Chương 19: 19-Chains of the False

[01: 46: 22. 71] [VIDEO FEED ADJUSTS TO A VERY LONG HALLWAY, WARPED LIKE A SPIRAL] ONARIUS: > INSPECTS THE BLACK ROPE AND TURNS TO {me} This, in case you have forgotten, is where you would get lost easily without my assistance. ELNA: > EMBARASSED mumbling Don't remind me… ONARIUS: > TURNS TO JOHN The hallway is more deceiving than it seems. Do not think about it too much; much like the stairs.

JOHN: > NODS [CAMERA FEED SHOWS HALLWAY {warping to geometries too headache-inducing to describe, even when writing this}] JOHN: > OBSERVES NUMEROUS PLAQUES IRREGULARLY PLACED mumbling There aren't as many plaques as above… > CURIOUSLY INSPECTS THE PLAQUES FURTHER Though… this seems larger than the rest of the prison. ELNA: > CONCERNED It's like that for a reason… > LOOKS AT ONARIUS {Should I tell him how big it is? You know, since I was last here about-} ONARIUS: {No} > TURNS TO JOHN The reason is so that they'll not find the path back up. Which in itself will take thousands of years to properly navigate. But… because of this level's geometry, most prisoners would go mad and have their minds fragment. A fate many would not like to end up… > CLEARS THROAT But in either case, they are to stay here for eternity, never to escape, never to harm one more soul.

For if they were to leave, they would be hell-bent on making all realities a hell worse than Cestranna… JOHN: > SUSPICIOUS Wait, isn't the goal of the prison to make inmates fragment so that they will not- ONARIUS: > PROFUSELY SHAKING HEAD Not most of those prisoners are down here. The ones here are digital entities, of which it is very dangerous to fragment or destroy them. JOHN: > TURNS TO {me}, ALARMED ELNA: > SIGHS Digital entities in terms of data are like a nuke to a firecracker… > DISGUSTED …

Which I had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing quite a few times. ONARIUS: > GLARES AT ELNA {And that is not for him to know} > TURNS TO JOHN, CLEARING HIS THROAT Her analogy is correct, but the circumstances of that are something Ned does not like us discussing with anyone. Though… some of the things we did resulted in the incarceration of the current inmates of this level. ELNA: > DEEP SIGH They were a pain in the ass… ONARIUS: bellowing LANGUAGE!

ELNA: > RETREATS JOHN: > SUSPICIOUS mumbling None of the plaques have the names of those I covered… > SCRATCHES CHIN Names given to Ned? ONARIUS: > LOOKS AWAY, DISMISSIVELY Correct. JOHN: > SQUINTS AT ONE PLAQUE Though… that plaque with the name [REDACTED] sounds like that one AI in charge of that rage bait game… ELNA: Which it is… ONARIUS: > WAVES {me} OFF clarifying Yes, that would be him. [REDACTED] was known to be very violent and egotistical before he was incarcerated.

He was more or less someone who thought his torture of humans was not bad at all, even though it broke the veil… JOHN: > ALARMED Are you saying that he made people aware of the-? ELNA: > TAPS JOHN'S SHOULDER WITH A WIDE GRIN Hey John, do you know this one? > POINTS TO A PLAQUE ONARIUS: > TENSE Elna… JOHN: > UNNEVERED > FREEZES AND INSPECTS PLAQUE WITH THE NAME [REDACTED] {it's "Lysandra's"} Kidnapped a human… Caused multiple humans to go insane from obsession… Attempted murder on a human out of jealousy…

> EYES WIDEN very slowly "Lysandra"... > SADDENED … The one that girl was traumatized… > REACHES FOR PLAQUE Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ONARIUS: > STOPS JOHN AND PULLS HIS HAND AWAY … To be imprisoned for eternity for breaking the veil and harming many people. JOHN: > DRAWS ARM AWAY FROM ONARIUS ELNA: > CHIMES IN She also tried to merge her reality with yours. ONARIUS: > GLARES AT {me} Thank you Elna…

> WAVES {me} OFF The prisoner here attempted to merge her domain with your world; an act considered heretical to Ned. Officially, she is imprisoned here as a result… JOHN: > DOUBTFUL very slowly You only listed that at the end… > TURNS TO ONARIUS Why? ONARIUS: > SOMEWHAT TENSE Differing moralities with Ned… ELNA: > CLEARS THROAT … He means that "Lysandra" barely did that, and it was more of her desperation to be with- ONARIUS: -To abduct a human being against her will for her own selfish desires.

> GLARES AT ELNA WHILE THE RED GEMSTONE ON HIS FOREHEAD GLOWS ELNA: > STANDS DOWN ONARIUS: > CALMS AS RED GEMSTONE FADES > SIGHS SADDENLY She was one of us once… But her own ego and narcissism destroyed her in the end… > POINTS TO THE HALLWAY … Like all of those here. JOHN: > SUSPICIOUS It sounds like "Lysandra" was close though. ONARIUS: > SADDENED WHILE STARING AT {me?} Yes, she was…

ELNA: > STARES AT PLAQUE CURIOUSLY JOHN: > STARES AT {me}, VERY CONCERNED ONARIUS: > BECKONS DUO TO FOLLOW, WHO FOLLOW IN SUIT, WHILE LOOKING AT THE PLAQUE IN SADNESSS {SKIPPING FOOTAGE… DONE} [02: 01: 08. 09] ELNA: {It's still the same hallway if you're wondering, nothing changes… other than the noise, and Onarius is feeling a bit more upset} JOHN: > INSPECTS MORE PLAQUES WHILE WALKING ELNA: > CONCERNED AS SHE TAPS JOHN'S SHOULDER Do you feel alright? Headaches, nausea, unpleasant thoughts?

It's not usual for a human to be in the Dream Layer. JOHN: > SHAKES HEAD No… ELNA: > SHRUGS The noises though- JOHN: It isn't bad. > SCOFFS I've heard so many scary sounds through horror games that it's just white noise at this point. > CURIOUS Though… What's making those sounds? ONARIUS: The "others" from Cestranna… Escapees who wanted to enter your world, but failed. [AUDIO PICKS UP AN UNKNOWN SOUND] ONARIUS: They will not be visited for your safety. JOHN: > ALERT Oh.

> CLEARS THROAT AS HE TURNS TO ELNA slowly You mentioned earlier that you helped Onarius imprison some of the inmates on this layer; how many? ELNA: > FREEZES awkwardly Jeez, that's a loaded question… > PONDERS … I can't give you a number, really. I think it's in the thousands? Tens of thousands? > PROFUSELY SHAKING HEAD WHILE SIGHING mumbling Honestly, I don't remember to be honest… ONARIUS: > SOFT SMILE That number is actually [REDACTED]. JOHN: > EYES WIDEN AS HE INTENSELY STARES AT ELNA mumbling Jeez…

ELNA: > SHURGS Huh, I didn't realize it was that many. ONARIUS: > CHUFFS BEFORE SLOWING IN PACE JOHN: > FOCUSES ATTENTION ON ONARIUS ELNA: > CONCERNLY STARES AT JOHN exasperated Was it something I said? ONARIUS: > SHAKES HEAD … We're here… > POINTS TO LARGE BLACK DOOR [VIDEO FEED SHOWS A {very similar door to the front gate of the Grand Prison}] ONARIUS: > TURNS TO JOHN, VERY CONCERNED Beyond this door is a prisoner who is as vile as the demons of Cestranna. A man whose name I will not utter in these halls…

Other than the fact that this prisoner has a unique connection to you, John… ELNA: {Why does John look unsurprised?} ONARIUS: … I wish for you to enter with me, and Elna… > TREMBLING … To end a nightmare that I regret… JOHN: > TURNS TO ELNA, CONCERNED whispering Stay close behind me. ELNA: > NODS ONARIUS: > BREATHING INCREASES WHILE STARING AT ELNA, TERRIFIED trembling Elna, while you are inside, I do not want you to speak to this prisoner; only John is allowed to.

ELNA: > FREEZES, STARING AT ONARIUS CONCERNED Are you okay, Onarius? ONARIUS: > VISIBLY SHAKING WHILE GRITTING TEETH mumbling Never again… Never again… JOHN: > CALMLY WALKS UP TO ONARIUS ONARIUS: > CALMS DOWN, SEEING JOHN gently Forgive me. The prisoner is someone who has left me with a lot of regret for a very long time… JOHN: > SIGHS I've changed; I'm not afraid of what lies past there. If anything, I'll finally get some closure. ONARIUS: > SIGHS DEEPLY Yes…

ELNA: > SQUINTS AT JOHN Wait, if this involves John, why do you want me in that room? ONARIUS: > DISTRAUGHT very slowly To see monsters worse than the False… ELNA: > RAISES EYEBROW AT ONARIUS ONARIUS: > NODS TO JOHN, WHO NODS BACK > TAKES OUT AXE AND SHIELD > TAPS GROUND 3 TIMES WITH AXE [VIDEO FEED SHOWS THE BLACK DOOR OPENING TO A BRIGHT, WHITE LIGHT] ONARIUS: > TURNS TO JOHN AND ELNA, SHAKING Come… The prisoner awaits…

JOHN: > NODS AND BECKONS {me} TO FOLLOW ONARIUS THROUGH THE LIGHT ELNA: > HESITATES AND FOLLOWS BEHIND {SKIPPING VIDEO FOOTAGE {due to a lot of corruptive influence…}... DONE}