Immortal Memories Read online

  Volume 1

  Michael Hibbard

  Copyright © 2013 Michael Hibbard

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be produced without or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the permission in writing from the Author.

  Waking Dream™ and Waking Dream Online™ and the Eye Logo are trademarks owned by E. Michael Hibbard II

  ISBN-13: 978-1480277588

  11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of this author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Table of Contents

  The Book of One

  The Black Heart in Madness

  The Fairy in Red

  So Long, But Never Good-Bye

  The Place of the Sisters

  What Rough Beast

  Vacant Eyes on the Eternal Sea

  The Charnel House

  Blood Dolls

  Afterword

  Dedication

  For my family, Charity, Rachel and Kyle

  For all those who believe in a better world

  For all those who enjoy molding the Dream together

  For all my friends and fans

  I love you all

  Preface

  Thank you for taking the time to read the first of many stories set in an altered view of our reality I call The Waking Dream. The Waking Dream Universe spans the course of human history, and this collection of short stories focuses on specific memories of Immortals over the last 150 years. These stories give you a deeper insight into some of the characters introduced in the first novel in the series, Waking Dream: Devlin.

  I have striven to create a unique and original storyline, trying to break the mold that has dominated the market for decades – it is time for a new genre. The Waking Dream Series is a unique genre because it has elements of dark fantasy, horror, eroticism, philosophy, spirituality and science. I wanted to appeal to a wide range of readers, giving them something new to look forward to in a world dominated by formulaic tales. The Waking Dream series is very different, and I hope I can keep you guessing to the very end.

  It is my hope, that like H.P. Lovecraft before me, other writers will pick up these concepts and create their own stories. The Waking Dream is not about just one man’s vision; it is about creating a new world and universe so that others can contribute stories of their own.

  Within this collection, you will find nine stories, which are the memories of the immortals that inhabit The Waking Dream. Immortals are long-lived creatures; there is no way to chronicle their lives in a single novel. I chose not to create long, biographical histories of the Immortals, but rather allow them to tell their own tales, and remember the moments that meant the most to them; the moments that shaped who they are and expose their dreams.

  More information about the Waking Dream Universe, philosophy and mythos is available at http://wayoftheweird.com. It is an ongoing work of fiction, told from the perspective of a character named Justin the Crier. Those of you unfamiliar with the mythos of the Waking Dream should begin with the Libellus Somnium link on the top menu.

  Awaken the weirdness within you and change the world.

  Michael Hibbard

  Chester, Virginia

  October 2013

  The Book of One

  The Spaces Between, In the Beginning

  I.

  First, I was Zero, but now I am One – my eyes were closed but now they are open. I say truly and completely, I am no god. The Creator is hidden from us all, and his will is the will of the Weird. The Weird is the source of our wills and Weirdness. In that oneness, we are all God, however, we are not gods.

  II.

  The universe is wholly unimaginable, a culmination of all of our dreams, from the first primordial thought to the last dying wish. It is as it must be. Realize that it is unimaginable and unsolvable for a very good reason, a reason that would have no meaning were I to speak it aloud. I have been asleep for countless eons, exploring myself and the nature of existence. Though I have existed since the beginning, I am still a child. Through my dreams, you have become Dreamers. Through your dreams, you have created the Sleepers to assist you in understanding, creating and imagining the world you in which you wish to live. You must care for them as you would care for yourselves, for they are as precious as you are.

  By reading this, I hope to prepare you for what is to come. It is no coincidence you have stumbled upon this book. Your world is nearing the end of an age, as must all worlds. Nothing is eternal except for the Weird, the force from which all creation is sculpted. From the Weird, we all are born, and to it, we will return, time and again. I have chosen to speak now, after leaving you to your own designs for so long, because as your kin, I do not wish to see you perish. You have repeated the same mistakes for countless centuries and you must remedy that. This age is at an end, and you will have to relearn all that you have learned. That is the cycle of the Weird; the cycle of our strange and wonderful universe.

  III.

  You are a Dreamer, one who has the ability to manipulate space and time with your will through the energy within you called Weirdness, your inherent connection to the Weird and source of your consciousness. Unlike your counterparts, the Sleepers, you have free will and Weirdness allowing you to manipulate the universe reflecting your imagination and dreams. I am able to communicate to you over time and space because of the Weird. If you reflect on this, you will understand that you take a great many things for granted.

  As a Dreamer, you must strive to Awaken, for your true ability lies dormant deep within your subconscious – suppressed by centuries of false teachers and selfish beings attempting to arrest control of all creation, all existence. That is why I have returned. I hope that my words will resonate with you and reveal the true path to eternity -- immortality. It is only through awakening can you truly discover the path to the sublime state of immortality, and it is different for everyone. Immortality does not imply perfection. Perfection is a myth. Mistakes and flaws must exist or the fabric of the universe would tear irrevocably, sending us headlong into the void for all eternity, never to be reborn.

  IV.

  The Sleepers are the rest of the inhabitants of your world, and the universe. You are not the only Dreamers in the universe; there are as many Dreamers as there are stars. The Sleepers are both people and animals, however your will drives them, due to their lack of Weirdness to resist. This too is as it should be. While it may seem callous from your primitive moral values, you must realize that they are here to assist you -- living robots, vessels for your continued resurrection. They are the engineers of your architectural vision.

  You must care for the Sleepers, because you have created them – you are always responsible for what you create. Do not view them as slaves, but as actors. They shape and mold the Waking Dream to your desires. Moreover, the Sleepers are at the greatest risk as the end times approach -- the Great Transformation and the end of this age.

  V.

  There are Awakened among you who have discovered their Immortality, and some have existed for thousands of years. In my absence, you have been unwitting pawns in their petty squabbles and selfish plans as they attempt to know that which is unknowable. Even now, as twilight falls on your civilization, there are those who are forcing the fall of humanity so that they may rule unhindered.

  Each Dreamer and Sleeper in the world diminishes the amount of Weirdness available to manipulate the Waking Dream. They are made of Weirdness and store it like batteries, as all life requires energy. Consciousness requires enormous amounts of Weird to function. Some immortals wish t
o unleash this stored up Weirdness, so that magick can return to the world, allowing them to change the face of the planet unhindered by the naïveté of the Dreamers. If they succeed, it will unleash a tempest of Weird that will transform your world, potentially destroying it.

  I know that these things are terrifying, confusing and unfathomable, but you must try to understand. All that you have known will change, but it is up to you how it will change. There is no fate to rely on; you must accept responsibility for yourself, because the universe operates through causality. To do a thing, one must accept the consequences of that action. Understanding this, you will survive the coming storm. Fate is a childish myth created to lull the Dreamers into a sense of helplessness – you control your path. Though you have been pawns, you need not continue in that role. Nothing is static as the Weird is constantly churning and changing – like the waves and tides of the oceans.

  VI.

  As with all things in the universe, it is your decision as to when you will awaken and when you will become immortal. Be cautioned, Immortality is not for everyone, and comes with a great deal or responsibility, and the sacrifice of one’s ‘sanity’, a word with true meaning. Once you have found your path to Immortality, you must then decide how you will spend eternity.

  The body is inherently frail, and like any mechanism, it will degrade, despite the best maintenance. Old things must give away for new things because there is a finite amount of Weird available in the universe. When a body dies, the soul is freed once more and will eventually find its way through the Spaces Between to another waiting body. All Dreamers and Immortals experience this -- however there are major differences between the two. A Dreamer who dies will lose all knowledge of their previous life, except for residual memories that transcend space and time due to the power of their influence on the soul. For the majority of Dreamers, they start life over. This does not imply that a Dreamer automatically is reborn as an infant. A Dreamer will be attracted to a suitable vessel, at any age, seamlessly merge with that Sleeper, and assume the life the Sleeper had lived up until that moment. Once this process has begun, one must restart their journey towards Awakening. This is the fundamental law of existence. Because of the power and knowledge, which comes from Awakening and Immortality, the Weird governs this process. You will know when you are ready to Awaken, because it will be inevitable. However, if you perish, even after Awakening, you must begin again. This is the law of Immortality.

  Once a Dreamer becomes Immortal, they cease the cycle of Awakening and gain the ability to inhabit any sleeper at will, and their command of the Weird strengthens exponentially, proportional to the sum of their experiences and length of existence. Their true form is that of the body they last inhabited. This can only be seen by other Immortals, if they choose another to see this true form.

  Immortals are able to access all of the memories from all their lives, and this makes them highly intelligent, and in some cases, extremely dangerous. A Dreamer should always take caution when dealing with any Immortal.

  VII.

  Dreamers and Immortals are not the only beings in the universe with the power to manipulate the Weird. There are six Celestial Immortals, of which I am the first, second only to the creator – of whom we know nothing. Though I have taken up the mantle to educate you in this time of great need, as I have countless times before over the course of Earth’s history, I do not profess to be God, nor do I know God’s will. I have tried many times to impart common sense upon you, and foster coexistence. You have grossly misinterpreted, or the other Immortals manipulated you to keep you blissfully unaware, the true nature of existence. This is my final attempt to illuminate your thinking.

  The other Celestial Immortals have been less involved in human affairs than I have been, and in your journey’s you have encountered them as they reveal themselves when it suits them, most notably the harbinger of Death, the Charnel One. You have heard their many names through the tales of the Dreamers and Immortals throughout the ages. The Celestial Immortals have existed since the beginning of the most recent incarnation of our cyclical universe, and they will be born again at the end and beginning of time.

  The second and third Immortals are the Magician and the High Priestess, most often identified with Adam and Eve. It is through them that magic and ritual were born to govern the workings of the dream. Because the universe is so vast, they roam space and time, nudging the dream to their own designs. It is they who created the Triad -- the Dexter, the Sinister and the Charnel One for the purpose of implementing the ways of the Weird as they have defined it. The Dexter represents order and the Sinister represents Chaos. The Charnel One is he who governs all transformation and change – including death and birth. The Triad has set their gazes on your world now, which implies that the balance has become perturbed, and if not corrected, all things on your planet will transform.

  VII.

  The path to Immortality is difficult to comprehend because it is so dissimilar to the reality humankind has created for itself. There are only a few Dreamers that have become Immortal in the last six thousand years, since the dawn of human imagination and reflection. There are five Prime Immortals actively involved in the world, exerting their formidable Weirdness upon you all. Because they can move freely between bodies, to exert their influence, your world has transformed countless times over their lifetimes.

  The five range from apathetic to compassionate in their demeanors. Immortality irrevocably changes the soul, as the true nature of existence reveals itself over the centuries. Some will protect you, while others seek to destroy the Dreamers and Sleepers, for their own power and glory. But, like a wild animal, an Immortal can never truly be trusted.

  Of all the Immortals, the most dangerous, and one of the eldest, is Gabryal. He has existed for eons, centuries beyond your imagination. Corrupted and distorted by lust to become God, your dark God. He believes the Creator is a myth, merely a trick of the Weird. He has caused me to make this final attempt to minister you, my brothers and sisters. He will ultimately destroy everything you have created. Moreover, he will unleash the eternal twilight upon the world.

  The other four immortals have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to thwart his plans as he seeks to destroy them as well as you. They have thwarted his attempts countless times, each time invoking the ritual of Banishment – which causes an immortal to become lost in the Spaces Between, unable to return until a portal is found. Despite this constant banishment, he has had a great deal of time to perfect his methods and he will never stop. We are all blinded to his most recent endeavor, but we suspect he is close to achieving some goal – we all feel the end is near. You must find the others; make yourself known to them, so that they can further educate you in the ways of the Weird. But, as all things in the universe must follow the laws of causality, Gabryal must exist out of necessity. You have the ability to thwart him again.

  VIII.

  I have visited your world many times, trying to impress this sense of urgency on you and others like you. You have corrupted the ideas that I have set forth, and you are mired in a tangled web of death, greed, destruction and hatred. You have built temples to gods of whom you cannot understand. You have created disparate religions that are unable to coexist peacefully. You have murdered, you have lied, you have stolen, and you have squandered your lives in the pursuit of needless things.

  It is not my place to judge you, because if this is the dream you wish to continue, who am I to change that? I will continue as I have regardless. You must learn from your mistakes. You have disallowed yourselves from living, not in the clinical sense, but you have not allowed yourselves to rejoice in the dream and wonder of the universe. You must set aside your pettiness, your greed, your hatred and your false sense of spirituality. None of these will allow you to Awaken, or attain true Immortality. You must recognize that you must coexist and ignore those who mislead you to believe otherwise. We are all One.

  IX.

  This will be an end and a begin
ning for all of you, Dreamers, Sleepers and Immortal alike. The hour of your greatest challenge is upon you, and you are scarcely prepared for the dark days to come. Do not just read what I have said in this book; reflect on it, as I have for millennia. You must come to your own conclusions, or they will have no meaning – the universe and existence cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. Shed the things that make you human and embrace the Dreamer within you. You have the power within to create a utopia, or an inferno from which there is no reprieve.

  There is no heaven. There is no hell. These are concepts you have created to judge one another. You must not judge, you must assist one another. When a person falls, and you do not help them up, you too have fallen. You all create this dream. Now it is time to create something new in the wake of the coming twilight. The sun will rise if you will it. Endure the darkness, as children do, for no matter how long it lasts, the sun will rise and banish the shadows once more.

  X.

  Remember, we are all one, though we may be separate through time and space. Embrace the Weirdness within you, cherish it, use it, and understand it. It is only through your will that the Dream will survive. Do not fear the coming days, prepare for them, understand yourselves, understand those around you, and find your place in the dream.

  XI.

  My eyes are open, and they will assist you in finding the way of truth. There are others gathering even now, dreamers coalescing into iridescent pools of Weirdness. Seek them out and prepare for the days to come. Keep one eye open as the twilight falls – awaken your weirdness and change the world.

  The Black Heart in Madness

  Bavaria, 1886

  They hated me, jealous of my ability to transcend space and time. My keen understanding of the events that shaped their pathetic little world, so far removed from the simpler times when we ruled the mists of the north with fear and trembling. I am Deakin Droon -- my name is whispered still. I can capture any moment and make it last an eternity or let it slip carelessly into the wind, diffuse and forgotten. He can have credit for all the others, but Neuschawnstein is mine, the strange fortress. It is from there that I declared my war on that insidious wretch, the bane of mankind, the lord of shadow, Gabryal.