Object 264
The Holder of Repentance
In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Ignoring the front desk, go immediately to whoever is looking out of the window. If there is no one there, then curse your misfortune, and await the feel of the void. If a man is there, greet them, and tell them you will return later; your quest is not meant for today. If a young woman in a floral-print dress is there, however, touch her shoulder and ask to speak about "The Holder of Repentance". A look of immense melancholy will cross her face, and she will touch the window. It will open outward like a door, and lead into an ascending stairway that should not be there. Begin climbing the stairs before her, but be sure she enters the stairway before closing the door; otherwise, you will climb until someone else gathers the Objects.
No matter what you feel, you must continue up the steps. Whispers of regret and doubt will find their way into your mind, no matter how strong your will as a Seeker is. Although the woman is the cause of such troubling thoughts, do not turn, or you will forever be lost to your fears. If your will does not break, the stairs will eventually end, and you will find yourself outside of a door. Without stopping, fling the door open, and walk into the room.
The room will be filled with vases of differing sizes and shapes, all on tables along the walls of the room. The young woman will already be in the room, no matter how far she was behind you on the steps. If she is facing you, then flee, as fast as you can, down the steps; even an eternity of them is better than an eternity trapped in her watering eyes. If her back is toward you, however, approach her silently. When you are directly behind her, steel your resolve, and ask the one question in your mind: "What cannot be forgiven?" She will tell you, in a quivering voice, all the massacres, the abominations, of history. As she speaks, the vases will all shake and rattle, as though the end has come. The moment she finishes, one vase among the vast collection will break. If you find it, you will have found the Object you have sought. The broken vase carries with it all the sins of mankind; it is up to you if you have the endurance to bear them.
The broken vase is Object 264 of 2538. When the past is not forgiven, will you still try to bring it about again?