Object 602: The Holder of the Goddess

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. At the front desk, ask to speak to "The Holder of the Goddess". The worker will look around quickly, checking to make sure you are overheard. If you are, then start praying; you will still be led to the door down the hall, but They now know you are looking for one of Them. If you aren't, pray anyway; this is a dangerous task.

 

Years and years ago, you would have found me at Mesilla Valley Hospital in Las Cruces, New Mexico, known for its shifty and dangerous operations. I was given no special privileges, despite being the Holder I am; you would have found me among the other patients, playing volleyball. Now, however, even I'm never sure where I will appear next; though I have a worldly dwelling, I'm known to be gone from it for days on end. I am NOT letting these Objects come together under any circumstances.

 

The room is a simple mental patient's ward consisting of 2 beds and a bathroom. Two men will be in the doorway; one of them is the Holder, and the other is just a madman.

 

Ah, you see, this is where the one who writes got it wrong; the two men are both the Holder. The goddess is known for her trickery. The Objects knew this and exploited it when they ordered Her to create the universe. If they are coming, Seeker, heed this in mind.

 

You must look the correct one in the eye and ask: "Where was She?"

 

I had not even been postulated yet. Neither had the male god form. All that there was, was One; everything you are and know was and is part of this magnificent One from whom we all originate, and to whom we all return. the Holder's tale will be slightly more detailed, however.

 

The Holder will stand up -

 

At this point, Seeker, what the writer fails to mention is that you must be aware of the message reaching your mind as it travels to you. Even though the man will speak with his voice, his real message is intended to touch your subconscious mind. If you start to hear a high-pitched tone during the tale, focus more intently on the man's words; the tone is intended to jam and distract you. I have often tried to disable it, but it's a stubborn little... mechanism... for lack of a better term.

 

- and begin to speak of many places -

 

None of which humans were even meant to imagine, must less be informed of. Remember, even with all of the advice I am trying to include, this will be a difficult task.

 

- where She should have been.

 

If at any point during his tale, you start to see images of a headdress in your mind, record them for memory; it is extremely important that you convince the Holder of your urgency to keep the Objects apart after he finishes his tale, otherwise, you'll be stuck here. You will know which headdress it is; it was deliberately made so that it could not be duplicated. It could be a man or a woman wearing a headdress, so bear these in mind.

 

If you catch any images of a distinct headdress during the man's description, whether they be the headdress by itself or someone wearing a headdress, let the man finish his tale and then ask about it. If his eyes go wide with surprise, he will tell you how and where it can be found.

 

The headdress is currently in the possession of a young man who absolutely idolizes the goddess. He is known for many unique traits. Sometimes he wears the headdress; he knows what it means. It is only appropriate at this time and at this place for him to have it. He will soon pass it on to either a worthy Seeker or someone he knows, and it will be properly protected. This is likely to change by the time you read this; it may even now be outdated. I'm the one who gave him the headdress, but he may have already passed it on.

 

The Goddess's Headdress is Object 602 of 2538. To put it on calls for the greatest choice you will ever make.

Object 603: The Holder of the New Beginning

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 someone who calls themselves "The Holder of the New Beginning". The worker will then begin to slowly grow a terrifying grimace of horror and ask by screaming why you were looking for more Objects. You will then tell him that you had found the end, so you must find the beginning.

The worker will reluctantly take you outside the building where across the road you will see a tall black door that seemingly leads nowhere - it will just be standing there with no building, room, or hall behind it. The worker will continue to lead you across the street to the door while sobbing uncontrollably and muttering something inaudible. Once you reach the door, the worker will tell you to enter at your own will. This will be your last chance to turn back.

Upon opening the door, you will see nothing but unrelenting jet-black darkness. You must now step into the doorway and jump out into the black. You will feel as though you are floating in the darkness, and the door will have disappeared.

After a few seconds of being suspended in the black, a sudden bright white explosion will appear and a deafeningly loud sound along with it. The explosion will continue for a relatively long time, nearly an hour. Each growing second will seem longer than the last as you begin to beg for the excruciating torture to cease. Once the explosion stops, just as suddenly as it had begun, the darkness will resume, but this time you will feel as though you are falling at an accelerating rate with air brushing against your body.

Once this starts, yell out loud, "I wish to find the new beginning." As you finish your sentence, you slowly decelerate until you are barely moving and you gently feel an obstacle in your way. Once you feel around the obstacle, you will realize that it is a door. You have two choices. You may stay in the dark void for as long as you wish, or even for all of eternity. While you are in the void you will be static and unchanging, free to collect your thoughts and remain at peace. Or you can turn the doorknob and open the door to find that you are leaving the entrance of the mental institution or halfway house that you had previously entered.

As you step onto the ground, you will find that the doorknob will detach from the door while still in your hand with a small sigh of relief seemingly coming from the door.

The doorknob is Object 603 of 2538. Everything has an entrance to a new beginning - like turning a doorknob.

Object 604: The Holder of Tears

In any city, in any country, go to any school building you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to see someone who calls herself "The Holder of Tears". The worker will stare at you for a long moment, eyes unblinking, and then take from a drawer a brass key.

The worker will hand you the key and instruct you to find any open door in the building, close the door, and then use the key to unlock it. Once you have done so, before you shall be a long winding staircase. Begin to climb down until the staircase is interrupted by a flood of water. If you can step through the water continue on, but if the water does not let you pass hurry as fast as you can back to the door and lock it immediately. The water will rise and follow you but do not let it catch you. If you do then you will forever feel a crushing force as if you were at the bottom of the ocean.

If you are able to pass through, continue on. You will soon be completely submerged in water but you will not feel the need to breathe. Once at the bottom of the staircase, you will find a locked door. This will be your last chance to turn back.

If you remain, use your key to unlock the door. If the door does not unlock then all hope is lost and you will be crushed by the water. If it does, open the door and step into the room.

This room is also filled with water and the walls in front, to the left, and to the right of you, will be long arched windows where you will see dark stormy clouds passing by even though you think you must be many feet underground.

In the center of the room, sitting on the floor, you'll see a young beautiful girl in a white dress, her dark hair billowing around her in the water. She has a gentle face but tears are streaming down her cheeks adding to the water. There is only one question that the girl will respond to: "Why do They long for this?" Say anything else and the girl will steal all the liquid from your body.

When you ask the above question, the girl's face will turn unimaginably terrifying and you will see images of all the most horrific acts that have caused the tears of the world. You will feel yourself begin to cry but you must not, for if you do, you will have to take the girl's place for all eternity.

These images will go on for what will seem like hours but you must stay strong all the while. If you can survive this, then the girl's face will turn gentle again and the windows will shatter, and all the water will begin to pour from them, taking the girl with it.

You will find yourself in an empty room with the deep longing to find the girl and save her from the hell she lives in. This feeling will haunt you for all your life but you will never be able to find her. The only thing she has left you is a bottle of her tears.

This bottle of tears is Object 604 of 2538. Watch Them fall...

Object 605: The Holder of Object 605

Information about this Holder is fragmentary at best. Unlike many (most) of the others, he (she) (it) is an enigma. The only fact that any of us is sure about is that this Holder exists, and still possesses an Object. For convenience's sake, We refer to it as Object 605.

The current means of access to his (hers) (its) domain is unknown. The only known previous access was through the bottom side of a skylight in any abandoned church at exactly seventeen minutes after the hour.

The only Seeker who attempted this has not returned. Subsequent attempts to replicate entry have demonstrated no unusual properties. It is generally believed that this Holder changes locations and methods of access frequently. Even if We did know, however, We would not tell you. We suspect he (she) (it) was previously a Seeker, and as such informing you would change his (her) (its) methods of entrance. Do your own research, and for the sake of your soul hope you can keep a secret.

Whatever you do, if you go to any halfway house or mental institution, no matter what country or city, do NOT ask to visit the Unknown Holder, Holder of the Forgotten, or Holder of Object #605. Although the clerk will show no reaction outside the ordinary, you have endangered yourself needlessly. As soon as you turn back, he will try to stab you to death with the nearest sharp implement.

Extensive research by a (regrettably) previous possessor of the Badge of Observation indicates no clerk has any knowledge relevant to our search. Even those who were her allies remained murderous.

We will be grateful to anyone who offers Us more information about this Holder (Seeker?) (Keeper?) (Object?). We have very little reliable intelligence, and are willing to allow certain considerations for those willing to assist us.

Whatever trials you will need to overcome include something involving mirrors. Our research is ongoing.

Assuming you manage to pass whatever other obstacles he (she) (it) puts in your way, We might be of assistance for the final hurdle.

The inner sanctum of his (her) (its) domain, according to legend, Apocrypha, and various means We are not willing to disclose, is a Mercury-like planet. The endless desert is filled with millions of metallic boxes. Each of these is camouflaged to blend in with the environment, and has only a single detail distinct from all of the others. The alloy composing them is one with which We are unfamiliar - it obviously exceeds tungsten in temperature resistance, but all other details are under investigation.

The entire box is a single unit, with no hinges, cracks, or creases. The second layer appears to be some extremely corrosive substance (acidic?), and the third layer is most likely an iridescent blue in color. There are at least five of these - most likely more.

Object number 605 might be inside one of these vaults. Some will do anything to keep Them apart.

Object 606: The Holder of Inspiration

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

That's the formula, isn't it?

Well, I can honestly tell you that you won't be finding ME in any such place. Where I dwell is a lot more specific. Of course, I'm unsure if you'll be looking for me at all. No one has visited me yet. Maybe, after I write this, someone will. I'm not looking forward to finding out...

I live in a town named Salem. Granted, there are a lot of Salems out there, but you'll only find me in a specific one. I'm not telling you which. Anyway, the place is in the historical district, an old Victorian brick house, called an Italianate, I think, with a wrought-iron fence out front. Knock on the door if you see that there's at least one car in the driveway, that means someone's home. I can't guarantee who will answer, but ask for... For... I don't want to do this. I didn't want any part of this. I didn't mean to stumble upon that website, I didn't mean for anything...

I don't even know half of what's going on anymore...

Maybe I should start from the beginning. I... want to get this out there.

I've always thought that I was... different. It sounds cliché, I know, but...

I thought maybe there was something mentally wrong. With me. I've... always had a different thought process than other... people. But, I've never been placed in a special class, I've never gotten any special treatment. But... there are things that I've said. That I've done. That always get a strange reaction out of people. The way they look at me... Like I've done something wrong. Out of place. Horrible. They politely, awkwardly, continue the conversation, ignoring what just came out of my mouth. Typically, when I've spoken my mind about something, shared an opinion, they look at me like I've broken some unspoken rule. They never say anything about it, but their eyes... I can always tell that something's off.

It's not that I was stupid. I was an A-B student, I did well in school. I had friends, maybe not extremely close friends, but friends nonetheless. But I always ended up saying something WRONG. Doing something WRONG. I felt like a failure. An outcast. I was always trying to fit in, trying.

I TRIED. I just wanted to be NORMAL.

NORMAL.

ORDINARY.

HUMAN.

 

I... need a break. This is... I can't...

 

I'm back.

It's been a couple of days since I started writing.

Anyway, it was my senior year of high school. I was... as you say, derping around on the internet one day. I discovered what is known as CREEPYPASTA.

I was never allowed to watch horror movies, so this was the best scary stuff I could find. I found that some stuff was a lot less... scary just when reading it, other stuff... let's just say I had a little trouble getting to sleep at night.

I found a popular creepypasta directory. And stumbled upon a story called "The Holder of the End". I was drawn in. I discovered "The Holders Series" and was entranced. But then I forgot about it for a while.

Not that long ago, I remembered it and continued to read more. And more. And more. It became kind of an obsession.

Until I realized. I had no desire to become a Seeker. But. There was a "but". Something that I couldn't shake out of my thoughts, something nagging me. But they were just stories, right? Creepypasta meant to freak people out but not to be taken seriously. Right...?

 

A couple more days have passed. I've been... busy. I need to tell you, the one reading this, something about myself. Something I've tried to share with others, but no one ever seems to understand.

I made a realization a long time ago, before I had ever even heard about the Holders. There are multiple dimensions, much closer than anyone might think. They're around us, all the time.

Think about your favorite movie. Television show. Video game. Book. Anything with a story to tell. Ready for it?

They're all real. They're all portals, doorways, windows to the other dimensions, we just can't interact with them. But we can observe. Those "characters" you get so attached to? They're real people. They exist. Somewhere. Somewhere where we can't TOUCH them. No matter how fantastical they may seem, they are real.

(Here's the real kicker.)

And we created them. Or so we think.

Authors, designers, musicians, artists... They all have this unique ability, one that can't be taught nor learned. Creativity.

Everyone has a sort of... world in their head. It could be just an alternate reality of the life they're already living, or it could be something completely different. They can interact with this world, they may make THEMSELVES into a character, or they could be an omnipresent force watching over everything. Sometimes, it's like they're living in two worlds at once, and they begin to get confused... Which one is reality? A good writer can get down his or her world on paper and share it with others, but only the best succeed in expressing their message, their story. I know from first-hand experience. I'm an author.

I thought it was like a step above having an imaginary friend. I loved... still love, the word that I've created for myself. I wish with all of my being that I could truly live here because what I've come to know as reality has become rather... torturous.

The people who live in my world are my greatest friends. Allies. Enemies. Lovers.

HE lives in my head.

I long... I lust...

I tortured myself knowing that he would never be real.

But that's beside my point.

(... I should mention at this point that I am female.)

People would just think I was daydreaming, isolating myself, being lazy...

My world isn't perfect, but perfection would ruin the story. It's a whole hell of a lot better than HERE though. It was my escape. My paradise. Lost...

The thing about my world was that it was actually made up of several stories, each connected somehow, but still separate.

I tried to write them down. I didn't want to lose them. But things kept getting in the way. Luckily enough, my world is as vivid as ever. I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

I've come to realize that these worlds were NOT created by us, but that we discovered them. They're invisible to everyone else until we decide to make them out of something tangible, paper and ink.

Ink...

I need to stop again. To take a breather. I'm getting all worked up about this... Can't...

 

It was after I read a lot of the Holders series.

I... cut myself. Not on purpose. Accident. Deep.

I noticed something. Odd.

I'd never cut myself that deep before.

I could see INSIDE.

There was a layer of red, that was normal. But there was this black, oily substance now leaking from my arm, from under the layer of red. I... touched it. Curious. Horrified.

Ink.

Ink.

INK.

Oh my god.

My worlds...

My persona could...

No.

NO NO NO IT WASN'T REAL IT COULDN'T BE REAL NONONONONONO MISTAKE I'M SORRY NO NONONONONONO IT COULDN'T BE NO IT CAN'T BE REAL.

Or could it...

Does that mean...

HE could be real?

 

Another thing about my world. I could observe it. But I did create a character for myself. A persona. She could do whatever she wanted. She was ME. I could watch her or I could be her. She wasn't the main character though, that would make things too easy. But she was still the author. She could control the world whichever way she wanted. She could control this stuff called INK, which she described to the other characters as "the blood of all the worlds". Manipulate the ink, manipulate the worlds. She could write the word "SWORD" in the air with this ink and a sword would appear out of nowhere. However, whenever another character touched the "ink", it melted them as if it were acid. She... I was the only one who could touch it. She BLED ink. It was her lifeforce. She could make a small cut on her wrist and wield it like a weapon. She was the author, after all.

Sometimes... the ink would manipulate HER. When she was in extreme pain or agony, it would take her over. Envelope her body, mutating her until she was a massive, hulking, dripping hell-creature. This was called the Ink-Beast. It would go into a rampage, destroying everything it touched, and embodiment of everything the author feared. Of course, after the author settled down, the ink would be sucked back into her bloodstream and she could fix everything, writing the world back into existence on the empty canvas left around her.

The Ink-Beast was not evil, nor was it good. It was a thing of legends. It was a story within a story. The Ink-Beast would come out whenever I was in extreme pain or agony in reality. Like when I was fighting with my parents. Or someone I cared about got hurt or even died. The Ink-Beast would leak out of my persona and rampage. As an embodiment of everything I couldn't do in reality.

My persona was named Achelois. It's a Greek name, meaning "She who washes away pain." I don't think it's very fitting.

 

It was real. The ink was real. I could see it in my cut, underneath the "normal" red blood. The Blood of the Worlds. I stared at it for a long time, frozen. I reached in and grabbed some of the sticky strands, and tied them back together. I watched my arm heal before my eyes as the strands of ink were shakily woven back together. That was some of the better power of the ink.

I had been considering writing something for the Holders series, thinking I could easily make something up. Ha.

Funny that it should be the first thing that popped into my head after I realized that the... ink was real. Coincidence?

I had a strange dream last night. I've never had a dream about my world at night, it's always been strictly made up of daydreams. What happened in that dream is personal, but it explained a lot. Have you noticed when part of a story is left out, your imagination takes over and makes it so much more terrifying? Ha. HA.

That dream is partly why I'm writing now.

Have you ever noticed that when you're truly immersed in a good story, it's as if you're living it alongside the characters? As a writer, it's hard for me to do that in my own writing. It just looks like words on a page. I can't let myself in, I only see the mistakes or what parts I don't think I've communicated well enough.

I WANT YOU TO SEE MY WORLD THE EXACT WAY I SEE IT IN MY HEAD. I WANT YOU TO SEE IT.

FEEL IT.

HEAR IT.

SMELL IT.

TASTE IT.

BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I WANT

I DON'T LIVE IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION OR HALFWAY HOUSE

BUT BOY DO I BELONG IN ONE

I MEAN, WHO WOULDN'T AFTER TRYING TO LIVE IN TWO WORLDS AT ONCE

WHEN YOU BLUR REALITY, NOTHING SEEMS REAL

NOTHING

SEEMS

REAL.

You don't want to know what I saw in my dream last night.

BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT EITHER.

THE INK-BEAST IS A MONSTER AND I AM THE IN-BEAST

DOES THAT MAKE ME A MONSTER?

I THOUGHT I WAS

human.

Maybe that just means that humans are monsters. Funny, we're so afraid of what we are. We even say that monsters don't exist. I guess we were wrong...

 

In a town called Salem (the name means "peace", but that's of little importance), go to the historical district and look for an Italianate-style house with a wrought-iron fence out front. Knock on the door if there are cars in the driveway because cars are a sure sign that someone is bound to be home. Ask for... "The One Who Writes". Even if whoever answers the door tries to turn away with a curious look, insist. She'll be bound to hear you asking for her.

What happens next is unsure and dependent on circumstance. Be patient and kind and don't make a fuss. You don't want to awaken the Ink-Beast, which will take the form of whatever you fear the most, dripping in a thick black substance that will melt your flesh on contact. You only have a window of a couple of months to procure this Object before the Holder leaves. She is going away and leaving no address, no trail for you to follow. If you fail to find her in time, you will have unleashed a dreadful monster into the world with no morals or restraints.

Ask the Holder any question, she will answer every one the same. The pen you will receive is an Object of number 606. I advise you only use it as a writing utensil in the most dire of circumstances.

Be sure to bid HIM greeting for me.

Tell HIM... that I love him. I'll never be able to tell him myself. It's the least you could do after killing me.

 

I hear a knocking on the front door as I finish writing this. I'm absolutely terrified, but I will swallow my fears and go to see who my parents are now talking to. They sound confused. I haven't told them about any of this. I wonder if they will miss me. I wonder what happens to the Holders when they die. Do they die, or are they immortal, always returning for the next Seeker? I guess I'll find out soon enough...

(Inky: AliasTangent trying to reach Salem. Hold firm.)

Object 607: The Holder of Love

In any city, in any country, visit any mental institution or insane asylum. Before you get to the front desk, check to see if the person sitting there is of the opposite sex. If not, ease your mind, for the task at hand cannot be completed today. If they are, steel your mind in preparation for the coming trials. Walk over to the desk and tell the worker that you are here to see "The Holder of Love". If they look at you with an expression of pure tenderness and longing that only those with the deepest love in their hearts know, apologize profusely for bothering them, and back away slowly. If they accept your apology then never again attempt to seek that or any other Object at that facility. If they do not accept your apology, take solace in the fact that the hideous form that the worker takes on will only send fear into the depths of your soul for a moment before it eats you whole, and turns the fear into excruciating pain. If the worker gives you a look of utter hatred and disgust, one that makes you wish you had never been born simply so that you would never have to experience this, then you are safe, for now. The worker will continue to look at you like this as they slowly push their chair back and beckon you to follow them.

Make sure that your foot is always three feet away from the worker's foot as soon as it touches the ground. If you do not match their exact pace, their clothes will formlessly collapse, and a swarm of roaches the likes of which you have never seen will swarm out with the intent of eating from your brain. If you manage to keep the right distance then you will eventually come upon a door. The door will be blood-red, and although it may look like rust, the smell it emits will tell your gut otherwise as it threatens to empty itself from sheer revulsion. On the door will be many etchings of a heart. At the top of the door, they will take the form of a perfect Valentine's Day heart, however, the lower and lower you go the more demonic and macabre the images will get. The last image will depict a creature with the body of a goat, the legs of a man, and the head of a snake. The creature will be eating a heart while still beating in the chest of a woman. The woman will be weeping; you must count the number of tears that stain her face.

The worker will open the door for you and motion for you to head through. As soon as you enter the room, you should hear a sinister laugh and the door will swing shut. The sound of chains rattling will be heard, and you will also hear a large object being dragged in front of the door. Do not pay this any heed. If you do what is required of you, no door will bar you from returning to the earth. You will find yourself standing on a plane of very thin glass, so thin it would seem impossible for it to be holding up your weight. Do not fear, for the glass is made of your resolve, and will hold as long as your conviction in your quest holds. If you look up, all you will see is darkness. Be glad that the beings inhabiting that dark space above you favor the pitch-black, for to see them would burn their image into your mind forever, and leave you an empty husk for the rest of your days. If you look down, you will see the physical manifestation of love. Despite the fact that your mind will not be able to comprehend it, what you see will give you an inexplicable sense of pleasure. Do not get carried away. If you lose your focus then the glass will break, and you will spend centuries falling through the love, until you reach the other side: heart's pain. Should you find yourself there then your only hope will be to bite off your tongue. You will not be able to die, but perhaps the pain will take your mind off the unbearable fate that you will suffer should you find yourself immersed in heart's pain... Perhaps. If you manage to break your trance, stare straight and keep walking. No matter how long you felt you have been walking, or what you hear from the darkness above you, you MUST NOT stop putting one foot in front of the other. To stop is to reveal yourself to Them. They would swiftly come for you and usher into your life an unending age of pain and misery. Eventually, you will see a verdant meadow stretching out before a beautiful forest. Whatever you do, do not step onto the meadow. It is a trick. It will seem to be the only thing that you have ever REALLY wanted in life, you will feel an intense need to simply drop your quest and spend the rest of your time basking in the sunlight. Whatever you do, fight the urge, for it is a trick. The second you step onto the field it will reveal itself for what it really is, a blood-soaked wasteland littered with thousands of corpses, reeking of a hundred thousand years worth of decay. You will never be able to go back, and will be forced to spend eternity wandering the barren landscape looking for that which soaked it in blood, so that you might put an end to your vagrancy.

Walk parallel to the meadow, it does not matter if you go to the left or to the right. Eventually, you will come to a set of wooden stairs that lead up to a wooden walkway suspended high above the meadow. Climb it carefully, for those who are not worthy will not be supported, and those who are not worthy are those who show flagrant disregard for the graveness of their task. Follow this wooden walkway for what seems like hours, maybe even years. Eventually, you will find yourself in the forest. Despite how the forest looked from a distance, you will see it in its reality. Ogres run wild, fiendish beasts who physically resemble those things that haunt and tear at your soul, and cause you to bolt upright from sleep with beaded sweat all over your body. They will be hunting naked men, women, and children. The path will end in the middle of the forest, at the feasting grounds of the beasts. Wait there. No matter how strong the urge to help these people, you cannot, their souls have been damned by Them, and only They can grant them the release they desire at this point: death. After exactly 12 hours of waiting, you will hear a large thump. Do not turn around. You will hear a voice behind you, that does not sound like a human, but speaks like one. It will always speak your language, with perfect grammar.

"Who is foolish enough to seek what is here?" the thing will ask you. Do not respond. Seconds will elapse, but you must remain silent. The thing will repeat the question again, in an annoyed tone. Still, you must not answer. The thing will roar into your ear and send fear all the way through your entire being. Count three seconds before responding. If you are late or early, you will be torn to shreds by the hellion as it laughs and taunts you in languages no being from this universe has ever heard. If you answer in time, your response must be as such: "I seek what she (or he, you must answer with the opposite sex) holds dearest to her (his) heart." The creature will give no response, and will instead grip you by your leg like a vice. Do not struggle. The creature will hurl you into the air with strength you never thought was possible, and you will fly into the air. Close your eyes at the peak of your height. You should no longer feel as though you are falling.

When you open your eyes, you will be in a beautiful bed-chamber. The floors will be made of white marble, and the walls as well. Studded jewels will cover most of the walls. In the middle of the room will be an extravagant poster bed. The sheets will be made of white silk, and the bars will be made of embossed gold. On the bed will be a figure, draped in silk sheets. At this point, you will realize that the figure is the worker. The worker will stand up and walk toward you. As they approach, you will see a look in their eyes that is the opposite of the look they gave you earlier. It will be a tender look, a look of longing. If you have ever been in love, you will know that they are gazing lovingly at you. When they are inches from your face, they will ask you in a lilting tone, "Do you remember when we first met?" It is now that you must tell them the number of tears that the woman on the door was shedding. If you give the correct number, they will hold you tightly. They will squeeze you so hard you will vomit all over them. They will not relent. They will begin chanting into your ear. What they tell you will ache your soul. You will beg them to stop, but they will continue until they are finished. Every heartbreak in history, every time somebody felt a pain in their heart. Every mother who lost her son, every son forced to rape their mother by soldiers at gunpoint. Not only will they tell you these things, but they will implant their very feelings and memories into you. You will never forget, and while the feelings will pass, the memories will not. You will always remember how they felt and will have no control as to when these feelings might come back to haunt you. When they are done, they will release you, and ask you for one last kiss. They will then show you their true form. A body that should have been buried centuries ago. Their skin will be necrotic, what teeth they have left will be far beyond any yellow you have ever seen. Their eyes will be pearly white, and a stench will elude from them that would have you void your bowels had you not already done so. Despite the revulsion, you must kiss them, or you will take their place and lie in this bed-chamber until the next Seeker makes their way here. Give them this kiss and they will shriek like a banshee as their body turns to naught but ash. Sift through this ash and you will find a silver locket shaped like a heart.

You should now realize just how tired you really are. Your body will begin to feel weak and fatigued. Walk over to the bed and lie down. As soon as your head touches the pillow, you will drift off into a deep sleep. You will awake sitting on a nondescript pew in a church. You will find yourself in the middle of a wedding ceremony, where the priest has just wedded the two in holy matrimony. Look into your hand and you will see the locket.

The locket is Object 607 of 2538, whoever you give it to will love you until they die. Be careful who you give it to, and be wary of how often the heart changes. You have found one, make sure you keep it as far as you can from the others.

Object 608: The Holder of the Familiar Path

"To whoever finds this letter,

 

I am being chased by men in dark coats while writing this. I have a suspicion that I will be killed soon. I think it's this - that I hold in my arms while running away. I don't know whether to trust them, to give them it for safekeeping, or to -."

 

The letter was torn from where that statement ends, to where this one begins. Sweat marks and bloodstains cover up most of the remains, making the rest almost unreadable, except for these two remaining words.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

I was 18 and worked part-time in a mental institution, or a halfway house, or whatever you would like to call it. I can't remember what city or town I was in at the time. I went up to the clerk's desk that day and found nobody there. No one was in any rooms. I screamed for someone to answer me. All I could find was this letter.

I picked it up and read it aloud. Back then, the letter was entirely legible. I don't know why, but I can't remember what the rest of it had said. Back then, though, it was 100% readable. After I read those last words, I found myself at what I might call "home", but all of the furniture had vanished in my living room on the second floor. The entire room was blackened by shadow. If I had looked into those shadows of my former home, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you what would've happened.

Instead, I looked outside. It was blank, like a white sheet of paper. All I could see was a small girl. She was trying to speak to me through the thick glass window that made no sound able to reach my ears. All I could see was her mouth-out three syllables, "I'm... sor... ry..."

She kept repeating these syllables until I, somehow, was able to hear them in a faint murmur. It started as one voice, then grew into multiple voices, almost demonic. The voices came from behind me, but I dared not look. I had to focus on the girl. She stopped mouthing those two words, but the room kept speaking. I shut my eyes and walked to the front door to open it. I ran out into the blank paper that was outside. I could see nothing, feel nothing, just hear the words "I'm sorry" over and over in my head. It drew me to the brink of insanity. I had to get back, out of his nightmare! Somehow, in the distance was a phone booth. I got in and tried to call for help, but not even a dial tone came out of the receiver. All that resonated from the phone was, "I'm sorry."

I tried to run out of the phone booth, but the door was jammed shut right as I tried to open it. The voices grew louder, to an almost satanic screeching! I had to get out, one way or another! I tried tearing at that damn letter that stuck to me like the plague. No good. I looked outside and saw men walking toward me. Men in black coats.

I looked at them, they stopped for just a second. I couldn't take it anymore. I started clawing at my own neck with my fingernails. With each claw, I yelled, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" and the screams grew with each claw. The next thing I knew, I was back to the center with a torn letter in my hand, all covered in blood.

That letter is Object 608 of 2538. Reading it only brings sorrow to the reader.

Object 609: The Holder of Skill

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 the worker straight in the eyes and ask to see someone called "The Holder of Skill". If the worker should say, "I'm sorry, we're just about closed, then you are doomed. But if the worker stares you straight back in the eyes and nods, follow him to a closet down the left hall.

After opening the old closet, the worker will ask you if you would like to leave. Taking him for his offer leads to him locking you forever inside the closet, never again seeing the light of day until the end of eternity. Instead, nod politely and gesture for him to leave.

As soon as you enter the closet, the door will lock behind you and an invisible force will drive you toward the ground. Grab hold of the broomstick to your right and close your eyes, screaming the loudest possible. Should your screams be loud enough, the invisible force will cease, freeing you.

The lights will then turn on, and you will be in a massive arena, unlike any you have ever seen before. In the center, facing away from you, will be a gladiator, but with a skull for a head, and light emitting from his eyes. As you approach him, he will turn around, firing his massive bow directly toward you. Dodging his arrow is highly advisable, otherwise, you will be obliterated where you stand.

Retrieve his arrow, and you will soon find that it will begin to glow. Shield your eyes, or lose them, and you now hold a crystal sword. Spar with the gladiator, and when you have wrought him to his knees, he will beg you to kill him. Though you will be tempted as the crowd goes wild, do not. Ask him one question, in a firm tone: "What must I do to bring them to Their knees?" From there, he will rise into the air, hovering above you, and as time freezes and the crowd's roars go silent, he will explain every monstrosity They have committed, and in such horrifying detail you may want to throw up.

After he has told his story, the Holder will vanish, slowly dematerializing. On the ground will be his bow.

The bow is Object 609 of 2538. Though you know how to weaken them, will you deal the final blow?

Object 610: The Holder of the Demon Knight

The Holder of the Demon Knight is one of a rare breed, for he is like unto one of us. Legend holds that long ago, the first Holder of the Demon Knight escaped into our realm from the hellish landscape created by the first ones to keep him. For eons, he and his minions controlled the history of our realm, until an unknown being slaughtered him and tore the artifact from him in seven different pieces.

Those pieces control the gate to the Holder's realm; there are those that will try to see to that gate opening. Six of those pieces have been found by the minions of the Demon Knight, and one remains in the care of the current Holder. May the end come soon if it is opened again, but be thankful that the Holder is always resilient. Since the beginning of written history, those that are Holders have been in the same position; always in possession of one but none of the others. This one is the one you must acquire.

There is not much that can give you clue to where the Holder is, for he or she is human as you are. In one of their hands is a 7-star tattoo, and they always smell of death and danger. Be on the lookout constantly, for if you miss them once, chances are you will not spot them again. Be especially careful of the ones hunting this person, for they are ruthless. Make no bargain with them; you will be killed.

The only way to officially acquire the artifact is with the Holder's approval, and that is determined by the Holder. Pray that they are not looking for something specific in you that you lack, or you will have to take the artifact by force; this is something you DON'T want to do. Those that hunt the Holder can only be held at bay by the artifact itself, and it will not work for a thief.

The bottle that the Holder carries is Object 610 of 2538. It carries the blood of all who have carried it.

Object 611: The Holder of Taste

In any city, in any country, go to any fast-food restaurant you can get yourself to. Quietly walk to the counter and order the #4. While you pay, ask the cashier to see a man who calls himself "The Holder of Taste". The cashier will grimace, as if tasting something revolting, then take your money and leave. You must sit in the farthest booth from the counter, lest the Holder notice you before it is time.

When your order is called, if the employee who calls it is different, calmly leave and go home. It would be wise of you to eat nothing for the remainder of the week, for you would be slowly and eternally consumed from within. If the employee is the same, take your food and take one bite from each item, neatly. Watch for a man behind the counter who looks as if he does not belong. He'll have a fedora of the darkest black, a black trench coat with an upturned collar, and glowering green eyes, set above a mouth grotesquely stitched shut.

Once he passes the cashier thrice, stand and walk behind the counter. Look for the nearest door, and enter with your mouth open and your eyes closed. As you walk forward you will taste the grandest and most horrid of things. These sensations will assault your mind, and you will soon find your efforts to focus on anything else to be futile. Repress the urge to swallow or gag, for the air is tainted with the breath of the damned. The poison is sweet, and each gluttonous gulp will bring you closer to a searing demise. Continue your walk until you bump into a door, for if you have not been consumed, you will find it. You may open your eyes and close your mouth.

The noise behind the door should be cheering and applause, for if it is not, they have anticipated your arrival, and will not hesitate to devour you piecemeal for eternity. Open the door, and you will be in the audience of a cooking show. The host will be the green-eyed man from before. His emerald eyes will catch yours for a moment, and the tremor of terror you feel will be far beyond any you have felt before. Show no fear, and sit casually in the audience. Once he begins to ignore you, watch the show. The test will begin.

He is unable to speak, but the audience will watch raptly as he flies about, prepping a meal of human flesh. Faces will appear in the bowl; faces of those you love, those you hate, and those you do not recognize. Despite the savagery, you may feel a hunger boil within you. Ignore the man's muted invitation for the audience to taste his cookery, for it is poison to you and your quest. As the show reaches a climax, he will begin to take audience members and put them into the oven and on the stove, or butcher them. He will pick around you, but you must not start when his gaze slides over you. They are watching in the seats around you, but cannot affirm your presence if you remain calm.

After, that stage will be flooded with fans. Brave this surge to reach the man, despite him being oblivious to your presence. He will not notice you until you ask the question, "Will we have a sample of the End?" Everything will stop, and he will stride angrily toward you, grasping you and hoisting you into the air. Look at his face, and focus on the stitches of his mouth. They will stretch and tear apart horridly, revealing multiple tongues whipping back and forth, along with rows of teeth set at a disturbing angle in his mouth. With the top of his head thrown back, he will recount the unspeakable horrors that will preface the End. The words will begin to burn themselves into your mind, and you will feel each of the awful tortures as they spill from his wretched mouth, seeming to flow into an endless stream of pain.

He will then fly into an unspeakable rage; find a knife and decapitate him.

Reach into the throat of the body, ignoring the gag reflex and the threats of inhuman tortures.

His burst stomach is Object 611 of 2538.

Now that you've sampled what will come, will you hide or fight?

Object 612: The Holder of Imitation

In any city, in any country, go to any store that sells body-length mirrors. Walk up to a worker and ask him if he has "the mirror recommended by the Holder of Imitation". He may look at you in shock but will lead you to an old, dirty mirror in the back of the store. Tell him you would like to purchase it and hand him the money. Carry it out by yourself, and make sure not to scratch or hurt it on the way out. I cannot stress this enough. Do not let anything happen to that mirror before you leave the store. Take it home, and set it up in the lowest point of your house. Look at your reflection, frown, and ask if they will take you to the Holder of Imitation.

They will shake their head and beckon for you, and you must walk into the mirror without a word. You'll be in a room entirely identical to the one you were just in. Your reflection will lead you to the highest point in your house, and there will be a door. The reflection will walk out of the room, and you may walk into the door. You're free to explore your mirror-world house, though. You may even go outside and talk to people. But be warned, the people here have short tempers, and won't want to talk for long. If you do talk to them for longer than they'd like, they will turn into horrifying monsters before your eyes and devour you whole. You'll feel yourself being digested in the beast's stomach until there's nothing left of you but chunks of meat and acidic liquid. Your reflection is your best bet for conversation, they'll have all the same interests as you, and you'll get along perfectly. You may stay in the mirror world as long as you like, even for years. The door your reflection showed you will stay as long as you want, and if you give up you can go back through the mirror into the real world anything you like. But if you do, never, ever try to get back.

If you've chosen to go through the door, you will find yourself in a hallway made of mirrors. When you look in the mirrors, you will not see your reflection, but a man, smirking at you mischievously. As you walk down the hall, you will have to imitate everything the man does. One slip-up will result in death. It is advised to practice the art of imitation before you attempt this journey. When you've reached the end of the hall, the man's reflection will disappear and be replaced with your own. You will see two doors. The Holder waits behind one, this is the correct door. If the incorrect door is opened, you will switch places with your mirror-self and be trapped behind a mirror forever.

If you've opened the correct door, you will find yourself in a round, dimly lit room, with a single body-length mirror sitting in the corner. Walk up to it, and the man you saw earlier will be reflected back. Smile politely, and ask him, "When will we feel peace?" He will look you in the eyes, remind you of all the times you were truly at peace, and compare them with all the times you felt turmoil. When he's finished, he'll walk away, and only the room will be reflected. Close your eyes, and walk through the mirror. If you cannot, you will be stuck in the room forever, for the door you came in will have disappeared. If you made it through, you'll be in the room where you originally placed the mirror you bought. Look at your reflection, smile, and shatter it by hitting your reflection in the face. You will feel the pain, but it will subside quickly. Pick up any piece of glass that's still large enough to see your reflection.

The shard of glass is Object 612 of 2538. Their reflection is what they fear the most.

Object 613: The Holder of a Prize

Hurry, hurry! Step right up! Come one, come all! That's it, gather around, folks!

Hurry now, lad! You'll miss out if you're not quick.

You there, madam! Are you not at least a little curious?

Few would believe the strange, the unusual, the ancient, and the exotic. Yet would you believe me if I told you of some of the fantastic, priceless items already won by others much like any one of you in this very crowd?

Who am I, I hear you ask? I'm known far and wide as Mad Stan Goode, and I have for each of you fine ladies and gents a special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If you look to my left, you'll see my able assistant with the grand prize reserved for our lucky winner tonight.

Yes, yes, take a moment to feast your eyes upon it. A most exquisite treasure, is it not?

Madam, would you care to guess at how much of your hard-earned coinage an entry into our little game might cost you?

Why, that's preposterous! Sure, we may be at a carnival, but even we wouldn't swindle you like that!

And you, sir, how about a guess from yourself?

Even less than that!

Perhaps this young one can outdo her elders' attempts?

While that may be an entirely fair and sensible guess, I'm afraid I, myself, am not entirely fair and sensible. Truth be told, the charge for each of you here tonight, and tonight only, will be nothing at all! Yes, you did hear me correctly - not even a single penny!

What's that - you can hardly believe it? I certainly can't blame you - opportunities as wonderful as this typically exist only in myths. But indeed, all you need to do is simply head on into the tent beyond the black archway behind me, where my able assistant is already taking up her position.

Come, come! Don't dally, now! The game will begin in just a few moments.

The rules should become quite apparent as you step inside. Just remember this: though you may not be paying any money, every treasure still has a steep price.

Object 614: The Holder of Flesh

Only in the depths of night can this be accomplished. You must be alone and familiar with the terrain. Once alone and at night, take your shirt off. You then must scratch a deep enough scratch to bleed a decent amount. Once bleeding, cover your hands with blood, then firmly press your hands onto your face.

Suddenly, pain will envelop you, and it feels like someone is pushing on the insides of your face. You must fight through it, and start to yell "Tell me the difference between flesh and stone!" The pain will immediately subside, and you quickly need to put your shirt back on. The Holder of Flesh stands before you.

Stand still. He is evaluating you. This is the risky part of your journey as there is no way to know if you will pass or fail. If you fail, you will be smashed with the giant bone of the dead god of life. Its life powers will heal you, after it smashes you, and it will last forever. If you pass...

He will instantaneously run you through with a giant talon but only halfway. At this moment you have to continue on and impale yourself the rest of the way. If you don't have the will, or you're just not quick enough, he will slice up and split you in two, ending your journey.

Once you make it to the end you will be staring face to face with him. He will mock you with a quirky smile and you will become furious at this. He has no skin. Your outrage forces you to punch him. Why is he doing this to you? When you punch, you miss. He is not there. A pit of obsidian glass is before you.

You realize you are no longer where you started. The Holder gives you time to think. Look around, and realize that you are in a child's room. The walls are covered with blood and corpses litter the floor and hang from the ceiling, mangled beyond all belief. A dead child, about 3 years old, with no eyes, grabs its jaw and rips it off. Then it screams louder than you can bear. At this moment it is telling you to force your way through the obsidian pit or bleed out your ears in the horrifying bedroom scene. If you jump and somehow make it through, the Holder will be standing there. In a grassy plateau, he bows his head. He whispers, "Not many can know," then proceeds to hurl a glowing white stone at you. Catch it, or your flesh will rip off as it goes by you. Once caught, he will run. Follow him, as he jumps off the cliffside into the water. The water will slowly turn red like blood as you jump, and you must have aimed yourself exactly where he did, on the giant rock spike.

When you reach the bottom of the impalement and your body explodes from it being too wide and you going too fast, you will wake up, naked shivering on the ground where you first started, with a solid red bone, the size of your finger in your hands.

Object 615: The Holder of Regret

Do not embark on this quest alone. Find someone you trust; inform them truthfully, and explicitly, of your intentions.

Ask them to read this, if you are able, and make sure that they understand both the risks and the rewards at stake.

Make sure, above all, that they know that one of the two of you is going to die.

It is possible, of course, and even likely, that both of you will die; it is also possible that you'll ask the wrong person. Actually, scratch that - you probably will ask the wrong person. At least at first. Most people you ask will be horrified. Many will believe you are joking, or crazy. But there's one person out there, somewhere in the great wide world, who will agree to go with you. That person is not even going to ask too many questions because that person is connected to you and understands your mission as a Seeker and their task to replace you if you are the one to die.

You may not understand how the two of you are connected. You may be surprised to discover that this person's fate is so deeply intertwined with your own. You may be shocked to learn that this is your soulmate.

Imagine how surprised you'll be when the betrayal happens.

Once you two are ready, take to the road and travel through the country until you find an abandoned and ruined church on the left side of a nameless gravel drive. It will be raining when you find it. This trip may take hours, days, weeks, or months. Talk to one another while you travel; you want to know every triumph and failure, fear and fantasy of your partner.

Walk inside the church together; you must try to be as close to one another as you can get. At this point, I might even suggest tying yourselves together with a rope - some Seekers claim to have found it useful. If you get separated at any time after you've entered the church and the trial has begun, you'll never see each other again; the first one of you to give up the search will be doomed to wander the church ruins forever, hungry and alone, shivering in the rain.

If your friend gives up before you do, you'll eventually find yourself back at the car. This could take a very long time.

Walk up to the atrium, get on your knees, close your eyes, and whisper in unison that you wish to see the Holder of Regret.

When you open your eyes, there will be a very old priest in front of you, looking down on you with a grimace of sorrow. A dead twin, ancient and rotted, is conjoined to him. Placing his hands gently on your shoulders, he will very quietly ask, "Are you sure you wish to go on?"

If you have any doubts or are no longer sure you wish to continue, tell him so and he'll let you go. You may speak to him at great length if you desire; he makes an excellent counselor. If you tell him a lie, however, the grip on your shoulders will crush you down and you'll meet the demise of all those he deems duplicitous, buried alive and broken inside the walls of the church.

Otherwise, just say, "We are sure."

The priest then will turn without saying anything else and lead you to the bottom of the bell tower. There are many bloodstains here, and smears of much fouler things as well. The pavement is cracked from where heavy things have fallen from high above, and rain trickles down into puddles. As you and your friend slowly follow the priest up the spiral staircase, darkness will gather. Soon you will not be able to see even your hand in front of your face, let alone the next step - so be very careful about your footing. There are missing steps here and there, and a fall would mean certain death.

You must help your friend as you climb. Your friend must help you. You will stagger together like drunks in the sagging wet dark, always trusting the other as you crawl one step at a time into the cold infinite. If your trust fails, you will fall; if your friend makes a mistake, you will both die.

You'll climb for hours in damp and shifting darkness, thinking you should have reached the top a long time ago, but the staircase will stretch on for what seems like forever. Keep climbing until your strength runs out. Crawl if necessary, but don't stop. You'll reach the top about the time that the weaker of you has reached the limit of your endurance.

You'll find you have arrived at a circular wooden room, lit only by a single candle on top of a table, beside a glittering knife. Behind the table, a thin man stands hunched and waiting. Get on your knees and ask him, "Will they ever forgive?"

For an answer, he'll stand up and approach you slowly. There's no telling how or why he chooses, but he'll place his hand over the face of one of you.

Immediately, that person's mind will be filled with brutal depictions of long-forgotten but never-forgiven sins against life and everything that people hold sacred. Visions of violation and betrayal, in every manner from subtle to sacrificial; every cruelty, every treachery, and every lie will be made clear. As the images wash away all hope and humanity from that mind, a burning rage will rise through his or her body, transforming it into a voracious beast that will hiss and tear apart the thin man with vengeful claws and fangs.

That person will speak of what they see. You will never forget what you hear.

This is the only chance that the one of you not touched by the Holder will ever have. You must run to the table, grab the blade there, and shove it into your former friend's heart. Once it is embedded, you must never remove it. As the beast struggles in agonizing pain, set it ablaze with the fire from the candle and sit closely staring for hours as it is slowly reduced to ashes.

Don't take your eyes away from the flaming corpse for a single moment, or you may miss the chance to spot a small black cat rising from the ashes before flickering out of existence - and then all this would have been for naught. Pull the cat from the flames and run down the stairs and away from the church as fast as possible. The church is ablaze, and you don't want to be caught inside as it collapses anew.

The black cat will flicker in and out of existence, and it will often go missing for days at a time. It will never warm to you. Eventually, it will disappear for good, never returning. This is because it truly belongs to Legion now, and that is where the cat's true loyalties lie.

In the short amount of time you have the cat, however, you may read the mind of anyone who has some measure of your tissue - flesh, hair, blood, or other fluid - within their body. Likewise, you may read the mind of another, as long as you have some drop or snip of their tissue within you. Many owners of the black cat begin to collect the nail clippings, hair, blood, and teeth of acquaintances. You will always be able to read the mind of your biological parents and your biological children.

This is often deeply unpleasant.

This ability will only manifest while at least two of the following conditions are met: it is night, it is raining, you are holding a cat, or some part of you is cut with a knife or burnt by a candle. It will never function while in a church.

Every night before you fall asleep, you'll feel the bright yellow eyes of the cat staring at you. Accusing you. And you'll wonder, every time, whether it was your face the Holder touched, after all, and whether it was your voice speaking of monstrosity as you plunged that blade into the heart of your friend.

Sweet dreams.

Object 616: The Holder of the Abyss

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Once you enter the building, immediately go to the receptionist and ask for "The Holder of the Abyss". He/she will tell you that there is no such patient with that name staying there. Ask for it two more times in close succession and the receptionist will sigh in defeat. He/she tells you to close your eyes and when you open them, you will be in a portion of space with pressure heavy enough to kill you. However, you will not die but at the same time, it is clear that you are no longer living.

You will then realize that you are now in the abyss - a place where everything and nothing is. At this point, you should feel claustrophobic along with a sense of dread and fear. These feelings will be purely animalistic and primitive - emotions like you have never felt. There will be nothingness around you, and sight will be the one thing you will beg for. If you panic and try to scream, the darkness will tear your body apart atom by atom until you yourself become just another thread in the false guise of space.

While delicate blackness envelopes you, a voice unlike any other will be heard as clear as it has ever been. The voice is that of a man, war-torn, sorrowful but still confident in his words. He will ask you if you are afraid. You are not to answer his question. He will ask if you wish to be returned. You must answer no. At that moment, you will feel something creeping up to you and it will penetrate your body. The empty tentacle will feed you the horrific memories of the current Holder of the Abyss. You must survive these flashbacks or be encased in a permanent circle constantly reliving the Holder's past. The way to survive will be to mentally force out the waves of nothingness, but how one forces it out is unique to the individual.

If you are successful in this, then the voice will warn you to never abuse dark power... If you are not able to take meaning from that phrase then you will merge with the current Holder and drift on through the most horrible times in the world and the universe itself until your conscience disappears. If you do understand, then the voice will know. He will tell you to close your eyes and to open them again.

When you do, you will be in the same spot where you started in the mental institution or halfway house. In your left palm, you will be clutching a jet black rock that is perfectly spherical. You are now the Holder of the Abyss. Legion was able to do it. Can you?

The stone is a sacred Object that was lost to darkness. Be wary. It contains everything and nothing.

Object 617: The Holder of the Dark Lighthouse

The dark lighthouse does not exist by any sea, or by any body of water. Rather, you will find it in some random spot in the American Midwest or Southern Canada. It has no set location, and moves so frequently that out of all the Objects, the secret it holds may be the hardest to find.

If you find it, then it will either be standing in the middle of a wheat field, keeping watch over the swaying waves of grain, or among the stalks of corn in Iowa, waiting patiently for you, just before the year's last harvest. Most farmers in the region know about the dark lighthouse, but they choose not to mention it, out of fear of what lives deep inside.

The dark lighthouse is not like any other such structure you may have seen elsewhere in the world. It is much taller, and sticks out of the ground like a great tooth, made of the same material as deer antlers. Its light does not rotate; instead, it shines out of one window cut into the top of the towering pillar. The beam of light will oscillate between all of the colors of the low-end of the electromagnetic spectrum, going between blue, to purple, to an ultraviolent beam which can boil your skin off of your bones.

Do not drive up to the dark lighthouse, even if you are able to reach it. For one thing, it is far from the road, and you don't want to get stuck off of the highway in any of the fields over which it holds its vigil. For another, you may not wish to generate any more noise than you have to in the vicinity of the lighthouse. Many Seekers have done so, and it has retreated back into the earth from which it has grown.

Instead, creep slowly up to the colossal tower. If you hear any sounds other than your own footsteps, then hope that the creatures you can sense around you are harmless. You cannot see them, but they are everywhere near the lighthouse. Some of them are herbivores, content to graze on the crops here. Others will gladly consume you alive.

When you reach the hundred-foot-high double doors of the great lighthouse, they may or may not be open. They cannot be forced open, no matter how hard you try. If they are, then you can step inside if you so choose. I can't say I recommend it, though.

The inside of the lighthouse is an open space, close to one hundred stories high. It is dark here, but you should be able to make out a spiral staircase leading up to the top. Blue lights cast a glow over it, but they do nothing to illuminate the rest of the lighthouse's interior. Be thankful. In the shadows dwell a swarm of small, flying creatures which, if awakened by the light, will tear you to shreds and then go out across the countryside, slaughtering livestock and men across the country until they satiate their near-boundless appetite.

The staircase will be treacherous, littered with the skeletons of Seekers and the poor, unfortunate people stumbled upon this place unknowing. Do not stop to pay your respects to the dead, or you will join them. Along these stairs are horrific traps, evidenced by the state of some of the bones upon which you may have to walk.

At the top of the stairs, you will step into the light room. It is also filled with flying horrors, only these are larger, and always awake. They hang upside-down from the ceiling, wrapped up in their great, membranous wings. Don't be deceived, of course. They can see you easily. They guard the dark light and operate the lighthouse. They are its Holders.

After this, you need to be very fast. So long as you do not touch anything, the guardians of the dark light will not make a move to harm you, but as you go to pry the light from its container, they will swarm you. No matter what goes through your mind, you must jump from the window. Do it right, and you will miraculously survive the landing unharmed. Do it wrong, and... Well, you're falling close to a thousand feet. Do I really have to spell it out for you?

The lighthouse will retreat into the ground, and dawn will break over the plains. You are safe now, although, on the unlikely chance that you see the lighthouse again, you don't want to think about the horrendous fate which will befall you.

The light you hold now is Object 617 of 2538. It can bring light to darkness, or darkness to light, and if you bring it together with the Others, it will provide illumination for the endless hunt of the ravenous horrors which you will surely unleash.

Object 618: The Holder of Luck

In any city, in any country, go to any casino you can get yourself to. Upon entering, the guard will ask for photo ID to verify that you are of age. Do not worry if you are not old enough; instead, tell him that you are here to play a game at the six-hundred-eighteenth table. If you say any other number, the man will tell you that you are out of luck, and will promptly whisk you away to the hidden room. No one gets out of the hidden room.

He will turn and walk slowly to the back of the casino. If, on the way, someone wins a jackpot on a slot machine, turn around and bolt for your life. Do not collide with anyone on the way out, for they will slow you down just enough for the guard to catch up and send you to the hidden room.

When you reach the destination, the guard will turn around and present a table with a large "618" carved intricately into the top. Several figures will be seated at the table, including a man with deep-red skin. The guard tells you that the red-skinned man has never lost a hand. You will sit down at the only empty seat, and the sickly-looking dealer will give everyone two cards. The room will then go dark, so that it seems only you, the table, and the others remain in existence.

Blackjack is the game. If you, or any of the others, show up an Ace of Spades, don't even bother running away. The moment you notice the card, you will instantly find yourself in the hidden room. During this game, you will lose every hand. If you run out of money, the guard will tell you that your luck has run out and will send you to the same place. The only way out is to find yourself with an Ace of Spades down and another face card shown up on your final hand. When this happens, the dealer will start bellowing strange sounds that you can't help but cringe at, and the others at the table will too.

The auditory agony will continue for quite some time; if you succumb to the sounds, you will go mad and the guard will make you one of them. Endure this cacophony for long enough, however, and the man with the red skin will disintegrate into a pile of fine ashes. The others, including the guard, will be cast into the hidden room when this happens, and only you, the table, and the pile of ashes will remain. Growing out of the pile will be a small four-leaf clover.

It is Object 618 of 2538. Now you will never run out of luck.

Object 619: The Holder of the Holocaust

In any synagogue, anywhere, enter while you and the Rabbi are alone. When he acknowledges your presence, tell him that you want to see "The Holder of the Holocaust". He will put a grim expression on his face as the synagogue suddenly begins to fill with poisonous gas. Do not attempt to run or exit. Let the gas fill your body.

When you are an inch from death, you will be transported to a Nazi concentration camp. The Rabbi will be there with you. Follow him, and make sure you do not look at the guards or do anything to draw attention to yourself. The victims of this camp are Seekers who locked eyes with one of the SS troopers. You will travel throughout the camp, its horrors on prominent display. You will gaze upon every bunk where a failed Seeker waits to die, every pit where a screaming body burns, every guillotine where a head falls, and every gas chamber where your fellows suffocate. Do not express emotion, or else you will become a prisoner of the camp. The Rabbi will finally walk toward the Commandant's office after you have witnessed every horror. He will stand beside the door and motion for you to enter.

The Holder of the Holocaust is the camp's Commandant. He sits doing paperwork, seemingly without registering that you exist. Say nothing to him. Let him finish his paperwork. When he is done, he will ask you why you are in his office, in whatever language you speak. You must tell him that you want the power of the Fuhrer. He will sigh and tell you to come closer. When you get close to his desk he will take off his black Iron Cross and give it to you. Be careful, because when you attempt to leave, he will pull his handgun and try to kill you. You must fight for your life, take his gun, and kill him. If you do, you will find yourself outside the synagogue with the cross in your hand. The Iron Cross is Object 619 of 2538. It will allow you to lead, but to places you may not want to go.

Object 620: The Holder of Magic

Near midnight in any city, go into the slums or any disgusting or poor areas of that city. Walk down any road, in any direction you wish, and think to yourself as you walk, I wish to see the Holder of Magic. It would help to keep a watch handy for this, as if you are lucky enough to be noticed, you will pass by a very well-lit building. A small sign outside next to the door will proclaim in very colorful letters that inside is a feast of the eyes! Do take this sign up on its offer, and walk into the building.

Sure enough, the building will be packed with people. The air will be filled with smoke, and colored lights will flash as the music deafens you. Do not worry, you are not being tried just yet. Keep going through the building, until you find a very large, very empty room. Go to one of the chairs in the room and sit down. The lights will come on after a short while, and the room will no longer be empty. Do not look around - you will not like what you see one bit. Instead, focus on the stage, as The Magician - a man in a purple magician's outfit - walks onto the stage.

He will begin to do small tricks - hat tricks, card tricks, those kinds of things. At one point, he will cease, and ask for a volunteer. At this, stand up, look him in the eye, and ask him, "What of this magic do you speak?" At this, his smile will vanish. He will ask you to come up to the stage. Do so, and he will lead you backstage as the curtain closes. He will then tell you of all that has happened in the world concerning magic - of all the falsely accused witches that were sentenced to death, of all those swindled by those with pretend magic, and what is done by those who control real magic.

When his story is done, he will smile at you and proclaim that it is "Time to finish the show!" Walk back out onstage. The curtain will reopen, and in the audience, you will find horrible monsters, and some accounts say that other Holders reside in the crowd. The crowd will applaud your efforts, and you will soon blackout. However, if you hold aloft Object 626, the audience will rise and give you thunderous applause, as The Magician announces, "The Seeker of the Objects!" He will clap his hands, and you will pass out.

You will awaken in your room, and even if you do not have a clock of some sorts, you will know that it is 8:00 in the morning. take heed not to crush The Magician's hat as you get out of bed, for it is Object 621 of 2538, and even knowing that it is in your possession allows you to remember what happened right before you blacked out...

When you place the Object on your head, you will hear Him clapping. Try to at least put on a good show for Him, for no magic of this world can save you from His displeasure.

Object 621: The Holder of Cataclysm

Go to the house of your closest friend. Make sure he/she has at least one sibling, either there in the home or somewhere in existence. Go to their restroom, place your hand on the mirror or, if they haven't one, the wall opposite the toilet. Ask it to see "The Holder of Cataclysm", or to take you to the shadows.

Either way, you will be pulled to an alternate realm, where it is dark, but you are able to see perfectly. Everything is in reverse and, where your shadow was, a full-color version of you is. You are now your shadow. Step out of the room.

You should be in the same house, with everything in a similar fashion as to how it was in the restroom. Your friend's shadow or, rather, the Holder of Cataclysm, will be there. He/she will hand you a rock, which, over a course of 4 days, you must break open. If you fail to do so, you will be stuck in the Shadows forever, where everything in your life will be perfect, this being your torture.

In the Shadows, everything is reversed. All Pleasure will be felt as pain, happiness as sadness, and so on. The Shadows will continue to attack you with happiness for one month; when you will be brought back to the house to open the rock in 3 days. If you are unable to, the cycle will repeat, only you will have a 2-month wait and 2 days to open it, and the cycle repeats until you are stuck in the Shadows for eternity, or you escape.

The usual reason souls are bound to the shadows is that they assume that they must open the rock with their hands. This, however, is not true. While any item in the Shadows passes through your hands, you may bring Objects into the Shadows. Any contact between the rock and an Object will destroy the rock, and, thus, you'll receive the key inside.

It is at this point, whether you opened it with your hands or with an Object, that you hold the key in front of the Holder and ask it, "Is the Gathering natural?" The origin of the Objects will be told (or repeated if you've already heard it, but with the answer to the question inside). He/she will then hand you the same rock you'd just split open, but with a keyhole in it. If you stick the key in now, you will be sucked into a hole, and taken back to the real world. If this happens, you will not leave with the object, and may never come back.

Before leaving, touch your hand to your friend's shadow. If (one of) their sibling(s) comes through the door at that moment, he/she will approach you with the object, a necklace with an eye charm on it. If he/she does not, you may leave freely, but without the object. If you should be confronted with an image of a dead sibling, then close your eyes and prepare for the coming finality.

The necklace has the power to - 40 days and 40 nights after every use - cause cataclysmic events; i.e., a tsunami, hurricane, volcano eruption, earthquake, tornado, etc. The necklace also sends out a radio transmission on every station (as a loud, blank beep) everywhere in the world when used, which can be traced to you.

The necklace is Object 621 out of 2538. He will know when It shows.

Object 622: The Holder of Happiness

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, a man will stare at you, looking close to tears. Ask for "The Holder of Happiness". The man will look up at you, hand you a cookie, then point toward a door. Walk through the door and into the hallway. There should be absolute silence.

Should you begin to hear a soft crying at any time, stop and say aloud, "It's okay, I just want to talk." If you still hear crying, resign yourself and keep walking, hope to your god it was just your mind.

If the crying in the hall ceases after you utter those words, continue on. You will eventually encounter a door, seeming to lead outside. When you walk out the door, a little girl will be swinging on a swing set, while humming. Do not look at her face. You must then ask, "What will make Them happy?"

The little girl will then stop humming and glare at you. She will respond with a vicious attack to any action on your part other than offering her the cookie the clerk gave you - you did save it, right?

She will start to say many things all at the same time, but each single one you hear individually, perfectly, horribly. Each one is a different horrible image, ingrained in your mind. You will look, dumbfounded, and want to look at her face. Be warned that if you do, her smile will be the last one you will ever see.

If you do not, you will find yourself immediately back at the front desk, where the man will hand you another cookie.

That cookie is Object 622 of 2538. It is up to you to decide if They should be made happy.

Object 623: The Holder of Lost Possibilities

Sit down at any restaurant, in any city, at any time, and order "the Holder of Lost Possibilities". One by one, other customers will finish their meals and leave. No new customers will enter the restaurant. When you are finally alone, a pale, fat chef will bring you an ornate silver platter. He is always the same man in a classic chef outfit regardless of where you are eating, tears streaming down his face as he lays your meal in front of you.

Do not order a beverage, and do not accept offers for any other food, or he will bring you the flesh and fluids of someone you love, and you alone will remember that he or she ever existed.

Your meal is a membranous sac of thick, gelatinous pus containing a fat, writhing human fetus, the Holder of Lost Possibilities. Its taste is horrendous, and the moment it is cut, it emits a single, continuous scream of indescribable terror and agony. The sound causes stabbing pain behind your eyes and overwhelming nausea, but will not end until you have consumed every trace of the creature. Devour its brittle bones, lick clean your plate and your utensils, and do not dare spill a drop, or you will hear only the torturous scream for the rest of your life and an empty, abyssal eternity thereafter.

When the chef comes to collect the empty platter, look him in the eyes and ask, "What could have been?" The chef will tell you of things both hideous and wonderful that will never come to pass, tales that have driven other Seekers to suicidal despair. He will drone on for hours, but speak any other word or make any motion to leave and you will awaken as the new Holder to be eaten by the next Seeker. When his rambling is finished, he will bill you $0.00. Do not call attention to this peculiarity, do not tip, and most importantly, do not sign your name. Business will return to normal as you wait silently for staff to collect the check and return with your receipt.

This receipt is Object 623 of 2538. Lose this slip of paper, and you will have never been born.

Object 624: The Holder of Ash and Smoke

In any city, in any country, enter a convenience store and look to the person behind the counter. Walk up and ask for a pack of cigarettes - it doesn't matter what kind. While the man has his back turned to get the cigarettes, you must say, "Cigarettes, why must their smoke be so vile and ash be so..." Trail off.

If the man stops and looks to the back of the store, run. Don't stop, or they will get you. Keep running until you collapse - you will know if you made it far enough. Although, should the man stop and turn to look at you, he will grab a cigar from under the desk. A key will be hidden in the cigar.

Take this cigar and he will show you to the maintenance room. Go through the door. Don't turn when the door slams shut.

The floor will be covered in ash. It will look like a war went on in the hall, the walls will be crumbling, and smoke will rise from the ground. Walk down the hall. Don't look through the holes in the wall. They will show horrid images of people being suffocated by ash and toxic smoke. Walk to the door on the end of the hall with the numbers 648 on the door. Knock three times, remove the key from the cigar, and unlock the door. A young male no older than 17 will be looking out a window.

He will have raven-black hair, sharp, bright blue eyes, and pale skin. Walk up to him and look to his left arm. It's poorly bandaged and bleeding profusely. Offer to clean the wound for him. He will nod and lead you into another room. The smoke is thick and gross, but do not cough.

He will sit on a black couch with a bucket of water and a towel next to it along with bandages. As the smoke begins to fade, clean his arm. Do not look up at him, for he is watching you. Do not turn away until you finish wrapping his arm up. The male will turn into smoke and ash and disappear. You must turn around slowly. On the adjacent couch, there will be an even younger girl staring at you.

She will have skin and knee-length hair as white as paper and eyes so light and bright blue they are almost white. She will be wearing a white T-shirt and black dress pants, but no shoes. Sit on the couch where the male was sitting. Wait for the girl to speak. It can be the second you sit down to nearly an hour before she speaks, but stay quiet until she does.

She will ask you one question: "What is it you seek?" You must wait 5 seconds before replying with, "What happens when the smoke rises?"

The girl will smirk and explain in grotesque detail of the government causing a nuclear war and deathly smoke covering the ground, causing rabies-like symptoms and a slow death as organs shut down and skin melts away, and how the ash will burn people's eyes until they are blind. If you mange to get through without losing your sanity, the girl will stand and reach into the bucket you used to clean the wounds of the ravenette and pull out a long midnight-black scythe with a purple orb hidden between the blades. Smoke will fill the room. Don't move. The smoke will suffocate you to the point of unconsciousness.

When you wake up, you will see that you are back home. On the wall leans the scythe the girl had picked up. This scythe is Object 624 of 2538. When the smoke rises, will you be able to fight back?

Object 625: The Holder of Liquid

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Ask the receptionist to visit someone who calls herself "The Holder of Liquid". The receptionist will bring you to a door numbered "625".

The door will be locked, but don't ask the receptionist to unlock it, as they will lead you to your death. Wait for the sound of running water. This is your cue to enter. Take care to make as little noise as possible.

Inside, you will find yourself standing on the rocky brooks of a lake. You will see a beautiful flower at your feet. You must water the flower with water from the lake.

The flower will grow instantly to twice the size of your average person. The petals will begin to peel back and in the center of the flower will be a beautiful woman, wearing nothing but translucent blue silks and a seashell to tie up her hair. At no point should you display the slightest interest in the shell, or she will use it to cut your throat.

She will beckon you toward her flower, resist her. If she starts to sing you must run into the lake and face the unknown horrors there, rather than the horror of the Holder.

Should she just stand there, ask her one question. She will answer any question truthfully, past or present. If you wish to leave this lake, ask her "When do They slumber?"

She will answer, "Never," in a slight whisper. You will blackout and wake up in your bed, slightly wet, with a seashell in your hand.

The seashell is Object 625 of 2538. Should you place it to your ear, you will hear the Holder's voice, singing of tragedies in the near future. Let it remind you that a Seeker's journey is never over.

Object 626: The Holder of Everything

In any city, in any country, go to any hardware store or tool shop you can get yourself to. Once there, go to any employee, sigh in awe, and say, "Will you look at all that stuff?"

The employee will proceed to list everything that is for sale. Listen to what he says and do not interrupt, or every tool and instrument noted - every hammer, every wrench, every set of pliers - will play a part in your drawn-out death.

At the end of his listing, ask to see someone who calls himself "The Holder of Everything". Take the key the employee will give you. The employee will ignore you, going back to whatever business was taking up his attention.

Use the key to go into the bathroom. It will be very small and cramped, giving enough space for only the moldy and stinking toilet and one person. Close the door behind you, lock the door, and sit. You will see upon the door various graffiti and writings ranging from the lewdest to the most derogatory. Use a pen that you have brought along and write on the door: "How will everything react to their coming?"

For the sake of all that is pure, do not write anything else or do anything else, for the putrid water of the toilet will begin to spill, slowly filling the room until you have drowned in the mixture of water and human waste. You will not be able to open the door at that point.

If you have done the simple task of writing the question, the answer will slowly write itself on the door. The writings will detail the anguish of loss and the death of hope that will follow the eventuality of their coming. All you should hear is the scratching of an invisible pen writing its unholy message on the door. Should you hear anything else, you must immediately close your eyes and bang on the door, screaming. The sounds should cease. Should you not do this, or should the sound continue, failure will entail an eternity of red carnage and gore.

When the writing stops, you will be free to leave. Open the door and walk out of the hardware store. Look at the key.

The key is Object 626 of 2538. It will feel frigid every time you touch it. Should it ever warm, your time is at hand.

Object 627: The Holder of Luck

In any city, in any country, in the shadiest part of town, seek out any casino that you can find. Ensure you have brought with you a heavy weapon of some sort. You will need it. Upon reaching the front desk, decline the offer of chips and instead ask to see "The Holder of Luck". The attendant will call for their manager, who should arrive promptly. Repeat your request. The manager will make their way outside of the employee area, beckoning you to follow. You will be led through the casino to an elevator. Even if the building is only one floor, it will always be an elevator. If you are led to stairs, an escalator, or any such similar apparatus, leave at once, for they seek to deceive you. Upon entering the elevator, the manager will push a button labeled "HR", and leave, wishing you "the luck of god". If they do not, close your eyes and wait for death to claim you. The journey may seem to take a few seconds. A few minutes. A few decades, centuries, eternities.

When the doors slide open, you will be greeted with an impossibly lavish casino. Gold leaf adorns the walls, brilliant chandeliers hang overhead. But not a single living soul can be seen within. There are only 247 slot machines, all inviting you to test your luck. You will find that you now hold 247 blue chips. Use these chips to play the slot machines. Sit at a machine, and play. Each spin only costs one chip. You may take any offered prize, save for the following wins:

• Triple cherries - straight across
• Triple sevens - diagonally
• Triple bar - diagonally
• Lemon, cherry, lemon
• Triple bell

If you roll any of the above results, make use of your weapon, and smash the machine to pieces. You will be tempted, but do not take any of the chips from damaged machines.

Upon spinning triple sevens straight across, a small compartment will open on the side of the machine. There, you will find a small, gold-trimmed four-leaf clover. Take it in your hand and place it gently in a safe spot on your person. You must take great care not to break the clover, for it is Object 627 of 2538.

A person will appear to you, wearing a clean suit. Their appearance is otherwise indistinct. They will congratulate you and claim that their manager wishes to do the same. This "manager" is the Holder of Luck. You must decline this offer, and leave at once. When you turn your back on the employee, do not look back for they are not - and never were - human. It is around this time you might start to notice the distinct aroma of rotting meat. Ignore it and make your way back to the elevator. Press the button for the ground floor, but take care not to look at the thing that once was the employee.

This Object will grant extraordinary luck to the one who holds it, but at a great cost to others. A building may collapse, leaving you the only survivor. A bullet may curve around you, only to hit a bystander in your stead.

And do not break the clover, lest you wish to dash all good luck from this world.

Object 628: The Holder of Nomad's Shadow

In any city, in any country, go to any library you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to see "The Holder of Nomad's Shadow". The librarian will ask who the author is. Tell them, "You know the one that wrote it." The librarian will tell you, "There is no book by that name," and will ask you to leave. Do not leave, for the way you came in is now closed to you forever.

Ignore the librarian's confused act and the false answers you are given. Do not believe a word the librarian utters for they have played this game before and will never again lead someone to this Holder.

Tell the librarian, "Thanks anyway, I know where to go." Now, wander off into the library with a determined look as if you know what you seek. Your steel grit attitude must not falter, for if your act fails, your fate is sealed and if the librarian does not follow at your heels nervously, you are not worthy, and instead, you will serve in the library forever as the Others do.

Head to the furthermost corner of the library that is open to the public. If the librarian has followed, he will try to hand you books as you go. Do not take anything from the librarian, for any story you touch will be a story of horrors both real and imagined played out for eternity. This one and the next.

Carry on through the aisles regardless of Others now watching you as everything around you gets darker the further you go. Head straight and never deviate from your course for the dark holds gateways, though none of them are the one you seek.

In the dark, you will see shadows darker than the room around you; screaming, calling your name, giving you directions, and begging you to turn back. Amongst the cries of terror and maddening laughter all around you, you will hear one voice reading out loud. Head toward the sound and you will see a shadow holding a black scroll with letters that will now illuminate ancient unrecognized characters in a glowing red light. Though the words are written and spoken in a language you will never know, these are the words you will hear:

"It was known a long time ago that the second Seeker would be here at this very place at this exact time. But the first Seeker is only now realizing this part is yet to be played."

Ask the shadow man, "Where is the first Seeker?" The shadow man will say, "Reading it as we speak... Now, who will it be?"

Do not speak. Your existence depends on it. If you are unlucky, the first Seeker will know that their time is upon them and they will speak the words out loud and say, "It's him you want."

If 10 seconds pass and the Others have not risen up to blind you with their darkness leaving you to wander their halls forever, the first Seeker has hesitated.

Run at the shadow man without a moment's hesitation and take the scroll from his hands. Do not worry about what he might try to do to you. He is no longer your concern.

Look at the scroll and instead of paper, you will see glass; and behind that glass, a face looking back toward you but never seeing you. This is the face of the first Seeker. This is the one that hesitated. Where you see a face, they see words. They are reading the story of their demise. Look at them and watch as the shadow man appears behind them briefly before fading. He will follow them wherever they may go, bound to the Seeker as their shadow.

You, however, must now follow your own shadow. For it knows the way. Follow your shadow. Through door and wall, you may pass, no passage is blocked to you. You may return to where you came from.

You now possess Nomad's Shadow, Object 628 of 2538. Whether it leads you to your doom or salvation, only time will tell.

Object 629: The Holder of Righteous Fury

In any city, in any country, go to any religious institution that you can get yourself to. If there is anyone working there, ask to see "The Holder of Righteous Fury". They will look you up and down as if to assess your worth before taking you into the back of the building.

There will be a door at what would appear to be the very edge of the building. The worker will tell you that what awaits you is downstairs. When you open the door, you will see a long stone spiral staircase that seems to stretch on into eternity. The only light comes from the few torches that hang from the wall. It is advised to make your way slowly, as the stairs are old and one false step could leave you tumbling down into the abyss.

You will hear wails and cries of anguish. You have two options at this point. You may turn and flee, or you can continue your journey into the dark and winding depths. However, should you choose to flee, it is best that you rid yourself of any of the Objects you have collected and abandon your search for any more. If you don't, Those That Wail will seek you out. When they find you - and rest assured, they will, for Those That Wail require neither food nor sleep nor water, only vengeance - they will consume your soul and you will continue your days as a mere husk of a being.

For those that had the courage to venture farther, you must not turn back for any reason. The wails and screams will increase in volume. Eventually, the wails will sound more clear and you'll recognize them as your close friends, family, end everyone else you hold dear. If you find yourself overwhelmed with a desire to protect them, do not ignore it. Allow the pure anger to fill your body and run down the stairs. So long as you're fully consumed by a desire to save them, your feet will land true and you will not tire, though the staircase descends many hundreds of feet.

Once you reach the bottom, you'll see a set of double doors. The doors are wooden with golden handles, and the frame contains a series of strange letters. They won't be from any language you can recognize, but upon gazing at them a shiver will run down your spine. There is no other choice but to go through the doors.

What lies beyond the doors is different for everyone. But there are a few universal truths that remain a constant presence. The bodies of your loved ones will be strewn about the room. The same strange letters that marked the doorway will be written across the walls in their blood. A sword will lay a few feet from the entrance, covered in blood.

A creature will venture into the room. It will be the most horrifying visage you have ever imagined, and as such is different for everyone. The creature will look at you and smile. At that moment, you will know that it was the one that slaughtered your loved ones. Grab the sword that lays on the ground and slaughter the beast. This will be a battle that tests the very limits of your body and willpower. Should you die, your soul will be stuck in this room and you will slowly become that very creature that slew you and your loved ones.

If you achieve victory over the creature, the room will fade into a pleasant office. You are filled with the knowledge that it was all a test and that your loved ones were never in any danger and are still alive and well. At the desk, in a big comfy chair, sits a middle-aged man. His hair is nearly gray, and his skin is wrinkling with age. This is the Holder of Righteous Fury.

He will smile and congratulate you on succeeding in your trials. Now, you must ask, "How can I avenge the fallen?" It is the only question that will elicit a decent response. When you ask this, he will calmly explain the history of those that were mistreated and abused by the Objects, and those that used them. It will be a long story but you must listen carefully.

When he is finished, you will feel ready to seek out the ones that manipulate and harm the innocent. He will once again smile, and then will proceed to take a magnificent flail from under the desk.

The flail glows with a white, pure light. It will pass through the innocent, and only strike those that have caused malicious harm to those you have sworn to protect.

This flail is Object 629 of 2538. You must use it to avenge those who cannot fight for themselves.

Object 630: The Holder of the Vermin

They seek me.

I don't know where they come from, or what they want, I just know what happens when they find me.

My protector toys with them, tries to keep me safe from them.

I don't know how, but in here I can see it all.

I can see them come to this place beneath the streets, where the waste is discarded.

I see Them shout to nobody that they want to see a "Holder of the Vermin". Is that what I am? Vermin?

I don't care.

 

They follow their own echoes to us, me and my protector, then sit by us in silence.

Some of them try to slap me away when I come close, unaware of what I am.

Eventually, after a few long moments, I hear rain above.

Rain that pours down into here, raising the waters.

I scurry to a higher area, resting on rusted pipes where I can look down at you.

So many try to run back the way they came, but the waters would devour them even if they could find the way back.

So few know to remain still, and yet none have passed what came next.

 

Hands.

Sometimes few, sometimes many.

They tear through the water, clawing at the - Seekers?

Yes. Seekers.

 

The hands are those that they forget, those they overlook, and those that they destroy.

That once loved you, but you never even noticed.

That once was bullied, and you were too afraid to help.

That once was a Seeker you met, you could have protected him from them.

That once was killed by her father.

That once died of a drug overdose.

That once was mugged.

That once drowned.

 

So did you.

They grabbed you and pulled you down into the water.

 

Could I have saved you?

Am I just like you?

 

Were I to leave, would the same happen to me?

How could I get past them?

 

Perhaps I should just accept my sins.

For I'm the only one who bears them and only I can forgive them.

 

Oh, I'm sorry, I've yet to introduce myself.

I am a humble sewer rat, my protector calls me Object 630 of 2538. Should I trust you, I will always lead you to your escape.

Object 631: The Holder of Teamwork

Please note, this journey will require two determined Seekers to get out alive with the Object.

In any city, in any country, find the nearest children's summer camp or youth hostel you can both get yourselves to. If you are alone, this is your only chance to turn back and ask a friend or acquaintance that is also a Seeker or that knows about the Objects to come with you. When you get there, tell the owner of said camp that you both would like to see the one they call "The Holder of Teamwork". If you are still alone, nobody can be held responsible for what will happen to you...

If, however, you ARE in a duo, the owner of the camp will step aside, letting you pass and allowing you to enter a very makeshift door with a wobbly handle. Either of you is allowed to jiggle the handle for a while, even indefinitely, as there is currently not much to harm you for mistakes, at least not right now...

Eventually, it will be apparent that it's no use attempting to open the door using conventional means. Instead, look upward and you'll see an open vent. This is where the teamwork begins. One of you should get onto the other's shoulders, lifting you so you may crawl through the vent.

If you or your partner navigate through the vent for a while, you or they will eventually notice a red button. Press it. You will both hear the sound of a mechanism. Help your partner back into the room. The door will be open. Inside looks like what appears to be an empty black void. Both of you should enter it.

Stand in this dark room for a little bit, as "They" are preparing you for your test. Soon, the door will slam itself shut, followed by the room being lit by bright lights. At this point, your reaction time can mean life or death, for both you AND your partner. You must both choose an individual carpeted area quickly, as when the lights turn on, you have exactly 10 seconds to stand on one of the carpeted pressure plates until the rest of the floor falls into the black void.

You will both be blocked from each other's view by a wall separating all nine carpet areas once two have been activated. Each wall that has been activated by the pressure plates will have a monitor on it, showing a different color to each person. It will show the color for 15 seconds. Get a good glimpse of that color. The walls will retract again, allowing you to see each other. Both Seekers need to SIGNAL what color they were shown. If you utter a single word to your partner, the floor panels will all fall down and you will both be dragged down with them.

One carpeted panel is safe, the rest will fall into the void. The safe one is always the color you get if you mix each other's colors that you saw. Stand on the answer. If you chose right, you will both be safe and you may see what awaits you. If you get it wrong, death is a certainty. At this point, to get the Object, both Seekers must still be alive, which is presumed the situation. A door at the end of the room will open and the carpeted panels will form a linear path to the door.

Inside, you will see a man, bearing resemblance to the owner of the camp. This man will have two glistening gold-clad medals, like what you get in the Olympics, in each of his palms. Under no circumstances make direct eye contact with him, or your friend will soon be considered as a tasty snack for you...

Instead, look away from him and both of you grasp the medals, putting them on your chests. At that time, a white light will fill your sight and you will both be standing outside the camp, the medals in your hands. You have done it.

Those medals are Objects 631 and 633 of 2538. They shine bright as a symbol of teamwork, but you DO need ALL the Objects together... Yes, I know, flattered I'm sure.

Object 632: The Holder of Currency

In any city, in any country, go to any local bank. Make sure to bring a photograph of someone you love dearly. You have to love them greatly otherwise this will not work. Ask the person behind the counter to see one who calls himself "The Holder of Currency". They will ask for cash or credit. Respond by saying "Cash". If you wish to back out, then say "Credit" but be warned, you will live the rest of your life in severe debt.

If the person behind the counter holds out their hand, take it. They will lead you to the vault. However, if they do not then, well, there is no "then". Inside the vault, you will find every kind of currency that has ever existed or will ever exist.

You will feel great desire to take this money. Resist however for if you do, the money will disappear and you will be left to rot in the sealed vault for all eternity. If you managed to resist your desire then you will be greeted by a man in a black business suit. He will be smiling widely and you will notice each of his teeth is made of a different precious metal.

You may ask only one question. "How much am I worth?" He will describe in great detail what a soul is made of and what each human life is worth. You must then show him the picture you brought as a sacrifice. He will take the soul of your loved one and they will die before you will ever see them again.

You must then bow in respect. Do not straighten your back as it would be suicide to look upon the man now. You will feel him put something into your pocket. Without breaking your bow, back toward the entrance where you entered.

Should the door be closed then you are doomed. If it is open then you are free to leave. Look in your pocket and take out the coin. The coin will look like the most common coin from whatever country you are currently in.

This is Object 632 of 2538. You will no longer need to buy things as they will all become free to you. Try not to lose it among the regular coins.

Object 633: The Holder of Teamwork

Please note, this journey will require two determined Seekers to get out alive with the Object.

In any city, in any country, find the nearest children's summer camp or youth hostel you can both get yourselves to. If you are alone, this is your only chance to turn back and ask a friend or acquaintance that is also a Seeker or that knows about the Objects to come with you. When you get there, tell the owner of said camp that you both would like to see the one they call "The Holder of Teamwork". If you are still alone, nobody can be held responsible for what will happen to you...

If, however, you ARE in a duo, the owner of the camp will step aside, letting you pass and allowing you to enter a very makeshift door with a wobbly handle. Either of you is allowed to jiggle the handle for a while, even indefinitely, as there is currently not much to harm you for mistakes, at least not right now...

Eventually, it will be apparent that it's no use attempting to open the door using conventional means. Instead, look upward and you'll see an open vent. This is where the teamwork begins. One of you should get onto the other's shoulders, lifting you so you may crawl through the vent.

If you or your partner navigate through the vent for a while, you or they will eventually notice a red button. Press it. You will both hear the sound of a mechanism. Help your partner back into the room. The door will be open. Inside looks like what appears to be an empty black void. Both of you should enter it.

Stand in this dark room for a little bit, as "They" are preparing you for your test. Soon, the door will slam itself shut, followed by the room being lit by bright lights. At this point, your reaction time can mean life or death, for both you AND your partner. You must both choose an individual carpeted area quickly, as when the lights turn on, you have exactly 10 seconds to stand on one of the carpeted pressure plates until the rest of the floor falls into the black void.

You will both be blocked from each other's view by a wall separating all nine carpet areas once two have been activated. Each wall that has been activated by the pressure plates will have a monitor on it, showing a different color to each person. It will show the color for 15 seconds. Get a good glimpse of that color. The walls will retract again, allowing you to see each other. Both Seekers need to SIGNAL what color they were shown. If you utter a single word to your partner, the floor panels will all fall down and you will both be dragged down with them.

One carpeted panel is safe, the rest will fall into the void. The safe one is always the color you get if you mix each other's colors that you saw. Stand on the answer. If you chose right, you will both be safe and you may see what awaits you. If you get it wrong, death is a certainty. At this point, to get the Object, both Seekers must still be alive, which is presumed the situation. A door at the end of the room will open and the carpeted panels will form a linear path to the door.

Inside, you will see a man, bearing resemblance to the owner of the camp. This man will have two glistening gold-clad medals, like what you get in the Olympics, in each of his palms. Under no circumstances make direct eye contact with him, or your friend will soon be considered as a tasty snack for you...

Instead, look away from him and both of you grasp the medals, putting them on your chests. At that time, a white light will fill your sight and you will both be standing outside the camp, the medals in your hands. You have done it.

Those medals are Objects 631 and 633 of 2538. They shine bright as a symbol of teamwork, but you DO need ALL the Objects together... Yes, I know, flattered I'm sure.

Objects 634: The Holder of the Unending Storm

There is a small community by the ocean, somewhere on the northeastern seaboard of the United States, where the rain never stops. The town has no name, or, at least, none which any human being can hope to comprehend, and it can be found on no map of this earthly realm. The only way to reach it is by searching along the entire coastline, from Delaware to Maine, until you find it. This could take many searches; in fact, it may take years, or you may never reach your destination. If you don't, rest assured, you will be driven mad by the search.

If you are one of the lucky few who make your way into the town, then you need to know right now, you can never leave by land. You must cross a bridge to get into the community and once you cross it, the bridge will be gone, and the way back forever sealed to you. Instead, you will have to find a boat.

Drive straight to the dockyard, down by the sea. It's easy to find, you just have to follow the signs. Don't think too much about what they are made of. You really don't want to know. All you need to worry about is not veering from the correct path. There are many side streets in this town, and most of them are dark and filled with horrors which may rend the flesh and devour the bones of any unfortunates who stumble upon them.

After a few minutes of following the signs, you will come to the coast, and to the docks there. Even though there are many charter boats moored there, all but one of them will be old, and falling apart. Some of them will even be partially submerged beneath the choppy waves. The one which still floats undamaged and on an even keel will be called "The Pride of Mariah".

Park your car by the dock, and step out slowly. You will probably notice that the air here reeks of metal and decay, and that breathing in too much of it causes the inside of your nose to sting. That is because there is more coming down from the storm than rain.

You may hear claps of thunder in the distance, and you may also see lightning. That is normal, as the storm over this small town is a powerful one. Out to sea, you can see waves tall enough to make you weak-kneed. Now is not the time to be watching them, because in a few minutes, you will hopefully be out among those great ocean swells. You see, "The Pride of Mariah" is a charter boat, and you are going to be taking the charter.

If you hear anything other than thunder in the streets behind you, do not turn around. It's best if you don't turn around anyway, lest you see something lurking in the shadows which will twist and contort your mind until it breaks, leaving you a quivering wreck, lying on the street.

Walk out onto the docks. They are not exactly stable, and many of the wooden planks are rotten, so be careful where you step. There are also crabs here the size of small dogs, but you shouldn't have to worry about them. They normally stay under the water beneath the dock, but occasionally they have been known to come out when they are hungry. If they do come out, then run toward your destination, which is, of course, the ship ahead. Do not turn back. The ship will set sail without you, and you will be trapped here with untold horrors until all of the stars burn out in the sky.

When you get to the ship, just take it, whether the crabs are chasing you or not. An old man wearing a yellow raincoat will run out onto the dock from somewhere in town, but do not listen to his pleas for you to come back. He is not a man, he is a monster, and the Holder of the Unending Storm. If the crabs are not chasing you, then you don't need to be in any hurry. If they are, then there are far greater horrors beneath the water that have chased them out from under the waves, and they will also be hungry for your flesh. Get away from town as quickly as possible. That may not be quickly enough, but at least you can say you tried.

The ship is Object 634 of 2538, and it is in your possession now. You can sail with it to any sea, on any world, or in any time. The only problem is, wherever you go, the storm will follow with you.

Oh, and Mariah? The one mentioned in the ship's name? She will follow with you as well. Never again will you know a safe harbor.

Pride is the mother of sin, something Mariah knows well these days.

Object 636: The Holder of Destiny

In a time forgotten, there traveled a man. Lonesome and shrouded in mystery, he wandered the fringes of reality, nowhere, yet everywhere. Nothing, yet something. He endured trials far worse than any man before him, triumphed over beasts far more dangerous than any man before him, and changed the world more than any man before him.

Myth exalts him, though his nature is unknown. Having bested death, he continued his dark quest. Blackened and damned, nature cursed him. He was supposed to be dead, yet wasn't. Wonders of the world passed him by. Barren deserts dare not take him. Colossal beasts shrunk under him, and might storms hailed his presence. Darkness shifted before him, a pawn on a chessboard. He was simply the orchestrator, seamlessly constructing his will before his eyes.

A dozen years after his dark encounter, the cursed man faced the fiercest gale of storms. Winds tearing up those before him, they ventured nowhere near him. Exhibiting his trophy to the fury, he soon began to part the clouds.

In a dream, sat high on a might steed, he was the finest general the land had seen. Faithfully, his force followed his every whim. The enemy crumbled before his fist. No fun in an easy victory, he laughed. The Pearl city before him set ablaze. No longer would he have to envy the jewel of the night. The denizens fell to the cold steel like sheep. He could no longer control himself, his wicked cackle only deepening the wound of his foe.

Before long, the white gem of night shone red. The great tower called in desperation, yet its call fell upon deaf ears. Soon, it would all come crashing down. The guards were proven, but numbers often outdid skill. The doors were obliterated, two standing. My legion was no match for his sword, so I sought to end it all myself.

'Twas a night of dance, of strike after strike, parry after parry. Like serpents, we wove and tore at each other. The night wept, the moon shedding tear after tear for every clash. Finally, he buckled at my power and I ended his insignificant life. The light left his eyes, a foreboding sight. Knees weak, his throne and city fell under my iron fist. Yet a presence was near still, a weak heart beating. My dark possession was robbed from me, the only love I kept, where the malice of a tainted heart resided. All ended.

The fearsome gale parted, stranding the weary man. On his small raft, a fragile, blackened heart, weakly beating. He had become the very man he feared he would have. It was a feeling he would soon grow accustomed to.

After all, it was simply his destiny.

Object 638: The Holder of Equality

Dear Seeker,

Why do you insist upon collecting the Objects? Are they mere possessions to you? Possessions you wish to use to carry out menial tasks? Are they trophies to you? Plaques that can be hung on your wall? The Objects, They, Them; They come by many names, but with only one purpose. If you have made it this far, Seeker, you have already found the purpose. Why continue this quest? Why continue the struggles that no ordinary man could hope to live through? Why risk your life for Objects that will outlive you, being passed on from owner to owner? You have probably asked yourself this. If not, then the information listed below is not for you. But if you wish to go to the center of Hell once more and back, then carry on.

For those of you who are wondering, the story is not done.

Object 639: The Holder of Ink

In any city, in any country, go to any school where art classes are offered. Approach a female art teacher some time when school is not in session, and ask her to see her finest piece of art. If she giggles a bit and points you to a piece on the walls, feel free to leave right then. This Holder obviously doesn't want to see you right now. If, however, the lady nods once, and leads you to a door in the far back of her classroom, follow, as you have been deemed worthy to continue.

Enter the room, and don't be concerned with the way the door slams shut behind you. You will be alone, as the teacher can't be bothered to continue with you right now. On the floor will be a large depression, of indeterminable depth. It will be filled to the point of spilling over with sapphire blue ink, swirling slowly. Test it with your hand, ignore that it will stain. If it burns like acid, wipe it off on something, your shirt if that is what's closest, before your hand disintegrates, and turn back. There is no point in continuing.

Only if it is cold, but not icy, dive in. Keep your eyes shut, as the ink will dissolve them if nothing else. Stay under until you feel like your lungs will burst, then swim to the side of the pool. Feel around until you find a cloth; use it to dry off your face. If you look at yourself, you will see that only your skin has been stained, and your clothes are dry.

You will find yourself in a different room. The pool of ink will have vanished, and with it, your only chance to turn back. The room will be black, and seemingly endless, but you will be able to clearly see yourself, and a figure lying in the center of the room.

Walk over to the figure. It will be a beautiful woman, seeming to be sleeping or dead. She will be somehow familiar, making the task that much more difficult. Next to her, there should be three objects: a quill pen, a small jar of green ink, and a knife. If they are not there, you will be trapped in that room until dehydration finally claims you, as there is no other exit.

Assuming they are there, dip the quill in the ink, and write on the Holder's, for that is the beautiful woman's true nature, forehead, "Are They beautiful?" in your neatest handwriting.

The ink will blur and reform the instant you set the quill down. If it forms into anything other than "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," close your eyes and send a quick prayer to whatever entity you believe in, for the ink soaked into your skin will dissolve you in a few seconds, and you will claim your spot in the deepest levels of hell.

But if it shows the correct message, close your eyes and picture something that gives you strength, that gives you inspiration. Then take the knife, and slit the woman's throat. If you did everything correctly, the blood that spills out will be ink, of many and ever-changing colors. Pay attention to the colors. If it ever changes to black, pour out the jar of green ink. The next color it changes to will be white. Fill the bottle with it, and seal it with a chunk of the woman's skin.

The room will seem to shrink, and form definite boundaries. The ink pouring out of the lady's neck will gush, filling the room. Close your eyes as it covers your head, and keep them shut until you feel cool, fresh air on your skin. You will be standing outside the school, unstained, holding the jar of ink.

The ink in the jar is Object 639 of 2538. Remember, it was once used to sustain life.

Object 640: The Holder of Evolution

You know, Seeker, only a lucky (or unlucky, depending on your personal opinion) few have ever actually found me, and most of them I quickly forget. There is one, however, that I seem to think about often. Her name was Cecilia, if memory serves, and she was just as beautiful as her name. She had long brown hair that fell to her shoulders, the strands reflecting the light and becoming strands of the sun itself next to her smooth, soft skin. I remember being a pendant then, and feeling her heartbeat as blood pulsed ever so softly through her jugular. To have a perfect, wonderful, immaculate creature such as her under my control was enthralling in its own way. It's a shame she had to die the way she did.

If I remember correctly, she had wanted to seek the Holder of Evolution. Well, I had wanted her to, but she more or less wanted whatever I wanted her to want by that point. She had spent months tracking the Holder down, for the Holder of Evolution can't be found just anywhere. I believe you have to find the bones of something that lived long ago, preferably by taking them right out of the ground. Yes, that's it. Or do you have to find bones that are on display...? No, they need to be in the ground. That's why Celia had to do so much research, so she could find a site that would have ancient bones still buried in it.

Anyway, she finally found a few bones that looked like they came from a dinosaur, or some other large creature. She did as I instructed, impaling herself upon one of the ribs. That hurt me to do, Seeker, it really did. You may think that the Objects don't feel emotion, and indeed, neither had I until that moment. I felt a twinge of what must have been sadness as my Cecilia forced the rib between her own, as the blood dribbled in rivulets from her mouth and her breast. Had I not known that she was not truly dead, I could indeed have been overcome with sadness then and there.

What happened next, Seeker, is something you are not worthy of knowing. We eventually were left at a barren wasteland. I do not remember how long it was before her beautiful eyes fluttered, and she realized where she was. I was able to assuage her shock relatively quickly, mostly because I controlled her. After a few minutes, a creature appeared before us. The Holder was the pinnacle of evolution, a being evolved to the point of nigh-perfection. I could feel my Cecilia trembling as she faced it, her beautiful heart quickening its pace and the blood rushing through her veins as she faced the only being that could ever rival her perfection.

With her wonderful, softly musical voice, she asked the Holder, "How have They evolved?" The wasteland cracked and split, parts of the ground falling away as what little life was within the land ebbed into nothingness. And then, it told her. It told her how They have changed, how they have become more efficient, more brutal, more perfect. As the Holder spoke, I could feel my Cecilia's mind protesting as this information flooded it. I could feel it breaking slowly as it was raped and defiled by this Holder's knowledge. After it finished, the Holder divulged to her the secret, the one utter truth about Their existence. The snapping of my Cecilia's mind was almost audible.

She screamed, her elegant fingers tearing away at her beautiful soft face until almost nothing remained. She fell to her knees, screaming, the force of it rupturing her throat, her exquisite neck tearing open in gaping holes. And still, she screamed. She screamed and screamed, screamed for years as her beautiful, ravishing form broke apart. She screamed until only bones remained, the subtle irony of her demise hanging palpably in the air. Her quest had begun with bones, and now it had ended in the same fashion. Irony aside, I was depressed to see her die. Cecilia, my beautiful Cecilia, had cracked. She had broken, gone mad. Her corpse, what was left of it, lay at the feet of the Holder of Evolution, still elegant even as it rotted away.

And now, Seeker, I am in my realm, awaiting another to find me, waiting for another fool to enslave. Perhaps it will be you. Perhaps you will be the next Seeker that I will bend to my will, the next Seeker whose mind I make my own. You will never be able to replace my Cecilia, but I suppose you will have to do.

Object 641: The Holder of Resolve

Go to any orphanage or halfway house close to closing time. Walk up to the attendant on duty and ask to see "The Holder of Resolve". The attendant will continue with their work without the slightest hint that they've heard you. Remain as still as possible as the sentence you spoke is itself a powerful spell shielding you from the eyes of those around you.

It's advised you attempt this close to the end of a shift for you must wait perfectly still while the employees wrestle their normal workday around you. Orderlies will bump into you yet ignore your presence as their work occupies their attention. The attendant will field phone calls ignorant of the stalwart individual refusing to move. You will contemplate how you haven't seen anyone else but employees, and that the floors and walls seemed neglected by the workers to the point of dilapidation.

As the day winds down the attendant you spoke to will slide a piece of paper across the long desk that runs the length of the hall, and smile sweetly before grabbing their coat and heading for the door. DO NOT LOOK AT THIS PAPER. This is the first test that will determine if you have bothered to research the Object you seek, and to punish those vain enough to think they are immune to procedure.

When the latch clicks behind you, feel free to take a moment to stretch your legs and even have a seat. These legs won't be yours for some time, so during your reprieve, I'm sure they would appreciate a friendly goodbye.

Take any corridor you wish and walk in a straight line. Even to exit out the front door would simply lead to more halls, for now, you are in the crossroads. As you walk, doors to many rooms will throw themselves open and familiar voices will offer you peace. They will speak to you like long-forgotten lullabies in the key of a silent winter's snowfall. It will be tempting, and they speak the truth when they say they can take you away from the crossroads to an existence far from "The Resolve" where love will blanket you from the assembly. But you aren't here for peace, are you? And you understand that love's comfort is tenuous at best.

The building's walls will soon grow rampant with trees and vines 'til you feel you've been walking in a forest for quite some time. And in this forest, you will find an oak that has been hollowed to fit a grown man. Step inside and try to fight panicked urgings as the trailing plants writhe into your nostrils and down the back of your throat. It will be uncomfortable, to be certain, but it will seem like a dream when you awaken in your bed at ten years old.

You will need another break from your journey to reacquaint yourself with your younger frame, and that's just fine. You will live your life once again with the knowledge of every one of your previous days, but now you may not speak. Not once. You will exist here 'til the day you reach your age as your former self and begin the journey again.

Go to any orphanage or halfway house close to closing. Walk up to the attendant on duty and croak as best as you can, asking to see "The Holder of Resolve". The attendant will continue with their work without the slightest hint that they've heard you, but if you have done your part and let your vocal cords atrophy and die, you might be allowed entry to the Holder.

You have become Object 641. And if you could speak, you would tell another of how to find the fulcrum that could bring them together. You must never speak again.

Object 642: The Holder of Dissonance

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house that will let you in without question. When you reach the front desk, say to the worker these exact words: "I would like to visit the Holder of Dissonance".

Should a troubled look cross the worker's face, calmly turn and leave the building, and do not return to it for at least two whole days, or your mind will be completely and utterly destroyed by the horrors waiting for your return. If the worker's face remains neutral, you will be led to an elevator, and taken to a floor lower than the confines of the building.

When the doors open again, you will be in a cavern which seems to have no boundaries, and the worker will have disappeared. Make no attempt to locate them, or you will wander this for the rest of your days. There will be a repetitive drumbeat echoing around the cavern, a simple rhythm of four. Focus on this drumbeat, and find the source of it. If at any point the drumbeat becomes an untimely cacophony, stop and cover your ears the best you can, and shout with all of your strength, "This is not the correct decision! I wish to talk!"

If the drumming becomes a precise, four-beat rhythm again, you have reacted fast enough and have been heard. You are free to continue to trace the source. If the white noise persists, nothing can be done. Your mind will slowly begin to warp as the drums tear away your sanity.

When you reach the area where the drums seem to be resonating from, state, calmly, that you wish to talk. If you have convinced the Holder, a large drum constructed of bone and flesh will appear from seemingly nowhere. Along with the drum, two twisted entities will also appear; flayed beings with tattered skin and distorted faces beating the drum with the bodies of loved ones. Show no reaction to this sight, do not scream or weep with fear, as it is an illusion. React, however, and you will be put to this fate, constantly being beaten against this drum, conscious the whole time, doomed to an existence of nightmares and insanity.

Approach the drum without hesitation, and firmly knock on it four times, in time with the flayed ones. Repeat this until the flayed ones stop, and the drum will open up. When this happens, ask "What happens if they are unheard?"

A boy of about fourteen, wearing bloodied flesh, should emerge from the drum. The flesh is the remains of past Seekers who have failed to pass through. He will then go into detail of what would happen if everything was unexpected, from the clashes in the past to what would happen in the future. For the duration of his tale, look only at the boy. You will be tempted to look away, but do not give in to this temptation, or the flayed ones beside you will tear you apart, adding your remains to the boy's cloak of flesh.

Once the boy finishes his tale, the drum will shrink in size, until it is no bigger than a tennis ball. He will offer the drum to you. Take it without hesitation, and close your eyes. When you open them, you will be outside the building you started in.

This drum is Object 642 of 2538. When the time comes, everyone must know.

Object 644: The Holder of Death

This Holder is the easiest to find, but there is no way you won't lose anything. Look for any church, chapel, or temple in any country or city. Be on your knees and speak this prayer to the Holder:

 

Come to me and break these chains,

Lend me your gift and give me a chance

To change what past, to change what remains.

I now call you upon the ages as a soldier.

Bless me with your strength and wisdom,

Show yourself, Holder.

 

You really need to show faith when you call the Holder, or else other things can hear you and they won't bring you anything but a painful death.

After you finish the prayer, if you do it correctly, a priest will appear. He'll sit right in front of you and put a blade, a book, and a feather in his lap. These three things are the Holder's gifts. He will make you choose between the three objects.

The blade is the only object that can kill a Holder, the book has all the secrets of the Holders, and the feather heals any injury but not death.

He'll only ask you one thing, and you need to accept, or else feel the blade slice into your body. He'll demand a promise, a sacrifice that will haunt you for the rest of your life. The Holder could ask your soul, a memory, or even the life of someone from your family. Sounds simple, but he would make it in a way you'll never forget. And you'll die, tormented by this sacrifice; he'll get his gift back.

Object 646: The Holder of Mysteries

In any city, in any country, go to any library you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask the librarian if you can see "The Holder of Mysteries". The librarian should begin to quiver in fear as if she had seen Satan himself. Ask the librarian promptly three times over to see "The Holder of Mysteries". Books should begin to fly off of the shelves, crushing everyone in the library. The librarian will then begin to laugh. Laugh along with them or you will face the same fate as those who were crushed by the books. The librarian should then begin to walk over the battered corpses and down to an aisle of books long-forgotten and covered in dust in the back of the establishment. Do not stop to check out the books or even to read the titles, for they contain information that would destroy the mind of any individual.

As you wander further into the labyrinth of aisles, the shelves will begin to look older, dustier, and strange, ridden with books of all colors. One book will fall off the shelf by itself. Do not touch the book, for it glows a white-hot and will disintegrate anything it comes in contact with. You may look at it, but the title of the book is written in unknown symbols. On the spine of the book is simply written "Why". The lights will then begin to flicker but do not show any signs of fear or the lights will turn off forever, and you will be left to wander in the darkness stricken with paranoia until the Objects are reunited.

After one more minute of wandering through the shelves, the lights will finally stop flickering, but an unknown sound will begin to echo through the corridors. With the sounds, the librarian will come to a stop and fall to the floor. Do not try to assist the librarian, for this will anger the echoing sounds, which originate from beasts of unknown origins, roaming the halls in search of fresh flesh. As the librarian collapses, the lights behind you will quickly begin to flicker, coming ever closer to you. You will also see an old man with no eyes and a glowing red cane inch ever closer to you from behind. Do not challenge him for he will dismember you slowly if you approach anywhere near him. In front of you will appear a man with no eyes as well, and carrying a blue cane. As they approach you slowly, do not attempt to run or the floor will fall beneath you and you will be consumed by the darkest creatures of hell. The man with the blue cane will tell you that the man with the red cane is his brother, but the man with the red cane will tell you that the man with the blue cane is not his brother. The man with the red cane then asks you to kill the man with the blue cane, and if you are smart, you will. For if you do not, both men will decapitate you instantly, and you will continue to live, feeling the pain eternally.

As you are about to kill the man with the blue cane, he asks you, "Why?" If you dare respond to him, be brave in doing so for any sign of fear will cost you your life. With a straight face, ask him, "How can They see?" He will begin to describe to you the mysteries of life that everyone has ever questioned, and how every mystery has been right in front of the eyes of anyone who has ever questioned them, but they failed to solve the mystery because of the deceit their eyes played on them. The man with the red cane will then disappear, leaving only his cane behind. The man with the blue cane will tell you to pick it up. Do so promptly, or you will be struck through the heart by the blue cane. As long as you are holding the cane, you will be able to solve any mystery that has dumbfounded you, but at the cost of your eyesight.

The red cane is Object 646 of 2538. We forget that our eyes are the disbelievers.

Object 647: The Holder of Anticipation

In any city, in any country, go to any hospital and, ignoring the front desk entirely, make your way to an operating room. Be sure that it is in use.

Take two chairs from somewhere in the hospital and set them near the room and sit in one, looking at the floor with a depressed look.

Should the operation finish before someone sits in the other chair, place the chairs back exactly where they came from and leave as quickly as you can without being noticed. Do not sleep for three days and do not be alone. If you survive this period of time, they did not notice your presence and you may try again at another time.

If this does not happen, a man will sit in the chair next to you. Ask for "The Holder of Anticipation". Do not look up until he rests a hand on your shoulder. He should be wearing a grim expression and nod at you. He will get up and move to the operation room doors. Follow him but face your back to the doors. He will open the doors for you. Walking backward, take three cautious steps in. You will notice it's not an operating room but do not focus on that. Watch the man and he will turn around as you have and walk through the doors which will swing shut silently behind him.

As he begins to walk backward, you must do the same. Do not turn around, for the Holder is watching you and will protect Its Object without mercy or hesitation. As you continue to walk backward, you will notice that you seem to still be in the hospital but there are windows to either side of the hallway. You may look out these windows for now without consequences but if you value your existence I do not advise it. Soon the walls will distort and discolor. The windows will darken and it is no longer safe to look, for the Holder is jealous and the horrors that will soon start to float by will distract you from your goal.

Keep your eyes firmly locked on the man who showed you in. The distortion and evil taint will grow in your surroundings. If you are not of a strong mind it will drive you mad and you will be sucked out the windows to the black void, left forever to be ravaged by winds, demons, and worse.

You will both walk like this for an amount of time that differs from person to person but do not fret. Even if hunger gnaws at you and you feel terribly exhausted, you will not collapse. You must keep focused on the man's back. At some point in the walk, he will try to turn to face you. As soon as he does this, you must shut your eyes and say in a whisper, "You mustn't, it's against the rules." If you don't do this quickly enough, a razor-sharp maw will disintegrate you and you will know pain as no other mortal has. If you have, he will say in a voice that seems to echo oddly, "Oh, yes, silly me." Continue walking with your eyes shut.

Be very careful as you walk for at another seemingly random point in time, you will try to step back and there will be nothing there. Simply stay where you stand at the edge of this precipice. Know that the man has gone now, turned to his true form and is before you now. You will hear the ragged breathing and smell rotten human meat. Do not open your eyes. The Holder will make you pay dearly if you give in now.

Feel the hot breath start to wash over you. Do not move and start to hold your breath. The hot breath will come closer and closer, the Holder will inch forward quietly but not silently. It will be just in front of you but do not react until you can feel its breath right at your throat. At this point, say, quietly and fearfully, "What is it They are waiting for?" If you have said this at the right time, the Holder will lean over your shoulder and whisper back to you in a voice that will cause even the most steeled individuals to weep. It will tell you of every ambush and every traitor who bides his time. It will speak of monsters hunting children in the dark and the things that are always behind you waiting to strike that you will never see no matter how many times you look until it's too late. When it has finished, you must stand there for five minutes with your eyes shut tight. When you open them, you will be laying in your bed at the place you call home. You will feel a hot breath for a moment on the back of your neck.

This breath is Object 647 of 2538 and will follow you. The world watches with bated breath.

Object 648: The Holder of Injustice

In every town in every country on the earth, there is one desolate building on the outskirts of the city which hides a dark secret. It seems to be abandoned, and if you ask anyone in town, it has always been abandoned for as long as they can remember. Sometimes, you can find it there, sitting in decay on the edge of prosperity, but other times, it will be strangely missing. In fact, you may have to come back several times on several different days, possibly for as long as a week, before you will finally be able to find the dilapidated structure.

When you do discover the building, you will recognize it rather plainly. It isn't like other abandoned houses or offices around the town; it is much more imposing, and seems to have simply grown out of the ground, rather than being built.

Go up to the front door, and knock. Do not just walk in, as doing so will lead you to a fate that I shudder to even imagine. If someone answers back telling you to come inside, then do not enter. Turn and run, and never look back. If you ever so much as glance at the building again, then a horrible darkness will come over your eyes, and for the rest of your days, you will be rendered blind by its veil.

If no one replies after you knock three times, then open the door and walk inside. At first, it will seem very dark, but as your vision grows more accustomed to the light, you will see that you are in a clean, modern hospital lobby, completely unlike what you would expect from the building's crumbling façade. You will see people sitting around you in the chairs surrounding you, and they will all turn to stare at you. Do not return their gaze. They may rip you limb from limb if you do.

Go up to the receptionist. Do not look at her face. Just ask if you may speak to "The Holder of Injustice". She will hesitate for a moment, but still, do not look up. If you do, she will shake her head, and you will be trapped in this building for all eternity with evils which not even the darkest depths of hell can fathom. If all goes well, she will tell you to follow her. Do so, still looking away, until she guides you to an elevator and tells you to take it down to the sub-basement. Don't. The elevator is a trap. Instead, politely say, "No, thanks. I'll take the stairs instead."

The door to the staircase is next to the elevator. Follow the stairs down what looks like a mineshaft until you reach the bottom. Do not try to figure out how far down you've gone; you don't even want to know. Don't turn around, either. The stairs are littered with the skeletons of those who did so.

When you finally reach the bottom, there is one long corridor leading to a solitary, rusted metal door. Walk up to it, swallow your fear, and knock. If you hear the sound of something metal scraping the ground, pray that your death is quick. If, instead, you hear someone say, "Come in," then it is safe to do so.

The room behind the door is a pretty normal-looking hospital room, with one exception. There is no medical equipment and no chairs for guests, just a single bed with a girl of about 16 with long, blonde hair sitting down on it. When you walk inside, she will look up at you and smile. This is the Holder of Injustice.

You can ask her anything, and she will talk to you for as long as you like. She is very conversational, but nothing that she says really seems to lead you anywhere or make much sense. She will keep talking to you forever (or at least until you die of dehydration), without leading you anywhere unless you say, "Neither of you deserved this."

At the mention of this phrase, you will stop speaking and her face will turn ashen gray. Her smile will vanish immediately, and tears will start to flow down her face. Do not turn around or say anything, or you will learn what it is like to beg for death. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she will tell you how she and her younger sister came to be Holders and about how terrible their lives were from that moment on. She will warn you that what you seek isn't treasure, but that it is misery and pain. Then, she will show you all of the hate and cruelty in the world; everyone who has ever died for nothing, and every act of terrible destruction wrought for the sake of prejudice. There are atrocities upon which the most terrible dictators of recorded history would frown, and you will see them all spread out before you like pages of an open book. Your love of the human race will falter and fail, and your soul will become a black pit, unable to ever feel joy again.

Finally, when she is finished, ask her for a picture of her sister. The Holder will sigh, reach between the cushions of her hospital bed, and pull out a poorly-developed Polaroid. Do not ask anything else about her sister. A few seconds will pass which feel like an eternity, and then you and the Holder will appear on the street outside, and the building will be gone forever. The Holder will have no idea what just happened, and will simply walk away, looking for someone to help her find her home. Now, she is no longer the Holder, and you are. Looking at the photograph, you can see any distance on the earth, so long as nothing obstructs your view.

This is Object 648 of 2538. If they ever come together, then horrors far worse than those you have just seen will sweep the earth.

Object 649: The Holder of Malice

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 Holder of Malice". The worker will stare at you levelly, come out from behind the desk, and take your hand. He will lead you up into the higher levels of the facility. His nails will dig into your palm, with each step you take to reach the top, they will dig in deeper. You must never let go of his hand.

After what feels like days, the stairs will end and across the large room, there will be a tall iron box. The room will be hot, and the temperature will continue to rise, feeling increasingly unbearable. No matter how hot the room gets, you must cross it, take no time to remove your clothes, take no time to look behind you at the worker. The worker will try to prevent you from continuing, but under no circumstances attempt to let go of his hand.

When you reach the box, you will need to pry open the lid with your free hand. The iron is razor-thin, but take no time to find a tool to open the box, use only your free hand. Inside the box is a small paper bundle. Lift it out gently. Without looking behind you, ask the worker, "What is Their extent?"

Many have never escaped from this room, the unspeakable horrors that have occurred here tell their tales streaked across the bare walls, reverberating across the space so many times that it is impossible to see anything but the gore They left behind. The worker shall detail every awful atrocity, every wound, every agonizing moment of the pain They inflicted. His hand will dig deeper still, until all you see is white pain.

As soon as he finishes, you must leave, quickly. Run across the room. Do not look at the worker. Flee down the stairs and run from the facility until your muscles scream for mercy and run some more. When the pain in your legs is worse than the pain in your hand, stop. You are done.

Unwrap the package. The mummified infant inside is Object 649 of 2538. Keep it warm.