6"Lost" Memories?
Lost... but, luckily, found by me.
Long story short: after finishing the old Gatekeeper's Chronicles, I was happy that it was done but at the same time I missed working on it. The first-person style of narration has some kind of power that attracts me. Moreover, I entwined some of my own personal traits into the Gatekeeper's personality, and that made the writing even more exciting.
That is why I decided to write some more - something like an "expansion" to the original Chronicles. This was started on December 10, 2005. The chapters (called Fragments here, to distinguish them) can be inserted in-between the original GC chapters, yet I preferred to keep them as a spearate work. And this is how I shall present them to you. You can view them as separate narrations of sort.
After nine long years of work, the Lost Memories are finally complete. As of December 10, 2014 (Doom's 21st birthday), all 13 chapters are in place :)
Again, you will notice some references to Quake or Wolfenstein... and perhaps even some foreshadowing of future events. So, welcome back to the Gatekeeper's world - enjoy your stay :)
Gatekeeper's Chronicles: The Lost Memories
By Lyubomir Ivanov
FRAGMENT I: LESSON
I made one more step forward, and felt the cold shadows on my skin. Two pillars rose in front of me, a part of the structure that was to be raised there. The construction site of the Unholy Cathedral was awakening for another shift of work.
I looked up towards the shadows concealed in acrid smoke, trying to discern shapes and details. One of the towers was almost finished, the others only existed as rough skeletons of poles. I still felt the pain from the previous day, yet I had to hurry – my mentors would be looking for me. My Lord and Master, Baphomet, had instructed me that I would learn very much from my work at the construction site, and I could only trust His word. To my left, I could see the advancing line of pink bodies – demons, which carried enormous pieces of rock, led by small groups of imps. They were all headed for the south sector, which still needed much work, as was obvious by the large sections of unfinished walls. More smoke filled the air, as flames erupted from the overheated pits throughout the plains of Inferno. I threw one last glance at the burning river below, before the walls of the cathedral closed around me.
This section was finished – the stones were polished, torches were set in their places, and the windows were complete with stained glass that depicted scenes of dark rituals, or mystic runes that I did not understand. I reached a point where the corridor split – a statue of a Hell Knight rose at the merging point of the 3 paths, and its eyes glowed with an unnatural red glow that made me smile when I looked at it. I took the left corridor and soon found myself under the swirling infernal sky. I stepped into the large yard, filled with piles of unused materials, and wandering groups of Warlocks and Hell Knights. And there, at an arch in the opposite side, stood and waited my mentor for the day – a tall Warlock, skin with the color of freshly spilled blood, dark green eyes, and a damaged left horn. He was waiting for me.
So there you are, novice spellcaster, inexperienced reality bender, future Gatekeeper. I have a small task for you...
He grinned and handed me two pieces of greenish crystal. He then ordered me to join those two elements together. I looked in surprise – the two pieces could not be connected in any way – their shapes were such that they would have to be broken first... and they were very hard to damage in any physical way...
My mentor noticed my confusion, and laughed. He told me that I had enough time to think about my little task – enough time while I descend into an ancient crypt beneath the cathedral – integrated into its base, fueling many of the magical components. My mentor wanted me to bring him an amulet from that crypt, if I would be able to survive down there, he added. He laughed once again, and left me, going away to join his brethren at a focusing obelisk that they were trying to adjust.
I was worried – that was my first real task, and I did not expect it to be so complicated. And one of the Hell Knights told me one of his brothers went down in the cursed crypt and never returned. I had no choice – I had to do what I was ordered to do.
A cold wind greeted me as I descended into the crypt. A small corridor of black stone went ahead, and ended into a circular chamber. I felt slightly dizzy and disoriented – my mentors had warned me that would be the way I would feel at my first encounter with powerful magic. Inexperienced as I was, that worried me, and I continued more cautiously.
The walls of the chamber were made of black crystal that seemed to devour the light of the candles that were lit along the walls. In the center, I saw something that looked like a black coffin. It was open, and the foul stench that came out of it made me stop. I looked around carefully. The place seemed very ancient – possibly from the very first days of Hell... Then I remembered I had no idea how old Hell was, and how it looked like in its very beginning. This place was from those times and it determined the location of the future Unholy Cathedral. Waves of dark gas came out of the coffin, and swirled above the floor. I hesitated whether it would be safe to approach it. There was no turning back...
One step closer... another one... one more. A low hissing sound came from the direction of the coffin, and the foul vapors rose to the ceiling. A vague figure started to form in them, and a few moments later a robed figure formed and spoke to me in a language I did not understand. The tone of its voice, as well as the gestures, implied that what the figure spoke was a warning for me not to approach. But I had to.
Another step closer... I heard insane whispers and hoarse laughter rise from the sides of the chamber, panic tried to grip my mind. Another step… I had the feeling the floor was vibrating. Another step... and a loud cracking sound was heard. A tall figure of an unknown race, clad in full-body metal armor rose before me and murmured several words that made my blood chill. An orb of blistering energy started to form in the other end of the chamber and flew towards me.
It felt as if time had stopped for me. Everything disappeared – there were only me and the deadly ball that flew toward my face. One part of my mind prepared for the burning pain to erupt and death to take over my body, while the other desperately tried to figure out a way to save my life from the danger.
In an instant, I heard the words of my mentor once again. How did he call me... "spellcaster" and "reality bender..." These words had meaning. Could I believe in them?
I could hardly believe that I was going to do that… I stretched my arms forward and wished that I could make the orb miss me or simply disappear. Panic took over me, and my mind literally shouted at the impeding threat to stop. I felt a strong tingling go over my arms, and a strange noise that filled the chamber. Seconds after that, the orb of energy broke into several smaller, which flew in different directions and sank into the crystal walls. The armored figure uttered another harshly voiced phrase, and slowly disappeared into the vapors. It all ended as suddenly as it had begun.
I started breathing again.
I had survived the trap only because in the last moment I did something I had never done before in my very short life. I tapped into the power that was the legacy of my creator. I bended reality and survived. The way I saw myself, my life, and my place in the scheme of all things had just changed...
Still a bit disoriented, I approached the coffin. Inside I beheld a pulsating mass of many objects and horrible thing I had never imagined. Flesh and bones, lidless eyes, flashes of light, black tomes of dark wisdom, various artifacts, and orbs filled with various energies – all swimming in malignant bile that could make any demon sick with disgust.
I saw several amulets in that mess. I chose a triangular one that had an unknown rune inscribed into it. I slowly dipped my hand in the slime and grabbed its golden chain. Several seconds later, I already had it in my possession. I really wanted to leave that cursed crypt and let it remain forgotten in the base of the Unholy Cathedral for all eternity. But my curiosity was even greater. I looked into the coffin once again. Among the many objects there, I beheld a black book, marked with a very strange rune its cover, which somehow attracted me to pick it up. And so I did. I dipped my hand in the vile cold sludge once again and pulled it out.
I did not understand what was written inside, but I knew that some day I would. Then, I would remember about that book, and read the secrets it might contain. Right now, all I wanted was to leave that crypt immediately. When I emerged in the lit corridors of the cathedral once again, I felt better and relieved. The nightmare had ended for me.
I walked past many imps, which were constructing one of the reliquaries. I knew that Baphomet's Unholy Bible would one day be kept in this place, hidden and protected by his immense magic. As I went on further, I saw more demons that carried materials from the Obsidian Canyons. The cathedral was not yet finished, but I could already sense the titanic power that was gradually amassing within it. When it was complete, it would be one of the greatest focal points for chaotic power, just like the Monster Condo or the bizarre Spirits World. That would increase the power of my Lord Baphomet, and so would that of the thirteen Gatekeepers and the whole burning realm of Hell.
I finally found my mentor, who had just finished planning the dark magical energy channels that would run throughout the south tower of the cathedral. He did not look surprised to see me alive.
He approached and told me that Baphomet's expectations had proven true, just as he had been instructed. He added that I had done very well, surviving the trap of the ancient guardian (did he call him "death knight"?). From him I learned that the crypt was indeed very old, from the very first days of Hell... and what was contained there was related to the worlds that existed before Hell, in what the warlock called "the Elder age." He added that he was pleased that I had brought him an amulet of Dark Chanting, though I had no idea what it was used for. My theft of the black book was not noticed.
Before he went away, the Warlock told me that I had learned an important lesson... indeed I had. He then asked me about the two elements.
I smiled. I had already sensed that these crystals had specific property, and the lesson I learned in the crypt told me what to do.
I concentrated and focused on my desired reality. The crystals, under my mental control, easily started to warp and melt, they coalesced together and became one. The newly formed union of the two assumed the shape of a cube that I handed to my mentor. I had connected them using nothing but my will. I had fully realized an important lesson – my will was a powerful tool, and it gave me the strength to fulfill my mission within the scheme of Hell and its purpose in the Universe.
He just nodded and told me I had done well, and I was free for five work cycles. Then he went away.
The lesson I learned revealed me many things. I already knew I had the power to shape reality like no other demon could. And I knew how this power gave my life a purpose, and was to shape my future, and my essential position in the brutal hierarchy of Hell.
