《The Anomaly》 Prologue/ Ch. 1 The clairvoyant Condition 1: It awakens when the world is silent and you are isolated. Condition 2: It consumes you within your ¡°self consciousness¡± when you engage with the world. Condition 3: It won¡¯t hurt you when you hurt yourself Passive State: It harms your soul Active state: You harm Your soul.
Prologue
A tale of a lonely soul Inscribed in the ruins of Evrosa shore Written in the bizarre tome Which non mortal could read I saw my end! Shall any being with a heart here ever wander He be cursed In the shadow of nature''s nurture, his soul be dispersed Like a vagabond ship with no destined harbour Lurking in the shadows, shall it guide the lost Freedom be unfathomable Shall it come with unfeasible cost With the life of a being affable Tragedy be the feast to the promised one By its rumble destiny be shaken A new world be awaken The affectionate be renascent as Goddess''s Swan Frail is the soul of traveller, the path harsh Weather unkind And the aids all bound by deathly marsh But the will and spirit unbroken The will of nature This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Yet the traveller treads on with rapture Nourished in the arms of unspoken Strengthen by godly mind Curse of my soul was to wander around in the labyrinth of consciousness, which could be broken only by this paradoxical encounter! Even the wisest Nyeari could never have foretold this encounter, for it was guided by uncertainty. Nevertheless, a death oblation was promised to Death God Aryne.
Chapter 1 The clairvoyant
The car arrived at the late dusk. It stopped at the front yard. The coachman opened the doors, and the person stepped outside. It was dark, so I could not see the face, and couldn''t even say if it was a man. The old sailor never mentioned it. I was waiting inside my house, peering out of my window. Soon I heard knocks on my door. I opened the door. It was a woman, I guessed her age to be below thirty. She was as tall as me. The first thing I noticed about her was her dark bewitching azure eyes, the darkest I had ever seen. She didn''t have a cold stare. Old Sailor Cressen always warned me about this kind. The second thing I noticed was her slender snow-white neck. The tip of her nose was red. She had a cold beauty in her chiselled face with high cheekbones. She had long black hair, falling down to her shoulders, making curls near her ears. She wore bloody coloured oval earrings. Her eye brow was perfectly done. She had an adorably pretty looking face. Then I noticed her clothes. She wore a black, knee lengthen cape coat with black over knee boots, and a red velvet beret to add a dash of antiqueness to her witchy beauty. I was mesmerised. She stepped inside. She stopped. She stood silent. I closed the door. She turned towards the right, from where I was watching her. She moved forward towards my kitchen door. She checked the knob and felt its touch. She twisted it, and left it. Suddenly she turned towards me. ''Hello, I am a Sybil. I go by the name of Yana. The Old Cressen is a good relation of mine, and so you should feel lucky. I don''t deal with unknown people; rather I find it loathsome to be in here. It¡¯s queer that a frail person like you has acquaintance with the him. But as I was asked, I am here. I shall inform you this, right away, that I am not some fortune-teller, seer or prophet, nor am I exorcist. Even though I am called Sybil, actually I am a witch, apprenticed by a Sybil. Anyways, what was the issue which you couldn''t state even to our mutual friend. He urged me to meet you very hard. And I stand here in amazement; I can''t read your mind nor can I find any clues regarding your issues.'' She stood silent. She looked around my living room, which was messy. She came close to me. I quivered, but I hid the emotions. She held my left hand, checked my pulses. We both could hear the racing beats of my heart. I had never been close to a woman before. I wanted to apologise, for what, i didn''t care, but I didn''t. She stared deep into me, and said; ''Your house is fine, but there is a power at work here, concealed, which I sense in the air, around you. I find my conclusion impossible to comprehend, but there is no other deduction. Your soul was cursed.'' I stood stupefied. ''I dislike tea, but I adore the odour of coffee. I don''t like my coffee too sweet, rather sharp and piquant.'' She adjusted herself on my clumsy couch. ''Alright'' I nodded in a low voice. ''What would you like with the coffee?'' ''Silence''
When I returned with the cups of coffee, I found her asleep on the couch. It was kind of bizarre to see a beautiful woman sleeping on my dirty couch. I sat beside, on the chair near the window, kept the cups on the table in between. Such rare chances, and at this moment, it started to rain. The fate took a new course the first time I put my eyes on the clairvoyant through my window, I know it. I thought waiting must be the best course of action in this situation.
Two hours later, she woke up. Sluggishly, she straightened herself. She stretched her hands, sat quietly for some time. ''Coffee must have gone cold. How long have I been asleep?'' she sounded apologetic. ''Perhaps two hours.'' She nodded. Silence followed. ''I will heat up the coffee'' I added. ''It¡¯s okay. I will drink it as it is.'' I did not know what to reply. I handed her the cold coffee. She smelled it. ''Ah! I really love the smell of coffee, the light, nutty aroma of this cup. Do you like coffee?'' ''I love it'' ''You are an insomniac. Of course you love coffee. Do you remember the last time you slept peacefully?'' ''It was three years ago. I remember it well.'' I reluctantly replied. ''I see.¡¯ She replied, ¡®I like cynical nihilists. I was wrong about you earlier when I said a frail person like you having an association with the Old Cressen. You are not frail. The curse makes you appear frail. Every normal human would get the same impression. I was even misled by the curse''s power. I pity you. I have decided to help you.'' ''Okay'' ''You aren''t much of a talker. I like quiet humans.'' ''Thank you'' ''Do you understand the nature of your curse?'' ''No, I don¡¯t.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s the soul which was cursed. This kind of curse is always embedded in the ruins of the ancient world. The power which slumbers in the ruins.'' ''I did not know.'' ''Do you have any extra beds? On second thought, I might adjust myself on this comfy couch for tonight.'' ''No. You sleep in the bed. I will sleep on the couch.'' ¡®We aren''t sleeping tonight. I will adjust myself on this couch while you will make a deal with the witch, me, all night. Do you understand?'' ''I don''t understand.'' ''Don''t worry. Just follow my words, keep up with it and the bond will bind us together until I free you of your curse.'' ''Okay''
Ch. 2 Part of Void Chapter 2 Part of Void
''Half my soul is tearing apart Cast it into hell! Half that remains in me, Under the sky of a cold cruel world! Far better is hell For its fire warms my half Half my soul tore apart!''
An infant is dreaming! He is inside a cruel labyrinth of dream, a dimension of beyond that has cut him off from the world and made him forget his dear mother''s face. He is desperately searching his mother''s face from his memory which he can''t access in this continuous anxiety spread world. The infant is dying! She sees a silhouette of a bird, circling down in the abyss, while she feels that her soul is lifting upward higher in the void. A faint cry she could hear and the silhouette changed its shape, slowly becoming a magnificent creature yet unnamed, for none living had ever peered into the depth of darkness and its creatures remain to be mystery. A part of her thought, this must be some nightmare. The other part of her consciousness realised, this may not be a real living world, this may not be happening in the real world, but ¡­ As if her soul had been thunderstruck, she felt her soul tearing apart. Bizarrely, she realised the part of the soul being torn apart was not her own but made of her own. It was her baby. She woke up! If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The mother heard some disturbances in the other room. It wasn''t the reason she woke up at midnight. An innominate melancholic voice called her to wake up. She panicked; an intrinsic intuition led her to rush towards her baby. She rushes and finds her baby unrestful, deep in sleep on the cosy bed. She takes him in her arms. Connection! Warming love from his mother, the infant let out a cry out and started crying in his sleep. Mother sits, thinking ''maybe the boy is hungry.'' She breastfeeds her sleeping baby. The infant haphazardly sucks on her milk and chokes, chokes so hard he breaks the wall of dream, finally out of the hell, into the arms filled with heaven''s everlasting happiness. He wakes up. He gazes at his mother''s face of pure love. Unconditional love conveyed without uttering any words, just the glances and the radiating love from her eyes. He smiles and laughs. Mother is confused, ''why is he laughing? Wasn''t he just choking moments ago? He didn''t even drink much milk either.'' The boy gripped the mother''s clothes and buried his face in her bosom, time and again stealing glances to her face. The boy kept mother awake all night. He didn''t sleep no matter how many lullabies his mother sang. An intrinsic fear from sleep is developed in the infant, and this way onwards, the mother raised her insomniac child.
I found myself running. I was sweaty, my chest was throbbing. I kept running, uncertain when I started, neither did I know where my destination was, the only thing certain was I had to run away. I felt I was beheld by something. Soon I couldn¡¯t run anymore, I was worn out. I had to hold on to catch my breath. When I observed, I felt my feet stuck in thick mud. I pulled and pushed but I couldn¡¯t free myself no matter what. I felt my feet being sucked in the earth. But still I didn''t dare peek under my feet. It was an inherent fear preventing me from looking down at what was stopping me. Distant whispers could be heard. Something was near me, not yet in the field of my eyesight. Something caused my sight-field to narrow down. Soon my eyes were half closed, I tried my best not to let my eyes give in to darkness. Swooop! I woke up. I was completely conscious. But, I couldn''t figure out where I was. It was pitch dark. My senses were sharpened. I could hear disturbances far away, the sound would get loud with a gradual mixture of noise and would fade out slowly, like a mourning symphony. I tried to get up. I dared myself to walk, heedless of the absence of path knowledge. I went on walking until I unravelled the mystery. I wasn¡¯t dreaming. I wasn¡¯t awake. Come what may, the words wouldn¡¯t be enough to describe the anxiety I was materialised into. Had I drugged my real self? I wouldn''t remember anything that had passed, as there was no time, or perhaps time had stopped. I stopped walking after a dim light was cast upon this dark realm. The light approached me as if to strike the life out of me, it enlarged. Visions returned, my eyes were teary, the images I saw were blurry. I heard the voices, a conversation, maybe it was momentary. ¡®Sclaera ought to free the #&%@.¡¯ ¡®So, I would tell you this way forward, Mr Inis, I hate you. I would kill your little toddler and eat his fresh flesh without any bit of remorse, you hear me¡¯ ¡®I would not let you collect the poor souls for your sorcery, you witch, you whore Sclaera¡¯ ¡®The one to decide that is none of us, but the one who listens.¡¯ ¡®Who listens?¡¯ ¡®The one who crossed the void¡¯ ¡®No one can cross the void but the cursed ones.¡¯ ¡®Indeed the cursed one shall decide the fate of #&%@.¡¯ ¡®The fate of the #&%@, so¡¯ It was too dark all around me, I couldn¡¯t see anything, but only a point of light. Soon, the point of light spread. As if approaching towards me, with the greatest velocity it augmented. I was consumed in the light. This was my only dream that I remembered. Ch. 3 Bond Chapter 3 Bond
Forlorn soul carried by the shame of life In the depth of heart stabbed by a cursed knife Gushing blood be the oblation to sin of thy being To be vanished into love would he lean Imploring, beseeching for mercy from unseen
I did not get the chance to tell her about the event that occurred three years ago, when I, for the first time, realised about my curse. She didn¡¯t ask me either. Maybe it¡¯s not necessary. So I decided to not mention it. She told me to sit on the floor, knees bent. ''For you are cursed, so there is nothing you can offer for the bond to be formed. In your stead, I shall offer a part of my being.'' ''I can offer my life, can''t I? Even though I am cursed, I still have life. So I guess I can offer my life to form the bond.'' ''Yes. You do have a life. Your life isn''t cursed. But offering life shall mean your death. What''s the point of getting rid of your curse if you are going to die regardless?'' ''Won''t my soul be freed?'' ''Yes. your soul will be freed only to lose its existence. You will be forgotten, erased. It''s worse than being cursed'' ''Well, maybe. But for my cause you shouldn''t sacrifice the part of your being. And I am willing to offer my life so the bond be formed, as freedom is what I desire most'' ''So be it'' She nodded. She looked confused. She looked curious. She stared at me with eyes full of wonder and questions. ''I can read the minds of all humans. And I know their real being. But your curse inhibits my power. All my verses of incantations take a detour when I try to reach your mind. I don''t like reading people''s minds, but yet I am so curious about yours. Ironical'' ''What do you want to know?'' ''Let''s start the ritual. After I complete chanting, we shall enter a labyrinth domain where you shall offer your life and in return we shall form the bond. You shall be alive until your soul is purified and free of the ruins. The labyrinth is a mystery that discloses itself only to entrants. I cannot help you in the labyrinth. To effectuate the ritual of our bond, Labyrinthitis domain is a must. Since labyrinth is where the enciphered conundrum of curses are sheltered. And you will enter the labyrinth to know the nature of your curse. You will be aided by the trapped part of your soul there. And I shall be waiting for you at the dead end. If I were the one who was offering, you wouldn''t have to be the entrant. I don''t even know if it is just a labyrinth or the network of it. This is very perilous. You must have to meet me without losing your ''self''''. If you are lost, your soul shall be consumed by something which will remain a mystery for eternity.'' The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ''I have to tell you something. I am a coward. I don''t think I ca---'' ''Yes, I know that very well. Do you not wish to be the entrant?'' ''Perhaps I don''t have any other choice as I don''t want you to be a sacrifice for my sake.'' I said, ''Say, if I don''t make it to a dead end, what happens to you?'' ''I can exit the domain anytime I wish to'' I nodded. ''I will do it'' The rain hadn''t stopped yet. She was on the couch. She asked me to come near her. I did and sat before her with joined bent knees. I looked up to the clairvoyant. She held my head, touched my forehead with her fingers, cantillating some verses in an unknown tongue. She asked me to keep my hands on her lap, palms facing upwards, making a cross. She had her eyes fixed on me, not my eyes, not of my body, but she peered into me from the void. ''O Frail soul, for you to be cleansed, I, Yana, bid you to enter the transition world, a world of supernal, of all Naeryi, for we will all help you to attain your aspiration.'' In the blink of an eye, she cut the radial artery of both my wrists, so precisely done. I could see her nails penetrating the vessels walls, and tearing them apart and the blood gushing out in that very slow moment of silence. I didnot even have the moment to screem my pain out, when I started to bleed out at a rapid, intermittent rate in a spray , coinciding with the pulse, I felt lightheaded. I was in a state of physical and mental collapse. I bleed a lot in such a short time interval. I felt severe pain. I felt an attack of severe, sharp, facial pain with a coincident burning agony in my lower arms and wrists. My senses jerked, my consciousness glitched, and I forgot my existence.
Everything vanished. Everything existed. Everything is distant. Everything is close. Everything feels me. I feel nothing. Everything is nothing. I am everything.
Each of my senses failed to perceive the locus of my existence. But, with the rhythmic beat of my heart, and the collisions of something, maybe the waves, helped me perceive the impalpable reality. I was in the midst of all the chaotic powers of creation. Rather the creation which only our senses perceive. I wasn¡¯t in my body. I felt free. The song of life felt to be paused, and now the hymn of truth orchestrated with all the purity. Surprisingly, I had my heart in me. Evanescing into the surreal consciousness, would in some way, appear to be nonsense. Nevertheless, instinctual reasoning ought not to be disregarded. ¡®No thoughts in the void¡¯ I heard a shrilling sound in my mind. I recovered my senses, as if it was a boon I never had. Full of chaos and terror, I sensed the real absolute pleasure, as if that fraction of second stretched forever, until I realised there was no time at all in the void. ¡®You intend to plunge into an inescapable route of fate. Before you take it, I bid you welcome into my own World. A transition cosmos of Infinity. World Of Supernal¡¯ I did not have any means of replying, I am abstract. ¡®Are you abstract? Is it conceivable?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know,¡¯ I replied. It was just a thought of my being. Hasn¡¯t everything become inconceivable at this moment? ¡®Maybe it''s just a dream?¡¯ ¡®My instinct denies it.¡¯ ¡®How would you distinguish reality? Through your instinct? Can instinct lead to truth?¡¯ ¡®I would not know any of it. I am merely lost. May I ask ¡ª¡¯ ¡®Needless to say, I am here to give succour, strength and guidance to thy forsaken cursed soul. Yes you can ask¡¯ ¡®Is death the end?¡¯ ¡®If you wish to cease, it is the end of the evolved consciousness of your life,¡¯ shrilling the void, the voice continued to penetrate the walls of my mind, ''Death, to you, would be the kindest of happenings. It shall free you from your life chain. Your never ending pain would be brought to an end. But do you really seek death? If so, why be the entrant to the ordeal. Ask me, and I shall end you!'' ''Would you end me? Is it possible for me to cease from existing?'' ''I hold the power of creation, power to rule the Infinity, power to destroy uncertainty. Just ask me poor soul'' ''Make me disappear, like I never existed before'' Ch. 4 The Fractured World Chapter 4 The Fractured World
It was the month of July, and the monsoon had started. The cold breeze blowing outside the house couldn¡¯t penetrate the cottage. The glass window panes received the drizzle. The inside of the cottage was dimly lit by the pale light of the wall lamp. There was a spacious chamber, which held an old bookshelf on the right wall opposite to the pair of closed windows. There was a small room adjoining it, and a bathroom tucked away in the corner. The wooden cabin creaked as the cat leapt down from the small attic above. It went to sit on the lap of the chair, on which some entity was resting. It appeared humanoid, but none would mistake it for being one. There were disimilarities, as it was ghostly pale and transparent. Its eyes had white pupils, macabre red threads of veins were leaking out. The parts of his upper cheek had tendrils of muscle fibre seeping out, in pure white, as if luminescent worms clustered inside were trying to come out. His arms were all formed of crimson bones, joined inside an unorderly corruption of black liquid-like vessel, yet so delicately patting the purring cat. The tips of small crimson bone that formed his fingers were of pure white. He was dressed in what seemed like an old robe, black, revealing his fragile human chest, with white bones protruding out in some instances. The robes descended up till his bare feet. Under the feet and the chair was a symbolic circle with mysterious patterns and ancient expressions. The entity opened its eyes, as it continued to caress the fur of the cat. With a slow, deliberate movement, it turned its gaze towards the bookshelf. The entity¡¯s fingers, skeletal and delicate, traced gentle patterns in the cat¡¯s fur as it addressed the feline in a voice that seemed to echo from the depths of time. "Fetch the tome from the shelf," it murmured, the words imbued with an otherworldly resonance. The cat, attuned to the entity¡¯s command, rose with a graceful fluidity. Its movements were silent and precise, each step a careful dance upon the wooden floorboards. The shadows seemed to part as it made its way to the bookshelf, where it paused momentarily, as if selecting the precise book the entity desired. With an elegance that belied its small frame, the cat extended a delicate paw and gently pulled an old tome from the shelf. The book was bound in weathered, dark leather, its surface adorned with faint, arcane symbols that glowed softly in the dim light. Dust swirled around it as the cat lifted the tome, carrying it with a careful balance back to the entity. Returning to the entity¡¯s lap, the cat placed the tome with reverence, its eyes reflecting a knowing intelligence. The entity''s gaze softened as it looked upon the ancient book, the whispers of forgotten ages seeming to emanate from its worn pages. With a measured, almost ritualistic motion, the entity¡¯s fingers traced the book¡¯s cover, activating the faintly glowing symbols that adorned it. As the entity prepared to open the tome, the room seemed to grow even quieter, the storm outside momentarily forgotten. The air was thick with anticipation, the sense that within those pages lay secrets that could bridge the divide between the fractured world and the realms beyond. With a deep sigh, in an ethereal voice, the entity spoke, ¡°In all her kindness, the diaphanous threads of golds, she chose to metamorphose, to endow me with her slender, yet tangible appearance. A mere gaze would blind thee, yet one would consciously step forward. Yet none shall ever have the moment to ever grasp her completely.¡± The entity''s voice lingered in the air, like a whisper carried on a gentle breeze. Its words seemed to vibrate with a resonance that transcended the physical space of the room, reaching into the very fabric of the arcane tome that lay before it. As the entity delicately opened the tome, the ancient pages crackled softly, revealing inscriptions of forgotten lore and intricate illustrations that seemed to shimmer with a life of their own. Each page turned with a care that belied the entity''s grotesque form, the glowing symbols on the cover reflecting a dim light that danced across the room. The cat settled back into the entity¡¯s lap, its eyes wide and reflective, almost as if it too were entranced by the secrets being unveiled. The room itself seemed to pulse in response, the symbolic circle on the floor glowing brighter, the arcane patterns shifting subtly as if reacting to the knowledge being accessed. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The entity¡¯s ethereal voice broke the silence once more, the words flowing like a melody, ¡°In the deepest voids, where light dares not venture, her essence lingers, unseen but ever-present. She is the weaver of destinies, her golden threads binding the fates of worlds. Yet, her form is but an illusion, a beacon of hope and despair, forever out of reach.¡± The entity''s skeletal fingers traced one of the illustrations¡ªa depiction of a celestial being, radiant and formless, surrounded by swirling mists of gold and shadow. The being¡¯s eyes were depicted as orbs of pure light, their gaze penetrating and eternal. ¡°In her embrace, time stands still,¡± the entity continued, its voice a soft lament. ¡°She bestows upon the worthy a glimpse of eternity, a fleeting moment of clarity amid the chaos. Yet, like the mist, she vanishes with the dawn, leaving only the echo of her presence and the promise of her return.¡± As the entity spoke, the room seemed to darken further, the shadows deepening as if drawn towards the ancient tome. The symbolic circle¡¯s light pulsed rhythmically, the arcane patterns shifting and evolving, revealing glimpses of an otherworldly landscape¡ªvast and incomprehensible, a realm of endless possibilities and unspoken truths. The entity paused, its gaze distant and contemplative. ¡°She is the harbinger of change, the unseen force that shapes the course of existence. To seek her is to embrace the unknown, to walk a path shrouded in mystery and wonder. Yet, even as she eludes our grasp, her influence is ever felt, a silent guide through the labyrinth of life.¡± The cat, sensing the gravity of the moment, nuzzled closer to the entity, its purring a gentle counterpoint to the profound silence that had settled over the room. The entity¡¯s cold, white eyes softened, and it reached out to gently close the tome, the ancient pages whispering in protest as they were sealed once more. ¡°In all her kindness, the diaphanous threads of golds, she chose to metamorphose, to endow me with her slender, yet tangible appearance,¡± the entity repeated, its voice a mere breath. ¡°A mere gaze would blind thee, yet one would consciously step forward. Yet none shall ever have the moment to ever grasp her completely.¡± The storm outside seemed to mirror the entity¡¯s inner turmoil, its fury a reflection of the eternal struggle between the seen and the unseen, the known and the unknowable. In that moment, the entity and the cottage were as one¡ªboth standing at the edge of a vast, unfathomable abyss, their fates intertwined by the golden threads of a mysterious weaver.
¡­ The ground had black grass, the sun radiating the light with purplish tint. The sky seemed to be shattered, and from the cracks, blacknees seeped into the canvas of the world. The city seemed still as usual, lively as if people did not mind the atmosphere, as if they were used to it. The coaches as usual threaded across the roads, busy as ever. ¡­ In a common house, a young man was resting on his bed, his imaginations running wild, all about the sky and the blackness. Everyone said it was nothing, but no one stepped up to explain the reason for it happening. Most of them believed it was the dawn of cataclysm, some believed it resulted due to the clashing of great old-celestial beings. But he wasn¡¯t satisfied with all of it. He always had chased something that was far from the logical and scientific reality, to escape the world, and it had occurred a month ago. The world had fractured. ¡­ From a secluded alley, a pool of blood seeped ominously into the main road, it''s dark crimson staining the cobblestones with a chilling persistence. The usually vibrant bustle of the city came to an abrupt halt. The clatter of horse-drawn carriages and the hum of lively conversations ceased as if an unseen hand had silenced the very essence of daily life. Residents, drawn by the growing pool of gore, paused in their tracks, their faces blanching in horror as they observed the macabre spectacle. Murmurs of disbelief and terror began to ripple through the crowd like a wave, spreading panic from one corner of the street to another. The air was thick with an unsettling stillness, broken only by the clinking of carriage wheels halting with jarring suddenness and the anxious shuffle of bystanders who dared not approach. The once-busy thoroughfare transformed into a scene of grim apprehension. Bicycles, their metal frames gleaming faintly in the dim gaslight, were abandoned, their riders frozen in a mix of curiosity and dread. The faint glow of gas lamps cast long, sinister shadows across the blood-soaked street, making the scene appear all the more surreal and ominous. Whispers of foul play and dark omens travelled quickly, reaching the ears of the local constabulary. Soon, a small contingent of lawmen, their dark uniforms stark against the encroaching twilight, arrived at the scene. Their footsteps echoed ominously in the eerie silence as they approached the edge of the alley, their faces etched with a mix of scepticism and unease. ¡®These incidents are increasing a lot these days¡¯ said the younger officer, but he did not know what was to come. ¡®Is it yet another unknown body?¡¯ the other asked. ¡®Let us have a look. Be alert. It is too dark in there, bring two lanterns from the coach,¡¯ the veteran spoke at last. Three law-men stepped into the pool of blood as they marched into the alley. As they entered the periphery of the darkness, the ground seemed to have become deeper, the level of the pool of blood rising to their knees. Something was not right. The officers exchanged glances, filled with the look of extreme alertness and fear. They did not even dare to see ahead, and all of them only had one thought, turn back. When they decided to turn back, there was nothing of the city awaiting them, but all the darkness and deeper sea of blood.