114 Portman Square, The Hollows - 1880
The hour was once again late, he sat within his study, built within his roof space between Materia, Terrae Ferae and Orbis Alius, at in intersection or Hollow as it was termed.
In this place, the exterior appearance of the study was a large bell tower built in the attic, the rest of the Marlyebone residence a blurred or smudged charcoal outline of his townhouse, this was not a stable Hollow rooted between one of the three points of linear space or realm, its location between them a step away from Null-Euclidean Geometry or the many angled space.
A perfect if somewhat precarious place to create a sanctum, but one that afforded him considerable privacy from essentially anyone, even te gifted, if he didn't want it.
It was this spacial remoteness that caused him alarm when he quickly realised he was not alone and not just something that had found its way through the Many Angles or The Between as it as fearfully referred.
He had protections and precautions against such things, and yet whatever this was it had bypassed his perimeter, wards and glyphs, he listened for movement, footsteps or presence, but despite his occult senses he blinked and a figure stood before him with no other forewarning.
Shadowy and indistinct as if dressed in a hooded cape, but that was a simplification, no it was more that his senses failed to fully perceive the visitor, he waited not leaping from his chair or taking any action that might be deemed hostile, or indeed impolite
The figure sat or rather emulated the concept of sitting in the neighbouring armchair and silence fell between them.
After a while he grerw impatient having returned to his paper, putting it down "Well, what brings you here O Spirit of Christmas Past or is it Marley?" he asked, he perceived enough to identify the figure smiling
"I was thinking it curious in that one seeking such levels of privacy should expose themselve so blatantly"
"Privacy us a hard won comfort, true privacy that is and you think my shields unsuited to the task?" he replied curiously
"Of they are formidable and accomplished, I suspect were something from either three realms or further afield were to somehow happen across it they would get no further, however we both know I refer not to something from one of the linear, we both know to the entities that I do refer to!"
"I hardly think you have travelled here to critique my precautions against alien canines or otherwise, I am satisfied the shields are sufficient"
Again the blurred figure smiled "And yet here I sit!"
"Yes, there is that.......ah" he said, realisation downing "Of course the temporal defences are not for ingress past or future, so which is it past or future!"
"It matters not" replied the figure "Although you are one of the more learned and practiced of the various human lineages, you would still struggle to comprehend"
"Fair enough" he replied
"The question is more why you do not follow your brethrens lead and enjoy the benefits of the Silver Key"
He pondered the question for a while, silence falling between them, until he finally responded
"You mean by frequenting Midian and its Lost Worlds, revelling in the higher Mannon, more abundent Ley Lines, forgive me but without being elitist those of knowledge have long travelled to the Alia Regna, however they knew better than to cross to the other Materia Alia!"
"One has led to the other has it not!"
The man frowned the conversation was irking him somewhat "I disgree, the occurance in 1811 and dabbling with this accursed herb Gakuji is the issue, now we have dandy fools from Hyberborea psychically flitting to Midian for thrills, and those that have been marked by the key learned to cross bodiy, but all this you know, which draws me back to my question, what is the purpose of this discussion other than our to agree that mans usual folly will undoubtably result in his deserved destruction!"
"But some of your brethren now exploit their own variations and seek gates!"
"Without doubt Mage and Occultists are little wiser than Candles, they merely have more knowledge, once the doorway was opened an inevitabilty that they would exploit this and uttilise the craft to emulate the key, the tempation simply too great.
if I were a betting man I would have to decide on the more likely that Hyperboreas great and good realise that this Noddic playground is actually another place, that Midians great and good realise that these visitors are more than just phantoms and that they are being robbed or invaded or both, or that this heighted passage through the Many-Angles draws the attention of one of the sleepers!"
"Your Lodge suffers harrassment!"
"Yes it would seem there is an increase in individuals perpetrating Occult Blasphemies, the police in their inevitable clumsiness target any group that is associated with such subjects!"
"And this is all"
"Now we are getting to it, you are implying it isn't and that these crossings are connected!"
"That is for you to ascertain"
The man blinked and the figure was gone as dicisively as it had arrived.
He stood walking across the sall room to his sideboard and pouring himself a brandy, swilling it around the glass he sighed 'Truly things man was not meant to meddle with!' he thought to himself