Eventide Illusions

I dared not to waste this time, even whilst enjoying the mystical scenery of night, I still understood that I had things to understand. Things to prepare. The night was all for myself, and dawn was nigh.

In the coming morn, I knew that my brother would come to check up on me. He always does. Karl was a considerate boy after all. Almost like he was taking care of us, instead of the other way around. The previous Nicholas felt disappointed in himself for not acting like an elder brother to Karl, maybe I'll try my hand in acting as my predecessor wanted himself to. Trying things he never would dare himself. Perhaps that's the best way to live up to his legacy...

In any case, I had to move. Rather than feeling tired and lethargic, on the contrary, I actually felt quite refreshed. Maybe years in the void equated to peaceful sleep?

Well, who knows. But it's a good thing now. I trudged back to my bed, I looked down at the horsetail-filled mattress and frowned. There was a vague recollection I had from Nicholas' memories. There was something underneath the bed, but what that was, I hadn't the faintest clue. It was as if the Memory was completely washed away and glossed over with white. Completely out of my reach.

No matter what I tried, I couldn't recreate any sequence of events involving anything towards what is hidden beneath the bed.

Strange.... My mind and memories all tell me that there was something under the bed. But, the corresponding memories exactly are unavailable to me. That makes no sense....

Unless.... A repressed memory? Trauma? That could explain it. But, it's far too specific and bizarre. And besides. Why would my predecessor sleep here if what he was afraid of was near him. When he cleans out the room, he'll obviously encounter the thing under the bed. So, why does he still sleep with it under him constantly?

This is getting weird.... I have to get to the bottom of this!

Determined to discover my predecessor's secrets, I looked to the desk. With swift movements I drew out all the cabinets, and reached for Nicholas's diary. After doing so, I moved close to the window. Setting a stool nearby so that I could sit while I read underneath the dazzling moonlight.

I skimmed through the pages, not bothering with any of the first few pages as I knew that they offered no useful information towards my current situation. After a bit, I finally managed to find the most recent entries.

Elevating Month (July), 19, 1319.

Lemos recently told me that strange things were occurring on the campus of the university. I do not particularly believe such rumours, however, Lemos spoke vaguely about such events. It was bizarre. After all, Lemos was often quite verbose. But he merely said the general situation of there being strange events at the university but did not go into any specific details.

I saw this as a portent of doom, never would I have thought that Lemos would talk little about a rumour. He practically breathes them! There must be more to this rumour than what meets the eyes, I suspect Lemos knows more about this than he's telling me. Perhaps he has something to do with this rumour as well?

Right. Elevating Month. This world uses different names for each of the 12 months. The calendar is similar to the world where I come from in that there's 365 days in a year. In a similar vein, a lot of the words and concepts are similar but also different. The months here are prefixed with a word that aptly describes what the month represents or celebrates. For example, Elevating Month is the Month of Elevation. It's a month to celebrate how far one has come from their past self, as such it's an elevation. It also refers to the emotion. That's why acts of moral beauty and excellence up to the standards of our society is upheld at higher rates compared to other months during Elevating Month.

Only thing is, the months; in addition to their prefixes, also have another set of names. These names are literally the same as the names of the months in my previous world...

I wonder if a transmigrated person was the one who brought it in....

Ugh. If only my predecessor Nicholas learnt a little more history. Otherwise I'd have some clues as to what to make of this fact. But, well, I'll research it later. For now I'll stick to researching his diary. Or, 'journal' as he calls it.

Elevating Month (July), 21, 1319

I have taken the time to have a tête-à-tête with Lemos and have managed to procure quite a bit of information that he previously hid from me. That rapscallion understood that since I knew him to a personal degree, I would be able to see through his act of being hushed as suspicious and knew that I would confirm it privately with him. Little devil, I dare say. He manipulated me into doing as he wanted! But, I digress. Thanks to his devious cunning he was able to convey to me things he could not speak aloud before. From him I was let into a secret that undermined my prior knowledge of the world around me.

The rumour running amok on campus was true! And not only so, but Lemos himself had obtained the source of such rumours. He wanted me to praise him firstly for acquiring such a thing before he fully explained.

Doubtful but curious I reluctantly obliged. And, to my surprise he revealed to me a gilded goblet, with glittering gems embedded in its embossed surface.

It was a beautiful chalice, I knew that much. But the truth behind it was truly something unspeakable.... I had stumbled upon what Lemos described as a Taboo. He even forewarned me that the truth of the chalice was something that could never fade from my mind and would bring inherent danger to me. He told me that I should never speak of its name, nor should I describe the true value. As the secrets, once brought to light. Was enough for the chalice to...

The chalice erases any documents relating to its secrets. But mentions of it still exist. It is as if the secret must remain concealed. And Lemos entrusted that secret with me....

This.... I couldn't make any sense of this. It was far too bizarre. There was something.... Off with this journal entry. There was huge chunks of it missing, definitely he talked about the 'secret' a lot seeing as multiple pages in the journal had been wiped clean. Only the faint scent of ink could be seen as proof to the existence of the words telling said secrets.

Feeling mildly discomforted by this, I flipped to the latest entry....

Elevating Month (July), 23, 1319

Lemos came to me this morning. He said that he wanted to call in for a favour from me. Preposterous as it was, I knew he was serious. I've never seen his handsome face marred by intense worry, or injuries before. And today both were on his face.

He asked me for a very important favour. He wished to leave the chalice to me and relinquished his title as its guardian to me.

He said that if he was not back for it by night. It was already too late for him. Those demons would have already caught him by then....

At least those were his words. But from what he had told me of 'them', I knew that perhaps an inevitable fate met my friend finally. So, to us; this would have been our final farewell.

Before he left me with the chalice and the heavy responsibility as its guardian. He told me that if he wasn't back, I had to do what I could to keep myself safe. And after a brief lingering moment of silence, he left.

It's already past that appointed time, eventide had already passed. I had hoped sincerely that Lemos would return back, and smile as he always did. But now.... It feels like the past was merely just an illusion.

There's no other choice now. I had to do what I had to....

Invoking the secrets behind the chalice was something I never expected to be doing. But the moment I had done so, I knew that it would no longer matter.

For I had just sold my soul to a Devil.... Drinking the poisoned wine of dark magic.