4051 Existence Erasure

(P-7 Rainer assists S-3 Morgan as they run through the tunnel. As they pass the entities, both take notice of them but appear unwilling to pursue. P-7 Rainer and S-3 Morgan run for three more seconds before a shriek is heard, presumably emanating from the previously cloaked figure.)

S-3 Morgan: The Shroud is about to absorb us.

P-7 Rainer: It's about to what?

(A loud sound echoes through the tunnel as an unseen force is seen pulling S-3 Morgan and P-7 Rainer towards the two entities as S-3 Morgan attempts to use their thaumaturgical ability to cancel the effect. Both are pulled backward along the tunnel floor, and the previously cloaked entity is observed. It appears to be a mass of corporeal, black tendrils.)

P-7 Rainer: Morgan! The fuck do we do?

S-3 Morgan: Hold on to my arm if you can.

P-7 Rainer: Shit! Shit!

(S-3 Morgan is unable to resist the unseen force due to their previously sustained injuries, and is pulled rapidly towards the entity. P-7 Rainer reacts by letting go of his hold on the brick floor and manifesting a portal while in mid-air. The manifested object is inconsistent in form but appears to be a series of white tendrils, shifting in and out of the visible spectrum. The manifested object approaches the entity at a faster rate than either S-3 Morgan or P-7 Rainer, and upon making contact with the entity, disappears. The hostile entity, likewise, cannot be located. S-3 Morgan falls to the ground, otherwise unharmed. Both are silent for several seconds.)

S-3 Morgan: Kid, what the hell was that?

P-7 Rainer: I-I panicked. I saw that it was about to get you, and… I thought about how much I didn't want it to be there, and… shit! Look out!

(Several localized spatial distortions appear around P-7 Rainer's body, resulting in loss of audio and video connection to SiteCommand. S-3 Morgan's video is likewise affected, but audio indicates that S-3 Morgan dispelled the remaining entity after a few seconds.)

SiteCommand: Connection has been reestablished.

S-3 Morgan: I read you, Command. Kid, you alright?

(P-7 Rainer vocalizes extreme distress and sounds as though he is holding back tears.)

P-7 Rainer: Did I kill that guy, Morgan?

S-3 Morgan: It wasn't human. It was an aberration whose existence was dedicated to the destruction of knowledge.

P-7 Rainer: I manifested… oh god, I manifested the exact opposite of it. In space and matter. It must have canceled out with the real thing, and now they just don't exist.

***

The Beast Beneath the Library