The tomb of the eclipsed

(Trigger warning: this story contains brief implications of negative mental health as well as physical violence and implications of death)

What you shall read is the account of the last conciseness known to man, it is a single tale of many that we warn reading this page is a danger to you, as it could affect more than just your mere mind but the outer world as well. Please recite this passage shall things unravel, as it will be your own common foothold to our plane. Anything that you see is but its perception forming in your mind, if this continues destroy this page and anything found within the contents you found it with. 

Time is an unraveling consistency, it goes up and down, yet never to its side, forward but never back. That is why a mere moment was all that mattered, I watch the back of my mind now to the day's events that had led me to within the end. My life was a boring and normal detachment, walked through my home day by day, worked my job, got sick, felt hungry, it was a mess. However, it was mine and mine alone.  

Today, however, began with a ping of pain, no memory of it before that moment. I sat up in bed, my head pounding as I stood up to get ready for the day. I peeked down at my phone, my hand shaking gently as I read my messages. No work today, a sad day indeed for my life. It was closed for some big event, a thing I had no mind for. I slumped up, feeling my body ache and shiver. I lurched outside my room, moving through my home toward the restroom. I slipped in and dug for some medicine and downed them, the pain in my throat was intense, as my body shoved on to the front room. The window curtains dragged on the edge of the windowsill; my things strewn in the dawn light as they were pulled further by my hands. Letting in the bright morning orange light, it was a chilly morning, and the small light did extraordinarily little to warm my soul. It felt like a deep fog filled my heart and soul.  

I shambled towards my couch, hoping to lie down for a moment more before life could continue, to give my body a moment to process the illness and my meds to start. However, a knock approached my door making me groan and whine as I slumped up. I cracked the door open enough to see, but no one stood at my door. Nothing but a simple pamphlet on a large worn-down book מוקפל etched deep into its leathery cover. I pulled it from the ground with the pamphlet, it showed a large circle of light with the words Eclipse! The wonders of our world! Experience it today! Written in a bright and colorful text, showing a picture of glasses that came with the pamphlet. I carried the two in and set them both on the coffee table, confused as I flicked on the lamp to read them both further. The pamphlet felt fresh and clean, while the book felt ancient, rugged, and leathery, ripped, and torn apart at the edges of the bindings. I slid down to the couch, flipping open the first few pages but they were alien to my eyes, only mumbled and as if water had caused the ink to flow across the pages. They even felt still dampened a touch, inky and full of despair.  

Each page turned felt less and less dampened, until I finally turned to a single page I could coherently see. An image of a boat, resting on the shores of an unknown beach. The section of the book at first felt unreadable, but as I started, I understood the text’s meaning the tale of the eclipsed, underneath a name was written. No, not simply written but carved into the parchment. Francis Drake, the name rang familiar but I am not sure from where I had heard it. 

I pulled back the pages, attempting to read the worn-down text. It was alien to my eyes, but a single passage unveiled itself to me. A single paragraph written in an old English handwriting,  

My Dearest Elizabeth, 

I am glad to hear you are doing well, my journey to Panama was a failure. We encountered blow after blow during our assault. In truth it was foolish of us to face them in our ill state, plague runs rampant on our ship. Many men have fallen ill, and I fear I shall be next. I wish to warn you of a damaging issue I have encountered on this journey. During our voyage to Panama the men had awoken me from my slumber to inform me of a ship off the starboard, we sent a man to the ship and uncovered nothing other than several corpses. These however felt wrong, many of the bodies were charred black with no signs of burning surrounding the corpse. No ash or soot anywhere despite the slightly rough waters we found ourselves in. The men then found the captain, he was miraculously alive, but his body was pale, he refused to eat or drink a thing. The men brought him aboard and found he brought a single item with him. I have sent it with a merchant ship headed for our homeland. This letter shall hopefully reach you safely with the package as well. I may not return home to you, but please understand my care for you.  

I held the single page in my hands, reading it repeatedly. Many thoughts ran through my head, my head hurt worse. My body felt gross, my chest felt heavy, and my mind hurt. I stood, pushing myself towards the doorway. I needed air, something other than my stuffy apartment. I forced my door open, a loud and freakish SNAP. The door handle had been ripped off with ease, holding its barren and splintered self within my hand, The door’s hinges being bent in an off direction. I shook and took deeper breathes. My hands quaked and my legs wobbled as I felt my head getting lighter, the light outside to great and blinding me. 

Then it went silent, Nothing but the barren depths of myself and the emptiness around me. I reached my hand out to the void and felt a strange sensation in my hands. As if they were being held, it was calming. My breath steadied as I looked around. Before a single speck of light filled my eye. It showed as a small ring, I began my approach. Breathing heavier and slowly the light grew and grew until it was blinding. The hands release me, before I woke.  

My back was in pain, I felt blood from my back. I gripped the ground, feeling cuts and bruises on my hands. I didn’t know where I was, but as I sat up. I heard a deep bellowing noise, as if it was trying to get my attention. Nothing rang clear from it, but I felt a pull. I felt a guiding hand of this invisible force guiding me. I couldn’t move my legs; they were barely functioning as I dragged myself further along. I began to see clearer; I was still at my complex just further down the building. Having gone from my 3rd floor apartment, down into the windshield of a car. Glass and metal filled my back, my mind cleared more as I finally heard the honking of the car’s horn. Voices of people coming from their homes as I began to panic. My drive pushed me further as I felt a hand touch my back. It was nothing like normal, numbing and shivering I forced my legs to life. I forced my body to move further and further, my head no longer pounded but my heartbeat like a drum.  

Every force in my body pushed me further as I reached the stairwell. The void filled in and out of the world around me, as I saw glimpses of small, encircled light. Voices of inhuman things spoke, as I pressed myself up the flights of stairs back to my apartment. Each push throbbing through my body before I finally felt a pain pierce my hand. My broken door digging into my hand, but it was nothing. Only a moment of pain before I reentered my home, the book no longer on the table I left it, it sat open below my feet soaking pages as a single word written in black spattered ink. Eclipse, it felt like a calling as I picked up the book. A single voice echoed in my mind.  

Forgive the mind, Find the time, view my brilliance, once per time, Find the courage, and remain in line.  

It was odd, not familiar to me. I pulled my damaged door as shut as I could, collapsing into a pool of my sweat and blood. I reached behind my back and gripped a shard of metal and pulled. My heartbeat from the fear, but no pain ever came. Nothing but the sense of relief, each piece pulled, was another wave of relief, from my hands, my back, even a few shards in my head. It felt like relief, not pain, not pleasure, simply relief. I stood and thought on what powers that I possess. As I looked out my window, I saw the few people of my complex discussing the events that occurred. I felt another pull, another drive as I pushed myself to my room. Grabbing a backpack and stuffing the book into it. The book glowing a barely noticeable orange hue, I glanced to my table, the glasses and pamphlet still left unopened and untouched. My head hurt as I looked, I knew what came next.  

I grabbed the pamphlet and glasses, rushing from my home and flipping through it. Reading each piece as the people of my complex gathered more and began to point to my home. My body shook, my head hurt more as I ran to the back exit of the complex and snuck to the side streets. Nothing caught my eye from the pages, things about how the event occurs, some old history on people who worshipped the events, and then I read it.  

“Experience the wonder today! Follow our times here!” Below a chart of many areas covered by the eclipsed with timeframes. My area was listed for an exact strike at 3 p.m. My head hurt further, as I looked towards the sky. The sky clear, and my mind hazy. I looked down, and grabbed my pocket, my phone was gone and left behind at the scene. I shuffled towards the main streets and looked in a mental blur as I finally focused myself onto a tech store. I stared at the glass pane and felt a pang of pain. The voice echoed again. 

“The Time, we must make the time, follow.” It spoke and pushed my soul, Dragging my feet into the store. A man approached me, his voice blurred in my mind as he seemed panicked, trying to set me down. I could not, I would not sit. I shoved him aside, his body collapsing against the chairs as I grabbed a phone. Giving it a gentle tug as its stand snapped apart. I looked down at it, 2:07 pm. Less than an hour left, I turned back towards the doorway. I saw a flash of red and then a flash of blue. A white and red truck, as well as a set of black cars parked outside the storefront. I stepped further, before the world crumbled around me, the void filling my body as I felt once again at ease. In this void, many more specs of glowing orange rings filled it. Muffled crowds of voices filled it, as my mission came clear to me.  

I approached further into the specs, and I awoke once more. My chest burned, my hands felt bloody, however it hadn’t come from me. I could only see a single side of everything. I looked down, several blackened masses at my feet. My chest smoking and burning more and more. I knelt down, grabbing from the pile a handful of the burnt soot. I looked about, people screaming, some running, others fainting, I could do nothing but give a gentle grin and laugh. 

My feet moved on their own, approaching a single man on the roadside. Lifting him from his place, removing a rag he wore and covering my body with it. Dropping the man to the floor, my head rang and when I turned to look, he was gone. All that remained was the tatters of his clothes. I moved further; the time ticked down as I glanced. Only a mere 10 minutes remained. My body moved to a crowd that began to form, a small group hoping to view the once in a lifetime event. The bag I wore felt warm, digging, and retrieving the book, my smile grew wider as I placed it onto the ground. Reading the booklet, I could understand every sentence, every single letter was like a calling to me as if guiding me to my purpose. 

They echo through my head, a tale of warning. This book should not exist and now I seek freedom. However, I cannot complete the task, I am but a single servant to my great ancestor. It required everything, many people to view its covered eyes, a host such as I to fill the void, one of lonesomeness and deep ill will. The final key comes with the stars themselves. When the time is right all the followers must see his coming. 

I read the passage as it finally rang clear to me. I looked to the time, and only a single minute remained for my chance. I had finally understood what the beast asked of me. I gave it my mind so that it could guide me to what this world needed. I needed to see when to do what I must, and now all must witness his glory so that we may all finally be free. 

“You awaken yourself my child, you will be an emperor of these poor souls. Be my voice, be my guiding light my dearest child. I know you seek freedom, and I can finally give it all to you. Free them.” The voice spoke, its depth clear. I looked up, staring at the sky. The world darkened around us all. My smile stretched beyond its limits, tearing of flesh as I approached closer to the crowd. I gripped the men, as they screamed, we walked further, grabbing increasingly as they screamed and begged for freedom. I heard the trumpets form as the sun’s glowing essence grouped together. We felt free as the voice spoke to us, we watched as the crowd viewed our immense image. They screamed, but it fell on deaf ears as we watched the sun and moon dance together. 

We all smiled, as we became one. We all laughed as they all joined. We were no longer Alone. We were finally Free.