labyrinth

The labyrinth is something almost everyone knows something about, and those that don't have at least used/heard the term. The word labyrinth is often used to describe a maze, or some structure that is near impossible to navigate, and it comes from what is now considered to be a myth.

But many of the people of Dermarsey point would disagree that it is a myth at all, yes among the 22nd and 23rd generation of the town it was considered nothing but an urban legend, a myth, but the elder generation knew better. every 25-32 years, someone would find a gate in the forest to the south of town, even if others would swear they had been to the exact spot many times, as if somehow they had just never looked in the right spot before. The gate would always be bronze, never dirtied by the filth of the forest, even though it should have been there years before it was found. Always around a week after the gate was found, another gate would be seen next to it, this one made of a dark iron with menacing spikes at the top, like it barred entry to something important, maybe a manor, or a graveyard, maybe even a dark pit that leads straight to the pits of hell, with no true escape, even long after leaving. The torture will never end. You cannot wake up. The mind is a funny thing…

the gate was one of the most sickening things in our planet to behold. It wasn't covered in much mud or grime, and there was no rust, so, you may ask,

"how was it sickening if there was little grime or mud, and how is it still not rusted?"

Honestly I think you know the answer, and whether it churns you stomach or not, it did for the villagers, the answer? Death. there were always some form of exotic large cat

Heads impaled on two of the spikes on the ends, none of them native to anywhere near Dermarsey Point, and there was always fresh blood dripping from the heads even weeks after the gate was found.

There were rotting carcasses lying around the gate, but, most surprising of all, there was human blood, internal and external organs, and even flesh on and around the gate, as though you aren't supposed to enter. Two weeks to one month after both gates appeared, an incredibly sturdy and tall wall would appear connecting the two together, and forming a 1 mile perimeter. the black one would unlock, allowing entrance to 'The Despair' as the entryway type room had come to be called.

When the townspeople would investigate and go in the black gate, they would often come out paranoid and delirious, or just extremely shaken up and angry, if they came out at all.

as you can imagine many of the townspeople were sour towards the gate. Now, you might be asking right now,

"Then why do they keep going in?"

the answer is simple, and, similar to the last one I gave, you may already know the answer: "Gre- desperation…"

Confused? Well… I guess I'll explain; one year, probably the 3rd time the gate came, the villagers didn't send anyone into what they now called the labyrinth. The result was thousands of creatures so vile words could not come close to describing coming out of the black gate, they would attack anything in sight, and those they didn't kill would turn into something close to a zombie. The only reason the town is still standing is that at daybreak all the creatures burn like a fuse, and all that was left to deal with was pestilence.

...

"Dude, did you hear your gramps Talkin' about the gates?" Adrian asked Adramalech.

"Nah, man. My grandparents weren't even home last night, what about you, you hear anything?"

Adrian and Adramalech were very interested in this gate legend, kind of like someone might be interested in a conspiracy theory, so I'm sure you can imagine how unpopular they were among their peers. there were others in their friend group who liked the idea, of course, but only they actually believed it.

Adrian shook his head a little and said "not really, not anything super important, just…"

"Hey, get to the fucking point"

"Whatever, man. So basically this year is the last one for the gate to appear, yeah, we could finally get proof, we could even be the first ones to clear it! I bet it's like those gate things we read about in those Web-novels"

"You have a point… maybe we should start going on more walks." Adramalech said, while walking towards the trash can to throw away the foam tray his school uses to serve lunch.

"I should start heading to class, since it's so far." Adrian started walking away quickly, and Adramalech was left sitting alone.

…

"Should I place it? It would be the first like this…"

The Reader was pacing, and who seemed to be his superior, or possibly friend of some sort, was nervously tapping his nails on the arm of his chair.

"I don't know, they don't go out much, and I don't know if I want the children to see it."

"Agreed, they don't understand it, since it has become something of a myth, so they desire to enter for different reasons than the others."

"They don't understand the gates… even after all we've done they still see it as some kind of game."

"Should we give them a hint?"

"Nothing will change their minds, and you know they will be the ones to find the gate."

"I wish we could lead an unbeliever to the gate"

"I know… I would love to see their minds as they realize the truth, maybe the tales could even snap them out of their disgusting greed…"

"Never have before"

The two beings laughed a bit before going back to discussing the rest of the preparatory phase.

…

A few weeks later

Adrian and Adramalech were walking through the forest, like they had been for a while now, when they came across an oddity, a wooden gate, with runes carved all across, sitting in the open, no fence or wall to go with it. Upon further inspection, Adrian was able to tell to an extent that this was a portal of some kind, and he and Adramalech lifted the heavy cross beam sealing it shut. Once they had lifted the bar, they opened the heavy wooden doors(with some difficulty).

"What the fuck?" Adrian gasped a little, seeing a giant man, towering so far above him as to seem like a skyscraper.

"Who are you?" Adramalech asked, seeming all too calm for the situation he was in.

Instead of answering, the man chuckled, then said "Welcome to the library, small ones."