Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Arthur? Fuck… Arthur!”

His eyes fluttered open. Gasping, Arthur turned to his side, coughing and hungrily gulping down air as the ringing in his ears came to a stop. He couldn’t see anything, but that was nothing new really.

“Arthur! Jesus Christ, are you okay?” A giggle tore itself from his lips at the alarm in John’s voice.
“Yes, John. But more importantly-” He sat up slowly, wincing as his whole body burned with exhaustion. “John, where are we?” he hissed, giving John some time to actually look around now that they were awake.

“We are… Arthur I don’t think we’re anywhere I recognise. The buildings around are- they are too tall, Arthur. The lights are everywhere, everything is so bright, The people- the people here are bright as well-”
“The people are bright?”

“Yes, yes, they dress in bright colours... weird fashion. It’s like nothing I have seen so far and there’s so many of them! We’re currently sitting on the ground in a small alley, nobody walking by even looks at us, they’re all looking at these small glowing rectangles in their hands- some kind of magical item, perhaps?” Arthur sighed. Magical dimension? Great… He slowly got to his feet, using whatever he could feel around himself to stabilise himself where he stood.

“John, why are we here? Did- did Kayne say anything before we showed up here?”

“No, I don’t think so. You think he made a mistake?” Arthur didn’t know that. Kayne making a mistake didn’t sound all that possible… There was probably a reason why he sent them here. He stumbled his way to the street to take a better look around.
" We're standing in front of an older looking building the sign says 'Magnus Institute' I don't know what that means, Arthur." He sighed. Great. They had no clue where they were or when they were. What he knew was that they definitely weren’t in any time they’ve already been.
"Oh! Arthur! There's a man at the steps of the building, the institute. He looks older, tired. He's nicely dressed, dark long hair peppered with grey streaks tied up in a neat low ponytail. Wears glasses. His body it littered many weird scars that I can see... And- he's looking at us! His eyes, Arthur... His eyes are this unnatural shade of green, they're- they're almost glowing! Arthur, I don't think he’s a human." Swallowing hard Arthur made a few steps back but then heard hurried steps and a voice, very pleasant voice.

"Hello? I'm- I'm Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus institute. I- Would you like to make a statement, mister-?" His voice sounded interested, calm, like the tone of voice you'd use to an wild animal to not spook them. It was working.

"A statement?"

"A statement about what?"

"He's nervously playing with the hem of his coat. But his eyes are not leaving ours." Does he know anything? He sounded human enough but... The mention of his apparently green glowing eyes didn't sound very human.

"Oh. You must not be from around here. The Magnus Institute deals with paranormal sightings... Would it be too far fetched to say that a man like you would have a thing or two to say? We collect information and investigate."

"Maybe he could help us, Arthur!"

"What exactly are you expecting of us- me, of this statement, Sims?" Arthur could hear his own voice grow defensive. There was something weird about the guy... Something really really weird,

"It's- Is it crazy to assume you're not from around here? From around this time?" He lowered his voice. "I would simply like to know your story. Maybe I'd be able to help."

"The way he's looking at us... He- I think he knows something. His eyes are so- so hypnotic." Arthur's hair stood at the back of his neck. He took a cautious step back.

"What are you?" He hissed.

"The Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London."

"Not what I asked." Jonathan sighed at the hostility.

"Well, maybe it's better we talk about this somewhere more private, mister-?"

"Arthur. Arthur Lester."

"Mr. Lester, if you'd follow me to the institute, I could explain things to you, maybe take your statement if you'd be interested."

"He's gesturing towards the building. His eyes are nervously looking around. He's afraid to be seen. He's slowly walking towards the institute, he wants us to follow... I don't like this, Arthur. There's a weird fog covering the building. It's- It's definitely not from this world." Arthur followed the man. He needed answers. He could always just run away, stab the man if anything got too out of hand. He would keep his distance for now.

"Maybe he'll know something useful," he quietly whispered so Sims couldn't hear him talking to John. “I’ll be careful.”

“He’s leading us through the building. We just passed some kind of front desk and he’s leading us- Arthur, he’s leading us to the basement!”

“The stairs are quite steep, watch where you step.” So Arthur did just that, hand on the wall, careful steps. Sure he’s done more crazy things than going down the stairs, but he couldn’t even imagine how awkward it would be if he fell down the stairs in front of this guy. John would make fun of him as well most likely, which was what was bothering him about the situation more if he was being honest. With John’s help he was able to follow Sims down into his office and sit down at a chair.

“So? You promised we would talk.” He crossed his arms on his chest.

“Ah, yes! Uhm…”

“What are you, Sims?” Arthur leaned a bit closer to appear more threatening, which got a chuckle out of John.

“He looks a bit frightened, caught off guard. You are actually threatening when you want to, you know?” There was a short pause followed by Sims clearing his throat, there was scraping of a chair on the ground, which Arthur guessed was from the other man sitting more comfortably.

“Are you familiar with Fear entities, Mr. Lester?”

“I am not.” That got him a sigh as a response. Arthur heard creaking of a chair. John described to him that Sims leaned back, looking at them with a face that John described as ‘well fed cat’.

“There are these godly figures, entities, they feed on fear, there’s 14 of them, 14 different Fear entities. Each feeding on different aspect of fear. Just to name a few… there’s the Spiral, fear of madness. The Buried, fear of well… being buried, fear of tight spaces, drowning-”

“Arthur, I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

“That’s enough, Sims, I get it. 14… gods or what not. What do they have to do with you?”

“He gave you this weird look, he fixed his glasses on his face and looked away, at the desk. He’s tracing the patterns in the wood with his eyes.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Lester, but I think- no, I know that you’ve seen horrors beyond this world.” Arthur didn’t need John to narrate for him to know that Sims looked up, straight into their eyes, John’s eyes. He could feel that stare in his soul. A quiet gasp escaped his lips, or maybe it was John’s gasp he heard. For maybe the first time in forever he could SEE the eyes staring at him. Green in exactly the unnatural shade John described before. “You and your companion are from a different time and place. You, Mr. Lester are blind and your companion helps you navigate the world around you.”

“Arthur he knows about me… We need to leave. This was a bad idea. Get up, Arthur! We need to leave.” On instinct Arthur stood up and took a step back from the desk. He could no longer see the green eyes.

“Please, I don’t mean to harm to either of you, truly I am simply interested in knowing your story.”

“Why should I trust you?” He hissed at the other, ready to fight or flight with a simple word from John.

“Perhaps I started this conversation all wrong… I am not a human, not- not anymore, as you have already guessed. I’m- I have powers of one of these 14 Fears. The Eye, fear of being watched, fear of having your secrets revealed, being exposed, judged… It gives me power to Know certain things and be able to get my answers from people if I need to. That is the truth. What about you Mr. Lester?” Arthur could feel the eyes on him again.

“I-”

“Arthur don’t tell him about me.”

“I think he already knows, John,” he hissed quietly.

“No, no, I don’t actually know anything.… John, was it? How did you two get into this situation?” John was quiet. Like he just couldn’t believe this stranger could hear him.

“A curse. I opened and read a book I was not supposed to-”

“A book?” John cleared his throat.

“He looks interested… I- maybe he knows something about the book, Arthur.”

“I am indeed familiar with books that have certain powers. I am guessing John is not a human either then?”

“No, he’s- he’s a fragment of a very powerful deity. But he’s learning how to be a human. He wants to be a human.”

“He’s smiling, it’s a sad smile. He’s got this weird look in his eyes.”

“Does John narrate everything for you?” His tone wasn’t mocking, maybe a little surprised, but otherwise just plain intrigued.

“Mostly. He narrates what we see around us and what he deems important for me at that moment… Can you really hear him?” It didn’t happen every day that someone would know about John let alone hear him as well. Usually if someone did hear him it didn’t mean anything good for the two of them.

“No, no I can’t hear him, I just… Know what he’s saying. At first I thought he was just your inner voice or something. Many people talk to themselves. But you called him John and he has quite different views on things. I can only Know what he’s saying when I focus on you, otherwise it’s just a weird feeling that someone’s talking about me behind my back.” That explanation made sense in Arthur's mind. It would also explain why John felt like Sims was watching him specifically. Because he was.

“So what do you know about these books?”

“Assuming that your books are same as those in this time and space… there was a man called Jurgen Leitner, he was collecting these strange books with powers. The books are connected to the Fears and give the person who reads them powers. Not good ones. No. Usually it’s more like a curse rather than a blessing. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that yours could be a Leitner as well.” A book with special powers tied to an entity. Yeah that tracked, but…

“Does the name King in Yellow mean anything to you?” This was maybe a stretch, but so far all the entities Sims named sounded nothing like the creatures John and he knew from their world.

“No, I’m afraid it does not.” Sims hummed. “Maybe we’re looking at it from the wrong angle. Maybe your King in Yellow is more of an equivalent of a certain Fear of ours- or two or three mashed together. Being named a king would imply that he’s a ruler. What does he rule over?”

“The Dreamlands. It’s a place where logic doesn’t apply. For most creatures it’s a place of psychological torture. It’s not a place where Arthur is from. It’s… a place that resides within our reality, but usually you can’t travel there or out of there.”

“That sounds awfully like my experience with the Spiral- place of madness,” A tired sigh was all they got out of the man. “So you two are sharing a body?” Arthur noted that Jonathan dropped the cold exterior he was trying to hold up.

“Not exactly. John can use my eyes, my left hand up to here,” He let his fingers rest at the midpoint of his biceps. “And some of my toes. everything else is me.”

“Sadly…”

“Hey!” Arthur slapped his left arm out of a habit which got a low chuckle out of Sims. He sounded caught off guard and tried to cover his laugh with a cough, but Arthur knew.

“Would you mind if I recorded this? I don’t think the recorder will pick up on John so if you wouldn’t mind saying out loud anything he has to say, I would love to hear about your journey.” There was palpable excitement in his voice.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t know exactly how this works, but if you are connected to The Eye- as you called it, it wouldn’t be wise to have any records of us being here. I don’t feel exactly welcomed in this building.”

“Ah- you might be right. If the deity you are connected to is some kind of Fear equivalent, the Eye would not be keen to have their Avatar- for the lack of a better word, run around.”

“Avatar?”

“Yes. I would say you are an Avatar of John, or what John was. I am technically an Avatar of the Eye. Serving the Fear, bringing it sacrifices to feed on…”

“So you’re a cultist?” Arthur spat out and reached for a dagger.

“I can assure you, that I am none of that sorts, Mr. Lester...I was tricked into this position.” His tone grew defensive, but Arthur didn’t believe any of that.

“Why not leave when you realised it then?”

“I’m afraid that is not possible. I cannot be fired and I cannot leave this institute. I am tied to the Beholding. I was promised a simple work of an Archivist, turns out by signing the contract I have signed myself as a servant of the Fear.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” A creak of a chair signalled that Sims changed his position.

“It can’t see you. It doesn’t know about you. You are unseen by The Eye.”

“But you said you Know what I say.”

“Yes. That is true but that is the only thing I know about you two, I cannot pull information out of Mr. Lester and I can’t seem to Know anything about you, John either, only what you say. My powers are very limited around you.” Jonathan crossed his arms on his chest.
“The Beholding doesn’t like the uncertainty. All my previous claims about you were simple deductions. Mostly from your appearance. You don’t dress like anyone from this time period, you don’t look at anything in particular but you seem to absorb what is around you- that is why I thought you might be blind, but I wanted to Know how are you able to navigate the world. I- I used my powers on you and Knew that there was someone describing things to you. I could see the micro movements of your eyes better once we sat down. I would say that John can’t fully operate your eyes, his field of vision is your field of vision.” Arthur was speechless. This man could read them so well even without the powers he said he possessed.
“It’s like- it’s like there’s a second pair of eyes right behind yours, sometimes I think I can see them move behind your own eyes, Arthur. Those eyes belong to John.” A sigh escaped the Archivist. He took a few deep breaths, only now realising that he’s been rambling and running out of air.
“I am unsure- if my powers simply cannot reach John because of what he is, or because my sight is blocked by your blind eyes, Mr. Lester. But the truth is- I cannot Know things about either of you and that makes me so curious.” His voice dropped into something more sensual, thick and sweet, honey-like almost.

“What do you really want from us?” Jonathan cleared his throat.

“I don’t know. I have a feeling that you might be a valuable asset to our team, but I don’t want you to sign a contract as I don’t know what would happen were you able to get back to your reality. I could provide you with a place to sleep at, food and a library full of supernatural books. I’m not going to ask you to work for me, I am merely extending my hand to you to help you find your way back… and in return you will help us if It comes to that.”

Chapter Text

Arthur was surprised how quickly they were able to find a place to stay, this was definitely a set up... Jonathan showed them a cot in one of the unused offices and set it up for them. Together they moved a few boxes around to create a small area for Arthur and John. He was given a few blankets and pillows and then came the worse part… getting introduced to the rest of the team. There was a little too much information for Arthur to digest.

There’s Basira an ex-officer who somehow got into the whole mess with her  partner called Daisy around the time Jonathan was apparently in coma, which would explain his need to use a cane that Arthur caught up on.

Daisy another ex-officer, who was presumably dead, was described to Arthur accompanied by hurt expression on Basira’s face. She blamed Jonathan for her death, that much was apparent.

Melanie was another person on the team, but after Jonathan performed a non-consensual surgery on her to get an evil bullet out of her leg, she left the archives and was yet to come back.

Martin a current assistant of a man of the name Peter Lukas, who was the current boss of the Institute, was somewhere around the Institute, but he rarely came down to the Archives for some reason.

There was also their previous boss Elias. He wasn’t a part of the team, the man was taken to a prison after murdering Jurgen Leitner, collector of spooky books of this reality… Arthur would lie if he didn’t say his head spun with the information. He was just drinking tea, talking with Basira, introducing John to her, when they heard a voice. Both of them sprung to action and found a- a delivery man. And was that a coffin??

“What are you doing here?” John informed him that Basira was armed and her hand was sitting on her gun as she approached the man.

“It’s alright, Basira, I know he’s here.” Arthur turned his head towards Jonathan’s voice. “I imagine he’s here to deliver something. Thought it might need signing for.”

“That’s right. Just wanted to- to drop off a package,” the man answered in a weird accent, Arthur couldn't quite place it.

“Did you order something, Jonathan?” Arthur just had to ask. The man was making him and John feel uneasy and neither of them knew if it was just because of the coffin or because of something else. It was definitely something else. If they learned anything it was the fact that nothing was simple in this world. Almost everything they encountered so far was in one way or the other tied to the Fears.

“No.”

“Is he here for revenge?” Basira sounded accusatory. Arthur frowned. Revenge? What did Jonathan do to this delivery man? The man didn’t answer and Jonathan had to compel, ask him to answer, in that static-filled voice of his. That was also a new thing he apparently could do. He was getting better at it. He explained to Arthur and John that he used it first at normal people to have them spill out their guts to him in a form of a statement, but his powers were getting stronger- which meant he could now use his powers on other things than just humans...

“Yeah. Just like when we… when I fed the copper to the pit.” Arthur heard Basira take a harsh breath.

“What pit?” Now it was Arthur’s time to ask.

“In here.” He heard knocking on wood. John informed him that the man was knocking at the coffin. “Realised I’m not tied – to it anymore. Not on my own. Thought you could have it. Pay your respects like –“ Basira interrupted him.

“Daisy’s in there.” She didn’t sound that surprised, which honestly surprised Arthur. They were close from what he could gather in the short time. The man kept standing there, Arthur could imagine that the three just stood there and awkwardly looked at each other.

“Why are you here really?” It was Jonathan who ended the silence. His voice crackled with static, he was using his powers again.

“Dunno.”  John described the man scratching his chin, not really looking at anyone else other than Jonathan, like they didn’t even exist. “It‘s not right, on my own. Not right. No point in doing it on my own. Don’t know what happens now.” He paused. “Thought I might kill you. Missed my chance. Thought I might just deliver something. So here’s a coffin.” He slid the coffin closer. ”In case you want – to join your friend.” That got Arthur’s blood boiling and apparently he wasn’t the only one.

“Get out.” Before this he wasn’t sure that Basira’s voice could sound so hostile, but here she was proving him wrong. “Get. Out.”

“Make me.” The man stepped closer and- was that music? It sounded like a music box, it was very faint, but it was getting louder.

“Stop.” Arthur got goosebumps from the tone in Jonathan’s voice. The static in his voice got louder.

“What’re you doing?” The man sounded panicked, pained.

“Jon, what are you doing?”

“Arthur. He- the man looks like he’s about to have a seizure. Jonathan is looking at him with such an intense gaze and the man’s eyes can’t escape Jonathan’s.” Arthur heard pained breaths, choking sounds, he was pretty sure the man was stumbling around just to escape Jonathan.

“E-Enough- stop- looking at me-” He started yelling, screaming in agony. But just as quick he was to start, his voice died down, only panicked breathing continued until even that was quickly swept away.

“A- a fucking door just showed up out of nowhere and Jonathan pushed the man in it. It vanished soon after. I- Arthur…” Jonathan collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, his lungs were wheezing. To his request Basira handed him a pen and a paper and he just spent the next 20 minutes on the ground just furiously scribbling down, shushing anyone who tried to talk to him. When he was done, he just quietly stood up and walked back into his office, closing the door behind himself.

“Let’s leave him to it… He’s probably recording.” Basira sounded tired. Arthur followed her towards the break room, they just sat down and she explained to him who that man was and what actually happened back there because even when John tried to describe what he saw, it didn't make much sense to Arthur. There were so many things they still didn’t know.

They decided to get Jonathan a cup of coffee and some biscuits and then just waited. It wasn’t that hard to know when Jonathan was recording. The air felt heavier, the static was almost palpable, and they could hear Jonathan’s muffled voice through the door. Neither of them could make out what he was saying.

When his voice died out, they waited 10 more minutes and then went to see Jonathan. Basira knocked on the door and let herself in. Arthur was startled by a the tape recorder making a clicking sound without anyone addressing it and he quietly asked John, who let him know that nobody touched the recorder.

“Did you at least learn anything?” Basira sat down opposite of Jonathan, she handed him the no longer steaming cup and biscuits. There was a pause, John told him that Jonathan was greedily drinking his coffee. He looked like a mess. Even more tired than he looked before, his hands shook, he was covered in sweat. Jonathan set the cup back on the table with a gentle thumping sound and cleared his throat.

“Daisy’s alive, in there.” There was a pause. “Basira, we- we can’t-”

“Yeah I know… So why give it to us?”

“As if that wasn’t obvious enough! He wanted to lure you into that godforsaken coffin as well!” Arthur winced at the aggressive tone in John’s voice.

“I saw that- thing’s mind. It’s lost on its own, no partner, no purpose. I- I honestly think it just wanted to do another delivery-” Basira interrupted Jonathan’s speech.

“And there’s no chance more of the circus survived the explosion?” Her voice sounded so hostile, Arthur had no idea where that tone came from.

“I don’t think so. I- at least- Breekon didn’t think so.” Jonathan sighed, holding his head in his hands.

“Where does the coffin lead?” It didn’t sound like she was actually asking. She knew what was in that coffin.

“The Buried.” One of the Fears, Arthur’s mind supplied weakly. John described to him how it looked. Just a wooden coffin, nailed shut with chains running all around it, keeping it shut. But there was something sinister about it, almost like whispers of something, ushering them closer.

“Right… Keep it safe. I’ll be gone a few days. I have leads I need to follow up.” She stood up from where she sat. “Don’t ask about them. And don’t Know about them either.”

“Well, I can’t exactly control that-” Basira once again cut him off and Arthur clenched his fist.

“Learn, Jon.” Jonathan sighed. He didn’t even fight her.

“I’ll- I’ll do my best. You can- you can trust me, Basira.” the hope in Jonathan’s voice was quickly stomped on by none other than Basira.

“Stop saying that.” The tension grew. Arthur was sure that if he lit a lighter right that moment it would all blow up.

“Do you know how I survived that- the Unknowing?” That was the ritual where they lost Timothy and thought they lost Daisy as well. Arthur didn’t know much more, it was a sore topic for them all, he could understand.

“I was trapped in that place, no powers, no… magic or help, and so I tried to figure it out. And I did, a little. So I kept doing it. I kept going through until I got out, I… reasoned my way out of that nightmare.” It sounded like an attack on Jonathan. “Then everything ended and Daisy was gone. And you were gone. And Tim…” She went quiet. “I can trust myself, John. That’s it.” She walked over to the door, opening it. “I’ll try and be back in a week or two. Don’t think about me… And don’t open the coffin.” With that she was gone, not waiting for Jonathan’s response. Arthur could finally breath properly.

“I wanted to punch her so bad,” he hissed, releasing his clenched fist.

“She’s just being careful. I don’t blame her. I’m- I’m a monster.” Arthur patience ran out at that point. He had enough of the pool of pity that Jonathan sat himself into.

“And? I- we are one as well and I don’t see you talking to us like she just did to you.”

“Arthur-”

“I killed people with my bare hands, Jonathan, I have done things that would make people see me as a rabid dog, only good to be put down.” Arthur slammed his hands on the table. “You fucking knew, you knew that I have committed atrocities just from seeing my scars and yet you did nothing but welcome me here and told me nothing but the truth about this place and yourself.” Jonathan was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt once again. “Why are you letting these people treat you that way? Why are you letting them walk all over you, Jonathan?”

“He’s not looking at you, Arthur.” He cursed under his breath. He was so angry. With himself, with Jonathan, with Basira, with everything. He went back to his and John’s little room to calm down. 

Chapter Text

He and John spent a lot of time in the library and the archives. They read on everything paranormal, but there was nothing about the King in Yellow or any other creature they have met so far. It was disappointing but not surprising... Basira was gone, Melanie barely showed up and Martin was hiding from them. Arthur was getting sick of it all. He knew that Jonathan was trying to seek out Martin. He also knew that he was failing at that and every time he got back, he looked only more tired, more broken… more lonely. Arthur didn't understand it.

There was also the looming terror of the tape recorders. Arthur didn't think much of them at first, Jonathan explained to them that they were the only thing that captured the true statements of people. On every other device that Jonathan showed them the recording got corrupted. John also didn't think much of it, if they were the only thing able to capture the paranormal, it would make sense for the institute to have a lot of them, right? Except they didn't... They had 3 recorders max. But... John was pretty sure there were more. He saw them everywhere. In every room down in the archives there were at least two. John also picked up on the fact that Jonathan never turned one on when he was reading a statement. It was either already running when John looked or it just seemed to turn on itself. It also turned itself on whenever they were talking about anything paranormal. It was driving him insane and he just had to know.

"What is it with the recorders? Is that your power as well to turn them on with the power of your mind?" John asked. They were just hanging out in the break room, having tea. John as well as Arthur noted that a recorder clicked to turn on.

"No. I'm afraid not. They just... Do that. I can't explain it, but they will show up whenever they think they're needed and turn on by themselves when there's something related to any of the Fears. I started using it as a way to determine if a statement I'm about to read is real." Jonathan sounded quite proud of himself with that one. He was hiding something. Arthur could tell. He blindly patted around the table to the source of the mechanical little noises and clicked the recorder off.

"What do you mean they turn on by themselves?" Arthur hissed through his teeth. The moment he lifted his hand off the recorder it clicked back on. It startled him if he was being honest. There was something eager about that little click.

"I- I think it's the Eye. It's curious. It wants to know." Well that was just a load of crap. The way Jonathan's voice shook slightly gave Arthur enough insight to know he was lying.

"I thought the Ceaseless Watcher could see everything that's happening?" Was he accusing Jonathan of something? No... Maybe... Fine he was. But what was he supposed to do? Jonathan was shady at best and wasn't telling them everything.

"He's looking at you terrified. You called his bluff, Arthur, and he doesn't know what to do with himself."

"I'm- Yeah. I'm going to be honest... I'm not entirely sure who is listening on the other side. I don't... I don't Know that. Can't Know that. I'm-" Jonathan sighed and John described to him that he slumped in on himself, his head hanging low, the pieces of his long hair that escaped the tie were blocking his face. "I'm trying to not think too much about it. I- I really don't want to panic about it. I don't think whoever is listening means us any harm- for now at least." He sounded unsure. It was pissing Arthur off.

"What about smashing them? Clearly just turning them off doesn't work. Why not just get rid of them?" That got a sigh from Jonathan.

"I- I did try that... They just- they just always come back. I don't really know where they're coming from or who gives them to us." Arthur had enough. He found the tape recorder on the desk, picked it up and brought it to his face.

"I don't know who is listening, but it won't be pretty when I catch you," he growled into it and proceeded to smash it against the floor while John cheered for him.

"Yes Arthur!" With that they left Jonathan there. They needed to think about this. Did it change anything? Did the fact that there was probably another entity that was listening in on what was happening change anything? No. Not really. They were pretty sure Kayne did as well. There wasn't much they could do about that one either. They spent the rest of the day reading.

“He’s going to do something stupid,” a distorted voice came from behind him. Arthur turned around quickly out of a reflex. There was a yellow door that was not here before and a person- no, a creature stood in front of it. It resembled a woman, but it was unnaturally tall and weirdly shaped, all sharp edges, it’s skin seemingly changed colour the longer John was looking at it. It's shape never remained solid enough for John to describe it better, but he got some of its features. It’s hair was flowing around it’s head freely, but it also looked weirdly stiff, like it could just snap off any moment and shatter on the ground.

“Helen,” he greeted the creature with a nod of his head. He didn’t trust it. Of course he didn’t after Jonathan explained what it was, what it did. But he didn’t want to be straight up rude to it, not when it served as an ally to them. Jonathan warned him to not trust it too much, just in case, but said it was currently harmless and even trying to help. But it’s motives were unclear. 
It wasn’t the first time Distortion has found him. John said there was something almost familiar about it, about the corridors stretching behind those doors, but they never explored it. Arthur didn’t think Helen liked them that much that she would allow them to exit if they were to stumble inside and he really didn’t want to test that. 

“He’s going to do something stupid,” Helen repeated, sitting down on the ground next to his legs, It was tracing it's impossibly long finger on the floor, drawing patterns that nobody could see.

“You mean Jonathan?” Arthur asked for clarifications but really didn’t need it. It was bout to happen eventually, he knew that.

“Yes, Jonathan. He found an interesting tape. He’s practically on his way to find me.” It's tone absolutely didn’t match what it had to say. It never did. It felt like it couldn’t really control it's tone, but it was one of the things Arthur got used to. Don't associate a tone to an emotion with it. Just take the information it's giving you and take it with a grain of salt.

“You? Why?”

“There’s something inside my corridors that he's looking for.” He didn’t know how it worked exactly, but he knew that the corridors were a part of the Spiral, of Helen. He didn’t ask for clarification. He wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to know. John didn't like the sound of that either.

“What is it?”

“The Bone Turner, of course.”

“Of- of course.” Arthur had no idea what it was talking about, but he didn't want to ask Helen of all creatures.

“Go see him. As a friend I’m worried about him.” It didn’t sound worried at all, but Arthur trusted it enough to know that this was a real concern.

“Okay. Thank you Helen.” He placed down the book he was holding and quickly walked towards Jonathan’s office. He just stood in front of the door it was slightly ajar so he didn’t even need to strain his ears to hear anything. The tape was still going so Arthur remained quiet in case Jonathan was recording. But he soon learned that he was not.

“Oh, come on… Everyone else can carve up the Archivist, but when he actually needs it…” Jonathan sounded frustrated, in pain. Metal clattered to the ground and he let out a frustrated growl. Okay that was enough. Arthur stepped into the office. John vividly started describing to him what was happening. Jonathan was sitting at his desk, sweaty and obviously in distress. There was blood pooled around one of of his hands on the table and a bloodied knife was sat on the ground. It very much looked like Jonathan was trying to hurt himself, but John didn't tell him about any.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m- I didn’t hear you come in.”

“That was our plan, Jonathan.”

“I-  Would you believe me If I said I’m trying to save Daisy?” A shuffle of clothes.

“How is this going to help her?”

“I need a… I’ve been thinking of it as an- an anchor. I think… I Know. Something I have a connection to, that- that I can use to find my way out of the Coffin when I reach Daisy. I figured the strongest anchor would be… part of my own body.” Arthur blinked a few times. Not sure what to say.

“You are a crazy man.” John was actually laughing. Maniacal. Arthur could imagine he would be shaking his head at the absurdity if he could. "Arthur bit off our finger." He felt his left arm move, most likely to show off the wooden nub. "He could probably do it for you as well if you asked nicely."

"Arthur bit off your finger?" Jonathan sounded terrified, maybe a little intrigued. Definitely intrigued.

"Ah- yes. In the Dreamlands. It was a price to get us out of a forest. It wasn't pleasant. I'd rather not repeat it..." John described to him the interest on Jonathan's face. Arthur could imagine the Beholding was very interested in knowing more. This was next and exotic food for the Fear. He didn't want to give it more. He refused.

"It's not like you could do it. I- I tried. But I heal incredibly fast. The moment I put the blade away it's like I never did anything." He sounded desperate, his voice dipping slightly at the edge of hysteria.

"I met Helen in the Archives... It said you'll be contacting it, that there's something inside the corridors you want."

"It called it the Bone Turner," John supplied helpfully.

"The Bone Turner?" Jonathan frowned, thinking about it. "Helen said I'd need the Bone Turner?"

"Yes." John described to him the thoughtful expression on Jonathan's face that quickly turned to something of a realization.

"Of- of course. I- I need to go see Helen. Do you know where she is?" The chair scraped against the floor- a sign that Jonathan stood up.

"Yes, but I'm not telling you until you tell me what do you want from it." Arthur heard Jonathan inhale like he wanted to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth. "And don't try to Know it either or I'm gonna lock you up in here, Jonathan," He warned the other.

"Ah yes. Of course. I'm- Like I said. I need an anchor. Something that will tie me to this world... And- and a body part would be the most reliable thing to do just that. The Bone Turner is- he's an Avatar of the Flesh, The Viscera; he has powers that could make this whole thing a lot easier." Jonathan didn't elaborate more, but Arthur wanted to know more.

"And how do you know he will go along with it and not just kill you?" Jonathan chuckled. Straight up evil chuckled at that question.

"Well- If he's inside the corridors and Helen is yet to let him out, that means she's keeping him there to protect us. I highly doubt she would let him go were he be able to kill me, that is." A straight and simple answer, Jonathan was very sure of that if the tone of his voice was anything to go by. Arthur was sure there was more to it, but didn't feel like interrogating the man right now.

"And you think he won't want anything in return for that service?" Jonathan couldn't be that stupid.

"No. I do know he will want something. I will release him once I have what I want."  Okay yeah, he was definitely stupid. Arthur sighed. Was he really about to explain to him how dangerous that really would be? "I don't need you to approve of my decision, either of you. I just need you to tell me where Helen is."

"And If I won't tell you?" John made a grumbling noises at that.

"He'll either go find Helen himself or do something even more stupid... It's in the Archives. We were reading something there and it just appeared. It's waiting there for you." Way to go, John! Arthur didn't even get a chance to do much because with that Jonathan exited the room, the sound of his quick footsteps dying down as he got farther away.

"John... Why did you tell him?" Arthur sat down. "Why did you tell him John?" he repeated.

"I told you, Arthur. He wouldn't listen. You didn't see the look on his face, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. I do think this might be the path of the least resistance. He just needs to be careful." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, as if Jonathan Sims' done anything careful ever in his life. Do you think being careful has got him to where he is today? Do you think being careful would grant him this position at all, John?" Arthur gripped the fabric of his pants in attempts to ground himself. He didn't need to argue with John right now. Not when they didn't know in which state Helen will return Jonathan. With a sigh he dragged his hand through his hair- it was greasy and definitely needed a good wash.

"Can we talk about this later John? I think we should go wait for him to return."

"If you think so..." The rumble of John's voice sounded wrong. It was laced with a emotion he couldn't identify, but it wasn't a good one.

Chapter Text

When Arthur and John caught up with Helen, it was just idly standing in front of it's door, tracing some invisible patterns with it's finger on the wall next to the door, it's hair was unnaturally spiky as always, but it was lashing out around in anger like multiple cats' tails.

"The Archivist went inside my corridors," it informed them. "You didn't stop him." Arthur took an angry inhale. He knew that they didn't stop him, John fucked it up!

"I know. He wouldn't listen." Not that that was a good excuse... Arthur should've tried to stop him, but he was too preoccupied with not yelling at John. Arthur could in a way understand John's reasoning for it, but still felt his stomach twist on itself with the betrayal. 

"He shouldn't be in there." Helen turned to face them. "He's going to get hurt, you know? He wants to climb into the coffin," it laughed with that unnatural laugh. It was in a way similar to that of K-. No. No. He didn't want to think about him right now. "You should help him." It leaned closer, so close in fact that Arthur could feel it's breath on his face. He frowned.

"How? I can't help him. I'm-"

"Blind?" the creature interrupted. "I don't think The Buried cares for that, my dear. You might actually have an advantage because you're blind." It shifted away, but Arthur could still feel it's gaze. "Seeing people don't take it kindly when you take their sight... But it's not just about that." Arthur exhaled angrily. He hated all these puzzles and riddles. It remained quiet, just watching them- according to John. It was waiting for a nudge.

"And what is it about then?"

"It's about the helplessness, about not being able to breathe. The Buried wants you to feel like you're stuck in a spot from which you won't be able to leave. It wants you desperate. It wants you to bleed from how much you dig and claw at the dirt and stone around." Arthur heard a series of sickly cracks as it turned it's head to the side, curious. "You know what that is like, don't you, little traveler?" The laughing was back and Arthur's blood ran cold.

"What- what do you mean by that?"

"I can see it on you, in your eyes," it was again leaning closer, John described it's morbid fascination with his eyes. It wanted to touch them so badly, "there's another one. One tied to madness, just like me," their tone turned cheerful. "I don't know how that one got in there, but it could help. If you're already not sane how much less sane can you actually get in a place like that?"

"Helen might have a point, Arthur..." John spoke softly. "We- we've been through some fucked up stuff."

"That doesn't mean we have to go through it again John," he hissed and heard a delightful crackling giggle accompanied by the sound of Helen clapping.

"Jonathan doesn't know what he's doing."

"Yeah, I know..."

"We could help."

"Yeah, I know..." Arthur groaned and dragged his hand over his face in frustration. "For Christ's sake, John! This is not that easy, okay?! We can't just- go with him-"

"Yes you can," Helen chimed in and Arthur glared at the spot where he suspected it stood. A man couldn't even have a private conversation in peace in this establishment.

"All I'm saying is... We don't know what it will do to us. Yeah, we've survived the horrors of our world, but do we really want to try our luck in this one as well?"

"Jon will die in there." Helen's tone was way too cheerful to be delivering that message.

"How do you know that?"

"Because he doesn't believe he can actually do it. If he gets stuck in there, he'll most likely accept his fate and get swallowed." Arthur blinked a few times. Was that true? Was Jonathan just going to give up? That made his blood boil for entirely different reason.

"Does he think he just gets to die like that?" he hissed. "I'll fucking drag him by his hair out if I have to!"

"Yes, Arthur!" A giggle from Helen snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I like you and your passion, little traveler. But be aware that the Buried might not take kindly of you entering it's coffin. You, after all, are the same as me, The Spiral likes you. Fears don't like it when other ones cross their territory."

"Which means Jonathan is in just as much danger."

"No. He's going to have a tougher time than you. His patron feeds him power, yes, but how will it feed him where it can't see him?" The sick and twisted sweetness of it's voice gave Arthur goosebumps. "He'll lose himself in there pretty quickly and then-"

"And then he'll either go crazy and kill himself or starve to death while being crushed by the Earth itself..." John finished the sentence.

"Fuck, John..." he sighed. He didn't like that they were right. He didn't like the fact that there were no better options.

"He's coming out right now. Think about it, little traveler. And John? The way is not always as straightforward as it might look." It gave them a crooked smile and then stepped towards the yellow door to open it just in time. An exhausted Jonathan fell out of the opening and Arthur was just close enough to catch him. When he looked back up, the yellow door was gone.

"I got it-" Jonathan wheezed, clutching something in his hand, it was white, long- it was a bone. It was a rib. Arthur didn't need to ask to know that it was Jonathan's own rib.

"What's your plan?" He didn't want to straight up ask what time Jonathan was planning on going in there, so they could sneak in with him. This would have to do.

"I need- I need to eat something and take a nap maybe. I'm- I feel very lightheaded." That was not too hard to believe as he was still clutching Arthur's arm for stability. "But I'm going in there. I need to." Again with his false sense of heroism...

"Let's get you to the break room, you can probably take a nap on the couch in there." Arthur dragged him in there and left him to do what he needed to do. Instead he and John went to find something more about The Buried in institute's library. There wasn't much more than what they already knew but it felt good to at least re-read the information. He and John were in similarly bad spots before. For God's sake they were in the Dreamlands! This couldn't be much worse.

When Jonathan finally got the courage to get in, they gave him 10 minutes. Just so it wouldn't look like they were after him. Just before he could step into the coffin he was reminded by John that they need an anchor- Jonathan said it so it must be true.

"I left our stuff on the cot. I think that's going to be enough, John. I'm not chopping off our finger." They'd get through it like they always do. Together.

Arthur got into the coffin and didn't even have to close the lid after himself as it shut itself with a click. Great. The stone steps leading down were so steep that Arthur had to step on every single one very carefully to not roll his ankle. They didn't bring a flashlight, it would be useless anyway.

 Using only using a nearby wall as a guide Arthur was able to climb the stairs down step by step. He wasn't sure how long it took him but it felt probably longer than it really was. When he stepped onto the last step he was able to feel his way around. There was only one way to go, a small passage carved into the wall. Arthur had to remind himself where they were and why they were there in the first place. He took a deep breath to calm down him hammering heartbeat and slowly made his way through the tight hallway. It was getting tighter and smaller as is continued and for a moment Arthur thought that it just wouldn't go anywhere and they'd have to go back. Surely there was another way. Then the walls started closing in, hugging his body. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't- 
But when he tried to go back John's voice stopped him. The rumble of his voice calming down Arthur's nerves a little.

"You're okay, Arthur, just breathe. We're not in danger. Nothing is going after us. We're here just to pick up Jonathan and Daisy, remember?" His left hand flexed and found Arthur's own to hold it for a moment. It helped. Feeling the contact, knowing he wasn't alone in there. Arthur took a deep breath and with a newfound determination walked deeper and deeper. Soon he had to bend down and then crawl on all fours while the ground pressed on his back like it wanted to knock him down on his knees. There were weird noises coming from all different sides, muffled by the dirt and stone or whatever it was they were currently in.

When the passage got so small that Arthur had to get on his belly and crawl he had to stop, even if the ground was pressing on him, he had to stop and breathe. The air around was stale, wet and incredibly thick in his lungs. His hands shook as he dragged himself slowly deeper. 

"John-" his voice broke. John became very silent the moment they stepped inside the coffin. Reasonably so. He didn't have much to describe to Arthur in there, but he still wanted to hear his companion's voice. He needed to know he wasn't alone. He couldn't bear to be alone. Not with the knowledge that he probably wasn't alone in there. Surely there were other people, but he needed a familiar voice. He needed his anchor.

"I'm here, Arthur. I- This place is doing weird things to me. I think. I keep thinking that I can see- hear something." Arthur chuckled wetly. He was so shaken by everything he just wanted to go back, he really did, but he didn't want to leave Jonathan in here.

"I don't think we're alone in here, John. What you're hearing are probably other people stuck in here." The ground was parting in front of his hands just enough to let him slip farther while simultaneously pressing on his whole body, it was incredibly uncomfortable and panic inducing. 
"I don't particularly like it in here either. It's- I never thought I could be claustrophobic, but after this I might as well be." Now it was John's turn to chuckle. Arthur wondered if John too was feeling the claustrophobic nature of this place. If he too was feeling out of breath just because the ground kept pressing on his hand and foot. It wanted them to know that they were buried.

There was another long pause. Arthur started spiraling once again and had to take a quick break to calm himself down.

"You were- do you want me to just talk to you? Distract you?" 

"I'd- I'd appreciate that, thank you, John." And so John talked. He talked on and on about everything that they've read and learnt so far, about The Fears, about Jonathan's powers and how they evolved, about everything weird that he's seen around the institute. Just anything and everything that came to his mind. As a disembodied voice he didn't need to pause for air or because his throat got scratchy, so he just talked nonstop. It helped. Oh god how it helped. Arthur could just focus on the low of John's voice and continue moving forward. He wasn't alone. John was here with him. Talking him through yet another traumatic experience. Everything was in order.

"You know, first when we met him, I really thought Jonathan was just some weird guy that would kill us in the basement of the institute-" He didn't finish that though. He heard something and Arthur could hear it too. It sounded familiar.

"I think-" A whimper. "Oh god. I-I-I think I’m- I’m stuck." It was Jonathan! Arthur crawled as fast as the ground allowed him and then touched a foot by accident. Jonathan yelled out in surprise, thrashing around, trying to kick at him.

"Calm down! Jesus Christ! It's just me," Arthur wheezed out. He didn't have space to move to the side. Not that The Buried would let him.

"Arthur? What- What are you doing here?" There was undeniable fondness in his voice, he was happy to hear them.

"Did you really think We'd let you go in here alone??" That was foolish of him. How could he just sit on his ass in the institute while Jonathan was probably going to die in here? Not on Arthur's watch. They'd get back and have a really bad tea to celebrate it. Arthur didn't have it in him to tell Jonathan that his tea making skills sucked. He'd take that information to the grave. "Let's find Daisy and go back, yeah? I really don't like it in here." If Jonathan was here he Knew she wasn't dead and that was all Arthur needed to know. He trusted him on that.

"Oh- oh right. Daisy. We- we're here for Daisy, right!" he laughed. "Daisy!" The sound of Jonathan's voice wasn't traveling very well with all the insides of The Buried, but after a second or two there was an answer.

"Jon!" Her voice sounded rough like she haven't spoken for a while and it was muffled, but Jonathan recognized it immediately.

"Daisy! We're coming for you! Can you move? Follow the sound of my voice, Daisy!" There was some more muffled speech from her but Arthur couldn't make out what she was saying and by the sounds of things neither could Jonathan. Together they slowly moved towards where they heard her. It could've taken them hours, days even but her voice got clearer and the pressure on their bodies got worse. Way worse. Arthur could feel his own ribs creaking, but Thr Buried knew when to stop pushing, it didn't want to kill him, just torture him.

"Daisy! Daisy, can you reach me?" Jonathan's voice was desperate, tired but full of hope.

"I can’t... Can’t see you," she cried and Arthur heard some shuffling right in front of them.

"It's okay, Daisy, we're here, follow my voice, here- there you go. It's me." 

"You're real. You're real." There was some more shuffling as she moved a little closer and accidentally brushed against Arthur's arm. "Who is that?"

"This is Arthur. He's- he's a friend. He's been keeping me sane." Daisy's hand once again touched Arthur's arm but it felt more friendly, she rested her hand on his, just for the sake of the contact. Arthur understood.

"It's unfortunate we meet in these conditions, but it's nice to meet you, Daisy. I hope we get to meet properly once this is over-"

"Over? There's no way out. We're- we're stuck here," Daisy gasped as the ground crushed them a little harder. It rumbled, seemingly agreeing with her. Arthur could hear Jonathan's breath catching in his throat.

"No. We're not. We'll get back. Come on, Jonathan, don't panic on me now. I didn't follow you in here only for you to panic and get lost, get it together!" Arthur hissed and felt his left arm move towards Jonathan.

"I pinched him, Arthur!" Arthur couldn't help but laugh at that. At least John was in his corner if anything.

"Let's go back. We have Daisy, let go back, Jonathan." He reached out with his hand to squeeze Jonathan's shoulder. "Breathe, both of you."

"Are you okay?" That question was obviously meant for Daisy.

"No."

"Sorry. Obviously, you're not okay. I meant- I thought you might've been taken over... By The Hunt." There was an awkward pause. "The Hunt? You're a Hunter." Arthur's blood ran cold. Another servant of the Fears? Why didn't Jonathan tell them sooner?!

"Yeah- I guess I was. But not here. I- I can't feel my blood. I could always feel it- I can't in here. It can't reach me- here. Where are we?" Her voice sounded more strained, rough the more she talked. It was obvious she haven't used her voice in quite the while.

"We're in the coffin, we're in The Buried... Come on let's get you out of here." Artur really didn't want to cut their celebrations short, but they could pat themselves on the back even when they were outside of a literal Fear manifestation,

"Can't- I can't move. Even- even if I could, there's no way out." Her voice sounded a lot like she was about to cry and Arthur could really feel the despair, she msut have spend months here, thinking there was no escape.

"It's okay. I've... I've got a plan. I just need to find it..." Static started rising in Arthur's ears despite the fact that there were no electronics nearby.

"Wha- what?" Daisy sounded just as alarmed by the static as Arthur felt.

"Come on, come on... Where are you?" The static was even more apparent in Jonathan's voice.

"Jonathan?" He was scaring Arthur a little, the static rose and The Buried grumbled at his attempts, squishing them all a little more.

"I know where we are. There's- there's no way out. This is-" He took a short inhale. "This is a forever deep below creation. Where the weight of existence bears down... This- This is The Buried." The was a rising hysteria in his voice the longer he spoke. "There isn't even an up. Oh god... What have I done...?"

"Jonathan, breathe, you're not alone here, we're here with you." Arthur reached out with his hand and squeezed whatever part of Jonathan's arm he could find. There was a pregnant pause between them, only broken by their ragged breaths as they all tried to expand their lungs as much as the ground around allowed them.

"Jon?" 

"We're still here." Arthur heard a shuffle from Jonathan's side.

"Good, I- I want to talk. I just- I just want someone to hear me..." There was another pause. "Could you- could you do your... thing?"

"Ah, right." Jonathan cleared his throat. "How are you feeling?" The static in his voice was back for just a moment and Daisy was finally able to open up about her experience in this godforsaken place. How the place knew when to stop pushing, it didn't want to kill her, it needed her alive to feed on her. She also talked about how she finally felt like herself in here, because The Hunt couldn't get here in there. One thing that surprised Arthur was that she could see Jonathan before in her dreams, it was driving her insane and she wanted Jonathan dead... she would've done it if she didn't get in this mess.

"And now?" Jonathan didn't sound scared at all at the possibility that Daisy might strangle him or something right when she gets out of the coffin.

"Don't know. I miss- I miss dreaming. You don't really get dreams in here. You don't sleep." There was a sad chuckle in her  voice, like maybe a part of her hoped that she would've been able to escape The Eye and Jonathan at least here.

"Daisy-" his tone was careful. "If I wasn't human before... I'm- uh. I'm even less now."

"I figured... At the moment, I don't care."

"And if we get out?"

"When," Arthur corrected him.

"What?"

"When we get out. You said 'if' like there's a chance we won't."

"But we can't get out." Oh great, so now even Daisy was fighting him on this.

"It's like they don't even want to get out!"

"I don't care. We're getting back. All of us. Come on, Jonathan, I think it's this way." He pulled at said man's arm and slowly started shuffling towards the place he vaguely remembered they came from. It was easy for him to remember directions in a place that didn't have real corridors to walk through. 

Soon both Jonathan and Daisy started shuffling after him, they had to stop a lot and rest- well let Daisy rest. It was obvious she had a hard time moving at all so about halfway through their crawl, Arthur shuffled close to her side and dragged her forward with him.

"We're- we're close! My anchor, my- the rib, I can-" The static around them came back. "I can feel it. I know the way." he started shuffling forwards quicker, leaving Daisy and Arthur behind.  The way never got easier, the Buried was desperately trying to keep them inside.

"Jonathan! Slow down! Daisy can't go that quick, dammit!"

"Here- here, come on, we're here, push!" They followed over to the sound of his voice and Jonathan raised his hand up towards the ceiling. Was that wood? The lid! They all pushed against it, the wood groaned and creaked above their hands but finally let them escape. The muffled sounds of The Buried and everything buried in it were overpowered by the natural noises of the institute, people talking, printers printing. Arthur has never heard something so beautiful."Wha- We're out! We really are out! I can't believe it"She sounded so happy she could cry and Arthur could honestly not blame her if she did.

"Arthur! There's so many tape recorders all around the coffin!" 

"What-"

"What is it?" Daisy's voice lost the happiness, like she was afraid this was yet another place of illusions.

"Tape recorders. Must be- must be dozens of them." Jonathan explained. Suddenly the door opened and by the steps alone Arthur could tell it was Basira and she was pissed.

"Jon, you stupid idiot! What did you think-" She stopped right between the doors.

"She's looking at Daisy like she's seeing a ghost, Arthur." And to her it must feel like it.

"Hi," Daisy said softly and John described to him the gentle smile on her face as she watched Basira.

"Oh my god- Daisy?" She made a step closer and another and then she was walking up to them, stepping carefully between the tape recorders. She gathered Daisy in her arms and just held her while Daisy mumbled into her shoulder about the horrors that she's seen in the coffin.