image [https://i.imgur.com/NiJ0n1j.jpeg]
CHAPTER 1
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
The Green Gables were very far away from Belkyndron.
Nightingale liked that.
It gave her peace after everything that had happened around that place. At some point she just couldn’t stand the sight of the ruined chapel and her old cottage, so she had torn it down and buried the books in the ground, between the rubble.
And then she’d come here. Where she could walk between her garden for hours and not worry about anyone disturbing her peace. After all, what was the chance that someone stumbles upon this place by accident, right?
At least that’s what she thought, until she saw a stranger enter through her front gate this quiet evening. He looked like a young boy, maybe eighteen years old, red-haired and blue-eyed. Nightingale had seen him before around Belkyndron – she remembered his name was Orix – but there was no reason for him to come here, so far from the four-towered castle.
She froze in place, one hand still at the doorknob of the door she was closing behind her. The sight was so unexpected that she found herself at a loss of words, and before she could regain her balance and utter a proper greeting, Orix smiled.
“This is only gonna sting a little.”
He took a step forward, reaching towards Nightingale, and she instinctively jumped backwards, hitting the wooden door frame with her back. Panic started to pump adrenaline through her veins, as every thought in her mind was replaced by a blazing red alarm screaming DANGER, DANGER, DANGER.
“Hey-“ she yelled, alarmed, scrambling to get away from him, but he was too quick. “Back off-“
He reached forward and grabbed her wrist; it was like an electric wave that travelled up her veins and nerve system, her eyes ringing deafeningly. She swayed on her feet, and when she looked up, she realised everything went dark, as if it was the middle of the night. The only thing she could see was the closest walls of her house and Orix standing in front of her, smiling. “It is done”, he said.
She couldn’t breathe.
And as the darkness and ringing in her ears slowly started to go away, a new voice spoke inside her mind.
Good. Now I see more.
Blood froze in Nightingale’s veins. Something was horribly wrong here.
“What did you-“ she rasped, putting one hand on the wooden wall for support, as the ground shifted under her feet. “What did you do?”
“Bye, Night”, was the only reply she got. In the corner of her eye she saw Orix starting to walk away.
Head back to the rift, Orix. I have eyes everywhere.
“STOP”, she shouted, managing to regain her balance, and took a few unsteady steps towards him. “STOP! What did you do?!”
Glad to have your sight now, "Night", said the voice, echoing in her mind.
Nightingale felt her eyes sting with tears; she was terrified. It was obvious the voice didn’t belong to any creature she’d ever encountered. This was something unnatural, abnormal, something that she didn’t want any part of.
“What did you do?!” she screamed again, extending one of her arms to keep balance on her wobbly legs. “ANSWER!”
Do not demand things from the Gatekeeper, said the voice, the underlying threat obvious in its tone. Orix, head back to the rift.
“Answer me or I swear to the Watcher I'll kill you right here!” Nightingale yelled. She usually wasn’t the one to make threats towards another human being, but in that moment she was like a cornered and hurt animal, fangs bared, fur standing on end.
DO NOT DEMAND FROM THE GATEKEEPER, the voice roared and Nightingale stumbled back, startled. IS THAT CLEAR?
She felt pressure building up in her head; not painful, but uncomfortable enough to make her shut her eyes and stop in her tracks.
IS THAT CLEAR, NIGHTINGALE?
Orix smiled triumphantly. “You heard him.”
Nightingale’s legs gave out under her and she fell to her knees, breathing heavily. Her heart hammered in her chest; all the sounds were muffled, as if she was underwater, and as much as she tried to focus her eyes on the grass right in front of her, her sight remained blurry. The only clear thing was that voice, the voice that sounded so unnatural, so out of place, so wrong.
Never demand from the Gatekeeper again, Night. Is that understood?, it said. You're my eyes, now.
“WHO IS TALKING TO ME?!” she choked out, fear gripping her throat, breaking her voice. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”
With the rift open, I see what you see. I see more than what you see.
She bent down, curling up on the ground, pressing her forehead to the damp grass, her hands moving to the back of her neck, gripping the short hair. She kept her eyes shut tight; no matter if it was telling the truth or not, she wasn’t taking any chances. She wouldn’t let it have its way.
“WHO ARE YOU?!” she cried out, tears trickling down her nose, her breath misting the grass.
I need you to keep your head high, the voice commanded. You're just an information broker. There is nothing to fear.
She clenched her jaws, trying to gather her thoughts, but they were too chaotic and frightened, scattered around like mice running away from a cat. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no…”, she whimpered through gritted teeth, clutching her hair tighter. “Who are you…”
I am going back to the Gatekeeper, the voice rang out in her head once more, otherworldly and strange, and she heard Orix’s footsteps walking away from her. See you soon.
She remained in this position, curled up on the ground, until she regained control over her breathing; with the voice temporarily gone, her mind became clearer soon and finally she lifted up her head, taking the crisp evening air into her lungs.
“I don't know what you want or who you are, but you are not getting anything from me”, she said bitterly, putting her hands on the ground to lift herself back up on her feet.
I already have what I need from you, came the reply, and Nightingale clenched her jaws again, determined to keep calm.
“Orix. Meet me at spawn. Right now”, she said, knowing the boy will hear her, if not through that… thing, then through the bizarre connections this world allowed.
“Shall I go?” she heard Orix’s voice, echoing and reverberating, and the voice replied, Yes.
She closed her eyes.
“Understood”, Orix said.
When she opened her eyes again, Belkyndron’s towers loomed before her; she was standing on the grass next to the wooden notice board she’d built ages ago, and Orix was walking down one of the four castle bridges. He halted before stepping down onto the grass.
Nightingale took a deep breath and drew her sword. She hadn’t taken her armour with her, but it didn’t mean she was going to be completely helpless if it came down to protecting herself physically.
“Okay, Orix. Listen to me”, she began, keeping her voice level and calm, looking straight into the boy’s eyes. “You are going to tell me right now what you did and what is going on.”
Orix hesitated. “If you want to talk, let’s talk in the safe zone”, he replied.
Nightingale took a step towards the bridge, and Orix backed up.
“Are you afraid of something? Come back right here”, she said sternly. “This is a nice place to have a talk.”
Orix was silent for a short moment, before muttering a quiet “Okay”, and he stepped down from the bridge and onto the grass.
Kill my Gatekeeper, and I kill you, the voice echoed, as Nightingale patiently waited until the boy got closer, stopping a few feet away from her.
“Now. Answers”, she demanded.
Orix gestured to her sword. “Put your sword down, first.”
“I am making demands here”, she replied, doing her best to put every single ounce of authority in her voice that she could muster up. “Answers.”
“Sword.”
She narrowed her eyes, lowering her sword-wielding arm, not completely putting the sword away, but apparently it was enough, as Orix seemed to relax a little.
“I am the Gatekeeper”, he said. “I guard the rift and ensure he has permanent access to our world. I spread his sight, and nothing else.”
Nightingale closed her eyes for a moment and furrowed her brows, trying to gather her thoughts. “Who is ‘he’?”
“The Entity of the reality between worlds”, Orix replied, and his words send a shiver down Nightingale’s spine. She was right. It was otherworldly, strange, out of place. It was something that shouldn’t be here. It was… wrong.
“What does he want? From here? From us?”, she asked, but Orix gestured to her sword again.
“Back off and put away your sword”, he repeated his demand, but Nightingale only narrowed her eyes.
“Or what?” she growled.
“Then I’ll tell you more.”
Her grip on the sword’s hilt tightened. “I'm not threatening you with it. I am defending myself with it”, she replied sternly, standing her ground, even though Orix didn’t seem satisfied. He sighed.
“He wants to call those who are broken to a peaceful end. And above all else, information.”
A peaceful end. A nice way to coat the true meaning. “So he wants to kill us all, is that what you're saying?”
“No. Just a way out, to a place where all your problems can fade away.”
“Yes. Death.”
Orix scoffed. “You're so ignorant.”
Nightingale clenched her jaw. Not only does he have the nerve to come to her peaceful home and forcefully spread this… thing onto her, but apparently also the audacity to insult her.
She took a deep breath, even though her short temper was already buzzing with warmth and fire inside her chest.
“So what is this ‘place’, then? Enlighten me. And tell him to get out of my mind, ‘Gatekeeper’.”
Orix gave a serious look. “He is not in your mind. He is through the rift. He simply sees through our eyes.”
“What ‘rift’?”
The boy smiled slightly and took a few steps backwards, before turning around and taking the stone path leading north. “This way.”
Nightingale hesitated; following him wouldn’t be the wisest thing to do, but if anything was to happen, she had her sword, and she wasn’t defenseless. And besides, the voice was already inside her mind.
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“If you try something, I'm killing you right on the spot”, she growled, starting to walk after Orix.
Kill him, and you die, said the voice, as if her thoughts called to him.
She chuckled dryly.
“Yes. I'll kill him, then you kill me. So much for your ‘eyes’ then.”
This time there was no reply.
Orix led her off the stone path, passing the dim, buzzing lights of the empty Butterbucks, and further north, in the direction of Fennlynn’s house. No one else was around; just crickets singing in the damp air and the moon over their heads, lighting up the dew-covered grass under their feet. Nightingale would be enjoying the night, if it wasn’t for the circumstances.
The voice spoke up as they started to climb up the grassy slope. Do not worry of the location, Night. The fabrics of reality seem to be weaker in abandoned locations.
Suspicion slowly rose in the back of Nightingale’s mind with his words, and it was confirmed when Orix climbed up the broken copper stairs and stopped in front of the ruined church, its white walls cracked and covered in vines.
Nightingale’s blood froze in her veins.
“You are kidding me.”
~*~
The vines hung from broken fragments of the walls and ceiling over Nightingale and Orix’s heads as they stepped inside the ruined church. Most of the trapdoors had been opened or ripped off, revealing the dispensers, and bloodstains still covered the floor between the damaged seats; Nightingale, however, didn’t focus on those, despite horrible, traumatising memories attached to them. She was looking at something far worse, right at the end of the aisle, in front of the altar.
“This is the rift”, Orix said.
I told you not to worry, the voice echoed in her mind.
“What the absolute fu-“, Nightingale whispered.
It was like a gash, a wound opened in this world’s reality; a moving mass of shadows and dust, constantly changing and swirling, and Nightingale could’ve sworn she could almost see something between them. The otherworldly noises it produced seemed to rise and fall like a deep, rumbling wave, intercepted by occasional calls of ethereal voices and rough, enderman-like screeching.
It was terrifying.
And it was… intriguing.
If you want to see the location I had Orix describe, feel free to step through, the Entity spoke up. Just know, you aren't coming back.
His voice was much clearer now, in a way, as if being closer to the rift meant being closer to him as well.
A place where all your problems fade away, Night.
The ethereal voices calling out from the rift suddenly sounded… strangely familiar. A swift breeze moved through the church and brought with itself a foul smell of harming potions and burning flesh. Did she just hear Fennlynn’s scream amongst the rift’s cries?
A place where your soul can be free.
“All my problems...” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Every conflict, every worry, every bit of anxiety. Gone.
Her feet moved on their own, bringing her closer to the rift; she was stopped by Orix’s hand grabbing her arm. “Not yet”, he spoke up, and her attention snapped back to him as she yanked her arm free, giving him a sharp stare. “We need to spread your sight further.”
He moved between her and the rift to block her way, but the voice spoke up again. I permit you to ignore the Gatekeeper. Do not let anyone take your true freedom.
Orix hesitated. Let her in, Orix, the voice repeated, more sternly this time, and the Gatekeeper reluctantly stepped away.
Nightingale took a sudden step backwards, too, as if she only now realised how close to the rift she was. “Wait…” she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. What could she do? “What… what if I kill him right now?”
Orix gave her an empty stare. There was no anger, no fear, nothing but a slight spark of cold annoyance and contempt. He was either a fool that did not fear death, or he knew something Nightingale didn’t.
“His ‘eyes’ will be gone,” she continued, looking back towards the rift. “You kill me, and my ‘eyes’ will be gone. No more eyes for you, whatever you are.”
Nightingale, the Gatekeeper does not die easily, the voice replied, calmly and patiently, as if he knew she would try to resist the inevitable and was ready to explain everything to her like to a child. Come through the rift. You can be free here.
“Then I'll warn everyone,” she tried meekly one more time, despite her quickly melting resolve. Too quickly. “And I'll die. You won't get your hands on anyone else.”
You think a warning can stop an infection?
Infection. She shuddered at that word. That’s what it was, she realised. A virus, that she now carried with her, too.
Come into the rift, the voice coaxed gently, softly, promisingly. Imagine it. No more fears. Nothing else to worry about. Paradise.
“It can hinder it..... until I find someone strong enough to fight you”, Nightingale said, but her voice was empty and quiet, as if she didn’t believe in that anymore herself.
The sounds of the rift drowned out everything else; she didn’t hear the crickets chirping outside the church anymore, she forgot about Orix standing right next to her. The whole world became the rift. There were only the moving shadows and the otherworldly callings, the deep waves rising and falling, the enderman screeching.
All that pain, Night, said the voice, as she stared into the dark abyss in front of her. I have your memories. I know you're hurt. You're broken. Let me fix you.
"All the pain...", she repeated quietly again, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt it all now. She heard the screams as clear as if it was happening all over again right now.
You can let it all go.
Her feet moved forward on their own, and her body followed them, unsteadily and jerkily, as if she was hypnotised. Like a puppet on a string. "All... of it?"
Every last drop, assured the voice.
"Do you promise?"
It would be so easy to let it all go.
I'm a man of my words, came the reply.
And so, she stepped forward into the shadows.
Darkness engulfed her, and when it cleared, she found herself between yellow, dimly lit corridors, stretching in all directions as far as she could see. She hesitantly started to walk, turning a corner. It was all there was. Just corridors.
“Are you still here?”, she heard Orix’s voice, faint and muffled, as if she was underwater; it echoed all throughout the rooms, bouncing off the yellow walls. She outstretched one of her hands, touching the wall gently with her fingertips, as she walked forward.
“Way too close”, Orix said again.
She turned another corner, and the same sight greeted her. Just… rooms. Dimly lit rooms.
Now you're free, Night, the Entity spoke up; his voice was so much more clear in her mind now, without the veil of separate realities between them. Nothing can hurt you here. You have nothing to worry about here.
“Nothing...?” she repeated quietly, turning her head to look around. Despite the otherworldly feeling of the rooms, they did seem… safe. They felt safe. She wanted them to feel safe.
Nothing.
Despite not seeing his form, she could’ve sworn she heard a smile in his voice.
The buzz of white, electrical lights hummed above her head as she passed them, walking through the endless corridors. The silence and loneliness were comforting. It truly felt like nothing could harm her, but… she couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling that creeped up her spine.
You know..., the voice echoed again after a long moment of silence. Have you heard the rumor?
Something in his tone made her heart skip a beat. She halted to a stop, and she could feel the short hair on the back of her neck standing up, as if suddenly the air was filled with electricity. Did she just hear something in the distance? "Uhh... what rumor?"
The sound grew louder, confirming her fears; the familiar enderman-like shriek, furious and jarring, and along with it grew a horrifying feeling of a dark presence.
That girl fled town with her things. Ran away from everything.
She turned around just in time to see a tall, abstract figure made out of darkness and shadows dashing straight towards her, and its bright neon purple eyes were the last thing she saw before her world exploded in pain.
And she was never seen again.
~*~
She gasped for air, sitting up abruptly, pain still lingering at the ends of her nervous system, causing her to wince and freeze. The light that came from somewhere above her was dim, but bright enough to hurt her eyes; she shut them tight, gripping her head and whimpering softly, waiting for the stimuli that overwhelmed her senses to settle down.
And as they did, the voice spoke up in her slowly clearing mind, breaking through the noise of the blood pumping in her veins, her heart racing.
Haven't had a soul in a while, it said. I'll put it in the collection.
Her breath caught in her chest as she finally put the pieces together.
She had died.
She shakily lifted her hand to touch her face, her neck, her chest, checking if anything changed, aside from the peculiar, horrifying feeling of emptiness that's started to settle in her heart. "You said..." she rasped weakly, and coughed when her voice scraped against her dry throat. "Nothing... Could hurt me..."
You are an empty body now, came the matter-of-fact reply. Nothing can hurt you if you simply don't exist.
Fear rose in Nightingale's chest, though this time it was different from the fear she was used to; it was watered down, pale, dull, as if she was looking at it from behind a thick, milky sheet of glass.
I will leave you here now, the voice said, and she perked up.
"N-no! Wait-" she cried out, looking around, as if expecting to see the owner of the voice somewhere. Was he the thing that had killed her? Or was it sent by him? She opened her mouth to ask, but couldn't find the right words, her mind clouded, trying to grasp what had just happened.
Another being to wander here forever, mused the voice.
"No!" she repeated, putting a hand on the ground to support herself as she shakily rose up to her feet. "This isn't it-"
Your soul is already contained, the Entity said flatly. And you have nothing else to live for.
She started to walk, limping slightly as her legs slowly regained their strength.
Goodbye, Nightingale.
"N-no... I need to go back-" she panted, her voice barely above a whisper. The corridors stretched around her, and every corner she turned only revealed another part of the labyrinth, no exit in sight.
The silence grew deafening, broken only by the faintest buzz of the electrical lights. Was he gone?
"Hey!!" she called out with more force in her voice, terrified at the thought of being left alone here, even if the only other alternative was... him. "Come back!!"
She expected her screams to echo and bounce off the pale walls, but her voice sounded dull and flat, as if she was speaking into a glass jar. Suffocated. Suffocating.
"You said I'll be okay here!!"
You are okay, came the reply, and despite herself, she felt the slightest touch of relief. There's nothing left for you. How could you not be okay?
"But I still feel- everything", she said weakly, halting to a stop. "Everything that you promised will be gone."
You do, but your soul doesn't. It's free, the Entity replied. I never promised an empty vessel anything.
Despair washed over Nightingale's heart like a wave, but just like the fear, it was dull and subdued. "Then let me out of here!" she screamed, looking up at the ceiling, taking a few wobbly, desperate steps forward. "I need to go back!"
Back? To where?, the voice asked, the hint of mock surprise in his tone, as if he was asking: What were you expecting, Nightingale?
She heard it. And she understood it. "Home..." she said weakly, her voice falling into a hopeless whisper. "My home..."
A curt ”Hmph.“ was the only reply she received.
"No... please", she breathed, feeling tears stinging her eyes as she desperately tried to hold onto the remaining shards of hope that were slipping through her hands. "This isn't what you promised..."
I never promised an empty vessel anything, the voice repeated sternly, as if it was annoyed she didn't understand her situation yet.
"You promised ME!" she wailed, pressing her hands to her chest, to the heart that was inside it, still beating, still alive. "I am HERE!"
The Entity ignored her cries. Gatekeeper?
"Yes?", Orix's voice sounded through the rooms again, muted and ethereal, as if she was underwater.
You are dismissed.
She took a shaky breath, trying to clear her mind and think straight, and started to walk again. Corner after corner, turn after turn, everything she saw was just pale yellow walls and floors and buzzing electric lights. But hope, the immortal thing it is, pressed her to go on, to keep looking. To call for help.
"Can anyone hear me?!" she tried, once again surprised by the feeling of her voice stopping right in front of her face, as if it disappeared after leaving her mouth, instead of echoing down the rooms. "Syphus?!"
Don't call the devil now, the voice spoke up sharply. You can hardly exist outside of this reality, vessel.
She gritted her teeth.
If you want to go back, you can. But without a soul, you will fade away.
The ground suddenly shifted under her feet and in a blink of an eye she found herself at Belkyndron, standing right between the four towers of the castle. The cloud-dotted sky high above her head, wind slightly swaying the blue and red vines, sunlight on her skin.
She should be feeling its warmth, and the soft touch of the wind, but there was nothing.
I wish you the best of luck, the voice said flatly as she started to make her way down the stairs of one of the bridges. It only takes a few days for an empty body to disappear.
A sting of fear in her heart, not sharp as a blade, but blunt and dull instead.
Your time is burning.
She started to run.