Chapter 242. Through the Dark Glass (1)

Lorath panicked upon seeing this scene and immediately cast a spell on the Necromancer.

Though it didn't do much, it alleviated the pain haunting Michael to a certain degree, allowing his breathing to resume.

[Are you okay!?](Lorath)

"I'm... *Groan* Ugh... I'm fine."

In fact, he wasn't, and Lorath also noticed this immediately. To receive a blessing from a Prime Evil was to accept their creed—the core of their faith.

More than physical pain, it was the mental struggle that caused Michael much anguish. 

As soon as the 'blessing' descended, he almost lost control of his thoughts and emotions. If he had to describe what he felt at that moment it was... pure rage.

A chaotic yearning for war, death, and destruction.

To make matters worse, this 'blessing' ceremony he just underwent helped him understand where exactly the Prime Evils stood on the balance of power. 

What he barely endured was a mere afterthought left behind after a worshiping ceremony that happened over a thousand years ago. And even then, it wasn't as if the Triune were 'honored' by having Baal descend.

It was only an echo of his intention. So now, over a millennium later, his consciousness was almost wiped clean by the afterthought of an echo.

Standing up unsteadily, he tried centering his thoughts again but failed miserably. His mind was too chaotic, and it would take some time to recover.

Time they didn't have.

[Two more shrines to go. Diablo, and then Mephisto. Stay strong!](Lorath)

Nodding to show his approval, the Necromancer followed behind the ex-Horadrim after resummoning his fallen minions.

Surprisingly, they didn't act according to Michael's instructions to spread out and scout the area; instead, they boxed him in protectively.

Speechlessly, he decided to let them do what they wanted.

[ Main Quest update - Through the Dark Glass

Objective: Travel with Lorath to Diablo's shrine

Description: You have completed the first shrine. You must gain the blessing of the other two before you can enter the Temple of the Primes. ]

Feeling his thoughts continuously marred by anger and thirst for destruction, he signaled for Lorath to slow down.

Unequipping his sword and shield, he grabbed the two-handed Legendary scythe from his inventory and jumped in the middle of a pack of enemies.

Lorath frowned but let him be while the minions tried hard to follow his pace. Unbeknownst to the frenzied Necromancer, his slaughter put the fear of god into the members of the Triune, sending them into a panicked retreat.

Finding no more enemies to vent on, Michael finally recovered his bearings somewhat, looking around him confusedly. 

Realizing what he had just done, he smiled wryly and tried to concentrate again. Fortunately, it worked this time, and his mind cleared somewhat. 

Checking the area they were in, he scratched his head when realizing that they had traveled quite the distance from Baal's shrine and had already reached the Spine of Civo, and less than a hundred meters ahead stood another scary statue.

Unlike Baal's, the statue of Diablo was much taller, probably around five meters. 

It was also bulkier and covered in spiky armor. The statue's face didn't evoke any special feelings, as it looked similar to a grunt you'd find in any army.

But when his sight dropped to the hands closed into fists in front of his chest, his expression changed. The fists were splashed with a red substance - probably blood - completing the picture of Diablo squashing something.

It was then that everything clicked, and the savage grin on the statue's face finally made sense. And with it, an intense feeling of dread traveled down the Necromancer's spine.

[Diablo. Lord of Terror. Every mortal fear, every nightmare - he is the root of it all. Always has been.](Lorath)

Michael finally realized the one fear deeply rooted in the human psyche was impossible to overcome: the fear of the unknown.

And Diablo perfectly represented this terror. An unknown grunt's face, meaning that what he sees might not be Diablo's 'real' face but only a disguise.

The perfect actor hidden behind the scenes, playing the crowd to his amusement. 

Smiling bitterly upon discovering that his thoughts had been influenced again, he took five minutes to recover and center himself, after which he turned to Lorath.

The man looked hesitant for a moment but, in the end, acquiesced.

[Speak his true name: Al'Diabolos.](Lorath)

Without hesitation, Michael complied. This time, he made another incision on his middle finger and called out the name.

"Al'Diabolos."

Unlike Baal's showy 'technique,' when Diablo's true name was spoken, the entire area quieted down.

Spooked, the Necromancer took a step back from the altar, only to realize that when his boots stomped on the small rocks and crushed them into dust after failing to control his stepping force, there was no sound produced.

Looking around him warily, he felt his surroundings slowly darken. His minions and Lorath were quickly obscured, throwing him into a perfectly sealed 'room.' 

It was too dark to see, there was nothing to smell, nothing to hear, and even when he willingly allowed his hands to touch his face, he couldn't feel anything.

Even the feeling of having the hands appeared illusory. 

Feeling true terror slowly seeping into his psyche, he bit hard on his tongue, only to find that there was no pain, and he couldn't even feel the taste of blood... IF there was even blood flowing after the bite.

Seconds turned into minutes; minutes turned into hours, and soon Michael lost track of time.

There were plenty of times when he almost lost his sense of self after being drowned by fear, but he would hold on every time, barely surviving. 

All he could do was converse with himself mentally, recounting his memories to preserve his mind.

'Hahaha! Who would've thought that the shit I endured after encountering my first World Event would help keep me sane? *Sigh* At least then, I had plenty of monsters to fight against, giving me something to do. Here... is just... boring.'

With his mental state stabilizing, the darkness began to slowly dissipate. 

The light of day was finally revealed again, and the nightmare ended. It was after seeing Lorath and his minions that Michael relaxed his tensed mind somewhat, only to be assaulted by intense pain as soon as he did.

"Whot da fok!?"

As he spoke, he felt a hot liquid flow between his teeth, threatening to drown him if he swallowed it. 

With his mouth open, the air made contact with his badly mangled tongue, which his teeth had previously bit into, making the Necromancer shudder in pain.

Grabbing a healing potion from his pouch, he downed it while ignoring the pain drinking caused and waited for his tongue to heal.

Sensing Lorath's worried gaze, Michael shrugged to show he was fine.

The ex-Horadrim didn't say anything. He quietly waited for the man lying on the ground to recover.

"Let's go. One last shrine to go!"

[...mhm.](Lorath)

[ Main Quest update - Through the Dark Glass

Objective: Travel with Lorath to Mephisto's shrine

Description: You have completed two of the shrines. Only one remains before the way will be open to you. ]

Traveling behind Lorath, Michael kept repeating, 'Think happy thoughts' mentally, trying to stop his limbs from shaking.

He might've made it out alive, but the 'nightmare' caused by Diablo's blessing didn't leave him unscathed. 

For him, being placed in that dark 'room' with only his thoughts to interact with... was horrendous. 

Shivering, he heard the sound of his armor pieces banging against each other and took a deep breath, trying to recover.

Next was Mephisto's altar, and it was time to confirm his theory about this particular Lord of Hell.

Scanning the map out of the corner of his eye, Michael realized they were still walking around the Spine of Civo. This made him understand that these hills were actually small mountains leading to the place they were looking for.

The third statue appeared before them, and the Necromancer paused to scrutinize it, afraid his thoughts might be fucked with again.

'Tall and thin, with four arms but empty-handed, he wears a headpiece similar to a crown. His 'demon horns' appear to be produced by the crown rather than belonging to him, though.

This time, rather than negative emotions, all Michael could feel was curiosity. Coupled with the theory he had in his heart, he approached the altar while looking around.

[Mephisto, Lord of Hatred. Father of Lilith. You need to be careful. Her blood is already a part of you.](Lorath)

"I can handle it."

[See? The power here is already agitating you.](Lorath)

Pausing slightly and realizing that he raised his voice and his tone sounded impatient, he threw a strange look at Lorath.

His mind was functioning correctly, but his mouth appeared to be on autopilot.

"I told you I could handle it. Tell me what to say, and then go search for the temple. I'll be right behind you."

[*Sigh* So be it. When you're ready, speak the name Dul'Mephistos. But watch yourself.](Lorath)

Waving impatiently at the long-winded ex-Horadrim, Michael carefully combed mentally through the words he spoke and realized that while he didn't want to say them, it wasn't as if he didn't mean them.

After pondering this matter for a while, he finally looked down at the altar, took the Legendary dagger out of his inventory, and made a large cut in the palm of his left hand, letting a larger portion of blood flow onto the bowl beneath.

With another pained groan, Michael was forced on his knees by the sudden pressure and hurt, only for it to vanish a second later.

Then, next to the altar, a strange fiery portal appeared. Looking at its Doctor Strange-like appearance, the Necromancer sneered and waited awhile. If his guesses weren't wrong, the Sanctuary would react soon enough.

[ Main Quest update - Through the Dark Glass

Objective: Enter the fiery portal. ]

Without even a word of complaint about the strange situation, he stepped through the fiery portal and calmly glanced around him.

The Sanctuary identified the place as 'Vision of Sescheron,' and Michael added it to his list of things to research when he had more free time.

Hearing silent footsteps approaching calmly from behind him, he turned around and smirked upon seeing who approached him.

[ Main Quest update - Through the Dark Glass

Objective: Speak to the Bloodied Wolf. ]

That's right. The same wolf he dreamt about when he got lost in the snowstorm on his way to Nevesk and the same wolf that helped him find the path through the Horadrim illusion set outside the Vault.

Seeing Michael's unhidden derision, the wolf showed a strangely human smile as he calmly sat on the ground four meters away from the Wanderer.

[Ah, we meet again.](Bloodied Wolf)

"Indeed. Though, I would prefer our interaction to be brief, Mephisto. That's right, I know who you are now."

Curiously watching the wolf's expression, the Necromancer was disappointed to realize that his sudden revelation didn't make any waves on the wolf's visage.

Still, the fact that he had interacted with Lilith and her father so often after his arrival to this world was a bit problematic. After all, unlike Baal, who preferred a straightforward fight, and Diablo, who dealt in psychological warfare, this particular Lord of Hell was the most dishonest in the lot.

After watching Lilith put her schemes into practice, he could tell that, as her father, he should be at least as proficient, if not even more so.

[Yes, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other.](Bloodied Wolf)

"What do you mean? Is there a need to speak so cryptically? Is not like you're trying to impress me, right?"

[*Sigh* So boring... That mortal Elias seeks to use the power of the Primes for his own ends. No one knows their place anymore these days, do they?](Bloodied Wolf)

Hearing the hypocritical question from the entity that belonged to a different realm but still imposed its influence onto the Sanctuary, Michael raised an eyebrow and looked mockingly at the wolf.

Probably realizing the Necromancer's unspoken words, the wolf snorted and looked in the distance.

[*Snort* His meddling has drawn echoes of the past to my refuge of Hatred. But you and I can put things back in order.](Bloodied Wolf)

"And why exactly should I help you?"

[Because once you've brought peace to this realm, I will be able to give you my blessing.](Bloodied Wolf)

[ Main Quest update - Through the Dark Glass

Objective 1: Destroy the Barbarian defenses

Objective 2: Slay Gorm

Description: The last shrine stands before you. You must face the challenge within and receive the final blessing. ]

Michael was shocked inwardly after seeing the Sanctuary's reaction to Mephisto's request but maintained a poker face outwardly.

This was enough to confirm his suspicion. Whatever Lilith was planning, it would fuck shit up, and Sanctuary was either looking for a way to stop it or find unexpected allies to help defend humanity.