Humanity

Your mind still reeling from the shock of what you saw in the woods, you begin to search the internet for answers of what you saw.

Eventually, you find a forum in the recesses of the web and after hours of exploration, you see a poster who seems to actually be articulate and sane.

You make a reply, and almost immediately a notification for a direct message pops up. It’s an invitation to meet from the same poster you responded to. Surprisingly, it’s the address of a university office building about an hour’s drive away. You decide at worst it’s a prank by some college kids, but at best you might finally get some answers.

When you arrive, you look once more at the address on your phone, and believing you are at the right place, you gingerly knock on the door.

The door opens, and a cheery woman with shoulder-length hair smiles at you and beckons you to come inside. You enter, and she quickly shuts the door behind you.

“Before we speak, I must know – have you told anyone else about what you saw?”

You hesitate and look around the room. Two other people sit at desks further into the surprisingly plain office. Framed degrees are hung about the room, and awards line the many bookshelves lining the wall closest to you. You decide this is far too public a place to get murdered or abducted, so you opt for honesty and shake your head “no.”

The woman smiles. “Welcome to my office. I wish we could meet under better circumstances, but before I explain what you saw the other night, let me introduce our little merry band of demon hunters.

“My name is Dr. Lisa Kawashita. I’m a forensic anthropologist, These are my collaborators, Dr. Michelle Hardeman-Kipps of archaeology, and Dr. Brian Deldar of zoology.

“We, along with a small band of others who have, for better or worse, come to understand the terrible true nature that lurks beneath the surface of our world have banded together in order to stop a nightmarish cult dedicated to destroying all of life in the universe. 

“And what you, my friend, saw the other night in the woods was a dimensional tear. 

“Existing in the same time, but a different space, is another, terrifying dimension that the cult, the Order of the Dark Wheel, refers to as the Abyssal Void. In this alternate dimension exists horrific monsters, as well as seven massively powerful dark gods. 

“Now, we were able to disrupt the summoning ritual in time and close the tear in the barrier between our two dimensions, but often we’re not so lucky, and these demons can escape. 

“We have learned, at great cost, that these demons can be hurt and incapacitated, but cannot be killed, at least in the way we think of something dying permanently. They can, however, be bound in dimensional prisons that are powered through the magic of what we’re calling mana. 

“I know this is a lot of information, but we reached out because we all know how shocking it is to discover that a world of demons and magic exists, especially as scientists, but it’s always helpful to hear it from someone who doesn’t think you’re insane.

“So while we’re happy to just answer your questions and let you leave, we really could use everyone we can in stopping the Order of the Dark Wheel. Their reach is long and powerful, and if they manage to summon all seven of those gods they worship, it’s the end for all of us.

“Would you be willing to help us?”


“Yes,” you reply. “How can I not?”

“Uh,” you waiver. “I’m not so sure..”