The Abyss, August 14th, 1888

Silas walked amongst the ruins of the citadel, he sighed and pulled out his pocket watch. The time read 12:30, yet he could not make heads or tails of whether it was AM or PM. He turned his eyes upwards in hopes of obtaining some sort of answer, yet the eclipse was gone. Silas groaned and quickly stuffed the watch in his pocket as something caused a nearby pile of rubble to shift.

”Is anyone there!” Silas yelled.

”Easy James, no need to scream like that.” Lythros chuckled, poking her head out from behind a rock.

”What exactly are you doing here?” Silas asked.

”My, aren’t we ignorant today? I’m only here out of curiosity, that’s all.” Lythros chided.

”Well, curiosity did kill the cat, I’ll have you know.” Silas chuckled.

”Which cat, Schrödinger’s? And another question, why exactly are you here?” Lythros sneered.

”I’m grave-tending, someone has to keep watch here. ” Silas retorted.

“Keep watch over what, exactly?” Lythros inquired, tilting her head.

”You do remember that I killed someone here a while back, right?” Silas responded.

”Ah, so you’re picking at old wounds? Just lovely.” Lythros hissed.

”Well I’m not sure if he’s dead or not!” Silas yelled.

”If he’s dead, then you did your job. And if he’s still alive then you just simply have to put him down again, right?” Lythros chuckled.

”Well, it’s not that simple if I’m being honest. It would honestly be better if I told you the whole thing.” Silas declared.

Lythros nodded and curled up next to Silas who just decided to pat her on the head. She smiled as he took a few breaths, some deep, others shallow.

”The first bastard that I murdered was a politician.” He began.

”Well that must have been fun.” Lythros chuckled.

”It was more fun than complicated actually. Wait a minute, I have an idea.” Silas stated.

”And that is?” Lythros inquired.

”You could physically enter people’s minds, right?” Silas asked.

”Of course I can, but why would I?” Lythros retorted.

”I would like to take a trip down memory lane. Add a little visual flair to this proverbial presentation if you will.” Silas declared.

Lythros smiled and locked eyes with Silas who felt something pierce his skull. He chuckled as Lythros worked her way inside his head. Even as the pain escalated at an exponential rate, Silas managed to keep his composure.

”Wait a minute!” Silas yelled.

”What, what is it?” Lythros sputtered.

”Memory, you beasts can be brought back with memory. Why would I have suggested such a thing in the first place? Unless- unless he wanted out, that’s the only logical explanation for this.” Silas whispered.

”So, you trapped someone inside your head? If that isn’t the weirdest thing you’ve done, then I don’t know what is.” Lythros sneered.

“Better to visit wherever they laid him than to relive the pain.” Silas chuckled.

”Tell me, where exactly was your first kill buried?” Lythros smiled.

”Paris, in the catacombs deep below the Eiffel Tower.” Silas declared.

”Well then, let’s get going, we don’t want to be late now, right?” Lythros chided.

Silas nodded and opened a portal as Lythros climbed onto his shoulder. He stepped through and disturbed the dust which clung so tightly to the floor. Taking a torch off of a nearby wall, Silas started to walk down the hallway before him. Hundreds of corpses lay packed into the walls on either side of him. Tally marks were etched into the walls beneath the corpses denoting the year in which they were buried. The men who laid here were from Napoleon’s reign, and yet there were so little of them. Only three hundred at most filled this section, no more, no less than that.

“I take it that the person we’re looking for is deeper down?” Lythros muttered.

”That’s usually how the dead are buried, young on top, while the old are farther down.” Silas insisted.

The pair walked down a flight of stairs as the light of the torch started to dim. Silas sighed and continued to trek ever downwards into the darkness. He stopped a few steps short of the bottom upon noticing a serpentine pattern carved into the wall. Walking ahead and into the corridor, the pattern devolved into a spiral which slithered its way from the ceiling all the way to the floor and back again. By now the torch had gone out, forcing the pair to navigate with only their limited sense of vision.

”This is some hallway.” Lythros exclaimed.

”Well, I would say that this really is more artistic than practical.” Silas groaned as he stepped over a hole created by the pattern making its way along the floor.

”How close do you think we are to his resting place?” Lythros inquired.

”Close, seeing as the French probably wouldn’t make anything like this.” Silas chuckled.

The pattern continued for a few miles before finally stopping at a door. A door which bore the heads of two serpents gazing at the lock in its center. Silas smiled, slotted his sword into the keyhole, and turned it. Yet even after a few minutes nothing happened, Silas groaned as the door failed to unlock. He proceeded to pull out his revolver and simply blasted the door to pieces.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

”Dude, why would you do such a thing!?” Lythros hissed.

”Like you said, we don’t want to be late.” Silas chided.

The way forward was obscured by a blinding white light that covered the room. The pair cautiously entered the room in front of them, expecting the worse, as Silas still had his pistol drawn. The room into which they had just entered was pitch white. A severely decayed corpse hung in the room’s center, suspended by chains on the room’s four corners.

”This, is who I killed, or at least what’s left of him.” Silas declared.

”If that’s his body, then where’s his soul?” Lythros asked.

”What do you mean?” Silas inquired.

”Well, judging by his frame, this man was a Weaver. He was one of our kind, so killing the body would do nothing. Tell me then, where is his soul?” Lythros declared.

”I… I hadn’t planned for this! We’re all screwed now thanks to my lack of foresight!” Silas shrieked.

”Wait, how long has he been dead for?” Lythros inquired.

”Hundred thousand years at least. Which means we’re not as screwed as I thought we were.” Silas sighed.

”That’s a relief then. Now what exactly did we come here for?” Lythros inquired.

”Just to check on the bastard, make sure that none of the safety measures broke.” Silas answered.

At that moment, the chains shook as the light began to fade. One by one, the chains slowly broke apart, piece by piece. Silas gazed up at the corpse in abject horror as fear gripped his body.

”What’s happening!” Lythros yelled.

”We’ve been tricked! He wanted to us here. Wanted me here, he wants to us me!” Silas shrieked as the corpse drifted to the floor.

Tendons and flesh began to sprout from the corpse. First a pair of arms and legs followed by a head. Next came a scarlet officer’s uniform which wove itself out of the corpse’s flesh. The now revitalized corpse looked at Silas with its blank eyes and smiled. Silas fixed his gaze on the corpse, smiled, and drew his sword.

”You really think you can stop him again!” Lythros yelled.

”I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again.” Silas declared.

”Oh really? Is that how confident you really are, boy?” The corpse asked.

”Shut it old man. I don’t want to hear another word out of you after this.” Silas sneered.

The corpse chuckled, rushed towards Silas, and ripped the sword out of his hand.

”First rule of engagement: there are no rules of engagement.” The corpse declared.

”Wait… what?” Silas asked before being kicked in the chest.

The corpse smiled and placed the sword against Silas’s throat. Lythros watched from a distance as the fight progressed. She wasn’t sure what to do, or whether she could even help or not. After all, Silas had killed this guy before, so what made this time any different?

“Go ahead, kill me. Do it! I dare you! Go on and kill me!” Silas yelled.

”My dear Silas, why should I kill you? What harm have you ever done to me?” The corpse sneered and pushed the blade into James’s neck.

Silas winced in pain before uttering a small chuckle. He couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Being killed by his own sword wasn’t something that he expected to happen, not here at least. He watched as blood flowed down from his neck, staining his jacket a deep crimson.

”Why won’t you say my name Silas? Are you afraid of what I am? Afraid that your demons will come back to haunt you? Why if that’s the case, you’re too late, for your demons are already here. So please, do us all a favor, if you must. Say. My. Name!” The corpse roared.

“Fine Nurull, have it your way. But what good is a name ever going to do for someone like you anyways?” Silas chided.

”Names, if you have forgotten, have power. If someone remembers your name, you are not forgotten. Memory is a powerful weapon, as is a name. So long as one clever bastard remembers your name, you can cheat death.” Nurull smiled.

”Well, I guess I’ve fallen for your trap then? Coming here was your idea I take it?” Silas inquired.

”Why aren’t we a clever bastard? If only you figured it out sooner though…” Nurull sneered.

”When I’m dead, what are you going to do with her?” Silas inquired, pointing over to Lythros.

”Oh, I’ll let her live, she hasn’t caused me any trouble. You, on the other hand, have caused me a great deal of suffering.” Nurull declared as he twisted the blade deeper into Silas’s neck.

”Fair enough. Now what are you going to do with my corpse then?” Silas chuckled.

”Bury you. Look James, I may be a monster, but I’m a civilized monster.” Nurull smiled.

“At least you admit to that, unlike my sister.” Silas sneered.

”That reminds me, how is Bethyinine?” Nurull asked.

”She’s been doing pretty well, though you would be doing a disservice to her by killing me.” Silas declared.

”You’re her “caretaker” I take it?” Nurull inquired.

”Well someone had to keep an eye on her.” Silas chuckled.

“Fair. Enough.” Nurull responded.

As he tore open Silas’s neck, Nurull could see the light in his eyes begin to fade. Eventually that light was all but gone as Silas’s whole attire was stained in his own blood. Nurull smiled and hoisted the corpse of his opponent onto his shoulder. He beckoned for Lythros to follow him, and she begrudgingly did so. The two exited the chamber and stepped through a nearby gateway which led back to the Abyss.

Out into the broken courtyard of the citadel they arrived. Nurull gazed up at the tower behind him before beginning the journey north. He looked up at the sky only for a grim horror to pierce his mind. For the eclipse that he had gazed upon his whole life was gone. Now the sky was just an empty pitch black with nothing of warmth to fill it. So Nurull slowly started to weep, for the world which he had once known was now gone.

”How long have I been gone?” He asked.

”Tens of thousands of years at best.” Lythros shrugged.

“So much has changed since then. I feel…” Nurull muttered.

”Like an alien in your own country?” Lythros interrupted.

”Yes.” Nurull sighed.

”Well that makes two of us.” Lythros chuckled.

Nurull gave a halfhearted smile as a massive wall of ivory came into view. He could see someone standing watch in the ramparts. Though he could not tell if they were armed or not, and it would be better for him to assume that they were. As they neared the wall, the man on the rampart lit a brazier before returning to his post. He squinted at the two travelers in front of him.

”Would you kindly stop moving!” He yelled.

”Why? For what reason should we stop!” Nurull hissed.

”Inspection, now quit your tone or I’ll have your head mounted to my wall in an hour!” The guard barked.

Nurull groaned and simply rolled his eyes in response. The guard jumped down from the ramparts and quickly walked over to them. He took one look at Nurull before turning his attention to the corpse which he was carrying.

”Why is this in your possession?” The guard hissed.

”Wanted to give him his burial rites.” Nurull muttered.

“And I take it he died of natural causes?” The guard frowned as he inspected Silas’s bloodstained body.

”Internal hemorrhage. Popped all off his arteries.” Nurull whispered.

”Really? Well how’d that happen?” The guard inquired.

“Poor bastard fell off a cliff in a cave. A bed of stalagmites killed him.” Nurull sighed.

”Must have been one hell of a fall then.” The guard chuckled.

”So… is the “inspection” over?” Nurull sneered.

”Yes. It’s over. Sorry, just had to adhere to protocols.” The guard answered.

”What about the cat?” Nurull asked.

”What about it? Why should I bother to inspect it?” The guard hissed.

”Never mind…” Nurull sighed.

The guard smiled and gestured towards one of his comrades who was standing on the wall. At once, the pearl and gold covered gates were opened. Slowly the pair walked through them, leaving the guard all alone outside the city walls. Nurull smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, now he was home again.

”Well, what should we do now?” Nurull asked.

”Find some place to stay and go from there I guess.” Lythros chuckled.

”For someone who just watched your friend get murdered, you seem to be pretty fine with it.” Nurull stated.

”Eh, Silas dies all the time, this is nothing new for any of us.” Lythros responded.

“Once we do stop to rest, mind telling me what happened while I was gone?” Nurull inquired.

”Sure, but I might need a bit of help considering I’m no historian.” Lythros answered.

The two of them entered the market district as a sliver of light shone just above the horizon. Perhaps it was a new dawn, or an omen of something yet to come.