Echoes of the Void (Ep4) - "Artifacts, Part 2" A Supernatural Love Story Continued - Ghost - Scary Stories

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Caloroga Shark Media.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Hello and welcome to Echoes of the Void, Episode four, Artifacts,
Part two.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
I feel exposed, vulnerable, these intimate moments displayed for Novak's observation.
But I can't seem to stop the flow of memories,
can't close the channel that has opened. Yes, Novak says again,
his voice lower, almost reverent. The resonance between you is phenomenal,

(00:50):
a perfect harmonic alignment of consciousness, so rare. The memories shift,
moving to my confrontations with the entity, the darkness pressing
against our connection, the whispers designed to create doubt, the
false images it tried to force into my mind. I relive,

(01:13):
the fear, the determination to resist its influence. And then
something unexpected, a memory I don't recognize, A room I've
never seen, with symbols drawn on the floor, a man
who resembles Novak, but younger, standing before an altar. Alexander
there too, looking wary, suspicious. I don't know what you

(01:36):
expect to find in my family's grimoires, Sullivan, Alexander says,
in this strange not memory, I've told you the key
to binding the entity isn't there, Sullivan. The man isn't
Novak but Sullivan, Alexander's colleague, his betrayer. Yet the resemblance

(01:57):
is uncanny, impossible to dismiss. The memory shifts again, becoming
something darker. Sullivan Novak standing over Alexander's body, the ceremonial
knife in his hand, blood spreading across Alexander's chest, the
entity swirling around them, both a darkness with burning eyes.

(02:21):
It's done, Sullivan says to the entity. Now, fulfill your
part of our bargain, immortality, knowledge beyond human limitation. The
entity's laughter fills the memory space, cruel and ancient, Poor human,
Did you think I would be bound by promises? You

(02:43):
are mine now as he was meant to be. The
darkness engulfs Sullivan, entering him through every orifice, every pore.
His scream cuts off abruptly as his eyes turn black,
then burn with the same fire as the entities. This
isn't my memory. It can't be. I wasn't there when

(03:03):
Alexander died, when Sullivan was possessed. Yet I'm experiencing it
as if I were, as if someone is feeding these
images directly into my consciousness. Elise Alexander's voice breaks through
the false memory. It's not real. He's implanting these visions.
Break the connection with tremendous effort. I force my eyes open.

(03:30):
The room spins around me, the candles leaving trails of
light across my vision. Across the table, Novak watches me intently,
the small crystal pendant in his hand glowing with an
inner light. Who are you? I demand my voice, Horse,
You're not Dragomeir Novak. His smile doesn't waver. I am now,

(03:53):
have been for many decades. The original Dragomea was a
convenient identity to assume after my own became complicated. Understanding
crashes through me. Sullivan, you're James Sullivan? What remains of him?
He sets the pendant down carefully, though Sullivan is as

(04:14):
much as simplification as Novak. Names mean little after a
century of existence. I push back from the table, my
hand closing around the anchor crystal in my pocket. How
is this possible? You died? Margaret found records of your
body washing up on the shore months after Alexander's death.

(04:38):
A body washed up, he corrects, wearing my clothes, carrying
my identification. The entity required a vessel, and I required
a disappearance. His dark eyes gleam with something that isn't
entirely human. We've had a mutually benefici arrangement ever since.

(05:02):
Fear coils in my stomach. I'm alone in a strange city,
in the home of the man who murdered Alexander, who
is apparently possessed by some aspect of the same entity
that's bound with Alexander in the void. But that doesn't
make sense. The entity is bound with Alexander, I've encountered

(05:24):
it in the void. How can it also be here
with you? Sullivan Novak picks up the Midnight Crystal from
where I've set it on the table. What you've encountered
is the primary fragment. Yes, bound by Alexander's ritual, though
not as completely as he intended. He holds the crystal

(05:45):
up to the candlelight. But entities from the void are
not singular consciousnesses as you understand them. They can extend
portions of themselves like tendrils across dimensional boundaries. Inhabits. Me
is connected to what's bound with Alexander, but distinct, a

(06:06):
splinter of the greater fragment. My mind races trying to
process this revelation. You're the human ally, the one helping
the entity fight against our attempts to free Alexander. I
prefer to think of myself as an independent agent with
aligned interests. He sets the crystal back down. The entity

(06:31):
wishes to remain unbound. I wish to continue my extended
existence and my studies of dimensional phenomena. To achieve both,
Alexander must remain in the void. Why show yourself to me?

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Now?

Speaker 1 (06:47):
Why reveal who you are? Sullivan's smile widens. Because you
needed the stabilizer crystal, and I needed access to your
memories of the void. A fair exchange, He pushes the
crystal toward me. And because knowing who I am doesn't
change your situation, you still need what I possess. I

(07:11):
stare at the Midnight Crystal, now understanding why it responded
to my touch. If it's connected to Sullivan, to his
splinter of the entity, it would recognize me through my
connection to Alexander and the primary fragment. Is it even real?

Speaker 2 (07:28):
I ask?

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Does it do what you claimed? Oh? Yes, the stabilizer
is genuine, as are its protective properties. Sullivan leans back
in his chair. I have no interest in your destruction, Eleise.
Quite the opposite. I find your resonance with Alexander fascinating
a phenomenon I've sought to understand for decades. Then why

(07:52):
fight against freeing him? Because the full triangulation won't just
free Alexander, it will release the primary fragment as well.
His expression turns serious. The binding is imperfect but stable.
Disrupt it, and both consciousnesses currently trapped in the void
may escape Alexander to your world. Yes, but the entity

(08:18):
to mine reuniting with the splinter that inhabits me, and
that would be bad for you. Catastrophic. Sullivan touches the
pendant at his neck. This splinter and I have reached
an accommodation over the decades. I retain my autonomy, my identity,

(08:40):
in exchange for the extended lifespan and knowledge the splinter provides.
If the primary fragment were to reunite with this splinter,
he shakes his head, I would be consumed entirely, and
the fully reformed fragment would be powerful enough to breach
dimensional boundaries at will. I try to process what he's saying.

(09:02):
So you're helping the entity fight me, to protect yourself,
to protect us all. Sullivan stands, moving to a bookshelf
where he selects an ancient looking volume. A fully reformed
void fragment with access to multiple dimensions would be a
catastrophe beyond imagining. He turns back to me. That's why

(09:25):
I gave you the stabilizer, not just to protect your
consciousness during triangulation, but to give you the means to
capture the primary fragment separately. When you free Alexander to
prevent reunification. I stare at him, trying to determine if
there's any truth in what he's saying, or if this

(09:47):
is another manipulation. Why would you help me do that?
If I succeed, you'd still have the splinter inside you,
but not the primary fragment, because the alternative is worse.
Sullivan opens the book, turning it to show me an
illustration of what appears to be a cosmic disaster. Dimensions

(10:09):
collapsing realities bleeding into each other. This is what happens
when void fragments reunite. The resulting entity becomes powerful enough
to begin the process of dimensional collapse, returning all realities
to the primordial void from which they emerged. And you

(10:30):
think I can prevent this by using the stabilizer to
capture the primary fragments separately. Sullivan nods, it's designed for
exactly that purpose. The original check alchemists created it to
trap and study void energies safely. He closes the book.

(10:50):
I believe you can free Alexander without releasing the entity,
but it will require perfect timing, perfect focus. I touched
the anchor crystal in my pocket, seeking that distant connection
to Alexander, needing his guidance. But the connection feels muted,
now interfered with by whatever Sullivan did during the ritual.

(11:15):
I don't trust you, I say, Finally, I would be
concerned if you did. Sullivan picks up the Midnight crystal,
holding it out to me once more. But consider this,
I've had a century to study the void, to understand
these entities. I've maintained my bargain with this splinter while

(11:35):
containing its influence. That requires knowledge you need. Reluctantly, I
take the crystal. How exactly do I use this to
trap the primary fragment? When you perform the triangulation, hold

(11:57):
the stabilizer in your left hand the anchor crystal in
your right as the bridge between world's forms. Focus your
intention on separating the two consciousnesses bound together in the void.
The stabilizer will naturally attract void energy. It will draw
the entity into itself, while allowing Alexander's consciousness to follow

(12:21):
your own back across the bridge. It sounds too simple,
too convenient, but I have nothing else to go on,
no other protection against what the entity might do during triangulation.
And if I succeed, what then Sullivan's dark eyes hold mine?

(12:44):
Return here with the stabilizer containing the fragment. Together, we
can ensure it remains safely contained, unable to reunite with
the splinter I harbor, or I could destroy it, end
this permanently, he laughs softly. Void fragments cannot be destroyed
by any means available to humans. They can only be bound, contained, redirected.

(13:09):
Trust me, I've spent a century investigating every possibility. I
slip the Midnight Crystal into my pocket, keeping it separate
from the anchor crystal. I'll consider what you've told me,
but I make no promises about returning here. Of course,
he gestures toward the door. You're free to leave. Take

(13:33):
the stabilizer with my blessing. Whether you believe my motivations
or not, we both want Alexander freed without the entity. Escaping.
Our interests are lined that far, at least. As I
move toward the door, a thought occurs to me. The
night of the break in at Blackwood Estate, the intruder

(13:53):
with the ceremonial knife, was that your doing? Sullivan's expression
reveals nothing. I have associates who share my concerns about
dimensional stability. They may have acted over zealously in attempting
to secure the knife, an unfortunate miscalculation. They tried to

(14:14):
kill me. They tried to prevent the triangulation by removing
one of the required anchors. Your death was never the objective,
he shrugged slightly. Though I understand why you might be
skeptical of that claim. I reached the door, eager now
to be away from this place, from this man who

(14:35):
murdered Alexander and has spent a century sharing consciousness with
a splinter of the entity. One last thing, I say,
my hand on the doorknob, the portrait of Alexander. Why
do you keep it? Something passes across Sullivan's face, an
emotion I can't quite identify. Regret, longing reminder, he says, Finally,

(15:02):
of choices made, paths not taken. He meets my gaze
despite what you may think, Elise, I cared for Alexander.
We were colleagues, friends before the entity came between us.
What happened that night, he looks away. The entity's influence
was stronger than I anticipated. By the time I realized

(15:25):
what I'd done, it was too late. I don't know
if I believe him, if any trace of the original
James Sullivan remains in this hybrid consciousness that calls itself Novak.
But I recognize the look in his eyes when he
speaks of Alexander, a complex mix of admiration, jealousy, and

(15:46):
something deeper. Goodbye, mister Sullivan, I say, deliberately, using his
original name. I doubt we'll meet again. His smile is
knowing we will. When you return with the stabilizer, as
you promised, I promise to consider it. Nothing more. We

(16:08):
shall see. I leave without another word, stepping back into
the narrow alley, the heavy door closing behind me with
a sound of finality. Snow has begun to fall again,
soft flakes drifting down from a darkening sky. I hurry
back toward the old town square, pulling my coat tighter

(16:30):
against the cold. As I walk, I try repeatedly to
reach Alexander through our connection, focusing on the anchor crystal
on the key around my neck, but the link remains muted, distant,
as if Sullivan's ritual has temporarily dampened our resonance. In

(16:51):
my hotel room, overlooking the Vltava River, I call Margaret, immediately,
relaying everything that happened with Sullivan Novak. Her silence as
I speak tells me how serious the situation is. This
changes everything, she says when I finish. If Sullivan has
been working with a splinter of the entity all this time,

(17:13):
if he's the one behind the attempts to stop us,
do you think he was telling the truth about the
risk of dimensional collapse? If the fragments reunite, Margaret sighs heavily.
It's consistent with certain theories about void entities. The ancient
text mentions a great sundering that scattered the original consciousness

(17:36):
across multiple dimensions. I hear pages turning on her end
of the line, and the stabilizer crystal is real. My
grandmother's journals mention them created by Czech alchemists who called
themselves the Order of the Cosmic Key. So Sullivan might

(17:57):
actually be helping us helping himself more likely, but his
information about using the stabilizer to trap the primary fragment separately,
it could work, She pauses. The question is whether we
can trust anything that comes from him, given his connection
to the entity. I look out at the snow falling

(18:21):
over Prague, at the ancient spires and towers emerging from
the twilight Mist. I don't think we have a choice.
The triangulation is in three days at the dark Moon.
We need every advantage, every protection we can get. Agreed,
But Elise, be careful with that crystal. Keep it separate

(18:45):
from the anchor crystal and the key until the moment
of triangulation. If Sullivan was able to interfere with your
connection to Alexander during that ritual, the stabilizer might have
properties we don't fully understand. I already have the Midnight
Crystal wrapped in a silk scarf, stored in a different
pocket from the anchor crystal. I will I'm leaving Prague tomorrow,

(19:10):
heading back to Blackwood Estate. We'll have time to examine
the stabilizer before the triangulation. Good. Margaret hesitates, and Elise
try to reach Alexander again tonight. If Sullivan's ritual created interference.
It should fade with distance and time. We need to

(19:32):
warn Alexander about what we've learned. After we end the call.
I sit on the edge of the hotel bed, holding
the anchor crystal in one hand, the key in the other.
I close my eyes, focusing on that unique frequency that
is Alexander, on the perfect resonance we created at the solstice.

(19:56):
At first, nothing, just a distant hum, a vague sense
of his presence beyond an impenetrable barrier. But as I
concentrate harder, letting everything else fall away, I feel the
connection strengthening. The anchor crystal warms in my palm. The
key pulses against my skin. Alexander, I call with my mind,

(20:21):
reaching across the void. Can you hear me? For a
long moment, nothing, then faintly at first, but growing stronger. Elise. Finally,
I've been trying to reach you for hours. Relief washes
through me. Sullivan did something during that ritual created interference.

(20:48):
Sullivan his presence fills with alarm. So it was him.
I recognize something in that false memory he showed you.
He and I worked together before, before the end, before
he betrayed me. He claims a splinter of the entity
has been inhabiting him for a century, that he's fighting

(21:11):
against our triangulation because freeing you might release the primary
fragment to reunite with his splinter. Alexander's consciousness pulses with
what feels like recognition. That explains so much the nature
of the binding. Why it wasn't complete, part of the

(21:32):
entity remained outside with him is what he told me possible?
Could the reunification cause dimensional collapse? I don't know. The
text I found in France mentioned fragmentation, multiple aspects of
the original entity, but dimensional collapse. His presence wavers slightly,

(21:55):
as if the effort of maintaining contact is taxing him.
The entity see here grows stronger. Elise feeds on my energy.
Time grows short, Fear clutches at my heart. I'm coming
back tomorrow. The triangulation is in three days at the
dark Moon. Will you will there be enough of you left?

(22:18):
I'm fighting it. Alexander's presence grows briefly stronger, as if
through sheer determination. But it's difficult. The entity knows what
we're planning, knows about Sullivan and his splinter they're connected,
still communicating somehow the implications of this are chilling. Then

(22:40):
Sullivan knows everything we're planning even now. Yes and no.
The connection between fragments isn't perfect, like seeing through murky water,
but enough to coordinate, enough to fight us together. I
clutch the anchor crystal tighter, focusing everything on strengthening our connection.

(23:06):
The stabilizer crystal Sullivan gave me. Can we trust it?
Alexander's presence waivers again, as if he's struggling to maintain
the energy needed for communication. I don't know. It may
do exactly what he claims, or it may be another trap,
but elease, we need something to contain the entity. When

(23:28):
I'm freed, if the fragments reunite, I understand, and I
do now in a way I didn't before visiting Sullivan.
The scope of what we're attempting, the cosmic danger involved.
This isn't just about saving Alexander anymore. It's about preventing

(23:49):
something potentially catastrophic when you return. Alexander continues, his voice
growing fainter. There's something else we must try before or
the triangulation. What the exchange? We need to practice, prepare
when I cross over the transition will be jarring. My

(24:12):
consciousness needs to remember what it means to inhabit physical form.
A sudden heat floods through me, something beyond the warmth
of the crystals in my hands. The implications of what
he's suggesting, Alexander's consciousness temporarily inhabiting my physical form, an

(24:34):
intimate mingling of our beings sends a shiver of anticipation
through me. Is that possible? I ask, without the full triangulation,
partially momentarily through perfect resonance like at the solstice, but
deeper complete surrender on both sides. The idea both thrills

(24:58):
and terrifies me. Allowing Alexander's consciousness to merge with mine,
to temporarily share my physical form, It's more intimate than
any physical connection could be. Yes, I reply, surprised at
my lack of hesitation. Whatever you need, whatever it takes.

(25:19):
His presence seems to embrace mine, a sensation like being
enveloped in warm light. I've never met anyone like you,
Elise Morgan, your courage, your willingness to risk everything for you.
I respond, simply, always for you. We remain connected for

(25:40):
a while, longer, saying little simply existing together in that
liminal space where our consciousnesses can touch across the void. Eventually,
I feel Alexander's presence fading, the effort of maintaining contact
becoming too great against the entity's interference. Rest Now, I

(26:01):
tell him, save your strength. In three days, this will
be over. You'll be free and will be together, he replies,
his voice now barely a whisper in one world, not
torn between yes together. As his presence fades completely, I

(26:25):
open my eyes to find tears streaming down my face.
The anchor crystal has cooled in my palm, the connection
broken for now. Outside my window, Prague is transformed by
the falling snow into a city of ghosts and secrets,
of ancient magic and hidden dangers. I lie back on

(26:45):
the bed, still holding both crystals, thinking of what I've
learned today, of Sullivan and his century long bargain with
the entity Splinter, of the cosmic stakes involved in our
attempt to free Alexander, of the exchange will attempt when
I return to Blackwood Estate, a practice run for the

(27:07):
full triangulation, but also something profound in its own right.
As I drift towards sleep, I feel the key warm
against my skin, as if Alexander is reaching for me
even now, across the barriers of consciousness and dimension. Not
a full connection, just a touch, a reminder that distance

(27:31):
means nothing to the resonance we share. My dreams that
night are vivid, intense. I find myself in a space
that is neither the void nor physical reality, but something
in between, a rendering of the master bedroom at Blackwood Estate,

(27:53):
but with edges that blur and shift, walls that sometimes
become transparent, real feling stars beyond. Alexander waits for me,
more substantial than when we connect through the anchor crystal,
but still not fully physical. The planes of his face,
the intensity of his eyes, the way he moves towards

(28:15):
me with that fluid grace, all achingly familiar, yet somehow
new in this dream space, Elise, he says, his voice,
warm and real. You found me always, I reply, moving
into his arms as if drawn by gravity itself. The

(28:36):
sensation of his embrace is different here, more solid than
our connections through the void, yet still carrying that electric charge,
that sense of touching something beyond ordinary reality. His hands
framed my face, his eyes searching mine. What Sullivan showed
you the memory of that night. It wasn't real, I say,

(29:01):
or at least not entirely real. He was manipulating me.
Parts were true, He was there. He did kill me
under the entity's influence. Alexander's thumbs trace my cheekbones, a
touch that sends shivers through me. But the entity didn't
trick him, as he showed you. Their bargain was deliberate, planned.

(29:26):
Why show me that false version to garner sympathy, perhaps
to make you believe he was as much a victim
as I was. His expression darkens Sullivan was never a victim.
He sought the entity out, pursued the power it offered.
His jealousy of my discoveries, my progress made him vulnerable

(29:48):
to its influence. I lean into his touch, desperate for
the contact after the fear and uncertainty of the day.
Can we trust anything he told me about the stabilizer,
about containing the entity separately during triangulation. Possibly if the
fragments reuniting would indeed consume him completely, then his self

(30:12):
interest aligns with our goal. Alexander's hands move from my
face to my shoulders, then lower, tracing the curves of
my body through the thin nightgown. I wear in this
dream space, but trust nothing, completely, question everything. My body

(30:33):
responds to his touch, as it always has, with an
immediacy that transcends conscious thought. Here in this liminal space,
sensation is both heightened and altered, his fingers leaving trails
of light on my skin, Pleasure building not just in
my body but in my consciousness itself. I've missed this.

(30:56):
I whisper my own hands, exploring the soft warmth of him,
the texture of his skin, the strength beneath misst you.
His smile is both tender and hungry. Three days a lease,
three days until we never have to be separated again.

(31:17):
If it works, if we can free you without releasing
the entity, it will work. His certainty washes over me,
bolstering my own determination. Our resonance is stronger than anything
the void can create, stronger than any entity. His lips
find mine, and conversation ceases. In this dream space, our

(31:42):
connection burns brighter, hotter than ever before, perhaps because of
the knowledge that soon it will transform into something real,
something permanent. Each touch, each kiss, carries the weight of
anticipation of a century of waiting. Finally nearing its end,

(32:04):
we move to the bed that both is and isn't
the one in Alexander's room at Blackwood Estate. Here the
physical and metaphysical blend, creating sensations impossible in either realm alone.
When he enters me, it's not just our bodies joining,
but our very consciousness emerging that makes me cry out

(32:25):
with the intensity of it. This, Alexander whispers against my throat.
This is what the exchange will be like, our essences intertwined,
boundaries dissolved. The thought sends a new wave of pleasure
through me, of both body and mind. Show me, I gasp,

(32:46):
Show me now. His eyes meet mine, burning with an
intensity that's almost frightening. Are you certain? Even here, even
in this dream space? It will check you. I'm already changed,
I reply, pulling him closer by you, by everything since

(33:08):
I came to Blackwood Estate. I don't want to go
back to who I was before. Something shifts in the
dream space around us, the walls of the bedroom becoming
completely transparent, revealing the starry void beyond. Alexander's form seems
to shimmer, to become less defined around the edges open

(33:30):
to me. He whispers completely, I do, surrendering all barriers,
all separation, his consciousness flows into mind like water, like light,
filling spaces I didn't know existed within me. I feel
his thoughts, his memories, his essence, merging with my own,

(33:52):
not erasing me, not possessing me, but joining with me
in a unity that transcends physical understanding. For a moment,
or perhaps an eternity, I am both Elise and Alexander,
and something more than either. I experience the world through
his senses, feel the constant pull of the void, the

(34:15):
painful hunger of the entity feeding on his energy. He
experiences through mine, the solidity of physical existence, the sensations
of flesh and blood, the grounding weight of reality. The
pleasure of this union transcends the physical, becomes something cosmic

(34:36):
in scale. Stars burst within the shared consciousness we've become.
We are making love not just with bodies, but with essence,
with soul, creating something new in the spaces between our beings.
When the climax comes, it's not localized but total, a

(34:58):
supernova of sensation that expands through every atom of our
joined existence. I cry out his name, or perhaps he
cries out mine, or perhaps there are no longer names
separating us, but only this perfect resonance, this harmony of being. Slowly,

(35:19):
gradually we become distinct again, not fully separate, but defined.
Our individual consciousness is reforming. Alexander's form solidifies, though still
with that slight transparency that marks him as not fully
present in physical reality. That he says, his voice, rough

(35:42):
with emotion, is what awaits us. Not just physical reunion,
but this, this perfect resonance made permanent. I lie in
his arms, trembling with the after effects of our joining
the exchange. During triangulation, it will be even more intense

(36:03):
than this, Yes, because it will be real, not within
a dream space. Your physical form will temporarily house both
our consciousnesses. His arms tighten around me. It's dangerous, elease.
Few humans could survive it without being consumed, without losing

(36:23):
themselves entirely. But you think I can. His smile is gentle, loving.
I know you can. Your consciousness is already attuned to
liminal spaces, to existence beyond ordinary reality, and our resonance
will guide us, keep us aligned. During the transition. I

(36:46):
trace the planes of his face, memorizing him with my fingertips.
Three days it seems both an eternity and an instant
For me, time has lost much of its meaning in
the void. His eyes hold mine serious now, but the
entity knows our timeline. Now it will gather its strength

(37:10):
for one final attempt to stop us, to consume what
remains of me before you can complete the triangulation. Fear
clutches at my heart. How do I protect you until then?
By staying strong, by believing in our connection? He kisses
me again, softly this time, and by returning to Blackwood

(37:34):
Estate as quickly as possible. The anchor points are strongest there.
Our resonance can better shield me when you're in proximity
to the other artifacts. I nestle closer to him, dreading
the moment when this dream must end. I'll be on
the first flight tomorrow. Good. He strokes my hair, a

(37:56):
gesture so tender it brings tears to my eyes. Now sleep,
truly sleep. You'll need your strength for what's to come.
I don't want to leave you. I whisper. You're not leaving,
he assures me. Even when this dream fades, our connection remains.

(38:19):
I am always with you, Elise, as you are with me.
The dream begins to dissolve around us, the star filled
void receding, the bedroom at Blackwood fading the last thing
I feel is Alexander's kiss on my forehead, gentle as
a blessing, and his whispered words three days, my love,

(38:41):
and then eternity. I wake as dawn breaks over Prague,
feeling both exhausted and exhilarated. The memory of the dream,
of our communion, our exchange of consciousness, remains vivid, tactile.
My body bears no physical evidence of our encounter, yet

(39:01):
I feel marked by it, nonetheless changed at some fundamental level.
The anchor crystal on my nightstand pulses with gentle light,
responding to my wakefulness, to the lingering resonance of the
dream connection. The midnight stabilizer crystal remains dark and still

(39:21):
wrapped in its silk scarf on the desk across the room.
As I prepare to leave Prague to return to Blackwood
Estate and the final preparations for triangulation, I find myself
looking at the city differently. The ancient spires and towers,
the stone bridges spanning the Voltava, the narrow, winding streets

(39:45):
all seem to exist in multiple realities simultaneously. The boundaries
between world's thinner and more permeable than I'd ever realized before.
Coming here. Perhaps that's why Sullivan chose Prague as his bead,
or perhaps the city itself chose him, its centuries of alchemists, astronomers,

(40:07):
and mystics, creating a natural resonance with liminal spaces with
the study of boundaries between realities. I take one last
look at the snow covered city from the airport window,
feeling both gratitude and caution. Prague has given me what
I needed, the stabilizer crystal, crucial knowledge about the entity

(40:30):
and its fragments, and through the dream, a deeper connection
with Alexander than ever before. But it has also revealed
new dangers, new complexities in our attempt to free him.
Sullivan and his splinter of the entity will not help
us willingly. Despite his claims. The primary fragment bound with

(40:54):
Alexander grow stronger by the day, feeding on his energy,
and the cosmics s ds of our triangulation attempt have
expanded far beyond our personal desire to be together. As
the plane lifts off, carrying me back toward Blackwood Estate
and the culmination of our journey, I press my hand

(41:14):
against the anchor crystal in my pocket. Across the void,
across dimensions, I feel Alexander's response, a pulse of warmth,
of recognition, of love that transcends all barriers of time
and space, and being three days until the dark Moon,

(41:34):
three days until triangulation, three days until everything changes for
us and perhaps for reality itself.

Speaker 2 (41:53):
Romance Weekly is a production of Caloroga Shark Media executive
producers Mark Francis and John mcder. Portions of this podcast
may have been created with the assistance of Ai

Speaker 1 (42:11):
Calaruga Shark Media

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Echoes of the Void (Ep4) - "Artifacts, Part 2" A Supernatural Love Story Continued

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Echoes of the Void (Ep4) - "Artifacts, Part 2" A Supernatural Love Story Continued