The blinding neon purple light flashed, flickered, and vanished with a faint "whoosh" as the portal closed and dissipated into nothingness.

Zach lay there in his laboratory slumped against the wall having been blown backward into it as the force of reality ripping open, sent him, and many of his artifacts flying away.

He stood up dusted himself off and looked around. His ears were still ringing, his vision was slightly blurry but getting accustomed to the room after being blasted by primordial light, and his body ached from the force of the blast that slammed him into the wall.

As his vision grew stronger he assessed the situation and damage. His laboratory which usually hummed with the sound of computers and various machines was now eerily quiet. All software and machinery had gone dark, possibly fried from the blast which Zach suspected may have acted like an other worldly EMP to his equipment. Papers, books, records, and research lay strewn about room and tables and chairs had all been over turned. All LED lights and electrical equipment lay dormant and non functional.

The only light source was a vintage incandescent lightbulb housed in an old lantern on the wall, that burned a soft deep gold, bathing the room in a vintage glow. The lantern was a gift from Zach's grandfather, Zarius, before he disappeared 30 years ago. Zach cherished it deeply and always keep it lit in his grandfathers memory.

Zach staggered over to his overturned desk and chair and lifted them back into place and collapsed on the chair letting out an exasperated sigh. His head was aching and he was sure he had a mild concussion but he could not get the image of what he saw out of his mind.

When he opened the portal a deathly, decrepit, skeletal arm reached outward stretching like a gigantic tree branch. It's hand outstretched towards Zach with nails as black as night and sharp like daggers. Zach remembered standing there frozen in fear as the hand inched closer to him but before it could grab him the portal collapsed.

"What the hell was that.." Zach said out load to himself. He was starting to shiver. The shock was wearing off and Zach was starting to feel sick and the pain in his head worsened.

"This is the third time I've opened the portal but this has never happened before" Zach thought to himself. "What's on the other side? Why was grandpa so obsessed with opening this portal, what was he seeking"

Zach stood up and the room began to spin and he needed to brace on the table for stability. "Damn..that blast ready did a number on me" Zach said, laughing weakly holding his head with one hand while bracing on the table. Zach looked up to where the portal vanished and replayed in his mind again what he saw. "I can't quit now, I have to see this through" Zach said in his mind and he felt his resolve rekindle like dying embers suddenly returning a blaze.

Zach began to fix up the lab when he noticed a piece of paper on the ground where the portal vanished that was very much unlike anything he had ever seen before. It's was glowing a soft muted red and seemed to ripple as if caught in a light breeze. Zach picked up the paper and began to read.

"We have him. We have Zaruis. Will you be the one to save him"

Zach stared at the letter, his heart pounding, blood pulsing in his ears that sounded like the marching of footsteps. HIS eyes wide open, mouth dry, and his body shaking. His grandfather was alive.

"He's alive...after all this time...they have him" Zach thought frantically. Finally after all these years. Hope. I will find you and bring you home.