WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.120
Caloroga Shark Media.
2
00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:14.679
Hello and welcome to Echoes of the Void, Episode four, Artifacts,
3
00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:19.199
Part two.
4
00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:34.479
I feel exposed, vulnerable, these intimate moments displayed for Novak's observation.
5
00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:38.399
But I can't seem to stop the flow of memories,
6
00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:44.359
can't close the channel that has opened. Yes, Novak says again,
7
00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:50.039
his voice lower, almost reverent. The resonance between you is phenomenal,
8
00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:59.439
a perfect harmonic alignment of consciousness, so rare. The memories shift,
9
00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:04.519
moving to my confrontations with the entity, the darkness pressing
10
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:09.560
against our connection, the whispers designed to create doubt, the
11
00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:13.640
false images it tried to force into my mind. I relive,
12
00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:18.079
the fear, the determination to resist its influence. And then
13
00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:22.719
something unexpected, a memory I don't recognize, A room I've
14
00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:26.280
never seen, with symbols drawn on the floor, a man
15
00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:31.719
who resembles Novak, but younger, standing before an altar. Alexander
16
00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:36.760
there too, looking wary, suspicious. I don't know what you
17
00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:41.079
expect to find in my family's grimoires, Sullivan, Alexander says,
18
00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:44.799
in this strange not memory, I've told you the key
19
00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:50.640
to binding the entity isn't there, Sullivan. The man isn't
20
00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:57.519
Novak but Sullivan, Alexander's colleague, his betrayer. Yet the resemblance
21
00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:04.079
is uncanny, impossible to dismiss. The memory shifts again, becoming
22
00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:10.520
something darker. Sullivan Novak standing over Alexander's body, the ceremonial
23
00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:15.680
knife in his hand, blood spreading across Alexander's chest, the
24
00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:19.879
entity swirling around them, both a darkness with burning eyes.
25
00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:25.599
It's done, Sullivan says to the entity. Now, fulfill your
26
00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:33.280
part of our bargain, immortality, knowledge beyond human limitation. The
27
00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:39.240
entity's laughter fills the memory space, cruel and ancient, Poor human,
28
00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:43.120
Did you think I would be bound by promises? You
29
00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.479
are mine now as he was meant to be. The
30
00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:51.560
darkness engulfs Sullivan, entering him through every orifice, every pore.
31
00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:56.199
His scream cuts off abruptly as his eyes turn black,
32
00:02:56.599 --> 00:03:00.199
then burn with the same fire as the entities. This
33
00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:03.919
isn't my memory. It can't be. I wasn't there when
34
00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:09.000
Alexander died, when Sullivan was possessed. Yet I'm experiencing it
35
00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:12.039
as if I were, as if someone is feeding these
36
00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:18.199
images directly into my consciousness. Elise Alexander's voice breaks through
37
00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:22.719
the false memory. It's not real. He's implanting these visions.
38
00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:29.120
Break the connection with tremendous effort. I force my eyes open.
39
00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:33.479
The room spins around me, the candles leaving trails of
40
00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:38.520
light across my vision. Across the table, Novak watches me intently,
41
00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:41.759
the small crystal pendant in his hand glowing with an
42
00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:46.479
inner light. Who are you? I demand my voice, Horse,
43
00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:53.039
You're not Dragomeir Novak. His smile doesn't waver. I am now,
44
00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:57.400
have been for many decades. The original Dragomea was a
45
00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:03.759
convenient identity to assume after my own became complicated. Understanding
46
00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:10.199
crashes through me. Sullivan, you're James Sullivan? What remains of him?
47
00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:14.919
He sets the pendant down carefully, though Sullivan is as
48
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:19.480
much as simplification as Novak. Names mean little after a
49
00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:24.040
century of existence. I push back from the table, my
50
00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:27.879
hand closing around the anchor crystal in my pocket. How
51
00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:33.639
is this possible? You died? Margaret found records of your
52
00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:37.279
body washing up on the shore months after Alexander's death.
53
00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:43.639
A body washed up, he corrects, wearing my clothes, carrying
54
00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:48.600
my identification. The entity required a vessel, and I required
55
00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:56.439
a disappearance. His dark eyes gleam with something that isn't
56
00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:01.560
entirely human. We've had a mutually benefici arrangement ever since.
57
00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:07.279
Fear coils in my stomach. I'm alone in a strange city,
58
00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.199
in the home of the man who murdered Alexander, who
59
00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:14.519
is apparently possessed by some aspect of the same entity
60
00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:18.839
that's bound with Alexander in the void. But that doesn't
61
00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:24.120
make sense. The entity is bound with Alexander, I've encountered
62
00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:27.000
it in the void. How can it also be here
63
00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:32.040
with you? Sullivan Novak picks up the Midnight Crystal from
64
00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:35.680
where I've set it on the table. What you've encountered
65
00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:40.720
is the primary fragment. Yes, bound by Alexander's ritual, though
66
00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:44.879
not as completely as he intended. He holds the crystal
67
00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:49.120
up to the candlelight. But entities from the void are
68
00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:53.759
not singular consciousnesses as you understand them. They can extend
69
00:05:53.800 --> 00:06:00.680
portions of themselves like tendrils across dimensional boundaries. Inhabits. Me
70
00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:06.040
is connected to what's bound with Alexander, but distinct, a
71
00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:11.360
splinter of the greater fragment. My mind races trying to
72
00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:17.040
process this revelation. You're the human ally, the one helping
73
00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:21.800
the entity fight against our attempts to free Alexander. I
74
00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:25.439
prefer to think of myself as an independent agent with
75
00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:31.240
aligned interests. He sets the crystal back down. The entity
76
00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:35.279
wishes to remain unbound. I wish to continue my extended
77
00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:40.839
existence and my studies of dimensional phenomena. To achieve both,
78
00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:46.639
Alexander must remain in the void. Why show yourself to me?
79
00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:46.959
Now?
80
00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:53.519
Why reveal who you are? Sullivan's smile widens. Because you
81
00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.160
needed the stabilizer crystal, and I needed access to your
82
00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:01.759
memories of the void. A fair exchange, He pushes the
83
00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:05.319
crystal toward me. And because knowing who I am doesn't
84
00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:11.399
change your situation, you still need what I possess. I
85
00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:15.120
stare at the Midnight Crystal, now understanding why it responded
86
00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:19.040
to my touch. If it's connected to Sullivan, to his
87
00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.319
splinter of the entity, it would recognize me through my
88
00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:28.319
connection to Alexander and the primary fragment. Is it even real?
89
00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:29.000
I ask?
90
00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:34.680
Does it do what you claimed? Oh? Yes, the stabilizer
91
00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:39.560
is genuine, as are its protective properties. Sullivan leans back
92
00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:43.439
in his chair. I have no interest in your destruction, Eleise.
93
00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:48.560
Quite the opposite. I find your resonance with Alexander fascinating
94
00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:52.839
a phenomenon I've sought to understand for decades. Then why
95
00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:57.000
fight against freeing him? Because the full triangulation won't just
96
00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:00.879
free Alexander, it will release the primary fragment as well.
97
00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:06.839
His expression turns serious. The binding is imperfect but stable.
98
00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:12.399
Disrupt it, and both consciousnesses currently trapped in the void
99
00:08:12.519 --> 00:08:18.000
may escape Alexander to your world. Yes, but the entity
100
00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:23.720
to mine reuniting with the splinter that inhabits me, and
101
00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:29.639
that would be bad for you. Catastrophic. Sullivan touches the
102
00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:34.879
pendant at his neck. This splinter and I have reached
103
00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:40.080
an accommodation over the decades. I retain my autonomy, my identity,
104
00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:45.000
in exchange for the extended lifespan and knowledge the splinter provides.
105
00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:48.799
If the primary fragment were to reunite with this splinter,
106
00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:54.120
he shakes his head, I would be consumed entirely, and
107
00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:57.200
the fully reformed fragment would be powerful enough to breach
108
00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:01.759
dimensional boundaries at will. I try to process what he's saying.
109
00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.399
So you're helping the entity fight me, to protect yourself,
110
00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:11.320
to protect us all. Sullivan stands, moving to a bookshelf
111
00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:15.639
where he selects an ancient looking volume. A fully reformed
112
00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:19.519
void fragment with access to multiple dimensions would be a
113
00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:25.399
catastrophe beyond imagining. He turns back to me. That's why
114
00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:29.000
I gave you the stabilizer, not just to protect your
115
00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:33.200
consciousness during triangulation, but to give you the means to
116
00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:38.720
capture the primary fragment separately. When you free Alexander to
117
00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:44.399
prevent reunification. I stare at him, trying to determine if
118
00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:47.159
there's any truth in what he's saying, or if this
119
00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:51.080
is another manipulation. Why would you help me do that?
120
00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:55.399
If I succeed, you'd still have the splinter inside you,
121
00:09:55.840 --> 00:10:00.519
but not the primary fragment, because the alternative is worse.
122
00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:05.039
Sullivan opens the book, turning it to show me an
123
00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:09.679
illustration of what appears to be a cosmic disaster. Dimensions
124
00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:15.120
collapsing realities bleeding into each other. This is what happens
125
00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:20.279
when void fragments reunite. The resulting entity becomes powerful enough
126
00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:25.559
to begin the process of dimensional collapse, returning all realities
127
00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.320
to the primordial void from which they emerged. And you
128
00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:34.279
think I can prevent this by using the stabilizer to
129
00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:40.360
capture the primary fragments separately. Sullivan nods, it's designed for
130
00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:45.080
exactly that purpose. The original check alchemists created it to
131
00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:49.480
trap and study void energies safely. He closes the book.
132
00:10:50.919 --> 00:10:54.320
I believe you can free Alexander without releasing the entity,
133
00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:00.600
but it will require perfect timing, perfect focus. I touched
134
00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:04.360
the anchor crystal in my pocket, seeking that distant connection
135
00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:09.759
to Alexander, needing his guidance. But the connection feels muted,
136
00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:13.799
now interfered with by whatever Sullivan did during the ritual.
137
00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:18.600
I don't trust you, I say, Finally, I would be
138
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:22.960
concerned if you did. Sullivan picks up the Midnight crystal,
139
00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:26.799
holding it out to me once more. But consider this,
140
00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:31.000
I've had a century to study the void, to understand
141
00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:35.559
these entities. I've maintained my bargain with this splinter while
142
00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:49.000
containing its influence. That requires knowledge you need. Reluctantly, I
143
00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:52.759
take the crystal. How exactly do I use this to
144
00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:57.919
trap the primary fragment? When you perform the triangulation, hold
145
00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.240
the stabilizer in your left hand the anchor crystal in
146
00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:06.159
your right as the bridge between world's forms. Focus your
147
00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:12.200
intention on separating the two consciousnesses bound together in the void.
148
00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:17.039
The stabilizer will naturally attract void energy. It will draw
149
00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:21.720
the entity into itself, while allowing Alexander's consciousness to follow
150
00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:26.399
your own back across the bridge. It sounds too simple,
151
00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.720
too convenient, but I have nothing else to go on,
152
00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.279
no other protection against what the entity might do during triangulation.
153
00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:43.039
And if I succeed, what then Sullivan's dark eyes hold mine?
154
00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:48.440
Return here with the stabilizer containing the fragment. Together, we
155
00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.440
can ensure it remains safely contained, unable to reunite with
156
00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:56.919
the splinter I harbor, or I could destroy it, end
157
00:12:56.919 --> 00:13:02.600
this permanently, he laughs softly. Void fragments cannot be destroyed
158
00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:08.519
by any means available to humans. They can only be bound, contained, redirected.
159
00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:15.519
Trust me, I've spent a century investigating every possibility. I
160
00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:19.399
slip the Midnight Crystal into my pocket, keeping it separate
161
00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:23.639
from the anchor crystal. I'll consider what you've told me,
162
00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:28.720
but I make no promises about returning here. Of course,
163
00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:33.279
he gestures toward the door. You're free to leave. Take
164
00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:37.559
the stabilizer with my blessing. Whether you believe my motivations
165
00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:41.879
or not, we both want Alexander freed without the entity. Escaping.
166
00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.720
Our interests are lined that far, at least. As I
167
00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:50.519
move toward the door, a thought occurs to me. The
168
00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:53.600
night of the break in at Blackwood Estate, the intruder
169
00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:59.159
with the ceremonial knife, was that your doing? Sullivan's expression
170
00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:03.480
reveals nothing. I have associates who share my concerns about
171
00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:09.120
dimensional stability. They may have acted over zealously in attempting
172
00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:14.720
to secure the knife, an unfortunate miscalculation. They tried to
173
00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:19.279
kill me. They tried to prevent the triangulation by removing
174
00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:23.440
one of the required anchors. Your death was never the objective,
175
00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:28.000
he shrugged slightly. Though I understand why you might be
176
00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:32.720
skeptical of that claim. I reached the door, eager now
177
00:14:32.759 --> 00:14:35.320
to be away from this place, from this man who
178
00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:39.200
murdered Alexander and has spent a century sharing consciousness with
179
00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:43.720
a splinter of the entity. One last thing, I say,
180
00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:49.879
my hand on the doorknob, the portrait of Alexander. Why
181
00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:55.200
do you keep it? Something passes across Sullivan's face, an
182
00:14:55.200 --> 00:15:01.480
emotion I can't quite identify. Regret, longing reminder, he says, Finally,
183
00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:06.480
of choices made, paths not taken. He meets my gaze
184
00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:10.720
despite what you may think, Elise, I cared for Alexander.
185
00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:15.080
We were colleagues, friends before the entity came between us.
186
00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:22.000
What happened that night, he looks away. The entity's influence
187
00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:25.519
was stronger than I anticipated. By the time I realized
188
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.720
what I'd done, it was too late. I don't know
189
00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.360
if I believe him, if any trace of the original
190
00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:36.360
James Sullivan remains in this hybrid consciousness that calls itself Novak.
191
00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:39.799
But I recognize the look in his eyes when he
192
00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:46.799
speaks of Alexander, a complex mix of admiration, jealousy, and
193
00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:52.240
something deeper. Goodbye, mister Sullivan, I say, deliberately, using his
194
00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:57.000
original name. I doubt we'll meet again. His smile is
195
00:15:57.080 --> 00:16:02.559
knowing we will. When you return with the stabilizer, as
196
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:08.399
you promised, I promise to consider it. Nothing more. We
197
00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:15.080
shall see. I leave without another word, stepping back into
198
00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.559
the narrow alley, the heavy door closing behind me with
199
00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:22.440
a sound of finality. Snow has begun to fall again,
200
00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:27.240
soft flakes drifting down from a darkening sky. I hurry
201
00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.679
back toward the old town square, pulling my coat tighter
202
00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:35.080
against the cold. As I walk, I try repeatedly to
203
00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:39.200
reach Alexander through our connection, focusing on the anchor crystal
204
00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:45.039
on the key around my neck, but the link remains muted, distant,
205
00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:51.320
as if Sullivan's ritual has temporarily dampened our resonance. In
206
00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:55.759
my hotel room, overlooking the Vltava River, I call Margaret, immediately,
207
00:16:56.200 --> 00:17:00.919
relaying everything that happened with Sullivan Novak. Her silence as
208
00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:06.200
I speak tells me how serious the situation is. This
209
00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:10.559
changes everything, she says when I finish. If Sullivan has
210
00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:13.160
been working with a splinter of the entity all this time,
211
00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:16.240
if he's the one behind the attempts to stop us,
212
00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:20.559
do you think he was telling the truth about the
213
00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:25.839
risk of dimensional collapse? If the fragments reunite, Margaret sighs heavily.
214
00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:32.000
It's consistent with certain theories about void entities. The ancient
215
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:36.640
text mentions a great sundering that scattered the original consciousness
216
00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:41.880
across multiple dimensions. I hear pages turning on her end
217
00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:46.720
of the line, and the stabilizer crystal is real. My
218
00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:51.920
grandmother's journals mention them created by Czech alchemists who called
219
00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:57.599
themselves the Order of the Cosmic Key. So Sullivan might
220
00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:03.160
actually be helping us helping himself more likely, but his
221
00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:07.279
information about using the stabilizer to trap the primary fragment separately,
222
00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:13.480
it could work, She pauses. The question is whether we
223
00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:17.240
can trust anything that comes from him, given his connection
224
00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:21.559
to the entity. I look out at the snow falling
225
00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:25.400
over Prague, at the ancient spires and towers emerging from
226
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:29.160
the twilight Mist. I don't think we have a choice.
227
00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:32.920
The triangulation is in three days at the dark Moon.
228
00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:40.200
We need every advantage, every protection we can get. Agreed,
229
00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:45.440
But Elise, be careful with that crystal. Keep it separate
230
00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:48.480
from the anchor crystal and the key until the moment
231
00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:52.720
of triangulation. If Sullivan was able to interfere with your
232
00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:56.920
connection to Alexander during that ritual, the stabilizer might have
233
00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:01.359
properties we don't fully understand. I already have the Midnight
234
00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:05.000
Crystal wrapped in a silk scarf, stored in a different
235
00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:10.359
pocket from the anchor crystal. I will I'm leaving Prague tomorrow,
236
00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:14.440
heading back to Blackwood Estate. We'll have time to examine
237
00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:22.319
the stabilizer before the triangulation. Good. Margaret hesitates, and Elise
238
00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:28.839
try to reach Alexander again tonight. If Sullivan's ritual created interference.
239
00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:32.319
It should fade with distance and time. We need to
240
00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:38.559
warn Alexander about what we've learned. After we end the call.
241
00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:41.599
I sit on the edge of the hotel bed, holding
242
00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:44.440
the anchor crystal in one hand, the key in the other.
243
00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:50.079
I close my eyes, focusing on that unique frequency that