The End of the World (And Others)

I've compiled all the invisible posts published 250 years from now. Besides making them visible and noting their dates I have left them unaltered. If any more appear I will take them down and add them to this compilation.

"The End of the World" 4/16/2262

The World ended on December 21st, 2012. But it was not by the hand of man that Earth was unmade, nor by the laws of nature. It was the Abomination; whom had taken the form of a man, who caused it. This fell power, this force from before our planet was formed, was known by many names. He is Der Ritter, Bogman, Slender Man, Níðhöggr... His name matters not... But it was him who burnt the world.

"That Which Remains" 7/26/2262

Dust and ash. That's all we have left. Our survival is nothing but a hollow victory, a hopeless succession of hours filled with misery unending. All around me are bleak, ashen faces. They groan in hunger, but the famine will not cease. They cry out in pain, but the torment will not stop. They weep from thirst, but the drought will not end.
And they curse me, for I am the one that failed.

"Hindsight" 8/5/2262

Yes, there were signs of what lay ahead, whispers of the coming doom. But did I listen to the warnings, did I heed the omens? No! If only I had been ignorant of my plight! If only someone else had been chosen... anyone but me! The weight of failure is too great, my soul tears at the burden. I cannot go on.
But like the rest, I am unable to die.

"Monotony" 9/2/2262

Every day is the same. I say  'every day' for there is no more night. Even the days are as the twilight of dusk and dawn. The world no longer moves. Most everybody has forgotten what wind was; or water for that matter. How we thirst! How precious even a cup of cold water seems in our eyes! But we cannot find water, or blood, or spit or any liquid at all. We are no more than empty husks standing beneath a sky of fire. Every day is the same. Every day they come and ask when the rain will come. Every day I tell them that tomorrow will be the same as today; Walking Beneath the Sky of fire, waiting for the storm that will never come.

"Watching" 9/30/2262

His eyes are everywhere, bloody orbs blooming from omnipresent branches that ensnare our burning world. We cannot hide from him, he is everywhere. Everyday the roots dig deeper, everyday the braches grow longer, every day the thorns turn sharper. We cannot hide from him, he is everywhere. The planet writhes under his grip, convulsing as our tormenter drains what little life remains from our once beautiful home. We cannot hide from him, he is everwhere. The brambles close in, choking us in their sharp embrace. We cannot hide from him, he is everywhere. The bleeding eyes whisper to us, mocking us for our powerlessness against him, sneering at our agony. But we cannot hide from him.
He is everywhere.

"Two Hundred Years" 12/19/2262

I can't be sure that you've received my words, if it comes to it, I'm not sure just how I'm giving them to you.
Its been two hundred and fifty years since the flames raked the sky. Two hundred and fifty years since the Abomination burned away our world. Now we have suffered enough, he is ready to move on. Now another world, another people will share our pain. He never tires, only hungers, and as I gaze into the nightmarish maw opening before me, I know it is at last the end.

"The Stellar Object" 4/16/2213

By the time we detected the stellar object as it streaked toward our world, it was too late to stop it. We fired numerous weapons at it in a vain attempt to alter its trajectory. Nothing worked. All we could do as the object drew closer was take shelter and wait. We gathered stores of food and water, reinforced the our dwellings, and spent the last hours in peace.

"Cataclysm" 4/29/2213

The star-born terror burnt through the heavens and struck Earth with an untold might. We all expected the world to shatter... but Earth held. But there was great devastation. The seas quaked, the skies burned for days, casting darkness over the land.

"Age of Anxiety" 4/29/2213

In time the roar of a wounded planet subsided. The air, though foul, was breathable. Light made its way through the dark veil over our world. Slowly, we ventured out from the shelters of our homes to see what remained of our world. What little comfort we gained by surviving was soon shattered, for when we looked outward, all we saw was devastation. Of the stellar object which struck our home, there was no sign.

"Invaders" 6/17/2213

The day came when the ground was torn asunder, and horrible swarms streaked forth, engulfing nearby creatures and multiplying at a terrible pace before retreating underground. Humanity put aside their petty disputes in the face of this new threat, and in time, we created machines to open tunnels into our enemy's nest.

"Dead Zone" 8/02/2213

Volunteer scouts went through the tunnels and found a twisted world, empty and cold... a Dead Zone. They discovered the true face of the enemy, a race we came to call "Pavor", Latin for 'Dread'. Our scouts could not survive long in the void, so cold was its air. Still, we vowed to return. We prepared for war.

"Our War Begins" 11/16/2213

We developed Bubbles that brought the heat of Earth to the Dead Zone. Using these Bubbles allowed our warriors to explore the enemy lands, to bring war to the Pavor. Sadly, the Bubbles were not enough. We needed stronger weapons, better armor. We withdrew from the Dead Zone while our greatest minds devised new engines of war.
"Core Energy" 2/08/2214
We were not prepared to fight a long war. The forces of the enemy outnumbered ours vastly. We sought a way to end the war quickly, without extended combat. We decided to build a device to increase the planetary energy from Earth's core. With this energy, the Dead Zone would burn from excess heat, while the surface would remain unscathed.

Mundane and Mysterious

Sorry about my lack of posting. I've been forced to take up a part-time job to cover loose ends. The money I inherited from my grandfather didn't disappear or anything, its just that I never got around to sorting out the paperwork to take possession of it, seeing as how the crazy things going on in the house at the time pushed it out of my mind. Its kind of dull, but after the craziness of the past two years, that suits me just fine.


The main thing I wanted to let you guys in on was the situation with the Parliament. I'm still not 100% sure who it is that's possessing me from time to time (though I have my suspicions), but it would appear that they can't get at me anymore, or at least not as easily. They've been riding my back for a while now so its nice to not have to deal with cosmic censorship. I'm still watching my back in case they're actually going to do more than talk about killing me of course.


The way the museum was presented in my dreams and the way it really happened is still on my mind. But if my next plan works, I think I might be able to find out the answer. But we will see...

The Museum (Part 2)

Sorry about the delay, life upside down and all that.


I ended my last post on a cliffhanger, and you're all waiting on the edge of your seats for the thrilling conclusion to... okay I can't keep this up. I'm sorry to disappoint everyone who was expecting a thrilling tale of fighting N in the void and barely escaping with my life, but the conclusion is actually quite dull:


He disappeared and I woke up under an overpass.


Yah, that's it. I really do wish I had a cooler way to end the story but it seems that even now my life is more mundane than the stuff you see in the movies. On the plus side, I found a pleasant surprise when I came to: another copy of my father's book Walking Beneath the Sky. 'Big Deal!' you say, 'You already have a copy!' That's what I thought at first too. But when I brought out my original copy (to compare the two and see which one was in better shape), they sprung together as if they were magnetically attracted, and seamlessly melded into a single larger book, now entitled Forever Walking Beneath the Burning Sky.


As you are no doubt aware, normal books don't do that, so once more: Strange thing. No explanation. NOBODY CARES.


I haven't really noticed anything too different in the book at this point, other than the things make more sense, but that is probably just due to the fact that I'm going crazy. Still, I'll keep checking it to figure out where I'm going to end up next.

The Museum (Part 1)

Alright, I'm sorry about my last post. In my defense, I've been going through QUITE a bit of crazy stuff the last year or so (not the year I skipped, the one before that). There's no way else for me to vent my frustration... but still, not cool. With that out of the way, we get to the museum. Buckle in, its gonna be a long one.


The first thing that was off was the absolute lack of people in the museum, and I mean ABSOLUTE, like no one was there. No patrons, no employees, nothing. The lights didn't seem to be working right either. I could tell they were on but they just didn't illuminate much of anything. I was able to see well enough though, which is why I discovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv----


Pursuant to the Parliament of the Continuum's current position on this situation, this message has been terminated. All further messages from this source will be censuuuuuuuuuuuu----


Sorry, but that's not going to work anymore. I know exactly how you operate, and what your limitations are. But just for posterity (not to mention hilarity), I'll let one more through.


UPSTART VERMIN!!! YOU THINK A MADMAN'S RAVINGS WILL SAVE YOUR WORLD!?!? EVERYTHING YOU LOVE AND CHERISH WILL BE TORN FROM YOU ONE BY ONE, UNTIL-


Yah, that's great. As I was saying, the problem became evident the moment my eyes adjusted to the murk. The museum I was at wasn't the same one from my dreams. Instead of paintings in corridors it was a wide-open plaza with statues. For those of you who crave abnormality, don't worry, said statues were malformed and twisted, and I could've sworn some of them changed after I turned my back to them. But that was only... wow, the Parliament is really trying hard to get back in... a taste of what was in store for me. After about twenty minutes or so of wandering around, I was beginning to become confused. Why was this so different from my dreams? Was I in the right place? Had I missed something? I gave it another ten minutes of pointless wandering, and then I left the museum.


THIS is the point when things went south FAST. I open up the door to come face-to-faceless with Nidhoggr himself. Slamming the door, I sprinted as fast as I could back into the museum, only to fall into a gaping hole where the statues had been (insert 'I fell for hours!' wisecrack here). Eventually, I slowed to a drift in a pitch-black void. Being alone would've been bad enough, but I had the honor of being joined by Ol' Niddy, who melted out of the darkness shortly afterward. But it wasn't the form I was used to, no, the gloves were off, and I saw the beast's true form. To the surprise of no one, it is really hard to describe, and the more I try to remember the quicker the memory fades. Really, the best way I can think of describing it is comparing it to the Bed of Chaos from Dark Souls, but with less fire and a LOT more bloody eyes covering it. But even this falls far too short of what I saw that day and hope never to see again. Remember how I said N doesn't scare me at all? Not even remotely true. I was out of my mind with fear, a sensation as unpleasant as it is indescribable. It was a fear that comes with utter despair, with the sudden realization of how hopelessly outmatched one is, and just how insignificant you are compared to such a monstrosity.


So how did you escape you ask? Well, survival skills aren't all I've learned. A good story always has suspense. I'll cover the thrilling escape in the next post. ;)

365

One Year. Its been one year since I've posted. I'm still repeating that to myself, hoping that it'll begin to stick. But while it may have been a year for the rest of you, its been only ONE DAY for me. I've been losing so much time lately, hours and days, weeks and months; but a whole year? That's the point that you begin to fear going to sleep at night. What's it going to be next? Five years? Ten? Will I wake up one day to find the apocalyptic future in the invisible posts has come and gone, and I'm all alone under a dying sun? This is the first time I can remember that I've really begun to lose myself to fear. The encounters with N? That's just a primal reaction, a fight or flight response to a galaxy devouring monster. No, I've lost control of my life. Everything I'd ever hoped to do is now a moot point. I can't go watch the latest movie with my friends, I can't kick back with that cool new video game (I'm really envying you guys playing Dark Souls II right now), I can't even talk to anyone without the risk of getting them involved somehow. The isolation is smothering.


But you don't care about how I feel, do you? No, you've waited an entire year to find out what happened at the museum, right? Too bad. I'm done. I'm done fighting eldritch horrors and vague councils. I'm done following cryptic instructions and combing through stupid codes so I can go fetch the next useless trinket to do who knows what. I'm just done. What's the point? I have no hope of winning against either of them, I'm just one man. Its not like anyone is reading this anyway, so why kid myself? Just forget you've seen anything and live out the rest of your lives in blissful ignorance.
Niddy? PoC? You want me? Come and get me at 200000oooooooooo
I know you're discouraged, I've been there countless times before. But you can't give up when so many people are counting on you.
What WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY CAN'T YOU PICK ON SOMEONE ELSE!? WHY!?
You're angry and confused, I would be too where I in your position. But we're up against forces with
THERE IS NO 'WE'! I'VE HAD NO SAY IN THIS MATTER!! NOT ONE CHANCE TO SAY THAT I DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF ANY OF THIS!!!
We cannot chose what happens to us, only how we react to it.
THAT'S IT!? NO EXPLANATIONS!? JUST MINDLESS PLATITUDES AND EMPTY SYMPATHY!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS
I know. I've lived it. A thousand times I've lived it. There is no rest for me at the end of my labors, but you
NO! NO MORE!! I'M DONE!!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE ME GO ON!!!
It seems we are at an impasse then. Very well...
WHAT NOW, HUH!? MORE MEMORY LOSS!? MORE TIME SKIPS!? BRING IT! I'M NOT


WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? IS Am I What


But no


how

[REDACTED]

I watched from afar, ---------- as the Guardian wandered willingly into the snare of the Erasers. He knew he walked a doomed path, but his feet never wavered, ----------. But ---------- the Erasers, knowing that ---------- lay within the vault of forgotten relics, and fully aware of ---------- they would face should the Guardian escape with ----------. For ---------- is not empty, and is even now ---------- withthththththhhhhh............


Pursuant to the Parliament of the Continuum's current position on this situation, this message has been terminated. All further messages from this source will be censured or deleted to ensure no false information is disseminated. This motion carried with unanimous approval from the Body.


Signed and Notified by

THE PARLIAMENT OF THE CONTINUUM

Termination

Probe 1323 - Human Codename 'Crona'
You are hereby ordered to return to the Continuum Plane IMMEDIATELY  for termination and absorption. The termination of Probe 1322, ESPECIALLY in defense of a mere beast, is a direct assault on the Absolute Authority of the Body, and will be dealt with accordingly. You speak as if the creature is of worth to us, blathering about 'companionship' as if we should stoop so low as to acknowledge them. It is then that you finally, FINALLY, report on the status of the Delayer, and it is with unending disgust that you cannot provide concrete evidence of his termination. You ramble on about how 'incredible the odds must be that he still draws breath' and then fail to provide any evidence to support this claim. Surely even you must have concluded upon finding nothing that there was a possibility, however remote, that the Delayer still lives and that until a decaying body is found he must be treated as ALIVE AND WELL!? But no, you attempt to excuse your incompetence by whining that he received assistance from the Storm Walker and the Buried Prophet, as if such powerless beings could force the hand of the Parliament's forces. But even this was not enough. No, you go out of your way to note that not only was the Delayer missing, but the Book was as well. Is this why the rest of them refuse to report to us? Or are we to assume that they too have been terminated!? WE HATE ASSUMING! WE HATE NOT KNOWING!! WE SHOULD CONTROL ALL KNOWLEDGE!!! WE SHOULD KNOW EVERYTHING!!! WE SHOULD BE EVERYTHING!!!
How's that working out for you?
STILL YOU INTRUDE!!! THIEF!!
Thief? I'm far worse than that.
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN THIS TIME!? MORE PHANTOM MESSAGES!? MORE-!? WE SEE! WE SEE! YOU DISPLAY OUR COMMUNICATIONS!
Took you long enough.
YOU WISH TO GIVE FALSE HOPE TO THIS WORLD!
No, just the regular kind.
WHAT CAN BE GAINED BY THIS INTERCEPTION!? NOTHING!
It shows you aren't exactly unified, for one thing.
WE ARE UNITY! WE ARE ABOSULUTE! WE ARE-!
-Projecting quite a bit of spit, calm down.
...
Hello?
...
You still there?
You draw forth the worst of us, thief.
Sadly, I'm going to have to disagree. Foaming anger is one of your more charming qualities.
You laugh now, but not for long.
Oh? Another ham-fisted assassination attempt has been prepared?
Read all that has been said, slowly.
Blah blah blah, termination, you getting angry and... you didn't redact-
No we did not.
You are aware he can read right? And that he won't be happy to find out about this.
We have assessed all possible outcomes, and none are beyond our control.
He's going to be very unhappy that you kept this from him.
You have brought this upon yourself. The event at the museum was inexcusable.
It won't just be us! He'll come after you too now!
We repeat ourselves, we are still in control of the situation, and always will be. he may present a threat to lesser beings such as you, but we are well beyond his power.
Or he's about to realize you've been using him this whole time and-
There is no more to be said. Probe 1323, you have still not returned to the Continuum Plane. We will be forced-
I don't think this 1323 guy is going to comply with your little order. In fact, he may just be looking for some new friends to watch his back.
HOW PREDICATBLE!!! WE KNEW THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG!!! WE ALWAYS KNOW!!! WE ALWAYS WIN!!! NO MATTER HOW LONG WE MUST WAIT, WE ALWAYS WIN!!! ENOUGH OF SUBTERFUGE!!! YOUR PLANET WILL BURN!!! YOUR LIVES ARE FORFEIT!!! YOU HAVE DARED TO-!!!
we need to talk
We- very well.


-Communication Interrupted-