Introduction - Marwin's Letter

Arkham, 22 September 2020

Dear Schmidt,

I'll start by saying that in the end, I regret nothing. I've spent enough time dwelling on broken morals, the deaths of my friends, as well as the destruction of an entire island. I prefer looking at the future instead, and I know that once a case is settled, people will move on to the next without giving it a second glance.

But I can't move on without understanding things. How could such an important promise, which I had kept for so many years, be broken for so little? Why did I trade my stairway to heaven for some minacious book? Is there something I had missed? Is there anything I could've done better? Though two months have passed, these questions refuse to leave my mind, no matter how far it wanders.

I'm writing this for you, and only you. Yet, secrets are meant to be revealed. The most I can do is to hope that this letter will end up in a dusty cabinet in a damp wooden attic. You may keep it in memory of your religious roommate, but one day you'll throw it out to make room for other things. By then, Marwin Preis will be long forgotten.

But if you remember me, may you never see me as a victim. May you see me as a Christian who refuses to deceive himself as sinless. A Christian isn't someone who never sins; but someone who, when he sins, doesn't lose his confidence in God and continues the fight with grace. As long as he keeps close to God and never loses hope, he is sure to win in the end and move forward in peace.