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Dusk and Her Embrace
Gather ‘round children, and sit for a spell
Listen to the story I’m about to tell
‘Tis of a dark night, many years ago
And the death of the young Cato
‘Twas a stormy night, blacker than black
The darkness poised, about to attack
Now the story is about to start
A gut-wrenching tale ripped straight from thy heart
Some people believe only what they see, and even then, as the unimaginable stares them in the face, they valiantly try to deceive themselves. Cato tried to do just that.
You see children, when Cato was a boy, he was always trying to be courteous and generous, courageous and chivalrous. But like all little boys, he grew up. He dabbled in the occult, and started smoking. He listened to heavy metal music, and took to a liking of darker art.
All this was fine and dandy, but as his occult power grew, his mind began to crack under the pressure. His sanity dissolved like dust in the wind. With each ritual, another fraction of his mind withered away. As Halloween drew near, Cato prepared for a grand ritual.
That is where our story begins.
I groggily pull myself from betwixt those loving sheets which had embraced me throughout the night. With a shake of my head, I tried to rouse myself from Hypnos’ grip. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I attempted to make myself presentable. Tonight was Devil’s Night, and my ascension was but a day away. Tonight I would ready the ritual, and tomorrow, when it was performed, I would transcend this life and become a god amongst insects.
Pouring myself into clothes, I believed myself finally ready to face the sun. I pondered over the recent events in my life… A month ago I had found a book. The book itself doesn’t matter, but its contents….those dark and morbid secrets which had unleashed themselves unto my life. In that book was when I first realized the true extent of my power. It was with this newfound gift, that I prepared the steps required to transcend. It wasn’t easy, the lives manipulated and destroyed. The sacrifices, the late nights, the physical exertion required to keep that level of energy maintained… it was debilitating, but I had persevered, and here I stood. The ritual had to be performed on the eve of Samhein; the ritual itself was to be performed the following night. On All Saint’s Day, I would begin the ascension, and it would end that weekend… Ironically, the ritual required my own blood sacrifice on dia de los muertos, Day of the Dead… Throughout the week of my death, I would have to complete a trial. The book was sketchy as to what the trial was, but it didn’t matter. I would complete whatever task lay before me, and I would be as a God.
The day dragged on and on like a zombie with broken legs, but I managed to keep busy. I anxiously awaited Nyx’s coming. Skoll chased Sol away, and Hati hounded after Mati and into the night. Dusk clung to me, and I returned her embrace. I felt at one with her, and we faded into the darkness hand in hand.
At the rundown Catholic Church where the ritual was to be performed, I began lighting the candles, and laid the book on my sacrilegious altar. This altar was at Christ’s feet as he hung, perpetually in pain, on the cross. The tome was ancient, each page brittle and yellowed with time. Time flew quickly as I recited passages, and at midnight I entered the trance.
Lucid dreams of death and disorder. Harlequin’s laughs and harlot’s smiles, these were the dreams I had. I awoke at 11:30 p.m. the following night. Mati’s light exploded through the windows and I quietly fed with the provisions left on previous trips. Masticating slowly, I brooded over the nightmares I had subjected myself to. I call them nightmares because to other people, they would inspire the darkest of fears, but that is not the case with me. To me, they were but dreams. They seemed to be a warning, as if a neon sign screaming to stop. Nothing could stop me now, especially not some acid dreams of jesters and whores.
As the hour raced upon midnight, I unsheathed the dagger and placed it upon the altar. Hati’s bloody jaws devoured Mati, and crimson light painted the walls. I stood, and roared, “Behold sayeth I, the mighty vengeance for which I seek shall be bestowed upon thy enemies. Take me from thy body and deliver me unto evil. Let thee walk freely as spirit or flesh. In nomine satanas, sic IUBEO!”
I could feel the heat rising, the sweat pouring off my body. I picked up the mallet which lay at my feet and stuck the gong sitting near me. With each swing, sparks flew and danced as fire maidens upon the air.
The floor and walls began to shake at the edges of my peripheral vision, and slowly started a clockwise spin, yet my feet stood firmly on the ground. Cigarette burns like on movie reels burned directly through the wall in front of me. The hole, now several feet wide, was oddly blank white. I could see nothing beyond that nothingness. The clock continued its race against time, forever neck and neck, counting up to midnight. The edges of the gaping abyss glowed red-orange and ate away at everything it touched. Already it encompassed the entire wall before me, and steadily closed in on me. I chose not to think what would happen if it reached me first.
11:58…
Moving closer…
11:59:01…
An unknown feeling washed over me… something I hadn’t felt in years…
11:59:30
Voraciously ravaging everything in sight...
I raised the dagger.
11:59:59
The burn was now at my feet, and I plunged the knife in as the clock struck midnight with twelve long chimes. The abyss, that I had unconsciously named Abaddon, inhaled my body, and with a blood curdling scream, I sank away into the light.
The cold autumn winds sang an elegy through the abandoned church. It sang of loneliness with the aches and pains of a decrepit old man. Bluish grey light illuminated the church, a crestfallen haven. Silvery smoke plumed into the sky, ‘twas all that was left of the man known only as Cato.
‘Tis the end children, I’m sad to say
No one has seen him since that day
They say you can hear him late at night
Screaming in pain, horror, and fright
But they are lying, and I’ll tell you why
Because I am Cato, and you’re all going to die…
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