Alchemy Of Darkness - Chapter 4

Joycelyn came home, worried about Clarissa...

"Clarissa has taken a big risk, I hope she is safe!"

She sat on the couch, trying to relax. Thoughts spiraling in her mind. Suddenly, she recalled Mr.Desmond's words...

'Specters and entities can be contacted by human beings'

Joycelyn remembered a strange incident that had occurred. It was that evening, she had spent in the library, a few days ago.........

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Joycelyn was sitting in the library all by herself.......

The library where she sat was a vast place with millions of bookshelves standing within its walls. The library was no ordinary place. It was a place where one could acquire knowledge about various aspects of spirits, entities that were both good and evil, and needless to say 'Demons'.

She sat on a chair which was resting beside a small desk lit by a reading lamp, surrounded with books. There was a narrow passage which led to other parts of the huge library.

The library had two floors...... 

The first floor was accessible to common public and had many novels from different types of genres. It specialized in the horror category. It also had a considerable number of records and other sources of paranormal activities collected from many investigations. Most of them were tapes stored in hard drives that could be played on computer or other input sources.

The second floor, however, was restricted especially for those who were involved in the study and research about such supernatural activities. It held many old diaries of people having spiritual encounters or written documentaries of exorcisms conducted by priests. It also had many books incorporating the procedures of various rituals. To be able to enter the second floor, a special ID was required............

Each floor was divided into two different wings, the Eastern wing, and the Western wing.

Joycelyn was sitting on the second floor, West wing, she was reading a book entitled 'Spiritus Tenebris'. Joycelyn was from VISDR hence she had access to the second floor.

'Tenebris is the spirit of darkness, she is said to be one of the most beautiful entities. Her origin is not known. She appears on phantom nights (nights with a full moon and nights with no moon). She roams around with her beautiful black flowing robe and black crystal earrings. Tenebris usually is harmless but if taunted, provoked, or angered, she is very harmful. She may cause irreversible damage to a person by driving him/her insane or by making them hear strange noises, they never wanted to hear. Tenebris is associated mostly with demons. She can act as a guide if you treat her with the utmost respect. Invoking her is very simple. All you require is A dark room or a dark place....which is lit by a black candle. Chant the words, "O' great Regina Tenibris! I invite you to talk to me", with due respect....thrice. If you hear a faint sound of a woman singing, she is there, if not....do not try again. Once you feel her presence, bow before her, and ask her questions. Never ask her any offensive questions such as "are you dead? or Are you trying to fool me?" the consequences are fatal. Once you are done, Thank her respectfully and the ritual is over....'

" It's getting darker outside, maybe I should leave after some time", Joycelyn pondered and kept the book back on its shelf. She strolled around the world of books she was swaddled within. The long narrow pathway within the bookshelves led her to the Eastern wing of the second floor. 

The Eastern wing had a chamber wherein there was a handwritten diary about a mysterious entity. It was written by the person who encountered it and whom no one knew. The book was kept in a glass containment cube, to protect it's weathering to some extent from external factors. 

Joycelyn knew exactly where it was and was curious about what kind of information that book withheld. She was unsure whether she would get access to it. Legend had it that the person reading the book invokes the entity. However, her curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to access the book to read it. 

Luck was in her favor as the library was deserted at that time of the day. 

She walked towards the end of the Eastern wing, where the glass cubicle lay, in a quiet and isolated chamber, hidden somewhere within the library. 

As she walked toward the chamber, she could feel an uneasy vibe, something that made her feel very uncomfortable. She finally reached the corner of the library, where the chamber was situated. There it was....the compartment. It had a wooden door that was neatly polished. The doorknob was made of metal. As she twisted the doorknob, the door let out a low squeak, breaking the eerie silence of the room. She could eye the book that was resting peacefully within the glass cube.

The room was elementary. It had a marble floor and bare walls, the core of the room bearing the cubicle. The atmosphere around her felt sinister.

Joycelyn, with all her courage, stepped forward on the floor. The room was deathly silent, Joycelyn could hear her own breathing. She came forward and touched the cold glass. The cubicle had a small metallic handle, enabling her to open it with ease.

She took the book in her hands, it was quite old. As she opened the cover, she read through the fragile pages, 

' This demon is very powerful! DO NOT invoke her at any cost, she only causes suffering, nothing else......she is a tall black shadow.....she is inhuman, merciless...........'

Reading those lines gave her chills.

Joycelyn instantly closed the book and put it back in the glass box before she could get noticed by someone. She hurriedly closed the door and made her way to the front desk on the first floor.

The library was about to close down.....she left the library, took her car and made her way home. Those two sentences lurking in her mind...

'DO NOT invoke her', 'She is very powerful'....................

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The doorbell rang. 

Joycelyn opened the door. Clarissa stood at the doorstep. Joycelyn opened the door and let Clarissa in with an expression of immense relief.

" Thank goodness, you are safe.....come let's have some soup.....you can relate what happened while having it", said Joycelyn.

" Thanks, I really need to talk about the incident, it was really very disturbing....."

Clarissa got inside the house and warmed up, while Joycelyn made some soup.

The table was ready, Joycelyn poured the hot steaming soup into two bowls as both sat down facing each other.

" Whatever I saw was totally horrifying.....it was cold and dark inside the castle and .....I could sense something evil. Believe me, it was nothing but pure evil", said Clarissa in an anxious tone.

"What is that book you are holding in your hand?"

"It is something like a journal, or maybe a diary....."

"What else did you discover?"

"......The most horrifying thing I saw there was.......K..kk...Karlie's corpse! And, mark my words.....the place where the castle was located was in a complete different dimension......a portal!"

Everything went silent the moment Clarissa said this......

What was the 'Diary' that Clarissa had brought along with her? What exactly happened to Karlie and why?

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