With Sarah dead, the atmosphere in the Ministry of Magic was even gloomier than before. O'Neill was sad about the woman's death and seemed to blame himself to some extent, saying, "If I hadn't lost my wand, none of this would have happened!"

Sarah had burned with herself a very important stack of documents on the subject: esoteric dark magic…

Yes, apparently, a research in this area had been going on in the Mysteries Department about this. And Harry would soon discover more, he was now going to interrogate some people.

Members of the Department who had had contact with Otto before he died, had then revealed that strange things were happening in their homes, some were sure that they were being followed and observed and that there were strange shadows in the mirrors and vultures that prowled the corridors of their homes, bizarre whispers at dawn, a pale mist that arose out of nowhere and an extreme cold that appeared at times.

A man with a huge beard, a former journalist, had said to him when he came inside his office, convinced he had some privileged information to give (he ended up having nothing, and just rambled about his fears): "Dark times are coming, I can feel it! We had peace, you help us have that, you defeated him, but the peace is now over. It just may have been a long dream, an illusion, because now with the DPM threatening to attack random targets worldwide, their union with this so-called Circle, people kidnapping children, is it the PNM, isn't it? And… What about Cheshire?! Is it true we have a beautiful woman doing horrible things to children? Killing them?! What about Hogwarts, Mister Potter, I fear for my grandson! He studies there! Should we move countries? Is war about to happen? Everyone is talking about the spreading mold? Is it toxic? What about that strange black substance… the lurker? And that poor woman, Sarah… who killed herself! A-And Otto—"

He suspected he was trying to get information from him and maybe pass it to Dennis Sallinger.

A Muggle-born who worked at the Department had said it was as if his house was now haunted and that he'd move out, seek another place to live in: "It came while my little girl was in my lap, I felt something behind me, but when I looked there was nothing there. But a thing attacked my baby, I felt something pulling her, wanting to take her... by the neck! I pulled back and saw a red mark on his neck. I haven't been back there since. But I feel like... it's not the house… What if it's me? I think I saw a strange figure in the hotel where I'm staying!

Sarah's colleagues said that the girl had always been afraid of some researches that took place there.

"Why would she be afraid?" Harry asked, alert.

"In reality, she wanted to change to a new department, and said there were 'bad things' haunting the Mystery's Department," muttered Charlie, a young man with teary eyes and curly blond hair, his hands shaking. Apparently, he was Sarah's boyfriend and hadn't taken the news well.

"Stop being sensationalist!" criticized Magda, head of research in Hall 9.

"You see, Mr. Potter, Sarah was very young and impressionable, she even believed in these strange muggle mystical things, she told everyone who asked that she could see and hear things that no one else could, but I think it's all nonsense," added Sila, a very tall woman with a dot on her eyebrow.

"What did he say she saw... or heard?"

"Why? It's not that imp-" Tried Magda, outraged.

"Tell me, I need to know."

"She," Madga made an effort not to laugh, "She said he saw an evil spirit and said she heard whispers... coming from the mirror!" a cold, disrespectful laugh was heard through the corridors of the Ministry, Magda seemed to dislike Sarah a lot.

"You heartless woman. She is dead! How can you insult the dead?" Charlie got irritated.

"Ah! Just because she was your little girlfriend, we can't deny the fact that she's crazy, here is a place for employees determined to make a positive change to the world, not for impressionable little girls who are afraid of ghosts! We are wizards! Ghosts are normal for us! You also should separate magical science from mysticism, I know full well about your special encounters with Mister Otto! Researching things in your little ghost club or whatever!" Charlie's cheeks got red with anger, he seemed ready to give a rather impolite answer to Magda who kept looking at the boy arrogantly with a smirk on her face.

Harry had to intervene. It took a while for Harry to get them to calm down.

Suddenly he remembered Sarah. Burning. Such a horrible image. Poor woman.

"What was Otto researching about, exactly?" Asked Harry, he had a feeling they were hiding something and he would discover, as soon as possible.

"I thought you were investigating Sarah's death, precisely," said Sila. Everyone in the Department of Mysteries always fought back before giving any accurate information and none of them seemed to want to talk much about Otto.

Harry waited with a penetrating look on his face.

"He was researching matters that were highly important!" Said the woman, grumpy.

"Can you specify?!" Harry was starting to get angry. Why was there so much secrecy?

"Esoteric dark magic," answered Charlie, receiving nasty looks from both women, he began crying copiously, nervous hiccups making way through his pale and dry lips.

"Charlie! Don't you have any respect for our profession? Honestly, this-" Harry ignore that comment and focused on Charlie. Poor young man. He reminded him of Ted.

"Tell me more," he demanded. People were dying. He had to act fast, investigate, and conclude the case as soon as possible. This was all getting out of control. He did feel sorry for the man and wished he could go slower. But that was not an option. Too little aurors for too many difficult cases.

They couldn't even investigate the Cheshire incident properly! He couldn't even advance on his own particular investigations about who exactly kidnapped his son (he wouldn't forget, he wouldn't forgive, he would definitely find the culprits and bring them to justice, they would pay). The problem was that while he researched, he could say most authors preferred to be precise, tending to use highly confusing terms with mystical random understandings.

"I just want to remind you, mister Potter, that we have special permission to research certain topics that would be forbidden to the general public, we are scientists with exceptional permission and it's our job to investigate any topic, even if it's something related to the dark arts!" Emphasized Magda quickly, a strict look on her face.

"Don't worry about that, I know the regulations… Even if I don't agree with it, I'll respect it. No one is going to Azkaban today," he joked, but Charlie's tense face remained, "So Otto was researching esoteric dark magic. Why?"

"Not only Otto. We can research about several subjects, but I can say that Charlie here loves the dark arts," provoked Magda, softly.

"I-I don't! It's not like that, mister Potter! You just don't like that I'm way more talented than you, even while being younger and having less experience!" Denounced Charlie with a scared expression on his face, looking at Harry fearfully, as if expecting some kind of punishment, Harry raised his hands calmly and laid both his hands on his trembling shoulders.

"It's fine, try to relax." He said, but Charlie didn't seem to calm down.

"We shouldn't talk about that, why not focus on Sar-" Tried Sila, reluctant.

"Otto lost a son," said Charlie, shortly. Harry didn't understand. He waited, "How much do you know about esoteric dark magic?" Asked the man, seriously.

"It doesn't seem that credible to me. Honestly, I'm a skeptic, looks like some mystical muggle beliefs mixed with magic, I doubt it can be that dangerous, I think people are too naïve," revealed him, receiving an incredulous look from Charlie, who openly gasped in utter disbelief, outraged.

"So you must know very little if you don't believe it's real. Real and terrible, it's a horrendous atrocity," criticized the employee, but soon continued, "well, he lost his son. So he wanted to communicate with him, and… bring him back, raise the dead," clarified him.

"And you, his special beloved employee, helped him," said Magda, with a venomous tone in her voice, jealousy looking at Charlie.

"This is impossible to do," said Harry, firmly, trying to ignore the woman and hoping to only be able to conclude his investigation peacefully, without much controversy.

"I… It's debatable, but that doesn't matter now. Mister Potter, Otto was desperate. He read some very old books and found Beyond's concept. He thought this place was where dead people go, and that… if he could access the Beyond, he'd be able to talk with his son and bring him back somehow."

"Continue."

Charlie hesitated.

"He found some suspicious books and started researching... geometric shapes."

"Geometric shapes?!" Harry was surprised.

"Yes, he began saying that it would be necessary to form the Circle because the Circle was the answer, the Circle was the portal and the Circle was the Star, that the corridors and the mystical geometry would take him to the Beyond. The Beyond could be seen manifested in the inverted mirror's world, where the ghosts reside, where weaker ghosts would be devoured and incorporated by the Evil Ghosts, as the elders called," he said. Harry found that all hard to understand, "Specific geometrical shapes reflected on the mirror would create some kind of portal. B-But I don't know if human beings can actually access the Beyond while being alive, and come back after. That's what I said to him. To let the dead rest in peace, and go forward with his life, he should try to overcome his grief, but…he just couldn't."

"Who are those Evil Ghosts?" Harry asked, he saw Charlie shaking.

"It's enough!" Tried both women, fearful.

"We'll bring bad energy to us!" Emphasized Sila.

"Continue, Charlie. Tell me everything."

"The Evil Ghosts... they seem to be the Nostrad Ikabonfs!" Harry heard an ugly snap that echoed through the halls, the sound spreading darkly, Harry raised the wand, but nothing came and soon a tense silence reigned.

"Shut up, boy. Otto forbade us from talking about it!" Said Magda, furious.

"Oh! You shut up, Magda. Sarah is dead! My reason for being here, researching, is gone. I'll tell auror Potter what he needs to know in order to bring justice to Sarah and I'll be resigning as soon as possible! I want to leave this horrible place! I know I'm already cursed!" He said, dramatically, tears in his blue eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Harry, still looking at the oppressive darkness of the corridor ahead... waiting for something ghostly to come from there, prepared to face whatever it was.

"The truth is... ever since Otto started researching esoteric dark magic, strange things started happening here! Whispers, figures that float and go from one room to another, hoarse laughs… that was why we had to close the mirror's room... something bad came from there, it walked the corridors for hours before vanishing! But… since then I began to have the impression that something was watching me and sometimes I could swear it followed me home. Mister Otto he… I said he shouldn't perform any ritual! He wasn't experienced in the dark arts, let alone in esoteric dark arts!"

"Why didn't you help him, boy? Isn't your dear grandpa an experienced dark wizard?! Aren't you going to be his heir, the great Luther Hissher." Charlie was not livid.

"Let my grandfather out of this! He committed a mistake! I don't support the dark arts! I just… I just find them interesting, to research, I mean."

"Of course dear, that was the one reason Otto wanted your help, if he could he'd have approached your grandfather, not you, that's why you got your position here, but now Otto isn't here and-" she started.

"Focus," asked Harry, tired, "What came out of the mirror?"

"Evil. And that kind of evil cannot be sent away, for I know it is them! The Nostrads-Ikabonf. I even sent a letter to grandpa, he knows a lot about vampires and magical creatures, and he does research some esoteric dark arts… that was why… our home in Romania was confiscated when I was a kid, and we had to move here, a more liberal nation. I know what you may be thinking, Mister Potter, but I and my grandpa… we love discovering new things, we believe there can be no taboo… we-"

"What I think doesn't matter now, please continue," said Harry, shortly.

"I looked at what Mister Otto was reading and the rituals he was studying. He has… I can't say that in another way. He has, in fact, desecrated this whole space, contaminated it, and we should just burn down all the rooms, the whole department, the whole Ministry. We should go to the new building! They... they spread... like mold, we have to end them before it's too late. Look at Wynn, look at Celt, look at what they did with those places! Rotten and haunted. Genocides, the curse of the East, but they got here. Why? How? His activity became much more intense. In Cheshire... I bet it's one of them, my grandfather told me so, it has to be a terrible ghostly vampire, it-" Charlie trembled, paranoically observing the dark corners, as if waiting for something to catch him.

Again. Wynn and Celt were involved in this conversation. What was, exactly, the mystery behind those forests?! He wanted to investigate the places so much! But the national governments were in the way, as if hiding something. They were strictly enforcing a non-intervention and non-cooperation decree when it came to those regions, not only Ukraine and Romania, but some other countries in eastern Europe, such as Poland. Japan had said the following: "Some things are better left alone, we should preserve the status quo, we should avoid researching some topics, why not focus on other areas?"

Plus, there was something strange happening in Russia, some people were disappearing suddenly… situation similar to the one in Cheshire, in Belarus some books were now prohibited and some touristic areas where some would go to see the forests and wild magical creatures were now fully closed, some speculated the appearance of a strange kind of red mold in the rural areas, different from the Hogwarts' mold (black mold), but the government denied and become pretty defensive and irritated, arresting some foreign journalists. Plus, the next Quidditch World Cup was canceled. No one knew why exactly. Strange. Something was happening. Harry had a feeling it was all connected to those mystical creepy understandings of magic, all came to Wynn, Celt, to the Nostrad-Ikabonf… And Hogwarts might be deeply involved in that.

Hogwarts where his sons were. He had to protect everyone. He had to make the correct connection, establish proper logic, he couldn't let the magical world down. He couldn't let his family and friends down. Focus. He needed to focus.

"Please, try to calm down, what exactly-" he tried, sighing. He hated that vague language. But Charlie didn't even seem to hear him, he just continued, frantically.

"The Star's Hour is approaching. And… And Otto brought something here, to this Department, but… Otto isn't able to perform the ritual properly… It takes many years to learn! And those who reside in the Beyond passed through the mirror, and heard Otto's enchantments but… as he wasn't part of the Circle, and was also… a normal human, with no experience, who hadn't been properly initiated... they must have felt insulated, then decided to attack him later, not using his own powers, but calling some followers who then killed Otto publicly, punishing him," he was crying copiously.

"I saw his name written at Hogwarts, there was also a Star and a Circle, the name was crossed out," said Harry. He heard Charlie gasp, terrified.

A tense silence. Harry had the impression of hearing some strange sounds coming from a room, but-

"Mister Potter, sir, Mister Weasley told me you were here, so we decided to come, sorry for the intrusion, erm…" at that time a group of new aurors came down. They had come straight from the Auror Academy to help the other aurors, and see the new building Horton Cirley was building, they were in their last year, but still had no experience so they had to fulfill missions in pairs or accompanied by a competent supervisor.

"Hey! Who told you could come here, this place is out of limits for anyone without proper permission!" Criticized Magda. Maciel, an extremely handsome boy with red curly hair seemed surprised, his friend Nicolas gave Harry an anxious look.

"Mister Weasley and even Mister Cirley said we could come and meet hi-"

"Oh of course! Cirley shall as well become the new Department Head, right? He has no power here," answered Magda, furious, although Harry thought his fury was directed at Charlie.

"They can stay here, it'll be good for them to see an investigation taking place," Maciel and Nicolas seemed rather happy.

"There will be no more interrogation," said Sila, "We are tired, you can continue later, you know enough already, don't you, Mister Potter?"

"Yes, I agree with my friend Sila… plus, this can be a bit sensitive for two hopeful young boys, who know nothing about the world yet. I'm sure this topic… should be considered highly confidential, right? Since it's coming from the Mysteries' Department," she said, in a somewhat threateningly tone. Harry didn't like it, but let that slide, since Charlie was crying hopelessly and seemed rather tense and anxious.

"Just one thing… What kind of research exactly is being done with mirrors?"

Magda stalled angrily "A research that has been abandoned a long time ago, Mr. Potter. We won't research it anymore," she said emphatically, but quietly as if talking the last part to herself.

"Why not?" Harry asked raising his eyebrow.

Magda did not answer, she remained completely silent.

"It… it comes out of the mirrors, that's all I'm going to say," Sila whispered, biting her lips, "It's colder than before," she said, looking around. A mist was beginning to take over the place, the heaters installed throughout the building were not able to keep the room warm.

"What came out of the mirror?" Harry asked.

"Shut up, Sila! Charlie already told him a lot, more than it was necessary!" Magda pointed out, shivering. The cold.

"I will not shut up! Don't you see...that Sarah could be right. Charlie spoke and it made sense. That thing...the mirror thing...last time people died too! I know we shouldn't talk about it, but if this can be so dangerous, then-" tried Sila.

"They killed themselves! It was suicide!" Martha said. The two young aurors exchanged a tense glance.

"I saw something floating," said Harry, "and I think it came from the mirror when I was here with O'Neill… before Sarah's death."

There was a silence for a brief moment then Magda's annoying laughter cut the air again.

"I... honestly, I respect you very much Mr. Potter, but I have better things to do. I have some very important research to do!" She said..., but her voice was a little shaky and her face looked a bit frightened. She turned around and looked into the darkness, her face paled and she seemed to freeze for a moment, completely motionless, wide-eyed.

"Working until after hours won't make you the new Department's Head!" Charlie said hatefully, throwing an aggressive look at the researcher. She gave no indication she even heard the man.

"She is a very competitive woman, you see… she didn't like Sarah a lot-" tried to explain Martha in a somewhat apologetic tone.

…

"Who's that person looking at us?"

…

Magda's question got no answer and hovered ominously in the air.

"Who's there?!" Screamed Harry, with the wand ready to shoot a spell. The two aurors raised their wands, anxiously, Harry could see their hands trembling a bit. He didn't blame them. The environment was cold, with a strange white mist and the corridors were too dark, anything evil could hide there.

"I'm auror Harry Potter, identify yourself," no answer, Harry saw nothing but Magda clearly saw something, because her expression showed pure horror.

"It's the haunting. It must be it! One of them! Please don't hurt us, we'll drop the research! Leave us alone!" Begged Charlie.

Harry cast a spell to illuminate the place, and saw a figure enter a room in the back. Harry then prepared to advance, Charlie said, while being held by the two young aurors:

"It's Otto's private research room, you shouldn't enter, I think he performed some rituals… dark magic, Mister Potter," explained Godis, crying.

"Mister Hissher, I can say that you, in particular, have a lot to say, I'll interrogate you further. It seems like the Mysteries Department has been involved in some pretty… upsetting research. For now, I must go inside. You two…" he said to both boys.

"Yes, we'll help you of course!"

"Count on us!"

"No, it's too dangerous, your mission is to go upstairs, escort those employees. Contact Ron, he was talking with Hermione at the Ministry's restaurant, O'Neill is not here he is on his way to Hogwarts with Ted"

The boys agreed, but with great reluctance.

"NO! Let me go with you! My grandfather taught me some… spells! You can't fight whatever it is with standard magic! You need to counter it with esoteric dark magic! I… I'm not a specialist, I'm a beginner but... I can help, I swear! There is no proper modern regulation on this matter in the UK, so-"

"No. I can handle it. I'm an experienced auror! Just go upstairs and call Ron!" He demanded. The employees soon followed the aurors in training, with shocked faces, Charlie was crying and murmuring "You will die, Mister Potter. You will."

"Don't go, Mr. Potter, " advised Charlie, insistently, one last time.

Harry just held the wand hard on his firm hands and moved on, determined.

The mystical darkness did not frighten him, the real horrors of the world's criminals were the true horror, he was not afraid of ghostly terrors. If he were afraid, he would just take a deep breath and confront the problem until it was solved. Pragmatism, problem-solving.

Harry approached the door carefully and kicked the door, heard a sick laugh in the air, and saw:

…

It was half arachnid, half... something that could, in some kind of nightmarish world, resemble a human, the legs were spidery, the mouth too, but it had some minimal human (twisted and deformed) features, with dirty white short hair, and a pair of human hands, but with too large nails, even if his face looked like the face of a young man… with arachnid and vampirical fangs. A strange abomination. Strange mix between a spider and vampire.

Harry immediately cast a spell against spiders... he didn't know if it was the right spell in that case, but it didn't matter, he had to attack and fight, if it went wrong... he would simply strike again.

The problem was... the thing... did not seem to be physically there, it began to magically float and its form became translucent out of sudden.

"Where's the Emissary?" It asked with a voice carrying a strange accent that seemed to come from… far away, it echoed through the environment in a melodic undertone.

"Who is the Emissary?" Harry put himself in a defensive position. He slowly moved behind a pillar and looked at the ceiling, he could try knocking down some pilasters to incapacitate the abomination.

"That's what I want to know too, the Emissary is my possession, he belongs to me, to us, to the second generation, Ikabonf will not possess something that is mine, they know, but won't tell us. I know ... The Emissary was here! Unfortunately, I also can notice Ikabonf's previous presence," he said, in a sick whisper, "I will be the one making the connection with the Star using my Emissary, I will expel Ikabonf and then I'll occupy the body, and his soul. It'll work, believe me. I have become quite the master in esoteric dark magic, I shall have success, with the Star blessing of course. The second generation shall thrive. Bring me the Emissary, human and I shall show some benevolence and end your life quickly," he promised with an evil smile, his yellow and red eyes glowing ominously.

"Are you a Nostrad?" Asked Harry, the vampire spider answered nothing, it turned its head to look at Otto's research.

"The Circle will be opened for my Emissary. Humans are trash, they want to see what they shouldn't see. Unfortunately, the Emissary is a human... It has to be a human. There is nothing I hate more than humans, but I will accept the Emissary. But only him. He'll be my human. He will have the honor of accompanying me and I will protect him until the Star's Hour, when I will reign supreme and the Emissary will be by my side forever as the Star's Rule says, my solitude will end, I will be with my dear Emissary. Together in my kingdom ruled by the Star. I tried to turn a human into an Emissary before... he left me, went to another beyond, different from the Beyond we all know... I can reach him no longer, so I need my new Emissary! Cursed be Tartaglia Ikabonf! He's a failure and I will reign supreme. Mine, mine, mine, my Emissary!" He said, rambling, regardless of the spells Harry cast, they all just didn't seem to bother him, maybe his body was way too resilient, maybe... he was not in the physical world itself, not entirely. Nothing seemed to affect him, he remained undisturbed.

"Emissary…," he whispered passionately, looking directly to a mirror on Otto's desk "I will protect you, wrap you in my webs and never let you leave the, you will never need to leave me, I'll feed, keep you safe, the ritual of the Star will be done, and our wishes will become reality," he said, his eyes did not focus on anything, he stood still for a while, then advanced to Harry extremely quickly, his eight spider legs scratching the ground, trying to grab Harry with his two human hands.

Harry the monster's jaw closely, his arachnid vampirical fangs ready to attack him, Harry swerved in time, the thing attacked and broke the pillar, the ceiling trembled and rocks fell to the ground.

Harry had felt it... he had been in the physical world for a moment. Harry cast another spell but did not get any results at all. He would have to attack him when he manifested physically in the real world, it was the only way.

"Do not try to escape from me, human, you will have the honor of being devoured by me. Many desire such a noble destiny, they pray that Erlles Nostrad, of the second generation, will use them as food, as a human… that's your purpose, to serve us, superior beings."

"Are you going to devour the Emissary too," provoked Harry, acidly, throwing a chair in his direction and swearing again, hiding behind a pillar. Harry heard his cold and merciless laughter.

"Of course not. He's a human, but he's mine. I take good care of my property," he said, with arrogance. At least, whoever was the Emissary, he wouldn't be harmed, at least not physically, by Erlles Nostrad at the beginning, but…what would happen after the Star's Hour?

"Are you all preparing for the Star's Hour?" Asked Harry, trying to distract the creature and gain some time, elaborating a strategy. At least, Erlles seemed to be a talker…

"Yes, of course. Now… give me the Emissary, bring him here and I shall take him with me." Erlles came upon him again, Harry threw the table full of documents against the vampire spider with violence, but his body crossed the object and he then came straight to Harry.

With a quick movement Erlles threw something that looked like a big thorn in his hand, impaling it on the wall, Harry could not take out the thick blackthorn that hurt his hand, he was also pretty sure that his hand was broken, his wand rested on the ground, useless while Erlles approached. He quickly jumped and Harry saw the glow of his red eyes, the mouth with fangs opened wide, ready to bite him.

"I am hungry, in the Beyond we eat ghosts, but I do miss human blood, it'll be nothing like the Emissary's blood that I shall drink when I find him, but still, acceptable!"

"Arania Exumai"

Ron.

It was Ron

He had arrived. Harry now desperately tried to take the thorn out of his hand, so that he could release it from the wall, but the thorn had been tossed with inhuman force, there was a big crack in the wall where the thorn was stuck like a nail, Harry's hand was bleeding profusely.

"Harry!" Ron said, worried, but his gaze soon turned to Erlles who stood up, and he did not seem hurt, just slightly surprised,

"One more human, another sacrifice! I thank the Star for offering me such a possibility, the Star that works in mysterious ways, ordaining the mystical Destiny," he said in a religious tone, joining his two human hands as if he were making a brief prayer.

"I hate spiders," Ron said, his voice a little shaky, but the wand very firm in his hands, "But I will not allow any spider to hurt my friend," he said casting a spell, but, as expected, no effect, Harry finally pulled the thorn out of his hand and quickly pick the wand from the floor, Erlles advanced, trying to attack Ron, Harry waited until it was close to his friend, but not so close as to offer real danger, and cast a spell with all his might, he had decided to try the same one he had tried against that black figure before.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The sudden light frightened the creature momentarily.

"Ron, run!" Shouted Harry and the two left the room quickly, running down the halls,

"We have to get out of here!" Shouted Harry again, he could already see the thing coming out of the room where they were before and preparing to chase them down the halls, they were going towards the stairs, the two breathless, Erlles coming at full speed behind them.

"This is our territory now, and the people who have seen... They're now our property, we can follow them and we're going to find more sacrifices. I will go after you, human. Your blood may be of good quality, let me mark you as a Star's sacrifice, come and see the Truth and then I will be able to accompany you in your dreams and nightmares, I will follow you, drain your blood, I will-"

Harry and Ron closed the door with violence, the last sound they heard was the mad laugh of Erlles who insisted on inviting them to see the Truth and things that should not be seen, to hear what should not be heard, to feel horrendous things, threatening them, saying they would be devoured as noble sacrifices for Erlles... the arachnid vampire king.