The Void Within - Épisode 1

The words in this book are ancient and faded, but you can decipher one section clearly :

"...And so the Darkest Faerie, one of the twelve founders of Altador, city of heroes, fell from grace. Her betrayal was swift and ruthless, her ultimate desire being none other than complete dominion over Neopia.With no other choice, Fyora, the Faerie Queen, and Jerdana, sorceress and one of the twelve, wove a powerful spell that turned the Darkest Faerie into stone.

For nearly 1000 years, the Darkest Faerie remained entombed, the memory of her evil slowly fading, until one fateful day when the magical bonds of her imprisonment finally broke. Darkness returned to Neopia as the Darkest Faerie subjugated Fyora and the remainder of those who might stop her, and all seemed lost.

Yet in that direst of hours, unlikely heroes rose to answer the call. Aided by the disguised King Altador, two brave Neopians - Tormund and Roberta - thwarted the Darkest Faerie’s nefarious plan, freed Queen Fyora, and returned the Darkest Faerie to stone form.

However, evil never sleeps, and with the fall of Faerieland and the sequence of events that followed, the Darkest Faerie escaped. Although her subsequent plots were foiled again, this time, she evaded confinement. Choosing instead to flee into the void to lick her wounds, planning her next nefarious move.

The book appears almost handmade with a title that says "Greatest Ruler in Neopian History." Most of the text inside seems to be ramblings that barely make sense. But the end has a fairly clear message...

From the first moment he appeared, it was clear who was meant to be the ruler of Neopia. None before him have had his charisma, intellect, or overpowering strength. The fools of Neopia just couldn’t grasp his vision. But I did. I have always seen the future that our overlord has envisioned for us.

They say he is cruel, but he just has the fortitude to do what must be done. No one else could make the hard calls or is willing to sacrifice like he is—all to give us a better, more united world.

The glorious moments that he graced us with his presence in the past were marvels I am blessed to have witnessed. If it were not for the heinous deeds of the few, we would most certainly have seen his true plans come to fruition. First, that despicable faerie got in the way, and then a group of greedy ne’er-do-wells crushed our master’s merciful plans. Last time, a pitiful excuse of an organisation that abhorrently had the galls to call themselves a resistance punishes us all by ensnaring our liberator, thus eliminating all hope for us. But I still believe.

They say I am mad, but I see the connecting twine. I have faced the void of the unknowable and survived to learn the truth. Even though I only saw the smallest of glimpses into the colossal, intertwined, inner workings of our beloved leader’s mind I know without question that he has a plan that will undeniably save us all.

I have bided my time and gathered like-minded, devoted followers. Even as I write this, we are working to do whatever it takes to continue his work. If you are reading this, I can only assume it is in the halls of a great museum, made to glorify our prosperous emperor and that I have succeeded in my attempt to find and free our saviour.

I leave these final words as a continuous promise.

The waterlogged book has had many of its words washed away, yet some entries are still somehow in pristine condition.

Entry 193
The ship is still as strong as ever. I may have lost some crew, but if they were lily-livered enough to be captured so easily, then they may as well be fish food. My name still strikes fear in all those who hear it, so I will be able to replenish my cannon fodder soon enough.

Entry 245
The new crew members be something else. I have dealt with some of the toughest this here sea has to offer, and yet, I think this crop must have wills of iron. Some barely have their sea legs but still yet dare look me in the eye. I would oft cut one in two for such a thing, but I have a feeling power like this could come in handy.

Entry 282
We have taken many a boat and sunk twice that. The wealth we have acquired could only be matched by those of kings, and the power my crew now holds none could dream to match. But this is nothing new for me. However, I hear whispers of a location that not only possesses a new sort of power but is said to have acquired a treasure unlike any other. It will be mine.

Entry 361
Learning more about this supposed location of wealth and power has been slow, but getting the information out of those who have it is an easy feat for my crew. So I have decided, once we know more about how to track down what I seek, I shall have my men continue on as if I am on board while I find this power all for myself ! The world will continue to tremble at the mere mention of my name while I hoard this new wealth and power all to myself !

This book has no title. Its jet-black cover and warped binding are inscribed with strange symbols that hurt your eyes if you stare at it too long. The pages are illegible except for one hastily scribbled note.

Until the end of my days, I will never forget the night it came.

We had heard whispers of something evil on the edge of the Haunted Woods, but our elders had told us to remain calm and that this threat would pass ; surely, there was safety in numbers.

Then the disappearances started.

Curfew was imposed, and nobody was allowed to wander at night alone.

It didn’t stop.

A council was hastily convened, and it was determined that there was no other choice but to make a stand. We would gather at the next new moon when Kreludor’s face was hidden. Preparations were made, and the whole village readied itself.

If only we could have understood what we truly faced.

We knew it had arrived when we could see the breath condense before our faces on what had — just moments ago — been a warm summer evening. A deathly cold snap seized the air, the breeze itself seemingly fracturing under the onset of an otherworldly chill.

We had set torches to light the wooden palisades surrounding the village square, hoping that the warmth of the burning braziers would deter it : a light against the darkness.

We were wrong.

Huddled together for warmth and safety, we gaped in abject horror as the torches were snuffed out, one by one. Silence gripped the air, and not one of us dared to move.

Slowly, inevitably, a shadow began to coalesce, its suffocating gloom covering us in an impenetrable barrier that was devoid of all light.

All living things know darkness, but this was not darkness. This was pure nothing.

I stood paralysed in terror as the final glimmer of illumination was siphoned away from my sight, leaving me utterly blind. Even sound seemed stifled in this place ; my frantic pleas for help barely left my mouth as more than a gasped whisper.

All was still, like the calm before the storm.

And then - there in the darkness - two eyes appeared, their pupils like cosmic maelstroms.

Our gazes met, and I stared into the void.

I remember nothing after that moment.

When I came to, it was the morning, and I was alone. My friends, my family, the entire village : they were all gone, like they had never existed in the first place. I searched and searched, and when I could search no longer, I left that forsaken place and never returned.

This memory is why I live in fear. Those eyes are the source of my nightmares.

I will write its name here because I dare not speak it aloud :

This book is both there and not there at the same time. It’s hard to comprehend, so it’s best not to think too hard about it. There are not really words inside this book, but voices that speak to you through text... again, it is best not to dwell on it.

A fully corporeal piece of paper is stuck inside the book. It reads - "WARNING : If you start to feel as though these words are affecting your reality in any way, you should close it immediately and read no further !"

The first voice reads as a sickly sweet sound. She says, "I am above all, already my dears. Why should we make note of this in some record ?"

Another voice is dark and feels aggravated. His voice raises as he says, "You dare question me ? You should know very well that my methods are beyond doubt !"

The last voice is gruff and drips of voracity. He is hard to understand as he spits out, "Doubt, doubt ? Don’t make me laugh. Your methods have never given me anything, so of course, I can doubt."

The angry voice has a distinct shape in the text now, a cloaked, tall figure with a stern face and the words shout he is to be called Revenge.

He speaks again. "There is more than just a record to be kept here. There is an opportunity."

The text now formally introduces you to the one known as Ambition. Her wings and dark hair are formed through the words in a beautiful yet deadly manner.

Her voice pierces the pages as she says, "Oh ? I see. I am sure I have guessed your plan already, but go on tell us."

"Tell me, tell me. I want to know now, how dare you play these games !" Greed’s harsh voice spits out of the text as his form intrudes as well, a rough exterior that matches his tone and a face that is hard to read.

"Shut up, you fools. I will not bark because you demand it !" Revenge growls. "Besides, there is no need to explain it, as it is already taking place ! Even now, eyes peruse this page.

"The lure of my power is great, wouldn’t you agree ?" sings Ambition.

"My power is greater still !" yells Greed.

"I wasn’t talking to you, you ignoramus !" Ambition says.

"We could even stop this now if we so wish. I can feel their curiosity is peaked…the void to their mind is open." Revenge says.

Almost all of this book has turned grey. Bits and pieces of it seem to have the book’s original colour, but even as you hold it the grey is ever so slowly creeping away at it, making it difficult to read most of the words printed on it.

You want a scary story ? I’ll give you one.

There once was a beautiful Acara. She was graceful, charming, and, of course, humble. When others looked upon her, they would shower her with admiration.

"You’re more beautiful than any flower I’ve ever seen."

"You shine brighter than any star in the sky."

"I would do anything for you."

This Acara had it all—beauty, admiration, so she had happiness as well.

She wanted for nought. Yet one day, a wish of hers was…misunderstood, and it all came crumbling down.

A vile curse was laid upon her, and she became ugly, so ugly that her humble heart turned bitter.

There was no way for her to get her beauty back or her happiness back, so she turned to violence.

But the darkness that had turned her soon returned and made her a promise. She would be beautiful again, more beautiful than ever before if she listened.

And so she did, and do you know what she learned ? That the darkness can be too powerful, so there is no point in fighting it.

She and the darkness made a deal that day, a deal that will soon come to fruition. So hear my words now.

If you wish to survive the coming terror, then do not impede on the darkness creeping in. I am sure you will start to feel it. Some may already know its tight grip.

There is so much more at play than what you think is about to happen. Let the dark take you in, or else you may regret it.

This book seems to be a spiral notebook one would buy for school. However, it is fairly old. Many pages have been torn out, and the rest appear to be simple writing assignments for class. One page has been preserved with extra care.

I’ve been told to write about a friend. It can be anything I want : a true story about us or one where we interact in a fictional setting…but I don’t know if I can do either. I don’t have many friends here. Most of the other students seem to avoid me because I don’t do so well in school. There is one girl who is nice to me from time to time, though, which is strange because she’s the top student ! Her name is Xandra.

I don’t know if I’d call her a friend yet, but I can still tell a story about us.

Back when the disappearances were still happening. I was sitting alone at lunch like usual. We have lunch outside when the weather permits it, and that day, it was cloudy but overall nice. Looking back on it now, it seems reckless to have continued to have lunch outside, but the disappearances were few and far between and only seemed to happen at night. So life went on like normal.

I was eating underneath a tree near the forest line when Xandra came and sat next to me. She didn’t say much, then got up and walked into the forest, waving for me to follow. I shouldn’t have followed, but I did. The forest was especially dark due to the cloudy weather, and it was hard to keep up with her, but eventually, we stopped.

We had come upon a small open patch in the middle of the forest. Even with the lack of trees, the open area was still fairly dark. I watched as Xandra placed odd trinkets along its edge. I also stood off to the side and asked her what we were doing here, but she never responded. Eventually, she stood in the middle of the clearing, and her eyes began to glow.

The trinkets lit up in the same bright light as Xandra’s eyes. They were shining so much that the clearing had to have been visible for miles. I wanted to run, but I was unable to. All I could manage was moving my arms to cover my eyes, and that’s when I noticed I was shining too, brighter than any of the trinkets around. Though we both were training in magic, none of this was under my control. It was my power but all her doing.

Soon, I heard rustling all around us. The once quiet forest now echoed with noises that sounded far too large to be anything good. For a moment, I wondered if this was her magic as well, but then I saw it. A massive creature dripping an odd ooze with multiple eyes and rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. It rose behind Xandra, its terrifying jaw wide open as it stared right at me.

Xandra’s arms rose and pointed at me at the same time the creature lunged forward. All I could do was scream and close my eyes, cursing myself for falling into her trap. Yet, when I opened my eyes, I was on the ground, unharmed. The glowing had stopped, and the terrifying creature lay off to the side, covered in the odd trinkets that were previously on the ground. They seemed to now form a sort of cage around the thing. Rendering it immobile.