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THE CHRONICLES OF FINALGAMER A Fatal Game

"There must be ghosts all over the world. They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me. And we are so miserably afraid of the light, all of us." Mrs Helene Alvin, Gengangere

No matter how knowledgeable and skeptical one can become, belief is everything. Even the smallest of beliefs like knowing the day will rain tomorrow is a strong thing, only fuelling one's emotions further. Emotions themselves have their own innate power if they are truly heartfelt, the heart itself an amplifier for such power. For centuries, humanity has had a strong belief in curses, a proclamation uttered by someone with pure unbound heartfelt fury and/or sorrow. Sometimes it can dampen a day. Other times, it can make an entire area become a cemetery. Silence is something that should not exist in nature. Nothing in nature is truly silent. Where there lies trees and rocks, there always lies at least the smallest breeze. But in this forest, the wind was deathly still. It made James even more anxious to leave. Rarely did he ever wake up at night, and yet this was a place far more foreboding than the cemetery of the last world. He wanted to hear a bird call, an insect buzz, anything to break the heavy silence. But nothing came. He saw something glowing through the trees, a strange lilting light of sadness. Following it, he allowed his weakness to the tantalising shine of light to guide him, following it through the wood until he came upon something that should have made him glad. Yet it did not. An enormous Japanese-style mansion, towering above the trees in its own clearing, reaching upwards to seemingly touch the moon high in the night sky. A chill ran through him as the wind swirled nearby. There was a large wooden bridge that lead towards two large doors into the mansion. Hoping someone was in, he walked towards the lantern-lit door where the light took him to, and gently knocked on the door. It only took a gentle tap to push it open somehow, so with cautiousness he stepped inside. "Hello? Anyone here?"

The main lobby of the mansion was in total wreckage. To his left and right were slatted barriers. A large structural beam had fallen through the roof before him into the steps, leading upwards onto solid wooden floor and off the stone ground. As soon as he had taken 3 steps, he felt the wind rush behind him and the doors slam shut. Panicking momentarily, he ran to the doors and tried to pry them apart, but finding it to be useless. They were practically welded shut. He contemplated on using the giant pair of scissors to break the door open. But then, did he want to leave? "Shit..." The chilling feeling in his bones made him say yes, so he tried to pierce the door hard with the scissors. Somehow it wouldn't open, no matter how hard he forced, it would not open. He did not dare try to grunt with exertion in fear of disturbing anyone. Giving up, he put his scissors back on his back and proceeded onto the wooden floor of the mansion. The only thing in his mind not relating to any fearful questions was: I really wish I knew Japanese.

Another thing that came to his mind was how dark the place was, and that he needed something to light his way around. He had almost forgotten about the flashlight that he had kept on him since Silent Hill, having placed it in his satchel for safekeeping until needed again. Being in Las Vegas around such bright shiny lights had made it unecessary at the time. Despite his relief at having it still work, as he clipped it back to the belt on his chest, the shadows the light concocted made him wary. The front hall of the mansion had a partition screen a strange mask of an angry demon set into the wall on his right, and a door to his left up the small flight of steps from the door. A strange small podium laid in the left corner of the hall, a miniature shrine of sorts with a blue light glinting mournfully. Examining it gave him a soothing aura, one that eased his soul and allayed his fears somehow, almost as if it were a safe zone. At least, that's what he felt it to be. What's this thing for though? Why a shrine in a pokey little corner of the front hall? ...makes me feel calm though...that's nice. Gotta be someone here, I was brought here for a reason right? He made his way to the door on the left wall, a shuddering groan of dust lifting from its frame as he pulled on the handle. Beyond the door was a corridor leading north, filled with ropes hanging from the ceiling. They gently swung in the nonexistant breeze of the old manor, as he gently weaved between them. He was fearful of touching them, moreso for the fact that at the end of the corridor, was a shadow exactly like him.

He kept his blade out, anxiously guarding himself and stepped closer towards the shadow until he saw the telltale sheen of glass. It was a mirror, who palmed its face in slight shame as the raptor did the same. "Christ James, get over yourself, it's just an old mansion, there's nothing here...right? Y-yeah, course, I mean come on I...who am I kidding, course there's gonna be fucking ghosts here, aren't there?" He tried saying this to himself but it still did not shake off his fear arising within him. Despite what people say to themselves, every mind has some degree of paranoia within them, almost a sixth sense. An exaggerated danger sense if only to keep you on your toes in case something DOES happen, even if it is not what you expect. Turning left from the mirror, he found a door completely barred up, so he tried the one to the right of the mirror which was unlocked. He found a large room with a fireplace in the middle, and several chests of drawers to the right of it. Two untouched Samurai suits stood together in one corner, as if silently guarding in slumber. He just knew somehow this place was not truly vacant. After all, why else did he end up near here? After having passed through a world of demons, he knew with almost absolute certainty that this place was filled with spirits. But whether they were peaceful or not remained to be seen. Also in the room were a few bookshelves in a small alcove with a stairway, and a grandfather clock that had long since stopped in the corner beside a larger set of stairs. After rifling through the various drawers finding nothing but a few old notebooks written entirely in Japanese, none of which he could read, James cautiously stepped up to the second floor. Little else interested him upstairs, other than a padlocked door to the north, marked with two cherries upon the lock. "Cherry? ...oh god not this Silent Hill shit again with the keys, come ooooon." He hoped it wasn't that, but he knew it would be. The moment he spoke however, a sudden crack of wood came from downstairs. He jumped with a start, holding his chest with a slight panic as he looked over the balcony to the first floor. Nothing seemed to be out of place, as he hurried downstairs with his scissors at the ready, making his way back to where the mirror was. "...the hell?"

The door that had been barred previously was now open, its wooden planks having been wrenched violently from the frame and smashed into pieces. James couldn't help but feel nervous at what creature had been able to do this that he had not seen, trying to reassure himself with his shaky thoughts. Th-that's...funny, uh...ghosts aren't THAT powerful...right? With no other option, he walked through the door, finding himself within a long large hall with several flower-patterned partitions on either side. They appeared to act like doors, made to slide open as he did so to further look down the hall. He had no idea what sort of grand hall this was, but he did see something rather odd at the other end of it. A cage-like object suspended from the ceiling. Upon closer examination, he found it contained nothing, but he did spy a door on his right that would lead him deeper within the mansion. The moment he touched the handle however, an icy cold snaked through his arm. Gasping severely, he slowly backed away only to feel a shuddering cold breath against his shoulder. He dared not turn around for a few minutes, letting the chilling breath of the unseen one wash over his bare shoulder, steeling his nerves to spin quickly around and strike. But all he hit was air. The cold breath was gone, leaving him alone within the grand rectangular hall. Shaking his head clear of worry, he headed back to the door and readied himself to touch its icy handle. It was cold, but not as cold as he had felt it to be before, gently opening it to come out into another long corridor.

To his left was a corner quickly veering to the north ahead of him. To his right was the east, a hallway that lead to another corner also heading north. Along to his right also was a stairway heading upwards. The only sound that came to his ears was the creak of the wooden floors beneath him, layered in centuries of dust. He felt as if he were trespassing on holy grounds, tempting the wrath of an entire horde of spirits at a moment's notice. He could just see it now in his mind. A sudden face, warped to a nightmarish degree, long slackened jaw widening to a scream behind hollow eyes bereft of all life. The only problem was that as he started to imagine this face of a wrathful spirit, it would not leave his mind. It stayed there, screaming forever with an unbearable silence that made his soul weaken. And he knew what that meant. He started to feel dizzy, leaning against the wall as his vision started to blur, the face of horror continuing to bear down upon him in his mind. It started to transform of its own will, startling him all the more. The eyes turned thin and wispy, the skin of the face steeling into that of a mask-like complexion, a cruel wide grin along its lips. James couldn't help but start running, trying to find something else to distract his attention, running around the hallway which completed itself into a neat square until finding a door to the north. A partitioned wall faced him upon opening the door, with a boarded circular window to his right, and a small shrine of candles to the left, which contained several Japanese scrolls he couldn't read. Turning the corner around the wall towards this shrine, was an entire room filled with flickering flames upon wax upon the northern wall. Someone has to live here then, he thought to himself, I mean these candles aren't even melted down, how long have they been burning for? He dared not touch any of them, feeling as if he were already disturbing a sacred place. Two doors were available to him. One to the east beyond the row of candles, and one to the north in a corner. He peered into the northern room first, filled with trepidation at first to find a small room filled with crumbled debris piled up in one corner, but then he felt a soothing presence. Another small shrine, with its friendly blue light, sat in the corner of the near-collapsed room.

James did not waste a moment in nearing the shrine, feeling it to be his salvation somehow. So long as he was near that blue light, his fears melted away somehow. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as if he could handle anything when near it. The room itself was uninteresting, piles of wooden supports and plaster having fallen decades ago to become useless. A large double-set of doors was on the other side of the room, marked with a wooden crest of a Sakura blossom flower. He contemplated on which way to go, before hearing a door open from behind. He quickly ran back to the room of candles, catching sight of the door to the east closing once more. He hurried out towards it, quickly opening it and dashing out into the outside area of the mansion. The raptor felt a little relieved to be outside once again, the claustrophobia of the hallways having made him rather paranoid. The moon was hidden beneath darkening clouds, barely lighting the walkway he was now upon, bathed in a dull blue. The walkway angled to his right, then straight ahead of him to another region of the manor, with a small set of stairs downwards to the atrium itself. The atrium was not as welcoming as he thought. A separate Japanese-style cabin stood squarely on the left behind a Japanese gate, with a single withering Sakura tree on the right. Between them was a small door. He wanted to stay outside more, having more room to maneuver around should he have to, and headed towards the lone door. Passing by the tree, he was set upon by a sudden weight of sorrow emanating from its branches. He thought he heard the slightest whimper, but doubted himself as he gazed upon the empty skeletal branches.

The door lead to another open area, an abyss-like area where there laid nothing but a wide stretch of dark water. Fireflies softly glinted above the water, but their light was swallowed up by the depths without any hint of reflection. Stone lanterns lit a path along a broken disused bridge that stopped at a tiny isle upon the lake, where a stone mound laid. A water-wheel turned aimlessly to his right, feeding water back into itself. He would have turned and left, if it hadn't been for something glinting on top of a stone lantern near the abyss of the lakeside. He cautiously walked over, finding a scribbled note had been weighed down by the lantern's removable top. Oddly enough, the note itself was in English, already marking it out to be different from the mansion's other documents.

Month ~%, Day X My research has lead me to this mansion, having arrived on this rather strange lakeside where I shall now indicate with this note marker. The very notion of dimensional travel is not absurd, just merely unlikely. I always did like the unlikely, pardon my wit, so the fact I managed to reach here is quite the treat for me! My study in the spiritual must be what brought me here to this place, this dark terrible mansion filled with restless spirits. I shall have to investigate further, and also find myself a weapon to arm with. I fear that my usual fare will not be enough to deal with these particular spirits, different dimensional complexions and all, par for the course when dealing with those not of your world. My what an adventure we shall have! I leave this note here as a warning to others foolish enough to travel here while poorly-equipped to deal with potential spectral foes. Obviously physical weapons don't work at all, this will require either science or magic. But then, when sufficiently advanced, one becomes indistinguishable from the other am I right?

The note ended with a torn bottom part, making FG suspicious as to who else was stuck here. The note seemed friendly enough, and he hoped with eagerness that he could meet this learned individual. If I can find someone here that can help me survive and find out what the hell this is all about, then good. I was brought here for a reason, I know I was, so I can't just leave. I need to find out what that word means. "Himuro..." He reminded himself with it. It sounded Japanese to him, perhaps it was the name of someone he had to find, maybe even the one who wrote that note! With nothing else, he headed back towards the mansion itself, fearful but determined to go back inside. As he walked across the cherry atrium, his eyes caught sight of someone from the balcony of the house. A woman in white with long black hair. At first he was intimidated to not say anything, until she stepped up onto the bannister and spread her arms. "H-HEY, WAIT, STOP!" The woman did not hear him, and without hesitation, she walked off the balcony, falling to her death. James readily ran forwards to try and catch her, but she jerked violently in mid-air straight above him with a sickening crack. Then he saw the rope hanging from the balcony down to her twisted neck. He shuddered from his throat and turned away, the sudden death making his stomach turn with horror. Breathing heavily to try and get his strength back, he turned back towards the woman, swinging from the balcony. The more he looked at her covered face, the more he felt disturbed. Especially when the head suddenly twisted its neck towards him with a snap, making him fall back and yelp. Her eyes were hollow and black, her mouth hanging as she fell fully from the rope to start limping towards him.

He had never faced a ghost before, never in all the worlds he had been to. The way this woman tried to move towards him was made worse by her crippled neck, her head unnaturally limp to one side as he felt his heart beat like a drum. Fear rose in him, and he tried his best to fight it as he backed slowly away from the spirit. The look in her dead eyes was anything but friendly and pleaful. "S-stay back! S-s-stay back!" She didn't listen, her smile painfully wide to the point beyond any human should be allowed to smile. Her lips snaked around her cheeks stretching out like a joker's grin, terrifying the raptor more and more as he shakily started to demand: "I MEAN IT! G-get the fuck back! G-GO AWAY!" He knew he couldn't fight her, not with his blades as her neck continued to crack with a lolling head trying to keep her gaze on him. He felt himself reach a wall, unwittingly being pinned against the cabin. He tried to move away, inching along the wall and quickly dodging from the ethereal grasp of the broken-necked woman, running towards the lake edge. Even if he was at a dead end, he had some time to make a plan in the midst of his shaking and shivering. He remembered what the note upon the lantern had said. But before he could concoct anything solid within his brain, the ghost slowly floated towards him through the wooden door. The way her head limped through it first was unsettling, followed by its body wrapped in a plain white kimono, tattered ends wispy like the rest of her. Then she charged at him like a banshee, howling with a scream of pleaful anguish, her mouth gaping wide with her jaw stretching downwards to release a piercing scream.

James screamed in turn, struggling to dodge to one side and feeling his hands shake down to the tips of his claws. The way her mouth returned to its normal size somehow disturbed James even more than before. He decided that since he couldn't think straight for a sensible plan, he should try a desperate one. The water made him think of the elements, and with that he thought of his favourite one. He couldn't take it anymore and cried out with a desperate attack as she came close, blasting fire from his hands within a single explosive spark. The spirit did not expect this somehow, screeching at the flames licking across her spectral aura, her head tilted fully back. James had his eyes closed, not having seen what he did to her. But when he reopened them, she was gone. No trace of her remained, and it was only the sound of the waterwheel clunkily turning nearby that made him realise he was not dead. He looked at his claws, curious at what they had done. "Did...wait...science or magic? ...does this really work on ghosts? ...that could have been a fluke...hope I don't find any more of 'em." He noted it regardless as he headed back towards the mansion, this time taking the eastern route along the walkway to his left, leaving the cherry atrium behind.

The next area was a small rectangular hall with a stairway immediately to his left, and a mirror in the corner straight in front of him. He looked upon the mirror curiously, seeing no difference in this one than the last one he saw. His arms were still shaky from the broken-necked woman of before, and soon he was startled by the running of footsteps upon the wooden floor to his left. A flash of someone, or something, heading off past the stairs and down a longer hallway beyond it. A door along the north wall to his right was locked, this time without a padlock. He was afraid to call out for anyone, and walked along the corridor to its very end, with one only one little twist in the hall that lead him towards a door. Beyond the door was an abysmal cold. A room filled with water, with large stone volleys separating tanks from each other. Wooden planks long-traversed by those before him laid across the stone tanks. The water gave him chills, yet he wasn't sure if it was just the natural cold of the moisture around him, or if it was a more ethereal feeling. James shook his head, not certain of anything beyond this point as he heard the door on the other side of the room open and close. "W-wait!" He clapped a hand to his mouth, feeling he had disturbed the silence of the mansion. Nothing came to him, for now. He made his way across the planks, finding them to be surprisingly dry and unslippery despite the moisture of the lifeless fish tank room. He was careful not to fall, easily traversing beyond them towards the door at the other end, which lead to the backyard.

The backyard was both a relief and also not. The small shrine at the outskirts of a bamboo forest managed to comfort him with its blue glow, and he would have immediately ran up towards its almost holy light. But then he saw the well. Even though he had never seen many movies that would demonise the humble well as the lair of a vengeful spirit, he still did not like it. Whether it was the fact it was covered over with an old thick wooden top, or the fact that like any well it was a deep abscess into the earth itself, he did not dare go near it. But the light lured him towards the shrine next to it, making him hug the fence around the backyard in order to keep away. It was only when he managed to finally relax himself, and allow the light to seep into his heart with its cool warmth, that he heard a voice upon the wind. _ help me_ He quickly turned, looking all around himself for the voice. It sounded like that of a child's. _ help me please_ "H-hello?! Where are you?!" _ forest shrine_ "Forest?" The raptor noticed a path between the bamboo trees, snaking swiftly towards a little door in the fence. As much as he didn't want to follow the words of a ghost in a haunted mansion, he had no other choice. He could have gone back up the stairs in the hallway before the fish tank room, but he was already unnerved enough by the cold aura to be dissuaded from going back. If someone can tell me SOMETHING about this place, even if he's dead...maybe some of the ghosts here are nice right? I've faced weirder shit than this so might as well. Passing through the forest path, he would have kept his stride even and uncertain, until he stopped and saw a page from a notebook, left behind by someone on top of a stone bollard.

_i wish i didnt know what went on in this place now all i wanted was to help them just help them stop hurting someone please help me if anyone finds this note just run run away please run away

im sorry_

At first he was rather unnerved by the desperate scrawls, until the well from far behind suddenly rattled its lid with a panicked scream. It soon sent him running towards the forest. He was glad to know his suspicions were right about its aura as he quickly went through the door. Darkness soon greeted him. The faint lights of the mansion faded away from behind him as he gazed towards a hill between the trees. Standing desolately upon it, was a large shrine.