Professor Herbert
He is the professor who supervised my undergraduate studies
But my relationship with him did not end even after my graduation. We kept communicating with each other and meeting often to discuss the latest archaeological discoveries or engage in some useless Philosophical discussions
We traveled together during all our trips to different countries to explore archaeological sites and historical remains
The age gap between us was large, but this did not prevent the establishment of a strong friendship between us
He was the person to whom I could tell all my problems, and confide my secrets to
My friendship with Herbert was no less important than my relationship with my parents or with Dr. William
I stared for a long time at this skeleton, each time I closed my eyes and turned my face away from it, but soon I looked back at the skeleton
My face was contorting with sadness, it was different from the memories of Dr. William's death or my parents' death.
They are just memories, and I did not witness their death directly
But now I'm standing in front of the remains of someone I know
I looked at the necklace I am holding in my right hand
The picture in this necklace belonged to Professor Herbert's granddaughter, Diana
Seeing Professor Herbert talking to random people about his cute granddaughter was a natural thing to me, I witnessed it often.
He had an amazing ability to talk about his granddaughter for many hours straight, I still remember how on one of the trips to Egypt he talked for two straight hours about his adventures with his granddaughter when they visited the zoo in France
When we traveled to faraway countries, Herbert used to stare at Diana's picture for a long time, smiling warmly
I closed the cover of the necklace and put it inside my pocket while I looked at the skeleton
I didn't feel afraid of being inside this place
All I felt was pity and sadness for this friend who died alone in this deserted place
I sat near the skeleton, leaning my back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling
I closed my eyes for a while
I am tired, I want some rest, at first it was memories of Bridget, then the scene of the devastating war and the fear I felt because my soul was damaged, and now the news of the death of one of my friends in this world
I suspected from the beginning that the place I am in is the dark world
But how did Professor Herbert get to the dark world?
I heard that all the participants in the archaeological expedition were considered missing, and they could only find one person who died before they could get any useful information from him.
That man was screaming that something was chasing them. The investigators couldn't figure out what that thing was, but I knew
One of the missing persons was Professor Herbert
I opened my eyes and saw the black human statue located at the entrance of the room
I swallowed a mouthful of saliva as I stared at this unknown human figure
If Professor Herbert is in this place, doesn't that mean that the rest of the missing have also arrived here?
But I only found Professor Herbert, So where did the rest of the missing people go?
Is it possible that they have turned into these black humanoid statues?
I covered my face with my hands, and I took a deep breath
After a few breaths, I looked at the yellow papers scattered on the ground beside Professor Herbert
I know that the truth about what happened to this Archaeological expedition is written in these few papers
Professor Herbert is such an intelligent person, if he knew his end was near, he would certainly make sure to write down everything that had happened to him and his comrades, in the hope that someone would find these papers and discover the truth.
I grabbed the papers as I prepared myself to read Professor Herbert's Last Moments
I started reading the contents of the papers
I imagined many ways to die, but even in my wildest fantasies I did not expect to die in another world.
But this is a fate befitting a person like me, I used the people around me to gain glory and fame
I was blinded by greed, but I must admit that the offer made to me by Ayandra was one that could not be refused
The discovery of an orb capable of opening gates between worlds is an achievement that will ensure that my name is immortalized in the annals of history.
Ayandra told me that there are many such orbs, they are spread all over the world, but the problem is the powerful monster that guards the orbs
'If you can push the shadow away from you, you will be able to obtain an orb.'
This is what Ayandra told me
He was asking me to use a human bait
The plan was to give one of my men the orb that I would find inside the Sumerian tomb in Iraq, and then send this man to Europe, that would make the shadow haunt him.
And while the shadow is busy chasing that unfortunate man, I will find another orb hidden deep in the Sumerian tomb.
It was an impeccable plan
I hesitated as to who I should use as bait
But in the end I decided to use my student 'Daniel Montgomery'. ||
I stopped reading the letter when I read this part
I was indescribably shocked
Did Professor Herbert use me as bait?
I now remembered that it was Professor Herbert who suggested that I go back to Europe because my psychological state was bad because I had been confined for hours in one of the chambers of the Sumerian tomb.
He told me to take the orb with me so that I could research the history of this stone and the material it is made of.
But his real goal is to get the shadow to haunt me, so Herbert gets enough time to get the other orb.
Doesn't this mean that Professor Herbert is the reason for everything that happened to me?
I felt like a knife was going through my chest. I considered him as a friend, but he betrayed me in such an awful way
I pulled myself together and continued reading
I wasn't planning to use Daniel, but he had a tragic accident inside one of the cemetery's rooms
It seems that this incident made him unable to help me in this task, so I decided to use him as bait
At least I wouldn't have to sacrifice one of the men who still kept their health
I gave him the stone and sent him to Europe, while I continued searching for the other orb and the celestial compass.
I was finally able to find the chamber that was used for the burial of the Sumerian king, there I found the orb and the celestial compass.
I still remember the excitement and euphoria that overwhelmed me when I thought of my achievement
But my happiness did not last long
I realized that Ayandra had deceived me, This entity guarding the orb was not something that could be easily pushed away.
The same night we found the orb, while men were celebrating this historic discovery
Roar
A roar shook heaven and earth
The earth started shaking strongly, as if an earthquake had hit the place
But how did the shadow get here? ||