Legends of Amacia Rise of the Caverias

Young Hannibal awoke in the gloomy cellar surrounded by a six-foot bubble of light emanating from his lucky amulet. “Ugh...what happened?” he moaned. Rolling onto his back, he felt intense pain flash through him from the beating he took from the bully, Jeff. His chest felt frozen, making breathing difficult. Gritting his teeth as he endured the pain, he looked around in a daze, seeing shadowy chains and hooks coated in dried blood hanging from the ceiling in the darkness. The chains rattled as if something were moving through them. Hannibal slowly sat up as he became aware of where he was, his whole body throbbing painfully. “Oh, no, they didn’t!” he moaned, looking at the filthy dirt floor covered with splotches of dried up blood. An icy chill raced down his spine.

Just then, Hannibal’s eye caught the dim light shining through the open cellar door at the top of the stairs. As he tried to focus on the dim frame of light, he heard a commotion and saw a shadow framed in the light.

“Since you thought to stop me from killing the freak…you can die with him! Give my regards to the dead when you meet them!” Jeff snarled with murderous intent to Donald, who had tried to stop him from beating Hannibal to death earlier.

“I’ll see you in hell, Jeff,” Donald mumbled fearlessly as Jeff held him up on his tiptoes. Hannibal heard him spit into Jeff’s face.

“You first, mother fucker,” Jeff shrieked in insane rage, repeatedly smashing Donald’s face into the doorjamb until it was a bloody pulp. Hannibal watched in horror while Jeff battered Donald mercilessly. Before he could blink, Hannibal saw Jeff push Donald against the doorframe in a chokehold and plunge a knife into his belly button and pulling up until the knife reached Donald’s ribcage. Hannibal’s eyes grew wide as terror built on the horror of a brutal murder. Donald gasped, spewing blood out of his mouth as Jeff cut open his belly, severing his diaphragm in the process. With a shout, Jeff threw Donald down the stairs headfirst, roaring, “Die with the goddamned freak, you piece of fucking dog shit!” Donald tumbled down the stairs in front of Hannibal, leaving his intestines scattered on the stairs. Upon hitting bottom, his neck snapped loudly, turning his head around almost completely backwards. Upon hearing the snap, Jeff added with great venom as he slammed and locked the door, “That’s where you will stay, forever!”

Hannibal gasped and turned his head from the gruesome scene, almost puking at the sight, which set his chest on fire with pain. He heard a wicked laugh erupt from Jeff as he locked the door. “I’ve never actually killed anyone before,” Jeff’s voice hissed darkly from the other side of the cellar door to his so-called friends, “Feels fucking good! I could get used to this.” Suddenly, the atmosphere of the house became as dark and sinister as Jeff’s murderous attitude. He started beating on the locked cellar door while hurling insults down the stairs and laughing maniacally.

“Not so brave now, are you…you little mother-fucking freak!” Jeff shouted through the door. “You’re going stay down there until you rot! Then I’ll come down there and take that necklace! Or maybe I’ll just come down there and pull your guts out while you still breathe!”

Once his pain ebbed with the heaves from seeing a grisly murder, Hannibal looked around fearfully. As he listened to Jeff’s murderous taunts, the darkness of the cellar became denser as a creeping dread penetrated into Hannibal’s heart. His vision fell again upon Donald’s corpse at the base of the stairs, lying in a large pool of blood. His eyes grew wide as the depth of his predicament became apparent. “I…I’ve got to get out of here!” he stammered fearfully, beginning to get up as panic started to fill him.

“Don’t move, my son. If you move, they will find you,” a strange voice whispered in his ear from the darkness. Hannibal froze in panic at the words, looking around wildly, heart pounding so fast he became lightheaded. “Be calm, my son, and don’t be afraid. The Darkness feeds off fear and panic. The Darkness cannot touch you as long as you have the Time Disk around your neck,” the voice whispered soothingly. Hannibal found his heart calming as the voice spoke, though he remained petrified with fear. Glancing down at his lucky amulet, he noticed that its brightness had increased, along with its icy feel. It felt so cold it was hot, as if it was burning a hole through his chest.

Suddenly, the house itself groaned and the atmosphere became intolerably vile. Donald’s body suddenly shot under the stairs, going between the steps. For a moment, his head jammed, until it ripped off and rolled to the edge of the bubble of light. Hannibal’s eyes grew wide with horror as the head lay there, looking at him. He choked, becoming incredibly nauseous at the sight. Seconds later, a slithering shadow snatched the head, taking it back into the shadows where Hannibal heard the sounds of something chewing and rending flesh, crunching bone, slurping, hissing from the darkness beneath the stairs. As the head disappeared into the dark, Jeff’s taunts from the top of the stairs ceased abruptly for a few moments, replaced by a heavy thumping. Hannibal’s eyes darted in a panic to the top of the stairs as the thumping suddenly ceased. A moment after the thumping stopped, Jeff cursed in fearful surprise, “What the hell is that?” An unearthly roar rattled the house, followed by blood-curdling shrieks and the sounds of flesh being rent to pieces. Moments later, everything became eerily silent. Blood oozed under the cellar door.

Hannibal stared up the stairs as the blood began to drip over the first step. Noises drew his attention away from the door; indescribable terror gripping him as the shadows deepened. The house groaned loudly and his amulet shined even brighter to counter the darkening shadows, which began to circle him.

“Don’t move,” the voice whispered. “Move and the Old Ones will have you.”

“I’m not moving…I’m too scared to,” Hannibal whispered painfully as the sound of growls added to the chorus of rattling chains and the groaning of the house.

“Be silent!” the voice insisted. “You’re caught between worlds right now. This house is a gateway to another dimension…the place where these Old Ones exist. They seek to find entrance into your world. We must not let them cross over.”

Suddenly, one of the monstrous shadows lunged at Hannibal and he screamed. Its snakelike arms touched the light bubble and sizzled, giving off a sulfurous smoke. It retreated, shrieking. Hannibal stared at a monster with an elongated head, eight eyes, tentacles coming out of its mouth, and a body that resembled a snake with four scaly snakes for arms. Blood dripped from its tentacles as another creature approached that resembled a seven-foot bipedal bat with horns. A dozen more shadowy creatures that defied description continued to circle as the bat roared at Hannibal. When Hannibal cringed, the bat smiled malevolently. Suddenly, Hannibal snapped and anger began to build in him.

“What do you want?” Hannibal cried. “I’ve done nothing to you! I’m not here because I want to be! Just leave me alone!”

The bat shrieked again and Hannibal flinched, the icy cold of the amulet searing him. The bat monster pointed a taloned finger at him, and with a gruff reptilian voice, said, “We mean to feast upon you, human son of Caverias...and then upon the rest of your kind!”

“What,” a puzzled Hannibal began to ask when the amulet suddenly flashed, driving back every shadow and monster in the cellar. He saw dozens of creatures that defy description surrounding him in that flash, with the only way out being a clear path up the stairs.

The cellar door abruptly crashed open. “Run, my son, and don’t look back!” the voice barked urgently.

Hannibal’s adrenaline-fueled terror drove him up the stairs at full speed, despite his pain and wounds. He dashed through the cellar door only to slip and fall on a blood-covered floor. A roar arose from the cellar as the cellar door slammed shut by itself. The house groaned and shook violently as Hannibal dashed down the hall…the floor collapsing behind him. The house’s roar increased as he reached the front door. It blew open by itself and Hannibal tripped as the collapsing floor caught up with him. He fell through the door with a shriek, landing face down on the porch. Turning over, he saw the door becoming a terrible maw and the hall, a throat. The wood of the doorjamb suddenly shattered and turned into wooden teeth, surrounding the maw. A tongue of carpet lashed out to capture him. Hannibal screamed and scrambled back until he fell down the porch stairs, crying in pain as he landed in a heap.

“Run, son…Run!” the voice urged him. Hannibal ran for his life, dodging roots from the old trees in the yard that came to life to stop him. Hideous demoniac faces formed on their trunks as the trees reached out with their branches to capture Hannibal. A root grabbed his ankle as he stepped onto the road, tripping and pulling off his shoe before vanishing back into the yard with it. He came crashing down with a loud crack in his leg. A scream rose from his toes as he grasped his leg in agony while looking back at the evil edifice. The infernal house smiled evilly at him as he passed out…its façade literally a demon’s face.

Hanna paused, sobbing softly as the terrible burden of the memory began to ease with her sharing it. Andrew gave Hanna a gentle squeeze with the arm he had around her. Hunter knelt next to Enoch opposite of Nemesis and put his hand on her left knee as Enoch held her hands gently. Nemesis patted her on the right knee sympathetically. “That’s quite an astonishing account, Hanna,” he said softly. “No wonder it haunts you. What happened after you escaped?”

“I briefly woke up in Mr. Mizaki’s arms with Chris hovering over me,” Hanna reported in a soft tone. “Mr. Mizaki was my English teacher in school that year and Chris was my best friend, who was with me when Jeff and his bullies attacked us that day. I thought they’d killed Chris, but apparently they’d only broken his arm and knocked him out. I was the target of Jeff’s rage that day, not Chris. It seems he went for help and found Mr. Mizaki coming down the road. I thank God he did. I didn’t wake up again until I was in the hospital. I had frostbite, a severe concussion, broken ribs, and a broken leg from the attack. It was in the hospital that I found out about my abnormal pineal gland, and an apparent telekinetic ability. My parents and Mr. Mizaki were present in my room when a series of unexplained events occurred that couldn’t be explained any other way. I only know of it because my parents told me about it and later, I saw video surveillance footage of the event. It all revolved around the lucky amulet I found in Ukraine; the same amulet that Jeff tried to take the day of the attack. It seems just having the amulet close to me helped me to recover.”

“How long did you stay in the hospital?” Andrew asked.

“I was in there almost a month,” Hanna stated, “...for observation because of my abnormal pineal gland growth. It nearly tripled in size during the time I was there with most of the growth occurring for those few critical hours right after arriving at the hospital. Once the telekinetic event took place, the growth spurt of my pineal gland slowed to a crawl. The weirdest thing about that incident with my pineal gland is that it didn’t disrupt my brain structure. My brain shifted, allowing the growth to occur without it pressing on it. None of the doctors could explain it. By time I left the hospital, I had no adverse reactions to its size. Oh, I’d still get headaches and an occasional migraine, but they weren’t connected to the gland or its enormous size.”

“I was wondering about your pineal gland,” Enoch stated. “I noticed its abnormal size when you were in the Healer right after you first arrived. Your account explains much. Did you ever figure out what triggered the abnormal growth in it?”

“No,” Hanna admitted, becoming much calmer now that the memories of the terrible event had been shared. “I never did, but I surmised that it must have been triggered either by my lucky amulet or getting taken into that house during Jeff’s attack. That infernal house was obviously some kind of gateway to the place where the Old Ones wait to re-enter our world. Whether it was a natural phenomenon or engineered remains to be seen. In any event, I was never the same after that terrible event and my life went downhill afterwards in a hurry. The assassins who slaughtered my parents were apparently after my lucky amulet. They weren’t after money, only my amulet and cold-blooded murder. I have no doubt the amulet is of alien origin, much like the Seal of Khitia. However, my gut says it may be infinitely more powerful. I kept it with me at all times after the killing of my family, rarely even taking it off. But something inexplicable happened sixteen years ago in Bolivia and I lost it, along with my memories of the incident.”

Hanna paused, licked her chapping lips, and swallowed hard as she dredged up what she could remember of the Bolivia expedition many years earlier.

“Are you okay?” Nathanael asked, noticing Hanna’s extended pause.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” Hanna replied, patting Nathanael on the knee. “It’s just so draining when bad memories like this emerge.”

“You’re doing well,” Enoch encouraged. “Just take your time, Hanna. It’s best you get it out in the open so we can help you deal with it. What happened in this place you call Bolivia?”

“I vaguely remember going into Bolivian rainforest to confirm a strange report of a large pre-Columbian temple complex lost in an area of the jungle above Lake Rogugua,” Hanna reported in a soft tone that betrayed her fear. “The locals and natives of that area claimed the area was cursed, but that didn’t dissuade me. I went in with a crew of six or seven colleagues and about ten bearers. Something scared off the bearers before we got anywhere near the reputed site. After the bearers ran off, I and my colleagues continued on, I think, but I’m not sure. What I am sure of is this. I walked into that area of jungle with my friends above the lake. After that, my memory goes blank. The next thing I remember is waking on the shore of the lake feeling like I was being roasted on the outside and frozen on the inside. Physically, I was burned, bruised, and cut up as if I had been caught in a massive explosion. Furthermore, I never saw my friends again, nor my lucky amulet. In fact, the bearers found me barely conscious on the lakeshore and wondered how I got there before they did. To this day, that event haunts me. I know something extraordinary I can’t remember occurred in that remote jungle. There’s a huge black hole in my memories there that defies everything I do. I just can’t remember it, no matter what I do. It’s as if I lost a piece of my soul in that jungle.” Nathanael gave Hanna a gentle squeeze again for emotional support as he sat next to her with his arm around her.

Enoch’s eyebrows rose as an intrigued expression crept across his face. “That’s as inexplicable as your haunted house account,” he stated. “In both cases, you stumbled into something you weren’t prepared to deal with. What did the authorities say when you came out without your friends?”

“The Bolivian authorities wanted to charge me with the disappearance of my friends, saying I murdered them in the jungle, but the evidence didn’t bear it out,” Hanna stated softly. “They could find no evidence to claim I murdered them. Therefore, in exchange for not charging me, they told me to leave Bolivia and not come back, which I did. That was almost twenty-three cycles ago. Up until a few months ago, I had to get their permission to enter, and as a condition, armed soldiers and police would accompany us everywhere we went. They’d watch me like a hawk. Fortunately, the few times they did let me in after that incident, they called me in to assist their archaeologist when they encountered unexpected finds they couldn’t figure out. Of course, I agreed to my escort because I had nothing to hide, and not once did I violate the conditions of my visit.”

“Did you ever go back to that area above the lake?” Nathanael asked.

“Yes,” Hanna replied. “Once I was well enough to leave the hospital, I went out with the police and literally retraced my tracks because I was just as eager to find out what happened as they were. We went in there and didn’t find a single thing, not even the tracks of my doomed expedition. We combed that jungle for two weeks and didn’t find a single thing. It’s like that expedition walked off the face of the Earth into another dimension or something.” She sighed deeply, picking up the Seal of Khitia and looking at it. “I’ve lost colleagues before, but not like that,” she admitted, gently rubbing the Seal. “It’s like something took them. The conclusion I came to then was that whatever happened there must have been a fluke event. Our world has many mysteries that defy explanation. Many times I’ve tread cursed ground beneath my boot with no ill effects. But in all honesty, I can’t say that about the incident in Bolivia that robbed me of my friends and my memories. After that incident, I became much more careful about how I approached the ancient places. When approaching the ancient places, what you don’t know can kill you. I’ve seen it too many times.”

Nemesis patted Hanna on the knee again and stood up. “You’re very wise to take that position,” he declared. “I’ve seen how ignorance of ancient devices and ways has instantly slaughtered those who didn’t respect it. You seem to have learned to respect these places with the tragedy you just spoke of. As for your missing time and memory from this incident, I’m sure you’ll eventually remember what happened that terrible day, just as you remembered what happened when the boy Jeff tried to kill you in that house. All you have to be is patient.”

“You’re right,” Hanna stated, suddenly rising to her feet. “I’m sure I will. The only feeling I can get from that missing piece of my life is an incredible fear that surpasses even what I felt in that cursed cellar. Something really bad happened in that missing time, something so bad I may have inadvertently blocked it out. In both cases, I felt like I lost a piece of my soul. In any case, that event is just one of many inexplicable events in my turbulent life that have no explanation. Every one of these items on this bed shows that. Each item has its own equally strange tale of how they came to be in my possession. Moreover, now that I have them, I can see a pattern emerging.”

“What pattern is that?” Hunter asked, standing up as Enoch, Nathanael, and Andrew stood.

“It’s the writing,” Andrew declared. “All of these pieces except for the one that looks like a smaller version of the big octagonal pyramid have that alien writing on it.”

“Precisely,” Hanna agreed, scrutinizing the writing on the Seal of Khitia, “and now I have the distinct feeling we’re about to find out what these items are all about. I just wanted to show you and get your feedback on these items. It’s like I’m following a trail of bread crumbs. I can’t help but feel that when we find out who were responsible for these items, our world and universe will never be the same afterwards.”

“I think you’re right on that supposition,” Nemesis stated. “But for now, I think we should prepare for the task at hand.”

Hanna nodded, saying, “You are absolutely right, my friend. Enoch, go get the others and we’ll meet in the main hall in fifteen minutes. Is that good?” Enoch nodded and left with Hunter and Andrew, leaving Hanna, Nathanael, and Nemesis. Hanna turned to Nemesis and asked, “Can I ask you a question?” Nemesis nodded and Hanna asked softly, “Have you been able to reach Selina since she was taken?”

Nemesis shook his head and said, “No, but I do know where she is in the tower. Ahriaman is clever and very tricky. He’s the only one of the Cadre that can hide his actions from me. Ahriaman was definitely involved in her movement to the Tower.”

Hanna sighed as she sat back on the bed. “I know. I saw what he did to her in the tower, especially the electrocution. Apparently, I soaked up the brunt of the attack through our fused link because it killed me. It was only by the mercy and will of God that I was brought back.”

Hanna’s admission took Nemesis by surprise. “He killed you?” he asked bluntly.

“Yes. I was dead, at least that what Nathanael said,” Hanna stated softly. “Or at least I thought I was dead. The Lord sent me back.”

Nemesis looked at Nathanael, who said, “She’s telling you the truth. I saw her die. Her heart stopped, as did her breathing. I tried to revive her for nearly ten minutes before the Almighty sent her back. It was the worst incident of shared pain between them that I’ve ever seen.”

Nemesis’ eyebrow rose with interest as he asked, “They really share pain?”

“I’m afraid so. It is the price we paid for being telepathically welded together,” Hanna stated. “Can I get you to do something for me?”

Nemesis nodded and Hanna said, “When you go back to the Black Fortress, spread the word to those that want to leave to be ready. I’m coming to get Selina in a very short order. It will be at least two days though. We have to deal with Acheron first. Then once you have spread the word, try to reach Selina in the Tower, wherever she is and tell her I’m coming.”

Nemesis looked down at Hanna, gently touching her on the shoulder. “I surely will,” he replied, “We have a covenant. I will watch out for her as I promised. That’s why I came here because I need the advice of Enoch on the matter, but found you here instead. I’ll also check into this business about Josephine too.”

Hanna smiled, saying, “The Lord surely does know how to make a plan come together. He knew you were coming here, so He brought me here so we could meet and plan our rescue.”

“Truth, Hanna,” Nemesis replied, “The Ancient of Days is showing His hand here. Come, the others are probably waiting.”

Hanna nodded and they went to the main hall. When they got there, everyone was assembled. Hanna walked in amidst the family of giants and said, “The time for dealing with the Emperor has come. I have been told by the archangels Gabriel and Michael that everyone needs to come with me except for Elias, George, and Ben.” Turning to them, she stated, “It will be your job to keep the Red Tower secure while we tangle with the Emperor. Elias, you’re going to play a crucial role in our little rescue mission.”

Hanna’s words surprised Elias. “How can I be a crucial element of the rescue if I’m still here?” he asked.

Hanna smiled, saying, “I have repaired the portal generator. It is going to be your job to operate the portal for us.”

“But I don’t know how,” Elias protested.

Hanna smiled confidently saying, “Fear not. We shall remedy that. I shall teach you how to run the machine with the Teacher. You shall be our doorkeeper. George and Ben shall help you. We’re going to use the portal to strike into the very heart of the Emperor’s domain, reverse this mutation, and retrieve everyone who wishes to leave that cursed place when I go to get Selina. The Emperor is going to wish he had never heard the name Beowulf and he will rue the day he mutated me. The rest of you will come with me to Acheron. But from here we will launch our rescue utilizing the power of this great tower. That’s why you three need to stay here to operate the machinery. Now, let’s get you familiar with the portal generator. Enoch, are you ready to make our stand?”

Enoch smiled broadly, saying, “Yes, little sister. Together, we make our stand to the end. It is clear that you are the One, the Last Caverias and rightful ruler of Amacia.” At that, Enoch bowed, as did everyone else save Nemesis. This move stunned Hanna, as she stood there speechless. “We are at your command, little sister,” Enoch said humbly from his bowing position on one knee.

Finally, Hanna answered, “This is the second time people have bowed to me. Please, do not bow to me. Do not give this worship to me. Give it to the Lord. Now rise. We have much work to do.” Everyone rose and Hanna said, “Ready yourselves; we go to Acheron first. Come Elias, George, Ben. Let’s give you an education.”

At that, they separated, each going about readying themselves for the task in front of them. Hanna took Elias, George, and Ben to the Teacher and taught them the intricacies of the portal generator while everyone else prepared for the portal jump to Acheron. As Hanna taught Elias, George, and Ben with the Teacher, Nathanael gathered Hanna’s things and laid everything out for her so all she had to do was get them. The scepter staff lay wrapped in a leather sheath with a harness so it could be slung. Nathanael had been making it with Elle and Electra while Hanna had been recuperating from her poisoning in the city of Antillia. Nathanael placed the artifacts Hanna brought with them on top of her dresser with the crystal Cylinders. In a matter of an hour, everyone was ready for action except Hanna.