Holder of the Journey

The long, lonesome road that you are walking is coming to an end, Seeker. If you have survived this long, and gathered five hundred and thirty seven objects, then you must go to where your journey began. You must go to the first place you sought an object.

The first mental institution or halfway house that you could get yourself into, the first theater, the first maternity ward, the street where a homeless person in a trance-like state pointed you to a nearby sewer, head there no matter the difficulty. When you step into the area where you first asked to see a holder, despite the weather conditions or other states of affair, you will notice that everything is exactly as you remember it being. The same person will be there, that you first stated your intention to seek to. They will smile upon seeing you, and, as you spoke to them upon your first meeting, they will open during this visit. “You have returned,” they will say, “is your journey drawing to a close?” If you are not ready to face your destiny, then this is the time to turn back. There will be no penalty, and there will be no agents of Him dogging your step, you may simply return when you again judge yourself ready.

When you say yes, for you will eventually say yes, having come this far, they will stand up, and smile at you. “Tell me of the road you have walked, then.” The command will be a simple one, nothing in comparison to the horrors you have faced, and the worse ones that you have committed in the name of the objects. You will begin to speak, in your own pace, of your journey to this spot. You will realize truths about yourself that even the mind destroying speeches of the various holders haven't forced into your mind, but you will not find yourself stopping, and your mind will not fail you in regards to remembering every detail. The tale will be a long one, and when you are finished, you will understand yourself completely. You will understand, better than ever, why you sought, the meaning of the journey, and too many other things to recount. All the same, your mind will eventually turn to all of the atrocities you have wrought in your quest for the objects. The slaughtered infants, the ruined lives, the broken dreams created solely by you. Unless you are truly wicked, and perhaps even if you are, it will feel as if there is a hole where your heart is supposed to be. “Close your eyes.” the man or woman will say.

Obey them, the last time you will ever obey a command or a rule in your quest for the objects.

You will find yourself standing, naked as the day you were born, on top of something pulsating. If you look down, you will realize that you are standing on a corpse. The corpse of the first person that died as part of your quest to seek the objects, as a matter of fact. Darkness will surround you, but you must walk forward. You will not slip or falter, and you will walk with confidence. As you step off of the first corpse, another will appear under your feet. Then another, and another. You will walk on a path of corpses, the lives you have destroyed. The road will curve up, slightly, and growls will be heard around you. These are the creatures beyond counting that have threatened you in your quest for the objects. They will roar, and bark, and snap at you, but they can do you no harm. You are the one who has gathered all of the objects save one, and they have all failed to stop you. They are powerless, and even the ones with forms said to be so hideous that they would drive you mad are plainly visible for you to look upon. You will come upon a mountain of corpses, and you must climb. It will be a long, hard climb, but you can do this. You must do this. You have come too far to fail now.

Upon reaching the summit, you will know that your journey is at an end. Around you will be the objects you have collected, neatly placed around a door.

Two things lie beyond that door, Seeker: Object 538 of 538, and your destiny.