Capítulo 12: A Dark History
The pale glow of Marie's desk lamp cast long shadows across the study room, illuminating a chaotic spread of scrolls, photographs, and notes that covered every inch of her workspace. The quiet hum of the university's heating system buzzed in the background, almost inaudible, as Marie focused on the ancient scroll before her. She was close to deciphering what felt like a foundational piece of the Sleeper's mystery, its true name.
Beside her lay scattered photos taken at the dig site, snapshots of carved walls and ancient scripts they'd barely had time to examine before the site had collapsed. Her hands shook as she brushed sand from the most significant of these images—a close-up of a wall painting depicting hooded figures bowing in worship before an enormous, shadowy figure. Strange glyphs swirled around the figure's feet, symbols repeated like a mantra throughout the mural.
As Marie traced these symbols, a realization washed over her. The markings weren't merely decorative—they were names spoken by the followers who had once revered the Sleeper. Her eyes darted to her translation notes, her fingers trembling as she connected each symbol to the fragments of language she'd worked so hard to piece together.
The Sleeper's name revealed itself slowly, syllable by syllable, taking form in the ancient language of its worshipers. Her heart pounded as she whispered the syllables aloud, a name she could feel rather than fully comprehend:
"Malakarath."
Sitting across the table from her, Elias and Jonas looked up sharply. Jonas's brow furrowed. "Malakarath?" he repeated, testing the name on his tongue. "That's… what they called it?"
The air around them seemed still as the name settled into the silence. It felt dark, forbidden, yet strangely familiar. Marie leaned back, staring at the ancient symbols, the name echoing in her mind. She understood now why the civilization had called it the Sleeper—Malakarath was something more than a deity.
Marie nodded, her gaze distant as she continued to study the scroll. "Yes. It's more than a name. It's a title, an identity representing something far older than we imagined. They didn't see the Sleeper as a god in the traditional sense. They believed it was born from the earth itself—a primal force that existed to reshape, to control."
Elias's eyes darkened as he leaned forward, absorbing her words. "Born from the Earth… so it wasn't brought here by another civilization or summoned by the ancients. It's always been here, lying dormant, waiting."
Marie nodded, her expression growing more haunted as she continued to translate. "The civilization that worshiped it saw Malakarath as the first consciousness of the Earth, something forged from the raw power of the elements. They believed it emerged to command life and death, reshaping the world as it pleased. But over time, as its influence grew, it demanded more than just worship.
Marie spent the next few days immersing herself in the ancient scrolls and photos, piecing together a grim history of the civilization devoted to Malakarath. She shared her findings with Elias and Jonas, recounting details of the Sleeper's influence and the civilization's desperate attempts to keep its power under control.
"They didn't just worship it," Marie explained, her voice trembling as she read from her notes. "Their entire culture was structured around appeasing and containing Malakarath to keep its power dormant."
Elias's eyes widened as he absorbed her words, the Sleeper's name resonating with him in a strange, unsettling way. "Why would anyone worship something so dangerous?"
Marie shook her head, her brow furrowing. "It wasn't just worship. They believed Malakarath was their only means of survival. They saw its power as a force that had given them life but could just as easily take it away. To them, it wasn't just a god—it was the essence of existence itself."
Jonas, pacing nearby, stopped abruptly, his face pale. "So they were trying to control it? To keep it from… waking?"
Marie nodded, flipping to a photo of a weathered inscription. "They designed elaborate containment rituals. Every ceremony and sacrifice was a calculated measure to keep the Sleeper asleep. They knew the dangers and feared it enough to make containment their highest purpose. This mural," she pointed to the image, "depicts what I think was one of their final ceremonies. There are figures shown binding themselves to Malakarath, almost as if they were sacrificing themselves to keep it sealed."
A chill settled over the room as Marie's words sank in. The civilization hadn't just worshiped Malakarath—they had feared it, devoting their lives to preventing it from consuming the world.
Elias stared at the photo, his mind racing. "And yet they failed. The site… it's still there. Whatever they did, it wasn't enough to keep it contained forever."
Marie swallowed, her gaze shifting to another line of symbols. "I think they understood that. They saw their containment as temporary—a cycle that would eventually need to be renewed. They believed their descendants would continue the ritual, but obviously, something happened to disrupt it."
Elias's chest tightened as he considered her words. The civilization had left behind these texts, this intricate system of containment, in hopes that future generations would continue to bind the Sleeper. But no one had. The cycle had been broken.
Marie continued her work, translating more of the scrolls and inscriptions, each text adding layers to the civilization's story. She described an entire society organized around rituals of containment, one whose hierarchy was dominated by a priesthood that bore the responsibility of controlling Malakarath's influence. The priests had devised powerful binding ceremonies, each requiring greater sacrifice as the Sleeper's influence grew.
"There's this passage here," Marie said one evening, pointing to a scroll fragment covered in tiny, precise writing. "It's an account from a high priest who writes about the toll the containment rituals took on their people. They'd reached a point where every ritual was more intense and desperate as if Malakarath was growing resistant to their efforts."
Elias studied the passage, his pulse quickening as he read the priest's words:
"Malakarath lies restless, stirring beneath the earth, its hunger no longer sated by our offerings. We bind it with words of power, symbols of containment, but it grows ever stronger. A day will come when our power is not enough when the Sleeper will awaken, and we will be but shadows in its light."
Elias felt a chill as he read the final line. The priest's despair was palpable, their knowledge of the Sleeper's inevitable awakening hauntingly clear. The civilization had understood that no amount of ritual or devotion could truly contain such a force. They had been living on borrowed time, clinging to a fragile hope that their descendants might find a way to finish what they could not.
Jonas leaned over the scroll, his expression troubled. "So they knew they were losing control. And if they failed, then… we're in the same position they were, trying to contain something that can't be contained."
Marie nodded grimly. "Yes. And unless we find a solution, history will repeat itself."
Marie uncovered further details about Malakarath's nature as she continued to work. It wasn't simply a god or an ancient entity—it was a being from beyond their world, drawn to the human realm by the civilization's rituals and sacrifices. The Sleeper had come to view itself as both a protector and destroyer, binding its followers with promises of power in exchange for their unwavering devotion.
In her translations, Marie discovered a reference to an ancient, forbidden ritual known as "The Last Binding." This ritual, reserved only for the most dire of circumstances, required a blood sacrifice of the highest order—one that would bind the Sleeper to the earth permanently but at the cost of its vessel's life and soul.
She shared the discovery with Elias and Jonas, her voice wavering. "If we perform this binding, it might hold Malakarath for good, preventing it from ever influencing anyone again. But the cost is… unimaginable."
Elias stared at her, his heart racing as he understood the implication. The Last Binding would require a final sacrifice—a life willingly given to seal the Sleeper's power permanently.
Jonas looked horrified. "So… if we go through with this, one of us would have to…?"
Marie nodded, her face pale. "Yes. And it would need to be someone already touched by the Sleeper. Someone who can bind their essence to it completely."
Elias felt the weight of her words settle over him, a dark certainty taking hold. The Sleeper had marked him, bound to it through his initial encounter and the purification ritual. Of everyone, he was the most vulnerable to its influence—and the most capable of binding it once and for all.
A heavy silence filled the room as the gravity of the situation sank in. They had found a way to end the Sleeper's influence, but the price was one they hadn't anticipated.
Elias took a deep breath, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. "If it comes to that… if this is the only way… then I'll do it."
Marie's eyes filled with tears, her hand reaching out to grip his. "Elias, there has to be another way. We'll keep looking. We won't let it come to that."
Jonas nodded, his expression fierce. "We're not giving up on you, Elias. We'll find a way to weaken it without this… final sacrifice."
Elias gave them both a small, grateful smile, but he knew the truth. The Sleeper's power was far greater than any of them had realized, and the civilization's containment measures had been built on a foundation of sacrifice. The Sleeper would demand something in return for peace; if it came down to it, he was prepared to pay the price.
But for now, they would keep searching, hoping another answer lay hidden within the scrolls. They had to find a way to outsmart the Sleeper, to stop it without offering another life.
The Sleeper's name echoed in his mind, a constant reminder of the power they were up against.
Malakarath.
The entity might be dormant, but its presence lingered, a shadow cast over their every step.
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