THE PAST

ORA

It doesn’t make any sense!!

KEVIN

Are you okay?

Karras made tea, thought you’d want

some.

ORA

Thanks.

KEVIN

Interesting set-up.

ORA

I’m trying to make any order out of

all the Prophecies.

KEVIN

Any luck?

ORA

Well...I started putting duplicate

ones into piles.

KEVIN

Oh...these are in piles? ‘Cause I

think that means you have a few

dozen piles.

ORA

So, to answer your question,

no...no luck. This is too hard. How

can I find the original Prophecy

without anything to go on? I mean,

It was easy enough to find some of

the fakes that were written for the

tournament; See look here. They

often call the Chosen One by name.

But after removing those, what’s

next? How do I separate the lies

from the truth?

KEVIN

I don’t think anyone can be

completely sure they know the

truth, but maybe there’s something

that all the ones based on the

original share.

KEVIN (CONT'D)

Besides the obvious fakes, what’s

something the others have in

common?

ORA

Well, I originally thought if I

studied the Prophecies written on

old parchment I’d be able to find

one that stood out as the

original...

KEVIN

See? There you go...

ORA

But some of the Prophecies on much

newer paper have the exact same

lines as the older ones. And some

of the newer ones describe

this...unusual...situation we’re in

so well, it’s hard to discount

them.

KEVIN

So...huh.

ORA

Most have the same whimsical style,

where the lines sound like a bad

poem without rhyming. That’s

actually been the problem. I

thought maybe if I just fit the

lines that rhymed together, It

would be like a map or a puzzle.

But that failed very quickly

because the rhymes contradict

themselves.

KEVIN

You may need a break.

ORA

I’m fine.

This tea is actually really good.

KEVIN

I know we already had food, but are

you still hungry? I could try and

find out something else. Maybe

something sweet?

ORA

Thanks, but I’m alright.

I guess I should have suspected I

wouldn’t be able to solve anything

in a day. I’m not great at being

patient, I guess.

Seems like the only thing I have

been good at is getting people

killed.

KEVIN

Don’t say that. Nothing’s been your

fault; it’s either been bad luck or

bad people. If anything, your hope

is what brings people together.

ORA

Corpses rose up and killed people,

I think we need more than hope.

KEVIN

Well, you can’t berate yourself for

not finding the true Prophecy when

obviously no one’s figured It out

in fifty years. Or more than fifty?

Just how old is this thing, anyway?

ORA

Old. When my parents were teaching

me how to read, they included dead

letters since they were in the

Prophecy my mom had.

KEVIN

Dead letters?

ORA

That’s what we called them anyway.

You see, language changes over time

and when our grandparents were

young the alphabet sometimes

included redundant letters. I mean

maybe they were some sound years

and years ago, but they just became

symbols that represented a sound

that could also be represented with

other letters. Something that was

lost. They’re almost never used

now, hence “dead letter.” I’ve only

seen them in Prophecies and really

old books. Oh. Thats It!

KEVIN

What are you doing?

ORA

Look at this! Look at this. It’s a

dead letter. It looks like a

lowercase “p” with an “l” on top of

It.

KEVIN

You do remember I can’t read,

right?

ORA

And this is a newer Prophecy! By

the feel of the parchment, It can’t

be more than five years old. So why

would It have a dead letter?

KEVIN

Because It copied that letter

from...somewhere?

ORA

EXCATLY! The dead letters mean

those lines were copied! I always

wondered why my mom’s Prophecy had

dead letters in some of the lines,

but not in others, even though It

was the same sound. It wasn’t a

spelling mistake, it’s because some

of the lines were copied and from

an older document that used older

letters.

KEVIN

That’s...um...great?

ORA

YES! With this, if I find all the

lines with the dead letters, then

those have to be the oldest lines.

And if I can compare those then

maybe we can get a version of the

Prophecy that’s close to the

original.

KEVIN

You seem happier?

ORA

Maybe we can actually do this!

Oh, there’s a dead letter. Of

course this old one is full of

them. I should have arranged things

better...

KEVIN

I’ll uhh....I’ll get you some more

tea.

ORA

Uh-huh.

FORMOSA

Hey, how’s Ora?

KEVIN

She’s...well, she’s happier. She

thinks she had a breakthrough

figuring out the Prophecies. I

don’t know, It all makes me

worried. I think she’s going down a

bad path. Oh, and she said the tea

is good.

KARRAS

(Grunts happily.)

KEVIN

Where’s Isten? I haven’t seen him

for hours.

ELIZABETH

He’s outside.

KEVIN

It’s a cold night. What’s he doing

out there?

FORMOSA

I asked if he wanted supper, but he

said no. I think he wants to be

alone.

ELIZABETH

Maybe Isten wants tea.

KEVIN

I’ll ask.

KARRAS

Thought you hated him.

KEVIN

I thought you hated him, too.

KARRAS

Humm...it’s tricky, I think I...

Hummm...

KEVIN

Things change. Don’t worry, I won’t

try to kill him. Besides, even if I

did, he’d just rise again.

FORMOSA

Don’t say that.

KEVIN

Sorry. Bad joke.

I’ll go check if he wants tea.

Oh! Hey, Karras, throw me an apple.

FORMOSA

Really?!

KEVIN

(laughs)

Oh, leave me alone.

KARRAS

Here.

KEVIN

Thanks.

SPIRIT

(Whinnies)

KEVIN

Hey girl.

It’s Okay girl.

SPIRIT

(Blows)

KEVIN

Hahaha. I knew you would find us.

Ora was so excited to see you.

SPIRIT

(Blows)

KEVIN

I haven’t seen her smile like that

in a long time. Here, I brought you

a nice apple. Here you go.

(Chuckles). Now, don’t tell anyone.

Don’t want to get a reputation as a

softy, do I?

SPIRIT

(Blows)

(MORE)

KEVIN

Ha! Oh, stop It.

KEVIN (CONT'D)

You have the best bedroom in the

world, don’t you? I did love

sleeping outside.

Maybe I’ll just sleep with you out

here tonight, hmm?

SPIRIT

(Whinnies)

KEVIN

Haha! Okay, okay...I can take a

hint.

Get some rest. You deserve all the

rest in the world.

SPIRIT

(Whinnies)

KEVIN

Isten?

ISTEN

Yes?

KEVIN

Oh, there you are.

Do you want to come inside? Karras

made tea.

ISTEN

I’m not thirsty.

KEVIN

You could warm yourself by the

fire.

ISTEN

I’m not cold.

KEVIN

So, your plan is to stay outdoors

and stare at nothing?

ISTEN

They don’t want me inside.

KEVIN

Well, we don’t want you out here

either.

KEVIN (CONT'D)

(MORE)

Sorry...Look, I admit, we all

have...complicated relationships

with you. You were awful, but you

did save us back there. I don’t

know if we could have survived

without you. That helps with the

bad feelings a bit.

ISTEN

They stare at me with eyes filled

with horror and pity. I am their

own mortality, hobbling beside

them, proof of how death awaits us

all. And then, perhaps worse than

death. I think it’s best if I stay

away.

KEVIN

And I don’t look at you that way?

ISTEN

You look at me like I’m an asshole.

KEVIN

Oh...I’m sorry?

ISTEN

It’s a good thing. It’s how you

looked at me before. And uh, to be

fair, I was an asshole.

Sorry about that.

KEVIN

Are you really apologizing? I saw

the dead come back to life, but

this feels like a bigger miracle.

ISTEN

It’s comforting that you don’t look

at me differently. Though I suspect

that feeling is going to disappear,

too.

KEVIN

What do you mean?

ISTEN

Everything’s becoming dimmer.

Emotions, physical

sensations...even my thoughts are

becoming...sluggish.

ISTEN (CONT'D)

It’s like a fire has been put out

and the smoke still remembers the

heat of when It was a raging

conflagration, but it’s

disappearing into nothingness.

KEVIN

That’s terrifying.

ISTEN

I don’t fear oblivion. It almost

seems restful. What I fear is what

this body will do when what’s left

of my consciousness disappears.

Will I try to kill you? Will I

continue to follow after you like

some decaying pet? How can I do

that to you all? Despite

everything, Ora still believes in

me. And Karras... Karras deserves

so much more. I keep thinking of

what I could have done differently.

How many people I hurt. I have so

many regrets, yet even those

regrets are dimming into

nothingness.

KEVIN

Can I do anything for you?

ISTEN

I doubt there’s anything to be

done. Though everything withers

away, one thought grows: an aching

desire that there’s somewhere I

need to go.

KEVIN

Do you know where? Maybe It has

something to do with the Prophecy.

ISTEN

I thought you didn’t believe in

that.

KEVIN

I believe in Ora and she believes

in It. Maybe that’s enough.

ISTEN

You’ll destroy her, you know.

KEVIN

Why would you say that?

ISTEN

(sighs)

She trusts you...and yet you

disagree with her at every turn, in

every belief and yet you stay with

her. It’s a tough place for her to

be...you’re either wrong, or

enabling her.

KEVIN

I know Ora better then you ever

will. You keep your shit thoughts

to yourself.

ISTEN

Well, if I can’t have a friend with

me as I fade away, perhaps I can

have an enemy. That’s more intimate

in some ways.

KEVIN

Well, that’s a lousy excuse for

saying a horrible thing.

ISTEN

The stars are so bright tonight.

Were they always this bright, or

did I not notice?

KEVIN

You’re an asshole. Dead or alive,

you’re an asshole.

ISTEN

You may be right, but I’m glad

you’re with me.

KEVIN

I am too.

SCENE BRAKE

LINUS

What do we do now?

ANN

We go after everyone! They killed

Hal, I’m going to destroy every one

of them.

LINUS

We only survived because they

suddenly left, there’s no way we

can go against them again.

ANN

Coward.

VORLAUF

We do not need to concern ourselves

with the dead.

ANN

How dare you! I thought Hal meant

something to you!

VORLAUF

We go after Ora, the Prophecyseeker.

She was there when magic

was used when we raided that house

in the countryside. She used It on

me when we fought over the

Prophecies. And then all these dead

magically come back to life while

she’s around? I don’t believe in

coincidences.

ANN

Then we should still follow the

dead. If Ora’s doing this, then

she’ll be with them.

VORLAUF

Perhaps. Perhaps not. The dead can

follow exact commands, perhaps

she’s making them walk in the

opposite direction to lead us away

from her.

LINUS

You sound like you’ve seen this

before.

VORLAUF

I have.

ANN

You knew this was possible and

didn’t tell us?! Ugh!

VORLAUF

Put your sword away before I give

you mine.

ANN

If you had warned us then Hal might

still be alive.

VORLAUF

I’ve always said magic was evil.

Now, do you want to continue to

bicker amongst ourselves or do you

want to go after the person who did

this?

ANN

I’m not going anywhere with you

until you explain yourself.

VORLAUF

I don’t owe you an explanation.

LINUS

I’m with Ann. I’m not leaving

unless you tell us everything.

VORLAUF

Very well. Though let us walk as I

tell you, the blood on the streets

will attract Lusus Naturae.

I grew up in a small farming

village. My mother died in

childbirth and my father died in a

farming accident. My aunt took me

in and raised me like her own son.

ANN

Get to the point.

VORLAUF

Do you want a hasty explanation or

one that truly lets you understand?

LINUS

I want to hear everything.

ANN

Fine.

VORLAUF

I was close to a neighbor my age,

Diana. She was always energetic and

eager to help; smart, too. Bribed a

wandering priest to teach her how

to read.

If I ever find that priest, I’ll

kill him slowly.

LUSUS NATURAE

(Roar)

VORLAUF

We should quicken our pace.

LINUS

What happened to Diana?

VORLAUF

Somehow she got her hands on a

Prophecy and got It into her head

that I was the Chosen One.

ANN

You?

VORLAUF

According to her, I fit the

description. She described a male

orphan with the ability to fight,

but no taste for It. That peeked my

attention.

ANN

Did you believe It?

VORLAUF

I couldn’t read It; and she claimed

the rest described me perfectly. I

liked the idea that I was special,

but I didn’t like the idea of

having to change my life. Diana

wanted me to leave with her and

pursue my destiny, but I argued

that if I was truly the Chosen One

then whatever was fated to happen

would still happen even if I stayed

on my farm.

ANN

An argument I wish more Chosen Ones

would think of.

VORLAUF

But Diana was insistent and she had

a way with words. Finally, I agreed

to travel with her.

LINUS

Did you love her?

VORLAUF

I admired her. She was confident

and kind. We spent a year together;

track down other Prophecies. She

would read them to me and

everything seemed to fit.

Eventually, we went to a deserted,

walled city. She had It in her head

that if we could simply get inside

then the world would be saved.

ANN

I don’t see a saved world.

VORLAUF

We didn’t even make It to the gate.

Hundreds of dead guarded the city.

Some so rotted they were

practically skeletons, others so

fresh they seemed alive, but with

dead, dull eyes. And not only

humans, there were bears, gnomes,

Lusus Naturae, and more. A mass of

nightmares, standing guard, still

as the grave.

LINUS

What did you do?

VORLAUF

I was the Chosen One. How could I

not try?

LINUS

How...

VORLAUF

We tried to sneak past them. When

that didn’t work, we tried to fight

our way through. Diana died saving

my life, yelling at me to run. And

I did.

ANN

I’m sorry, Vorlauf.

VORLAUF

The dead caught me and as rotting

hands held me down, a man

approached. Tall. Handsome. Happy.

He asked if I wanted to play.

VORLAUF (CONT'D)

He used magic to control the dead

and, with a smile, forced me to

return to Diana. She laughed as

Diana’s corpse wobbled to its feet.

Diana, but not Diana. Whatever made

her human was gone, all that was

left was a husk.

ANN

Like Hal.

VORLAUF

The man promised me freedom if I

could outrun the dead. If I failed

then I’d be punished.

Four times. I failed four times. He

had Diana peel off parts of my skin

then forced me to devour my own

flesh each time I lost. The man

laughed. The fifth time I

ran...after a few minutes, I looked

over my shoulder and nothing was

following me except a trail of my

own blood. Maybe he was bored?

Maybe he thought my wounds would do

me in anyway. I left broken and

alone, but still had all the

Prophecies that Diana had copied

down. I found some people to teach

me to read so I could continue...

Diana had deceived me. Chasing down

Prophecies, she simply ignored the

ones I didn’t fit and assumed the

ones that described me were

confirmation.

ANN

What! Why would she do that?

VORLAUF

Magic, she was obsessed. I made my

own promise: I would eradicate

magic. Damn the “prophecy” and damn

anyone else. I would raze this

world of that cursed power, where

one person has the ability to

destroy so much while Laughing.

ANN

Did you ever go back?

VORLAUF

No. I will not fight if there is no

chance of winning and I could not

take companions who did not

understand the risk. Perhaps one

day I’ll return with my blade

unsheathed, but in the meantime I

will do my duty. I will annihilate

all magic. The only way to stop the

evil is to dig It out wherever It

lies. Some may curse my name, but

everything I do is for the sake of

humanity.

Alight?

ANN

Yes... alright.

SCENE BRAKE

ORA

(Muttering)

ELIZABETH

Thought you’d be hungry. For

breakfast, I brought tea and

biscuits.

ORA

It’s morning already??

ELIZABETH

If you didn’t notice the time, you

must have been making a lot of

progress.

ORA

I was. I am. Though by removing

lines that don’t have dead letters,

some of what I thought was true,

isn’t.

ELIZABETH

What isn’t true?

ORA

The parts that reflected Godrick’s

appearance and how the One is an

orphan. All of that is just wrong.

Just like he thought.

ELIZABETH

His death wasn’t your fault.

ORA

But It was. When his family was

attacked, if I created that magical

fire and not Godrick, then my whole

reasoning on why he was the Chosen

One was false. If I had known

myself, even a little more, then I

wouldn’t have forced him to accept

what I wanted. If I hadn’t done

anything, he’d be safe at home.

ELIZABETH

He died falling off a horse,

correct? Not in some grand battle

that only a Chosen One would fight.

It was an accident that could have

happened at any time. At least with

you by his side, he knew he had a

loyal friend.

ORA

With the dead coming back, do you

think that he...?

ELIZABETH

No. And far better that way.

Although, that reminds me...

...I wanted to give you this.

ORA

Is that Godrick’s?

ELIZABETH

Yes. When you brought me his amulet

I felt I needed to hold on to It,

to keep It in the family. But why?

I have no use for It, and I can see

that you were more family to him

than I ever was.

ORA

He was my brother.

ELIZABETH

If you would like It, I’d like you

to have It.

ORA

I...I would love to have It.

ELIZABETH

So, what else have you discovered

about the Prophecy?

(MORE)

ORA

Magic’s still important. Starting a

fire alone is fake, but now there’s

this line, “Moves nature.”

ELIZABETH

So the One still has to be able to

use magic.

ORA

Well, at least be able to

manipulate nature unlike others,

which means It still fits Isten.

Given his current state, his entire

being right now is magical.

ELIZABETH

Have you considered anyone else who

uses magic? Someone, perhaps, in

this very room.

ORA

Elizabeth...I wish to everything It

was you...but you said you can’t

create magic, and, and also...

ELIZABETH

But I’m not alone in here, am I?

ORA

No. No. No. It’s not me. No.

ELIZABETH

Why do you always look for someone

else to be the Chosen One, but

refuse to think It could be you?

ORA

No, I don’t fit some of these

lines. Like,

This, this here. A few of these

talk about a prominent scar or a

large scar. I’ve got a ton of tiny

scars, but nothing big.

ELIZABETH

And Isten has that?

ORA

He does. He likes...liked to

stretch in the morning. Something

about energy, and sometimes he

would stretch shirtless. He has a

huge scar across his chest.

ORA (CONT'D)

And this line “No doubt of self, a

kempt mind.” He’s the only dead who

kept his mind, he’s special. That

has to count for something.

ELIZABETH

Well, perhaps we should discuss

this more on a later date. When

you’re more comfortable with your

newfound powers. You should eat

your breakfast.

ORA

Uh, sure.

ELIZABETH

So, what else have you discovered?

ORA

A few locations are mentioned. Let

me find them...

ORA (CONT'D)

“Atop a red mountain, one’s destiny

awaits.”

Here’s another. “Silver walls

etched with silver meanings, when

the doors are opened there’s hope

for the future.” Oh, and, and

another. “Protecting and guarding,

the city contains secrets that can

help those who are lost.”

ELIZABETH

Those aren’t different locations.

They all describe one location.

ORA

What?

ELIZABETH

Carcerem.

ORA

Carcerem?

ELIZABETH

I only know of It through stories

from when I was child, but those

descriptions all fit the city

perfectly.

ORA

Do you know how to get there?

ELIZABETH

No, I don’t. But I know someone who

does.

SCENE BRAKE

LINUS

Are you certain the dead went this

way?

ANN

You can’t be serious. Look at the

footprints and broken branches. A

ton of people recently came through

here.

LINUS

I know, but I feel like we have

been here before...maybe they

double backed?

ANN

Scared?

LINUS

What? No... I mean... I just

meant...

ANN

Just wait until we get close, how

much do you want to bet that we’ll

be able to smell them before we see

them? That much blood and decaying

flesh should create quite an aroma.

LINUS

Great.

VORLAUF

It’s getting cold...

ANN

Should we stop?

VORLAUF

No, I have gloves.

OUCH!

ANN

What? What is It?

VORLAUF

I don’t know...but I’m bleeding...

Get me a jar with a lid.

LINUS

What?

VORLAUF

OUCH!! Get me a jar with a lid.

Now.

ANN

Is that a wisp?

VORLAUF

It is.

ANN

Why were you holding a wisp?

VORLAUF

It was in my pocket.

ANN

Why did you have a wisp in your

pocket?

VORLAUF

Ora was using It to track a

Prophecy. I killed when I fought

her, and apparently magic brought

It back to life.

LINUS

Why now? Why didn’t It come back to

life when all the others did?

VORLAUF

It probably did... but It was stuck

in my glove and couldn’t escape.

ANN

Does that mean we have to worry

about an army of undead bugs

attacking us?

LINUS

Do you want to give me new

nightmares?

VORLAUF

I doubt It...I think we would have

noticed that before.

LINUS

Maybe insects are too small?

VORLAUF

The wisp doesn’t appear controlled.

The dead are going south, yet this

creature seems to want to go to the

east.

LINUS

(groans)

VORLAUF

Why do you want to go east? What’s

there?

LINUS

You said It was tracking a Prophecy

before...maybe it’s still tracking

that?

ANN

Sometimes you’re not completely

stupid.

LINUS

Aw, thanks Ann.

ANN

Though you having a good idea, once

again, confirms this may be the end

times.

VORLAUF

It may be following the Prophecy.

And if It is, that means it’s

following Ora.

ANN

Oh! What a handy undead bug.

END OF EPISODE 23