You lock the door behind you as you enter the sleeping quarters, turning the lights on shortly after. 

 

Everybody is absent; they’ve been in the Trench for far too long now, and you can’t help but feel as though something might have gotten to them at last. Not that you have any plans of going down to help them, but something about the idea of having to leave the confines of this sanctuary alone is disconcerting. 

 

At least you may enjoy momentary solace. Yet, even that is threatened by the feeling that something is different about this room. That comforting familiarity is fleeting with each passing second. You try your best to quickly scan every crevice of the room, certain that the anomaly must show itself this time… only to be greeted with the same, blank walls that you have stared at for hours; the same, messy floor that you have cleaned time and time again; and the same windows that you have boarded up every single day.

Why has nothing changed? The question gnaws at your bones, festering at the back of your mind like a septic paranoia. Hundreds of things in this room have shifted, yet they evade your prying gaze, scampering away every time you try to observe them. Colours, textures, hues and shapes have all decayed, replaced by façades that disguise everything under the illusion of normality.

 

You feel increasingly restless as you walk back and forth from corner to corner, occasionally stopping and swivelling around, hoping to catch something in the midst of its metamorphosis. But all you are bestowed with is a scene that turns your eyes against your mind, in a battle that neither will win. 

 

The cycle only ends when you hear the sound of the terminal excitedly buzzing, announcing that a new notification has finally arrived. It is enough to break you out of your dire struggle, if only for a moment, as you check the contents of the message. And sure enough, you may finally let out a sigh of relief- for the harbinger has come at long last. 

 

​

 

 

“Dear Mr. Adler,

 

I apologise for my tardiness in sending you these documents. We’ve had a rough couple of days here, dealing with the Tenebris, and I’ve only just been able to settle back down at my desk and get back to office work. Not that I have missed such tedious chores, but I digress. 

 

Everything you asked for should be linked below. I’d advise you to reach out to your field coordinator if you have a genuine reason to suspect that something has gone wrong, however, and please be reminded that you are obligated to fulfil your duties until you are issued a formal evacuation order. Simply forward any concerns to a higher-up, take your neuroleptics, and continue working. We will investigate the situation, and you will remain a productive member of this company. That is undoubtedly preferable for the both of us. 

 

With that said, please feel free to reach out to me if you experience any other issues unrelated to your prior qualms. As the Field Operations department, we value nothing more than the wellbeing of our agents, and we pledge to efficiently address any and all threats to their health and safety. Just remember that we can only help you, if you help us first.

 

Kind regards,

Mark Vasilus

Assistant Director of the RRSD”

 

Attached: FO27D, “Tephris Detection, Made Quick and Easy for You!”

Opening File Now…

 

 

 

 

“It’s your last day on the job, and your stomach is practically begging for a sweet treat after all that hard work. But when you go to the fridge, all you find is a wriggling mass of unsatisfied tendrils, ready to pull you right into the depths of purgatory itself. What a disaster!

 

Has this ever happened to you? Probably not, but the unluckiest of Field Operatives are bound to come into contact with the Tephris, sooner or later. Think of it as a natural step towards becoming a true professional, albeit one that your education has surely not prepared you for. 

 

Thus, you have this guide, excellently crafted to grant you with all of the comprehensive knowledge you’ll need to recognize the existence of a Tephris in your world to monitor its development, and to deal with the treacherous aftermath. But first, we have to answer two very simple questions: what are these beings, and more importantly, why should you care?

 

In essence, Tephris are Gods of Decay, and heralds of the Ascension. They are deities; born from the fathomless abyss left behind by our kindred’s greatest mistakes; condemned to endless power that has twisted itself into umbral arches that rise to bring down the greater Heavens; subjected to Eternity in its purest, most grotesque form. They seek nothing but destruction, and to extricate Order from fragments of the rotting jetsam left behind. They live in ashen vapours, scornful prayers, fruitless labour, discarded papers, and in the hearts of every single fallen saviour.

 

And when all of those have faded, the Tephris are all that will remain.

 

But for your purposes, that’s a little too elaborate- and far too technical! 

 

So instead, you can think of Tephris as parasites, that have decided that your reality is a perfect new home for them to exploit, ravage and eradicate as they please. Evidently, they can’t just walk in and do all of this, or they’d be kicked right back onto the metaphorical curb, and likely have to go through the tiring process of finding a new host to harass, all over again; this is where deception turns out to be a particularly powerful technique that they like to utilise. Seeping in through the cracks and infiltrating with vigilance means that they’ll likely go undetected until enough damage is sustained that each fragment of existence may fall through in tandem.

 

Obviously, you don’t want that. Having to deal with an invisible, pestilent force of evil is not particularly fair- just ask your nearest Specialist. Hence, it is greatly fortunate that there are a multitude of different signs, forewarning a Tephris’ reign of devastation. This guide will teach you to notice these warnings, through a handy mnemonic you’ll want to shove in the back of your mind for the rest of your (hopefully) vast life. All you have to remember is: 

 

MIRFIVREA.

 

Let’s break it down.

 

M is for Memories. Often, the alterations that a Tephris makes can create lingering feelings of cognitive dissonance. Objects might seem as though they’re in places they simply shouldn’t be, and you may struggle to retrieve certain items, only to find that they’re sitting in a crevice you had already checked over and over. Similarly, your perception of certain people, or of the past, may be susceptible to unexpected shifts as the Tephris attempts to cover their tracks. All this is to say, in the war against a God, one should not trust feeble memories; their deeper subconscious will act as a far more trustworthy guide.

 

I is for Insignia. Each Tephris carries with it the burden of its Creation, residue left behind from the misery that had forged its husk into a body. These manifest as symbols, messages or allegories that continuously appear in a variety of different mediums, including screens, windows, stars, transmissions, stories and eventually, human skin. In order to properly assess the threat, one is advised to try and understand the meaning of the Tephris’ signals, no matter how distorted.

 

R is for Reflections. Take a moment to look at yourself in the nearest mirror. Does your body feel wrong? Does something feel incomplete? Do you know that you are not the same person you truly were, the very first time you felt fear? 

If your answer to any of these questions is affirmative, then your reflection is no longer you. Something has intervened. And if you do not feel desperation at the very thought, then there is no point in reading any further. You may look away.

 

F is for Faith. Faced with the end, you may feel the urgent necessity to seek comfort in hope and belief. This is perfectly natural, just as it is natural to abandon those who have betrayed you. Clinging onto what is left is a fool’s errand, however, as it only prolongs the inevitable: accept what has come with open arms, and let it console you, for there is no greater happiness than that which is found in inexorable faith and loyalty.

 

I is for Interment. As new memories and perspectives spring to life in your head, it will eventually come time to bury what has been left to rot. It is in their nature that they will cry and wail, claiming that they too are part of who you once were. Are you tempted to listen? Suppress them. After all, if you cannot trust your own perception of what is real, why should you trust your sense of self? 

 

V is for Voices. Tephris will desperately try to communicate with you. They know that you’re unsure; that you’re still afraid. Everybody is. Everybody has forgotten their names. Just remember that this is normal, and that everything is going according to plan. And if you’re still unsure, they will give you all of the answers you need with time. Just let them in.

 

R is for Return. Look to the sky. Among the smoke and debris, there is something at last. It glimmers through the darkness, embedding its illustrious light into every crevice of your tainted world. It is a beacon, a gift from those you had forgotten to cull. They’ve come back out, just as they always have. 

 

And now, they look upon you from above, having seeped into every word, every thought and every fragment of your body. We look upon you, now. 

 

E is for Extinction. Some will be lost in the process. Do not waste time shedding tears- every moment is precious. 

 

The first crack will soon emerge. This will be our home. Our Heaven. No blots will remain, or stains to ruin our perfection. We will be you, and you will live in our prayers, our ruins, our hearts, our endeavours. Blessed retribution, at last. And so, 

 

we leave but one parting gift before we take what is rightfully ours.

 

A is for Annihilation,

 

But for you, it will be divine.