While standing on shore not sure where to go the priest heard a mysterious voice say in a vain whisper head to the center… which gave him the shivers. Trying his hardest to ignore the disturbing feeling he started shaking his head for a second to build up enough courage to continue to walk into this dark vast woods. After walking no more than a few feet he saw something that made him stop in his tracks, what he found looked to be a foggy pathway that may lead to the center, but the pathway was made up of old decaying skulls of all sorts of animals.
If one were to look closely they would notice that the skull's eye sockets gave off a light teal glow with a red undertone. Now he wasn't sure if following it was the right choice, but not having any better options he decided to follow it. As he walked uncomfortably down that lonely road he felt like the skulls were watching him and talking amongst themselves. An action he thought very likely given what this place was. He just hopes they have no ill will towards him or the living in general.
While in his heart of heart he was hoping that was the case, which it probably wasn't the case, and he'll never find out, with those useless thoughts in his head he secretly hoped that it would only take a few minutes of walking down this path and he will be at the center, however to his dismay those minutes of walking soon turned into hours of walking. With those hours of uncertainty it allowed fear to creep into his heart, after all the fear of the unknown was always the most scary thing to a human, especially one who lost his connection to the gods he believed in.
As if sensing his fear a sudden gust of wind blew past his shoulder. Freezing him in places, he got the urge that something was watching him, with legs shaking, knee buckling he mustered up the courage to look over his right shoulder. Then a white, black tip, rat with teal reddish beady eyes, smacked his head. Recovering from the sudden hit to the face the priest got up from the floor when the rat started talking in a failed attempt to prevent the priest from panicking. Now, Now calm down everything is ok, Silly human.
I swear you humans are so easily scared, you see some undead and a few weird trees and you're ready to piss your pants. Sigh anyway before you ask, the master has gracefully given yours truly the name Larry! O and I should thank you human, in case you haven't realized it already. I am the same rat that was about to kill you in the real world just prior to you opening the journal. Now shut up I'm still talking, to make a long story short my kind was created to spy on humans many moons ago, long before you were born.
However after many years of being separated and hunted down by the humans I had forgotten what it was like to be home again and turned into a feral undead, so I thank you again, humans. Now you may ask yours truly some questions. The priest proceeds to close his mouth and thinks carefully for a second, for he figures he can only ask a few questions before annoying this monster that might still finish what it started back outside. Before finally asking, why are you here?
In response, the rat said:
But to lead you my fine human friend to the center and more importantly to be your security blanket so to speak", said the master. Having got the point of why the rat was here, he decides to ask: where are we? or more like are we almost there? The rat pondered for a second before replying: where about two-thirds of the way there, it's about another hour or so of walking. As for where we are?
Well, where on the island does the master call the Last Hope, as for what the meaning of that is, only the master knows. Ok last question, who is this master? Umm... let's see the master was once a great Lion known as the Blood Lion. He was feared throughout the land as one of many great patron judges of the god of death.
Whole kingdoms fell before him, and vast species went extinct, to some, he was nothing but a monster, but to others, he was a powerful protector, or a weapon depending on who you asked. Um, then why have I never heard of him before? Why doesn't the journal cover have a lion instead of a satyr's face?
That's two more questions and sorry it looks like the master himself wants to explain that to you personnel it would seem. Anyway that's enough questioning for now let's carry on, shall we? After About an hour of walking the priest with the rat came upon a clearing that looked to be the center.
At the clearing they could see a dilapidated temple that sat in the middle of a mini misty swamp lake that was filled with those sliver-like waters. The temple design was of an old classic catholic like building with a stone path leading the way to its hidden depths[see picture]. The dusk color light the sun gifted gave the temple an even more eerie feeling. The crows and ravens flying around were the only living beings to gift, these ruins with some semblance of life. The entrance had two giant gargoyles with each showing century's of time passed. Those two guarded a two sided iron door that kept safe the temple secrets. As the two approached the door the rat said open the way for its destiny time. The two old gargoyles glowed and said finally our long watch had ended and in a moment crumbled away, leaving behind a faint whisper, the way is open.