After crash landing Captain Douglas and I exited the car. The sight before us was awe inspiring to say the least. The buildings of the horseman kept moving about randomly, never staying in the same place. They merged and unmerged with each other like clouds in the sky. The structures passed through the ground like a ghost through a wall. Nothing barred their way. The buildings were colored a deep blood red and seemed to be made of an unknown substance. It looked like stone and metal at the same time - if that was possible. Amongst the symphony of movement the only constant was an archway that led to a huge set of doors.

“This Oraculum that you spoke about, it's inside here?” asked Patrick.

I glanced up into the sky and couldn’t see Bilé any longer.

“My guide seems to have left us here. The Oraculum was supposed to be at the center of the horseman dominion - so I guess this is it!

“Well dear I’m gobsmacked! I’ve seen many strange things since arriving in Limbo, but this is uniquely strange.” he said.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. We need to be prepared for the unknown.”

I reached into the car and grabbed the book of Uriel. It was time that I sought some help from its pages. Firstly, I wanted to know more about my new dog friend.

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[Spirit]

Name: Captain Patrick Fletcher Douglas III

Points: 7

Power: 2

Type: Wandering Spirit

Location: Limbo

Abilities: Danger Perception, Track Scent, Move Without Trace

Weakness: Song

Details: Merged as both a man from World War II and a military Alsatian dog. Captain Douglas is lost in Limbo and needs to free himself of his dog soma to ascend to heaven. His dog spirit allows him to pass through all parts of Limbo and track the scent of any creature or monster.

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“What do you have there Hannah?” Patrick asked.

I looked at him. The book of Uriel seemed to note that Captain Douglas was benign, so I decided to trust him. I needed a friend in Limbo and our purposes seemed to coincide. I needed to find my token and he needed to find a way out of his dog body to ascend to heaven.

“It is a book that an angel gave me when I first arrived in Limbo. It's to help guide me in my quest.”

I spent the next few minutes telling Captain Douglas the story of my journey since arriving in Limbo. He seemed interested and licked his left paw while I spoke. It still felt weird talking to a dog, even if I knew that the canine body didn’t match the spirit inside.

“Well, that is quite the tale Hannah! So the horseman was one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”

“Yes, that is what he said.”

“Do you think you can trust him?” he asked.

“No, but as long as he thinks I'm the Potentate then I’ll be ok.” I replied.

“So I guess our next step is to find this Oraculum?”

“Yes, somewhere inside this crazy mess of moving structures.”

“I don’t sense any immediate danger, so that is a relief.” Captain Douglas said.

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[Location]

- Sanctum Bellum

- Inner Dominion of Letum, red rider of the apocalypse.

- The axiom of war is hosted in the center of the sanctum. The axiom affects all those that enter its sphere of influence and can be dangerous to wandering spirits.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

- The sanctum is an egress into the ethereal vortex. Spirits and other entities can get lost inside the sanctum forever unless they are led by a charger who guides them through the chaos.

- A wisp is immune to the effects of the vortex and may pass through into the Sanctum Bellum.

- Points can be gained for reaching the center of the axiom.

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I looked at the huge set of doors facing us in the archway. They appeared to be the only way inside.

“Patrick, do you want to wait here or come with me inside?” I asked.

“As a gentleman I cannot let a young lady enter an unknown place like this all alone!” He replied.

“It appears that this place can be dangerous to you, but I should be able to pass. If you come I cannot guarantee that you’ll make it out again.”

“I want to find this Oraculum. Somehow I feel propelled to seek it out. I’m coming with you Hannah.”

“Okay.”

Grabbing my lug wrench and book we headed towards the main gate. The sky above us scintillated with random orbs of light that circled the tops of the structures. A pale yellow glow faded through the sky and gave me a sense of otherworldly vibes. The stone courtyard led to a causeway. Over the sides of the causeway was a maelstrom of energy that I cannot really describe. It swirled and moved, but never changed. As we approached the giant set of doors they hummed with an unknown sound. I felt a tingling sensation on my skin the closer I got.

“This place seems supernatural!” stated Captain Douglas.

We both stood in front of the doors. The entryway reached up some twenty-five feet or more. The facing of the doors were plain except for its muted kaleidoscopic color that changed as I adjusted my viewing angle.

“I’m not sure what to do.” I said. “There’s no door handle or knobs.”

“Maybe we push our way inside, but those doors look extremely heavy. What do you think they’re made of exactly?” He said.

“I’m not sure, but the doors don't appear to be made of any substance from the Earthly plane.”

I walked up to one of the doors and pushed against it.

My hand went right through!

Startled, I pulled back my hand and looked at it. It glowed with energy for a second and went back to normal.

“I guess the doors aren't real. Or at least we can pass right through them.”

I looked down at the dog. According to my book this was a dangerous place for Patrick to enter. I wanted to be sure that he was going to be ok.

“Are you sure that you want to enter?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay, then let’s walk through together at the same time.”

The canine looked up at me and wagged his tail. Captain Douglas then moved right up against me and stuck his nose out in anticipation of what was to come.

I took a step forward and we entered.

Passing through the doorway felt like plunging into water. My body became lighter and I was forced to hold my breath - I didn’t know why. I felt like I was floating as my senses blacked out. Physically everything seemed to shift in a way that seemed familiar to me. My eyes could not see, but my ears could hear the pulse of my heartbeat. My sense of touch tripled and I could feel the bubbles of energy impacting my skin. It was then that I realized I swam in the vortex of the ethereal plane. I didn’t know how I knew, but I was convinced that I’d been here before.

I reached out to sense Patrick, but could not locate his canine body. I was suddenly concerned for him and focused my thoughts on regaining his spirit to mine. Somehow I knew that I needed to search out for my canine companion or he'd be lost in this place forever.

I stretched out into the void and found something. It wasn’t Patrick. It was another soul lost in this place. A hateful soul that didn’t understand who it was or what it was doing. I knew not to entangle myself with this entity and bypassed it.

I reached out further into the vortex. My strength in this place was gaining. I felt a congress of souls all around me… hundreds or them. Too many to count.

A woman who looked for her lost lover who had gone to war.

The dangerous soul of a murdered soldier.

A hateful man who sought vengeance upon the battlefield.

Too many souls to track and all of them festered as casualties of war.

I continued to search for my friend. I knew he was out there and was determined to get him back again. I stretched my powers to the limit.

I knew that I had once belonged to this place, long ago. I was an ethereal being and this was once my home.

But, how could that be?

Strangely I knew that I was a being, born of both of the ethereal and earthly planes. A dual entity with powers in both places. I emerged from the ethereal vortex, but I was also born on the earthly plane.

It was all so confusing.

Feeling more and more comfortable in the vortex I began to lose my focus.

I could have stayed there forever and been free of all my obligations. It felt okay to give in. To simply exist there and be calm. To be happy.

It was like returning to the womb of a past life. To a place that I didn’t need to concern myself with the continuation of my existence. If I stayed there I would have been at peace.

But I would have remained unfulfilled.

My purpose would have remained incomplete. I knew that this could not be. I knew that I was created for a higher purpose. Something greater urged me to complete my task, but I didn’t know what that task was.

I decided that I couldn’t stay here.

One day I could return, but I needed to accomplish something first.

I swept the vortex again. I focused all my energy on finding Captain Douglas. If I was having difficulty then he must be experiencing the same thing. I didn’t know him well and was having trouble locating him. I focused on his voice and the memory of his dog smell. I bypassed hundreds of souls till I found him.

With my mind I locked onto him and pulled him to me. He was unaware of my presence, but I held him tightly.

Now, how was I to get out?

Entering was easy, but exiting seemed impossible. I realized that the only way out was through the way we entered. It didn’t make any sense.

Where was that doorway?

I imagined the keep of the horseman. Saw it in my mind and pushed towards it through the wave of souls all around me. Passing through the maelstrom of energy seemed to get easier and easier. Holding onto captain Douglas I urged myself forward through the ethereal vortex.

Soon I found what I was looking for and we exited!