Object 202: The Holder of Clairvoyance

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to, and ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Clairvoyance". The worker ought to narrow their eyes and glare at you - keep asking until they hand you a pair of glasses and lead you around back. Wear the glasses.

You will be led down a long, narrow hallway with an open window at the end. There will be rope hanging over the windowsill; grab it and pull. If the rope suddenly becomes lighter, or if your guide takes you anywhere else, run. It doesn't matter where, just run. What is chasing you is something no human was ever meant to see.

At the bottom of the rope, as you'll find once you've pulled it all up through the window, is the corpse of a man with a silver coin in his mouth. Remove the glasses as soon as you catch sight of the coin - if you do, you'll see the coin melting into the corpse's flesh, rejuvenating it. If you don't take them off in time, you'll see the corpse's flesh spread out, enveloping you, and you'll be trapped on the end of the rope forever.

When the coin has disappeared, release the rope and ask the question: "When will it all be clear?" The corpse, living again, will grab the window and slowly pull itself up; all the while telling you the truths of the world and all the horrors hiding behind the world's countless lies. He will tell you every dirty, terrible secret of mankind, and he will tell you when the façade will crumble. At the end of his tale, he will ask you for the glasses.

If you give them over, the truths you just learned will be banished from your mind and you will be trapped on the other side of the window. If you refuse, he will say, "You have seen what really is." Respond with "Nothing is clear," and the man will disappear as the truths sink in.

Put on the glasses when you are ready, then flee toward where you came from. Don't attempt to remember the exact directions, just keep running, as if the devil himself were at your heels. When you finally collapse, you will feel an eternal second of hideous agony. When you awake, the glasses will be in your pocket. They grant the ability to see the truth of a statement.

These glasses are Object 202 of 2538. Do you really wish to see through the lies?

Object 203: The Holder of Images

In any city, in any country, go to any museum or art gallery you can get yourself to. Approach an information desk and ask to see "The Holder of Images". The worker may give you a blank stare, but eventually will turn and lead you through the very back of the building and stop at a large set of double doors.

Upon opening the doors, you will find yourself standing before an unimaginably long corridor furnished with an elegant red carpet. As you walk forward, you will notice a variety of pictures lining the walls on either side of you. They will all look unnervingly familiar... as they are paintings of your past memories.

At the end of the hallway, you will see an enormous painting that covers the entirety of the wall. On it will be painted a detailed picture of another set of double doors.

However, as you proceed, it would behoove you not to view the paintings as they will become more distorted and horrifying with each step. Whatever you do, do not stop thinking about the double doors at the end of the hallway. If you take your mind off of them for more than a second, the large painting at the end of the hallway will start to fade. If the painting fades completely, the first thing that you think about (most indescribably deformed, mind you) will replace the double doors, materialize from the canvas, and rip your pitiful body to shreds with ease and devour your soul, making you wish you had been given the option to live in the depths of hell. If this should happen, feel free to run in the other direction... for the doors from which you entered will be gone, leaving in its place another stretch of hallway that extends far beyond infinity.

If you somehow manage to keep your mind focused on the doors by the time you reach the painting, the doors will materialize as you reach for the handle. When you pull it open, you will see inside nothing but a white room with a single closed sketchbook propped up on top of a table. As you get closer to it, your mind will start to race with unspeakable images that will seem as vivid as though you were seeing them with your own eyes. Do not dwell on them for too long. If you do, you will forevermore live inside of your mind in a hellish nightmare far worse than anything the human mind is capable of conceiving.

If this is to happen (and you are still sane enough to remember this), shout "What will help us remember?" and the images should stop. In addition, managing to reach the sketchbook will make the horrible images cease as well.

That sketchbook is Object 203 of 2538. The sketchbook allows the owner to save memories as detailed (sometimes moving) pictures that will invoke the same emotions, sounds, smells, and any other of the human senses unto the viewer when looked upon. However, the more memories saved in the sketchbook, the more the owner will lose their sanity.

Object 204: The Holder of Imagination

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Imagination". The worker will stare into your eyes as if he can see your very soul. Do not look away, for if you do the worker will dive at you, engulfing you in a black shroud as you tumble for eternity through unreality. After a moment, the worker will lead you down a long hallway that seems to lengthen the longer you walk.

Eventually, after what seems like hours of walking, he will turn around and run in the opposite direction. Do not turn around, for if you do, the walls will close in slowly, crushing you. After you hear his footsteps fade away, close your eyes and imagine a doorway, then turn around and open them. Where you came from the hallway should now end with a single doorway. If the doorway is in the shape you visualized, you have succeeded. If it is any different than you pictured, in even the slightest detail, you have failed and should pray for a quick death.

When you open the door, you will see an endless, twisted hallway with many windows. Outside these windows lie the greatest fantasies and fears you could ever imagine. Do not look through them. They will tear out your eyes, filling your mind with the most terrible images of unobtainable want, leaving you to wander endlessly, tortured by what is not and cannot be. Continue down the hallway, staring at the ground and counting your steps. Once you have taken exactly 204 steps, look directly to your right - there will be an open window looking into a child's bedroom. There will be a young girl that appears to be about 7 or 8 playing with a glass globe. She will only reply to one question: "Why do they need it?"

She will look up directly at you, and the globe in her hands will glow with a bright blue light. The light will tempt you, but do not let your eyes stray from the girl. Slowly the light will get brighter and brighter until you can no longer see anything but it. You will feel as if you are almost one with the light, when suddenly it will stop, and you will be inside the room with the girl. She will smile peacefully before collapsing. Quickly take the orb and dive out the window behind you.

If you wake up in the room with the girl, you are hers now, forever enslaved. If you were quick enough, however, you will wake up inside an abandoned house on the other side of the asylum, the glass globe next to you.

The glass globe is Object 204 of 2538, and will allow you to see the darkest fantasies of whomever you wish. Beware; your new power will come to be a great burden.

Object 205: The Holder of the Influence

This man used to work for a certain country's intelligence agency (he won't say which one). Over the course of his experience there, he learned certain techniques that are known to be effective in gathering data. Whether or not he approves of these methods used this way is, sadly, left to speculation. Whatever the case, he now speaks of seminars, and sells a packaged crash course of a modified version of a technique he was taught. He is known to be based in Florida, but you'd be hard-pressed to find him there, since his work calls for travel.

This is where the Object comes into play. He knows about the certain threshold of brain frequency that one crosses as one is falling asleep, and in fact, by now it is common knowledge to those who have been shown even in a passing glimpse of the realms of alpha and theta waves.

The delta band, although placed at different frequencies for everybody, is where one is when he, or she, is in such a deep sleep that there are no dreams present; indeed, everyone who trains in meditation knows that it is actually a portal, a gateway, if you like, into a higher level of mind operation. This has been tagged as many things; "enlightenment", "awakening", and other variations of such a concept. It is not an accident that in normal human beings, the only time they will show a dominating arc of delta waves is if they are deep in Stage 4 sleep. Very few humans have ever been capable of slowing their brain frequency down to the delta band without falling asleep, because the knowledge granted the person during this state is not meant for the unprepared. The Holder himself calls it the "god-like" state. Be forewarned; if you attempt this excursion unguided, you must maintain total trust in yourself, a task easier said than done.

The man has decided to teach this technique to any and all who can afford it. Whether or not this is truly a good thing, we can only do our best with what we have and let the chips fall where they may. If you have encountered this state of mind, then you should already know to be alert, because it didn't stick with you for no reason.

The conscious state of delta is Object 205 of 2538. Use it well.

Object 206: The Holder of the Northern Light

In Kenai, Alaska, go to the highest point possible, be it a hill or the roof of a building. Bring a weapon, preferably something powerful. There, you will meet a man of thirty-five with short, gray hair. He wears pants, boots, a trench coat, and a hat, all black. In his right hand is a folded black umbrella. He will look at you. The smile he gives will be unnerving, his glacier-blue eyes staring straight into the depths of your already tortured soul. He will remark about how nice the weather is. Do not agree with him. Instead, say, "It's a little hot for me."

Upon hearing this, his already eerie smile will intensify, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction. As he opens his umbrella, you will begin to notice the snow that falls around you is falling much harder than it was, and that the temperature has dropped significantly. Eventually, you will be the only ones left, staring out into a vast field of white. The sea itself is completely frozen, and the land around you has begun to transform, turning from city streets into bare, cold wilderness. The man will look up at the sky and smile. Above is the aurora, in all its beauty. Look deep inside of it. To simply admire it is not enough, and you would have wasted your visit. Study it as if it were the most fascinating thing you have ever laid eyes upon. If you still fail to notice something odd, then thank the man and walk away. When you return to civilization, get rid of whatever Object you may already have. Give them to other Seekers, destroy them, whatever you deem to be fit. You are not the one to reunite them, and your effort has gone to waste. Go on with your normal life, if it still exists.

If you are a true Seeker, one of the few there are, then you will notice an anomaly in the maze of lights: a small door, made of translucent light, sits in the aurora's center. Acknowledge its presence by nodding and saying, "I see the way to broken dreams." Please note that nothing will happen if you say this without seeing the door. If you truly see the door, and you feel calm, a stairway of scintillating colors will lead toward it.

Take the stairs. The walk will be long, tiring, and cold. Press on. The knowledge that you are truly one of the chosen is precious enough to drive you forward. Do not stop, lest the Holder change his mind. Eventually, you will reach the door. Open it with a clear mind and a calm expression.

Inside is a small floating island of ice. The man will be waiting for you, his hat tilted to hide his eyes. Nod respectfully toward him and offer your hand. What happens next is his decision. If he disapproves of you, then ready your weapon. His umbrella instantly freezes anything it touches, and it is going to be used against you shortly. However, if he believes you are truly worthy of your title, he will shake your hand, leaving in it a small, transparent crystal. The inside of the crystal dances with the exotic colors of the northern lights themselves.

Thank the man and walk out the door. You will find yourself outside of a café near your home.

The crystal is Object 206 of 2538. When the lights come forth once more, the end will be nigh.

Object 207: The Holder of Hope

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Hope". A look of solemnity will etch itself upon the worker's face, and they will lead you to a door deep within the facility before turning and leaving. Open the door and enter.

As soon as you enter you will realize -

 

It's you, isn't it?

The one that will bring them all together.

Don't, I beg of you! This isn't what they were designed for! The items you have are all more dangerous than you could possibly imagine! Please, whatever you do, don't -

 

Once the final ghost has been dealt with, turn and enter the door. Inside you will find a young man. His mahogany hair and emerald eyes appear subdued in the blank white expanse around him. He will turn to you, and -

 

Please! For the love of whatever you find holy and dear, cease your search! The gods died using them! They were used to -

 

Silence, mortal! I wish to be reunited with my kin!

 

Damn, I can't hold off its influence! The items... Their entities... They were made by the gods as a failsafe, in case... No! Not yet! I am Hope! I will make sure that this ends! That history does not repeat itself! Please, I beg of you! End this right now! Destroy the items! Seal their souls in the depths of hell! Only then can we... Stop...

 

The poor fool. I know what you truly want. The Holder and his lies... We both know what we are for. Take this box; it is Object 207 of 2538. Do not open it, yet. You will know when the time is right. I will be waiting. When we all come together, then the world shall begin as it was supposed to. After all, isn't perfection what we all strive for?

Object 208: The Holder of the Firstborn

In any western nation, in any neighborhood, enter a family house. Should encounter a woman, ask to speak to "The Holder of the Firstborn". If you encounter a male, calmly leave the house, and try another home another day. If you do ask the woman, she will look at you as if you're lying to her, and lead you through a darkened hallway, silent save for the strange sighting of the ventilation at your feet. She will lead you to a closed door, with faint light emanating from the bottom. Take a deep breath, for your next reactions require you to have your wits about you. The woman will dismiss herself, but not before declaring, "Son, you have a visitor." However, should you turn to look at her, you will find nothing, only an endless path into the darkness from which you came, along with the sad cooing of the vents. Take care not to gaze into the blackness for too long, as the emptiness instills a deep sense of longing and lonesome that will prove fatal. It is best to keep your gaze upon the door.

Steel yourself, and firmly grasp the knob of the door in your hand. With your free hand, knock on the door exactly twice, and pause. Quickly, before you hear a voice, you must ask, "Why were They jealous?" Quickly open the door, enter, and scan the room within one blink. If the room appears barren, you must quickly back out of the room and shut the door firmly behind you. Do not flee yet, as you will not escape the darkness intact. Instead, press your back to the closed door, and apologize profusely. Should a young man's voice reply, "You're not allowed in my room," you will know it is safe to leave. You must find your way out of the darkness on your own. Should you make it out, you must leave the house and continue away on foot until the sun rises again. If you were foolish enough to drive there, consider your vehicle lost. It is his now. Do not stop, unless dismemberment is among your favorite pastimes.

Should you enter and find the room inhabited, remain and make yourself comfortable. The hard part is over, and the threat has passed for now. Inside, you will find a young man in his mid-to-late teens, sitting in a chair, holding an unplugged electric guitar. Though he strums it, no sound comes out. He will stare at you condescendingly, and will only respond to one question: "Why were They jealous?" You must stand firm as you ask this. Do not waver before him, lest what you seek be forever beyond your grasp in this life. Hold firm, and he will respond: "They wanted what They were not yet ready for." The young man will set the guitar down, and leave you in the room, alone. Temptation will set upon you to touch the guitar, but you mustn't. If you do, your life will end, and begin again as a newborn to the family of the house you entered.

Leave the guitar and instead investigate the room. You will discover something. This thing is never the same, but you'll know it when you find it; it'll take the form of an item you coveted as a child. As you set your hand on it, your skull and stomach will feel as though they've been struck with blunt force. Try not to cry out; any sign of weakness and you're finished, a world of pain ahead.

When you wake up, the Object you found will be in your embrace. Whenever it was that you entered, it is now the first day of autumn.

That Object is 208 of 2538, a grim reminder that brotherhood breeds contempt. Though they must never reunite, it longs to be together again.

Object 209: The Holder of the Eastern Seas

The wise Seeker will bring the White King's sword, and perhaps other Objects as well, for this is a trying task. At any museum within view of the Atlantic Ocean, ask the curator if he can show you any remnants of the Holder of the Eastern Seas. He should take you into a previously nonexistent room deep in the museum, which has a great display of Valhalla, the Viking's afterlife. He will ask about that sword of yours, for he has had his eye on it since you entered. Tell him everything, but make sure you mention that "The White King is ready to defend his honor," for if you do not, every stuffed man, woman, and beast in the museum will come to tear you asunder.

If you do, he will shove you into the Valhalla display, and you will land on a wide field, standing with seven Viking comrades, facing a horde of thousands. Here, only the truest warrior will prevail. Fight alongside the Vikings as hard and as long as you can. You must outlive your companions, or everything was for naught. Once your allies are dead, keep fighting, no matter how hopeless the battle. Soon, invariably, you will be struck down. Ram your own blade through your heart before you die, and feel the slow, creeping blood of death crawl through your veins, and watch the Valkyries lift your soul. You have died.

When you awaken, you're still dead. However, by dying as mentioned, you have been sent to Valhalla, the Pantheon of Gods and Men. If you wish to escape the pain of the Objects, you need not worry; here, you are safe, should you choose to accept death. Upon seeing the Valkyries carry them off to this beautiful, peaceful bastion, many have decided that they've done enough. However, if you choose to go on, you must find Odin himself. Bow respectfully, and ask to see the Holder of the Eastern Seas, as reverently as you can.

Odin may deem you worthy, and take you down to see the Holder. That Holder is in the middle of the earth, bound to a rock, with a serpent dripping venom eternally into his eye. That Holder is the god Loki. You may ask only one question of Loki, or the snake will give him respite long enough to devour you. Ask him, "What part does Valhalla play in this? What do they have to do with Odin's kingdom?" He will describe to you Ragnarok, in all its detail. Then he will tell you why it will happen, and what He has to do with it. Finally, he will tell you the secondhand suffering the earth will feel as Ragnarok rages on. However, somewhere, he will speak of a place where They were made. When he is done, take his lute; he needs it no more.

Loki's Lute is Object 209 of 2538. Getting here was the easy part. Can you drag yourself back from death?

Object 210: The Holder of Sound

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Upon arrival, walk straight to the front desk and request an audience with "The Holder of Sound". When you speak, you may realize that you cannot hear yourself, or any noises around you, and that the receptionist will neither look up nor respond to your request. If this isn't the case, leave the building and don't return, for your selection of institution was a poor one.

If indeed all is silent around you, look to the left of the desk to find a hallway that wasn't present prior to your arrival. Head steadily down the hallway, eyes focused straight ahead and locked on the door at the far end. As you progress, your sense of hearing will gradually return and screams of agony, as well as one-sided conversations that only the clinically insane could think up, will fill your ears. If at any time the endless babble ceases, cover your ears and shout with all your might, "What has been granted mustn't be lost!"

If the voices come back, consider yourself lucky that you'll be allowed to see another day outside of a room padded with the innards of past Seekers. Continue on down the hall until you arrive at the door. Knock once and push the door open before receiving an answer.

Inside will be a completely empty room, save for a small cot in the back. Sitting on the cot will be a young man of perhaps nineteen, bloody bandages where his ears were. He will be sitting there, rocking back and forth, mumbling to himself. Approach him and pull the bandages away from either side of his head, leaning in close to the bloody pulp to ask a single question. Ask anything other than "Will we understand?" and you will suffer the same fate as this man.

Once the question has been asked, a rush of future events surrounding each of the Objects will flood your mind. Horrific detail of every unjust death and injury at the Seekers' hands will play through your mind over, pummeling your fragile psyche with countless waves of despair. If you keep your sanity throughout the visions, you will find the young man dead and bleeding on the cot, an ear clutched in his hand. Take it from him, leave the asylum, and never return.

The ear is Object 210 of 2538. May the truth of the Objects never reach your ears.

Object 211: The Holder of Finality

In any city, in any country, head to a chess club and tell the person at the front desk, "I wish to speak to the Holder of Finality." Most will have no idea what you are talking about, but if you are in the right place, he will shudder for a moment, and then beckon you to follow. He will march down a series of corridors until he comes up to a door that is like a janitor's closet. He will open the door and then run away.

When you enter, you will find that it is a large room. The walls and ceiling are painted with scenes of entire races, cultures, and species being exterminated. Many of the characters in the painting will not be human, and some will haunt your nightmares for years to come. In the middle of the room, there will be an old man sitting in a chair in front of a wooden chessboard. He will motion for you to take a seat at the other side. Do so, but when you start to play, you will find that no matter what, the game will end in a stalemate. Once the game ends, the pieces will teleport back to their original position. Keep playing as long as necessary.

Once the thirteenth game has ended, the pieces will remain where they are for a moment, not teleporting back. Immediately look the old man straight in the eye and ask, "What is a final answer worth?" He will respond by upsetting the board. Once the pieces fall to the ground they will start to grow until they are human-sized. He will then answer your question. The answer will be brief, but at the same time, the most horrible thing you have ever heard. He will then attack you, and the black and white pieces will start to fight each other. Use whatever means you have at your disposal to defeat him, for he means to kill, and if he kills you, there will be no afterlife, just unending nothingness. Should you manage to defeat him, the oversized chess pieces will disintegrate, and the man will slump to the ground and say, "The game is over, the final victory is yours." He will then burst into flames and burn until there is nothing left but ashes. In the center of the ashes will be a small clock.

This clock is Object 211 of 2538. When it is set in motion, it can destroy souls; make sure it does not consume yours.

Object 212: The Holder of Pain

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask the receptionist if you can see the one who calls herself "The Holder of Pain". The receptionist will say that he has no idea who you speak of, but will slide a card across the desk to you with a room number on it. Take the card while replying apologetically, "I must be in the wrong place, then," and ascend the stairs that may or may not have been there before.

As you wander the upcoming halls in search of her room, you will hear the most beautiful singing you have ever heard. Should the singing ever stop, whisper, "Please continue, it's beautiful." However, the return of the singing is the last thing you want. If it does, you may calmly leave the building and tell your loved ones goodbye. You will be dead by morning. Should the silence persist, continue to the room shown on the card. Quietly enter it.

An average-looking blonde-haired woman wearing glasses will be sitting in the center of the bare room with her back turned to you. A pool of blood will have collected at her feet. Approach her and embrace her. Mind yourself, though; the closer you get to her, the more pain and despair you will feel wash over you. You must continue in spite of this, lest you weep yourself to death.

Hold onto her until she begins to cry, and ask her, "Where does Their plan come from?"

She will smile weakly and respond, "Their love." She will then hold out her hand, and you will notice a ring on her finger. Delicately take the ring from her finger, kiss the back of her hand, and leave.

The ring is Object 212 of 2538. Only you will see that love can be the most painful thing in the world.

Object 213: The Holder of Grace

Five miles north of any aging rural town, you will find a large decrepit house on a hill. Knock on the door and it will be answered by a tall dark man. Tell him you have come to speak with "The Holder of Grace". He will try to persuade you to leave, but insist upon entering the house. He will direct you to a door at the end of a long hall, and he will leave you.

Through the door, there is a stone staircase leading down into darkness. The stairs will seem to continue for days, and before long your legs will begin to ache. Do not stop until, at last, you find yourself in front of a great wooden door. Knock on this door and a soft voice will bid you enter. Should it speak any other words, run.

When you enter, you will find yourself in a room containing a long table of mahogany set with fine china and precious crystal. From the ceiling will hang a chandelier of gold and gems. As you look upon these objects you will realize that they were once the finest that could be had, but now all are chipped, cracked, tarnished.

At the head of the table will sit the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, dressed in the ragged remains of a once glorious gown of gold and white. Across her eyes will be bound a scrap of silk. Address the woman as "Lady" and ask if you might join her. When she agrees, you must know your place, and choose your seat at the table. None can tell of the fate of those who choose wrong, but choose correctly, and food will appear on the table. Do not eat. Do not drink. Do not even breathe the scent. For this is not the food of mortal beings. Horrific figures will then take shape in the other seats. Look upon these godless things without flinching, and introduce yourself to each with the utmost of politeness. If they find even the slightest offense in you they will rend you to pieces.

Introduce yourself lastly to the lady at the head of the table, and ask her for her name. At this, she will only remove the silk from across her eyes. You must never look her in the eye, to do so would shatter your fragile mind. You may ask her then "Why do you hold them?", and the lady will rise from her seat. Ask again and you will find that she is standing at your side. Do not turn to her. Do not look her in the eye. Standing with her hands resting on your shoulders, she will begin to tell a story. A story of angels and demons, of elder gods and mutilated souls, of horrors unnamed and sacrifices unnumbered. If you survive with your sanity intact, she will bid you good luck. She will lean in close to you, and whisper her name in your ear. Then she will tell you your own, and you will know no more.

When you wake, you will do so in the last bed you slept in, dressed in what you wore then. In your hand will be clutched a stained lace handkerchief with her name embroidered at the corner.

This handkerchief is Object 213 of 2538. Pray that her favor will protect you from what is yet to come.Through the door, there is a stone staircase leading down into darkness. The stairs will seem to continue for days, and before long your legs will begin to ache. Do not stop until, at last, you find yourself in front of a great wooden door. Knock on this door and a soft voice will bid you enter. Should it speak any other words, run.

When you enter, you will find yourself in a room containing a long table of mahogany set with fine china and precious crystal. From the ceiling will hang a chandelier of gold and gems. As you look upon these objects you will realize that they were once the finest that could be had, but now all are chipped, cracked, tarnished.

At the head of the table will sit the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, dressed in the ragged remains of a once glorious gown of gold and white. Across her eyes will be bound a scrap of silk. Address the woman as "Lady" and ask if you might join her. When she agrees, you must know your place, and choose your seat at the table. None can tell of the fate of those who choose wrong, but choose correctly, and food will appear on the table. Do not eat. Do not drink. Do not even breathe the scent. For this is not the food of mortal beings. Horrific figures will then take shape in the other seats. Look upon these godless things without flinching, and introduce yourself to each with the utmost of politeness. If they find even the slightest offense in you they will rend you to pieces.

Introduce yourself lastly to the lady at the head of the table, and ask her for her name. At this, she will only remove the silk from across her eyes. You must never look her in the eye, to do so would shatter your fragile mind. You may ask her then "Why do you hold them?", and the lady will rise from her seat. Ask again and you will find that she is standing at your side. Do not turn to her. Do not look her in the eye. Standing with her hands resting on your shoulders, she will begin to tell a story. A story of angels and demons, of elder gods and mutilated souls, of horrors unnamed and sacrifices unnumbered. If you survive with your sanity intact, she will bid you good luck. She will lean in close to you, and whisper her name in your ear. Then she will tell you your own, and you will know no more.

When you wake, you will do so in the last bed you slept in, dressed in what you wore then. In your hand will be clutched a stained lace handkerchief with her name embroidered at the corner.

This handkerchief is Object 213 of 2538. Pray that her favor will protect you from what is yet to come.

Object 214: The Holder of Vanity

In any city, in any country, go to any beatdown hotel or roadside rest house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask for the room number of someone who calls herself "The Holder of Vanity". The person behind the desk will whistle and hand you a card with a room number on one side and a key taped to the other.

When you start to go up the stairs, you should hear the moans and thrashing of passion surround you, but you must not pay attention to them, lest you suffer something that would horrify even the souls in the deepest pits of hell. If the moaning ever stops, knock on the nearest wall and whisper, "Everyone is doing it; don't stop on my account." If the moaning does not resume, pray that you suffer a quick death, though that is quite unlikely.

When you finally reach the room that you are searching for, knock four times and say, "I have come for you." A male voice will answer you. Reply in a loud voice, "The woman is what I desire!" If the man does not respond, open the door to the right, throw the key in, and quickly head back to the front desk. If he tells you to come in, open the door with the key.

Instead of finding a man, you will find a woman chained to a crucifix, whose body is of a heavenly, enchanting beauty, but whose face is the most hideous that any mortal has ever seen. She will ask you if you have come to free her. Look at her straight in the face and do not answer her, or she will make you her slave for all eternity.

The thing you can safely do is ask her, "What makes them vain?" The woman will laugh a very shrill laugh that will shake the very foundations of your mind. If you keep your sanity after that, the woman will slowly tell you about the things that keep their beauty for themselves, and how their vanity will end up destroying the beauty they hold so dear.

When she finishes speaking, pick up the rose on the bed without breaking your gaze away from the woman. As soon as you grab the rose, quickly close your eyes as the tool fills with an incomprehensible force. When you open your eyes, the rose will be dead and wilted, its thorns still embedded in your palm.

Its stem is Object 214 of 2538. The beauty of the world will now crumble and show its true nature.

Object 215: The Holder of Chastisement

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask for the one who calls herself "The Holder of Chastisement". If a look of utter anguish crosses the worker's face, count yourself lucky, for you have come to the right place.

The worker will lead you through a door behind the desk that you could've sworn wasn't there before. Go through the door and make sure to follow the worker closely, because getting lost in these dark halls would mean the end of you, but not of your endless torment.

Hours into your journey you will come upon a large steel door, and your guide will make a move to open it. Stop him, for if you do not, he will lock you out and you will be forced to wander the halls for all of time and beyond. Instead, end your guide's life. It does not matter how you do it, but from here on you must continue alone.

The door will feel extremely light even though it is massive in size. Speaking of continuing alone, be sure to lock the door behind you - you don't want anything interrupting you in your task.

On the other side of the door, you will see a headless woman with a whip, her body covered in lashes stained dark crimson with blood. She will point to a carved stone guillotine in the corner of the room. Approach it, and strap yourself in before the woman grows angry. There's no telling what she may do if you take too long, for no one's ever survived who tarried.

The woman will then proceed to strike you with her whip, one lash for every wrongdoing you have ever committed. Many cannot handle the pain and scream, but this is the only thing you must never do. You must keep a look of determination on your face and make no sound above a whimper, lest the blade come crashing down. If you retain your life and your sanity through your chastisement, you will be allowed to ask one question: "How were They punished?"

Though she does not speak, you will hear a voice echo in your mind. It will tell you of how They were punished the last time the Objects were brought together, of the penalties and vengeance exacted on Them, and the pain They suffered. When the voice stops, you will be released. You have less than a second to get out of the way before the blade descends, severing your head and leaving you in the woman's place as Holder.

If you make it, you will wake up in your home in a cold sweat, the whip clutched tightly in your hand.

The whip is Object 215 of 2538. It longs for the flesh of those who would reunite Them.

Object 216: The Holder of Poverty

In any city, in any country, you will find an area that is rundown but still inhabited. These areas go by many names - poor districts, ghettos, and slums. Find the one nearest your location and make your way there. Search around until you find a building of at least two stories with most of one wall torn down. Be sure not to bring anything of value in with you, save for two nickels and a penny. Enter the building at high noon through the hole - you must not enter through the door.

Inside, on the top floor, you will find an empty room with a foul-smelling and ratty-looking man facing a small dirty window. Approach him quietly and whisper into his ear, "I'm here to see the Holder of Poverty". If he does not move for five seconds, turn and run out of the building and as far from the slum as you can. Do not look back until you are far from sight of the nearest building in the area. Never return.

If he raises his right hand, however, stay in the room until night falls. When it does, he will turn and face you. You will notice that his face has been horribly burned and it will be hard to keep your eyes focused on him. Whatever you do, do not look away from or flinch at his appearance. After a moment, he will open his mouth and say something that sounds like garbled nonsense and point at the window.

Look through the window and the man's life will take place before you. You will see how he lost his money, how his family descended into destitution, how his face was burned, and every hardship he was forced to undergo to survive up until this point. Do not make any motion to sympathize with him. He does not want or require your pity.

When you are finished, turn back to the man and give him some form of acknowledgment. He will then smile and hold out a small and ragged tin mug. Remove the change you placed in your pocket earlier and drop it into the cup. Giving him anything other than two nickels and a penny will cause him to sink into a depressed state, and no matter how much time you spend with him you will not be able to raise him from his sadness. Do this correctly, however, and the man will close his eyes and fall asleep. The mug will remain in his hand, the change nowhere to be found. Take it from his grip, but do not awaken him.

The tin mug is Object 216 of 2538. They must never come together.

Object 217: The Holder of Harmony

In any city, in any country, go to any concert hall you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to see someone who calls herself "The Holder of Harmony". The receptionist should start to hum a tune you don't recognize and rummage through some papers in her desk. Be patient. Don't ask again, or the receptionist will get annoyed and close the front desk. If this happens, you have forever lost the opportunity to gain the Object the Holder possesses, and that's not even taking into consideration the sentinel beast you've awakened.

Wait patiently and the receptionist will eventually stop what she's doing and beckon for you to follow her. As soon as the two of you pass through a set of double doors, pay very close attention to how she leads you. The two of you will proceed through a maze of corridors, with each hallway being identical to all the others. Make a mental note of which direction she turns and when, noting any corridors you pass by completely. Suddenly, at a random intersection, she will say, "Good luck," and abandon you in the maze, leaving you to fend for yourself. Continue in the direction the two of you were going, acting as if you just passed through the double doors, and then follow the receptionist's directions exactly. No matter which directions you take, your path will eventually dead-end at a battered wooden door. If you made so much as a single mistake, demons that even the devil himself fears will greet you on the other side. Because there's no way of telling if you're at the right door or not, turn and run if you have the slightest doubt in your mind, and pray that you somehow make it out of this labyrinth before you die of dehydration.

If you've followed the receptionist's directions precisely, however, opening the door will reveal a winding, narrow path suspended in an infinite golden void. As soon as you pass through the door, it will vanish behind you, stranding you in this nexus between dimensions. As you walk along this path, you will faintly hear the most beautiful-sounding choir singing the most beautiful song you have ever heard. Do your best to block the singing from your mind, lest you be driven to search for the source of this heavenly sound and thus plummet into the void. Should the singing suddenly turn discordant and unpleasant, shout as loudly as you can. "No, no, that's all wrong! Start again from the beginning!" If the singing stops and then resumes as it was before, it is safe to continue. If it grows even worse, however, immediately throw yourself from the pathway, for an eternity of falling is far preferable to what this "choir" will do to you should you stay on the path a single second longer.

After you've tread this path for what seems like days, you will eventually reach a large door crafted of solid gold, with a platinum knocker mounted in the center. Knock exactly twelve times. No more, no less. Knock any other amount of times, and the door will fling itself open as soon as you touch the knob, releasing foul creatures behind explanation to torture you for a number of eons equivalent to the amount of knocks you were away from twelve.

After knocking twelve times, open the door. You'll find yourself in a concert hall much like the one you started your journey in, only in a dilapidated state. Onstage will be a single woman sitting on a stool, playing a pan flute. Take a seat and listen to her perform. As soon as you hear the slightest pause, ask her just one question: "What makes them resonate?" Make sure you ask during the silence, for the Holder does not like to be interrupted in the slightest. Nor do the hundreds of horrid concertgoers suddenly materializing all around you like their concert being interrupted by an outsider like you.

If you asked at the right moment, she will stand up, place the flute on the stool, and sing to you the entire history of every one of the 2538 Objects, including the 2000 lost Objects. She will sing in the voices of every great singer who has ever lived, but focus not on the music; it is there merely to distract you. Instead, pay attention to the words she sings, for in a seemingly random place, you will hear the phrase "de capo al fine". The moment you hear this phrase, shout out, "Bravo! Well done!" Miss this phrase, and her words will soon be drowned out by the song you heard on the winding pathway, except this time you will be able to see the hellspawn that create this beautiful music behind her. Pray you go mad before they finish and resume their usual business.

If you stop her at the right time, however, she will bow and exit the stage, leaving the pan flute behind. Ascend the stairs to the stage and take it. You will then find yourself on the stage of the concert hall you originally entered. You are free to leave now, but know this: never try to play the flute, for the notes it plays were not meant for this world.

The pan flute is Object 217 of 2538. The Objects form a chord; never let that chord be played.

Object 218: The Holder of Prophecy

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Casually walk to the front desk without drawing any attention to yourself, or the fate you meet at the hands of the worker will be more torturous than anything imaginable by mere mortals.

If you make it to the front desk, in a very level tone, ask the worker to see "The Holder of Prophecy". The worker will respond in a deep, fiery voice, seemingly impossible for a human to create, telling you that the Holder you seek has moved. Although the man will be yelling, no one in the lobby will take heed. Do not trust this man. He does not believe you are capable of hearing the words of the Prophet. Respond to him, in the same level tone as before, with, "I am ready and willing to bear the weight of His prophecy."

At this point, the man will gaze deep into your soul. If you have convinced him, his desk will then fall through the floor, revealing a staircase that seems to be impossibly long. If not, do not bother praying for a swift death, as your prayers will fall on deaf ears.

Begin descending the staircase. In front of you, seemingly miles away, will be a bright white light, as though it is the end of a long tunnel. Do not look back, because the worker is watching you. Any sign of a faltering resolve and you will traverse this staircase for the rest of eternity.

If at any point the light at the end of the staircase seems to draw shut, as if a curtain were being pulled over it, bellow out, in your loudest, most convincing tone, "I am worthy to meet the Prophet and hear his Prophecy." If the curtain draws back and the light appears, count your blessings, as the Prophet has heard you. Otherwise, cast yourself off the stairwell into the oblivion below and pray that you hit the ground before the creatures that inhabit this hallway can reach you.

Once you reach the light, step through it into a new plane of existence, one more serene and beautiful than even the greatest artists have ever dreamed of. You will notice two men down the path from you prophesizing. One is a giant of a man, surely larger than any you have ever seen. His voice booms with a deafening tone that echoes throughout the entire plane. The other is a meek, fragile old man who can barely move. It is hard to understand him due to what seems to be an advanced case of Parkinson's disease.

Approach one of these two men; it is up to you to pick the correct one. The man will only take heed of you to answer one specific question: "Why does He want them to come together?" If you have chosen incorrectly, the man in front of you will laugh maniacally, in a voice eviler than that of Satan. You will be cast into oblivion, to be tormented by the legions of Hell for the rest of eternity. If you have chosen well, the Prophet will lift your head and tell you a horrifying prophecy, one that speaks, in horrifying detail, of His motives in bringing the Objects back together. Consider yourself lucky to escape his tale with your sanity. He will then extend his hand to you. If you grab his hand immediately, he will see you as proud, and throw you with inhuman strength into the air, sending you well beyond the reach of any natural atmosphere. You will eternally suffocate and freeze in the pitch-black void of space. If you say, solemnly, "I am not worthy," he will grab your hand. Immediately close your eyes. If you do not, you will wish you had, as, in one instant, you would witness the slaughter of the False Prophet and all other False Prophets before him. The sight would surely drive you mad. In his hand, you will feel a soothing warmth, like that of a warm spa. When you again open your eyes, you will be in bed in the place you call home with a glove in your hand.

The glove is Object 218 of 2538. Now you know His plan. Will you be able to stop it?

Object 219: The Holder of Warfare

In any city, in any country, enter any recruiting station or military base that you can get yourself into. Ask the officer at the front desk to speak to "The Holder of Warfare". If he responds, "I'm sorry, but he is KIA," then do not despair. Your death shall be over with before you hit the ground. If he instead calls two MPs and tells them to escort you to the stockades, your journey will continue. They will lead you outside the base to a seemingly empty bunker; order them to open it as a general would order a lowly private. If your voice has enough power, then one of the MPs will open the metal door that leads into the bunker. If not, then you will be executed without hesitation. Descend into the bunker and tell the MPs to wait outside, for they shall not be able to shield you from the horrors that lie in that forgotten tomb.

Walk down the stairs leading into the bunker military-style (straight posture, facing directly ahead) and do not stop, no matter how long it seems. If at any point you begin to hear cannon fire, then even a long, torturous death would seem merciful compared to what you are about to experience. However, if you hear a faint drum cadence, continue to march. The farther you walk, the louder the drums will get, until they finally become so loud and unbearable that you would be tempted to gouge your ears until you hear no more, at which point they will stop. Stand up straight and salute, even if you see no one in front of you. After about seven seconds, you shall hear a gruff, tired voice signaling "at ease". Do so and a spectral figure shall slowly emerge from the inky darkness. It will be a figure clad in camouflaged combat fatigue of excellent physical condition; 6' 7" in height, broad, muscular shoulders, rippling arms and legs. It is then that you must reply, in a loud and confident voice, "Sir! I come to seek power, Sir!" If you don't, then the soldier will show you that all those muscles aren't just for looks. "Then drop and give me fifty, maggot!" the soldier will respond. I suggest you oblige him and begin your push-ups. Count off each one. If he places his boot on your back, continue to push, no matter how hard it becomes. If he doesn't, then you have displeased him and will be disposed of.

If you manage to complete your workout, the soldier will ask you to stand. You must shout, "Thank you, Sergeant!" The soldier will then nod and present you with a combat helmet, a frag grenade, and a 1911 .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extra magazine. Take them, for you shall have dire need of these blessings soon. After a few moments of catching your breath, you will be blinded by a light brighter than any star can produce, and shocked by the loudest of explosions. As you open your eyes, you will be in the most hellish and bloodiest of battlefields. Troops clad in gray will run ahead of you and be mowed down by a passing gunship. Take cover beneath their dead bodies as tanks roll by and bathe the area in machine gun fire. Over your shoulder, a barrage of missiles will rain down from passing aircraft, which will in turn be consumed by a hail of anti-aircraft fire from behind a nearby building. Pull out the pistol and put on the helmet as you sprint your way toward the nearby town; take care not to use up all your ammunition, for you cannot take any from the ones whose lives you end. Make your way to a building resembling a school and take cover as troops in blue engage the ones in gray. You will see them and witness their bayonets and striking each other with the butts of their rifles, not stopping until they completely disembowel their opponent. With your only grenade in hand, run up the flight of stairs on your left, avoiding any fire you may receive, and head toward the roof. Once you get to the door leading to the rooftop, say a quick prayer, pull the grenade's pin, and kick down the door.

With the grenade in hand, let all the troops uniformed in blue on the rooftop see you, and outstretch your hand so they can see your formidable armament. A high-ranking general will approach you and ask you to state your demands. If you ask for peace, prepare for war. Instead, ask him to present the Holder of Warfare. He will smirk at you, but simply gesture toward the hand with the grenade and he will comply. A small child will be brought out to you. Place the pin back into the grenade and take the child. He will be trembling with fear and appear to be starving. Pay no attention to these illusions. Pull out the pistol and point it at the child's head. Squeeze the trigger without even an inkling of compassion. If you have been deemed worthy, the gun's safety will be on and you can let out a sigh of relief. The child will present you with a rusty old medal.

That medal is Object 219 or 2538, and with it untold violence will follow.

Do you have the heart to resist?

Object 220: The Holder of Ingenuity

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Ingenuity". The worker will look at you, then hurriedly go back to work, as if trying to ignore your existence. You will have to ask again, and they will then acknowledge you, and motion for you to follow them, with a scared, yet angry look on their face. They will take you down a flight of stairs that will seem to take you upward. However, midway the worker will turn to you, with a look on their face now that seems to be pleading for you to turn back, hand you a pen, and walk back the same way you came, disappearing into the darkness. Now is the first chance you have to turn back. Take it, and flee the country, or continue on.

Should you choose to continue on, you will have to finish walking the stairs alone, in utter silence, all but the sound of your feet hitting the steps, and the lone sound of your beating heart, which seems to get louder with each step you take. After a long while, when it seems your heart is like a loud drum, you will come to a crossroads. There is a fork in the stairs, but both paths seem to be going in the same direction, intertwining themselves, spiraling away from you. You must choose, left or right. It cannot be said which is the correct set. Pick the wrong one, and you will be walking your way to the gates of hell itself. Turning back is no longer an option, as the wandering demons of hell's gates now have you under a close watch. Try to run, and you will be crushed between the gates, able to move neither back to the land of the living, nor to the fires and torment of hell, which would be like heaven in comparison to the state you must live through for eternity.

Should you pick the correct set of stairs, you will go on to find a door, barely distinguishable from the wall it sits upon. Open the door with care, and proceed into the room behind it. You will see in front of you another door, with an opaque window that boasts a small hole in the middle. Try as you might, the door will not open for you, however, place the pen in the hole, and a hand from the other side will grab hold and take it. Wait a few moments, and the glass should repair itself. The door will then open for you. Inside the room, the Holder will be pondering over a large machine in the corner. The pen you gave him should be stuck somewhere on the machine, but it will not be running. It seems to be missing a part, or in need of repair. The Holder will show you a table that contains many objects that may be used to fix the machine. Act quickly, however, for if you wait too long, the Holder will lose patience and kill you swiftly with one of the objects. If you are quick, you might notice the Language is written on one of these objects, a wrench. Use it to fix the machine whatever way you can: tightening a bolt, placing it somewhere, or simply bash the machine with it. Whatever you do, should you get the machine working quickly enough to still be alive, the Holder will stand in front of it, speak something in a language you will not understand, and then he and the machine will fade from existence. Slowly, you will lose consciousness, and the room will become a blur, until you blackout.

When you awake, you will find yourself sitting in a chair next to the worker that showed you the way, in the lobby of the building. Clutched in your hand will be the wrench. With it in your hands, you will find yourself a capable repairman in any and all fields.

This wrench is Object 220 of 2538. Are you still compelled to bring them together?

Object 221: The Holder of Prehistory

He stares out over the horizon of his personal world, his palace; it stretches just beyond the mouth of the cave, which is also his. He is the Holder of Prehistory, and this is his domain. His white hair, elongated with the span of eternities, sways in the wind.

He takes a seat on his throne, observing all that belongs to him, as you traverse the sidewalk toward a small cave. This cave changes, for it is in any city, in any country, all at once. He watches you with intrigue, for the last who attempted this was lost to his challenge, and he pitied them for it. He is not the typical Holder, anxious for your death and subsequent torture.

Nay, all this Holder truly wishes out of his now hopeless life is to see just one Seeker, such as yourself, complete his challenge and emerge successful. He hopes you will not let him down. He has been most displeased with the attempts of the past.

When you enter the cave, he leans in close, holding his breath, for he understands what is to come and believes you are worthy of his Object. If he did not believe this, the cave would have swallowed you already in darkness and torment. Once you are inside, he carefully observes your every movement, every choice you make, every thought that runs through your mind. As you speak the words "I wish to speak to the Holder of Prehistory," he allows you safe passage into his cave.

He wishes for you to keep Them apart, not bring Them together. Yet you are not punished for either desire. As you walk down the tunnel he created, his head swivels up, and he stands from his throne.

He stands in blank darkness on the other side of the cave walls, unseen by any being who does not look for him. He is interested in the fact that you do not, for many a Seeker has failed by doing so in the past. He screams, screams very hard for you to ignore the scribblings now etched onto the caved walls.

Your journey brings you through the longest cave that ever existed, telling you of every atrocity and every horrific event in the history of mankind and beyond. First, he stands outside the cave paintings and tells you to turn back. He wishes for you to press onward, but They command him to say otherwise. He despises Them.

Progressively, the messages and paintings on the cave wall become more and more ornate, until they are lurching out at you, scratching your flesh and attempting to devour you. They rip at you until nothing but bone remains, but you dare not look at them. How talented a Seeker you are, he thinks to himself. He continues to scream at you, warning of the perils to come.

He deems you brave enough and asks that you not look at either side, for laying eyes on any of the historic beasts that tear into you will merge you with them, and he does not wish for you to die or suffer. You obey his order out of fear. He is beyond impressed, thusly appearing at your side.

He walks beside you now, as if you are old friends, and tells you of every historic moment that involved Them: every war, every election, every grand opening that resulted because of Them. He is generous; he wishes to impart all the knowledge he has to you, but he does not want to drive you mad. He is simply teaching you.

However, he is commanded once more by Them, to tell you of Their horrors. How They rigged every election, started every war, and bankrupted every new company. You do not let him do this, as you are now standing in his palace, at the end of the cave. He breathes a sigh of relief as you speak the words "A little birdie told me you know Them."

This, this is what he has waited for for millennia, as he was once a Seeker just like yourself. Now, as a withered old man, he stands before you and holds out his hand, placing something against your palm. Observing it, you see it is a small bird's skull. His warm smile flows throughout your body, and as you blackout, he tells you his name, and it makes your smile as well.

Neither of you have smiled in so long.

When you awaken, he has left a message by your bedside, instructing you on how to use the skull, for it is Object 221 of 2538. Dare you turn back time to discover Their secrets?

Object 222: The Holder of Science

In any city, in any country, go to any available laboratory, and ask the head scientist if you could request a conference with a man who calls himself "The Holder of Science". If his eyes narrow and he begins to perspire, flee, as the Holder is currently not of presence (but his experiments are). If he grins like he has been waiting for this moment for an eternity, you must tell him that you are prepared. He will then push you backward, and you will fall into a hole.

You will be falling for hours, perhaps days, but you must remember to keep your eyes closed. As long as you do not open them, any hunger, thirst, or pain you may feel will be an illusion. Otherwise, you will die of dehydration before you ever reach the bottom.

When the tube begins to be illuminated by dark purple halogen lights (the color of Iodine gas, if you can recognize it), you will know that you are exactly one hour from the bottom of the hole. You will see the purple glow through your eyelids, but at this point, you do not need to leave them closed any longer. You will begin to hear mechanical noises, very faint sounds of small explosions (they will get louder as you get nearer to the bottom) and the tortured souls of the Holder's biological creations. Make sure not to make a sound yourself, or they will promptly emerge from the walls, ceilings, or floor and devour you. When you finally reach the bottom of the hole, you will likely be knocked unconscious by the impact of the ground, no matter how soft it is. Feel free to rest here for as long as you want, it is the last time you will be able to for a while.

When you awaken, you will notice that the hole you fell through has been shut, and you have about eight feet to stand up. Don't stand around for long, as you will notice that the ceiling will begin to slowly move down. You must find the door before you are crushed, and the door will only reveal itself to those who were truly meant to complete their quest and those who have collected over one hundred Objects. Quickly walk through it (crawl if you must) and watch as it bolts shut behind you.

You will find yourself in a small, congested laboratory, lit by the same halogen lights that you saw earlier from the ceiling. There are tubes with specimens suspended in formaldehyde piled against the walls in massive quantities. A man with long brown hair stands in the center of the lab, performing dissections and experiments on a creature whose horror cannot acknowledge you unless you speak. Unless you ask the correct question, he will silently strap you to a lab table and begin to experiment on you, only for you to become one of his formaldehyde-drowned specimens, living for all eternity but not having consciousness of any sense sans sight. You will be forced to watch his terrible, mind-wracking, and gruesome experiments until the end of time.

If you do not wish to resign to this fate (which I doubt any human does), you may ask the Holder the following question: "What do They know and what do They seek?"

The Holder will stop his experiments, and begin to explain to you in a sinister and dark voice, more evil than anything that you have heard in your life. Most visitors die merely from hearing him say his first word, however, if your will to live is strong, his voice will not destroy you. He will explain the knowledge that They have accumulated over the years, and the knowledge that They still seek and require. He will then ask for your left hand. Obey and hold out your left hand, or the fate that will await you is more terrible than anything mentioned thus far. He will draw a razor from his lab coat pocket and slice through your arm, letting your hand fall to the floor. He will then hold forth three items: a hand that appears to be made of pure mercury, liquid and yet solid at the same time; a formula for creating pure gold from any material available; and a vial of liquid that has the consistency of the heavens. The formula will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams, and the liquid in the vial will grant your soul indefinite life. Deny both of them though, since they are not what you came for. Request the final object.

The Holder will nod, and the hand will be fastened to your wrist stump. You will then have what feels like a seizure, and wake up on a patch of land or water exactly one mile north of the laboratory you started at. Cover your new hand, as it will attract the attention of those you fear.

The mercury hand is Object 222 of 2538. It will allow you to walk through any metal as if it were air. Your nerves, now a part of the hand, will tingle, longing for contact with the others.

Object 223: The Holder of the Equation

Go to any college or university's math department, find the senior professor's office, and tell him you are looking for "The Holder of the Equation". If he replies that you can't possibly be serious, tell him, "I've been studying my whole life." He will shake his head, and lead you down to an elementary school classroom where several children are taking a test.

Wander around if you wish, but take care not to look too closely at their test papers; if you do, you may realize that two plus two is not necessarily equal to four in this realm, and the knowledge will destroy the fragile logical structures holding your mind together in this place.

Once their test is over, the teacher will collect the tests and begin to grade them. This is the Holder of the Equation, and he will only threaten you if you fail his test. Approach him, and ask, "What do they add up to?" He will look at you with an intrigued look, and hand you a blank test from underneath the desk. Pick it up, take it to a desk, and start working on it.

It's quite simple. If you reach the end, you pass. If you find yourself unable to progress further, you should start teaching yourself how to solve the problems on the test, or you may be here a long time. There's no time limit, you'll never be hungry or thirsty, never need to do anything but solve these problems that just get harder and harder. Countless Seekers have gotten stuck on this test and many just resign themselves to their fate, staring blankly at the one problem they can't solve, hoping for a spark of insight that will never come.

After what may actually be an eternity, you will discover that you have solved every problem in mathematics that has ever existed or will ever exist. Once you've passed the test, stand and shout, "I have passed your test, Holder! I will understand your answer!" The Holder will stand up, come over to your desk, and start to explain how He first solved the equation, and what it took to prove his solution. He will explain how the Objects are solutions, and why their existence gives meaning to things like Pi, E, and the Golden Ratio. He will then pull an old, folded-up piece of paper out of his pocket and hand it to you. Close your eyes. You will be on an elevator in the building you started in, and its doors will open to the lobby.

Written on the paper is the equation, Object 223 of 2538. When you learn to solve it, you will know how to bring them together.

Object 224: The Holder of Origin

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit "The Holder of Origin". If the worker looks at you in confusion, turn and run immediately. Never return to this institution. Find a new one to ask the same question. If the worker's smile turns to a somber gaze, say nothing. Without a word, she will leave her desk. You must follow her down a hallway that seems like any other. At the end of this hallway, she will lead you through a door that appears out of place, as if older than the rest of the building. She will quietly lock the door behind you. Before you lies a narrow corridor with only one exit. There are no doors, but only what looks like the top of a staircase at a great distance away. Walk to the end of this hallway and begin your descent. The stairs will continue for what seems like an eternity. As you descend, the staircase narrows ever so gradually, until there is little left but stepping stones on pillars that descend into unfathomable blackness.

With each step, the light will grow dimmer and dimmer, and all that will be left is a speck of light in the darkness. As terrifying as this becomes, you must keep moving until this light disappears. Once you have surpassed this great descent, you will suddenly realize that the last step has ended. After this step, you will find yourself on a pile of stones, no more than a few feet in any direction. If you can make out your surroundings in the darkness, you will see nothing but water as far as you can perceive. I urge you not to turn back, as what you will see is that the staircase will appear to be miles away, and the realization that you are trapped on this platform will become realized. When you are ready, yell as loud as you can. Your voice will echo off of a distant wall for several minutes until there is nothing but silence. The silence will be broken by a deep rumble that will fill you with uneasiness. What follows is a disturbance in the water that grows more and more turbulent.

Eventually, a creature larger than you can imagine will surface from the water. The beast will slowly open his eyes and the brightness bursting from them will cause severe pain after the unending darkness that you have experienced. Fight the urge to look away as hard as you can, as you need to show him the fullest extent of your strength. When you are ready, ask the beast, "Who let them begin?" His face will be filled with great sadness, as he weeps for your ignorance of true consciousness. He will speak through an ancient tongue that will sound like the trembling of a great machine. Do not try to hear his words, his message will be felt within your mind.

For several days, he will explain to you the futility of man's existence. He will speak of times and places so far beyond your comprehension that your whole sense of purpose in this world will be shattered. If you ask the beast, he will show you the time when his kind molded the very fabric of the universe, creating worlds in a day and destroying life that resists their vision of creation. Hearing his words will destroy everything that you knew about your world. This knowledge will undoubtedly drive you insane, as no human was meant to hear what he has told you. When he has finished speaking, you may now ask him for the Object.

He will submerge for some time before returning with a mirror. It will levitate toward you, showing a reflection so very similar to yourself, yet different in subtle ways. The reflection you see is the manifestation of his creation. He has modeled this being from you and to obtain the Object, you must kill this man. He will look back at you with utter despair, but you must reach into the mirror and strangle him. As the life leaves him, you will see him age through an entire lifetime. Your life will move through your eyes, but it will appear different, as if your decisions were made for you by some unseen power, which now reveals itself.

As he passes away, you will be filled with the emptiest feeling that you can ever imagine. The mirror will contain nothing but empty space. It will fall to the ground. The Object is yours. Take it with you and your escape will become obvious. You will reenter the world, but only physically. The rest of your life will be spent in solitude, contemplating what you have seen, unable to feel emotions or experience anything that makes you human. You will see the world for what it truly is and the blindness of those around you will fill you with a sense of pity. The Object is yours and your life no longer has meaning.

Object 225: The Holder of Lore

In any city, in any state, in any country, find any graveyard you can get yourself to. Eventually, you will find a crypt that is mysteriously left open. Enter the crypt and place your hand on the coffin inside and recite the following:

"Ego volutarie recipero meus fortuna." (Latin for "I willingly accept my fate.")

If the Holder accepts, you will find yourself in what appears to be an ancient ruined city. If you don't hear screams of agonizing pain, there really is not much you can do other than close your eyes and hope it doesn't take too long for you to die. If this does happen, keep your eyes closed no matter what. Sometimes, it's best not to see your death coming.

Otherwise, keep walking straight ahead. Don't stop to look at anything or talk to anybody else you might think you see. You don't want to still be there come nightfall.

After what seems like hours of walking, you will find yourself at the steps of a great Citadel. When you get to the door, don't knock or say anything, just wait. After a few seconds, the door will either swing open or nothing will happen. But if nothing happens, you will just have to wait until nightfall for one of "them" to find you and hope it's over quickly. Otherwise, walk in.

You will see two flights of stairs. They both seem to lead to the same balcony, but don't be fooled. They will both lead to certain death. Walk back through the door you came in and you will find yourself in the presence of the Holder of Lore. Ask him one question and nothing else: "How did they come to be?"

The Holder will speak at great length about the creation of the Objects. He will ask you questions about your life, but don't answer. He is testing your willingness to learn. When he finishes talking, he will disappear and in his place will be a dark, rusty blade about the length of your forearm, along with its sheath. Sheath it quickly and hurry to leave as fast as you can.

The blade is Object 225 of 2538. Do not draw it until the time is upon you.

Object 226: The Holder of Gore

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Get the front receptionist's attention and ask to visit someone called "The Holder of Gore". The clerk will pretend not to hear you, but keep asking until he finally looks up and agrees to lead you where you must go. He will promptly get up, and take you to a dark cellar outside the asylum.

The cellar is too dark to see, but in the entrance is a torch. Carry it with you and pray it doesn't go out. What watches you from the shadows hates the light. As you are walking, you may hear screams coming from all directions. Some sound as though they are miles away, and some only feet away. Ignore these, no matter how loud and agonizing they may be, and keep walking. Never stop to find the source.

You will eventually come to a fork meeting two hallways. One is bright and one is dark. If you take the lit path, the torch will go out, and nothing you can ever do will light the flame again. You will be stuck in that place for the rest of your mortal life, or be forced to walk back into the darkness where unimaginable creatures await you. They have not fed in decades. Unless you are particularly suicidal, take the dark path and keep a firm grip around your torch.

After what seems like a few miles, you will come to a door covered in bloody handprints with bare skeletons littering the floor. Stop at the door and ask this question, "What can hurt them?" Do not fear asking any other question, as you would be dead before you could realize it, which is a much nicer way to go than many of the ways you could have by now.

The door will swing open and you will find three men gagged and hanging by their ankles. You then realize you still have Object 225 and now you have a choice to make. You can either cut the ropes and set them free, or kill them. If you set them free, your torch will go out and the aforementioned creatures will leap for you. The Holder does not take kindly to those who take her pets' food.

If you are able to kill them in a slow, gruesome, and bloody manner, you will hear a sinister laugh evil enough to drive the most divine warrior insane before it is finished. Should you survive this, you may consider yourself rather lucky. This means the Holder was pleased with your manner of execution. She will ask you to put the knife at your feet and walk away. Do not do this if you want to get out alive. Instead, shout at her, "Show yourself or suffer the same fate!"

The room will get deathly quiet; the screams will stop, your breathing will make no noise, and the torch, still lit, will become as quiet as it was before it was lit. The Holder will let out a quiet hiss. Listen very carefully. You must detect where it came from and dodge the Holder as she lunges at you.

If you live, every candle in the room will light, showing her form. She will have the body of a snake, but with long arms with razor-sharp nails on each finger. Her face cannot be described in any human tongue, but once you have seen it, the vision of it will be burned into your mind until the day you die.

She will very slowly slither her way to you. You may think all hope is lost, but she is still mortal. When she lets her guard down, take the blade and drive it deep into her heart. She will smile at you and say, "Just as it was foretold," as she dies. Remove the heart from her chest. Needless to say, it is not like your heart. It is very dark red and pumps not blood, but rather a thick black substance that disappears when it comes in contact with your skin. Squeeze the heart in your right hand until it pops and you will find yourself outside the asylum. The heart will be gone.

Her blood is Object 226 of 2538. It pumps through your veins now.

Object 227: The Holder of Music

In any country, go to any concert hall that you can get yourself to. Once inside, you must sit at the nearest bench or chair that you can find, and wait. You must stay seated there, if at any time you get up from the chair your journey will most certainly come to an end. You must wait until a young woman holding a child walks in. It may only take several seconds of waiting for the woman to walk in, or it may take years. The woman will appear to be lost and confused; approach her. Ask her, "Are you also looking for the Holder of Music?" She will seem to ignore you for several seconds. Then she will ask you to follow her.

She will bring you onto the stage and then reveal 3 trapdoors leading underneath the stage. Open the one on the far right, but do not go inside unless you desire to see the devil himself. The far-left door will then open and a man will walk out of it. He will become enraged that the woman brought the child into his concert hall. He will pull a knife from his jacket and tell this woman that if she lays down it will be easier. She will calmly, and obediently, do as he says. He will lean closer to her, whisper something into her ear, and finally slit her throat. He will then tell you that if you lay down, it will also be much easier. Do so. Instead of cutting your throat, he will take his knife and stab it into your left leg. You will go dizzy and blackout.

Next, you will find yourself at sea, near-drowning. The knife will be stuck into your leg; you must not remove it until you are on dry land. If you manage to stay afloat for more than 10 minutes, you will find a Spanish-style guitar floating in the waves. Take it and use it to keep yourself afloat. Simply stay alive until you see a boat with the name "Claire" painted on its side. A crewman on the boat will eventually notice you, throw you a rope, and pull you into the boat. Once aboard do not say anything, at all. No matter what they ask you or tell you, do not say a word, for they are all liars. They will remove the knife and stitch up the gash. Remain on the boat until they reach a harbor. Once on land never return to the concert hall, or the man in the suit will most certainly kill you.

The guitar is Object 227 of 2538. Never play it.

Object 228: The Holder of False Truth

In any city, in any country, go to any brothel or whorehouse that you can get yourself to. Once inside, wait for one of the women, or the mistress or master of the house, to approach you. Pay no mind to their offers, and ask to be taken to "The Holder of False Truth". They will try to persuade you otherwise, and offer alternatives of the flesh. Do not accept their offers, and persist in asking. Eventually, they will give in and lead you into the basement of the house.

Along the way from the front of the house into the basement, you will hear the sounds, and perhaps even see the sights, of sexual ecstasy. Pay them no mind and continue following your guide into the basement. Once in the basement, they will lead you to a door and open it for you, revealing a descending staircase going deeper beyond the basement. They will refuse to take you any further. Do not waste time begging for them to follow and proceed alone.

No danger occurs on the journey down the stairs, however, when you leave the last step at the very bottom, you will begin to feel as if something is watching you. Time will begin to slow, as the sounds you heard upstairs will begin to ring freshly in your ears, louder and more intense than before. You will see a door at the end of the corridor you now stand in. Make your way toward it, and do not look back. Every step you take forward will feel like a year, as every fear and every sick desire you never knew you had courses through your being. Do not turn around, do not look back. There is no turning back, for if you wish to turn back now, you will be trapped in this corridor to experience these terrors for the rest of eternity. You will wish for death, but it will never come.

Continue toward the door. When you finally stand before it, you will feel exhausted. However, do not stumble, do not lay a hand upon the door. Stand before it, stiff as a board, and ask "What is their true story?" without allowing your voice to break. If you succeed, the door will swing open on its hinges. Step inside, and the door will close behind you.

You will find the room's appearance is not frightful, as it is merely a dusty old room with bare walls. Do not let your guard down. On the other end of the room, you will see a person seated on the floor, their back against the wall. The figure appears devoid of gender, starved in appearance, and dressed in ragged gray clothes. This person is the Holder. You will notice the entire room is devoid of color, except for a steely-eyed parrot that sits upon the person's shoulder. Do not look directly at the parrot, and instead, keep your eyes on the Holder.

Look into the figure's eyes, and simply ask them to "tell you the truth". They will give you a grin, one of flattery, and then proceed to tell you "the truth". It will tell you the history you have previously heard from the Holders before this one, in fictitious detail. This will not be the history you have been told. Do not believe it, and do not interrupt them to argue or question what they are telling you. If you interrupt them, their bird will fly from their shoulder to give you a quick and befitting death. Let them finish their history.

You will know they are finished when the parrot leaves their shoulders, regardless. If you have listened to their story, without interrupting and without looking away, the bird will perch harmlessly on a nearby basement window. As it does this, the Holder will follow the parrot with their eyes, then bring their gaze harmlessly back to you. At that moment, you will remember that you have Object 225. Take it and cut out the figure's tongue. They will lay dead upon the cement floor after you remove it. Hold the tongue in your left hand, then turn toward the parrot and hold out your right hand.

The parrot will fly from the windowsill and land in your open hand, only to devour the tongue from your left hand. When it has finished, it will look up at you and thank you: in the voice of the now-deceased Holder. From now on, this voice will tell you nothing but truth, no matter how cruel it may appear.

That parrot is Object 228 of 2538. It will provide you with the truth 'til the very end.

In any city, in any country, go to any mall or shopping center you can get yourself to. You must ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Friendship". The worker will stand and greet you as if they had known you all your life and hand you a piece of paper. You must then turn around in a 180-degree turn, and regardless of what was behind you when you came in, you will find a featureless white wall with a single open elevator. Enter the elevator and it will start rising. Then read the paper. The elevator will instantly stop. You will then be in a long beige corridor with a single door at the end. As you walk along the corridor, every insult you could ever imagine will be heard over and over again, growing into a cacophony of voices completely indiscernible.

Suddenly, the voices will all stop and silence will fall. A single voice will say, "I should not be here. Why did YOU come?" You must instantly kneel and say clearly, "I will not leave you." If you feel suddenly colder than you could ever imagine, you must run. Do not head back the way you came, that way will be blocked against you. Head directly into the left-hand wall. If you have escaped, the wall will disappear and you will be home. You may try again next week.

If a voice says repeatedly "You stand alone", you may continue. Upon reaching the door, writing will be scrawled across it, screaming that you must not open the door. You must ignore this, and you must straightaway open it, or you will be lost forever. When you enter you will be in a luxurious mansion, in a massive lobby. Chained in front of you will be a teenage boy, his shoulder-length black hair just covering his eyes from view. You must walk toward him, and upon doing so you will suddenly be wading waist-deep in snakes. The snakes will not bite you if you keep your eyes on the boy. When you draw closer, the snakes will disappear and all lights will disappear, bar one spotlight which will stay on the boy. All manner of things will reach for you and try to drag you into the darkness; stay your course. After this trial, your best friend will walk in front of you, blocking your path. Your friend will tell you, "You may not speak with the Holder. Come, let us leave." You must say, "I will not strike you down, but my resolve is true. I must speak with the Holder." Your friend will disappear.

The boy will then look deep into your eyes with his, which glow bright red. You may ask him, "Who shall aid me?" He will then tell you who your allies are, who your enemies are, and who will stand with you until the end. Do not interrupt him. But most importantly, do not look behind him. If you do, you will see exactly why the boy is there, and you will take his place.

Once he has finished speaking, he will smile warmly and step down from his chains. He will hand you a cell phone with black angel wings burnt into the back. He will then follow you for the rest of your life, but will protect you from death once and only once.

This is Object 229 of 2538. Whatever you do, He will be by your side.

Object 230: The Holder of All-Consuming Despair

Go to any abandoned building in any city in the state of California. Any one will do, it matters not at all. Venture into the building and find the darkest corner of the darkest room. Stand in that corner and say out loud: "I want to speak with the one who has long since run out of tears to shed." Then turn and try to leave the by door you came through.

The door will not lead back the way you came, but instead into a small room. In one corner there is a stereo that plays your favorite music, a TV that plays your favorite movie, a table covered in your favorite food and drink, and a couch with a boy no older than sixteen on it.

The boy will greet you with a sorrowful smile and a polite hello before lowering his gaze to the whiskey bottle in his hand, in obvious sorrow. He will not react to you in any other way, and will remain in this depressed state despite the good food, television, and music surrounding him.

He will only respond to one question. "What is it that despairs you so?" And he will tell you just what it is that despairs him so. Every last tragic moment of his sorrow-filled life will be laid bare before you. You must sit through this horrible tale of depression and sadness. Most are unable, most flee the room in tears, others despair of ever being happy again and sit next to him on the couch, as oblivious to the joyful things around them as he is, never leaving the room.

If you can stand this tale of unending sadness, then he will fall silent at its end. He will return his gaze to the bottle of whiskey and gesture for you to leave. Do not leave, but instead tell him of something you love. It can be anything, a funny story, a heartwarming poem, anything that brought you joy.

If you have the heart to think of something joyful after hearing such a tragic tale of despair, then you will be rewarded with a small smile on the face of the Holder.

You must then say, "Things aren't so bad in the end." At this, he will wordlessly stand up, and as a reward for granting him a few small moments in which he did not wish for death, he will give you the bottle of whiskey in his hand.

Be Warned: The few that emerge from this room have described doing only the above and nothing else, something to keep in mind.

The bottle is Object 230 of 2538, and its contents will grand you temporary shelter from the despair to come.

Object 231: The Holder of Sympathy

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Sympathy". If a look of sadness comes across the worker's face, do not proceed. Flee that building and try again later. But, if a grin of satisfaction and glee comes across his or her face, then the time is right. If this happens, ask again. After finishing your query, you will immediately faint and wake up seconds later in a dark and abandoned hospital, full of dying children.

Reach into your pocket. You will find a vial. Show no sign that you hold the vial, for if the children find out, the urge will be too strong to resist. They will rip you, and each other, apart in an attempt to recover the vial. It is the only thing they desire.

After finding the vial, continue walking in the hospital. If you stray from your path, or make eye contact with any of the children, then they will immediately discover that you have the vial. This event would be quite unfortunate, and would result in your untimely death. The children will cry for your help, you must not give in. Do not look at them, do not acknowledge their presence. Ignoring them will make you hate yourself in the deepest way possible, but you must not give in.

There are multiple paths, all which lead to the same point, but it is not guaranteed that you will survive certain paths. If you are lucky, you will take a long, but safe, walk. It will seem like forever, but you will find a door at the end of your path. The children will begin to rally against you. Act quickly, and find a way to open the door.

If you succeed, the door will lead to a bright hospital room with a solitary bed and a single man lying on it. Remove the vial from your pocket and remove the cap. After doing so, a pungent scent will emanate from the vial. It will smell like formaldehyde. Be warned, the smell will make you lightheaded and the sensation will threaten to distract you from your task.

You must pour the liquid into the man's mouth. While getting close, you'll realize he is dead. He is a nice enough-looking old man, and seems to pose no threat. But as soon as you pour the substance into his mouth, look away, for if your eyes seek his, you will be trapped in those eyes forever, just another soul lost to the Holder of Sympathy. After you hear him stir behind you, you must ask, "What is the price of sympathy?" The Holder will put a hand on your shoulder, and wordlessly transmit the answer to you via memory flashes. All who have gone before you have gone mad and have been doomed to live in the hospital, begging for the poison in the vial, begging you to be their angel of mercy. Begging for sympathy. But if you survive, the man will die again, as a result of the poison, and you will make your exit with the vial which will have refilled itself.

The vial which you hold is Object 231 of 2538. Hope to any gods you may have heard of you never have to use it.

Object 232: The Holder of Deliverance

In any city, in any country, go to any residential alleyway or street in a metropolis.

Water and Snow

It's as if an ocean of oil were rushing past - stretching as far as the eye could see, yet only ankle deep. Even the sky seems stained black. She is only a lone white figure standing amongst it, undisturbed by the freezing black water rushing over her bare feet. Her white robe dangles in the waves as well, but remains dry.

It's been many months since a strange man entered her river to ask her why. He asked her why the pendulum swung, and when she told him the tale, he began to cry and wail heavily. Then, She took pity on him, and decided to go with him. Now, Snow White is all alone.

Suddenly, the sound of nails on brick pierces her ears, and she cringes from the noise. At the same time, a large white tear appears before her in the air. From it, a few white flakes flutter and fall into the dark water to be swallowed up.

The light shining from this tear in space taunts her, and she moves forward through the dark water. Hesitantly, she pokes a finger through, feeling cool and crisp wind on the other side. From this light, something calls to her clearly.

Then, a determined look crosses her face, and she shoves both her hands through the tear and rips it wide open. A burst of snowflakes swamp against her, but she just inhales and leaps forward.

 

It's snowing in Manhattan.

It falls in large cotton ball clumps, coating the streets softly. People are bustling to and fro, as usual, but no one is looking at each other, no one is talking. They're too busy with their own lives to keep each other company in this cold city.

What is it about New York that makes it so lonely? Perhaps it's one of the side-effects of winter fulling setting in, or because - as the business capital of the country - no one here had time to connect. Or maybe it was just because I had moved here from the Midwest, where everyone seemed to know each other. Here, I rarely talk to anyone.

From my fifth-story apartment, you can watch people come and go down the street as you please. It's just like any other street in the city, dull and boring. Today, though, it's notably not that way. The white woman throws it all off.

One might mistake her for a mannequin by how pale she is. Her hair is very long and purest white, and she wears a long white kimono-like robe around herself. The way the cold October snow alights down on her figure makes her look haunting, like a ghost.

I've only just returned from getting groceries when I see her standing in the street before me, clothed so thinly in this freezing weather. She's looking around curiously, as if she's lost her way, but her face is completely blank. Her skin is a soft and radiant white, like snow. The skin around her eyes is much darker, gray or black. It's as if someone had given her two black eyes.

Despite this, she still looks beautiful. Talking to her would usually make me nervous, but... Today is different. It's been a good morning so far; I got a great tip at the café, traffic was good for once, and all of my favorite songs were on the radio. Today, I feel a spark of confidence.

"Excuse me," I start, setting down my bags. "Are you cold? I can offer you my scarf."

I hold forth my scarf, smiling like an imbecile. In some manner of acknowledgment, her eyes and face certainly turn to me, but she doesn't answer, and doesn't change her expression. Within those eyes, I see nothing. My smile falls from my face.

She turns her eyes away from me, only shifting slightly in her pose as if to shrug the offer off. I try to say something - an apology perhaps - but find my words sticking in my throat. So, I hunch my shoulders and turn away from her, glancing back over my shoulder at her one last time.

She's gone, as if she had never been. I nearly drop my bags out of shock, and look around wildly. Perhaps she had simply slipped around the corner into an alley. If that hadn't been enough, I see something else out of the ordinary. Right in the spot she had been standing, something had been scratched into the brick wall. It's hard to read, as it's crisscrossed by mortar, but I come closer and trace the lines carefully with my eyes. My heart drops into my stomach.

"SAVE ME"

Ghost

Searching...

File found.

Date: Jan-13-08

Author: J. Quincy

 

Everyone has something that's important to them. An heirloom, a trinket, even something they see in a store one day and feel they must buy. That object becomes a part of their identity, a part of what defines them. Some objects are different.

There are some people who protect an item a little too closely, who shun social contact in preference for their precious item. These people might travel a lot, but you never know where they go. They go from city to city, visiting the oddest of places: mental institutions, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics. You might see them carrying instructions with them, that they won't ever let you see. They'll go into these places and ask for someone. They might come out much later, with something in hand.

If you ever know such a person, it might be too late for you. This person is a Seeker. Welcome to our world, and abandon all hope.

 

Does this woman even exist? No matter how many people I ask, no one knows about her. For two months, I roam all over Manhattan, but like a ghost, it's as if she were a passing vision.

I go to the hospitals first, hoping she had gone there if she was in trouble. I describe her carefully, but they say they would know if someone who looked like that were admitted. I go to the local police stations next, but the same situation repeats itself.

By now, it's driving me mad. She just stood out too much, the way she seemed to have come from nowhere before disappearing again. Somebody must know something.

Although I'm frustrated, I'm exhilarated at the same time. I had long grown tired of my life here, and now I feel like a detective. The white woman appearing before me was the oddest thing I've ever seen, and the search for answers is giving me almost more energy than I can handle.

But, despite going out to look for her on whatever spare time I can get from my lousy job, I've come home empty-handed every night. Luckily, I've never been the kind of person to just give up. Since I can't find anything on the streets, I instead turn to the internet.

I end up spending the entire day searching through websites, using a combination of terms to describe her. Most of the hits are a waste of time, so I try adding the location. Now, I'm down to only a few hits, and one of these sites is extremely strange. It comes up as unavailable, and I pound the refresh button in frustration. To my surprise, a forum then appears, and I begin to investigate.

For being somewhat hidden, it still gets a modest amount of traffic. The creepiest part of it is that it looks like everyone is talking in code. I sift carefully through the forum for an entire day before I'm able to really construct what it is they're talking about. Most of the discussion revolves around a set of "Objects". I glance quickly through the posts, until I find what I'm looking for. In breathless anticipation, I read about a member called "Kochz" talking about a woman with white hair, white skin, white clothes, and black eyes.

Kochz - 10/14/08 (Tue)

Has anyone else seen Snow White? Where's the last place someone saw her?

 

Several members discuss where she might be, and most think she's around New York. I laugh out loud, hardly able to contain my excitement as I reply as fast as I can.

CrieHanam - 10/14/08 (Tue)

I'm not sure where she is now, but I've seen her!

 

I tell them where in Manhattan she had appeared. Perhaps I can find out who she is if we help each other track her down. Who was she? Where had she gone?

The forum is peculiar, without a doubt. I'm not sure what Objects the forum talks about, and what it has to do with the woman I've seen outside my apartment, but I need any answers I can get.

It isn't very long before I get a message from one of the members. To my surprise, all it contains is a phone number. I recognize it as a local number, and hesitate as I pull out my phone. There's no way it could be unsafe, right? It's just a simple phone call. So, I dial in the number.

"Hey," comes the voice. "So, Snow White. You've seen her in Manhattan, then. Where?"

I pause before I can answer. His voice is flat and gravelly, and he already seems odd to me. How much can I tell him safely?

"She was outside of my apartment." Perhaps it's just because of the oddness of the situation, but my speech stiffens like ice. I try to relax. "Two months ago."

"Two months ago? That's the earliest sighting so far. We'd like to know more about where she is now, but maybe it's for the better if she hasn't turned up, right?"

He seems to be joking, but he's left me confused. It's for the better if they don't find her?

"How many have you got anyway?" he asks, much quieter. His voice has changed now; it's become deeper and quieter. It makes a chill run up my spine.

"I'm sorry. How many what?"

"Objects. How many?"

"Objects?" I pause. "Oh! No, I don't know about any of that. I just found that site to ask about the woman. I don't have anything to do with that Object... uh... business."

For several moments, I don't hear a thing. Just as I'm about to ask if he's still there, though, he speaks to me in a sharp hiss.

"No Objects? You mean to say you don't... know about anything?"

"Not really."

"Why would she be following someone who's not a Seeker?"

"Following me? She wasn't following me," I say. "I thought you all were looking for her!"

"We don't want to know where she is because we want to find her. We want to know so we can avoid her."

Why would he want to go to such lengths to avoid one woman? "Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I just wanted to find this girl. Do you know where she is?"

"You... want to?" he breathes in disbelief. "We Seekers would rather her disappear."

"So are you going to help me or not?"

There is one more long pause, and what he says next is barely audible.

"If you still want to know about her, you're going to have to get your hands dirty. This talk about Objects isn't just make-believe. It's real. There are Objects out there that are extremely special, and they twist those who Seek them. They are called Seekers, and these are the people that snow White is following. Are you sure you still want to look for her?"

For the first time, my exhilaration of the search can't be found. Instead, what this man has said to me gives me a slight amount of trepidation. It's only after he's finished speaking that I realize I've been holding my breath.

After a short pause, I say, "Yes."

"Then call me back after you're a little more educated."

He hangs up the phone. My fists clench a little in frustration. This man was completely serious about these "special" Objects. The whole thing is weird, but if I want to find the white woman, I would need to read into it more.

I slump back in my chair, once again leaning over to stare down into the street that the white woman had appeared in. The fallen snow goads me, reminding me of the ghost I saw that day.

Seeking Snow White

Searching...

File found

Date: Feb-3-08

Author: J. Quincy

 

You wouldn't be able to tell an Object just by looking at one. They can be anything, from a sword to a thumbtack. The problem is getting them. Once you enter the Holder's world, your life is fair game. What they can do to you is more awful than can be described. However, it's important to remember that it doesn't always follow the formula.

Some Holders will never give you a chance to win your prize. Some Objects can't be touched. Some Seekers cannot exactly be called human. There are exceptions to every rule.

 

The more I read about the Seekers, the more I begin to see why the man from before was serious. They are all off in some way. What I at first mistook for simply being unsociable was much more than that. They were obsessive about seeking, and completely unpredictable. They hardly trusted each other, constantly lied, and were more often traitorous than they were generous.

Yet, this was not nearly as startling as the turnover rate of Seekers on this site. Some of them would be regular for months, before suddenly vanishing mere days after they supposedly retrieved an Object. If that person was popular, the disappearance would be sometimes discussed; otherwise, they were treated as if they had never existed in the first place. The common disappearance of Seekers here was matched only by the arrival of curious newcomers.

The Seekers risk their lives for the Objects. Why do they put themselves through it?

I am driving to meet the Seeker in Central Park. He would only identify himself as Thompson, and that he could help me find the woman known as "Snow White"

I arrived at the park shortly before sunset, stepping out of my car carefully and scanning my surroundings. There isn't anyone I can see from here, except for a few women walking their dogs. The silence here puts me on edge; the man's mannerisms over the phone before had been creepy enough to make me watch my back.

As I make my way down the path into the park, I spot a shadow on a park bench, hunched over. Somehow, I know that is the right person; the chill that runs up my spine reminds me of the phone call.

"Thompson?" I ask, approaching cautiously.

Rather than confirming, he looks up and asks, "Are you Eric?"

I nod. He straightens his posture. "Ask me what I know about Snow White."

I'm caught off guard a little. What a strange thing to say. "W- What do you know about Snow White?"

"I was the one she was following last week," he starts, like a storyteller.

"She followed me to work, to school. She stood outside and stared at me through the window. She tried to get closer to me, and I ran. I didn't know what she wanted. She would follow me everywhere."

I listen, still puzzled. He is very calm - a little too calm - but there is an air of uneasiness about him. Even though he shows no emotion, it feels as if there is dangerous energy just under the surface.

"I asked around, talked to a few other Seekers. I found some others that had been followed by Snow White. One of them, the most recent one, was a guy that gave me the pendulum. Right after he gave it to me, she stopped following him, and started following me. And the same thing happened with the person who gave him the pendulum. So, I gave mine away to another Seeker. She stopped following me. Ask me about the pendulum."

I pause for a moment. The calm way that he says it makes me even more uneasy. "What's the pendulum?"

"An Object. We couldn't find many stories about it. We don't even know which Holder the first guy got it from."

The Objects again? What does she have to do with them anyway?

"So, why would -"

"Ask me why Snow White would be following the Seekers with the pendulum."

Thompson is starting to disturb me. I clench my fists a little to let the feeling pass. "Why would the woman be following Seekers with the pendulum?"

"Who knows."

I feel like I'm ready to punch him, or run away, but neither feeling wins out over the other. I'm having difficulty keeping up, but allow him to continue.

Thompson continues, "I gave it away pretty quickly when I found out she was after it. I didn't tell him about Snow White. We wanna keep it secret so we always have someone to give it away to. Ask me how you can find the pendulum."

My nerves have had enough. "Would you stop doing that?"

His foot shoots out and cracks against my ankle. With a sharp cry, I tumble to the ground, gripping my ankle, and Thompson steps on my neck. The fierce look on his face makes him look like a wild dog, about to start foaming at the mouth.

"Don't you tell me what to do, you brat."

I struggle with the boot, but my efforts are futile. I'm alone with him here, and no matter how much I try to cry out, I can only rasp faintly.

Suddenly, he lets up his foot, and I buckle over, coughing and clutching at my throat. When I look at him, I see something incredible. How did his face get so stained with tears in such a short amount of time? He sits back down on the bench, and puts his head in his hands. He's crying like he's just lost a family member.

After a few minutes of silence, he raises his head and looks at me with red eyes.

"I can't help you anymore. Look up the Librarian. If anyone knows about the pendulum more than anyone else, it's him. He knows more about the Objects than most of us."

Still rubbing my throat, the only thing that still keeps me glued to the spot is one lingering question.

"Are they seriously real?"

He looks up at me with a bitter and hateful sneer on his face.

"Tell me about your dreams," he growls at me.

"What do you mean?" I say, taken aback.

"What do you want to do with your life?"

I clench my jaw a little, and for reasons I can't explain, I suddenly get sick to my stomach.

"An actor."

 

He laughs bitterly. "I wanted to be a farmer. A farmer! But, there's no future for Seekers. As soon as you start seeking, it consumes you. You're doing it for life. Whatever dreams you had are eaten away. Eaten by the Objects. Until you die."

Changed

Searching...

File found.

Date: Apr-18-08

Author: J. Quincy

 

When Objects are in the hands of Seekers, any number of things could happen to them. They'll trade hands sometimes, or even get lost. When this happens, often times they'll either somehow find their way back to their owner, or wind up back with their Holder.

Most of the time, Seekers will hang on to them obsessively. Even for those Seekers that seem to retain their sanity after getting one, the pendulum will always swing back. They will start to change. The addiction takes hold of them, and as they become disconnected from the world around them, they form a bond with their Object.

Every now and then, you will hear strange stories of Seekers vanishing unexpectedly, with no one having any idea where they went. If you dig deep enough, you may discover that there are often power outages around the areas they lived at the time of their disappearance. When this happens, a new Holder has been born.

 

At some point, I should have given up. I've gotten myself deep into something I didn't fully understand, out of pure curiosity. At what point should I have just stayed home?

Yet, every time I dwell on it, I can't bear the thought of returning to my former life. Every day was the same, repeated over and over. I came to New York with dreams that were not being realized, and as a result, I was falling more and more into a spiral of monotony.

I told myself from the moment I got involved that I wouldn't stop until I had all my answers, and I still had not changed my mind. Even after the meeting with Thompson, I had to dig deeper. It was the only thing I could do.

What did the message "Save me" mean? Was she even in trouble? What was she after? To get these answers, I'd have to find the Librarian. He is well-known in the Seeker community, as a researcher who spends most of his days gathering information about the Objects and Holders. As it turns out, he's not very popular; the Seekers' favorite nicknames for him range from "wannabe Seeker" to "coward". He lives in Boston, which is several hours away, but if I must, the drive wouldn't bother me.

In the meantime, I had to admit that my curiosity became almost obsessive when I began to look at some of the Holder instructions.

The "instructions" have been gathered from various sources, most of which are questionable at very best, but I've been told this is how it is intended to be. No matter how much I ask, these Seekers simply can't prove for sure that the Objects really exist.

Part of what makes them so enticing is that, despite this, any person could go to a certain place, ask to visit a Holder, and undergo a test to earn an Object. As far as most of the Objects went, it was easy to start, and then you would know for sure.

All of my other questions had to take a backseat to the most important one. First, I had to know if they were real. I had to find an Object myself.

"In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to."

The instructions I have now are very clear on what I have to do for this Object. I'm standing outside of a mental hospital in Hartford, the notes on the paper quivering slightly in my hand. Why am I so nervous? All I have to do is go in, ask for the Holder, and walk back out feeling embarrassed. The clerk will probably just give me a funny look, that's all. But, what if that's not what happens?

I creak open the doors slowly and make my way to the front desk. My heart is pounding in my ears, and I almost have to remind myself how to walk. The woman at the front desk is staring at me like I'm a patient that had wandered loose, so I try to avert my gaze as I reach the desk.

"May I help you?" she asks monotonously.

It's too late to go back now.

"May I speak to the Holder of Change?"

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, and she begins to raise her eyebrows, like I expected. But, she freezes, and her pupils dilate. Her whole frame seems to sink, and her face becomes expressionless. I can hardly breathe, but she lets out a sigh that seems to last for minutes. Then, slowly, she walks to the door of a broom closet and opens it, before walking away down a hall.

It must be a joke. Some elaborate prank that the clerk was in on. She reacted exactly as the instructions said she would. There was no way this was circumstantial, right?

I step into the broom closet and shut the door tight. It was the only way to know for sure. There was no way the next part could be a setup, no matter how much the prankster prepared. I would open the door back into the mental institution, and the clerk would simply laugh at me while I stalk out of the building shamefully. That's how it would go.

Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle of the door, and open it back up. The room before me is small and windowless, like a prison cell. Paint peels from the walls, cobwebs lurk in the corners, and the sole light hanging from the ceiling flickers halfheartedly. The room I see looks older than anything I've ever known, as if it had been abandoned for decades.

Seconds after I had opened the door, a rotting stench rushes into my nostrils, and I double over, trying not to vomit. The corpse in the center of the floor is clearly months old, the rotting flesh and maggots sloughing from its bones. Its face is no longer recognizable, merely a skull - hanging open, and with bits of green and red mass hanging from its creases.

In the body's hands lays a revolver, gleaming like new.

Knees trembling, I stumble into the room with difficulty. The air is so thick in here that it feels like I might suffocate. It feels wrong. Everything feels wrong in here. I've stepped into a world completely apart from the mental institution, or any other part of the world I'm familiar with. It feels dark and threatening.

I get on my hands and knees over the face of the corpse, breathing heavily. The air is so thick, and it's difficult to keep from vomiting. The empty eye sockets stare at me as if waiting for the question I must ask. The question the instructions demand that I must ask.

"What were they once?" I whisper softly.

The body's bony hands whip up and latch around my head, pulling me closer, pulling me right down to its face. Its jaw creaks like a broken hinge, snapping itself into place and moving up and down. From the depths of its throat a voice arises, that sounds like it's being uttered from the bottom of a well.

It pulls me even closer, its mouth right up against my ear, and begins to answer my question. My bodily fluids have already hurriedly vacated themselves, and now, I feel as if my life itself is being drained away. I don't know how long it's taking - it could be minutes, hours, or even days. But what it says brings a terror to my heart I had never known. Its voice tears at my soul with each syllable.

As soon as it finishes, I let out a scream that could shred my vocal cords, and its bony hands release me. With the little sanity I have left, I see the revolver that the rotting hand has dropped and scoop it up with a trembling hand.

Now, I'm lying on the lawn of the institution, a dull bruise on my forehead. I don't remember hearing the gunshot. For that matter, I don't remember how I even got out here. All I know is, I was free of the Holder's realm, and in my hand rested the casing of the bullet I had fired.

The casing is Object 178 of 2538. Now I know what They were once, and even if it had not been in the instructions, I still may have turned that gun on myself anyway.

Answers

Searching...

File found...

Date: Aug-01-08

Author: J. Quincy

 

What's the hardest part about finding those Holders? It's the power the Objects hold. They give its Holder the power to alter reality. Inside their worlds, they are like gods. If you don't do exactly the right things at the right place, you can't even get in. Holders are some of the most terrifying beings that exist.

However, Holders are not nearly as frightening as Seekers. The Holders protect the Objects; if you don't bother them, they won't hurt you. But, the Seekers are willing to do anything in order to get the Objects. There is no honor among thieves.

 

The streets of Manhattan seem different now. Darker and colder. Faces are shrouded in veils of shadow, their cold eyes staring out from within. As I walk down the road, pedestrians give me a wide berth.

I climb the stairs to my apartment slowly, plodding up the steps. Silence falls on the other sides of the doors, only lifting after I've passed. Even my apartment looks different now, alien. The TV I got from my parents, or the couch I bought on my first day here don't look familiar anymore.

Is this what I wanted? Is this the answer I've been looking for? I shot myself... in the head. How could I still be standing here? I don't even remember the exact moment it happened.

I pour myself a glass of orange juice from the fridge and drink it quickly. It soothes my dry throat, but it tastes bland and dull, like my sense of taste has been pulled completely away from me. For some reason, I fail to be surprised. When I look down into the street from my window, I jump and blink; for a moment, I see a black shadow hanging over the spot where Snow White had once stood.

The glass of orange juice slips from my hand and shatters on the floor, and I swear loudly in shock. I look back out the window, but the shadow isn't there anymore. This kind of thing had been happening a lot since I returned... Everywhere I look, shadows lurk in the periphery of my vision, in hidden corners as I pass them, in the faces of people that walk past me.

It is only after I've finished picking up the glass and disposing of it that I notice a cut on my finger. A dribble of blood runs down the length of my finger, and I can't even feel it. No taste, no touch, no smell.

Someone in the street is walking by, and looks up and sees me. When our eyes meet, they blanch and hurry away as if they had seen a ghost. As if on cue, the snow begins to fall as well. This snow is not beautiful, but bitter and cold.

The minutes tick by quickly, and the day wears on, and I remain standing by the window, staring down at the cement below. Even though I've only just returned from the Holder of Change, my face shows no emotion whatsoever.

That night, lying in my bed, I stare at the bedside table, where the empty bullet casing lay. It glitters innocently, holding my attention for hours as I try to fall asleep. Just before I drift away, I hear the soft whisper drift through the air, barely audible.

My dream is of all-encompassing darkness, and black water is rushing over my feet. Its icy chill crawls over my skin and my muscles, making its way up my body. Like roving tendrils, the chill digs into my body, to get at my soul. It's just like before, in the mental institution, when that deathly voice whispered in my ear.

All of a sudden, there's an irresistible force on my back, which forces me to my knees. My hands splash down into the water, and I feel something slick clinging to my fingers. When I draw them out, my fingers are covered with something shiny and black.

At 5:38 in the morning, before the sun has bothered to welcome Manhattan, I sit upright and scream at the top of my lungs. The oil on my hands has left black handprints on the sheets, which I hurriedly tear from the bed. Howling like a beast, I pull my nightstand from the wall and throw it as hard as I can across the room. It smashes into my mirror with a deafening crash and splinters to the ground. I pay no heed to it and begin to wreak havoc on everything I own.

My bed, my TV, my computer, everything. I wish I didn't know, I wish I didn't know! Why do I have to know?! Blood is dripping from my hands as I throw my hand through my window, and I don't even feel the cold breeze on my open wounds. So, I keep punching, raining glass down on the sidewalk.

Why do I have to know?!

It's 6:00 now, and I'm grabbing my coat. Now only one thought hangs in my mind: the Librarian. Now that I know, I have to keep going.

I am out of New York well before sunrise, and by the time I'm out of the state, I notice that I'm well exceeding the speed limit, and that I've been breezing past cars for several hours. Why haven't I been pulled over? Of course, people have been avoiding me since I left the mental institution, so perhaps it was paying off now.

It isn't over yet. One answer led to even more questions. I would never forget what the Holder of Change had told me, but it wouldn't keep me from finding out about Snow White, the Pendulum, the message on the wall.

It's a lonely drive, yet I'm not alone. The voice keeps me company as I drive. I can't always understand what it says to me, but when it whispers softly into my ear, I can't help but feel calm and relax my tight grip on the wheel.

Time flies by as I focus on the road ahead of me, and before I know it, I've entered the city limits of Boston. Before I went to that mental institution, I had remembered to print out a map to the Librarian's address, and it's crumpled in my hand. When I see his house spring up beside me on the street, I slam on my brakes and pull over.

I ring the doorbell and wait anxiously. After several impatient minutes, the door cracks open, and a face appears. The Librarian looks at me through round spectacles. He's clearly younger than me; not what I was expecting at all. He looks me over with an odd smile, a twinkle in his eye.

"Are you the Librarian?" I ask with a hoarse voice. "I'm here about the pendulum."

He smiles knowingly at me.

"I was wondering when you would show up." He stands back and holds the door open for me.

The Librarian

Searching...

File found.

Date: Aug-01-08

Author: J. Quincy

 

This dark world is filled with questions. Where do the Objects come from? Why do they exist? Why must we Seek them? What happens to Holders when their Object is taken? We don't know the answer to these questions. Seekers live in a dark and unknown world, and our only comfort is our hobby.

Though they can be found anywhere, a surprising number of Holders can be found in mental institutions. We often get asked, "Why mental institutions?" It's because that's where they feel most at home. That's where we would end up, after all.

 

I take a step forward, but the Librarian's smile suddenly disappears. He holds me back with an open palm and gives me an urgent stare.

"You have an Object, don't you?"

The question startles me slightly, but I recover quickly. "Yes."

"Then please, leave it outside."

"Why?"

"I'll explain when we're inside."

I withdraw the bullet casing from my pocket and hold it in my hand. It tingles to the touch; it still feels as warm as the moment I discharged it. Lovingly, I wrap my fingers around it.

"Why?" I ask again, more forcefully.

He levels his gaze at me through his glasses. "Because it puts me in danger." The blunt statement comes in low and catches me off guard. Taking a second look at the casing in my hand, the only thing I can remember now is the terror on Thompson's face before I left him.

In a sudden moment of clarity, I decide to ignore the voice, just this once. The casing makes a soft tink as it hits the step at my feet, and he smiles again and waves me inside. The inside of Librarian's house is more or less how I visualized it. It's messy and dark, and every room is piled with books and papers.

"Excuse the mess." The Librarian leads me to his study, the messiest room in the house. We weave our way through the shelves and piles of books until we reach his desk. Most of them are covered in a thick layer of dust, making them look ancient.

"Gum?" he asks, offering a pack.

"No, thanks." It's difficult to keep a scowl off my face - he doesn't know I wouldn't taste it.

He's almost unnervingly friendly. The Seekers as I understand them now are paranoid people that avoid social contact, making the Librarian the most abnormal one I've met.

"How did you know I was coming?"

"Your relentless pursuit has been wholly noticeable," he says, as if stating the obvious. "I've been watching your quest for a while now, and I could guarantee you that any Seeker that knows about Snow White also knows about you. Thompson was the one that referred you to me, right? I don't know if you've heard, but he committed suicide soon after you met him. Hanged himself in his closet."

I grumble a little at how nonchalantly he says it. I remember that most Seekers don't like the Librarian for some reason. They call him a wannabe Seeker. "Is that what you do? Just watch and research? You don't have any Objects yourself, do you?"

"No. I try to stay away from them as much as possible. Seekers are like drug addicts, always consumed by the desire to keep Seeking. So, if I keep them away from me as much as possible, I won't lose my mind."

He says it so simply, so childishly. "Then, why are you even researching them?"

"Like you, I didn't choose to find out about the Holders and Seekers. Still, it's an interesting world, with such esoteric knowledge. Tempting to anyone with a taste for the unknown, right? I want to help the Seekers find their answers, but I'd rather go the rest of my life without ever holding an Object again."

"So, you've had one in the past?"

He glares at me, and has a slightly annoyed look on his face. I've stepped over the line. "Perhaps your inquiries are better directed to the subject of Snow White?" He turns away and begins to roam through a stack of papers on his desk, huffing slightly. There's nothing I can do now but drive at the truth.

"Is she human? Is she a Seeker?"

"To call her human is too great a charity. Whether she's a Seeker or not is up for debate."

"What can you tell me about the pendulum?"

He pulls out a piece of paper and holds it out to me. It's a page ripped out of a new notebook, written in neat and concise English.

"It's what I've been able to put together of the instructions to get the pendulum from its Holder."

"Great," I say, taking it and pocketing it. "One more thing, then. If you've been researching the pendulum, you must know where it is now."

At this point, the Librarian seems to withdraw. His smile disappears like a lightbulb shorting out, and he avoids my eyes. "It's your own fault, you know, that you got wrapped up in this. There's no way out of it, now."

"I know!" I yell impatiently. My yell fills the room and makes the Librarian cringe. I lower my voice, but advance on him. I won't let him slip away. "I know what I'm getting myself into. I know it's a dead-end road. Just tell me where to go. I need to know where it is."

The resignation in his face builds as I bear down on him, until he finally gives. "It's here, in Boston. A colleague of mine has it now. Allen Dahl."

He hands me a business card with his address, and I put it in my pocket.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?" he asks.

I stare at him for a long time, long enough for him to begin feeling uncomfortable. Only then do I speak.

"Why do the Seekers need the Objects?"

His eyes are wide with surprise, but he then laughs at my question.

"Interesting question! I can't count how many times I've heard that asked. But, that knowledge can't be fully known by any sane person. Only the Holders know."

"That's all I need," I say with a smirk.

"Then you'd better hurry if you want to get there before Snow White does."

The Librarian follows me as I bound out the door and back toward my car, and he watches me pull away, squealing my tires. After I've disappeared from sight, he gives an audible sigh, and turns back to the threshold. His foot bumps something metallic, and he looks down to see the empty casing that still rests on the step.

A faint whisper calls to him.

Bounty

"Hello, mom."

"Hi, honey. How is New York treating you?"

"It's alright. Same old, same old, you know?"

"How did the audition go?"

"The what?"

"Didn't you audition for Dracula last week?"

"Oh! Actually... I forgot about it..."

"You forgot? But, you wouldn't stop talking about it! I thought you really wanted to be in that production!"

"Yeah. Well, I've had a lot going on. Things have been kind of crazy up here."

"Eric, that's not like you. You even moved all the way up there just so you could be in the shows! I couldn't imagine you forgetting about such an important audition."

"..."

"Eric? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Listen, I'm going to be out of town for a while. I'm going up to Boston, and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I just wanted to let you know."

"What are you going to Boston for?"

"I can't really say. I just wanted to let you know, so you didn't worry about me. I'll let you know when I'm back. I love you."

"Eric, did something happen?"

"Goodbye."

 

Up until now, there's one question I've failed to ask myself. What would I do once I've found my answers? Go home, back to trying to become an actor, trying to become rich and famous? Compared to this world, even that dream is so... mundane. No, all I can think of now is my path before me.

I know more about the Objects than ever. More than most other humans could ever wrap their minds around. It would be a sin to let that knowledge go to waste.

Allen's apartment is in a large complex with a garden out back, each apartment with a balcony. Night has fallen once again, and the ground is still covered in snow from the recent snowstorm. At a determined pace, I enter the complex and march up to his door.

Soon after I knock, the door cracks open, and a puff of cigarette smoke rolls against my face. The man glaring at me has a scraggly beard and is puffing on a cigarette; he looks like a convict. He's at least ten years older than the Librarian; are they really colleagues?

"Are you gonna tell me what you want, or shall I close the door?" he growls at me.

"I... The Librarian gave me your address."

He rolls his eyes a little. "Oh. You must be Eric." He pulls open the door for me and retreats into his living room, slumping on his couch. The TV isn't set on anything, only showing static. Yet, he stares at it intently.

"So... You know the Librarian..." I start.

"Duh," he drawls, eyes still locked on the TV. "I wish I didn't. He's a prick."

"Is that so?"

"He sits in his room researching the Objects, gave up the only Objects he's ever had, and is too afraid to go after any more. Why do you think Seekers hate him so much?"

Impatiently, I decide to get to the subject at hand. "I'm... looking for the pendulum."

He gives me an odd look out of the corner of his eye, tapping his cigarette into the ashtray. "If you were to get the pendulum, what would you do with it?"

Ah, the million-dollar question. He doesn't understand what I know, just what questions I'm after. So, even if I were to tell him, he wouldn't understand. I just stare at him blankly.

"You want it that badly?" he says. "You know as well as I do how special an Object is."

He reaches into his front pocket and draws something out. What dangles from the thin silver chain in his fingers is a clear icicle-shaped point, sparkling like a diamond. As he holds it, it hangs unusually still in the air.

Then, he suddenly withdraws it, a hostile look on his face. Only then do I realize that I had been extending my hand toward it. Had I been doing this unconsciously? Awkwardly, I lower my hand. Glaring at me, he puts it back into his shirt pocket.

"I can see that look in your eyes. What did you learn from the Holder you met?"

Again, there are no answers I can give. Not until I've reached the pendulum and met Snow White. Allen sighs in resignation at my silence.

"You really are a Seeker. Oh, well. So, what do you think she is?" he asks, relaxing slightly. "Snow White."

"I don't know," I finally say. "She might be a Seeker... But what else could she be?"

"A Holder, maybe?"

A bitter smile stretches across my face. "Isn't the whole point of Holders that they just stay put and hold?"

He gives me a sigh in response. "Everyone thinks Holders and Seekers are so different, but they really aren't. Holders are just Seekers who gave in to the addiction. You could say that they're almost human."

I'm silent for a long time, mulling over his words. Everything he said made perfect sense, and everything was what I've already come to realize on my own after retrieving my Object. There was no more use philosophizing about this, only finding answers. So, I draw the Librarian's paper out of my pocket.

"What's that?" he asks, eyeing it curiously.

"The instructions used to get the pendulum. I got them from the Librarian."

"Then let's have a look at it, shall we?"

I open the paper and spread it out on the table before us.

 

In any city, in any country, go to any residential alleyway or street in a metropolis. Wait for as long as necessary without moving, and if you've come to the right place, the white woman will approach you. Ask her if she is the Holder of Deliverance, and she will answer, before leading you out of the street and into the dark river.

If you do not break just from the chill of the water, you must ask three questions: "Why does the snow fall?", "Why does the river run?", and "Why does the pendulum swing?" Each question, she will answer, the last in horrifying detail. If you last through the story, she will give you a pendulum. The water will disappear, leaving you back in your world with the Object.

 

For several moments, silence permeates the room, and Allen lets his cigarette fall out of his mouth to the floor. The information in the instructions completely fails to surprise me. I had already figured it out while I was driving up here.

Allen, however, seemed much more shocked. He suddenly rises from the couch, scooping his car keys into his pocket. He starts to move toward the door, and I quickly rise to call to him.

"Where are you going?" I say. He turns to me with an annoyed look on his face.

"Where do you think? It's bad enough that she's following me, but she's its Holder? I need to get out of here." He moves back toward the door, but I call out once again.

"Wait!"

He sighs and turns back around again, glaring at me. I'm unexpectedly anxious. If he leaves, the pendulum goes with him. If he leaves, it'll all be for nothing.

"Can't you just give it to me? Then you don't have to worry about her at all."

His eyes narrow, and one hand moves to his front shirt pocket, clutching the pendulum.

Give it to you? What kind of Seeker do you take me for?

"I didn't mean it like that," I press. "You don't want her following you anyway, do you? And besides, you can always get another Object."

He shakes his head at me. "No, you don't understand at all. I'm not gonna be like those other cowards. It doesn't matter how much she wants to take it from me. I can't give it up to her, let alone you. Not to anyone. Why do you think I still have it? I have to keep Her safe."

"Allen..." I stare at the front pocket of his shirt, where the pendulum lay. I can almost see it through the fabric. It's so close... I can't give up now. "Just give it to me. Then it'll all be over."

He draws a knife from his pocket and advances on me further. "Over my dead body."

I hardly even take notice of the knife. It's so close. I can practically reach out and grab it! There's no way I can let it go now. I need that pendulum.

I remember being back in the old room in the mental institution. I remember the words the Holder spoke to me. At the same time, I hear a whisper in my ear. As I finally notice the glint of the blade rising in his hand, my heart leaps into my throat.

I leap at him and grab the wrist that holds the knife, slamming him back against the wall. He shouts something at me, but I barely hear it. with my other hand, I make a grab for his pocket, but he grabs onto my wrist too. I feel his foot in my stomach, and with a grunt of pain, I tumble backward, directly into the balcony doors.

I find out the hard way that they aren't mounted very well, because the impact makes them pop off of their frames and shatter on the balcony floor. When I land on the balcony, I choke on a scream as my hands press down into the shattered glass and snow. Gasping, I lift a bloody hand and stare down at the small shards of glass sticking out of my palm. I can actually feel the glass piercing my skin...

Then, Allen is running at me from inside the room, brandishing the knife, and I kick out wildly. Miraculously, I catch his shin, and he falls past me, slamming against the ironwork railing. I hear a snap and a creak, and the railing gives just a little. Now's my chance!

I leap to my feet, and ignoring my injuries, I grab his wrist again, as well as his neck, pinning him to the railing. The glass gets pushed further into my palms, but I press down to keep him from moving. He growls and latches to the hand around his neck, but the railing creaks and gives a little more.

"I don't care what you do," he chokes out. "I will never give Her to you."

I don't see any fear in his eyes as he sinks backward. He just glares at me defiantly, protectively. I understand that he truly would rather die than give up the Object. So, I put more weight down on him, practically feeling the bolts on the railing give one by one. At the last possible moment - at the moment when I hear the loud crack - I let go and step backward.

I watch Allen Dahl fall backward over the broken railing, five stories to the ground.

Holding

Searching...

Retrieving message log.

Access date: Dec-16-08

JuiQui - 11/09/08 (Sun)

I really need some information.

For the pasts couple of weeks, something has been following me. It has been doing a good job of trying to do so without me noticing. However, I managed to have contact with it twice yesterday. I will describe these incidents in as much detail as I can provide.

I was in the shower and I had the curtain slightly cracked open. While standing under the water, I was looking at a magazine lying on the floor outside of the tub. I noticed out the corner of my eye, a leg. Draped in light cloth, and standing in a position so I could see part of the knee and below. Soon after I noticed it, it took a single step to be completely behind the curtain. I panicked and threw open the curtain, only to find nothing there. I left the shower and sat in my room with the lights on. The emotion I was feeling was not so much one of ultimate fear, only that I need to get away.

From what I later thought, I would say it looked feminine, by the way it was shaped. And even more oddly, the leg was stark white. As white as snow.

That night, I was sleeping relentlessly when I thought I heard something in my ear. In my dream, it sounded like "Tell me where it is, thief." I woke up with a start and looked around, but didn't see anything in my room. When I turned on the light, though, there were a few strands of long, white hair on my sheets.

Why is it following me? I need all the data you can recover of things that fit the description I have provided. I have been searching on my own but cannot find anything of value.

Undertow - 11/14/08 (Fri)

What is it you have that she wants?

Snow White strides quietly through the snow in the garden, hardly leaving a trail behind her white robe. On the ground before her, Allen's body lays spread eagle, his eyes wide open, and the snow around his head stained red.

Hunching over his body, I meet the woman's gaze. She stares vacantly at me and begins to walk toward the body, making me hastily back away.

"He's dead," I say. She ignores me and bends over Allen's corpse, reaching into each of his pockets with no regard, no emotion, lastly feeling inside the empty pocket on the front of his shirt.

I watch with uneasiness, my heart pumping, and my blood boiling more. A snowflake settles on my cheek, and I'm surprised to feel the chill of the drip rolling down my cheek.

She looks up at me. "Where have you hidden Her?"

I resist the urge to glance toward where I hid the pendulum, and instead try to meet her gaze intently. When I don't answer, she rises and steps closer to me. My heart pumps faster with each step she takes. She is very close to me now. I can see the snowflakes falling through the few inches between us. Eventually, my resilience breaks, and I shuffle backward several steps.

"Why do you want that thing, anyway?" I ask. Her stare continues to bore into me. If she's trying to get me to crack, it's working. I continue to back away, through the dead winter garden. An oak tree looms above both of us like a silent watcher.

"I know what you are. You're its Holder. That's why you're after it. I've figured it all out! A Seeker got it from you, and you want it back. It makes sense, I suppose. But what will happen to you when you get it back?" No answer. "Will you go back to living in your world, and guard it forever and ever? What's the use in that? Is that how you want to live?"

I can see her eyes narrow very slightly. But, now that I've started, I can't stop. "Okay. I understand that I don't know everything about the Holders and Seekers and Objects. I'm naïve, and foolish, and all that. So what? Maybe it takes a fool to see that what you're doing isn't going to help you. I know that the Object is eating away at you!"

I knew why she had to be after the pendulum. She isn't a Holder anymore, really. She's been driving into a Seeker once again, and she would stop at nothing. Seekers would stop at nothing to get what they were after, not even murder.

A drop of blood falls from my finger onto the snow below, staining it red. The blood from my hands leaves a trail across the ground, which leads all the way to the body of Allen, still lying in an ugly heap. This was a man that clung to the Object to his dying breath. That died by my hands.

I feel a frog welling up in my throat, and my eyes beginning to water. Where did it all go wrong? This isn't something I would have done! I fall to my knees in the snow, staring down at the corpse. What would my parents say? What the hell have I done?!

I couldn't accept it. Even though somewhere in the back of my mind, I understood that I was truly a Seeker now, I couldn't accept it. It isn't right. It isn't the way things are supposed to work. Everyone has the right to seek happiness, with no exceptions. This is what I've always believed. That's why I tried so hard to become an actor. I had dreams. This isn't why I've been on this journey. I didn't come all this way to throw my dreams away!

"I understand." My eyes drift to the snowy ground. "I understand why you've come all this way. But it shouldn't be like this. You should have a life without Objects and Holders and Seekers. No one deserves this hell. You need to be free. I beg you... I don't care if it makes you hate me, but let me have the pendulum, so you don't need it anymore."

A clump of snow resting on the tree's branch slips off and falls to the ground in a soft thump. It leaves a trail behind it that sparkles innocently in the air. I can hear Snow White beginning to move now, toward me. I can't raise my eyes to look at her.

"It's too late for me, but I can still save you. I understand your pain."

"You understand nothing."

I look up in time to see her fingers wrapping around my throat like a vice.

Whispers

Searching...

Retrieving message log.

Date: Dec-16-08

Undertow - 12/16/08 (Sat)

So, the pendulum is in Boston. That last Seeker tells me that he thought it would be safer in the hands of those researching it. Of course, he won't trust the Librarian with it, so he handed it off to someone nearby. I wonder how long this chain will continue. Will Snow White ever give up?

Veil - 12/16/08 (Sat)

I'm beginning to worry about the Seeker that's actually trying to track her down. I wonder if the idiot knows it's in Boston now. Even though he's not too bright, he's frighteningly tenacious.

JuiQui - 12/16/08 (Sat)

He's not after the woman anymore, just the Object. He's a Seeker now. He and Snow White just arrived at the location. This will be interesting to watch.

Undertow - 12/16/08 (Sat)

Why would you be following him at this point? You should stay as far away from them as possible. Don't forget, you're the one that gave the damn thing up in the first place.

Veil - 12/16/08 (Sat)

Maybe the coward wants to atone for how much he's put our kind to shame. You've made the disreputable name of "Seeker" taste even worse on the tongue.

JuiQui - 12/16/08 (Sat)

Unfortunately, you're right. I should have never given up the pendulum, no matter how much Snow White were to follow me. I should have tried harder, as a Seeker. A Seeker is meant to find the Objects, not keep them away.

Veil - 12/16/08 (Sat)

Well, you're finally starting to sound like one of us, so-called "Seeker". Though don't let it get to your head. Do us all a favor and go hang yourself! Maybe that act will be enough to salvage your pathetic existence.

JuiQui - 12/16/08 (Sat)

I'll prove myself. Not to you; I don't need to prove anything to you, only to myself. I'm going to get Her back. Then, I'll have a lovely couple.

I fall to my knees as Snow White's hands clench around my throat, threatening to squeeze the life out of me. My vision spins, but I can make one thing out clearly: her face is filled with anger, and mine with terror. I claw at the backs of her hands, trying to rip them away, but I am far too weak. It can't end like this, not before I've done something to make this right! I can't give up now. I'm so close. So close...

At this moment, I hear something. A voice. A whisper. I can't make out any of the words, but the voice is so close to me, it's like I can reach out and grab it. It grows louder as the darkness threatens to consume me. It says, "Save me."

I punch her in the neck with all of my strength, a reflexive movement, and she backs away, clutching her throat and coughing. For a moment, she looks almost ready to vomit, hunching over, but she locks her eyes back on me and begins to advance again.

Now, I've drawn out the knife that Allen had tried to kill me with. She stops a few feet from me, eyes on my knife. She looks up at me, and I recognize that I've stopped her for the time being. How long is that going to last?

"What the hell?!" is the first thing out of my mouth. "I'm trying to help you!"

"You understand nothing," she repeats monotonously.

"I do!" I veritably scream at her. My shout is muffled by the snow all around us, falling dead in the air. She stares at me a little longer, before I take a few steps forward and plant the edge of the knife against her neck. She doesn't make any move to resist, but locks eyes with me.

"I do," I seethe at her through clenched teeth. "I understand. The Holder of Change told me what they used to be."

Her eyes widen in astonishment, so I continue.

"I can hear their voices. Holders, Seekers, and Objects are all alike, aren't they? The Objects aren't just inanimate things, they're... They want us to be with them."

Everything I was saying was the truth. I could see it reflected in her eyes as well. Yet, there was still one thing I didn't understand. That's why I came here, I needed to find out. The Objects are the ones that drive us to Seek, but why?

"Why do we have to seek the Objects? Why do they need us?"

Her expression slowly shifts to one of complete detestation. "It's their love. They just want to be held."

Suddenly, she bats my arm out of the way and wraps one hand back around my throat. I try to resist, but my legs give out and she topples onto me, slamming down onto my chest. As the wind is knocked out of me, she grabs my weapon arm with her other hand and slams it down hard into the ground. The force of the blow is incredible; I scream out as I feel the snap of my wrist breaking.

"Where... is She?" Looking down at me, the darkness around her eyes becomes more intense. In fact, her eyes completely fade away, leaving only two deep pits. It's the same as when I stared into the empty eye sockets of the Holder of Change.

Once again, I experience true fear. My heart catches in my throat, and I have to struggle to keep from bursting into tears. Her figure weighs down on my body like a ton of bricks. My windpipe is slowly crushing in. I don't even have the strength to struggle anymore. I want to get away, I have to get away from this demonic woman. I can almost feel the revolver in my hand, and I'm desperate to put it between my eyes again.

She's leaning closer to me now, as if she's going to suck my very soul from my mouth. The dark pits of her eyes are spreading slowly, becoming far too large. Black cracks are appearing around them, splitting her perfect white skin. I can hear her. No, it's not her, it's the water. The sound of the rushing dark water is coming from her. I can also hear the pendulum, whispering in my ear, "Save me."

I look up at the pendulum, hanging high in the oak tree, where I had thrown it just before Snow White had arrived. Suddenly, the dark pits are gone, only her two eyes. She sees my expression, and follows my gaze up to the oak tree. A fierce want appears in her face, and without realizing it, she releases just enough pressure on my injured arm.

When I swing my arm upward, my hand rolls painfully on my wrist, but connects hard with her chin, making her scream in pain and lean upward. I shove her off with all of my strength and try to run to the tree, but she grabs my ankle. When I hit the ground, I catch myself with my good hand and roll over, punching her in the temple.

She comes back from the blow quickly and lashes out with her fingers, her fingernails scratching deep lines in my leg. The knife is on the ground beside me, and I quickly pick it up and cut her deep across the forearm. She screams and howls like an animal, trying to crawl toward me, but I've freed myself.

I have to get to the pendulum. I need to get there first. It's just a short distance away, and Snow White will never catch me.

But, there's already someone standing by the tree. And that person fires a bullet into my chest.

Blood and Oil

Searching...

File found.

Date: Dec-16-08

Author: J. Quincy

 

This is my final entry. I've been doing nothing but researching the Objects for a year now, and have been trying to keep the Objects themselves away from me as much as possible. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, it's just impossible. I can't remain an outside observer. You can't know about this world and not be affected. It was inevitable.

I got my first Object half a year ago. It was a pendulum. When I got back from retrieving it from its Holder, I thought I was on the verge of insanity. I had an emotional breakdown every other day from the stress. As time went on, it got better, but it never totally went away. Yet, somehow, I never regretted it. It's because of the Object. I was already attached.

One day, I had to give it up, though. Because I was being followed by its Holder. I've never heard of anything like this happening before, but I've said it before. It doesn't always follow the formula.

I did regret giving it away. It's plagued me to this day. The other Seekers call me a coward, a wannabe Seeker, who's too afraid of the Objects to really commit. Even for Seekers - the most disreputable people on Earth - I'm the lowest of the low.

Then, today, a boy came to my house. He was looking for the pendulum. He wanted it, even if Snow White wanted it more. He wouldn't take no for an answer. When he left, he left an Object behind. The empty bullet casing, from the Holder of Change. I recognized it instantly. I touched it, felt its curves. It reminded me of how the pendulum felt in my hands.

I knew then that I had to get it back. I had to redeem myself. I had to prove that I was at least on the same level of scum as my peers. No matter who I had to get through, no matter who I must gun down, I will get that Object back.

My name is Jules Quincy, and this is my last entry. From today on, I'm a true Seeker. Goodbye.

 

I don't feel any pain. I vaguely sense that a bullet has lodged itself in my chest, and look down to see the blood running down my shirt, but I don't feel any pain. Though my mind is in a haze, my understanding of the situation is quite clear. This isn't like the test before. I'm not going to wake up, totally unharmed.

I look up and try to understand why the Librarian shot me, but I can't see his face quite clearly now. When I try to take a step forward, the ground rushes up to meet me, and now all I can see is white.

My breathing is labored, and blood is dribbling out of my mouth. I manage to raise my head to look at the man standing under the tree, and I try my best to focus on his expression. His face comes slightly into focus, and he's shaking his head as if I'm a child who stuck his hand in the cookie jar one too many times.

Snow White is standing there with what can be loosely described as shock. The pendulum is hanging from a branch high above. I can still hear it whispering, and I try to call out to it with my thoughts. I don't know if it can hear me, but I try as hard as I can.

Pendulum, I understand now. It was you that left the message on the wall. You wanted her to save you, even if it meant turning her back into a Holder. If she didn't, you would be in such pain. If you let me, I can save you instead. We can protect each other, forever and ever.

Have I finally come to understand everything? Or, do I still now know? What was it the Holder of Change had told me? What did I come here for? What are the Objects? What...

I'm slipping. An odd warm feeling is filling my chest, and I only managed to realize I'm becoming delirious for a few seconds. Then, the warm feeling washes over my entire body, and I'm struck with tranquility. Carry me away, sweet water, to a far shore. I'm happy now.

The pendulum speaks back to me. She has heard me. Finally, I am loved back. Finally, I am good for something.

I smile as I drift away.

 

Snow White stood and started walking forward.

"Stay back!" Jules Quincy shouted, pointing the gun at her, and she stopped.

"Look at that blood all over you. You're just an awful mess. It would be a shame to stain that pretty robe anymore."

His eyes were wide and wild, and his glasses were skewed. He knew this feeling. It was the feeling he had when he was clinging to his first and only Object. A longing; no, a craze! He was crazed for the love that the pendulum once gave him. Infinitely strong, unconditional love. He just needed everyone out of his way, first.

He looked down at Eric's still form and had to stifle a crazed laugh. The idiot thought he could just walk up and convince Snow White to hand the pendulum over?!

"You can't stop me," said the white woman, clutching her arm. But, Jules simply laughed.

"I beg to differ." The sound of the gunshot bathed the garden. The white woman's eyes widened and she looked down to her stomach, where a blotch of blood was quickly spreading from the bullet hole. With a quiet curse under her breath, she fell backward into the snow, cradling her wound.

"That was too easy!" laughed Jules. Dropping the gun, he whipped around to face the tree, and began to pull himself up onto the lower limbs. The pendulum was thirty feet above him, but he could get to it in no time.

No one would be able to call him a coward now. He took down the fool, and he took down the fearsome Snow White with two shots. The pendulum was so close, almost back into his grasp. He was sick and tired. Tired of being called a coward, a hermit, or someone who doesn't have the guts to be a Seeker! He took out the Holder herself! How dare they speak to him this way?! It would all change soon. He would be revered.

Suddenly, his hand slipped on a branch, and he nearly fell. When he finally caught a hold of the branch, it was slick under his fingers. The branch in his other hand had also inexplicably become slippery. What was going on?

Snow White was back on her feet, cradling the hole in her stomach. It had knocked her down, but the pain was already fading away. If she didn't hurry, the Librarian would get to the pendulum, if it wasn't already too late.

When she looked up, though, she saw him slip. The tree was covered in something black. At the same time, it looked as if a shadow was falling over the garden. The lamppost nearby flickered.

Jules shrieked when he saw the oil on his fingertips, and began to panic. As quickly as he could manage, he grasped two more branches as firmly as he could, and he was within arm's reach of the Object. A sudden wind blew by, and the pendulum swung and glittered above him.

Then, the lights went out.

The lamppost flickered off, as well as all of the lights in the apartment complex. For a few brief seconds, they were bathed in utter darkness. The moment lasted merely a minute, and then the lights were back. The oil had disappeared. Everything seemed back to normal, except that the pendulum no longer danged from the tree branch. Jules was frozen, grasping at empty air. He looked down below him, aghast, only to see Snow White staring up at him, and a bloodstained depression in the snow where Eric's body had been.

Snow White looked on, appearing passive, but inside, she had to hold back the terror that rushed upon her. Her voice was gone. For the first time in her memory, she stood alone in the snow. The pendulum's voice no longer cried out, "Save me!" She knew what the boy had done. She knew where he and the pendulum had gone. She just didn't understand why. She loved more deeply for the pendulum than any human could have understood, and they had protected each other. Why did they have to disappear together?

She stared down at the depression where the fool had once been, lost for words and lost for thoughts. She did not feel sympathy, or gratefulness, just a sudden anxiety and terror. The boy's life was over, and the Object that she had protected for so long had left her for good, completely cut off from her.

She looked up and scanned her surroundings, as if taking it in for the first time. Above her, the cowardly Librarian whimpered in the tree, too afraid to come down from his perch. Snow White looked up at him, and the anger in her face returned. She would not take revenge for the boy, or for Her, but for her own self. She would fully expose Jules Quincy's cowardice. She walked toward the bases of the tree. Jules whimpered again.

Delivered

"Why does the snow fall?"

"It snows to mask Their eternal sadness."

 

"Why does the river flow?"

"It flows to carry those that have died peacefully to their final resting place."

 

"Why does the pendulum swing?"

"It swings for each lost soul that has seen their final deliverance. Allow me to tell you their tale."

 

Winter passes away with the months, and it had reached that delicate time of the year when the snow had long stopped falling, but the first early spring rain hadn't yet come. The streets of Manhattan were bare, and color was only just beginning to return, even to this concrete jungle. Reds and greens were beginning to stand out more, now that the fierce grip of January and February were gone.

The only spot where the color refused to return was in the figure of a white woman standing in the street under an apartment building. The message carved into the brick wall behind her had worn away. The apartment above that had once belonged to a foolish young man had been cleared out, the new tenants already moved in.

As the world continued to move on, she waited. As long as she waited, he would come. Hours turned into days, and turned into weeks. Until, finally, the day came when her patience was rewarded.

A young man approached her, also dressed in a white robe, similar to hers. The fool himself was no more. The man that stood before her was the Holder of Deliverance, and nothing more. Even though he looked like the same person, his eyes showed no naïveté, and no compassion, but only a hint at what he held in his heart. Unbounded knowledge, and unknowable fear.

"Are you the Holder of Deliverance?" she asked, echoing the words once spoken to her by Jules Quincy.

He responded in turn, "Deliverance is held by only those that have so earned it."

He did not lead her away to the river, as she would have in that situation. Instead, he nodded at her knowingly and drew the pendulum directly out of his pocket.

"You've come for this, haven't you?"

She hesitated, before holding out her hands like a beggar. "I only want to check on it."

Deliverance scanned her up and down impassively, and in an act unheard of to Seekers, the Holder placed it into the palm of her hands softly, the silver chain curling around the diamond-like head.

He waited, watching her carefully. For a moment, a hint of want flitted in her eyes, and her fingers wrapped around it. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She squeezed the pendulum in her hand once tightly before handing it back to Deliverance.

If this had still been the same boy, he would have thanked her, or wished her well. Instead, Deliverance merely shook his head at her, wearing an odd expression. One that she couldn't quite read. It was the face of a Holder, the face of a world she had been released from.

"You won't find me here anymore."

"No," she said firmly. "I won't."

The Holder of Deliverance reached into the wall and tore open the black scar. Black, oily water poured from the bottom of the slit and across the ground, staining the concrete. Without giving a second look to the woman, the man stepped inside the scar, letting it snap shut behind him. The wall was left unmarked, and in the next moment, the black water was gone.

She didn't know where she should go now, but she didn't feel so lost anymore. Before, only the pendulum lay before her. Now, there was everything. Though the world was returning to color, she remained as a patch of white, a reminder of the winter that it had left behind.

 

"It doesn't always follow the formula."

 

The pendulum is Object 232 of 2538. Deliverance is held only by those that have so earned it.

Object 233: The Holder of Sincerity

In any city, in any country, go to any maternity ward you can get yourself to. Find the area where they keep the newborns. There should be a female nurse watching them through the window. If it is a male nurse or anybody else is present, leave the hospital as quickly as you can. The Holder knew somebody was coming. If you are lucky, you will remain unknown and be allowed to try again. If not, well, good luck avoiding children for the rest of your life. If only the female nurse is present, however, approach her and ask, "What does it cost to speak your mind?" If you have done this, the nurse will sigh and open the door into the room of babies. Thank her for her time and enter.

No matter what size the room was, it will now be larger than imaginable, filled with rows upon rows of cradles. You will notice that the final cradle in the room is empty. Walk to the closest one you see and check for an identification card, it is easy enough to spot. If these cards are not present, leave immediately. If nothing arrives to stop you, you may try again once nine months have passed, but entering any hospital before that time will lead you to unspeakable horror. If you do find the card, you will notice several things. The card will bear the name of someone you have previously met and three pictures. The first picture is the person as you remember them, the second is a picture of the person in the prime of life, and the third is a picture of the person after they have died. If this is what you see, you know it will be safe to continue.

This Holder is relatively kind, so he will let you choose your own path through this adventure, but only once. The babies in these cradles represent all the people you have ever met, ranging from people you have briefly met in passing to the people you love most. They are highly prone to suggestion and the person they will become is entirely based on what you tell them. Your task is to go to each and every one of these cradles and tell the babies what they will become. You are fully welcome to lie to all of them, for their benefit or misfortune, without being harmed. You will even be allowed to leave and continue your life. However, you give up any chance of retrieving the Object by doing this.

To continue your task, you must accurately describe what you know about them, fully aware that what you say is bound to come true. This may not be very hard at first, but when you tell your friends and loved ones about traits that cause them harm in the future you will want to end your own life out of guilt. If you show this weakness, the Holder will be more than happy to put you out of your misery... painfully. He may be kind, but he cannot tolerate people that hide the truth.

After you have spoken to all the babies, wait at the empty cradle. If nothing happens, resign yourself to years of watching the lives of all the people in the room without you present. Life continues to move without you, and death will only claim you after the last person you have known dies. Unfortunately, these people will live for a very long time.

If a doctor rushes in with a newborn baby, you know you have spoken correctly. He will place the child and the card into the cradle and walk away. The Holder is pleased with you and is offering you one of the most merciful choices you have ever been given in your quest for the Objects. You will quickly discover that you are the baby lying in the cradle, and the pictures on the card display you as the paragon of success, you as a corpse, and you as you are now. The pictures show the three actions you can take.

The first action has attracted many Seekers who feel they deserve a "reward" for what they have done. You can tell your infant self any number of lies about what you are, and what you say will come true and more. If you walk out the door after that, you will be reborn. You will find that everything comes to you quite easily in life, and everybody clambers to be your friend. The truth is, this is because this is the only chance for them to feel any measure of greatness. You steal the skills and fortune of others to use for yourself, and they are left with the consequences. Your family will be stricken by poverty paying for your many schools and interests, and your friends will be confined to lives far worse than what they could be living. Of course, this way means not only losing the Object of this task, but forsaking all of the other Objects as well. This desire will remain with you until it becomes too much and you take your own life. You will be sent to the lowest levels of Hell for endless torment. After all, you took the easy way out. Your entire life was a lie, but your afterlife serves as the ultimate truth.

The second option is to kill your newborn self. This is one of the few ways to forever escape the personal damnation of the Objects. By destroying yourself, you may even be found worthy of a peaceful afterlife, as your sacrifice prevented you from completing countless other horrors. However, even this ultimate gift of the Holder comes at a price. Someone is bound to come after you, and it is certain they will unite Them.

The final option is the only one that will lead you to the Object. You must tell your infant self nothing more than the absolute truth about yourself. You must tell him everything you love and fear, all your dark desires, and all your well-hidden secrets. Hold nothing back, for no harm can come to you at this point. Finally, you must tell yourself about the Objects. Many Seekers go mad at this point, as they realize there is nobody to blame for their obsession, as it is their own fault.

If you have chosen the third option and were successful, the doctor will come into the room again. He will tell you how sincerity is a devastating weapon. He will tell you about the people that spoke their minds and were punished for it, and of those who fell to ruin and death after they learned what people really thought about them. After he tells you this, he will motion for you to leave. It would be wise to obey.

You will find yourself in the hallway you began at. The nurse who led you in will be holding a baby draped in a black blanket. It won't take long to realize that the baby has died. She will tell you that he choked on his pacifier, that the item intended to calm him ended up killing him. She will then tell you that sincerity is similar. It is a double-edged sword that can be used to console, but also to destroy. She will then hand you the child's pacifier, telling you to always value sincerity, "for the Doctor's sake".

The pacifier is Object 233 of 2538. There's nobody to blame but yourself.

Object 234: The Holder of Order

In any city, in any country, go to any police department you can get yourself to. Ask the officer at the front desk if you may see the one who calls himself "The Holder of Order". If the officer appears to know what you speak of, then you have come at the right time. If the officer does not appear to know what you speak of, then the cosmos is not in line for this Holder at the moment. You will have to come again when the stars are aligned so that this Holder will show himself.

If you have come at the right time, then the officer at the desk will give you directions leading to the back of the department. The instructions will be very specific and contain directions that may seem very inconsequential to your goal almost as if the one giving the directions suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. The path laid out in the directions will have you going from one end of the building to the other, doing assorted random things such as turning pencils sideways and counting the sheets of paper in each printer you pass. I suggest doing these seemingly ridiculous tasks lest you upset the Holder and face the full wrath of the long arm of the law.

After completing the annoying and inefficient tasks, you will find yourself at the back of the building in the chief's office. Sitting there at the desk in the center of the room will be a stout and muscular man seemingly in his mid-thirties. Do not let this illusion deceive you, for he is far older than he seems, having existed as long as the Objects themselves. He is the Holder of Order.

As you approach him, he will glare at you with his deeply set eyes that seem to pierce your flesh and pry into your very soul. He will know your every sin, your every fault, every weakness, every guilty pleasure, every crime. He may begin to interrogate you, asking of you all these things. If he does not, he has deemed you too tainted to hold his Object and you will have to find a way to remove your taint or mask it even from the Holder if you wish to have this Object.

If he does begin, it will be a long and agonizing interrogation. You will be placed under a very hot lamp, deprived of food and drink, and subjected to a barrage of questions and accusations so rapid in succession that you won't be able to respond to half of them. He will ask you about every wrong you have committed and you must answer truthfully, for he already knows. Many are driven to madness or suicide by this interrogation and the old guilt it digs up. If you manage to survive this ordeal without lying to him, you will be rewarded. If you do lie, your soul will be subjected to everlasting incarceration in a hellish prison while your body is left to waste away in an earthly one.

The reward you will receive from the Holder is a large .44 magnum revolver. With it, however, comes the burden of having your dreams filled with every atrocity ever committed in the name of order. Every act of police brutality, every fascist state's crimes, every genocide shall be the stuff your dreams are made of.

The handgun is Object 234 of 2538. Every shot fired will slay your target, but also the life of an innocent. Such is the price of order.

Object 235: The Holder of Valor

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, look into the eyes of the attendant and ask her if you may visit "The Holder of Valor". The room will begin to darken, a subtle wind will begin to pick up, slowly strengthening into a mighty gale. All signs of life will begin to slowly fade from the room, then following it, the furniture will begin to fade as well. The last thing standing will be the receptionist, hunt in midair like a lifeless puppet on strings, deathly red eyes locked with yours, who amidst the gale will emit a low and evil laugh, as if the Devil himself were ridiculing you. Before darkness enshrouds you, she will disappear, leaving a terrifying echo among the winds.

As the shroud of darkness dissipates before you, an ancient and long, winding, old stone road will begin to materialize. The laws of physics will appear skewed, but do not mind. Flames will leap from the darkness beyond the road, faces ever-changing inscribed in the hearts of the fires, screaming their final desperate messages as they descend into nothingness. As the road waxes and wanes around the edges of reality, a cool, silvery mist will descend upon the path. Thoughts of despair will cloud your mind, suffocating feelings of joy and rendering thoughts of hope futile. You will see the world burn before you, your loved ones murdered by Their hands. None will survive, no matter how courageous they seem to be. Only those brave enough to withdraw themselves from these imaginations will bear the willpower to continue along the cursed road, for many souls have cast themselves to the flames bordering the nothingness in an attempt to free their tainted mind.

As you travel farther into the Void, it will become increasingly difficult to walk correctly. Even if you trip and fall among the dreaded road, do not fear and begin to trek on once more, or you will become consumed by the Void growing around you. If your resolve remains untouched, your soul unkempt from the horrors of the mist, and if you keep your body moving forward, then a hooded figure will appear before you, gazing in your opposite direction. It will steal a glance from you beneath its hood, and begin to quickly enter the labyrinth of roads before you. Though your body may not be able to bear the weight of the thickening mist, you must urge it to continue at a faster pace to remain behind the figure, or it will lose you in the labyrinth, only to gaze upon your body and laugh in amusement as the beasts of the Void consume your essence before it. Only by strengthening your determination will you catch up with the hooded figure.

As you draw near the end of the maze, mind teetering upon the brink of madness, the hooded figure will slowly turn around, removing its hood. Its face shall be that of your closest friend, and in such a dark, hopeless place, it will be a warm reminder of life. As you approach the figure, the face will begin to grow paler, smile vanishing into an emotion of wicked nature. As you approach the figure, your body will begin to slowly lose the dwindling energy that it had hours ago, and you will find yourself at the mercy of the figure before you. Your "friend" will emit a low laugh, weakening your spirits to the point of collapse.

As your body dies further, as the final sliver of hope departs your body, this is where you must triumph, for in its arrogance the hooded figure has left its greatest weakness unguarded; Hope. Only those with the strongest Valor can hope of overcoming the looming figure, for if you cower before it, no mercy shall be spared for you, and your soul will join those in the flames. If you have managed to summon forth your will, the figure will begin to shriek, horror wrought upon its eyes. Its very flesh will begin to melt away until only its dark, yet glimmering, cloak remains.

Don your enemy's final remains; they should fit just fine. The cloak you bear upon your shoulders is Object 235 of 2538. Among the dark and troubled times, despair and hate reign supreme. As long as you wear the cloak, they will part in your presence.

Their Downfall is at hand.

Object 236: The Holder of Trust

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Trust". A wave of terror should flow over the worker's face. They will stand and open a steel panel at the end of a hallway. Go down the ladder slowly. You will begin to hear two children laughing. If the girl stops, get back to the top of the ladder as fast as you can, lest you find what has been waiting for you. If the boy stops, continue down. Should you reach the bottom, there will be a door. Open it slowly and close it behind you.

A man will stand before you with no face and in all white clothing. You will notice a necklace that seems to be broken in half. It is made of bone, and will draw you toward it. Be resilient and hold your place. If you get too close, he will break every bone in your body before he will kill you. Ask him this question, "Who will help me find them?" His "face" will not move, but in the most horrific voice that will ever befall your ears, he will tell you your answer. He will walk behind you. Open your arms in a "T" shape. He will say, "Am I the one you shall trust?" Do not fall into his arms, lest you be thrown into a fate worse than death. Close your eyes, quickly turn around, and fall. You will feel wind passing your head as you fall for what seems like forever. Do not open your eyes, or there may be a bottom of this fall.

If you keep your eyes closed and your arms spread, you will stop. Open your eyes and you will be back in the institution entrance. Reach into your pocket and you will reveal the other half of the man's necklace.

This necklace is Object 236 of 2538. Is there no one that I can trust?

Object 237: The Holder of Space

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Walk to the front desk and demand to see the one who calls himself "The Holder of Space". The man will stand and wave you toward a door. Do not go alone. Tell him, "The way is too long to walk alone." He will then lead you to the Holder's cell.

You will first stop at a hallway. You can see the end, but it seems to become darker the longer you look at it. You will begin to hear mumbling in a language that is terrifying, each syllable will make it harder and harder to walk. You must continue on, walking for what may seem like hours. When you make it down the hallway, you will be shown a door. Look inside. In the back, you will see the Holder. He looks like an ordinary man dirtied by the cell. A white jumpsuit is all that covers him. You may notice he is wearing a blindfold of strange design. It is red and covered in markings of an unknown language. His eyes glow through it with an aura that makes it seem as though the devil himself is wearing it.

The man who had been guiding you will then open the door. Do not enter. The Holder of Space may be blindfolded but is very aware of where you are. The guide will now hand you a blindfold. You can refuse to put it on and leave at this point without consequence, if you'd like. Keep in mind that should you put it on, you will be in the Holder's territory.

Put on the blindfold. You know you are wearing a blindfold, but for some reason, it will feel as though you are simply looking into darkness, your vision hindered. If you hear footsteps running at you, do not attempt to remove the blindfold for it is far too late. I suggest you fight off this Holder for as long as you can, because when he finally wears you out, he has not a friend in this darkness, and will do anything to keep himself entertained. Should you hear the soft footsteps of him walking, however, stand still. You will hear what sounds something like "Nxlekt" in the most agonized voice, and your body will jerk forward, forcing you to walk. You would do best not to remember you were at the front of the cell and will soon run into the Holder, for this thought alone may drive you into madness. Keep walking and you will soon find that space is not what keeps you apart from this Holder. You will continue walking, until you hear what seems like "Hkluz" in a whisper, as if someone was right at your ear. This could take seconds, or it could take hours. Your body will suddenly halt. The Holder should now be in view.

It is strongly suggested you hold your eyes open and do not blink. There is no such thing as "space" in this realm, and the Holder will walk as far as he wants in as much or as little time as he pleases. Blink one too many times and this Holder will be nose-to-nose with you, and his presence will be so mind-numbing that it may stop your heart. Hope that is the case, because that would be ecstasy compared to the Holder's plan. Granted you stand there for enough time without blinking, the Holder will not move, waiting for his chance to approach unseen. Eventually, the Holder will collapse from having to watch you for too long. This is your only chance. Quickly ask him, "How did the Object get to its Holder?" You will hear an ear-piercing shriek, and he will tell you about Him, and how the Objects were scattered. The tale is full of impossibilities, and atrocities. If you can bear the words, let alone the sound of the Holder's voice, he will hand you a red cloth. It is warm to the touch and heavy, even though it is rather small. You notice it is the same one he was wearing in the cell.

Take off your blindfold. The Holder will be standing in the same place, and you are still outside the cell. Neither of you has moved. You will now see his eyes. They are large and will be staring at you, almost down into your soul. You will be holding his blindfold. Close the door, and walk away while reciting these words: "Space is an idea and I am its Holder. No space is too far from which I will grow older. To take one step could be to take a thousand, but to see my steps would bear me great pain. No weather will slow me nor earthquake nor rain. I am space's Holder, now witness my reign." If you do not recite this, the Holder will. Be very afraid. He won't let you take it so easily, then.

The blindfold is Object 237 of 2538. Not even space can keep Them from coming together.

Object 238: The Holder of Chastity

In any city, in any country, go to any wedding reception you can get yourself to. Approach the groom, congratulate him on his marriage, and ask him if somebody called "The Holder of Chastity" accepted their invitation. What happens next depends on sheer luck or prior knowledge. Consulting the Parrot of Truth beforehand will be able to spare you the risk of this part of the Holder's test. If this man's bride has felt sexual pleasure at any time before the marriage, the groom will become offended and will destroy you with whatever is at hand. However, if she has remained totally chaste, the groom will greet you as he would greet a dear friend. He will call over one of the bridesmaids and tell her to lead you to the bridal suite.

As you walk down the impossibly long hallway, you will see time progress backward. Photos on the wall will change from sleek digital prints to large sheaves of paper and further until they become paintings. The clothing you and the bridesmaid wear also progress backward in time. It is advised that you drop all items of modern convenience you may be carrying. Keeping them will not directly bring failure, but past Seekers have been burned as witches for possessing prototype telephones. When the hallway finally ends, you and your guide will be dressed in 17th-century clothing facing a very solid wooden door. The bridesmaid will lead you into the room and present you to the bride.

Show proper respect to the women as fit to the era. These maidens are clever and can recognize those unlike themselves. They will not be able to do much on their own, but the knights they summon will be merciless. When the bridesmaids finish tending to the bride they will leave, follow them. As you walk out, you will hear the clink of a key falling on the floor. Pick it up and close the door behind you.

Wait until the coast is totally clear and reenter the room. Make sure the door is bolted shut behind you, for that is the only way you'll have enough time to complete this task. Approach the bride, hand her the key, and ask her this one question: "What has sexual temptation done to the world?" The bride will stand, lift her dress, and reveal a chastity belt. She will use the key to unlock the belt and begin having intercourse with you at a furious pace. Midway through the act, the door will come under attack. The groom has become a knight after walking the hall and is not too happy with you deflowering his bride. If the knight breaks the door before you finish, you will be chopped to pieces on the spot, and your remains will be fed to dogs. You will remain alive and conscious for the entirety.

If the door holds until you are finished, the knight will demand an explanation. The bride will start to shout about how you forced the key from her and violated her. The knight will rush toward you and knock you unconscious. You will wake in a church, strapped onto a table, surrounded by monks. If anybody but the monks is present, use the little time you have left to make peace with your higher power. The obvious head monk will be standing at the bottom of your feet. Once he sees that you have awakened, he will tell you about all the times giving in to sexual desires has brought pain and suffering upon the world. He will tell you stories of unwanted, abused, and terminated children and people killed in the prime of life by sexually transmitted diseases. The words he says will press upon your very heart and you will realize just how rare and precious your very life has been. Even worse, he will tell you how sexual deviancy will lead to the unity of the Objects. He will reveal that you will bring Him into the world through your sexual desires. The monk will finish his speech and hold up a sharp silver knife. Take comfort in the fact that, at this point, getting the Object is assured. However, it serves as little consolation when the monk castrates you in an attempt to solve the problem. The pain is sure to make you blackout, and there's no reason to fight it.

You will awaken lying on your own bed and come to the full realization you are now a Eunuch. The knife that was used by the monk will be laying next to you, permanently stained by blood.

The silver Knife of Chastity is Object 238 of 2538. There is always another way.

Object 239: The Holder of Details

In any city, in any country, find and visit an old library that is at least 50 years old to your knowledge. Find your way to the information desk, and ask them to lead you to "The Holder of Details". The attendant will be reluctant, even scared by your inquiry. They will initially tell you that such a thing does not exist in their library. Ignore this and insist to be taken to the Holder. Eventually, they will give in, though they will not go with you. They will, instead, write a call number on a piece of paper.

Take the number and begin to search for it, following the sections of the library. You will find that it leads into a section deep, deep within the library; deeper than you thought the library was. Continue searching, and do not look back. There is no turning back, the shelves will not permit you to leave and will block your path. If you persist in trying to escape, they will crush you, and bind your flesh and soul in a book that they will hold for eternity. Just keep going and keep looking for the call number you were given.

There will be whispers among the shelves, and they will grow louder as you come closer to your destination. Do not call out to them, as they are not human, and they don't like to be disturbed. Continue onward, and let them whisper without interruption. You will not find the number before you find a pair of shelves blocking the path ahead. If you turn around, you will see that another set of shelves has boxed you in. Stay where you are and do not so much as think of escaping. Any attempts to escape will be met with a quick death.

Stay put, and you will hear a raspy voice speak from the shelves. Whatever it may say to you, there is only one correct answer: "I wish to learn."

It will ask you three questions, all of which relate to your life and your loved ones. For each answer, it will provide you with painful details, all of which will dispel trust and security about their subject: all of which were in plain sight to you all along. Be it your mother, your spouse, or your best friend. These details are truth, fact. You cannot argue.

When it is done, it will go silent for a few moments, allowing you to digest these little overlooked details about your life. It will ask, "Do you accept this?"

Do not lie, for this is a difficult challenge. It can smell lies. Only if you accept these horrible things in your heart of hearts, and speak the truth; only then will it allow you to live. There is no place for the weak of heart here. If by chance you are strong of heart and survive, the two shelf sets that left you trapped will move out of the way and you will be free to leave. However, do not depart too swiftly.

A book will fall from one of the shelves onto the floor behind you, bound in a dusty, tan leather cover. On the cover is an indentation in the shape of a human ear, on its spine is the number you were given, inked in crimson. This book is the Holder, and it will gladly give you similar details; all you must do is ask.

This book, the Holder, is Object 239 of 2538. Two-thousand two-hundred and ninety-nine yet remain, and if They come together it will be on your shoulders. But who cares about the details, anyway?

Object 240: The Holder of the Finale

In any city, in any country, go to any theatre before the first showing of the day, and ask the man at the ticket booth for a ticket to "The Holder of the Finale". If he says "We're sold out," then it's already too late. Leave, the Object will never be yours. If he just hands you a ticket, close your eyes and walk into the theatre. If your eyes were closed, you'll pass into an auditorium with a solid black stage and thousands of rows of red seats. The curtains for the play will be closed. The room will be packed with people, but it'll be too dark to see any of them clearly. Just find a seat and sit quietly. The play should begin soon.

This play will be like nothing you've ever seen. The props and backdrops will be on fire. The room will be saturated with the acrid reek of brimstone. Words spoken will not make sense. Demons will stride across the stage and imps will dance. Your dead loved ones will also appear onstage. The play is about them being trapped in Hell.

You have to be very careful here. Even the slightest mistake could cause your demise. Follow the reactions of the crowd. If they clap, clap louder than you ever have. If they cry, break into fake sobbing. Be very quick because their reactions will jerk - they could laugh for three minutes, then suddenly start crying for twelve seconds, and then shoot straight back to laughter. If you do not follow them perfectly, the people around you will become angry and an usher will throw you out for troublemaking - your fate will be explained later. If anyone else is dragged out of the theatre, ignore them. Any reaction will make the ushers think you're with the troublemaker, and they'll throw you out, too. These people are other Seekers. They come from the past and the future. Every Seeker across time that ever asked for the Holder of the Finale is in this theater. Don't be tempted, though; stay with the crowd.

As the play goes on, you will feel yourself growing weak. Whatever happens, you must never fall asleep, ever. You must also never let your dulled senses get in the way of following the crowd's reactions. If you fall asleep, again, your fate will be explained later.

The play will continue until there is one Seeker left in the crowd. If you're lucky enough to have avoided the ushers to this point, the crowd will suddenly give a standing ovation and the curtain will close. The narrator will call you to the stage to give a bow. At this point, walking will be painful from your exhaustion. You must persevere. If you don't get up within the next thirty seconds, an usher will carry you to the stage, and you'll experience a much more painful "finale".

If you do manage to rise, a spotlight will shine on you. The audience will fall dead silent as you approach the stage. You will get used to the spotlight after a few minutes and be able to see the crowd for the first time. You'll notice that their limbs are tied to the ceiling with strings. They're just bodies painted to look alive.

When the narrator gets you to the stage, give a bow. Then, facing the audience, say, "What happens to the actors after the finale?" Anything else will enrage the audience. They will boo and hiss, and the demons from the play will reappear and drag you to fiery pits of Hell. Say the right phrase, and the narrator will smile and say, "Of course, let's not forget your supporting players!" All the Seekers thrown out will walk back in and all the Seekers asleep will wake up. They'll march onstage behind you.

You'll hear them whisper "Why did I sleep?" or "Why didn't I listen?" They'll say it one by one, but it'll be done so fluently that it'll seem like they're all talking at once. Never interrupt them. If you do, they'll stop talking. The narrator, the Seekers, and the audience will then stay silent and motionless forever; there is no way to restart this step, and no progression without it.

When they're done, the narrator will scold the Seekers. He'll say that they weren't interested enough in the finale and that they should've listened closer. Because of their apathy, they're damned to never know the ending of the hellish play. At this point, you may have noticed each Seeker is being pulled by the same strings as the audience. If not, it doesn't matter, because you will notice it now. When the scolding is over, each of these strings will begin glowing a faint yellow.

The Seekers will try to rip their strings out. However, they'll be too weak to move their arms at all. One by one their strings fade and each will die at your feet. Watching them die will be like watching your own family die helplessly in front of you. Still, you must clap and congratulate each of their performances as they struggle. When they've all died save one, the last will come up to you and say, "Is this truly the Finale?" The narrator will break in with laughter, and say, "We're about to find out!" At that moment, you'll notice the same strings protruding from your skin. They're buried under your flesh with hooks. No matter how weak you are, you must rip out these hooks. Their glowing is the very last bit of life leaving your body. You only have about half a minute to do this. If you manage to rip out all the hooks, the last Seeker will look at you with a smile and say, "You're an inspiration to us all." His eyes will well with tears, and he'll choke from happiness over meeting you. Moments later, he'll collapse, dead with the others. Sad as it may be, a serene feeling of completion will rush over you.

Your loved ones will now come onstage and give a bow. You can take this opportunity to speak with them. The audience will give one last clap, and begin to leave. If the entire audience exits, the doors will lock, the lights will shut off, and you'll be trapped in the darkness of the locked theatre for the remainder of eternity. Before this happens, turn to the audience, close your eyes, give a bow, and stand straight back up. When you reopen your eyes, you'll be standing outside the theatre, just as the play is letting out. A crowd of people will walk by, talking about the hellish play. They'll ignore you and disappear into the night.

The strings you're holding are Object 240 of 2538. After the finale, no master pulls the strings.

Object 241: The Holder of Temptation

In any city, in any country, go to any bank you can get yourself to. Ask the receptionist for "The Holder of Temptation". The receptionist will look at you with surprise, which will quickly change to a mixture of fear and pity. She leads you to an inner room and then into a vault. You enter the vault, and she closes it.

In front of you, along the side of the path, there will be countless piles of gold, jewelry, rare stones, and gems. You will be tempted to take one step out of the path, to grasp and take a closer look at the wealth of unimaginable magnitude. But take note, that once you do, your mind will be trapped forever in a nightmare of wealth and riches, which you will never wake up from.

Continue along the path, and you will see next, hundreds and thousands of books. These books will contain unforeseen knowledge, and reading even one of them would be sufficient for you to be the most intelligent and knowledgeable in the whole world. But take note, once you do so, your mind will be trapped forever in a nightmare of dreams and ambition, which you will never wake up from.

Proceed along the path, and you will see next, dozens of beautiful, ravishing, nubile, and young virgins beckoning. Seek to touch any of their flesh, and you will be condemned to a nightmare of castration and unfulfillable desires.

Slowly proceed along the path, and this time around, you will see at the end of the path, the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, surrounded by the largest piles of gold you have ever seen. She is clearly intelligent, very intelligent. Do not ever, in your eyes or body language, suggest that you are tempted by her body, mind, or wealth, the fates of you will be too unbearable to be written in words.

Ask her in a clear voice, "For what objects, of insignificant worth, shall the world be tempted?" She will give you a puzzled look before breaking out into a wide smile. With a wave of an arm, all the books and gold will disappear. She will then proceed to hand you an ancient coin. Take the coin in a respectful manner, and then slowly walk out of the vault and the bank.

The coin is Object 241 of 2538. You now have the power of temptation. Seek not to use it for personal gain, or else your sanity shall be forsaken.

Object 242: The Holder of Insistence

In any city, in any country, go to the nearest racetrack and approach one of the jockeys. Tell the man that you would like to see the horse with no name. A sly look will cross his face, and he will lead you to the stables.

As you enter, the light from the doorframe will die, and the only sounds that will resonate are the sounds of horses stomping their hooves. The jockey will have disappeared, and you will be left to continue on alone. At the end of the stable, a ladder will lead up to the loft, you should take it.

As you proceed up the ladder, be careful to count your steps. At the thirteenth step, call out that you are going as fast as you can. If you fail to do this, then the ladder will turn to dust, and you along with it. At this point, the ladder's lower rungs will be overswept with darkness. The darkness will begin to rise up, one run at a time. You must make all haste to the top of the ladder, for if the darkness touches you it will drag you down into suffering for all eternity.

If you can scramble up the ladder before the darkness manages to touch you, then you will find yourself in a cramped loft. The jockey from before will be holding a stopwatch that flashes the number of seconds it took for you to ascend the ladder. He will grin at you with blackened teeth. You may ask only one question, "How long will this go on for?"

He will snort, and snap back, "Too long." He will then toss the stopwatch to you and jump from the loft window. A rope will hang from the loft to the ground, slide down it and continue on your way.

The stopwatch, perpetually flashing your finishing time, is Object 242 of 2538. Your time is the only one that matters.

Object 243: The Holder of Degeneracy

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get to and ask for "The Holder of Degeneracy". A look of disgust will befall the worker you find before you. Ask once more, but be wary as to not ask a third time. A short while after the second request, the worker will hand you an old, rusted, inhuman key. Don't hesitate; physical contact with this key for more than ten seconds has been known to result in "vegetation". It has been shown to be safe if the key is kept in pockets, or for the quick-witted, on a chain around the neck. The worker will point to a long, ominous corridor that, even from where you stand, reeks of death.

The feeling a Seeker like yourself may get when looking on this hallway could be described in as simple a word as horror. The walls and floors are covered in what looks like feces and it seems that there has also been a freshly applied layer of blood. Smells of methane and metal will fill your lungs and nostrils, but do not hold your breath; the "degenerates" will find you in this impossibly dark, yet clear, hall and will not hesitate to tear you limb-from-limb. While you walk, footsteps not of your own will echo throughout the corridor. You will hear the mixed laughter of a small child and a grown man, but do NOT look behind you if you enjoy the gift of sight.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, you will find a door made of a material not far from tinted glass - through it, one can see silhouettes. Knock on the door twice, and if you're lucky a silhouette will respond by writing backward on the glass, "Find a way in..." If you were to look closely, you could tell that there is no keyhole for the "key", but the last "." written seems to be about where one would be. If you are bright and understand this, then you will be able to unlock the door but remember, don't hold the key for too long. Once the key has been turned, it will wither in your hand and the door will open. Inside is a bright white room, the silhouette nowhere to be seen. In its place is a man with his eyes and mouth sewn shut, his head strapped into the headpiece of the electric chair he is bound to. Do not speak anything other than one question. Ask, "How does it come to be that a person's soul is so degenerate?" The thing before you will rip through its stitched eyelids to stare deep into your soul. Paralyzation will occur as you come to "understand" the story of his sexual deviancy and quest for unspeakable pleasure. With hands and mouth still bound, the once-human will slowly fade from the chair, leaving only a small faded blue box with a matching blue key laying on top.

The blue box may never leave your person. If it is left anywhere, with it will be your five senses. This box and key together are Object 243 of 2538. Bring the pieces together to tear the world apart.

Object 244: The Holder of the Lionhearted

In any city, in any country, find a condemned house with a faded blue door. To approach this Holder, it is crucial to have Object 243 with you.

Firstly, you must have the key to unlock the door to the house. Once inside the house, you will find it to be empty. Search the house in any manner appealing to you - your path is already set. As you approach the last room, you will notice that the door is very different from the rest of the house - extremely ornate, and made of polished heavy oak. If you wish to run, now would be the time. If not, knock on the door - it doesn't matter how many times as long as it's a confident knock. If you are greeted by silence, then it would be wise to flee, unless you would like to see what it kept in the hidden enclosure built behind the wall opposite the door. If you hear a man clearing his throat then it is safe to enter, though not to let your guard down.

Once you are through the door, you will find yourself in a large study, ornately decorated with bookshelves full of books lining the walls and a large, richly-made desk in the middle of the room. Behind the desk is a large important-looking shield mounted on the wall. At this desk is a little old man writing in a small green book. Do not speak, just wait. After a few moments of furious scribbling, the little man will stop for a moment as if thinking and then motion for you to sit in a chair in front of his desk. Do so and the chair will rocket into the ceiling, leaving you as nothing more than a puddle. If you stand patiently, then the small man will eventually look up at you. His face will suddenly change into something not of this world. Whatever you do, do not react to this. After a moment, the creature will stand, and begin to circle you. Once again, do not move. The creature will begin to ask you questions, "Who were the Templars?" "Have you met Richard?" Do not answer these questions unless it is with this question: "How do we defend ourselves?"

At this, the monster will begin to reel about the room screaming. Through all of this, it is still crucial that you don't move. Though your legs will shake, your knees will try to give out, your arms will try to flail, and you will try to scream your insides out, do not move. I pray that you are able to keep your composure while the monster reels and screams and rips apart the beautiful room. When, at last, the creature stops in front of you, brace for an impact. The creature will scream one final time, "Cœur de Lion!" As it screams, the shield mounted above the desk behind it will shake on the wall. It will dislodge itself and shoot toward you. As it is about to collide with you, close your eyes and open the small blue box.

Count to ten.

Open your eyes.

You will now be standing outside of the house, dust flowing from the inside of the house.

Object 156 with Richard the Lionheart's emblem now emblazoned on the front of it rests comfortably on your arm and the now-familiar weight of the box and key sits in your other pocket.

As the house collapses in front of you, a large, jagged piece of wood will shoot out of one window toward you. The shield will lurch on your arm. Whether you use it to defend yourself or not is up to you. If you do choose to save yourself, then raise the shield. In a unique movement, not of your own will, the shield will twitch and the piece of wood will simply vanish. Speaking the final words of the creature will cause it to become a more transportable lifeline. Cœur de Lion. That's all you need to say to have a necklace with a shield pendant hanging from your neck, though this necklace can save you or destroy the world.

The emblem is Object 244 of 2538.

Object 245: The Holder of Etiquette

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you approach the front desk, the worker will be busy writing a memo of some sort. Don't look at it, don't ask about it, and leave if there is no memo. Ask the worker if you could see the one who calls himself "The Holder of Etiquette". If the worker stops writing, flee to the nearest bar or social club and remain there for two days. In extreme cases, the worker will stop writing and set the pen down on the table. If that happens, you and all who have known you will perish by nightfall.

Hope that the worker keeps writing. If they do, walk around behind the counter and pick up the briefcase there. Proceed to the top of the building - let nothing stop you, and avoid the elevator. Once you step through the door that should have granted you access to the roof, you will find yourself in an elderly gentleman's house.

Sitting behind an antique wooden desk, the graying man ought to look at you quizzically, as if expecting you to say something. Tell him, "I am here to trade." If the gentleman declines and asks you to leave, you will feel yourself forced back out the door you entered through, into a world that even gods fear to gaze upon. He should, however, reluctantly agree.

He will lead you into his quaint living room and ask you to take a seat. It does not matter if you choose to or not, though it's polite to accept. You will notice a grandfather clock with all of its hands pointing to 12. The man will ask you, "What do you wish to sell?" The clock will chime once and begin ticking. You have until the hands show 12:30 and 30 seconds to convince the old man to buy your merchandise. You may use whatever it takes for him to agree to buy your merchandise at whatever cost but you may only ever refer to it as your "merchandise". From the outset, the old man will be stubborn and will refuse to buy your merchandise - you must persevere, though, for should you fail you will step into a world of unspeakable horror when you leave. If you manage to convince him to buy, however, you will be free to go when the clock shows 12:30 and 30 seconds.

Don't forget to take the briefcase with you, as this is Object 245 of 2538. Inside, each person will see a material possession that they will seek until the end of their days.

Object 246: The Holder of Jealousy

At any beautician, cosmetic specialist's, or day spa in the world, you must approach the counter. You must fix the attendant with a hard gaze and ask to see either "The Holder of Jealousy" or "The Purest One".

If you asked to see "The Holder of Jealousy", the clerk will insist you leave. The only way to ensure that you gain an audience with the Holder is by facing the staff member, closing your eyes, and saying in a calm voice: "Help me to perfect myself, I seek only to change my ways to be in their image."

If you asked to see "The Purest One", the clerk will stand and lean in close to your face and whisper: "How can one truly define pure, when impurity is as plentiful as water on the earth?" You must hold their shoulders firmly and lean in close enough so that they can feel your breath on the nape of their neck. Quietly, but with determination, you must say: "Purity may only be found in the taste of water, the appearance alone shows a guise untrue of its truest form."

One cannot know if these first steps will be successful. If they are not, return the next day and attempt it using the other term.

If successful, the clerk will lead you to a large cream-colored pine door, with lettering engraved on the front in a language you cannot understand. The attendant will fix their gaze on the handle and a look of terror and blissful expectation will spread across their face. They will wrench open the door and rush inside. The sound of bedsprings will be heard, then silence. You must enter the room and look at the mirror in the right top-hand corner so that you can only see the lamp next to the bed in the reflection. There will be no sign of the clerk, only a faint smell of sweat and heavy perfume will be in the room. You must announce "I am here to find perfection," and a hand will extend to turn on the bedside lamp.

Turn to face the bed, and a woman will be sitting in the bed. This woman is the simple and incontrovertible epitome of beauty and grace. Voluptuous curves, small figure, a face that could make a grown man weep in astonishment. The woman will be sitting in a seductive pose and will beckon you with one finger. You must resist, with every fiber of your body. Regardless of sexuality or gender, you will have the most compelling forceful desire to have the woman as your own.

Under no circumstances must the woman be touched. If so, her eyes will burn a crimson red and time will cease to progress. There will be no physical pain, just the knowledge that this pure being in front of you is disappointed in you. Your body will resonate with self-hate as your body condemns itself to the rings of hell for upsetting the woman.

You must resist her, and shout the words with a passion and fury surprising to even yourself: "I do not want you, I do not need you, I shall not have you as mine."

At this point, you will begin to experience the true nature of the Object. You will hate her because you cannot have her as yours. You will loathe her because you do not need her. You will despise her, as you do not want her. You will become resentful of her for being what you desire but cannot own. Feelings of covetous envy will flood over you, to the point where you will notice the astounded expression on the woman's face.

As the rage passes, in the woman's place will be a withered old hag, crumpled in a heap. Her sobs are the most pitiful you will ever hear. You must kneel by her, place your head gently upon her bony shoulders, and say quietly: "Now I have tasted the purest fruit, I know what you are, instead of what people must think of you."

She will turn to face you, and her body will regress in age until she stands tall once more, the astounding beauty she once was. She will grasp you firmly and thrust you into a passionate kiss. A moment of ecstasy will be sorely ended by you apparating in the foyer of your local airport, clutching the mirror you first spied her in.

The mirror is Object 246 of 2538. You may see the purest form of man, but they may only judge themselves and wish to be another.

Object 247: The Holder of Metaphor

Go to any place, anywhere, that is no actual town, but that exists only as the symbol of a town that contains all the illusory longings of your youth. Knock on the door of a house that truly is all houses, but no home to any events that have given reality to human memories. If you are lucky enough to be admitted by no one, you will regress to the earliest age you can consciously recall. You will find yourself standing in a foyer, such as the one you never had in the place where your childhood was spent.

Walk on, if your shaking legs will let you. The walls of the hall you traverse will be overwhelming; snowbanks scooped from unforgiving plaster. As you make your way through toward the backyard, you will gain in height, but not age. Each step that brings you closer to the longed-for exit will come at the expense of your existence as a real thing, a being, a soul. For god's sake, walk quickly! The sands of your reality are running through the hourglass! When you come at last to the back of the house, if there is anything left of you, bolt out of that thin glass door, run or even drag yourself down the dirt path that stands for all the futility of effort, and get to the shack you see there.

Inside, you will find a covered cistern. Lift the lid. You are now so weak, so drained, so insubstantial that mere clouds will mock your strength. Use what little is left of your life force to reach down into the mire and grab the sheepskin certificate being held by the madman who clutches it. He is the Holder of Metaphor. He does not want you to exist as an entity in your own right, but would pull you into his pit and dissolve you therein! Ask him, "Why would you have me cease to be?" As he ponders his reply, grab the crackled skin and run! Do not look back, nor side-to-side, nor up, nor down, but forward only. You will retrace your steps through the house that is no home, and grow younger with each step. If you can make it out the front door before you have unaged out of existence, you will survive. If not, the certificate will be returned to the shack.

This certificate is Object 247 of 2538. It is your task to discern its literal meaning.

Object 248: The Holder of Selfishness

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to be taken to someone who calls himself "The Holder of Selfishness".

The worker should immediately begin to cry and take you to a hallway longer than you can see, and much longer than the building. He/she will tell you through broken sobs to go into the ninety-eighth door on your left and then walk away, but nothing but madness awaits you in that door. Instead, you must walk down the hall until you hear a familiar voice calling you and stop, then open the door to your right. Inside will be the Holder, and strapped to the wall will be the person you hold most dear to you.

You must walk into the room with a solemn face, ignoring anything your friend says to you. Pick up a knife off of the table to your right, and kill him/her without showing any signs of remorse. If at any time you break the solemn look or cry, the Holder will rip off your limbs and devour them one by one, and you will feel it all. The person will scream and beg for their life, but you must go on. When the person is dead, you must cut open his or her chest, take out their heart, and slice it open.

The small, blood-red pearl that you will find inside is a symbol of how you don't need anyone, but more importantly, it is Object 248 of 2538, and no one can comfort you now.

Object 249: The Holder of the Blaze

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to be taken to someone who calls himself "The Holder of the Blaze." If the person does not instantly burst into flames, then you are at the right place. He or she will take you to an empty room with no windows and close the door. He or she will then take out a ring of ancient keys covered in the language, shuffle through them, take out one that looks as if it is fresh out of a raging fire, unlock the door with it, and then open the door.

Through the door is a long metal bridge above a sea of flame. If instead, there is simply darkness, then the Object has already been taken by another Seeker. If there is fire, then go through the door. Once you go through the door, the worker will slam it behind you and it will transform into a steel wall. Now the only thing you can do is go forward. The flames are intensely hot, and as you go on they seem to get much hotter. You must walk for what will seem like an eternity; all the while, the flames will get hotter with every step. If you have Object 32, the speed, then your journey will take about one year, but if you do not, then your journey will take at least five years. While on this bridge, you will not require food or water, but you will still feel hunger and thirst.

If you are able to make it through the scorching flames, which are so hot they would have melted your bones if they weren't mystical, then you will reach a large statue holding a chest containing all the world's gold in its left hand, and one of the most beautiful people you have ever seen spouting erotic things that he or she will do to you if you pick him/her in its right hand. Rest assured that neither of these items is a trick, and they would most certainly make you very happy, but if you wish to obtain all the Objects, you will give them both up and touch the head of the statue. The fire will go out and the statue will crumble to ash, along with the two prizes. You will wake up outside the mental institution or halfway house that you started this search from and a ring will be on your right ring finger with a gem in it, consumed with a raging blaze.

The ring on your finger is Object 249 of 2538. It will give you the power to withstand intense heat, although it will physically hurt you twice as much.

This is effective for negating the heat of Object 344.