The Lake, Returned

Yesterday was my day off from work. Which means I finally had free time to do what I needed to do. Unfortunately, with Diana dead, I couldn't visit her and get more information. So instead, I did the other important thing I had to do.


I returned to the lake.


Kay, I know you don't like me going there, but I had no choice. I needed to figure out The Count's next clue for me.

I went there at around 3 in the afternoon. There wasn't a lot of people around the lake, because it was raining. Just the few hardcore fishermen that don't care about the weather. Hehe, my uncle was a lot like that when he was alive. Didn't care for the weather, just loved being out there, catching fish.

Anyway, I parked in a small parking lot behind the lake, and walked into the woods behind a small wooden gate. Some of the trees have fallen down, so it was a little hard to navigate myself through them. Not the same as when I was a kid. I walked over and under several fallen trees until the lake was in sight. So far, I hadn't seen or heard anything that can indicate any memory of man hunt.

Next thing I know, I heard a voice whispering "Lucien." It seemed to be a more gentle voice, so I don't think it was anything to worry about. I turned around and tried to find where the voice came from. It seemed like it was coming from underneath one of the fallen trees. I walked over to it, kneeled down and looked near the base of the tree. There didn't seem to be anything there. I thought that this was useless. I stood up and turned around.

There He was. Just standing there. Staring at me with that blank face of his. No tentacles were showing this time. I didn't know what to do. This time, I was actually unarmed. I was afraid, because I knew in my heart that the symbol wouldn't protect me this time. I felt this might be the end, even if I ran. But I had no choice. I had to try and run.

That didn't exactly work out though. I turned around to try and run, but I hit my head on a tree branch that was jutting out. The last thing I remembered there at the lake was seeing Him standing over me.

When I finally came to, I was laying in my bed. It was 11pm. I dont remember how I got home from the lake, what happened during those 8 hours. However, I remembered something else.

A memory from my past. Kay, why don't I remember this?

I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. I was playing at the lake with my sisters while my dad was fishing. We got bored easily, so we went into the woods often to play. Hide and seek, sword fights, things like that. We were having one of our sword fights, and I thought I heard a voice calling to me. I started wandering off. My sisters were calling my name, telling me to come back. I told them to wait, I had to check something out. Next thing I know, I was surrounded in total darkness. I couldn't see or hear anything, but I remember feeling my body in pain.

I blacked out at one point. When I came to, I was at home, in bed. My parents were standing over me, crying because I finally came to. They told me I had been missing for 5 days. The police had called a man-hunt to search for me by the lake, thinking that maybe I was dead. Suddenly, on the day I was at home, my parents said that the doorbell rang. When they answered it, there was a man standing there wearing all black. He was holding me in his hands. He said to my parents "Don't worry, he will be safe. He's a strong kid." He handed me over to my dad, then just walked away.

It was The Count.


It had to be. From what I remember and what I was told, I must have stumbled into The Path of Black Leaves. I probably passed out in there from the pain. The Count must have found me in there and brought me back home. This explains why he said he's known me for a long time. But one thing doesn't make sense to me.

I was in the Path for 5 days. Robert Sage was in there for mere minutes and felt his body being destroyed. Why wasn't mine? I had no broken bones, no bruising or anything of the sort. Just pain. How did my body survive being in there for 5 days?

Could this be the reason The Count thinks I'm so important?

More answers, but more questions too.

-Lucien Drage
Leader of the Isabel Initiative and the Keeper Alliance
Fighter for the Cause
Survivor of The Threat
Defender of the Scared
Friend of the Free-willed
Brother to All