Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S1 Ep49: Episode 49: Rituals, Bonfires and the Devil

Episode Date: September 30, 2021

Tonight’s terrifying tales of mystery begin with ‘The communication ritual’, an original story by Sir Fear. We continue our anthology with ‘I Started Reading and It Ruined My Life’, this original work delivered to us by 20bclark. Today’s third fantastic exclusive story is ‘I Don't Go to Bonfires’, an original story from Homeless Wafer. We round off today’s video with ‘I Made a Deal with the Devil… It Backfired’, an original work by Sebastian Hellborne. All of these were kindly shared with me for the express purpose of having me exclusively narrate it here for you all.  https://www.reddit.com/user/Sir-Fear/ https://www.reddit.com/user/20bclark/ https://www.reddit.com/user/HomelessWafer/ https://www.reddit.com/user/Sebastian_Hellborne/

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hours ever before we begin, a word of caution. Tonight's stories may contain strong language as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then let's begin. Now, if you're reading this, then this would probably be one of those many rituals you've read on the internet. So, you can either turn back now or stay to listen. If you oblige to this ritual's instructions and correctly execute them, you could be chatting with a soul that no longer lives on this earth in no time. However, beware, that there are risks in the time period of you starting and ending the ritual, many of which are quite unfortunate. But don't think about that too much.

Re-read the instructions if needed, and you should be fine. To start off this ritual, you'll need the following things. Two candles, a lighter, salt. White string, window length. Black string, window length. gasoline, matches, a window, preferably one facing a field or woods, and an object of dear importance to the one you wish to speak to. Now that you have all the materials needed, you can start setting up the ritual. Once you've found the needed window, put the candles on the right and left edge

of the small slab you used to lean on and memorize what wonders your sight gives you while looking at what lay beyond the window. If you don't have one of those, then put the candles on the floor, where the window's edges would approximately be if they stretched downward. By now you might have also guessed that you would be talking to your loss of through a regular window, and these candles are here to protect you from the spirits, due to the fact that if there is no light left, the spirit can escape the dark void it's in,

and potentially be parasitic, to say the least. So, for a precaution, there are two sources of light in case one blows out for whatever reason. Most spirits also consider these two flickers of light to be a sign of manners. Rather than you just turning them the lights, they can even learn to respect you, if you manage to pull off this ritual multiple times, without messing up, of course. Once the candles are set, take the white string and tape it onto the top side of the mirror, or taping the black string on the bottom side. Do not do it the other way round.

This can make the spirit think you want to harm them. This can surely raise the odds of the spirit thinking of you fondly. And trust me, you do not want a spirit thinking the wrong way about you. This can lead to, like I said before, things most unfortunate for you. Just keep that in mind. These strings represent the balance of your realm. and the spirit's realm.

Having this balance is the key to keeping your realms connected, or in other words, your consultation going. Which gets me to our next ingredient. Salt. The salt, like you have most likely guessed by now, is your friend. Not only does it protect you, but more importantly, it is the border that separates the worlds you and your spirit are in. To make the border, did one of your fingers,

into the salt and trace a rectangle around the window. Do this step a couple more times if necessary. Oh, and pardon me if I'm being overly dramatic, forget all the areas in your rectangular line that don't have salt on salted. It doesn't matter how much salt is at every edge as long as there is. We cannot imagine the chaos that would erupt in this world

if even one organism that does not, or no longer comes from our world is to slip into our interval so make sure you get this step right like all the other ones trace the shape a million times for our eye care but get the job done

and keep this up with you at all times during the ritual with that said you move on to the last item once you have acquired the important token of the one you would like to interact with the ritual is ready.

The ritual can only be started within the time gap of 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. So yes, you'll be doing this at night. The ritual works best on cloudy nights. It's okay if it's raining, but for some reason ghosts despise thunder

while in this ritual. Making them aggressive, or sometimes they just don't arrive at all. So check the weather forecast closely on your ritual night. And don't forget, that you also have to have all electronics and all cores transferred to a different time since you cannot have any outside world contact during the ritual.

When the time comes, don't go to bed. Instead, wait from 12 sharp, and stare out of the future glass that will be separating you from the being that wishes to be on the other side again. But don't worry, you have three hours to get yourself ready. And don't forget that you can end the... ritual practically any time you want after dawn but you can only start it after 12 and before three when you feel like everything is adequate take a few deep breaths and you can begin the ritual

start by blowing a hot breath through your mouth on the chosen window to fog it up and to not see and mess up the spirit realm transition turn off the lights so the only visible part of the room will be shone by the warm fire coming from the candles. Once you have the candles lit, find a special object for this ritual, and burn it. If the object is not flammable, then use the gasoline that you prepared. It should do the train.

It's recommended that you obviously do this outside because not only will it save you from being engulfed in smoke or worse flames, but it will also attract the spirit much faster than burning their heated object indoors. Once you see the first flicks of burning orange on their object, immediately turn around and walk back to your house. Do not look back during this process.

As doing so will let you see something no living human can yet comprehend. Stop exactly a step away from your house and recite the following poem. The wind shall howl. But this game is no foul. The dark and light shall give a sum. With this, we ask of you to come. I summon you tonight.

Appear in my sight. Once this is done, calmly walk back into your house while closing the door behind you without turning around. Get back into your chosen room. Close your eyes and count to ten seconds. Once this is done, grab the salt bag you used and slowly come up to the mirror.

Firmly grip your salt bag and make sure you show no signs of fear before you meet the spirit. Once you're close enough to the mirror, wipe off the fog from the mirror, and you should now see the spirit you wish to talk with, taking the shape of the body they used to own, then being in a dimension that is clearly not your own. I cannot tell you what it looks like simply be. because the views are very diverse, and every person that tries this ritual see something different and unique. Oh, and try not to piss yourself if you do see your desired spirit.

If you do not see them, spray the window with the remaining salt in your bag, blow out the candles, turn on the lights in only that room of your house, and now leave your home. Sleep at a friend's house or hotel if you want, but you cannot. return to your house for the rest of the night you may return to your house in the afternoon and I would recommend using that time from moving since the spirit you summoned probably won't leave the current home you're living in any time soon and the chances are you won't like a ghost living in your house and this is something you won't like experiencing you probably just bothered a spirit

that did not like to be bothered and this makes them angry to say the least You must move, only pack during the day and never attempt this ritual again if you ever want to live life normally, that is. If the spirit you called does show up, then congratulations. You've just done what very little of our population has done in all of history. You may ask the spirit anything you wish. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. Do not mock or insult the spirit. even if it does seem like a close friend or family member

you never know who's really behind that corpse as the soul and body have been disconnected in the transition to the afterlife and the last thing you'd want is an unfamiliar soul getting well like I said mad while the spirit will answer your questions truthfully will occasionally ask you some as well and lying is not an option If you decide to lie or ignore its question,

they'll either get angry or just start to slim down the truth to your questions until it might just stop answering at all. Don't think you get away with getting the most important answers out of the spirit and then abandon ship. No, that's not possible. Since when you start the ritual, the spirit starts the conversation and with it comes the first question. So, answer truthfully.

no matter how foolish or disturbing the questions are. Another scenario that you might be unlucky enough to be in is if one of your candle suddenly blows out. Stay calm and don't do anything stupid. If the spirit you are talking to senses one shred of tension inside you, then it knows that you are afraid. We'll use that to its advantage, and we'll try to convince and manipulate you to open the window,

even if it has to think up impossible life. and don't think you're out of the woods if your window can't open. In fact, you have a worse fate to deal with, as if you give in, you will smash the window rather than opening it. Continue on the ritual smoothly, never look at anything besides the spirit and only the spirit. If you accidentally do show that you are scared, then ignore any threats or pleads the spirit has. It will do anything possible to stop.

stop you from listening to the spirit. If you open that window then, not only will the spirit escape into your world, but it will also take your body and fling your soul into non-existence into the dark void it has been in for the past eternity. So, continue the ritual and finish it ASAP,

as soon as you know it's morning, that is. Oh, and I almost forgot to say, if you ever hear footsteps somewhere in your house, or perhaps a figure sprinting in the exact direction to your room and knocks on your door with voices sounding familiar yet talking other worldly words and laughing hysterically ever so often ignore it and continue on with the ritual normally

it's probably just the spirit messing with your head probably but it's best to still not open your door to see what lies on the other side but sometimes it's just best to leave things that aren't supposed to know unknown for your own sanity and one last thing

if the ghost you're talking to ever stops in the middle of a word and stares ahead right above your head almost like there is someone right behind you do not turn around continue the ritual and do not look back until you've finished the ritual on more than one occasion, you might feel a cold breath on your fingers,

whom are defending your last shimmer of hope. You might also hear voices behind you, calling your name, and to help them. Some even might sound very familiar. On rare occasions, you might even feel a hand on your shoulder, and the cold breath, moving right up to the top hairs on your head. But pay no mind to all of this, and do not look back.

If one candle blows out, then everything's still fine. But take this as a serious warning, as it is your first and final one. Do everything in your might to stop the second candle for blowing out, as if it does, well, in that case, it is the worst case scenario. As long as you resist the urge to look back, and wait until the first glimpses of sun rays are coming from the horizon, you will survive with all this said the ritual's conclusion approaches at a fast pace to the end of the ritual you must ask the spirit this sentence may i move on

if the spirit replies you there then you are free to thank the spirits blow out the candles and leave the room try not to go into the room with the window for the next couple of days just to make sure the spirit leaves your house but other than that You should be fine. But if the spirit responds, I keep you in. Then, well, I suppose you'll just have to continue the ritual until the spirit accepts your departure. But now that this ritual is behind you, continue your life normally. There are no catches.

Your house isn't haunted, and neither are you. Just try not to open your ritual window that often, just in case. but, well, you correctly perform the ritual and got all the information you needed or perhaps you have more questions that require you to repeat the communication. Hey Ontario, come on down to BetMGM Casino and check out our newest exclusive.

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If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connix Ontario at 1866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BenMGGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. My friend asked me one day in October. Hey, Jesse, do you want to come to a bonfire at my house tonight? I'd never been to a bonfire before and didn't have a ride to their house two miles away. But he insisted that his father could give me a ride. It was a very quiet drive.

He was acting a little shifty, but I didn't really think anything of it. He'd always been anxious and socially awkward. I didn't know his family well, but his father had never been much for a talker. Is Mrs. Peterson going to be joining us? I heard she was... What I started to say was that she and Mr. Peterson were separated, and she was living in her mother's house, but, based on the tension in Mr. Peterson's cheekbones,

I cut my question short. Nope, she's still her mother's. I was quiet the rest of the trip, not wanting to crush any more eggshells underfoot. The truck's brakes squeaked as it pulled into the gravelly driveway. The house was just a few minutes away from the wilderness and deep pine forests of Oregon. Jacob led me to where the rest of his family was standing,

to an enormous pile of firewood in the backyard. Well, it looks like it'll be a pretty big fire, I said anxiously. How hot would this thing burn? They're always smaller than you think they'll be, but it'll do the job nicely. Jacob's father grinned. He seemed in a better mood. Jacob's two older sisters began throwing gasoline onto the wood, drenching it with highly flammable views. My tension rose, and I stepped a few steps away from the pile.

This was looking like the forest may catch fire with this enormous blaze. Jacob, his sisters, and father stood back as well as Mr. Peterson lit a match. They all seemed strangely nervous and excited, but all I could feel was the tingling sensation of fear in my stomach and fingertips. Oh, I've been looking forward to this, said Mr. Peterson slowly. The match flew from his hand onto the pile of wood. The pile erupted into an end. enormous fireball, a hungry, raging inferno, devouring the offering of wood by these puny mortals.

The heat was so intense I felt as if the skin on my face was shrinking onto my skull. Jacob asked me if I could sign off a merit badge for him, fire-starting or something, and was very particular if I had to put the date and the time. Well, Jesse, they can be pretty finicky at the office, he stuttered out. One of his sisters began throwing log after long. log onto the fire in a frenzy, cackling all the while. Burn, burn, burn! At the last exclamation, she tossed one of the containers of gas straight into the fire on the end closest to me. Nicole, no, Mr. Peterson yelled, but it was too late. The can exploded,

sending a fireball in my direction. I felt backward as I tried to run away, arm shilling my face from the greedy tendrils of flame. I got up and could see the force of the explosion of thrown several logs out of the pile. The sight that I saw in that fire then will haunt me to my dying day. I saw a face, upside down in the blaze. The woman's hair was aflame,

and her eyes stared into my soul as her skin bubbled. It was Mrs. Peterson, buried beneath the wood, dead. The Peterson's rose from their car, curled up positions on the grass and looked towards me. They read the panic in my eyes and looked at the fire to see that horrifying sight. No, no, no, no, scream Mr. Peterson. I thought he was mourning his wife until he looked up with tearful eyes towards me. You've seen too much, kid.

You were supposed to be our witness that we were nowhere near that house fire. He wasn't making sense. But he was advancing on me, determined. Jacob and his sister slowly moved to surround me. I'm sorry for what I'm going to have to do to you, kid. We can't let you leave. My eyes shifted to all the faces in turn. They were all in on it.

That told me all I needed to know. I hugged the remaining gas can at my feet over my head and into the fire, and the fireball sent everyone cowering, like the destruction. outburst of an angry deity. I didn't flinch. I had to get out of there before they killed me. Their failed alibi.

I pushed Jacob over as he staggered and booked it for the forest. I had no flashlight, but I had a will to live. I could hear noises over the rushing of the wind and rustling of the underbrush behind me. I'm going to kill you, you little

snitch. It was pitch black now, but they didn't have flashlights neither. Suddenly, a light shone behind me, a phone flashlight. Its weak beam lit up a decent-sized river with steep banks on either side ahead of me. I ran haphazly down the bank and into the river up to my knees. Where is he, Dad? I heard from a few hundred feet away, out of sight above the bank. Crossing the river, we've got to catch him before he gets to the road. I looked to my right and saw a corrugated metal tube of a culvert. below the train track.

I threw a large rock as far as I could, in the direction the Peterson's were running, and I heard, Gotcha now, from only 20 feet away. I dove into the large metal tube and lay back in the cramped space. It was big enough I didn't have to crawl in,

but could lay my back against the edge and hide. I pulled out my phone and began to dial 911 in the darkness. Splashes erupted in the river as Mr. Peterson crossed it and kept running. Thank goodness I'd thrown that rock. As I tensely waited in my hiding place, I heard the rest of the family cross the river and gunshots.

9-1-1-1. What is your emergency? Words dropped from my mouth like water. Peterson's edge of town, big fire, they're chasing me. I need you to come help me. Slow down, sir. Jesse. Okay, Jesse. Give it to me slow so I can send the police there.

We'll also track the call to pinpoint your location while you talk. Jesse, where did he go? They were still searching for me and were still in the area. I gave dispatch the whole story in a panicked whisper, not wanting to be found. And after an agonizing half hour, I heard sirens and rustling leaves around my hiding place. Drop the gun right now. I heard an unfamiliar voice shout. Jesse, come out, it's all right.

I approached the house to see the whole family in custody for the fire put out. The paramedics on sight immediately wrapped me in a blanket. It is when I noticed me that I was shivering. I stared into the distance and spoke to the paramedic nearest me. They wanted to burn Mrs. Peterson's mother's house and then plant her burnt remains inside. The older man had no idea what I was talking about, but nodded silently to keep me talking. I was supposed to be their alibi. They had me sign some merit badge paper as evidence I was here at this time, and therefore, if they suspected, they would have evidence they were here.

I collapsed in sobs into the man's shoulder, and he seemed startled, but held me close as I processed it all. I squeezed closed. After several long minutes, I looked up to see the Peterson's being pushed into police cars. Their eyes told me that I would pay someday. and they were driven away. After the trial, I never saw the Peterson family again. My parents relocated to a different state for safety, or at least for peace of mind.

I now live on my own, far away from that bonfire, from those woods, from that family. But I do still look over my shoulder for familiar faces who wish me how. I'll tell you where I live, but you never know who may be reading. better safe than sorry good night

sleep well can't say I'll be sleeping tonight I've never really been into reading it's just always seemed so monotonous picking up a book and looking at tiny black and white words until you get too bored to continue at least that's how I used to feel about it my hatred for reading had to change when I met my girlfriend

Amy the first time I met her I was at the point public library. I was a poor college kid and didn't have a computer of my own, so I had to use the computers at the library to print off any kind of papers that I had to write. After being there for at least three hours, I had to take a short break from my paper. I got up and took a lap around the small subsection of the library where all the computers were kept to separate them from the people trying to browse and read the books. While I made my way around the computers, I noticed a beautiful girl who looked like she was just as stressed as I was. She had blonde hair with pink

highlights on the ends and rose gold glasses that seemed to compliment her blue eyes perfectly. The type of girl you can't walk past without saying hello. And so, I didn't. I mustered up every ounce of confidence I had, walked up to her and introduced myself. I found out that her name was Amy, and she was just as eager to get out of the library as I was. we decided to leave the papers and go and get something to eat. As the night progressed, we seemed to get along perfectly. The only thing different between us was the fact that she absolutely loved to read. Obviously, if this was the worst floor I could see in her,

then we were going to get along great. That was right. It's been almost two years now. We both have steady, decent paying jobs. After about six months, Amy agreed to move in with me, in my little apartment which was close to campus and was actually pretty nice for what we had to pay for it in short everything was perfect

I had even begun to read on my own periodically every day for at least an hour Amy would curl up in our big lounge chair and disappear into whatever book she was reading that day a couple of days a week I'd pull up a chair beside her and read with her in the quiet I never got anywhere near as into my books as she would, but all I wanted was for her to see that I was perfectly capable of reading for an hour,

even if I didn't exactly enjoy it. Sorry, I know you didn't come here to listen to a soppy love story, so well, I'll get to the point. The day that everything went downhill, started completely normally. I woke up at seven, kissed Amy good morning, got dressed and ready, and left the house for work at eight. When I got to work, I sat down, and before I could even start doing anything, on my computer, a new message notification popped up on my screen. I clicked on the notification, and it took me to my email. The message said, so you like to read now, huh? Obviously, I checked to see who'd sent it, but there was no email address. I typed a response into the bar.

Who is this? Less than five seconds, there was another new message, it said, I have something I think your love. Again, I responded, Who is this? Check your mailbox. After I'd read that message, the email conversation closed, and even when the police tried to find it, there was never any evidence of it having existed. I thought that it had to be some stupid joke. Some stupid kids are just sending me these emails to make me look stupid. However, it couldn't hurt to at least check my mailbox.

just to be safe. I called Amy, hoping she hadn't left for work yet. Hello, she said. Hey, have you left the apartment yet? No, I'm my way out of the door now. Why? When you leave, can you just check the mailbox? I'm waiting on a package. Sure, just a sec.

I heard her close the door and walked down the stairs. I nervously waited until I heard the metal door of the community mailbox swing open. "'No, nothing in here. "'Sorry, love. "'That's okay. "'I was just curious. "'Have a good day at work. "'Love you.'

"'And then I hung up. "'Now that I knew it was just a sick joke, "'I was able to sit down and get my work done. "'It wasn't until about eleven that I got up, "'reve filled my coffee and got something to eat. "'I walked into the break-room "'where a couple of my co-workers stood, "'talking quietly amongst themselves.

"'I filled my cup of coffee, and sat down on one of the chairs to relax for a while. And that's when my eyes landed right on the employee mailboxes and the small wrapped package lying in mine. I almost spit my coffee all over the room when I saw this. I jumped out of my seat, grabbed the package out of my mailbox, and ripped the plastic off of it.

Inside the package was a small leather-bound book that looked like a journal, but the words on the inside were printed, not handwritten. The most disturbing part was that the only thing on the cover of the book, front and back, was my name in bold print in the centre of the front cover. I was horrified, to say the least. Just the fact that my name was on the book was enough to make me uneasy. I first thought was, maybe it was Amy.

The only way to find out was to open the book and see what was inside. The first page said, Chapter 1, 1993. This is the year I was born. The book graphically described my birth and then described every big event that had happened to me in the first year of my life. It was unbelievable how much this book seemed to know about me. I flipped through the pages

and noticed that there was a chapter for every single year of my life. Curious, I flipped the pages to 2001 the year my mother had passed away. Sure enough, The book described my mother discovering that she had stage three breast cancer and then continued to describe her fight until it brutally described every detail of her passing, up to her closing her eyes for the final time in my father's arms.

I was fighting back tears at this point, but even though it was hard, I kept reading. Now I flipped to the chapter title 2013, the year I'd met Amy. I was horrified when I read every single, little detail of me, slowly falling in love with her and eventually asking her to move in with me. The book had every single detail of my life, perfectly down to every last detail. If this were true, I had to know where this book ended. I flipped to the last chapter, 2015, this year. The chapter starts off slowly, talking about my job and my new life with Amy, and then I reached June 15,

Today. Talks about me finding the email, discovering the book, sitting down into the store and beginning to read it. Then it said, Amy is pushed in front of a passing car while walking to work. Her death is ruled an accident. Heart stopped when I read this. I dropped the book and pulled out my phone to call Amy.

I've never been more relieved and when I heard her voice. Hello? Hi, baby. Are you on your way to work yet? No, why? Stay there. I'm going to come and get you today.

I can walk. It's only a block. You don't have to leave work. I'm coming. Just stay there, please. Is everything okay? Yeah, I'm going to leave right now. Stay right there.

Okay, I'll see you when you're here then. I hung up, slid the book into my pocket and ran to my desk. I grabbed my wallet and keys, and just as I was about to leave, a new message notification appeared on the screen. I nervously clicked on the icon and was brought into the email application. The message made my blood run call. It's already too late. And with that, I started to run.

down the stairs into the parking lot and into the car i pull my phone out again while i sped towards amy's work she didn't answer i called again no answer by now i turned the five-minute car ride into two minutes and as i took the last turn to get to the diner i was stopped by a barricade of police cars and ambulances i stopped my car and ran towards the barricade sadly though i already knew what I would find. As I burst through the line of policemen, I caught a glimpse of the shirt Amy wore every day to work.

I fell to my knees, explaining that the bloody mess lying on the ground was my perfect girlfriend. They loaded her into an ambulance, but when I got to the hospital, they told me exactly what I knew they would. Amy was waiting outside

by the stoplight for me to arrive when she took one tragic step too far into the road where she was hit by a car, killing her on impact. For the next week, I was miserable. I didn't even leave bed for anything more than to go to the bathroom. I spent my time crying and then dozing in and out of sleep. The one girl who had ever loved in my life had been killed, and I was the only one who knew it wasn't an accident. I could show them the book, but they'd either call me crazy or blame me for it. I won't be held responsible for the death of the only girl I've ever loved.

It doesn't matter anyway. In the week that I've been laying here in bed, I've taken some time to do some reading. I finished the last page about an hour ago. Now I'm waiting, waiting for the man that killed Amy to come here and finish the job. I can already hear him walking around outside my bedroom door

while I type this. I know you'll all be told that my death was a suicide. After all, it would make sense. Hopefully, at least one of you reading this will know the truth. He's knocking on the door now. I suppose

I should go. At least I know it'll be quit. Never been in love. That burning emotion of passion, one that surges through your soul, able to transcend all of time itself. That feeling you'll think can last forever, only to be shut down by the harsh fist of reality. The shattering dread that fills you for months, years after it ends,

be it due to drama, distance or death. What if you can make a single moment of bliss last forever? To be united with your soulmate for the rest of eternity? Would you take that chance? Would you let it slip through your fingers like I did? I was given the chance of forever, but now I'm doomed to live out my days, eventually die and be washed away by the marching passage of time, while she is one with the bleeding tree. Flesh stripped from her bones as she's nurturing the ever-growing forest, suffering until the end of days.

It was our seven-year anniversary, and I promised Jen the perfect date. As we were both avid hikers, I figured a getaway picnic in a secluclub, spot, miles away from any other sentient being would be ideal. Together we'd travelled on every trail, camped in every forest and climbed each mountain within a hundred mile radius, which of course made it difficult to find a new romantic spot anywhere nearby. But after asking around on different forums and getting advice from some of our travelling buddies, I finally learned about a place only a three-hour drive away from our city. A decently desolated forest named Morsewoods, which had very few trails.

A hidden wonder of nature. Which was exactly what we needed. One afternoon, a couple of days before our anniversary, I drove out myself to scout the area. I'd taken the day off work without telling Jen to set off on my secret mission. I walked through the forest, marking trees with orange cloth as I made my way, hoping I had randomly stumbled upon a body of water, maybe a clearing to set up a basket and enjoy the sun.

The forest ran wild with life, birds emerging from each tree as I walked past, curious to the new creature that had invaded their home, walking around on two legs with no wings. Through the trees, I could see a clearing in the forest, separated by a thick wall of thorny bushes. No sign of anyone ever wandering through, so I lay down on my knees and crawled my way through, cutting myself on the thorns in the process. But it was worth it. the side I found a clear, open space only decorated by a lake and a single tree on the side, standing tall with branches spreading out so thick, it provided a perfect parasol of cover against the midday sun. Oh, it was perfect. After a quick survey of the area, I decided to dig a small hole under the tree, digging down a casket, containing a bottle of wine alongside any non-perishable

food. The picnic would be a surprise, and at its end I would bring out the true anniversary gift, an engagement ring. Nothing too impressive, just a silver band with a half a carrot diamond, still something I'd been saving up towards for the better part of a year. Being in our late twenties and all, young but determined, ready for commitment. The next two days passed at a snail's pace, waiting for the day to arrive. We'd both agreed to call in sick, waking up at the break of dawn. We had a system where we had our turn at arranging our anniversary date, and this year it was my chance to impress. Last date, she'd taken me for a weekend trip up a mountain, and now I aim to make it a day to remember for the rest of our lives. We drove the almost 200 miles away from our city

towards Morsewoods before quickly making our way through the dense forest. It was the peak time for birds' mating calls, joyfully greeting us as we wandered through, enjoying the sun rising above the tree line. Dears had just started waking up, jumping curiously through the trees to inspect their new guests. Admittedly, I got a tad lost on the way, with a few of the cloth pieces having fallen off the trees.

I was in the lead, trying to guide, and didn't want to admit, my head. inadequacy walking a few yards ahead I stumbled upon a dead deer in our path it was bizarre half buried in the ground half the flesh torn from its body no smell so couldn't have been there for very long yet it just seemed so rotten before Jan could see it I admitted that we'd gone off the path and as soon as she realized we were off track we just retraced our steps and quickly found our way again. Somewhere around ten, we found the thick wall of bushes and crawled

through. I created a decent-sized hole during my previous visit, ensuring that Jen wouldn't get hurt on the thorns. A nasty cut would have been a huge turn-off for many days. There it was, the perfect spot, even more delightfully idyllic in the glimmering morning light, reflecting on the dewdrops covering the leaves. "'So, what do you think?' I asked. "'It's unbelievable. How did you find this place?' "'Trade secret. I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you,' I joked. "'I'm sure I can find a way to extract that information later,' she said as she winked at me.

"'We brought a picnic basket with bread, spreads, and freshly made salad. "'Nothing too fancy, but Jen still didn't know about the hidden stash I'd put away under the tree.' "'Hey, what's this?' "'Jen said as she spotted a heart-shaped red balloon "'stuck under one of the tree branches. "'Beneath it hung a string, "'with an envelope attached to it. "'Gen jumped up and pulled it down,

"'carefully detaching the envelope "'and tying the balloon around her wrist "'to stop it from floating away. "'That's so sweet. "'You didn't have to,' she said as she opened the envelope, "'pulling out a hand-written letter. "'Gen, I don't know. didn't, I tried to explain, but she'd already started reading. She quickly realized I had nothing

to do with the letter, and when her face turned from joy to disappointment. But, well, she shook away her frown and returned to her gleeful self. I guess somebody found this place before you, she giggled, as she began reading the letter out loud. Dear Sandra, you wouldn't believe a place like this could exist, undiscovered and hidden from the rest of civilization. It's so beautiful, a secret garden of Eden, and the best part is I found it on accident. I bought you this balloon for your birthday. I wanted to tell you in person that I love you, but I guess I'm a coward. I realize we haven't told each other that yet, but I figured it would fit better here by the crystal clear lake and the wonderful wildlife, especially the ducks.

but can't leave. There'll be excellent food for the bleeding tree. I know how much you like ducks, but when I found this place, the tree was dying and it wasn't strong enough to consume me, but if I feed it the birds, the rabbits, or whatever other wildlife inhabits this area, I can finally merge with it and become one with the forest.

I wish I could have taken you here, but I've already planted the seed within me, and if I leave, the seed will die. I'll attach this letter to the balloon and hope it finds you. Maybe you can come here and join me. The bleeding tree needs our flesh to live. Love, Jack. Jen handed me the letter with a confused look on her face.

Um, I think I must have misread something. That didn't really make any sense. I took the letter and skimmed over it. The handwriting was fairly unintelligible from the get-go, but it only got worse as it went on. and my dyslexic eyes could hardly decipher it. Jen had always been the one to translate doctor's notes and anything written in cursive. Despite my slow deciphering, it seemed correct.

The bleeding tree needs our flesh to live. Oh, that's unsettling. Have you ever heard about the bleeding tree? I asked. Our town had quite a few legends, urban tales and various myths, but nothing like this. Jen shook her head, still looking confused and mildly worried. It's probably a prank, right? She asked.

Yeah. Yeah, it has to be. What else? I said, before pointing to the balloon. And these helium balloons deflate like after a day, right? So somebody had to have put it here really recently. Sure, but why? She had a point.

In the most secluded forest in our area, a place that seemed untouched by mankind. Why would anyone plant a balloon with a fake note, unless they'd followed me, and even then, who would wander around for hours just to prank someone? How about we just eat? I asked. I'm sure the balloon got caught in the wind or something, and somehow ended up stuck under this tree.

Probably wasn't even meant for us, right? She nodded, and we decided to prepare our picnic dates. He started with the sandwiches and salad. I decided to keep the wine a secret until the end of the date, where I'd pour her a glass at sunset and propose with a ring, before we fell asleep under the stars. We ate, talked about a future we could only dream about, full of travel, adventures, free from the traditional work and adult responsibilities, made futile plans about how we could make enough money to disappear off the face of the earth for a few years. We were dreamers, but that's how we were. how we liked it.

We're always talking about impossible things, some not even remotely grounded in reality. Jen took a knife out of our picnic basket, decided we should write our initials into the tree to be remembered for the next few decades. Do you want to do it? she asked. I grabbed the knife and cut in, R and Jen.

I lay on the ground and stared up at the tree above. It was a small hole in the otherwise continuous ceiling of leaves and beyond it hung a brilliant blue sky, an infinite cover for the secrets of the universe. My mind wandered, and I pondered all the possibilities of the world, which triggered a conversation we'd had a thousand times before. Wouldn't it be cool if we could just live forever? I said rhetorically, not expecting an answer. You don't want to live forever?

Jen responded as if it were a fact. Well, maybe not forever, but... Imagine a couple of thousand years to explore. Trust me, you get bored. You can't even finish a movie in one sitting. That's different. I wouldn't get bored of this. Honestly, I could do this until the end of time, I argued.

It's not different. An eternity is, by definition, boring. Imagine having sold all the mysteries in the world, having thought every possible thought, seen every part of every planet. What do you do now? So you wouldn't want more time? Nope, life is beautiful exactly because it's fleeting.

It could vanish in a second, meaning we're forced to enjoy it as much as we can. Infinite life would just let us procrastinate finding happiness forever. The discussion went on like that for a while, like it had before, and like it most likely would in the future. As we finished up the salad, I scanned around for the patron. of freshly dug dirt, thinking I should start planning the next stage in our dates. To my surprise, there were no disturbed parts of the ground. Everything had been grown over, seemingly untouched. I lost my secret hiding spot, and panic started to rise in my blood.

Are you all right? You look a bit worried, Jen asked. Yeah, I... I'm going for a little walk, digest the food and all. Want to come with? "'No, I think I'll just lie here and write,' she responded. Jen pulled out her journal and started writing about her day. She always preferred to relax after a meal, but I had to think, and thought that maybe I could remember where I put the stash if I walked around the area, but, well, I needed to be subtle.

It was an oddly quiet afternoon, and though the sun stood high up in the sky, it was almost cold. that in addition to the lack of animals surrounding the lake it just felt wrong I poured out the letter again and read over the part about the lake being filled with ducks and about animals that surrounded it animals that would feed the bleeding tree

then I saw something that contrasted startly with the clear water and the smooth rocks beneath it shattering the monotonous glimmer something white long sticks littering the lake floor They were bones. From what I could tell, they mostly seemed like birds' ribcages. Some maybe foxes, or other small animals, but a few were larger.

Too large to come from any animal that lived in that forest. I took off my shoes to wade into the shallow water. I picked up the largest one, a femur based on what I could tell, almost looked like it belonged to a human being. Oh my God! I heard Jen yell from the tree. I ran over, not understanding what she was yelling about, until I stepped in something wet just next to the tree.

I looked down at my feet to see a crimson liquid covering seeping up between my toes. What the, I said, realizing all too late that I was standing in a pool of blood. There, she stuttered as she pointed at the tree we'd had our picnic beneath. A pool of dirty blood had gathered around the tree in my absence. The bark where we'd etched our names in had fallen off, and blood emerged from the hole. It was bleeding profusely, bright red liquid flowing out from the tree and mixing with the mud below. What the hell is the tree of them? I trailed off. It can't be blood. It has to be something else.

Jen picked up a long stick and started prodding. at the bleeding hole. Jen, don't, it's disgusting, I said, but she'd already shoved the stick deeper into it. The entire tree twitched in reaction, as if filled with muscles, all contracting, trying to avoid the pain of being cut. Jen stepped back in shock, but quickly prodded the tree again to confirm we hadn't just gone crazy. Her second prod caused a larger chunk of bark to fall off the tree, revealing pulsation.

reading red flesh beneath it. Let's get out of it, I tried to say, but was interrupted by the trees starting to violently shake, pulling up flesh covered roots from the dirt, causing the ground beneath us to shatter into pieces. Within a second, a large cap formed under our feet, causing us to crash into a pitch black hole below. As we tumbled down, we reached out our hands for each other,

but with no control we could only hope to soften the blow but instead of landing safely i hit my head on a rock sticking out from the wall and then i passed out once i finally awoke again it for like hours had passed it had turned pitch black in the time i was out and the only thing letting know that i hadn't died was the sound of jen moaning somewhere next to me i fumbled around for my phone it had fallen out of my pocket and landed in another pool of blood. I checked myself to see if I was the one bleeding, but apart from what I must have been a mild concussion, I was unscathed. The phone still worked, and even without any service, it still functioned as a weak flashlight.

It dimly lit up the surrounding cave and revealed a ceiling of dirt and meat above me. It wasn't night, there simply wasn't a sky to light up anything. Jen lay up against a wall, passed out from the fall. I shone my light at her and almost dropped my phone in shock. She'd been gutted by a sharp root sticking out from the ground, perforating straight through her abdomen. Jen, please, please wake up!

I cried as I gently shook her, careful not to worsen her injury. She slowly opened her eyes and yelped in pain. What happened? She asked. Just lie still, Jen. We fell into the ground. You're hurt. She moved her arms and quickly realized there was a branch sticking out from her belly.

Oh my God. Get it out, please. Get it out. She cried as she tried to pull at the root. It twitched violently in response, putting Jenny into further agony. Jen, you've got to keep still, please. If you move, you'll only make it worse. But it hurts. It hurts so much.

She groaned. I know. I know, but please don't. I'm going to go find help. We're going to get you out of here, I promise. Just stay still. She grabbed my hand as I tried to stand up. Wait, don't leave. I don't want to be alone.

I'm not leaving you. I just need to look for a way out. I swung the flashlight around the cave, checking for any hole in the ceiling. Any possible way we could have fallen in, but the only way seemed to extend deeper into the ground, a small tunnel digging further into the darkness. The entire ground felt muddy in a mixture between dirt, blood, and the occasional fleshy roots sticking up, wriggling around as it looked for us.

Each root bled, adding to the pool that slowly filled the cave. Jen, there's no way to climb out of here. I have to check out the tunnel. I said. No, stay. It's not so bad. It's nice. Stay together.

She mumbled, drifting in and out of consciousness, delirious from blood loss. I'm sorry, Jen. I have to find help, I said, kissing her on the forehead one last time. I lay down and started to slowly wriggle my way through the dark tunnel. For each inch I moved, I felt another route reach out, trying to grab me. Something white stuck out from the wall ahead, a fractured bone, sharp enough to cut through my flesh as I moved past it. I yelp quietly in pain, feeling warm blood trickling down my arm. As I bled, the roots seemed to extend towards me, desperately trying to grab a hold of my newly formed wound, digging themselves inside.

The pain was unbearable, but I pulled them out before they got the chance to fest it. The cave opened up into a larger cavern, my weak flashlight doing little to illuminate it. I stood up slowly, almost tripping over while entering, as my foot got caught and something stuck to the ground. It was an arm, half buried in the ground, half digested by its surroundings, only a few pieces of fat and muscles still attached. Hundreds of mangled bodies scattered around the cavern alongside various personal effects. phones, glasses, shoes, clothes, backpacks. A flashlight lay next to one of the less digested bodies, beside a wallet and something more familiar,

a bottle of wine and a ring box. It was the casket I'd buried in preparation for the date. It had fallen down and shattered on a rock, spilling its contents. I pocketed the ring and picked up the flashlight. The wallet lay open on the ground, and I caught a glimpse of the name. on the driver's license it belonged to Jack Galler perhaps it's even the one who wrote the letter we found earlier there was another piece of paper inside the wallet covered in the same

illegible handwriting as before dear Sandra I know this letter won't reach you because I'm already joined with a bleeding tree slowly becoming one with the eternal forest above us I wish you were here with me to comfort me through the pain God I hope it ends soon But if not, well, each route in this place is made from another person. Travelers that got lost in the woods that have become integrated with the hive mind, and very soon I'll be one of them too. I don't already hear their thoughts. Only whispers, but they're getting louder.

Soon I'll know what they're saying. Or even now, as I write. Oh, God, no, this isn't what I wanted. Please, no, don't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. His letter ended abruptly with scribbles that made no sense. I checked around. Among his other possessions, I found a knife and a small shovel.

It then dawned on me that he hadn't fallen into a trap like we had, but instead he'd actively dug his way down, looking for a route to join him with the tree. If he could get in, then maybe we could get out. I grabbed his belongings and started crawling back, once more cutting myself on the bone. I'm able to avoid it. I didn't care about the wounds. I was determined to get Jen out of there, to bring her back to safety, even if it killed me. Jen had awoken by the time I returned, but the root had grown in size, wrapping around, splitting up into smaller tendrils that actively

dug into her chest, even bulging out through her skin. I bent down, ready to cut away their fleshy roots, but she grabbed my hand before I could starve. She stared into my eyes, bleeding for me to stop what I was about to do. Jen, come on, look, I know it all hurt, but I have to cut you loose, I said, tears welling up in my eyes. She just looked back at me, and I could see the pain she was suffering from. I pulled out the little box I'd hidden in my pocket and opened it, revealing the ring. I was going to. I was going to. I was going to to but I sobbed, unable to bring out the words I practiced for so long before our anniversary. I just hoped she'd understand and be distracted enough so I could cut the roots.

And then she finally spoke. It's nice here. What? Stay with me. Let's just stay here, she said, a voice tired and completely rid of any emotion. tears ran down my face but she no longer cared she wouldn't let me free her you'll die if you stay here jent please i begged no nothing dies here nothing is allowed to she smiled revealing tiny roots extending from her mouth the tree had completely filled her even if i tried to cut her free she'd still be riddled with the thither things. No, no, I'm getting you the fuck out of here, I yelled. I held her arms down and lifted my knife against one of the roots. It was surprisingly sharp, considering how old it looked. It easily

cut through one of the smaller roots penetrating Jen's chest. She writhed in agony as the connection severed, blood spurting out from the stump of a root, a hollow tube sticking into her chest. It was her blood. She'd become a little. so intertwined with the tree that killing the roots meant taking Jen with it. Jen's smile vanished, and she started crying. Why are you hurting me? Stop it. I don't want to die. I don't want to. She solved. Then I did something I regret to the end of my days. I had the choice between killing the love of my life, or letting her become one with the bleeding tree. Maybe I'm weak. Maybe I'm a coward,

but I couldn't take her life. I just couldn't. So, instead, I took the shovel and started digging. I left Jen alone in the dark while I fought for my freedom. For each inch of dirt I removed, more roots and tendrils revealed themselves, reaching out in an attempt at digging themselves into my bleeding flesh. Another bone, another cut.

But I kept going, digging with my spade, and cutting with a knife, desperate to see the sunlight once more. Can't say for sure what happened next. It's all hazy and a mixture between blood loss and adrenaline surging through my veins. But I remember hitting through the dirt, a ray of moonlight greeting me on the surface

and minutes of crawling away from the bleeding tree to safety. Despite my severe injuries, I made it to my feet, continuously bleeding as I limped my way towards the car. I dropped my phone somewhere while digging and only had the moon to guide my way back through the dark, silent forest. Everything seeming grey in the lack of light. And then, at some point along my escape, I just collapsed. That was two months ago. Since then, I've been in the hospital, in and out of a coma.

The doctors tell me I suffered septic shock. Apparently a reoccurring infection kept me at bay until last week, when I finally awoke. They called it a miracle, but it doesn't feel like one. I left the cave to find help, to stop the tree from consuming Jen, but by now her flesh has been torn from her bones, and I can only imagine she's won with it

to suffer for all eternity. I couldn't save her from an eternity of pain, and it's all my fault. This is my goodbye. No one should suffer the same fate, Jen did, and yet I'm going back. I should have killed her before she got consumed by the roots, but now I can do nothing more than to join her. I'm going back.

At least you won't have to suffer alone. Adrian Bourne was a desperate man. At 43, newly divorced, he'd also lost most of his family. That would have been bad enough, but what really hurt the most was the manner in which he'd lost them. He'd lost them to the supernatural. Yes, that supernatural. Thought of things that go bump in the night and hide in your closet or under your bed. These things don't hide because they're afraid of humans.

They hide because they don't want humans to get used to them. They want to savour the fear they cause when they pouts and tear their victims apart. They want their human prey to grow fat, happy and oblivious. and because darkness is what there made of. His mother was snatched from right in front of him one peaceful night when they met up at her house to catch up. Even more cruelly, they'd met up to reminisce about their share grief over Adrian's father's death a year past.

He'd been found torn to shreds near a hiking trail he favoured. His skull crushed and his brain entirely missing. All major bones in his body had been found snapped and drained of marrow. They thought it was a bear or a wolf, except Adrian knew that the claw and teeth marks on his father's bones were too large to be either a bear or a wolf. Both of them were sitting on a couch watching TV, laughing at the same things and criticizing the same unrealistic parts as they'd always done. And then the thing struck. A shadow made solid. It literally emerged out of a shadowy corner of the room, a thing of darkness and claw.

It dug its many blade-like fingers into his mother's back, and then a more of pure blackness closed in around her head, and Adrian had a sickening crunch. It was the last he saw his mother, as the thing retreated into the shadow from whence it came, dragging her along with it. Months of police investigation and suspicion on him ruined his career, and the memory of that sight burned in his mind and haunted his sleepless nights. even stranger. Months into the investigation,

a pair of men in black suits showed up while the police were interviewing Adrian for what felt like the hundredth time. The men talked to the superintendent in charge. She had a quiet word with the investigative officers and they abruptly ended the interview and informed Adrian that the case was closed and that he was free to go.

Nothing Adrian tried would get the police to reopen the case. therapy helped his best friend supported him and his sister comforted him as best she knew how but it wasn't something he never thought he'd learned to accept he began researching unexplained sightings and incidents dealing with mysterious attacks and disappearances hoping to find some clue

some answer as to what the hell had taken both his parents he took a job as a night guard at a museum so he could have more time to pour over the internet Most of it was garbage, fakes and bullshit. But Adrian persisted. His best friend and his sister, Adria, worried about his obsession, which had now stretched to obscure rituals of summoning, rights to commune with beings from outside our reality, of demons and of devils.

But they did not abandon him. They too spent their free time helping Adrian in his quest for answers. and find something they did. Not some post on a conspiracy site or bullshit supernatural forums on Reddit, but a brief article in National Geographic's archives from ten years back. It had been a tremendous day for archaeology that day, the day Genghis Khan's tomb had finally been found. News had made the rounds around the globe.

The names of the people who discovered it forever etched into history. What Adrian and his friends found wasn't that. It was an auxiliary publication to that momentous discovery, mentioning something about a bronze tablet found in the tomb with both Latin and Mongolian vertical script on it. It was dated to the early years of the great Khan's life, after Timujin disappeared from most records, and before Genghis Khan appeared to shape the world with his conquests.

The tablet being written in a European language and the same text translated into Mongolian, Before the Khan's conquest opened the way from west to east, and knowledge began to flow across Asia and Europe, was weird enough, but the text spoke of a ritual to contact an outer god. That in itself wouldn't be unusual. Most such writings in Europe would have been burned by the church,

and their possessors probably removed, or burned as heretics and devil-worshippers. But this text was meticulously and carefully carved, and the tablet covered in a layer of gold. This would ensure it would survive the elements and being buried for millions of years. Someone spent a great deal of care and effort to make sure the message survived, and the great Khan had it buried with his body. The friends decided to have a closer look at the text and try to translate it.

With the resources of the Internet at their disposal, it didn't take long to translate the Latin section. It detailed a ritual that would bring them into contact with an entity that would grant the summoner of the word. very specific wish. Anything you've already seen, heard and experienced, will be yours to bring forth to reality. Sixty years of life will be granted to you, free of disease and suffering. On the 61st year's first day, we will claim your soul.

Well, with friends thought, a soul for a wish type trait. No, thank you, they thought, and forgot about the ritual. until, in short succession, after running the text through Google Translate, men in black military garb thrust in on Adrian and his sister as he was having a sleepover with her and her wife. It promptly began shouting orders to get down on the ground, while pointing assault rifles at them. They would have all been taken to God only knows what fate,

if it wasn't for a twist of cruel irony. The thing from the shadow struck again. It tore two of the men apart in seconds, slicing through their body armour like a sword through paper. Adrian, Adria, and her wife took the opportunity to run, but another apparition manifested outside. What could only be described as an enormous wolf made of shadow, with two glowing, flaming green eyes, lunged down to the darkness, and snapped Adria's wife in two at the midsection with one bite. Adria screamed in horror, but Adrian dragged her along with him into the little wood near their house. They flagged down a driver passing by, and Adrian made up some story about having just escaped an armed home invasion,

which wasn't too far from the truth. They drove to a motown. Miraculously, Adrian had had his phone on him. A tough builder's phone. It had survived being slammed into the ground, and Adrian used it to pay. for a couple of rooms. You couldn't stay there for longer. Whoever those jack-booted thugs were,

they could probably track the online purchase of the rooms and come looking for them again. The next day, the siblings went to the bank and withdrew all the money they had, then drove out of the country into their birth country in the middle of Europe. For a few weeks, all seemed fine. They'd gotten away.

And then one day they read a news story online, saying that their best friend had died mysteriously in a car crash. Their hearts sank. Neither of them had any illusions at their friend's death had been an accident. The archived article on Nat Geo, that had preceded all of this, had been removed as well. The only copy that remained was on Adrian's phone. They tried to forget about all of this and didn't pursue any more research.

They tried to forget about it and just live life. again, but it was not to be. They took to keeping their house permanently well-illuminated, sleeping with blinds on their eyes. They wouldn't go out at night, but it wasn't enough. One night the power went out in their mounting cabin. Adriya quickly snatched up a flashlight and shot out the windows, while Adrian went to check the fuses. What she saw froze her blood, a thing of a shadow. It's outlined similar to an oversized demonic bat, perching on the power-line pole that fed to their house.

It had bidden the pole and its cables in half and was chewing on one of the halves. When it saw her, the creature lunged at her, breaking through the thick oak walls like they were paper. The scream of impossible terror was the last thing Adrian heard from his sister, and he rushed towards the non-lawful. the creature had made, busting through their wall. He froze.

Sure he was next. But the creature just grinned a massive, impossibly wide grin, filled with razor-sharp, painfully white fangs, still dripping with his sister's blood. It spoke. It sounded like a rumble from a collapsing mountain. You're next. Sue.

And with that, it feels. flew off. This loss nearly broke, Adrian. Everything and everyone had been taken from him. He had nothing left. His parents, his sister, his best and only friend. Even his dog had one day vanished near a lake they liked to walk by, dragged him by some kind of tentacle beast. He was alone in the world, and all he had left were the last dregs of his saving, and that ritual saved on his phone. To hell with it, Adrian thought. Those things have already ripped out my soul piece by piece. He used the last of his money to get the supplies he needed.

This wasn't candles and sacrifice ritual. He needed to inhale the smoke from several herbs and substances and enter a trance. He did his preparations, lit the bowl with the required materials, and breathed in deep. This was either going to work. or kill him, and he was past caring. It worked. His vision darkened, then lit up with sickly, unnatural green light, and he saw a blood-freezing sight of a many-mouthed, many-tentacled abomination

that seemed simultaneously close and small, but also very far away and impossibly large. It spoke. Initially the sound almost killed him with a shock of fear, but gradually it modulated down to a merely terrifying human voice. Do you take the deal? Sixty years and anything I've seen heard and experience made real on my will? He managed to ask, mostly without stuttering. Anything you have heard seen and experienced on your fleabar little world

you can bring to reality as many times as you want. Yes. even your dead ones. The creature answered, as if reading is mine. Do you take the deal? Last chance. Adrian hesitated for a moment, but then spoke. Yes, I take the deal.

And with that, it was done. Sixty years passed. It was a blink of an eye for the outer God. Nothing at all. And time came to collect the dead. death. It sent its emissary. It would materialise in our world near the location of the sole debtor, and no barrier in existence would bar its path of the one it had come to collect. The emissary appeared. It would not have known this, but the world in which Adrian had made his

deal was early 21st century earth, same as you see now when you look out of your window. The world in which the emissary appeared was different. It appeared. It appeared in the first on a massive mile-wide boulevard, a boulevard suspended between two titanic spires miles high into the earth's atmosphere. Around him were many such spires. Titanic cathedrals in the clouds are built as if of white marble and gold. Between them stretched massive elevated highways and lines of orderly ships and craft flew between them. Above, in low orbit, the shapes of titanic spacecraft occasionally blotted out the light of the sun. sun. Around the flying craft flew patrols of humanoid figures, clad in ornate golden

armour and with white wings on their backs. Here and there dragons flew as well, some small, some larger than any 21st century aircraft, and of all shades and colours. The emissory didn't know that it had not been like this sixty years ago. This world meant nothing to it, could not admire the spectacular changes this world had undergone in a mere half-century, it merely wanted a specific soul. That soul was ahead of him, in the most massive of the spires. It walked toward it. It came to a massive door guarded by two golden-armored winged figures. They stared at him and didn't move. This puzzled the emison, as usually its presence caused unspeakable terror in these puny mortal creatures,

but these two didn't even flinch. I come for the soul of Adrian Ball, it declared. The two figures looked at each other and then spoke as one in a voice reminiscent of rolling thunder. The Emperor expects you. With that, the massive doors open. The emissary honed in on the soul it had come for, and this brought him to a Titanic horn.

A gallery, half a mile wide, and a quarter tall, were a splendid gold, white and blue statues as tall as the hall lined the walls. Trees of translucent blue, vivid green and pale red, grew in pools of glowing blue water. A vast colonnade pointed the way towards the soul it had come for. As the emissary approached, it saw four beings sitting on the white and red marble floor. Four dragons, massive in size. towering even over the emissary. They pulsed with power. One red one, with horns decorated with rings, overflowed with life.

It was almost like something had taken an entire forest with all its creatures and reshaped it into a dragon. The scent of overpowering vitality sickened the emissary. It turned its six spider-like eyes to the blue dragon. Magic poured from this one. immense potential to change anything into anything else at will. Next to that one was a bronze drake around which time shimmered and shattered and then reformed. The last dragon was green and seemed to be asleep, but the emissary felt it watching him from a waking dream the dragon had dream.

Powerful beings, aspects of existence. The emissary thought they might oppose it in its mission, but felt no worry. It was the extension of its master's will, the will of an elder god as the sickening, living creatures would call it. The emissary approached what looked like a throne on a massive platform. On it sat its target. Leaning against the throne and the two columns behind it were four figures. Larger than a man, one was massive indeed, clad in black and silver armour with a red hood

and an artificial arm. The silver cauldron was on its right shoulder, and a golden one on his right. It had a huge sword, the blade as wide as its guard. Another was naked from the waist up, except for its armoured hands and had two sickles at its waist.

Its face was covered by a polished bone mass. The third was a woman, fierce and beautiful, if the emissary could process such things in its alien mind. Her purple hair stood up in a wild mess, and her body was covered in a dark grey figure-hugging armour, and at her hip she had a nasty-looking barbed whip. The final figure also had its head and face covered by a silver helmet. He had a purple scarf around its neck,

and was busy twirling a massive revolver. All four looked at the emissary, with flat expressions. Its aura of terror seemed to bother them not at all. In front of the throne sat two massive wolves, grey and as big as an elephant.

On the back of the throne to the left sat two ravens, and on the right sat an owl, constantly eyeing the ravens suspiciously. But they were of no concern to the emissary, not unless they tried to stop it from completing its mission. The figure of the first of the enemy.

on the throne was its objective. If he had any notion of such things, the emissary might have been surprised that, instead of an old man passed his centennial, Adrian looked vital. He too was clad in armour, bleached bone, like a carapids.

Upon his back were a pair of mechanical wings built into the armour. Its helmet was shaped like the head of a jackal. Upon its breast was carved a scarab, and below it, an Unk. His left eye was missing, and in its place was a glowing blue gem. Around his eyes were tattoos that a human versed in ancient Egyptian history would have known as a symbol of Amunra.

His left-armour gauntlet was larger than his right, and had six stones placed into it, one blue, one red, one yellow, one green, one purple, and one orange. Five were placed at the gauntlet's knuckles, and one on the back of his palm. In his right arm, Adrian held a weapon, half axe, half hammer. Its shaft was a metal rod, with what seemed to be vines growing along it, and holding the hammer half and the axe half together. The axe half crackled with lightning,

while the hammer half glowed with mysterious power. Upon Adrian's back was a side with a shaft made of skulls joined end to end. It emanated death. It reaped of it to the emissary. This sensation he liked. None of the other creatures made a move to impede the emissary, and it approached its quarry.

Come on up, said Adrian, amiable. Don't mind Frecky and Gary, he said, pointing at the waltz. Don't worry about the horsemen or the dragons either. They won't bother you, he added. pointing first at the figures relaxing against his throne, then at the four dragons lounging on the immense floor. Even at their size, they barely took up any room in the massive throne room. Give us your soul, the emissary boomed.

A mere man would have died on the spot. No ifs, no buts, just dead. Then the emissary would have devoured his or her soul, sending it screaming to its master and creator. But Adrian, who stood there, impassively, and very much not dead. The emissary stared for a moment, uncomprehending. It had collected thousands of souls before, from those who took its master's deal. They would try to hide, to run, to fight.

Some threw armies against it, some hidden fortresses or caves or bunkets. The emissary slaughtered their arms. BROK-up in their hiding places like so many eggshells, and they all died screaming. Not stone, nor steel, nor fire, nor flesh could stop it. Its master-wildered. Some even tried to use their wish to keep summoning more and more defenders to stop the emissary, but once their time was up, their wish was over. Many had thought to use the power of the wish to summon something to defeat the emissary,

but they couldn't. For they could only call on what they could see with their own eyes, hear with their own ears, and thus experience. Those who took the deal could call for sensations they had once felt and make them real. They could summon endless servants, endless money, endless food, as long as they had seen, held in their hands or heard and tasted it. Genghis Khan himself made some use of the wish in the period of time when he all but dropped out of the historical record. he used it to kickstart his rise to power. But nothing that was within reach of humans could withstand the emissary, nothing that walked this earth could.

And yet, Adrian stood. He stared at the emissary for a moment and spoke. Um, no, those two words. A refusal. Many had screamed no. But none had said it so calmly. The emissary did not speak. It had the power to take the soul its master wanted.

It extended its grotesque, massive right upper arm, one of four it had on its bestial torso, and a tentacle of sick green light sprang out and into Adrian's chest. It started to pull out a translucent blue silhouette. But it was not the small outline of a human soul. No, it was big. extremely big. As the emissary

backed away and kept pulling, the outline began to become clear. It was a freaking dragon again. Immense. As the emissary kept pulling, the blue ghost filled the cavernous throne room to the top, dwarfing the physical dragon still

sitting impassively on the floor. Then, with half of that incredible soul out, the emissary was stopped. Adrian had sat there motionless as his soul was extracted. Then the soul lunged its immense right, ghostly forlum, and the clawed reptilian hand passed right through the emissary and came out with a ball of translucent, sickly black and glowing green slime, covered in fanged mouths and flailing tentacles.

It was screeching and writhing, but the dragon's soul kept it firmly grasped in its ethereal claw. The emissary was still conscious, though. Its two mouths, one on top of the other, were open in agonized rictus. Adrian stepped down from his throne. He hefted his hammer axe in one hand and swung the hammer end at the paralyzed emissary with a massive crack of lightning. It flew clear across the throne room and smashed into its armory. the crystalline entrance gate with enough force to crack them.

Adrian then flew across the room in a flash and a gust of air. He grasped the emissary's bulging neck with his right hand, hefting its massive body up as he extended his wings and took off, hovering just high enough to dangle the sickening creature off the floor. Not possible! The emissary croaked out of both its mouths. Is it not? asked Adrian, his tone even. I quote,

Anything I hear, see and experience. That was your master's deal. That is what I was granted. Adrian brought the creature's eyes to stare into his. The emissary looked on in disbelief. He saw a divine flame inside Adrian. He spat a glob of glowing green air. acid. It impacted a shimmering field in front of Adrian's face and slid to the floor where it

proceeded to eat away at the pristine material. Pune, godly, if you think this will save you, it howled, a voice to turn blood to ice. Oh, I'm not a god, said Adrian. And suddenly, his appearance changed. His mouth opened in a horrific fanged grin to mirror the emissary's own. His human eye burned with a white hellfire, and from his mouth red flame sprang as he spoke in a voice that was like many rumbling voices speaking as one. I am not one god, you jackass.

I am many. I am Odin. I am Amunra. I am Thor, Athena Horstoth, and Anubis. I am a walking pantheon. adrian's voices howled into the emissary's face as the extent of its supposed victim's power was slowly revealed but adrian did not stop above his demonic-looking face a burning angelic halo of pure light appeared around his head i am the sun of the high heavens i am the spawn of the burning hells i am soul of the dragon and i am the master of mankind the emissary's body began to do something unthinkable it began to tremble with the titanic dragon's soul holding its extra plainer existence in its cruel claw it could not even lift its arm to attack

It felt the unthinkable. It felt fear. Not fear. Terror. Terror for its own existence. In the grasp of this impossible being, whose soul it had come to collect, it shuddered uncontrollably encroped. Adrian grinned that feral, unbelievably wide grin,

as the angelic halo on his head burned brighter. Your plot's really shrew. should have paid more attention to this. How did he describe it? Little flea-back planet. And to how he words his contracts. Anything I see, hear, and experience? Well, welcome to some of my favorite films and games, asshole.

I made mankind's fantasies a reality with your boss's power. Adrian's grin reached its widest yet. Adrian lifted his left hand, the one with a gauntlet bearing six glowing gems, and spoke again. Tell your boss and the rest of the trash hanging out there beyond our reality. They are banned from this universe and all that will come after. Forever! And with that he snapped his left hand fingers. A massive surge of power slammed up his arm that made even him wince,

And a few seconds later, the emissary's grotesque form began disintegrating into a cloud of ash. Adrian's dragon soul finally released the emissary's ethereal presence, and it was sucked back through an invisible portal to whatever non-place it was spawned from. Turning back to the four figures still watching with vaguely amused expressions from around his throat, he spoke. come now lads we've got great old ones and shit still to cleanse oh and a universe to bring life to and so once again we reach the end of tonight's podcast my thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories and to you for taking the time to listen now i'd ask one small favor of you wherever you get your podcast from please write a few nice words and leave a five-star review as it really

helps the podcast. That's it for this week, but I'll be back again same time, same place, and I do so hope you'll join me once more. Until next time, sweet dreams and bye-bye.