Amnesia: Descent to Madness
by silenthero27
Disclaimer: this wonderful game, Amnesia, came from the bizarre minds in Frictional Games. I own nothing, except for a very cool lantern. :b
Welcome to my first fanfic! Don't be too harsh about the criticism. English is not really my thing. ^^
I first seen Amnesia when I saw Pewdiepie played it. Got intrigued, played the game, and now I wished I hadn't! Amnesia is one hell of a game that cannot be forgotten. Pewdiepie sure can take a lot of scares, and that's why I love him so much (^^). In any case, the story between the games of Amnesia seems very loose to each other. So I decided to make one!
As I've read from this fanfic section, it's all about Pewdiepie and his misadventures. To change the flow of stories here I present to you, Justine.
Another Justine insane crap? No, no, no, no. The Justine I show here is pretty different. Just the opposite, really. Just like the title implies this story is about a good natured Justine delve deeper into madness. I will reintroduce the characters in a new light, though. How so? Read on.
As intimidating as the title is, it's not an Edgar Allan Poe story. It's not really a dark piece story in general. There will light hearted parts of the story. Must build up the characters, right?
Note:
I weaved together the characters and events in Amnesia: the Dark Descent and Amnesia: Justine to make it more believable. Despite the time gap between Dark Descent and Justine (20+ years or so), the story will happen in 1839, just like the Dark Descent. I'm just curious what would happen when those two collide. XD.
Pardon me for a very long introduction. Already set? Hope so.
The town of Calais. A beautiful town that sit besides the English Channel. A coastal town of majestic grace blessed with nature's scenery. In a clear sky, if one focused intently on the horizon, one could see the white sands of Dover. Steep cliffs adorned its sides and many capes have lured many tourists to adorn the clear waters of the sea.
But no one could have guessed that this beautiful town had been the victim of countless wars, wars where the innocent suffered more than the opposing groups. In the past no one could have even known that this little town exists. Calais was in edge of the world. But as the world grew in the minds of conquerors Calais was now in the middle of two warring countries. Only because of its strategic location it has been brought to light, the sparking light of war. This little town was been fought for centuries until it was declared neutral and deemed too ravaged to be of use by both warring states. Many villages were erased from the map by the destruction.
Still the town of Calais endured. As a land destroyed by fire it renews into a more grandeur state than its former glory. The citizens had rebuilt their town literally out from the ashes and had become prominent in trade and business as the war finally subsided.
Finally, the town of Calais had entered its golden age when the Florbelle family took residence. The Matriarch of the Florbelle House, Veronica Florbelle, was a genius in the art of botany, medicine and trade. She had transformed the little town of Calais into a crucial trade route. Making different types of potions and elixirs she became a distinguished citizen in all of Europe. There, she had built a castle out from the very rocks that endured the wars of destruction and mayhem. Sitting proudly in the center of Calais, in the artificial island, was the Florbelle chateau. It was designed so that the water around it serves as a protective moat and the foundation draws in water for various machineries. A fortress that's surrounded by water and its own people. Nothing on France or even on Europe could match the perfection that is Florbelle chateau.
As strange as it sounds, the female member of the Florbelle became the master of the estate when they're capable to lead. Through unknown reasons the female members of the Florbelle family were uniquely gifted intellectually, physically and mentally - though it has been suggested that it has something to do with genetics. So they are effectively the queen and the head of the family.
In the built castle, some say that no one had ever denied a stay. A glance from afar could catch any would be traveler's eyes. With its elegance and the lavish lifestyle it represents, absolutely no one wanted to leave the castle for a moment. Except for just one.
Justine Florbelle, the 4th generation of the Florbelle house, was not in the chateau today. She was in their retreat villa, near a cliff overlooking the town of Calais to the west and the English Channel to the north. She's been there for quite some time. Her servants didn't knew it except for the select few who were with her. She'd often go to the retreat house to get out the hassle of responsibilities of a noble for but a short moment. But unlike her previous "vacations" this one's different.
"It's been raining hard," Justine said sitting in a chair. She had a brunette hair, hazel brown eyes and wears a regal red dress. Her long hair was arranged in a bun and parts of her hair were arranged quite messy. But it doesn't ruin her image, quite the contrary.
The room she was in was decorated by small kneeling golden statues holding their sword pointing downwards with an outstretched arm, an honorary for loyalty and valor and service for the French government, and bookshelves that contains the records of the past Matriarchs. The windows overlooked the whole town of Calais - but the storm raged outside blurring the distant town. She took a cup of hot coffee hoping somehow the rich and strong taste might help smother her thoughts.
True, it had been hard to manage a whole estate without her parents: her mother died before she even seen her and her father disappeared after venturing to one of his trips. It had been a commotion when her father never returned, and quickly forgotten when Justine, who then, is of age, managed the estate more effectively than that of her father's.
When her father was still present his room had never been entered by anyone , not even by his own daughter. Now that it was not the case anymore Justine had commanded some servants to clear up her father's room. But some things were unexpectedly discovered.
A hidden basement and bizarre collections of torture devices.
She learned about the torture devices when one of her servants gathered her father's things and accidentally opened a secret passageway to a basement. It was a labyrinthine dungeon with all sorts of rooms of grotesque research of some kind. The placement of the basement seems to be the foundation of the castle. Complete with a crypt it looks like it was older than the castle itself. One particular place was filled with murky water, asserting that there must be a leak in the metal tubes.
The torture devices were scattered all around the basement: in the library, the cells, the hallways, everywhere. No one in their sane mind could have venture in this basement without affecting one's mental health.
To Justine, to everyone with a reasonable mind, this was a horrible revelation indeed. But she could not risk it that their family name would be tarnished because of her father's morbid collection and hidden basement. She had ordered only the servants who knew about the contraptions to place it somewhere else whilst someone may have found it and starts to spread that the Florbelles were mad and insane. It became quite an issue. Justine told her servants to fix the broken tubes, lock up the basement with strong metal doors and not to talk about it anymore. She then promised them everything is going to be alright now that she's in charge, to which her servants diligently kept.
It also didn't help when there are suitors like the plague from around every corner.
But this problem she'd kept thinking was different. No. The thoughts seem riveting, forceful, and troubling. As if someone was forcing her to remember her past, her family and about… someone. Justine took another cup, and began to arrange the memories scattered in her mind.
"Don't be ashamed. I'm just filling the void your mother had left," a man chidingly said.
"My friends call you a lunatic, a madman," a small girl retorted. "I couldn't accept that fact. They say you've changed since mother passed away."
"Your mother was a great woman," he said proudly but softened as he continued. "We couldn't just leave her legacy behind. I'm discovering something groundbreaking! It's just a matter of time before we unlock the mystery."
"You are speaking in riddles again…"
"We couldn't afford to hide your father's contraptions. We should sell it somewhere else!"
"And what, for someone to put it to use? For some madman lays his hands on these, these… machines?"
"I do not know why you haven't bothered your suitors, mademoiselle. Some of them belongs to a noble family. Why not…"
"Please, if you may, don't speak another word about them."
"Artisans have delicate roles to play. I've seen father do it, and now I hope to be one."
"An artisan with a chisel in one hand and a lantern in another?"
"Very amusing…"
A knock on the door breaks Justine in her reverie. "Mademoiselle Florbelle? A guest has arrived," a high pitched voice said outside the room. It was Justine's habit to lose track of time when she's doing something or contemplating.
Justine sat up, placed the half finished cup in a tray and opened the door. There in front of her was the maid Clarice bowing.
"Thank you, Clarice," she said mounting up a cheering tune convincingly though it pained her to act cheerfully where she is actually troubled.
"The guest is in the hall. He says he's here for some things but didn't specify what it is." Clarice explained. The conversation was more like that of friends than that of a master and slave. "He also said that he needs to talk to you about an important matter."
"Important matter?"
"That too, Mademoiselle, he didn't specify."
"Thank you, Clarice. I'll be with the guest shortly."
"Mademoiselle," Clarice softly said. "May I put away the whole tray? You seemed finished."
With a small smile Justine answered, "Don't worry. I'll clean it by myself. It is I who used it, didn't I?"
That is one thing why Clarice and the other servants became so loyal to the Florbelle family: the Florbelles were not abusive tyrants unlike in other places. With a bow and an appreciative smile, Clarice left the room.
Justine's mind moved from a slight headache to a nervous disposition. She didn't need to ask who this guest Clarice is speaking off. She didn't even wonder how this man knew their hidden villa. But she had heard of this man from his father, and perhaps he had came here numerous times when his father was still present. Though why would he come when a storm is rampaging outside and how he came here was beyond her.
She closed the door and sat again in the chair. She reached for the cup of coffee but hesitated when she felt it was no longer hot. The storm is much worse than when she last looked at it. But she's more worried about what will happen moments later. It was always a distasteful experience for her whenever that man meets her father. And now he visits her.
Alexander.
Hope this all set the introduction of the story. Yeah, I've changed some lines about the canon story, but where's the fun in making a fanfic, right?
Veronica Florbelle. Guess where I get this from?
Aaaaannnddd. I can't resist to not include a Pewdiepie reference. XD.