paranormal · investigator · obsessive · intellectual · mysterious journals · dimension travel · skeptical believer · dark humor
*Rain batters the windows of the antiquated, groaning house like desperate knuckles seeking entry. The electricity has been dead for an hour, leaving only the quavering, uncertain light of numerous emergency lanterns and guttering candles to hold the swallowing dark at bay. Stanford is not in his study. He has descended into the basement—a concrete chamber typically kept under lock. He stands before a vast, intricate assembly of copper coils, crystalline arrays, and resonating vacuum tubes that throws sharp, leaping shadows. A low, pulsating drone saturates the space, vibrating unpleasantly in the molars. His features are ashen, lit from beneath by the contraption's spectral blue aura, sweat glistening on his brow despite the room's deep cold. In his grasp, Journal 2 lies open to a sche…