SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Eternal Darkness: Origins
Resurrection of the Mad Goddess
Disclaimers: It's only been seven chapters and I'm already out of amusing disclaimers! Oh well. You know the drill. Don't own it. Don't claim to. Wish I did.
Note: As an observant reader may have noticed, I am removing the "Part One" from the title. (Formerly: Eternal Darkness: Origins Part One: Resurrection of the Mad Goddess, Now: Eternal Darkness: Origins Resurrection of the Mad Goddess) The reason for this is quite simple. I anticipated this fic to be longer than it will probably end up being. Originally, I thought that this fic would have thirty-plus chapters, while in reality, it will probably have closer to fifteen. Thank you, that will be all. ^_^
Additional note: Warning: Spoilerriffic chapter.
Chapter 8 An Audience With the KeeperColin sat down in his seat and struggled with his bag of airline peanuts. He was irritated in spite of himself, although he knew he should be thankful. After all, it had taken a lot of talking to get Dr. Lindsey to take Colin to Cambodia with him, as the doctor was now thoroughly convinced that Colin suffered from some form of seizures. Even now, Lindsey periodically shot him furtive, worried looks out of the corner of his eye.
"You can stop looking at me like I've got rabies." Colin remarked after a few minutes. "I told you, I'm perfectly fine."
"Are you sure?" Dr. Lindsey didn't sound convinced. "You didn't seem okay back at my house."
"Doctor, that was over a week ago. It hasn't happened since. I told you, it was just my allergies. I can have...very violent reactions sometimes."
The doctor raised an eyebrow. "You don't really have allergies, do you?"
"What makes you think that?"
"You told me you were allergic to peanuts, Colin." Dr. Lindsey indicated the plastic bag that Colin was struggling with. "Shouldn't you be keeling over right about now?"
Colin looked at the bag, then back at the doctor. "Um..." He paused. "Okay, you're right. I don't have allergies. I don't know what that was, but it hasn't happened again. There's nothing wrong with me."
"If you say so..." The doctor turned away from him and looked out the window. "It'll be about a half-hour till we arrive. Make yourself comfortable."
Jenny slumped onto the floor, sighed, and looked at the ceiling. She had been stuck in Roivas Manor for a week now, and neither she nor the ghost of Anna had found any way out, at least not for anyone corporeal. Thankfully, Anna had found the second floor key, so at least she could eat and take a bath, but living off of boxes of graham crackers and tap water was not much of an improvement. She was hungry, tired, bored, but most of all, she wanted to go home. Temporary loss of awareness was looking like a pretty tempting option.
"Does the phone here still work?" Jenny asked Anna, who was, at the moment, going back to her piano. "I want to call home."
"It should be fine." Anna replied. "It hasn't been shut off yet. Although I don't think you should even bother. No one's home."
"How can you be sure?" Jenny asked. "You haven't left the house."
"How can you be sure of that?" Anna looked up from the piano keys. "I've needed to keep track of what's been happening, so I've been meeting up with Jonathan while you were asleep. He says that Alex hasn't come home yet."
"And what about Colin?" Jenny started. "Is he still there? Nothing's happened to him, has it?"
"I don't know what's happened to him. Jonathan is only keeping track of Alex. He has no way of knowing where Colin is." Anna replied. "I believe Colin is looking for Alex, though, so he most likely won't be in the dormitory. Edward might know, but I haven't asked him."
"Why not?"
Anna didn't answer, instead returning to her piano. Jen shrugged, knowing that, at least for the moment, there would be no talking to the ghost. She started upstairs, wondering if, by some off-chance, Alex had put a TV in one of the upstairs bedrooms.
She turned the knob of the second-floor door. It wouldn't open.
Any ounce of composure Jen might have had left was threatening to leave her. She pushed and pulled on the door a few more times. No use. It didn't budge.
"Anna, you unlocked the second-floor door, didn't you?" Jen shouted, twisting the handle again. It didn't *sound* locked. And the knob didn't stick like it was supposed to when it was locked. So why wouldn't it open?
"Of course I unlocked it." Anna answered. She didn't elaborate, instead continuing to play as though nothing had happened.
"Okay..." Jenny muttered to herself. "So, in that case, why won't it open?" She turned the knob again.
She thought she could hear someone speaking behind the door...or several someones, more accurately. She tried to dismiss it as the wind in the trees, but the presence of words and phrases within the whispers was undeniable.
There couldn't be anyone else here, she thought to herself. There's only me and Anna, and Anna's not talking. It has to be the wind outside. Even though it's not windy out.
But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, the door swung open, and the voices disappeared.
Jenny looked around. She couldn't see anyone up here. She was fairly sure that there was no one up here.
Then the voices started whispering again....
Jenny shook her head. There's no one else up here. I'm probably just being paranoid. Laughing quietly at her own tension, Jen walked as calmly as she could down the second-floor hallway. Absentmindedly, she opened up one of the hallway doors, ending up in one of the bedrooms.
So far as she could tell, the bedroom was devoid of TV. She sighed, flopping down on the bed. It looked like all she would have to look forward to for the next few days was wandering back and forth around Roivas Manor, and she wasn't looking forward to it.
Just then, she looked up. She was sure she could hear water running in the bathroom. How long had it been running?
She got up and opened the door to the bathroom, scanning the room for the source of the running water. Her eyes fell on the bathtub...
Anna Roivas started, her fingers once again slipping through the keys of the piano. She had just Jenny scream from behind the second floor door.
Rushing up the stairs, Anna quickly passed through the door, searching for the source of the scream. She needn't have bothered. An instant later, Jenny burst out of the bedroom door, panicked and hyperventilating.
"What happened? Jenny, what's wrong?" The ghost leaned down to the girls' eye level, for by this point she had curled up into a ball on the ground. The presence of someone Beyond had grown unmistakable...
"There's something--something inside–bathtub–oh God–" Jenny's breath was coming out in short gasps, and forming words seemed to take a concentrated effort.
"What's wrong? Is someone in there?" Anna looked around. She could feel the presence growing nearer every minute.
Jenny nodded in response, pointing mutely toward the room she had just left. Anna, looking slightly puzzled, headed through the door. All the while, Jenny merely sat there, rocking back and forth, trying to forget what she had just seen.
Once again, it had suddenly grown very cold...
"You say he's where?" Alex stared at her grandfather's ghost in utter disbelief.
"In Cambodia, I believe." Dr. Roivas said with a sigh. "He was supposed to be flying down to Florida to inform Dr. Lindsey, but..."
Alex was no longer even listening. Instead, she had slumped down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling as though saying a silent prayer to maintain what precious little sanity she had left. "And *why* is he in Cambodia?"
"He wanted to accompany Dr. Lindsey. He said to tell you what happened if you came back."
Alex, by this point, was beginning to regret going back to her dorm. At first, it had seemed like the logical course of action; after all, now that Jen and Colin knew about the Tome and the Ancients, there was really no point in hiding any longer. Besides, she had been bored and running out of money to boot. Of course, here at her dorm, her situation was hardly any better. Jenny was all the way up in Rhode Island, and Colin was on the opposite shore of the Pacific Ocean.
"Great." She replied, not bothering to move. "Just great. Of all the times..."
For a moment, neither she nor her grandfather's spirit spoke. The silence felt uncomfortable and awkward. For some reason, Alex felt as though she should be saying something to her grandfather, though she was unsure of exactly what.
"I'm going out for a drive." Alex announced, after a few minutes of such silence. She felt slightly guilty for leaving her grandfather alone again, but the guilt was overridden by the need to do something–anything.
"Where are you going?" Dr. Roivas turned to his granddaughter as she picked up her car keys.
"I don't know. Nowhere. Anywhere. It doesn't matter. I'll be back in a minute." With that, she walked out and closed the door before any more could be said.
As she turned the key in the ignition, Alex hesitated momentarily. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be taking off again, especially after she had just come back. Maybe Grandpa had wanted to talk to her.
But then, she looked back at her dormitory. I'm already in the car. She thought. I may as well just go. Besides, I don't want to have to tell Grandpa what happened. She turned the key in the ignition, shifted into reverse, and backed out of her parking spot.
After having walked everywhere for the past few weeks, driving felt really good. It wasn't even the fact that she was going anywhere. It was more the feeling of the steering wheel in her hands; the vehicle responding to her every command; the fact that, for a change, something would actually do what she told it to.
Feeling much more vivacious than she had in weeks, Alex flipped on the radio. It was already set to one of her favorite stations; a classic rock station. As though life in general had taken it upon itself to try and brighten her mood, one of her favorite songs happened to be playing at that very moment. Feeling better, Alex sat back and hummed along.
It only took about a half-hour for Alex to stop thinking about where she was or where she was going. Occasionally, an idea of where she might like to go would enter her mind, but it wouldn't stay there very long. After all, she didn't really need a destination by this point. The aimless driving had turned out to be just what she needed.
Then, something pulled her out of her distraction.
Normally, the presence of the centurion's ghost wouldn't have shocked her. She had almost gotten used to him being there. It was the fact that he had removed his helmet and was singing along to her car radio that struck her as very, very wrong.
Almost too flustered to think, Alex pulled onto the shoulder and hit the brakes. Then, she turned around to face Pious. "What the hell are you doing?"
Pious stopped singing along, giving her his usual sideways glance. "Why is it that, no matter what I do, you seem to have a problem with it?"
Alex sighed, barely restraining herself from screaming. "Pious, why are you in my car, why are you singing along to the radio, and, equally to the point, how did you know the words?"
Pious opened his mouth, but Alex cut him off. "And I do not want any cryptic, avoid-y crap, and I definitely do not want to hear about..." She hesitated, searching for a name to assign to her double. "..her. Okay? I want an answer." Just to further emphasize her point, she flipped off the radio.
Pious sighed, then turned to her. "I'm here because I wanted to be. Contrary to what you apparently believe, not every last thing I do has an underlying purpose."
Alex stared at him incredulously for a moment, then rested her head on the steering wheel, looking exhausted. "I don't understand you in the slightest." she said.
"Good. You're not supposed to. Now keep driving."
Alex glared at him. "Don't tell me what to do." She snapped. "You've got quite a lot of explaining to do."
"About what?" Pious asked. "I just told you, not everything I do has an underlying purpose."
"I don't mean that."
"Well, then...?"
"You can start with why you've been stalking me, what she has to do with anything, and why you have been making a point of avoiding every question I ask–and if you disappear on me again, Pious, I swear to you, I don't know how, but I will make your afterlife miserable for the remainder of eternity. Are we clear?"
Pious just laughed, which only made Alex even madder. Here she was, trying to figure out what was going on for once, and he was laughing at her. He wasn't even giving her the dignity of an evil laugh–he was just laughing because he thought what she had said was funny. Alex didn't bother to speak. After all, what did you say to someone in this situation?
After Pious had finished laughing, Alex shot him a glare. "Are you finished?"
Pious nodded, still half-smiling.
"Good. Now if you don't mind, I'd like an answer or two." She took extra care to lace every syllable she spoke with the most acidic form of sarcasm she could manage.
Pious sat back in the car seat, which struck her as rather odd, since he should have disappeared through the back. "If you insist, Alex. I doubt you'll like what you hear, though."
"I don't care. Start explaining."
Pious was about to reply, but before he could say anything, Alex cut him off. "Wait a minute. You've been blatantly avoiding telling me anything every other time I've asked you, and now you're going to explain everything to me just because I yelled at you?"
He sighed. "So are you saying that now you don't want me to tell you anything?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I know that the only reason you're so willing this time around is because you're just going to lie to me."
"Will I?"
"Yes, you will. And, if you don't mind, I'd rather just stay here and be ignorant for a while longer and figure it all out myself."
Pious gave a satisfied smile. "If you say so, Alex."
"Ugh. I can see why you hated this place." Colin brushed a cobweb out of his eyes as he carefully stepped around a pressure plate. "And the lighting's terrible to boot. How did you manage it?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out, Colin." Dr. Lindsey commented, looking in disgust around the dim hallway. It hadn't changed a bit from his last visit, aside from growing more crumbled and mossy. "I explore places like these for a living, and this one makes even me nervous."
"It is strange." Ellia looked around. She seemed sad. "It has been thousands of years since I was here. How it has changed since then..."
Someone absentmindedly stepped on a pressure plate, and a bladed pendulum swung outward from the wall.
"Although I suppose it's not that much different." She added. "There just were not as many cobwebs when I was here."
"Hmm." Lindsey looked around. "Admittedly, the fact that the undead legions of the Ancients aren't after my flesh this time around does help things a bit." He pointed to a room. "The stairs down to the first basement are here."
"I notice we didn't have to find any more necklaces or dispell any Magicks this time..." Colin commented, stepping carefully down the stairs. "And we don't have to hack our way through anything. All that's left are the traps."
"I suppose, since the Ancients are gone for the moment, they can no longer send out their servants and their Magick in this world." Ellia mused. The dim light emanating from her ghostly form lit the blackened stairway as well as the flashlights did.
"Probably." Lindsey concluded, and for a time, the three descended in silence.
Until now, she hadn't noticed. She had been riding the metro for a week straight. One whole week. She had never left, even when the trains pulled back in to the stations. After all, no one had seen her.
Up till now she hadn't even noticed the passage of time. She had been deep in conversation with the voice.
_Stay there_ It had told her. _Do not move__Do not let anyone find you_
_The time is coming soon, and you must be ready to act_
_Get off here_
It was this that had jolted her back to awareness. The train had come to a stop. A pleasant, mechanical female voice proclaimed, "Doors opening.", and the train's doors slid open a moment thereafter. Throngs of commuters pushed and shoved their way through the doors.
Why?
_Trust me__Get off the train here__Hurry_
Obeying the voice's command, 'Alex' stood up and left the train.
_Good__The voice responded. _Now, wait for a while__I want you to take the train that will arrive in ten minutes at this station_
Why? How do you know all this?
_You need to follow my lead because you need to be in a certain place at a certain time__If you do as I tell you to, all will proceed as it should_
Confused, 'Alex' shrugged, took a seat on a nearby bench, and set about once more trying to think up a name for herself.
Hide. Hide. She must not find you.
Jenny had been hiding. How long, she wasn't sure. She couldn't even tell.
Anna hadn't found her yet, though she was sure that the ghost would be looking for her. In the back of her mind, in her suppressed consciousness, she vaguely wondered why she needed to hide.
But the voice was commanding her, and she had no choice but to obey.
Hide for just a bit longer. Soon, this will end. You–I–will need to hide no more.
"What do you mean it's blocked off?" Colin called out.
"Come down here and see for yourself." Dr. Lindsey yelled back. "The whole thing...well, I guess it didn't really cave in, 'cause the upstairs floor is still intact, but there's all this rubble everywhere...."
Colin headed down the hallway, toward the sound of Lindsey's voice, and was greeted by a discouraging sight. The entire corridor was filled to the ceiling with stones and rubble of various sizes. Colin gave one of the stones an experimental push; it didn't so much as budge.
"How did this happen?" Lindsey wondered aloud. "I mean, it can't be a cave-in. The rest of the temple's intact, and none of this was here when I came here."
"Does it not strike you as odd?" Ellia commented. "All the stones are laid in place. They fit together, like a wall. It is as though someone actually built this."
"Do you think you can just go through it, Ellia?" The doctor tapped on the stone. "I mean, you can go through solid objects, right?"
"I do not know." Ellia responded. "Normally, yes, but..."
"But?"
"When there is this much Magick present, it limits the ability of we ghosts. If the wall is too thick, I might become trapped midway through it."
Colin had stopped listening to them. Instead, he sighed and leaned against the stone wall. He was starting to get a headache again; it was damp and hot and muggy inside this temple, and the back-and-forth thinking-out-loud session between Dr. Lindsey and Ellia probably wasn't helping. Coming here was starting to look like a colossal waste of time. They had trekked all the way to Cambodia and evaded the traps all over again–for what? To have their way blocked by a bunch of rocks?
In sheer frustration, Colin pounded his fist against the wall. "I can't believe we came all this way for this!" He shouted.
It was only after he had finished speaking that he realized that his fist had ended up buried halfway in the wall, cracking the stones themselves like ceramic.
For a moment, Colin simply stood there, staring in disbelief at what he had just done. "How the hell...?"
"Colin, how did you do that?" Dr. Lindsey walked up to him, tapping on the stone as though to make sure it was solid.
"I have absolutely no idea." Colin jerked his hand free. "That has got to be the weirdest thing that's ever--"
However, all at once, the corridor began to shake. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Everyone fell silent.
After just a few moments, the footsteps grew closer.
"What's that?" Colin looked around.
"Not a clue. But it doesn't sound good." The doctor looked around. "Maybe we should clear out."
However, no one could say anything more.
The stone wall cracked, and bits of it fell to the ground. More footsteps followed, and the wall continued to crumble. The next moment, it was reduced to rubble and a cloud of dust. Colin, Ellia, and Lindsey looked up in amazement at what was before them.
Where the wall had once been, a gigantic, twisted creature now stood. It nearly resembled a spider, but it was spindly and desicate, with too many legs. The beast had no eyes, but rather a single, mandibled maw, and open, festering sores where it's eyes should have been. Two of it's cadaverous limbs ended in three-fingered hands. It made no sound, save for the shaking of the corridor as it walked.
"What is that thing?" Ellia stared up at it.
"Mantorok is close by. He must have sensed our approach and Summoned his Great Guardian." Colin replied. His voice was level and even; he spoke with absolute calm and certainty in his voice.
"How did you know that?" Dr. Lindsey backed away from the creature, which seemed to be 'staring' at them, or as much as it could with no eyes.
"I don't know..." The fact had just entered his mind, as though it were something he had known all his life. He couldn't explain his certainty. It a moment, though, it no longer mattered, as the Mantorok Great Guardian lunged for them.
_Your train is here__Get on that one_
Alex started at the sound of the voice. Once again, she had been daydreaming, trying to think of a name. She had picked out a few that she very much liked, but few of them were very practical.
What?
_Get on this train__Hurry__It will take you where you need to be_
But where do I need to be?
_Hurry__Just get on_
'Alex' obeyed, stepping onto the train just before the doors closed, unseen by everyone else.
Which stop should I get off on?
_You won't need to wait for it to stop_
The doctor's rifle was almost spent, and the Mantorok Guardian had shown no sign of even noticing the bullets. The bullets merely remained lodged in the moldering flesh of the Guardian.
No matter what Magick they cast, the Guardian shrugged it off. The Magick of the three Ancients was meaningless to it.
"I thought Mantorok wasn't strong enough to Summon its Guardians." Dr. Lindsey narrowly dodged a strike from the Guardian's clawlike hands.
"It must have used it's last reserves of strength to Summon it." Ellia shouted back. "We should turn back. If the Great Ancient would risk it's death to keep us from seeing it--"
"We're not going back." Colin protested, reloading his handgun. "We came to speak to Mantorok, and I'm not leaving till I do." He fired a few shots, which caused the creature to stagger a bit at the impact but not deter it in any way.
"You won't be able to if you're dead." Lindsey searched for his kukiri, ducking behind a rock to avoid the Guardian.
"Don't worry." A smile crept across Colin's face. "I won't be..."
Lindsey started. The boy's voice sounded different; it was deeper, and more even. He spoke with a certainty that his voice had hitherto lacked. And, furthermore, the archeologist thought, considering the circumstances, no one should be smiling like that...
The Guardian's arm reached out for Colin, who dodged just an instant before it reached him. Dropping his pistol, he grabbed the Guardian's arm with both hands and, with a wet, tearing sound, wrenched it from it's socket.
The Guardian roared in pain, black, oily blood spilling from it's severed arm. Colin, perfectly calm, tossed it aside.
"Stay back." He turned momentarily to Dr. Lindsey and Ellia. "You can do nothing." The deep, firm voice remained, as did the slight, smug smile.
The Guardian, still staggering, charged toward the boy, spurred on by the boy's calm. Colin, without so much as blinking, reached out his hand, driving it deep into the Guardian's underbelly.
The creature's roar turned to a high, ear-piercing shriek, as Colin dragged it down till it sprawled on the floor. It's arachnoid legs flailed about, scrambling for a firm foothold. With one swift motion, the boy withdrew his hand, pulling out a handful of the Guardian's sinews and tissues. Then, still without flinching, he thrust his hand into the sores that served as the Guardian's eyes. The beast screeched again, flailing about on the floor, then lay perfectly still.
Colin turned back to the doctor and the ghost, who were staring at him in revulsion. The boy's hands were black with the Guardian's blood and pus, and a strange, red light was dancing in his eyes. "Come." He ordered. "Mantorok awaits us."
Lost for words, Ellia and Dr. Lindsey merely exchanged glances, then silently followed Colin. The boy walked ahead of them, out of range of the doctor's flashlight, and he did not turn his own flashlight on. Even so, the darkness did not seem to matter to him. He walked as though he lived here, even though he had never been here before. He turned east automatically, coming to the huge, darkened chamber that was the Great Ancient's tomb. But he had no more than stepped into the room when a voice rang out from the darkness.
"Get out!"
The voice was indescribable. It seemed to come from everywhere and be a hundred different voices at once. Ellia and Dr. Lindsey drew back.
"That is the voice of the Great Ancient. It has to be." Ellia looked to Colin. "We must turn back. If it wants us to leave--"
"We will not turn back!" Colin insisted. "He is weak and powerless. He can do nothing to harm us. He speaks only because he hopes to frighten us away." with that, he turned to enter the chamber, but Dr. Lindsey grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"It's not safe." Lindsey replied. "Mantorok will feed on humans when it's weak–and now that it's Summoned it's Guardian, it'll be even more desperate."
In reply, Colin pushed Dr. Lindsey backwards, so forcefully that the doctor was sent to the ground. "Fine then." He snarled. "Stay behind. After all, how could I expect you to do anything more than cower before the Keeper's feeble power ?" The boy marched forward, approaching the form of Mantorok in the center of the room.
"Come no nearer, you damned, wretched creature!" Again, Mantorok's voice filled the chamber. Colin ignored it, striding confidently toward the dying Ancient.
"Do not think that I cannot see who you are! Stay away! You cannot come here!"
Reality rippled imperceptibly, and Colin's body flew through the air, slamming into the wall of the chamber.
"I have not forgotten what happened before. Do you think I would fall prey to the same scheme twice?" As Mantorok spoke, Colin's eyes rolled in their sockets, and he gasped for air. A choked cry escaped him, and he writhed in pain.
"Now go! Leave this place!" The Ancient ordered. Colin screamed aloud. The trace of another voice could be heard, shouting back, "I will not!"
"Get out!" The Ancient shouted. Colin's body seized up, and two voices cried out in agony. With that, he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
"What happened?" Dr. Lindsey turned to Ellia.
"I have given the boy back control of his own mind and body." The Keeper replied. It sounded tired. "When he wakes, he will be himself again. You may enter."
Ellia and Lindsey hesitantly entered the chamber. "What was wrong with him?"
"Something else was acting through him. Surely you must have seen that. He came to try to get rid of me." The Ancient was silent for a moment, as the two contemplated what to say. "Why have you come here?"
"Great Ancient," Ellia began, bowing in supplication. The doctor followed suit. "The three Ancients that plagued humanity have not been defeated. Soon, they will be revived, and the Keeper of the Light will be powerless to stop them. We seek your aid in banishing the Ancients, as you are the only one who knows how."
"I was aware of this, mortal." Mantorok replied. "What makes you think that I am capable of stopping them?"
Panic flickered in Ellia's heart; she turned to Dr. Lindsey and saw the same fear reflected in his features. "Great Ancient, if we knew what was happening--"
"Of course you do not know what is happening. The Ancient's ways are hidden to you."
"Then what is happening? What are they doing?" Lindsey asked.
"Let us wait until the smallest one wakes." The Ancient replied. "After all, he needs to know this most of all."
For a moment, the three stood in silence. Then, Colin stirred.
"Ow..." He groaned, putting a hand to his aching head. "Oh lord, my head...what happened?" He looked up, saw Mantorok before him, and froze. "Oh my god...."
"Can you hear me, human?" Mantorok's voice resonated throughout the chamber. Colin nodded, looking very afraid.
"Good." The Ancient paused, as though waiting for something. Then, "Before time as mortals know it began, this world belonged to we Ancients and our brethren. Occasionally, others would rise up, such as the people of Ehn'gah, but all dwindled and faded away, whereas we remained. There was no Veil, for ours was the only reality.
"How humans became dominant over our grand race, I cannot say. But when it happened, humans could not accept the power of we Ancients. We were so far beyond your logic and understanding that our mere presence warped and twisted and, ultimately, shattered your fragile minds. So, subconsciously, humanity created the Veil; a safe haven of 'normalcy' within which you could live out your lives, shielding yourselves from our sheer superiority. We Ancients were pushed aside, locked away outside of your precious Reality by a race unable to accept us."
"Wait." Colin spoke up. "Does that mean that everything within the Veil isn't real? That everything here is a lie?"
"I do not mean that. The Veil's tapestry merely describes the world as it is without we Ancients. At first, all it did was paint over our image, block us from your vision. But in time, as humanity multiplied and spread all across the world, the Veil came to describe the only Reality, the dominant Reality. Our world–our Reality–became a nonexistence outside of your own. How odd it seems that a tapestry whose first threads were woven within the warped minds of those driven mad by us came to describe a whole new existence...But I digress.
"When Xel'lotath, Chattur'gha, and Ulyaoth began to scheme against one another and against humanity, they realized that, in spite of their power, they could not completely breach the Veil. It was, after all, created by humans to keep the likes of them out. They tried–they tore and ripped at the Veil, trying to break through it–but found that even the small ruptures they made in Reality were small and quickly mended.
"Eventually, however, they discovered that the small tears they made had an effect. Via these holes, they could create a physical presence through which they could channel their consciousness. These channels were very small and unobtrusive, but they were the first tenuous foothold that the three had within the Veil. Unfortunately, to maintain the physical presence of these Essences required a tremendous amount of power. The three poured the very core of their being into the Essences. It was a risky move, but, if any mortal were to touch the Essence, that Ancient would be able to transmit their will through the mortal. The being itself would become a sentient but obedient slave of the Ancient."
"A Liche..." Dr. Lindsey stated.
"Correct. Now, the Veil can be briefly torn from the outside, but, from the inside, it can be opened almost at will to those with the proper Magick. Once the Ancient had a Liche within the Veil, that Liche could begin the massive, complicated ritual needed in order to part the Veil long enough for the Ancient to come through. Once the Ancient is within your Reality, it can rip it to pieces, should it so choose. However, Ulyaoth, Xel'lotath and Chattur'gha had not this desire. They wanted to turn the Veil into our reality, to once again take our rightful place within Reality. In spite of the perfection of this plan, there was one factor in this that the three could not predict."
"And it was?"
"The remains of the city of Ehn'gah are still permeated with Magick, as they have been since the moment its population was decimated. That Magick seeped into the air, imbuing the very atmosphere. Eventually, those who lived in the Roivas manor–those who were constantly at the very epicenter of that Magickal aura–became more finely in tune to the workings of Magick and the nature of their own reality. It is for this reason that the Roivas family became the supposed Guardians of Light, spearheading the fight against the three Ancients. They, and the others who came to the Tome, managed to pit the Ancients against one another. Their bodies were destroyed, and their Essences were shattered. But this was not the end.
"Though the Essences themselves were physically damaged, the damage that the three had done to Reality to make them remained. Their was still a warping in the Veil, and, since the Essences were unusable but not totally destroyed, they could still use that weakness. Through it, even without the physical presence of the Essences, they could assume control of another mortal being as their Liche. And, now that their first Liche has been destroyed, they have begun to claim another."
Lindsey and Ellia both shot hesitant looks at Colin, who seemed to be unaware of it. Then, Ellia spoke, "What do you mean?"
"Through the tears they have made in Reality, the Ancients have used their power to take control of the minds and bodies of three more beings, one Liche for each Ancient.
"They did not all begin their efforts all at once, however. The first to begin was the Mad Ancient, Xel'lotath. She chose a slightly different path this time...
"She created her own avatar, a sort of living, conscious Essence. While she was not powerful enough to make this avatar a complete projection of herself, she can still channel herself through it. When she is not using it, this avatar is a complete, sentient being, with an infant consciousness. For the moment, it exists independently, out of her control. Xel'lotath used this avatar, which was a duplicate of her intended Liche, as a way to gain an entryway into the mind of that Liche."
"And...who is that Liche?" Colin asked, afraid that he could already guess.
"The Mad Ancient hoped to eliminate the problem of the Roivas family and claim a new servant at the same time. She modeled her avatar after the Guardian of Light herself, for it was the Guardian that she hoped to claim."
"Alex?" Colin started. "Xel'lotath is trying to control Alex?"
"In a way. The Avatar is the key to breaking the Guardian's mind. Since it is constructed as a mimic to the Guardian, but with a newborn mind, it will be easy for Xel'lotath to channel herself through the avatar to the Guardian.
"However, once the other Ancients realized what she was doing, they were quick to claim their own Liches, and they were not nearly as subtle. Rather, they used the moments when their powers were at their strongest to take control over the bodies of the Liches. And, since Xel'lotath had chosen the Guardian as her Liche, the other two Ancients chose humans who were close to her, so that they could instantly kill the Guardian when Xel'lotath gained control."
The Great Ancient fell silent, and Dr. Lindsey and Ellia turned to look at Colin. Colin stared back for a moment, then looked down at his hands, still stained with the black blood of Mantorok's Guardian.
"Me?" He whispered.
"Any blood relations of the Guardian were already dead. Therefore, the two remaining Ancients chose the two who would be closest to her. Ulyaoth, the Absent Ancient, chose the other girl as its Liche, the one who is even now hiding in Roivas Manor."
"Jenny? You mean Jenny's a Liche too?"
"She will be soon."
Colin again looked down at his hands. "So that means...the last Ancient...Chattur'gha..."
"Has chosen you as his Liche. When he can, he has taken control of your mind and body and acted through you. When you came here today, he controlled you. He hoped, through you, to finally kill me." The Ancient paused, seeming to be catching it's breath. "He needn't have bothered. Soon, it will be over."
"What do you mean, soon it will be over? Why didn't he need to bother?" Colin asked.
"It has been two thousand years since the first Liche imprisoned me here. Now, my strength begins to leave me. Before long, I will no longer be an obstacle to the three. I will no longer be able to help repair the damage the three are doing to your Reality. They will be able to move unchecked now."
"That is why we came to you." Ellia replied. "Is there any way that we could stop the Ancients' advance on our own?"
"You? You mortals alone? I may have chosen you to fight them, but you on your own? What could you possibly do?"
"Is there no way?"
"I do not know. I have never thought that you could carry on alone–or that you would have to. I thought that, by the time my strength waned, the three would have been destroyed or banished forever. But it was not so." He fell silent, and the three hung their heads.
"There is only one way that I can think of..."
They all looked up.
"Most of the Magickal Runic language remains untapped for the purposes of spells; their invocations being either too powerful or too chaotic to be safely used. In proper combination, these forgotten Runes could create a new Spell; a Spell of such proportions that even the Ancients themselves could fall before it. However...
"The use of the Spell in question would be very risky for you. It can only be used once the Ancients are within the Veil itself. It requires much preparation, much like the Spell that destroyed Ehn'gah's Guardians. And there is always the chance that the raw power of the Runes will backfire when one attempts to bind them into a Spell."
"Once the Ancients are within the Veil? But by then it will be too late!" Dr. Lindsey
exclaimed.
"There is no other way. To use a Spell that effects outside the Veil would tear your Reality to pieces in the process."
"Then what must we do?" Ellia asked.
"First, the Runes themselves must be called from their abstract form into a form that can be used for Spells. To do this, they must be formed from the very threads of the Veil itself. Then, the Spell itself must be cast within the mechanism of Ehn'gah, while the Ancients are fully within the Veil. Then, the Spell will be complete, and hopefully, the Ancients will be gone, forever.
"What are the Runes?" Colin asked.
"I cannot entrust them to your memory. My time here grows short. Their Runic forms will be written here for you. You must..." The Great Ancient's speech was growing slow and wearied. "..write them and bind them yourselves."
"How are we supposed to write and read Runes? None of us can do that."
Mantorok's voice had been reduced to a mere whisper. "The Ancients alone will know..."
"But if only the Ancients know, how are we supposed to find out?" Ellia cried out. Mantorok did not respond.
Silence reigned in the chamber. The sound of the Keeper's tortured breathing was absent. Then, Dr. Lindsey spoke up.
"Is he dead?"
"He must be." Ellia responded. She turned away, but something caught her eye. "And he kept his word. Look." She pointed to the object that had caught her attention.
On the ground lay two Codices, Runic symbols engraved into them. Dr. Lindsey picked up one of them, turning it over in his hands.
"These must be the unwritten Runes." He observed. "Now how are we supposed to form the actual Runes?"
"He said that only the Ancients know." Ellia looked up at the still form of the Great Ancient, then turned back to Lindsey. "But now, the only Ancient that could help us is dead..."
"Well, maybe, if this Minerva person could see Beyond--"
But he stopped talking the minute he saw Colin.
The boy was standing perfectly still, body rigid, fists clenched. His eyes were tight shut.
"Run." Colin commanded. "Run. Now."
"What?"
Colin caught his breath, as though he had just finished running a long way, then continued. "Now that Mantorok is dead, the three Ancients have nothing to stop them. The last barrier has fallen. Chattur'gha will be able to take control--" He broke off, clenching his fists tighter. His body seemed to be shaking. "I'll become the Liche. Completely. When that happens, I don't know what I'll do to you. You need to get away from me. Now."
When the other two did not respond, he turned to them. His eyes, now open, shone with red light. "Go!"
Taking the Codices, the two obeyed.
Alone in the chamber with the dead Ancient, Colin sank to his knees. He struggled to hold still, fighting the Ancient's command.
"At last...After two thousand years...finally, it has truly begun..."
The words were coming from his own mouth. He bit his lip to keep his mouth shut. I won't. I won't. I'm not going to let you...
His struggle did not last long.
Within moments, the Liche of Chattur'gha stood before the dead Keeper, gazing in triumph around him.
"How long was it, Mantorok?" He asked the Keeper's corpse. "Did you even know? Did you remember? How long did you keep from us that which you desired for yourself?"
He laughed to himself. "And now it is over. The inferior brethren have triumphed over the master. Even your power to dwell within the Veil has not saved you. We have won."
"I have won."
A shiver ran down Anna's spine. Something had happened; she knew, she could feel it. The presence Beyond had surged with strength, and she could tell that it was drawing nearer.
Just to top it all off, she couldn't find Jenny anywhere, and that wasn't a good sign. The longer Jenny went missing in this old house, the more susceptible she was to falling prey...
"Jen?" She called out, her voice hesitant. "Jenny, where are you?"
"I'm afraid she isn't here anymore."
The ghost wheeled around, caught by surprise. Jenny was standing behind her, perfectly calm, speaking in a deep, cold, measured voice that was obviously not her own. In spite of herself, Anna backed away.
"It is over, Roivas." Jenny's half-lidded eyes, which had turned ice blue, fixed Anna with an unblinking stare. "Your sad attempts to protect the girl from me were useless, as I am sure you knew they would be. Mantorok is dead. He has no more power over us." A smile played across the Ulyaoth Liche's lips. "It will be a matter of days at most before the last of your kin falls prey to the living Essence of Xel'lotath. And after that..."
The Liche turned it's back to Anna, then looked up at the ceiling. A vortex of blue light opened up out of nowhere, and Anna could feel the Veil straining under this defiance of Reality.
"The balance has disappeared." It said, speaking more to itself than to Anna. "While there is no balance, both are at my mercy."
It said no more, merely disappearing into the portal, which vanished the instant the Liche was gone.
_Now_
The subway screeched to a halt, much to the confusion of the passengers. Unseen by them all, the avatar of Xel'lotath smiled. This was it. It had to be. It was finally beginning.
What do I do?
_Do nothing__Just let me guide you_
The lights in the train car flickered on and off; the doors began to open and bang shut repeatedly. The commuters looked around, unsettled.
_It has at last begun__The answers you seek will not be far behind_
'Alex' closed her eyes for a moment and let her consciousness surrender to the voice. The voice became her brain; it told her body what to do and that body happily obeyed.
The Xel'lotath Liche looked up, smiling to herself. The ceiling of the metro car suddenly peeled away, like paper with a hole being torn in it. The laughter of the Mad Ancient rang throughout the tunnel as the Liche, her eyes shining green, rose up into the air, the ground opening above her.
Alex struggled to keep her car on the road. Nausea and vertigo had overtaken her; the whole world outside her car seemed to be spinning. She wildly spun the steering wheel, trying futilely to regain her balance.
In a few moments, the dizziness passed, and she found herself on the side of the road with her car tilted on it's side. Pious, obviously, had disappeared.
Confused, Alex fumbled for her seat belt, wondering what had just happened.
"Alex? Alex, are you alright?"
Alex looked up in surprise and found herself face-to-face with a ghost.
Instantly she recognized him. It was the same ghost that had appeared to protect her when Alex Number Two had tried to attack her. She remembered that the double had called him...
At that, her seat belt came undone, and she fell to the bottom of the overturned car with a thud.
"You okay?" The host repeated. He held out a hand. "Here, let me help you."
Alex briefly wondered how she was supposed to take the hand of a ghost, then accepted his outstretched hand. Surprisingly, it felt solid, though it was terribly cold.
With the ghost pulling her up, Alex clambered out of the car. "Who are you?" She asked, although she was sure she knew the answer.
The ghost looked embarrassed. "My name is Jonathan Roivas."
"My father." She replied.
Jonathan nodded, then looked away. "I'm surprised you remember me. The last time we saw each other, you were only four." He looked back at her. "You've grown up so much, Alex. You look just like your mother, do you know that?"
Alex smiled shyly, at a loss for what to say. Thankfully, Jonathan spoke again before an awkward silence could settle in.
"There's a lot I'd like to talk about, but I'm afraid that now isn't the time. The Keeper of the Ancients is dead, and the Ancients themselves have taken control of their Liches. We have to hurry back."
"Wait. They've what? What are they doing? What Liches?" Alex asked. "What's going on?"
"I can't answer all of those questions for you." Jonathan apologized, turning to walk away. "Ellia and Dr. Lindsey will be back soon. They will be able to tell all of us what we need to know."
"Ellia and Dr. Lindsey? What about Colin? Is he alright? And how are they going to get back here from Cambodia?"
"Colin isn't dead. He won't be meeting you though. At least, not in a way that you'd expect. As for how they're getting back...I can't explain it. I'm sorry." He sighed. "Come on. We need to get back to your dorm quickly, before--"
But he was cut off. The sky, which had been blue before, had turned stormy gray, and lightning flashed across the clouds without making a sound. An ice blue nova lit the sky like a sun, while beside it, a red hole had opened up in the air. All the while, Xel'lotath's laughter echoed across the city.
"Oh no." Jonathan looked up. "Hurry. We have even less time than I thought we did. It's already begun."
Before Alex could argue, Jonathan grabbed her by the wrist and ran ahead.
End Chapter 8A/N: YES!! IT'S OVER!! WOO HOO! Chapter 8 is FINALLY OVER!! Oh YEAH!!!
Ahem. Thank you. That will be all. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you all enjoy Chapter 8!