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He had felt such pity for the boy that had walked in when he was told of his circumstance, but was glad that he could provide him with a good solution to his education. The advice he had given also seemed to have a positive impact on the boy.

It wasn\'t always that easy. Sometimes no matter what John said or did it wouldn\'t be enough, but this time it went well.

Regardless, John felt that he would be seeing Cid again, but not as a troubled customer but as a friend.

It had taken years, but he finally thought he got the hang of it. When he first started he was so nervous about it. He was afraid of giving these people bad advice and making their lives worse, but it turned out mostly ok in the end.

He was glad that this was the path he had chosen. There were so many other options he could have chosen at the time, rather than using this place to help people.

He absently wondered what this place would have become if he had chosen another path.

John: “Can’t believe it\'s been almost twenty years. So many things have happened since that day.”

He started to reminisce about the time he first came to this world.

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-Twenty years ago.-

The rumbling of thunder disturbed John\'s sleep. He began to stir from under the cover of his bed sheets for a minute before he crawled out. He then got out of the bed and stood up groggily and went through his morning motions.

John was not a morning person. He had a morning ritual where he would head to the bathroom and relieve himself, then crawl back into his bed for another twenty minutes before waking up properly.

He walked towards the door of his room with his eyes half closed. Reaching his hand out, he was met with a wall where there should have been a door. This broke John\'s usual pattern and brought him out of his half asleep state.

His vision began to clear as he rubbed his eyes. Looking around, the door was on the opposite side of the room where it normally was. In fact this wasn\'t even his own room, It was somewhere else.

The room was completely bare, except for the bed he slept in and a window. Curiously, he approached the window to get a better sense of where he was. Looking outside from the second floor, he was met with the sight of densely packed Victorian style buildings. Many of them looked a little dilapidated or abandoned. This sight was a far cry from the normal trees and fields of his countryside family home.

John was perplexed at the situation. He didn’t know how he got here, or even where “here” was. The buildings and interior looked like something you would find in older parts of England. It didn\'t look like anything you would have found in the towns and cities near his home. He wasn\'t sure how he got here, then it dawned on him.

The ritual, the voice, the pain, and then nothing. He would have assumed it to be a terrible nightmare when he woke up, but was it, or did it really happen? If it did happen, why was he here? John shook his head. He was sure that it was just a dream and this was Rick\'s attempt at eroding his own sanity.

The question still remained, where was he?

Pondering that, he heard the door creak and slightly open. He looked towards the door with fear that Rick had come to torment him, but there was no one there. John then nervously approached the door and opened it completely. Just like before there was no one there, just an empty hallway. He wondered who could have opened this door, it had a latch and couldn\'t be opened without someone turning the door knob.

Looking into the hallways he could see a few more closed doors and some stairs leading down. The hallway was empty. It was just as bare as the room he was standing in. He walked into the hallway opening doors as he went towards the stairs. All the rooms he opened were empty and bare. John was beginning to wonder if this entire building was empty.

He reached the stairwell and headed down. The stairs led him to a large room with a few wooden support pillars near the center. Beyond the pillars there was a door leading outside with large display windows on both sides of it. Just like the other rooms, this space was empty.

John headed towards the door and stuck his head outside. It was still raining. The street was completely abandoned and he was sure that most of the buildings around were as well.

He didn’t realize how run down everything was when he first looked, but now being outside he could better see the state of disrepair. Cracks in the wall, cracks on the windows, rotten doors that looked like they would fall off their hinges, garbage in the middle of the street. It really was an old town that had been abandoned, except for the building John came out of.

The building he woke up in was in pristine condition. The contrast with the surrounding attached buildings was quite stark. It looked as though someone was maintaining the building, but who? There was no one here when he woke up.

The wind and rain picked up and sent a chill through John. He immediately headed back inside. Once inside he closed the front door, and as he did, a loud roar of thunder vibrated through the air and buildings. It was the loudest John had ever heard.

All of this made John feel anxious. This may have been the largest thunderstorm he experienced in his life, and he was experiencing it in an unknown place.

Another roar of thunder, even louder than last, followed by a blinding flash of lightning. It was overwhelming for John, so much so he closed his eyes and covered his ears in response. More thunder and lightning followed non-stop for straight minutes on end.

Eventually everything calmed down, for now. He removed his hands from his head and opened his eyes. When he did, he was met with the sight of a “thing” “standing” in the middle of the room. John couldn\'t describe very well what it was. It was a person, but also a monster, but also neither? Its form was like black smoke, constantly shifting and never completely settling on a solid shape.

What felt like an eternity went by. Eventually the black twisting “thing” collated into a vaguely humanoid shape with two glowing dots for eyes.

John thought it was looking at him, but he couldn\'t be sure. It was so alien to him he couldn\'t tell if it was friend or foe. John didn’t feel any fear towards this entity at this moment, and he didn’t know why. He thought that there should have been some level of fear, but there was none. Both John and the “thing” continued to stare at each other for minutes.

The entity tilted its “head” slightly and then spoke.

The “Thing”: “Are you OK? Was the trip difficult?” It said in an inhuman voice.

There was a mixture of relief and horror at the situation. Relief that this awkward staring contest that was going on between them came to an end, and horror at the fact that this “thing” could speak.

John swallowed his saliva and attempted to regain his composure. He somehow felt that running and screaming was pointless and tried to think rationally about his situation. The “thing” in front of him was beyond anything he’s ever seen, but its voice carried some familiarity for John. It then dawned on him, it was the same voice he heard in his basement before he…

John:“Are you the one I heard in the dark? The one that spoke to me.”

Another awkward silence was followed by that query. John started to become even more nervous, worried that maybe he\'d upset the “thing” somehow. It then spoke again.

The “Thing”: “There is no one thing that spoke to you. So yes and no?”

The “thing” was speaking in such vagueness that John didn’t really understand, but he now knew that it was amenable to some questioning. He decided to seize the opportunity to find out more about what was going on.

John: “Does me being here have something to do with the ritual I performed before?”

The “Thing”

: “Yesssss” It said as its voice and speech pattern changed, emphasizing its “s” more.

The sudden change unnerved John a little, but he pressed on.

John:“Does that also mean I\'m dead?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The “Thing”: “Yesssss and no.”

John: “I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?"

The “Thing”: “A deal wassss ssstruck. Your life for the life of thosssse you love. Fate wassss changed and thosssse who change it are not allowed to exisssst.”

John pondered what he had heard. He interpreted its words as his own existence was somehow undone. Never to get fired, never to meet Lisa or Rick, never to grow up, never to have even been born. It left John feeling a little hollow about everything. Could the life and love he had experienced be so easily erased.

“No,\'\' he thought. The fact that his family may be alive now and that he was standing here denied such ideas.

John: “If that’s true, how am I here?”

The entity tilted its head slightly again. A chill ran through John\'s spine, as he could somehow tell that this “thing” was somehow smiling.

The “Thing”: “Because you belong to us now, John, and we could never allow your existence to end.” It said as its voice and speech pattern changed again, sounding like the voice of multiple people speaking in unison.

There was another rumble of thunder followed by a flash of lightning.

The chill he felt turned into a cold sweat. It was worse than he thought. He believed that exchanging his life simply meant he would die, but instead it made him a slave to a horror from nightmares.

The realization paralyzed John. He could only look down at the ground, away from the “thing”, as sweat dripped off his nose. He was now trapped in a situation with something that was so much worse than Rick or Lisa.

The “Thing”: “Don’t be scared John. We will never hurt you, not like the people from your last life.”

John: “How do I know you are telling the truth? The people I knew before said the same thing, and I take it you know what happened after that.” He said as his whole body started to shake.

The “Thing”: “We never lie, especially not to you.” It said in a more normal masculine tone.

John looked up at the “thing”, curious about the change of voice. Instead of the black twisting monstrosity, there was a well dressed elderly man.

The elderly man had red eyes and gray hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He sported a cane with a silver skull for its pommel, and wore a red tie with a black elegant suit that would denote wealth to any person who saw it.

John: “What are you?”

The “Thing”: “Undefined is what we are. Would you like to define us?”

John: “I don’t understand what you\'re saying.”

The “Thing”: “Give us a name, so that we can have a more…normal conversation.” It said as the tone of its voice fluctuated between something human and inhuman.

John quickly ran through his head any possible name he could conjure up. He was a poor namer, but wanted more straight answers from this “thing”, so he needed to come up with one. He needed a name that wouldn’t upset this creature.

He thought about how this creature appeared out of the darkness and how at times it looked like a twisting orb of darkness, so a name associated with darkness, or the absence of color, “black”. What was black in color? Then one word popped into John\'s head.

John: “Onyx. Is that name acceptable?”

The “thing” seemed happy and tapped the ground with its cane in excitement.

Onyx: “Yes! Excellent! A fine name indeed. This individual will now be known as Onyx.” He said with excitement.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed.

This was beyond confusing for John. The unnerving atmosphere, the disturbing voice, the feelings of insignificance and fear were all gone. It was like that “thing” was never here, and all that remained was an old gentleman. However, John knew better.

Below the surface of the appearance of an elderly gentleman, lies an indescribable horror.

It left him baffled as he absentmindedly blurted out the same question as before.

John: “What are you?”

Onyx: “This one is now known as Onyx. the name you gave me, remember. Yet, I now understand that\'s not what you meant, is it?" He said in a deep and calm voice.

John just absent mindlessly nodded his head.

Onyx: “Honestly, I’m not sure what I am either. Human language doesn’t seem capable of properly describing what I am. All you need to know is I’m not a threat to you. I am here only to help and guide you.”

John: “Guide? What are you guiding me to?”

Onyx: “It all has to do with the contract you agreed to.”

John: “Right… the contract. This is what everything is about.”

John was coming to slow acceptance of what was happening to him, but there was still something he needed to know.

John: “Before we talk more about that, can you let me see my family one last time?”

Onyx: “I’ve already told you. They exist in a place where you’re not allowed to exist.”

John: “I don’t need to meet them. I just want to see if they\'re all right. Please, can I be allowed that much.”

Onyx stared at John with his expression unchanged. A moment passed before he tapped his cane on the ground, and as he did the sound of shattering glass could be heard.

Cracks appeared in the space beside Onyx. It was like the air itself had turned into glass. Large shards of what John could only describe as reality fell to the ground and shattered into nothing. In its place was a hole through time and space. Peering into it, John could see his family dressed in black and gathered around a coffin, he couldn’t hear them, but he could clearly see various members weeping.

John: “Is that a funeral? Who died?”

Onyx: “You of course.”

John: “I thought that you said my existence was undone.”

Onyx: “We did. Your existence ended and a husk was left behind for those to mourn over.”

John: "I was thinking that your words had more meaning than that."

Onyx: “How so?”

John: “I thought you made it so that I was never born. Erased from time.”

Onyx: “Hmm. You have an interesting imagination, which is good. It will be helpful for the task at hand.” He said as he waved his hand and the hole in space collapsed in on itself and disappeared.

John took some solace in the knowledge that his family was safe and alive, as he prepared for what that monster was going to make him do.

Onyx: “Now then, just like how you defined me, you must now define this space.” He said while gesturing to the building they were standing in.

John: “Umm, you want me to give this building a name?”

Onyx: "Yes, and to determine its function."

John: “What do you mean?”

Onyx: “What do you want this place to be used for? It can be a place to store forbidden knowledge, a place to conduct experiments, or simply a place for you to live. The choice is yours.”

John swallowed his saliva and thought for a while, processing what he\'d just heard.

“Is it really so simple?” John thought to himself.

John wasn\'t sure if Onyx was being completely honest. It wasn\'t that he thought Onyx was lying, but he was leaving details out. However, John knew he had to do as he was told.

John: “So it can be anything?”

Onyx: “Anything you want.”

John: “Anything I want.” John began to reminisce.

“What do I want?” He quietly thought to himself.

He was at a loss, for the longest time he was robbed of his autonomy and couldn\'t make any meaningful decisions for himself. This was the first time he could decide for himself in a long time, and he didn’t know what to do.

If he thought about what he truly wanted, it would be to go home to his family and put this behind him, but that was not an option for him.

When John thought back to those dark days, what he wanted at that time was somebody— anybody, to help him. He wanted someone to stop the beating, someone to help him when he wasn\'t well, someone he could trust.

“Maybe if that nightmare was to play out again for someone else, I could be that someone.” John thought to himself.

John:“Then can this place be used to help people.” He spoke with new conviction.

Onyx: “If you so desire, but you might want to be more specific.”

John: “I want to help the desperate people who have nowhere else to go. Those who are suffering and have no one to turn to.”

Onyx: “Just like you when you called us.” He said with a smile.

John swallowed his saliva nervously.

John: “Yes, but without the whole dying thing.”

Onyx: “Of course, but keep in mind, human beings are fickle creatures and in the waking world there are no guarantees. Which means there will be some that you won’t be able to help.”

John: “Even so, I should at least try.”

Onyx: “Then this shall become a place to help the desperate few, those that are at the right place at the right time to receive your assistance and guidance. In hopes that maybe they can receive deliverance. Now that this place has a purpose, what is to be the name of this store that sells salvation.”

“It’s a store?” John thought confusingly.

John guessed he had been too abstract with describing the purpose of this place, and somehow it ended up as a store. It was not what he exactly had in mind, but decided not to argue with the nightmare monster.

John pondered for a little while. He felt like he wanted some sort of name that reflected his current circumstance. Something that felt mysterious…..

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-Current day at the Mystic Emporium.-

The ring of the store bell brought John out of his daydream.

When he looked up he was met with absolute beauty walking into the store.

She wore a black leather corset with a white shirt underneath that covered her shoulders and accentuated her large bosom. At her waist was a black and red lace skirt that fell just between her knees and ankles. The black high heels she wore completely wrapped around her ankles tightly in black leather that went up into her dress. On her neck was a red scarf that complemented her striking red eyes and hair, while her hair was tied up into a bun.

She looked at John sitting at his usual table and smiled.

Mysterious woman: "Mr Li, It’s good to see you again."

John: "What a wonderful coincidence. I was just thinking about calling you."