The ferryman had traverse a long-distance, yet no land could be seen. The night was dark, there were no stars nor moon, only darkness. One had at some moments the sensation, no, the feeling, of seeing strange things in the darkness, forgotten idols, lost giants, monsters from the abyss of consciousness. Then the next moment nothing, only the darkness.

The ferryman stopped, there was an island just a few meters from him, yet it could be barely seen. The knight got up and left the boat. The ferryman extended his hand, waiting for his payment, but it was no mere gold or money that was demanded, but blood. The knight cut his hand and let the blood flow, then shake the hand of the ferryman. His hand burned like a thousand suns, every fibre of his body was in contortion, he uttered a scream so loud that it echoed across all the void...

The pact was signed, the payment had been made, the knight had a scar that would remain for the rest of his days. A mark that would separate him forever from civilization. Not that he cared all that much about it, he was already an outsider at this point.

The boat went away, far into the darkness and he was left alone.

The island gave him chills, those damn rumours it was as if something was just behind him, around him, next to him, a hundred voices speaking to his ears a moment and the next deafening silence. He couldn’t understand them.

Looking at the ocean made him even more nervous, his eyes were fooling him. The world was making a laugh of his senses. The water, that dark water, it was sure that it would have drow him into the darkest abyss, dragged with a force of titans, if he only placed a foot next to it.

Yet there was something here that he was searching for, something important.

The island was full of white sand and… nothing else, it was just that. A white circle with a little hill at the centre. Had he been tricked? Long he waited there for something to happen. He walked on the shores of the island, he looked at the dark waters surrounding it, he admired the starless sky, the shadows over the horizon.

Nothing happened. Bored he decided to dig that hill at the centre, thinking that there was something there.

Another knight arrived, this one was way more well equipped than him, and by the looks also way richer.

Once the knight saw him he greeted him and spoke to him while he digs “What are you doing here?” The knight asked

“I am searching for something, don’t know what it’s”

“Hmmm, interesting” the knight said, “tell me why you don’t come back to the surface with me?”

“With you?” The knight asked confused

“Yes! You look pretty battered, get out of here with me!”

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Slightly upset by the knight words he replied “I am not interested. So is up so is down said the alchemists[1]”

The knight looked upset “Oh common you are just a dishonest, hypocritical and weak. You are here only because you want to improve your stand in the surface. You have never done anything noteworthy. You are not having a mythic journey you are horse trading[2] with your psyche, you should be ashamed of that. Common tell me, tell me how I am wrong and evil, but look at your heart and you will know that I speak the truth. ”

The knight continued to dig with dignity while the knight was insulting him.

“And look at this! What are you trying to accomplish scum? What are you even searching for? Do you really believe that a shiny new artefact will change you? No, it will not. Nothing will, you have failed, you are a failure. Now come with me, we can shine in the light together, we will be famous, stars even! Enjoying the civilized world and all the things it has to offer!”

A short silence followed.

“You are right” The knight replied, “I may be both a failure and a fool, but I will not stop because of it.”

The knight became very upset “How dare you to defy me! I will teach you some manners!” The knight picked his sword and dashed toward the knight.

The knight parried his sword and throw him in the sand, and gave him a kick on the head. He held his sword in its hands. He could kill him, a single movement of his sword, a single slash and he will be death.

“No, you don’t deserve to die. Return to the surface were once you came and leave me here.” The knight tried to attack him again but got only trow in the sand again.

Bitterly the knight went away.

The hill was dug up. How much time did it take? Hours, days, weeks? He didn’t know. What he knew is that the found a sealed box under the hill. The seal was cursed.

He paused before opening the box, whatever was there it was no friendly nor nice thing if the seal was cursed.

He remembered an old friend advice “Follow true north[3]”.

He broke the seal and opened the box. There was a scroll inside it.

The scroll was blank.

He looked at it better, looking at the various signs on it...

He cut his hand again, the blood dripped unto the scroll revealing the words and symbols on it. A strange demon head stood out from the rest of the symbols. The scroll was an invocation. An invocation that he performed.

All the sudden the voices intensify, the night grew darker.

“Why did you opened the scroll? Why you refused the knight proposal?” A deep voice from all around him asked.

“Always follow true north” The knight replied.

“Hmmm, interesting you remembered that lesson.” The creature appeared before him. It was all dressed in a black cloak except for the mask, a nioh red mask, it was terrifying, but also beautiful in its own way.

“You will have to go to the deeps, yet you still are at a too superficial level.” The creature said “come with me. And I will show you how to go deeper and awaken the powers that lie dormant.”

The knight followed the creature.

Note from the text:

[1] This is something that the alchemist said, they believed that sometimes things mirror. So is up so is down.

[2] A term used when doing inner work with the intent of just make strike a deal with your psyche and make all those nasty emotions stop. Here is used as an insult.

[3] The old friend advice might be another story on itself. This advice comes from The War of Art where the author advises people to always do what they fear or procrastinate or are anxious about because that is sure to be the way to grow and change.