Chapter 31 - The Dark Voice

The Conrad Cairo Resort

Cairo, Egypt... Two Days Later

Mason stood in his darkened hotel suite, gazing out of the grand window overlooking the busy streets of central Cairo. The only light came from the bustle below, and the empty neon lights lit his face with an otherworldly glow. His face was set as stone, his blocky features curved into a tired frown. He held a hand to his mouth, thoughts flying through his mind at breakneck speeds. His stormy eyes glistened with the reflections of the large window, like small cinema screens alive with tiny images of their own. He was perfectly still, and the sound of traffic hundreds of feet below could barely be heard, horns honking and brakes screeching.

You know who I am, don't you? the voice questioned in a ghostly tone. Mason couldn't be sure whether it was coming from inside his head, or from some place deeper. Someplace darker.

No. At least, I'm not sure. You are still unfamiliar...

That will change. You will remember in time.

Remember what? What are you?

Not what, Edmund. Who. And you know very well what lies deep within you. Deep down here, where not even you dare to look anymore.

I have no idea what you're talking about -

You're a monster, Edmund. You know this better than most.

I am no monster...

Think hard, Edmund. Think back to that cloudy childhood of yours. Do you really remember all that happened? Or do you cover it up, suppress it like all the other terrible things haunting your memory?

What the hell are you talking about? Other than my parents' deaths, my childhood was nearly normal.

Nearly being the operative word. And I suppose you don't remember what happened to your lovely parents, do you?

It was the accident... their car... the snow that night. All that ice.

You know that's not what happened. That's the image you've painted for yourself and thus for everyone else. You know what really happened, don't you. Deep down... you remember.

Mason touched a hand to his brow. He had begun to sweat in his expensive Italian suit. The air had grown stifling, and his temples were pounding in pain. It had been a great while since he had last suffered a headache. What was happening to him? The strange inner monologue he had been experiencing lately was beginning to make him uncomfortable. It was as though it was coming from him, but was not him. His palms began to dot with sticky sweat, and he moved away from the window, trying to find solace in the darkness of his luxurious room. The air continued to practically congeal around him, and he began to pace. Slightly at first, and then faster.

I know you can still hear me, Edmund. I am always with you. You cannot escape me, no matter how hard you try. I am the constant entity.

What are you saying? This is not me, not a part of me at all.

You'd be surprised what lurks down here in the shadows of your being, Mason. I have seen your dark thoughts, your terrible deeds. I know what you did to your parents. I know what you did, even if no one else does. And though they may never find out, I will always remember. You cannot hide your face from me, oh man...

Mason continued to pace, his hands trembling. His fingers had begun to tingle, and his head still resonated with the terrible force brewing behind his eyes. He shook his head as the voice rambled on, trying desperately to deny it access to his innermost thoughts.

I barely knew my parents. They were always gone, and I was a small child. I don't even remember what they looked like. I never did anything to them.

That's a lie, and you know it. You know what happened. You know what happened that night as they slept... What you conjured in the darkness. You may have been small, but you were not stupid. And of course, you had a little help from me...

"Ahhhh!" Mason screamed, his voice angry and frightened in the darkness. He clutched his head in his hands, sweat running off him in torrents now. His stomach was roiling with uncertainty, and he was getting terribly dizzy. He felt as though his skin was melting, as if something was pulling its way out of him... ever so slowly.

Please Edmund, stop resisting. I've always been with you, and that will not change by screaming. You cannot make me disappear. I am a part of you, just as you are a part of me. There is no escaping your destiny.

What are you talking about? Who are you? What do want with me?

I am, simply, you... Edmund. I am all you hate and yet all you long for. Power, hatred, defiance, anger, lust, terror, death. I am the bringer of great power and terrible destruction. You know it is I you seek, not the Amulet of Immortality. And yet without me, what would you do with eternal life?

You are but a voice in my head. My power comes from within.

Yes, but from within where? Did you ever stop to think about where all that drive, all that ambition, all that terrible evil you possess comes from? It is I, Edmund, who urges you on towards the ultimate prize.

What do you mean? The amulet?

More than that. It was once ours and will be again. Not just the jewel, but the incredible power that comes with it. I know what you dream of doing with all that delicious power. I was the one who created those dreams as you slept in the darkness. I am the one who planted them in your mind like a constant gardener, hoping to one day reap the rewards of my careful planning.

What are you talking about? What ideas? What dreams?

Don't play stupid with me! the voice bellowed inside his head. Mason cringed at the force of it, almost amazed at what was happening. And yet, he always knew the day would come when this voice would become his own. He had never understood it, and still did not. But it was almost comforting, hearing that voice command him in the dark. Like a long-lost guardian... a watchful eye over his mind and his thoughts.

You are no fool, Mason. I am part of you, and thus I know what you are capable of. Remember who you are, what you became so long ago. You may not remember now, but you will remember who you truly are in the end. I will make it so. You are my vessel, my door to this plane. The plane of the living.

You're dead then?

Not dead... Only silenced. Long ago they were powerful enough to erase me, but it will not happen again. This time, we will be victorious over them, and they will not be able to stop my rebirth.

Rebirth?

I'm afraid, Mason, that you are merely a pawn. I am using you to gain entrance to this world, to this reality. You are the embodiment of my physical being, passed down all these years.

Wait... I know you. I know your words!

Ahhh... You have begun to remember already. Soon all our memories will come flooding back, and you will know the truth of your existence. However, only the Amulet of Immortality can finally resurrect me from this prison inside of you. Only that jewel of terrible destruction can free my will and spirit, creating once more an emperor for the ages...

"Mr. Mason?" came Nicholas Howard's voice from the door to the hotel suite. Mason turned abruptly, the menacing entity in his mind gone, not a trace left behind. He could barely remember what was said, even. He stared at Nicholas for a moment, an awkward silence ensuing.

"Mr. Mason, are you all right? You look a little pale. Would you care for something to drink?" Mason only looked away, his face burning with rushing blood. He stumbled towards his bead, a gigantic thing in satin near the large window he had been staring out of only moments before. Was it only moments? Or had it been hours?

"Mr. Mason?"

"I'm fine, Nicholas," he replied shakily, his usually icy tone wavering as he lay himself flat on the monstrous bed. "Just... get me some water will you?"

"Of course sir. Will there be anything else?" Mason tried wishing him away, but his thoughts continued to churn like black water.

"Any news on Lady Croft?" Nicholas leaned further into the room, light from the hallway beyond seeping in behind him.

"I talked with Alex West, and he said the doctor was positive. She's had some stitches, and there was no more damage to her ribs. She lost a lot of blood, however, and is battling fatigue. She should be around in a few days according to the doctor's report." Mason only nodded to himself, the sweat beginning to subside. The pounding in his head continued, however, and he felt as though it would burst from the pressure.

"Fine... that's fine. Make sure she gets what she needs. And give the rest of the team a while to reconnoiter until she's in traveling condition again."

"Yes, of course sir."

"And bring me something for my head!" he demanded brusquely.

"Yes sir," Nicholas replied quietly. With that, he exited, closing the door softly behind him.

Mason lay on the bed, his heart hammering in his chest. The overwhelming feeling of terror and disconnection was passing, and he was glad for it. He tried to force himself to focus on other things, but his mind was too clouded. It was as if a magician had appeared in his mind in a great cloud of smoke, and disappeared the same way, leaving the smoke in his wake. He pulled himself up to the pillows, throwing himself over on his stomach. He began to drift, his mind still a misty void. He thought he might have heard Nicholas reenter, setting a cold bottle of spring water and three large, white pills on the gilded night stand next to him. As he finally fell asleep, his mind awoke again, filling his dreams with terrible images of blood, fire, and death.