CHAPTER XVII: CRYPT OF ETERNAL NIGHT

I would rather describe my emergence into the Universe as summoning.

The corridor was perfectly quiet – even the loud howling from the main cavern was blocked off by an unknown force. The greenish light gave the place a ghastly look, making Kyle feel that he would be attacked by the terrible Former Humans at any moment. Packed with ammo, but without any weapons, having only a few mysterious artifacts with an even more mysterious purpose, he had to trust the invisible presence of his defeated former enemy, who seemed to help him just because something threatened him or his plans. The mystery that Kyle wanted to reveal most was the role Doctor Stalker played in all this madness. The marine longed for a simpler situation, where he could blast his way through the demonic hordes with his trusty shotgun in hand, wading through the fallen bodies of his foes on his way to killing yet another demon lord. The world had changed, the marine's life had changed since that fateful day when he defeated the Gatekeeper and listened to his tale. He felt as if he had been cursed since he heard that story.

The corridor ended in a small chamber with a strange carving on the ceiling. Corporal Harlan stopped for a second and examined it. A large circle in the center, several smaller circles close to it, and one more – far in the perimeter. It looked like a model of the Solar System – the sun was in the center, and close to it was the Earth. A bit further was Jupiter, and the tiny dot next to it could only be Io. And then, there was one more planet very far from the rest. Kyle stopped breathing for a few seconds – could that be the last demonic colony that he looked for? The scheme did not have any other marks on it – it could only tell the marine that the planet was very far away from his own Solar System. And judging by the sizes of the circles, the mysterious planet was about the same size as Earth. At least he knew that the place he sought was not very far away. There had to be a clue somewhere in the crypts, and he had to make use of it, unnoticed by the Gatekeeper, whose presence somehow felt stronger in this deepest crypt.

The next chamber was larger. In the center of the black marble floor was a shallow pit, filled with what Kyle recognized to be molten metal. Inside it floated five spheres of different sizes, made from the green metal that the marine had already seen in the treasury. At the other end of the chamber was a door that appeared to be locked. Right in front of it, several concentric circles were drawn on the floor. The picture looked very familiar to the marine. Kyle looked at the metallic spheres in the pool, then again at the circles. If he would place those orbs at certain position on those lines, the picture would look exactly like the scheme of planets he saw on the ceiling in the previous room. Kyle returned there quickly and looked at the carving once again – indeed, it could match. The only concern was that he was not sure about the exact angle from which the picture had to be viewed. A closer examination discovered a tiny symbol drawn next to the outermost circle. The drawing in the next room had a similar symbol, drawn in an entirely different position – easily misleading fools to place the orbs in the wrong positions. Knowing a few things about the nature of demons, Corporal Harlan would bet that there was a deadly trap that would activate when the orbs were arranged in the wrong order.

Having discovered the puzzle's secret, Kyle could solve it. After he took the orbs very carefully out of the pit, he slowly put them in place one by one, constantly returning to the previous room to take a look at the model. The last orb to place was the hidden demonic colony. The moment it touched the floor, Kyle thought he made a mistake. He had not – several clicks were heard from the door and it started to open slowly, much to the relief of the marine. The door revealed complete darkness... a room of unknown dimensions, without any light source, except for a few candles, which seemed to float in the air without any physical support, yet did not diminish the darkness at all. The floor, the ceiling, and the walls were shrouded in blackness, and the marine realized he had to cross this zone with the constant risk of falling into an invisible pit at every step he would take.

"Damn... can't they build a normal corridor or something... What the Hell is this thing..."

Cautiously, expecting something bad to happen at any moment, Kyle stepped into the darkness. To his surprise, his own body, clothes, and backpack were still lit, just as the floating candles. This made the marine realize that the room did not actually have any walls, floor, and ceiling... He was literally walking through an unnatural void, something that was most probably the eternal night that gave the crypt its name. The human had no idea what purpose the mysterious dark zone could probably serve. He did not know how long he had walked. The entrance appeared as a small lit rectangle in the distance, the floating candles in the air were much rarer. Kyle's feeling that he could fall in the abyss intensified, and he considered returning to the entrance chamber. The problem with that decision was that there was no other way, and without any doubt, the missing Major Boyd was somewhere in this area. It was amazing how this place and all of its wonders had existed for centuries unnoticed, and they were not detected by anything, not even the deep scan that the UAC performed before establishing Io Base Alpha. Kyle remembered seeing the reports – according to them, the moon of Io was nothing but solid rock, minerals, and pockets of gas, captured within the moon's crust. No natural caverns, let alone demonic crypts. Not even seismic fissures, which were common on all other moons of Jupiter. Because Io was so "quiet", it was among the top choices for building a new UAC facility. The other natural features of the moon made the ultimate decision easy.

Thinking like this, Kyle noticed a bright rectangle ahead – an exit! Willing to leave the zone of the gaping abyss as soon as possible, he rushed towards the door that hung ominously in the emptiness. It was then that the door started to close – slowly at first, slightly accelerating with every passing second. Kyle ran towards it, completely disregarding his fear of falling into a hidden pit. Diving under the closing stone slab, he rolled over and entered the chamber just as a click announced the closing of the door. He had passed the chasm of darkness.

Ahead remained a corridor that ended with a gate covered with runes glowing in many colors. The marine had the feeling that the Major was very close, probably behind that door. Walking towards it, Kyle beheld images carved on the walls – he recognized armies of Hell Knights led by Cyberdemons, the thirteen Gatekeepers standing around a strange ritual circle, weaving an intricate spell. Then, there was a huge mountain with a black-colored cathedral sitting on its top.

As he approached, the runic gate opened revealing a scene that made Kyle stop for a second. Before him stretched a large underground hall. In the center, standing in a sophisticated ritual circle was the missing Gatekeeper statue, surrounded by lit candles, arcane symbols, and lines, which flashed as if lit by an internal fire. At one end of the room was an enormous metal ring that hung in the air without any visible physical support. And at the other end of the room... a section was separated by crystal bars, and behind them was Major Boyd. The hall appeared to be empty, and the Corporal rushed towards the Major, who jumped up once he saw him.

"Harlan, you found me at last! What is going on in here? What is this place?"

"I do not know, sir. I can only tell you that we are in the lowest level of the crypt. We must get out quickly – something very dangerous might be lurking around the area. We must leave as quickly as possible. I must only find a way to cut these bars and..."

"You and the other human are not going anywhere," the Gatekeeper's voice erupted in Kyle's head, stronger and clearer than ever, "And I suggest that you turn around and greet your host."

Something in the Major's eyes told Kyle that there was someone else in the room, right behind him. He turned around quickly to face an enemy he had only seen in his nightmares – the revenant of ice and sparkling crystal, standing more than two meters tall, emanating an aura of frost and malice. The creature's glowing blue eyes were fixed at the marine, as it approached slowly, step by step. Kyle remembered that he had no weapons to defend himself... The creature stopped near the Gatekeeper statue and spoke with its cold voice:

"So, you have finally arrived in this shelter, having passed through the abyss of eternal night. You truly are resourceful, just as my mentor told me," the creature looked at the statue for a moment, "And now, if you wish to rescue your human friend, you will have to do a few things for me."

"I am prepared to fight you, if that is what it takes," Kyle growled. The anger from the previous day was arising again.

"That will not be necessary. You will only have to perform a few simple tasks or... well, you would not like your Major to freeze to death, would you?"

As these words were spoken, the creature made a subtle gesture and a thin crust of ice covered the bars of the cage. Both men were sure the revenant could conjure something quite more powerful than that. Kyle sighed – he was starting to feel tired of being a pawn in the hands of higher powers.

"What must I do?"

"When you defeated the Heresiarch and Arcaron, you obtained two very important artifacts," the Ice Weasel replied, "You still have them with you, don't you?"

"I do."

"Good. Give them to me. Now."

Corporal Harlan had no choice but to do as the demon requested. He handed him the dagger and the bloodstained book he had found after his previous battles. He felt very cold when he approached the creature...

"You are frowning, human," the Ice Revenant noticed, "I understand you very well. I used to be a human, just like you, long ago. I used to be a pawn of those who are known as the Old Gods. Everything will be explained to you shortly. Now, we have work to do..."

A small door on one side opened and a Baron of Hell entered the hall. The demon looked at the two humans with burning hatred and an apparent wish to tear them into pieces, yet it walked quietly to the center of the hall, under the unrelenting gaze of the revenant. The Ice Weasel made another subtle gesture and a red flame erupted in a small pit on the floor. It picked up a golden chalice from the floor and handed it to Kyle.

"This is where we need your help, human. We need some of your blood. Cut your arm and fill the chalice up to the black line that you see carved on the inside."

The marine had passed through so much that nothing could disturb him anymore. The sharp edge of the chalice cut his flesh and let the warm red liquid flow into the cup. He thought it was good that he did not throw away that stimpack that he had in his backpack. The bandages that he had added to it before the first expedition into the crypts were exactly what he needed at that moment. Once the chalice was full, the Ice Revenant picked it up and put it on a stand above the red flame. Its heat made the blood boil violently, in a way Kyle had never seen before. Flashes of green light appeared above the chalice as the spell interwoven in it activated. The gems in it glowed unnaturally, and foul black smoke rose from its opening. This was somewhat familiar to Kyle, as he had the feeling he heard about something similar in the Gatekeeper's tale.

Loud hissing signaled the end of the process – the flame faded away and the contents of the chalice calmed down. Kyle was disgusted to see that the blood had transformed into a malignant and thick black liquid that looked like hot tar. A second after that, the chalice was given to the Baron of Hell, who drank its content. The effect was amazing – the demon's eyes started to glow strongly with red light, its horns' color changed to black, and the skin became darker too. The demon's magical abilities were greatly enhanced by the magic of the chalice, and he was waiting for something.

With a quick motion, the Ice Revenant stabbed the Gatekeeper's statue with the dagger and left it there in the stone. He opened the book that Kyle had brought, as the Baron of Hell grabbed the statue's head with his clawed hand. Bright light appeared and engulfed the Baron when the revenant started reading something from the book. The Ice Weasel chanted a spell in an intricate language, its voice increasing in power with every next word. The Baron started howling as if he was in terrible pain that burned his body. The howling turned into screaming, the revenant was not chanting anymore – it was shouting at full strength the strange words of the tome.

Ripples of energy spread through the room, the light was dimmed, and slight tremors shook the ground they stood upon. A thousand whispers erupted in the heads of Major Boyd and Corporal Harlan. A cacophony of unholy voices filled the chamber, as the glow that came from the statue became unbearable. The two men shut their eyes, hoping it would all end soon.

With a final shriek of agony, the Baron of Hell's body was overwhelmed by convulsions. The demon fell dead on the floor, green blood leaking out of his mouth. The Ice Weasel shouted what seemed to be the final word of the spell, a powerful tremor shook the hall, and all lights went out. Kyle stepped back, fearing a sudden attack in the dark. It was then that he felt something.

He felt his presence – the presence of his old enemy who was defeated at the site of the UAC Plutonia Project. The lights flickered back to life, and the marine saw that a significant change had occurred in the room. The statue in the center was shattered into tiny pieces, which were spread all over the hall, and in its place stood a living being. The same being that the statue portrayed. The Gatekeeper... alive once again!

"The promise has been upheld. I live once more. I return to this world in the time when its destiny is to be decided."

Kyle could still not believe what had just happened in the crypt. The Gatekeeper, the one he had slain on Earth, the one who told him the secret tale of Hell and its secrets, was alive.

"But you are dead. I killed you, I... sealed the last Gate of Hell and put an end to your schemes!" the Corporal exclaimed.

The Gatekeeper turned his burning gaze towards the marine and bared his teeth. It seemed like the demon was trying to smile.

"Commendable, human. I was indeed slain by you. But now I have returned. The Ice Weasel used the one and only charge of a unique spell that was given to him long ago, in worlds that your kind has never walked upon. He utilized that one opportunity to use the spell wisely. He brought me back, in the most critical moment."

Kyle felt he was about to collapse – was that the purpose of all the perils he went through?

"But how... how is it possible that you live once again."

The marine stepped back when the Gatekeeper's laughter echoed in the chamber. The demon looked straight into the human's eyes and spoke once again:

"No living being dies, unless it alone wishes to. I had to return. And I have to join forces with you. A storm is coming, human, a terrible storm that will threaten the existence of both your race and mine. By reaching this shelter, you proved that you are a worthy ally. And indeed a shelter it is – in here, we are safe from the great enemy that has awakened among the stars. Safe... at least for now. But now we have work to do – the human named Stalker has already configured his dimensional gate in your overrun colony. Soon he would open the portal and will fulfil the mission that was given to him by his dark mentor."

Major Boyd was still quite confused by all the events that had just happened in front of him. He leaned forward and whispered to Kyle:

"What is going on in here? This demon speaks to you, as if you know each other! Is there something that I should know?"

"Major Boyd... sir... it is very complicated and I will have to reserve the explanations for later. I am on your side, if this is what worries you. I assure you."

"I do not know whether I can believe you... for now I will trust you."

The Gatekeeper looked at the Major carefully.

"This will not be necessary anymore," he murmured and whispered a few strange words. The bars that surrounded the Major disappeared immediately. The marine stood up and assumed a position next to Corporal Harlan, waiting to see what would happen next. The Gatekeeper came a few steps closer to the humans.

"Now that you are ready to listen, I will explain the reason you were brought here. The one named... Kyle... has already heard my tale, which explained everything to him. But, there is a very important thing that I deliberately omitted while telling you the story. Now, humans, I will tell you about something that will explain the reason for these crypts to be built, the reason for these Heresiarch and Warlord to be preserved here, and the reason why Earth was invaded. Yes, human... my tale never gave you a completely clear and precise answer as to why Hell had to invade your home planet."

The Gatekeeper and the Ice Weasel sat on the floor. The two men hesitated for a while, but then did the same.

"Now," the Gatekeeper said, "We shall help you solve your crisis, but in turn you will have to help us too. We have to join forces because that, which was set in motion long ago, is now reaching its most crucial point. The Old Gods are awakening. Tricked and defeated by mortals, eons ago, they have woven an intricate scheme to seek vengeance. The coming storm can be the end of both demons and humans. Now listen – my tale shall now reveal the final secret..."