Chapter 19: A Legacy of Darkness
1952 A.D. Roivas Family Estate, Rhode Island
Edward Roivas closed the door to the library behind him, examining the shelves of books that surrounded him. The single book he was searching for was on one of the many shelves, but he forgot where he had put it last.
"My education in psychiatry did not prepare me. I would love to see how Freud's view of his mother would change with the knowledge of Chattur'gha. How Skinner would incorporate Xel'lotath into his behaviorist theories. How Jung would accommodate Ulyaoth into his theory of the collective unconscious."
He found the book he was trying to find and pulled it out from the shelf, walking over to the chairs that were near the fireplace. Edward stared up at the painting of the Roivas family tree, the candles that stood on either side of it giving it an eerie appearance. It was said that if one looked closely, the secrets of the Roivas family would be revealed…
"Like my ancestor, Maximillian, I too had an interest in my family tree. As a psychiatrist, I believed that science could provide answers into my family's sordid, bizarre past. It was with great excitement that I began my search."
He sat down in one of the chairs, feeling comforted by the warm heat of the fire. He slowly opened the book, his eyes scanning the rows of text.
"The mansion's history was filled with my colorful predecessors. Everything from convicted and hung witches to committed madmen, each laying their own peculiar mark on its character. I intended to find their secrets…"
Edward closed the book after a while, not sure of how much time had passed since he began. The information he had found still left many of his questions unanswered. His only choice now was to search elsewhere for clues. As he stood up, something slipped out from between the pages of the book, landing on the wood floor. He picked it up, recognizing it as the brass minute hand of a clock. "Strange…" Edward mumbled, thinking. Perhaps this was to the grandfather clock in the library? There was only one way to find out.
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Echo of the Past
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Edward walked into the back of the library, hesitation as he neared the grandfather clock. He felt a presence behind him, and he stopped in his tracks. "Edward…" a ghostly voice called out from behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he spun around quickly. A translucent man was standing there, wearing clothes that dated back to colonial times. Edward gasped, slowly backing away from the ghost of someone he knew had to be dead.
"You know who I am Edward…. Although you are doing your best not to believe it. I am, or was, Maximillian Roivas, your ancestor. I died in an asylum after trying to warn the world. The pain and anguish I felt in that cell has empowered me to linger after my death. I must complete what I started, Edward. The Darkness must be stopped, or all of humanity may end!"
The ghost of Maximillian walked past him to the other side of the room, gazing at the clock. "Set the clock to the thirty-third minute of the third hour…" With that, the ghost vanished. Edward stared at where Maximillian had once stood, wondering if he had been hallucinating. It was impossible that a ghost could have been in this very room, yet he had seen it with his own eyes. What did he mean by finishing what he had started though.
Edward stared down at the clock hand in his fist. There was only one way to find out if this was true, and that was to do as Maximillian had instructed and set the clock to 3:33. He set the minute hand on the clock and returned to the foyer of the Roivas Estate, going over places to check in his mind. The mansion wasn't exactly huge, but it would be hard to find a single clock hand. With a heavy sigh, he began his search.
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The Legacy Unveiled
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He had found the hour hand of the clock in the second floor study. As he set the time on the grandfather clock to 3:33, a bookcase behind him slid over to reveal a hidden passage. Maximillian's ghost reappeared, leading him through the passageway and into a study of sorts. The desk in the middle was cluttered with miscellaneous junk. A large, leather-bound book was what stood out the most.
Maximillian's ghost gestured to the items as it spoke. "Take them, and use them. They are humanity's only hope. Destroy the Guardians, Edward, and avenge my wasted death…" As it said these last words, its voice grew weak, and it reached a hand out to Edward. It vanished from sight.
Edward examined the notes scattered about the desk. They referred to the book as the Tome of Eternal Darkness. They also explained that an ancient city was underneath the mansion and was filled with creatures known as "Guardians" that served the dark being "Chattur'gha". As he read on, he felt a knot of fear build in his stomach. All this time, there had been monsters living under the house of his ancestors. "And it is up to me to stop them…"
Edward picked up the Tome, heading out the door of the study. But as he entered the library, he witnessed something that would forever haunt him. A reddish creature had appeared next to a frightened maid, and it opened its mouth and sucked out the blood from the maid without even coming in direct contact with her. He could actually see the blood going through the air and into the creature's mouth. When it was done, it ran off and vanished, knocking over a vase that left the piece of a key in its shards. The maid collapsed to the floor, but it was only a few seconds before she stood up again and looked at Edward with a blank expression on her face. Her skin was deathly pale, like her whole body had been drained of its… "Blood," Edward whispered. "That thing was a Vampire…"
The maid slowly made her way towards Edward, but he ran as fast as he could through the library door and out into the foyer while snatching the key fragment off the floor. He locked the door behind him quickly so that the maid couldn't follow after him. Edward feverishly thought of a plan. There was a saber on display in the dining room. Even if he wasn't a fighter, he had to keep something with him to defend himself. Edward ran in, receiving confused looks from his maids and servants, and snatched up the saber. As he was returning to the foyer, a shrill scream came from one of the second floor rooms. He could hear the confused words of the servants in the foyer as he charged upstairs, running into the master bedroom. The Vampire was there, attacking a servant who was busy cleaning the room. A single slash was sufficient to distract the monster, and it went after Edward instead.
After another hit, the Vampire became invisible. As it attacked from another side, it came into view once more. Edward instantly understood and came up with a pattern for fighting. He would dodge the slow attacks when it became visible and strike back quickly. After a few hits, it vanished and ran out of the room. The servant was shaking with fear as he handed Edward a key. "Use it to unlock the gun cabinet. You have to kill that… that thing before anyone gets hurt."
Edward nodded as he ran out of the master bedroom and into the study where the gun cabinet was. He unlocked the door and took out the large gun inside, along with a good amount of shells. It was called an elephant gun and was one of the most powerful weapons created so far. "It would be better if you got out of here," Edward informed the servant in the room. "Help as many of the others escape as you can. Something is here and is attacking the servants."
The man nodded and left the room immediately. Edward hoped that he would tell the others to leave before the Vampire took more lives. He searched around the room, coming up with ammo for the elephant gun, revolver ammo, and shotgun shells. A more thorough search rewarded him with an old revolver. With a deep breath, he headed back downstairs and enchanted the elephant gun with the Ulyaoth alignment. After a while, he heard the scrape of claws on marble floor. The Vampire appeared nearby, reaching out with its claws to swipe at him. He blasted it with two rounds from the elephant gun, and it immediately ran off. Edward reloaded the weapon, picking up half of a key on the floor. He thought for a moment before combining them together with the Enchant Item spell. He unlocked the door and went through, reaching the bottom of the basement steps in time to see the Vampire absorbing power from a stone monolith. All of its injuries healed up as it did so, and Edward understood that this was what was giving the Vampire its power.
Edward dodged attacks from the Vampire, repeatedly blasting the stone monolith until it crumbled. He reloaded the elephant gun with shaky fingers, and when the monster reappeared again, Edward blasted it at point-blank range with the elephant gun. The effect was instantaneous. The Vampire collapsed to the ground, a massive hole in its head. Edward reloaded quickly, picking up ammo around the basement and taking a shotgun off the wall. The stone monolith was covering a hole with a ladder leading downwards. He remembered the notes saying that this was the way into Ehn'gha. Swallowing hard, he climbed down the ladder into the darkness.
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Death Comes to us All
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The ground beneath him shook as he ran. Magickal power built up in the surrounding area, and Edward knew he didn't have much more time before the spell he had inscribed in Ehn'gha's array was activated. He had fought his way through the hordes of Chattur'gha to inscribe the runes for a Dispel Magick spell. Now, the spell was about to activate and wipe out every living being within Ehn'gha. Guardians had been trying to stop him from escaping, but he had barely managed to get away from them. Now, he was running as fast as he could up the spiraling staircase that led back to the mansion, his legs aching as he stopped at the ledge overlooking the ancient city.
Blue light formed on the tips of the nine spires that overlooked Ehn'gha. Suddenly, from the center of the city, a massive wave of blue light shot out, decimating not only the legions of Chattur'gha but causing damage to parts of Ehn'gha. Edward watched with a shocked expression, unable to believe the power, but feeling relieved that he had destroyed the Guardians. But somewhere deep inside, he knew that this fight was far from being over.
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48 years later…
"Why are you telling me this now?
Edward looked at his youngest daughter, seeing the confusion in her eyes. He hated lying to her like this, but he had to. It was his only option. And he had to get her to leave soon. If she stayed any longer, the Guardian would kill her too, and that was completely unacceptable. He shook his head in reply to her question. "Because something important is happening that concerns you. That man in your dreams isn't just a figment of your imagination. I'm afraid I have no time to explain this to you in detail. I still have work to do. Perhaps… Can you return here in two weeks?"
Danielle nodded, standing up from her chair. "Yeah, I can. It's right after the mission trip." Edward led her to the front door and held it open for her. "Thanks for telling me the truth. Maybe when Mom and Dad get back, I'll ask them about this. Well, good-bye…" Without another word, she walked out and silently returned home.
Edward sighed, his heart heavy with sadness as he closed the door. He knew this day would come, ever since he discovered the chapter page about her. The vision he had seen of the Guardian murdering her, and then Pious indwelling her with Xel'lotath's power, still haunted him.
He shook his head and returned to the library, writing out a note to Alexandra, his oldest granddaughter, that explained Danielle's relationship to her and how to contact her. The two of them would need each other for what was about to happen. Edward sealed the note in the envelope and addressed it to Alexandra, leaving it on the desk as he stood up. From a bookshelf nearby he pulled out a dusty novel and sat down in his favorite chair in front of the fireplace.
He wished he could have done something to help her when she was attacked by the Guardian, but he was unable to. Not to mention he would have aroused her adopted parents' suspicions. But now that they were dead, he had no other choice but to tell Danielle the truth. She would find out about her parents on her own. That was something that he couldn't tell her about no matter what.
The grandfather clock chimed three, and he felt a presence behind him, along with a low rumbling sound. He looked up, closing his eyes and knowing what was about to come.
I was such a terrible grandfather to them both. Now, I've left them alone…
He opened his eyes, a single tear trickling down his face. "Forgive me, Alex, Danielle…" There was a sudden, stabbing pain in the back and front of his neck, and he saw no more.
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A Vision of Victory
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Pious knelt before the image of his Master before standing up. He had brought Chattur'gha news of Ehn'gha's destruction by that fool, Edward Roivas. It seemed that he had acquired the Tome of Eternal Darkness and manage to defeat the Vampire Pious had sent. Staring at Chattur'gha's image, he delivered his message.
"Master, I bring thee grave news. A colony of Guardians in the ruins of Ehn'gha has been decimated. Without them, I fear we are lost…"
"Your fears are unfounded, servant. This news is irrelevant. I have seen the future that will come to pass. In this vision, I see myself crushing Xel'lotath, as I was destined to do. My many mouths will consume its body from all sides, gnawing at it until nothing remains," Chattur'gha boasted. "This I have seen. This is what will be…"
"You would place all our faith… in a vision?" Pious asked, doubtful of this.
"Yes, just as I have placed all my faith… in you…"