Down in the Dark (Zizzy)

[Hatoful GM]

The entrance to the site of the trial looked innocuous enough. The front seemed to be the entrance to a ruined temple, nothing immediately marking it as any different from the other ruined temples on the planet. But on second glance, the shadows within the entrance was just a little bit darker. The air was just a little bit colder. Even the smell, the taste of it was just slightly off. And the longer one studied any of these things, the more they would cause a creeping sense of dread. Of fear.

Even worse, this temple looked all too familiar to Zizzy. Like she had seen it before. Perhaps in a dream.

Master Orgus stood there next to her. He looked at her, nodding, with a gentle smile on his lips.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Zizzy looked back at Orgus. "I've seen this place before." But that was all she could say on the matter as her tongue went dry. She coughed a little and took a sip of water.

"Alright then." She closed her eyes a moment, centering herself, tendrils taking in everything and nothing. Opening her eyes again she nodded to Master Orgus and said: "How do you keep a Jedi Master in suspense?" Then she walked into the temple. She paused right on the threshold to touch the stones, making sure they were real. Satisfied, she continued.

[Orgus Din]

"Is that a joke?" Orgus chuckled. "I'm going to be trying to think of the answer the whole time you're in there, now."

His expression grew more serious. "May the Force be with you." He watched as she stepped over the threshold...

[Zizzy Roosh]

She half turned, a light smile on her lips. "Thank you Master. Always." With that she disappeared down the corridor. The flashlight that the younglings had given her hung from her utility belt in case it got too dark to see. She tried not to get caught up in her dream memories, focusing on the here and now.

[Hatoful GM]

For a moment, as she crossed the threshold, there was darkness.

But only for a moment. The corridor very quickly turned, the threshold fading from view. Instead, it opened onto a wide chamber. It was not, in itself, an unpleasant place; stone tiles and columns were here and there, worn with time, but clearly in an orderly fashion. The light was dim, but still bright enough to see by. It felt similar to an archive, or a library or something.

The far wall was distant, perhaps a hundred meters away. There was a pedestal of some sort there, with something on it.

[Zizzy Roosh]

She was surprised that it all felt so comfortable, but then it had mostly felt that way in her dreams too. Her eyes and tendrils searched for any semblance of a pattern in the tiles or pillars. In the absence of alternatives she began to walk towards the pedestal while continuing to look for any sort of pattern.

It felt like an archive, but if that were the case, where was the knowledge stored?

[Hatoful GM]

As much as the place felt like an archive, there was something very vaguely uncanny about it. Zizzy's tendrils couldn't quite pick up anything, and while the placement of the pillars seemed orderly, it was difficult to actually see the pattern.

There did not seem to be any data disks, or even any books. Except one.

The pedestal at the end of the room actually seemed to be a reading lectern. A large white book was atop it, closed. It was finely bound, and clearly well-cared for. "The Wonders of The Galaxy" the title clearly read.

Zizzy could feel an inviting tug from the book, like a gentle encouragement to read it. Almost friendly.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Reaching the lecturn she placed a hand on the book and then stopped. She cast her eyes and other senses around the room one more time. Was she missing something? It all seemed a bit too easy.

I mean, obviously she was going to look in the book. It seemed like the right thing to do. It was the Wonders of the Universe damnit, why wouldn't she delve in? But she hadn't forgotten that conversation about taking the easy path or the hard path.

First she looked around the pedestal to see if there was anything hidden in or under it, or even some sort of concealed panel or switch. Next she would lift the book without opening it to see if there was anything hidden underneath.

[Hatoful GM]

Except for the slightly uncanny nature of it all, there didn't seem to be anything actually wrong. No hidden traps. No monsters lying in wait. The book was heavier than it appeared, almost too heavy for Zizzy to lift. But there wasn't anything unusual underneath it.

Perhaps it really was that easy.

[Zizzy Roosh]

She tried to remember how those dreams had ended. Eventually though it was time to face whatever was in the book. "Very well then." Calmly she opened it up to the first page.

[Hatoful GM]

Wonders of the Galaxy. A treatise on all the great and wonderful things that can be found, in the natural world and beyond.

And then, below, in smaller text.

A guide for good-hearted seekers of knowledge.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Well, that was a thing. What's not to like? I'm a good-heated seeker of knowledge. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Like Master Xho. Only maybe he wasn't paranoid. She flipped to the next page, interested to see what it was going to show her.

[Hatoful GM]

She had been promised Wonders of the Universe, and she was going to get them. Page after page was filled with all sorts of information, animal, vegetable, and mineral. They were interspersed with marvelous illustrations. It was almost like reading a storybook, except one with amazingly detailed information. Truly, it was wonderful.

After reading for a bit, even if she paused at just one page, Zizzy felt a tingle on the back of her neck. The atmosphere of the room changed. Something was different.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Wow, this was amazing! So much information, it was almost too much, but so interesting. She wanted to read it all. To know everything. If she knew everything then it would be easier to help everyone, right?

The tingle could be ignored for a time, if she wanted. But her tendrils told her that something was different. Reluctantly she lifted her gaze from the page...

[Hatoful GM]

It was still an archive, that was certain, but it was not as wholesome as it had appeared last time she looked. The columns and pillars were a bit more worn down and dirty. Rot had clearly gotten into what remained of the bookcases. A faint scent of decay hung in the air.

When she glanced back, the book had changed too. It was bound in grey. Deep Secrets, the title read.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Zizzy thought back to all of the amazing mysteries she had uncovered in the previous version of the book. "Do Secrets" was intriguing, but not really what she was looking for. Or was it? Perhaps deeper secrets lay beneath the mysteries and wonder? Would it give her further insights into the universe?

She looked back at the room. It was as though tone had passed with no one to look after the place. Was she responsible? Was she supposed to be looking after the temple? That didn't make sense though, she was just here to read the book, apparently.

Tentatively she flipped the book open.

[Hatoful GM]

Deep Secrets. A treatise on lifting the veil, and uncovering the hidden truths of the galaxy.

And then, below, in smaller text.

For the most dedicated seekers of knowledge.

The gentle tug that encouraged Zizzy to read before was less comfortable now. It was more like an itch, a gentle nagging.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Well, that didn't sound so bad. It implied a lot of mystery, and Zizzy liked a good mystery. She found the compulsion to be very annoying though. Being a dedicated seeker of knowledge like she was, well, it didn't feel like she should need to be nagged.

A small frown crossed her face before she shook it away and continued reading. She wondered how the hidden truths could be used to ensure peace, justice, and prosperity.

[Hatoful GM]

Compared to the previous version of this book, this one focused more on arcane mysteries. Deep studies of the Force. Places of great power. Vergences. Lost temples. Special crystals, patterns to focus the mind.

Again, Zizzy's tendrils detected the change first. The air seemed to chill further, the surrounding light dimming.

Something had changed again.

[Zizzy Roosh]

Wow, places and items of power! Zizzy thought of the good she could do with all these things. Was there tone to memorize them? She wondered if one of them was connected to the Master Xho mystery. As she started to look for some sort of clue her tendrils snapped her back to the room.

The chill was mild but she could feel it in her fingers. The loss of light was a little irritating but her low light vision was actually quite good. She looked out at the room wondering what was going on.