Alhazred's Chapter

Episode 4

The Castle in Heaven and the Two Towers ~ Alhazreds Chapter Just before the moon is dyed in red. As the castle becomes more distant and detached, within the Forest of Darkness there is a small wooded area nearby where a lone diviner appears. The diviner was draped in dark clothes and held a black book.  Before they even said a word, it felt like the end was near.

And every time that a villager met the diviner for the first time, they had that exact same initial reaction. “Ah yes.  Looks like terrible things will awaken today.” Said the diviner. For good or for bad, no, for bad or worse, whatever the diviner said, it always came true.  They are a diviner of truths, however he rarely is visited by guests.  

The reason behind that is because whether it be small misfortunes or large ones, the diviner would only speak of an unfortunate future.  Because his words always lead to misfortunes, they were more like curses instead.  The villager’s thoughts on this matter can be as expected.

“This Village will be threatened by the demons in the past very soon.” And after the diviner said what was to be, regardless that it always came true, the villagers would only believe half-heartedly in his words. “Demons of the past? Just what might we expect from that?” whispered the diviner.   “I see, the things they cannot imagine are those which they cannot believe,” he murmured.

Soon after that divination, Dracula, the Demonic One had resurrected and his castle was prepared just ahead of the Forest of Darkness.  Thereafter, the small village was horrified from the terror of the vampire.  Yet again, the curse from the diviner came true, thought the villagers. However, it just so happened that Grimm, the young prince from the royal castle as well as Little Red had come to visit the forest.  They had been traveling through the woods in order to suppress Dracula, the Demonic One.

The people of the village had expected them and were told that they would be safe from destruction, but then as Grimm and Little Red stood before the diviner, their hope slowly gave in to despair.  “Ah, are we to receive another bad omen?” they asked. “Are you that famous diviner from the forest?  Hehe, smells fishy to me.  What do you think Grimm?”  Little Red looked toward the young prince with gleaming eyes.

“Well, I’m really not too sure about this one…I wonder.  Do you have some feeling about them?” Grimm stood in front of the diviner in a troubled manner and looked right at him.  When the diviner saw Grimm and Little Red, he opened his black book, turned to a new page, and began to speak in a very calm voice.

“I see, so that’s it…my plan was a bit mistaken but…Girl in red, who are you? No, do you recognize just who you are?” “Me? I’m Little Red! I thought that I was famous enough that it would go without saying!  Hehe, seriously though.  So you must be Mr. Diviner?  Well, maybe you can give me just one fortune that will tell me how this trip will go.” Voices of the dark and of the red intertwine.

“It is with me that you seek your fortune? How interesting.  Shall we then?  From here you will go into the Forest of Darkness.  There, you will search out the young girl called Pandora and you will try to barrow her power.  If that is so, I believe that you may vanquish Dracula.  It is up to you if you want to believe this or not.” “Hehe…I see.  Hey Grimm, this guy really isn’t all about lies!” Little Red stuck her tongue out at Grimm and  villagers.

“I’m not willing to entrust my future to a single fortune.  Anyway, let’s hurry onward.  It’s been decided what we need to do.” “True, wherever we go from here, we will have to go through the Forest of Darkness.  Well then, see you later Mr. Diviner.” As Grimm and the young girl in red exited into the woods, the villagers all turned toward the diviner with a surprised look on their faces.  

It was the first time that they had ever heard the diviner give a good fortune to anyone.  And if Dracula is defeated as the diviner said, peace would surely return to the village, thought the townsfolk.

Thus, as the diviner had said, Dracula, the Demonic One was vanquished at the hands of Grimm.  However, there was still one problem for the villagers.  No, more of a misunderstanding really.  The villager’s ideal image of a good future was quite different from that of the diviner’s image of what was a good future. The diviner holds his black book, and he opens to a new page.

“A sin of the unimaginable.  Dracula has fallen but, where are the signs of a bright future?  Hehehe…Well, no wonder.  People only think about clinging to their own lives.” At that time, a large shadow upon a dragon appeared from the sky.

“Alhazred, I have brought the magic stone, ‘Grusbalesta’.” “Falltgold, such hardships we have been through.  Hmm, you can use this ability, ‘the rules’.” “However, that girl in red.  In this current state, I wonder if it is alright.” “Ah, ‘that’ will not be of concern.  Soon we must leave this tower of despair and aim for the Castle of Heaven.  

More important than the girl in red, there is the movement of an irregular presence.  Well, before all that, we must first test our abilities.” Alhazred turned toward the villagers. “Alright, I wonder if they remember.  ‘This village will be menaced by demons’ once I said.  That fortune was no reference to Dracula, it was to…” “The time has come.”

As the diviner raised his black book, a dark miasma wrapped around area.  The light of the sun slid away as the mist grew and from the abyss, a devilish variant had appeared.  Those not of this world, the sight of its figure was enough to paint despair upon the faces of all who saw it.

Not only did Alhazred’s black book let him see into the near future, but he could “erase” it. Despair is the annihilation of hope.  Once the future is robbed of any greatness, all that remains is one of darkness.

The dark grimoire of the diviner, it is known as the “Necronomicon.” “No fear anymore...  Because another future of darkness had not already begun for you.”

The village completely disappeared over a single night.  And while I remember the village well, strangely not a single other person in the world can seem to remember it.