger with the power runes, and the five-point circle. He then said, “Anthony had been a page of Charlemagne. Pious had killed the monarch centuries ago. Anthony had intercepted a cursed scroll which had been meant for the king. He then came to the cathedral to try and warn Charlemagne. At that time, I started to join him. It wasn’t until close to the end that I was able to help physically.” He then finished making the spells, and handed the book back to Paul. “That’s also why I’m here now. I’m here to help you.” He then started to open the door. As he did, he heard Paul say, “I appreciate the help then. Augustine has others convinced I’m a heretic, but I know the truth. The Custodian even suspected it, and this dagger was left on his pillow. Do you know what it means?” He looked at the dagger as they crossed the balcony, and said, “My guess is that he’s going to be sacrificed. In my time, we have learned that curved blades like this were usually sacrificial tools. Did you find anything that resembled the Custodian?” When Paul nodded, he said, “Lead the way then, but be careful.” It was then that they opened the door off the balcony, and he noticed the corpse. He let his own instincts take over, and rushed the zombie with his sword. Soon, he had destroyed it. When he was done, he heard Paul say, “Augustine must know that I know. He is sending more of his demons to get me.” Richard held up his hand, and listened as Paul said, “Did you hear something else?” He nodded and said, “Yes. A Bonethief is down stairs. If you cut off their head, or both their arms, they die. I’ll go down first.” He then swiftly and quietly ran down the steps. As he reached the bottom, he saw the Bonethief looking in the direction of the door on the other side of the room. He quickly rushed the creature, and cut off its head. When it collapsed, he shouted, “All clear.” He turned as Paul came down the steps and said, “Follow me. Once we get through the church, well be safe from anyone who can spot us.” He wanted to tell Paul about the spell that could make someone invisible, but decided not to. He then ran behind Paul as they entered the main cathedral, and rushed to a stairway behind a bare alter. If he

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 90 hadn’t already known about the Ancients influence, he would have thought it odd. As they rushed down the steps and down a hall to the bellows of the organ, he said, “Paul, do you know when they added to the cathedral? Most of this didn’t exist in Anthony’s time.” He watched as Paul held a torch in front of his as he opened the door to what had to be a wine cellar. “I don’t really know. When I came here, I knew a relic called the Hand of St. Jude was here. That ended up being a lie.” He then watched as Paul swung the torch at some zombies in the room. He watched as they quickly burst into flame and heard Paul say, “More of the Devil’s handiwork. I hope this is the last of the demons.” He listened for a moment, and then said, “Not likely. I hear two Trappers in the next room. If you have a weapon that fires, keep it ready.” He then stepped into the next room, and saw he was right. Two of the blind creatures were walking around the room. As he quietly moved around the edge of the room, he saw Paul aimed a crossbow at each creature and fired. He then followed Paul down the steps in the room, and into the door to a hall under the church. As they neared the end of the hall, he heard Paul say, “After this next room, is a stairway down to the room. It won’t be long, but we should be careful. There are more demons about.” He then watched as Paul opened the door, and he reacted to the sight. He went to attack the zombies in the room, but was surprised as Paul had rushed forward and put the torch to each corpse. When the last one fell, he followed Paul through the door, and down the steps. When they reached the bottom, he put his hand on Paul’s shoulder. “Wait a minute. Something’s not right.” He listened again, and realized what he had heard. It had been this hiss of a bonethief. He then opened the door enough to look into the room, and saw the creature looking away from the door. Richard then moved quickly, and swung his sword. He was thankful when it struck the creature’s neck. When the creature fell, he watched as Paul entered the room. He then saw that Paul had pointed towards the corner, and heard him say, “That’s the replica. I think it even had a slot in it.” Richard walked over to the replica, and shuddered at the sight. He realized what had to be done, and that’s what made him shudder more. He looked over at Paul and said, “I think you need to put that dagger in the slot and pull it.” He stepped away from the replica, and watched as Paul stepped up to do the task. As he watched, he heard a faint scream erupt from somewhere. He also heard a rumbling sound, and turned to see a doorway appear. He motioned to the door and said, “Something tells me we need to go in here.” He saw Paul nod, and then he opened the door. As they walked in, Richard couldn’t believe his eyes. Most of the room looked like an enormous fissure in the earth. On a small pillar in the middle room and over the fissure, there was an alter. There were also five runes on the floor in a familiar pattern. He stopped Paul and said, “Hand me the Tome for a moment. I have a bad feeling about this. Remember that I’m still with you.” He then walked over to the runes and cast the Dispel magic spell. When the spell had done it’s job, he cast the spell that would make him invisible. When he was done, he heard fear in Paul’s voice as he asked, “Where did you go?” He just answered, “I turned invisible. I just have a feeling we won’t be alone for

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 91 long in here. Besides, if Augustine is about to discover our actions, I’d like to keep some surprises for him. Now, let’s check the alter.” He then followed Paul as they approached the alter. When they reached the alter, he heard Paul gasp, and he knew why. The body on the alter was that of the Custodian. The man had just recently been killed and carved up. However, his blood froze when he heard a familiar voice say, “So Brother Luther, what do you think when you find a viper’s nest of heresy, the source of corruption, which caused you to become a fugitive?” He stayed silent as Paul said, “I think of irony, especially as you pose as a member of the Inquisition. You stand for the very evil the Inquisition hunts.” He froze as Augustine said, “That is merely a matter of perspective. It is time for your execution, in the name of our true lord, Chattur’gha. Come my children, and feast on this morsel.” He watched as Augustine stepped back, and saw two bonethieves start to advance on Paul. As the creatures started to near, he rushed forward, still invisible, and swung his blade at the leading one, causing it to jump back, hissing in pain. He saw that he had cut off the one arm of the creature. He noticed that the other one had pause, but swung his sword at the first one. As he struck the neck of the creature, he heard the other his in agitation, and then heard the hiss start to fade. He glanced back and saw that Paul had knocked the creature over the edge of the railing. He then watched as Paul looked in his direction and smiled. He looked down at his hands, and saw he had reappeared. It was then that Paul had said, “We must follow him. We cannot let him escape.” He then ran after Paul, and they left the room. As they came out of the room with the fissure, they saw Augustine enter the door with a black circle on it. They ran over to the door, and followed, heading down a long hall. At the end of the hall, they ran down a circular stairwell, and into a hall which turned a corner. At the end, was a strangely marked door. As they reached it, he said, “Paul, I have a bad feeling about this.” He then heard Paul say, “We must end this now. If we don’t, this area will never be cleansed of evil.” He then watched as Paul entered the room. He followed Paul into the room and was stunned at the size. It was a long hall, with carvings all over. As he looked over them, he realized they told of all the things that Pious had done over the centuries. He slowed as Paul moved forward, fearful of a trap. He also noticed a strange item at the end of the hall, and realized what it was. It was one of the artifacts from the ancient city. He also felt a rumbling as something exploded out of the floor in front of the relic, and right in front of Paul. It was huge with an odd shaped mouth, and two crab like claws. As Paul started to back up, he heard the thing say, “Is this the one that seeks to challenge me?” He then saw Augustine come out and transform into his form of Pious Augustus. He then heard Pious say to the creature, “Your task is to guard this place. This insolent worm only yelps in terror in front of you. I shall take care of him.” He then saw the claw come down on Paul, and was thankful that he was far away from the scene. He then heard the creature say, “If I am to guard this place, I will do it as I see fit. I will leave the other intruder to you. He has managed to stay outside my reach.” Richard then watched as Pious started to advance towards him, saying, “Indeed.

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You have been a thorn in my side for too long. I’ll enjoy just knocking you out and feeding you to the Greater Guardian.” He quickly moved back to the door of the hall, and saw a startled look on Pious’ face. He smiled, knowing he was heading back to his time, and said, “Not this time, Pious. It’s not my time to die.” He then saw the image of the study return to his sight. He was also thankful of the timing. He did know he wasn’t going to die this time, but with every new surprise he wondered if he would survive to the end of the encounter.

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Chapter 15: Music For A Darkend House

Alexandra Roivas watched as Richard Cale reappeared again. From what she head read in the chapter, she could tell that Pious’ Ancient was getting stronger. She was thankful that Paul end was a quick one. She wondered if the gruesome scene she had seen when she got home was also a quick end for her grandfather. She then looked at Richard. “So, what had happened in Amiens.” She watched as he leaned on the desk. “Apparently, Pious still holds onto Oublie Cathedral. He even got a hold of the Inquisition. I may try to look into the old records about that, but it’s not likely that I’ll find out anything. I’m sure those dark secrets are safe in a Vatican vault.” She stood up when she heard Richard comment. “You honestly think the Catholic Church would hide that?” When he nodded, she wanted to respond, and then thought about all that was happening in the world. There were some disturbing facts that were coming to light, and what he said was not too outrageous. She then picked up the Tome and said, “You may be right, but we will have to discuss it later. Right now, we need to find the next chapter. Any experiences that you had that might lead us to the next chapter?” She watched as Richard started to pace. “Well, it could be upstairs, since Paul kept meeting the Custodian in the bell tower. I know it won’t be in the window, since we removed that. It could be that it is in the basement as well.” Alexandra shook her head and said, “If it is, we’ll have to find the key. We still don’t have the key to the basement.” She then glanced over at Yvette Cale, who seemed to be watching the Tome. “Yvette, is something wrong?” She was stunned when Yvette reached over to the book, and pulled out a slip of paper that seemed to be between the pages. She didn’t know where the paper had come from, but she noticed that Yvette seemed to be studying it. Soon, she heard Yvette say, “This looks like sheet music, but why was it in the book?” She then looked at the paper, and noticed that Richard had taken notice of the sheet as well. “Wait a minute. Paul had to play the organ at one point. Maybe this is the same tune he played.” She then noticed that he headed for the door and went out of the secret study. She quickly followed, with Yvette coming up behind her. As they followed Richard, she quickly realized what he had remembered. There had been a piano in the one room. She then said to Yvette, “I just realized what Richard realized. He remembered the piano. Does he know how to play it?” Alexandra was surprised when Yvette said, “Yes he does. Sometimes I catch him playing some of my favorite songs on it. Of course, when he does, he never gets to finish them.” She glanced back at Yvette, and saw Yvette wink at her. That told her all she needed to know, and she briefly felt jealous of the married couple. She also wondered if she would find someone to go through life with her like Yvette and Richard had found each other. He thoughts were cut short when they reached the music room, and she saw Richard sitting at the piano. She watched as he carefully played out the scales. “Perfect,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 94 the piano is in tune. Your grandfather must have kept after it. Now can you hand me the sheet music.” She did so, and watched as Richard looked it over and started to play the piano. As his fingers danced over the keys, she heard the eerie music fill the room. She then watched in shock as the piano cover raised up, as if by magic. As it opened, she saw a page floating in the air, and she realized what they had found. It was the next chapter in the Tome.

Yvette Cale was surprised when the piano opened, but she wasn’t sure why. After all the encounters she had had since they found the Tome of Eternal Darkness, this shouldn’t be surprising. As they all looked at the sight, she wondered if it was something about the music that caused this to happen. Without taking her eyes off the floating page, she said, “Richard, did something like this happen in Paul’s time?” She heard her husband stop playing the piano. “Yes. When he played the organ in Oublie Cathedral, a cabinet opened revealing a circle of power.” She started to wonder if the music had some magick linked to it. If that was the case, she felt they shouldn’t play the music again. She then watched as Alexandra reached for the page. “Well, if the music opened the piano, maybe we should also check the windows and doors before we head back to the room. You did say that there were creatures out there.” Yvette was about to respond to the statement, but she was startled that when the second Alexandra touched the page, the world changed around her. She was having a vision, and this one took her to the middle of a desert. However, what she saw had scared her. In front of her were two foreign soldiers, standing behind a kneeling man. The most frightening part of the scene was, standing with his back to them, Pious Augustus. She could see him for what he was, and she realized the kneeling man could as well. She heard him say, “What are you?” She watched as a puzzled look briefly crossed the soldiers’ faces, but she figured they thought Pious was a person like them. She then heard Pious say to the man, “You are a very gifted man to see me in my true form.” She watched as he then addressed his soldiers. “Take him. He shall be at the very foundation of the pillar. He is special, and should have a special place among the suffering.” She then watched as the soldiers dragged the man off. As they apparently left earshot, she heard Pious say, “So, some people can see what most can not. I shall have to keep an eye out for them. If they can see who I am, they might try to resist my master, Chattur’gha.” She then noticed that he was looking straight at her. When she saw the look in his eyes, she started to back up. In past visions like these, she knew she had been seen. She almost yelled when she felt she had backed into a person. She wanted to yell in fright, and became more scared when a voice said, “Yvette.” She yelled when someone turned her around, and then she noticed that she was facing her husband. The vision was over, and she was back in the mansion. However, that didn’t make her feel safe. The more of the book that they read, the more the creatures approached. She then looked at her husband and said, “I just saw Pious condemning a man to death. He’s going to be part of some pillar in the desert.”

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She then watched as Alexandra looked over the chapter page, and said, “This chapter must be in those ruins in the Ancient Persia. But is it before or after the last chapter?” Yvette turned to face Alexandra. “I think before, because I heard Pious say he’s going to keep an eye out for people like me. It could be what led him to become part of the Inquisition.” She then watched as Alexandra glanced over the page, looking for a date. She then heard her husband say, “Hun, who did Pious say his Ancient was?” She turned to respond to his question, but saw him start to stagger, and fall backwards. She quickly ran forward and helped him sit down on the bench, and she knew what was happening. She turned to face Alexandra and said, “He’s having another ‘blink’ attack.” She then watch Alexandra walk over to the other side of her husband, and she hoped the attack would end soon.

Richard Cale sat down with the aid of his wife. He couldn’t believe how fast this ‘blink’ attack had happened. Of course, ever since they had arrived at the Roivas estate, the attacks had been more frequent. He stayed sitting for a moment, and then asked the question he asked before. “Hun, who was Pious’ Ancient?” He watched as his wife closed her eyes. He knew the answer might not be the one he expected. He had even lost track of how many times he had blinked. It took him a moment to remember that before the blink, Pious’ ancient had been Chattur’gha. The big creature at the end of Paul’s chapter was red. Finally, she opened her eyes and said, “Ulyaoth. He said his master was Ulyaoth.” He shook his head when he heard that. The more ‘blinks’ he had, he started to question his own sanity. He then looked up and pointed in fright. He saw a man hanging from the ceiling. As he saw it, he realized that Alexandra was seeing it as well. He noticed a similar look of fright on her face. It was then he heard the figure say, “The Darkness Comes.” He stopped staring when Yvette said, “There is nothing there. It’s another illusion. Now let’s get back to the secret room. I think we’ll all feel safer in there.” He had to nod in agreement with his wife’s assessment. He got up and said, “I think she’s right, Alexandra. Care to lead the way?” Alexandra nodded, and lead them out of the music room. As she neared the front of the foyer, she stopped and said, “The more we read, the stranger things get. I even hear knocking on the door.” He listened for a moment, and then heard it too. He looked at Yvette who nodded. The knocking was real. He then watched as Alexandra headed for the door, and then watched as she stopped and said, “Yvette, take the book.” He watched as Yvette took the book, and then saw Alexandra open the front door. He wasn’t surprised to see Inspector Legrasse standing at the door, but he knew what Yvette had said about the man. She said he was actually Pious in disguise, but he couldn’t see it. He then heard Legrasse say, “Ms. Roivas. I have some news. We found out the last call your grandfather had received was from a number in England. Now, I believe that might be a link to the killer. The theory is that it was a cell phone.” He watched as she shook her head and said, “I doubt it. I know about the call, and the people who made the call were surprised to hear of his death.” As she said that, he

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 96 noticed that the inspector was looking at him. Richard then heard the inspector say, “Well, I’d still be careful if I were you. One of your visitors looks like he might be up to something.” He then saw the inspector walk away, and saw Alexandra close the door. He and his wife then followed as she headed for the secret room. As they walked, he heard Alexandra say, “I think you are right about him, Yvette. We should be careful, just in case he gets inside.” He nodded in agreement, and then said, “At least the secret room is safe. Now, what’s the next chapter going to be?” He waited until Alexandra had reached the desk in the room, and Yvette handed back the book. Soon, he heard her say, “It looks like Yvette is right. This chapter is called The Forbidden City. It’s even set twenty five years earlier than Paul’s.” Richard then heard his wife say, “That would be 1460 A.D. That might even be before the Inquisitions reign of terror. My God, what if the Inquisition was his way of getting people for this pillar I heard him mention.” He thought about it. “Maybe it was one of them. I think the Spanish Inquisition was the one all the horror was from. Anyhow, I’m ready to go whenever you are ready to start.” He watched as Alexandra started to read the chapter. He then hoped that this chapter would go easier than the chapter with Paul.

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Chapter 16: Stabilizing The Insanity

Roberto Bianchi looked up at the soldiers who had left him in the hole. They had just dropped him in the hole, and had pulled out the rope, his only means of getting out. As he looked up, he heard the one soldier shout, “You better get to work, Bianchi. Get the surveying done, and our liege might even let you live to see the monuments construction.” He pulled out the map the Warlord had provided, and noticed a few places were marked on it. He then looked up at the soldiers who had left him in the hole with no way out. “You didn’t honestly think we would leave the rope behind, Bianchi. You may have the blessing of our liege, but you are still his prisoner. We won’t let you have a chance to escape. Now complete your task.” He knew he had no choice in the matter, and headed down the tunnel with the torch they had given him in hand. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to carry everything, but that wasn’t the first of things that had bothered him about what was going on. Not too long ago, he was a passenger on a caravan, and he was going in search for new building designs. The caravan he was a part of had been attacked by soldiers, and some of the people were killed. He wasn’t sure the soldiers had killed some of them, because they didn’t even fight the soldiers. When they came to him, and found out he was an architect, he had been pulled aside. The Warlord, who had led the forces that captured the caravan, had plans to build a big monument, and he had been chosen to make sure the site was stable. That was his job. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, but it meant that he would go free when he was done. He even thought that as he climbed up the ladder into a large room. It was a very nice and ancient room. The only other remarkable thing about it was that there was two slaves in the room. He walked over to them. “How goes the surveying?” He watched as the one slave nervously went over to the far wall, while the other one looked at him and said, “This area is well, but we are both concerned that the Warlord won’t let us go when it’s done. We’re also concerned about others who went farther in.” He watched as the slave motioned to a ladder on the far side of the room. He quickly understood, realizing it was also the same path he had to take to get to the first survey site. He glanced back at his fellow slave. “I’ll keep an eye out for them.” He then climbed down the ladder and started to pass through the cave passage. As he walked, he heard movement in the cave, and wondered if it was one of the slaves, or possibly one of the guards. He wasn’t sure if any guards had come down, but there had to be some down here. They wouldn’t leave all the slaves down there alone. He neared the sound, and saw a figure moving. As he held his torch in the direction of the sound, he froze in fright. The figure was a walking corpse. He quickly backed away, and realized that the section of the cave he was in was bigger than the area he had just come from, and the site he had to go to was behind the corpse. He had to get past the corpse. As it neared, he was afraid. He didn’t know what the corpse would do to him. He also didn’t want to find out, especially as the thing neared him. When the thing was near him, he quickly ran around it. As he ran, he glanced back

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 98 to see the creature turning to pursue him. By the time it had, he had started climbing up the ladder to the first place he had to survey. He was thankful that when he had gotten up there, some of the slaves had gotten past the creatures. He then moved to the center of the room and looked over things. He could tell the room was structurally sound, and would need little reinforcement. If that thing he saw was the only creature there, the monument the Warlord wanted would be built. But before he could safely say that, he needed to check all the other sites. Of course, for him to do that, he needed some sort of weapon to protect himself. He was sure the torch wasn’t going to be enough if there were more corpses moving about. He quickly looked around the room, and was shocked at what he had seen. He walked over to one spot, and found a Saif, and a quiver full of crossbow Bolts. He was surprised that the guards would leave weapons like these laying around, but the fear the slaves had keep them from using the items. He picked up the weapons, and then had an idea. He went back to the ladder he had entered the room in, and climbed back down it. He did this quietly so he didn’t attract the attention of the corpse. He was thankful that it wasn’t facing the ladder. It allowed him to come up behind the corpse, and beheaded it with the Saif. It was not right for the dead to walk around. It didn’t take long for him to dispatch the corpse, and was glad when it was gone. He then returned up the ladder, and looked at the slaves in the room. “How many others went past this point?” He watched as one of the slaves turned to him, almost fearful, and said, “A few, but shortly after they went down that way, there were many screams. We fear that some or all of them are dead.” Roberto nodded in understanding, and then said, “Head back down the path I just came from. I’ve made sure that path is safe. I’ll continue on, and see if anyone else is alive.” He then watched as the slaves slowly moved towards the ladder that lead back to the entrance. He then turned and went to the far ladder and headed down. When he was down, he moved forward and was stunned at what he saw. Halfway down the tunnel was three gates, and the one in front of him blocked the path to the ladder. As he neared the gates, Roberto wondered how he was going to get past them. As he pondered the problem, he glanced to the side of the gate, noticing a small lever in the wall. He quickly pushed it down, hoping it opened the path ahead. He was disappointed when the gate on his right opened. He quickly recovered from that disappointment when a corpse started to rise and come towards him. However, unlike the corpse he had seen earlier, which looked like it had drowned, this one looked like it had been skinned. Almost without thought, he attacked the corpse, and quickly dismembered it, lopping off its head as well. When the thing collapsed, he glanced over to see another lever, and pulled it. When he did that, the gate that had been on his left opened, releasing two more corpses. When he saw they were covered in rags, he had an idea. He held the torch in front of him, and touched the two with the flame. He watched as the two creature thrashed about, and soon collapsed in a fiery heap. He stayed back until the flame died down, and then headed into the alcove. A quick look around the alcove told him nothing else was there, except another lever. He pulled it down, and turned to see the last gate rising up. As it went up, he watched

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 99 another corpse get up from the ground. This corpse looked almost skeletal. He approached it, and quickly sliced off its head with his Saif, and then headed towards the ladder that was behind the gate. Roberto was thankful when he entered a room with fellow slaves in it. He glanced at his map again, realizing this was the next survey site. He saw two slaves walking around the room, both skittish, but checking the walls. As he looked around, he saw two odd things in the room. The first was another quiver full of crossbow bolts, and the other was a crossbow to use them in. He picked them both up, and then looked around the room. He could see that the room was stable, but the walls could use a little reinforcement. He quickly made notes of that, and then looked at the two slaves. He motioned for them to come over. “I want you two to head back. I fear there are dangerous things in here.” “We know. We heard screams coming from the other ladder in this room. We fear that the other slaves might be in danger. I think that’s why no guards came down here.” He had been thinking about the lack of guards. Maybe the reason there were no guards there was the fact that those corpses were all over. He then heard the other slave say, “I say we should take this moment to escape. I’d rather take my chances with those creatures than to return to slavery.” He then watched that slave run towards the ladder he hadn’t entered from, and quickly descend it. Before he could follow, he heard the first one say, “If any others are alive down there, send them back our way. I’ve heard strange sounds coming from down that path.” He nodded, and then headed straight for the ladder, but something odd happened. Just as he was about to descend the ladder, the whole place transformed in front of his eyes, and he was in a surreal hall.

Yvette Cale watched as Roberto Bianchi appeared in the surreal hall. This was the fifth time the book had pulled her into the surreal place, and she was starting to get used to it. Even all the screams coming from the souls in the floor didn’t bother her. Of course, it was a little unnerving to be floating over the non existent floor. She quickly placed her foot on then walkway that lead to the book, right behind Roberto, and said, “The place does seem very scary, but it’s safer than it seems.” She watched as he spun around, and leaned back to avoid the sword swing. She could tell he was shocked by her appearance, and then had an apologetic look on his face. “I didn’t know the Warlord had sent a woman down here.” She quickly shook he heard at his statement. “He didn’t send me down here. In fact, you aren’t even in the ancient temple anymore. Where you are is a surreal place.” She watched as he looked around, studying the place, and then said, “How did I get here?” “A very dark magick, and it all stems from that book ahead of us.” She then pointed at the skeletal hand alter that held the Tome of Eternal Darkness. “And the only way for you to leave here is by grabbing the Tome.” She glanced at him, and noticed he was now looking at a map. “This place isn’t on the map, so I know you are telling the truth. However, where are you from?” She thought about what he asked, and how to best explain it to him. It would be difficult to tell him that she was from centuries in the future. Finally, she figured out what

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 100 she would say. “I’m from another time and place. The dark magick that is at work knows no limits. However, even though we are both victims of the magick, we can help each other stop it.” She could see he was stunned by those words. “How can I help stop it? I’m just supposed to survey the ruins.” She smiled and pointed to the statue of Karim. “Many centuries ago, that man entered the same ruins you are in. He went to a secret chamber, and found an item that will help stop the darkness. Unfortunately, he was cursed to guard the item there.” Yvette watched as Roberto looked at the statue. He then said, “What will happen when I get the item? And how will I know I’ve even found it?” She looked at him and said, “You’ll know. I also know about the creatures running around the place. You will have help to fight them. My husband was also affected by the dark magick, and at one point, he will join you. He’s even been in this place before.” She then watched as he moved towards the book, and said, “If what you say is true, than the Warlord who sent me in here won’t be building his monument here. He wouldn’t dare build when he finds out about them.” She shook her head. “If he is Pious Augustus, he would dare. Have you ever wondered why the Warlord picked this location?” She watched as he thought about it. She then said, “If the Warlord is Pious, then he will build here. He’s a servant of the dark forces. And we must use his own dark magick to stop him.” She stopped talking when she realized how she sounded. He might think that she was a part of the darkness herself. She then watched as he looked at her. “I’m not sure what to think, but if dark forces want this book, then maybe I can get it out of here. I won’t show the Warlord either, if you are afraid he is this evil being. However, his actions have pointed that he is evil. I’ll keep what ever I find here hidden, including this book.” She then watched as he grabbed the book, and disappeared from the hall. She then watched as the world transformed to the room in the Roivas mansion. She then hoped all would be well for Roberto Bianchi.

Roberto Bianchi blinked when he realized he was back in the room he did his last survey from. He was right near the ladder he had been about to climb down. He started to wonder if his actions had been part of a weird dream, but then he realized the book was in his hands. He shuddered at the oddness of it all, and then climbed down the ladder. When he reached the bottom of the ladder, he noticed a fellow slave cringing in fear. He faced the man, and said, “What’s wrong? What has happened?” He watched as the man just pointed down the hall, and mumbled, “Creatures. Screams.” He turned in the direction the man pointed, and listened. He could heard the sound of something walking towards them from down the curved hallway. He held up the crossbow, and waited until he saw something come into view. He was stunned to see something that looked like a scorpion walk into view. However, he could tell it wasn’t on of the desert creatures. It was too big to be that. He took aim, and fired at the creature. Soon, he heard it squeal, and watched as it collapsed. Roberto was thankful, until he heard more of the creatures moving down the hall. He slowly moved forward, since something told him they were heading to were their fallen

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 101 comrade had died. As they entered his view, he quickly aimed and fired at each one he saw. It took him a small amount of time to wipe out the creatures, and when he was done, he had reached the far end of the curved corridor, and found a ladder there. He quickly climbed the ladder, hoping to get to the next site he had to survey. The more he progressed, the stranger things had gotten. He also hoped that the Warlord would abandon the site. As he stood up, he realized that the room was filled with a blue mist. He then realized he wasn’t alone in the room, but that he was in the company of a figure in what appeared to be a dark cloak. He held the Siaf ready as the thing approached him. As it neared, he felt like the room was going mad. He could even swear that blood had started to flow from the walls. The unnerving sight almost made him forget the figure, until it opened it’s cloak. He could then see that the cloak was actually wings. He also noticed the scythe like tail ready to strike him. He quickly backed away as the tail came down at him. He lucked out when it missed him, and swung his Siaf. He was stunned when the blade bounced off the wing. He waited until the creature opened its wings again, and swung the Siaf. He was glad when his luck allowed the blade to cut through the creature’s neck, killing it. As the creature fell to the floor, he saw the blue mist disappear, and noticed the room must have been a library of sorts. As he looked around, he saw a scroll lying open on what looked like a table in the center of the room. He picked it up, amazed that he could even read it. From what he read, the scroll appeared to be a spell that could summon a corpse. He then jumped as the scroll glowed yellow and disappeared. He quickly looked around, trying to figure out what happened to the scroll, and then remembered what he learned in the surreal hall. He opened the Tome, and saw the spell had appeared in the book. “The more I see, the more I am sure that the Warlord shouldn’t build here. I hope when I get out of here, he listens to reason.” He then started down the other ladder in the room. When he reached the bottom, he glanced down the curved hall, and saw a huge creature leaving a dead body. He quickly ran over to the body, and noticed it had been one of the slaves, and from what he could see, the man died a terrible painful death at the claws of the creature. He felt a rage in him and focused it on the creature. He quickly got up and ran after the creature, and slashed at the creature’s arm, cutting it right off. He continued his assault as the creature turned to face him. He could see the creature had what appeared to be three heads. He then lashed out at each head, and in the rage he felt, he dodged each attack with ease. Normally, he was not a fast person, but his fury made him want to end this creature quickly. Soon, he heard it roar a death cry, and it collapsed. With the creature out of the way, he took a moment to look around the curved hallway. He glanced back to where the creature had slain the man, and saw a quiver full of crossbow bolts on a block. He grabbed it, and added the bolts to those he had already found. He then continued down the hall, hoping the next room would not have a creature like the one he destroyed in it. When he entered the room, Roberto was stunned to see a corpse moving towards a spot between the door he entered, and a door on the opposite side of the wall. He was almost afraid the creature would attack him, but he watched as it sped up and walked right to the spot. His relief turned into horror as a section of the ceiling came down and crushed it, and then retracted. All that was left was a stain, and he heard a gate lower in

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 102 front of a ladder down. Somehow, the deadly trap must have been a security measure. He then looked around the room, and was thankful when he saw no other creatures in the room. There were more fallen slaves in the room, but he wondered if any had been lost in that trap. Other than the three exits, and the trap, there was nothing more to the room. He felt he had to consult the map to figure out where he had to go. However, as he went to look at the map, he found it had disappeared. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt the need to check the Tome. He wasn’t too surprised when he opened the evil book, and found the map in the pages of the book. He then saw that the next survey site was down the ladder that the trap had closed off to him. He then had to figure out how to get the gate up. He didn’t want to use one of the corpses of the slaves, but there were no walking corpses in the room. Almost instantly, he remembered the spell he had found. He turned the pages in the Tome, and read over the spell. Soon, he cast it, and saw the creature in front of him. He also saw a second image, as he realized he was seeing what the creature saw. Soon, he made the creature make its way to the same area the first one walked to. He watched and saw as it entered the area. Soon the second vision ended, and he lost control of the creature as the trap crushed it. He also noticed that the trap didn’t retract this time. He heard the gate rising up, and realized the way was now clear. He went to the ladder and climbed to the hall below. When he reached the bottom of the ladder, he realized he was in danger. The floor was covered with a red mist, and down the hall, he saw another of the cloaked creatures. He saw it facing what appeared to be a man, but he was sure it was one of the walking corpses. He then saw the thing open it wings and strike the corpse down. As it did so, he saw five symbols appear on the ground, and another corpse came out of it. He then watched as the corpse started to head towards him, and the creature started to come towards him as well. He knew that he couldn’t let the tail hit anything, and decided to attack the new corpse. However, before he attacked, he enchanted the Saif. He had been lucky the last time, and he didn’t want to chance being killed here. When he did enchant the Saif, he wasn’t sure which rune to use, so he decided to use the purple one. With the new enchanted weapon, he made short work of the corpse, and then glanced away from the corpse to see the cloaked creature ready to attack him. He knew he had only a few seconds before the tail came down at him. He aimed for the head, but was disappointed when he didn’t cut this one’s head off. However, he did notice the creature had stepped back, and was glowing purple. He watched as the creature prepared to strike again, but staggered back again as the purple glow pulsed. He moved forward as the creature prepared to attack again, and swung his Saif as the purple glow pulsed again. He didn’t decapitate the creature, but the two blows were enough to kill it, and it collapsed. He swung his Saif into it after it collapsed, and saw the red mist disappear. When he was sure it was safe, he continued to the end of the serpentine hallway. He reached and area with a strange altar in it. What made the altar strange was its resemblance to the handlike structure that held the Tome. He then glanced off to his left, and was surprised at what he found. He double checked what he saw with his map, and

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 103 smiled. That area was the next one he needed to survey. He started to walk over to the area, and froze as the area suddenly got cold. He then saw a ghostly figure appear in front of him, as well as behind him. “Venture no farther. I am the guardian spirit of this temple.” This worried him. Was this spirit like the other creatures that he had seen in the place. However, before he could even say a word, the spirit in front of him swung a huge sword. He felt it go through him, and at first he thought he was dead, but he glanced down to see that there was no damage. The sword had been as ghostly as it’s owner. He could then see the spirit was shocked. He then heard the spirit say, “You are the chosen one. For many years, I’ve been testing those who have made it to this chamber. All have failed. You, however, are unaffected by my powers. You were the one meant to safely take the items I have stood guard over.” Roberto was confused. He had come to this place to survey the area. “What do you mean by items?” He saw the spirit smile. “I was once confused like you. I’m sure you have already met the red headed woman. I see that her husband is with you. In time, he will come to your aid. Just what ever you do, do not take the one item with out covering your hands. Its evil will corrupt you if you touch it.” He then watched as the spirits disappeared, and saw two items on the one podium. The first was a ruby statue, and from what he could tell, it was a kneeling warrior. He then glanced at the other item left behind, and he could feel the dark energy radiating from it. He reached down to the lower hem of his robes and ripped off a piece of fabric to carry the red claw like item. After he wrapped the item up in the cloth, he examined the room. It looked structurally sound, but he had found it odd that they had included this area on the map for surveying. If they had, they would have known about the spirits and the items. He then left the area, and headed back to the room that had the crushing panel in it. As he walked, he consulted the map again, hoping that he didn’t have many more sites to check out. He mentally noted that some of the sites on the map had been checked. That left two more, and they were both through the door on the left of the crusher trap. He just hoped that when he got to the room, the trap hadn’t been activated again. Roberto was glad when he found the trap hadn’t been activated again. He left the area of the ladder, and headed to the door to the left of the crusher. He wasn’t sure what he would find behind the door, so he decided to enchant his sword again. He then entered the room, and saw four corpses, covered in rags. He wasn’t surprised when they all focused on him, and started shuffling his way. His first instinct was to attack with his enchanted sword, but something told him to use the torch he had instead. He quickly touched it to the corpses, and watched as they were quickly engulfed in flames. When the last corpse fell, he looked around the room he was now in. At the far wall was a large door. On the right hand wall close to the door was another door, and close to him was a ladder down to another level. As he thought about where to go first. He knew that the ladder didn’t lead to the two remaining survey sites, but he couldn’t help but wonder what was down there. He could see the area on his map, which meant that he needed to get down there. Before he headed down the ladder, he took another look around the room, and saw another quiver full of crossbow bolts. He had need them before, when he saw those

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 104 scorpion like creatures. He added them to the supply he had, and then climbed down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he stopped and listened. He heard what sounded like two of those creatures walking around. He held up the torch he had, and then realized that when ever he held it, it had lit up. He then saw the two creatures walk into view. He quickly aimed and fired the crossbow twice, and watched as the two creatures collapsed. He then started down the hall, and was about to turn to his right, when he heard a tapping. He glanced back at one alcove, but saw nothing. He could have sworn he heard something metal tapping the ledge. He then continued down the hallway, and entered a door. On the other side of the door, he saw a large room, but he froze when he saw what was happening. Three of the drowned looking corpses were attacking a three headed creature that was red. His first instinct was to attack the creatures, but something told him to stay back. He stayed out of sight of the creatures and watched as those creatures fought. He was amazed as the fight progressed. While the three-headed creature was larger and visually more powerful than the corpses, the creature fell to the three corpses. He watched as the corpses gathered around their fallen foe, and choose to strike at that moment. He quickly ran over and swung his Saif at each corpse. It was obvious the battle had taken a lot out of the corpses, as each one collapsed in one strike. When the last corpse had fallen, he looked around the room, and saw a large altar in the room. On top of the altar was a key, and on the side of the altar was a blue symbol, surrounded by a pentagon. The only other thing he noticed about the altar was it was surrounded by what looked like molten rock. He started to wonder how he was going to get it, when he heard the tapping again. He could have sworn it came from in front of the altar. He then remembered one thing. He opened the Tome, and almost as if he knew where it was, he had opened the book to the very page he was looking for. A spell to reveal things invisible. He read it over, and started to cast it, using the ring that matched the pattern. He even used the green rune. Soon, he saw a rock floor appear in front of the altar. He walked over to the altar and picked up the key. As he looked at it, he could have sworn it looked like it fit the big door he saw above. He then turned around and headed for the door out. However, as he passed the gate before the door, he froze. The door had disappeared, and he could have sworn he saw a woman sitting at some odd sort of table.

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Alexandra Roivas looked up for a moment, and wondered where Yvette had disappeared to. She knew that she had returned from the past, but she had been engrossed in reading to notice where the redhead had gone off to. He thoughts were quickly interrupted when she felt a familiar presence in the room. She turned to her left, and saw the ghost of her grandfather standing there. She looked at him and said, “Grandfather, please help me. It’s...” She was startled at how harsh he spoke. “Don’t be a weak wretch of a girl. You’re stronger than that.” She was stunned at how he said it. It didn’t seem like him, but if it was his ghost it had to be him. She had never know about any of this. It was as if he had been hiding it

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 105 from her. “You had kept all this from me. You never shared any of this.” She was suddenly scared when he stared at her with a look of contempt. “I could never burden you with this. I wanted you to leave me alone.” His next words scared her most. “Why couldn’t you have been killed with your parents?” Before she could respond, she saw a startled look cross the ghost’s face. She then heard a voice say, “Get away from her.” She then saw a book fly past her, and the ghost disappeared in a small orb of blue light. She turned to see Yvette was standing at the door. She watched the redhead walk over to her. “That wasn’t your grandfather, Alexandra. It was another disguise of Pious’. I think he knows we are getting close to stopping him. Plus, if you stop reading the book, my husband will be stuck in the past.” She realized that Yvette was right. She turned back to the book and said, “You’re right, Yvette. I’ll get through this chapter, and then we will find the next chapter.” She then returned to reading the chapter, and felt better as Yvette rested a hand on her shoulder. She realized that while the woman that was Dr. Lindsey’s daughter could see the truth, her presence was enough to calm her own sanity.

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Roberto blinked when the image disappeared. It was surreal. It couldn’t have happened, but it looked like it had. First another room was in front of him, but now it was the door out of the room. He also noticed for the first time that everything seemed to have a green glow around it. He didn’t remember seeing that in the image he had scene. Maybe he was losing his mind. He started to hope now more than ever that he would get done checking this place. He left the room, and headed back towards the ladder up. As he walked past the alcove he had passed earlier, he stopped. There on the ledge was a statuette made of sapphire and seemed to resemble something like a sorcerer. He was wondering if that was what the tapping earlier tried to bring to his attention. He picked up the statue and climbed back up the ladder. At the top of the ladder, he started to wonder how he managed to carry all the items he found. Was some sort of dark magick helping him carry the items? He didn’t feel over burdened as he walked. He then entered the door that was next to the ladder. He was glad when he saw a few slaves working in the room. He started to walk down the hall to the large circular room with three slaves in it. As he walked, he could have sworn he heard a hiss of some sorts. He started to feel like something wasn’t right. He stepped to the middle of the room, and watched as the three slaves continued to look at the walls. He discretely opened the Tome, and looked through it, until he found one spell. It was a spell called Damage Field. That hiss he heard had put him on edge, and something told him an attack was coming. He was going to be ready for it now. He cast the spell, making sure it was five points, and with the purple rune. As the runes appeared on the ground, he heard each runes named called out. The slaves, however, didn’t notice it. Roberto then looked around the room again. He still felt like there was something in the room, but he was hopeful the circle of runes would protect him. He couldn’t tell if the other slaves heard the sounds the runes made, but he heard the hiss rise in pitch. He

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 106 waited a moment, to see if anything tried to attack. When nothing did, he decided to check the room out. He stayed within the circle of runes, but looked around the room. He could see that some of the walls would need reinforcement, but if there were still creatures down here, it would be pointless to do so. He was finishing scanning over the ceiling when the hisses got louder. He stopped looking at the walls, just in time to see one of the slaves coming right at him. Just from the look he could see in the man’s eyes, he could tell the man meant to harm him. He almost started to back up, but didn’t when the man walked into a purple glow, and staggered back. The spell he had cast had obviously protected him. He then watched as the slave was now glowing purple as well, as if his body was enchanted. He then heard the other two slaves in the room run into the barrier he put up. He couldn’t figure out why they were doing this, unless something was controlling them. He finally got the answer to why it was happening, but he was scared by it. The slave that was in front of him exploded, revealing a skinny creature with blades for arms inside. He then heard the other two exploded in the same way. The only thing that kept him from getting covered in gore was the barriers he set up. He then backed up a step as the one in front of him jumped at him. He hoped the barrier wouldn’t fail, and was thankful when the creature fell back, now glowing purple. He heard the other two lunge at him as well, and heard both of them connect with the barrier. He quickly turned to look at the other two creature, and then saw a man in very strange clothing running towards him. He could see that the two creatures hadn’t seen the newcomer, but he heard the one now behind him start to move. That one wasn’t trying to attack him anymore. He figured the creature was now going to take on the newcomer. He wanted to warn the man, but he wasn’t sure if he should. He was then thankful when the man pulled out a sword, and swung it at the one creature, killing it. It was then that the other creature had joined the first one in spotting the newcomer. However, just as the second turned, he heard the first one scream and collapse. Apparently, the purple glow had killed the creature, and the newcomer finished off the last remaining creature. He then watched as the man looked at him and said, “It’s all clear, Roberto. All the Bonethieves are dead. You can leave that barrier area now.” He was stunned by what the man said, but then remembered what the others had said. The man was the one who was going to help him.

Richard Cale waited until Robert Bianchi finally stepped out of the barrier. He could tell Roberto was still a bit unsure. He then watched as the man looked at him and said, “You are the one the woman mentioned, as well as the spirits. You are here to help me.” He nodded, and then said, “Yes. You’ve been doing well so far. I’m just glad you haven’t run into Pious yet.” He then noticed what the man was carrying. “I see you found the Tome, as well as the Essence of Chattur’gha, and the statue I pointed out to you.” He watched as the man smiled and said, “Yes. I figured you were trying to help me. I had just got done surveying this room, and have one place left to go. I think your sword will be able to help in getting there.” Richard nodded. “Indeed. I think that would be wise. Last time I was here, I

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 107 don’t remember seeing that large door in the last room.” That was true. Something about the size of the door told him something big and important was behind it. He wondered if it was like the chamber in the cathedral, where Paul Luther had been killed by the monster there. He then said to Roberto, “I will make sure you are safe. I’ve seen too many people lose their lives during this.” He watched as Roberto opened the door, and headed into the next room and to the giant door. “I believe you. So many slaves have died down here. I was ordered to survey five locations here, and this will be the last. Once I’m done, I will tell the Warlord he can’t build here.” He then watched as Roberto held out a key. “I found this down the ladder. I’m sure this will unlock this door, if the door is locked.” He nodded and watched Roberto put the key in the lock. He heard the door unlock, and followed Roberto into the room. He realized they were in a long hall, one that had a turn in it. When they reached the turn, he heard Roberto gasp, and he saw why. The longest stretch of the hallway was covered with yellow energy. At points along the hall, he saw dead bodies. He then looked at Roberto, who looked scared. He knelt down to look at the floor, and said, “I’ve never seen anything like this, except in the lightning strikes the three-headed Horrors use. If we try to cross this as is, we will be hurt, even killed.” He then got up and looked at Roberto. He watched as Roberto looked at the Tome, which was turned to a map page. “We need to find some way across. There has to be some way to shield us from the energy.” Richard smiled when he heard the words. “That’s it. May I look at the Tome for a moment.” He was glad when Roberto handed him the book. He quickly turned the pages, and found the spell he was looking for. He then cast the Shield spell, and watched as five purple orbs surrounded him. He handed the book back to Robert and said, “Cast that spell right now, and then follow me.” He watched as Roberto did cast the same spell, and then he ran out into the energy field. As he ran, he saw orbs occasionally leave, usually after a yellow lightning strike. By the time he was at the end of the hall way, all the orbs were gone, and Roberto was at his side. They then headed into the door, catching their breath. When they were in the door, he was about to congratulate Roberto, but stopped when a large gate came down, blocking the only way out of the room. He forgot about congratulating Roberto, and started to wonder how they were to get out. He glanced off to the right, and saw a chasm. He didn’t want to venture that way, but then saw Roberto heading towards the left of the gate. It was then he noticed the large room. He could see what looked like a bridge on a rope hanging from the ceiling. He also saw a large pit in the middle of the room. As he looked at the pit, he wondered if another creature lured in this pit, like the creature that killed Paul Luther. He then noticed that Roberto was standing by a slave. He saw the man had been shaken up, especially as Roberto said, “I can’t believe he made it. He must have been the only one. He been really shaken up. He keeps mentioning snakes. I haven’t seen a single snake since I’ve entered here.” He then looked over at the pit, wondering if the snakes had come out of the pit. However, he did notice a rope, which led to the bridge. He then said, “I don’t know what he means, Roberto. But something tells me we will have to get to the other side of the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 108 pit.” He then cut the rope, and watched as the bridge crashed down and into place across the pit. He then started onto the bridge. As he walked across, he said, “Roberto, you might want to check the place from the center of the bridge. It’s the best place..” He stopped speaking when he saw large purple worms shoot out from the pit. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. They looked familiar, but just as they all looked at him, it happened. He felt disoriented. It was a ‘blink’ coming on. That wasn’t a good thing, with these things attacking. As the disorientation started to subside, he noticed that one worm fell, and then another worm fell. He then noticed that the last worm had a crossbow bolt in it. He started to stagger, but was surprised when someone steadied him. He realized it was Roberto, as the man said, “Are you alright?” He nodded and then said, “I’m fine. Just remind me which artifact you had found.” He watched as Roberto nodded and said, “It was essence of Ulyaoth. I can’t forget it with how it feels, like it’s emanating darkness. Now, you said I should survey from here.” He nodded. “Yes. You check things out, and then cast another shield spell. I’ll do so after I pull that lever over there.” He then saw Roberto start to look around, and he went over to the bridge. While Roberto was surveying, he thought about the ‘worms’ that had attacked. He knew he had seen them before, and realized where. They were part of Mantorok. He was sure about that. When he was at the lever, he started to hope he was wrong. He pulled the lever and then headed back, seeing that Roberto was done and had cast the spell. He then took the book and cast the Shield spell. When he was done, he returned the book to Roberto and they headed out. As they headed back, he heard Roberto ask, “Tell me, stranger, all this time, you never told me your name.” Richard smiled as they continued. “My name is Richard Cale. The dark magick of the book brought me hear from the future. It’s done this to me many times. This is not my first visit to this location.” As they continued, he heard Roberto say, “Then you know about the evil in this place. You can tell the Warlord not to build here. I’m sure he’ll listen if two people tell him.” Richard thought about it, and then shook his head. “I doubt it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Warlord would be eager to see me. If my thinking is right, the Warlord is Pious Augustus. If that’s the case, we are both dead if he gets us.” He suppressed a shudder when he said that. It wasn’t the full truth, but he knew Pious was waiting for the right moment to get him. He also knew that this wasn’t the time for him to fall, since when he was in Lindsey’s time, Pious had remarked that he had escaped many times before. He then heard voices coming from up ahead. He glanced over at Roberto, who confirmed something he had feared. “It’s the Warlord. He must have come down to hear my report. I’m sure he can’t be this Pious Augustus. I might even show him the statues I found down here.” He then watched as Roberto felt around his robes, and then looked at him. “They’re gone. The Saif, the crossbow, the book. Everything is gone.” He stopped and looked at Roberto. “Maybe it’s to protect the items. Maybe you

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 109 need to pass them on to the right person. I’m sure you’ll know who when you see them. I might even be with them.” He then watched Roberto nod, and heard him say, “Then wish me luck.” He then watched as Roberto climbed up the ladder. He stepped over to the base of the ladder, hoping to hear what was happening up there. He heard Roberto mention about the creatures, and wasn’t surprised when he heard a harsh voice say, “Those creatures are the reason this place was built in the first place. The monument will continue as planned. In fact, architect, you shall serve a very special place in it, as well as the person you were talking with. Guards, take him for the pillar.” Richard started to back away from the ladder, as he realized that the Warlord was approaching the top of the ladder. “I don’t know how you keep appearing, but you won’t escape this time.” He then noticed that the figure had started to descend the ladder. He started to continue back the way he had come, and just then, the world started to change around him. The chapter was over. He wasn’t sure what had happened to Roberto, but he was sure that Roberto was about to die. However, just as he was sure that he was back in the present, in the Roivas estate, he realized that the room wasn’t the one in the Roivas mansion. He wasn’t even sure were he was now, and it scared him.

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Chapter 17: Surveying The Secrets

Yvette Cale wasn’t sure what had happened, but it was surreal. One moment she had been standing in the secret room of the Roivas Estate, and now she was in the middle of the desert. What made it worse was the scene she was witnessing. Something was happening at the top of a large wooden column. She could see that people were being pushed into the column, and in the line she could see Roberto Bianchi. She felt sorry for the man as he was brought closer to the front of the line. It was then that she saw who was presiding over the horrible ceremony. She wasn’t sure how others saw him, but she saw his horrific skeletal form, as well as the Ancient Roman armor he wore. Soon, she heard Pious Augustus’s voice clear as day, which meant he must have amplified his voice by some unholy means. However, what frightened her more than his voice were his words. “I am the Scourge of God.” Those words alone sent a chill through her body. She wasn’t overly religious, but she was aware there was something watching over the world. Even though she had seen the minions of Xel’lotath most of her life, there had been times she had seen angels as well. She started to wonder where those angels were when she saw Pious push Roberto Bianchi into the column. It that moment, she knew his life was over. She wondered if he died when he reached the bottom of the column, or if his agony was prolonged. She stopped wondering when Pious looked right at her. She started to back away the longer he stared at her. Soon she heard him say, “I haven’t forgotten about you and your husband. This time, you won’t be able to see through my magic.” Yvette was scared, and tried to turn and run. However, just as she was about to turn, the scene dissolved. It meant that this vision would be ending. What had been unnerving about those visions was that she was always in two places at once. She wondered if it was like an out-of-body experience, but she never thought they could transcend time. When the world reformed, she felt disoriented. She had expected to be in the secret study of the Roivas Estate. However, as she looked around, she saw a classroom. It didn’t make any sense to be in a classroom now. She glanced over at one of the windows, which was at the right angle for her to see her reflection, and she gasped. Her red flowing hair was now in spikes. Her fair skin was now red, like she had a bad case of sunburn. Even her outfit had changed. Before, her outfit was causal, a light colored blouse, and blue jeans, and now it was all black, and looked like leather straps covering almost every inch of her body. The worse part was here hands. They had gone from her lovely delicate hands to those of long taloned claws. She then realized what she was looking at. Somehow, Pious had transformed her into that of Penance, a character from the one comic book she had read. Her father had gotten them for her, saying that something about the character reminded him of her. She had to admit, she did admire, and feel sorry for the girl. Now she was the girl. It couldn’t be. She was married, and her father was a world renowned archeologist. She wasn’t a character in a comic book she had read. This was an illusion. She was really in the Roivas Mansion. She closed her eyes, knowing the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 111 second she opened them, she would see the secret study. Unfortunately, she didn’t see that when she opened her eyes. What she now saw scared her even more. It was a man with scarred gray skin. His hair was in dreadlocks, and he wore some sort of armor and a respirator. What scared her most were the hands. On each hand was a circular maw. It quickly hit her who he was. He was Emplate, and she knew he was after her. He was even closing in on her. She let fear take over, and she ran for the room door, narrowly avoiding his grasp. She quickly ran away from the classroom, running down hall after hall. As she ran, she glanced back, seeing that Emplate was following her. She also saw the marks the claws made as she ran. If it was an illusion, she wouldn’t have made those marks. Maybe this was real, and the life she knew had been the illusion. It would make sense if she was this character. She would fantasize about a better life. She thought about this even more as she ran up the stairs. She wasn’t sure why she was running up the stairs, but she felt it was safe up here. She glanced down the steps, hoping her pursuer had given up the chase, but she saw he hadn’t. She quickly ran through the door, and turned right in the hallway. As she ran, she noticed something. It still looked like a school hall, but there was something different. There was a bust that looked like a Julius Caesar, or some other Roman emperor. She looked at it, and noticed it was following her movements. She continued running, remembering the odd statue from the Roivas Estate. She turned two more times, and entered what appeared to be a bathroom. As she moved into it, she looked in a mirror, and saw her face at it normally appeared. That fast she realized it was an illusion. Pious must have done it to her, knowing it would weaken her if it continued for too long. Now all she had to do was end the illusion somehow. And there was only one way she could think of. She turned towards the bathroom door, and froze seeing Emplate standing right in the door. She quickly put the fear aside, knowing he couldn’t hurt her. She felt more determined when she heard him say, “No where to run, Penance, and that little boyfriend of yours can’t help you now.” She started to walk towards the figure, and just said, “You can’t hurt me. You aren’t even real. If you were real, you’d know that ‘boyfriend’ is my husband. This place isn’t even real. I know where I really am. Not a school in Massachusetts, but an estate in Rhode Island. I’m not a student in an American school. I’m a British citizen, visiting here with my husband.” She watched as the being as it didn’t move, and walked right into it. As she walked, the being disappeared, as well as the school illusion. Soon, she was walking into the master bedroom in the Roivas Estate. It had ended. She walked over to the bed, and sat down. She thought about everything that had happened, and a terrible thought crossed her mind. She couldn’t have been the only one to suffer a powerful illusion, and she knew that her husband, Richard Cale, and Alexandra Roivas would not be able to break their illusions, not without her help. She got up from the bed, and left the master bedroom, hoping she would find the others before the illusions would do them any harm.

Alexandra Roivas looked up from the book the moment she had finished reading, expecting to find both Richard and Yvette Cale standing before her. She realized

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 112 something didn’t seem right when they weren’t there, but they weren’t the only thing not there. The secret study in the Roivas estate had disappeared as well. In fact, the whole building was gone, and she was sitting on a bench on what appeared to be a deserted street. All the time she had been reading the Tome of Eternal Darkness, she had never moved from the study. Now, she had apparently left the Roivas estate, and walked to a distant street. She knew that it wasn’t safe, remembering all the creatures that had started appearing outside of the house. However, one thing made her feel worse. There was a thick fog covering the whole street. She could barely even see the buildings on the street. She then glanced down at her lap, hoping that she could turn a page in the Tome and find a way back to the estate in it. However, she realized this only made her situation worse. All she saw was her legs, in the black pants she had been wearing the whole time since the Cale’s had arrived. That meant the Tome had disappeared. She checked along side of her, and realized the Gladius was gone as well. She was alone on a foggy street in her black tank top and pants, and no idea where she was. Her attention was finally drawn by the sound of someone approaching. She glanced up, and looked towards her left, seeing a figure slowly moving towards her in the fog. She got up, and called out. “Richard, Yvette, is that you?” As the figure approached, she hear the sound of metal scraping along the street. Something about that sound made her worry. If it was Richard, he wouldn’t let his sword do that, but if it was Yvette, she wouldn’t be carrying a sword. Finally, the figure started to appear through the fog, and fright filled her soul. The figure was tall, and it could have been due to the fog, but he appeared to have gray skin. In his hand was a large blade, which made the Gladius that was now missing look small. His clothing looked drab, but even in the fog, she could tell there was a hint of purple in it. The most frightening thing she noticed when the figure stopped and looked right at her. In that brief moment, she saw it’s face. It initially appeared disfigured, but while their eyes were locked, she noticed that the face was literally an amalgamation of hers, Richard’s, and Yvette’s. Bits and pieces of their own faces had seemingly merged together in a horrific way on the figures face. She quickly realized how much danger she was in when the figure roared. Before it could even take one step, she bolted in the opposite direction. There was no way she could fight that thing without the Gladius, and without the magick that came from holding the Tome, she had no protection. As she ran, she heard the figure moving behind her, but the scraps of its blade on the ground fading made her realize that she was getting away from it. She finally reached an intersection where a road branched off to her right, and she glanced down both paths. She didn’t want to head back, knowing the figure was still following her. She wasn’t sure which way she should head, knowing that a dead end would really mean a dead end if the figure caught her. Now, she needed some way of knowing which way to run. She felt a brief wave of relief cross over her as a figure started to come towards her. There was no scraping of metal as it approached, but she could see it was carrying a sword. Her first thought was that she had somehow found Richard Cale, but as the figure neared through the fog, she realized she was wrong.

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Instead of the British man, who had been only a few years older than her, she saw a man who appeared to be dressed in a smock of some sort. However, what filled her with dread when she saw the man, was the fact that his head was encased in a pyramid-like helmet. She didn’t wait for the figure to get any nearer, and ran down the street on her right. As she ran, she didn’t glance back, hoping that neither of these two new figures were following her. She had a feeling that if either of them had grabbed her, her life would be over. She wasn’t ready for that, not until she truly knew what happened to her grandfather. She also had a feeling that if she died, it would mean the end of the world. Her family had been working at this for centuries, as she had been finding out, but still all the pieces weren’t together on how she could stop the coming danger. She slowed down when she neared a four way intersection. She had to catch her breath, and she had to escape this nightmare. As she stood there, she finally saw a sign in front of her. She moved towards it, and was stunned. All the sign had on it was “Welcome to Silent Hill.” However, what was more stunning was the large chasm that was just past the sign. That meant that heading in that direction was out of the question. While she stared at the chasm, she turned around when she heard the sound of scrapping metal behind her. The menacing figure with the face was coming towards her. She glanced back at the sign, and then to her left and right. On the right, there was a hill, and she could see a figure at the top of the hill. However, on her left, was a level road. Her first instinct was to run to her left, but as she glanced that way, she saw a figure starting to come out of the fog. She did a quick about face when she quickly realized it was the one with a pyramid helmet. She didn’t even need to see anymore than the general shape of the helmet’s top. She started to run up the hill. She realized she had made the right choice as the figure held out a hand and she heard Yvette’s voice say, “Alexandra. It’s me. Take my hand.” When she grasped the figures hand, she noticed the fog had gone. She wasn’t climbing a hill, but the stairs leading to the upper level of the Roivas estate. The town was gone, but replaced by the Roivas Estate. She looked at the redhead and said, “What happened? All of a sudden I was in this town called Silent Hill, being chased by two figures. I don’t know if they were working together or not, but they seemed to be hunting me.” As they started to go back downstairs, she heard Yvette say, “It was an illusion. I think we are getting closer to stopping Pious and his Ancient, so he’s trying to stop us with these illusions. He had me thinking I was a character in a comic book.” As they made their way through the library and to the secret study, Alexandra looked around, and said, “What about your husband?” Richard Cale still hadn’t shown up, but if they had been stuck in an illusion, maybe he was stuck in one as well. When they entered the secret study, she heard Yvette say, “I was hoping he was in here. But he had started in here.” She watched as Yvette walked over and picked up her husband’s sword. She was also relieved to see that the Tome was in the study. When that had happened, Alexandra froze. She could have sworn she heard rocks crumbling. She held up her hand and said, “Did you hear that?” She saw Yvette was puzzled, and then stepped forward. As she reached the far end of the study, she saw a sketching of a pillar. The crumbling sound seemed louder here. She touched the framed

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 114 sketch, and saw a page appear from behind it. It was the next chapter. She grabbed it and turned towards Yvette. “I found the next chapter page.” She realized that Yvette hadn’t heard her. The girl seemed to be looking at something, and she realized Yvette was having another vision. Soon the girl blinked, and said, “I saw Pious talking with one of the monks. The monster at Oublie Cathedral is restless. I think the next chapter will take place there. We need to find Richard before we start the chapter.” Alexandra nodded and headed for the study door. “Then let’s find him. Both our illusions kept us in the estate, so he has to be here as well.” She then waited for her friend to join her as they went to search for the third member of their group.

Richard Cale looked around the room he now was in, and knew something was wrong. He had expected to be back in the Roivas Estate. However, he wasn’t there. The room he was in had all sorts of statues and other items on display. He looked around for a moment, startled for a moment, and realized something wasn’t right. He then noticed that something was missing. He held up his left hand and realized his sword was missing. He didn’t remember letting it go, and he wasn’t about to give it up. It was a family heirloom, and had also been serving him well against the minions of Xel’lotath. He also noticed his ring finger was bare. He started to worry that he had lost his wedding ring. Ever since the wedding to Yvette, he wore it on his left hand. His thoughts and fears were cut short when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but they quickly returned when an unfamiliar voice said, “Rich, are you alright? You looked like you spaced out for a moment.” He turned to see two individuals that he didn’t know. The one that touched him was a boy of African background. The boy was dressed as a typical teenager, but that was expected since Richard could tell the boy was in his mid to late teens. The man behind the teenager was older, possibly late fifties to early sixties. The man was also dressed in a seer-sucker suit, and wearing a straw porkpie hat. He didn’t recognize either of them, and looked at them a bit leery. He wasn’t sure what he should do now. However, he was startled when the older man said, “Richard, can you hear me. You spaced out for a moment when you saw your reflection in the case. I guess you were surprised to see yourself back to normal after catching the Wax Ixupi in the Witch Doctor display.” He shook his head for a moment. He didn’t feel disoriented, but something didn’t seem right. Was it possible that during his return to the present, he suffered a ‘blink’ attack. If that was the case, it didn’t fully explain why he was in this strange place. He still was sure he didn’t recognize the two people with him now. It had to be an illusion. He then glanced in the case, and saw his reflection in the glass. He was shocked to see that he appeared to be a teenager again. That would explain the lack of a wedding ring, but he remembered his wedding. Or had that been a dream. It was starting to seem so confusing. And what was an Ixupi? It sounded similar to one of the Ancients. He looked at the two others now with him and said, “Is that anything like .... Xel’lotath?” He didn’t know why, but it was difficult for him to remember the name of Pious’s Ancient now. He noticed the two people looked at him like he was crazy for a moment. Then the man in the seer-sucker suit said, “Rich, that sounds like something out of a Lovecraft

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 115 story. You should be glad that that stuff doesn’t exist. The stuff that we’ve seen so far in this museum that Professor Windlenot had made is eerie enough.” He glanced from the man to the teen of African decent. The boy just shrugged. “Rich, you need to calm down. We still need to find out what else is here, catch the other Ixupi, and get out. You are the one who knows more about the Windlenot Museum. What can you tell us that can help us?” He started to pace back and forth in the room. It didn’t make sense to him at all. He had once heard about a so called museum in the states. It had been from a friend of his father. He couldn’t remember the exact name, but he did remember his father’s friend’s first name being something like Jeff. Any more about it he couldn’t remember. What was happening to him? He then heard one of the two people say to him, “Rich, what’s wrong?” He glanced at the two. He needed to find out if this was real, or if it was just an illusion. He thought for a moment, and decided to ask the one question that he hoped he could get an answer too. “Where is Yvette and Alexandra? I’m sure they were both with me.” He watched as the man in the suit said, “Alexandra? Who is she? I know you’ve mentioned Yvette a few times this evening.” He then saw the boy of African decent looking at him. “Yvette’s at home. You told us that her Uncle Ron was visiting. And who the hell is Alexandra? I thought you and Yvette were an item.” Richard started to pace again. “Yvette and I are an item. We’re married. Alexandra is a friend of ours.” He heard the teen say, “You wish you two were married. I think you better rest for a moment. Maybe all this lack of sleep is making you delusional.” He started to nod in agreement. It had to be that. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept. Maybe everything that had happened was a delusion. He turned to face the two, and then looked up. On the wall above a statue of Janus, a god of beginnings and endings, was a picture he had seen in the music room of the Roivas Estate. It was the circle detailing how the Ancients had a cyclical relationship. He froze for a moment, and started to wonder what was real. Soon, he felt a hand on his shoulder again. He slowly turned his head and was relieved to see his wife standing next to him. He quickly turned and embraced her as she said, “We thought you were stuck in an illusion. Both Alexandra and I had one as well.” He held Yvette for a moment longer, making sure to himself that she was real. It was the only real assurance he needed. He then felt tears of joy running down his face, glad that the illusion was over. “You won’t believe what I almost believed.” He then glanced back, and saw Alexandra standing there. From the look on her face, he was sure she had seen a disturbing illusion as well. Finally, he heard Yvette say, “You can tell us later, hun. Right now, we need to get back to the study. We found your sword in there, as well as the next chapter.” He nodded, and started to follow the two ladies as they headed back to the room. As they walked, he wondered what illusion they each had. He looked at his wife, and wondered what hers might have been. Had she imagined herself back in the times of knights and wizards? Had she maybe put herself in one of the comics her father had sent

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 116 her? He looked over at Alexandra and wondered what her illusion might have been. Had she imagined herself back in this place when her grandfather was alive? Maybe she had though she was in a quiet city? Like that one in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Badger City was the name, or at least it was like that. As they entered the hallway to the secret study, Richard remembered what he had asked in the illusion. “Hey, which one is Pious’s Ancient?” He wasn’t stunned when both ladies said “Chattur’gha.” It confirmed something he had been wondering. It was possible that during his return from the past, he had suffered a ‘blink’ attack. It must have been that which had allowed him to fall victim to the odd illusion he had. When they had reached the study, Richard was thankful to have his sword back. It was a family heirloom, and had served them well over the years. He picked it up, and then looked at Alexandra and Yvette. “So, now that we are back together, what’s the next chapter?” He watched as Alexandra looked at the page and said, “Looks like it’s back to 1916 AD. And it appears it’s back to Amiens, France. The title is A War To End All Wars.” He watched as Yvette just looked at him as Alexandra looked up from the page. He then watched as Alexandra looked up from the page, and said, “Didn’t you say you had relation their during one of the wars?” He nodded. “Yes. Now I’ll get to see who saved his life back then.” He then took a deep breath and looked over at Alexandra. “I’m ready to go. Let’s find out what his trip to France brings, and let’s hope it’s the last trip to France.” He then watched as Alexandra put the page in the Tome, and started to read. As she read, he saw the world dissolved around him, soon to be replaced with a World War I Amiens, France.

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Chapter 18: War On The Hidden Front

Peter Jacob sat on one of the cots in the field hospital that occupied Oublie Cathedral. It was his assignment as a reporter on the Great War. He had never been in a field hospital before, and it wasn’t a pleasant sight. He wasn’t sure what made it unpleasant, the fact that the wounded from the war were brought here, or the fact that Oublie Cathedral seemed dark and forbidding for a house of God. He had to admire the nurses, or sisters, as the British soldiers called them. They did the best they could to help the soldiers, but many were beyond help. He had seen a few sisters carry soldiers out on stretchers. Every once in a while, two of the sisters would take a soldier to the old tower, where the morgue had been placed. Even now, as he glanced up from the article he was writing, he saw one sister taking a soldier away. Something about that made him stop his writing. He glanced up again, and watched the nurse out of the corner of his eye. This was indeed different from the other soldiers he had seen taken away. Others were taken away in stretchers, but this one was being dragged by a single nurse. The sight seemed unnatural, but it seemed almost to fit with the location. The whole scene sparked his reporter’s curiosity. He carefully put away his report, and got up. Before he could start moving to follow the nurse, he froze as an explosion came from outside the cathedral walls. He quickly steadied himself by placing his hand on a table. When the shockwaves subsided, he noticed his hand was on a letter. He picked up the letter, and read it. From what he could tell, the letter was from a Private Jackson. After reading it, he learned some unsettling things. It appeared that some of the wounded disappeared at night, but it was unclear what happened to them. It just seemed odd that they left at night. The letter also said something about the place being haunted. Something about that didn’t surprise him. He quickly reached into his pocket, and pulled out his lucky penny. He had found the penny a few months ago. When he reached down to pick it up, it was at that moment, something happened. If he had been standing, he would have become part of a big story, instead of being the one who reported it. Thankfully, since he arrived, he didn’t have any ghostly encounters. He didn’t really believe in ghosts, but he didn’t want to take any chances. When he was done thinking about that, he headed towards the sanctuary of the cathedral. As he headed towards it, he noticed a sister looking over some of the severely wounded soldiers. Even though he had been here a short time, he realized that most of the soldiers and sisters were British. “Excuse me, sister, but I just saw another sister taking a soldier this direction. Did you see where she went?” He watched as she shook her head, and frowned slightly. “No, but maybe you should rest. That recent explosion must have shook you up.” As she had said that, he could have sworn he heard a strange hiss. Maybe the recent explosion did shake him up. He nodded politely at the sister. “Maybe I shall, but first I need to see where the other sister went.” He continued towards the alter area, still feeling awkward. In the States, these women were called nurses, not sisters. When he reached the sanctuary, the awkwardness increased. He looked around,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 118 seeing soldiers at the stairs to below the cathedral, and one by the door to the old tower. To his left, on the far wall, all he saw was some strange red markings. However, the one thing he was expecting to see, he didn’t see. The nurse dragging the body appeared to have disappeared. He had to find out where she had gone. He walked over to the soldier guarding the stairs. “Excuse me, sir, but did you happen to see a nurse bring a soldier down here?” He wasn’t surprised when the soldier shook his head. He started to head over to the guard who was near the old tower door, and stopped. Sitting on the pulpit was an envelope, and on it was the same insignia that the soldiers wore. It had to be orders for one of the soldiers, a Private Thompson. He took them with him as he headed over to the old tower. He hoped that the soldier standing there was the one the orders were for. When he reached the soldier, he held up the orders and said, “Excuse me, but I think these are for you.” The soldier took them, and shook his head. “These aren’t for me. Private Thompson is the one guarding where the soldiers’ personal effects are. Just head out the front door, and you’ll see him.” “Thank you sir.” Peter quickly turned around and headed towards the front door of the massive cathedral. As he continued towards the front, he noticed the one nurse looking at him. Something about the look made him feel uneasy, and that wasn’t the right feeling to get from a nurse. He started to wish he hadn’t come to cover any aspect of the Great War. When he crossed into the Annex of the cathedral, he saw two things. The first was the soldier he had been looking for. The other was the stairway up to the balcony. He looked at his choices again, and finally ran up the stairs. He wasn’t surprised when he saw another sister at the top of the steps, and just liked the others, she suggested he rest. Also, when she spoke, he heard another hiss. He was starting to wonder if this was common amongst the sisters here at Oublie Cathedral. He quickly stepped out onto the balcony, but all the time, he swear he could feel her staring at him. When he reached the balcony, he quickly walked out over to the edge. Even though it was a detour from delivering the orders, Peter hoped that this new vantage point would allow him to figure out where the nurse had dragged the officer. From this view point, he could see nothing different, but something told him he wasn’t seeing everything. Maybe he was missing something. He even thought about taking a picture, but he had left his camera back down at the table he had found the letter. He then walked over to the door on the far side, and entered the bell tower. He figured the tower would only be used for storage now, since they had silenced the bell. However, the only thing that stood out in the room was another letter. He picked it up, and read it. With the more he read, he could tell there was some story here. Soldier were missing, not discharged, and calls for help went unanswered. Peter knew he had to get to the bottom of the mystery. However, he was sure that the only way to find out more now was to get past the soldiers, and he knew how to get past one. He quickly made his way back down to the Annex, and rushed over to the soldier. Before the soldier could say anything, Peter held up the orders. “Private Thompson, I believe these orders are for you.”

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He was surprised when the soldier quickly snatched the orders out of his hand. “Blimey, I was hoping these orders came in. We’re finally going on the offensive. The tide of the war is changing. Thanks lad.” He then watched as the grateful soldier headed out the front door. Once in the room, he saw all the boxes that contained items for the soldiers, as well as a few corpses. Almost everything was in a crate, except for one item. That lone item was a 8mm revolver. He wondered why that was sitting out, and why the nurses saw fit to put all the items in with corpses. However, his questions stopped the second he picked up the gun. The moment he picked up the gun, there was a loud explosion, and the lights went out. Darkness quickly consumed the room, and Peter’s first thought was to get out of there. The explosion had been close by, and he didn’t want to be trapped in a room of corpses. However, the second he touched the doorknob, something weird happened. The room started to appear brighter, but it also seemed to change around him. It was as if Oublie Cathedral was changing right before his eyes. Maybe this was a sign that he should get some rest as the sisters suggested, but as screams filled the room, he was sure that wasn’t going to happen.

Yvette Cale wasn’t surprised when Peter Jacob appeared in the surreal hallway. In fact, it had become a common sight to her since they found the Tome of Eternal Darkness in the Roivas Estate. She also noticed that her husband was standing behind Peter Jacob, but he was only visible to her. She waited to speak until Peter asked the question everyone must have had on their minds. “Where am I?” “This is the resting place of the Tome of Eternal Darkness.” She watched as Peter spun around, and almost stumbled. She quickly grabbed his arm, and held him steady. “Be careful. I don’t think there is a bottom to the chasm we are over.” She didn’t release his arm until he motioned that he was steady. “Thank you. Are you one of the sisters from the church?” She shook her head, and could see he appeared confused. “If you aren’t one of them, then who are you? Do you know one of the soldiers there?” She shook her head again. “No, but I am aware of the mystery around Oublie Cathedral. I know that it dates back for centuries.” She then noticed that he was walking through the hallway looking at each of the statues. She watched as he stood and examined the statue of Paul Luther. She watched as he looked at her, while pointing at the statue. “Had this man been at the cathedral?” She nodded, and wasn’t surprised by the young man’s next question. “Did he die there, since it appears some of the soldiers have heard unearthly sounds there?” She nodded, and felt a solemn cross her face. Part of her didn’t want to tell Peter about Paul’s fate, but she couldn’t hide the truth. “He did die here, deep underneath the church, and in an unholy place. I believe that the unholy reason for his death is still in that hall.” She saw the color drain from Peter’s face when she said that. Before he could say another word, she raised her hand. Of all the times she had stood in the surreal hallway, she noticed that the number of statues increased, except after the chapter where her father’s life had gotten intertwined with the Tome. For the first time, she truly noticed that there were seven statues, and room for only one more. It was a sign, because she had a feeling who the last spot was for, and it wasn’t for

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Peter Jacob. She looked at him and said, “However, I think you are going to be the one to stop it. I also know you won’t do it alone.” She watched a surprised look cross his face, but she continued. “You will have a guardian. Just as I have been here to help you here, my husband will help you in the cathedral. I have a feeling you’ll need his help, because the creatures that infest the church will try to claim you, as I’m sure they have claimed others in the church.” She watched as a look of horror passed on the man’s face. “The sisters... nurses... whatever they are called. I heard a hiss when I spoke with them. Do you think this force is controlling them? Is there any way to save them?” Yvette knew instantly what he was talking about. She was sure there wasn’t any hope for them, except death, but she didn’t want to be the one to pass that news on. She glanced over toward the Tome. “If there is, my husband will know. Just go get the Tome, and don’t be surprised if he appears to be standing near you when you return to the Cathedral. She watched as the young man nodded and ran over to the book. The second he picked it up, he started to disappear. “Thank you for the warnings, ma’am. I hope I can help those people who can still be helped.” As he disappeared from sight, she noticed the hall was disappearing, and soon would be replaced by that of the secret room at the Roivas Estate. As it fully came into view, she hoped that both Peter and her husband would be alright.

Peter Jacob blinked twice when he realized he was back in the dark room of the Cathedral. Deep down, he was wondering if that whole scene had truly played out. He was still in the small room, and he was facing the door out. However, in his possession was proof that the scene did happen. He had the same book that he had grabbed in the weird hall. As he stood, thinking about all this, he heard someone clear their throat. He turned slightly, and was surprised by what he saw. Standing in the dark room was a man. Judging from what he could see, the man was his age, and was dressed similarly to him. The only difference was the style, since it looked like civilian’s garb, but it didn’t look like anything anyone currently wore. Before he could react, the man just said, “First of all, I’d like to thank you for giving that Private his orders. You had saved his life, and he’s going to tell his family about it.” He watched as the man walked forward to the door, and opened it a crack. The man seemed to be checking the outside room, but he could have already told him that no one was out there. As the man watched, he thought about what the man had said. If this man had been hiding in here, there was no way he would have known about the orders. Then, the whole scene in the strange room came back to him. He put his hand on the man’s shoulder and said, “I take it you must be one of that soldiers relatives, Mr. Thompson.” He watched as the man smiled at that. “You could say that. I take it my wife didn’t tell you that the power of the Tome seems to transcend time. Both she and I are from the future of this war. Private Thompson will be my maternal grandfather.” Peter felt his eyes go wide when he heard that. Something about this made him wonder how it was even possible, but then again, a British writer had come up with a story about time

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 121 travel. Before he could ask another question, he saw the man hold up his hand. “We can talk this over more later. Right now, we need to find a safer place. Also, do you have any hand weapons?” Peter quickly remember the revolver he had picked up, and showed it to the man. “I just have this, but not a lot of ammo for it.” He saw the other man shake his head. Something told him that the man didn’t think the gun was enough, and that worried him. He then watched as the man closed the door again. As the man walked toward him again, he could tell the man had seen something that meant they weren’t safe anymore. “Then there is only one course of action, we need to be invisible. Luckily the Tome has a spell that can do that. May I have the book for a moment?” Peter handed the man the book, and watched as the man started to page through it. “Is there something specific you are looking for?” He was amazed when the man stopped at a page and handed the book back to him. He did a quick glance at the book, surprised that the writing was in English. The page the man had turned to was a way to reveal things that were invisible. “How will that work? It says it reveals invisible things.” He watched as the man pointed to some odd markings on the page. “Normally, the spell does do that, but if you cast it with the purple rune, it will turn you invisible. I hope that if we are both invisible, we’ll be able to see each other.” He was about to ask what the man meant, when five purple marks appeared around the man. As he watched, the man appeared to fade from sight, like he was a ghost. He quickly stepped forward and reached our with his hand to see if the man had been real. He was stunned to feel his hand press against something, and heard the other man say, “Yes, I’m still here. Now, I want you to cast the spell. Then we can leave this room and make our way through the cathedral.” Peter did as he was told, and soon saw the same five runes circling him. They glowed for a moment, and the world around him took on a strange purplish haze. He also saw the man again. When the runes finally disappeared, he saw the man plain as day. “You were right, whomever you are.” The man smiled, and finally said his name. “Richard Cale. We can talk more once we get through to the steps in the cathedral. If I remember right, there are stairs down to a lower level right behind the altar.” Peter wanted to ask how Richard knew that, but stopped when he opened the door. “Remember, silence until we get downstairs.” He followed Richard out the door, and was stunned at what was in the annex. There was a strange skinny, almost skeletal, creature squatting in the room. Its arms were like blades, and its head was the oddest thing. It appeared to be a reddish skinny skull. He quickly returned his glance to Richard, and followed the man into the main part of the church. When they passed through the door, he saw a nurse cowering in fear of another of the creatures. It horrified him, but the scene quickly got worse. The creature lunged, and landed on her shoulders. That quickly, he saw it burrow at her eyes, and soon it disappeared into her body. He glanced over at Richard, and saw the man was halfway to the stairs. He started to run, and glanced back at the now changed nurse. Something about the way she glanced in his direction made him worry that he had been seen. When

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 122 she didn’t appear to follow, he realized that she was reacting to the sound of someone running. He was thankful when they reached the steps, and that no guard was there. Hopefully, the soldiers had left before the bomb struck. Before he started down the steps, he stopped to look behind him, and saw on the alter a .303 military rifle. When he had walked through the church earlier, it hadn’t been there. He hoped that one of the soldiers had forgotten to pick it up, instead of it being left behind by one of the wounded, or dead soldiers. He quickly ran over and grabbed it, and looked quickly about the church. There were a few more of the skeletal creatures in the room. He knew he wasn’t ready to tangle with them, especially when all he had was firearms. Just one blast would alert others to his location. Finally, he went down the steps behind the altar. At the bottom of the steps, he glanced down a hall to his right, and saw Richard enter a door at the end of the hall. The door was on the left hand side, and he followed Richard into it. He watched as Richard looked around the room, and by his actions, Peter realized that the man had been here before. “I take it you’ve been here before.” As the man nodded, he said, “What exactly are you looking for?” The man picked up a box of revolver ammo, and tossed it to him. “Right now, ammo for you. And maybe any clue that people knew what was happening here.” As he caught the box of ammo, Peter remembered the letters he had found. He watched as the man continued looking around. “Richard, I think one of the soldiers had suspected something. I found some letters that were laying around here.” He held them out for the man to look at. He watched as Richard took the offered letters and read over them. “They must have nabbed them before they were sent out. Either that, or they never got mailed. Frankly, anyone who is unaware of what is going on will think he’s crazy.” Richard handed him back the letters, and then headed for the door. “There are very few in the world who realize what’s going on, and if one soldier managed to figure it out, then so did others.” He followed Richard out the door, and into a door on the other side of the small hallway. As they looked around the room, he picked up a box of rifle ammo. “So, who all knows what is going on, other than us?” Richard continued looking around the room. “In past and present, at least a dozen people. One important name to remember is Edward Roivas. His family has tangled with these forces in the past.” Once they were done in the room, the headed out, and down the hall that lead from the steps. As they reached the end of the hall, Peter could see that the room contained a majority of the organ works. There was also a door opposite the organ works. He walked over to the organ works, and just from a glance, he knew it wasn’t working. It had been updated to the current day, and since the bombing, the power was off. The only way to get the organ working would be to turn on the power. He then grabbed two more boxes of rifle ammo, before noticing that Richard was listening to the door. He walked over to the door, and quietly said, “Is there something in there?” He watched as Richard silently nodded, and motioned for silence. He was stunned when the man slowly opened the door, and quietly stepped inside. He understood why when he

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 123 followed, and saw three shapes moving in the darkness. Just from a glance, he could see they were roughly the size of a small dog, but their appearance made him think of a scorpion. He glanced back to see Richard slowly closing the door, and then watched as the man pointed at the creatures, and then at the revolver in his hand. He followed the motion by mimicking the action of shooting, and Peter realized what the man was saying. He quickly raised the revolver and aimed the barrel of the gun at closest of the creatures and fired. He was stunned at how loud the shot was, and also stunned at how quick the other creatures turned to face him. They squealed and shook their tails. He went to aim again, but Richard pushed his arm down a bit, and shook his head. When the creatures stopped shaking their tails, Richard let go of his arm, and he fired again at the next creature. He repeated the process to quickly eliminate the last of the creatures before daring to speak. “What were those things?” He watched as Richard walked to the far wall, tapping each of the kegs in the wine cellar. “Trappers. They are blind, but have excellent hearing. Their only attack is a suicide attack that transports the target to another dimension. I don’t think you want to experience it there, even though one can escape it.” Richard then tapped on the far wall, as if searching for something. Peter took in the information, and thought about the other stranger creatures that they saw. “What about the other creatures? Those things that attacked the nurse, or sister?” Richard tapped the far wall before answering his question. “Those were Bonethieves. Nasty creatures, and from what I can tell they have very strong legs. That’s why we should be invisible until we find you a hand weapon. The guns will be good, but the best way to handle those things is a sword, or any close weapon. As long they can’t see you, or you keep moving, they can’t pounce on you. If they do manage to do that, you want to shake them off before they can bore into you.” Peter shuddered as Richard walked back towards him. He wondered how many of the nurses met that awful fate before he arrived. He then wondered if he would have had the same fate happen to him, had he not discovered the letter. He stopped thinking about it when he saw Richard trip over something and almost fall. He glanced down, since his eyes were adjusted to the darkness, and saw a soldier’s body. He glanced up at Richard, and said, “Could the trappers do this to a soldier?” He saw Richard shake his head. “No. But until we get some lights on, we can’t make any judgments. The only thing we can be sure of is that he’s definitely dead.” He didn’t want to ask how Richard was sure of that, but he could see that the man was certain of it. He then watched as Richard looked at the door that was to the right when they entered the room. “You know, this door, and the one across from it were not here in the past. Let’s check them out.” Peter nodded in agreement, and then carefully opened the door. Both their eyes were now used to the darkness, and Peter could see the huge boiler against the wall. He watched as Richard walked over to it, and listened for a moment. Peter walked next to him, and listened as well, before he realized what he was hearing. “There’s no steam going through the pipes.” He watched as Richard looked at him, almost amazed. “I was wondering what seemed wrong. Our home back in England hasn’t used a boiler like this in years.” Peter

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 124 started to wonder what the other man’s home did use, since most big buildings now needed a boiler to handle most things. Peter moved forward to a huge wheel on the boiler, and turned it. Soon, the sound of steam could be heard going through all the pipes. He turned and saw a door almost opposite the door they had entered from. He wondered why neither of them had noticed it at first, but give that in the dark, they couldn’t always see all the room features at once. He quickly walked over to the door, and tried to open it. It wouldn’t open outwards, but when he pushed it inwards, something was in the way. He looked at Richard, and shook his head. “If there is something in that room, I don’t think we can get at it.” He was stunned when Richard calmly walked over to the wall, and then knelt down, and apparently putting his hand into the wall. It was then that Peter noticed the hole in the base of the wall. He then saw Richard start to mutter something, and soon, he was surrounded by three glowing figures. When the figures faded, Peter saw a Trapper, and in front of Richard’s face was an image of everything in front of the Trapper. He was about ready to panic, when Richard finally spoke. “It’s one of the spells in the Tome. I can send the trapper in, and then have it remove whatever might be blocking the door.” Peter was a bit worried, but decided to wait and see what happened. He watched as the creature entered the hole in the wall, and he then saw the next room. It appeared to be full of coal and a few crates. It was then he saw it. Resting right by the door was a dead soldier. If the soldier had been alive, he would have reacted to the sight of the creature. Soon, he saw the soldier glowing, and the image disappeared. He look at Richard, and saw him walk to the door and open it. “I had the Trapper get rid of the dead soldier. It also killed the Trapper, so we won’t have to deal with it.” He could tell he still had the worried look on his face, and Richard put a hand on his shoulder. “I know it sounds surreal, and after seeing them, you probably doubt me. Just remember that I helped you get past the Bonetheives, and I will help you when we come across other threats.” Peter thought about the man’s words for a moment. The man had been helpful, and apparently through this strangeness before. However, the man had brought one of the things that they were fighting. He weighed things over in his mind, and given everything that was happening, he made his choice. “I believe you. I admit that the Trapper spooked me, but you could have left me to those things. My only defense would have been my camera flash. And that takes time to prepare.” He saw Richard nod in response. They then entered the coal filled room, Peter figured that it was the source of the boiler’s fuel. He then noticed a gold circular object on top of one of the crates. He picked it up, and noticed that on it was a shape with seven sides. After he looked at it for a moment, he was stunned when it disappeared in a golden flash. He turned to Richard, and looked down at his empty hands. “You won’t believe what I had found. It was a golden disk that just disappeared.” He watched as Richard pointed to the Tome. “It was a circle of power. It can be used to create more powerful versions of the spells we have now in there. I can set those up if you want.” Peter thought about it for a moment, before finally answering. “Tell me what I

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 125 have to do, and I’ll set them up as we head back to the room on the other side of the wine cellar.” He saw Richard nod, and then heard him detail what had to be done. Mainly, it was the addition of two Pargon runes to the existing five rune spells. As he set up the spells, he followed Richard from the coal room, through the boiler room, back into the wine cellar, and finally through the door. When they entered the room, he noticed a large generator, with a lever in front of it. He also heard the hiss of steam in the pipes. He looked over at the wall, and noticed a fuse box on the wall. He walked over to it, and opened it. He also heard Richard pull the lever, only to be rewarded with silence and darkness. Peter opened the fuse box and looked for a moment. Even though it would have been easier to see it if he had a light of some sorts, he could already see what the problem was. “It’s not going to start until we replace the fuse.” He glanced back at Richard, who was standing near the lever. “You wouldn’t happen to have one on you?” Richard just shook his head. “The thought never crossed my mind. However, most times, there was always something around to provide light, like a torch. Hopefully, we will find one soon, because we are going to need it.” Peter reached into his pocket, and pulled out a penny. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was his lucky penny. It also looked to fill the place of the burnt fuse. He put it in, and turned towards Richard. “Pull the lever now.” He watched as Richard pulled the lever, and soon the place lit up. He had to blink a few times before his eyes adjusted to the new light in the place. After looking in only the darkness for so long, it was good to have some light. He saw things a bit clearer now. He could see that the generation was relatively new, as well as the box of rifle ammo across from the generator. When he had the ammo in hand, he turned to his slightly amazed companion. “Shall we head back upstairs?” He watched as Richard nodded. “First, we should make sure we are invisible. You still don’t have a good weapon for handling Bonethieves.” He then watched as the runes appeared around Richard. He immediately cast the same spell, and then they ran out of the generator room. They quickly ran up the steps, and Peter was thankful that the lights were now on. The darkness that was caused by the night outside was banished. He could even see the stained glass windows of the altar area. He glanced back as Richard came up the steps, and then heard the sound of an incoming bomb. He stepped down the steps, and motioned for Richard to stop. It was at the right moment, as he heard the glass shatter with the explosion. When the tinkling of glass stopped, they both got out of the stairway, and noticed that all the Bonethieves were facing the altar. He watched as Richard motioned to the door where the soldier had been stationed earlier. There was one Bonethief in the path, but he remembered that they couldn’t be seen. They quickly ran past the Bonethief. He noticed as they pasted the thing, that it seemed to follow where they were. He wondered if the invisibility had worn off, but they reached the door and the creature didn’t react. When they entered the old tower, Peter almost gasped out loud at the sight before them. A Bonethief was pouncing onto a nurse. Apparently, she wasn’t one of the possessed, but she was soon going to be. For a moment, he raised the rifle, in hopes of just knocking the creature off the nurse so she could run. Before he could fire, Richard

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 126 pushed the gun down, and pointed towards the back of the tower. It was then he saw it. A second bonethief in the room, and if he fired the gun, he would have alerted it to their position. He then saw Richard motion to the stairs. As they moved towards them, and started up. He glanced back as they rushed up, and saw the creature enter the nurse, and felt bad that they couldn’t save her. When they reached the top of the steps, he glanced back down to see if the now possessed nurse, or the other Bonethief was following them. He wasn’t sure if the invisibility had worn off or not. He then stopped to catch his breath. He was surprised that Richard wasn’t tired at all. Maybe something about the situation gave the man an extra burst of energy. He was almost startled when Richard finally spoke. “Peter, come over here.” He walked over to the curved back wall of the tower, between two shelves, and saw what Richard had wanted him to see. It was an old sword, but it glistened as if no dust had ever been on it. “That sword was once used by a page of Charlemagne, and later by a Franciscan Monk who also came across the evil here. It will be better to use on the Bonethieves, and most any other creature that will be walking around here.” Peter carefully took the sword, and he could swear he felt a power course through him. He also saw more ammo for the revolver he had found. He picked it up, and then headed for the steps. Before he started down, he turned towards Richard, who hadn’t moved. He could tell something was bothering the man. “Is there something I’m missing?” Richard shook his head, and then spoke. “No, but you should be a bit more prepared. There is a Shield spell, and an Enchant Item spell. Cast them now, both using the Mantorok, or purple, rune.” He did as Richard suggested, and was amazed that the sword now had a purple glow, and that several small orbs were orbiting him. He then saw Richard do the same thing, and watched as the man ran down the steps. He quickly followed, and hoped they were ready for this.

Richard Cale ran down the steps, sword in hand, and knew what had to be done. He knew Peter was behind him, and he yelled back, “Go for the lone one, the shield will protect you. I’ll handle the one in the sister.” When he reached the bottom of the steps, he saw both the nurse and the Bonethief look at him. Two orbs from his shield flew out and struck the two. He watched as Peter ran towards the lone Bonethief, and he swung his sword at the nurse. “I’d say sorry sister, but I know it’s too late for you.” He swung his sword, and the enchantment he put on it allowed it to go through the possessed sister’s neck. Soon, the Bonethief burst out, and he followed up by lopping off the creature’s blade arms. Soon, both of the creatures were dead, and Richard looked up to see Peter heading to the main cathedral door. “Let’s take out the others. I’m sure those things have killed the other sisters here.” He then saw Peter open the door and rush out. He wasn’t sure how old Peter was, but it had to be younger than he was. He quickly followed Peter, briefly glancing back at the door which had lead to the office of the Bishop in Charlemagne’s time, knowing something lurked in that room. When he entered the main cathedral, he saw Peter taking on another Bonethief, and another was coming up on him. Richard reacted and attacked the creature. After the two Bonethieves were dead, he glanced towards the annex. He was surprised to see a

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Bonethief coming from there. He wondered if the creatures knew how to open doors, but that was a question he didn’t want to focus on now. He started to run towards the creature just as the thing jumped into the air. He knew it was aiming for him, and that he couldn’t turn around before it struck. What did happen was luck. Richard let his body go into a slide, and he started to slide like the American Baseball players did when sliding into a base. He was thankful for his trousers being so long as he slid. It minimized any scrapes from the stone floor. As he slid, he saw the creature soar over him, and lands a few inches from where he had been. The creature turned around to go after him, but not before Peter came at it from behind. That quickly, Peter had killed the creature. “Another creature down. There might be another on the balcony.” Richard got up off the floor just as Peter ran through the door to the annex. He glanced back towards the old tower, knowing that something important was in the unexplored room. He then ran after Peter, entering the annex just in time to see Peter running up to the balcony. He also noticed that Peter’s shield was almost out of orbs to protect him. He quickly ran up, catching up to Peter just before the man opened the door. “Peter, before you open that door, restore your shield.” Peter glanced at him, and then paused for a moment. “You’re right. I guess I got caught up in the moment. It’s a bit satisfying to get rid of those creatures.” As Peter restored his shield, Richard did the same. “Those creatures have an effect on one’s sanity. Destroying them actual restores that lost sanity.” He then watched as Peter opened the door, and they both headed through. Their appearance had surprised the bonethief that had been lurking on the balcony. Each of them swung at the creature, each taking out of the blade arms, which killed the creature. With the last creature dead, they headed back down to the main cathedral, and the sanctuary. As they walked, Richard was still stunned at how gung ho Peter had seemed. “What caused that change in you? You seemed meek before getting the sword.” As they approached the altar, Peter answered his question. “I think it was a combination of things. I felt this power coursing through me when I picked up this sword. You know, it feels like I have to hold this thing with both hands, but I can carry it with one. However, I also thought of how many wounded soldiers and the sisters died because of those things.” Richard understood what Peter was saying. Ever since he and Yvette had met Alexandra Roivas, they had seen their own fair share of the death the Ancients had caused. “Too many have died because of them. King Charlemagne was killed for the evil that is here. Those things possessed monks and lured in innocents. You don’t want to know the full extent of those that fell victim to them.” Richard thought about it for a moment, and wondered if people in his own life had been at risk, and if it included the losses in his own life. When he drove those thoughts from his mind, he noticed that Peter was heading towards the organ. Inside, he inwardly cursed that they had not gone back to the old tower. He felt something was being left behind in the old tower. As he approached, he saw Peter pick up what looked like an old sheet. Instantly, he remember it, and wondered how it was still on the organ. When he neared, he heard Peter remark. “This looks like sheet music, but I can’t tell what notes are on it.”

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Richard motioned over to the other side of the altar area, towards a closed cabinet. “Get over there, and be ready. Playing that music will open the cabinet up.” Richard then looked at the sheet music, and saw that Peter was right. The notes could barely be read. However, those notes seemed engrained in his head. He let his fingers dance over the keyboard, playing the haunting melody. After he played it, the organ played it again, and the cabinet on the far side opened. He turned around as Peter pulled out something. “It looks like a door handle, but all the doors we’ve seen we’ve opened. Where could this handle go?” Richard shook his head after he heard Peter’s statement. “We haven’t opened every door we’ve seen. There is the room in the old tower that used to be the Bishop’s office, for lack of a better word.” He then lead the way back into the old tower. As they entered the old tower, they headed for the door under the steps. Richard started to remember what had happened in the that room in the past. Charlemagne’s death, as well as Anthony’s death. Death always seemed to play a part in that room’s history, and Richard didn’t know how bad it would be this time. He was broke out of his thoughts when Peter said, “The handle doesn’t go with that door. There is a doorknob on it.” He then watched as Peter opened the door, and they stepped inside. The room had only one light in it, a torch that was on the far wall. However, in the torchlight, Richard saw the three corpses moving towards them. He also realize Peter noticed it as well. They both went after the animated corpses and cut them to pieces before any of them could harm them. When the corpses were nothing more than pieces, Peter spoke again. “Not much in here, other than body bags, and some ammo.” Richard walked over to the far wall, and grabbed the torch. “And a torch. Believe me, this will come in handy.” He knew Peter might doubt him, especially that electricity was now in the building. But when Peter spoke, it was of other concerns. “That means one of us won’t be able to fight. We can’t put an open flame down.” Richard let go of the torch, and the second it started to fall, the flame went out. When it hit the floor, it was out, but the second Richard grabbed it, it lit up again. He could see a stunned expression on Peter’s face. “It’s magical. Do you think it can help us find the door the handle goes to?” Richard shook his head, and then headed towards the door. “There is a marking on the wall opposite the tower door. In the past, that wall had a door. I’m betting the marking signifies the door is invisible, and only we seem to be able to see the mark.” As they passed through the old tower, he heard Peter gasp. “You saw those marks as well. I thought that was something one of the soldiers did. How could you tell it wasn’t?” As they entered the cathedral, Richard led the way to the marking. “Thanks to the Tome’s magic, I’ve seen it multiple times. Since we can see it, we must be the ones who can discover what it hides.” He glanced back to see Peter nodding. He had to wonder what was going through Peter’s mind. It had to be mind boggling to deal with the threat of the Ancients during World War I. When they finally reached the wall, he paused for a moment. The symbol in the center was the one standing for Chattur’gha, and it blazed red, framed by the same circle that they had just found. It would take a very powerful spell to reveal the door the spell

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 129 was obviously hiding. He realized there was only one spell to use, and just one way to cast it to reveal the door. He looked over at Peter, and pointed at the book. “Cast the Reveal Invisible spell, using the blue rune, the one for Ulyaoth.” He stood back as Peter looked over the spells, and finally reached the spell in question. He knew the only time the young man had cast the spell, it was to become invisible. Soon, he saw runes of the spell circling the two of them, and then a blue haze entered his view, exposing the missing door. Before he could say anything to Peter, the young man rushed forward and placed the missing handle in the door, and opened it. “You were right. That spell and markings were hiding the door.” He followed Peter into the now open door, into the hidden cloak room. Richard was glad that there were no creatures in the room. Something in him told him that more dangerous creatures lurked in the catacombs below. A quick glance around told him the only important thing in the room were boxes of ammo. He also noticed that Peter was already grabbing the ammo. “I have a feeling you’ll be needing that soon.” When Peter was done grabbing the ammo, Richard saw the young man turn to him. “You honestly think we might need to use the guns. We haven’t used them much so far.” Richard thought about it for a moment. So far, the only creatures that needed to be shot were Trappers. The Zombies and Bonethieves were easy to get rid of using a sword. Even the Horrors, which they hadn’t seen yet, could be taken care of with a sword, but there was the possibility of the Lesser Guardian and Gatekeepers. Those two creatures would be easier to defeat with a rifle. “It’s very likely. Some of the creatures I’ve encountered are powerful.” When Peter had grabbed the last box of ammo, Richard looked down at the floor that led to ladder. He gasped when he realized it was blood. He wondered if it belonged to some of the departed soldiers, or maybe of some of the nurses. Whomever the blood had belonged to, he realized that the person had met with a gruesome fate. He then walked over to the ladder, and started to climb down. He knew he was taking a big risk, but he remembered Pious’s words from a previous encounter. Pious’s remark had stated that he had avoided death in their encounters ten times, and this time was definitely prior to Edwin’s time. When he had reached the bottom of the ladder, he turned, and looked down the hall with torch in hand. The hallway was clear. “It’s all clear down here, Peter.” He stepped away from the ladder, and walked down the hall. He stopped when he reached a door, and listened. He was hoping to just hear some movement, but wasn’t surprised when he heard some hisses. He turned just in time to see Peter nearing him. He held up his hand, and then said, “Enchant your weapon, use a shield spell, and then turn invisible.” He was glad when Peter only nodded, and then cast the spells. He did the same, and they quickly entered the room. Part of him wasn’t surprised to see four zombies, each turning towards the door they had come through. Their shields did not leave them, but Richard was glad they were ready. Both their swords were glowing purple, and the enchanted blades quickly went through the necks of the walking corpses. Within seconds, two of the corpses collapsed, as the others exploded, revealing Bonethieves. They then quickly destroyed the creature, before the fiends ever knew they were in the room. When the last creature fell, Richard motioned to the other door in the room, and they both

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 130 passed through it. He was thankful that it led to a circular stairwell. It seemed devoid of creatures, but Richard was already aware that wasn’t always the case. He slowly made his way down, holding the torch in front of them, until he finally saw the lower door. He listened again to the door, and this time, he heard the roar of a Horror. He waited for a moment, and heard what sounded like a fight. He turned towards Peter again, and quietly said, “We go in, but don’t do anything until I motion.” He was thankful when Peter nodded in understanding, and then they entered. When they closed the door, Richard realized what he heard. He had seen it back in the Forbidden city. It was a battle between a Horror, and a bunch of Zombies. Both were opposing alignments. Part of him wanted to lunge forward while they were invisible, but he knew that wasn’t the best course. If they attacked now, the Horror’s attacks would include them as targets. Plus, they still had the element of surprise to work with. Soon, the battle ended, and only the creature of the superior alignment remained. It was then the two attacked, and quickly destroyed the victor of the battle. When the creature’s body disappeared, Richard looked up, and saw the door that lead to the binding hall. It was the place were Paul Luther met his gruesome fate, and Richard knew they needed to go there. If they were lucky, the creature wouldn’t be waiting for them. He quickly ran to the door, and tried to open it. He wasn’t surprised to find the door locked. He sighed and stepped back. “I should have known the door would be locked. We need to get down there.” He turned when he heard another door open. It had been directly opposite from the binding hall door, and his memory told him it led to the dark altar the bishop of Anthony’s time had used. Peter was cautiously opening the door. “Well, maybe the key is down this hall.” He followed Peter into the hallway, holding the torch up. The second the door was closed, he heard the tell tale sounds of Trappers. He also noticed that Peter had already pulled out the revolver, and shot at the Trappers. When the last one fell, they quickly moved through the hall, and entered the arcane library. He watched as Peter moved towards a chair holding a letter, and Richard also noticed something else in the room. He quickly moved forward, and attacked the lurking Bonethief. Almost instantly, he destroyed the deadly foe. When he was done, he heard Peter exclaim, “That soldier had realized what was going on. The sisters, or what was passing for sisters, were bringing the wounded down here. But what exactly were they being brought down here for?” “Food. The wounded were being brought down here for the creature down that locked hallway.” He saw a horrified look cross Peter’s face. He went to the back hallway, and cautiously looked down it. “Pious Augustus summoned some sort of unholy creature to guard something. I can only guess on what it is guarding, but part of me is hoping the thing might be resting when we get down there. With luck, we can just sneak in and out before it awakens.” As they entered the hall, they heard more movement. It was the squishing sound of a Trapper’s feet. They slowly moved forward, and froze when the Trapper stepped into view. Richard silently motioned, and Peter took aim with his gun. There was a loud bang, and the Trapper gave a death squeak as it collapsed. They waited for a moment, to be sure another one wasn’t moving about, and then moved around the corner, towards the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 131 door at the end of the hall. They quickly entered the secret altar, and Richard was not surprised to see another Trapper, and a Zombie in the small room. He motioned in the direction of the Trapper, and Peter fired his gun. As the Trapper died, Richard swung the torch he had right at the Zombie. He watched as the creature backed away for a moment. He thought about it quickly. The Zombie was an animated corpse, and possibly easily destroyed by fire. He went to swing the torch again, but another gun shot resounded in the small room. Peter had used the rifle, and in the small room, the bang was deafening. It had been accompanied by the head of the Zombie exploding. He turned to face Peter, and saw the young man’s mouth moving. He couldn’t hear what Peter was saying, but from the actions, it had to be an apology. Soon the ringing stopped, and he finally heard Peter. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize the sound would be amplified in here. I just figured the rifle would be faster to be rid of the Zombie.” He politely smiled, even though he was still upset. “No problem. Maybe we shouldn’t worry about using that rifle until we get into a room with a lot of open area.” He then glanced over at the small altar to Chattur’gha. “At least we found something important in here.” He walked over to the altar, and picked up an odd looking key. “This is the key to the binding hall. We will have to be careful down there.” They started back towards where the Horror and Zombies were fighting. As they passed through the rooms, he heard Peter ask, “Do you think any of the weapons we have will be useful down there?” As they re-entered the room where the Binding Hall door was, Richard paused. Part of it was because of the question. If the creature was still down there, none of the guns Peter had would make a dent in it. Even if they were enchanted, they might not have an effect. The second reason he paused was that this time, he noticed a familiar door in the room. It was the door that led to the chasm, where Paul Luther had found the dead Custodian. Richard moved towards the door and finally answered the question. “I don’t know, but maybe we should check in here. There may be something in here that will help.” They quietly entered the room, and Richard remembered what had been found in the room last time. Like then, the chasm and the altar above it still remained. However, Richard could not see a body on it. What he did hear, was the sounds of Trappers. In a moment, he saw three walking in their direction. He glanced over at Peter, and watched as he raised the small gun. Soon, a gunshot echoed in the large room, and one Trapper fell. Almost instantly, the others seemed to spin in their direction. They knew where the sound had come from, but he was hoping Peter would wait before firing the next shot. When their squealing stopped, Richard heard Peter’s gun fire again, and like the previous shot, it hit its mark. After the lone Trapper squealed its head off, Peter fired one last time, and the last one fell. Once it was gone, they started towards the altar. Deep down, Richard dreaded what they might find. Images of the Custodian’s corpse came to his mind, and he started to fear that one of the missing soldiers would be on the altar, with his heart carved out of him. He was almost startled when Peter broke the silence. “It looks like a blue bottle of some sort is on it.”

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Richard glanced at the altar, and saw what Peter meant. Setting on top of the altar was a blue bottle. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but something told him it was important. They approached the altar, and Richard started to think things through. Anything red was normally linked to strength and body. The Zombies that were red in color had shown some regenerative qualities. Green seemed the be linked to sanity, whose example was in the odd green Bonetheives, which had no heads. He thought then of the color blue, and how anything blue seemed to exhibit some magickal qualities. The Blue Zombies seemed to have some sort of link, and started to glow when they sang. However, he never did find out what that glow meant. “It may be some potion to restore magickal power.” He then watched as Peter grabbed the bottle, and that fast, his vision blurred. He started to stagger as he saw images of Paul Luther. In the first was the gruesome death by one claw of the creature. Then, he saw an image of Paul Luther being squashed by one of a different creature’s three legs. Another moment, Paul Luther was struck by green lightning. Soon, he started to black out as the image started to change again. Before he fully went unconscious, he wondered how weird this ‘blink’ attack felt.

Peter Jacob turned just in time to see the man who had been with him since the weirdness started beginning to collapse. He quickly ran over, and grabbed the man. If Richard had continued to fall like he was, he would have fallen into the chasm. After a few moments, Richard started to open his eyes. He was stunned when the first words out of the man’s mouth was, “What color was the that symbol we saw earlier?” Peter shook his head, unsure of why the question was asked, and said, “Why does that matter? You almost fell into the chasm.” As Richard started to steady himself, he spoke. “It matters a lot, and it’s very hard to explain, but what happened was a bit disorienting. Just answer the question for me.” He didn’t understand why this was so important, but Peter finally answered the question. “The mark on the wall had been red. Is that information really that important?” He watched as Richard nodded and then started towards the door to the room. “Very important. If that beast is in the binding hall, we know which rune to use with any of the spells to get past it.” Peter followed Richard as they left the chasm room, and headed straight for the locked door. When Richard stopped at it, Peter remembered he had the key to unlock it. He started to unlock the door. “So, do you think we have any spells to help us get past this thing, if it’s still there?” He wasn’t comforted when Richard just shrugged. He then opened the door, and they entered it. Thanks to the torch that Richard was holding, he saw what awaited them. There were more walking corpses in the narrow hallway. The narrow hallway would not allow them to swing their swords, but he saw Richard trying to hold them back by swinging the torch. Peter moved forward, and swung the sword in a vertical motion. With each corpse that got hit, it was cut in two. Slowly, they made their way through the hall, destroying the walking corpses. Eventually, the last of the animated corpses fell, and no more blocked their way. When they went through the door, the started down another circular stairwell. Peter was stunned that there were soldiers’ corpses along the way. Peter was stunned when he noticed strange marks on each of them, and even noticed that some seemed to be

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 133 missing parts. He glanced back at Richard, who looked at the corpses and only shuddered once. “What could have done this?” Richard continued down, stopping to illuminate one with the torch. “Most likely the beast that’s in the binding hall. I just hope it had enough to rest for a while.” He then watched as Richard continued down. Inwardly, Peter was scared at what Richard’s words meant. He looked at the rifle he had, and started to doubt that it would be effective anymore. When they reached the bottom, he noticed a door, but his attention was drawn more to a scroll that hung on the wall. Some of the markings on it looked like the runes that were in the Tome. He quickly picked up the scroll, and was stunned that the description was in English. Soon, he saw the spell would launch several lightning bolts at his enemies. He was stunned when it disappeared in a flash of yellow. “Richard, I think I found something that might help. A spell called Magickal Attack.” He watched as Richard came over to him, and then looked at the Tome. A smile crossed the other man’s face. “I think you’re right. All we need to do is use the rune of Ulyaoth, the blue rune.” Peter looked at the book again, and saw the rune Richard was talking about. He then closed the book, and headed through the door. They slowing continued through the hall, taking one right hand turn, before finally stopping at a final door, with a huge black circle on it. Peter hesitated before opening the door. “Do you think we are ready for this?” He watched as Richard nodded, and then he opened the door. When they entered the large room, Peter noticed a few things. First was a huge pit at the far end of the room. The second was the eerie illumination the room gave. Third were the walls of the room. Each wall depicted a skeletal image, committing various acts of evil. Some of the images seemed to hint that the being killed other people, directly or indirectly. It made the whole room a very unsettling sight. As they reached the pit, they both paused as a huge rumbling sound echoed through the room. That quickly, he could see fear on Richard’s face that meant the beast was awake. Soon enough, a huge creature with crablike claws and an odd shaped mouth came out of the pit. As they both stared, a monstrous voice echoed through out the room. “Is this the one who dares challenge me?” As the last word faded, four red orbs flew to the far end of the hall, creating a lightning barrier between them. Peter glanced back at the barrier, and felt a bit of despair. Any hopes they had of escaping was gone. His attention was brought back to the situation when Richard yelled, “Look out!!” He turned back just in time to see the creature launch two red orbs from each claw. He did just like Richard had done, and ran for the wall. Each of them had narrowly missed them, and Peter waited to see if more were coming. He flattened himself against the wall more when the creature shot out of its mouth a huge tongue. Something reminded him of a frog when that happened, but when it retracted, the creature appeared to be resting. In that moment, Richard ran across the hall, to his side. “Use that spell you just found now, while the thing is resting.” Peter had forgotten about the spell when he first saw the creature. Now that he remembered having it, he quickly cast it, while the resting creature glowed with a reddish glow. The second the blue lightning hit it, the creature roared in pain and resumed its attack.

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This time, they knew what to do to avoid the dangerous balls of energy, and the creature’s tongue. Soon, the creature rested again, and Peter repeated the attack. It wasn’t until after his third attack did something unusual happen. The barrier that had been blocking their only way out started to move forward. When it finally stopped, more corpses came out of the glowing runes that appear in front of the creature. He cast the spell again, but was stunned when the attack only destroyed the corpses. “Why didn’t it work this time?” He watched as Richard pulled out his sword, and prepared to slice through anymore corpses that would appear. “Maybe it’s because you used a low level attack. Only three runes made up the spell. Try it with five runes.” He went to do so as more corpses started to arise. However, this time, the runes just fizzled out. Before he could even ask, he heard Richard say, “Drink some of the bottle you found.” He did so, and felt as if he could cast any spell. The potion was just what Richard thought it was. He then cast the spell again, just as the last corpse rose up. The big creature was glowing again, and roared in pain as the corpses fell. In that moment, it glowed blue in color. The creature tried to retaliate, but they stayed on the move. Soon, the huge creature summoned another wave of corpses, which meant it would be weak for a moment. With two more attacks after that, the creature moved the barrier again. Peter was amazed that the creature brought them so close to it. If it wanted to, it could have gulped them down right there. However, before he could even ask Richard what might happen, the creature raised its claws, and Peter realized what was happening. “It’s going to try and smash us.” He quickly ran out of the way as a claw came down where he had been standing. He glanced over in Richard’s direction, and saw the man running from where the other claw hit. He then saw the claw coming down on his location and kept moving. He kept running in the smaller area, and lost track of where Richard was. Soon the creature rested, and glowed with it’s weak state glow. He didn’t want to risk a more powerful version of the attack spell, and used the one he first used. Soon, the creature roared in pain, but he noticed the blue glow was more intense, and the creature finally collapsed into the pit it had been spawn from. He then noticed at the other side of the pit was Richard, and the fading blue runes around him. The moment of victory was soon shattered by the sound of shattering glass. They both looked at a wall behind the pit, and Peter saw something floating behind where a stained glass window used to be. The barriers the creature had created were also gone. They both moved towards the thing, and Peter noticed it was ghostly blue. He turned towards Richard as they neared it. “What is it?” Richard glanced at it, and finally spoke. “It’s an evil artifact that represents Ulyaoth, a creature that is very intellect and magick oriented. I think the creature we just fought was oriented with Chattur’gha.” Peter glanced at it, and then tried to reach for it. Before he could touch it, Richard grabbed his arm. “Don’t touch it with your hands. Wrap it some cloth, or part of your shirt. Then, get it out of here, and out of this area of the world. Eventually, find Edward Roivas and give it to him.” Peter looked at him, and took his words to heart. He removed his outer vest, and wrapped the object in it. He then headed out, ready to leave the evil place. He glanced back into the hall, as he reached the door, and saw Richard slowing moving around the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 135 pit. It was as if he saw something still over the pit. He didn’t want to rush out, but he felt he had to. The item he now had needed to be gotten away from here. He rushed out, and hoped his ally would be all right.

Richard glanced back at the pit as he headed out, confident that Peter would be all right. As he walked around the pit, he started to have the various visions again. He felt dizzy as all of a sudden he saw him and Peter defeating a stick figure like creature, and then a tripod like creature. Soon, he staggered back and leaned against the wall, waiting for the feeling to pass. By the time the ‘blink’ feeling passed, he heard someone in the hall. His first thought was it was Peter, but he gasped when he walked into view of Pious Augustus entering the Binding Hall. “So it’s you again. How did you manage to defeat the Guardian?” Before he could respond, Pious continued to speak. “It’s no matter. There is no way you can leave here with the Veil of Ulyaoth. Our eighth encounter will be our last. Prepare to enter oblivion.” Richard tried to back up, but he realized he was at the pit’s edge. He glanced back, and then at Pious who was about to cast a spell with his staff. It was at that moment that he saw the whole scene melting away, being replaced by that of the Roivas Estate. He smiled, and laughed. “Not this time, Pious. Besides, I don’t have the Veil. Another person has it.” As the scene dissolved more, he heard Pious bellow in defeat, but he did feel the pain of the lightning attack, even though it had been weakened by the return, it still hurt him. He could feel the pain rippling through his body, as the weakened red lightning circled his body. He just hoped he’d have time to recover from the slightly draining blow before they found the next chapter.

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Chapter 19: Light Comes To The Darkness

Yvette Cale started to see her husband reappear in the study, when she saw a flash of light. In that moment, she realized she was seeing something in the past. Something told her that the year was 1985, and that she was in the Roivas Estate’s library. Two men sat in front of her, talking to each other. She could tell the one had to be Edward Roivas, Alexandra’s grandfather. The other man, she realized, was Peter Jacob. He had to be in his eighties, but something made him appear older. She quickly realized what it had to be, as she saw the jar containing a glowing blue object. She also realized that she had come in at the end of the conversation, especially as Peter spoke. “I know my story sound crazy, but that statue is the only proof I have.” She watched as Edward Roivas looked at the object. “It is indeed a strange item. I have seen one like it before.” She quickly realized what Edward meant. Years prior to this, her father had delivered the Heart of Mantorok to Edward. Inwardly, she shuddered, realizing how her family had gotten so involved with the Ancients. This was another reminder how others were affected by it as well. She had been so caught up in those thoughts, she was surprised when the two were raising a glass, and making a toast. She missed something in their conversation, and just that quickly, she was back in the secret study. She glanced around, and noticed that her husband was standing, shaking with pain. She ran over to his side, and held him. “What happened? Are you all right?” She watched as he slowly nodded. “I’ll be fine in a moment. I may need to heal myself, but it was both good and bad. The monster that was at Oublie Cathedral is gone, however, I had a disturbing vision which allowed Pious to almost get me.” Yvette shuddered when she heard that. Part of her wanted to make sure her husband wasn’t severely injured, but she didn’t move when Alexandra spoke. “Richard, you didn’t have to worry. Remember you said that he claimed you escaped nine times prior when you helped Yvette’s father.” She watched as her husband nodded, but she could tell he was still shook up. A moment passed before Alexandra spoke again. “So what was the vision you had?” She watched as her husband leaned against the desk, as if he was trying to read the Tome. “After Peter left with the essence, I looked back at the pit the beast came out of. All of sudden, I saw the fall of the creature with both Peter and I watching. First, it appeared to be a blue creature with three legs. Then it was a huge green stick figure, and I swear the head was the rune of Xel’lotath. Then it was the red clawed creature. It was as if I had three blink attacks back to back.” She stepped back for a moment, and thought about what that meant. If Richard truly had three ‘blink’ attacks back to back, it could mean one of two things. The first was that they would be getting close to the end of all the madness that was happening. That would be a good thing if it meant an end to his ‘blink’ attacks. However, the other alternative is that they could becoming more frequent, so frequent that he might become immobilized. It wasn’t a fate she wanted to face, and she was sure he didn’t want to fathom it either. She looked over at Alexandra and said, “Pass him the Tome so he can cast the spell.”

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She was surprised when all of a sudden, a red rune appeared over her husband’s head. Soon, in what appeared to be a shower of reddish drops coming from the rune, her husband stood steadier. Shortly after that, she heard what sounded like a coin dropping from the Tome. Both of the events were puzzling, and she wasn’t sure which one she wanted an answer to first. However, she wasn’t surprised when both her husband and Alexandra spoke simultaneously. “How did that happen?” As Yvette thought about it, she decided to try something. She quickly cast the same spell, except with a different alignment, and wasn’t surprised when a purple rune appeared over her head. She looked at the others and said, “I think due to our prolonged exposure to the Tome, we can cast the spells without referring to the Tome. That could be a good thing if we get separated.” She could tell it was an idea that none of them wanted to consider. With all the weirdness that was happening, getting split up was not an option. Last time they were separated, they all were subject to three separate delusions. The idea of splitting up now was very distasteful. Right now, she wanted to know about the penny. “What about that penny? If it was in the Tome, why did it fall out now? And why didn’t we notice it before?” She watched as Alexandra picked up the penny, and studied it. As she turned it around in her hand, she wondered what Alexandra was thinking. Soon, Alexandra appeared to have an idea cross her mind. “Wait a minute, I remember something about a penny being used in a fuse box.” In that moment, Yvette remembered the dark room on the second floor. She had never bothered to search the room since there was no light in the room. She quickly turned to Alexandra. “If we go to the fuse box, we can use that to light up the dark room I saw. Do you know where the fuse box is?” She watched as Alexandra headed for the door of the study. “The only place I could think it might be is in the basement. All we need to do is get down into the basement.” As they all left the room, Yvette remembered that the basement door was locked. She wasn’t aware if they had found a key yet. As they entered the library, she heard her husband utter the important question. “Alexandra, did any of us ever find a key to the basement?” Before any one of them could speak, Yvette saw Alexandra stop, and she saw why. A ghostly woman appeared with a scream, and then bent down to start scrubbing the floor. They cautiously neared the shade, and Yvette was stunned when it looked up at them. With almost a pleading tone, it spoke again. “I can’t get the blood out.” She was frightened when the sorrowful look turned to one of hatred as it looked at her husband. “And it’s all your fault.” The surreal moment ended as the phantom vanished from sight. Yvette turned to her husband, who was puzzled and shocked at the same time. Just as she looked at him, he looked at her and shrugged. “I don’t know, hun. Other than now, and Maximillian’s chapter in the Tome, I’ve never been in this place. Besides, the library didn’t exist in Maximillian’s time.” She had an idea what the shade’s statement might mean, but before she could suggest it, she noticed Alexandra bending over to pick something up right where the ghost had been.

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Alexandra Roivas was stunned when she noticed the object. Over all the times they had been in and out of the library, she never noticed it lying on the floor. It was as if the spirit was purposely hiding it. She picked it up, and studied it for a moment. A smile then crossed her face. “Richard, Yvette, I think we just found the key to the basement.” She turned to look at them, and saw a smile cross each of their faces. With everything that was happening so far, finding the way to the basement was a step forward, and meant they were closer to ending this whole nightmare. It was Richard who finally spoke. “Good. Something tells me that eventually we would need to get in there.” She watched as he then headed to the exit of the library. As they made their way, she heard Yvette say something. “Richard, do you think that in the next chapter, you are going to appear here again?” Alexandra realized that the spirit’s remarks prompted the question. After all her years living with her grandfather, she had never seen any spirits in the house. She wondered if it was because she had found the Tome now. As they passed into the main hall, and headed towards the basement door, something did hit her. Not to long ago, Richard Cale had been transported back into colonial times, when her ancestor Maximillian roamed the halls. Richard might end up going in to the mansion’s past again. She put that thought aside as they reached the basement door. She placed the key in the lock and turned it. Before she opened the door, she glanced back at Richard and Yvette. “Yvette, maybe you should follow us down. You’re the only one of us unarmed.” She waited for the redhead to nod before she turned the knob. As they entered the door, and started down the steps, Alexandra kept her senses on alert. She couldn’t hear anything down there, but that didn’t mean that things weren’t lying in wait for them. When they reached the bottom of the steps, she glanced around the corner, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Looks like it’s all clear down here.” When the others reached the bottom of the steps, Alexandra noticed they were both looking at different things. She saw Richard’s attention was drawn the barrels that were along side the steps. As he tapped each barrel, she heard a sound, which let her know the barrels still has something in them. “My grandfather used to call it his sanity juice. He didn’t drink it a lot, but I could have sworn it was alcohol.” She watched as Richard only nodded. “If it was, it makes a little sense. Alcohol is said to have a calming effect.” She watched as he tapped the barrels again. While he was doing that, she noticed that Yvette was staring at something on the wall. In a moment, she realized what it was. A Winchester rifle was hanging on the wall, and Yvette was studying it like someone who had used it before. Before Alexandra realized it, the redhead had taken down the rifle, and held it like someone who had done so many times before. Before she could say anything, Yvette spoke. “My father has one just like this. He even trained me how load and fire it.” Alexandra thought about all that for a moment. She had no idea on how to use a rifle, and she wasn’t sure if Richard knew how to use one. However, she had the Gladius, and Richard had his own sword. She also had a revolver that they had found. Yvette was the only one of them that was unarmed. “Why don’t you keep it, Yvette. At least then you have some protection.” She watched as Yvette nodded, and headed for the other side of the basement with

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 139 the Rifle in her arms. As the redhead passed a lone door in the basement, she headed right towards a box of ammo for the Rifle. Soon, Yvette was loading the rifle like an expert. Alexandra would have been in awe, except she noticed something right near where Yvette picked up the ammo, the fuse box. She walked over to the fuse box, and opened it. She wasn’t surprised to see that one of the fuses was missing, especially since she had found the penny in the book. As she went to put the penny in, she paused. “Do you think this is safe, putting a penny in the fuse box?” Given all that had happened so far, she was worried that something might happen to then now, even though Richard appeared to be the only one at risk so far. Alexandra watched as Richard took the penny out of her hand and placed it right in the fuse box. “It may not be wise, but it seems like the right thing to do. Besides, the way things are going, there may be worse things to worry about.” She nodded, and listened as something came to life. She then closed the fuse box, and noticed that Richard was now looking at the safe. Alexandra stepped over to the safe, and tried to open it. She didn’t know the combination, and hoped that it might be unlocked. When the door didn’t budge, she glanced over at Richard. “Richard, can you help me out. I think we might have to do a bit of safecracking. Can you listen for the tumblers to click?” She watched as he nodded and kneeled down next to the safe. The second he did that, she saw him try to balance himself, like he was about to fall. “Yvette, get over here.” It was all she could think of saying, and Yvette Cale was right next to her. She felt a deeper fear when something truly bizarre happened. For just a second, Richard Cale appeared to disappear, only to reappear again. In all the time she had seen one of Richard’s ‘blink’ attacks, she had never seen this happen, and it scared her.

Richard Cale felt himself start to fall away from the safe. He had been overcome by the same sense when the creature in Oublie Cathedral fell. He was sure he was going to hit the floor, but he felt someone catch him. He wasn’t sure who it was, but he was hoping it was his wife. He turned to look at who caught him, and saw it was who he hoped it was. “Thank you.” He then noticed the scared look on her face. “What happened?” He could tell that what ever had happened during the ‘blink’ had scared her, and most likely Alexandra as well. The look on his wife’s face was that of a person almost scared to death. “You disappeared for a moment. It was like you were there, and gone, and then back. He felt his eyes go wide as the words sunk in. He tried to back away from the safe, and felt his wife move backwards with him. When he felt safe, he looked at Alexandra. “Do you have any idea what might be in there?” When she shook her head, he continued. “The item from Oublie Cathedral is in there.” He heard his wife gasp. “You mean the Veil of Ulyoath is in there. Is that what caused you to have your attack?” He nodded, knowing that it might be the only reason. He was surprised that it had not happened before, unless it was because of the time it happened. Something big was approaching, and there had to be a way to counter it. As he got up, Alexandra looked back at the safe. “Well, we will have to eventually get into the safe. Maybe we can figure out a way for it not to happen.” Deep down, he

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 140 hoped that would be the case. The thought that he had literally disappeared bothered him greatly. He had often been afraid that during one of his attacks, he would never recover. However, he was sure the reason for that would be that he would be killed when his guard is down. The fact that he could disappear from existence never entered his mind. He looked around the basement, trying to make sure another attack wasn’t going to strike him. When he was sure one wouldn’t, he pointed over to box of revolver ammo. “You might want to grab that, Alexandra.” As she did that, he looked over to the wall that was opposite the basement steps. The last time he was in the basement was during Maximillian’s time, and back then, there wasn’t a door on that wall. He walked over to the steel door, and opened it. He entered the small room, and heard both Alexandra and Yvette follow him. Except for a mechanical hatch, which was sealed by a complex mechanism, and the bottom of the globe in the observatory, the room was vacant. As he looked at the mechanism, he noticed that it was light activated, and there was only one thing this hatch could be covering. “Something tells me this is the way to Ehn’gha. And the only way to open it will be a beam of light. We just need to figure out how to get the beam down here.” He watched as Yvette looked at the mechanism as well, and Alexandra glanced up at the globe. Alexandra was the one who spoke first. “Maybe the observatory is the key. Grandfather told me, when he told me most of the history of the house, that the observatory was added in the past fifty years, or less.” Yvette then nodded, and said, “It makes sense. Dad always said that some cultures use mirrors to pass light to see in deep underground areas. Others uses reflected light as triggers for things.” Just at the mentioning of light, Richard recalled why they were down there. “Speaking of that, we need to get up to that dark room. With the fuse replaced, we should be able to see what that room is.” He then ran out of the room and headed up the steps, followed by the others. It took them almost no time at all to run up the steps, and make their way to the second floor hallway. As they reached the door, he noticed his wife was looking back at the picture opposite the doors to the hallway. It wasn’t the first time she looked at the picture, but every time they passed it, she had a look of disgust on her face. Something told him more and more, that the picture was not what it seemed to be. He brought his attention back to the door when Alexandra opened it. “The lights are on now.” They all entered the room, and Richard remembered how cramped it felt. Last time he was in the room, Maximillian and he confronted a Bonethief possessed servant. Now, he was sure something else was in the room, the next chapter. With that in mind, his eye was drawn to a paper that was lying on a chest. He picked it up quickly, and realized it wasn’t the next chapter, but a page out of Maximillian’s journal. From what he could read on the page, it was clear to him that the events truly had taken a toll on the colonist’s mind. He placed the page down when he heard something open. He turned around just in time to hear Yvette say, “That’s it. The next chapter.” He watched as Alexandra grabbed it, but his wife took on a vacant stare. He made his way to her side, and could quickly tell that she must be witnessing some unsettling events. Soon, he heard a loud gasp, and he quickly looked over at

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Alexandra. The reason he looked at her was that the loud gasp wasn’t one, but two from two people. The one from Yvette meant she was witnessing something very unsettling, but he didn’t know why Alexandra had gasped, until she spoke. “This chapter is going to be about my grandfather, back in 1952 AD.” He looked back at Yvette, who still appeared to be in her vision. In that moment, he remembered what the ghost had said, and it made sense. “That is unsettling. However, I think Yvette is witnessing something more unsettling.” Before he could say anything more, Yvette blinked and shouted, “We need to get to the secret study! Something bad might be on the way!” He felt panic rise, and quickly followed her as she bolted out the door. He heard Alexandra following him out the door. As they reached the foyer, Richard asked the one question. “What did you witness, Yvette? What scared you so much?” As they passed through the library, Yvette answered the question. “It was two scenes. The first, Pious sent a hideous red creature to kill the occupant of this house. Afterwards, he told Chattur’gha that none of the victim’s descendants would step foot in the house. Also that the date the summoning spell kicks in very soon. It was 2000 years in the making. I’m just not sure who the victim is going to be.” As they all reached the secret study, Alexandra closed the door, once they were all in, and said, “Maybe that was what happened to my grandfather. I plan to make Pious pay for that now. You have no idea how gruesome my grandfather’s death was.” As Alexandra put the Tome on the desk, Richard walked over to Yvette. He put his arms on his wife’s shoulder, and softly said, “Yvette, I think Alexandra might be right. We didn’t see what happened, but if you say that spell is nearing completion, we need to focus on this more than ever.” He watched as she turned to face him and nodded. “You’re right, but I want you to be careful. If I’ve been keeping tract correctly, this is the last time you’ll be safe jumping back to the past. Hopefully, this is the last jump into the past you’ll be making.” He nodded, agreeing with her hopes. He glanced over at Alexandra, and saw her open to the chapter. “All right, let’s begin A Legacy of Darkness.” As she started to read, he felt everything starting to change around him. He realized what it meant, especially when Yvette appeared to be remaining in the present. He quickly took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, knowing he’d reappear someplace else in the Roivas Estate, decades in the past.

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Chapter 20: Destroying An Ancient City

Dr. Edward Rovias stood in the library of his ancestral home. While the room had been the home of many tomes owned by his family for centuries, what drew his attention this day was the family tree over the mantle. He knew that his family had its share of unique characters, some being placed in asylums, others accused of witchcraft. It was part of that family history that made him become a psychologist. However, he still looked into the family tree, to see if his ancestors had been disturbed, or just misunderstood. Doing this meant pulling down the book that always resided next to the family tree. Over all his years, he never opened the book. The last person to open it was his father, but the staff made sure it, like all the other books in the library, was dust free. He picked up the book, and opened it. He was surprised when, as he opened it, something black came out of it. He caught it in his free hand, and looked at it. After a moment, he realized what he was looking at. It was a minute hand from a clock. Just looking at that hand reminded him of something. Back in the little work area of the library, which he used when he was working on a new patient, there was an old grandfather clock. Every time he looked at it, he forgot that it couldn’t tell time since the hands were missing. Now he had one of the hands, and decided it was time to fix the clock. He casually walked down to that area of the library. As he got closer to that area, he noticed a slight chill. He turned to ask a maid, but noticed that she was busy with her task. There were times he would bother the cleaning staff with things like this sudden chill, but now was not the time. He left her to her job, and continued to the small area. The chill increased as he entered the area. He stopped for a moment, looking over at the clock. As he stared at it, he briefly saw his breath. Never, in all the time in his ancestral home, did he ever see his breath. Nor did he ever see the spectral being standing next to him, especially as it called his name. His shock continued when the ghost spoke. “You know who I am. Even though you don’t want to believe it, I was Maximillian Rovias. I died in an asylum, trying to warn the world. That death has caused my soul to linger on the mortal plane. I must complete what I started those centuries ago, or all humanity may be lost.” Before Edward could respond, he watched as the spirit now appeared by the clock. “Set the time to the thirty third minute, of the third hour.” Before Edward could even ask what the spirit meant, it disappeared. He looked at the minute hand again, and decided to wait until he got the hour hand before putting it on the clock. He started to head back out to the main library, and stopped, noticing an odd paper on his desk. He picked up the paper, noticing the strange images and symbols on the paper. He rolled the paper up, hoping that the paper was linked to his ancestor’s appearance, and then headed out. As Edward entered the main hall, he started to wonder where he might find the missing clock hand. He had found the minute hand in a book, and wondered if the other hand might be in a book. However, if the items were to be kept a secret, the hiding place could be anywhere. He crossed the main hall, heading right for the kitchen. As he passed the one maid, he heard her mention something about the solstice. He thought it was odd that one of the staff brought up an astrological event, especially one

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 143 known to be linked to ungodly affairs. He felt leery about saying something, and then disappeared into the kitchen. Edward looked around the kitchen, marveling at the modern conveniences that now occupied the space. Even the pantry was hardly used, a remnant from a past era. However, looking around the kitchen made him find some thing that worried him. It was a box of ammo for a revolver, lying out in the open. He quickly picked up the box, and left the kitchen, heading into the dining room. When he entered the dining room, he noticed that a place at the table had been set for him. Under normal circumstances, he would be ready to sit down to a nice cooked meal, but he couldn’t do that right now. What he did do was head over to the far wall, where a colonial Sabre was mounted. He knew it dated back to the time of his ancestor, Maximillian, and with the strange things the maid was saying, he felt better if it was in his possession, and not left on the wall. After taking the Sabre off the wall, he looked up at the picture over the mantle. Every time he entered the dining room, his attention was drawn to the image. Of all the times he had been in the dining room, he never paid any attention to the picture. Now, he noticed it for the first time. The picture was that of four runes, three of them surrounding the fourth, in a constant circle. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but something in him said it was linked to Maximillian. He left the dining room, and made his way to the steps, determined to find the missing clock hand. Just before heading up the steps, he noticed the small clock on the table between the twin stairs. The clock never worked, but was constantly stuck on one time. It was the same time that Maximillian had said. Edward started to wonder how significant this time would become. Edward finally climbed the steps and entered the upstairs hallway. As he entered the hall, he looked at the picture that greeted all those who entered the hallway. There always seemed to be more to the picture than the peaceful image it depicted. He turned towards the master bedroom, deciding not to dwell on the picture. Once he entered the room, he noticed one of the servants tidying the room. He left the man do his work, and noticed a few boxes of revolver and shotgun ammo lying about. He quickly picked them up, and left the room. He knew where the ammo belonged, and was determined to return it to its proper storage place. He headed down to the spare bedroom and bathroom. When he reached the doors, he glanced down the hall, towards the glass window. He never understood why his family saw fit to put a stained glass window in the building, especially there. It even seemed the hallway was a waste of space, but on one of his ventures down the hall, he swore he heard the sounds of an attack halfway down. He then entered the bathroom. As he entered, he forgot how small it was. A maid was in the room, trying to clean it. He remained silent, not wanting to startle her. After a moment, he started to leave the room, but before he did, he heard her remark about the place never getting clean. Those words echoed through his head, reminding him that the place never truly looked clean. It was as if something were forcing the place into a squalid state. Edward finally entered the spare bedroom. It was the last room in the place he could check for the missing clock hand. The first thing he noticed was a couple of boxes of weapon ammo. He quickly picked them up, and then walked over to a gun cabinet. He

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 144 went to open it, and was both surprised and relieved it was locked. He didn’t have the key on him, but it meant that the guns that were in the case were not accessible to anyone. However, it also meant that he couldn’t put the ammo away. He then walked over to the desk in the room. He had known for years that the room doubled as a study for many members of the family, and he was certain that Maximillian had also used the desk. Sure enough, Edward picked up a thick journal that was on the desk. He opened it, just to find it opened at a specific page, with the hour hand acting as a bookmark. He smiled as he realized he now could find out why the clock in the library didn’t work. Edward quickly ran down to the library, excited about what he might find. He wanted to know why his family had been plagued for years, and now he seemed to be on the verge of finding out why. As he reached the library, and made his way back to the clock, he could have sworn he heard heavier footsteps. He put it out of his mind, thinking it was because of his running. He finally reached the clock, and placed the hands on it. He then rotated the hands around, bringing them to point out 3:33. When they did, he heard a strange click, and heard something moving. He spun around to see one bookshelf slide into the wall. He also saw Maximillian’s spirit walking into the now open passage. He followed the spirit down the passage to a hidden door. As the spirit walked through the door, he opened it, and was surprised at what he found. It was a secret study, filled will all sorts of objects. However, the spirit stopped at the desk in the study, and pointed at a book. He walked over to the book, and noticed its macabre look. The spirit then spoke to him. “Take and use them, Edward. They are humanity’s last hope against the darkness. Destroy the guardians, and avenge my wasted death.” Before the spirit disappeared, it said something else to him. “And don’t worry about doing this alone, for someone is here to help you.” He looked up at that moment to see the spirit disappear, but was shocked to see another human being appear in front of him. If it wasn’t for the words the spirit had said, he might have screamed in shock, especially at the young man’s attire, and the sword in his hand. However, the look on the man’s face told Edward that what ever he was up against, this young man had been fighting it for a while.

Richard Cale looked around the secret study, noticing a few things were missing from the place from Alexandra’s time. However, the most important thing at the moment was that Edward Rovias was there and alive. Even though Edward couldn’t see him earlier, he had followed, out of sync with time, and saw things Edward wasn’t aware of. Time wasn’t on their side right now, but he felt it was needed to tell Edward a little something, so he could prepare himself. He glanced at Edward and nodded. “Hello Edward. My name is Richard. I would like to tell you some more things, but I don’t think we have time right now. Right now, I want to you cast two spells, both using the rune for Ulyaoth. The first one is the Enchant Item spell, and use it on your sword. The second is the Reveal Invisible spell. Also, grab the revolver and all the ammo.” He watched as Edward did was he told him to do. As Edward cast the spells, Richard did the same, enchanting his sword, and revealing what might be invisible. Soon, he saw a blue glow around Edward’s eyes. When the runes faded, signaling the spells

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 145 were done, he heard Edward ask, “What was all this for then?” Richard went to the door, and opened it. “I’m betting you heard footsteps as you came here. I’m betting something is in your house, but invisible.” He didn’t wait, but rushed out, hearing Edward following him. Normally, he would have liked to inform Edward more of what was going on, but he was certain that a threat had already begun to strike. Sure enough, as they reached where the maid was in the library, he saw it. She was screaming, and a huge creature was inhaling all her blood. Only one word came to Richard’s mind when he saw it; Vampire. Soon, the creature stopped, and the maid collapsed for a moment. The creature then turned, and ran towards the door that lead to the main hall. He then heard Edward say, “Good lord, what was that?” Before he could answer, he noticed the maid had gotten up, and had a crazed, hungry look in her eyes. He raised his enchanted sword, responding to the question. “My guess is that it’s a vampire. We need to stop it before it kills more of your servants.” He then swung his sword, grateful that his swing decapitated the monster the maid had become. As he ran, he glanced back to see Edward reaching a fallen vase, and picking something up. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he would ask Edward later, when they had a moment. He then ran out into the main hallway. He was thankful the other servants were all right, but he noticed the creature running up the steps, towards the upstairs hall. He quickly scaled the steps, glancing back to see Edward hot on his heels. He was glad Edward was in good shape, unlike Maximillian, who had been on the portly side. He then ran into the upstairs hall, and turned right, following the Vampire. As he ran, he shouted back at Edward, “Is there anyone in the master bedroom?” He was glad that Edward didn’t ask him right now how he knew it was that room, but was not happy when Edward responded. “Yes, one servant is in there.” He didn’t need to hear more, and quickly put his shoulder to door, thankful that it opened quickly. They had arrived in time to see the Vampire start feasting. He quickly swung his sword, causing the Vampire to stop, and turn its attention to him. Richard jumped back before the thing could swipe, and saw Edward strike at the beast in that brief moment. Soon, the creature howled in pain, and ran off. He watched as the creature headed back out, and wondered where it was heading. Before he could even think about heading down, he heard Edward talking with the servant. The man appeared grateful, and handed something to Edward. Soon, Edward was next to him. “I think we might need a better weapon, and luckily, I just got the key to the gun cabinet.” He let Edward lead the way to where the cabinet was, staying on the alert for the Vampire’s return. When they entered the spare bedroom, he watched as Edward ran over to the cabinet, and retrieved an Elephant Gun from it. He then recast the spells, and watched as Edward looked at him. Richard realized that Edward must be taking a moment to analyze him, using his psychological background to get a grip on things, and figure him out. Right now, he knew they needed to stay focused. “Edward, what did you find back in the library?” Bringing the man back to the moment, he watched as Edward fished into his pocket, pulling out a bit of metal. “It the bottom half to a key. However, I’m not sure

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 146 where it’s for.” Richard nodded, turning to face the same direction as Edward, but glanced at the key. “It’s the basement key. No doubt that’s where the Vampire is hiding out. It might still have the top half of the key.” Before he could continue, he saw the Vampire enter, setting its sights on the servant. Before the creature could strike the new victim, Richard jumped forward and slashed at it, followed by Edward doing the same. With the swords still enchanted, the creature howled and fled the room. Richard started to pursue, but heard Edward talking with the servant. Soon, the man followed, and they ran after the creature. As they entered the main hall, he saw the vampire leave the steps, and head straight for the basement door. When he heard the door open and close, he ran towards the door, only to find it locked. He slowly backed away from the door, unsure of how soon the creature would appear, and what Edward was doing, because he head Edward stop at the bottom. “Looks like I was right about the Vampire lurking in the basement. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was ordered to attack once you found the study.” He was sure Edward might respond to the statement, but was surprised when he heard the sound of the Enchant Item spell being cast. He wanted to glance back at Edward, wondering why Edward was doing that, when he saw it. The Vampire emerged from the door, and it had set its sights on him. Richard went to raise his sword, but finally heard Edward speak. “Get down, and cover your ears.” Richard did so as the Vampire leapt forward to attack him. In that moment, a loud boom echoed in the hall, and the Vampire flew back, dropping something. Just as quickly as it had arrived, it ran back into the basement. He quickly moved forward, grabbing the item, and saw it was the top half of the key. He quickly got up, and saw that Edward was getting up himself. Obviously, Edward used the Elephant gun to chase off the Vampire. He then handed the top half to Edward. “Looks like the creature had stolen the key, and broke it. Cast the Enchant Item spell on the key, and it will be fixed. Then, we can get rid of that creature for good.” He watched as Edward did so, but saw the man was puzzled by something. “You know, it looked like the creature was back to full strength. Maybe it has something down there rejuvenating it.” Richard had to agree that it was possible, and if that was the case, they would need to take care of it first. He then heard Edward say, “Shouldn’t we protect ourselves first?” Richard nodded. “Yes, cast the Shield spell, as well as the Magick Pool spell.” He had noticed that Edward had found the spell earlier, when he saw it’s page in the Tome. He did the same as well, and then they headed down into the basement. When they reached the bottom of the steps, Richard quickly jumped back, avoiding the Vampire’s swing. He watched as Edward took that moment to attack with his Sabre. Richard quickly ran past the beast, and straight to an obelisk that stood right where the pool, and entrance to Ehn’gha was. On it was the rune for Chattur’gha, and Richard realized that it was what the Vampire was using to restore itself. He started striking the obelisk, jumping away when the Vampire took a moment to try and stop him. Edward was doing a good job of weakening the creature, but Richard knew it would be useless until the obelisk was gone. Soon enough, his last blow caused it to collapsed. He then turn towards the fight,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 147 and struck the Vampire in the back. The creature howled, and then fell dead. With the creature dead, Richard finally took a moment to catch his breath. The past few chapters had been filled with peril from the start, and this was just the latest. It was also his tenth visit to the past, which meant that any future visits to the past would be dangerous to himself. He brought himself out of his thoughts when Edward finally asked, “Was that the same thing my ancestor saw?” Richard shook his head, and Edward just took a breath. “No wonder he was thought to be mad. Something like that is enough to drive anyone mad.” Richard looked around the basement, taking in the surroundings. There was no safe, like in Alexandra’s time, as well as no door leading to a small room. Those had to have been added after this point in time. The well, which was covered over in Alexandra’s time, still was there. He also noticed a double barreled shotgun mounted on the wall, as well as some boxes of ammo scattered about. Also, on one lone shelf, he could see a scroll, which just from a quick glance, had to be a summoning spell, most likely for a Horror. He then ventured to the ladder in the well, and started to climb down, saying to Edward, “No, I think the sight of what’s down here might have done that. Believe me, I was almost overwhelmed when I saw it. But before you follow, grab the ammo, scroll and shotgun.” He was down the ladder, and heading down the steps when Edward caught up to him. “I trust you’ll tell me more soon, because I have tons of questions.” Richard nodded, and stopped at the balcony that overlooked Ehn’gha. “I’ll answer them now, including how I got mixed up in all of this, as well as how it has plagued your family, not only in the past, but now, and in the future.” He then saw Edward’s eyes go wide, and he wondered if it was because of the city of Ehn’gha, or about the known future.

Edward Roivas looked out over the city that was under his family home. He had never seen anything like it before, and as he looked at it, he understood more of how sane Maximillian Roivas was. Without taking his eyes off the city, he asked his first question. “Does this place have a name?” He glanced to his side as the young man joined him at the balcony railing. “It’s called Ehn’gha. Apparently, it’s been here long before the colonists arrived, maybe even before the natives came to the area. And dwelling in that city are the beings that follow, if I’m properly keeping track of things, Chattur’gha. Just seeing them, or even being seen by them, could tax ones sanity.” Edward turned to look at the man. “And how exactly did you get tied into this? Did you stumble across this in a book?” He watched as the man nodded, and then he remembered the book he had found in the study. “Was it the same as the one I found, the Tome?” He was stunned when the man shook his head. “Actually, the Tome of Eternal Darkness is why I’m here now. There is some dark magick in that book that is pulling me to the times the chapters took place. However, what drew me into all this was a letter in a book on the Ancients, a book written by you.” He was shocked by those words. Until now, he never even heard of the things he

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 148 was experiencing now. The fact that in the future, he would write a book about these things was mind blowing. He stepped back from the edge, and looked at the man. “So I had sent you a letter. So you must be helping me in the future.” He was startled again as the man shook his head. “No, not really. I had called you, responding to your letter, but when my wife and I arrived, you had been two weeks dead. We are currently helping your granddaughter.” The words both shocked and amazed him. It made him happy to know he wouldn’t be the last of his family. However, it also saddened him to know that this fight would be passed on to not his child, but his grandchild. He sighed for a moment, and then looked at the young man. As everything sank in, he remember the young man’s name. “So I contacted you, Richard.” The young man nodded, and he asked his next question. “Judging that I’ve just met you now, I must have written the letter specifically for you, and even your wife.” The young man nodded again, but Edward decided to continue. “When you arrived, obviously you started to help my granddaughter, and in turn, found this book. Then as things progressed, as you have stated, you’ve jumped back in time, most likely because of the book.” The young man nodded again. Edward Roivas looked at the book again, and looked down at the city. “So she is also learning about all of this. Did I tell her any of this when she was growing up?” He watched as the young man shrugged. “Personally, I don’t think you did, which is a shame. However, even me telling you that doesn’t mean you’ll tell her. You just did what you believed would be right for her.” He then noticed the young man smiled for a moment, before saying, “However, this does answer how you knew to place the note in the book you wrote. Now, I think we better stop what ever might be forming down in Ehn’gha.” Edward just nodded as the young man left the balcony and continued descending the steps. He followed, still curious about things. “So who is the agent of Chattur’gha, the one acting on his behalf?” As they descended, he heard Richard say, “Pious Augustus. He had been a Roman Centurion, until he came across the Forbidden City in the Middle East. At that point, he found the Claw of Chattur’gha, and became his undead agent. He set forth a spell that by the time that I’m from, the year 2000 AD, Chattur’gha will enter our world. He has also maneuvered himself into various places of power, all in attempts to get sacrifices, and to try and prevent others from stopping him. Your family, my wife’s family, and I think even my own have fallen victim to his evil.” Edward almost felt overwhelmed at Richard’s comment. If it was all true, then it meant that their families were also the ones who could stop Pious’ efforts. This gave him more determination to finish was Maximillian started, as well as to further research the creatures that Richard mentioned. He was so focused on that thought, that he walked into Richard, who had stopped at the bottom of the steps, and was looking out a large doorway. He was thankful that Richard didn’t yell, nor budge, but he did chance a glance out where Richard was looking, and realized why he had stopped. He was looking at the entrance to the city, and at two huge red three-headed creatures. Before he could even ask what they were, Richard answered his question. “Horrors. They aren’t as tough as the creature that was guarding

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 149 the way last time, but they can be. We need to get close, and blast them, with an enchanted weapon.” He quickly looked at the Tome, and realized what spell to use. He quickly enchanted the shotgun with the same alignment that they used against the Vampire. However, after that was done, a thought crossed his mind. “They will see us coming, won’t they?” He watch as Richard nodded and then said, “Cast the Reveal Invisible spell with the Mantorok rune. It makes the caster invisible, except to those who are invisible.” He then watched as Richard cast the spell and the man disappeared from sight. He quickly cast the same spell, and then looked out, to see Richard had almost reached the Horrors. He quickly ran over to the young man, and the man said, “The may not see us, but they can hear us. Now, use that shotgun to wipe out the Horrors.” Edward understood, and aimed his shotgun at the closer of the two Horrors. He pulled the trigger, and was thankful he wasn’t thrown by the recoil. However, the shot hit it’s mark, quickly killing the creature. He reloaded and fired at the second creature, before it could focus on their location. When the other fell, they advanced towards the door, but Richard stopped before they headed down the steps to it. “Before we go any further, I’m letting you know that I have no idea what’s beyond this doorway.” Edward nodded in understanding, and they both headed down. As they passed through the portal, they came to something that looked like a street, but they couldn’t explore now. They ran across the street, through what had to be a bridge, and into a large building. They were still invisible, but the second they entered the building, they heard a force field appear behind them. Edward also noticed a huge creature at the far end of the room. Before he could try anything, he heard Richard say, “It’s a Lesser Guardian. I also think I see a Horror trying to hide in the darkness. The reason we can see the Guardian is because of the barrier around it. I’ll take out the Horror, you enchant that Elephant Gun, dispel the barrier, and kill the Guardian. If it flees, follow the ball of light.” He nodded, and quickly cast the spell, enchanting the gun as Richard had said, as Richard ran towards the Horror with his enchanted sword. He ran past the fight, and neared the guardian. When he got close, he cast the Dispel spell, and waited as the spell did what it was meant to. As the spell started to cast, he notice a similar spell coming from the guardian. Luck was on his side as the barrier fell, and he quickly fired with the Elephant Gun. The creature roared, turned into an orb of light, and flew to another spot in the room. As Edward rushed over to where the orb was flying to, he noticed that Richard had finally killed the horror, and was joining him. When the creature finally landed, he watched as Richard jumped in and slashed at the creature, before jumping away again. He could see that the attack didn’t do much, so he fired his reloaded Elephant gun, and watched as the creature fell. He took a moment to catch his breath, and looked at Richard. “Are there going to be more of those things?” He watched as the young man nodded. “I would be surprised if there wasn’t. Besides, I don’t think my sword is too effective on them.” He then watched as Richard looked around the room. He did the same, noticing all the red barriers. The only path with out a barrier was the one the Guardian had been at. There was a large door, but no

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 150 barrier protecting it. He glanced at Richard, and motioned towards the door. “Maybe it was guarding something very important behind that door.” He watched as Richard nodded, and they went down to the door, and entered it. Once inside, he was amazed what he saw. The first thing he noticed was three pedestals on a bridge from the door to a large machine. As he passed the pedestals, he studied the machine. It was covered by many runes, and around it were what appeared to be stone pillars that had what looked like screens and buttons on them. As he walked to one opposite the entrance, he heard Richard make a statement. “Good grief. This is like a giant circle of power. If we can figure out how to set the runes, we could cast a massive spell, one that could rid Ehn’gha of all the creatures in it. It could make it safe for your family for a while.” Edward nodded, and then asked the important question. “If this is what you say it is, what runes do we need.” He watched as Richard thought about it before finally speaking. “We need the rune that is the one who can defeat Chattur’gha, which would be Ulyaoth. Then we need the runes for Dispel, and Area. The others will just be Pargon, or Power, runes.” He then watched as the young man joined him at the spot opposite the entrance. “No doubt this will be the spot the alignment rune is placed.” He then watched as the young man pushed the button. They both jumped when the sound of thunder came from behind them. They turned to see the array had come to life, and blue rings appeared in the center. As they looked at it, he heard Richard say, “I think it’s a teleportation ring, and it might disappear after one of us enter it. We may have to take turns entering it.” Edward nodded in understanding, and started to step towards it. Before he entered the rings, he turned to Richard, with an important thought. “Any idea how to prepare for this?” He watched the young man paced for a moment. It was obvious that he was seriously considering the best courses of action. Finally, after what he felt might have been an eternity, the young man spoke. “Enchant your gun, with Ulyaoth’s rune, that way it will be more powerful against the Lesser Guardians. Make sure you cast the spell called Magick Pool. That should make sure your health and such stays high. Also cast the Invisibility spell. That way, you can maintain an element of surprise.” Edward nodded in understanding, and cast all the spells. He then stepped into the circles, and instantly, his view changed. He was no longer in the room with the array, but on the top of one of the towers. He also noticed he wasn’t alone. A small creature walked along the top of the tower. Edward started to aim his shotgun, but put it down, pulling out the revolver. He quickly took aim, and killed the creature. Once the creature collapsed, Edward moved to the highest point of the tower, and on what looked like a glowing stone, three runes appeared. None dominated the view, but they were each was a different color. One was blood red, one was ghastly green and one was pale blue. Edward quickly consulted the Tome, and learned which each rune represented. He remembered that Richard told him that Pious was a follower of Chattur’gha, and according to the diagram, the blue rune, Ulyaoth, was superior to it. He touched that rune, and watched as it dominated the stone.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 151

He then jumped when he heard the sound of thunder behind him. He then saw that the teleportation circles had returned. He didn’t think they would take him back to the array room, but it was his only way off the tower. He ran back and stepped into the circles. He was thankful when he saw the room he appeared in was a huge room with multiple level, however, he almost screamed when he noticed a Lesser Guardian right behind him. Fortunately, the creature didn’t stir. He also noticed that no runes were around it. He quickly raised his Elephant Gun, and unloaded both bullets into the creature. It roared in pain, and orbed away. He followed the creature to it’s next spot, and fired again. This time, the creature collapsed. He quickly ran up the steps to the highest level of the room, next to a lever. As he looked over the room, he saw three open doorways, all protected by a red barrier. One was opposite the lever’s location, but the others were on the side walls. He was sure the lever would open one of the doorways, and pulled it. Soon, the field opposite the lever’s location disappeared, and Edward took that as his cue to leave. He ran down the steps, and up another set, to the door, and crossed the threshold. He was thankful to be in the long hallway to the array, and made his way back to the room. When he arrived, he saw Richard looking at the stone he initially pressed, and saw the same rune floating about it, glowing a pale blue color. Richard glanced at him and smiled. “It’s a start. One down, and eight to go. If you want, I handle the next one.” Edward nodded, and handed Richard all the stuff. “Indeed. Maybe it will keep us refreshed, and help us finish this faster.” He then looked at the young man, and wondered how long he had been fighting these forces.

Richard Cale took all the weapons, as well as the Tome itself, and stepped over and pressed the stone to the right of the Ulyaoth rune. Soon, the teleportation circle came to life in the array, and he smiled at Edward. “Wish me luck.” He saw Edward nod, and Richard cast all the precaution spells he told Edward to cast. When the last one was cast, he entered the circle, and let the world dissolve around him. In a matter of seconds, the array room was gone, and he was on top of one of the towers of Ehn’gha. He listened for a moment, and then moved up the steps, towards another glowing stone that looked like a television screen. Only one rune appeared on it, the rune Pargon, which made his task easier. He touched it, noticing it took on a pale blue glow, and heard the sounds of teleportation circles appear. He was eager to get off the tower, mainly due to a slight fear of heights, and entered the circles. The scene of the city of Ehn’gha dissolve, and was replaced with an area sunken in the middle of a room. This didn’t bother him. What did bother him were the Trappers running around room. The blind creatures were a problem. They had very good hearing, and would launch their suicide attack on the cause of the slightest sound. This meant that he would have to tiptoe around the room, searching for a way out. He was about to move forward when he remembered he was armed with a gun. He pulled out the revolver, and made sure it was loaded. He then took a moment to aim at the closest trapper, and then he fired. Soon, he heard the one he aimed at collapse, and the others squealed and turned to face his direction. He quickly, but silently moved forward. As he stepped out of the recess he was in,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 152 he took aim at another Trapper. When he was sure of his aim, he fired again, and was glad to hear another die. He then noticed a lever on a higher level of the room. He climbed up to the lever, and stood near it, looking around. On the opposite side of the room, he saw another Trapper, and a red barrier. He looked at the lever again, and realized that the lever was the way to drop the barrier. He quickly lowered it, and saw the barrier disappear. He then moved forward, training the revolver on the remaining Trapper. Once he was close enough, he fired the gun again, and was glad when the creature fell. When he was sure the creature was dead, he ran out of the room. He stopped for a moment when he entered the new room, but then he noticed a barrier across from him, but higher up, he saw a open door on the right side of the room. Richard Cale quickly ran to the open doorway, and was glad when he entered the room they had entered before. Soon, he was heading down to the door to the array room. As he moved down to it, he started to wonder what would happen when they were finally done. Would it be the end of his ‘blink’ attacks? That was actually a comforting thought, especially after the one he had before they started this chapter. He was almost lost in that thought when he entered the array room. Edward walked over to him, with one question on his mind. “How much did you have to deal with?” Richard started handing him all the stuff, except for his sword. “Only a few Trappers. Those creatures may be blind, but their hearing is unrivaled. Hopefully, we won’t encounter many of them, since they could be a problem if we run into other creatures.” When he was done handing over the stuff, he smiled. “Well, two runes down, and seven to go.”

After he had all the items again, Edward Roivas went to the stone next to the one that was just activated, and pressed it. Soon, the array was active again with a teleportation circle. He started to walk towards it, and realized he needed to restore all the precautions. As he did so, he looked over at Richard and asked an important question. “Richard, once the spell is fully cast, any idea of how long we have to get out?” He watched as Richard shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure if we would need to run, but if the creatures realize what is happening, it will be safest to get back to the balcony. However, that’s still a way off. I know the rune I put in was Pargon, which means there will be five more of those.” Edward nodded, and stepped into the circle. “I hope this is another of those then.” He then watched the scene around him change, and soon he was on another tower. Luckily, there were no creatures on this tower, and he rushed forward. He was glad to see that this tower was to be another Pargon rune, and set it. After it was set, he heard the familiar sound of the teleportation circles. He quickly ran into them, and braced himself for where ever he would appear. He appeared in a circular room, with the main floor a few steps down. However, guarding the only exit from the room, other than a red barrier, was a Lesser Guardian. Even from the distance he was at, he could see that it had runes around it, a sign that is had a barrier up. He headed down the steps, and moved closer to the creature, glad for the Invisibility spell. Once he was upon it, he dispelled the barrier, and quickly fired a shot

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 153 with the Elephant gun. As he fell over, forgetting about the recoil, he saw the creature orb away. He followed, making sure he loaded his Elephant gun in the process, and then stopped when the creature landed. He readied the gun again, and took aim, noticing the creature was preparing a spell of it’s own. He fired his shot before the creature could finish, and was glad when it collapsed. As it died, he ran around the room, finally walking up the steps to another lever. He quickly pulled it, turning to see the barrier disappear. He then ran for the large doorway. He passed through it, and into the room he encountered before, noticing that all the barriers were gone. He then ran back to the hallway, and down to the array. As he ran, he made a mental note of how many runes they had activated. They were a third of the way there. He was in the middle of this thought when he ran into the array room, and ran to Richard, handing all his stuff to him. As he handed Richard all the items he would need, Edward took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. “I encountered another Lesser Guardian. Those things are very tough. If you had just your sword, you wouldn’t last very long.” He watched as the young man nodded, and completed the task, glancing over at the spot next to the Pargon rune he just set. That was the next one to activate, and that would be Richard’s next task.

Richard got all the items together, and then ran over to the next glowing stone. As he activated it, he said to Edward, “I would be more surprised if I didn’t survive. Every time your granddaughter has read a chapter, I’ve ended up in the past. In one of the past chapters she’s read, I’ve ended up in a year after this one, and I’ve heard Pious remark about our past encounters.” He heard a sound of surprise come from Edward. “So just from hearing that, you already know you will survive. However, what happens if a chapter takes place after that time?” Richard had thought about that very topic, but didn’t want to say anything. The simple fact of the matter was that if a chapter took place after the time of Edwin Lindsey, he could very well die there. He started casting the various protective spells as he finally answered Edward’s statement. “To be honest, I know that is entirely possible, but for the sake of my wife, and for helping your granddaughter, I don’t want to consider it.” He saw Edward nod in understanding, and then he made his way into the teleportation circle. When the top of the new tower came into view, his attention was on the familiar form of a Trapper. Before he even moved from the spot he arrived at, he raised the revolver and took aim. He knew the creature wouldn’t see him, since the thing was blind, but it would know where he was once the gun fired. He quickly fired the gun, and was glad when the creature yelped and died. He then ran up to the tip of the tower, where he could set the rune. Once he got to the glowing stone, he was surprised to see the five noun runes on it. He looked over each one, knowing only one would be right. He racked his mind, before finally pulling out the Tome to verify which rune he needed. Finally, he touched the rune Nethlek, the one that translated as area. It turned pale blue, and the others disappeared, and the teleportation circles appeared. He quickly ran down to it, hoping

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 154 there would not be many dangers waiting for him. When the new room overtook his view, he stayed silent for a moment, and heard the unmistakable sounds of Trappers. He slowly stepped out onto a narrow ledge around a large structure, thankful for the guardrail, and moved around it. Once he reached a corner on the left of where he appeared, he froze. He saw one of the Trappers, but also noticed, on a balcony opposite where he was standing, a Lesser Guardian. The large red creature was guarding a lever, and Richard realized what would happen. Once he fired a shot, every creature would be alerted. If he risked crossing to get close to the Lesser Guardian, he might critically would it before a Trapper could threaten him. Any shot fired before then, and the creature would set up a barrier. Before he could move, he heard a sound behind him. He looked in the direction he had come from, and saw a second Trapper coming up from behind. He realized there would be no chance at surprise, and shot the approaching Trapper. As it fell, he heard two more alert squeals, and then saw the Lesser Guardian already casting a spell. He quickly rounded the corner, shooting the next trapper, and ran to a set of steps. As he ran, he heard another spell coming from the Lesser Guardian, and realized it was getting ready to attack in some way. When he reached the main floor, he fired again, this time at a third Trapper near the steps to where the guardian stood, making sure he kept moving as a bolt of lighting came at him. With the last Trapper dead, he ran up the steps and stopped before reaching the barrier, and cast the Dispel Magick spell. Just as his spell started, the creature started to cast the attack spell again. However, before it’s finished, he saw the barrier fall, and fired the enchanted Elephant Gun. He was thankful he had braced himself for the recoil, and watched the creature bellow and orb away. He watched the creature fly, noticing the room didn’t have many spots the creature could land in. The creature finally landed, and by the time it had, he had reloaded the gun and fired again, this time killing it. Once it was dead, he ran back to where the lever was, and pulled it. The barrier that he had passed on his dash to get at the creature disappeared. He sighed in relief, and ran straight to it. The doorway lead right back to the long hall they had entered from, and he knew which way he had to go. He ran down to the door, and shook his head for a moment. He started to feel dizzy, and he realized what was happening. It was a ‘blink’ attack starting, but he didn’t need it to happen now, not as he was so close to the door to the array. What was worse was if it was bad, he could leave Edward defenseless. He fought to reach the door, and pulled it open. As he stepped into the array room, he started to stagger, and saw Edward running over to catch him. As he started to fall, he noticed one thing. All the runes were changing color, from pale blue, to a ghastly green color.

Edward Roivas quickly ran forward when he saw Richard Cale staggering into the array room. He was literally scared the young man would fall into the pit the bridge was over. As the man collapsed, he caught him, and said, “Are you all right? Did you get injured?” The man weakly shook his head. “No. It’s a ‘blink’ attack. Every time it happens, the alignments change around me. I noticed the runes changing color. You won’t notice it, but I do. It is linked to what ever magick this book unleashed years

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 155 before.” Edward looked back at the rune, not noticing any change from their green color. However, he did understand what Richard meant. The dark magick the book had must have somehow affected his life, as if he were predestine for something. Edward helped Richard to the stones that activated the array, and let the man rest on the one that was just set. “I believe I understand. The magick of the book keeps sending you to the past, and also doing other things to you. Try to recoup right now, and I’ll set the fifth rune.” He then pushed the stone, activating the array, cast the spells to protect himself, and finally headed into the array’s teleportation circle. When the teleportation was over, he ran up the steps to the monitor like stone on the tower’s tip, and was not surprised to see only one rune, Pargon. He touched it, and watched as it turned green. He then heard the teleportation circle came to life. He stepped down to the circle, and entered it, watching the world change around him. When this teleportation ended, he stayed still for a moment. Towards the far end of the room, he saw a Horror, not far from a barrier. He looked off to his left, and saw the hideous blue Lesser Guardian. He also heard the sound of a Trapper moving along. This room would be a challenge, knowing that all the creatures would need different weapons to be destroyed. The Trapper would be easily killed by the Revolver, and the Horror best to be destroyed by the Shotgun. The enchanted Elephant Gun would be best for the Lesser Guardian, but firing one weapon would alert all the creatures. All things considered, the only way to get to the Lesser Guardian would be to run to the far end of the room, and double back. He quietly sighed, and made his way forward, keeping his shotgun aimed at the Horror. As he neared the creature, he almost didn’t see the Trapper. He stopped just before he would have touched the creature. Quietly, he pulled out the revolver, and took aim. He fired, hearing the shot echo through the chamber, and noticing everything reacted. The Trapper collapsed, the Horror turned, and he heard a spell being cast from the direction of the Lesser Guardian. He quickly took aim with the shotgun, and fired at the Horror. Before it could recover from the attack, he fired again, and quickly reloaded. His attack finally took down the Horror, and he then made his way over to the Lesser Guardian. He didn’t know what spell the creature was starting to cast, but he didn’t want it to finish casting the spell. He hoped the spell to Dispel Magick would work in time. He was glad when the barrier disappeared, and he fired his Elephant Gun. The monster roared, and orbed away. For a brief moment, he considered pulling the lever to drop the barrier at the far end of the room, but decided not to. He wasn’t sure if the Lesser Guardian could get past the blue barrier, or not. He then ran after, and stopped before the creature returned to form. He quickly leveled the Elephant Gun, and fired. The recoil sent him off his feet, but not over any floor edges. The blast, however, sent the Lesser Guardian into death. He quickly got up, and ran over to the lever, and pulled it. When he saw the barrier disappear, he quickly ran to the door way, and proceeded to the next room. He didn’t waste time checking the two elevated areas in that room, and rushed through the opposite doorway, into the hall that lead to the array. As he ran, he thought about how far they had gotten in their task. Five of the runes were set, which left four more to set. He also hoped Richard had recovered from what he called his ‘blink’ attack. He realized the young man had recovered when he entered the array room to see

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 156 the man looking at the alignment rune.

Richard stood looking at the rune for Xel’lotath. Before, the rune had been for Ulyaoth, since before his attack, Pious was serving Chattur’gha. Now, the undead centurion was serving Ulyaoth. He turned when he heard Edward entering the room, and walked over to the left side of the array, to the glowing stone opposite the one just activated. “As you can see, I’m feeling better now, but I take it you had a rough encounter.” He watched as Edward nodded and started handing everything over to him. “Yes, a Lesser Guardian, a Horror, and a Trapper. I do hope that is the last of the Lesser Guardians.” Richard hoped that was the case as well. He wasn’t sure how much ammo they would have left if more were waiting in the building. Once he had everything, he touched the glowing stone that brought the array to life again. As he started casting the spells again, he mentioned his concerns. “I also hope I don’t have another ‘blink’ attack. When ever I have one, it seems to me that I jump timelines. My wife, your granddaughter and I verified that early on.” He noticed Edward’s eyes went wide when he heard that. “How did you do that?” Richard held out the paper from earlier. “We found a lock with a rune on it. When I looked at it, it had this symbol on it. However, my wife, and your granddaughter said a different rune on it.” He thought about it again, and then said, “However, my wife said another symbol was under that one, but only she saw it. It’s as if she sees through illusions.” He then walked over to the array, and the teleportation circles. Before he stepped into it, he heard Edward say, “I’m thinking that one is another Pargon rune, like the one I set.” Richard nodded, and then entered the teleportation circle. Soon, the view changed to the top of another tower. He climbed up the steps, and noticed only one rune was available on the screen-like stone. He pushed the Pargon rune, setting it, and activating the teleport again. When he stepped into the circle this time, he was transported to a huge room, and he was overlooking a fight. It was two Horrors, one blue, the other red, fighting with one another. He silently watched the battle, eager to see who lost. He wasn’t surprised to see that after trading a few blows, the red one fell. As the blue Horror roared it’s victory cry, he raised the shotgun, and fired at it. One blast was all that was needed, as the victorious Horror died. When the two Horrors were both dead, he ran past them, up some steps, across a landing, and down to a lever. He quickly pulled the lever, and watched one blue barrier disappear. He ran back up to it, and crossed through the doorway into the main hall again. He then headed to the array room, glad that their task was two thirds done. He even reentered the array room smiling, knowing the task would soon be complete.

Edward was glad to see Richard had arrived safely. He also noticed that as Richard handed him everything, the Elephant Gun wasn’t used. As he looked at it, Richard smiled and said, “The only creatures I encountered were two Horrors, fighting to the death. We may have hit our limit for Lesser Guardian encounters.” He nodded, hoping Richard was right. He then walked over to the next control stone, and pressed it. He looked over to the other side of the array, and noticed that the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 157 column that was opposite this one had a different rune than Pargon. “Which rune do you suppose will go here?” He watched as Richard joined him, and then looked at the one he had just looked at. “Odds are it will be Redgormor, which is the rune for Dispel. Then all we have to do is set the last two as Pargon runes.” Edward nodded, and then cast all the spells they had been casting every time before entering the transportation circles. When he entered the circles, the next tower top appeared around him. He was thankful that no Trappers were wandering around. He quickly made his way up to the glowing screen like stone. When he got there, he wasn’t surprised to see four runes to pick from. However, he did remember the rune Richard told him, and selected it. Once the rune dominated the stone, glowing it’s ghastly green color, he heard the teleportation circle activate. He quickly ran down to them, and entered, transporting to a new room. He was glad he was invisible, seeing a Horror standing on a bridge over what looked like flowing water. He also saw a few Trappers moving around the room. However, from where he was standing, he was sure he could take out the Horror before any of the Trappers could focus on him. He raised the shotgun, and took aim. He was thankful when the Horror roared and collapsed from the enchanted shot. He also heard all the Trappers squeal, as the appeared to turn and face his direction. Quickly, he pulled out his revolver, and shot each one in turn. He was glad he could take out each of the creatures with out getting close enough for them to attack. Once the last one died, he looked around the room, noticing the blue barrier over the door at the one end, and the lever almost opposite him. He quickly ran over the bridge, again taking note of the running water, and pulled the lever. The barrier disappeared, and Edward ran for the now unblocked passage. He ran through it, and down some steps, crossing a landing like area. He kept going straight, through another doorway, and out into the hallway that led to the array. He kept up his pace, slowly realizing he was getting older. He was starting to get winded now, as he reached the array room. He stopped once inside, and said. “Seven runes down, two to go. I do hope that is the last of our creature encounters.” Richard came over to him, and helped him get over to the array. “I hope so to, but I say we take no chances. We have two more to go, and they might not be easy.” Edward nodded, and started to hand Richard all the stuff, even though he did hope they no longer needed the weapons.

Richard Cale took all the stuff, Tome, weapons and ammo, and then walked to the next array column. As he pressed the stone, he heard the array come to life. He started casting all the spells, and looked at Edward. “Hopefully, the Lesser Guardians were the worst of our problems. Some years down the line, you’ll meet someone who dealt with something more powerful.” He noticed Edward looking at him in surprise or shock. “There are things more powerful. How can you be sure they aren’t here?” The thought had crossed Richard’s mind, but he smiled optimistically. “Well, as far as I can tell, the creatures never left the city of Ehn’gha, because they haven’t ventured up to your home. Besides, if a creature that powerful was here, I’m certain we wouldn’t

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 158 have ever crossed paths.” He then started towards the active teleportation circles. He heard a slight chuckle come from Edward Roivas. “I suppose you have a point there. At least now all the strangeness in my family makes sense.” He nodded in response to Edward’s statement, and then entered the teleportation circles. Soon, the array disappeared, and the top of the eighth tower appeared. He quickly ran up to the tip, and set the only rune on the screen like stone. Soon, the Pargon rune glowed a ghastly green, and he heard the teleportation circle appear again. He quickly ran into the circles, and watched the world change around him. Soon, he was in a room that looked like a museum. He stepped out of the spot the teleportation place him, and walked around. In each area, there appeared to be either a Trapper, a Zombie, or a Horror. As he passed, he was thankful that none of them moved. It told him that none of the creatures were alive, if a Zombie could be considered alive. He then went to the center of the room, and pulled the lever there, knowing it would lower the blue barrier sealing the room. As he lowered the lever, he saw the barrier disappear. He was about to move towards it, when he heard the sounds of glass breaking. He spun around to see one Horror, one Zombie and a Trapper break out of their cases. Richard was thankful he had the invisibility spell in place, but he knew it wouldn’t be long until it might fail. He didn’t want to give any of the creatures a shot at him. He quickly cast a seven point attack spell. He watched as the runes appeared, and then purple bolts of lightning struck all the creatures. The only one that didn’t fall was the Horror, but he saw purple glow occasionally pulse through the creature. He also noticed the Horror was now trying to do the same, and kept moving. Soon, the creature collapsed, and Richard was thankful it was dead. He really didn’t want them running across the escaped creatures. He then left the museum room, and returned to the main hall, and headed towards the array room. As he did, this trip being the shortest to the room, he realized that they were almost done setting the spell. He started entering the room, thinking that the big spell would start with the setting of the last rune. As he finally entered, he saw Edward coming over to him. He handed everything to Edward, and said, “Edward, once you set the last rune, we need to get out of here, quick. I’ll wait for you right by the last room. It’s the only room with a barrier still in place.” He saw Edward nod in understanding, and headed back out of the room, and to the only blue barrier still in place. He also hoped Edward wouldn’t take long setting it up.

Edward ran over to the final spot of the array, and activated it. He wasn’t sure if it was safe for Richard to be waiting out of the hall, but understood the reasoning for it. The spell they were setting up did not waste time in casting, and if there was a chance they might get hit by it, he wanted to be out of there, fast. This time, he didn’t even cast any of the spells before entering the teleportation circles. Once he stepped into the circles, he saw the ninth tower appear around him. Once he was there, he ran to the top of the tower, and pushed the glowing rune on the glowing stone. Soon, he heard a loud voice echo through the city, reciting all the runes in the spell. Then, he saw all the towers start to glow in a light green color, and the glow was starting to intensify. He quickly ran down to the glowing teleportation circle, and was transported to a

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 159 room with a pit in it. He quickly saw the barrier, and saw the lever opposite from it. He quickly ran to the lever, and pulled it. He watched as the barrier fell, and started towards it. He stopped when he heard a roar, and a huge purple snake like thing come out of the pit. It froze, and then disappeared. He shook his head for a moment, taking a quick drink of a flask he had been carrying on him all the time. Soon, he heard Richard Cale yelling. “EDWARD. WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE. EVERYTHING IS COMING.” He left the room, and saw Richard heading to the exit of the hall. He quickly followed seeing blue orbs flying into the hall. He quickly realized what they were. More Lesser Guardians, and he didn’t think they had enough ammo to defeat them all. Soon, they were both out of the building, and out of the city gates. They didn’t slow down as they ran up the circular stairway. All that time, he heard more and more of the creatures making their way to the hall they had left in the city. The noise was getting unbearable, and he was afraid they would make their way to the stairwell. He finally realized that Richard had stopped at the balcony. He followed Richard, and saw the towers greenish glow was almost blinding. He was in shock when he saw what happened next.

Richard Cale was relieved when the spell took effect. Green lightning went out in circles from each tower, and he heard the death wails of the creatures in Ehn’gha. Soon, the circles faded, and he heard no more sound. He looked at Edward and smiled. “We did it. We put a major dent in Pious’s plans. I think you need to head up to the estate and make sure you start the task of finding the things your granddaughter will need. It will take many years, and I have no doubt you may not want her to encounter this, but she will. And make sure to put the message in the book, so my wife and I will contact you.” He watch Edward nod, and then head up the steps, stopping only for a moment. “Will I encounter you again in person?” Richard shook his head, and solemnly said, “We will talk, minutes before you pass on. I don’t know how, but I know what ever happens will be gruesome, but at least you live a long life after now.” He saw Edward smile at that. “Then we have slowed down the evil forces.” He then watched as Edward Roivas left the area. He breathed a deep sigh, and then froze when he heard an all too familiar voice shout from the bottom of the steps. “WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE?” Richard knew exactly who was shouting, and wasn’t surprised to know that Pious hadn’t been hurt by the spell. He started down the steps again, hoping it would keep Pious from heading up the steps to the Roivas Estate. When he reached the bottom, he saw the effects of the spell, as parts of the city of Ehn’gha was crumbling. He also saw Pious starting to enter the gate. He waited until Pious was farther in the gate before stepping onto the bridge and shouting. “YOUR FORCES IN EN’GHA ARE NO MORE, PIOUS.” He watched as the skeletal figure turned around and slowly advanced. “Ah, the ever present problem. This is the ninth time you’ve crossed my path. It will be the last.” Before Pious could start a spell, he saw the scene changing around him, and realized that Pious would never get the chance to attack him. He then heard Pious shout. “I will kill

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 160 you one day, you pest. My master, Ulyaoth, will not be denied.” Richard didn’t respond, but he was glad that this would finally be over.

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Chapter 21: Unlocking An Ancient Evil

Yvette Cale realized something wasn’t entirely right. When her husband started to reappear from the past, the secret study disappeared, only to be replace with the area of the library which led to the secret study. She could tell from where she stood that Dr. Roivas was sitting with his back to her. He also appeared to be late in his life. The only thing she couldn’t be sure of was what day she was viewing. Soon, she saw a blue orb come out of the floor, and stop a few feet from Dr. Roivas. In an instant, she saw it become a huge hideous blue bug creature. Almost as soon as it appeared, it prepared to strike at Dr. Roivas, and Yvette knew exactly what she was seeing. It was the very moment of Dr. Roivas’s death. She watched in horrified silence as the thing then destroyed Dr. Roivas’s head. She was so scared that if she made a sound, it would do the same to her. However, before it could see her, everything changed. Once again, she was in the area where Pious usually talked with his Ancient. She was sure this was in the past of what she had just seen when she heard Pious mention news about the colony in Ehn’gha. However, before he could even get it out, she heard what had to be Ulyaoth respond. “It is not a concern of mine. Think of them as casualties of war.” She then heard Pious start to protest, only to hear Ulyaoth dismiss the protests. She then heard something that scared her. “I have seen the future, and it portends a great battle between me and Chattur’gha. He will fall to my superiority.” After that statement was made, the secret study appeared all around her, and she saw her husband standing with his hands on her shoulders. She could see a concerned look in his eyes, even as he spoke. “Yvette, what did you see? You went pale as a sheet.” She glanced over at Alexandra, who was coming around from behind the desk. She also appeared concerned, and part of her didn’t want tell them what she saw, but Yvette knew she had to say. She swallowed and closed her eyes. “I saw one of the lesser guardians kill your grandfather. It literally destroyed his head.” When she opened her eyes, she saw a horrified look on her husband’s face, but also saw Alexandra trying to keep a calm look, but the tears betrayed her. Before anything else could be said, she heard her husband say without turning his head, “Alexandra, maybe you should read that paper you just found. You said it had fallen out of the Tome just as I reappeared.” She then felt her husband hug her. He obviously knew what she was going through. She then remembered that he had seen a gruesome death as well, that of Paul Luther. Realizing that, she felt better as he held her. After a moment, she saw Alexandra looking at a white piece of paper. Prior to this, they had never seen that before, as if it had been concealed by magic. When her husband ended the hug, she heard Alexandra say, “It’s from my grandfather. Apparently, he knew the end was coming, since he references those barrels we saw in the basement. However, it doesn’t say why, except that he won’t be needing it, and that I might want to check it out. I’ve never touched any alcohol in my life.” She watched as her husband nodded in agreement. “Personally, I’ve never touched the stuff as well. I remember my father would occasionally take a drink, saying it calmed his nerves.” She understood the statement. At their own wedding, they didn’t

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 162 have any alcohol of any kind, but that whole day she was nervous. When Alexandra got up, and headed towards the door, she noticed the girl staggered, as if she was unsteady. She quickly walked over, and steadied her. They then headed out of the secret study, and through the library into the foyer. As they headed towards the basement, Yvette wondered what might be down near the barrels. It seemed odd, especially if Dr. Roivas knew that Alexandra wasn’t a drinker, to suggest the barrels, unless it wasn’t the barrels he was bringing to their attention. When they were finally down in the basement, and over to the barrels, she watched as both Alexandra and Richard looked at the barrels, and quickly shook their heads. She was sure she knew why they were doing that. Just in those actions, she was sure they had seen something that had to be playing tricks on their minds. Also, every time they went to reach for the barrels, they pulled back, as if there was something crawling all over the barrels. Finally, Yvette walked forward, and noticed something was out of place. Amongst all the barrels, she noticed a skinny rod. She grabbed it, and lifted out of the group of barrels, only to notice that it wasn’t a rod, but the handle of a pick ax. She examined it carefully, and then looked at her husband, and Alexandra. “Looks like this was what Dr. Roivas wanted us to find.” She watched as her husband shook his head, and the looked at it again. “He thought we needed an extra weapon. That might make sense, or is there another reason to have it.” Yvette glanced at her husband, wondering if maybe he should use one of the recovery spells, since it seemed his thought process was not one hundred percent. She started towards the steps, and said, “Remember who my father is, hun. A pick ax isn’t just a weapon. It is sometimes the best skeleton key in the world.” She then lead them out of the basement, and towards the steps to the second floor. After everything they had been through, including the maddening trips into the past, she had seemed to be the only one that remembered the odd wall on the second floor. She was certain a door was hidden behind that odd section, and the pick ax was their key. As they reached the hallway, she heard both Richard and Alexandra gasp in shock. She knew what caused it. For the first time, they were seeing the picture in the hall as she had seen it. Her husband only confirmed it when he said, “My God, that picture got horrid. My mind must be playing tricks on me.” She knew what he was seeing. The true picture was that of a horrid, blood soaked, landscape. Instead of trees, there was a stretched out skin between two posts. What made that even more horrid was the fact that she could have sworn it was human skin. She turned left, and headed towards where the spot was. As she walked, she calmly said, “Yes and no. That picture has been that way the whole time. An illusion made it seem normal, and now with your sanity so low, the illusion won’t be seen.” She finally stopped at the proper spot, and glanced to see if Richard and Alexandra were with her. When they finally were, she looked at Alexandra, and then at the wall. “Do you want to do the honors?” If that brief moment, she saw a panicked look in Alexandra’s eyes. She sighed and looked at her husband, seeing the same look. “Maybe you two should cast a recovery spell for your sanity.” She then turned toward the wall, and heard them casting the spells. As the spells were cast, she raised the pick ax up, and brought it down on the wall. It

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 163 gave way quickly, opening up what had been a tomb for some people from long ago. As she entered the room, for a moment, she saw Maximillian Roivas entering the room, and killing all the servants inside. He had killed the four men in the room, and then sealed the room up, but he had done more than that. The room seemed undisturbed, except for a few signs that he had used some of the Tome’s magick. She then glanced back as Richard and Alexandra entered the room, and hoped one of them might have an idea on their next step.

Richard Cale was a bit shocked at the sight of the formerly sealed off room. Just the look of the walls told him that the room hadn’t seen the light of day since colonial times. There were blood splatters on the wall, some of the furniture was in shambles, and in the middle of the room were remains of remains. With the remains, Richard could see some other things, but he couldn’t get close to them with the protective field around them. From the symbols on the floor that he saw, he was sure that Maximillian had set it up, either to protect or detain what was in it. He glanced back at Alexandra and Yvette, and looked at the sight again. “I hate to say this, but we are going to have to dispel the field. It’s going to be the only way to get at the items with the remains.” As he got ready to cast the Dispel Magick spell, he heard Alexandra ask a very important question. “What if it releases something, or provokes an attack?” He had thought about it, but as they found more of the Tome, he felt that sooner or later, an attack was inevitable. He glanced back at Alexandra, and started to cast the spell. Soon the field disappeared, and Richard just said, “I think that regardless of what we do now, an attack is coming. We just need to be careful from here on out.” He then stepped forward, towards the remains, and noticed a few things. The first was that in the remains, it was obvious that there were three bodies, but the room suggested that four servants had been in the room. He then noticed a note written by Maximillian Roivas. As he looked over it, he realized what had happened. One of the servants was a Bonethief, and in the attempt to destroy the foul creature, he killed the others. The next thing he noticed was an old style stethoscope. He picked it up, and smiled, realizing that with it, they would be able to open the safe. He glanced back at both of the women, and smiled. “I think we found our way to open the safe. Let’s get back to the basement.” He watched as both nodded, and he then stepped towards the door. He froze when he heard a familiar hiss. He glanced back at Alexandra, and said, “Stay by my wife. I don’t think that pick ax will be a good weapon.” He then cast every spell he had cast when he was with Edward Roivas. He wasn’t going to take any chance. He looked back at Alexandra and Yvette and said, “Make sure you both do the same.” Richard moved into the hallway, glancing to the right to see if it was clear, and then headed towards the way they had came. As he neared the corner, he saw a Bonethief come from around it. He struck quickly, swinging twice and cutting the creatures arms off. As it fell, he jumped back as another took a swipe at him. He responded quickly, lopping off that ones arms as well. As the second one fell, he was about to take a few more swipes at it, when he

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 164 heard a shot ring out. He spun to see Alexandra lowering her revolver, and then he glanced to where she had shot. Collapsing at that spot was a Trapper, apparently ready to do its suicide attack. Before he could thank her, Alexandra said, “We should check all the rooms up here before heading down. Yvette is setting up a barrier by the window.” He nodded in agreement, and headed back to the corner were the spare room and bathroom were. He opened the door to the spare room, and took a deep breath when he saw nothing. As he closed the door, he noticed Alexandra raising the revolver, and heard her fire into the spare bathroom. It was followed by the squeak of a dying Trapper. She then closed the door, just as Yvette walked over to them, saying “The window is safe now, but there are more of those things outside. They are still watching, but some are trying to advance.” Richard only nodded, and then headed towards the master bedroom. “Well, from all we have seen, I don’t think they can open doors. Maybe that barrier will hold them off. Which Rune did you use?” As they entered the room, his wife answered the question. “The Mantorok rune. It seems to add a poison effect to the damage it does.” He nodded, understanding what she meant. The brief times he had used the Mantorok rune as a shield or enchantment, he noticed the effect. However, right now, he noticed that the bedroom was clear, which left only the bathroom. He opened the bathroom door, and swung his sword quickly as two zombies approached him. He was glad when the swipe took both the zombies down, and then he closed the door. He glanced back at the others and said, “Two more zombies down, and missing their heads. I think it’s time to head downstairs.” They all headed back to the door to the foyer, and left the upstairs hallway. When they entered the foyer, Richard wasn’t surprised to see almost a half dozen zombies coming towards them. Both he and Alexandra got on one side of Yvette, and started slashing at the zombies as they neared. Again, he was thankful for all the spells they had cast. It allowed them to slice through the animated corpses with ease. Soon, all of the zombies were gone, and it was safe to head down the steps. When they reached the bottom, Richard looked towards the library, and then towards the kitchen. The library would have to be the last area they checked on this floor. He motioned towards the kitchen, and they headed over to it. As they reached the door, Richard looked at his wife. “Yvette, wait out here. Alexandra and I are going to check here, and then check the dining room.” He was glad she didn’t protest, and then opened the door to the room. As he and Alexandra entered the kitchen, they saw three zombies turn to face them. He could tell from their blue color that they were aligned with Pious’s ancient, and quickly aimed for their necks. Luckily, he decapitated the first one, as Alexandra did the same to a second. He was about to turn to find the third one, when he felt something grab him. He knew what it was and could feel it leaning over to take a bite. Adrenaline pumped, and for a moment, he felt stronger than he had ever been. He quickly twisted his body, throwing the corpse off balance, and sending it flying toward the near by wall. As it started to stand again, he was thankful that Alexandra stepped up and decapitated it. When it was destroyed, he took a deep breath as Alexandra looked at him. “Are you all right, Richard?”

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He nodded and then headed for the rear door of the kitchen. “Yes. That was close. I don’t want to know what happens if they successfully bite you.” He remembered that some of his friends were fond of a game that involved infected zombies, and he didn’t want to consider the possibility that it was a real concern. When they left the kitchen, he heard his wife say, “I take it the kitchen is safe.” He made a sound that signified the statement was correct, and heard her say, “I’m going to double check in there for food. I don’t think we want to be venturing outside now.” He understood, and then led the way into the dining room. Upon entering the dining room, Richard saw three more blue zombies. Both he and Alexandra raised their swords, and he quickly slashed at the one. This time, he didn’t decapitate it, but he heard it start to sing. Soon, a blue light formed, and the others joined in. Something in his gut told him this was dangerous. He quickly said to Alexandra, “Decapitate them, quickly. I don’t think this is a good thing.” He ran forward and quickly lopped off the head of the first zombie, as Alexandra decapitated the second. He quickly ran to the third, and swung his sword. As his sword cut through the zombies neck, he felt a force knock him off his feet. As he flew, he dropped his sword, and heard another sword hit the floor. He hit the one wall, and quickly got back to his feet. He looked around, and saw Alexandra sliding down another wall, and the sword she had been using was on the floor. He ran over to her, picking up both his and her sword in the process, and helped Alexandra up. “Are you all right?” He watched as she shook her head for a moment, and then said, “Yea, just a little disoriented. Just as you decapitated that thing, it exploded. I guess we were lucky that the swords didn’t seriously wound us.” He nodded, agreeing with her. If the swords had cut them, it would have been disastrous. As they left the room, he saw his wife come over and grab him. “What happened in there? I heard a loud boom, and I came running.” Alexandra answered the question for him. “One of the three zombies in the room exploded. Luckily, we are all right, just a bit shook up.” As they walked away from the room, he watched as Alexandra then looked towards the library. “Think there are some creatures lurking in the library?” Richard nodded. “Indeed, but I doubt they can get into the secret study. Something about that room makes it a safe haven. Something would have to be very powerful just to get in the room, and extremely powerful to be able to cause any physical harm.” It was something he noticed every time they entered the room, like a protective aura. As they entered the library, he heard Yvette say, “Maybe so, but it allows them to try and cause mental harm.” He glanced at her, but didn’t say anything. As they made their way to the reading area of the library, they saw two blue zombies come towards them. Richard quickly raised his sword, as did Alexandra, and they decapitated the two zombies. Just as those two fell, two more corpses came out of the hallway to the secret study. With two more quick swipes, those two fell as well, and the library felt safe again. After a few seconds, he looked at the others and said, “Maybe we should now check the basement, since I think that safe is where the next chapter is at, as well as other things.” He watched his wife and Alexandra nodded, and they all headed towards the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 166 basement. As they entered the basement, he was glad that he didn’t hear any creatures roaming around. However, his relief passed as when they started down the steps, he felt dizzy. He knew what was happening. It was another ‘blink’ attack. He started to lose his balance, but as it happened, he felt someone grab hold of him, which was good since if he fell, he’d fall down the steps.

Alexandra Roivas continued down the steps as she saw Yvette grab hold of Richard. She hoped the redhead could keep her husband from falling, especially with all the creatures now outside her home. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she headed over to the safe. When she reached the safe, she put the stethoscope on the door, and put it to her ear as she started to work the dial. At first she started turning the dial, and waited, not knowing what to hear. She couldn’t see the dial, but she kept turning it. After a few moments, she still hadn’t heard a sound, until Yvette Cale said, “I think you are turning it the wrong way.” She glanced at the dial, and notice she was coming around to the zero again, which was were it started. She looked back and saw Richard sitting on the old well. She then watched as Yvette started to turn the dial in the opposite direction than she was spinning it. Soon, she heard one click come from the safe. She then watched as Yvette turned it in the opposite direction. In almost no time, they had managed to open the safe. When the safe was opened, she saw all the contents and gasped. On one shelf, she saw the chapter page and a note. On the other shelf, she saw what looked like a crank shaft, and red claw that represented the Chattur’gha, the one who could defeat Pious’s ancient, Xel’lotath. She picked up the container holding the essence, and then glanced over at Richard, remembering his condition. One of the other things she had been holding on to was the essence of Mantorok. She put down the essence that was in the safe, and walked over to Richard. She then held up the Heart of Mantorok. “Richard, maybe you should hold this. It might help prevent those massive ‘blink’ attacks you had when we first approached the safe.” He nodded, and stood up, looking a bit more steady than he did before. “It could, since this one has been a constant in all the timelines. What did you find in the safe?” After he was holding the case with Mantorok’s heart, she went back to the safe, and held up the case holding the claw. “This for one. I’m thinking this is the essence that Peter Jacob gave, the one of the Ancient that can beat Xel’lotath.” She watched as he nodded, and then held up the letter from her grandfather. “Also, I have a letter from my grandfather, telling us to continue what Maximillian had started, finding a way to defeat Pious Augustus.” She then held up the crankshaft. “I think this might be used in the observatory, but I’m not sure how or why yet.” She then held up the chapter page. “And most important, it’s the next chapter.” She then glanced over at Yvette, and noticed the redhead was staring straight ahead, as if she was watching something intently. She waved the chapter in front of Yvette, and noticed the girl didn’t even react. She lowered the page, knowing it might be a moment before they went back to the study. “I guess she’s having another vision.” She heard Richard confirm her conclusion. “Yes. She must be witnessing another conversation that Pious had. No doubt it’s going to relate to this chapter.” As he said

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 167 that, Alexandra noticed his voice seemed tired. She glanced at her watch, wondering how much time had actually passed since they had arrived, and noticed that several hours had pasted. When they had arrived, it was still daylight. She had not taken a good look outside since everything started, but she was sure the sky was darker, or even night. She forgot about the time when Yvette finally said, “Pious is happy about a war coming. He didn’t say which one, but it’s one that will take a toll in lives.” She then saw Yvette looking at the chapter page. “It’s the next chapter. What’s the title?” Alexandra smiled, but decided now was the time to take the best precautions. “I’ll tell you when we get back to the secret study, and take precautions. The last chapter almost drained our sanity, and I’m betting this one will leave us fit to be committed unless we are prepared.” She then led the way back to the study. As they walked, she heard Richard ask about the vision. “Hun, did you see who told Pious about the war? Was it his ancient?” As they entered the library, she heard Yvette’s negative tone when she answered the question. “No, it was one of the monks from the cathedral. I thought that after the creature fell, Pious didn’t use it anymore.” Her statement was a bit unsettling. It literally hinted that maybe Pious’s powers didn’t limit themselves to Oublie Cathedral. However, if that was the case, then how far into the church did it go? She stopped wondering about it when they entered the secret study. She placed the chapter in the book, and then cast a few spells to boost her sanity, and keep it high as she read the chapter. Once everything was in place, she looked at the two and asked, “Ready to go?” When they both nodded, she looked at the title. “This chapter is called Ashes To Ashes.” She started to read it, realizing it was about a man name Michael Edwards. As the two started to disappear from the room, she noticed that he was in the Middle East, during the Persian Gulf War. As that fact hit her, she looked up, just as Richard and Yvette Cale fully disappeared. She then noticed the date, and started to worry. The year was 1991 AD, which was eight years after the time of Edwin Lindsey. That meant it was entirely possible that by the end of the chapter, Richard Cale could very well be dead. She swallowed back the fear, and then started to read again.

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Chapter 22: Destroying Ancient Evil

Michael Edwards felt uneasy as he neared the blaze. It wasn’t because he was in the Middle East in the wake of Operation Desert Storm. It also wasn’t the fact that the blaze was an oil field, set ablaze in the wake of the war. Fires didn’t scare him, since he was one of the best fire fighters in Canada. What was bothering him was the fact that something seemed different about this particular fire. It seemed fiercer, and more powerful, like there was something more than oil fueling it. A fire that big could only be taken out by one way, and that was with high level explosives. When one thought about fires, one would think an explosion wasn’t the way to put out a fire, but the reality was that it worked. He finished setting up the last charge, and knew that he needed to get his team out of there before they detonated. He motioned for everyone to pull out, and they all started to run from the raging inferno. As they ran, he heard something he didn’t want to hear. Although he had heard the helicopter pilot warning about something, the sound of an electrical spark detonating the explosives early over took the warning. Soon, he heard, and felt, the explosion, and he expected to go flying, possibly to his death. He was shocked when the ground collapsed underneath him, and he started to fall downward. As he went below the level of the ground, he glanced up to see his fellow firemen start to fall, but not before the explosion hit them. The force of the flaming gases knocked their bodies into the wall, and Michael realized they were dead. He figured he would be joining them soon as he continued to fall, especially as a floor of some sorts was zooming up to him. When he hit the floor, he was amazed to be alive. Just before he hit the floor, he felt like there was something slowing him down, trying to keep him alive. He got up, and saw the bodies of his fellow firefighters on the ground, lifeless. He felt guilty about being the one to survive. He shook his head, and then noticed the pillar in the room. It reached up to the ceiling, but that wasn’t the thing he noticed. What he noticed about the pillar was the bodies in it. He walked up to the pillar, and realized his thinking was right. The people in the pillar had been buried alive, under tons of concrete. It was a horrible way to go, and whomever did it had to have been a very sick person. His attention was then drawn to one man in robes. Judging by the outfit, the man must have been buried in the column centuries ago. He also looked like he was pleading for anyone to get closer. In a blink of an eye, Michael took a step back as a ghostly figure came out of the column, and started to present him with some items. Two were statues, but the last was an odd blue glowing orb-like object. As the items floated in front of him, the figure spoke. “Take this to the gathering of light, in the ruins of Ehn’gha.” As those last words were said, he saw the image of an old mansion in front of him, and then that of an ancient underground city. The moment it faded from sight, he glanced at the spirit. “You want me to take this thing to some ruins under a house in Rhode Island?” The instant the words left his mouth, he wondered how he knew the place was in Rhode Island, and he wouldn’t get an answer when he saw the spirit disappear. Before he could think about the strange knowledge more, he heard someone shout,

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 169

“Great, Zombies rising already.” The voice was unfamiliar to him, and he turned to see a young man swinging a sword at walking bodies. However, he realized what the man had said, especially when he saw the bodies. They weren’t the bodies of his fallen friends, but decomposed bodies. Michael quickly raised his axe, and joined in the fray, quickly bring down all the bodies that were now rising in the room. When the last of the five corpses fell, he paused to catch his breath. The long fall, and then fighting all the animated corpse had tired him, but it also made that feeling he had about the fire worse. After a few moments, he looked to the young man, who also seemed a bit exhausted. The young man looked back at him, and without being asked, answered one of the questions on his mind. “My name is Richard Cale, it is a very long story of how I ended up here with you now, but I have a feeling you’ll understand it. It all involves a magickal tome found by a friend, and an evil plot started by a man who came to this location over two thousand years ago.” Michael glanced at the artifact the spirit had given him, still wrapped in cloth. He could feel an evil presence emanating from it. He then glanced at the man who introduced himself as Richard Cale. “I take it that explains why I knew this was going to Rhode Island, and why the dead was walking here.” When the man just nodded, Michael looked around the room again. Even if the pillar wasn’t dominating the room, Michael felt the place just felt more menacing than it was from above. He then glanced over to a door, and noticed that one of his fallen troops had still had his gun with him, and intact. He picked up the Assault Rifle, loaded it, and then set it to fire three bullets at once. “Well, this thing should mow through them quick.” He watched as Richard nodded, and then opened the door, before quickly closing it. He then saw a worried look cross the young man’s face. That same feeling he had before got magnified when the man said, “I think Zombies are the least of our worries.” He then watched as Richard stepped into the room, and he followed. He froze in fear as he saw what looked like the Grim Reaper in a large circular room, as it was approaching a standing corpse. “Shot that Zombie before that Gatekeeper attacks it. If it strikes it, it will cast a spell.” When he saw the creature open its cloak, Michael fired a few shots at the corpse, destroying it. After the corpse fell, the creature started to advance on them. He fired a few more shots, and was stunned when the creature didn’t stop. As it got closer, he saw the young man move forward, causing the creature to stop and open it’s cloak. He took a moment to aim right at the creature’s head, and fire. He heard an unearthly wail come from the creature as Richard quickly stepped back. He fired a few more times, never letting the creature close it’s wings, as he realized what the cloak was, before it finally collapsed. As it died, he noticed that the fog in the room lost it’s green coloring, as if the creature was contributing to it. As he moved towards the circular part of the room, Michael glanced at the creature, and saw it disappear. He looked over at Richard, as the man had introduced himself, and said, “You said that thing was a Gatekeeper. Are there more of those things around?” He watched as Richard walked over to a ladder that went down a hole in the center of the room. “Most likely, as long as they don’t strike, they aren’t dangerous. Somehow, when they strike, they can cast a spell, which leads to an attack. What makes it

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 170 worse is that the only time to attack them is when they are preparing an attack. Luckily, they have never attacked with other Gatekeepers.” Michael wasn’t sure if he felt good about that or not. He then glanced down the ladder, and listened for a moment. In a moment, he heard some movement, as if it was in a long tunnel echoing through the hole. The most dominant noise was a squishing step. He looked over at Richard. “Any idea what’s making that noise?” He watched as Richard looked down the hole, and nodded. “Sounds like a few Trappers. They are blind, but have excellent hearing. If there is anything else down there, we will have to take them out quietly. If we can, shot the Trappers last. I’d also recommend a small gun for them. One shot will kill them.” Michael nodded in understanding, and quickly climbed down the ladder, followed by Richard. When he reached the bottom, he saw a few more zombies. He was about to raise his Assault Riffle, when he remembered what Richard said, and started to use his axe on the walking corpses. Soon, three zombies had shambled over to them, and had all been promptly, and silently eliminated. He then pulled out the Pistol, and slowly moved through the tunnel, and shot the Trappers. He was amazed at how similar they were to scorpions, but didn’t want to find out how they would attack. When the last one had fallen, they both returned to the ladder they had entered the tunnel from. Including that ladder, he noted there were four in the tunnel. He then watched as Richard moved to the second ladder in the tunnel. When they had stopped at that one, he looked up, wondering what might be up there. “Any suggestions?” He watched as Richard climbed up the ladder, stopped at the top, and then climbed back down. “Right now, I think we should minimize our contact with powerful creatures like the Gatekeepers, and Horrors. Be thankful we haven’t run into them yet. And from what I saw in that room, that will be tricky. I saw an amulet on a pedestal up in that room, but I also noticed two Gatekeepers.” When Michael heard that, he felt the feeling of dread intensify. He then took a deep breath, and climbed up to the ladder. He heard Richard follow him up, and when he was of the ladder, he held up the Assault rifle, and shot at both Gatekeepers. As the two started to advance towards him, he saw Richard quickly run towards the amulet. One turned toward Richard, but he fired the gun again, drawing attention to him again. As the creatures got dangerously close, he saw Richard grab the amulet, and then ran towards and back down the ladder. He quickly fired the gun again, and bolted down the ladder as well. When they were both down, he looked at Richard, and the odd amulet and asked the important question. “Did we really have to get that?” He watched as Richard made his way down to the next ladder. He followed, but was surprised when the young man said, “Everything is important, regardless of how unimportant it appears. Those two statues you got with the....” He watched as the young man seemed to be thinking for a moment, as if he was trying to remember what had been given to him. “Veil of Ulyaoth may not seem important, but they must be. We just have to figure out how. The amulet may be a key to going someplace else in here.” He then watched as the young man started to climb the ladder. He grabbed the young man’s shoulder, and shook his head. “I have the heavy gun, so I should take the lead.” He wasn’t surprised when Richard took a step back, and let him climb up first. When he reached the top, he almost raised the Assault rifle at the sight

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 171 of the advancing corpses. He had stopped himself, and pulled out his axe. He was glad that the axe went through them like a hot knife through butter. In fact, when Richard had finally climbed in to the room, he had killed the last corpse. He watched as the young man looked around and whistled. “You got all of them in no time. I guess they weren’t all that strong then.” Michael inwardly agreed with that statement, since they seemed thinner than the others they had encountered so far. He then noticed that Richard was looking at something, and the young man ran right to it. On a small table in the room, there was a long staff. He then watched as Richard had the staff in his hand, and looked like he was examining it. As he watched, he remembered what Richard had said moments before, and realized that the amulet in the other room must go with the staff.

Richard Cale quickly realized what the staff was the second he saw it. He quickly pulled out the amulet and place it on the end. He wasn’t surprised when it fit. As he looked at it, he could not help but think of a scene from a movie made years ago. Just like in the movie, he was sure the staff opened some path, and he was sure that the place to use it was where the last ladder was. He looked over at Michael Edwards, and smiled. “We need to get to the room at the end of the tunnel, up the one ladder we haven’t been up yet.” Before Michael could respond, he was already down the ladder. He was sure that the staff he had just assembled would be used in the room that was up the ladder at the end of the tunnel. However, as he ran, it seemed to him that he wasn’t getting any closer to the ladder, and that the tunnel was longer than it seemed. After a moment, he paused to catch his breath. As he stood there, he noticed the end of the tunnel was still getting farther away, as well as the walls getting larger. Richard then realize what was happening. He was shrinking. He quickly turned around and ran back towards the ladder. He was also hoping to see Michael had been behind him, but the firefighter wasn’t. He then realized that the whole time, he never noticed the light from the flashlight clipped on the firefighter’s outfit was missing. What he also realized was that by the time he’d reach the ladder, he wouldn’t be able to climb it. He also noticed that where he was running too was a growing spider web, and a growing hungry spider. As he realized he wasn’t going to stop in time to avoid the web, he screamed. As he screamed, he felt something on his shoulders, and then felt his body being shook. When he started to scream, he had his eyes shut tight. Now, he opened them, and found himself facing Michael, and the fireman was concerned. “What is wrong? You came over to the ladder, stopped, and then started to scream. What happened?” Richard blinked, hoping he wasn’t dreaming. After a few moments, he felt safe, and answered the question. “I had thought I had gone down to the tunnel, and I was shrinking. The creatures we faced earlier also took a toll on our sanity. You might even be effected by it as well. Maybe you will experience something like that. There are two ways we can recover our sanity. One is delivering the finishing blow to a creature, and the other is by magickal recovery. However, until we find the Tome, we won’t be able to use the second method.” He watched as Michael thought about it for a moment, inwardly hoping that the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 172 firefighter believed him. After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief when the man said, “Given all that we’ve seen so far, I believe you. I take it we should find that Tome soon.” Richard nodded, and motioned towards the ladder. “Yes, however the room were the Tome usually appears in is very surreal. It’s almost as if it’s never really part of where it’s encountered. I’m not sure what else I could say about the place, other than it could chill you to your bones.” He watched as Michael started down the ladder, and said with a slight smile, “After what we have seen in here so far, including your own sudden arrival, I’m ready for it.” Richard felt a bit better hearing that, but he wasn’t going to say anything. People usually ended up very changed after an encounter with the Ancients. He did however follow Michael down the ladder, through the tunnel, and up into the next room. When he reached the room, he was thankful it seemed devoid of monsters. What it did have made Richard gasp. From a point on the ceiling, a beam of light came in, focusing on one spot. What dominated most of the room, was a huge model of what could have been the very location they were at now. He also noticed that the way the model looked, certain rooftops had to reflect light to spots on the wall. As he walked over to the were the beam of light touched down, he noticed Michael was studying the model. He was sure that Michael was wondering where they were if the model was of the area they were in now. As he started to place the staff in a hole to aim the light, he heard Michael ask the very question he expected. “If this is supposed to be the same place we are in now, what is the purpose of this room?” Richard started to direct the beam of light, causing it to reflect to the model, and reflect toward a panel in the side walls. “I think it’s similar to the one scene in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. The staff is used to reflect light on to a specific point.” As he said that, he watched as the light beam reflected across the room, and then onto a specific building on the model. After it was shining on that building for a moment, he heard the sound of a panel collapsing. He turned around to see a hole had opened in the floor. As he looked at the hole, he wondered if there was something more to this room. He glanced back at the model, and looked at it for a moment. In some ways, the model reminded him of things he had seen in the Forbidden City, but there were ways that it reminded him of Ehn’gha. He wondered if there was some reason the two might be similar. He shook the thought from his head as he then headed towards the now open panel. He walked over to it, and looked down, wondering what was waiting for them. He took a deep breath and then said, “Do you want to go first, or shall I?” He watched as Michael took a tentative step and placed on foot in the hole. In that brief moment, he watched in shock as the room dissolved around them, and in mere seconds, they were in a familiar hall way. It was the surreal room that the Tome of Eternal Darkness was always waiting in. As the hall way appeared around them, Richard noticed a few things had changed, but one thing was constant. Appearing at the edge of the walkway was the beautiful image of his wife.

Yvette Cale watched as her husband, and the other gentleman appeared in the hallway. Part of her wanted to reach out and embrace him, but she held off. She had a feeling that if she did, she wouldn’t want to let go. With everything that had happened so

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 173 far, she knew he wasn’t going to die, but something still nagged at her. However, now wasn’t the time, nor was this the place, to have that embrace. She looked at the two, and finally spoke. “Welcome to the resting place of the Tome of Eternal Darkness.” She wasn’t surprised when the firefighter jumped up and spun around. She was almost afraid he would fire the Assault Rifle, when her husband put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. When the man relaxed, she relaxed and stepped onto the walkway. She could tell just by looking at both of them that their sanity had taken a serious blow. She then looked at the dark skinned firefighter. “I take it that my husband hasn’t had a chance to explain everything that is going on?” She watched as the man looked over at her husband, with a surprised look on his face. “Your husband? I know he hinted that he had dealt with those weird things before, but he didn’t really delve into it.” Yvette calmly smiled, and started to walk down the path, passing all the statues in the hall. “For many centuries, a very dark threat has been looming. Occasionally, someone comes along that can help in fighting the evil. During those encounters, when we read about them, they either encounter this room, or they end up encountering my husband at some point. Some, do not fully succeed, like those of the statues you see here. However there is some good news.” She watched as the man looked around, and noticed each of the eight statues. Before too long, he returned his gaze to Yvette. “And what might that be? I see eight statues, which means eight people have fallen.” She smiled at him, with a happy smile. “Because, there was only room for eight statues in this hall. You are not going to fail in what you have to do.” She then heard her husband make a sound of utter happiness. “She’s right, Michael. You aren’t going to die here. You are going to get out of the Forbidden City, and get the items to the Roivas estate.” She then saw a surprised, but happy, look on the man’s face. The true meaning of the situation he was in started to sink in. She then walked over to the Tome, and motioned to it. “The only thing you need to do now is take the Tome. While the spells in it were used for dark purposes, we are using them for good. With it, you’ll be able to cast spells to restore your health and sanity. You will also have a map if you need it. You just need to be wary of where ever you go.” She then relaxed when Michael nodded in understanding, and then grabbed the book. In moments, she could see by the look in his eyes that he had learned everything in the book that had been encountered. She then watched as both Michael and Richard faded from view. She turned to face her husband, seeing a happy look on his face. With the news of Michael’s impending success, it meant he would be back after the chapter was over. As she saw the secret study start to appear around her, she heard Alexandra shouting something at her. It took her a moment before she was fully back in her own time, for her to hear the words, but then they sank in. “Yvette, this chapter happens after your father’s chapter. Richard isn’t safe this time.” In that moment, she felt her heart sink. All that time, she believed her husband would be safe, and now for the first time, he wasn’t safe. She wanted to go back and

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 174 warn him, but she couldn’t. Deep down, she was afraid she would lose another loved one, and at this point, with all that happened. It would be disastrous.

Michael Edwards blinked as he realized he was back in the chamber with the model city. After he had touched the book, he saw everything that had happen, to every person who had encountered the evils they were facing. He felt sorry for those who died, even if it was hundreds of years prior. He felt glad when other prevailed. He also saw what had happened to the young man that now accompanied him, and he felt a new compassion for him, and for the others whose lives were being intertwined by the magick of the Tome. After he took a moment to process all that had happened, he turned to Richard. With all the dark things that he was sure the young man encountered, he thought that maybe for a moment, the man needed a positive statement. “You have a great wife. She must be tough to deal with all this.” He watched as Richard nodded, and said, “Yes. She’s had to deal with it a lot, especially since we found that book with are new friend, Alexandra. She’s the one living in the house you need to get the Veil of Ulyaoth to.” He nodded in understanding, and then opened the Tome, turning to the spell section. As he looked over them, he was surprised he could understand the writing, like it was matching what language he was used to reading. “Since we will be needing this magick, what do you suggest starting with?” He watched as the young man stepped forward, and turned through the pages. As he did, he explained the important spells. “This one is Enchant Item. With it, you can fix items, and make any weapon able to defeat monsters easier, provided they are the alignment weaker than the one you enchant it with. Aligning with Mantorok, the purple rune, gives a poisoning effect to the creatures. The next one is Recovery, and the only one it is useless with is the blue one, Ulyaoth. The next important one would be Reveal Invisible, which if used with the Mantorok rune, turns one invisible. There is also the Shield Spell, the Magick Pool spell, a few summoning spells. My suggestion for now, is cast the Enchant on the guns, the Shield and Recovery on yourself.” After hearing all that Richard suggested, he quickly went to work casting all the spells. He even had to admit that after casting the recovery spell, he felt one hundred percent better. As he cast the spells, he heard Richard doing the very same thing. In a few moment, they were both ready, all weapons enchanted, and both were surrounded by seven glowing orbs. Michael then headed down the ladder, into the room below. When they were both down, Michael heard the unmistakable sound of Trappers. He looked over at Richard, who held up four fingers. He knew what the young man meant, and he readied his pistol. He then quietly moved forward, and saw the first one. Quickly firing the gun, and then remaining still, he heard the other beasts reacting, but not moving. He repeated the action three more times before motioning that it was clear. He then watched as Richard bolted across the room, and climbed up the ladder enough to look into the next room. Briefly, he saw two of the small orbs fly away, just as Richard said, “Two Horrors, so get up here and fast.” He watched as the Richard climbed up, and then followed. When he saw the creature, he felt the term made sense. He saw Richard hacking at one of the three heads on one Horror, and he noticed the other was

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 175 closing in. He quickly raised the Assault Rifle, and fired. His aim was true, and the enchanted weapon made short work of the creature. He then turned to help Richard, but saw that Richard had quickly delivered a finishing blow to the creature. When what remained of the Horrors fell, he looked over at Richard. “Now those were nasty creatures. Is there any others that we should watch out for, since we don’t want to run into these in narrow corridors.” He watched as Richard thought about it for a moment, before finally shaking his head. That made Michael breath a sigh of relief. It was good to think that the worst they would have to deal with was just Horrors and Gatekeepers. Michael then looked over at the ladder that went down. He walked over and looked down it, seeing a cave like tunnel below. After he felt sure it was safe, he carefully went down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he followed the cave to a part that had a square hole in the floor. For a brief moment, he looked down, and could see nothing down there, except a deep pit. He then glanced to the right of the hole, and saw a green effigy, surrounded by green runes. He was about to reach for the statue, when he heard Richard say, “Wait. That statue is protected by a magical barrier. The only way to get at it is to Dispel the barrier. You can do that with the rune that is superior to the alignment rune in the pattern, which would be Chattur’gha, or with Mantorok’s rune, but that will dispel all magic in the area.” Michael thought about that for a moment. If he used the wrong alignment, the spell would not work, but that didn’t mean they were in trouble. If he used the one for Mantorok, it might leave them at a disadvantage in case a creature were to appear. He finally decided to go with the safe route, and cast the spell with the alignment of Chattur’gha. In almost a blink, two things happened. The first was that the barrier was gone, but the second was not a good thing. Three purple worms reared up out of the hole that he was sure was empty before. He raised his assault rifle, and fired at the creatures. As he fired, he shouted, “Richard, get the statue and fall back to the ladder we passed.” He glanced down for a moment to see the young man crouch down, grab the green statue, and head back. He then backed up, watching the hole in case any more of the ugly large worms attacks. He motioned for Richard to climb the ladder, and watched as he did so, quickly. Michael glanced up the ladder, and then quickly climbed up the ladder. When he reached the top, he saw Richard was staring at a scene, and when he saw it, he was amazed that Richard didn’t alert him to it. A bunch of green Zombies and a green Horror, fighting a red Zombie. He also realized that they weren’t paying attention to them. However, the fight was in the path of the other ladder in the room. He wondered if they could sneak around the fight, when he noticed that the Zombies and the Horror started to collapse, as if all were mortally struck. The only one left standing was the red Zombie. Before he could even raise his gun, he saw Richard run forward and just slash the creature. The blow barely touched the zombie, but was enough to kill it. Before he could ask how, he heard Richard answer the question. “That one was aligned to the stronger ancient, so it could outlast the assaults from the others. Besides, I’m sure you didn’t want to worry about fighting more than one creature.” He nodded and then looked at the book, especially the spell section. Even though

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 176 the book said nothing about alignments, and had a section on each creature, he noticed some were missing, like the Gatekeepers, and the purple worms. He looked over at Richard, and asked a question that was on his mind. “Any reason why those worms and the Gatekeepers aren’t in there?” He watched as Richard shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m not entirely sure what those purple worm things were, but the only reason I can think of why they aren’t in the book is because the person who put those in the tome didn’t encounter them at all.” He glanced at Richard again, and something about the way the young man shrugged said there was more, like something he might be thinking. However, he was sure he didn’t want to ask right now. Michael then walked over to the ladder in the center of the room, and looked down. He wasn’t sure, but when he looked down, he thought he either saw a green rug, or a green mist. He also realized that their protection spells were wearing off. If what he felt was waiting down there was down there, they would need all the protection they had. He quickly recast all the spells, and saw Richard doing the same. He was the first one down, and realized they were at one end of a very long hallway. He also realized that there was one Gatekeeper in the room, as well as a zombie. When Richard got down there, he watched as the young man ran forward, and quick killed the zombie before the Gatekeeper could strike it. Michael took the opportunity, and fired his enchanted Rifle. The instant the bullets struck the creature, the monster collapsed. When they were both sure the creatures were dead, they both ran to the far end of the hall, and into the next room. There they stopped, as they saw four trappers moving about the small room. Michael quickly set his Rifle to single shot, and handed the pistol to Richard. In a few moments, both he and Richard fired shots at all the trappers, quickly reducing their numbers. When the last one fell, Michael glanced around the room, and saw only one other door was not blocked. Michael quickly came to the conclusion that there was only one way to go, and headed to the only other door in the room. He motioned towards the door, and looked back at Richard. “Any idea on what to expect in there?” He watched as Richard nodded and spoke. “No doubt, we’ll find a dead end room, a hidden hallway to the heart of this evil place, and the room where it all started, which I believe could be dubbed the tomb of the Ancients.” Michael nodded, and then opened the door. He noticed two things first and foremost. The first was a statue that was blocking something, and the second was a horde of Zombies approaching them. Michael started swinging his axe, as Richard did the same with his sword. Luckily, in almost no time at all, the zombies were all dead, and Michael could take a real good look at the room. He saw that a statue with some markings on it was blocking something behind it. He could also see another door on the right hand side of the room, but he didn’t see any large doors. He glanced back at Richard, who was catching his breath from after the battle. “I don’t any signs of the hidden hallway you had mentioned earlier. Are you sure it’s here?” He then patiently waited for the young man to answer.

Richard Cale looked over the room, and nodded. “Most likely, the door we will want is invisible. We will have to use some magick to reveal it, just like we will need to

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 177 use a spell move that statue there.” He pointed to the statue that was covering, if he remembered right, a ladder down to a small tunnel. “The rune on the statue is the summon rune, so it’s a hint we need something to move it, or remove it.” He glanced at the triangle realizing what would be needed, but decided their first place to go with be the door. He opened the door, and saw a few zombies in the room, as well as a picture on the far wall. As Michael followed him in to the room, he spoke. “We have a few zombie’s in here, but after we get rid of them, we need to see what is at the far end of the room.” He watched as Michael readied his ax, and smiled. “Not a problem. Shouldn’t take long to get rid of these creatures.” He nodded, and raised his sword, noticing that at that moment, the enchantment on it wore off. He sighed and then launched himself at one of the zombies. Michael was right at his side, and they took down the first two in record time. When they both turned their attention to the third one, Richard swore that for a moment, the creature must have been deciding which one to attack. He was glad when Michael quickly chopped in to the remaining zombie. In almost the blink of an eye, Michael had taken out the reanimated corpse, with out even getting a blow on him. Richard took a moment to catch his breath, and then looked around the round room. He wasn’t surprised to see three portraits looking down on him. As he looked at all of them, he felt like they were looking at him in the same way that a victor looks down at his hated foe. Each one was also a different color, a red warrior, a green scholar, and a blue sorcerer. After a moment, Richard started to realize what he was seeing. The images weren’t looking down on him in hatred, they were looking at their fallen foes. He glanced at Michael, who must have been feeling the same as he looked at the pictures, and asked. “Do you remember all those statues you had, and the one I picked up?” He waited for a moment, before Michael answered. “Yea, and I take it you think they need to be put on the shelves in front of these weird portraits.” Richard looked at Michael, and nodded. He then watched as Michael produced the two other statues, and looked around at the portraits. In that brief moment, Richard recalled their colors, and those of the statues. “Put the red statue before blue portrait, the green in front of red, and the blue in front of green.” As they did that, he wondered what their actions would do. The last time he had been in this place, these portraits weren’t here, but the one effigy had been here since Karim’s time. If this was part of some master plan, why hadn’t Pious Augustus noticed it? Had it been set in place after he left, or was there something else acting on the place? When the last effigy was placed, he froze as he heard a rumble from else where. From the general sound of it, he could tell it was coming from the direction of the room where the Trappers had been. All of a sudden, he felt like he was filled with a feeling that something good was happening. He started towards the door to the room, saying as he moved. “I think something good opened up nearby.” As he ran to the room they had recently encounter the Trappers in, he heard Michael following him. “How can you be sure? That rumble could have been a trap.” He knew Michael had a good point, but something told him that what ever happened was good. He was even more sure as they entered the room, and he saw a stairwell had

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 178 appeared in the curved part of the room where they had originally entered. He quickly descended the stairs, and was grateful when he entered a room with a glowing Gladius on a pedestal. He knew it was special, when he noticed it’s red glow was the one dominant to Pious’s ancient, Xel’lotath. He almost wanted to pick it up, but glanced over at Michael. “You need to make sure this gets delivered to Dr. Roivas as well.” He watched as Michael picked up the glowing Gladius, and watched as he studied it as well. Soon, the man put it away, looking at Richard. “Did you enchant it before I could get down here, because I know the ones we cast ended a while ago?” Richard shook his head, but he did wonder about that. Pious wouldn’t have set this up, not even as a trap. He also had a feeling that what he was suspecting about Mantorok would mean that particular ancient didn’t set this up either. He pushed it out of his mind for now, and started back up. “Right now, we need to find a way to destroy this place.” He knew, deep down, destroying this location would weaken the power Pious’s ancient had, but there was something else. Something he was sure he was missing. All they needed was the right items, and he hoped Michael had them on him. When they reached the room with the statue, he heard Michael say, “If I had some of the explosives we used to stop the fire, I’d use them. However, I’m beginning to wonder if I was the only guy who had entered this place alive.” As the words ran through his head, Richard wondered that as well. If they had, then their may be other items left behind. He looked at the statue again, wondering if it had been put there to hide something from the evil. He then motioned Michael to step back. “Michael, if that’s the case, then there might be something down the ladder behind this statue. I’m going to make sure it’s out of the way.” When he was sure Michael was behind him, he cast the spell he knew would do the job. Soon, they were surrounded by a barrier, and a Trapper appeared in front of him. He could sense that Michael wanted to say something, but managed not to. He then made the Trapper focus on the statue, before he finally made it kill itself, taking the statue with it. When the statue was gone, the ladder to the lower level that he knew was there was revealed. As he approached it, he heard Michael finally speak. “You could control that thing? How in blazes could you do that?” Richard looked down the ladder, and listened for a moment. As he listened, he answered Michael’s question. “The summon spell. Once used, one can control what ever creature is summoned. Using Trappers is one way to remove obstacle, since they teleport things out of this dimension.” He then started to head down the ladder, stopping just to say, “Now, let’s check down here, and be ready. There are two Trappers down here. When he reached the bottom, he noticed that this time, the tunnel went straight across, and the two paths that would have branched off, were caved in. The Trappers also appeared to be walking from one to another. When Michael got down, he motioned with his head towards the Trappers, and watched as Michael quickly fired the pistol at both. He was glad that Michael was a good shot, seeing both fall almost simultaneously. When both Trappers were gone, they ran and headed down the next ladder. At the bottom, Richard saw the skeletal hand pedestal, and on it was a scroll. He motioned

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 179 towards it, and watched as Michael went over to it. As Michael did that, Richard walked to a corner, and looked around it. At the end of that hallway was the room the Ancient’s artifacts were hidden in long ago, but instead of them being there, there were two Horrors behind a barrier. As he looked on, he realized that something must be there, but the trick would be getting at it. Most likely, in order to get the barrier to drop, they would need to kill at least one of the Horrors. He quickly stopped looking around the corner, and started to wonder how they were going to get the Horrors to move. They wouldn’t fight because they were the same alignment. He was almost startled when Michael answered his question. “Hey, this spell is something called Bind. Apparently, you can use it to control a creature that already exists. Align it to an opposite alignment.” Richard pointed around the corner. “Good, do that, and then the two Horror’s at the end of the hall there will fight to the death.” He watched then as Michael nodded, and cast the spell. Soon, a ring of red lights encircled the one Horror’s center head, and the two began to fight. Soon, one of the two creatures fell, as did the barrier. He then saw that Michael was prepared, as the firefighter jumped into hall, and unloaded a full clip in to the remaining Horror. When the remaining Horror died, they both headed to the room. As they approach, Richard could see all the pedestals were ruined. As they looked around, he wasn’t sure what to expect to find. Soon, he heard Michael say, “Well, this is something I didn’t expect to see. There are some C4 plastic explosives here.” The instant he saw Michael pick up the explosives, the image of the bridge room filled his vision, and he heard a voice saying ‘Destroy this’. After the image passed, he saw Michael looking at him with a shocked look on his face. “Did you see that as well?” When he nodded, he saw Michael heading back towards the ladder, saying, “Then let’s get out of this area, and to where you said that door was.” Richard nodded, and then head up the ladders and rooms back to the room where he knew the big door was. When they reached it, Richard stood next to the wall, and quickly remember which Ancient Pious was bound to. “When I say now, cast the Reveal Invisible spell using the red rune, Chattur’gha. With a seven point spell, that door will be visible. “ He then cast the spell, and in an instant, he saw the hidden door. He realized that Michael had done the same, as the man said, “Holy..... That door was invisible all that time?” He looked over at Michael, and noticed the man wasn’t ready for the effects the spell had on the eyes. “Whoa. Why are your eyes glowing red?” Richard grinned sheepishly. “An effect of the spell. Your eyes are glowing red as well. Now, before we enter, let’s restore the Shield spells we have in place. If I remember right, we are going to need it to get to the end of the hallway.” He watched then as Michael did as he suggested, and cast the spell. After he did the same, they entered the door. After walking a few feet, he looked down the hall, and noticed that even to this day, the floor glowed yellow. He didn’t notice, at first, the figure laying on the floor right near the edge of the glowing floor, but when he heard Michael, it got his attention. “This looks like another of guys in my unit, and he has the detonator cap.” The second Michael touched it, Richard knew he was seeing the image of the next

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 180 room again. Again a voice told them they needed to destroy it. When the image finally passed, Richard looked at Michael, and motioned towards the far end of the hall. “Pick it up, and be ready to run. The shields will protect us as we run to the far end, but we’ll need to restore them for the run back.” He then started running across the glowing floor. As he ran, he not only heard the floor zapping away the shields, he also heard it doing the same to Michael. When they reached the far end, and entered the room with the bridge, he stopped long enough to catch his breath. After a moment, he recast the Shield spell, and noticed that Michael had done the same. Once that was done, he walked over to the pit, with the bridge right over it. “This is it, the room from the visions, and I have no doubt that the bomb must be set right in the middle of the bridge.” As Richard stepped out on to the bridge, he forgot that the purple snakes usually game up out of the pit. They had done so this time, and he felt they were after him. Before he could do anything, he heard the rifle fire, and the things disappeared, but now he had no doubt of what they were. It also told him more of what was going on, but before he could say anything, he started to lose consciousness. He quickly realized what it was. The attack had triggered a ‘blink’ attack. Before he fell, he felt Michael grasp him, which was good, but he couldn’t help but lose consciousness. The only think he remembered was Michael saying something about a woman at a desk.

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Alexandra sat up when she heard the familiar voice say her name again. It was the spirit of her grandfather, at least that’s what she thought. She then saw the figure out of the corner of her eye, and it looked like her grandfather, but something wasn’t right. Her suspicions were confirm when the image of her grandfather spoke. “Sweet Alex. Many centuries I’ve waited for you. I’ve waited such a long time for you.” It sickened her to hear those words coming from the image of her grandfather. She didn’t dare look at it, but she just responded in as strong a voice as she could muster. “I know what you are, and I’ve seen what happened.” After that, she felt her skin crawl as the figure place an arm around her. Even as he did that, she could tell what the figure was trying to do, speaking in what, if she didn’t realize who it was, had to be a seductive voice. “You can try to fight me, but in the end you shall succumb.” She even felt him get close to her ear as he said his next words. “You don’t even know your...” She jumped when he yelped in pain, and turned to see him stagger back as a book hit him. The attack distracted him long enough to become his true form, Pious Augustus. Another book hit him as she heard the voice of Yvette Cale. “You won’t succeed, Pious. We know what you are, and we will stop you.” She watched as Pious laughed as he started to disappear. “So you think, child, but I’ve been watching you as well. You will succumb to me as well, you won’t have much of a choice. I know where your husband died. I even saw the fiery blast that consumed him.” He was laughing when he finally faded from sight. Alexandra turned towards the redhead, and saw that she had gone pale. Pious’s words had touched on a fear they both had, but it struck deeper to Yvette. She walked

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 181 over, and hugged her friend, even thought they had just met recently. “Don’t worry, Yvette. Your husband will be back.” She stepped back as the woman nodded, and tried to wipe away tears. She didn’t know what else to say, but then looked back at the Tome. She needed to complete the chapter, that way, Richard would be back. However, as she went to continue reading, she couldn’t stop the nagging fear that Pious was right.

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Michael Edwards blinked when the image of the room disappeared. He glanced at Richard Cale, who was still out, and then moved him to the wall near the way they entered. He couldn’t believe what he had heard, but it had involved what they did here. He even started to wonder if setting a bomb now would be a wise move. He paced for a moment, and looked at the detonator caps. They could be set for any amount of time, but if what he saw meant the other man’s death, he wasn’t sure how he should set it. He didn’t want to leave the man trapped here, doomed to die because he passed out. However, they both knew this place had to be destroyed. He was thankful when he heard movement. He turned to look over at the man, who was now standing up. As the man stood up, he watched as he looked over at Michael and blinked for a moment. “Let me guess, I passed out on the bridge just after those things attacked.” When he nodded, he watched as the man looked back at the doorway that they entered from, but his next words were a bit puzzling. “Humor me for a moment, remind me what color that Gladius is that we found?” Michael thought back for a moment, and then remembered the odd blue glow that was around the old sword. “It was blue, don’t you remember that.” When he saw the young man nod, he then looked at the bomb, and went to set it. Before he did, he looked at Richard and said, “I’m getting ready to set the bomb. Do you think it will be enough time to set it for three minutes?” He watched as the man continued to look at the doorway. “Maybe if we cast the Reveal Invisible spell to make us invisible. Also, if you enchant the bomb, it would guarantee it will destroy this place.” Michael swallowed briefly, nervous about doing that, especially with what he had heard. However, the second he set the bomb, they would have no time to talk about it. However, before he could talk to the young man, he saw Richard become surrounded by purple runes, and then disappear from sight. He quickly realized what he had done, and did the same. Once he had done that, he saw Richard again, except the young man looked like a shadow. He then shouted, “Listen, Richard, I think there is something you should know. I saw a vision involving your wife, another young woman, and some hideous fellow. He said something to your wife about this place being your tomb.” He watched as Richard looked at him, but his expressions were hard to read. “Most likely a lie. All my past encounters I have survived. The only way there is any chance of my passing is if this happens after my father-in-law discovered the temple in the Angkor Wat region in 1983. Now, set the bomb, and we’ll book it. The invisibility won’t last long, and once the bomb is set, everything will be trying to stop us, since I doubt they will be able to cross the floor of the hall.”

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Michael blinked as he realized what Richard had said. The man who had helped him was unaware that the year was after the event he mention, something the women must have been aware of. However, knowing the invisibility was short lived, he placed the bomb on the bridge, and enchanted it. The second he enchanted it, the timer started. He turned and ran, shouting, “Three minutes. Let’s move.” Soon, they were both out the door, and running through the electrified hall. As they did, he was glad they had set up the shields, and when they reached the other end, he realized why Richard insisted on the invisibility. A Horror was now standing there, obviously alerted to the bomb being set, but couldn’t get to the other side. He half wanted to raise his rifle to blast it, but remember both time was running out, and the monster didn’t see them. He then led the way, running through room after room, and tunnel after tunnel. The paths he choose just seemed the correct way to go, as if some thing was guiding him. Especially as some of the rooms they traversed didn’t seem familiar. Before too long, they were back in the room they had first climbed down, not far from the pillar, however now, a doorway was unblocked. He went right for it, and inside it, he saw a ladder leading towards the surface. However, just as he was about to climb it, he heard a voice that he had heard in the vision speak from the next room. “What is happening here?”

Richard Cale froze when he heard the voice, and then looked at Michael, saying as loud as he dare. “Michael, get the blazes out of here. You need to get those things to the Roivas estate. I’ll be fine.” As Michael climbed, he said, “Richard, you have less than two minutes to get out of here. Also, if you don’t get out of here within a minute of the bomb going off, you may get sucked into the ground after the blast.” Richard waved Michael on, and starting to back away from the ladder. “Don’t worry about me. I won’t be here when the bomb blows.” He then watched as Michael went up the ladder, noticing a worried look on the man’s face. He understood the dark- skinned man’s concern, but he wasn’t worried. Soon, the Tome would take him away. He was almost back to the wall when the door opened. The only figure stepping through it was one he had seen many times before. The skeletal warrior he knew to be Pious Augustus closed the door, holding his staff, which to him looked like a spine, and smirked at him. “So, the persistent pest. It took me some time to realize you were using some magic to travel through time. However, this will be our last encounter, at least to you.” Richard held up his sword, ready to attack. “Not likely, Pious. This will not be our last encounter.” He was then started when Pious raised and lowered the staff, and red lightning struck him, flinging him into the far wall. As he fell to the floor, he was surprised when part of the wall came down on him, burying his legs. As he tried to move them, he heard Pious taunt him. “Now, now, I know you thought that by setting that bomb it would destroy this place, but that helps my plans, especially when it buries the artifact that is somewhere lost in here. I’ve searched the place many times to find the Sigil of Xel’lotath, and now you’ll destroy it for me. And to think, after our encounter in the Tomb of Mantorok, you’ll meet your demise in the

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 183 place where it all started.” As Richard heard those words, he felt his blood run cold. If that was the case, then the Tome might not pull him back to the present in time. He could literally die in the blast of the bomb. He now understood that Michael had been aware of this. However, he wasn’t going to tell Pious that Michael had the very thing Pious was looking for. He looked at Pious and calmly said, “I may die here, but others will fight you. We aren’t alone.” Pious started to disappear as a rumble started, but the skeletal figure just smiled again. “Don’t worry, I will find them. I’ll even find you, and strike at those you care about. I’m sure I will make their deaths as gruesome as I can. I’ll even tell them about your fiery demise.” When Pious disappeared, Richard realized what Pious meant, in more ways than one. The room was shaking, and the far wall appeared to bulge, as if a huge explosion was pushing it. Soon, the wall shattered, as fire came in with it, all towards him. Richard calmly prepared himself for death, but then everything took on a yellowish haze. Just as the first rock was about to reach him, everything dissolved in a bright yellow, and he hard a voice that was a mix between male and female say, “Do not worry. You’ve realized what is going on, and I will make sure you can fight your true enemy. However, you need to heal before you rejoin your wife and friend.” However, as he started to feel better, he wondered if his body would heal, or just his spirit, as he felt like he had entered heaven.

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Chapter 23: Confronting The Evil

Yvette Cale had expected to see her husband appear, but as Alexandra Roivas finished the chapter, she blinked her eyes, and saw herself standing on a street. Not to far from her, she saw Edward Roivas, and he looked a bit nervous. She wasn’t sure when this was, but when she saw a figure coming out of the shadow, she realized it was after the time of the last chapter read. The figure was that of firefighter Michael Edwards. As he walked into view, Yvette could see he had a troubled look in his eyes. It was look that said the person had seen many things that one couldn’t totally comprehend. However, this individual was strong, and she could tell he was coping with it, as well as staying ahead of it. After Michael looked around for a moment, and she could tell he felt safe, if only for a moment, she watched as he handed a package to Edward. She realized she had missed part of what Michael had said, especially when she heard his words. “This is something you are going to need. Don’t open it here, but in secret. They can sense it if it isn’t shrouded.” She watched as Edward looked around for a moment, and then asked, “Is it one of the Artifacts?” Before she could hear Michael’s response, she heard an angelic voice say to her, “It is, and do not fear, Michael is still protected, as is your husband.” Yvette turned for a moment, and quickly raised her hand to shield her eyes. The glow was blinding, but it was also friendly. She squinted a bit, and for almost an instant, she could have sworn she saw a female figure standing in front of her. As she tried to look more at the figure, the angelic voice continued. “Dr. Roivas is correct about the box, but there is more than that in it. Your husband has helped make sure of that. I know you suspect what he has now determined, and he will be there when you need him. Now he is still healing from his last ordeal.” Yvette finally gathered her thoughts, and quickly asked the big question on her mind, since she now knew her husband was alright. “Who exactly are you?” The figure answered with a very cryptic response. “You know me, and you don’t know me. What I can tell you is that I know of Mantorok’s plan, and I am here to aid you. However, know that if you don’t aid him, mankind is doomed, and if you do aid him, it may be doomed, but there is hope that it won’t be. Now, you must return to your own time, and get Alexandra down to the Array.” As the words sank in, Yvette realized one thing was clear. Some of the things she had seen since the beginning had finally made sense. This whole event had been orchestrated from the beginning by Mantorok. That was why she had seen the symbols of the deity under the symbol of Pious’ Ancient. Before she could ask this unknown figure what more they could do, she was back in the study, and she saw a worried look on Alexandra’s face. She realized that Alexandra was thinking the worse, especially as the blonde said in a shaky voice, “Yvette, I think your husband died in that last chapter. He’s not here now.” Yvette started towards the door of the study, and shook her head. “I don’t think he is. I had an interesting vision, but right now we need to get down to Ehn’gha.” She

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 185 then led the way out of the secret study, and towards the library. When they reached the library, she heard Alexandra ask an important question. “Just how are we going to get down there? That hatch is over the ladder down there, and there is no way to move it.” She had thought about that, but she then remember the odd globe and telescope in the observatory. That room was a new edition, and from what she had remembered from Alexandra reading about her grandfather’s chapter, the room wasn’t in the mansion. It had to have been built for a reason. In that moment, it hit her. She quickly opened the door, and smiled when she saw a beam of light going into the telescope, and shooting out the eyepiece end. She looked around, noticing again the strange fixtures on the wall, and remembered what had been in the safe. “Alexandra, remember that handle we found in the safe. I think we can use it to adjust the light beam. Maybe your grandfather set this up, knowing something about this day would be coming, and he was trying to keep things out of the city.” She watched as Alexandra pulled out the handle, and plugged it in to the controls under the eyepiece. “You might be right. I remember asking him about it when I was younger, and he said this is set up for a special event. I think he called it a syzygy, or a planetary alignment. He had mentioned a huge one was happening this….” In that moment, she saw Alexandra’s eyes go wide, and the girl then started adjusting the path of the light beam, to makes sure it would be reflected to the globe. As she turned all the handles, at each spot, she spoke. “He knew this was coming. It must be a key to summoning an Ancient. There have been stories that spells have been cast when there are astronomical phenomena.” Yvette watched as the beam started to reflect between the various points. Soon, the beam was aimed right at the lens in the globe, and she heard something opening beneath them. When the sound ceased, she headed back to the library door, sure that the hatch was now open. After hearing that sound, they both rushed out of the library, and into the main hall. Yvette was about to head towards the basement, but she remembered the vision she had just had. She started to walk towards the door, which she knew had surprised Alexandra. However, before she could hear Alexandra start to say something, they both heard the sound of someone opening and closing the front door. They both rushed over to the door, and Yvette could see the long parcel on the floor. She smiled, but she noticed Alexandra looked a bit scared. “Now that is a little weird. I thought we had locked the door last time we had opened it.” Yvette nodded, but still looked at the package, feeling it was safe. She started to open it. “I think this is what Michael had found with Richard. The last of the Ancient’s essences, plus a special Gladius.” When she had it open, she saw she was right, and handed the new blue glowing Gladius to Alexandra. “If you want, I’ll take the old one.” She handed Alexandra the new one, and watched as Alexandra held it for a moment before giving up the old one. “This is nice, and feels different, like it could be thrown as well.” She then picked up the Sigil of Xel‘lotath, and headed towards the basement door. “Maybe it can be, but would it stay where you threw it, or does it have the mystical ability to come back to you. I don’t know if we should try that.” As they entered the basement, and went down to the room with the hatch,

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Alexandra nodded in agreement. “Indeed. I could just see it now. I throw it, the creature moves, and it soars out of reach.” By this point, they had reached the hatch, and Yvette watched Alexandra descend the ladder. She quickly followed, and was amazed to see they were at the top of a huge circular tower. She glance back up, realizing that the whole mansion was built on the very top of the tower, and for a moment, she feared it would fall down. She pushed that crazy fear away, and then walked to the stairway and started down. They both stayed towards the wall, since there was no railing, and Yvette couldn’t help but think about the field day her father would have with the place. When she reached the balcony that overlooked the ancient city, she gasped, and walked to the railing. In the past, she had seen ruins, after going on some digs with her father and mother. However, when her mother passed, and her gift started up, she went on very few. As she looked upon Ehn’gha, she remembered the awe she felt, but more so. Despite the fact that the place was possibly crawling with the minions of Pious’ ancient, and the looming doom that Pious represented, she had to let the sight sink in, just in case she would never take the moment to admire it again.

Alexandra Roivas looked out at the ancient city, and also noticed how Yvette was admiring it. She did remember who Yvette’s father was, and realized that Yvette was looking at the ancient city as any archeologist might. She even had to admit to herself that it was an awe inspiring sight, but she brought her mind back to the task at hand. She turned to head back down, and then noticed the symbol in the center of the floor. As she took in the purple rune, she heard Yvette turn and walk to where she was. She heard Yvette make a low murmur, before finally speaking her mind. “I had a feeling this was the case. Alexandra, what does that tell you?” She looked at the rune for another moment, and then looked at Yvette. “It is a symbol of Mantorok, but does that means this place was devoted to the dying Ancient?” She watched as Yvette passed the marking, and headed down the steps. She quickly followed as Yvette spoke. “Well, think about this. When one form of worship invades another form of worship’s area, they usually try to eliminate all signs of the previous. Sometimes some things remain, but not much. It is usually the small markings they get rid of the best, due to their size. How could that marking avoid it, unless the old believe was still active.” As the words sunk in, she realized what her friend was saying. “You mean to say that Mantorok’s rune is there because Mantorok is the one controlling things. If that is the case, then why isn’t Pious worshipping Mantorok instead of Chattur’gha.” As they neared the bottom, she heard Yvette’s response. “It could be that Mantorok has a plan to eliminate the other Ancients. It could also explain my husband’s blink attacks. Mantorok could have arranged for Pious to serve each Ancient. That way, by manipulating things, each Ancient would be defeated, and leave only Mantorok left.” The thought that crossed her mind after hearing those words disturbed her. Yvette had made it sound like they were just part of some evil plan. She hoped that wasn’t the case, but in a way, it made sense. Then, she started to wonder something else. Yvette had mentioned something about her vision, and it caused a ray of hope to shine in her. “Yvette, is there another

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 187 ancient, one that could be a help to us?” As they reached the bridge, and she saw the damage that had been done by what her grandfather had done, she heard Yvette answer the question. “Yes, and they saved Richard’s life. At least I’m hoping that. They also let me know that my thinking is right, and it’s possible that Mantorok might have something in plan to stop us. We just have to act like we don’t know that we know about Mantorok’s plan.” As they entered into the city, Alexandra glanced down the obvious street area, and noticed that things were damaged and blocking the side paths. The only place they could go was into the building which was were the Array had to be. Once inside, they both heard a sound that made them turn around. The doorway they had entered now was shielded by a red glowing field. What made things worse was the large hallway appeared to be coated by a yellow glowing field. It was obvious to her that this was meant to keep them from the array, and stopping Pious. Before she even stepped forward, she remembered the times a similar floor was encountered in the Tome. The only way the others had survived crossing similar areas was placing a high level Shield spell around themselves. Remembering that, she quickly cast the Shield, and started towards the far end. As she ran, she noticed that with every couple of steps, one of the shielding orbs flew away. The closer she got, the better she felt that she would make it to the door. However, as she got nearer, she also noticed a pattern of runes in front of the door. It had to be a barrier, and she couldn’t dispel it at this point. She needed to be off the electrified floor, since it would take time to cast the proper spell. She quickly ran towards the door closest to the barrier, and got off the electrified floor. As she turned around after leaving the floor, she noticed that Yvette was following her, and was almost out of her shielding orbs when she ran to the same safe spot she was at. It took them both a moment to catch their breath, but it was Yvette who broke the silence. “I guess this was put in place after your grandfather did what he did. Since it’s color isn’t one of the main ancients, this could be have been activated after the damage your grandfather has caused. However, it doesn’t explain that barrier.” They both looked at the barrier marked by the runes, and noticed that the color they had was the same one linked to Pious’ ancient. In that moment, they looked at each other, and Alexandra knew they were thinking the same thing. “Pious had been able to get down here. The hatch wasn’t able to stop him.” She then smiled, “But we have he ability to stop him now.” With a new hope, she cast the spell that would dispel the barrier, and then restored her shield. Soon, they were both running into the door, and she was amazed at the sight when they entered. The array was apparently still standing, but the room had seen some damage. One of the most notable things was that one of the pedestal was missing it’s top. Alexandra had wondered if this was more of Pious’ doing, but put that thought out of her mind as Yvette started to circle around the array. She did the same, and quickly they both found a piece of the missing part. They brought both pieces to the pedestal, and using magic, reassembled the broken pedestal. Once it was completed, Alexandra looked at the array, and could see nothing had changed. She looked at the pedestals again, and realized what needed to be done. She started placing each of the essences they had gathered on them. Once the last one, the

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Heart of Mantorok was placed, a ethereal hum filled the room, and they saw the array was now glowing. Alexandra walked around the Array again, while Yvette stayed near the three essences. “Any idea on which spell we should use in this thing?” As she walked around, wondering which rune would go where, she noticed Yvette was looking at the center spot, which had to be for alignment. “I think what we need is a Summoning spell. At this level, it will bring in an Ancient to fight Pious’.” She nodded, and also wondered what they would do once the task was complete. Before she could ask the question, she saw Yvette head to the middle spot, and push it. She then heard the pulsing circles appear in the array, and looked at Yvette. “Do you want to go first?” She watched as the redhead nodded. “I will. Just give me a gun, in case I run in to Trappers. I’m familiar enough with a sword to handle one.” Alexandra was about to ask, but decided not to. She then handed over the Tome and the gun, with some ammo. Once she had done that, she saw Yvette run into the circle, and disappear from sight.

Yvette blinked when she appeared on top of one of the many towers. However, before she moved, she looked around real quick, and was glad to see no Trappers. She had no desire to start shooting now, especially in such a confined area. If she missed, she couldn’t run far enough to get out of range of their suicide attack. Once she was sure there were none about, she ran up the steps to where she would pick the rune of what she figured would be alignment. When she reached the spot, she saw the three runes appear, and she knew she needed to think back. It had gotten confusing to remember which one was the proper one, since to her husband it changed each time, but what it came down to was which essence they didn’t have. They had the one for Mantorok, and that one wasn’t a choice. In an instant, she remembered which one it was, and quickly set the rune for Ulyaoth. The image glowed with a pale blue light, and she heard the teleportation circle appear. She cautiously went down to it, and entered. Soon, the view of the tower over the city shifted into that of another room, with many steps. She held her breath, since she heard the sounds of Trappers moving about the room. She cautiously stepped forward, making sure the gun was loaded, and slowly moved through the room. As she moved through the room, she noticed that only one doorway appeared unblocked now. Since she had activated the tower, she figured it unblocked that doorway. However, with other doorways in the room, she knew that either her or Alexandra would pass through the room again. That meant all the Trappers had to be eliminated. That thought was foremost on her mind when she saw the first few Trappers. She fired two shots, killing two of them, and alerting the others to her location. She was thankful they were blind, and hoped she was far enough away to avoid their attack, and close enough to kill them. She fired a few more shots, and soon silence filled the room. She then made her way to the door, stopping to refresh her shield spell. Once she did that, she ran out of the room, and across the entry hall, and back to the array room door. As she ran, she again heard the angelic voice. “I apologize for not

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 189 clearing the floor. Mantorok still has a link to this ancient city, one that he had established when he first came to this world. I can not fully shut him out, so I had to do this. If I were to clear out the way, he would know that I am onto his plan. He can only know that when the time is right.” Yvette understood entirely, especially as she ran into the Array room. She closed the door, and gasped for breath as she walked over to Alexandra. “One down, and eight to go. Be careful, there are Trappers out there.” As she handed the Tome to Alexandra, and the gun, she heard Alexandra respond. “I understand. I have a feeling the next one we go after will be a Pargon rune.” She then watched as Alexandra pressed the stone on the pillar to the right of the one where Ulyaoth’s symbol now floated.

Alexandra headed towards the teleportation circle after she activated the panel. She looked at Yvette, and smiled. “I hope that this goes as smoothly as yours did.” She then stepped into the circle, and watched as the array room dissolved out of sight, and one of the towers appeared. Before she even moved, she saw that she wasn’t alone on the tower. There was a Trapper walking around on the high tower, between her and the spot to place the rune. She quickly raised the revolver, and fired. She breathed a sigh of relief as the creature fell before it could react to the sound. When it finally died, she quickly ran up and set the Pargon rune. Part of her was glad that all she had to do was pick from one rune, since she was sure they needed to make sure the correct runes were selected. She knew the spell they would cast would be a summoning spell, but she wasn’t sure which runes would appear were. She was so focused on that thought, she almost yelped when she appeared in a new room after stepping into the teleportation circle. It was a yelp of surprise, since she heard Trappers all around her, but she couldn’t see them. She quickly realized why. They had to be invisible. She wouldn’t be able to shoot them, unless she could see them. She remembered the spell that allowed them to see the invisible things, and quickly cast it. Her thoughts were correct, as she saw all the Trappers moving around, unaware of their discovery. She slowly made her way out of the sunken area she had appeared in, and fired. The first one fell, and she saw all turn to face the direction. She took advantage of the moment, and fired her next shot at the next one. As more of the Trappers fell, Alexandra moved towards the exit of the room. As she did that, she started to wonder what purpose the room had served. It almost seemed like a room to have a meeting in. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she left the room, and entered another room. She quickly climbed some steps to the only open doorway. That doorway led her back to the room with the electrified floor. She quickly refreshed her shield, and then ran back down to the array room door. As she neared the door, she almost panicked as she started to stumble. She had been able to catch herself, but she didn‘t want to think at how long her shield would last if she had stumbled. She was glad when she finally reached the doorway, and entered the Array room. She closed the door, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Two down, seven to go.”

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She then walked over to Yvette, who was standing right next to the next pillar in the sequence. She handed all the items over. “It was close. I almost stumbled onto the floor out there.” She saw Yvette nod in understanding. All this time, they were worried about monsters and such, and never stopped to consider that a simple misstep had the power to do what the monsters so far couldn’t.

Yvette prepared herself after hearing Alexandra’s statement, and then pushed the stone. Soon the array roared to life, and Yvette took a deep breath. She quickly flashed a thumbs up to Alexandra, and stepped into the teleportation circle. Soon, she found herself at the top of another tower, and thankfully there were no Trappers there. She allowed herself a moment to look over the edge, and realized how a stumble could end what they were doing here. The towers had to be very high up over the level of the subterranean city, and at that height, a fall would be deadly. She placed that thought out of her mind, and approached the spot were she would set the rune. As she got to it, she saw that the only choice available was that of the Pargon rune. Once her choice was made, she thought about it for a moment. So far, they had set two power runes, and an alignment rune. That meant the next one in the sequence would be one of the other two runes needed to create the spell. She started to think about which rune to use as she entered the newly active circle. Soon, her view changed from that of the tower over the city, to that of a large circular room. Her arrival point was on a raised spot above what either was an arena area, or a stage area. She quickly ran down the steps, and noticed that the only exit from the room was guarded by a purplish barrier. She started to wonder if Mantorok might be on to the fact that she was more aware than Alexandra of the threat that faced them if they stopped Pious. It was true that they all suspected it, but Yvette was sure of it for the longest time. If that was the case, this room could have been a tomb. However, she also noticed three odd obelisks in the room. Each one was devoted to one of the three other Ancients, and she was sure they were linked to the barrier. At first, she thought about destroying them individually, but wondered if the others would retaliate, or summon a creature to defend themselves. Also, would the pillars have a way to regenerate themselves. If they did, she needed to destroy all of them at once. When that thought crossed her mind, she smiled as realized the answer to the problem. She looked at all the pillars again, and moved to a spot she was certain to be right in the middle of all the pillars. She then cast the magical attack spell, and smiled when all the pillars exploded, and the barrier disappeared. Yvette quickly ran through the doorway, and into the room she had appeared in the first time she had returned from a tower. She was glad it was still empty, and took a moment to restore her shield. She then ran out in to the main hallway, and made her way back the array room. As she ran past one of the doorways on her right, she felt for a moment that something was watching her. She dared a glance at the doorway, but the red barrier made it hard to see in the room. However, she did notice, for the first time, that the red barrier had a slight purple haze to it as well. Deep down, it increased a fear that had been building since they had arrived at the mansion. It was the fear that no matter what they

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 191 did, the darkness was going to consume them. What made it worse was the fact that everything appeared to be manipulated by the fourth Ancient, Mantorok. However, she pushed that fear out of her mind as she entered the Array room.

Alexandra was glad to see Yvette enter. Even though this trip appeared to be shorter than the previous trip, it didn’t mean it had been easier. She quickly got all the items she felt she would need. “So what happened?” She started to walk over to the next pillar to activate it as she heard Yvette explain. “I set the Pargon rune, and then was transported to a round chamber. Three pillars had been in it, each one for one of the three Ancients Pious could have picked from. They had to be destroyed so I could get back here.” Something in her told her that there had to have been more, but part of her didn’t want to ask. She then activated the next pillar and headed to the circle. Before she stepped in, she looked at Yvette and said, “Yvette, are you worried we might not be doing the right thing?” Before she stepped in, she watched as Yvette shook her head, and sighed. “If we do nothing, mankind will be destroyed. If we do this, then mankind has a chance.” Alexandra sighed as well, and then stepped into the teleportation circle. As it happened before, she appeared atop one of the towers. This time, there was nothing up there with her. She quickly ascended the steps, and reached the screen-like stone. This time, she had to make a choice. Every rune that represented an action was there to pick from. She looked at each one, and wondered which one would be correct. As she thought about it, she thought of all the spells they had found, and what Pious had been doing. He was going to bring his Ancient into the world, and she realized what rune to select. She quickly selected the Summon rune, and then headed back to the teleportation circle. She took a deep breath, and stepped into the circle, hoping she had made the correct choice. They would need the help of the Ancient that could defeat Pious’, and that Ancient was Ulyaoth. She was in the next room, and paused for a moment. As the sounds of walking Trappers could be heard. She quietly stepped off the point she arrived at, and around a balcony like area. As she neared some steps, she also noticed that the floor was electrified, and she saw a barrier blocking the way to the exit door. This would be difficult to pass. She stood on the area overlooking the blocked door, wondering how she would safely removed the runes, without being attacked by a Trapper. She then smiled as the answer hit her. She had a few spells available to her, and quickly started with the Attack spell. After she cast it, she heard all the Trappers collapsed. Now she had to remove the barrier, and that was easily done by Dispelling it. She then refreshed her shield, and quickly ran onto the electrified floor, and back out into the hallway. She didn’t stop once, knowing that doing so might be very dangerous. She had just reached the array room door when the last shielding orb flew away. She quickly got in the room, and collapsed on the floor, thankful she had just enough time to get to the room. She got up when Yvette got to her side.

Yvette ran over to Alexandra when she got in the door and collapsed. She could

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 192 see the girl wasn’t about to pass out, but she could tell that Alexandra had done a bit of running. She quickly took the items she would need, and asked. “What happened? Why are you out of breath?” She waited as her friend finally caught her breath and answered the question. “The room I appeared in also had an electrified floor. You may pass through that room too, since I noticed another blocked doorway opposite the door I left through.” Yvette nodded in understanding, and then went to the last pillar on the right side of the array. Once she activated it, she headed to the teleportation circle, and stepped into it. As the world around her changed, she wondered how they had lucked out so far in only encountering Trappers. Could Edward’s attempt years ago have eliminated everything but those little creatures? It seemed almost impossible, but so far, that is how it seemed. When she was finally on top of the tower, she took another moment to look out over the underground city, and then gaze up. Even though they were underground, she could swear she could see a perfect view of the nighttime sky. In fact, she was certain she was seeing more stars than the modern world would allow at this time. It was a sky uninhibited by modern lights, similar to the view that mankind must have had centuries ago. She stopped musing, and then headed up the steps to where the next rune would be set. She wasn’t surprised to see the rune was the Pargon rune. In fact, she suspected that it would be that rune. If the layout of the array room reflected a power circle of nine points, and Alexandra had set one of the runes for the spell, the rest on the right side had to be Pargon. It also told her that if the left side mirrored the right side, the next rune she’d set would be the other rune for summoning an Ancient to fight Pious’. She headed down, and stepped into the circle, wondering if it was the right thing to do. As she thought about it, the world changed around her, and as she caught a glimpse of the room she was appearing in, those thoughts left her. The first things she noticed as the huge room came into view was a huge red barrier, and three Horrors standing behind it. She was sure she couldn’t take them all on at once. It also made things difficult that they were all the same alignment. There was no way they would turn on one another. She then remembered the trick that had been used in Michael’s time, the Bind spell. She quickly cast it, using Ulyaoth’s alignment, and smiled as a blue halo of lights appeared around the one Horror’s head , and the others started to fight it. Soon that one fell, and Yvette repeated the trick with the second Horror. The second one fell shortly after, as well as the barrier, and left only one left. The way it moved, she could see it was badly injured. Since it wasn’t looking in her direction, she quickly ran forward, and shoved the Gladius into the creature. She backed away as the creature yowled, and then collapsed. She was thankful it was quick, and then ran away, to the only exit from the room. As she reached the next room, she quickly restored her shield, and ran across the electrified floor. At the other end of the room, she quickly restored it again, and ran out into the hall to the array room. As she ran towards it, she glanced over at the door that caught her attention before, and tried to the catch another glance into the room. As she passed the room, this time she noticed something large moving in the center of the room, but she couldn’t tell

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 193 what. She quickly put it out of her mind, but did not forget about it, as she entered the Array room.

Alexandra was glad to see that Yvette was alright, but she could see that the redhead was a bit shaken up. She walked over and took the Tome and gun as Yvette offered them. “What happened? Something other than Trappers?” She felt fear fill her as Yvette nodded. “Three Horrors, but I was able to get them to fight amongst themselves. If I hadn’t, I don’t want to think about what might have happened.” She could sense that there was something more, but she could see that Yvette wasn’t about to say it yet. Once she had everything she needed, she ran over to the first pillar on the left side of the array, and activated it. She then took a deep breath, and walked to the teleportation circle. If Horrors were now showing up, she had to hope that they didn’t start moving in groups. She also hoped that none would be at the top of the towers. Once she stepped into the circle, she was again transported to the top of the tower, and this time she wasn’t alone. However, she was fortunate that there was only Trappers up there. She quickly shot them dead, and then moved up to the place were to set the rune. As she suspected, this rune was the Pargon rune. She sighed, realizing that soon all the runes would be placed, and they could bring an end to this dark cloud that had been cast over her family. She then walked down to the teleportation circle, pausing only once when something caught her eye. She looked over the edge, and noticed that some of the other towers appeared to be glowing a pale blue light. However, the light didn’t reach the top of the towers yet. As she stepped back, and into the circle, she realized what the glow meant. The towers were powering up for the big spell. Once the last rune was set, the towers would use the power to cast the spell. Also, she gained a new respect for the power the ancient city harnessed. Those thoughts quickly left her, when she appeared in the new room, and saw a huge pit in the center of the room. She stepped away from where the circle left her, and cautiously moved forward. She stopped before she would step into a pit with jagged rocks and hot lava. She then glanced to her left, and saw the way out, but this pit blocked the way, and there was no way she could jump it. For a moment, she felt like she would never get out, and then she noticed something. It appeared like some dust was floating in mid air. She looked at it for a moment, and then cast the reveal invisible spell. Soon, the pit was filled in, and she realized it had been an illusion. She quickly ran to the door, pausing briefly to restore her shield, and then out the door. She noticed she was in the hall to the Array room, and also noticed that the walls here were glowing with a pale blue light as well. As she start to cross the electrified floor, she wondered how much of the ancient city might be glowing with power. Was the whole city a magical battery, waiting for the Array to be powered up. Alexandra put that thought out of her mind as she entered the Array room, and handed the supplies that would be needed to Yvette. As she handed over the items, she let Yvette know what she saw. “Yvette, I think that once we get all the runes set, this place will be glowing. I’ve just noticed it now.” She then saw that Yvette’s eyes had gotten

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 194 wide as the news sank in.

When Yvette had the last of the items, she walked over to the next pillar, and pressed it. As she did, she paused to look around the array room. Since they had started, a blue glow had been slowly building in the room as well. The only places that didn’t glow blue were the two essences that were not Ulyaoth‘s. She then walked into the teleportation circle, saying to Alexandra, “If I’m right, I’ll be setting the rune meaning creature, and then it’s two more Pargon runes.” She didn’t hear Alexandra’s response, because she was already teleporting to the top of one of the towers. When she was on the tower, she started to head up to the spot to set the rune, and then looked around the city from above. She took a moment to see if she could spot where they entered the city from, and quickly spotted it. As she looked at it from the tower, she realized how far they had climbed down, seeing the balcony that overlooked Ehn’gha, and how far up it was. In fact, not far from the balcony, she could see the brief outline of a roof, be it a cave roof, or what ever made Ehn’gha what it was. She returned her focus to the task at hand, and quickly set the Creature Rune. Once she did that, she heard the teleportation circle come to life. Yvette quickly ran down to it, pausing briefly to glance at the other towers. The pale blue glow was almost to the top of the tower, but not high enough to reach the top of the tower. She then stepped into the teleportation circle, and wasn’t surprised to find herself teleported to a new room. It looked like a waterway came from the room, or ended in the room, but she didn’t stop to study it. The room was also home to a few Trappers. She slowly moved down the steps, glancing briefly to the only way out of the room, and then aimed the revolver. Soon the room was filled with the firing of the gun, followed by Trapper’s squealing. The latter sound ended faster, as Yvette quickly adjusted her aim, and shot each one in turn. Soon, they were all dead, and Yvette restored her shield and ran out the door. She quickly crossed the next room, not stopping once as the floor flickered and briefly appeared to be a pit. She knew it was an illusion. She then entered the long electrified hallway. As she started towards the array door, her mind wandered to the ‘feminine’ voice she had heard earlier. She knew it had told her that her husband would be with them to help, and that he needed to recover, but she hoped he would be with them soon. They were very close to completing the circle, and he wasn’t back yet. She had started to feel doubt when she heard the voice speak again. “Don’t fret, child. He will be joining you soon. You are going to need his help most when the last rune is set.” Again, something in the voice soothed her nerves, but her worries weren’t completely gone. However, she was calm when she returned to the array room, and handed all the items to Alexandra.

Alexandra was glad to see Yvette arrive back safely. However, she did notice that Yvette seemed concerned about something. As Alexandra took the stuff so she could take on the next challenge, she asked her friend what was bothering her. “Yvette, I didn’t want to pry, but there is something bothering you, I can tell. What is it?”

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She watched as Yvette looked back towards the door, and heard her sigh. “Richard hasn’t rejoined us yet, and I have a feeling that something bad is awaiting us after one of these towers. One of the rooms we haven’t been in yet has something big in it, and if I’m right, it is linked to Mantorok.” Alexandra was shocked by those words. From what she could tell, the only things that might be agents of Mantorok were frail zombies. However, she had noticed the rune on the balcony floor, and Yvette had said his rune was under all the other major runes they had see. “Do you think it might be a lesser Guardian of Mantorok?” She could tell Yvette was unsure, especially as she shook her head. “I’m not sure. There is another possibility, but I don’t want to think about that one. Just set the next rune and get back here.” She nodded and stepped to the next remaining pillar, and pressed it, setting the array in motion again. Once she heard the teleportation circle, she ran right to it, and was instantly transported to the top of the next tower. She was thankful that there were no Trappers, or anything else there. She even started to wonder if there were anymore creature still in the ancient city, or at least the area they had been in. She put that thought out of her mind as she ran up the steps to where she was to set the rune. As both she and Yvette had concluded, it was the Pargon rune. Once she set it, she turned to head down to the teleportation circle. Before she moved, she noticed that now the floor where the circle was at had a pale blue glow. She glanced back at the spot where she set the rune, and wondered what would happen when the last rune was set. She put the thought aside, and ran down into the teleportation circle. When the world stopped shifting around her, she looked around to see the room she was in was a museum like room. She also noticed three golden circles on the floor, each with the shape of a creature, and color, on a sign next to each circle. She walked around the room, examining the circles, and the square shaped holes, before it hit her what she needed to do. She first stepped close to the one with a blue Trapper, and summoned the creature. The second it appeared, she made it step on to the circle. Once it did, she saw it continue walking, without any orders from her, and then disappear with the circle, only for it to fill one of the holes. She then moved close to the circle for the red Zombie, and repeated the process. As it had happened before, the second the Zombie shuffled onto the circle, it moved automatically, and faster than it normally would, which surprised her. She then ran over to the spot for the green Horror. She made sure she was a few steps away from the circle. She wasn’t sure if the creature could pull her into the circle with her, if she were too close, and she didn’t want to find out. She then summon the huge creature, and watched as it appeared right next to the circle. She made it move one thunderous step forward, and watched as it entered the circle. Soon, it was in one of the alcoves. As the last creature became frozen in place, she hear a barrier fall. She glanced over at the doorway to the room, and noticed the barrier just as it disappeared. She then restored her shield, and ran through the door. She was in the electrified hallway, and made her way straight to the array room. When she reached the door, she glanced back, and smiled, noticing only one door, other than the main door to the complex, remained block, and that meant only one rune to go. She then ducked in the door, before her shield

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 196 was gone.

Yvette was glad when Alexandra had finally returned. When she started handing stuff to her, Yvette asked the main question on her mind. “Where did you arrive in the place?” She was stunned when her friend answered with out stopping. “It was a museum like room. It had a few of each Trapper, Zombie and Horror on display in something like cases. I had to summon a few to fill in the empty places. I think after the creatures were put in the case, it filled with some sort of magical stuff to hold them in place, or suspended animation. I didn’t want to end up like that.” Yvette could understand the fear, but now she was sure she would have to face the last room. She walked over to the pillar, and activated it. Once that was done, she looked over at Alexandra. “You still have the enchanted Gladius, right?” When the girl nodded, Yvette walked over to the circle. “If I don’t return in fifteen minutes, I want you to go and fight Pious. I’m sure that once the rune is set, the teleportation circle will stay open.” She stepped into the circle just as Alexandra said, “I will, but I hope you do come back.” Deep down, she hoped so to, especially as the final tower came into view around her. She took a deep breath, and then noticed that there was a Trapper on the tower. She slowly raised the revolver and fired. Like always, she had killed it, and then ran up to the top of the tower. When she reached the top of the tower, she set the rune, and was amazed by two things. First off, she heard ever rune’s name speak in the voice that had to be Ulyaoth’s. Second, all the towers now glowed with a pale blue light. She glanced over one edge, and noticed that a blue band now started to ascend the towers. That told her that they had little time to get back to the Array. She quickly ran down to the teleportation circle, and into it. Soon the scene shifted, and she was in a room with a large pit, circled by a glowing purple floor. However, she stifled a gasp when she saw what was in the center of the pit. It was a huge purple worm. She looked at it, but acted like she didn’t see it. Something told her that the worm was not meant to be seen. She slowly descended the steps to the floor, and started to walk to the only exit from the room. As she walked, she acted like there was nothing wrong, but deep down, she realized what that thing meant. Somehow, Mantorok had a link to the city, and could very well be dictating everything that happens. In fact, she was sure of it. Pious finding the tomb of the Ancients’, the ‘binding’ of Mantorok, the city of Ehn’gha, Oublie Cathedral, and the Roivas having their home here, was all linked to Mantorok’s will. The fifth Ancient was right. She was close to the exit when it happened. She heard a ghastly male voice say, “I knew you were more special than your father. It was a shame he didn’t bring you to the temple. I made sure Pious destroyed your husband, now I shall make sure you don’t alert others to my plans.” Yvette spun around in time to be knocked back by the striking creature. She realized then that the worm wasn’t an agent of Mantorok, but was Mantorok. The Ancient must have encircled the planet, and controlled the very forces of the planet. Even this underground city must not have been fully immune. Those thoughts consumed her

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 197 mind until she hit the ground hard. She had been stunned, and realized the real danger she was in as she saw the shielding orbs fly from her. Soon she would be defenseless, and a victim to the electrical floor. She wouldn’t be able to reach the door in time. As the last orb started to fly away, she realized her end was near, and only a miracle could save her. She was even sure Alexandra wouldn’t reach her in time, especially as she heard footsteps, and looked towards the Array room door to see no one.

Richard Cale appeared in the long hallway he was last in with Edward Roivas, but he was not unprepared. The Ancient who had let him heal had blessed him with special gifts. The electrified floor would not hurt him, especially as he ran towards his fallen wife. He ran to her and quickly picked her up, preventing the floors effect from hurting her. When she looked at him, he felt better, especially as she smiled. “A miracle did happen. You arrived at the right time.” He held her close as he carried her to the door to the array. As they headed there, he kissed her. “Yes, she had told me now was the right time. All three summoning spells are happening, and now we have to get to the array. It is possible that Alexandra can handle it alone, but when she is successful, Mantorok has already planned for her fall.” His wife gasped as they reached the door. “What do you mean for her fall? He had something planned for when she defeated Pious.” He nodded and told her what he had been allowed to learn during his recovery. “Yes. Pious had posed as many people. When he dies, it will be revealed that those he posed as will be dead. The Inspector will have been killed by Alex, as evidence is shown that all three of us had conspired to kill her grandfather. Evidence will also appear that your father had killed Paul Augustine, at Angkor Wat. It may even be that I’ll be a suspect in my parent’s death. When we win, Mantorok will have us framed so he can take over with no one who knows the truth able to stop him.” They entered the array room, and noticed that Alexandra was about to enter the array. She had stopped when they entered, and he could see she was glad to see them. “Richard, you’re alive, and back just in time.” He wasn’t surprised when she rushed over to them, and gave them a hug. He then watched as she backed away, and could tell something was wrong. Richard quickly told Alexandra what he had learned, and heard her gasp in shock. “So what are we going to do, once we defeat Pious? We can’t show our faces ever again.” Richard nodded, and then looked up. “She said she would protect Ehn’gha, and she would find away to lead our loved ones here. She would also make sure others made their way here. In time, we can get other safe areas set up, but she know Mantorok is ready to send his Horrors, Trappers, and Guardians into the world. She even stated that Mantorok’s Bonetheives are already in places of power. Almost all of your Presidential candidate are controlled by them.” He heard Alexandra gasp when she heard that, since it meant that not matter what, her home country, and where they were, would be under Mantorok’s control. They all then looked at the Array, seeing the teleportation circle, and Richard

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 198 knew what they were all thinking. This was it, the point of no return. He also knew that if they didn’t go through the circle, they were as good as dead. In fact, he knew the world was dead if they didn’t go through. He looked at both his wife and friend. “Well, we better do this. If we don’t, mankind won’t have any future.” He watched as both nodded, and then they all stepped forward. At that moment, something odd happened. He saw two locations appear before them. The first was the surreal hall that the Tome always appeared in, and the second was the area where Pious Augustus was. He watched as his wife walked into the hall, and then as she approached, he noticed that she now appeared atop one of the various towers in Ehn’gha. He then saw Alexandra step towards, and appear, in the area Pious was at. He watched as Pious took notice of Alexandra’s arrival, and was stunned to see Pious wasn’t attacking. The man who Richard now understood was only a tool spoke confidently, not knowing he was also waiting to appear. “Miss Roivas, you had arrived just in time. The summoning spell I had started over two thousand years ago is almost complete. Soon, you will become the first morsel for my lord, Chattur’gha.” He lost track of Pious’ words after that, as he swore he heard Pious also mention Xel’lotath and Ulyaoth. He was proud when Alexandra didn’t back down. “You’ve forgotten what it means to be human, Pious. The human race will never go quietly into the Darkness. For years, people have been doing what they can to stop you. Now, thanks to their actions, we have the essences of the other ancients. This will end now.” He watched as Pious started to advance on Alexandra. “It will indeed Miss Roivas. I’m sure you will be no match for me alone.” He then watched as Pious quickly dispelled the shield Alexandra still had in effect. At that moment, Richard stepped forward, and watched as Pious paused in shock. “But she isn’t alone, Pious. Unlike what you had been sure of, I’m still very much alive.” He then held out his sword, which had been blessed by the fifth ancient, and glowed a heavenly yellow color. “And, I am more aware of what is going on than you will ever be.”

Alexandra noticed that Pious was in shock at Richard’s appearance, and took that moment to strike. She was still some distance away, but she felt she needed to swing her Gladius at Pious. In that moment, it flew out of her hand, and while glowing blue, struck Pious and then returned to her hand. She was amazed at that. However, she got over the amazement quickly when a red claw like object appeared. She saw Richard run forward, and heard him shout, “Hit that thing, now.” She quickly ran towards the object, and threw the Gladius again. This time, it hit the claw, and when it did, for the briefest of moments, a surreal hall appeared in view. It had distracted her long enough that she almost didn’t notice the magical attack that Pious had launched. She moved at the last second, dodging the attack. She turned to see that Richard had also had backed away from Pious. She quickly shouted, “Richard, keep after Pious, and I’ll watch for the artifact.” She saw him nod, and then run forward. Soon, his enchanted sword had struck Pious, causing the fiend to step back, allowing Richard to do the same. She then noticed that the claw had appeared close to where Pious spoke with his Ancient. Currently, that was nowhere close to where Pious was. She quickly ran up the steps that joined the two

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 199 areas, and attacked the claw. As before, the image of the surreal hall appeared, but this time she wasn’t distracted by it. She did, however, hear Pious speak to Richard. “I do not know how you were able to survive the destruction of the Forbidden City, but I’ll make sure you wished you had died there.” She saw the attack come at the same time Richard did, as they both jumped back as the attack struck right where they had each been standing. She was thankful that Pious hadn’t shook Richard’s resolve. “It wasn’t my time to go, Pious. I had to make sure you didn’t bring Chattur’gha, or which ever one it is, into this world.” She then saw how Richard ran, jumping back as the last second as Pious swung his bone staff, and then jumping forward to slash Pious again. In that moment, she saw the Claw appear right next to Pious. She knew this would be dangerous, but maybe she didn’t have to get so close. She got to the top of the steps, and let the sword go. She wasn’t surprised when it hit the Claw, but when it returned to her hand, she suddenly felt light-headed. This wasn’t a good thing, especially if Pious could attack her when she was down. She tried to fight it, but it was if she couldn’t keep control of her own body. As everything got dark, she hoped this wasn’t the end for her.

Yvette was not surprised that from the top of the tower she was on that she could see the battle. What did surprise her was other things. During the battle, it looked like all the artifacts were there. However, that did match up with the sight she could see far above her. Clear as day, on what had to be a ceiling, she saw three scenes, where each one of the Ancients was battling their superior. Three battles were happening at once. She was also surprised when she saw the surreal hall, and when the ghost of Ellia started to walk out of her statue. She watched as the figure moved to a ghostly form of the Tome, and then she noticed Alexandra looking like she was losing consciousness. She realized what was happening, and shouted, “Ellia, hit the artifact. It needs to be destroyed.” She then watched as Ellia’s ghost took over Alexandra’s body, and it even looked like Ellia now. As her husband kept fighting with Pious, Ellia struck the artifact, and Alexandra returned. She watched as Alexandra held back, and realized that the girl realized what had happened. Soon, when Richard struck Pious, and Yvette watch as Alexandra first stuck the artifacts, and then disappeared to another point, and Anthony’s spirit now appeared. As Anthony struck it, she realized what was happening. The spirits of those who fell to the Tome, we being allowed one last chance. As the battle continued, she noticed that Karim was now the spirit in control, and he also struck a blow to the artifacts. In that moment, three loud roars echoed through out Ehn’gha. She glanced up, and saw that each fight had taken a turn, in their favor. All the Ancients yowled in pain as their superior struck them. Once each was wounded, she glanced down, at the area where the fight with Pious took place in, and saw the battle had stopped, as they all heard the sounds. She then shouted, “Keep it up. Pious’ Ancient is starting to lose.” She then watched as the battle continued, and she could tell Pious was getting upset. However, with the latest turn of events, she could see that Pious now appeared worried.

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Richard had heard his wife’s words, and realize they truly were winning. He also took advantage of Pious’ distraction, and swung his blade at Pious. He watched as Pious staggered back from the blow. Again he noticed that Alexandra had been possessed, but this time by Maximillian, and he remembered how slow the colonial Roivas was. He knew that the slow moving figure would be an easy prey for Pious. He noticed that Pious was about to turn, and decided to try and throw the truth of what had happened into Pious’ face. “So, Pious, what is it like being the tool of Mantorok? Doing what he wants.” He jumped back as Pious swung his staff at him, obviously forgetting about Maximillian’s ghost. “I do not serve that dying weakling. I serve the mighty Chattur’gha.” He noticed that Pious paused for a moment, as if he just noticed something for the first time. Richard knew exactly what he had heard, especially as the distraction did it’s job, and Maximillian struck the Claw of Chattur’gha, which as he glanced at it, became the Sigil of Xel’lotath, then the Veil of Ulyaoth, before becoming the claw again. He quickly back-stepped as Alexandra reappeared and Pious started to launch a magical attack. After narrowly dodging the attack, he smiled when Alexandra threw her Gladius again, and it hit its mark, causing the Claw to appear again. As Alexandra ran towards the Claw’s latest spot, Richard continued his verbal assault. “That is who you think you serve, but you heard what I heard. Your voice said all three of those Ancients at once. They couldn’t have all joined forces to summon you to where their essences were imprisoned. Someone was pulling the strings.” He blocked the blow that Pious tried to deliver with his Bonestaff. He then heard Alexandra strike the essence again, which caused Paul Luther’s spirit to appear. He blocked another blow as Pious continued the mind games. “The only strings that will be pulled will be yours when I use your lifeless corpse to bring your wife to be consume by my master, Chattur’gha.” As the last word was spoken, the other names joined it, and Pious paused again. The distraction allowed the ghost to strike the essence, and Alexandra to return. Richard quickly pushed Pious back, which caused Pious to stumble. The agent of evil was getting weaker. Richard quickly swung his sword, which amazed him when it sliced Pious, allowing the essence to appear again. As Alexander headed to it, he swung again, causing Pious to back up. “They were never your master. You were being used to bring them all here, to face their destruction at the others. They weren’t even aware you were there in the Ancient City until you picked up an artifact. Only one could make you think they were calling.” His last statement was punctuated by Alexandra swinging at the essence, hitting it, and causing the spirit of Roberto to appear. However, he saw the ghost take no time, and swing at the Claw, causing it to shatter. At than moment, three great roars echoed from the heavens above. Richard chanced a look up, and saw each of the Ancient’s that would be Pious’ get wounded. Now, with the Claw gone, Pious would fall quickly. Richard started to swing his sword more and more, as Alexandra constantly threw her Gladius. Each blow weakened Pious more and more, until the evil creature collapsed to the ground, dropping his staff. He didn’t want to say more, but he could see that Pious didn’t seem to appear in shock as he fell. He watched Pious, even when the three roars

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 201 had changed into death wails, telling him what he was glad to hear.

Alexandra Roivas was glad when Pious fell to the ground. She was about to walk over to the fallen form, when she heard the noise. She glanced up, and in that moment, she saw the death of all the Ancients. In one, Ulyaoth destroyed Chattur’gha. In the second, Chattur’gha dismembered Xel’lotath. The last battle showed Xel’lotath destroying the mass known as Ulyaoth. That sight eased Alexandra’s pain, the pain of the loss of her grandfather, but it wasn’t enough. She walked over to Pious, and picked up his staff. It had been the symbol of his power, but knowing how he got it, she wondered if he would admit it. She looked down at the prone form, who just looked back at her. She wanted to hear him admit he had been used, but the last words he spoke didn’t say that. “The Darkness Shall Prevail. This was only the beginning.” When she heard those words, she was more determined to stop his evil, and stabbed the end of his staff right though him. She was now certain that this was over. However, the second she released the staff, she saw visions of what was about to happen now. She saw all three of the Ancients, the versions she had summoned, which shouldn’t exist now, coming to feast on humanity. She blinked, and looked up, to see that the huge figures were now coming towards Earth, unaware of the others illogical existence. She glanced over at Richard, with tears in her eyes. “What have we done? Did we do the right thing? How will we stop it.” She watched as Richard motioned towards where Pious must have spoken with his Ancient. Showing there was an image of the surreal hall, and a figure stepped out of one of the statues. She almost gasped as it walked over to where the book would have been. Seeing it filled her with hope that things would work out.

Yvette was amazed to see the ghost of Edward Roivas walking through the surreal hall. As he walked, he appeared to disappear, only to reappear on another tower. He only said a few words as he headed to the tip. “Quickly, we must bind that creature, before it reaches Earth.” She quickly understood, and ran to the tip of the tower, and for the first time, the runes weren’t singular, but groups, with one being dominant over the others. She quickly switched it to be the one that had been weaker than Chattur’gha being in the high point. Once she set that, all the towers turned green. She glanced over at the ghost, and saw he had set a rune as well. As she looked up, she watched as each Ancient started to struggle as it was sucked out of the universe, through a circle of runes. It was a sign that the day of the Ancients was completely over. She then took a step down from the tower, and was stunned to find herself standing with Richard, Alexandra, and the ghost of Edward Roivas. As they stood there, she heard Edward speak to them all. “I wish I could have told you all more about this, but I wasn’t sure how to explain it. I’m sorry, most of all to you, Alexandra, that I didn’t tell you more when I was alive. I am grateful that you all learned the real truth. I know the times are going to be tough ahead, but I know you all can do it. Do not lose faith, and trust the one protecting you. In time, others will join to help fight off the darkness. The fact that all of you can now see beyond the veil means hope for humanity.”

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Yvette held back her tears as Edward disappeared. She then looked at her husband who seemed calm. She looked at Richard, and then at Alexandra, and then noticed that they were in the city of Ehn’gha, and it was now glowing a golden yellow light. It didn’t appear dangerous, like the floor of the hall had been, but it felt good. As she stood there, she felt refreshed. She then noticed that Alexandra had pulled out the Tome of Eternal Darkness. It had been key in what had happened, but she didn’t want to look in it. It had been one of Mantorok’s tools. They all looked at it, pondering what their next move would be, but they had a good idea of what it would be. She then looked out at Ehn’gha, and when she did, they all nodded, knowing what their future was.

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Epilogue: Revealing The Truth

Alexandra Roivas still could not believe that only two weeks had passed since the defeat of Pious Augustus. It would have been more unbelievable if they had not been aware of what was going to happen. With the help of Richard and Yvette, they had started transporting small stuff down from the house to the city of Ehn’gha. It had taken a few trips to get most of the library’s books down, and soon both she and the Cale’s had set up a small section of the Array area as a living area. There was a good reason for this. They had found a radio in the house, and as they gathered stuff, the heard the first report. It had been announced that a major breakthrough had occurred in the case of her grandfather’s gruesome death. Apparently, the story was that the police had found proof that there was a plan to kill him, lead by her, and the Cale’s. They were now all wanted criminals. What had made matters worse came hours later. It had been reported that Richard was now a suspect in the death of his parents, and that Yvette’s father, Edwin Lindsey, was now announced to be the one who killed wealthy businessman and philanthropist Paul Augustine, who had disappeared over a decade ago. That news was then followed by the word that Inspector Legrasse had been reported killed, and that the murderers were now hiding in the Roivas estate. When they all realized what was coming, the fifth Ancient, who when they learned her name, were surprised, told them all would be alright. They had all gotten up to the foyer, and looked out the window, when the cops had frozen, and it appeared fire trucks were pulling up. On the radio, they heard a report of a raging fire, that kept burning. The Ancient had hidden the building with the illusion of a grand fire. Not even the firefighters could put it out, but she was surprised when one man did manage to get through at the time. That man had turned out to be Michael Edwards, who had told them that he had been directed to the place. He had also told how all the reporters and most of the police all had hisses in their voices, sure signs of Bonetheives. He then told them of the passing of Peter Jacobs, which had made Richard sad. Shortly after that day, Edwin Lindsey had arrived, and he and Yvette had begun exploring more and more of the Ancient city, while Richard worked on reading all the books that her grandfather had gathered. Even from the books, they had learned more about the city, and the fifth Ancient has started allowing them some of the comforts of the life they knew. One of the buildings they had found now had rooms for each of them, and it had been good to rest in a bed again. However, as the two weeks had passed, they had been informed that others would start arriving. People who could see beyond the veil of reality, like they now could. On the radio, they heard about horrible murders, which some would claim were their work. However, some channels spoke of horrible creatures, which some people called kooks. It had even been mention how some people were storming mental hospitals, hoping to get into them, for safety. Those that didn’t join the masses at the asylums, were making their way here. Alexandra walked out her current room, and knocked on the door to the Cale’s

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem: The Novel 204 room. Since they had discovered the rooms, they had all enjoyed their time alone. When the door opened, she saw Richard coming out of the door. “Yvette and her father are out exploring some more. I take it some of the new arrivals will be here today.” Alexandra nodded. “A few actually. Our protector informed me that one had been a reporter, who encountered unusual things. Another two are former FBI agents, who are a little bit more open minded about things. There are even a few from your home country, who our protector says traveled with a medical man who wasn’t a medical man.” She watched as he nodded, and they headed to what they now called the meeting hall. It had been a building next to the Array building, and it was perfect for meetings. In fact, when they got there, they could see Michael had already arrived with the people. She looked over at Richard, and he looked at her, and motioned. “I think you should give the speech. This is your family’s legacy.” She nodded, and then stepped to the center of the room. As she did that, she saw Yvette and her father had returned and went to her husband’s side. Deep down, Alexandra envied them, and secretly hoped that as more like them arrived, that she might find a man someday. When she reached the center of the room, she looked at the new arrivals, took a deep breath, and began. “Once, I had been blind to what lies beyond. However, I had been made to see. I know you’ve seen them as well.” As she continued, she could sense that they had found sanctuary. She also knew that as their numbers grew, they would be able to fight Mantorok and his minions, hopefully some day soon.

The End.