Stars Of Madness

Chapter 4: The Meeting

"Who are you? An-"

"Hold your questions for a moment."

"What? Why should I?"

"For this."

Suddenly her hand went to her side, and she unsheathed a small dagger of some kind. She walked away from me and approached the mask and knelt down to it. She started saying something I could not comprehend and raised the dagger in the air and plunged it into the mask. As the dagger was in the mask, I could see the same symbol I had seen earlier in the Necronomicon engraved on the knife but the engravings themselves glowed with emerald, green intensity, she kept saying things that I couldn't understand as she pushed the dagger deeper all the while this was happening the mask was screeching it seemed with same voice that it was using earlier to lure me into wearing it. Eventually the mask started to fold in on itself like a house into a sinkhole and soon before I knew it the mask had disappeared with its screeching echoes fading into nothing. The mysterious visitor sheathed her dagger and looked at me for a second before giving me a faint smile and hitting the ground. I ran over to her and picked her up off the ground and looked at her with a demanding face.

"Hey! Don't you fall asleep on me, I need answers."

She was still breathing but she was not answering any questions anytime soon. What just happened? No... Stop thinking about it and make her answer those questions for you. I carried her upstairs and laid her down in my bed and proceeded to hit the floor and take everything in. What had I gotten myself into? I let these thoughts take over me for a while before I decided to make some food for my guest since she did, I guess save me from...something. She had something to do with this whole Necronomicon business since her dagger was laced with the same symbols as the necro has. I continued to walk downstairs and made some classic chicken noodle soup then walked back up to find her still knocked out cold.

"What in the world were you doing?"

As I sat next to my bed, I began to actually take note of her features which I forgot to even acknowledge when I got tackled, she has a hood that initially covered her face but fell off when I laid her down, she was.... beautiful with pearly white skin and white hair. Did she dye it? It looks good on her, I guess. I wonder how she got caught up I this, looks like she belongs in a palace of some kind away from what she might call commoners. She was wearing an outfit that was like a robe but modified for mobility I guess? I mean I can't really know but it does show some skin but nothing to go crazy about. What was that glowing thing on her belt? I stood up and put down my bowl and tried to reach over and grab it to look at it.

"Jeez, buy me dinner first at least."

Said a familiar voice as I was hovering over her. I jumped back surprised.

"O-Oh hey you are finally awake. You have a lot of things to explain to me."

"Yeah, I figured you just might." She smiled at me.

"Okay you ready? I got a list."

"Oh boy, a list."

"You seem pretty excited."

"Not excited, just interested."

"Interested in what?"

"Aren't you asking questions?"

"Right. Who are you?"

"Can't tell you."

"Okay...what is your name?"

"Fake or real?"

"Well if that is the case, I would rather earn the real one so if you want to give a fake one then go ahead."

She gave me a surprised look, "Good answer. I guess I'll give you my real name then. It's Aella."

"Okay...Aella why did you tackle me?"

"To save you from that mask obviously, duh."

"Yeah okay but what would it do to me that you know that I don't?"

"It would break your mind and give the pieces to the deity that sent it."

"Wait...deity? As in like a god sent me a mask to get my mind....broken?"

"Yep."

"And what did you do to it?"

"I stabbed it."

"No kidding but what did you do?"

"Oh. I banished the gods magic back into the dreamworld where they reside. And the only thing that lets me do that is this dagger." She pulls it from her sheath and lets me inspect it.

"This has the same symbols as the Necronomicon."

"The what?" She gave me a serious look as she grabbed my face and looked into my soul.

"The Necronomicon."

"Thats why he...We need to leave now then."

"Wait who's he and why do we need to leave?"

"That book you have is the only thing that can protect you and I from these dream-gods I guess you might call them."

She stood up and grabbed my hand and started pulling me downstairs, nearly ripping my arm off.

Before I knew it, we were both downstairs and she was looking for the Necro. She was still gripping my hand really tight for some reason.

"Hey you can let go now."

"No, because at some point you are going to see something that your mind will break trying to piece together into reality. As long as we are connected in some way such as this, you will be fine."

"What are talking abo-"

"Aha! There it is."

She grabbed the Necro and slid it into a satchel she had on her side. Without warning a loud thud hit the roof of the house and fear spread across Aella's face.

"They found us, more importantly...it."

"The Necro? Why?"

"No time to explain right now we have to leave."

"But wh-"

"NOW."

She gripped my hand tight and practically ran out the door with me in tow. What was happening? What was dream-god? Why am I just letting her do this? Why is whatever or whoever it is after this Necronomicon and why am I in the middle of it? I wanted to look back and see what she was so afraid of but when I did my mind went blank and things became blurred. I could not make out what I saw and without warning...I fainted.