Object 708: The Holder of the Ring

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution, halfway house, or remote motel you can find. Ask at the front desk if you may see "The Holder of the Ring". They will look through some of their movie selections, and hand you a tape or DVD. View this recording any way you can. Do so quickly, and be sure a phone is nearby.

What you will see is a montage, some shots will depict fingers. Some will depict chairs spinning. At the end of the tape, there will appear to be a ring of light in utter darkness. When you are finished watching the recording, the phone will ring. Pick it up. A raspy voice will whisper to you, "Seven days." This is how long you will have until the Holder will come to visit you. If you wish to escape your fate, make a copy of the tape and leave it at any mental institution, halfway house, or remote motel. You will then be able to live your life normally.

However, if seven days have passed, and the recording has not been copied, stand three yards from the nearest television screen at exactly 4 minutes and 13 seconds before the time at which you watched the recording. Wait, standing patiently. Soon, the screen will turn on, depicting a well. A girl in a long white shirt will climb out from that well, and walk toward the viewpoint.

She will then reach out and step from the screen. Do not panic. Do not assail her. Do not scream. If you do, when she reaches you, you will not survive her test. Instead, kneel down and reach your arms out welcomingly. This is the Holder of the Ring.

When she reaches you, she will take your head in her hands. She will flood your mind with a million nightmares at once, flashing them in your mind four times each second. Each flash will become worse than the last. Many go into cardiac arrest from fear. It may be the gentler fate.

However, if you survive for one whole minute, you have passed her test. Look her straight in her black eyes and say, "Thank you for sharing your dreams with me. Let us bear this burden together."

She will look at you in shock. Then anger. Then, the blackness of her eyes will weep away in ebony tears. The loveliest brown eyes you have ever seen will be crying before you. She will say, "I had thought none would share this pain. Why would you?" Respond solely with, "That is the essence of love. Come away and share this journey with me."

At this point, she will break down into wailing sobs, throwing herself into your arms. When she seems to have calmed herself, ask her "Why do they send you dreams?" She will break into new sobs, terrified this time. She will tell you of their sadistic nature, of how they tormented her to increase their power. This story will be so sad that you will want to cry until your tears drain your body into dry dust. Do not shed a single tear. She will reach into her shirt and pull out a golden ring on a long gold chain and hand it to you. Take her by the hand and lead her to your home. Do not worry, for she is no longer a Holder, and her dreams and malicious nature are gone from her.

This ring is Object 708 of 2538, the Ring of Nightmare Horrors. Those who wear it on their finger will suffer from her nightmares until they are brought together.

Object 712: The Holder of Perception

In a certain city, in a certain country, you must find the cheapest motel possible. Once there, wait outside the entrance for a few minutes to see if anyone else enters. If someone does, walk away. You're in the wrong city. If you do not see anyone enter, however, you may go in. Walk up to the man behind the desk and remain silent. He will smile at you for a while before becoming annoyed with your silence and ask if you have a reservation. Reply yes, and when he asks for a name, tell him "The Holder of Perception".

The man will look at you like you're playing a joke on him. Remain sure of yourself, or at least appear to be so. If he believes your act, he will slide you the key to your room. You may or may not take the time to notice that in the place of numbers there will be three realistic pictures of eyes on the attached keychain. Proceed to your room. You must find it yourself. Worry not, for the motel is cheap, they don't have that many rooms. Once you have located your room, you must make a choice. The key you were given will work for any room. Use it on any room other than that specified by the keychain, and you will be able to leave the motel and resume your normal life. If you use the key on your room, however, you will have to complete the trial, or at least attempt if you wish to leave at all.

Should you choose to use the key on its proper door, once you unlock the door, the key will slide back out, missing all of its teeth, essentially becoming a blank once more. If you choose to discard it at this point, you may go on with the trial, but know that you will never finish. Whether you keep the key or not, the inside of the room will have three features. The first will be a bed, the second a desk with a computer, and the final shall be a small radio with a stool next to it. If you sit next to the radio, a sound will immediately play at such a pitch that you will die in seconds, the last thing you ever know being what you perceive to be the worst possible sound on the planet. Should you choose to sit in front of the computer, you will immediately be bombarded with pleasurable images that will reduce you to nothing more than a drooling lump of flesh, perceiving nothing more than what you were shown until you die from either thirst or hunger, as your own saliva may serve to keep you hydrated.

Should you choose to lie upon the bed, however, you will fall asleep immediately. When you awake, you will be in a concrete room, lit by some unknown source. You will be unable to move at first. It may seem to be a few seconds, or an eternity. It is up to you to place a time length on the term of your imprisonment. Take the time to observe the box if you wish. Once you are able to move, get up and turn to face one wall. Which doesn't matter, as they are all perfectly identical. You may even choose to stare at the ceiling or the floor, as in this uniform box, they may count as walls as well.

Now, visualize a door. No, more than visualize it. If you wish to leave the room, you must come to believe with every fiber of your being. You must be able to see it, smell it, taste it, touch it, even hear the sound of your knuckles striking whatever your door is made of. If you do not meet each of these requirements, you will be stuck in the room until you do. Once you have the door, open it and step through. You will find yourself in a room similar to the one you left with one difference, the door you just made before is in front of you once more. Don't bother turning back. As you may suspect, it is no longer there. You may notice that if you did not give it one, your door now has a knob.

If you push open the door, you will find yourself once more in a concrete room with your door. This will happen however many times you push open the door until you choose another option. If you pull open, the door will open to pure darkness. Close the door as quickly as possible so that you may have time for a final scream before what lies within the darkness makes you into a meal. If you kept the now blank key, insert it into the keyhole if you have not already pulled the door open. Turn the key then leave it in the knob and enter the room beyond.

It will be dark. Do not worry because there is no beast here. Imagine a room as strongly as you please. You do not need to force yourself to believe in it. Your surroundings will change to match your imagination. Take note that any details left out will remain absent. In the room, there will be a figure that you did not put there. It will be wearing a white hood that obscures its body from view. Calmly approach it and ask, "What is it They perceive?" You will be presented with one of five answers, each pertaining to one of the five senses. You will sense the best and the worst of what They perceive. Either end of this spectrum, or even the utter mundane of the middle, will rob you of the sense that was used to present you with your answer. The figure will then disappear, and you will fall asleep. When you awake, you will be in your own bed of the place you call home. Next to your bed will be a small bottle filled with nondescript white pills.

The pills are Object 712 of 2538. They will restore the sense you lost, but you will lose another. Which sense will you neglect when they come together?

Object 731: The Holder of the One

If you wish to find "The One" then this is what must be done. It may be the most important Object in your quest. It may not. But you need it regardless.

There are no mental institutions to go to... This Object ventures onto holy ground. Find a church, any church, in any country that you can get to. Go when it is dark, this church will have a graveyard, do not be scared of the graves; nothing buried below can hurt you, not yet. There will be someone waiting for you, they will be in a cloak. They will not respond to anything you say other than: "Why did they bury them?"

If he looks up, you must run. Run. If the gate to the church is open you have made it out and you can spend one last night with your loved ones. If, however, the gate is closed you can stop running; you will most definitely die here, in this graveyard. You should probably take in one last breathe of fresh, night air... before you experience the most painful death known to humankind.

If his head stays bowed, you may proceed. Walk to the door of the church and open it. You will be faced with a corridor, much longer than the church itself; the thought of whether this is possible is irrelevant here. You must walk down the corridor. Ignore the corpses, they cannot harm you if you stray from the path of light. Follow the light, it will grow brighter with every few strides. It will increase to a blinding light but you must bear it, do not, for one second, close your eyes. If you succeed, the light will ease and you will be faced with a table, on this table will be a book. Some refer to this as the bible, but you refer to it as "The One". Open the book. If you are worthy, the book will reveal all its secrets, these secrets will destroy the weak-minded. You must stay strong. Once the book has settled and closed you must take the book. If it burns you it is too late. The many corpses are coming from the darkness to dray you, many feet down, to the depths of the hidden world. If the book does not burn you then you are safe. You must take the book and hide it.

The book is Object 731 of 2538. And you must never let Them read it.

Object 739: The Holder of the Wish Song

If you do not know how to sing, it is time to learn, Seeker. Sing poorly, and that which I possess shall take you to a swift death. Sing well, and you may yet live.

In any remote wild place on this accursed earth, out of sight and earshot of any and all who would hear my song, begin to sing. Sing to your utmost potential, infusing it with all the emotion and power you can muster. Sing a formless song without language. Sing that which makes the air tremble.

If you hear an eagle's harsh cry break your song, seek quickly to hide. You would then wish you had been born mute.

Should no sound break your song save for the howling wind which arises as you begin to sing, proceed forward in whichever direction you happen to be facing for exactly seven hundred paces. Turn into the wind, and struggle against its fury for another four thousand paces. Count carefully, and never change your path again. Should you deviate, you will find yourself enshrouded in the song you have sung, trapped for eternity.

On the four thousandth step, cease walking and kneel. Kneel as low as you can, keep your head down and your eyes shut. Cover your ears if you can, and prepare for a mournful song heralding your death if you cannot. If you have covered your ears in time, simply wait until you perceive the wind has stopped. Stand.

Open your eyes, and behold the wonder that is the song itself. This is all that it is, an entire world composed of song. Should it move you to tears, you may continue down the path your tears will form as they rain down on the void below. Should you be stoic and unimpressible, you shall fall through the void and beyond the land of the song into a soundless eternity of cold and darkness.

If at any point along the path you hear a song, stop and listen respectfully. Do not try to cover your ears. The songs you may hear affect each Seeker differently, but none of these songs will harm you unless you fear them. Once the song has ceased, you may continue. Continue walking down your path until you reach my land of song.

In this, my land of song, I will test you in ways you cannot imagine and in ways that defy description. Suffice it to say that each Seeker must undergo their own test. Each and every task will push your body, soul, and mind to their very limits, and more.

Should you survive my ordeals, you will be granted access to my palace of song. If you wish to turn back at this point, turn around and gaze upon what has been following you all this time and sing to it softly and gently. If you do not wish to die or turn back, never even entertain the thought of that which is following you. Simply stride to the beckoning door engraved with every song that has ever been sung and search for your song, the song that brought you here. Trace the patterns of your song and step back three paces without turning around to allow the doors to open. If you claim another's song, it will ensnare you, and you will become just another song upon the door.

Should you survive the final test, walk swiftly down the long hall and open the door that shines with music. I will be waiting for you, Seeker, behind this door. Do not avert your gaze or cover your ears, or my song will cause you to flee and never return. Should I sing before you can speak, you shall perish. If I pause for long enough that you may speak, ask only this: "What song do They sing?"

I shall tell you a tale of that which will engrave the notes of music upon your soul itself, and they shall burn into your awareness forevermore. Forevermore until the last note is sung, you will be haunted by Their song. At the conclusion of this searing tale, as my eyes burn through your very soul, my song will engrave within you the magic of the wishsong. Should you wish to do anything, focus on it and sing, for you are now one with the song itself and may command its power as you please... but the price will always be high.

Use its power now to return to that wild place where you began this journey, what seems like eons ago. This is the only time the song's power comes without a price... or so you shall think.

This song of songs is Object 739 of 2538. The price its use demands will cripple your very soul.

Object 745: The Holder of the Past, Present, and Future

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 with no hesitation to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of the Past, Present, and Future". The attendant will look up at you with familiarity, although you've never seen her face in your life. She will lead you out of the building, where you will both walk for what seems like hours, but will actually only be a few minutes.

Eventually, she will lead you to the vacation home from your childhood. Your brain will tell you that this isn't possible, for that house was in a different state, but your body will bring you to the door. The attendant will hand you a key, but don't use it. If you do, you will be trapped in the past for eternity. Instead, close your eyes. When you hear the water running, it is safe to open them.

You will be in the kitchen, standing over the sink. It will be empty except for the water, which will be overflowing. Silently watch the water as it spills onto the floor. Do not stop it from running. Do not move. Do not make a noise. In the blink of an eye, the water will turn a dark red. The smell of blood will fill the air, and a throat will clear behind you. Turn around. It will be an elderly man, who you will instantly know as Thanos Gregory, the first person to set foot in the house you stand in. He will push his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose, and at that exact moment you must utter the words, "When will they come?"

If you say the words even a second too late, you will drown in the rising pool of blood. However, if you manage to say them correctly, the man will launch into a horridly detailed life story. Most Seekers will be driven insane by the gory details. But if you survive, the man's figure will flicker in and out of existence until it disappears. The bloody flood will disappear with it, and the man's reading glasses will fall to the ground.

Those glasses are Object 745 of 2538. You will be needing them in the future.