The castle


    I was travelling around, looking for rare artefacts, when I suddenly overheard two people speaking:


    "Have you heard the news?” he said to his colleague, “They have sent another team in that castle."


    ”Another one?!?” He says with great surprise “This is the, what? The third? I don’t know what happens there, that zone is strange" His colleague nodded


    "This time they should have the adequate equipment to build an excavation site, they say" nearly with a sarcastic tone.


    "Do you remember what happened last time? <<Sir a bunch of angry wolves have eaten our supply and equipment we need to return>>” they both laugh “and by the way what is so special about that castle? Is just a bunch of ruins"


    When I heard this I immediately asked them where that place was, they looked at me perplexed like I just asked about unicorns, “Ser, there is nothing for you there, I am sure that there will be other occasions for exploration, especially for you”, I looked at his colleague and asked where that place was “San Alberto Magno”, I pick all my stuff, a handful of coins, supplies, a rifle with ammunitions and lots of artefacts and papers.


    Surrounded by green and flourishing nature lay a small village of farmers, the trees provide wood for the fireplaces, the rivers provide water, and the vast green grasslands and mountains provide food for men and animals.


    A very isolated place that sustains itself, where people live off earth fruits in a simple and clean way, the ideal if a man wishes to study in peace.


    Asking the inhabitants I quickly realize that they knew little about the castle or tower, and what little they knew was strange, confusing and highly questionable, "What, that tower? I tell you that is the house of the devil!", "What goes near that castle is not the same", "I promise you on my honour! I have seen the lights of the strangest colours coming from the top of the tower!", "The wild animals go there during nights without the moon and they come back stronger, hungrier and very very mad", I did not believe a single word of what they said, superstitions spread and distort very easily, so I went to the only place where I still hoped to find some information, the local church. When I went there I noticed a statue near the entrance, a band of what seemed mercenary fight against a devil with a priest holding a cross in charge.


    When I entered I noticed the beautiful glassworks depicting the local saint, but what impressed me was not the style, but the colour, I had already seen that purple-red but I can’t remember where.


    "Is truly beautiful isn''t it?" The priest said to me when I was looking at it “We made it from a ruined glass work” “A ruined glasswork?” Where have you found it?” I asked a bit alarmed, “A ruined glasswork from a church near the castle, the bishop know nothing about that church, you had to see it, the colours where beautiful… but unfortunately time had destroyed the picture leaving only a pilgrim praying to a strange shiny cluster of purple and red”, for a moment I was shocked, but I quickly manage to control myself “So do you know anything about that castle?" "That castle? Nothing only folklore and fairy tales, you are losing your time here" he said with a strong tone “I am sure that they are plenty of places that need your help, this is not one of them” he continued, “there must be something about that castle, anything would be useful!” I said trying not to be too emotional, a smile appear on the priest face “Well if you are so interested in that castle,” he said, “you don’t need to look too far into the past, follow me” he then brought me in an old house, “I made an archive of all the things that had happen here” pointing to a big shelf, “when you have finish lock this place with the key” he then give me the key of the house “Remember God is always here, if you need something you know where to find me” he then left.


    It seemed like a very old shelf, one that has not been clean for years, when I pick up the first block of document a large cloud of dust formed, the documents were varied, some were newspapers other journals, other pieces of bigger pages, they were talking about murders, strange disappearances and strange visions near that zone, I don''t believe most of them, doubt many other, but some seemed genuine, there was something not right there, I need to go there seeing for myself what all of this was about. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    So without further ado, I bought all the supplies that I would need, and direct myself to the castle.


    When was the last time I hadn''t felt either freezing cold, or strong winds, in this darkest of nights? I don’t remember, and I don’t want to remember, I will not survive another day in this path, my health is quickly getting worse and I desperately need shelter, these mountains are like the dark forest of the Divine comedy, frightening, pitch dark, wild and nearly impossible to traverse. As I walked I heard strange sounds, I paused and focus, many footsteps in the distance, running fast toward me, I picked my rifle and waited, they are many, they are coming here, a few moments of silence... CRICK HAHARSHAU, a wolf emerge from the dark, BOOM, straight trough his head, another one, BOOM, another and another, a wolf, a bear, a snake, nothing had ever stop me, the rifle made a TICK sound, I had no more ammo, a wolf is rushing at me, I picked my sword and knife, CRACK the sound of his school being crush, “COME AT ME BEASTS OF SATAN, LET SEE WHAT YOU GOT!” They fight like mindless beasts with the only objective to attack and kill, no matter if injured or alone, they attack, the castle was so close but so distant, I can’t rest now, I had to arrive at the castle as fast as possible, I had to endure.


    I still stand, even with all the blood and gore on my body, I have arrived at the castle, these stones, this tower... Still manages to give a vague sense of terror after all those years. The whole castle is in ruins, as it should be, except the tower that still stands, I noticed a stone out of place, when I went there I noticed that there was a passage of some sort, maybe an escape route in case of siege? It was pitch black, and I had no idea where it leads, I light up my torch to illuminate the tunnel, a long corridor with a staircase at the end of it, I look at the beauty of the sky for a moment, maybe the last, and then I descend into the darkness, the staircase was long and I walked a long time without seeing an exit, but at last a door appeared… only to lead to another tunnel, this one was different, on the walls they were strange drawings, strange things.


    I went into the tunnel and down the staircase, another long staircase and another door, I open the door, I entered the tunnel, is this a maze? I open the door leading to anot--- AHHH, I shut the door and run back to the last staircases, only to see that the room had changed? I return to the last room and the creature was no more.


    I sit there and meditate, remembering the holy words “there is no such thing as the physical world, only consciousness and energy”, some time passed, my mind was focus again, I go to open the door, another staircase even darker, I close the door, and return in my footsteps, where all this confusion is coming from? I open the door at the end of the staircase, a strange blob of flesh come charging at me with a thousand voices and feet, I close the door and open it again, the flesh monster is no more here, I climbed and descend yet again until I have not found a larger and darker corridor leading to a bigger door, I open it, this room is way bigger than the last ones, huge statues of gods and nightmares decorate the long hall, there is a throne at the end, the statue had half decay and the whole place was falling apart, even the throne, a king with unnatural yellow eyes shining through the darkness, sword in hand and book in the other, with a white pale skin and long white hair, with noble clothing of an ancient age sit on the throne dominating the beasts, only a panting but pretty powerful, it was above the throne, I reach the throne and look at it for a few moments, then I sit on it.


    The priest was cleaning the altar of his little church, it was night and there was not much light, at a certain point a horrible smell entered the church, he then noticed a figure in the dark standing, “Who is there?” He said in a frightened tone, the figure made a step forward, “oh is you, the researcher, you have come back, I told you there is nothing in that castle, only ruins, I can suggest you a good bath where you can clean yourself” he said relieve, the figure remained silent, he then notice that it was holding something, “what are you holding?” The figure then throw a skull at him, the priest was shocked, the figure spoke at last “You have lied to me as you had lied to them, you had lied to yourself playing this comedy, you know full well what was inside that castle” he said with a heavy and tranquil voice, “you don’t understand! Inside that castle there is a God, the one true God! If I manage to reactivate the circle mankind can finally see the one true god! If I manage to activate the circl--” “mankind will be no more” he said interrupting him “you have made up the archive only to arouse the curiosity of the researchers, but nothing you had know and nothing you know”, the priest was becoming by the moment more agitate “YOU! What do you know? I had been here for years studying that castle! Y E A R S! I will not be stopped by you!” He said with a rage unnatural for a priest, “you know it is man’s pride that makes him think that the universe is made for him, that he could communicate to those beings, that there is recover after the revelation, that with hope and determination we could survive and strive, how naive. There is no turning back, the only thing that we can do is remain in our little island, hoping that nothing will come from the sea” the figure made a few steps forward, unnatural yellow eyes shone through the darkness, the priest was shocked, “I was once like you, determined to see the true one god above the sky, then I discover that there is no god above the sky, only nightmares, I will see humanity die” He said with a very heavy and angry tone, “My LoRd… It was sAid That… thaT… thE KinG would…. rEturN… thE Lord...ReTURn” the priest was terrified, he suddenly see other creatures in the darkness, “did you want to see the one true God? Here you see his angel and servant” He said with a tranquil tone, “NOOO, PLEASE, PLEASE! HAVE MERCY! I CAN FORGET, I WILL TELL NO ON--” a strong sound was heard, the priest voice had gone quiet.


    THE END