The Holder of the Found

Allow me to introduce Us.

We are the Fallen; the forgotten, the dead, and the past. We, like you, dear Seeker, have made decisions that impacted others, choices that changed lives, and taken chances that would have left us with nothing. We are not so different, driven by the same greed, led by the same desire. Now we have no age, no love, and we have not the slightest bit of hope.

That is, until you came along, dear Seeker.

We once traveled to mental institutions and halfway houses like you did, asked questions like you did, and gained Objects like you did. We now reside in an indefinite place. A void, which location never remains constant.

When you reach the mental institution of your choice, whisper to the assistant for "The Holder of the Found". She will reel back, as if she was severely injured, knocking over the collections of pens and pencils, trays of paper, the small clock, and her picture frame, which will collide with the ground, shattering into a million tiny fragments spread across the floor. As her now blackened body slowly begins to slide down the wall behind her, gaze into her empty eyes. The darkness - the void - of her eyes will begin to consume you, leaving you absent of thought or action. Lost in the darkness you will become.

When your body rematerializes, you will find yourself in a place most haunting. The void which you now are in the domain of is a gash in existence, a blankness in reality. The life force which sustains your soul will have begun to escape you, slowly diminishing the length of your life, as well as taking your very age from you. Do not linger too long. Close below you will be a sea of skeletons, desperately reaching to grab out for any life to merge with. Should your leg be grasped, your body will follow suit, drowning beneath the sea of bones, and your transformation will be complete, and you will have joined our ranks, alongside the Fallen.

Should you avoid this untimely death, the dark sun above you will glow down a somber shade of red onto a section of the sea of skeletons. A low rumble will begin to rattle the seemingly unmovable void, and a massive skeleton will arise. Slowly approach your location, you will notice this is no ordinary skeleton. This colossal skeleton's bones have turned black as dust, a curse from old age. The eyes will resemble lakes of nothing, striking despair deep into you as they call out for your soul. Be most weary, for you stand before Death himself. Before losing yourself in the wicked trance of the colossus, ask him, "Can They be found?"

Death will then begin his terrible and gruesome cackle, flattening the terrifying sea beneath you, resounding off of the very nothingness which is his void. All hope should have left you by now, leaving you with only despair. Gazing into your very soul, Death will explain to you every tale of the downfall of every single Seeker before you, how gruesome their death was, and how they reside with Him now. But with his knowledge, he will not allow you to escape his domain. He will outstretch his bony finger toward your now frail and fragile body. Be warned - a single touch from his limb will result in instant death, and you will join the following sea of the dead before you. The only way to escape Death's grasp is to muster the dying remnants of your life force to produce the ninth Object. His finger will halt, for Death knows that your deceit shall not be brought from his own hand. All will fade to black, and your last glimpse will be that of Death's visage.

You will arrive in a cell of the mental institution, strapped in a straightjacket. Beside you, a cracked, worn-down, and bloodstained crystal ball.

That crystal ball is Object 401 of 2538. When the time comes, We will answer your call. The Fallen shall rise once more.