I came home and was escorted to the ballroom. Two ghosts were dancing intimately. One was a breathtakingly beautiful woman. Her hair was decorated with thorns and tiara made from bones. Her raven hair was twisted and braided and tied up in a bun. Her dress was black as though it was sown from midnight itself. Her translucent skin had a faint glow. She was delightfully dancing with a skeleton. Neither seemed disturbed by each other's appearance. There were a few chandeliers overhead. They looked like they were made from bone. They appear to be bleeding as red wax drips to the floor. The walls had ornate empty frames. Some were made of silver. Some gold, a few made from bronze or copper and the last one was made from bone. There were no tables or chairs. An orchestra of skeletal beings played somber notes as the couple danced. I was given dancing lessons and I walked up to the tower. There I saw a rip in space. The rip was red hot and it looked very angry. I walked downstairs to tell everyone. Tiberius took us to the town hall and yelled at everyone for their stupidity. They apologized and asked if there was a way to close it. Tiberius made it clear. "Cut off the head of one who opened the prison. Or watch as more monsters come out and start a killing spree." Everyone chose to be silent. The cook came forth and held out a pendant. A light shot out and hit bubbly Belle. Everyone stared nervously. One person asked if there was a way to close the portal without killing her. She reminded everyone that the school teaches the children what happens if they open that door. Had it been ignorance there would be a way. But she was informed and yet she did it. She has been marked. Either she is sacrificed or they will come for her and they will rip her to pieces so they can be free. The life of one person for the safety of the entire town.
Her friends stood in front of her like they could physically shield her from harm. Tiberius stared with pity. I asked my team to walk out of here and deal with the entities coming out. Mrs. Kol wrapped gauze around each of my fingers. Then my hands got wrapped in gauze. She then wrapped my arms, shoulders and chest with gauze too. Then I got dressed in a Japanese Bowman outfit. I was given a different shotgun. This one had a part of the barrel sawed off. Two Japanese swords of varying lengths. A fan made from metal. A gourd filled with suspicious looking substances. A Noh mask and an obsidian dagger. The blade wasn't straight. It was wavy. I walked out to see the locals were outside. They asked me if I needed their help. I told them they can help by going home and letting me handle this situation myself. The crowd started yelling. I raised the shotgun and everyone stopped talking. I explained how they had been so helpful when they allowed the prism to open. Whatever comes out will not want to go back in. They wanted to argue but Tiberius came and became Dracula. The crowd immediately turned around and went home. The girl who had opened the portal was officially arrested. But that won't make a difference. I serenely walked towards the eastern edge of the city where a path led to a ghost town a few hundred yards away. The portal was outside an abandoned asylum. Crazy things happen even on a normal day. As I walked towards the woods that signified the end of town limits I saw several flyers taped every few paces of missing people.
I found them all near the perimeter of the portal. They looked like they were possessed. They had vacant expressions and were drooling. They stood vigil in inhuman postures. If they weren't possessed they would be screaming in pain. I took the stringless bow and rubbed my hand where the string should be. A golden thread appeared with a red arrow ready to leap forth and hurt. I focused on ones huddled closest to a black heap. I fired the arrow and watched as the maroon colored flames engulfed the heap. For a second the poor souls regained control but then the monster regained control. The heap got up and I saw a disheveled man wearing loose pants held up by a rope. His eyes glowed yellow and one of his pointed ears was missing. His blonde hair was pointing in every direction. His bare chest had several scars like someone had taken chunks of his flesh with an unknown sharp implement. He wore a necklace of shrunken heads. He stared for a moment as though he was assessing the situation. He sniffed the air once or twice and decided to charge. I put the bow away and used the shotgun. His hand disintegrated. He screamed madly and kept coming. I kept firing till he was no more. I walked forward and tried to press the rip together. It came close but was repelled as though by magnets. I heard a noise. I turned around to see Blackwell came with the traitor. Her family was not far away. They kept begging him to release her. They were sure that solution will present itself. He ignored them as he slit her throat. The moment her blood touched the soil the portal closed like someone had used a zipper. The possessed ones fell to the floor like someone had cut the strings off a marionette and they got disoriented and then realization hit then like a freight train. They screamed as they all ran like they had seen a monster. Every single one of them went straight home. The girl was given a funeral. But since she betrayed the town she was cremated. The town promised not to meddle with unnatural things. They will live their life as normal as possible and let the rest of us handle the monsters. Any and all attempts to replace me or anything that stopped the stability of the town was banned.
I walked back to the house and through the portal. I wanted a word with Lissette. I saw a shadow wearing a glowing white wedding dress. She even wore a veil. She kept walking aimlessly. I wanted to follow her but a part of my brain asked me to stick to the target. So I walked to the valley of skulls and searched the cliff. She wasn't there. I heard a cackle. It was Harkness. I explained why I was here. One of her spider leg touched my forehead. She tilted her head. She ushered me to follow her. We walked past the river of hands. We walked past the geyser spewing lava. Cooled lava looked like people trying to get out as quickly as possible. We walked past the void. It was empty cold space. A panther laid not far away. It looked annoyed and mildly bored. She watched us as we jumped into a whirlpool. This lead us to the asylum in the ghost town. There was a shadowy figure with tendrils on its feet. They seemed to root into the ground with each footfall and uproot with the rise it's legs. The face had tentacles the wriggled in agitation. The figure turned around and disappeared. I turned around to see Harkness was missing. I shook my head and tried to sense my way around. I made it clear that I was there for answers. Harkness retorted, "Answers you want then answers you will get. But I don't think you will like the answer my dear." I replied, "Liking the answer is irrelevant. I need to know what needs to happen. I am here as a tool or a vessel. The end justifies the means." Harkness shrieked in terror and she reappeared. The shadow figure had impaled her by turning the tendrils into a spike. She pushed herself out and slashed the shadow figure in two. She used the energy released to heal herself. She turned to me and guided me towards the lobotomy room. I saw a thin metal rod illuminated on a dirty and stained tray. The tip was sharp and the handle was smooth. I asked her what answer lies here. She explained that she was lobotomized here. She was here because the town didn't want a guardian. They betrayed her and she is still looking for a way back home. She has no answer and neither does Lissette. I was told to go home and get some rest. I walked back through the portal and kept walking till I was standing beside the gravestone of Copernicus Graves. Tiberius was watching with a smile on his face. He asked me if I had really shot the conquistador. I nod in confirmation and he laughed malevolently.