The Elysium used to be part of the heavens, before its inhabitants sinned too much and broke too many ruled. God decided they weren’t worthy of his mercy so he banished this part of heavens to the world tree. The world tree is a gathering of universes, multiverses and other form of worlds. The Elysium fell and shattered, but resonated with the world tree, which saved it from doom. Afterwards the broken Elysium became a multiverse with 7 worlds and 1 meantal plain called “realms”
What are realms?
Realms are universes which were made out of the remains of the Elysium. Each realm represents a concept and are governed by an essence. The realms are called: Fate realm, Shadow realm, Light realm, Space realm, Time realm, Rebirth realm and Nexus realm. There is also the mental plain which gets categorised as a realm as well, called the dream realm.
What are essences?
Essences are divine beings made out of the remains of angels. They embody concepts of the multiverse. Their strength varies from Galaxy to Outerverse. Most essence have a host but some prefere to be hostless. There are two type if essences:
Major essence
Major essences embody important concepts that are vital for the universe. They also govern a realm. Known Essences are:
Fae (essence of fate)
Drystan (essence of shadow)
Isabell Licht(essence of light)
Mui(essence of time)
Avyre(essence of space)
Anagenesis(essence of rebirth)
Ciro (essence of justice)
Coco(essence of dreams)
Morta(essence of death)
They all usually meet during essence convergence to talk about the future of the Elysium
Minor essences
Minor essence are less important and usually don’t embody important concepts. They ade much weaker than their more vital count
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 /
The pair arrive in Tuscaloosa to start researching. All is going well until their source begins to act strangely. What causes this change in behavior and is it a threat to Alex and Tim?
The ride was uneventful. The two passed the time with a few games of eye spy, one of which nearly caused Alex to swerve into another car as he searched for ‘something blue’. Tim laughed maniacally as Alex hurled insults from the driver’s seat. They arrived at the edge of Tuscaloosa not long after that and were soon pulling into the diner parking lot.
Alex reached into the backseat and grabbed his camera bag. He took out the small handheld, an extra tape, and the second battery pack. He tucked everything into the pockets of his hoodie and looked to Tim. “You ready?”
“Let’s go.”
They entered the diner and Alex led the way to a guy sitting alone.
“John?”
The guy looked up when Alex spoke and nodded, “You the guys from the forum?”
“I’m Alex and this is Tim.” Tim dipped his head when Alex introduced him.
“Please, sit.”
The two slid into the booth across from John, Alex on the inside. A waitress came over and gave them each a glass of water, nodding when Tim and Alex asked for coffee. Tim then looked over the person in front of them.
He was about their age, maybe a bit younger, with messy brown hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in a few days. He was pale, making the bags under his eyes stand out. His face was skinny, but not just from a small frame. It was the skinny that comes from lack of sleep and skipping meals. Overall, he looked like he’d been to hell and back.
Alex took the camera out of his pocket and set it on the table, “Do you mind if we film this? It’s just for records.” He said as he opened up the LCD screen.
John crossed his arms, eyeing the camera uncomfortably, “Can you, like, not get my face?”
“No problem.” Alex pointed the lens at the wall and John relaxed.
Tim smiled and added some creamer to the coffee that had been placed in front of him. He took a sip, waiting for Alex to get started as his boyfriend was the one who usually handled interviews.
“Alright, it’s May 3rd at 8:30 am, Tim and I are sitting here with ParaForum user #111672, otherwise known as John. John, can you tell us what happened?”
John shifted and his voice came out tired and a little strained, “Uh, this past Sunday my friend Nate and I went out to this old hospital that’s in the middle of the woods. Nate’s a photographer and wanted to see if he could get any cool shots of some graffiti or the building itself. We’d been hearing stories that the place was haunted ever since we were little, stuff from our moms and the old lunch ladies. We never believed it, I mean, who would? It was just supposed to keep you from doing stupid shit.” John stopped and took a sip of water. Tim noticed how his hands shook. The other took a deep breath before continuing. “So we get to the hospital and it was only a little after noon, not a cloud in the sky. Didn’t help much inside though, some places you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Anyway, we had barely been inside for five, maybe ten minutes and I got this headache. It wasn’t bad, I thought it was just because of the dust or something. Second floor, Nate mentions he’s got one too. By the third, I can’t stop coughing and the water I brought wasn’t helping. The headache was ten times worse, my head felt like it was going to explode. At this point, Nate grabbed a few more pictures and decided it was time to go. On the stairs to the ground floor, Nate collapsed.” He stopped again, gripping the water glass tightly. “He was, he was coughing up blood. I remember helping him up and getting out of the front door but then…nothing. Next thing, we were in the car on the side of the road and it was dark out. I don’t remember getting back to the car or the ten miles I apparently drove.” John rubbed his palms against his eyes and hunched his shoulders, “Nate doesn’t either.”
“Speaking of Nate,” Tim said, “where is he? I would have thought he’d be here too.”
John went very still and let out a shuddering breath.
“John?” Alex said tentatively.
John suddenly looked at them, his eyes filled with emotion, “Nate’s been missing since Tuesday.”
“What?”
“I drove him home and dropped him off Sunday. He didn’t say anything the entire way, except to answer my questions, and even then it was only a word or two. He left his camera in the car, his most prized possession and he left it on the floor of my car. I tried to see him on Monday but he wouldn’t let me into his room saying he didn’t feel good and didn’t want to give it to me. By Tuesday morning he was gone. Nothing in his room is missing, no clothes, no money, and his camera was still in the hallway where I left it. His parents never saw or heard him leave.”
“When did you check the pictures?” Alex asked carefully, not wanting to upset him any further.
John took another deep breath before replying, “Thursday. Honestly, that video shouldn’t have even been on there. Nate doesn’t usually do that, he sticks with stills.”
“The video that this came from?” Alex tugged the printout from his pocket and smoothed it out before laying it on the table.
John visibly recoiled, nearly knocking the glass in his hands over. His eyes were wide as he stared at the picture in front of him in undisguised terror.
Tim snatched the paper up, shoving it into his pocket. He glanced at Alex who was studying John intently as he went back to gripping the water glass tightly.
“Sorry,” he apologized, “I just, uh, I’ve been having nightmares.”
“About that?”
John nodded, “Yeah.”
“What was that about the video, that it wasn’t supposed to have been there? What does that mean?” Tim asked.
“It’s just weird. Nate’s a photographer, he doesn’t do videos. To be honest, I didn’t even know his camera could take them. I guess it turned on when he fell on the stairs, like he bumped it or something.”
“Is it possible we could see it?” Alex asked.
“Oh actually,” John dug in his pocket for a moment before handing Alex a flash drive. “That’s got the footage and all the pictures too.”
“Thanks, one more thing, what about-,”
But before Alex could finish, John’s whole demeanor changed. The boy had had a general air of discomfort tinged with fear during the interview. Whatever happened had scared him, and the disappearance of his friend could only have made it worse. However, now he was outright terrified, just as he had been when he’d lain eyes on the photo. John stared at a spot over Alex’s left shoulder, unmoving and seeming to have forgotten the two who sat in front of him.
Tim glanced over his own shoulder, attempting to see what was causing the disturbance, but before he could see much of anything John began stammering out apologies pulling his attention back.
“Uh, I’m sorry, I uh, I just remembered I have, um, a doctor’s appointment. I need to go!” He slid quickly out of the booth, almost slamming into the waitress in his haste. “Oh, sorry! Sorry! Um,” he looked back at Alex and Tim, “thank you for seeing me. Just keep that and please, don’t contact me again.”
“What?” Tim followed after John, who was all but running out of the diner. “What about what we find on the drive?”
John fumbled with the keys to his car with shaking hands, nearly dropping them before getting the door open. “I don’t want to talk about this again. It was bad enough living it and I just, I want to forget about it, ok? Don’t call me again.” With that, he got into his car and slammed the door shut. The engine turned over and within seconds, he was gone.
Tim and Alex had practically grown up together. It was bound to happen as the sons of two hunting families in the same town. Tim’s father had moved him and his mother when Tim was five. He said he was tired of city life and their small apartment. So they moved to the small town of Marble Heights, and settled into a single-family home.
Just a few weeks later, his dad heard of a rogue vampire an hour away and had gone to take it out. He returned just one day later, with Mr. Kralie at his side. The two of them became fast friends and wasted no time introducing their families to each other.
Tim can clearly remember meeting Alex. Mr. Kralie brought his son and wife to the Wright household for dinner. Their friendship had been instant. They bonded over video games and the stories their dads had told them of previous hunts. The two became an unstoppable team, handling their first spirit together in sixth grade. Now, in their senior year, they had vanquished too many evil things to count and had saved each other multiple times. Along the way they had grown close and it had been no surprise to their families when they had told them they had decided to begin dating.
*~
Tim leaned back into the chair and sighed contentedly, “Mrs. Kralie, you never cease to stuff me full of your delicious food.”
The woman laughed as she gathered up plates, “Thank you Tim! Now, help me clear the table and then get on home. Your mother should be there by now.”
Tim and Alex helped her bring the dishes into the kitchen and stack them in the dishwasher. After that, the boys returned upstairs to grab Tim’s things.
“Remember, I’m coming to get you bright and early.” Alex said as they walked to the front door.
Tim groaned, “Why? Tuscaloosa’s only an hour away!”
The other grinned and gave Tim a quick peck on the lips before shoving him towards the door, “The early bird gets the worm! Haven’t you ever heard that before?”
Tim was all drama as he opened the door, sighs and rolled eyes. He continued the act down the walkway and into the driveway by walking hunched over and slow. He flung open his car door and tossed his backpack into the passenger seat before saying loudly, “My boyfriend doesn’t love me!”
“You’re such a dork!” Alex yelled from the front door.
Tim laughed and got into his car. He started it up, backed out of the driveway, and honked once as he passed by the Kralie household.
~*
Tim woke to his phone buzzing loudly on the nightstand. He blindly reached out, knocking his hand into the edge of the table before grasping the vibrating machine. He silenced the alarm and groaned into his pillow.
It’s 6am. Who is functioning at 6am? Why did he think 6am was an acceptable time to be awake?
Tim finally dragged himself out of the bed before he fell asleep again. The last thing he wanted was Alex to barge in and find him sleeping. That would be much worse than getting up. The first and only time so far Tim had done that, he had been woken up to a glass of ice water to the face. Not something he was looking to try again.
He trudged down the hall into the kitchen, pulling open the cabinets to grab a bowl for cereal.
“Tim?”
He looked over his shoulder to see his mom standing in the doorway of the kitchen, already dressed for work.
“Hey mom.”
“It’s Saturday! What in the world are you doing up?”
“Alex and I got a lead on something in Tuscaloosa and he wants to get there early.” Tim replied as he sat down at the table, bowl of Cheerios in front of him.
“You’re going on a hunt? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“He just heard about it yesterday Mom. We’re coming back tonight. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe.”
Mrs. Wright gave him a small smile, “Ok. Please be careful and callme or text me, ok? Your father too. He should be back on Monday anyway.” She went over and gave him a quick kiss on the head. “I love you, I’m not staying late tonight so I’ll be home when you get back.”
“Love you too.”
With that she headed off to work.
Tim finished his cereal and washed the bowl in the sink. It didn’t take him much longer to get ready after that. A quick change from sweatpants into jeans and throwing on his favorite red flannel shirt took care of his clothes. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to brush out the knots and get it to lay flat before gathering up his things. Tim stuck his sheathed knife into the small duffel bag on his bed along with salt, matches, and a few other odds and ends that might come in handy. This trip was meant to be research, but one never knew when a monster might decide to appear.
As he slung the bag onto his shoulder, Tim heard the front door open and then a voice called from the entryway.
“Tim! You better be awake and ready to go!”
Tim laughed and walked down the hallway, “Oh shut it. Even if I was still sleeping, it’d be your fault anyway.” He said as he pulled on his shoes.
“Oh really?” Alex replied before following Tim out the front door.
Tim turned the key in the lock and faced Alex, “Yes it would, because you know very well I’m not a morning person. What time is it again?”
Alex punched him lightly in the arm as they walked to his car, “We are up like this every day for school!”
“But,” Tim said, opening the passenger door and chucking the bag into the backseat, “my body is attuned to sleeping in on Saturdays. You’re throwing it off! I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.” He buckled his seatbelt and grinned at Alex.
“Oh shove it you big baby.” The other boy said as he reversed carefully out of the driveway and onto the street. He tapped at the GPS and the machine chimed out the directions that would take them to Tuscaloosa, listing their arrival time at exactly one hour from then.
“Where are we going first?” Tim asked once they were speeding down the highway. “Did the guy from the forums ever get back to you?”
“He did, so we’re going to meet him at one of the diners in town. We’ll head to the library after that.”
Tim nodded and the two settled into comfortable silence, the radio filling the space.
I was secret santa for the awesome kayleigh-makara and they requested a Timlex, high-school/paranormal hunting team AU! I've decided to split it into chapters as this fic was WAY too fun to write! So it's going to be like getting multiple gifts!
Ao3 Link
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 /
It Begins Like This
Tim sat, slightly hunched over in the uncomfortable chair. This was torture. He was forced to sit through this every day for six hours, and all he wanted to do was get out. There was so much more he could be doing. These people would never understand all he’s done to make sure they can sit here, and learn whatever it is they were learning about today.
The bell sounded, and Tim shot up from his desk. He gathered up his things and shoved them into his bag, wincing slightly as he heard paper crunch and what sounded like a pencil snapping in two.
“Remember to cite your papers!” Ms. Murray called to the retreating teenagers.
Tim barely heard her, he was already halfway into the hallway. He wove through the crowd, arriving at his locker. He opened it, grabbed his keys and jacket, and slammed it shut.
As soon as he got outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. The bright sunshine warmed him and helped to ease the tension in his shoulders. This was where he felt at home, outside and away from the confines of Marble Heights High School, home of the Hornets.
Just one more month, Tim thought. One more month and then he would never have to come back here again. Graduation just couldn’t come quick enough for Tim.
“Tim!”
Tim turned towards his name and couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. Alex was jogging towards him, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his ever present camera bag on the other. As Alex pulled up beside him, Tim reached out and took some of the papers that were threatening to topple out of Alex’s hands.
“What is all of this?” Tim asked.
“Research.” Alex answered, “I’ll tell you about it in the car.”
The two walked out into the parking lot and to Tim’s car. Alex wasted no time to start complaining.
“I don’t know why you always have to park so far away.” He whined and draped himself dramatically across the trunk.
Tim grinned and pushed him off, opening the trunk and tossing in his backpack. Alex did the same with his own and the camera bag. Tim shut the trunk and got in the car. Alex dropped into the passenger seat and took the papers from Tim’s hand.
“You know, if you would drive your own car you wouldn’t have to worry about parking far away. I know if it were up to you, you’d get here before the teachers.” Tim teased as he turned the key in the ignition.
“But no, I have to suffer because my boyfriend insists on getting here five minutes before the last bell.” Alex sighed deeply and looked out the window. He couldn’t resist peeking at Tim though to see his reaction.
Tim was smiling as he reached to grab Alex’s hand and laced their fingers together. “Maybe,” he said as he started backing out of the parking spot. “this boyfriend is just trying to make sure you get some walking in to your busy schedule of research and video editing.”
Alex laughed and squeezed Tim’s hand, “I think I get enough exercise from our hunts.”
“We haven’t been on a hunt in weeks Alex.” Tim glanced at the other man and gave him a look.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about!” Ales said suddenly, pulling his hand away and starting to rifle through the papers on his lap. “I got a lead.”
Tim slowed for a stoplight, “On what?”
“Remember last year, I think it was a few towns over, those teenagers disappeared?” Alex said.
“Yeah, yeah I remember.” Tim accelerated and flicked his blinker on, changing lanes to get around a particularly slow truck. “They all went into the woods and just, didn’t come back right?”
“Five of them. All they found was one of their phones and a little handheld camera. But the strange part was that the things were almost completely unusable. The footage was entirely corrupted, all static and white noise, except for a single frame.”
Tim pulled into Alex’s driveway and took the paper from his boyfriend’s hands. The picture was black and white. In the center was something vaguely resembling human. The figure was extremely skinny and, from the angle the camera had been at, looked very tall. The limbs were stretched, its legs entirely too long for its torso and its hands resting just above its knees. The graininess of the photo blurred it so bad, the thing appeared to not have a face, which added to the overall unsettling feeling Tim got from it. He handed it back to Alex and shut off the car. “Where did you get this? And what does it have to do with us? You usually ignore anything over six months old.”
Alex grinned, “Where I get my information is a secret, known only to me and my computer.” He opened the car door and got out. Tim did the same and popped the trunk so they could retrieve their bags.
“But what is it to us?” Tim repeated as he walked with Alex to the door.
“Someone posted pictures to the ParaForums last night. It’s the same thing, I’m sure of it.” Alex replied. He nudged at a box in the porch with his toe. “Can you get that?”
Tim nodded and suppressed a laugh as Alex carefully opened the door without dropping the papers.
“Hey boys!” Came a female voice from further inside the house.
“Hi mom!”
“Hey Mrs. K!”
The two shut the door and kicked off their shoes. Alex’s mother peeked her head out from the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel. “Tim, your mom called and said something’s come up at the office and she wouldn’t be home until late. I told her you were staying for dinner.”
“Mrs. K, that’s not necessary! I’ve got food at home I can make.” Tim said.
Mrs. Kralie gave him a look that only moms could, “And how much of that doesn’t involve a microwave?”
“Uh…” Tim shifted on his feet.
“I thought so. Dinner’s in an hour.”
“Thanks Mom.” Alex said and he started up the stairs, Tim close behind.
“And boys?”
The two stopped on the stairs and looked over the railing.
“Door open and no summoning anything.”
“Mom that was one time.” Alex said, sounding exasperated. “I thought we were over that.”
“Not until you get the scorch marks out of the ceiling.”
Tim laughed and pushed Alex, encouraging him up the stairs, “Don’t worry Mrs. K, I’ll keep him in check.”
Alex dropped his backpack on the floor of his room after pulling out his laptop. He sat on the leather desk chair and powered up the machine. Tim unceremoniously let his bag fall next to Alex’s before flopping on to the bed and letting out a sigh.
“You’re getting stuff off the ParaForums again?” Tim asked, “Last time we used those we got a werewolf that turned out to be a stray Labrador with a case of mange.”
“This is different.” Alex said as he navigated to the thread he wanted, “Look.” He turned the computer towards Tim.
Time sat up and squinted at the screen. Two pictures were set side-by-side. Both showed figures similar to the one on the paper that Alex was now holding up next to the computer.
“How do you know it’s not just a photo manipulation?” Tim asked, suspicious of anything on this specific website.
“The OP says that he and his buddy were out exploring in the woods around their town. They were checking out this old hospital they had been hearing stories about since they were kids. He says that they weren’t even in the building for five minutes before things started happening,” Alex began to read the text that accompanied the photos, “’Both of us got these splitting headaches at the same time, it felt like my head was going to explode. Neither of us could stop coughing. Nate could barely stand and I had to practically drag him outside. I don’t even remember half the walk back. When I could actually function again, I looked at the footage on the camera we had brought with us. It wouldn’t turn on, even after I charged it. The memory card was barely working and all of the footage was messed up. The only clear thing was this, whatever it is. It only shows up for a second on the recording. Neither Nate or I remember seeing anyone else there and we definitely didn’t see that.’
“They’re the same Tim. This picture,” He wiggled he photo in his hand, “was never released to the public. And, to top it off, it was in Tuscaloosa.”
“The same place the kids disappeared.” Tim said quietly.
“Exactly.”
Tim leaned back on his elbows, “What do you think it is?”
Alex shrugged and set the paper down, “I’m not really sure. I was thinking just your standard spirit, it matches the electronics spazzing out.”
“But the disappearances, the headaches, coughing, and potential memory loss along with it? That’s a lot for a ghost.” Tim replied.
“Rakshasa? That would explain how it looks.”
“Rakshasa don’t ruin electronics and they don’t make you sick either.”
The two settled into silence as they brainstormed what they were looking at. Tim watched Alex open and look through his own records, trying to match anything to this new monster. Tim let his arms collapse beneath him and he settled onto his back, staring at Alex’s slightly singed ceiling. He felt the bed dip and a warmth pressed into his side. Turning his head, Tim glanced at his boyfriend, noting the frustration that pinched the corners of his eyes. Alex never liked it when he couldn’t find the information he wanted. Tim’s fingers searched until he found Alex’s. He squeezed, happy when Alex returned the gesture.
“We’ll figure it out. We always do.” Tim said and he bumped his elbow into the other man’s side when he didn’t respond. “Hey,”
Alex looked at Tim and sighed, “I know, it’s just annoying.”
“Boys! Dinner’s ready!”
Tim leapt up, dragging Alex with him, “We can look again after we eat.”
Alex laughed and kissed Tim on the cheek, “Stop being right all the time.”
Tim grinned and together the two went downstairs.
It started with a series of sleepless nights.A man asking for help from perfect strangers.
Some tried, most failed.
But a few...
A few appeared to light the way.
With the color of calm they recognized the problem as it was.
A being that should not exist, one that has no right to our world.
A being impossible to fight.
Now its sightless gaze has turned upon the few.
A foe turned ally, living up to the name they call themselves, in a way.
Always with a hidden motive.
A friend gone missing, little more than an outline in the memory of the few.
Gifts bestowed upon the few in the form of names, names with meaning, with power.
One who believes in the art of the most gruesome of shows.
They steal away parts of the few, casting them against their will.
With the final curtain call, the dark pulls, takes, twists the minds on the snatched, spitting them out changed.
Can the few put a defense against the might of the beast?
Parts of the few believe in the power of the whole, the others see them as misguided.
Parts of the few have made their plans, the others criticize them for giving up.
No matter the situation, the opinion, the task, the few stay a family, the family fights for their own.
Don't be too harsh! My hand slipped in study hall and....boop.
