"Margulis Toldaap, that was her name. A unique being whose existence had somehow been erased from our memory." A voice spoke. It spoke to no-one, spoke for no-one, it was merely a force, a rule set into someone else's world purposely to guide them, for the coming days.
"Red, that colour, it was calmly borne was borne on her hair, eloquently flowing down her head, harshly it stained her eyes, resonating with their fierce unyielding truth." As it spoke an image was formed, a painting of a lost time. A woman stood. Her fierce eyes glaring into nothingness. The space before her began to crack.
"The Void, the truth of this world. We had known this, we still do. Yet it has been locked away, by someone, something, some...force." The crack extended, the woman braced herself, multi-coloured sigils forming around her. It shattered, revealing a humanoid shape within.
"There had been an intruder, a dangerous spy whose entrance and exit had been undocumented." The shape moved swiftly, rushing the woman and pinning her to the ground. Her touch seemed to cause the girl to wither, write in pain. She began to become less and less visible, being erased by the figure.
"Vast galleries of information had been sealed, painted with a crystal white flower, a rose." The said emblem began to appear upon the woman's face, a white rose. It crept upon her, stretching over her, beginning to consume her.
"Something changes, shifts, deep within. A will comes into play. The emblem begins to fade." As the voice said the rose began to wither, the figure stood, its shape told of shock. It moved back, then turned and run, moving back into the rift. It closed.
"Horatio Peppingar, my true self. We are once again whole, memory untarnished, with a mission, an oath made, but to whom?" The woman continued to remain prone, she showed no signs of standing. The rose still left a small mark upon her, she shivered, not from cold but from the feeling of frail weakness.
"Much is lost, yet to be recovered. We must recover, rebuild, rediscover that lost truth." The image began to disappear, nothingness once again became prominent.
"Alas, our time is short. Know now that our legend is not over, our story is still to be told, the future is uncertain, as you are now." The voice said finally, nothingness became absolute.
"You love her don't you." Nora said, "You love Margulis."
Horatio was silent. 'Margulis.' The name sounded in his mind, familiar yet strange. Its familiarity began to grow, along with it came emotions.
A tear ran down his cheek. He felt its warmth as it passed, he felt its wetness and felt something deep within him stir. Like a pot of boiling broth, it bubbled. Agitated it bounced inside him, begging to be let out. He felt as though he was going to burst. The pressure welled up more and more until he could hold it no longer.
Nora watched Horatio in silence, her mouth agape. Tears flowed down his face like rivers. He looked serene, as though he did not notice, as though he was no longer there. She said nothing.Horatio closed his eyes, he felt anger, despair, hatred and love. He did not understand, he was supposed to hate this person with all he had, this spectre of a time past, yet the strongest thing he felt, was love?
"Nora? Who, who is she?" He said softly, almost afraid of asking. He felt light, as though weights had been taken from him and he was freed from the crushing depths. He also felt tied down, unable to swim to the surface for a breath of air.
He needed to know why, why her name was so strange yet he knew so much of her. He looked into Nora's eyes, finding comfort in them.
"I'm not sure. You would know. You would know where to go." She said. She felt as though someone else was speaking through her. She did not know how to feel, she did not know what to say.
She reached out slowly, wrapping her arms around him, hugging him. "I'm sorry Horatio." She said, "Go to her...You'll thank me later" she then said. There was a quiet certainty within her voice but there was also a deafening feeling of loss and guilt, of unease and regret.
The night wind howled. Horatio ran. He ran atop of buildings, leaping from one to the other, the night had just begun, he had more power than he could wish for. He moved forward, following a path he did not know. He was being led to a place where answers could be found, or so he believed.
"Margulis." He said. The name was almost familiar now. As though he had called it many times. He could remember her before him some time ago. She had spoken to him, told him many things that had changed his life.
'The Void.' 'Margulis.' 'Voidwalkers.' These names came up in his mind, they were supposed to be of some importance to him, but he had never heard them before. He had always closed rifts by himself. He had found them by accident and worked to keep them closed. He had to do it, to keep the ones he loved safe. Those words were gibberish, he had to ignore them.
"You're a virgin aren't you?" A voice in his mind. He stopped, skidding to a halt on a flat roof. He remembered a little bit more, she had said that to him, said something about a bond, something about a partnership, about an institution, a family. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts. He continued running, moving as a green blur upon the rooftops.
Horatio breathed the crisp forest air. He had no idea how long he had been running but he had ended up far from town, moving along the road through a forest. He kept moving, his body knew something he didn't, so he followed.
"Thanks for the distraction, Horatio." The voice came again. It was fierce, not in tone but form. Rugged, tired, exhausted. Horatio slowed, stopping to take a rest. He felt it's exhaustion. The voice, it spoke of camaraderie, of battle, of responsibility, trust. He sighed, shaking his head to clear it, he stood and ran again.
The woods went on forever, he kept on running, tiring more and more with each step. He was being called forward, so he ran forward.
"Your recklessness hurts us all." He heard once more. Disappointed this time, frustrated. Horatio felt sadness well up within him, guilt, regret.
"You're protecting people." It stated matter-of-factly, but behind it was a plea, a begging scream, a desire to protect, guide, cherish. He felt lost, stranded in hopelessness.
"Okay." It was a single word, but it was powerful. There was resignation, it was tired with its failure, it needed someone, but that someone was now gone. There were no emotions, he only felt uncertainty.
"Damn you." It cursed, angry and hateful. The feelings behind this one felt different. 'They feel...corrupted, twisted, impure' He landed on that string of words. He felt hatred too, the same broken hatred the voice did. It welled up, intensely pushing at him, forcing him to give in. He did, falling to his knees. He closed his eyes.
"I'm tired." He said, only then realising how weak his body was. His voice was tiny, little, almost inaudible to himself. He felt impossibly heavy. He struggled to breathe, as though he was being crushed under his weight.
"Horatio?" He heard another voice, close. He struggled, opening his eyes, there was someone before him. A woman, dressed in a black and white maid outfit. He saw behind her a building, just a little bit off. No doubt his destination.
He tried to force himself to stand, lacking the energy to even position his hand right. He stopped, laying on his back. The woman hunched over him, as though trying to find out what was wrong with him.
Her hair was brown but different from Nora's, more energetic. Her eyes were brown too, set in a freckled face. She was just a bit taller than Horatio, he remembered her, he remembered her name.
"Martha?" He said, trying to stand. He was grounded by a cranium-shattering migraine. He felt dizzy, nauseous, everything was fading, he felt-
Nora was before him, looking into his eyes. He looked around, the entire environment had changed. He was in Jermanson park.
Something caught his eye, a person behind Nora, one with flowing red hair and alluring crimson
eyes. He called her name.
"Margulis?"
She nodded, coming towards him. Nora blocked her path with her body. Horatio did not notice but she was giving Margulis a dangerous glare.
Margulis simply continued, walking straight through her and towards Horatio. She outstretched her hand, cupping his cheek with it.
"Oh, Horatio, how I've missed you." She said, her voice was sweet, like a midsummer's dream. She drew in close, and kissed him.
A gate opened, a seal lifted. He remembered all; who Margulis was, why he had hated her, why she had hated him. The Void, the gods, the Toldaaps and their cause. They came to him, taking their rightful places in his memory, he remembered it all, all except why he forgot.
Horatio's eyes fluttered open, he blinked twice, stirring awake. He took notice of his surroundings. There was a roof above him, not the black starry sky. There was a bed beneath him, not the cold, tarred ground and dirt. There were walls around him, not countless looming trees. There was a person at his side, just like there had been before.
He shifted, taking a sitting position. He ran his hand over his forehead, through his hair and rubbed his nape. He felt his brain switching on, like an old computer refusing to boot. He turned to Martha.
"You're awake." She said with a gleam. Horatio nodded. "I wondered if I'd ever see you again, especially after you broke ties with Margulis." The maid spoke casually, as though she knew him. She did. Horatio could tell she knew more than he did and knew immediately that he would need her.
"Margulis." Horatio tried out the name again. He felt strange, lost. He had to call her by name again, he had to speak with her, amend their relationship.
"Martha, I need to speak with Margulis." He said determinedly. The expression that formed on Martha's face was not a good sign.
"That won't be possible right now, Miss Margulis isn't here right now." She said.
"What? She isn't here?" Horatio felt crippling shock, he felt his heart rate rising steadily. "But I did everything to get here! I ran for miles!" He felt a sudden surge of calm hit him. He blinked twice, then let his fists unclench, realising The Analyst had sedated him.
Martha did not intrude on him, she watched on as he visibly became calmer. "I said Miss Margulis is not her 'right now'." She said.
Horatio visibly brightened, "So she'll be back? When?" He spoke quickly.
"Yes she'll be back, but I do not know quite when," Martha answered. " I heard about your case. If anything you should be speaking to Miss Hetlia."
"Miss Hetlia? You mean Margulis' mom?" He asked. He remembered her. She bore the same beautiful red hair that Margulis did. She had taken care of him after he fought the Great Green Giant.
"Yes, the leader of the Toldaaps," Martha confirmed. "You will meet her?" She asked tentatively.
Horatio looked away. He thought for a moment then looked back to Martha. "I know I have to, but I'm not sure I can." He said.
"Why so?"
Horatio hesitated to answer. He waited, drawing circles on his palm. "Can I trust you?" He asked finally. Martha showed a questioning expression. Horatio continued to fiddle, waiting for her answer.
"That depends, how do you feel?" She replied with a question of her own. Horatio looked down at his hands. The circles he traced became wider and slower each time. He breathed slowly.
"I feel stupid. I've made many mistakes, too many. I behaved selfishly, blaming my own faults and mistakes on others. I tried to run from those who needed me while trying to play the hero, and after all that, I allowed myself to forget, to ignore my wrongdoings to save myself from the guilt." Horatio was on the verge of tears, he felt vulnerable, he had to breathe deeply after every sentence. Saying all this aloud made him feel horrible, sinking in a bog of guilt.
He looked to Martha who nodded slowly. "I can't deny the truth of your words Horatio, but... I asked you how you feel." She said, "You answered me from here" She stated pointing to his head "But I want an answer from here." She said, touching his chest with one finger.
He went silent. He had many things to say, many answers to her question, they were all correct but not quite right. He stopped trying to speak, waiting, thinking. He still had no answer that could suffice.
"I don't know. I...I'm not sure." He said defeatedly. Martha shook her head.
"Then I'm sorry Mr. Peppingar, I would rather not have your trust." She said, her voice solemn. Horatio was silent. He hung his head.
"I understand," he said.
"Well with that out of the way," Martha started in her regular tone, calm with a hint of joviality,
"Say Mr Peppingar, what were you doing lying outside like that? I was so scared you were dead!" She asked.
"I, I came to see Margulis." He repeated. "I had a...I'm not quite sure. My head just hurt so much and I-"
"Oh that's no good." Martha said disappointedly, "You aren't eating well, I can see it. You look so bony!" She laughed.
"Eh? No, it's not-" Horatio was cut off by his stomach rumbling. Thinking back he had not eaten much today, only had snacks throughout the date.
"You can't be denying your body like that Mr Peppingar." Martha's tone was angry. "I know you want to look good for the young Miss Margulis but you can't be starving yourself!" She huffed.
She stood, looking down at him "Sit here, I'll get you well fed. Then we'll have a little chat with Miss Hetlia. Well, you will be the one doing the talking but don't worry too much, she's not the type to hold a grudge. Ever since she was a baby she has been-" Martha stopped as though she was saying something forbidden. "Haha, I might have said too much." She smiled sheepishly then left the room.
Horatio was left alone. He felt a bit better, cheered on by Martha's easygoing attitude. He sat in silence, alone with his thoughts. "What's wrong with me?"He asked aloud.
"Running a full body scan." A familiar voice spoke.
"No, don't. I was not being literal." He said with a sigh. "I wanted to know your thoughts, on everything."
"You would like my opinion on every subject?" The Analyst asked
"No, just this situation. How am I doing, on a scale of one through ten." He clarified.
There was silence. Horatio waited, tracing more lines over his palm. A few minutes passed without an answer. "Hey-"
"One. Your rating comes out as a solid one." The Analyst said. Would you like my reasoning?" It asked afterwards.
"...No, I already understand." Horatio said. Moments later the door opened and Martha walked in, pushing a trolley. Upon it was a covered plate but from the scent wafting from it, Horatio could tell whatever it was, was delicious.
"Eat up Mr Peppingar, I have a feeling you're going to need the strength soon." She said with a wink.
"Thank you."
"Say Mr Peppingar, what sort of void gift do you have?" Martha asked a few minutes later. Horatio paused eating, giving her a confused look.
"Void gift?" He asked.
"Oh my," Martha gave him a sheepish laugh, "I'm sorry, I forgot you are not a Voidwalker. Forgive me." She said.
"Wait, if you're talking about my abilities then there's a few, I can tell you them, but in exchange, you have to tell me about these 'void gifts'."
"Hmm, I'm not sure if I can do that." Martha said. "don't you have another-"
"Nope" He cut her off. "That's my only request."
Martha was silent for a moment. Horatio could see her debating a decision. He smiled wistfully and continued eating.
Minutes passed, Horatio had cleaned his plate and was upon his feet. He looked over to Martha who still looked deep in thought.
"Miss Martha? I don't want to be too pushy but I would like to see Mrs Toldaap now." He said softly. Martha looked at him, her face troubled.
"You don't need to know my abilities you know, keeping your family's secret is more important." He called to her.
"It's not really a secret." She sighed.
"Wha-"
"I...It's more like, I'm embarrassed to say it."
"Huh?"
"Oh fine." She said finally. "I'll explain it to you while we walk. its much easier that way."
"I, see..."
The Toldaap Mansion was built like a maze, narrow intertwining corridors as far as the eye could see. Stranger still, it was almost deserted. Horatio followed Martha through the ghostly corridors, hearing faint sounds of talking. As they moved forwards the numerous voices grew louder and louder until the hallway opened up and out into a massive hall.
Horatio was stunned by the noise and colours. A quick ping had two hundred and forty returns. He stopped moving, surprised by what he saw. The almost lifeless mansion looked more lively than he could have imagined. He was awed. He noticed a crowd gathered and that there seemed to be a hubbub originating from an area close to the centre of the hall where two women looked like they were arguing. There was a crowd gathered around them adding to the chaos.
Martha turned to Horatio "Sorry but I'm going to have to leave you for a bit, don't want them starting a fight." She said, gesturing towards the crowd. Horatio nodded and she went off. Though it seemed she might be too late as one of the women reached into her pocket, withdrawing her hand that was now covered with a knuckleduster.
Horatio watched Martha move towards the crowd until his view was blocked by a looming figure. He looked up to see a woman with neon green hair and azure blue eyes looking down at him excitedly.
Horatio made some space between them by shuffling back, only able to keep calm because of a quickly timed dose of sedatives. The woman was sturdily built and almost a foot taller than him. He steeled himself, waiting for her move, except she did nothing, only watch him with her eyes like the ocean.
"Hello?" Horatio called, tensing slightly. The woman blinked twice, shifting backwards, focusing on Horatio as a whole.
"Oh sorry." The woman said. Horatio was surprised by the sound of her voice, it was much more feminine than he had expected.
The woman stepped back apologetically, making even more space between them. "Is this better?" Horatio nodded, the woman smiled.
Now he had the chance to look at her more closely, noting her strange appearance.
She seemed to be drenched in sweat and her breathing was noticeably haggard, as though she had dome some sort of tiring activity beforehand. Horatio wondered what it was, she did not show signs of having recently been in a battle so that made him even more curious.
She wore intricate brown and black garments, they looked sturdy, enough to protect from impacts and piercings. That confused him even more, she was prepared or was preparing for what he supposed to be a rift-closing expedition.
Horatio noted a small black pouch worn at her hip, in it was what looked like a small firearm. He also noticed a wooden figure poking over her shoulder, the rest of it, a metal cylinder was visible by her side. He noticed the strap over her torso that held the item and concluded it was a rifle.He looked at her in general, her protective clothing had obscured her shape, but from what he knew of Voidwalkers, he would most likely be taken aback by her body.
He shook his head, he can't be thinking of such things, especially of someone he had just met. He realised he had not even introduced himself and was already thinking like that.
"I'm Horatio," He said, stretching his hand.
"Hannah." The woman said, shaking it. "Sorry if I startled you, I was just surprised to find someone with my hair and eye colour, you know how the void is." She said with a smirk.
Horatio gave her a half-hearted laugh as a response, not knowing an appropriate one. "There's no need to apologise," He said, "I'm just wary of older women." He explained, simultaneously wondering when this aversion occurred.
"That's too bad, you looked really cute," Hannah said, "I was hoping we could have some fun." She gave him a wink. Horatio blushed.
"I-erm...I don't-"
"Hey, Hannah, who's the kid?" Another voice came from behind Hannah, deeper this time but still noticeably feminine. A woman with dark grey-blond hair and shocking yellow eyes showed up. She was dressed much more normally than Hannah but was still armed. A sheathed narrow weapon, most likely a Japanese katana. She wore a red dress decorated with golden flowers, looked to be hibiscus.
The woman gave Hannah a once over, "You haven't changed?" She asked, then gave Horatio an analytical look. "Don't tell me you're-"
Hannah turned to the woman, "His name is Horatio, doesn't he look adorable." She cooed, cutting her off.
The other woman sighed "I hope you're not trying to corrupt him." She said sternly, Hannah only laughed.
The woman then turned to Horatio, "The name's Amanda Lockheart, you can call me Aunt Amanda." She also shook Horatio's hand, but she didn't let go. Instead, she leaned in and whispered to Horatio "Look, you don't know what you're getting into kid, Hannah's got a rather 'adult' void gift." She said, "Trust me, just walk away, you'll thank me later."
"Heeey, you guys are already sharing secrets? Come on tell me, I'm a good secret keeper." Hannah called from Amanda's back. Amanda turned to her with a stern glare and was about to speak when another person came in, a male in a bomber jacket and loose denim jeans.
He introduced himself as Steve, and he was part of a team with the other two women, a human, bonded to Hannah. After him, more and more people came up to Horatio, talking to him and giving him advice until Martha came back and forcibly took him away.
"Sorry for leaving you for so long." Martha apologised, leading him away from the group.
"No, don't be, they were good people, they told me a lot." He replied.
"Really? How much?" Martha looked surprised. "Pardon my surprise but your company did not seem particularly 'mature'. Unless we were talking about Hannah Summers."
"Well," Horatio began, glossing over Martha's comment. He debated whether to disclose what he was told to Martha but realised he had already blown his cover. "I have a basic understanding of void gifts now, and how the Voidwalkers work in teams, they even told me something about you when you were chewing out those two who were fighting." He said.
"Oh, I see." She said, "Well why don't you tell me what you know and I'll fill in the gaps."
"Ok." He began. "Well, I guess void gifts are basically gifts from the void, as told by the name. The Voidwalker blood in you along your advanced bodies allows you to perform much greater feats than humans, the greatest of which is a direct gift from the void."
"Hmm, That's a spot-on explanation, nothing to correct there," Martha commented.
"Umm. This wasn't said word-for-word but it seems your gifts are random and unique, acquired at birth but have to be discovered individually because of their uniqueness."
"That's true, some go several decades before realising their gift, so we all work together and take extra caution to notice gifts whenever they're triggered."
Horatio nodded "I see. Some people told me a bit about their gifts. There was a guy named George who could see wounds and heal them, a girl by the name of Jupiter whose gift allowed her to fly and another who insisted on keeping her identity a secret who could tell if anyone was lying or not." He said with a snigger "That one was interesting."
Martha groaned and Horatio gave her a questioning look. "Your exposure is quite problematic." She said.
"Why so?"
"You spoke to adults." She said without elaborating.
Horatio ran that data through analysis, there was nothing new. "Yeah? I don't see the problem."
"Voidwalkers live for an average of two hundred years, more than twice that of humans. These people have had the chance to refine their gifts over several years, trimming them to suit their needs, making them as practical as possible." She explained. "That man George? His ability at birth was more on the lines of knowing if someone was sick or in pain. Jupiter? She was most likely able to manipulate gravity of very small things and the last one, she most likely just had a small feeling on who to trust and who not to. Those are what void gifts truly are, small conveniences that can be refined into specialised abilities or sometimes into wholly different powers, most bordering into the supernatural. Some can also be a real pain but still useful when trained, And some..." Martha trailed off.
"Sorry, you said?"
"Some are not so convenient, some can ruin your life, make you see things you're not supposed to see, break you. The void is not partial in its giving, it's not benevolent and neither is it malevolent, some Voidwalkers struggle with their powers. Some take their lives because of them, and some, some are stuck with it, no matter what they do." Martha said, her tone was solemn, sad. Horatio could feel her pain, so he did not pry further.
"I am twelve thousand, three hundred and seventy-nine years old." She said suddenly, " The void gave me the gift of a long, long life. I cannot die. I've seen civilisation rise and fall many times, I've seen the truth of this world and I have been driven to the brink of death many times. I know much more about this world than all the Voidwalkers in this building put together, and I intend to keep those things secret, lest the world be damned because of me. I have vast reaches of knowledge that would tip the balance of this world, yet there are two who bring in new concepts, and one who is tied to so much more than just this world." Martha moved closer to Horatio slowly. She stretched her hand, resting it against the wall, trapping him.
"So tell me Horatio Peppingar, brother of Sylvia Peppingar and close friend of Nora Gasal, what exactly are you, and what is your goal." Her voice was differed, aged. It shook Horatio to his core, making him lose all fugitive thought. His mind was focused solely on Martha, locked in a primal fight-or-flight mode.
"I-I'm human," He said, much more calmly than he expected, "I only want to make amends with a certain person, and to protect the word." He stated.
Martha continued to stare at him, calmly gazing into his eyes. "Truth." She said, almost disappointedly. "Your words are true, you are simply a human anomaly, given unique abilities. I hoped you to be god-kin or something much more, perhaps the holder of the divine rose, if that's what they're still calling it." She said, moving away from Horatio. "I wonder how Margulis got to know of you." she sighed " I suppose I would have better luck asking her myself." She continued forward.
"You're not just a maid, are you?" Horatio heard himself ask. He was surprised, he was scared yet his drive for knowledge led him to ask. He had heard something from the Voidwalkers, if it was true, then a few more puzzle pieces would fall in.
Martha stopped, looking over her shoulder at him. It felt withering, as though he was being taken through time under her gaze. "No Horatio, I am known now as Martha Toldaap, honorary member of the Toldaap family and second-in-command of the Toldaap main forces." She said."When you say Toldaap main forces," Horatio began and was already curing himself. Her gaze felt painful, as though his very soul had been blighted by it and was being corrupted more and more by it, yet he had to ask "I feel like it shows the existence of more Voidwalker families, care to explain."
Martha shook her head disapprovingly. "You should be more careful with the unknown child, your tendency to play with fire might get you burned." She said and continued forward "I am not at liberty to discuss that with an outsider." She said.
Horatio followed her, he felt shaky. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. He looked forward at Martha who had lost that ancient aura she had just shown and looked nothing more than the second-in-command of the Toldaap Voidwalker forces. He had been confused as to how someone who looked so young could be so high up the ranks but the evidence lined up, there was no mistaking it. What she said was the truth. He trotted to catch up to her.What she said clung to him, currently, he was an outsider, lucky even to be here, he had only one shot at this.
"Mr Horatio, I must apologise but it seems most of the basics have already been covered. I suppose I could tell you about how our teams are usually made up." She offered, looking back at Horatio. He nodded.
"Void defender teams are usually made up of four individuals, three Voidwalkers and an exceptional human. Though when I say exceptional I mean one with high technical skill or great combat prowess, unlike in your case where you have as much power as a Voidwalker." She said.
"The highest-ranking Voidwalker in a team reserves the right to sire a capable human. Voidwalker teams are chosen a few days after one shows their void gift, to promote team building and cohesion, and also to make sure their abilities allow for proper combat."
"I see, then Margulis has a team already?" He asked.
"Yes, two other talented individuals born of high enough blood to be in a team with the next heir and with great enough power to keep that place. Aiden Kudjoe and Servia Nene, with the abilities of Telepathy and Mental manipulation respectively, though I suspect the latter is on the road to a higher power that I am not at liberty to discuss with you at this moment." She stated.
Horatio kept their names, not as though he had a choice. He understood Martha perfectly. "So once I prove myself to Madam Hetlia I can be privy to that information?" He asked, copying her style.
Martha looked at him with a chuckle, " I suppose that would be the case." She said. They had gotten to a large door at the end of a rather long hallway. He knew it was the door to Hetlia's office. If he was rejected it would be one long walk of shame. He had to nail this.
"Are you ready?" Martha asked.
Horatio took a deep breath "Yes I am."
Martha knocked on the door. "Miss Hetlia, I've brought the boy." She said loudly.
"Come in." Hetlia Toldaap's dignified voice came from inside.
Martha reached for the lock, turning it. The door squeaked open and Horatio stepped inside. It shut soon after. He looked and saw Martha did not follow him in. He was now alone in this room with Hetlia Remshall Toldaap, and his nerves were flaring up.
"Mr Peppingar, a pleasure to meet you again." Hetlia's voice came from across the room. Horatio felt washed in hits non-committed tone. He took a deep breath studying the room.
It was a rectangular room with dim lighting. Two large bookshelves set into the alcoves of the walls flanked its long sides. It's far side held a centrally placed window peeking out from under a dark curtain delicately draped over it. Just before that was a dark, possibly wooden desk covered with books and strange devices that emitted traces of void energy. A dark carpet protected the floor and was littered with stacks of books. Floating through the air were more strange devices that Horatio found more traces of void energy from. Behind the desk was a regular office chair, and atop that was Hetlia who gave Horatio a scathing look with her crimson eyes.