Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Oh! Ok… Is this thing on?

I guess… hi? This is Rae Morningstar speaking. I work at the Fable Institute here in Lodestar Grove. We do research and collect information on supernatural and paranormal occurrences. Since the founder of the institute, Mr. Fable, disappeared, my friend Momboo has been keeping the institute running in his place. 

We recently discovered that the institute has an archive department, and Momboo assigned me the position of Head Archivist to manage the archive's current state. 

This is where all our written evidence of strange occurrences go, excluding the Akashic books, which are stored in the restricted section of the library down the hall. 

We take all kinds of statements: diary entries, letters, newspaper articles, interview transcripts… and we get a LOT of them. Due to the fact that we didn’t even know the archives existed until last week, and the person who worked here last didn’t seem to care for organizing it in the slightest; what I’m left with is a mess . That’s not even mentioning all the locked cases of what’s likely more statements in the back of the archives, and the new statements that are still coming in.

[Deep breath]

I am excited though. Just think! So many potential research topics… Unfortunately, I’m going to have to sort through it first. Thankfully, Athena and Jamie agreed to work as my Archival Assistants to go through all this information. The institute has supplied me with an official communicator that I’m going to be using to record these statements and my own commentary on their contents. It’s got a lot more buttons than I’m used to, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

So… I guess we’ve got to start somewhere. Here we go.

[Paper rustles]

Statement #FI-101-TH

Statement of Anonymous, regarding Town Hall. Original statement given as a formal complaint to the Town Council of Lodestar Grove. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

To Town Council. 

This complaint is in regard to the sudden appearance of the building known as Town Hall. You’ll have to bear with me as I provide some context for my frustration, as merely stating that the building isn’t supposed to be there wouldn’t make much sense.

I have been in the process of obtaining a license to build an artistic pavilion in the town for several years now, and a few weeks ago, I finally succeeded. My license was for building in the center of town, in the area that used to be Central Spawn Park. 

Having already spent several years of my life making proposals for this project, most of my plans were already finished. In a few short weeks, measurements were complete and the pavilion was ready to go. So you can imagine my surprise when, on the day construction was set to start, I walked by the area only to see a building there.

Now, I’m writing this complaint anonymously out of fear of compromising my own reliability. Every person I’ve asked has told me that Town Hall has always been there. Maps indicate the same, though the paper always seems like it’s been taken from another source. Everything I’ve looked at has told me that the only thing that’s ever meant to be in that spot is Town Hall. Except, for my building license.

My papers still say the same thing they always have. Permission to build a community pavilion in the area known as Central Spawn Park. I’m not imagining things. Town Hall isn’t what everyone else says it is. It just appeared there. Out of nowhere. No construction time, no conflicting builder. Just a strange structure that materialized overnight.

I don’t know why I wrote this complaint. It’s not as though I expect you to demolish the building. I don’t even know if you’ll believe me. I guess I’m just fed up with everything weird that always happens here. No one ever seems to notice or care. There’s that unnaturally large tree, and the way it never seems to rain, no matter how cloudy it gets. That’s not even mentioning that weird research center, The Fable Institute. It always seems to be the center of strange happenings.

In the future, please ensure these abnormal occurrences stay under control. 

Many thanks.

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

This is interesting. I never really noticed anything strange about Town Hall, though I suppose I may not be the best eye for this sort of thing. It's always just been... well, Town Hall. Although... Now that I think about it,  I can't seem to recall when Town Hall was built. Hmmm… I’ll have to look at it more closely the next time I walk by. 

They’re not wrong about the strange occurrences around town, that’s for sure. I mean, the whole point of the Fable Institute is to keep a record of that kind of thing. That being said, I can’t help but agree with their observation of anomalies being most common surrounding the Institute. I think I’d be interested in studying that further if the opportunity arose.

The only other thing that’s bothering me is the letter’s structure. It seems almost… rushed, especially at the end. I wonder if they were writing it in secret or if something was trying to stop them from writing it.

[Sigh]

I don’t know. I just don’t have the time to look into it. There’s still so much to do.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement #FI-102-TD 

Statement of Centross Mistvale, regarding a strange crystal that appeared on his farm. Original statement written in the form of a torn-out diary entry. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

Day… unknown.

Today was a strange day. Someone from the Fable Institute came by the other day to take note of those strange signs that showed up at my house, and I thought it would be the last of my unsettling experiences. I suppose now I can say for certain that it wasn’t. 

When I woke up, I thought someone had broken into the property. I could hear whispers somewhere nearby, and I got out my sword in case I had to defend the house from intruders. There was… no-one around though. I could hear the voices, following me around wherever I went, but… they didn’t seem to come from any point in particular.

At least, that’s what I thought. As I walked around the area, still looking for the source of the voices, I noticed they were becoming stronger as I neared the new apiary I’ve been installing. I braced myself for a fight and entered the building. 

There was no one inside. Instead, floating around 7 feet in the air at the center of my bee dome was… some kind of crystal.

I write that hesitantly, as I’m still attempting to wrap my mind around what exactly it was. It… looked like a crystal, I think, but it was weird. If I were to describe it, I’d say it looked like some kind of geode, inscribed with unreadable runes and encased in glass.

It seems simple when I write it like that, but it just felt… wrong. The dimensions were… off somehow. Like, it wasn’t three-dimensional. It definitely had multiple dimensions, I circled it enough to know that, but… it felt like more. Or maybe less. 

I feel crazy trying to explain it. The crystal was definitely three-dimensional. It just felt two-dimensional and looked like there should have been six dimensions instead of three.

It almost reminded me of the kinds of things I saw when my parents had “private business” back on the estate. Those strange materials they always brought in that I never saw again. It felt like that.

That brings me back to the voices. They got stronger the closer I was to the crystal, to the point that I almost thought they were coming from the crystal, only they had to be from inside my head because they almost sounded like my parents, and why would a random crystal apparition sound like my parents? They’ve been dead for years.

The voices sounded almost… beckoning. They were calling out to me, asking me to… it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to remember that, so there’s no need to write it in my journal. The point is, the crystal felt like it was calling out to me. It wanted me to use it, do something with it… I don’t know. It’s probably weird to be so obsessed with a crystal.

That being said, it was a very pretty crystal. Once I saw it, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was incredibly mesmerizing. I reached out to the crystal, I guess I wanted to hold it, look at it more closely, but the moment my fingers brushed the glass ring around it, the thing blew up. 

By the time my head stopped ringing enough to look around, any evidence of the crystal ever being there was gone. The explosion caused great damage to my apiary, which I’m frankly very annoyed at, but I’m still struggling to wrap my head around the crystal’s existence in the first place.

I’ve spent the rest of today sort of contemplating. I think I went around my usual farm duties in a bit of a haze, I’ll have to double-check the soil moisture levels again tomorrow. 

Also, I’m going to have to rebuild my apiary.

Signed, Centross Mistvale

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

This… all feels very familiar. I recognize the name Mistvale, I’m pretty sure I was the researcher who went to his farm to take note of the signs he mentioned at the beginning of the entry, but I could have sworn the guy’s name was David.

On a similar note, Centross’ description of the crystal is eerily similar to a paper I wrote a while back. It was about a particular paranormal entity I had been studying for a while, but one of the things I wanted to research further was its potential impacts on physical matter beyond mental manifestations.

Maybe I could find it again if I dug through some of my old notes. It certainly seems like it would be relevant.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I found it! Ever since I recorded statement #FI-102-TD, I’ve been looking to see if I still had any of my notes from that paper I mentioned.

I wasn’t able to find the full report, but Athena found the abstract in one of the boxes of statements they were sorting. I… don’t remember submitting it as evidence to the archives… but that doesn’t matter! This will definitely be a good follow-up to last week’s statement.

[Paper rustles]

Statement #FI-100-HY

Statement of Rae Morningstar, regarding research into the supernatural. Original statement written as an abstract for a research-based lab report. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

Semi-Hallucinatory Paranormal Manifestations and Their Effects on Mental Processing... By Rae Morningstar

Previous research into the paranormal indicated a trend in supernatural sightings related to hypnosis, usually resulting in mild to extreme mental stress for the victim. These manifestations were commonly associated with areas known for amethyst and obsidian trades, and a concentration of these materials induced the appearance of an elongated dark figure, likely a product of the supernatural. The manifestation was contained in a secure area for further research.

This continuation of investigating the paranormal apparition aims to identify the source of previous victims' distress. 

Connections to eyes have been drawn from previous sources, so an experiment will be conducted on the impact of looking in the vicinity of the creature for different periods of time, as well as directly at the creature. For safety reasons, no experiments will be conducted looking into the creature’s eyes. After a long consideration of the ethics of this investigation, only one researcher will participate as a subject in the experiment.

Results of the experiment seem to indicate little to no spike in mental distress while looking away from the creature. However, mental processing drops severely while looking at the creature, and the subject spent several minutes disoriented by the dimensions of the creature and the world around them.

The results of this experiment have the potential to control for and protect against similar supernatural occurrences and could be used as a protocol for similar research in the future. Further research should be done on the effects of making eye contact with the creature and the potential physical impacts the creature could have on dimensionality in the immediate area if contained for too long.

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

[Deep Sigh]

Um… 

[Breath}

That was a few years ago now. I was the researcher who participated in the experiment. I had to write it all professionally for the report, but um, I was the only one working on the project so… yeah.

After the experiment, I continued my research and confirmed my theory. I did a trial where I looked directly at that… thing’s eyes, and, well, the guy from the last statement did a good job of describing the effect, even if his experience was with a crystal.

The eyes were… hypnotizing, to say the least. It felt like the longer I stared, the more wrong the world around me felt. It made my eye hurt. Eye as in singular. It was just the left one. And the skin around it felt wrong too. For a moment, I thought I was bleeding or something, but that wasn’t it. My skin just felt dry, a bit rough. Like some kind of leather. I…

[Laughs drily]

I didn’t even know anything was really different until I went home and looked in the mirror. All the skin around my left eye was- is a dark purple, like the creature. The eye itself is totally green, and my vision… isn’t what it used to be.

It’s almost as though the world shifted a few degrees. Everything I see through my left eye is blurrier, and the colors are slightly different. Things glow sometimes.

I think the worst part about it is I don’t even know if it’s real, or if it’s all in my head. No one else sees it. The eye, or the skin, or the weird, shifting auras that sometimes appear around things in town.

I didn’t write a report on that experiment in the end, there was nothing scientific about it. I had no proof that anything I was saying was real, and the specimen escaped and disappeared immediately afterward, as though it were offended by my stupidity.

[Sigh]

Couldn’t even say it induced long-term hallucinations, because that would have put me in a psych ward. I wonder if that’s why David- or what’s his name- never reported it to research. I guess hallucinations are a lot harder to prove than mysteriously appearing signs. Goodness knows I have enough experience with that. Speaking of… Maybe I should check on the Mistvale Farm again, see if there were any similar side effects to his manifestation.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement #FI-103-PO

Statement of Sherbert… no-last-name-given, regarding… a poltergeist. Original statement given in the form of a letter to Momboo Pine. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

Hey Momboo,

Things have been really wack around me recently. I know you work at that paranormal institute place in town, so I kinda just wanted to catch you up on what’s been going on with me in the last couple of weeks since we saw each other.

I guess I should start off by just making it clear that I don’t really believe in the paranormal. I’ve always kept with the philosophy of ‘seeing is believing’ ya know? And that’s not to say - I mean - I completely respect your profession, I actually think it’s super cool that you’re able to run such a huge and important part of the town. You’re basically the only thing holding it together at this point. 

Anyway, my uncertainty with the institute isn’t all that important. With the stuff that’s been going on around me, I’m becoming more and more inclined to trust all those research papers and books you guys work with. I have to admit, earlier this week I went to see if I could find anything that may help with my problem, and I actually ended up borrowing a book from your library! It’s called “Invisible Tricksters: A Guide to Hauntings and Fae”. I read through it - more like skimmed - and I think I found a name for what's going on. I think - this is hard to write, – I think I’m being haunted? By a poltergeist? It may also be a boggart, the book wasn’t too detailed on that one since they’re usually supposed to be brownies.

Whatever it is, it’s been changing my things. And I don’t just mean moving them around (though that’s happened too). It’s part of the reason I haven’t been able to stop by recently. The material of my stuff has been glitching. You know how I had that neat mushroom wallpaper in my house? That was the first thing to change. Now it’s this weird brown color, kind of like the mushrooms people eat instead of the funky red and white ones. The fence around my backyard changed as well. Instead of dark oak, it’s now birch. BIRCH. I hate birch. 

I would get someone to change it back, but… I’m a little scared, to be honest. Who knows what would happen? The wallpaper was the first major change I noticed, but I’m sure there have been other changes I haven’t even found yet. Maybe those pranks I thought people were doing to my house were actually just this… poltergeist.

That’s not even the strangest thing though. Last week, in the midst of all the other chaos going on in my house, a chicken showed up. Now, I’m already not a huge fan of chickens, I mean, they kind of just give off bad vibes. But this chicken is worse. The moment he showed up, I knew I hated him. The thing is, I get the feeling he hates me too. The chicken has a little tag attached to it. His name is Charles. I want him gone. I HATE this chicken. I- 

-well, I started writing this letter with the intention of apologizing to you for not coming over in the last few weeks. You may be able to tell, but I’ve been having some trouble with my whole… situation. I’ve already had to stop myself from ranting twice in this letter. I didn’t write it with the intention of talking about birch . Or Charles . 

I actually wrote because I wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a date to make it up to you. Maybe you could bring your kids along too! I actually met Easton at this book club I’m a part of, but I’d really like to meet Jamie. How does lunch sound? We could go to that restaurant in town that sells soup. I’m sorry I’ve been gone.

Love,

Sherbert

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

Um… I didn’t know Momboo had a partner. I kind of feel like I’ve invaded on something, actually, but the letter was submitted to the archives as evidence, so I’m sure it’s fine. Jamie never mentioned anything about this ‘Sherbert’ person. I wonder if they might know more about the whole poltergeist thing, or even Sherbert’s last name… 

[throat clears]

Never mind. The whole letter has a strange aura around it. Some of the paper feels different, and it - 

[laughs nervously]

Well, now my whole eye… thing is on record, I guess I could mention that I can see the paper glowing slightly. The outlines are faint, but I think it’s sort of in the shape of how a person’s hand would rest if they were writing a letter like this.

Oh! I wonder if this could have any connections to statement #FI-101-TH. The statement giver mentioned that maps of the area seemed as though they were taken from another source. And - maybe I’m seeing things, but the end of this letter seems kinda rushed as well. I wonder if anything similar to the paper could be found in—

[Door opens]

[Jamie Pine]

Hey Rae, I wanted to ask if the institute has any record of those strange signs you mentioned in the Centross statement?

[Rae Morningstar]

Jamie! Just the person I was looking to talk to, actually.

[Jamie Pine]

Oh? Uh… yeah sure, what’s going on?

[Rae Morningstar]

Nothing bad! I just finished recording Statement #FI-103-PO. I don’t know if you got to see it before Athena handed it over to me, but it actually mentions you in it.

[Jamie Pine]

It does?

[Rae Morningstar]

Yeah! The writer is a person called ‘Sherbert’. It’s actually written as a love letter to your mom, so…

[Jamie Pine]

Ohhhh, Sherbert. Yeah, I know them. I actually just met them last week. They seem… Cool. I guess. Easton likes them a lot- I think they’re part of some kind of club together.

[Rae Morningstar]

Great! The file is actually missing a whole load of their information. You don’t happen to know their last name, do you? Or an address or identifying features or something?

[Jamie Pine]

Um… I don’t know their last name, but there was something about them that seemed… strange, I guess? One of their eyes was bleeding.

[Disbelieving pause]

I’m serious!

[Rae Morningstar]

I believe you! I just-

[laughs]

I can’t believe this is what my life’s come to. If you’d told me a few years ago, I would have completely denied any of this stuff. Now, things are just… different. Here, let’s go into the other room so I can write this stuff down…

[Door closes]

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Are you sure?

[Athena]

Yeah! I mean- I don’t remember even writing it, but I want you and Jamie to be here. If it has anything to do with my childhood, you guys should be involved.

[Jamie Pine]

Well, we want to be here for you too. We’re like… the archives gang of the institute. We gotta stick together!

[Rae Morningstar]

Here, I’ll do the introduction, and you can read the statement out loud. Are you ready?

[Athena]

Yep!

[Rae Morningstar]

Okay. 

[Breath]

Statement #FI-104-HF

Statement of Athena, regarding memories about their origins. Original statement formally given to the institute in written form. Audio recording by Athena, Archival Assistant of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[Athena (Statement)]

Anytime someone asks, I tell them I can’t remember my childhood. -I’m an orphan, by the way- that’s why I couldn’t put a last name on the form. The thing is, I do remember my childhood. Or at least, part of it. The reason I don’t tell anyone is because it’s… less than ordinary.

The earliest memory I have is of fire. Bright, blazing, a mixture of the usual orange and the extreme temperature of blue flames. If I think really hard about it, I can remember eyes looking at me through the heat, but they disappear very quickly.

The environment is hazy, but what I can remember most clearly is being in the flames. The fire didn’t burn me. Of course, that’s probably memory bias. Since I got to the institute I’ve been spending a lot of time in the library. There are a lot of really cool books that I’ve been reading. Did you know that there have been studies on memory bias where people completely make up events that never actually happened? Anyway- back on track, what probably happened is that I can remember the fire, so I imagined the fire not burning me. I’ve tried it, with one of the candles on Jamie’s desk. Fire definitely hurts.

I think there was some violence or something, because these weird people - they were dressed up like zombies and stuff, so it was probably around Halloween, which, it’s strange to still be having Halloween if there’s violence happening, so maybe it was like, a performance or something? Anyway, the strange people took me somewhere safe. I can’t say I really remember the journey, but after that, all of my memories are in a cabin in the woods, so that’s where they must have brought me. 

A man with dark glasses is in a lot of my memories there. I don’t think he talked much. If he wasn’t there, the weird zombie-men were. They were all called Lenny, which makes me think that it was probably some kind of cult. I read about that in the library. They had a conspiracy theory book that was labeled wrong and put in the redstone section, but the author was basically theorizing that all the big corporations are actually covers for elaborate cults that are fighting each other. It wasn’t at all like the other books in the library, not very scientific, and I gave it back to the librarian because I was afraid it was actually supposed to be in the restricted section.

Other than the potentially being raised by a cult thing, my life was pretty during that time. At least- I think. I remember quite a bit, but, it’s patchy at best. I have no idea how I ended up at the institute, or even where that cabin is. I have no way to go back, no way of knowing what was actually going on.

The Lennys are still around though! Sometimes I see them around the Nether Bank in town or driving trucks and stuff between different buildings. They tend to avoid the institute though, so I’m not usually able to say hi.

Speaking of the institute, I don’t know how important my current situation is for the statement, but I’ll put it in any way just in case you need it. I showed up on the steps of the institute with no memories, and then Momboo and Jamie saw me just kinda standing there awkwardly and let me in, and then Jamie became my best friend, and then they found me a place to stay and gave me a job in the research department!

And… Yeah! That’s pretty much it. Now, I’m doing stuff in research, reading books, learning about redstone, that sort of thing; but I recently found out there’s an archive department that takes statements so I decided, hey, my weird cult childhood might be a bit paranormal-ish! And then I came down here and was given a statement form, and here we are!

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

[laughs]

Strange childhoods aside, I think that was one of the most entertaining statements I’ve heard! Why didn’t you tell us you remembered your childhood?

[Athena]

I don’t! I don’t remember any of this anymore. Gosh, that must have been a while ago, when I just came to the institute. I sure rambled a lot.

[Jamie Pine]

[laughs]

You still do that! What made you decide we were best friends on sight, anyway?

[Athena]

Well, you gave me a book about vitiligo, and I was like, “ Oh that's what it’s called?” Because I didn’t know what the whole deal with my face was before. And then you were like, “Yeah!” And I was like “Wow you’re so cool and know things”, and you were like, “I’ve never seen vitiligo patterns that are split half and half like yours before”, and then we became best friends.

[They all laugh]

[Rae Morningstar]

The whole connection you made to the Nether bank actually reminds me. I meant to look into cults because of something that was mentioned in statement #FI-102-TD, but I got distracted looking into the town building records for anything connected to statement #FI-101-TH. Would you see if you can find that book you mentioned in the statement? I could get you a restricted section pass if it did end up getting put in there.

[Athena]

I would, but I’m going to that Institute Halloween party this weekend. Aren’t you supposed to go to that too?

[Rae Morningstar]

No, I’ve still got a lot to catch up on. But since you’re going, maybe you could take some notes on any paranormal activity? I’ve wanted to get some data on the Institute’s supernatural nature for a while now.

[Athena]

Uh- Yeah, I can do that for ya doc!

[Jamie Pine]

And I can look for that book in the library. I wasn’t planning on going to the party anyway.

[Rae Morningstar]

Okay, perfect! Let’s all meet up to exchange notes after Halloween.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

A statement? Are you sure?

[Momboo Pine]

Yes. Here, I already turned on the recorder. What’s that introduction thing you always say?

[Rae Morningstar]

Uh… Statement of Momboo Pine regarding… 

[Momboo Pine]

A Haunted House.

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement recorded direct from subject.

Statement Begins.

[Momboo Pine (Statement)]

Right, I should probably start from the beginning then. Last night, on Halloween, the institute had a party. It was planned by Haley Gar, from Administration. It went well, and as midnight approached, people started heading home, until It was just my partner Sherbert, Haley, Athena, Easton, and I left.

[Rae Morningstar]

Full names if possible, please.

[Momboo Pine (Statement)]

Oh- right, that’s Haley Gar, Easton Pine, Athena, Sherbert… I think their last name is Quake, and myself, Momboo Pine. We were all kind of cleaning up and hanging out together, when… we found something. Well, not really a thing, more like an entire building.

It was actually pretty big, easily several stories high, but all made of dark wood that blended in with the forest around it. –The party was out on the big green space in town, so it was pretty close to the darkwood forest, and the building was just inside the treeline.

There was a piece of paper stuck to the door with ‘Haunted House’ written on it in messy purple marker. Underneath that, it had instructions: “Say the password and knock three times”.

I asked Haley what it was since she hadn’t told me anything about a haunted house when she was planning the party, but… she said she hadn’t organized it.

Anyway, we decided to start looking around for some sort of hint as to what the password might be, and we found this little crawlspace under the porch. It opened up into a basement with really badly plastered walls and three doors. There were a few more signs giving us instructions about how to find the password, all in that same purple scrawl.

The rooms themselves were actually really tame. Each door had a challenge or logic puzzle, and we all had a lot of fun figuring it out. What was offputting were these weird scribbles on the wall, all with kind of offputting, vaguely sinister messages.

[Rae Morningstar]

Do you remember what any of them said?

[Momboo Pine (Statement)]

Uh… “This world is not what you think”, “Never release him” -stuff like that. We mostly tried to ignore them, and I guess it was just there to deter us because we figured out the password pretty quickly. It was ‘Purgatory’. I remember thinking how strange a password it was, but now I’m just clinging to any clues to– you know.

So, we finally got into the building, and then things started to get weird. Even weirder than those creepy signs. The first room looked… normal. Well, as normal as an abandoned house in the woods might look, at least. Besides the way we came in, there were no other doors or places to go in the entryway, and we were almost ready to just give up and go home when Easton found a secret passageway.

As soon as they opened up the secret entrance, the door to the house locked behind us. Just inside the passage, another sign said that to leave alive, we’d have to go through the Haunted House. Thinking back on it, we probably should have taken the signs a lot more seriously, but we kinda just brushed it off and went through the passageway.

The second room looked completely empty at first glance. As we moved further in though, we realized there were actually invisible walls blocking the way. It wasn’t like glass or mirrors or anything, it was like the air in the room had solidified into a maze.

We had to stumble through walls and corridors that weren’t really there, and just on the other side of the room we could see the exit, just not get to it. When we finally made it to the other side, there was a ladder up to the next floor.

It was called the “Hall of Signs” or something like that. We got split on two sides of a glass wall. One side had tripwire traps, and the side I went on had more of those weird signs. Sherbert wanted to just go straight through it, but Athena and I made them wait and read the signs in case they had any important information.

They were even creepier than the first few we had seen. It seemed as though they were directed specifically at us. There was one that said “Does your eye hurt?”, which was clearly referring to Sherbert’s eye, and another that said “Don’t trust the robot”, but we moved on as quickly as possible.

It was the same with the room after that. There was a poem puzzle with different colors, and after some quick logic, we reached the final room. It was at the very top of the house, with a sloped ceiling like an attic. There was a door leading out to the roof, and we could see the outside.

The only problem was what was in the room itself. It was full of different purple and yellow materials, unlike anything I’d ever seen. There were even these strange purple flowers growing from some of the rock. Everything sort of hurt to look at. Like it was there but it wasn’t? When Athena saw it, they got all excited and started talking about some statement fromm the archives. Sherbert played the part of the skeptic of course, but after a few minutes of investigation, we finally decided to get to the point of the room.

It was a button. Simple and unassuming, with a sign saying “Press the button to escape, but freedom isn’t free”. I’ve had those words on a loop in my head ever since. We hadn’t seen any other ways out in our preliminary sweep of the place, but we did some more looking around just in case. There was nothing. Nothing to suggest any malevolence, no other options. Sherbert gave the go-ahead, and… Athena pressed it.

[Rae Morningstar]

And that’s when they disappeared?

[Momboo Pine (Statement)]

There was nothing we could do, just poof, they were gone. Not even a trace showing they were even there in the first place. The door opened up, and we all went outside to look around for them, but…

[Heavy Silence]

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

Are you alright Momboo?

[Momboo Pine]

Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, I just… What would do something like this? It was anything but natural, to the point that I’m hesitant to even put up missing posters. That’s why I had to make this statement. We have to find them. There must be something in these archives, some sort of clue, anything?

[Rae Morningstar]

Jamie and I will do our best to look through our statements, but there’s so much here, and we’ve only gotten through a few statements of actual significance. I know the poster idea didn’t seem appropriate, but you should seriously consider getting some help with this. Maybe, get a search party together or something. Goodness knows we could use the help down here at least.

[Momboo Pine]

That’s a good idea! Do you have any leads to get me started?

[Rae Morningstar]

Well, we’ve had a statement about a randomly appearing building before… Town Hall, actually, if you can believe it. And… well… the air maze and some of the things you described in the final room sound uncomfortably familiar to some research I’ve done in the past. You should ask Jamie for statements #FI-101-TH, #FI-102-TD, and #FI-100-HY. Oh! Before you go, I actually had a couple of questions…

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Okay, some updates on the situation. I asked Momboo a bit about Sherbert’s supposedly bleeding eye, and she said she didn’t know enough about it. Sherbert might come by sometime next week, though, so I’m going to compile a list of questions for them. I also asked about the whole ‘robot’ thing from the statement, and apparently, the Institute has a guy who just is a computer. Not the weirdest thing I’ve heard, but I definitely need to gather more information on that.

Jamie and I went to check out the house yesterday, and it was actually still there! Unfortunately, it was completely empty, but it had that odd glow I’ve come to associate with the paranormal. Momboo will be sending a couple of people down here to help out with the search as well.

I’m labeling this one as Statement #FI-105-HH. Giving it a proper file name just makes it feel more… real.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

[Deep Breath]

Today’s the day. Momboo’s going to be coming by with some people in a few minutes, and we’re all going to go on a… search? For Athena. This will be a recording of any findings we may come across. I’m labeling the file #FI-106-SE.

[Knocking]

Oh! That’s probably them. You can come in, Momboo!

[Door Opens]

[Momboo Pine]

Hey Rae! Are you ready? I don’t know if you want to give a debrief or something…

[Rae Morningstar]

Uh- yeah, I’ll probably just make sure we’re all up to speed and- woah. Uh… sorry, just- you’re Sherbert, right? You- you’re glowing . 

[Sherbert]

Yeah, that’s me. And… Thanks? I guess?

[Rae Morningstar]

Fascinating . What happens if you touch something? Like the table? We have this statement from you which actually has handprints – if you can believe it–

[Momboo Pine]

–Rae, why don’t we save the experiments for after the meeting?

[Rae Morningstar]

Right– right, uh… let’s see… you look familiar, have you given any statements?

[Centross Mistvale]

Yes, actually. I think you came by to collect evidence about these… signs that appeared in my house. I’m–

[Rae Morningstar]

David Mistvale! Right! Oh, it’s great that you’re here actually! I believe everyone should be caught up on the general details?

[noises of agreement]

Good. So Athena went missing at the Halloween party. And, um… Jamie and I didn’t find anything at the site itself, but I had some ideas and I pulled out some of the potentially relevant statements. That… stuff Momboo described, the weird rock? It lines up with descriptions of other paranormal encounters that people like David and I have made statements about.

[Centross Mistvale]

Sorry– what? The only statement I’ve made was about the signs appearing. What does that have to do with any strange materials?

[Rae Morningstar]

But– That’s not true. We have Statement #FI-102-TD. You know- the torn-out diary entry about the Crystal you found in your apiary?

[Centross Mistvale]

Well yes but– How did you get the diary entry in the first place? I never submitted it as a formal statement because I thought I was going crazy! Are you saying you had an experience similar to that? 

[Rae Morningstar]

I–I don’t actually know. Sometimes statements just show up out of their own will. It’s something Athena was researching. And, I had a similar experience during an experiment I was conducting. Not identical, but with the same… hypnotizing effect. It actually had a physical impact on my– on one of my eyes. It’s why I can see the kind of paranormal… auras around things. I’ve been hypothesizing for a while now that certain types of paranormal incidents will tend to attach themselves to a person. Like– if you had one paranormal encounter of a certain type, you’re gonna be more likely to have those kinds of encounters in the future.

I figured it might work the opposite way too. So, if David and I have both had paranormal encounters similar to the one that took Athena, and none of them have any clear links, but David has also had another, not explicitly linked encounter in the past…

[Sherbert]

It might be linked! So when Centross said that he’d made a statement about some signs before…

[Rae Morningstar]

I have pictures and notes on the contents of the signs. And I think I’ve de-coded them. They’re coordinates. A bit of an archaic method of giving directions, but I suppose if you had a location you didn’t want getting affected by evolving roads and street signs, it’s an ideal way of sending a message.

[Momboo Pine]

And you think they’ll lead us to Athena?

[Rae Morningstar]

I like to keep my hopes high. I’ve already input the coordinates into my communicator. We’re going on a road trip!

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I… think this is it?

[Sherbert]

It just looks like an empty field to me.

[Momboo Pine]

There's nothing here, Rae. Are you sure you got the coordinates right?

[Rae Morningstar]

Yes! There must be something, the coordinates are– oh. You’re right. We’re like a hundred miles off from where we’re supposed to be.

[Centross Mistvale]

Wow, Rae, this is the last time we’re trusting you with directions. Come on, let’s get back into the car.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Okay, now this should be it.

[Sherbert]

Old creepy building in the middle of nowhere? Sounds about right.

[Centross Mistvale]

Is this what the haunted house looked like?

[Momboo Pine]

No, the haunted house was all dark wood and was mostly intact. This is more… destroyed. Look at all the crumbling bricks, and how the plants have grown over it. Maybe it was once a bigger building, but now it’s been consumed by the earth.

[Rae Morningstar]

That was oddly poetic. Now come on, let’s split up and have a look around.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Centross Mistvale]

– telling you, this place is completely destroyed. There is no way any hidden doors are going to still be functional, plus– oh.

[stone scraping against stone]

[Sherbert]

Told you so. Should– Rae, do you think we should go in?

[Rae Morningstar]

I mean… the tunnel’s narrow enough that there’s not a very high likelihood of danger. Plus, who knows what kind of secrets this place has? I don’t think we have any other options if we want to find Athena.

[Momboo Pine]

Yeah! Okay, single file everyone. We don’t want to be bumping into each other.

[Silence and footsteps as the group begins to walk]

[Sherbert]

Oh! There’s books, guys! Oh, a lot of books! It looks like a library?

[Centross Mistvale]

They’re all pretty destroyed though. I doubt any of them have legible information.

[Sherbert]

What about this one? It’s been laid out on a lectern. The pages look pretty intact.

[Rae Morningstar]

There’s one over here too. You read yours first Sherbert.

[Sherbert]

It looks like a bunch of old… ads?

“END Mining Company, the finest producer of Amethyst and Obsidian in the world! Vast mines span the void beneath our feet, protected from the gaze of the sun and its eyes!”

“Our mining techniques are highly evolved! Dark, staticky tunnels separate dimly lit mineral clusters, the perfect environment for the sensitive amethyst and hardy obsidian!”

“Experts have developed new stone-softening methods! Our newly patented ‘END-stone’ is thriving in the mines, spreading absolutely everywhere!”

“Tired of the long commute between tunnel clusters? Scientists have developed new gliders to make climbing through those tricky caverns easier! Get your ‘elytra’ today! (We are not liable for perceived back injuries. Miners can’t get hurt! You’re imagining it.)

[short silence]

And there’s a compass here. It’s labeled in a language I can’t read.

[Rae Morningstar]

I… think I’ve seen that before. Old cavers used to have secret codes to make it easier to communicate, and I actually started learning some a while back.

[Momboo Pine]

You should have it then. Actually, you should probably have all the lectern books. I’ll organize the library team to come in and see if any of the shelved ones are salvageable, but I have the feeling that you’ll check this one out even if they decide to catalog it first.

[Centross Mistvale]

Are we… planning on talking about how weird that was?

[Rae Morningstar]

In a minute. There’s another book first. Here, I’ll read– Ohhh! It’s in the same language. Interesting. Okay, let's do one last sweep and we can talk about it in the car.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Sherbert]

–just me, or were those advertisements incredibly creepy?

[Centross Mistvale]

It felt like they were… messing with my head. In the same way the crystal did. Like… I really  wanted to find those mines and lose my mind in them.

[Momboo Pine]

What do you think Rae? You’ve been quiet for a while. Some of the ads had stuff about eyes, and you’ve had experiences similar to Centross’s too, right?

[Rae Morningstar]

Huh? Oh– yeah. I uh… I think I’ve figured out what the compass says. You’re not gonna like it. I think it says “The END”.

[Centross Mistvale]

Like, the end of the mystery, or ‘END’ as in the company, or death as the end of life…

[Rae Morningstar]

I… don’t know. You have to understand, my research has never gotten so far so fast. This… is completely new territory. Who could have known that the weird supernatural things I used to keep in my basement were actually part of some larger conspiracy?

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Momboo Pine]

What if we checked Athena’s desk? Maybe he left something that could be used to find him!

[Rae Morningstar]

It’s unlikely since they didn’t know they were going to be gone, but a good idea nonetheless. Let's see…

[Drawers opening]

An observation notebook! And the most recent thing she wrote… It’s titled ‘MEMORIES’ in all caps. This must be from the day we listened to her statement. There are three names here. Fable, Netherum, and… Enderian. There are arrows pointing to them labeled ‘War’. and a circle around Netherum with ‘Lennys are Lennarius’ written underneath. 

[Sherbert]

Uhhh… Rae? Why are you describing it like that? We can all see it.

[Rae Morningstar]

Just making sure it’s described properly for the tape. All of those names seem very familiar. Fable is the Fable Institute, obviously. Netherum… Maybe the Nether Bank? That would make sense because of its connections to the Lennys Athena talked about. And Enderian…

[Centross Mistvale]

Probably the END Mining Company from today. The name seems familiar to me too. Reminds me of my parents. From what Athena wrote, maybe the three were at war somehow.

[Rae Morningstar]

This whole situation feels familiar. There was a book I read– or maybe something someone said… Ugh, I wish Athena were here, they’d know it. Whatever it is, I’ll have to do some more research. We’ll find Athena soon. 

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement #FI-107-RR.

Statement of Town Council, regarding a strange growth in the town of Lodestar Grove. Original Statement submitted as a complaint to the Fable Institute. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

To the Fable Institute,

There has been a growth of chalky yellow stone spreading around town. We have reason to suspect the growth has paranormal origins and cordially request your institute’s assistance in investigating and eliminating the growth from our town.

Current hotspots of the growth include:

• The Fable Institute
• Town Hall
• The Lodestar Tree 
• Lyfe Street Townhouses
• Cassiopeia Apartment Complex
• Ash Road Cottages and Green Space
• Mistvale Farm

We have already received concerns from various citizens about the extent and rate of the growth, and would appreciate immediate action from your paranormal experts in the areas listed above.

Many Thanks,

Town Council.

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

I’m recording this from the Research Department because some people thought it would be funny to put me in this situation. I’m lucky I had the Archive communicator on me. The plan today was to look into statements I have of the locations on the list, which I'll have to do from memory because I don’t have my notes. Now, Mistvale Farm and–

[Jamie Pine]

Rae? What are you doing up in research?

[Rae Morningstar]

They locked me out of the Archives.

[Jamie Pine]

[laughing]

Really? Who did that? I should thank them.

[Rae Morningstar]

Ha ha, very funny. It was Sherbert and Centross. And maybe Momboo. She’s the only other one with the keys. I’d go to the library, but that was Athena’s hangout spot, and I’ve always been fond of the research department, even before I worked here. Speaking of… what are you doing up here? You looked surprised to see me.

[Jamie Pine]

You haven’t heard? There’s been this weird stone taking over the town. Momboo asked me to check if the research department had started any experiments or gathered data that could tell us something about it. She says it has something to do with Athena.

[Rae Morningstar]

I’ve actually just recorded a statement on it. Town Hall lodged a complaint. I was going to see what statements were connected to the END-stone growth hotspots, but maybe I’ll see if I can conduct any experiments on it instead.

[Jamie Pine]

END-stone? You know what it is?

[Rae Morningstar]

I think so! It perfectly matches the stuff that was described in the pamphlets we found at the strange coordinates. Did Momboo not tell you what happened?

[Jamie Pine]

Not really? She seemed kinda preoccupied with the whole… END-stone growth.

[Rae Morningstar]

Makes sense. Here, I’ll catch you up. Let’s walk and talk, I want to see this stuff for myself.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Well, you weren’t exaggerating when you said it was taking over the town.

[Jamie Pine]

Yeah, it’s everywhere… How have you not seen it yet? It’s been growing ever since Athena went missing.

[Rae Morningstar]

I… uh– I got a little absorbed in researching stuff related to Athena, and I… haven’t actually left the archives? Except when I went to the coordinates, but then I was a bit distracted with navigating.

[Jamie Pine]

Rae . No wonder they locked you out of the archives! Have you been sleeping?

[Rae Morningstar]

Yes ! Just… at my desk. Or in one of the beanbags Athena stole from the library. 

[Jamie Pine]

Alright, that’s it. Nope, nope to the whole thing. I’m taking you back to your apartment to nap.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Jamie made me get some rest. I actually slept for a while, I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was. I’ve just been so busy looking for Athena. I was the one who sent them to that party, so I owe it to them to figure out what’s going on and bring them home.

The locations all seem to line up with statements or people connected to the Athena issue. Town Hall, David’s farm, my apartment building, Athena lives on Ash Road, Momboo is the current caretaker of the Lodestar Tree, and I’m pretty sure Sherbert lives somewhere around Lyfe Street. And I don’t think I need to explain the Institute’s role in all this.

Jamie actually suggested we start merging the words ‘END-stone’ and start referring to it as just ‘endstone’ to make things easier. We ended up doing a couple of experiments on the patches outside the institute, so it made note-taking a lot faster.

We covered some endstone in Obsidian, which was completely overcome by the growth. We also tried containing a section with the Nether Bank’s patented ‘Netherrack’, but that just deteriorated after being in contact with it. Covering it in water made it much worse, almost… aggravating the growth.

[sigh]

I shared the results with the research department. Sometimes part of being a scientist is accepting that things aren’t working. But at least a roadblock in one area has led to discovery in another! We can say for certain that the endstone has something to do with Athena’s location now. And the compass on my desk is still pointing somewhere. We can go save them– at least, just as soon as we can get everyone together. Maybe I should do a bit more research on what we’re getting into.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I’m back in the Archives! I was finally able to convince Sherbert to actually let me do my work, but the trade-off was that I had to take a break from the Athena Case– to relieve stress or something. Sherbert wrote up and submitted a statement recently, so that’s what I’ll be doing instead, I guess.

Statement #FI-108-BU

Statement of Sherbert regarding a series of confusing incidents. Original statement formally given to the institute in written form. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

I don’t know if you heard about what happened at me and Momboo’s date the other day. I live on Lyfe Street, and since most of our normal hangout spots have been overcome with endstone, I wanted to take her out to this pretty garden-pond area in my neighborhood. It usually has a bunch of axolotls and flowers, I thought it would be a good place to just relax a bit from what’s been going on recently.

But– it’s not like that anymore. When I brought Momboo over, it was all… wrong. Not– in like the endstone kind of weird, more like… just all changed. Like the stuff around my house has been. The Poltergeist.

We… had a bit of a fight. Moomboo’s always been a nature kinda person, and… whatever happened to the garden killed all the plants and animals. She thinks I did it.

I know sometimes I can be a bit of a prankster, but I’d never go this far. I mean, the whole garden was on fire! It was all replaced with the kind of material that the bank sells, with weird fungal growth and plant life all over it. Even Momboo wasn’t sure what it was, and like I said, she’s the most nature-loving person I know. 

Everything’s going wrong. Everything. I have no idea if this is because of the endstone all over town, or just… whatever’s wrong with me– my house. I know you’re reading this Rae, and my overthinking is probably making you overthink, so however hypocritical it may be, I want you to stop thinking so much. We’ll probably figure it out soon. We should follow that compass we found. Maybe then we’ll find some answers. I feel really strongly about that. I mean, it’s basically my fault Athena went missing in the first place. I kept moving through that haunted house. I didn’t notice the off-putting parts of the final room. I gave the go-ahead for her to push the button.

—Back on track. After the date, I just kinda went home and lost myself in work for a while. I don’t know if I ever told you what I do for work, but I’m a Pharmacist. An Experimental Pharmacist to be exact. I just kinda messed around with some different mixtures for a while. I probably wasted a ton of ingredients. The reason I’m telling you this is because– well… I can’t be entirely sure that what happened the next day was fully real. I mean, I can’t be certain I wasn’t just… hallucinating some things from the potion fumes. Plus I do a lot of self-testing because potions can be pretty volatile, so… yeah.

I’m stalling. 

When I woke up the next morning, I could already tell it was going to be a weird day. There was a box on my doorstep labeled in a strange language, like the compass we found at the coordinate library. The box was full of endstone, crystals that looked a lot like the one Centross described, and some strange… fully green… eye things? There was also a note that just said “Still don’t believe?”

Whatever this conspiracy is with the mining company and the endstone, it shouldn’t be real. The Paranormal shouldn’t be real. I don’t want it to be. That being said, the next thing I did was come straight to the Institute, partially because of the box, and also because I wanted to check on Momboo. She’s been dealing with a lot since Athena disappeared. 

I didn’t find you or Momboo though. Am I supposed to put Rae instead of ‘you’ to make it more official? I already know you’re the one that’s gonna be reading this. No, never mind, that’s a rhetorical question. I already know you’ll tell me to be more professional. 

I didn’t find Rae or Momboo at the Institute. Instead, there was a guy just… sitting at the front desk. There isn’t usually anyone manning the front desk. I mean– for as long as I can remember, it’s been empty. So… I went up to him.

He said his name was Seven. Odd name, but then again, I’m called Sherbert, so I can’t really judge. They looked… normal enough at first glance, but something about him just… unsettled me. We started chatting. I said I hadn’t seen him around the institute before and he said it was because he had lost his charger.

I originally assumed that he’d lost his communicator charger or something, but as I continued talking to him, I realized how wrong I was. He spoke… mechanically. No slang or missed grammatical points or anything. I asked if he had found his charger, and he replied, robotically, that he had gotten an upgrade and changed his interfacing to be more approachable.

Before I could ask what they meant, he turned around, as though he were about to walk away, but stopped. With his back turned to me, I was able to see what had been so unsettling about him when I first approached. A cord with a plug was hanging out of a hatch in the back of his head. What I had originally interpreted as weird shadows falling across his face were actually thin seams where bluish copper panels were screwed together. They weren’t breathing either, just had air ducts to prevent his system from overheating.

It was probably due to the potions I’d been testing that I wasn’t more reactive. As it was, I just continued chatting with him as though nothing was wrong. What I did understand, at the moment, was that the guy was some kind of Robot, and so, in a moment of brilliance, I decided he probably had answers to the crisis going around town at the moment. I was wrong. I asked quite a few questions, but Seven didn’t have anything about the endstone in his database. The most he could say was “It is not of this world.”

By that point I was kinda just searching for conversation topics, trying to find out more about him, you know? So… I asked him if he worked at the institute. For some reason, his response stuck out to me.

“I do not know.” He replied. “I work for anyone who assigns me a task.” His eyes were strangely emotive for how hollow they looked. 

I wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be at the institute without permission, so I just continued pushing. He didn’t seem to know what a house was for, and I had to really convince him to come with me and buy one. I ended up basically selling it as a glorified charging port. I guess helping Easton with their university homework paid off since I knew enough about real estate to help Seven out.

To be honest, the more I spoke with Seven, the more I felt the need to help him. At first, I was unsettled by their… inhuman nature, but the more time I spent with them, the more I realized that Seven just… has no concept of free will. That’s what’s most unsettling to me now, I think. He didn’t know the definition of good. I had to explain to him what friends are. When we were looking for houses, he told me that he couldn’t have any biases, because they weren’t part of his programming. You may ask about my thought process for helping him. I think I just wanted to be sure he was able to make his own decisions, so people don't take advantage of him.

I started small, just asking what his preferences were and such, and we somehow ended up talking about puzzles. He said they were usually too easy for him. I told him I’d try to find a harder one that they could enjoy. He– I think he laughed. For a moment, I felt a sense of success, and then…

“Why should I do anything for myself when it’s not a contribution to the improvement of others?” He asked.

I was… speechless. How does that happen to someone? Even if he’s a robot, shouldn’t a sense of self be innate? 

“I personally find no means of enjoyment.” He continued. I  “It serves no function. Could you define enjoyment?”

He just had more and more questions like that. Philosophical. ‘What is Happiness?’ ‘How do you know you are happy?’ ‘Is happiness an important emotion?’ I tried my best, but it probably wasn’t enough. He’s just so out of sorts with the world. I think comparing things with stuff he experiences worked the best. I told him that instead of tasks, humans are motivated by emotions, happiness especially. We reached a sort of understanding about that.

We talked a lot about him as well. His functions, his past. He doesn’t remember much. I think his brain is something like a computer, and his memory drive might be damaged or wiped. While we were looking at houses he mentioned that he rusts in the rain, and I suggested we stop for a soup break at one point only for him to tell me that he eats copper. 

We finally found him a house, one of the ones being sold on Lyfe Street. Just a little ways from my place actually. He was somewhat confused about the whole ‘land owner’ part, but I convinced him that at least he wouldn’t be living out of the institute anymore. I actually think he made a joke at that. My things seemed to think it was a joke at least.

He said, “In terms of living being defined as a functional creature on this earth, I suppose living could be a descriptor for me.”

I told him they’d probably need to visit the bank in the next few days. He said something about being unable to withstand the heat for long periods of time, which is fair. Banking always drives me a bit crazy too. I also taught him how to use his mailbox, and offered to leave him any information I could find about his situation. He wasn’t sure how to express his gratitude, but… he said thank you. 

Before I left, he asked me if I had any tasks for him. At first, I said no, but I actually ended up asking him to try to find something that made him happy. 

I was really sure that the whole interaction with Seven was a hallucination when I started this statement. I think writing this has made it feel more real. It doesn’t make sense. I mean, no one has technology that advanced, and I don’t have any evidence that it was real beyond my own memory. But… the house down the road from my place has been sold, and I’ve already collected some copper for a housewarming gift.

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

Where do I even start with this one? I suppose the Momboo thing first. I checked on the aura of the garden. It’s definitely paranormal. I’ve actually started noticing little differences in the auras of different types of paranormal events. Sherbert-related events seem more gold– but it also applies to things like the town hall and the haunted house.

Everything we’ve found related to the mining company has a purple-tinted aura, but the bank, which has had records of dealing with the END mining company in the past, has a reddish aura. It’s very difficult to distinguish. Some things have other tones in them, not usually the bigger stuff, but the Lennys have a teal tone mixed in with the red, like a true nature that’s being hidden by the larger groups.

Most of the paranormal things we’ve been studying at the institute for the past years have a green aura, but even then, the tree has brown-toned auras underlying its green.

[Papers rustle]

It is pretty hypocritical that Sherbert is telling me to stop thinking so much, but I must be in a real state if they have to write it into a statement. I picked up the box from Sherbert, by the way. The one left at their doorstep. The contents were just as they described, and the sign on it just… said their name, written in the old mining codes. It all has a purplish aura. And the… green eye-things in the box… they’re unsettling. They look uncomfortably similar to mine. My… changed eye.

Sherbert’s right that there isn’t any proof of the robot man named Seven ever existing, but I went to look around the front desk. There was nothing there, but I distinctly remember that there used to be a computer on top of the desk. The whole system is just… gone.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

[Shaky Breath]

Statement #FI-109-WS

Statement of Athena, regarding their location. Original statement written in a series of letters to Sherbert, Jamie Pine, and Rae Morningstar. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

To: Sherbert.

Dear Sherbert,

I hope you’re doing well. I miss you guys.

The supernatural is real by the way! I’m sure of it this time. I mean, I was sure when Rae told me. And I was sure when the Lennys said so. But now I’m extra sure. Because… I’m here.

I’m in a strange place. I think it’s connected to some of the cult stuff I was reading about, but everything is wrong. The walls shift and move with this strange material– like in the haunted house! That’s not even the most obvious supernatural thing though. There’s something guarding my cell. I think it’s a–

[frustrated sigh]

It’s crossed out with purple ink.

Tell Miss Pine I said hello. Just– let her know I’m not skipping work on purpose. I could only send three letters. It was her gift to me for my birthday. So I can’t say hi to everyone.

I hope that your club with the funky banners is doing well! I haven’t been there to remind you, but you should clean the blood off your coat. You always forget. 

It’s really dark here. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m kinda scared of the dark. And by kinda, I mean really. It’s also cold. Freezing. It makes me feel slow, like it’s hard to write.

I hope you don’t blame yourself.

Love, Athena

[Papers rustle]

To: Jamie.

Dear Jamie, 

How are things at home? I miss you. 

I’m in this really weird place right now. It’s really cold, and there are no flowers anywhere except for the ones I had with me on Halloween. I’m designating you as the official flower-giver while I’m gone, by the way.

You probably already did this when I went missing, but you should go through my desk. My old reading list might have some relevant books. I remember something about conspiracies or cults or something, and there are signs saying–

Ugh, crossed out again.

–Signs saying something outside my cell door.

Say hello to Easton for me. And Haley. I can’t send many messages, but the other person here with me says I can always ask you guys to tell people I miss them too. His name is Ghosty. He’s asleep a lot of the time but he says he’s an adventurer. I think he’d like it in town.

If you don’t mind, could you check up on my cats? They’re usually hanging out in my bed or at my desk at home. They have an automatic feeder, but I want to make sure they don’t get too sad. You’ve always had a way with animals.

I miss your hugs.

Love, Athena

[More shuffling of pages]

To–

[Voice breaks down]

To: Rae.

Dear Rae,

When you find me we’ll have a lot of stuff to investigate. Or– The research department will. Sometimes I forget we go through statements now instead of collecting data out on the field. Will you make this into a statement? I’ll try to add as much detail as possible just in case. I know it frustrates you when things are vague.

I’m in a cell. All I can see are empty, void-like tunnels and this weird, creeping yellowish stone that was in the haunted house. Did they tell you about the haunted house? Don’t blame yourself. I was going to go to the party either way.

Um… A whole paragraph is scribbled out.

You’d better be taking care of yourself. Going home and sleeping and everything. I know you have a lab in your basement, but I mean sleeping in your bed, not at your desk. 

Speaking of which, don’t forget to return your books to the library, the staff up there get upset when you check them out for too long.

It’s really cold here. And Dark. And there are no books. Well, except for these little notebooks she gave me to write in. I can barely see the pages, but I’m trying my best. Did you know my yellow eye glows in the dark?

Try to get out of the office and get some sun, okay? Do it for me.

Love, Athena

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

[Soft crying]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I forgot to add comments to Athena’s letters, and I guess I should go over everything that’s been happening. The same day I got Athena’s letter in my mailbox, I found a weird sign in my house. It just said, “Don’t turn a blind eye to your past.” There’s a lot of stuff about eyes going around. It’s a bit concerning, but part of me feels like it’s a clue.

The uh… endstone growth hasn’t stopped. It gets a LOT worse when you try to dig it up. David attempted to remove it from his land, but it started spreading with these strange purple blocks and weird geometric platforms. It also dyed his hands purple.

The geometric platforms are particularly interesting to me. They’re difficult to look at, with the shifting dimensionality about them, but… they seem to have a slot in them. It’s almost perfectly the shape of the green… eye things that Sherbert got. The same kind of green eye as mine. The same as those strange dark creatures.

I’ve read a couple of field journals about this kind of thing. People used to use body parts as a form of high-tech security. Kind of like, a prick of blood, or a fingerprint scan, except this was more extreme. I suppose if those creatures have the same green eyes, they could be used to gain access to whatever the geometric platforms are hiding. I would try to talk to whatever researcher wrote those books but… the authors' names are always smudged or blacked out. That seems to happen far too often in our library.

[Voices can be heard, muffled, as though from behind a door]

[Jamie Pine]

Centross? What are you doing here?

[Centross Mistvale]

I– I need to find Rae— I need to talk to him. It’s urgent.

[Jamie Pine]

He’s recording a statement right now– you can’t go in there– Hey!

[Door opens]

[Voices can be heard clearly now]

[Rae Morningstar]

David? What–

[Centross Mistvale]

Rae! I need you to come with me– I’m hearing things– the voices– from the crystal!

[Rae Morningstar]

I– Right now? Where?

[Centross Mistvale]

Right now! Let's go, my car’s outside, I need to go back to my farm.

[Jamie Pine]

I’ll come too.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I’m never letting you drive again. Hold on, I need to record this– oh. It’s already on.

[Centross Mistvale]

It’s in my apiary, they told me I need to go to my apiary. The voices–  my parents.

[Jamie Pine]

Uh– Rae? Centross? What’s that?

[Rae Morningstar]

Centross, Jamie look away! That’s one of the creatures. The thing that… you know, my eye. Don’t look at it directly, especially not in its eyes.

Hey! You there! Get away from my archival assistant!

[crackling static can be heard momentarily]

[Centross Mistvale]

It’s gone. Come on, we need to keep going, they’re telling me I need to… I need to dig up the endstone.

[Rae Morningstar]

Wha– David you can’t do that! It’ll get so much worse!

[Jamie Pine]

Too late.

[Rae Morningstar]

Why– Um… David? Why is there a box under your endstone?

[Centross Mistvale]

I– Uh… I didn’t put this here.

[Jamie Pine]

It has an eye on it. Is that what your eye looks like for you, Rae?

[Rae Morningstar]

Pretty much, yeah. Here, open the box. 

[Creaking]

Oh. There’s nothing in it.

[Centross Mistvale]

There’s something in it for me. There’s a book.

It– oh… It’s a diary. It’s my parent’s diary.

[Jamie Pine]

What does it say? –Oh wait, should we be reading their diary?

[Centross Mistvale]

[laughs]

It’s fine. They’re dead. It… Um… It describes trying to find Enderian. And a portal. I think they were somehow related to the mining corporation, and the entrance to the mines was hidden. Even my parents couldn’t find it.

[Rae Morningstar]

Portal… Portal… Oh! Of course! I remember– I read a book in the library about a “Portal Poem”. I thought at first it wasn’t related because when you’re talking about the supernatural the word ‘portal’ can mean a lot of things, but I was taking it too literally! It's a ‘portal’ as in a doorway, an entrance to the mines!

And Enderian… That must be who ‘she’ is. We– I need to go back to the Institute. Who knows what else I could have missed? I have all– or most of the pieces now. I think I know where we can find Athena! It doesn’t matter who could or couldn’t find it in the past. Because we have something they didn’t. A compass.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

The Portal Poem. Written by The Speakers of the Mind.

[The Archivist]

Before thy lies portal of End,

Vast and ancient, it has always been,

Collect the lost’s fallen eyes,

Twelve it takes to get inside.

Take heart, curious hero. For if you waver, hear this caution. The darkness is an all-consumer.

[Rae Morningstar]

This will be a recording of our exploration of a location known as “The END”, likely in reference to the END Mining Company. The exploration team includes Seven, Sherbert, Haley Gar, Easton Pine, Jamie Pine, Momboo Pine, David Mistvale, and myself, Rae Morningstar. File labeled #FI-110-UF, recorded live.

[Sherbert]

Has anyone ever told you your voice goes all funny when you read statements?

[Jamie Pine]

Is this where the compass leads? It kinda looks like a rundown shack.

[Rae Morningstar]

Uh– Yeah, the compass was found in a building like this too. –Wait, did you say my voice changes?

[Centross Mistvale]

It’s pretty funny. You go all low and echoey. 

[Mimicking] ‘The darkness is an all-consumer.’

[Momboo Pine]

Speaking of which, what exactly is that poem supposed to mean? I mean– do we need to be worried about being eaten by the darkness? And where exactly are we supposed to get twelve eyes from?

[Easton Pine]

From people, maybe. Don’t worry about it, mom. Besides, the dark never hurt anyone.

[Haley Gar]

Seven, do you have anything in your database about it? Eyes or an ‘all-consuming darkness’ —anything?

[Seven]

Many folktales and paranormal stories discuss supernatural creatures being stronger in the dark. There are even some articles about paranormal beings formed from darkness.

Additionally, I have found a lot of information about eyes. Supernatural forces are commonly associated with them. The only official file I have that seems relevant was written by Rae Morningstar. The rest are mostly victim accounts of run-ins with creatures that I assume are the ‘lost’ that the poem refers to.

[Rae Morningstar]

Oh. Ohhhhhhhh! That’s super interesting actually. The dark creatures… they have connections to darkness– loosely, and eyes! And lost… maybe that’s why they’re attracted to obsidian and amethyst. If they come from the END mines, it may feel familiar to them! They could be trying to find their way back here!

[Momboo Pine]

And are these ‘dark creatures’ likely to try to… you know, ‘consume’ us?

[Jamie Pine]

It’s hard to say, but probably not? Athena did most of the background research from Rae’s statement, but from what I remember, most people were just confused about why they were appearing in the first place. 

[Centross Mistvale]

I’ve actually seen a few of them myself. They really like the endstone. They aren’t inclined to attack, mostly just make the world look all distorted.

[Rae Morningstar]

Yeah… but whatever you do, don’t look them in the eyes.

[Easton Pine]

If we’re done with all the ominous warning stuff, can we go inside? It’s not like there’s going to be much in this tiny excuse for a building. 

[Rae Morningstar]

Well, the END is supposed to be a mining company. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just a staircase and the rest of their facilities were underground.

[Some shuffling footsteps. A door opens.]

[Momboo Pine]

Looks like you were both wrong. 

[Sherbert]

An elevator! That’s much better than stairs. I bet Athena would love to figure out how this works.

[Ding!]

[Centross Mistvale]

Well, let's go get them then. Come on everybody, into the elevator.

[More footsteps]

[Easton Pine]

There’s only one button.

[Ding!]

Looks like we’re going down then.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Wait! Guys, before we go, I have another book to show you. It’s just in my bag, let me–

[thunk]

Uh… guys? I think there’s something in the foliage here.

[Momboo Pine]

I’m still surprised plant life can even survive down here. This place is so far from the sun.

[Sherbert]

We’re probably not even in the main mines yet. This place looks more like… a stronghold. Oh– hey! That looks like a noticeboard. Kinda like the ones you guys have at the institute. What was it doing under all the leaves? 

[Rae Morningstar]

It must have fallen off the wall. Look! Some of the notices are still intact.

“Miners are reminded to keep a hold of their Elytra and Keycards at all times. A spare glider can be provided at the mine lift entrance, but keycards are required for entry. No replacements will be given.”

[Haley Gar]

Keycards? I thought the book said we needed eyes to enter.

[Centross Mistvale]

Maybe the eyes are like keycards? Like… an ocular scanner or something more modern? But why would we need twelve then?

[Rae Morningstar]

Wait, there’s more.

“Remember, mining parties must consist of no less than 12 miners. All miners must have a keycard to enter. Take solidarity in the fact that pain is an illusion. You will get through this. You will enter the mines.”

[Easton Pine]

Well, that’s not at all creepy.

[Rae Morningstar]

The first part of this last advertisement is smudged. It says… something– of Enderian Welcomes You. Do your part to help the source of success.

Fascinating. The keycard-eye thing makes sense. It was actually a theory I had– Do you remember those geometric platform things we were finding in the really bad endstone spots? I have the feeling we might see more of them here.

And… there’s one more thing. The book we found at the coordinates? I translated it. I wanted to show you guys before we went any deeper. In case you wanted to back out. I’d understand, honestly–

[Jamie Pine]

Rae! Just read it. We all want to help Athena. It’s just… good to know what we’re getting into.

[Rae Morningstar]

Um… Okay. There’s only one page written in. It’s called Warning.

[The Archivist]

To whoever finds this, run. Don't go through the portal. She will mess with your head. Your mind is lying to you, nothing is real. You need to run.

[Easton Pine]

Yep! Definitely not creepy. I guess we need to find a portal then.

[Rae Morningstar]

If you’re sure. Be careful though, stick together. This place is a maze.

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I found the glider! What’s the portal—doorway looking like?

[Seven]

It appears to be an old-fashioned elevator shaft, though the technology around it is much more modern. These platforms resemble paranormal objects found around town in the last month.

[Centross Mistvale]

Nice of you not to mention the literal bodies by the entryway. I think these… are my parents.

[Rae Morningstar]

Oh, Centross, I’m so sorry. Do… you need a minute?

[Centross Mistvale]

I’ll be fine. They died years ago, I just wasn’t expecting to see them here.

[Sherbert]

Is everyone ready then? Everyone good? Seven, are you good?

[Seven]

Good by definition… I suppose I am ready.

[Haley Gar]

Do you think we just put the eyes in? Wait, you do have eyes, right Rae?

[Rae Morningstar]

I have the ones that were left in Sherbert’s mailbox. Looks like we just…

[Hollow clicking]

Oh! It slides right in! Here, put the rest in– One in each slot!

[A series of hollow clicking sounds]

Last one. Everyone ready? Here we go.

[Machines whir. Clanking can be heard. Something slices and squishes]

[Momboo Pine]

Oh my gosh!

[Jamie Pine]

…ugh gross.

[Seven]

That was… unexpected.

[Rae Morningstar]

What are you guys talking about? It worked! We need to go find Athena!

[Sherbert]

Rae… I understand you have a little more exposure to this kind of thing, but I think the rest of us need some time to process it. I mean– I deal with gross stuff every day for work, and that was still really disturbing to me.

[Rae Morningstar]

I don’t understand. It’s just an elevator.

[Easton Pine]

[Sarcastically] Yeah, an elevator. One that got here by cutting up the eyeballs we just put into it.

[Rae Morningstar]

The eyes… are intact. There’s nothing wrong with them. Is– Sherbert, is this a prank?

[Sherbert]

No!

[Centross Mistvale]

[Alarmed] You can’t see it?!

[Haley Gar]

That’s definitely not normal.

[Jamie Pine]

Wait… Rae! What if it has something to do with your eye?

[Rae Morningstar]

My… eye?

[Jamie Pine]

Yeah! You said it looked really similar to the ones we used as keys… and do you remember what the notices said?

[Centross Mistvale]

Pain is an illusion… and remember the warning? This place is messing with your mind!

[Momboo Pine]

Rae, if you’re the only one being affected, maybe it would be best for you to wait up here.

[Rae Morningstar]

No! I’ve done more research than anyone about what we’re going into! I have to see it. I have to know more… I– I can help! I have to find Athena.

[Haley Gar]

If you’re sure… I guess we should all get into the elevator.

[Shuffling feet, clanking metal. Doors slam shut and machines whirr]

[Centross Mistvale]

Jeez, this elevator is old . Do ya think— uh… Rae? Sherb? Are you okay? What’s going on?

[Panicked voices talking over each other]

[Seven]

They appear to be unconscious.

[Momboo Pine]

Well is there anything we can do? We’re still going down, we can’t go for help!

[Jamie Pine]

Uhhh Mom? Guys? Something’s happening to Rae. His face…

[Centross Mistvale]

Can the rest of you see that?

[Jamie Pine]

Rae’s distorted eye… from the statements he made. Has it always been there?

[Easton Pine]

I’ve never seen it before, but now… it feels wrong to imagine him without it.

[Haley Gar]

Is it supposed to cover half of his face?

[Jamie Pine]

I’m… not sure. I’d thought he said it was just around his eye, but it was never visible to anyone but him before now.

[Momboo Pine]

Sherbert? Sherbert? I think they’re waking up!

[Centross Mistvale]

Just in time too. We’re slowing down.

[Sherbert]

Uh– What?! Where– where am I? 

[Jamie Pine]

I think… we’re in the END mines.

[Haley Gar]

[nervously] Can anyone tell if it’s dark or bright in here? I mean… are those shadows over there? Or is it just stone?

[Rae Morningstar]

[hissing in pain] Ugh… my face.

[Sherbert]

Rae? Are you okay?

[Rae Morningstar]

Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine, it just… burns? I think. Maybe not though, I can’t tell if it’s real or not.

[Centross Mistvale]

We’re definitely looking into that later, but in the meantime, we have bigger fish to fry! And by that I mean dragon!

[Easton Pine]

Ewww! Why is it made of… what is that?

[Jamie Pine]

Looks like… fleshy rock? At least it’s easy to focus on. Everything else just hurts to look at.

[Rae Morningstar]

There’s no getting past it! We just need to kill it. And don’t look at any of the darkness creatures while we’re down here.

[a scuffling noise, as though the recorder has been dropped. It is soon picked up.]

[Seven]

The Archivist appears to be preoccupied with the flesh dragon. I will investigate the surroundings in the meantime, though the materials of the walls are interfering with my sensors. 

[distant yelling]

From records and descriptions the Fable Institute has of these mines, this appears to be a larger cavern. There are some strangely dimensional crystals on the ceiling, reinforced by obsidian pillars.

[explosions]

The major crystals have just been destroyed by our expedition group. A few small amethyst buds remain on the ceiling, but there are no longer any runic ones.

[roaring]

The cavern's floor is made up of END-stone, though the rest of the walls are a dark, void-like stone, almost indistinguishable from shadows. I believe there are passageways leading out of this cavern, though they are much smaller and difficult to see.

[a final, screeching cry, followed by cheering.]

[Rae Morningstar]

[Approaching] Oh! Seven, thanks for holding my comm.

[Seven]

It is a part of my programming. I have recorded a description of the realm.

[Sherbert]

Oh, that’s great! Do you have any idea where Athena might be then?

[Seven]

The staircase across from the elevator appears to lead to a locked-up area. May I suggest we check there first?

[Jamie Pine]

What are we waiting for? Let’s get over there now!

[Centross Mistvale]

Uh… as much as I want to rush to Athena’s rescue, I don’t think any of us are experienced lockpickers. Especially not for a barricade as complicated as that one. How are we gonna get in?

[Easton Pine]

Jamie, I really don’t think running at the door is gonna do much good.

[crash]

…I stand corrected. I guess the door was weaker than we thought.

[Jamie Pine]

Or I’m stronger than you thought. Now let's go!

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[Athena]

Guys! I knew you’d find me! Look, Ghosty, my friends are here to save us!

[Various exclamations of relief]

[Rae Morningstar]

It’s good to see you again Athena! How do we get you out of there?

[Athena]

I’m not sure. I tried to write down what was on the signs out there in my notes, but it was pretty hard to see. Did you get my letters?

[Rae Morningstar]

Yes! Yes, we did. They helped us know where to go. [Calling out] Does anyone see signs or another notice board out there?

[Momboo Pine]

Look, there are buttons!

[Haley Gar]

I found the posters! Let's see… One of them is the same as the Enderian one we found before. It’s a little clearer though! I think it says court. Or maybe cult? “The Court of Enderian Welcomes You!”

There’s also a location poster I think? It says “Trespassers are forbidden.” – it has a picture of the cells.

The last one is just on normal paper written in purple ink– but not like the haunted house's purple ink. “The END wants a profit. Freedom’s never free.”

[Sherbert]

Um… Guys? I think I know what’s happening.

[Momboo Pine]

Uh– yeah? We need to get them out of here, that’s what’s happening.

[Sherbert]

No– No… I think we need to switch places.

[Rae Morningstar]

Freedom’s never free… The end wants a profit– I think we need to do more than just trade places. There are three cells. I think we need to exchange three people to get these two out.

[Sherbert]

That’s not fair! We made it all the way here, just for– that’s not fair! There has to be another way…

[Clamoring voices]

[Jamie Pine]

The buttons won’t disappear when we press them right? Can’t we just switch back later? There are only three cells, maybe they won’t need more next time.

[Momboo Pine]

Rae, you’re the expert. What do you think?

[Rae Morningstar]

It might work…

[a distant, blaring sound can be heard, like an alarm]

Hang on, is that the elevator?

[murmurs of uncertainty]

The lift didn’t look exactly stable when we were in it before… I have no idea how to get more of those eye things. If we leave… I’m not sure we’ll be able to come back.

[Sherbert]

So… whoever’s in here might get stuck here forever.

[Rae Morningstar]

No! I mean– kind of? I’m sure that I can find another way to reopen it. It's just… I’m not sure how long it would take. It might be a little bit.

[Jamie Pine]

I’m switching with Athena. They’ve been in here forever, it’s not fair that he’s the one stuck in here!

[Momboo Pine]

Hang on Jamie, you’re just a kid, you shouldn’t be the one going in there! What about Rae?

[Rae Morningstar]

Who’s going to fix the elevator if I go in? I have to have access to the archives to figure out how to let people out again!

[Easton Pine]

I’ll go in. Athena is Jamie’s best friend, it’s not fair to separate them, and I’m still on break from university for a while. I’ll stay here.

[Athena]

But don’t you have that club to go back to?

[Centross Mistvale, Easton Pine, Sherbert]

What club? There is no club.

[Sherbert]

Maybe a book club? I’d love to be in a book club.

[Centross Mistvale]

If Easton’s taking Athena’s place, I’m switching with… Ghosty? Is that your name?

[Ghosty]

Uh… Yeah. Are you sure? It kinda looks like you’re already affected by this place. You’re a bit… purple.

[Momboo Pine]

Easton, I can already tell I won’t be able to talk you out of this, so I’m going in too.

[Sherbert]

No! No, you’re not! 

[Jamie Pine]

You can’t!

[Momboo Pine]

Sherbert! Jamie! I don’t want to hear from you right now, okay? If one of my kids is going in, then I’m going in after them! You don’t know what it’s like to have something you care about so much that you would sacrifice anything for them! Just stay out of this!

[Rae Morningstar]

Well, I think we should at least get Athena and Ghosty out first. 

[two clicks are heard, each followed by static]

[Jamie Pine]

Athena! C’mon, let’s get everyone to the elevator now. 

[Momboo Pine]

Everyone else should go up first, I need to talk to Rae and Sherbert for a moment. 

[Rae Morningstar]

That should work. This place has a mind of its own, I think it’ll let you back up as long as we don’t intend to leave any cells unfilled. You might not be able to get back down though, so don’t forget anything.

[Momboo Pine]

Easton, I’ll be right back. I’m just going to go into one of the side chambers and talk to these guys.

[Footsteps, gradually fading into the distance]

Okay. I know you two don’t like this, but I need you to do something for me, okay?

[dual noises of agreement]

Sherbert. I want you to take care of Jamie until I get back. I know they’re basically an adult, but just— make sure they aren’t getting hurt, arrested, or going off on any weird expeditions out of town. Honestly, I would be more worried about Easton getting into trouble than Jamie.

Rae, I need you to keep the institute running. Administration does a lot of the work, but I trust you to make sure all the departments are working cohesively. The archives are the center of the institute. You’ll be able to manage all the projects with no problem. Besides, Jamie knows a little bit about my job already, they can help you out.

[Sherbert]

Okay. Will you at least walk us out to the elevator?

[footsteps start up again]

[Momboo Pine]

Yeah. I can do that. Sorry for yelling before.

[Sherbert]

It’s okay. I just… care about you a lot Momboo. And I know you’re a really important part of the Institute and the town. I’ll do anything to help you out. So… I’ll take care of Easton, and you take care of Jamie.

Rae? Now.

[Stumbling, followed by metal doors slamming shut and machinery]

[Momboo Pine]

Wha– Sherbert!

[Rae Morningstar]

I– Don’t know how I feel about doing that. She is still my boss.

[Sherbert]

Well, she’s not gonna fire you. You’re the first archivist the institute has had in a while. Not many people can do your job.

[Rae Morningstar]

I’ll drop you off at the cells while I wait for the elevator to come back down. 

[Recorder Clicks]

[Recorder Clicks]

[machinery clanks to a stop]

[Seven]

[Distantly] The central eye appears to have shriveled up.

[Momboo Pine]

Rae! Rae Morningstar! How dare you. You’re lucky I don’t have a replacement Archivist.

[sounds of a scuffle]

Don’t come near me, Don’t talk to me, Don’t talk to Jamie! You’re not to see them anymore. I’m moving him off the archives team, I don’t care if they're your assistant or whatever, just stay away from my family! 

[Rae Morningstar]

I’ll get them out soon. I promise.

[Momboo Pine]

You’d better. 

[Stomping footsteps recede]

[Rae Morningstar]

I promise. I have to.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement #FI-111-AE

Statement of Athena, regarding a supernaturally involved individual known as Enderian. Original Statement formally given to the institute in written form. Audio recording by Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

Statement Begins.

[The Archivist (Statement)]

Hi Rae! How’s your eye doing? Sorry I couldn’t give this statement in person, I’m hanging out with Jamie since they’re not allowed in the Archives anymore. You showed me how my letters had been edited and information was cut out, so I wanted to tell you more about what happened when I was in the END Prison. 

Arriving in the END Prison on its own was a strange experience. I was listening to some of the statements you recorded while I was gone, and Miss Pine pretty-much covered everything that happened in the Haunted House, but I had a different experience after I pressed the button than she did. Pressing the button was strange, it felt like it was pulling me in, except there was nowhere to pull me to. All the colors in the room became brighter and swirled into each other. It was honestly dizzying– like I was a part of the colors too. Once everything mostly settled down again, I was in the prison.

The rest of what was crossed out is related to this lady who visited while I was there. Ghosty was asleep whenever she stopped by, so I don’t have any secondary evidence, but there wasn’t anything about her that seemed particularly supernatural anyway.

Well– I write that, but she did look a lot like the dark creatures– Endermen, she called them. Her skin looked like yours does now, around your eye. She didn’t act like the Endermen though. She acted like us, human. Though most of the time she just seemed kinda sad.

Her name was Enderian. Like on those posters we sent to the restoration department. Jamie went to check on those– nobody has been able to figure out if it says Court of Enderian or Cult of Enderian. I think Ghosty’s been hanging out around that department a lot. To be fair, there’s not much to do but hang out around the Institute. It’s been raining a lot more than usual. We’ve gone from almost never having rain to always having it. 

The rain is becoming a real problem actually. The other day, I tried to go get the pajamas I left at your place, and the ground around your apartment complex is turning into a big sinkhole. It’s like the earth is trying to swallow it up.

Right, but back to Enderian. I only brought up the rain because I wasn’t sure if you’d left the archives lately. Enderian is actually the one who let me send letters to you on my birthday. I think she delivered them. She always seemed to come and go without me noticing. One minute I’m talking to Ghosty, the next he’s sleeping and she’s walking through a door I’ve never seen before. I’m pretty sure the End Mines have a bunch of secret passageways we didn’t find because she was always coming in through unexpected areas. They must be pretty well hidden, because she was tall too. Really tall. She had the attitude of a businesswoman, which kinda makes sense, seeing as I’m pretty sure she’s the owner of the END Mining Company.

Speaking of the corporation, do you remember that book I was talking about before Halloween? The one connecting the corporations to a theoretical cult war? Jamie just reminded me of it. You asked one of us to go find it right? I guess you weren’t able to get it, but from some of your comments on the last couple of statements, it probably would have come in handy. I found the title. It’s a little misleading, which is probably why you weren’t able to find it before.

The book is called “The War of the Realms”.

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

That’s exactly what I needed! I found the book, it was simple, once I had the title. A lot of the information is similar to the memory notes Athena had written down on his desk– the ones we found in #FI-106-SE. It does however have an END section. It mentions a book, supposedly connected to the Enderian. It’s called “The Bible of the End”. 

The book… doesn’t show up in any of our libraries or databases. But I remember when David found his parents’ journal, he had to dig around in an area previously exposed to supernatural forces. And… I’ve been hearing little whispers. I think it’s time I paid a visit to the Mistvale Farm.

[Recorder clicks]

[Recorder clicks]

[Athena]

Rae? Where are you off to? Oh! You found the book I told you about!

[Rae Morningstar]

Athena? –Jamie! I was just heading to the Mistvale Farm to investigate some leads…

Do you hear that?

[Jamie Pine]

Hear what? We can come with you if you want. Mom’s busy with caretaker duties at the Lodestar Tree. All the heavy rain has caused some buildup of mud around its roots. She won’t notice that I’m gone.

[Rae Morningstar]

I–I’m hearing voices. Like Centross. I have to get to the Mistvale Farm. There’ll be more information there, I’m sure of it.

[Recorder clicks]

[Recorder clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

Yes! Yes, this is it! “The Bible of the End”!

[pages shuffle]

This has everything I need to bring our friends back! Instructions to contact Enderian, Instructions to get to the END mines. Hmmm… Apparently, the Nether Bank has an old metro line that stops at the primary mine entrance!

[Athena]

I can ask the Lennys to let us in! They work at the Nether Bank.

[Jamie Pine]

Do we need any supplies? We should grab whatever we need and go there right away. Hopefully, once Sherbert’s home, Mom will let me go back to the Archives. The Archivist’s position really needs more than one assistant helping out.

[Recorder clicks]

[Recorder clicks]

[Jamie Pine]

There aren’t gonna be any problems because of your eye, are there?

[Rae Morningstar]

My… Eye? What do you— oh! Oh, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble. It was stinging a little back at the institute, but now we’re in the stronghold again, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I think the strangest thing was that other people can see it now. 

[Athena]

Are you sure? From what the others said, you had an allergic reaction to the entire realm last time.

[Rae Morningstar]

I’ll be fine. Why’d you call it a realm?

[Athena]

I dunno. It just seemed right. Like the book. Besides, these kinds of places seem like different realms, don’t they? The END Mines, even the Nether Bank Metro line. You can’t tell me the stuff we saw in there wasn’t supernatural.

[Rae Morningstar]

I guess it’s appropriate. In any case, here we go. The speech in the book is… a little strange, but hopefully, it’ll suit our purposes. 

Enderian’s Summons.

[The Archivist]

[Heavy static]

Oh Enderian, Goddess of Mind and Ruler of End, I seek your guidance in my time of need, your infinite wisdom I hope you will lend, give me the knowledge so you will be freed.

[Machines Whirr]

[Jamie Pine]

Um… What– Oh my gosh.

[Athena]

Rae? Rae, what are you doing? STOP!

[Recorder clicks]

[Recorder clicks]

[Jamie Pine]

What have you done?

[Rae Morningstar]

I did it!

[Shaky laughter]

The elevator’s coming up. I did it!

[Athena]

You tore your eye out.

[Rae Morningstar]

Pain is an illusion anyway. Didn’t you hear Enderian? She wasn’t going to let them out unless I had a key card. 

[Jamie Pine]

Enderian wasn’t here. Rae, I think this place is getting to your head. Remember the Warning?

[Rae Morningstar]

No! No, maybe you couldn’t see it because you don’t have the eye. The elevator doors opened. She stepped out of the void in the elevator shaft. I–I’m not one of her miners… she called me a heretic. She had to take the eye away, but she’s giving us our friends back!

[Athena]

You don’t have the eye either, anymore. Rae, I don’t think–

[Clanking can be heard. Squishing and slicing.]

[Sherbert]

Athena, Jamie! I knew you would find a way to get us out. Rae, the portal closed behind us, how did you manage to–

[Centross Mistvale]

What happened to your eye? Or is that my mind still messing with me?

[Rae Morningstar]

I did it to get you out. I–

[Athena]

–He took his eye out of his face and put it into the center slot.

[Rae Morningstar]

Well, it worked, didn’t it? I found more information about the END. I think it might be connected to your parents’ research David. It told us how to contact Enderian, and she got you out. At a price, of course.

[Easton Pine]

And that price was… your eye?

[Rae Morningstar]

Yes, but honestly, it doesn’t even hurt. Why are you three squinting at me like that?

[Sherbert]

Sorry, it’s just weird looking at things. It feels like my head is still a little distorted.

[Jamie Pine]

That makes sense. It’s probably like an adjustment period, getting used to things being normal again.

Speaking of… Rae? Maybe we’d better go home.

[Recorder Clicks]

Chapter Text

[Recorder Clicks]

[Rae Morningstar]

I don’t know if this is a statement or not, because… I don’t know what to think about it. I don’t really have anyone to talk to right now, but I needed to get these thoughts out– to clear my mind. 

I guess it all started with Athena and Jamie. They’ve been acting weird around me since getting everyone out of the END… which is understandable. Athena’s avoiding me, and after finding out about the eye, Momboo banned Jamie from the archives again. Speaking of my eye– It started hurting the minute we left the stronghold. I actually went home and passed out from the blood loss instead of meeting up with everyone at the Institute. I’m better now, of course, but when I first got back to the Archives after some extensive bedrest, I didn’t know how Athena and Jamie would be feeling. I wasn’t in my right mind at the stronghold.

I tried to go check up on Jamie and ran into Momboo, who basically lectured me about letting the statements get to my head and endangering my coworkers. Athena wasn’t even at their house– but some deliverymen from the Nether Bank were. Lennys, as Athena calls them. They were kind of unsettling, but nothing I can truly categorize as paranormal. They just… didn’t act alive. I could never hear or see them breathe. They handed me a clipboard with ancient-looking teal letters written on it. I have it with me, actually. 

[The Archivist]

Archivist, your assistant is in danger. There is an urgent archival submission that needs to be collected. Instructions to the Akashic Library can be found before the gates of the mind. Bring assistance.

[Rae Morningstar]

Akashic books are dangerous. They often have magical properties or information that puts people in danger. There’s a reason the Institute’s collection of Akashic books is locked away in a restricted section. They even have a whole department of experts to label and put warnings on them.

However… I am currently not in good standing with the rest of the institute. They think I’m delusional. Besides, the note said this is a submission for the archives, not the library. So… I went alone.

The stronghold was the first place I thought of because of those weird posters and the warning that referenced the mind. There, I ran into Jamie. There was a team of researchers looking at evidence or artifacts, and Momboo had apparently assigned Jamie to the team. 

They seemed… still pretty hesitant to be around me, but I convinced them to let me through. I poked around the elevator down to the stronghold for a while, and found a secret room. 

Well, it was more of a maintenance entrance. It was this tunnelly place that went underneath the machinery of the stronghold. It smelled… like death. There was chalky white powder everywhere and in one spot, a circle of floor was completely clear. There were these candles and dark flowers, and in the center of the shrine-looking thing was a compass labeled… Temple of the Eye.

Not exactly the instructions I expected, but I didn’t want to go back empty-handed to the institute when everyone still thought I was delusional, so I decided to go straight there. Jamie insisted on coming with me. I can't say I wasn’t glad to have the company, especially since the Lennys’ message said to bring assistance.

I’m not exaggerating when I say it was far away. It was even further than the End Mines had been. Around a 3-hour drive. At least it gave Jamie and I a chance to catch up. I think they’re less concerned about me now, though they still won’t look me in the eyes. Eye. 

Either way, I was pretty disappointed when the “Temple of the Eye” looked like it had been demolished. The only structure in the spot the compass led to was a subsection of the Fable Institute. I didn’t even know we had those, but there was a sign on the door reading ‘Fable Institute Archival Submission Center’. 

We took a look around anyway. I think it was abandoned, because the submission box was half-rotted, and any statements in there were long turned to paper pulp from the leaky roof. It was a pretty small building. I say that, because it was. At least– when we walked in it was. 

Jamie and I met a man there. He looked… I swear he looked almost exactly like Sherbert. He said some things in a strange language – some kind of old Latin, I think? It’s just that, as he spoke, the room and the space around us got bigger. Felt bigger. It was easier to notice anomalies in the walls and floor, and I managed to find a trapdoor down into a small Akashic library. 

Don’t worry too much about the man. He didn’t really hinder our journey at all, and we pretty much ignored him, though I’m grateful that whatever weird was going on with him helped us with our discovery. I’ll do some more research into that later. I’m getting a strange urge to learn more.

Anyway, there was only one Akashic book there. Even without my eye, I could see a paranormal aura around it. It seemed to have a glow made up of different shades of blue and green. I approached it as carefully as possible, but I don’t think its effects are on the reader, exactly.

[Rae Morningstar – The Archivist]

Statement of Akashic Book titled ‘As It Will Be’. Original Statement written by–

[HEAVY STATIC] 

–and found in Akashic Library under Institute Submission Center by The Archivist. Statement spoken through Rae Morningstar, Head Archivist of the Fable Institute, Lodestar Grove.

[The Archivist]

[Words spoken through a mouthful of Static]

Child born of Desolation

Lost to their Parent 

Dies of their own Will 

In place of the END’s Eye 

To the hands of the Mindless

[Rae Morningstar]

Statement Ends.

[Breath of quiet laughter]

Feels weird to have a statement in a statement. 

Normally I wouldn’t give this kind of thing a second thought. I mean, some of the statements we get in here are just absurd! People claiming to have seen things living under the water, or books that can possess people. You never know what to believe at an institute that specializes in the supernatural.

I’d usually say this is some low-level paranormal trickster trying to scare people. The details are too specific to this time and place to have really been there all that long. My guess would be the guy who made the space feel all weird. Or whatever category the Lennys fall under.

Athena is clearly meant to be the one mentioned in the first line. Desolation… in Statement #FI-104-HF he said the earliest memory he has was being surrounded by fire. Other than that, it’s hard to tell.

Athena’s an orphan, so without a parent, obviously, and the poem places a lot of emphasis on choice. The ‘END’s Eye’ is probably Enderian or someone associated with her, which I don’t like the implications of, even as a prank. The Mindless makes me think of the strange warning we found, but I have no idea who it could even be–

Except… everything around town has been weird since we freed the others from the END mines. I said I normally wouldn’t even consider the possibility of this being real– I mean, c’mon, It talks about Athena dying . But Centross, Easton, and Sherbert have been… behaving oddly. More aggressive? No… just… antagonistic, and weirdly anti-social.

Centross suddenly shut down Mistvale Farms. He still lives there– I went to check on him, but he’s not selling any of his products anymore. And Easton keeps playing more and more dangerous pranks around the institute.

Sherbert came by the other day with some experimental medication for my eye, except it messed with my ability to see paranormal auras, and they tried to fight with me about it when I let them know. Athena seems to think they’re fine though, they were hanging out the last time I saw them.

Maybe I’d better keep a closer eye on the three of them. At least to assure me of Athena’s safety. 

Hmmm… Is this one statement? Or two? Maybe I’ll label it #FI-112-MI-WB. Just to be safe.

[Recorder Clicks]