Time: ?????????
Place: Overvoid

A faded void without color. Without a beginning. Without end. Deprived of time and space. Life and death. Without chemical compounds. No stars. No planets. No gravity. Without the laws of physics. No matter. Without anything. A state of absolute vacuum. A true lack of existence. Blank sheet of paper.

However, there are very rare fragments floating in the void. Remnants of ancient times. They are collected by a strange crystal probe of an unknown species that reached the void through a rift from another cosmic sphere. A species that was created after the annihilation of everything old. A new species from the New Creation created immediately after the "New Big Bang" that destroyed the Old Creation. The probe collected as much as it could before returning to its home world, despite numerous disruptions. The machine managed to break through the turquoise sky and land on a landing pad right next to the completely surreal landscape of the planet and the large gates.

Two operators approached the probe. Members of a new race known simply as the "Newest Beings". Their bodies moved as if with robotic sliding and gleamed with an unknown material. It's neither organic nor mechanical. They were neither chemical nor crystalline. It's hard to say what this species was made of. Something like sentient plastics. Inteligent and living plastic rippling with an unknown vital force. Various shapes materialized and dematerialized through their "skin" and in front of it. Something like holograms.

The probe opens. Its cover disappears as if it were a bubble, revealing its internal contents. The race has recently discovered technology that allows them to travel to the "Place Beyond Everything," as they call the Overvoid. Sounds of trumpets, squeals and hissing began to emerge from all over their bodies. A sign of their excitement. This is the first probe that managed to return from the void without getting lost or broken down. There was little among its contents: rocks of unknown origin, something resembling fossilized feathers, dangerous-looking claws, what also looked like space modules of other civilizations, frozen lumps of an unknown chemical compound formerly known as... water. Numerous remains of strange weapons, helmets, broken blades, broken bones and other unknown things. The probe was quite large. It was a ball with a diameter of one hundred meters. Drones have already been involved in collecting and cataloging specimens. All this created excitement in their society. News about the discovery was displayed in the night sky and on the bodies of the inhabitants of the huge octahedron-shaped planet. Updated finds with more strange things: a black convex thing made of unknown material, almost completely torn. A thing that is a headgear and was formerly known as a hat. Cracked round object with copper cover with knob, compass. Or a dilapidated machine with a black casing and strange rubber elements on the sides, a vehicle that was once for common use by one of the old races called a car. However, what attracted the most interest was... a working thing. Something like a primitive machine. Powered by electricity. The news caused particular shock. News about working technology.

- Krřhhůúūbbe jiiillėęerrsߧ bbvvãæassss uuuxxxősss [Inform the Central Sovereign] - said telepathically one of the race's scientists, examining a mysterious item commonly known in turbulent times in one word: laptop.

The beings struggled for a long time to activate the device. They felt energy in it, but it was a power completely unknown to them. A strange thing called electricity. Their machines were powered by a universal aura that was a central part of their entire reality. They finally got it going by using a small turbine from the reactor to grow sweet clouds in their atmosphere. It took some time. The sky was already shrouded in purple darkness.

After pressing the button, the boot process began. A group of the newest beings looked intently at the loading dots on the desktop. The situation was carefully observed by an individual wearing a white holographic crown, the Central Sovereign, the ruler of the planet. The tension could be cut with a cybernetic blade. Eventually, the device's screen lit up in blue with a mysterious logo that appeared to be four squares: dark orange, light green, blue, and yellow, and words in an unknown language. Additionally, he made the sound of turning on his strange alien operating program, which slightly scared them.

Many of them were fascinated by fossil technology. Who did it belong to? What was this species? Were they also composed of what they were? How did the device survive in the Void for so long? Although actually the answer was simple. There is no time in the Void. Something that could get there in an instant could be taken away just a few moments later, while in other places millions of years could pass. Space-time is a concept foreign to the Void. Even they didn't understand its rules. After a while, their senses saw a strange face that served as their desktop wallpaper, something with an expression unknown to them. This shocked them as they thought a member of the ancient race was looking at them. Several of them even jumped in fear, and the Sovereign was also slightly concerned. Is this what these aliens from the ancient universe looked like? The face of an alien race. She had features and an expression of emotion, something the new race had long since evolved from. Abnormal, round, yellow and with holes. And beyond it were words in a language and symbolism unknown to them. A truly terrifying sight.

After a moment of hesitation, scientists dressed in special exoskeletons approached the machine. Who knows if this pre-technology emits any harmful radiation? Apart from the toolbar at the bottom, the desktop screen was almost empty. Apart from the face, however, there was one folder on top. After properly securing the area and several hours of working out how to use the device, one of the members of the new race clicked on the folder using a white arrow known as a cursor. The folder had various files inside. There were twenty five thousands. Equal to twenty five thousands. They were nothing more than digital notes. A chronicle of old times. The history of the final millennia of Homo Sapiens. Things written down a long time ago. Each file described a different story. Altogether... One Great Ballad. The last era of the Old Existence. The sentence before files was interesting.

What was also interesting was the additional folder that was located before the myriad of files. Inside it contained a short description. Kind of like a report. The Newest Beings didn't understand it, but it stood out from the rest. List of names. A total of one hundred. Only the first two were uncovered. The rest were darkened with black squares. Something like a code that needs to be broken to learn them. The Newest Ones noticed this when numbers flashed on the squares like in a puzzle. Code type. In the extinct human translation, the entire text read as follows:

My name is Jack Considine and this is our full story.
The Story of the 100 Chosens of Ohr Ein Sof:

1. William Black
2. Jack Considine
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We should also take into account that this is the story of our friends and enemies, families and comrades in arms, allies and adversaries. Everyone.....

HALF A BILLION YEARS EARLIER......

3th March, 2028
Province of Manitoba, Canada🇨🇦

The delivery boy arrived two minutes before the scheduled time, as William noticed. He was a young teenage boy who was probably earning extra money after high school. From a distance, through a curtained window, he saw him in the characteristic outfit of a pizzeria employee getting out of his small red car with the "Papa Gold Pizza" logo. He carried the ordered dish in a cardboard box with two small containers of sauces on it. He was approaching the motel where his client was staying. He walked very carefully so as not to slip on the icy surface, even though it was sprinkled with road salt. It was late at night, there was an icy chill, a light wind and the smell of coniferous trees. Steve regretted agreeing to this order. He drove for over half an hour. The motel was twenty kilometers away from the town where he lives. The manager had actually begged him, and now he regretted taking it at all. What if his car broke down? Or a phone? Or both at the same time? He would freeze in this wasteland. While he was driving, two deer jumped out at him. All the risk to get to one motel.

A boy wearing a thick cap and a name tag "Steve" on his jacket knocked on the door marked with the number thirteen. Just behind them stood a young man, looking through the viewfinder and tightly gripping his hunting knife from his back pocket.

- Enter the password - William ordered.

- I'm listening? - asked the surprised teenager, reading the card he took out from his pants - Mr. William Black, right?

- I said the name of the fruit when I ordered from you. You have to pronounce it. Now.

- Er... mango? - Steve replied after a moment of hesitation, and as if on cue, the door opened. The boy blinked several times at the sight. Behind the door stood a man in a black tracksuit, both pants and a sweatshirt. He had a hood over his head, and his face was covered with dark sunglasses and a black mask that Black bought long before the coronavirus pandemic. He even wore black leather gloves, which made it difficult for the pizzeria employee to determine the customer's race or even age because the mask slightly changed his voice. He looked like a masked bandit, and a shiver ran down Steve's spine.

- One big vegetarian pizza with mushrooms, broccoli and corn. Stuffed with cheese from the edge, with garlic and tomato sauces - announced the boy, half-sightedly reading the order sheet without taking his eyes off the customer - It will be twenty dollars and forty-six cents.

Black quickly took the cardboard box, put it on the floor and just as quickly took a red fifty-dollar bill from his pocket, handing it to the courier.

"Keep the rest for yourself," William said, standing up and grabbing the doorknob.

- Wow. Thank you mister. You didn't have to. Good....

He didn't finish when his client quickly closed the door in his face.

- ....Night - said Steve, surprised by the customer's behavior. Shrugging, he put the dollar in his pocket and headed towards the car, mumbling to himself, "What a weirdo."

His steps were tracked again by Black from the peephole in the motel door. He watched until he drove away. When he was gone, William sighed heavily, taking off his mask, glasses and hood, while checking several times to make sure the door was locked. He picked up the pizza from the panels and then carried it to the table, taking off his gloves and throwing them onto a large black travel bag. He sat on the bed in a semi-reclined position and started cutting the dough with his hunting knife, turning on the TV with his other hand. He flipped between channels while eating the ordered dish. Some of them have already passed: the nature channel, the game show channel, the cartoon channel, the sports channel, the music channel, the agriculture channel and the fishing channel. He stopped by the CTV News channel.

- Good evening. This is Calvin Watkins and today we will talk about another, fourth major power outage in Toronto. The plant's managers don't know what to think, although they say it may be due to...

The signal was interrupted and the TV experienced static.

- Seriously? - Black asked himself, unsuccessfully clicking the remote control towards a TV straight out of the 1990s. Whatever the case, the staff could have at least invested in something better than equipment from three decades ago. It could also be due to the weather - Just great. Fucking snow

He sighed in resignation and then decided to browse the Internet on his laptop, seeing that the TV could no longer even be turned off with the red button. William sighed and grabbed the old white phone on the nightstand to call the motel staff. However, after dialing the number and putting the receiver to his ear, all he received was a crackling sound.

- This must be some kind of joke - Black scoffs under his breath, half-considering going to the facility manager, but after all, he still had a laptop with him and a library of pirated movies in it, and besides, this junk tv box only had a few channels anyway - I will give this motel less than two stars based on opinions online. Well, sorry Dan.

He takes another bite when he receives a text. This is Jack Considine. His internet buddy from the other side of the country.

Jack: What's up?

William: I'm in a motel, eating pizza with the TV not working. And how are you?

Jack: I was recording a new podcast in an abandoned building in Toronto. Until the power went out. I gained two followers. Nice, but weak.

William frowned as he stopped chewing the Italian dish for a moment. For two minutes he thought about what to write. Finally, with a finger slightly sticky with grease, he sent a short message.

William: It'll be fine👍

He took another bite covered with garlic sauce. The chat bubble on the screen appeared and disappeared. Finally the answer came.

Jack: I don't think so. Somehow these recordings don't work for me. I have few viewers. Both on YouTube and Instagram. I think I'll give it up. Pity. Maybe at least it will work on blogspot.

William: So...How did it go with the haunted building? You know, this building. I sent you location.

Jack: The only "ghosts" there were a lot of rats and one homeless man whom me and the crew woke up, after which he wanted money from us for alcohol and fentanyl

William: Ok😆

Jack: This isn't funny XD

William: It's a bit, admit it

Jack: Well, maybe, haha. But I'm not laughing. I cared about views and online popularity.

"Hmm. Maybe it's worth giving him some advice," William thought. His thoughts were interrupted by the lights turning off in his entire room. Black looked around worriedly.

- What the...?

Will took out the knife in his pocket again and walked towards the windows. He sent a message on his phone at the same time.

William: Wait, I'm busy. I have to finish for a moment. I'll write back later

Jack: Okay

When William sent it, he noticed a black car parked in front of the motel, and then masked people getting out of it. There were four of them. He couldn't tell exactly who these people were, but they were wearing winter fleece jackets, gray wool masks, and large goggles. They looked as if they had returned from a mountain expedition. Black gripped the knife with all his strength. Was it them? Did they find him after ten years? It is impossible. This can not be true. Everything was burned. Together with his parents. His documents. Everything went up in smoke. He became the spirit of society. Nobody could track him down. He fended for himself all these years, learning the knowledge from the organization he hated. Maybe they're just regular foresters in jackets? He was thinking about what to do when the phone rang unexpectedly from the motel staff. His breath caught in his throat. He looked towards the people in front of the car. They continued to stand still. William gently backed away towards the source of the noise, lifting the phone to his right ear. His hearing picked up nothing but his own heavy breathing. Finally he decided to speak himself.

- Hello?

There was a moment of silence before he got an answer. Later....sentence that was embedded deep in his mind. A sentence he thought he would never hear again.

- Blessed be you, honorable flame, William Ernest Black!

He squeezed his fist so hard that his knuckles turned white. He tried to convince himself it was just a bad dream.

- Did you really think you would burn down a church and whistle one of the holy books without consequences? You hid like a stray dog ​​for one decade in the Canadian forests. Fucking aimless wanderer. It's time to go home. Have you forgotten about your life mission? About your destiny? About your home? About us? Remember that you cannot escape from us. We are everywhere the fuck you goes.

William was gripping the phone with all his strength when the signal disconnected. He was pale and covered in cold sweat. At the same time he noticed that his legs were shaking. He barely realized that the TV was still on. To his horror, the distorted image now featured the crest of his hated past with the words "Back to Me" written on it.

William screamed furiously and took the bedside table, banging it with all his might against the TV, punching a big hole in it. Sparks flew onto the carpet, and the sound of a light explosion filled the room as smoke began to pour out of the device and flames crackled inside. Black rushed towards the window, looking at people who were calmly walking towards him with some tools, a moment later he saw patterns resembling a crowbar and ax. He quickly checked that all the locks were closed again and also blocked the door with a chair.

"You've got to be kidding," he said nervously to himself as he began frantically throwing his personal belongings out of his luggage bag, looking for that one precious item. He finally found her. Book. He quickly threw it to the floor. A thick book with a shiny and hard structure fell onto the motel panels. As soon as his fingertips touched it, the geometric patterns on its smooth, metallic black cover glowed bright blue. The energy is already activated, ready for use.

William fell to his knees and began to quickly look through each page, and there were about seven hundred of them. Black pages, words written in shiny gold ink. Notes of secret laws, descriptions of reality, the concept of dimensions, but above all, spells. For now...useless.

"Faster," Will muttered to himself when suddenly someone pulled the door handle. First gently, then aggressively. Over and over again. And again. Behind the closed blinds you could see shadows whispering to each other.

- Can I pass you the electric drill? - asked a male voice.

- Better use a circular saw, it will be faster - added a female voice.

- NO. We are to be quiet and discreet. Give me the crowbar - the second male voice replied.

- Why don't we just knock? - asked a third male voice.

- Hey, what's going on here! - shouted another voice that William already recognized. This is Mr. Danny. The motel manager who welcomed Black as his guest. Or rather, the only guest. As he himself told him. The tourist season doesn't start until two or three months from now. Dozens of people come to Lake Manitoba to fish, camp or just curious about the local legend of the Manipogo, a lake monster allegedly seen by witnesses over the course of a hundred years according to numerous reports, all unconfirmed, of course. As with Bigfoot, no one, of course, thought to take a clear photo or other reliable evidence. The only photos looked fake. Probably created only to attract naive tourists. A simple cash grab, Black thought. After a while, Dan's voice rang out again - What are you doing? This is private land! If you want room then.....

He didn't finish when there was a loud shot, followed by the sound of a body falling onto the concrete of the parking lot. Will's mouth dropped open in shock.

- Wonderful, Jenny! Fuck! - the first man muttered irritably - We were only supposed to take one guy alive, not put a bullet between the eyes of the other one. The Blue Guide asked for discretion!

- What difference does it make? We'll get rid of the body! - the woman's defiant voice replied - I already did it once. Scott can confirm.

"Jennifer, I know you mean well, but you just didn't think through this situation," the man named Scott said.

- Dispose of the body? How? It won't fit in our trunk! There is only room for one person in the trunk: Unconscious Willy.

- Mason, there's literally a huge lake a mile away! It will be thrown into the water as fish food! And even if he swims to the surface, people will think he is a drowned man.

- A drowned man with a hole in his head after a gunshot?

-Scott's right. I doubt the fish are feeding this time of year

- Shut up, Ted! Got a better idea? If you want, you can wash my prints off the gun with alcohol and put it in his hand. It will look like suicide!

- How can you be sure that there are no other guests in the motel who heard the shot?! Then they need to be killed too!

- If you keep screaming like that, someone will definitely hear us! - growled the fifth man with a dominant voice who had just got out of the car, probably the leader of the group - I can hear you all the way in the car. Step aside, losers.

- Cletus, we have to.....

- I said move away! - he thundered contemptuously at his companions - How on earth did the Blue Guide give me such fools to help me? Watch and learn, you idiots.

He took off the glove of his right hand. Around the same time, William quickly grabbed his luggage and the book and opened his laptop with a chaotic thud and turned it on. Cletus' hand had a mystical symbol tattooed in blue ink. The same symbol that appeared on the TV. A triangle with an eye and spiky rays growing from it. His tattoo glowed the same bright blue as the book, and a strong blast flew from his hand, sliding invisible into the door and blowing out the entire hinges. The door flew into the room with a bang.

Five people entered the room, and with them came the winter cold. The room was empty. Ted noticed the uneaten pizza and then, without shame, grabbed a piece in his left hand and started eating, revealing his freckled face and red hair.

- Glory to the Luminous Ones! - Ted exclaimed with his mouth full.

- Are you serious? - asked Mason who also slightly opened his mask covering revealing the handsome brunette guy under the woolen material. A broken burned TV caught his attention - I guess he didn't like the "greeting". Coming back to you Ted, seriously you can't help yourself?

- Speak for yourself, a few days of driving across Canada with only cheap crackers and shitty dry sandwiches from our resort - said Jenny, also helping herself to pizza, as it turned out she was a brown-haired girl with quite dark makeup under her eyes and on her lips, and a pierced nose. She seemed the youngest, she even looked like a teenager - Couldn't you at least stop at McDonald's on the road? There's a nice promotion: Big Mac and Happy Meal set, only for...

- The book is here. "I can feel it," Cletus replied, interrupting her and taking off mask from his face. The man was bald and pale. The whites of his eyes seemed bluish and the pupils were ice blue. One ear was pierced with a black earring. The shape of his head and facial features resembled Voldemort from the Harry Potter books. Except he had a nose and he was much younger and slightly muscular.

- The book is one thing. "We have a lot of them," Scott said, taking off the cap that concealed his mop of blond hair. He looked carefully, searching the entire room with a flashlight - Priority number one is Black.

- It does not matter. Every book with secret knowledge coming from Saint. Ordasavar.... - when he said this name, both he and his four companions closed their eyes, bowed their heads and raised their hands up with their index and middle fingers connected, and their thumbs tucked inside. As if in some religious gesture. They quickly returned to their positions and Cletus continued the monologue - .....they are filled with the basics leading to the highest form of magic. Beriahan magic. It cannot fall into the wrong hands. Even if they are her crumbs.

- And so four out of five of all the spiritual spells in this book require a seal - replied Scott, pointing to his triangle tattoo with an eye - And let me remind you: only members of the Church of the Sacred Blue Flames have seals. No one else in all of humanity. Even Black doesn't have a seal even though he was a member. He escaped before initiation.

- That's all well and good... but can we finally check the bathroom and get this heretic? - Jenny asked impatiently, pointing at the bathroom stall with light coming from the corner of her eye.

Five people were heading towards the bathroom.

- We know you're there, Black - replied Cletus in a loud voice, lighting his hand with blue fire, at that time Ted grabbed an axe, Jenny grabbed her gun, Mason had a crowbar, and after a moment Scott also pulled a gun from his belt - You betrayed your prophet and the entire community. You stole the holy scripture. The Testament of Beriah given to us by the Wonderful Luminous Ones from a higher plane of existence......

- Well, what won't you say, idiot?

The five sect mercenaries stopped, Cletus signaled for Mason to block the exit, and the others were to be right behind the leader.

- What do you need this for, William? You've had a rich life. A bright future in paradise alongside divine beings. We will really change the world. What was the point of starting a fire? All this led to was the death of your parents. Don't you feel sorry?

- Do I regret that I burned these two pieces of shit who treated me like an animal that had to play perfectly and obey the every order of that asshole in a blue dress? NO. I don't feel sorry at all

- Whatever you say, we won't listen to you - replied Cletus, already grabbing the bathroom door handle - We are immune to lying tongues

- Come on, open it! - Jenny hissed impatiently - Let's get the bastard!

- It's obvious you won't listen. Instead of reason, you have water. Let me tell you, I knew this day would come. That our paths will cross again. I honestly don't know what's worse in all of you. Brains in your ass holes or shit in your head. I haven't figured it out yet.

- You know that our religion is the true one! - Mason tried to reason with William, playing for time while Cletus opened the key in the door with a spell - You've seen miracles since you were a child! Beauty! You even found your other half there. In our wonderful home for the chosen ones. You have witnessed healings, life extension, outstanding receptions and other wonderful luminous gifts! Magic flows in our veins. Powerful magic from their world. You won't deny it! Our religion is true!

- You say it's true?....

The cabin was locked with three locks. Cletus had already opened the lock once, twice more. Scott also pointed his gun at the bathroom door, and Ted slowly prepared to use his axe.

- You know... I'll tell you a secret...

- What secret? - Cletus asked, opening the second lock with the energy from his hand.

- In ten years I've seen this and that. I witnessed various amazing events. All in all, looking back on it now... the experience in the Church was not exceptional... rather poor. It doesn't matter what you believe in, it's actions, not words, that count. Religious wars occur because believers believe that their religion is the true one and others are false. I will tell you what I discovered using the book's ciphers: All religions in the world are true. Every belief, myth or legend has a grain of truth in it. Even partial. It is simply through lack of respect and selfishness that some people exalt themselves above others. For example, you. You exalt yours, but it's just a drop in the ocean. Moreover, it's a sweet drop in a salty sea. Alien, out of this world. Doesn't fit. Like an invasive species. Like the weeds that you are. Vermin. Plague. Abomination of light.

-Shut up, you blasphemer! - Ted growled, taking a step forward with the axe, shaking with emotion. Black is supposed to be alive, but that doesn't mean he has all his limbs, Ted thought.

- We're not listening to you anyway. We believe in what we are supposed to believe and fulfill the will of the light beyond the stars. "I don't know what it will do for you," replied Cletus, opening the last third lock and gripping the handle tightly.

- It doesn't really help me, but basically...

Cletus quickly opened the door and, ready to attack, stopped in surprise. There was no one in the bathroom. The voice came from the laptop that was placed on the toilet. William spoke to them remotely. Through applications on the laptop. It didn't sound like a computer voice, the synthesizer really made it sound like the voice of the person who was just outside the door.

- ......I'm not even here

Only now did Cletus notice that the laptop also showed a counter, showing five seconds to zero. An impatient Ted pushed in next to him, trying to see what was going on.

- Why are you still talking to him? We have this asshole? I want to cut him off....

- Run away!!! - roared Cletus, leaving Ted and rushing towards the others. He fall on the floor.

- What's going on...

Ted didn't finish his sentence when the counter on the laptop reached zero and the device exploded with a loud bang. Flames exploded towards Ted, and shrapnel penetrated deep into his face. Jenny screamed and fell backwards, knocking over the table, and Mason and Scott even lost their balance and temporarily lost hearing due to the sudden explosion. The room filled with smoke and the attackers started coughing from it. Cletus, with watery eyes, was still gasping for air on the floor when he turned slightly to the right... he noticed him. He was in bed all this time. Dressed in a winter jacket with his face covered by glasses and a mask. It was quite convex. He probably had some kind of device underneath in mask. That's how he did it. He spoke very quietly so that no one could hear him, and the laptop later transmitted this voice in the bathroom. So loud and realistic that it felt like he was really there.

- You... - began Cletus furiously, but before he could react with a spell, William quickly crawled towards him and then stuck his hunting knife into his left eye.

Cletus screamed in pain and began to thrash around while William crawled out from under the bed with his bag. Slightly disoriented by Jenny's outburst, Mason and Scott finally noticed him as the flames began to spread more and more throughout the room, igniting the carpet and wallpaper.

- Black! - Scott roared, pointing the gun at him, Jenny also did the same.

- Surprise! - William said, bending his arm forward, and a shield of light appeared in front of him, covering him completely and protecting him from the bullets.

They shot one after the other. When the bullets ran out, Scott decided to cast a fire spell. A stream of purple-blue flames erupted from his hands. The shield protected William, but the enemy's spell was too strong. Tongues of flames began to fly in other directions, setting the entire room on fire.

- You're going to burn us, you idiot! - roared the terrified Mason, trying to somehow control the situation in the room, trying to conjure streams of water, but the temperature that was rising in the room caused each stream of water to evaporate.

Black took advantage of the confusion and quickly escaped through the broken door, while throwing one of the smoke grenades he bought about a year ago as an emergency. He found himself in the parking lot while the attackers were tripping over themselves, unable to see in the smoke and choking on it. He even cursed himself for choosing a motel in such a remote area. He started running as fast as he could towards the lake, where the nearest houses were on the other side. This is his only hope. Maybe they will give him shelter. It was a kilometer, but he believed in his heart that he could do it. He decided not to run away via the main road, it would be too obvious. He would lose them in the forest, although he secretly hoped they would all burn to death in the motel. Let them burn, he thought to himself. He ran deep into the thicket of trees and thick snow illuminated by the light of the full moon, or Full Polar Moon as the locals call it. He fled away from the burning building into the cold forest.

He doesn't know how long he ran. It's definitely been ten minutes. His breathing was breaking with the effort. He stopped to get some air. The cool forest air filled his lungs. He was wearing a thick jacket. Inside he was seething of running. He felt his sweat flowing under his clothes, which contrasted with the frosty climate that bombarded him in the forest. He took a copper compass from his pocket and illuminated it with the flashlight from his phone. The lake is to the south, so he must go to the right as compass directed. His enthusiasm was dampened by their voices.

- Over there! I see traces!

- Holy Shit - William cursed quietly and then hurried towards the right side of the forest, luckily away from them. Why did they have to find him at this time of year? He hated snow. Everything is visible on it. It's hard to erase your presence. He literally felt their presence on the back of his neck. The voices continued. They were chasing him. Out of the corner of his eye, William saw two silhouettes behind him. Which made him quicken his pace, even though he couldn't anymore. He heard more voices. Several trees in front of him were hit by energy rays, something like small lightning bolts that knocked down the trees, one of them flew sideways and almost crushed him.

- Fuck, seriously? First fire, now electricity?

Right behind him were Scott and Mason, the former of whom was also talking on the phone while the latter continued to cast electrical spells.

- We're on the trail. We see him in the distance, but our arrows cannot reach him. We'll get him. What about Cletus and Ted?

- Cletus is alive. I took out my knife and healed his eye with magic. Ted didn't survive. The fire engulfed the entire motel and I didn't have time to get Ted's body out. Even the roof was on fire. Get this bastard! - Jenny ordered over the phone.

- We're almost there. He'll be ours soon.

Finally, William ran out of the forest and saw the landscape of a large Lake Manitoba. The nearest houses were on the other side of the lake. Black felt despair overcome him, but at the last moment he saw a wooden platform and two boats with oars next to it.

- You only live once - he said, running up to the landing and then getting into one of the wooden boats. Despite his exhaustion and the feeling that his lungs were about to collapse from the effort, he began rowing intensely. Fortunately, one of the few good things his parents gave him were kayaking lessons. He moved about twenty meters from the shore when he noticed his enemies on a snowy hill.

- Fuck, ahhh.... - Mason cursed, bending down and catching his breath - .... my legs are about to fall off. Shitty forest.

- He's on the lake! - Scott pointed.

- Oh ok. Then I'm out.

- What? Scott asked incredulously.

- I have hydrophobia and thalassophobia. You can't drag me into the cold water! Besides, I'm not some walrus!

- Nobody is forcing you to swim! There's another boat at the landing! - he pointed at boat, and his companion rolled his eyes - Because he will soon disappear from our sight!

He was right. Morning fog hung over the lake. Visibility was getting worse.

- All right! Ehhh. Couldn't the bastard run away to somewhere warmer? - Mason asked himself, putting his mask and goggles back on, his face was all red from the cold, especially his nose. Scott also put on the cover while taking out the shotgun from the special harness on his back.

- I'm shooting. You row, he said, lighting the lantern in his boat with magic.

- The church doesn't pay me enough for this - he growled when they both got into the boat and sailed out onto the frozen lake. The icy landscape was beautiful that night. The snow-covered forest with the northern lights in the starry sky at this time of year was an incredible combination.

The sounds of gunshots pierced the sky. William was still far from them, but the distance was slowly closing, and they were actually catching up with him as Scott finally decided to help Mason row to make it faster. They saw where he was because he lit a lantern that was mounted in his boat. But he had to, he could barely see anything without her. All darkness. The fog didn't make the situation any easier either.

"Shit, I can't see anything," Scott grumbled through the fog.

He shooted again. This time hitting the right corner of William's boat, making him jump in terror.

- Weren't we supposed to bring him back alive?

- I just wants to shoot him and weaken him. "He'll pay for Ted's death," Scott said through his teeth with a deadly look in his eyes.

They had been chasing him for several minutes. During this time, the boat hit numerous small lumps and sheets of ice. It was the end of winter and the thaw was slowly coming. One thing was certain for the sect fanatics. The lake was very large. Although not as huge as the neighboring lakes. They had been preparing all week for this mission when the organization finally tracked down Black. They read everything about this place during these few days. The information they found out: In a few words... complete bullshit.

There are only a dozen of inhabitants in this area, living in nearby cottages at the other end of the lake. One motel. Correction: one burned down, defunct motel. One of many favorite lakes for anglers in spring and summer. They were the ones who mainly checked into this motel during these seasons if they wanted to spend a few days here, which the group had already determined by seeing numerous fish symbols on the building's banner advertisements. Lake Manitoba is one of five lakes in the province, along with Lake Cedar, Winnipegosis, Winnipeg and Lake of the Woods. These are glacial lakes, once they were one large prehistoric lake: Agassiza. There are rumors that they are still connected today thanks to a network of underground water corridors that predates the Pleistocene era.

But what to expect from Canada? The Country of the Great Lakes. The most absurd, however, were those Canadian fantasies created by fairy tale writers, as Scott put it. The country had perhaps ten different versions of its "Loch Ness Monsters" residing in specific lakes. People are just stupid, milked for money. But soon. When their Church establishes the new world, only the elect will remain. They have already started experimenting. In Toronto. Four times, failed. But the project will come to fruition. They're getting closer.

"We're almost there," Mason called through the mask when they were barely a dozen or so meters away from Black, who looked exhausted. He was already close to the shore.

"Oh no, asshole, it's nothing," Scott growled, standing up and pointing the end of the shotgun at William. He saw it perfectly and clearly. He knew he couldn't miss this time.

Exhausted, William managed to get ashore and was about to head towards the houses, not asking for help, but begging for it. Scott then fired, and the bullet hit William in the right leg.

- Aaahhh!! - he shouted in pain, sliding down the slope, his feet falling into the icy shallow water. The cold water poured into the gunshot wound, only intensifying the pain, causing Will to curse and groan in pain.

-Sunk! - Scott shouted triumphantly, looking at Black lying defenseless in the shallows, illuminated by the light of their boat lamp, and then turned to Mason - Row at him. We load the cattle on board.

- And you're not going to row anymore? - asked an irritated Mason, whose arms were already giving up from rowing.

-Shut up and row! Once we get him on the boat, I'll row and you can relax while watching over him.

Mason groaned reluctantly to obey the order. The front of the boat rammed through subsequent sheets of ice, approaching William like a hunter approaches a wounded game to finish it off. They passed more snow lumps, leaves, branches and logs, getting closer to their destination when they noticed movement on the water. It looked like a log. About two meters long. However, the log moved in a zigzag pattern and felt as slippery as fish scales.

- What is this? - Mason asked confused looking at the object. The direction in which he was sailing intersected with the direction of their boat.

- Uh... I don't know. Probably a fish. Some zander, perch, catfish or something. Keep rowing. Before I tie this asshole up, I want to beat his face thoroughly - Scott replied, massaging his fists, getting ready for what he announced.

- Fish in this time of year? Don't they hibernate by any chance? "It seems too big and wide for a fish," Mason said worriedly, staring at the shape. "What if it's... that Manipogo?"

- What fucking Manipogo?! Have you read this nonsense in tourist brochures? Do you believe in this kitsch? Are you really afraid of some fish? Maybe a catfish, maybe an otter, maybe a fucking crocodile that escaped from the zoo?! What's the matter?! - he shouted, irritated by his companion's questions when the slippery dark shape was already two meters from their boat. Then a furious and irritated Scott grabbed the shotgun again - Are you afraid of an ordinary fish? Here you go! Dead fish, dead fear.

Except it wasn't a fish after all. Scott shot at the dark, scaly-skinned animal. There was one thing he didn't know. What seemed to be the entire length of the animal was only its tail. It back and the front of it was under their boat. As soon as he injured the animal, the surface of the water on which their boat was located rose half a meter up because the animal's back was underneath it. A hump arose from the already turbulent surface of the water, which, when fully emerged, turned out to be the neck of a prehistoric creature. Scott and Mason froze in fear. They had masks, but underneath them their faces were pale and filled with horror. They saw magic, used magic, saw miracles and were raised to believe in beings of light, which wasn't really a faith at all because they had from the very beginning irrefutable evidence of the existence of what they were a part of. And now they were faced with something they had never faced before. With something they've only seen from those old dinosaur documentaries on BBC DVDs. Manipogo turned out to be true. The cryptid was something like a plesiosaur, but with a shorter neck and sharper and more curved teeth.

- AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! - both men screamed at the top of their lungs in pure fear, and with them the roar of the monster tore through the night sky.

The monster howled like a creature from nightmares. Like an alien from the fourth part of the movie Alien, which they often watched as teenagers. Stunned, Scott finally grabbed the shotgun again, but when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened. He used up all the bullets shooting Black in the forest and on the lake. He decided to cast a burning spell on it, but it was too late. Although he extended his arm towards him to create a fire spell before he formed it in his head, Manipogo had already approached him with its long neck and managed to grab his entire right arm in its mouth. Scott roared in pain as the creature sank its long fangs into him, and Mason screamed in pure shock and fear, not knowing what to do. He was too shocked to think rationally. He decided to hit the monster on the head with an oar, having no better idea. This only enraged the animal, which let go of Scott's bloody arm and rushed towards Mason, devouring his entire head with its jaws. To get closer, the creature swung its entire body, knocking the boat reverse and two people fall into the cold water.

Black watched the event with shock, simultaneously supporting himself with his arms on the ground and emerging with his legs from the murky shallows, retreating towards the frosty clearing while his tormentors struggled in the water, fighting for their lives. William could tell from a distance that the animal was about ten meters long from snout to tail, but he wasn't sure because of the movement he couldn't determine its exact size. Black crawled backwards, cold, as best he could, along the way he also picked up his bag which he had dropped and which contained the book. His little enthusiasm was extinguished when Scott made it to shore alive. With a torn arm but conscious, while his companion was no longer there, he was dragged by the creature into the dark depths of the lake, only the capsized boat remained, drifting on the troubled water. Black left a trail of blood on the snow-covered ground, dripping from his shot leg. A bit more. The nearest hut is fifteen meters away. If necessary, he will even bang on the owners' doors with his head. Scott moved towards William with a face of pure desperation. Black quickly pulled out the book, trying to find the first spell he found.

- E-even, Y-you don't know the spells by heart to f-form the co-combination in your s-soul and mind. "Shit sucks," Scott muttered, shaking his teeth from the cold. He couldn't even feel his arm hanging limply from his shoulder.

- I never liked this shit - replied William, looking through the pages - Most of these spells hurt people and destroy their lives. Although there are actually some nice ones.

-Y-yeah? Sure. L-let me show you one thing. D-do you want it? It will make you think a little about your actions.

- You first.

Before Scott cast the torture spell, William was faster. He closed his eyes, thinking about a specific sequence of letters and symbols, and once he had the combination in mind, he straightened his arm as his eyes glowed turquoise. He opened a portal in the ground and Scott was sucked into it. The man screamed as the portal threw him into the air right next to the burned down motel. He fell onto their group's car, hitting his face on the hood and losing consciousness, then slid sideways onto the road asphalt.

- What the Hell!? - a female voice shouted. That was Jenny.

She came out of the back of the vehicle where she was caring for the injured Cletus and talked to their management about the situation. Shocked, she walked over to Scott and tried to wake him up.

At the same time, the semi-conscious William managed to crawl to the door of the nearest cottage. He didn't know what time it was, but it was still night. He was hitting the cabin door with his right hand. With the last of my strength. Over and over again. He won't stay here. No way. He won't die from the cold or be eaten by that thing in the lake. He didn't know if these creatures could come to the surface. Probably not, because after all they had fins instead of normal reptilian legs. He hit and still nothing. He eventually passed out from extreme fatigue. Injured and possibly suffering from hypothermia, he might also have suffered frostbite, but he wasn't sure. Now he just lay unconscious with a bullet in his leg, waiting to die from cold or bleeding, death from infection of the wound, or all of them at once. This could have been the case... if the door in front of him had not been opened by the owner of the cottage who noticed him and, after a moment's hesitation, seeing his condition, dragged him inside, also taking his bag with the valuable book.

At exactly the same time, Jenny drove away in the car with the unconscious Cletus and Scott, receiving new instructions from their superiors about their mission. After momentary protests, she finally agreed, or rather, she had to. She left Black behind in the stranger's cabin (for now), she left Ted's burnt body in the motel, and she left Mason behind without even knowing that his corpse was being devoured at the bottom of the lake by a living fossil. They didn't think Black wouldn't be completely defenseless. They have to come up with a plan B.

At the same time, when Black was sleeping unconscious with a fever in a stranger's hut, his phone buzzed after receiving new text messages. It was early morning and the sun was beginning to dawn.

Jack: Wake up Willy. Yesterday you hung up so suddenly that it was unlike you. You usually like to write half the night.

Jack: Will? Something Happened?

Jack: Willie??

Jack:???