Chapter 3 Excerpt-Ad Memoria

A fleeting light. Where was she. A dream passing through a dream. Awakening. Reaching the surface as she felt the dream beginning to drown her swirling thoughts that had images but no meaning. A man in a chair in a darkened room. Some stranger offering his hand to lift her back up from the ground. She saw herself being taken away. Crying while reaching out for the stranger to take her back. No. Must awaken. Must escape the dream.

Janice eyes lifted open seeing a strange rancid panel of glass in front of her. Or was it glass as it gave way and broke like a thousand comets over a starry sky. She fell to the ground gasping to breathe. Janice's sight seemed blurred for a moment until clarity revealed she was in a laboratory that was thoroughly dissused. Rusted implements, tools left behind leaving their insidious usage best left not to dwell upon. There was no ceiling for when she looked up she saw two large moons with the larger one tucked neatly behind the other. Fires behind the moons burned and stars seemed half eaten by cosmic terrors that made Janice feel unnerved. Definitely not Earth. How did she know that? If not Earth then where in all unholy hell was she? Why couldn't she remember anything?

"Oh Matron, Mother of Stars; how did I get here?" She spoke with a sense of confused frustration.

Each memory alluded her until she reached a small panel of crystalline glass that reflected back an image that seemed foreign to her. Deep black hair cut short with a narrow jaw. Eyes entirely grey with a large scar going from her temple to her right ear. An implant of some kind she assumed yet still retained no memory of how or even when the surgery occured. While she remembered her name Janice was disturbingly puzzled as far as to why she could not recall anything that transpired before this place. Harvesters could have drained her Anmethis to sell on the black web which sold for substantial profit. However, she felt no fresh wounds from the back of her skull so that was instantly ruled out. Maybe the Meticulum had her scheduled for a memory filter update then they came under attack by forces unknown within the present reality she had no exact idea of place within this time.

She felt something flat and smooth hovering near the left waist of the medical garb and brought it up to the thick moonlight bleeding through the ceiling. It read 'Praestrigiae'. Odd. Composed of a silver metal with beass rivets imbedded towards the side. Engravings of the title pulsed with a form of blackish purple energy and it seemed to be fully aware of her as if it had a mind of it's own. Unexpectedly the metallic object spoke to her.

"I await your requests Mother of Masks." It stated in a calm resounding voice amidst the dilapidated room around her. Carrying an echo that sent chills down her artificial spine. What was this thing?

Janice regained her composure as she heard something from outside the balcony of the lab. She crept silently to see what it was but was not prepared for the abomination that lay in wait below. Seven appendeges resembling that of a spider with no head appearing in any part of it's construct. The creature was feeding on a humanoid corpse with tendrils stretching out from the bottom of the torso dissolving pieces of the prey to be consumed in liquid form. Janice backed away to a turned over containmemt bed and reached for the odd silver sheet.

"I wish to know what that thing outside is."

Soaring quietly from her waist to eye level the Praestrigiae linked itself to her mind. Basking the room in phantom symbols that were of a very ancient time rivaling that of the Meticulum themselves.

"Argaema. Class 3. Predatory Carrion. Known to inhabit the Lesser Abhorrent continuum. Predominately hunting by sight and the scent of decay. Cautionary action strongly advised. Highly aggressive non-sentient. Adjusting spectra to ensure survivability of the Mother."

The silver device glided back down to her side causing a sensation around her to feel as if she became like the air itself. Holding up her hand while staring in awe as it became more and more invisible until she could no longer see it in front of her greyed eyes.