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The Horror of the Moon Chapter 3

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Ami found herself in an empty room which, despite the room itself being dark, she could see fully due to an unknown illumination. Upon inspecting her surroundings, she could see the walls jutted out and met at strange angles. It was actually quite difficult for her to look at the angles themselves as they seemed to shift radically the more she tried to concentrate on them, as if her mind was having trouble determining exactly what she was looking at. Ami tried to find some kind of door or entrance to the strange room but found none, her heart starting to race a little at the prospect of being trapped in the alien room. She jumped when she suddenly felt something touch her shoulder; she turned to see a tall dark figure behind her.

The figure was completely black from head to toe and had seemingly no distinguishing features on its body other than its basic outline, almost like a three-dimensional shadow. Gazing upon its head, Ami could see the figure did not have a face but instead what seemed like a window into the void of space. She shook before the figure as it towered over her, and despite it lacking eyes, Ami could feel a piercing gaze coming from the void where its face should have been. The figure then spoke. "I shall grant you the knowledge you require to learn the truth," it said in a voice that sounded as if a thousand distorted souls were calling from across the void. The figure then raised its hand before various alien symbols began to encircle it. Ami could faintly hear whispering as the symbols joined one another and began to spin before the figure reached out and touched Ami's head, causing her to scream as a bright white light flashed and she woke up.

Ami breathed heavily as she sat up in bed, holding her hand to her head while thinking about what she had just seen. She was still recovering from the hallucination she had had and the dream was only shaking her up further. She looked at the clock saw that it was 4:44 AM once again; knowing she would likely get another package, Ami got out of bed, trembling a little while making her way to the door. Her room was still dark, but it didn't take long for her eyes to adjust and allow her to find the light switch and turn it on before leaving. As if on cue, she heard something hit her front door which caused her to jump a little before she carefully walked up to the door. She grabbed the doorknob and was about to turn it when she hesitated. She knew that the book she was going to pick up was more than likely going to contain more information that would frighten her and cause her more pain but at the same time, she was thrilled that she was learning something new, something which no one else had probably seen for centuries.

Ami slowly turned the knob and opened the door, in front of it she found a slightly larger box with the same writing on it which she picked up and took it inside. Ami set the box upon the table before turning on the light and opening it, inside she found a thick, black leather-bound folio book with the words "Nameless Cults by Friedrich von Junzt" printed in gold on the cover. Upon quickly flipping through the book, she found she could read it with ease, but then she shuddered when she realized that the book was in fact in German. Flipping back to the cover, she realized that the title was actually Unaussprechlichen Kulten and that she had only read it as Nameless Cults. Ami rubbed her eyes, wondering how she was able to read a language she had never had any experience in.

She began to skim through the book, which contained information on various cults from around the world along with some truly frightful images of the various cults' deities and rituals. Like the books before, the text and images made her dizzy and caused her head to hurt, but Ami managed to muscle through and continued skimming.

She was about to turn in when she suddenly noticed the words "Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh" in Chapter Thirteen. This sent shivers down Ami's spine; if the illustrations were any indication, their inclusion in this book could prove something sinister. With newfound energy, Ami began to read the passage, which told of how the Brotherhood was formed around the Black Pharaoh, Nephren-Ka, who worshipped the dark god Nyarlathotep and came into possession of an object known as the Shining Trapezohedron which was apparently the home of one of Nyarlathotep's avatars. After securing the Shining Trapezohedron, Nephren-Ka built a temple to house it and allow the avatar to roam free. Afterwards, the temple was used for brutal rituals and was plagued with horrifying phenomenon all of which were connected to Nephren-Ka and his worship. Eventually the Black Pharaoh was overthrown, and while his name and monuments were struck from history, the Pharaoh himself was never found. The belief of the Brotherhood was that Nephren-Ka would return with Nyarlathotep and bring about a new age for mankind.

Ami quickly shut the book as her heart began to race. "Is this the same Brotherhood?" she thought to herself. "Is the man in the cloak Nephren-Ka? And if so does that mean-" Ami suddenly fell to the floor, trembling in fear at the thought that had entered her mind. "No, it can't…it couldn't be…could it?" she thought, trying to deny it, but she couldn't shake the feeling. It was all too insane for her to accept, a pharaoh thousands of years old sending her books seemed unlikely, but with everything she had dealt with throughout her life, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. But why would he be sending her these books? And if he was running the Brotherhood, what goal was he working towards and what did it have to do with her? These questions haunted and terrified Ami until she fell unconscious from the stress.


Ami groaned as she woke, finding her mother standing over her with a worried look on her face. "Ami? Are you alright?" she asked as she knelt next to her and sat her up.

"I'm fine, mom," Ami said as she groaned and rubbed her head.

"Are you sure? I could make an appointment…" her mother offered.

She stood up and shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she reiterated before taking the book and heading to her room, leaving her mother standing there and looking worried. Ami placed the book on her desk before sitting down and rubbing her eyes, trying to remember what happened last night and shuttering once she did.

She reviewed the same thought from before, but then shook as new, more disturbing thought crept into her mind. She had never read the language this new book was in nor had she ever seen it before today. The only thing that had happened between today and yesterday that could explain it was the man in her dream. This thought caused Ami's heart to start racing as the idea of learning a language completely unknown to her through her dream meant that someone or something had invaded her mind and implanted it. Ami curled up and clutched her head, not wanting to believe it, but in her terrified state it seemed like the only logical explanation.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and she jumped. "Ami, your friend is on the phone," her mother's voice said.

"A-Alright, I'm coming," she replied before heading to her door and opening it up. Outside of her room, she found the hallway and her front room were the same strange angles as the empty room in her dream, Ami's heart pounded as she slowly made her way through the hall and towards the phone. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she screamed and closed her eyes before opening them to see it was only her mother and that everything was normal.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ami's mother asked with a very concerned look, but Ami nodded.

"Y-Yes I'm fine," she said before she picked up the phone and found Makoto's voice on the other end.

"Hey Ami, it's Makoto, we're going to go meet up at Usagi's house before we head over to Hikawa Shrine and talk to Rei," she said with a hint of regret in her voice.

"Alright, I'll meet up with you guys once I have some breakfast and organize myself," Ami replied before hanging up.

Ami's mother put her coat on as Ami headed to the kitchen. "I made you some pancakes, and I left the usual dinner in the fridge," she said before heading out. Ami nodded and went into the kitchen, picking up the pancakes and some syrup and sitting at the table near the TV to eat. As she ate, she turned on the news.

"In the news today, construction for the amphitheater in Yoyogi Park is half-way completed with construction going far ahead of schedule. This amphitheater, which is funded by the rapidly growing Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh, has drawn some scorn from those who want the park's natural beauty to be preserved, but the Brotherhood, along with some notable politicians, insist that this is only temporary and that it will be moved once its first show is complete. Construction is said to be completed within the week and that it will be just in time for its first show. The show in question is a lost opera called Massa di Requiem per Shuggay or, as it is translated, Requiem for Shaggai which was found by the Brotherhood and is the reason for the amphitheater's construction. The Brotherhood has specified that they must perform the opera outside and have decided to perform it as a show of good faith to its opponents, although, due to its apparently complex nature, the Brotherhood has stated they can only do one show."

Ami trembled a little as she turned off the TV, wondering what the Brotherhood could possibly be up to with the opera and what significance it had. Quickly, she finished her breakfast and showered before dressing, wanting to get to her friends as fast as possible so that she could inform them about the Brotherhood's activities and their connection to Nephren-Ka. Once dressed, she picked up the black book and put it in her bag before rushing out the door and out of her condo, unaware that she was in fact being watched once more.

It did not take Ami long to arrive at Usagi's house; Makoto, Minako, and Usagi were already waiting outside for her. Usagi and Minako were talking to each other about casual topics while Makoto seemed to be staring off into the distance, looking a little regretful about the argument with Rei. Ami smiled as she arrived. "Hey guys, you ready to go?" she asked, trying to seem cheerful to at least lighten the mood a bit before Usagi and Minako turned to her and smiled a little before nodding.

"I guess…" Makoto responded in a mournful tone.

"Cheer up Makoto; I'm sure Rei feels just as bad for yelling at us." Minako said, putting her arm over Makoto's shoulder.

"You think so?" Makoto replied before giving a smile that only masked her persisting guilt.

"Yep!" Minako said with confidence before they all began making their way to the shrine.

Upon arriving at Hikawa Shrine, they discovered the police interviewing Rei's grandfather and the shrine closed off with part of the sidewalk and the steps leading up to the shrine covered in a greenish-yellow slime. All four of them stood there, stunned at the sight and the feeling of dread looming over them before they quickly rushed over to Rei's grandfather and the police.

"What happened here?" Makoto shouted in a worried tone as both Rei's grandfather and the police officer looked to her, Rei's grandfather showing a very worried expression.

"I'm afraid Rei's gone missing…I arrived and found the main temple's doors smashed open and Rei gone…" he said as the officer nodded.

"Did you see who or what did it?" Minako asked while the others caught up to Makoto.

Rei's grandfather shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I was away from the shrine at the time, so I didn't see or hear anything," he said as he looked down.

"We suspect it might've been a youma attack, but we aren't entirely sure. Our first priority is to find your friend," the officer told them while they stood there and looked over the scene sorrowfully.

While gazing at the scene, Ami in particular felt rather uneasy about it. Everyone else was fearful that Rei might be hurt or worse, but besides that, Ami couldn't help but feel someone was watching them and the scene from afar with some alien sense of self-admiration. Ami started looking around at the buildings nearby and saw what she thought was a crustacean-like figure atop one of them causing a chill to run down her spine. She rubbed her eyes to make sure it was real, but when she looked again there were two. She looked to another building and saw another and when she looked back at the previous building, there were three. The more she looked around, the more she saw all perched atop the buildings, watching the shrine but also watching her like vultures waiting for a wounded animal to die. Ami's heart throbbed in her chest and her body shook as she saw all the Mi-Go staring at her waiting to strike. She closed her eyes and clutched her head; she could feel a scream building

"Ami, are you ok?" Minako asked as she noticed Ami's plight, and when Ami opened her eyes, she saw that all the Mi-Go were gone.

Ami nodded. "Y-Yeah I'm fine" she replied, not wanting to trouble her already worried friends.

"Are you sure? You look pale…" Minako said, looking just as worried as Ami's mother.

Ami looked at her hands and saw that she was indeed pale, so she faked a few hacking coughs. "I…no. I think I might have a cold or flu or something," she said while faking another few coughs.

"Do you want to go home and rest?" Minako offered, but Ami shook her head.

"No, I'm fine for now," she said. Minako still looked worried, but also slightly relieved.

After giving their information on Rei and where and how to contact them, they headed off to the university to find Setsuna, hoping to find some answers. On their way, Ami spoke up. "Hey guys, there's something I need to tell you about the Brotherhood…" she said before everyone stopped and looked at her with interest and worry. Ami took out the black book and flipped to the page about the Brotherhood as everyone gathered around her. "You see, I found this book that says the Brotherhood worships Nephren-Ka, a pharaoh who committed such atrocities in the name of his dark god, Nyarlathotep, that he was struck from history. He vanished mysteriously after his fall from power and I think he might be the cult leader…" she explained while everyone else listened intently. Though they seemed confused by the language of the book, they assumed Ami already knew how to read it.

Makoto nodded. "I see, so you think that the cult leader is Nephren-Ka who's come back to worship his dark god who probably gave him the immortality he needed to live this long?" she asked, Ami nodding. "Where did you find this book?" Minako asked "I…found it in a box in an alleyway," Ami lied, despite the fact she'd normally never lie to her friends, but a mysterious feeling within her made her feel as if she shouldn't or couldn't tell them who she suspected was sending her the books.

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Usagi asked as everyone looked at Ami with slight suspicion.

"Well, I wanted to wait until we apologized and made up with Rei, but now since we can't…" Ami trailed off and looked down along with everyone else.

They stared at the ground for several seconds until Makoto looked up. "Come on everyone, we can't stand around and mourn any longer, we need to take action! We need to go find Setsuna and then find out where Rei is, then we can use our powers to take down Nephren-Ka and his dark god!" she proclaimed with confidence as everyone looked up and agreed, Makoto's words breathing confidence into them as they ran off to the university.


"I'm sorry. I'm not finding a Setsuna Meioh in our database," the secretary said to the four girls whose expressions were slowly turning melancholy.

"Are you sure? She's been enrolled here for at least two years," Minako said with concern, the others sharing her sinking feeling.

The secretary shook her head as she searched through the database and records again. "Sorry, it seems there has never been a Setsuna Meioh, here or anywhere," she said, the words sending a chill of fear and despair down their spines.

Ami nodded sorrowfully. "Alright, thank you for your time," she said before they left, trying to process what they just heard.

It took them at least three hours before they arrived back at Usagi's house and sat down in her room once more, the words of the secretary still rattling around in their minds as they tried to understand what was going on. "How…can this be? First Chibiusa, then Rei and now Setsuna…what's going on?" Usagi asked, tears starting to stream down her eyes face while everyone barely managed to hold back their own tears. They were all sad and confused; feeling helpless in the face of whatever had stolen their friends away. They sat there for ten minutes while Minako comforted Usagi. Eventually, someone spoke up.

"We have to find Rei," Makoto said in a very serious tone.

"But…we don't know where she could be…" Usagi replied through her tears before Makoto slammed her fist against the wall.

"That doesn't matter; we still have to find her! We need to save her from whatever's taken her! We need to do everything we can to find her!" she shouted while tears streamed down from her eyes.

Ami looked up "Makoto…" she trailed off as she was interrupted.

"No! I don't want to hear any pessimism, we are finding Rei!" Makoto shouted.

Everyone nodded, but noticed it was getting late. "H-How about we look tomorrow after school?" Minako suggested, Makoto and the others nodding in agreement as Makoto seemed to calm down. Eventually, everyone went their separate ways and went home.


Ami walked home as the sun set behind her, night rapidly approaching while her heart began to pick up in pace and her mind continued to think about what had happened today. Chibiusa and Setsuna's disappearance along with Rei's apparent kidnapping were happening in too short of a time to be coincidence; more than likely, someone was pulling the strings. These thoughts bounced around in Ami's mind as the sky began to darken. She suddenly stopped when she heard what sounded like several footsteps somewhere nearby, she couldn't quite pin where they were coming from and she felt as if something was gazing at her with alien intent just like the last few times. Before she even had time to think, Ami was already running as fast as her legs would carry her while her heart pounded in her chest. She could barely hear the footsteps in the distance over the sound of her own feet hitting the ground and her heart throbbing. Ami didn't know how long she had been running, but by the time she reached the entrance of her condo, she was exhausted. She took one brief look back and saw a tall crustacean-like figure in the distance which caused her to scream and run inside.

Ami panted once she made her way into her home and into her room. She threw the black book onto her bed and lay down, gaining back her energy as adrenaline still flowed through her veins. Once her strength returned, she got up and shut her curtains before locking her room's door, fearing that whatever followed her outside might've followed her in. She then sat down and began reading Unaussprechlichen Kulten, hoping it would give her a bit more insight as to what might be happening.

The book was a chronicle of von Junzt's journey and research into various cults across the globe and the gods they worshipped. Some of note were the various colonies of Deep Ones- fish-like people who worshipped Cthulhu and were ruled by the largest of their kin, Mother Hydra and Father Dagon. The Deep Ones, it seemed, made regular human sacrifices to Dagon and would trade food and gold with humans in turn for allowing them to interbreed. The description of this not only brought on the usual headaches and dizziness, but also sickened Ami with the thought of ever having to breed with such a hideous creature. Another cult of note were the cannibalistic Tcho-Tcho people who used to live in southeast Asia but later migrated to Tibet, they were (or possibly are still) devout worshippers of the Great Old Ones and were created when humans interbred with the Miri Nigri who were servants of the Elephant God, Chaugnar Faugn.

In the last few chapters, Ami read more of the history of Ancient Earth as gathered together by von Junzt. Besides what she already learned in the Pnakotic Manuscripts,she learned that long ago there was some conflict between the Great Old Ones and some other entity or party that von Junzt was unable to figure out and, afterwards, the Great Old Ones were sealed away. Some were imprisoned beneath the Earth's waves or its crust, such as Cthulhu in the sunken city of R'lyeh, or Ghatanothoa, who was trapped within Mount Yaddith-Gho on the lost continent of Mu. Others were exiled outside of time and space such as Yog-Sothoth, the All-in-One, and Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young.

This new information both fascinated and terrified Ami; to know that such horrible beings were here on Earth and whose power dwarfed most of her previous adversaries was almost too frightful to think about. As she read on, another chill ran down her spine when she saw the name Azathoth once more. Upon quickly reading it, all she managed to get were vague guesses as to what he was, but from what von Junzt could tell, Azathoth lies at the center of the Universe which is known as the Center of Ultimate Chaos, where his servants dance around his court while others beat drums and pipe monotonous tunes. Ami slammed the book shut and shook violently; it was almost a perfect description of her first two dreams, which meant that she was face-to-face with the Daemon Sultan himself and he wanted something.

Ami sat there for at least two hours, her body still wracked with fright as she processed the information and the possibilities it held. She thought about how the cult was worshipping the Great Old Ones, or at the very least Azathoth, and must want to release them. But how would they accomplish this? How were they connected with the Mi-Go? And what did this have to do with Rei, Chibiusa, and Setsuna? The answers within the book had only raised further questions that haunted her until she went to bed.


Ami found herself in the strangely angulated room once more and turned to see the Faceless Man once more. Her heart raced and her body shook as she turned to run away, only to be confronted with him. She gasped and turned in another direction, only to face him again. "Wh-Who are you?" she asked, her voice filled with fear.

"I am the World's Savior, the Will of the Outer Gods, the Crawling Chaos," the legion-esque voice replied in an almost triumphant tone before raising its hand, which was surrounded by the spinning, glowing symbols again. Ami backed away a little, but simply fell and closed her eyes before it touched her forehead and she screamed before everything flashed white.

Ami shook as her eyes shot open, her heart racing as she sat up in her bed and held herself while wondering when these nightmares would end. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:44 AM before she stood up and walked out of her room, hearing something hit her front door again. She then walked up to the door and was about to turn the handle when she stopped herself. She knew it was another book from Nephren-Ka and that they must be doing something to deteriorate her mind. She wanted to turn away and leave it there, but something inside her- whether it was curiosity or something else- compelled her to want to open the door and read its contents in order to gain more of its forbidden knowledge. It didn't take long for this side to win out as she opened the door and took in the box.

Sitting at the table and turning on the light, she quickly set the heavy box on the table and opened it, revealing the large brown tome within. Upon taking it out and examining it closely, she saw that it was much older than Unaussprechlichen Kulten and twice as thick, almost thicker than a dictionary and a phonebook combined. The imprinted title of the book was The Book of Eibon and, once she opened and skimmed it a little, she saw that she could also read this one easily, but then shivered as she closed it and read the title again which was actually Libor Ivonis and when she went back to skim again, she realized the book was in a strange language that looked like English but was something else entirely.

Ami took a deep breath and decided to read the introduction before going back to bed. The introduction was written by a man named Cryon of Varaad, the apprentice of a legendary wizard known as Eibon of Mhu-Thulan, whom the book was written by and whose life story, among other things, are was chronicled within it with the book itself being a collection of Eibon's notes, diaries and correspondence. Eibon and Cryon seem to come from a place known as Hyperborea, which Ami recalled never hearing of, and lived in Eibon's large tower which he used to observe Hyperborea and perform his magic. The book itself contained many spells that Eibon used and information and rites to various gods, particularly Eibon's patron deity, Zhothaqquah.

Ami sat back and pondered for a moment, a chill running down her spine while her heart beat with excitement. If the introduction was to be believed, this book contained all manner of spells from a very powerful wizard which she herself could potentially use. And yet she feared what the book might bring; she was afraid that the spells may harm her or her friends or worse yet, drive her over the edge. Ami shut the book and carried it to her room, setting it on her desk before going to bed and drifting off to sleep with her mind in a confused state of excitement and fear.


Ami woke up the next day feeling better than the past few nights; she thought she might be getting used to the nightly disturbances. She washed up, got dressed and made herself breakfast before she turned on the news. The news was mostly normal stuff this time, weather, traffic, etc. Apparently the strange sightings had died down a little and the police were still searching for Rei, which depressed Ami a little, but hoped that maybe they'd be able to find her. She finished her breakfast and went to school, not taking her new book with her this time as she found that it would be too heavy to carry.

At school, Ami met up with her friends, who seemed a little less depressed than when she last saw them, but were still very worried about Rei's whereabouts. The bell rang and Ami went about her day as normal until she was called down to the office along with the rest of her friends. Her classmates looked to her as she got up and left, a little scared that they might have done something bad that they had forgotten about. Once there, she found her friends sitting and waiting outside the office. "Do you guys know why we're here?" Ami asked with the same concern that was visible on her friends' faces. Usagi shook her head while Ami took a seat next to them. They sat silently, all of them deep in thought as to why they could be down here, but eventually the silence was broken when Ami was called back to the office.

Once inside the office, Ami was led to the meeting room where a police officer stood next to a detective who was sitting at the table. Ami's heart started to pound in her chest as the presence of the officer only increased her anxiety while she took a seat opposite the detective. The detective was a tall, slightly pudgy man with some sparse facial hair and wearing a nice suit, while the officer seemed a little on the young side and wearing the standard uniform.

"Wh-Why am I here?" Ami asked nervously as the detective looked at her with the eyes of a man who was about deliver some terrible news.

"We found your friend, Rei Hino, early this morning... She's dead," he said in a melancholy tone, Ami's eyes widening as she almost felt her heart stop at that moment.

She covered her face with her hands and started crying; one of her best friends was gone and she died hating them. The detective sat there in silence while the officer gave her some tissues which she used to dry her tears.

After nearly two minutes of crying, the detective spoke up. "I know this must be very hard for you, but we'd like to ask you a few questions…" he said as Ami looked down.

"How?" she asked in a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Excuse me?" the detective asked before Ami looked up.

"How did she die?" she asked, her legs trembling.

The detective cleared his throat. "Well, you see, we found her body in an alleyway several yards from the shrine, she was covered in the same slime as the stuff that covered the shrine and her head was…missing" he said awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with describing it.

"Missing? What do you mean?" Ami asked as she felt herself choking up and bringing on another crying session.

"It was…torn off and we couldn't find it anywhere," the detective said, causing Ami to burst into tears once again.

After another few minutes of crying, the detective cleared his throat again. "I am deeply sorry for your loss, but I need to ask you if can help us find any leads on who or what killed your friend," he said as Ami sniffled and nodded.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"Did Rei have any enemies? Anyone who might want to hurt her? Have you seen any youma lately?" the detective fired off while Ami thought for a moment.

She shook her head. "No, most people liked Rei, and I haven't heard or seen any youma or anything relating to them…" Ami gasped. "But she did protest the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. Do you think they might've killed her in order to silence her?" Ami asked, but as soon as she did both the detective and the officer's eyes became hollow and distant.

"No. There. Is. No. Way. The. Brotherhood. Of. The. Black. Pharaoh. Could. Be. Involved. In. This. Case," the detective said in a monotone voice, almost like he was reading from a script.

Ami's eyes widened as she gasped and moved back in her chair, her heart pounding in her chest as she saw the men's minds temporarily lose control before returning, the detective looking confused.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, but Ami shook her head.

"No…nothing," she said before sitting up.

"Well, can you give us anything else to go on?" he asked, but Ami shook her head again and the detective dismissed her. Ami returned and sat next to her friends, staying very quiet as her friends were called back.

After at least an hour of interviews, they regrouped and looked at each other with the same scared and confused look before heading back to class. The eventually met up after school where they all looked at each other silently, wondering who was going to break the tension. Makoto did so by slamming her fist against the wall.

"Goddamn them!" she shouted as tears started to form over her eyes. They all looked to her.

"Who are you talking about?" Minako asked in a mousey voice, though she already knew the answer.

"That cult! The Brotherhood! They're the ones behind Rei's death! They murdered her because they knew she was right! They have to pay for what they did! We have to destroy them!" Makoto exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks as everyone else nodded.

"What should we do?" Usagi asked before Makoto looked to her.

"Transform," she said plainly.


After school, they made their way to the church where the Brotherhood was hiding. They used their powers to transform into their Senshi forms in an alley near the church before they ran up to the front doors and kicked them open, Makoto leading the charge.

"Alright you bastards whe-" she was about to shout but the church was empty. They all started looking around.

"Where is everyone?" Minako asked.

"I don't know…" Ami said before seeing a door behind the podium and stage. "Hey guys, I found a door," Ami called to the others as they gathered around and slowly opened it. Inside was a torch-lit stairway which seemed to lead down into a cavernous cell. They could all hear faint whispering echoing from its depths. They all visibly shook at the eerie noise, but Makoto continued forward while the others followed, her determination outweighing her fear.

Slowly, they descended the dimly lit stairs, every cautious step leading them closer to the whispering, which grew louder and louder. Soon they reached the bottom of the steps where they found a large wooden door, which opened to reveal a long hall lit by candles and torches. Down the hall were rows of people in black robes all sitting next to each other on stools and reading books which were placed on slabs carved into the rocky faces of the walls.

Makoto looked around at the robed people, her mind filled with fury and a lust for vengeance, almost wanting to strike out at these people but she knew they weren't the true culprit. "Where is your leader?" she shouted as they marched down the halls, but none responded; the robed people simply ignored them and kept reading to themselves in strange tongues. They looked to each other in confusion before one of the robed people screamed and stood up, causing them to jump as he ran up to a wall and started bashing his head against it. Before they could act, however, he had already caved his skull in and dropped. Usagi screamed at the sight as the girls trembled; the robed people didn't seem to notice or care that the man had just killed himself.

Suddenly Ami screamed too as the others looked to see a strange winged crustacean-like creature emerge from a crevice in the ceiling and jump down, claiming the corpse before staring at Ami for a few seconds and flying back into the crevice.

"What was that?" Usagi asked, everyone standing still as their minds tried to process what they had just seen.

"I-I think it was…a Mi-Go," Ami said while everyone looked to her.

"A what?" Makoto asked, but before Ami could answer they heard a familiar voice.

"So, we meet again," the suave voice said.

They turned to see the Black Man standing before them, all the robed people turning and kneeling before him. His presence was strong, almost as if the fact he was near them was enough to compel them to bow before him. Due to their Senshi powers though, they were able to resist.

"You! You killed Rei didn't you? You knew she was telling the truth so you had her killed! Admit it!" Makoto shouted as she pointed at him.

The Black Man smiled as he drew back his hood, revealing that he looked like a bald African man with skin darker than the night sky. "Yes, I admit it, I killed your friend using a shoggoth and I enjoyed every moment of it," he said in a smug matter-of-fact tone.

Makoto screamed in rage "You…you….bastard!" she shouted as she attacked, the antenna on her tiara extended and a disc of pure electrical energy formed in her hand. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she shouted before throwing it at the Black Man.

The Black Man simply raised his hand, the disc of energy stopping as it hit before shrinking until it disappeared into nothing. The Senshi stood there, their eyes wide with shock as they watch Makoto's attack do nothing to him, his hands weren't even burned. The Black Man raised his hand. "My turn," he said before snapping his fingers. The Senshi then felt a tremendous pain in their chests as they fell to the ground, clutching the center of their chests while groaning and screaming. The Black Man drew closer as he laughed, his voice now having the air of something wrong, something that should not exist.

"What…did you…do to us?" Makoto asked, still recovering from the sudden pain.

"Simple, I just gave you a minor heart attack. Nothing lethal, but you won't have much strength for a bit," he explained.

Makoto growled but couldn't yet draw the strength she needed to punch him. The others were also still recovering, but at the same time they were shocked at his power.

"Who…are you? You're Nephren-Ka…right?" Ami asked weakly as the Black Man shook his head.

"Not exactly. While this body was once Nephren-Ka, after his fall I gave him my ultimate gift. I made him my avatar," he said, Ami looking astonished.

"Then who...are you?" she asked.

The Black Man chuckled again. "I am Nyarlathotep, The Crawling Chaos," he stated, the robed people cheering, "I'a! I'a Nyarlathotep!" as the Senshi looked up in dismay.

"The Crawling…Chaos?" Ami asked as her heart throbbed in her chest and her body shook, though her friends didn't notice her clutch her head, all their attention was drawn to Nyarlathotep.

"What are you doing here?" Minako asked, their strength beginning to return but it was still not enough to fight him now.

"I am here to kill you and summon my master, Azathoth, so that he and the other Great Old Ones may reclaim their domain here on Earth," he said.

Makoto gritted her teeth. "So why don't you kill us now? And why kill us anyway if you have all this power, or just carry out your plans without our knowledge?" she asked before Nyarlathotep kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall to lie on the ground.

He put his foot on her head. "Because that would be too easy. I don't just want to kill you like that, I want to watch you suffer as slowly and painfully as possible before I give you the sweet release of death." He moved his foot side-to-side against Makoto's face. "As for why you, it's because you give people hope. When Azathoth comes and frees everyone, I don't want people to look to up to see you heroically go into battle. No, I want to see them look down in despair as their guardians fail to protect them and doom them to their fate," he said, his voice shifting more and more towards an unearthly sound.

"Azathoth? Set everyone free? What do you mean?" Usagi asked as he grinned evilly.

"Azathoth will set everyone free, body and mind. Humanity will be as it once was, wild and free. Their minds will give way to madness and set them beyond good and evil. Meanwhile, their bodies shall be granted tremendous power so as to liberate them from the constraints and laws of civilization. Eventually, everyone will kill each other and experience the total freedom that is oblivion," he said before turning and heading into a door which apparently led into his chambers.

Once inside, Makoto immediately bolted towards him with the others following right behind her. Their newfound energy came from a combination of adrenaline and a sense that they had to stop him, although Makoto was the only one able to get in before the door slammed shut. The others pounded on the door, but it was too sturdy as they listened in.

"I will defeat you," they heard Makoto say as Nyarlathotep laughed.

"Is that so? Well let's see if you can even handle a glimpse of my true form," he said before there was a tense pause and a sudden piercing shriek from Makoto.

Usagi, Minako, and Ami quickly began beating on the door with all their strength until it opened. They ran in, only to find Nyarlathotep gone and Makoto curled up shaking on the floor, her face incredibly pale and her eyes filled with unimaginable terror.


That night, after the incident, Ami, Minako, and Usagi carried Makoto to her apartment and put her to bed. She was unresponsive, but they thought that maybe she just needed to rest. The next day, Makoto did not come to school and she did not respond to any phone calls. After school they decided to investigate Makoto's condition. Upon arriving at the apartment building, the landlord, who was a tall and rather thin man, stopped them.

"You're Makoto's friends, right?" he asked in a tone that sounded concerned while also slightly annoyed

"Yes, why?" Usagi asked.

The landlord sighed. "Well, last night I got a few noise complaints from her neighbors, saying they could hear screaming coming from her apartment, and when the police and I checked it out, we found her screaming and flailing about in her bed. We tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't respond. Finally, when she stopped, we called a doctor and he said she was apparently having night terrors," he explained.

"Night terrors? But she's never had night terrors before..." Minako said as the landlord nodded.

"Well she does now, and we don't know how to stop it. I'll let you into her apartment and see if you can talk her out of it, but if you can't, I'm transferring her to a clinic," he said as they nodded and followed him up to Makoto's apartment.

Once they reached her apartment and he opened the door, they entered to find that her apartment seemed almost untouched since last night almost as if no one was even living in it. They carefully walked through her small apartment and found Makoto lying in her bed where they had left her.

"Makoto?" Usagi asked as they approached her; Makoto's face was still white as a sheet and her eyes were wide with a thousand-yard-stare. Usagi started to tear up along with Minako and Ami. "Makoto, say something" Usagi said as she got closer but Makoto was completely motionless and unresponsive. Usagi grabbed her by the shoulders. "Say something, Makoto! Say something! Anything!" Usagi cried as she shook Makoto, her tears falling onto Makoto's chest while she impotently shook the broken shell before her. Ami and Minako forced Usagi to let go, tears streaming from their eyes as well, as they pulled her back while she struggled. "Let me go! I have to wake her up!" she shouted while she squirmed.

Suddenly, Makoto sat up in her bed. "Makoto?" Usagi asked as she stopped struggling. The others watched as Makoto got out of her bed and headed to the window, opening it. "Makoto!" Usagi shouted as she, along with Ami and Minako, ran up and tried to bring Makoto back in while she tried to make her way out the window.

"I'll call the hospital!" the landlord called as he ran off while they managed to pull Makoto back in, Ami quickly closing and locking the window. Makoto began to scream and flail about like a child while her friends tearfully held her down. They cried as they held her down, memories flooding back of their once proud friend who was confident that they would beat the odds, now reduced to this; a husk who wanted nothing to do with living. It was at least half an hour before the paramedics arrived and lifted Makoto onto a stretcher before wheeling her off, leaving her friends alone in her room.

They sat there, crying and comforting each other as they wondered how or why this happened and what happened that night in the church. "What do we do? How can we stop him?" Minako asked as she cried, Usagi shaking her head.

"I don't know…I just…don't know…" she replied.

"Why don't we go home and…discuss it tomorrow?" Ami suggested as the other two looked to each other and nodded.

"Ok, I'll call you tonight Usagi," Minako said while Usagi nodded and they left. On their way out of the building, Ami looked up at the sky and noticed the gloomy grey clouds starting to form.

Once she got home, Ami sat on her bed with a box of tissues and cried, mourning the fate of her friend. As she sat there, she noticed the big brown book, Libor Ivonis, sitting on her desk, untouched. She had not dared touch it since the incident at the church and lately she had been having dreamless nights. But now that she saw it again, she felt a compulsion to read, yet at the same time resisted because she knew whatever was inside was probably going to drive her to the same madness that caused the man in the church to kill himself. Ami stood up and walked up to her desk before lifting the book and putting it in her closet, then shut the door on it and curled up on her bed.


A terrible thunderstorm ripped forcefully through the town that night. Minako was home alone with Artemis, her parents being stuck at work because of the storm. She was downstairs in the kitchen, on the phone with Usagi as the thunder and rain raged outside. "Yeah, maybe we should visit her tomorrow…" she said, still a little teary-eyed from crying. She jumped and screamed as a sudden, bright flash of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder caused the power to go out and the phone to go dead.

Minako sighed. "Great," she muttered as she got an old flashlight and turned it on. She began hearing some odd, faint noises coming from upstairs and went to investigate.

As she ascended the stairs, she heard what sounded like a cat struggling. "Artemis? Artemis, are you ok?" she asked, when suddenly the door to her room flung open and the broken, beaten corpse of Artemis was thrown out against the wall. "Artemis!" she shouted as she ran up to him. She shook his body. "Artemis! Artemis!" she shouted hysterically, but he would not respond. She heard a noise in her room and turned the flashlight towards it, where she saw a tall, bloated, bat-like creature with a single burning three-lobed eye and several tendrils. At that moment she screamed and her flashlight died.

"No!" she shouted as she turned and ran in the direction she thought the stairs were, remembering that she had left her wand on the counter. But as she ran, the creature flew after her with unnatural speed and caught her in little time. Minako screamed as she fell to the ground, her limbs restrained by its tendrils while the monster dragged her back to her room. She clawed at the ground while she was slowly dragged inside. She caught herself on the doorframe. "Somebody help me!" she cried before she was dragged into the darkness and her door slammed shut.

Is the world worth your sanity? Can the Senshi take this risk? Mercury takes on Mythos.

Disclaimer: The story is my only original idea, all characters belong to their respective owners and copyright holders and is not in anyway meant to be used for profit.
© 2013 - 2024 Scaley-Randy
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angeluchiha7's avatar
awesome story is there a 4?