Chapter 2: The Binding of the Corpse God

BlueTiger321: Hi there, and welcome to the next chapter. Now we get to see the sanity effects take place. If you haven't played this game and you don't know what I'm talking about then you've truly missed a great experience. Watching these while playing made me want to throw my controller at the screen in frustration! Anyway, now we get to see the next character whose destiny is intertwined with the Ancients. Enjoy!


Ophelia read the passage on the next chapter. Even though the page was ancient, she recognised the handwriting belonging to her grandfather. What truly impressed her was seeing that the writing hadn't caused any damage to the page. It must've been very important to her grandfather to take care of such a fragile document.

As she read the passage, she felt as though Roku's voice was speaking to her. It read: "I cannot say what was the true beginning, nor am I sure of its end. So, perhaps here is the best place to start: I am reminded of ideas I first encountered in Sir James George Frazer's book 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion.' We are overwhelmed by our very human need to weave a web of meaning where there may be none. Since time immemorial, ancient peoples have dressed up their lack of knowledge as gods and demons. I have discovered that sometimes, the fates of gods and mortals intertwine – and legends are born..."

Ophelia is now reliving the past events of a girl in the Angkor Thom region of Cambodia in 1150 A.D. The girl appeared to be almost in her teen years. Her black hair flowed freely down her back and one strand on her left side was coloured deep pink, and it matched well with her brown eyes and freckled nose. She was clothed in a green T-shirt that had a pink dragonfly-like symbol in the centre, blue jeans that revealed her midriff, brown shoes and a brown wristband with a purple gem in the centre. Her name was Juniper Lee or June as she preferred to be called.

The girl was a court dancer for the king of the Khmer Empire, Suryavarman II. She happily sat by herself inside a temple and she read from a book she happened to find by chance. What she didn't realise was that she was in fact reading the Tome of Eternal Darkness.

(A/N: This is one problem I have with the game: the historical inaccuracy. Back then, slaves did not have the knowledge to read. Then again, if this story was historically accurate, then June wouldn't be wearing the clothes she's wearing now. Go figure.)

June said aloud what she read: "Thy time is done, Great Ancient. Forever in shadow will you be, Master of Chaos! And to fade to nothing in obscurity will be thy fate. My master has planned many millennia for this day. It is the true chaos of all things that you now must be entombed amongst the beings of flesh and bone."

June could imagine the voice of whoever wrote the passage in her mind. Oblivious to her was that deep in the very temple where she sat was the mighty Dark Ace. The former Centurion was holding a staff that resembled a human spine with a pelvic bone at the top, and he stood before a giant creature that was covered in spikes. This beast was known as the Corpse God and the God of Chaos, Lavos – the only Ancient with a physical presence in this world.

Dark Ace stared intently at the Corpse God and knew that Lavos was charged with keeping order and balance with the other Ancients. As long as he interfered then the liche's master could never reign supreme.

"You have a great monument here, Lavos," said Dark Ace. "It is a pity that no one will ever recognise it as yours."

The evil sorcerer then swayed his arms back and forth as nine magick runes glowing in a yellow light surrounded him. The names of each rune echoed throughout the room as they formed: Lavos, Pargon, Pargon, Bankarok, Pargon, Pargon, Aretak, Pargon, Pargon.

"May the Darkness claim thee, crawling chaos and damned beast!" said Dark Ace. "No longer will thy reign be kept over the Ancient you have kept imprisoned."

Lavos only sat in his place and growled in defiance.

"Thou hast seen the last of this world..." said Dark Ace.

Stamping his staff into the stone floor, the evil sorcerer unleashed his binding spell. Yellow energy shot out at Lavos and also caused stone pillars from the ceiling to drop onto his humongous body. Blood gushed out from each wound, forcing Lavos to cry out in pain. There was nothing the Corpse God could do since Dark Ace had weakened him. All that would be left was to wait for his slow and agonising death.


June stood up from her spot. Her life was abysmal and she yearned for something – anything – to give her excitement.

"Not even these mythical fables can keep me amused," she said. "There has to be something to do around here..."

The book she had just read did not offer enough for her, but maybe it gave her the idea to do something on her own.

"I only wish something that fantastic and of higher purpose could happen to me," said June.

Without warning, the entrance to the temple immediately closed shut, trapping June inside its interior. The girl was shocked to see it and now she was forced to find another exit. It was almost as though her wish was granted.

June walked through a long hallway until she inadvertently stepped on an oddly-shaped block on the floor. That stone had triggered one of the many traps within the temple – and now the girl could see darts shooting out of the wall. Stepping carefully and within the time of the shooting darts, she avoided the trap without injury.

Note to self: don't step on the weird tiles, she thought.

Treading carefully, the girl managed to stay away from the tiles that activated any traps and then entered the next room. The entryway was then blocked once she stepped through, and now she found herself against a strange creature. It was a zombie, but this one was red with muscle bound to its bones. The zombie was aligned with the Ancient known as Trigon. It turned its head to look at June and slowly marched its way over to her.

June looked at this horrifying figure and suddenly felt like her mind was beginning to lose strength. She could not understand it, but she was now losing her sanity and it was affecting her cognitive skills. All she could understand was that she had to get rid of this zombie, and fast. Luckily for her she carried a short sword for defending herself, and so she hacked away at the zombie's limbs. The second she cut off the zombie's left arm, it looked like it was about to regenerate. June kept slashing away, causing blood to spurt onto the floor and walls. Eventually, she caused the zombie to fall down. June slashed downward and destroyed the zombie, and had regained her mental status in doing so.

With the creature gone, June then searched for a way to exit the room. She spotted three mysterious candles with a carved picture behind them depicting the time of day. It appeared as though it was night time. The girl thought this must be some kind of puzzle to test whoever entered this place, and so she blew out all three candles.

Her ingenuity proved effective as one passageway opened partially. The girl knew she couldn't go out the way she came so she took a separate passageway into the next corridor, carefully avoiding more traps until she came into the next room.

June looked around for some kind of clue and that's when she spotted a stone statue. It was one of the goddesses that her people worshipped, and around its neck was an elegant necklace. The girl thought there was nothing wrong in taking this necklace since she thought she desperately needed the money. She would find some way to pay back this goddess for the generous offer.

Suddenly, the entrance from where June had come was sealed shut by two massive stone blocks. Now she had to find another way out.

The girl eventually found another corridor and kept walking, trying as hard as she could to leave this temple for good.

In the next room, she came upon another undead foe, but this one was coloured blue and its skin almost appeared like leather. This was a zombie under the alignment of the Ancient known as Tabuu.

Once again, the entryway shut behind June and now she was left to battle this monster. The girl vanquished the zombie with little effort but still felt like her mind was being shattered to pieces.

Now she was going to attempt this room's puzzle. The candles in the room were all lit but the scene in the background was different. The sun was now at noon, so June blew out the two candles on the left and right sides, leaving the one in the middle still lit.

The partially-opened door in this room was now completely open, and June took this chance to escape.

June walked down the next hallway and narrowly avoided spinning axes after setting off the trap. She turned to a passage to her right and found a pedestal with something resting on its ledge. It was a long, carved piece of wood with two holes on each end. June knew that it was a blowgun, and she took it immediately. Now she had another defence against anything else that might attack her. It turned out to be a mistake as a trapdoor opened underneath her feet, causing the girl to scream as she fell down the shaft.


June had fallen into another area, and she landed hard on her feet but didn't suffer too much injury. She scanned the area and gasped, feeling a little excited as to what lay before her.

"A secret passage in the temple?" she said.

Her focus was broken when she heard a scream. The girl was relieved to know that she wasn't alone in the temple but was scared to know what had caused the other person to cry out in fear. She looked on the floor and saw her short sword. It had been broken when June fell down the shaft, but she knew she had the blowgun she had recently acquired. It may not be very powerful but it would have to do.

Picking up what was left of her broken sword, June ran to who made the cry for help. There, she saw two zombies coloured green and covered in what looked to be strips of cloth. These zombies were aligned with the Ancient known as Desiree.

June wasted no time in helping the guard, a man named Toshiro Hitsugaya (Bleach). The girl aimed her blowgun and destroyed one of the zombie's arms. Unexpectedly, the arm was now replaced with a green glow that twisted and took form. This zombie had the ability to grow ethereal versions of lost limbs.

June was shocked to see this happen, and that was the time the zombie needed to touch the girl with its ethereal hand. The girl screamed as her mind was now suddenly thrown into chaos as she was losing her sanity.

June then looks at you, the reader, and aims her blowgun. A hole in the computer screen appears where June had fired the dart.

(A/N: That was one of the game's sanity effects! I'll try to write at least one or two per chapter at this point.)

The girl shook her head after the zombie's attack and shouted, "This... isn't... really... happening!"

June was brought back to reality and so she quickly dispatched with the zombies. Her mind was set at ease when she destroyed them and saved Toshiro.

"Thank you for saving me," said Toshiro. Seeing the girl's broken weapon, he decides to show his gratitude. "Here, let me repair your sword."

Toshiro had then cast a three-point spell with each rune around him glowing yellow: Antorbok, Magormor, Lavos.

June was surprised the guard was able to use magick, but now she had to worry about getting out of the temple. She thanked Toshiro and walked down the opposite way of the corridor.

As June walked through the temple, she came upon a room with a Trigon zombie and a Desiree zombie. The girl was ready to fight them both, but then strangely the two started to attack each other. She thought the two were supposed to be on the same side but they were attacking each other? The victor of this battle was the Trigon zombie.

Looking at this display in confusion, she thought, What's going on here?

June thought it was irrelevant. If the enemies were attacking each other then it suited her just fine. Not wanting to get the other zombie's attention, she quickly exited the room.


The girl had now found herself in a giant room. She didn't know what to make of this place since it didn't seem like any of the other rooms she visited. Her nerves were almost shot when she heard a low growling sound.

Looking ahead, the girl saw a giant, spiked creature in the room's centre. She thought this creature was now in pain as it breathed heavily. A feeling of lament soon washed over the girl as she watched this poor beast suffer.

All of a sudden, June felt like she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard someone call out to her.

"Stop!" said the mysterious voice. "Don't go near it!"

The girl turned around and saw two guards named Lenny and Carl (The Simpsons) doing whatever they could to protect her. All of a sudden, a large tendril grabbed Lenny and dragged him away screaming. Carl looked on and tried to run but was then snatched away by another tendril. June covered her mouth and gasped in fright upon seeing the two guards get taken away and become a feast for the spiked creature.

At that moment, someone else walked into the room. June could see this person was a malicious figure. It was Dark Ace and he all he did was watch with delight.

"So, you are reduced to feeding on flesh and bone, Lavos," said Dark Ace. "How the mighty have fallen. You will surely fester for millennia to come, a slow and torturous fate for thee..."

June stared in silence, unaware of what was happening. She wished she had never come into this temple after witnessing such horrors.

Dark Ace then noticed June's presence. "You had best leave, young fool," he said threateningly, "or you will find yourself as food for the Dead God!"

The evil sorcerer took his leave, and June stared after him. To her, she knew this man was dangerous and she would see to it to avoid him at all costs. What she didn't realise was a golden statue in front of Lavos was emitting a yellow surge of energy. The energy shot into June, causing her to scream in pain and forced her to her knees. June lied unconscious on the steps as the energy pulsed around her body.


The girl had regained consciousness a while later. It took her a few seconds for her eyes to readjust to the dim light shining in the room but she could make out a foot standing in front of her. Turning her head up had revealed to her Carl, one of the guards who helped her earlier. His body was now pale and scabbed after Lavos had sucked out his life force.

"You are one of the chosen many, flesh and blood," said Carl.

June was still too weak to do anything, but the guard had managed to get her to lie facing upward on the steps.

"It is now your destiny to fight the Eternal Darkness," said Carl. He had now pulled out a strange object that pulsed like a beating heart and glowed with a yellow aura. "I give you a gift in return for an obligation. The gift is your life, sweet dancer. The obligation is this."

June was given the object, and she looked up intently at Carl as he was about to give her instructions.

"You hold one of Lavos's hearts – the essence of the Corpse God!" he said. "To some it is a source of great power. From those people, you must defend it, lest they use it to destroy what little brightness your world has left in it..."

The essence of Lavos then glowed once again with a yellow aura as Carl said, "Guard it well!"

June didn't know what this object would do now, and so the essence of Lavos burrowed itself into June's body. The girl let out a surprised yelp and her eyes momentarily glowed yellow. She bowed her head down while Carl's deceased body walked away to rest for eternity. The girl understood the task she had been given, and now it was up to her to see to it that her burden didn't end up in the wrong hands.

Looking up at the statue that stood in front of Lavos, June found a metal staff lying across its arms. She picked it up and took it with her as she went out the passage where she entered.

June walked back through the corridor and came face-to-face with a zombie approaching her. Her sanity was beginning to weaken as the zombie's lifeless eyes stared intently on her. She tried to think of a way to get rid of it, and that's when she remembered that there was an assortment of traps in this hallway. The girl smirked as she stepped on a switch on the floor, and the zombie had walked right through a spinning blade that came out of the wall, slicing its body in half and sending blood splattering everywhere.

Stepping out of the blades, June finished off the zombie with her short sword and exited the corridor. The girl secretly congratulated herself for being so resourceful.

Now June was in a room with a monolith surrounded by torches in the centre. She noticed a small slot that looked like something long could fit into it. Taking out the metal staff, she stuck it into the slot and used it as a lever. A large sound echoed throughout the temple, and June must've figured that she opened a door somewhere. She walked out of the room to find her next objective.

The girl walked back into the room where Lavos was contained. On the other side of the room was a large entryway that was locked before, but June realised she had opened it with the staff. She walked past Lavos cautiously for fear that she would end up being his next meal. Eventually, the girl made it to the entryway.


June was now in a room with a goddess statue that held out its arms in a gracious manner. The girl stopped in her tracks when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Dark Ace, and she could see he was irritated over something.

"Fool!" said the liche. "You should have run! Instead you will die! Where is the essence of Lavos?"

June could do nothing but walk backwards as she saw the re-animated bodies of the guards Lenny and Carl walk up to Dark Ace's side. The evil sorcerer had claimed their bodies for his servitude. The dead guards had grabbed June by her shoulders. She tried to struggle free but they proved to be stronger than she was.

"Where is it?" Dark Ace demanded. Now he was growing impatient. "I will not ask again, child!"

June had remembered her duty. The object she now carried within her body was something that must never be used for evil. Her only response to Dark Ace was silence.

Dark Ace knew this girl wasn't going to talk, so he would carry out her sentence. "Very well, then," he said. "You will succumb to the horrors of oblivion."

June shrieked as Dark Ace held up his left hand, and it began to glow in a green light. A spell had been cast on the girl and she was bathed in the magickal energy. Her body then limped to the floor – lifeless.

The evil sorcerer then left the temple without the one thing he required, not knowing that it was actually close to him.


Ophelia had finished reading the second chapter in the Tome, and she now saw what kind of maniacal things Dark Ace is capable of doing.

He really is a psychopath, she thought.

Before Ophelia could say anything else, three candles were mysteriously lit next to one of the book shelves. She was almost frightened by how it happened but she decided to investigate. Ophelia remembered that this was similar to something June had done, and so she noticed a painting on the wall of the sun setting in the west. The girl blew out the middle and right candles, and a stack of books underneath the case had moved.

The books were hiding a secret compartment where a message tube was placed. Ophelia opened up the tube and found the next chapter to the book. After witnessing what had already happened, the girl almost didn't want to find out if something else terrible would happen to another innocent person.


BlueTiger321: Poor June!

June: Hey, why did I have to die?

BlueTiger321: Don't blame me! I just cast you for the part.

Dark Ace: Finally! I got some payback after what you did to me in Super Aerrow Bros.!

June: Yeah, but you're still a butt head! *kicks Dark Ace in the shin*

Dark Ace: Ow!

BlueTiger321: So folks, I hope you all stay tuned for the next chapter. Until next time...

June: Read and review!