Light fades and Darkness consumes

Alexis is dead. Alexander is dead. Malkator is dead.

My girlfriend, my father, and the only person I've ever considered my friend.

They're all gone.

So what do I have left? My light has faded. There is nothing left.



And so I'll turn to darkness.


The Convocation offered to repair my body. They warned me that I might lose myself. Become filled with nothing but darkness.

It doesn't matter at this point. I accepted. They fixed me up.

The new arm is great. Stronger, with scales as strong as titanium, feathers black as night, and talons harder than diamonds.

There were a few... unintentional side effects of the healing. The wings will certainly take some getting used to. But all in all, I feel better. My wounds are gone, and with the light gone, I no longer feel pain for what I've lost. I no longer feel guilt, or remorse. The emotions that used to hold me back are nonexistent.

Andrew Miles is dead. The Crow is no more.

I am something so much better.

I am the Black Crow.

And you humans will learn to fear me.

Malkator came up to me and Myrir this morning to talk.

“I'm leaving,” he said. “I made my decision, and I know what I have to do. I just wanted to say goodbye to both of you.”

He immediately vanished into the God's Way.

It didn't feel right. That was no normal goodbye. I released my birds and ordered them to go find him. They immediately informed me that he was in New York City, near the Chrysler building. I took the Bleak Shore and arrived there.

There were a lot of people gathered at the buildings balcony. The Game Master, the Bloody Biker, a man in a lab coat, who I assume is the Scientist. Daniel, O'Zalia, Estren, and Malkator were all there. And then, there was the device. A large machine that reaked of eldritch energy. Malkator stood on the edge of the balcony, facing the device.

“What are you going to do?” I demanded.

“I'm going to put an end to the Game Master's plan,” he said. “When I had that vision the other day, I saw what this device is capable of. It's an eldritch bomb, which the Game Master plans to destroy the world with. But I can't let that happen.”

Malkator's tongues shot from his mouth, entangling the device and pulling it in. It shouldn't have been able to fit, but something happened to the universe surrounding Malkator (I'm assuming something to do with his mana), and the device twisted in a way that allowed his second mouth to consume it. Every one gasped.

“What did you do that for!?” Daniel yelled.

“My body is strong enough to restrain the explosion,” Malkator said. “You guys and the rest of the world will be safe from it.”

Daniel stepped forward. “But what about you?” he asked.

Malkator smiled, as tears fell from his eyes. “This isn't about me,” he said. “It never was. You're the hero of this story. Save the world.”

He jumped backwards, falling from the building. I pushed Daniel out of the way and jumped down after him. As I fell, I reached into my pack and pulled my whip out. I lassoed him around the waist with it, trying to save him. But it was too late. The bomb went off. The explosion consumed us both.

Malkator died. And I couldn't stop it.

I barely survived the explosion. My right arm was destroyed completely, and the rest of my body was severely damaged. It hurts just to type this.

But I had too. I had to get the word out. I had to tell you ungrateful worms what he sacrificed to save you all.

It's such a same. I guess the title was wrong. A new Fear will not be born.

Completion

Dyson was apparently on his way to see me earlier today. However, he was attacked by one of the Game Master's Emissaries, the one called the Leopard. I saw him from a few blocks away on my way back to Myrir's place after going to a store. I got involved and killed the Leopard. Dyson was injured badly. He told me to eat him. Of course, it would have been merciful for me to kill him, and the fragment of the Vision he carried would have become a part of me, but I didn't want to eat him.

Instead, I used my powers to heal him.

"Are you sure you don't want to become complete?" he asked me. "You're going to need her power soon."
I sighed. "Look, if you want me to take her mind from you, I know a way I might be able to do it without killing you," I said.
"You do?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied. "Hold still."

I did the same thing I did to Bill Dawson. I used my mana to look into his soul, and seperate the Vision from him, pulling her into my body.

"Chaos magic?" he said. "How can you have mastered it so quickly? It took the Ace Of Chaos years to perfect that style."
"I guess I'm some kind of prodigy or something," I said.

We parting ways, and I had a vision shortly after.

I know what future Daniel was talking about. The decision I have to make. The decision that will effect the entire world.

And like he said; it's an easy one for me to make.

Time to move my pieces.

Guess What!!!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist posting that.

But yeah, long story short, Myrir and I shagged and it was awesome.

What's that? You want details?

TOO BAD!!


I'm gonna go get drunk. Later bitches,

A Decision

While Crow and I were in Denny's, the other Daniel approached me. He said I would need to go see Myrir. It took us a few days, but we found her.

"Hey," she said. "I haven't seen you guys in a while."
"Yeah," I said. "This crazy guy from the future said I need to see you."
"You mean the pale guy, right?" she asked. "He came to me too. He said I needed to spend some time with you. "
"Why?" Crow asked.
"I don't know," she said. "But you guys can go ahead and stay here a while."
"Alright," I said. "As long as Slendy doesn't show up."

So yeah we're staying with Myrir. Also, the future Daniel showed up again.

"What is it this time?" I asked.
"In a few days, you're going to be faced with a decision," he said. "The choice you make will effect the entire world."
"How so?" I asked.
"It's complicated," he said. "But the decision itself should be easy enough for you to make. You just have to remember who you are."

He placed something in my hand and vanished. It was a chess piece. Specifically, a Queen.

I love Denny's

I really do. Their french toast is just sooooooooooo good. Um, anyway, this is Crow. After our fight with Bill, we took a brief break and then went to California to go help Daniel. I've never seen the Archangel like that, and I hope I never will again. We got it to retreat, then Malkator and I went to Denny's to celebrate. After a while, we had this conversation about things...

"I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?" I replied.
"For what happened to Alexander," he replied.
"It's not your fault," I said. "It's no one's fault. Alexander tried to protect me, and he died because of it. The only person I blame is Piksel."
"I'm surprised a Fear would take a bullet for one of its servants," Malkator said.
"There's something I never really told anyone about Alexander," I said, hesitating a little bit, "Do you remember when I told you that Alexander's connection to the hivemind was distorted due to a head injury?"
"Yeah," Malkator said. "Why?"
"I lied," I admitted. "The truth is..."

And then I told him. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I thinks it's what he would have wanted.

It was several months ago, before the tournament. I was on a mission. The job was to eliminate a murderous Slender Proxy chick. I found her with a group of other proxies, and I went in. She was dead in minutes. I tried to leave immediately after, without spilling anymore blood. But there was this one stubborn Proxy tried to stop me. Took a few bolts of lightning to bring him down long enough to escape.

After that, I went back home to my parent's house. I spent the next few days thinking about what I'd done. Killing's never easy for me. Anyway, a couple days later, the same proxy from before attacked my house. But this time he was enhanced.

I'll give you 3 tries to guess who he was. If any of those guesses were David Kallaway, then you guessed right. That was his girlfriend I had killed, and he was pretty pissed.

We fought for a while, and I eventually got him to retreat. My house had been destroyed. And amongst the rubble was my father, who had been impaled by a broken support beam during all the chaos. I tried to will him to live. He was faded fast. I did what I had to do. I begged to the Convocation. I asked them to save him. I'm not sure how they did it, but after a few minutes, there was a small black crow lying where my dad had just been.

Alexander wasn't just a member of the Convocation. He was my father. That's why he had his own personality. That's why he took that bullet for me.

"I had no idea the Convocation could do that," Malkator said,
"Neither did I," I replied.

We sat there a little while longer before Mr. future man showed up. He said something to Malkator and then left. Not sure what it was, but Malkator said we'd have to leave soon.

The 9th Plague

This is Crow. Malkator is sleeping, so I'm gonna write this post. That's right, I still know his password. He hasn't changed it since the tournament.

Anyway, we showed up in Egypt, outside these old ruins. There were dead bodies everywhere.

"What is this place?" I asked
"Before this all started, Bill Dawson was an Egyptologist," Malkator said. "This must be the tome where he disturbed the Nightlanders. He must have chose this place for the 9th plague because of his connection to it."
"And killed all the researchers here in the process," I said. "I hate guys like that. He had no good reason to kill these people."
"I know," he said.
"He's probably inside, right?" I asked.
"I think so," he said. "Let's get moving."

We approached the entrance. Then the shadows started moving. The 9th plague was starting.. Nightlanders appeared from everywhere, surrounding us.

"We have to beat them before they black out the sky," Malkator said, drawing his sword.
"You think these things are vulnerable to mana?" I asked.
"I'm saving that for a last resort," he replied. "Let's try and cut them all down."

We fought for a while, trying to fight them all off. After a while, I saw him appear, right behind Malkator. I went with my instincts and shoved Malkator out of the way. Bill grabbed my and pulled me under the ground, into the deepest parts of the tomb. He pinned me to the wall, with a hand around my throat. Whatever humanity was left in him was nearly gone now. He was almost completely shadow now.

"I was about to finish off that Demi-God pest," he said. "But you'll do for now."
"Like hell!" I said, striking him with a bolt of lightning.

That was enough to get him off of me, but he was still standing. He summoned a dark blade in each hand and charged at me. I dodged him and drew the sword I got from Malkator a while ago. I fought back against him, but not very well. I'm not too good with a sword, and he was way faster than me. He slashed me across the chest. Birds flew out and attacked him, but he cut them all down easily. I  tried shocking him again. It slowed him down some, just long enough for me to drive my sword into his chest. He melted into the floor and reappeared behind he. I turned to block his attack. His strike was so strong that my sword shattered and he slashed my shoulder. I fell to the ground.

"How pathetic," he said, standing over me with his blade pointed at my face. a shadowy ooze flowed from his open wound, but he ignored it. my birds made another attempt to attack him, but he slashed through all of them and turned his attention back to me. Then a huge fireball hit him from the side. Malkator had arrived.

"You okay?" he asked me.
"More or less," I replied. "What happened with the Nightlanders?"
"The Rake and EAT showed up," he said. "They're dealing with things up there."
"No!" Bill exclaimed. "No! All my work has been ruined! You bastards! I'll kill you all!"

He and Malkator started fighting. It went on for a while. Malkator managed to get the upper hand, then he did something weird. There was this bright silver light, and Bill was separated from the shadows. The darkness all left his body and fled. Bill fell to the ground. With his powers, the wound I had dealt him earlier was starting to take its toll.

"What did you do?" I asked.
"The same thing the Ace Of Chaos did to Silvermist," he replied. "I used chaos magic to tear the Nightlanders out of his soul."
"You can do that?" I asked.
"Apparently," Malkator said. "Not sure how I mastered that power so quickly though..."

He healed my wounds and then we went back to America. Bill may have been defeated, but I don't think the Archangel's going to take it as a defeat. I'm sure we'll still have to deal with him.

The Reverie And The Ace

Things didn't go too well in Daniel's subconscious. We beat the Grotesque, but I lost control and almost killed Daniel. I got kind of mopey, but Daniel knocked some sense into me. I think Dyson's right. I have to avoid using mana.

I saw the Ace Of Chaos when I woke up. At least, a phantom of him anyway.

"Hello," he said. "I see you've found what you were looking for."
"Yeah," I said. "But I can't control it."
"You'll learn," he said.
"How?" I demanded. "You gave me back my sanity, then told me to chase after a power that takes it away again."
"I know you can control it," he said. "You're just as stubborn as I was. I know you can overcome this."
"Why are you really here?" I asked.
"I come to give you my last secret," he said. "Mana can be used either for offense or defense. Defensive magic is referred to as light magic, while offensive magic is called dark magic. Both are equally harmful to a person's sanity."
"Why do I need to know this?" I asked.
"I told you before that I spent my life trying to blend darkness and light," he said. "I was successful. I created a new form of magic. Chaos magic. Magic that will soon save your life."

Then he vanished. Yeah, that was weird.

Cold Visions

We went to Toronto Canada to deal with the Cold Boy. We were wandering around trying to find the damn bastard when we bumped into Dyson.

"You possess mana," he said.
"Yes, what of it?" I asked.
"Do you understand how to use it?" he asked.
"No," I said. "And I don't have time to learn. I've got an apocalypse to prevent."
"It is a dangerous tool to use," he said. "You should avoid using it, if you can."
"Tell that to the Fears," I said. "I don't have time to sit around and chat. I have to find the Cold Boy before he freezes over the Earth."
"The children of the cold are active in a residential neighborhood three blocks South of here," he said. Then he left.

Crow and I went to where he directed us. Sure enough, we were greeted by a bunch of little kids chanting "We are cold". I scanned the area and found him, sitting inside a house. We ran through the children and kicked the door down. The inside of the house was covered in a thick layer of snow that made it really hard to move. That smug bastard just stared at us and laughed.

"I wouldn't be too happy if I were you," I said. "We're about to kick your ass."

I honestly don't remember what happened next. I think I was frozen or something. All I know is I woke up to Crow electrocuting my chest.

"What happened?" I asked.
"Well, Slender Man showed up and some stuff went down... it's a long story."
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know dude," he replied. "But the Cold Boy's gone now. We've only got a few plagues left."
"Great," I said.



So... yeah, that happened. Daniel's going to be confronting the Grotesque inside his subconscious. I might lend him a hand.

These Are The Droids I Am Looking For

I got to visit Tokyo today! It was surprisingly disappointing. I did get some Miku merchandise, so I guess I got something out of it.

I met up with Crow at a hotel last night. We soon realized that neither of us have any idea how to speak Japanese.I used my mask to access Google Translate, but I don't trust that program.

Crow sent his birds to scout for Newborn activity. We found some. A bunch of Towerborn were working in an abandoned robot factory. We entered and started blowing up every Towerborn we could find. Then I took a bullet to the thigh. It caught me by surprise and I went down. Then the bullet released an electric current and stunned me. Did you know they make bullets like that? I didn't.

I got a look at what  fired it. It was an android, built from broken robots. It was holding a gun in one of its hands, and was glaring at us with camera-eyes.

"A Thoughtborn, I presume?" Crow asked.
"My name is Piksel," it said. "And yes, I an a Thoughborn. And I will not tolerate interference with the plan."
"Tough luck, I'm interfering anyway," Crow said.

Piksel started firing bullets, which Crow dodged pretty easily. Then it threw a flash grenade that nearly blinded all of us. As Crow shielded his eyes, Piksel raised its gun again, and pulled the trigger. There was a burst of feathers, and a small black body hit the floor in front of us.

"A-Alexander?" Crow stammered.

He was in shock for a few moments, but that shock quickly turned into rage. Sparks started flying from Crow's body, hitting the machinery around us. Piksel shot Crow multiple times, but he ignored the wounds. The electricity he generated continued to increase, and the warning lights began flashing.

"You killed the only bird I actually liked," Crow hissed. "Join him!" Crow shot a bolt of electricity straight into Piksel's chest. Piksel hit a button on its thigh just before it exploded. A voice came over the loudspeaker saying "MISSION ABORTED. SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED."

Shit. They had anticipated an attack, and had set it up so that if things went wrong, they could destroy themselves and the intruders. Crow had passed out after his attack, and I had to drag him through a portal to the Streams Of Destiny. I was about to close it, when I decided a burial might be in order. I shot one of my tongues out of the portal and grabbed Alexander's body. I closed the portal just as the factory exploded.

I turned back to Crow. He was wounded, and fatally. I need the first thing that came to mind, and started using my mana on him. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try. And fortunately, I was successful. I managed to heal him.

Alexander is dead though. I couldn't do anything for him. I tried. i really did. Something interesting though, is how powerful Crow became. He can use lightning from a distance now, like when his powers were amplified on the second layer.

That was the 5th plague. We're halfway there.

Hunting The Hunter

The Black Dog appeared in the Four Corners of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. It was expecting me. As soon as I got there, it charged at me. I dodged and threw a fireball at it.. It vanished into the God's Way, and appeared behind me. It turned around in time to deflect its fangs with my sword. At least it wasn't running away. It snarled and tried to bite me again. I used the god's Way and appeared on its back. I grabbed it around the neck in an attempt to subdue it. Then a canine head sprouted from its shoulder and chomped at me.

I rolled off of its back as a smaller dog branched off from the main one. Then three more dogs sprouted from it. Five against one, with the odds against me. The smaller dogs charged at me all at once. I dodged between them and slashed one across the throat. One of them turned and jumped at me. I ducked under it and cut in open from underneath. The remaining two came at me from the sides. I jumped backwards, and they turned to attack me from the front. I charged up my mana and consumed them both in a column of fire.

With the miniature dogs dead, I turned back to the Black Dog. Then a pair of arms grabbed me from behind and attempted to put me in a sleeper hold. I surrounded myself with fire, and he released me. I turned to face the man.

"Not bad," he said, staring into my eyes with his crimson ones. "I don't see other mana users very often." A prowler. I could tell by his red eyes and jet black hair. And the fact that he was hanging out with the Black Dog.
"You can use mana too?" I asked.
"That's right," he said, and flames danced around his fingertips. "My senses are keen as a hound's. I can find entrances to the second layer easily."
"I don't have time for this," I said, turning around to charge at the dog again, but he was quick enough to get in front of me before I could.

The dog was starting to release more copies. If I didn't hurry up and get through the Prowler, there would be enough small dogs to ravage the world. I couldn't let that happen. I fought him. We both started throwing fireballs and lightning at each other. I was beginning to overuse my mana. I could my self control slipping away. I was consumed with a hunger. I wanted to beat him, no matter what. I started using the God's Way to get an edge in our fight. He dodged my sneak attack and grabbed me by the throat. His hand burned my skin. I grabbed his hand and channeled coldness into it. His grip loosened some, and I took the chance to knock it away and grabbed him by the throat with one hand and I grabbed his face with the other. I  pumped his entire body full of cold mana, then I stepped back and hit him a fireball that shattered his frigid body into pieces.

I turned my attention back to the dog. There were at least a hundred now, and they were all snarling at me. The insanity I was feeling a minute before was replaced by terror. There was no way I could beat them all.

Of course, someone else decided to join the party. Something began shooting through the crowds of dogs, so fast I couldn't keep up. Hounds were dropping dead in mutilated heaps left and right. It wasn't until all the smaller dogs were dead that the newcomer slowed to a halt between me and the Black Dog.  It was the Rake. I had no idea it could move that fast.

The Rake and the Black Dog. Two of the most brutal Fears, about to square off. They attacked each other. It was the freakiest thing I had ever seen. Fangs and claws, scratching and biting all over the place. One minute the Rake had the upper hand, the next minute the Black Dog was on top.

I stood there, trying to decide what to do. I could try firing a lightning bolt, but I was afraid I might hurt the Rake if I did that. Then I realized "Wait a minute, I don't like either of these guys, I should just blast them both". So I did. The Black Dog fled. The Rake stood up, crawled toward me on all fours, and whisper harshly "Never do that again" and then vanished.

4 down, 6 to go. I have to deal with the Newborn next.

Knowledge That Burns.

Daniel seemed to handle the Red Cap just fine. So then it was my turn.

Crow and I headed to Pittsburgh Texas, where the Burning Bride would be starting out. Wasn't hard to find her. It's pretty easy to notice a burning peach orchard. We ran in there and found her. She wasn't too friendly about it. Tried to fry us as soon as we found her.

Now, I had only practiced with mana a little bit, so I wasn't very good. But I did learn to freeze things, so I managed to put out the surrounding fire, which made the battle field a lot safer. But we were still facing a deadly opponent. I tried to freeze her, but she melted the ice effortlessly. And neither of us could get close enough to use our weapons.

"Any ideas?" Crow asked me.
"I have one, but it's gonna hurt," I told him. "Get your birds ready." Oh yeah, something I forgot to mention last post; Crow got his birds back after we left the second layer. I'm not sure how that works.

Anyway, I jumped into the God's Way real quick and stabbed my blade into her spine. It burnt being so close to her, but it distracted her long enough for the Convocation to get in and attack her. She was immune to lightning, but a barrage of iron-hard beaks are different. She vanished into the God's Way and I followed her. We wound up in a cow farm nearby. The sight of all those cattle fleeing in terror from the fiery woman and the weird guy with a stomach mouth was just hilarious. But I still had to focus. It would take a while for Crow to catch up, so I was on my own.

I kept fighting as long as I could, trying to ignore the heat. That's when she did it. She raised her hand and gave me more knowledge. Knowledge that I could hardly believe.

She showed me the Ace Of Chaos's identity. Who he really was. I collapsed. My head hurt. What she had just shown me was so hard to believe, and yet it made so much sense.

She began to leave. I got up, but I was still dizzy from disbelief. She passed a watering hole, and that's when EAT decided to get involved. The water rose into a giant tentacle, which trashed at the Bride. She screamed in agony, and after a short attempt and fighting the ink tentacle, she gave up and vanished. Then a Camper rose from the water and approached me.

"Thank you for luring her in," it said.
"You're welcome," I said. "You couldn't have jumped in sooner?"
"We chose to give you a chance to defeat her before we stepped in," it said. "Perhaps we were wrong about your strength. You have a long way to go if you expect to end the plagues."
"Two of them have already been prevented," I reminded it.
"Yes, but preventing two will not matter if you cannot avert the others as well," it said. "All you've managed to do so far in increase the workload for the other Heralds Of The Plagues."
"Whatever," I said. "I'll prove to you that I can do this."

And then I left. Crow already headed to Egypt to help stop the third plague. I'm gonna start preparing for the fourth and fifth plagues. I agreed to handle them both, in a row.

The second layer

We met up with Daniel, as planned. As soon as we entered the meeting point, I felt something was off, but I couldn't quite place it.

The information he had was the locations that each of the plagues would start out at. we agreed to each handle 5 of them. Daniel chose the Red Cap, the Intrusion, the Plague Doctor, the Grotesque, and the Archangel. Except for the Intrusion, he has personal history with each of them. As for me and Crow, we'll be taking on the Burning Bride, the Black Dog, the Manufactured Newborn, the Cold Boy, and the Nightlanders.

As we were talking, the subject of Daniel's future self came up. Yes, it's true. The paradox I mentioned in one of my previous posts was another Daniel, from the future. That's why Daniel has 2 destinies. One of them will defeat the Fears, and the other will martyr themselves.

Then the other Daniel actually showed up, and while he was talking to Daniel, I realized why things felt off. I was feeling mana. I focused on the second layer of reality, and I was suddenly there. And I accidentally brought Crow with me. Whoops.

Anyway, it looked crazy. Dark, with gnarled trees. Imagine the spookiest forest you've ever seen in a movie. Now, imagine that, times a thousand, with a few added Lovecraftian monsters running around.

"Where are we?" Crow asked.
"The second layer," I said. "This is where the mana is."
"Great," crow sighed. "So where is this man?"
"Maybe you can send your birds to scout the area," I suggested.
"Yeah, maybe- oh crap!" He said.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I'm human..." he said.
"What?" I asked
"The birds are gone," he said. "Even Alexander! They're not inside me anymore! I'm not a Nest!"
"Oh shit...," I said. "Looks like we'll have to find it ourselves."

So we started wandering, occasionally having to hide from crazy looking monsters. After a while, Crow stopped me to ask a question.

"Hey dude, remember when you first started your blog, and you lied to that doctor about your name?" he asked.
"I vaguely recall," I said. "Why?"
"What was the name you used?" he asked.
"Marshall Smith," I said. "I use that alias every now and then."
"So are you the one who carved it into this tree?" he asked.
"Say what now?" I asked him.
"Take a look," he replied. Sure enough, the name Marshall Smith had been carved into a tree.
"Well, that's odd," I said.
"Gee, ya think?" he replied.

We heard something, so we had to cut that conversation short.

Anyway, a long time and several monster related near death experiences, we found it. A large chasm, with multi colored smoke billowing out of it. Mana. This was it.

"Thhis what we're looking for?" Crow asked.
"Yes," I said.
"So... now what?" he asked.
"I don't know...," I said. "I guess I... jump in or something?"
"Only one way to find out," he said, shoving me over the edge.

It felt weird. The flow of mana was so strong I was suspended in mid air. It soaked into my skin, into my muscles and bones. I felt so much stronger. I loved it. I wanted more. I wanted as much as my body could handle.

"Uh, dude, I think you've been in there long enough," Crow said.
"Shut up," I snapped at him. "I haven't had enough yet."
"Hey, you remember EAT's warning, right?" he said. "Your body can't handle too much of this! You need to get out of there."
"I can take more!" I said. "I can take it all!"
"Okay, that's it!" he said, bringing out his whip and pulling me out.

That made me mad. I channeled the mana through my body, allowing it to take the form of a fireball, which I hurled at him. He dodged it, and the rocks behind him blew up. It was incredible. I tried again, but this time, I conjured a lightning bolt. Instead of dodging it, he took the attack head on and fired it right back at me. I was knocked backwards into a tree. That snapped me out of my power-hungry trance.

"That's neat," Crow replied. "I don't have the birds anymore, but it looks like my Emissary power has been enhanced."
"Uh, sorry about that," I said. "Sort of lost my cool."



We were trapped there a little longer, but we eventually found a place where the barrier between layers was thin enough to get back. We contacted Daniel, and it looks like we still have time to deal with the plagues.

The Order Of The Plagues

Bill Dawson posted the dates for all of his new plagues on his blog. He's challenging us. Daniel requested that we meet up. He has some information that might help us.

On the 23, the Red Cap will act. The day after is the Burning Bride's turn, then the Intrusion, the Black Dog, the Manufactured Newborn, the Plague Doctor, the Cold Boy, the Grotesque, the Nightlanders, and the Archangel. Each one on a different day. Although, I still don't know how we're gonna stop them. Hopefully Daniel's intel will help with that.

The Fears Part 2

Wanna know how I spent Halloween? Wish I could say I spent it trick or treating, or partying, or even fighting crime. But know, I spent it watching horror movies with Crow and eating ice cream. Anyway, here's the rest of the Fears.

The Smiling Man

This guy is completely psychotic. He is the Fear of stalkers, who leaves his victims flowers before eventually killing them. These follows are using coded in the language of flowers, each flower meaning something different.

He is a killer, with no clear cause. He has his own proxies, which he sometimes forces to kill each other. He is able to summon razor sharp flower petals at will, which serve as incredibly deadly weapons.

He is most often seen wearing a torn straight jacket. He has scraggly red hair, a smile larger than his face, and eyes that are indescribably wrong. Artwork of him usually have his eyes blacked out, since it's so had to draw something like that. The only people who know what his eyes look like are those who have seen them up close, and they usually don't wanna talk about it.

His domain is the Flower fields, which may seem like a beautiful field of every flower imaginable, but beneath it all is the disgusting scent of rotting flesh.

The Burning Bride

I met her when I was young. I described the experience before. She is the Fear of fire, both the physical fire in the world, and the metaphorical fire within peoples hearts and minds.

Her appearance can vary, but she usually takes the form of a crimson woman in red bridal clothing. She can also disperse into a swarm of fireflies.

She not only has control over fire, but she can fill people with so much knowledge or emotions that their hearts and minds will metaphorically burn. I've had the experience, and I almost died.

Whose bride is she? That would be the Brute. I'll get to him later. She constantly seeks him out, trying to free him and rejoin his pieces.

The Red Cap

Oh boy, this one. By the way, I'm just doing these in a random order. Anyway, the Red Cap is the fear of everything sexual. Rape, masochism, blah blah blah I'm a virgin and I'm not comfortable talking about this.

She is basically a red goop, which can enter people's bodies and replace their blood. These people are called Blood Vessels. She can possess them at any time she wants, similar to the Dying Man, earning her the nickname of the Dying Man's Mother. She's not literally the Dying Man's mother, but whatever. While in a persons blood stream, she can stop blades and stuff like that from penetrating her, and she can heal most wounds on her host.

Blood Vessels can put a mark on people, turning them into Scarlet Marked. Scarlet Marked commonly experience nose bleeds and become really horny when they're near a Blood Vessel. They sometimes engage in giant blood orgies and- Oh god, I'm really not the guy for this. Screw it, I'm moving on to the next Fear.

The Mother Of snakes

This is another of my least favorite Fears. She lives behind mirrors and other reflective surfaces. She is the Fear of who we are, who we were, and who we are becoming. She tempts people to become darker versions of themselves.

Those who give into the darkness and join her become Lilim. Lilim are most often female, but there have been males. Lilim have snake-like features, such as poisoned fangs, scales, and sometimes tales. Some Lilim can pass as human, and some can willingly switch between having legs and tails.

Her domain is the Garden Of Desolation. It's a vast desert, which exists behind the mirrors. Lilim can enter and exit this world through mirrors.

Anyway, I hate this bitch. She has tried turning me to the dark side numerous times.

EAT

EAT is an aquatic being.  It's unclear what the initials stand for. Some say it's Epping AquaTarkus, Some say it's Evolutionary Adverse Trigger, I honestly don't know. It is the Fear of drowning. Either literally, like drowning in water, or drowning in your own obsessions.

EAT's true form is unknown, but is is said to have thin white tentacles. It lives in the water, and replaces water with it's ink, which is completely identical. Drinking it causes people's obsessions to increase. They also become addicted to the ink, drinking more and more of it, until, like the Rad Cap, it replaces their blood.

When it replaces their blood, they become part of the hivemind called the Camper. Their are ten stages of being a camping. I don't remember how they go exactly, but early stage Campers are almost brain dead and copy whatever other people do. Late stage Campers are under the full control of EAT. Some are even able to manipulate water and ink for use as weapons.

The Quiet

The Quiet is the Fear of Nothingness. It is a being which replaces existence with nothingness, unmaking things. It will eventually unmake the entire universe, or so they say. I hope not. That would suck.

The Quiet has followers called hushed monks, but I know almost nothing about them because I don't really care.

The Manufactured Newborn

The Fear of the future and technology, this Fear is rarely seen in person. It's true form lives in its domain, the Towering Realm. It drops pieces of itself in the human world, usually disguised as trinkets, which absorb metal object to grow larger. These trinkets will embed themselves into human once they grow large enough. The Newborn gains control of these people, turning them into Towerborn. They will continue to absorb metal and flesh, becoming larger and more deforrmed. Once they are large enough, they are pulled into the Towering Realm, where they become part of the tower of flesh and steel which is supposedly the Newborn's body.

Sometimes, the Newborn will transform a person's mind into data and transfer them to the internet. These are Thought born. Most of them serve the Newborn, but some do their own thing.

The Brute

The Brute is the Fear of fire and war. Yes, there's two Fears of fire. the difference is that the Brute represents war while the Burning Bride represents knowledge. Kind of like Ares and that one goddess who was married to Ares.

The Brute was divided into pieces long ago, and sealed away. If the pieces are put back together, the Brute will return. There's a lot of pieces that have already been uncovered *coughcoughKallawaycoughcough* and there's probably more hidden out their.

The Brute is often accompanied by smoke, and it has the power to induce anger in others. It's domain is the Grove of Fetters, which I haven't been to, but I hear there's lots of chains.

It has servants called Crimson Knights, who wear armor and possess some of the Brutes powers, such as enhanced strength and rage inducement.

The Grotesque

The Grotesque is sort of like Freddy Krueger. It's the Fear of nightmares, and exists within peoples dreams. It can invoke nightmares in anyone it infects, and can take multiple forms, usually that of a circus. The main piece of the Grotesque is the Reverie, who usually takes the shape of a ringleader, and can summon demons.

The Grotesque can force people to go to sleep, and can even force people into a never ending coma. It can also take control of peoples bodies while they're asleep.

The Dying Man

The Dying Man was once a single being, which was somehow split into multiple pieces an unspecified amount of time ago. It is the Fear of Death, and is a powerful possessor. Each piece can gain control of a persons body. The body usually decays after a while, forcing the Dying Man to find a new one. The Dying Man is able to increase the physical abilities of its host, making it really dangerous. It is unknown how many pieces there are, but they each have their own personalities, and tactics. Some tries to absorb other pieces to become whole again, some don't, and some just like to fuck with people.





Anyway, that's all the Fears. I suppose I could discuss my granny, but I don't feel like it.

The Fears Part 1

As promised, I will now do a post describing the Fears and what the do.


Slender Man

I've already talked about this guy here. I stand by everything I've said in that post. I still believe Slendy is the most powerful, but I agree that many if not all of the other Fears come close to equaling his power.

Also, Since I made that post, I've learned more about his Enhanced. They're a lot more limited than I originally believed. The process of becoming an Enhanced is painful and often ends in death. Those who survive the process and become Enhanced have short life spans, surviving an average of six months before their hearts explode inside their chest. If they push their bodies too far, they can accelerate their deaths.

Recently, my good friend O'Zalia made a deal with Jack Of All, which extended his own life while shortening the lives of every other Enhanced in the world.


The Archangel

The Archangel is the Fear of Religion. It essentially is the afterlife. Those who die become a part of it, and it can appear as anyone who has become one with it. Its true form is unknown, but Daniel might have seen a glimpse of one of its stronger forms. Its shape-shifting abilities aren't limited to humans either. It can become dead animals and monsters as well.

The Archangel has followers. A cult/ street gang calling themselves the Timberwolves. They don't have any special abilities like some servants do.

The Archangel's symbol is a pair of triangles overlapping each other. It kind of looks like a pair of hourglasses, but it's actually a modified star of David.

There have been instances of dead people becoming free of the Archangel. These people are called Indisen. They are rare, and I can only name one that I'm aware of. Justin Ferin. He's a bit of a special case. Daniel was somehow able to tear his soul away from the Archangel. Justin is now living inside Daniel's subconscious and seems to have kept a bit of the Archangel's power.

The Archangel has control over a black mist that it can use as a weapon. It can solidify this mist into anything it wants, such as guns and other weapons. It also likes to wear a gas mask which I assume is made of the same mist.

Its domain is Bliss, which sadly I don't know much about.

The Archangel likes to get its hands dirty, and is one of the most dangerous Fears.


The Plague Doctor

This guy. The Fear of disease. It appears as a hooded man wearing a bird faced mask, similar to what was wore by doctors during the plague era. It can spread disease wherever it goes, and often leave behind a trail of death. The Plague doctor is sometimes seen with snakes.

It has servants called Oathbreakers. They come in two categories; Night Surgeons and Mad Doctors. The Night Surgeons are back alley doctors who give unprofessional care to people, while secretly making the injuries or ailments even worse. Mad Doctors are actually doctors who spread disease from within the walls of hospitals. That is why hospitals are dangerous. I recommend eating an apple a day.

The Plague Doctor's symbol is a snake wrapped around a stick, appropriately named the stick and serpent. If you see this in your local hospital, get the hell out of there. Not joking.

Ren, the Thorned Prince also works for the Plague Doctor, but not as an Oathbreaker.

Plaguey's domain is the crumbling castle, a partially organic castle which seems to be eroding away, but never completely collapsing.

The Plague Doctor is an experimental bastard, and likes to test out different diseases on people. Stay the hell away from this guy.


The Wooden Girl

The Fear of being controlled. She is a living marionette, who uses her strings to take control of people.

She has two types of servants. The first are Puppets. They are unwilling servants, who are manipulated by her strings. They have had their free will taken and if you ever see one, it might be more merciful to kill them. And killing them isn't usually enough. The strings can still move the body after it dies, so destroying the body is the only way to be safe.

Willing Dolls are exactly what they sound like. They serve her willingly. Some Willing Dolls seem to be incapable of aging. They also have strings attached, and the Wooden Girl cam take control of them if she ever wants to.

Her domain is the Screaming Tower, which is a fucked up realm where she tortures people. It's also where Tower TV is filmed, which is a channel which plays some really messed up programs, and can only be viewed by certain people.


The Convocation

The Convocation is a hivemind of birds. They are the Fear of the sky and of being carried away. They can manipulate lightning, and in some stories I've heard they can actually become lightning.

They have servants called Nests, one of which I am travelling with right now. The Convocation somehow removes a bunch of a humans internal organs so that they can live inside of them. As long as the birds are there, the Nest won't need the organs that were removed, as the birds are somehow able to serve as substitutes. I don't really know how it works. How many birds can fit inside a Nest? More than is normally possible. Crow here has a hundred and one, from what he tells me.

Their domain is the Bleak Shore. It is a vast beach, where the sky is literally composed of birds. I've been there, and it freaked me out.


The Rake

Another Fear I've had the displeasure of meeting. Fortunately, we were on the same side at the time, so it wasn't hostile. Much. It is the Fear of animal brutality, and of animal intelligence.

It is known to sneak into peoples rooms late at night and whisper things to them. And if you wake up while it's doing so, it may attack you. Actually, it will almost definitely attack you.

It may seem to be a mindless, rabid animal, but don't let that fool you. That mother fucker is intelligent, and deadly.


The Blind Man

as you all know, I used to work for this guy. He is the Fear of growing old and forgetting. He is an old man, wearing glasses that conceal his eyes, or lack thereof. He carries a book, and if he writes your name in it, you will forget your childhood. Your childhood becomes sealed inside a book, and stashed inside the Blind Man's domain.

The Blind Man has followers called the Archive. The Archive is divided into multiple sections. The Collectors gather information for the Archive. The Brokers sell information to high payers. The Inquisitors deal with internal affairs and handle corruption from within. Analyst perform experiments and investigate data brought to them by the Collectors.Scribes record data that they are told to. Keepers are security guards and interrogators  And the Martyrs are the soldiers of the Archive.

Sometimes, the Blind Man will give a person who he's already taken from the memories of a different person. These people are called Gifted, and are respected by the Archive.

The Blind Man also seems to possess some level of telekinesis.

His domain is the Catacombs, a system of tunnels where he keeps all his books. His bone spiders also live there, producing the silk that is woven to make the pages in his books.


The Empty City

The Empty City is a living domain, split apart from the normal world. It is a shape-shifting world, usually taking the form of a city. If you ever see a door where it shouldn't be, don't enter it, because it probably leads to the City.

The City is the Fear of being lost, and it lures its victims into it, where they wander until the City eventually consumes them.

The City serves as a neutral meeting ground for the Fears, where they sometimes conduct Fear business, whatever that means.


The Intrusion

Like the Convocation, the Intrusion is a hivemind. Unlike the Convocation, the Intrusion is a hivemind of bugs. They burrow into peoples skin, and then reproduce inside their bodies. Then, the new born bug eat their way out of the body, killing the person in the process. They're sort of like the HIV virus, when you think about it (For those of you who don't get what that means, the HIV virus injects its RNA into white blood cells in order to produce more HIV viruses, which kills the blood cells). If you ever see bugs acting strangely, run. Those are not normal bugs.


The Choir

The Choir is the Fear of miscommunication. They are perceived as either grey shadow or grey mold. They can manipulate sound, making people hear things differently. They can also emit extremely loud noises that can make a persons head explode. they enjoy messing with people, convincing them that everyone is their enemy.

In their mold form, they can attach to a persons skin and turn them into Greyskins. If they do that, it's almost impossible to get away from them.


The Eye

The Eye is the Fear of judgement. It follows people who have guilt on their conscious, or have committed bad crimes in the past. It can appear anywhere, and forces people to remember their sins. Eventually, it takes control over someone, and forces them to kill its victim. The person controlled by the Eye is called Judgement. Judgement's body eventually burns up, and if it does so before the victim is dead, the Eye will possess a new Judgement.

I have a theory about why Judgement burns up. That theory is the God's Way. As you know, humans can't safely use the God's Way. I still feel pain whenever I use it, and I'm part Fear. I have no idea what would happen if a normal human passed through the God's Way. Judgement's whole "Burning up" thing might be because the Eye forces Judgement to use the God's Way. This is just a theory, and I have no way of testing it.


The Black Dog

The Black Dog is the Fear of lies and of having your secrets revealed. It hunts down secret keeper, marking them with tear-like scars beneath their eyes. It can be either passive or aggressive, and has been known to outright attack people. It usually brings people objects relating to their secrets.

The Black Dog can regenerate itself by merging with living or dead bodies, and can create miniature dogs that vanish after a few hours.

I am also aware of human servants called "Prowlers". How do I know about them? Crow told me. How does Crow know about them? The bird told him. There's some advantages to having a Nest on your side. Also, Ashen Phoenix, me and Crow both say hi. Forgot to say that earlier.

Prowlers have red eyes, the same as the dog, and can see peoples secrets. Prowlers aren't very common, and the dog doesn't really use them much, as it prefers to work alone.


The Cold Boy

The Fear of being cold and lonely. Those who it targets usually find safety in numbers, as it doesn't appear much unless its target is by themselves. He appears as a young boy with blue skin and hair, whose face is often blurry, as if seen through fogged glass. He likes to sing twisted nursery rhymes when stalking people, and he can control cold and ice.

He has servants called Cold Ones who have black eyes and chant "We are cold" a lot.

His domain is the Winter Court, a frozen land where his Cold Ones live.

If this dick is following you, make some friends. You'll never be safe from him if you're alone.


The Unnamed Child

This is a little girl, who appears beautiful to her victims, but seems a bit off to every one else. She comes into a persons life, becoming the center of their attention, until they abandon all else in order to care for her. She then leaves abruptly, leaving her victim with nothing. They usually become Wanderers, forever searching for her again. If they find her, She'll whisper something to them, supposedly her real name. They will then forget their name and all instances of it having been spoken. These are her servants, the Nameless Ones.

I haven't met her yet, and I hope I never do. She's the Fear of commitment and losing loved ones.


The Nightlanders

These are my current enemy, the Fear of the dark. They are living shadows, who have an obsession with perfection. The rearrange everything to their liking, sometimes going as far as rearranging a person's body or killing people who mess up their arrangements. Think of the most OCD person you know, and multiply it by a hundred.

Some believe the are servants or former victims of the Empty City, but I don't know.

Bill Dawson, my current adversary, is a human who seems to be part Nightlander. He can melt into the shadows like they can, and is able to produce weapons from pure darkness. I don't know if there's others like him, but I really hope not.


I'm gonna have to make this into a multi-parter. I'll post the other Fears later. For now, I need some rest. Peace out.

EAT

Our first stop was in the swamps of Florida, where part of EAT was active. EAT was involved in the previous ten plagues, so we decided to try and get to her before the Shadow Man did.

We were almost immediately attacked by Camper alligators. Yes, you read that right. Camper. Alligators. Crow managed to kill them all by zapping the water, but he ended up shocking me in the process.

I woke up half an hour later to see him and this other guy standing over me. It didn't take me long to figure out who the other guy was.

"So your finally conscious," the Camper said. "In that case, we can discuss the current situation."
"Would you mind telling us what the Camper-gators were about?" I asked, slowly getting to my feet.
"Safety precaution," the Camper said. "We were unsure whether you meant to attack or bargain."
"We need to know who's side you're on," Crow said.
"We are on neither side," the Camper said. "However, we acknowledge that the Shadow Man must be stopped."
"So you already know about him?" I asked.
"We have noticed his activities," the Camper said. "He is seeking out the Heralds Of The Plagues, as well as the other Fears, so that he can bring about an apocalypse. As a being of knowledge, We cannot let this happen. He have observed events such as this countless times, and the results are never beneficial to us."
"So you'll help us?" I asked.
"We will do what we can," it said. "But this does not make us allies. We know that you have yet to give up your hopeless dream of eliminating the Fears, and therefore we are still enemies. But for now, as we share a common enemy, we must work together."
"Crow, can you and your feathered friends go away for a bit?" I asked. "There's something I need to asked EAT about."
"Fine," he said, allowing Alexander to carry him off.
"What is it you want to know?" the Camper asked.
"You're a being of knowledge," I said. "So does that mean you know anything about mana?"
"We do, in fact," it said.
"How do I find it?" I asked.
"Mana exists on the second layer of reality," it said.
"The second layer?" I asked. "Is that like a domain?"
"No," it said. "Domains exist parallel to the normal world. The alternate layers are different. There are at least 16 known layers. The first two are the only safe ones."
"I'm assuming you us the word 'safe' loosely," I replied.
"True," it said. "The first layer, where we are now, and the second layer, where mana can be found, are both dangerous places. But the layers after those are places which one should never tread."
"How do I get to the second layer?" I asked.
"As long as you are aware of the second layers existence, it is only a matter of location," it said. "You need to find a place where the wall between layers is thin. Then, you simply have to want to be there."
"I don't have to click my heels together, do I?" I asked sarcastically.
"Of course not," it said.
"So how do I know if I'm in a place where the wall is thin?" I asked.
"Your eyes should be able to see these areas," it told me. "The atmosphere will be different than normal."
"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked. "You seem awfully fine with giving your enemy information that will make them stronger."
"Because it is a fool's errand you are going on," it said. "The second layer is dangerous, as we said. You will likely die if you go there. And even if you do succeed and acquire mana, it is a force few can handle. Mana affects the mind in ways that even most Fears cannot equal. Mana users become dark, twisted versions of themselves. Even the Ace Of Chaos, the most skill user of mana, was unable to maintain complete sanity. The reason we are telling you how to find mana, is because we are confident that you cannot use it. You will not grow stronger. You will destroy yourself from the inside out."

And that was about the point I got pissed off and left. I don't understand. Why would my ancestral father help me regain self control if he was only going to have me seek a power that would cause me to lose it again?

I'm going to keep searching for it. Maybe I'll figure out what the Ace Of Chaos's intentions are if I can find that stuff.



Also, at Tiger. Whoever you are, your last comment confused me a bit. If there's something you want to discuss privately with me, I can be contacted at bmalkator@gmail.com



Anyway, I have to go now. I plan to post a detail description of all of the known Fears soon. Til then, goodbye.

Coming To Collect

Crow showed up in front of me as I was traveling. Apparently, the Convocation's been keeping track of my movements.

"What are you up to?" he asked me.
"Looking for something," I said. "None of your business, really."
"You still owe the Convocation," he said. "And they've decided it's time for you to repay your debt."
"I don't really have time for this," I told him. "Can't this wait?"
"I don't think the imminent destruction of all mankind is gonna wait for you to finish whatever the hell your up to," he said.
"What's this about the destruction of mankind?" I asked.
"There a guy," he said. "He's crazy. Wants to recreate the 10 plagues, only on a larger scale. And what's worse, he's got the Nightlanders, the Black Dog, and the Burning Bride on his side."

I shuddered. I can't forget my encounter with her when I was a child.

"And the Convocation wants to stop this guy?" I asked.
"They were involved in the first instance of the plagues," he said. "They say that it was catastrophic enough. If the world were to be consumed by the plagues, they'd run out of prey."
"Your terrible at wording things to convince people to join your side," I said.
"Whatever," he said. "They demand your assistance. They won't give you a choice in this."
"So refusal isn't an option, then?" I asked.
"Nope," he said. "They'll gladly accept your life as payment if you refuse to join us."
I sighed. "Fine, but after this we go back to being enemies, okay?" I said.
"Sounds like a plan," he said.

I know this is stupid, working with the Convocation, but they aren't giving me an option. Besides, it's for the good of the world. And hopefully I'll be able to find some mana while I'm doing this...

The Death Of A Dying Man

I saw the comments. I didn't like it, but HELLFIRE had a point. I made my decision. I told Daniel that he may need to kill me. I had a plan, and it would have to end in my death.

Of course, things didn't work out that way. We followed the Nightlanders to Silvermist's hideout, where she was meeting with William Dawson, the Shadow Man. She asked him to bring Daniel elsewhere so that she could fight me. He pulled Daniel into the shadows, but just before he vanished, Daniel tossed my old sword over to Tony. Silvermist's thugs charged at us. I drew my knife and Tony and I started fighting them off. It went decent at first, but then they disarmed me and broke my knife.

I gave in at that point. I allowed the darkness to consume me.

They were dead within minutes. I had devoured all of them.

“You've done well,” Silvermist said. “Just what I expected.” She sped toward Tony and knocked him out. “Now, we can fight.”

“Wait!” I said.

“What?” she demanded.

“Release Seraph,” I told her. “Take me instead.”

“What?” she asked. “You would willingly offer up your body to the Dying Man?”

“You just saw what my body is capable of,” I said. “I'm stronger than a mere Lilim. I would make a much better host.”

This was my plan. To trick Silvermist into entering my body. I had planned for Daniel to kill me, and hopefully destroy Silvermist in the process. I know killing the host doesn't guarantee the death of a Dying Man shard, but I figured it was worth a shot. And if Daniel couldn't kill me, the least I could do was try to keep Silvermist suppressed. Estren's able to control HELLFIRE somewhat. I figured I might be able to do the same to Silvermist.

“You're right,” Silvermist said. “You are much more adequate choice.”

She slithered over to me, and grabbed my shoulder. It happened. Silvermist was entering my body. I could feel her trying to control me, and I resisted. I fought back as hard as I could, but she was strong. I had one option left. I entered the depths of my mind.

I've never been inside my own subconscious before. It wasn't what I had expected. The skies were black, and the ground was covered in dark, multicolored sand, with raging rivers on either side of me. A woman stood across from me. She was made of ice, and was surrounded by cold mist. This was Silvermist's true form.

“You've pulled me inside here, to fight me,” she said. “I don't like being tricked.”

“And I don't like Fears,” I said. “Looks like we both have a reason to hate each other's guts.”

We started fighting. My power against hers. She was strong, and I lost the upper hand really quickly. She was about to extinguish my mind from existence. But something happened. The air around her began to crack, and she was torn out of my mind.

I came to, and Saw a man standing over me. The phantasmal figure of Silvermist was being held by the throat, in his hand. She dissolved and was absorbed into him, just like when Estren took HELLFIRE from me. The man was skinny, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. He had a mask on. It had a symbol that looked like one of the Vision's eyes, only vertical, surrounded by chains, and with a fancy letter A on top of it all.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I am the man who the Vision fell in love with,” he said. “In a way, Benjamin, I am your father.”

“That's... that's impossible!” I said. “You can't be alive, after all this time!”

“I am,” he said. “I attained immortality through the use of Chaos magic, and I have been the Game Master's prisoner for many centuries. Now let's get down to business.”

The symbol on his mask changed into the number 100. Then it became 99. Then 98.

“What's happening?” I asked.

“A countdown,” he said. “This mask is old, and lacks some of the traits that modern day Game masks possess. But it has one power they do not.”

81.

“And what's that?” I asked.

78.

“When the timer runs out, the mask will destroy my body,” he said. “Along with the Dying Man within me.”

69.

“No!” I exclaimed, trying to run to him and rip his mask off. I've been alone my whole life. I couldn't let my ancestral father die now, right after I learned he was still alive. A silver light shot from his hand, and wrapped itself around me, keeping me away from him.

“Even I can't hold the Dying Man forever,” her said. “I have to destroy it.”

“What is this!?” I demanded, trying to break free of the energy holding me.

56.

“This is mana,” he said. “It is the power that me and many Scions have come to wield. Memorize its feel, and seek it out when this is over. I am giving you its secret, so that you too can learn to control it, and use it as your weapon.”

45.

“Listen to me, Ben,” he said. “I thought I had lost everything. I had given up hope. But then I learned of your existence. I learned that I still have something left. I don't want to lose that. I want you to live.”

28.

“You are my legacy,” he continued. “Keep fighting on. Before I go, I'm going to give you a gift.”

20.

The power encasing me flowed into my body, and I felt my darkness subsiding. T was still there, but the light had been drawn out to balance it.

“I've spent my life merging light and darkness together,” he said. “Darkness shouldn't be feared. You can control it, as long as you use it in conjunction with the light.”

“The light?” I asked.

13.

“There is light in your heart,” he said. “It will always be there. That light is love.”

1.

“Goodbye, my son,” he said.

The mask glowed, and his body was engulfed in silver fire. There was nothing left except for a burnt spot on the floor in front of me.

I don't know how long I sat there crying. I had just watched my last blood relative burn to nothingness right in front of me. Do you have any idea what that feels like.

Then I noticed the mirror. It was laying at the edge of the room. One of the thugs must have been carrying it. The Mother Of Snakes rose from it, and hovered over me. I stood up and faced her, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Are you hurt and broken?” she asked.

“No,” I said. “And I'm not scared either. I'm not afraid of you, or the darkness!”

“Oh really?” she asked.

That's about when Daniel came in.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked.

“So, this is the fabled Devil Killer,” the Mother Of Snakes asked.

“Stay back, Daniel,” I warned him. A few feet from me, Seraph started moving again.

“Ah, you're awake, “the Mother said. “Come, it is time for use to go.”

“No,” Seraph said, looking scaredly into the Mother Of Snakes eyes. “I- I don't want to.”

“Oh?” the Mother Of Snakes asked,

“I've been through too much,” she pleaded. “I don't wanna go back. I've had enough of all of this.”

“It is not your choice,” the Mother Of Snakes said.

It never is, I thought to my self, scowling at how cruel these “masters” are.

“You are my servant,” the Mother of Snakes said. “You've had enough when I say you have.”

She began moving toward Seraph, but Daniel fired the gun I gave him- the gun I took from the tournament- narrowly missing her head. That brave, brave idiot. Well, I suppose it's a bit hypocritical for me to say that.

“She said she doesn't want any more of this!” Daniel said. “Leave her alone!”

“Very well, Devil Killer,” she said. “Our time to fight has not come yet. Until then, I shall leave you alone. But from now on, sleep with one eye open.”

She vanished back into the mirror and I angrily stomped on it until in was in tiny little pieces.

“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.

“I'm fine,” I said. Then I motioned to Tony and Seraph. “I have to go for a while. Take care of these two.”

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I have to find something,” I said. I was going to fulfill my father's dying wish. “Mana.”

I used the God's Way and teleported just outside the hotel. I could have just teleported straight into our room, but fuck it, I was too tired to be accurate. I went inside to grab my things, and saw Reika standing there.

“What do you want, Archie?” I asked.

“I just wanted to tell you that you've done a good job,” the Archangel said. “You may not have dealt the felling blow, but without you Silvermist would still be causing us problems.”

“There's a price for every victory,” I said. “My last relative is a part of you now, right?”

“Nope!” the Archangel said. “Believe me, I would have loved to make the Ace Of Chaos mine, but his soul is laced with mana. I can't take those kinds of souls. He will likely drift between life and death for all of eternity. Or cease to exist all together. Either one.”

“Well, if that's all your here for, then why don't you leave?” I asked.

“I will in a moment,” it said. “I just want to reward you.”

It produced a cloud of black mist, which solidified into a folded shirt and jacket and a black and purple short sword, which he left on my bed before vanishing through the God's Way.

The shirt is interesting. If I think about using my second mouth, it automatically peels apart to expose it. The jacket is also really durable. Tried burning it. Didn't work. I suppose I might as well use then. And the sword's cool I guess. Jagged blade, razor sharp, comes with a sharp-edged hand guard. I guess this'll come in handy.

Well, I guess I'm finished typing. I got my things, and left. Now, it's time to find some mana.

The Serpent's Ultimatum

This isn't good. Daniel and I split up up to find information on Silvermist. Guess who I ran into?

The Mother Of Snakes.

I absentmindedly glanced into a mirror, and there she was.

“Hello again, Demi-God,” she said to me. I glanced around. We were alone. The other people in that store were suddenly gone.

“what do you want?” I asked.

“You already know,” she said.

“I'm not giving in,” I said stubbornly.

“Are you sure?” she said. “You seem to be rather close to the edge.”

“I'm not there yet,” I said. “And I don't plan on getting any closer.”

“Oh really?” she asked. She passed through the mirror and raised herself so that we were face to face. I stayed still. I wasn't going to show fear. “Do you intend to resist the darkness forever?”

“I'll resist as long as I have to,” I said.

She sighed. “Whatever you say,” she said. “You'll give in eventually.” She began melting back into the mirror.

“And what makes you so sure of that?” I asked.

“You cannot stop the darkness,” she said. “No one can.”

“I intend to prove you wrong,” I told her.

“You can try,” she said. All of her except her face had returned to the mirror.“In the meantime, There's something I want you to do.”

“Why would I do anything for you?” I asked.

“Because we're after the same thing,” she said. “The destruction of Silvermist. It has infected one of my children. I want you to destroy Silvermist, and free my child from its control.”

“And what incentive do I have to save your Lilim?” I asked.

“Simple,” she said. “Either you do it, or I kill every one close to you.”

She melted all the way back into the mirror and vanished. I heard people. I looked around and saw that the other people who were in the store before had returned. I checked my watch. No time had passed at all.

This isn't good. How am I gonna destroy Silvermist without killing its host? Even killing the host isn't a guaranteed way of killing a Dying Man. I could try tearing it from its host's body, but I'd have to seal it inside myself. And I've already had a Dying Man inside me before. HELLFIRE was able to control me almost completely before, and since the darkness inside of me has increased so much since then, I don't think I can resist the control of another Dying Man piece.

HELLFIRE, I know you don't like Silvermist. And Liar... well, I honestly have know idea how you feel about Silvermist, but if either of you know a solution to this, I'd be glad to hear it. Although, You'll probably tell me to let it possess me. Whatever. I need to think of a way out of this, and if possible, I'd like to avoid resorting to that.

The Compulsion

I've been putting up with so much crazy shit, I forgot what I made this blog for; giving advice about the Fears. I don't have a lot of time today, but I can tell you all about the Compulsion.

The Compulsion is a confusing thing. It's an unexplained phenomena which causes people to tell the world about their experiences with the Fears. It is the reason so many of these blogs exist.

There are many theories as to what causes the compulsion, but I know of an interesting truth; there are multiple causes. Some cases of the Compulsion are caused by the Rake or the Choir, whispering to people and urging them to write. Most other causes of the compulsion are unknown.

There is one cause of the Compulsion (maybe more) that is very intriguing. It affects a persons memory, allowing them to recall events almost perfectly while they're recording them. I believe Daniel and I are under the effects of it, along with some other people I've seen, including many of the tournament participants.

I have a theory that the Blind Man might be behind it, helping us to remember this as we type them out. If this is the case, I'm not sure what his motivation is. Perhaps he wants the secrets of other Fears to become public, to give himself an edge in the game. But he's also allowed me to remember Archive secrets while I type them out, so perhaps there's something else he's after.

Perhaps I'll see him again soon, and maybe he'll be willing to explain some of this. He hasn't made any offensive moves against me yet, so maybe I can get away with asking him for info. Don't get me wrong, I still hate him with a passion, but maybe I can find some things out from him.

Anyway, I have some investigating to do. I'll try to make some more informational posts later, perhaps one that summerizes the nature of the Fears. See ya soon.

Closing In On The Prize

Silvermist isn't being very subtle. There might as well be a trail of bread crumbs leading straight to it.

We're still in LA, and I've been paying close attention to the local crime rates. Obviously, there's a lot of crime around here. But some of it is connected to the Fears. I can see the eldritch energy at some of the crime scenes. I suppose it could be connected to any Fear, but something tells me that Silvermist is responsible.

I'm close to pinpointing it. And was I find that bastard, I should be able to get the Rake to leave me alon. Seriously, that thing keeps coming into my hotel room and whispering that I need to find Silvermist. I don't know whether to be terrified or annoyed.

I Can't Do Anything Right, Can I?

We entered the Black Garden (which was actually just a normal building), and were ambushed. Sound and Gamer were there, as well as about 2 dozen other proxies. Paris was there. I decided to act. I gave into the darkness, and broke free. I released the others. The proxies attacked me, and I started fighting. Then Kallaway showed up and joined in. Daniel and the others managed to escape in the chaos. Another Emissary, who I'm guessing was Wildfire, appeared. The fight lasted for a while before we all felt it; Slender Man was there. Kallaway charged through the proxies and left the room.

I lost control. I devoured them all. Then I turned on Wildfire. She was an Emissary, and I planned to kill her. Unfortunately, The Bloody Biker decided to show up. It was 2 on 1, and I was outmatched. I managed to keep going for a few minutes before they overpowered me.

That's when he appeared. He stabbed the Biker through the chest with his rapier, grabbed me, and pulled me through the God's Way and back to the hotel. He said something before leaving.

"You used to tell me that you wouldn't be able to pull me out of the fire every time I got in trouble," he said. "I won't be able to save you every time either."

Then he vanished. Tony made it back shortly after that, and then Daniel got back. I'm glad to know they're okay, but we failed to stop Slender Man from changing Paris.

And it's getting harder to control the darkness. I relapsed and ate a bunch of proxies. This can't keep happening. I need to contain it somehow.

And The Blackness Spreads

Yesterday night, we went inside the building, and there he was. The Scion I had met in Vancouver.

"Good to see you again, Malkator," he said.
"Figured I'd be meeting you," I said. "You're the one who left Daniel that picture, right?"
"Yes," he said. "It contained a vision of this place, so that he'd know where to come for answers."
"Who are you?" Daniel asked.
"My name is Dyson Malrick," he said. "I am a servant of the Vision, and I have seen much of what will occur in your future."
"So you're psychic?" Daniel inquired.
"In a manner of speaking," he said. "There are some things I can see and some things I cannot. I honestly wasn't expecting Malkator to be here, but I'm glad he is."
I could already tell what was going through his head.
"You said I had to come here for answers," Daniel said. "What can you tell me?"
Dyson got out a map of the city. There were several place that had been circled. He pointed to one of them.
"This is the Black Garden Of S," He said. "It's a recently set up proxy hideout. Your friend will be brought there tomorrow night. That's when you need to take action."
"Anything we should be prepared for?" i asked.
"Anything," he said. "I tried to see what is destined to occur, but it is blocked off to me. Anything could happen, so you should be ready for anything."
"Why can't you see?" Daniel asked.
"Most likely due to Fear involvement," Dyson said. "You'd better go get ready. I need to speak with Malkator alone for a minute."
Just as I was expecting. He led me into a back room and started talking.
"The darkness in your heart has increased," he said.
"What of it?" I asked.
"You'll never be able to keep it contained if this goes on," he said. "You need the Vision's consciousness if you want to control it."
"I knew you were going to bring this up, and the answer's no," I said. "I'm not going to take your life. I'll control the darkness on my own."
I clenched my fist in the air to display my resolve, and I saw it. Darkness was seeping from my skin.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Shut up!" I said. I focused and managed to suppress it again. "I'll find my own way to control it. I don't need your help or the Vision's."

I stormed out afterwards.

We'll be going to the Black Garden in a few hours.

What The Hell Are They Up To?

Crow wanted to talk about the Emissaries. Ren was also there. Here's how it went;

C; The Game Master's planning something.
M; Obviously.
C; I mean, like, besides trying to kill you.
R; He's been sending his Emissaries to try and contact the Plague Doctor.
M; About what?
R; I don't know what he wants with my boss, but it can't be good. Plus, I got a look at some of those Emissaries, and they're not friendly.
M; What can you tell us?
R; One of them was really peculiar. He can control peoples emotions. Make them feel whatever he wants them to. Joy, sadness, rage, fear, anything.
M; You know what he's called?
R; I can't remember exactly. Phantom, or something like that.
M; Anything else you know?
R; There was this one guy who attacked me with a sword.
M; You mean Kallaway?
R; I didn't catch his name. There were a couple things off about him though. I can't explain it though. it was as if something was inside of him.
M; That's highly possible.
C; There's more then that. There's a government organization in league with the Game Master, and apparently their leader was made into an Emissary.
M; Do you know what he' capable of?
C; No clue, but the organization's been experimenting with weaponry, mainly sound based.
M; Well that doesn't remind me of anyone at all.
C; Thanks for the sarcasm. The Convocation's already confirmed that the Slender Proxy called Sound is this guy's son. The two hate each other, though. This guy is also responsible for whatever's been going on with Silvermist.
M; So what should we do about him?
C; For now, we just need to gather information.
M; I can't get in touch with Myrir right now, but I think I'll be meeting Sound soon enough. I might be able to figure some stuff out from him.
C; Okay. If either of you find anything out, contact me and let me know. The Game Master is an enemy to all of us.
R; Helthead will be getting in touch with those Emissaries soon, so I can hopefully find some things out.

Ren then left through a portal to the Crumbling Castle.

C; Before you go, there's something I need to tell you about.
M; Yes?
C; You still owe the Convocation a debt, and they may be taking you up on it soon.
M; What exactly do they want me to do?
C; I don't know yet. They've been dealing with something lately, but they're leaving me in the dark. Anyway, you'd better go get all that stuff with Daniel taken care of.

Then he left. I'm with Daniel now, in LA. I think I know who's waiting for us here.

Pain Sucks

On my way back to Daniel's, I was attacked by none other than the Bloody Biker. He's gotten stronger. Much stronger. I managed to escape using the God's Way. I made to Daniel's friend's house. They patched me up some. I'm still injured, but I'll have to suck it up. I can tolerate some pain. I'm and Ex-Martyr, after all.

We're leaving tomorrow. We've made all the preparations. But first, I need to take care of something. Alexander -Crow's little pet- stopped by with a piece of paper. It has an address and some brief instructions. Crow needs to talk to me about something before I go to L.A. I don't know what it's about, but it sounds important.

Be patient for just a bit longer Daniel. I'll try to finish up my business with Crow as fast as I can.

Amazing

It happened. I went where the Vision showed me. It was in the woods, nice and secluded.

Reality began shifting. Time itself was torn and he appeared there.

"Nice to see you, Malkator," he said. "What time is it?"
"Nearing midnight," I said. "The 11th of September."
"Really?" he asked. "Well, that's perfect. I can accomplish quite a bit now. Do me a favor and don't tell anyone what I am."
"I think it'd be better if everyone figured it out on their own," I said. "I'll keep your identity a secret for now."
"Good," he said. "Also, you should really talk to Myrir. You might not have a lot of time left with her."

Then he vanished into the God's Way. That last comment of his kind of bugged me. Oh well. I need to get back to Daniel. I've put things off long enough.

End Of The Tournament

Blair won. I'm glad. He/she was the only one I liked out of all the contestants.


My suspicion was dead on. The reason the Game Master held that tournament was to find some one worthy of making into an Emissary. Some one who could defeat me. Some one like David Kallaway. Well, David, I hope you know I read your blog. I know what's going on, and I know that I won't hesitate to destroy you if we cross paths.

Also, I think I know what's up with Daniel's destiny. Why it's split in two. I found the Vision in the Streams of Destiny. She showed me some stuff. There's a time and a place I have to go.


A paradox is about to occur.

Doing a favor

Okay, drunk, sorry for typos.

So, O'Zalia asked me to do something for him, so I asked Daniel to put off the trip for a bit. My job was to sneaked into the board and deliver some heart meds to a competitor named David Kallaway. I think Isaac's rooting for this guy. My money's on Blair, to be honest, but what ever. I decided to watch some of the matches. I didn't actually stay on the board, because I already know that my powers would be suppressed upon entry, so I just viewed through portal's while I stayed in the Streams Of Destiny.

One of the competitors who was slain had a gun with infinite ammo. The gun was set out for any of the other competitors to claim if they wanted it. I wanted it. So I opened a portal right next to where the gun was placed, reached out, and grabbed it. The Ace of Spades almost caught me, but I closed the portal just in time. So yeah, I scored a magic gun.

On my way back to Daniel's, I was attacked. It was weird. this dark figure rose from the shadows. I thought it was a Nightlander at first, but then I realized it was something else; something between a human and a Nightlander, like some kind of twisted fusion. His hair was made of shadows, as was part of his face and his right arm. He was carrying a sword of darkness and was wearing an archaeologist uniform. I escaped. Like most eldritch weirdos, I couldn't see his destiny, but I could see his identity; William Dawson. I swear I've heard that name before, but I can;t recall where.

Comatose

Estren was out for quite a while. He literally just woke up an hour ago shouting "NIGHTLANDERS!!!" at the top of his lungs. So yeah, it looks like it was the Nightlanders who attacked us. I don't know why though. I've been keeping an eye on that tournament, and it seems like Damien and the Pied Piper of whatever-it-was are both being assigned to kill me. They haven't found me yet, but I am definitely worried. Also, I saw Dan's latest video, and I'm am frankly quite pissed. Myrir's been stationed somewhere else, so I can't yell at her about her associates kidnapping people right now, but next time I see her, I'll get it all off my chest. Also, I found her blog (which is now technically O'Zalia's blog), which can be read here; http://butterflyproxy.blogspot.com/

Also, I'm going to meet Daniel in LA. I'm pretty sure the person who left him the picture of my ancestral mother was the Scion I met up in Canada, and I'd like to have a word with him. Estren had a chat with HELLFIRE after reading what's left of that diary, and apparently they're going up to Iceland  gonna be looking for Silvermist while they're up there. That leaves me with Beta. Can't believe I have to work with this guy again. Whatever.

Blackout

Woke up this morning, hanging by my ankles from a park swing set, with Myrir prodding my second mouth with a stick.

"He's still alive!" she called to two other people standing a little while away. Took me a second to recognize them, but I realized they were Martyr Beta and Estren's friend, Amy.

"What happened?" I asked.
"You never came back to the base after you stormed out, so Estren went looking for you," Amy explained. "He didn't come back either, so we started looking too. Found you strung up like this."
"What are they doing here?" I asked.
"Master reassigned me to assist you," Myrir said. "I guess taking care of this Silvermist thing takes priority over finding O'Zalia."
"First of all, I never said I'd help with this Silvermist thing," I said. "And what's that about O'Zalia?"
"He's on the run," Myrir said. "He's no longer one of us."
"Well, it's about time one of you proxies had the sense to leave his employ," I said. "And what about Beta?"
"The Alpha assigned me to do whatever it takes to stop Silvermist," he said. "Even if it means teaming up with you."
"Where's Estren?" I asked.
"Over there," Myrir said.

He was lying unconscious in the bushes. I don't remember anything since my last post. Hopefully he'll be able to tell me when he wakes up. The problem is, I have no idea if he's still possessed by HELLFIRE, so I can't risk moving him right now, because that would involve having to touch him. I guess I'll just have to wait here until he comes to.

Pawns In The Grand Game

After I left the hideout earlier I went for a walk to clear my head. Probably would have went fine if He didn't tag along. I saw Slender Man on every street corner, just watching me. I decided to use the God's Way. Wound up a few towns over in Riverside. He was still there. Used the God's Way again, went to Austin Texas. He continued to follow. Used the God's Way a few more times. Florida, Cuba, Egypt, He continued to tail me. I used it one more time, and found myself on the giant H in Hollywood, on top of the middle part of the H. I leaned against the side part to rest. I'm starting to get used to the God's Way, but I've never used it this many times in a row. I was in a lot of pain. I looked to the side to see that he was still watching, right next to me this time.

"Why are you just following me!?" I demanded.
You need to give up on your search for the light, he said.
"Why!?" I asked.
Even with your heart so full of darkness, you're still to soft, He replied. You'll never be a Fear unless you give up light and embrace darkness. It's the reason your ancestral mother died. She opened up to a human, and allowed light in. It made her weak and vulnerable, and the Game Master took advantage of it.
"That's her problem," I said. "I don't need darkness to be strong, and I don't need to become a Fear either!"

It was then that I noticed the chessboard between the two of us. It was set up in an odd manner. The whites were facing me, and the blacks were on his side.

Do you know how to win this game? He asked.

I examined the pieces carefully. There was a way to place his king into check mate using my knight, but there was a catch. I'd have to move his queen out of the way, and in order to do that I'd need to give up a nearby pawn.

You see how the Great Game is played, He said. You can't protect the humans, eccentric chess player. You have to give up your pawns to place the enemies in check.

"There has to be a way," I said, examining the board. But no matter what pieces or strategies I thought of, Slender Man had set up the board so that I couldn't win without sacrificing my pawns.

Think about what you will do from here, He said. You're only hope of defeat our enemies is to embrace darkness and use the humans like the pawns they are.

He vanished. I was pissed, so I ax kicked the board and broke it in have. I can't accept that he was right. There has to be a way I can turn the Grand Game around and help the humans win. There has to be.