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I found a mask on my doorstep. I'd take a picture but my cameras are not working properly when I point them at the damn thing. My phone can't even take a damn picture! Even my webcam can't fucking observe it!

Sorry. This... it's terrifying. The Masked Ones might or might not be allies, but why can't I take a picture of the damn mask?

Tried to go back and delete that stuff, but I felt sick as hell when I tried. Headache, nausea, I even coughed. It faded when I stopped highlighting things to delete. I am very disturbed by this; what could have caused three seconds of intense illness?

Only physical magic and a form of elemental magic, as far as I know. I don't want to find out that the Slender One has either, or is allied with someone or something who has access to them.

I'm going to run a few tests on it, and maybe get a referral if I can.

In other news, I managed to make a series of anti-magic barriers. Three in total, one against Demon magic, one against Spirit, and one against Devil. I have nothing to fear from Divine magic in this world, and there are so few real human magi in this world that it would be worthless to make an anti-human magic barrier.

Again, I have no magic of my own. I just know how to manipulate the magic around me.

Makai History, part 2

After the Demons had fled from Hell to the newly created Makai, they decided to split themselves from the Devils as much as possible.

The Demons created a new language, called Daemon, that after, three hundred years, everyone spoke fluently, and thus threw off the language of the Devils, which is known as Latin.

Don't be afraid of a language; without the accompanying power, it is simply a method of speech. Although I know a bit of Latin, languages have a tough time of sticking around in my head, so I just know a handful of words and a bit of the grammar.

Anyways, another few hundred years pass with the Demons living in peace, the few who try to maintain their combat prowess practicing their spells and skills in (and sometimes on) the massive desert laced with mountains. The mountains are reformed by the sand after a few weeks if they are destroyed, which is good for some of the powerful assault spells that Demons have at their disposal.

One of the Demons, named Kazandar, took a position of leadership at the request of the community, and she was an exceptional ruler. She didn't exert her influence whenever she felt like it, and was called "Lesparda", which roughly translated from Daemon to English as "the benevolent princess". (Or something like that. Language ain't my thing.)

Kazandar was also a great scholar, devoting what time she didn't use to settle disputes and conflicts to furthering her people's society. She even learned how to speak the language of the Spirits, which has not yet been given an official name, although it is quite similar to Japanese.

While the Demons were relaxing in their peace, however, the Spirits continued to wage war against the Devils. The Spirits noticed that their were far fewer Devils than before, even though a greater number was fighting, and sent a small team of warriors, headed by the Spirit Luck herself, to search for any Devils that were hiding in pocket dimensions.

As was inevitable with Luck at the head of the team, they quickly found the Demons in Makai, and were welcomed peacefully. Though the warriors were suspicious at first, seeing Luck completely at ease assuaged their fears. Luck negotiated an alliance with Kazandar, who was more than happy to help the Spirits, although the number of Demons was only just beginning to grow.

Kazandar made an offer to Luck; I have a word for word transcript of that event, written by Luck herself. The reason I left out some bits of the negotiation were... well, let's just say that few words were said... Anyways, Kazandar's offer was "Give me time to build an army, and I will send some of my most gifted mages to teach your armies some of our spells."

Thus the Spirits, who had only had basic Physical and Mental magic up until then, gained access to Meta magic and Elemental magic. The Physical and Mental magic was then taught to the Demon mages, who took the knowledge back with them to Makai where some Demon clans, like the Kitsune and Ape clans, would find their greatest strengths in the new spells.

Time waged on, and the Demon numbers grew as fewer and fewer Spirits died in the war against the Devils. After nearly five hundred years, the Demons joined the war completely, giving some much needed relief to the battle-weary Spirits.

The Demons noticed that they were growing stronger the more they fought; their magic grew in strength. What was once a spell to warm one's dinner became a flamethrower. With the strength that the Demons now possessed, their was a need for control. Kitsune Demons took over the fighting for the Demons for a while; their magic was already refined as much as possible, and the other Demons needed to regain control over their newfound power.

As even more time passed, the Spirits and Demons noticed that they were facing the same foes over and over again. It was then that the Devil known as Lucifer was captured and interrogated by the Spirits and Demons. The translator and primary interrogator was a Demon named Nubarec, and the scribe for the interrogation was a Grand Spirit known as Lucia.

I'll try to stretch my influence with the Spirits and gain the transcripts from Lucia, but I make no promises. Lucia the Life-Bringer is too calm for me to speak to for long, and I would prefer to keep my sanity.

Bit of History from Makai

I think I might have scared everyone a bit too much in the last post. You know what will cheer you up?

History! But not of humans; this is the story of how demons and devils came to be separate from one another.

It all started a long time ago, some records say 4000 years, others say 9,800,000,000 years, and still others are even more varied than that.

Back then, there were only two distinguishable types of Dead: the Spirits and the Devils. The Spirits dwelt within Heaven, which was manipulated by the God or gods at the time to resemble Earth. The Devils lived in Hell, an inhospitable land of fire, lava, and ash.

The Devils fought among themselves, some breaching the portals between Hell and Heaven, where the Spirits fought them back through. Those early days were rough on the Spirits, and many took their vacation leave on earth, where they appeared in some form or another to mess with the native humans.

One day, one Devil, Bathilu, vowed not to die at the hands of his brothers and sisters, and, when they continued to fight him, he left to explore the infinite vastness of Hell. Bathilu wandered for decades, feeding only on the flames and brimstone that were as infinite as Hell itself.

During the final day of his life, Bathilu found the Core of Hell, a massive sphere that reached beyond the red and black clouds. Bathilu touched it with his magic and hand, and became one with the Core. A vast surge of power swept across Hell, and some of the fallen Devils, those dead, got back up and started fighting with a vengeance.

Only about a quarter of the Devils existing at that time were changed by the magic, and the others, when they say how hopeless it was to fight against that menace alone, banded together, proclaiming themselves to be Demons. They war they waged was later known as the War of Hell.

The Demons lost.

However, those few thousand Demons that were left stayed together because of a very powerful dragon Demon known as Chathulm'st. He declared them to be Dead unless they went with him to create a new Home, where they could live in peace from the Devils.

All went with him, and they called him Shepherd of the Dead. The small group of nearly 6000 Demons forced their way through the nearest portal, which Chathulm'st had changed to lead them to a nearly empty pocket dimension.

Chathulm'st went in first, having told his Flock to stay behind for a single minute. After that minute, the Flock went through the portal, and saw the wonders that awaited them. It was a veritable paradise for each type of Demon; all of the different animal Clans were each able to make their own home within the world.

The Flock had no idea how the Shepherd had managed to create the splendor that he did, but no one was able to find him to ask him. It was rumored that Chathulm'st had sacrificed himself to make the world; indeed, the sun of Makai is known as the Heart of the Shepherd, blazing down on his chosen.

The world was named Makai, the Demon word for "home".

Since my wards seem to be failing, I need to say this immediately. I was saving it for later, when everything had sunk in a bit more, but...

You. Me. All of the ones targeted by the Slender Man.

We are all.

Dead. Damned. Defiled.

Until we stop the threat of the proxies, we are Dead.

Until we can prevent Him from getting new agents, we are Dead.

Until we can end the Revenants, we are Dead.

Unless we can find a way to kill the Slender Man, we are Damned.

I hereby declare that all of us, the Runners, the Fighters, those caught in-between, and those on the fringes, are Damned.

Until we win, we are all living on borrowed time.

Let's earn it, everyone.

Until next time.

Went for another walk today. Well, I walk every day I can, but today was another significant event.

Shadows on the tree. Looked like a massive spider was casting a shadow. Only thing is, light was coming from the wrong way, and spider's aren't usually that thin.

Didn't have my phone on me, so I couldn't take a picture. Not that it matters much; I blinked and the shadow was gone.

Either I'm going crazy, or my ward is beginning to fail.

Not sure which I'd prefer.

Hallowed, Agents, Revenants, and Masked Ones

Most of you already know of the roles the proxies play; their strengths, their flaws, their uses. Many of you, however, do not understand the connection between them.

The Hallowed are the hive mind. The swarm of angry bees whose nest we shook. They fight as one, striking not as individuals but as a team.

This is a weakness and a strength. You already know the strength, that they will ignore individuals being struck down and keep attacking. What you don't know is that is also a weakness. They will ignore individuals being struck down. Kill one at a time; they are mindless, and you are freeing them from their torment of ignorance and Slender Man.

The Agents are different; they serve willingly, without any control over their mind at all. This is bad for our Fighters, because they still can use their cognitive functions properly. This is good for us, because they aren't connected to the hive.

The Agents, for whatever reason, serve the Slender Man. I don't much care why, for they have sold their souls. However, they lack the connection to the hive mind, and have to get their information through more mundane means. The internet (through blogs, videos, and such), phone books, Q&A with the Hallowed. We can fight them by being like shadows. Don't let yourself be found. Get some pewter to ward yourself.

Revenants; the special operations units of the Slender Horde. They do not carry the sheer power that the Slender Man does, but they all have access to some of the creature's mind magic. They are like Agents who are tapped into the hive mind. They are our second greatest fear in this time.

However, they are hard for the Slender One to make; one has to have powerful mental defenses and a willingness to follow the Slender Man. They also share a weakness of his, and of mind magic's; pewter. Pewter wards against the direction of mind magic; mental magicians cannot find or use mind magic within such a ward. This doesn't affect their drones (Hallowed) much, however.

Lastly, I would like to discuss the Masked Ones. We have grown to equate them to the Hallowed, but are they? Why would they were masks, if they are Hallowed and masks can help fool the Slender Man? I would like to point you to Tim, or "Masky", as he is often known. Shown by J on MarbleHornets, the Masked Ones attacked Alex, who is obviously either an Agent or a Sleeper (a Hallowed when their mind is weak, like it is during sleep). Why would they do that if he is on their side?

I am of the belief that the true Masked Ones are some sort of cult, or something, dedicated to taking down the Slender Man. The masks are evidence of this. All wear one, and masks have been shown to function similarly to the operator symbol in that the Slender Man thinks they can see him.

The next time you see a Masked One, ask it this: "Who is the Operator of Death?"

You'll know by its answer whether or not it is Hallowed.

How long has that been there?

I went for a walk yesterday, nothing really unusual at all. Woke with a headache, but some caffeine fixed that right up. I'm a caffeine addict in the worst possible way.

Anyways, I'm walking. The driveway at my parent's house (where I still live, and still plan to live at until I'm done with high school) is half a mile long, one-way. So, walking on that usually is some good exercise, and I typically go for two or three walks a day.

I noticed something strange. At first I was unsure what to make of it. It seemed pretty close to the operator symbol in my eyes. I'm not sure why that was the first thing to pop into my mind, but it was.

And then I went farther. And then I saw this.

Gonna do some digging in my memories, see if I remember anything strange from the seven years I've lived here. I really, really hope I'm just going crazy. If not, then... I don't want to think about it.

Just gotta be hopeful. I'm sure I've got a few repressed memories in my head. Bullied at a Catholic school from kindergarten to 5th grade, after all. Just gotta find the right ones.

Be careful, guys

Everyday we fight, we reinforce Slender Man's presence in this world.

Everyday we run, we let Slender Man destroy more lives.

Which do we choose? Do we fight or run? Make him stronger, or let him kill freely?

Many are running. Many are fighting. I'm a fighter, personally, but I have found something that should help runners.

Pewter. Pewter can help ward against the Slender Man. Let words flow over the pewter, and it will project an anti-magic field.

Slender Man cannot exist within such a field.

I have driven him back once, already, and my wards seem to be keeping him out.

Any pewter will do, just make sure it's pewter! Pendants, blades, bracelets, chairs. Dust, chunks, debris. Anything pewter.

Easy enough to find, could be life saving.

Remember that this is the Slender Man we're dealing with, though. He might have just left because he felt like it, and he might not want to bother showing up again. Who knows? Let the words flow.

If he really can't exist within an anti-magic field, it means he hasn't fully manifested in this world. It would mean that he is fading in and out of the After and slowly becoming more corporeal here.

If that is true, and I can show proof, I can muster up a few assassins to take him out.

Stay strong, everyone.

And Noah, if you're reading this, get some pewter fast. It might help, it might not, but better safe than sorry.

Music and Mental Magic

Mental magic has already been covered, along with some of its relation to music, but I would like to go further in depth with this, and with how mind magic can be transmitted through more than just physical proximity.

Firstly, music and its effect on mental magic. Music disrupts the flow of thought process, even if just slightly, by interjecting itself as something that should be heard and listened to; mental magic works in a similar way. The two somewhat negate each other.

In this specific case, having an iPod or other MP3 playing can also help to warn you when the Slender Man is near, since he has distorts any sound based technology that is near him. This is not entirely typical of mental magic, but it has not been unheard of for recording devices to malfunction within the presence of specific mind mages.

Some aspects of mind magic can be transmitted through sound, such as a calming sound transcribed with a magical presence. The Slender Man seems to be able to use this element of mind magic, which is very worrying; it is a rare aspect that is only found in truly talented mind mages. It isn't a difficult aspect of magic by any means, but only talented mental magicians can learn how to use it properly.

One last thing, possibly with little to do with the current topic. I recently finished going through all of the videos Noah (youtube account TribeTwelve) posted, and something caught my eye.

Slender Man's tendrils were visible on film.

This leads to two possibilities: either Slender Man is either an Iata devil or a Kitsune demon (he doesn't match descriptions of either), or he is a type of spirit, demon, or devil that I have no information on.

If he is Iata or Kitsune, then it is mind magic he is doing.

If not, then the tendrils are real. Don't touch, just in case.

An Overview of Magic Itself

After my previous post, it is quite likely that some of you are thinking "Why does this idiot think magic is involved?"

How can it not be?

How can a being like Slender Man come into existence from belief, if magic did not give heed to the original belief? Why can magic not exist, if belief is all that is necessary to make it real?

In any case, we have verified proof that Slender Man is using some form of mental manipulation to create and control his proxies. I, strangely, know much of the principles and fundamentals of magic, although I possess none of my own.

Magic comes in five varieties and five types; the varieties are not the same as the types. The varieties of magic are mental magic, physical magic, elemental magic, metamagic, and temporal magic. The types of magic are human, spirit, demon, devil, and divine.

Luckily for us, divine magic doesn't function in this world; at least, it doesn't anymore. I cannot identify if the world we know as Earth carries its own magic, though, if it did, it would likely be either spirit or human.

The different types of magic are called different names by the different practitioners. Martial artists refer to human magic as "ki" or "chi", while mages refer to it as "mana" or "source". The reaper spirits refer to their magic as "reiatsu", whereas the healer spirits call it "nometsu". Never try to tell what sort a mage is by asking them what they call their magic, though; the devils call their own magic the same as ours, in an attempt to trick us into believing that they are going to help us.

I only felt the Slender Man's power once, and it wasn't enough for me to identify his magic type, though I doubt I could have in the first place. Damned bastard gave me a headache for three days from that one touch of his magic. I doubt he's divine, and I know he isn't human. That leaves spirit, demon, or devil.

Even if you don't have magic of your own, you can access natural magic around you. Natural magic is a sub-division of each type of magic, and is ambient in the environment.

The different varieties of magic, however, are simply what form the magic takes. The type has little to no impact on the variety. Physical magic primarily uses defensive and medical spells, making it ideal for a shieldmage or healer. Elemental magic is offensive, and elemancers (I didn't make the name) tend to specialize in a specific element in order to squeeze out as much power as possible. Mental mages do indirect attacks, forcing people to turn on their allies by dominating their minds; mental mages are fond of traveling with a posse of their "hive" members. Metamagicians are the least offensive of the varieties, only able to amplify or weaken magic as it goes on around them; however, metamagic practitioners often pick up some basic elemental magic in order to defend themselves.

Temporal magic is forbidden to all; even the devils, with their evil hearts and minds, are warned against practicing it, or even studying it in great detail. If Slender Man truly is time-traveling, then we are potentially dealing with a threat that cannot be slain with simple human magic. I will not speak anymore on this subject, for fear that some idiot with a spark of power will try to travel back in time and undo the creation of Slender Man. Infinite paradoxical sequences, anyone?

Now that you know more about the various types and varieties of magic, you can now begin to search for the incredibly few humans who have true magic. A large number of martial artists say that they have access to ki, but, after some research into that (a couple years ago), I have determined that they aren't actually using magic. They are manipulating their muscle density with an entirely physical, as in, non-spiritual, manifestation of power. There are likely a handful of people, maybe a couple dozen, in this world with access to true magic.

One last little tidbit of magical theory. Prophecy is magic-dependent, but it isn't magic in and of itself. It depends on access to spirit magic in a rather unique bond with one of the most powerful spirit beings in existence: Lady Fate.

Now that I have told you all a bit of magic, I'll leave you with my well wishes.

Happy Halloween, everyone.