A Realm Perished

Prologue -- London, January 1, 1911

The British Museum was dark, empty and cold as the rain trampled violently on the roof. The museum's recently installed lighting had gone out during the storm, with only bright glimpses of lightning illuminating the large corridors and expensive historical artifacts that had been meticulously staged for all of Great Britain to see. The great clocks in the museum began to strike midnight as Edward Warden ran down the stairs, breathing heavily and sweating profusely, attempting to make his way to the museum's front door.

"Please don't let it be him", Edward thought to himself as he sped through the massive and extravagant grand entrance the museum was widely known for. As he approached the front door, he came to a screeching halt and placed his hand on the door's handle. Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, frightened with what he may or may not see if he were to open it. Expecting the worst, Edward reluctantly pulled the door open and gazed out into the large gated courtyard.

Edward hesitantly walked passed the giant Greek columns and stairs built in the front entrance. The harsh rain, cold air and fog made the front courtyard barely visible to anyone who had walked outside. Even worse, Edward's thick glasses began fogging up as he walked down to the foot of the stairs. Edward took off his glasses, squinting and glimpsing into the dark night, hoping that what he had just seen, moments ago outside the window, was just his imagination running wild. To his relief, there was nothing.

Edward stood still in the pouring rain, still breathing heavily from his run across the museum. He rubbed his eyes together and put his glasses back on as he turned around to walk back into the museum. "I must have been seeing things. Word of mouth has gotten the better of me", he told himself as he walked up the stairs. However, before walking through the front entrance, Edward turned around once more to make sure the court yard was clear. He wanted to be certain that despite his deep, unsettling feelings that he was being watched, he was the only person standing in that court yard. Again, Edward saw nothing, but the rain, fog, and cold of the night.

Edward walked into the museum, closing the door behind him. As he walked into the grand entrance, he noticed the rain had drenched his new cutaway jacket, waistcoat and trousers. A trail of water followed him as he walked into the main hall. Surely an annoyance, but Edward didn't care. All was safe for now.

Edward walked deeper into the main hall, looking around at all the new artifacts that had recently been shipped to the museum: statues, a sarcophagus, jewelry, stone tablets and some delicately wrapped paintings. Hundreds of items that him and his wife, Emily, would need to catalogue and index. All of it, however, looked minuscule when compared to the massive amount of space found in the main hall. The ceiling was 26 meters high and walking through to examine all of the displays would surely take a few hours minimum.

"Emily!", Edward shouted across the hall. "Everything is alright, love. I was just seeing things! You and the baby can come out now!"

Edward heard his voice echo across the grand hall as he continued glancing at the new artifacts that had just been delivered. Seconds go by, however, with no reply from his wife. Silence had taken over the hall.

"Emily?!", Edward screamed across the hall, but once again failed to receive a response from his wife. Growing concerned, Edward cautiously began walking between the shipment of artifacts and crates that had been placed in the center of the exhibit.

"Emily??!!", he screamed a third time, growing concerned something might have happened. "Bloody hell, where is she? Please, let her be alright", he thought to himself as he was once again greeted with silence.