The Door to Everything

April 19th, 1709

I, a man who had formerly been feared among a crew of ferocious sailors had now been nothing but a mere man that feared, stranded somewhere in the terror of the endless blue. Despite my conditions, my mind had been on other things, things I feared to even ponder. From below, a shadow had risen from the horrific, dark, depths of the ocean and pulled men one by one to their demise, my once infamous crew had been no more but men who'd now rest eternally below. God, how I feared for my life in those few moments, which strangely, was spared.

That mattered not, as I was certain one of those... creatures could come and get me whenever. I knew they watched me, a man who had nothing but a quill, a half-empty jar of ink, a diary, and a plank of wood from the remains of the ship to hold onto for dear life. No matter what, I did not want them to take me like they did my crew-mates. To them I was nothing more than their plaything as they watched my struggle. All a man like me could ever do is write, hope, and pray for the sea's mercy.

April 20th, 1709

Hours passed, perhaps days, time was insignificant as it had been yet another day without an island in sight. The horrors from before still lingered in my mind. The memory of me floating away as a shadowy figure, that had only been separated by the dismantled ship it towered over, stood before me. It looked into my eyes as I looked back, getting farther and farther from the screams and futile cannon fire of my ship. It pointed at me, its unsettling, yet calming voice directed at me spoke: "You, you will see me again. Do not forget. You are fated for much more."

"Given"? What did it mean? Who was that creature that only a mystery such as the sea could spawn? Maybe I'm fated to live, Or perhaps they saved me from something? All these false, nonsensical ideas and a forced attempt at hope, yet all that ran through me was the feeling of a fate much worse than death. Would hope be nothing but a fool's ignorance now? Maybe such ignorance will give me a reason to push on. Maybe ignorance is even wise.

April 21st, 1709

An island! My chances of survival have increased a bit, although there does not seem to be a soul on the island before me, I ventured forward as the ocean waves carried me toward the island rocking the plank of wood calm, and gently as if a baby in its mother's arms. It was almost inhuman, as if the seas decided finally to show mercy on me. Something else was strange, like something gave me the drive to push on as if whatever had been on that island had been waiting for me.

Waiting for a long time.

The forest that the island held in particular had been calling to me as the the island which had been ever so far away had become bigger, as my arrival came closer.

April 23rd, 1709

Asleep, I'd been awoken by the waves of the crashing tides, in which I felt a feeling that a man stranded at sea would miss dearly. I wiped the stuck grains of sand from my risen head in an attempt to compose myself. "On the island? Already?" I thought. The distance I had been, no man would've been able to reach this island within just a few hours, it's not possible with the situation I was in.

It only strengthened my calling towards this island. My soul, it felt connected to everything in sight, despite the weak body that I carried. Despite my condition I carried on through the island towards the forest that would only lead deeper into the island. The feeling that I'd been stepping on scared grounds overcame me, but at the same time, I felt 'among' those sacred ones, as if a part of their bigger plan, a piece of the puzzle.

My feet, they felt as if they were no longer a part of my body as I stepped through all the stones, twigs and thorns of the forest. Peeling through my skin and causing pain, yet I felt something worse was to come, something much worse. It had been dark, caused by the looming shadows of the storm clouds above, as if something truly great was about to happen.

The only thing that pulled me forward was the strange, faint, blue light in the distance blocked by trees and vines. Beckoning me, whispering to me indecipherable words.

At last, I found the source. A strange, old, broken, temple located in the middle of nowhere with blue fires that instructed you to come forward as if preparing a sort of grand entrance for me. Even though, the temple had been old, the stone grounds felt smooth yet not quite perfect due to the twigs and pebbles that pierced my skin.

Nevertheless, I carried on and came face to face with the unthinkable, other humans. They all had on strange clothing and masks that covered their true faces. They all had been on all fours, bowing, all in a straight line on both sides that pointed towards the end of a long hall.

Speaking to them came to mind, but these sacred grounds, they spoke to me, telling me that human interaction had been forbidden in this temple. They told me to move forward and everything would make sense, I believed them. Desperate, weak, and having no place to go and no family to return to.

At the end, there was a tall white door, that felt out of place with the rest of the room but within a second, it made sense. The door was the source of it all, and I understood what they wanted me to do. I stepped forward ever so slow towards the large door in order to get the answers I wanted.

Faced to face with the door, I placed my hand onto it. It complying with my wishes immediately, as it's bright, blinding light filled the entire room my eyes focused onto the light the feeling of it burning my skin causing me to scream in pain that I've never felt before in any of my years as a sailor.

Days became weeks, months became years, nothing became everything.

But none of that mattered, not anymore.

April 30th, 1709

It's only the start, the start of it all. It all makes sense now, yet at the same time it doesn't. Such drivel only a madman could understand, but it all just made perfect sense. All of it is just too much to take in, yet I understand why they chose me. When I faced the creature I felt not fear but terror, I knew what 'they' all wanted from me. The bottom will rise to the top and time will become insignificant.

I, was their messiah, the answer to everything was within me, and it was something worse than death.

The unspeakable horrors they showed me would stick with me forever and only me. Forever, it would only be me, alone to comprehend the true insanity of god itself.

The horror and insanity of the depths of the vast, endless blue is only but a small fraction of the terror that lurks, and those who live blissfully in ignorance of it all are perhaps the smartest.