The Commander handed me an envelope. I tore through the red wax seal and unfurled the page. Emilia Smythe– my daughter. \n\nPerhaps expecting a response, he raised a hand and said, “There is no mistake. Your relationship, while troublesome, also affords you the highest chance of success. We need your help on this mission, John.”

Briefing

Entry 1

There are two ways to eliminate someone permanently on Aeternum. Kill them until they become Lost, or confine them and let despair do the work. But please don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t simply going to torture my daughter. The truth alone would guide me.\n\nStill, it came as a surprise when I discovered Emilia was not a simple scribe. She performed magical research for a misguided group called the "Illumen." Even worse, she had discovered our most guarded secret: the magic we use to fix the point of recall after death.

Day 5

Entry 2

The abandoned barn was dark when I killed the Illumen leaders. When Emilia first arrived and saw their bodies, she did not cry out. But then she called a name in despair, and rushed to the side of a young man. I spoke her name in the darkness. As she turned, I saw something new in her eyes. Fear.\n\nShe thrust a small knife into her throat, and she was gone. She’d broken through the recall restraints.

Day 6

Entry 3

I drew her out by letting her think I would end her lover’s torment. “Why?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the young man. I had filled his veins with slow, agonizing poison \n\nAgainst my better judgment, I tried to reason with her. “We save lives, Emilia. We remove those who cause terror—” \n\n“You cause terror!” she cried. My heart sank. She was beyond reason or salvation.\n\n“What now?” she asked. “Give us your research and we will let you go,” I said. And as she reached into her satchel, I struck her unconscious.

Day 9

Entry 4

She was chained in the narrow wooden box when she woke. She screamed and cried, sobbed and begged. “Father, it’s me, your Emilia! I promise, I won’t tell a soul about what I learned! Don’t let me die in the darkness! Don’t you love me?” \n\nI showed not a hint of emotion, or so I thought, until I felt hot tears roll off my face. To hurry her demise, I told her that we had ended her lover, and he was now one of the Lost. She howled, lunging against her chains, and I nailed the box shut. The others bent to help, but I shoved them aside and lowered her coffin into the freshly dug grave. A father’s lonely burden.

Day 15

Entry 5

Two years later, we unearthed her coffin to confirm her fate. None last that long. Most turn in a year, succumbing to the madness of being buried alive. I struggled with my own madness. Emilia visited my dreams, as a Lost, as a Corrupted, as a spy. In the worst nightmare, she was my daughter. As the nails came out, I tore off the lid. \n\nEmpty. \n\nHad she escaped? Had she been rescued? Turned into a vengeful spirit, or something worse? I knew she would never forgive me. Nor would I. Ten years have passed and I know only despair. Fear pushes me forward, but never lets me live.

The Experiment Chapter - NWGuide Database of Lore

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