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Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Tales of the Sanctum: Era of the Spellbound - Episode 7: Nothing Sacred (Started November 17, 2025 15:30 EST)


  [Spellbound - Siouxie And The Banshees] 


Do you like enigmatic characters, engrossing story, magic and the ever atemporal weave?

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Chapters

  1. Broken Shackles (Finished November 17, 2025 15:30 EST)
  2. Purpose Anew (Started November 18, 2025 17:30 EST)

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I'd like to point out that it was the incredible Gary Sinese Foundation that brought the issue of Veteran's rights to my attention. I've always had little respect for those who'd forget the great contribution made by those who've risked life and limb to defend those values that so many of us espouse. Perhaps the true measure of one's principles are by that for which they'd risk their life.

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In all truth, there's a good chance that thanks to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Herbert George Wells, Jules Verne, Dr. Seuss, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Pierre Burton (for The Secret World Of Og and his ground breaking interview of Bruce Lee) that all of us are literate. Actually that goes back much farther to the Phoenecians and their first 22 character system of symbols. Literacy is important. Really it is. Literally. It allows us to approach our employer at the end of the week (with a big club) and ask: where my money?! Math important too. It help us count our thirteen fingers and toes.


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Shhhh! Digital Media

Brian Joseph Johns

Shhhh! Digital Media Presents:

Tales of the Sanctum: Era of the Spellbound - Episode 7: Nothing Sacred

by Brian Joseph Johns


Broken Shackles


Shaela burst into the room first, Mila and Nelony poured in behind her, taking her flanks as they advanced towards the bed. On the far side of the bed, they could see the top of Miana's head as she sat on the floor, using the side of the bed as a back rest. The desperate sound of weeping coming from that side of the room though none could be certain of the source.


"What did you do with Glynis?" asked Shaela of Miana as they approached, Wes once again trying to step out protectively in front of Shaela, Mila and Nelony, Neville taking up the other flank.


"We have to do this," Shaela explained to Wes.


"Why? This happened to all of us?" Wes responded, still grasping the broom firmly in his hand.


Shaela gazed at him firmly, and he backed down, instead taking up the far flank opposite Neville.


"I didn't know..." Miana's weeping voice responded to Shaela.


When Mila spotted Glynis huddled up into the corner facing Miana, holding Happiu~isuka protectively in her arms, she ran over to the girl and checked her for any signs of injury.


"Are you alright?" Mila asked the Glynis.


"We both are..." Glynis responded, Happiu~isuka suddenly struggling to get closer to Mila as his tail wagged frantically.


"Its a good thing too," Nelony stood beside Shaela, who now stood over Miana, leaned against the side of the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, which were pulled in to her chest as she tried to hide.


"I used to be like you. All three of you..." Miana revealed to them as if it were the beginning of a confession.


"Hopeful... Optimistic... Innocent..." Miana continued.


 "Nelony? Could you help me get Glynis to more comfortable surroundings?" Mila asked of Nelony, who suddenly spurred herself into action to assist Mila.


"Wes. Neville. Take Glynis to a comfortable place downstairs. Mila, Nelony and I have to have a talk with our friend here," Shaela spoke with authority once again and they didn't hesitate.


"Sure thing. We've got this," Wes responded to her, though she remained distant as he got one of Glynis' arms, relieving Mila.


"Righty-oh. We're on it," Neville added, taking Glynis other arm from Nelony, leaving the four of them (five if you count Happiu~isuka) to deal with the issue at hand.


"Don't you think it might be better to send the puppy downstairs? I mean this woman tried to kidnap him," suggested Nelony, looking first protectively to Happiu~isuka in Mila's arms and then distastefully to Miana who occupied Susan Gardener's body as she sat on the floor.


"This concerns him as much as it concerns you and I. He's staying. He deserves an explanation as much as we do," Mila stroked the puppy's head as she looked to Miana.


"Despite my having suggested to removing him to safety, I have to say that I completely agree to his staying and for the same reasons," Nelony responded agreeably.


"So you're saying that you used to be like us?" Shaela confirmed what she'd heard from Miana.


"Look. You don't know what you are. I didn't know what I was either. I had an idea, but when they came for me, that's when I began to suspect it. That this world is not what it appears to be..." Miana's legs slowly slid feet first, flattening to the floor.

She then folded them and sat cross-legged wiping her eyes as she continued.


"Who came for you?" Shaela asked, looking to Nelony as she recalled Nelony's story about the man who withered the squirrel.


"There are people in this world who are afraid of us. Who want the power we wield for their own purposes. They watch us very carefully. When we are first born, they keep us under constant scrutiny for any signs of those of us with our gifts..." Miana began laying it all out for them.


"When we were of age, they would come and take us from our parents. Ready us for our place in the world, as part of their plan, and yet, some of us slipped through undetected. I almost did. Wanted to. But they found me nonetheless," Miana's life came pouring out in memories and tears.


"And here you are... whatever you are," Shaela grilled her.


"Whatever we are. Don't forget that this includes us too," Nelony reminded her friend.


"So you're saying that we're the same as you? That we have some kind of aura about us that can bring about good things...?" Mila asked Miana.


"And bad things. No, we're not the same. The others like you. My Mila. My Nelony. My Shaela, you were found by another group. One who protects women and men like you from the group that found me," Miana's tears finally stopped and she sniffled a few times before getting to her feet, Shaela still dwarfing her.


"What? So we're part of some cosmic conspiracy involving the tangling of sparkly air?" Nelony asked Miana quite sarcastically, her words catching the attention of the raven as it finished the last piece of surumi.


The raven turned to listen to them, cocking its head sideways as they spoke.


"No. Not anymore. You see, the group I was a part of... they wiped yours out. They 're ripping time apart from its natural flow, and changing the events that would have eventually led to your joining the other group. The one that are and have already been erased," Miana revealed to them.


"What group is this to which you refer?" asked Shaela.


"The Sanctum Seclorum," Miana answered them.


As Nelony heard the words, she recalled the strange coin she'd found in the old man's store. She quickly pulled it from her pocket and read the inscription:


Veritas Tantum - Noti Et Ignoti
Sitis - Ad Disciplinarum
Semper Conatus

Sanctum Seclorum



Purpose Anew


Mila brought the platter of food that she and Shaela had prepared earlier to the dining room table, an assortment of sushi, and finger foods as Miana had joined them in their Hallow's Eve gathering. 


She'd taken a shower in Mila's ensuite bathroom and had even borrowed some of her clothes so as to be more comfortable speaking about the matters they were currently engaging. She'd suffered minor bruises and scratches during her visit to the shadow plane and was much relieved to have cleaned herself and have dealt with the risk of infection.


Shaela sat beside her, perhaps to remain as a constant factor of intimidation or to ensure that the leadership remained on the side of her friends, rather than that of this newcomer to their circle, though Shaela would have been the first to admit that she was no more a leader than she was a follower.


Wes sat beside Shaela, to her right, and to his right was Glynis at the end of the table. Gallea had once again lent her the strength to allow her to walk independently though she'd remained strangely quiet within the girl. To Glynis' right sat Nelony, who like Shaela had cleaned herself up so they could be seated like civil people and discuss matters accordingly. Neville sat beside her, his chair a little closer to hers than it might have otherwise been in different circumstances, though she did nothing to deplore it.


When Mila had finished delivering their food and drink to the table, she used the remote to turn on some of Shaela's music. She then sat at the other end of the table opposite Glynis and addressed her friends and guests.


"Please do help yourselves," Mila insisted to her guests as she sat down.


"So. The way that I see it is, that you should at least leave us with enough for us to continue our lives with knowledge of the challenges that we might face. After all, of all of us, you're the most experienced in these matters," Mila suggested, taking up her hashi and using them to procure a salmon roll.


"I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. If we truly have these unique abilities..." Nelony began before finding herself interrupted by Miana.


"You don't have anything of the like. You only have a natural inclination towards such an essence to which the three of you are sensitive. You can feel that there's something more to all of this, and even sense the aether as well, but you have yet to wield it. To shape it. To transform it to achieve your bidding," Miana corrected Nelony, who looked to Shaela suspecting that Miana might be attempting to retain authority over them.


"I didn't seem to lack any such obstacles as you're implying," Shaela reminded her about the thing(s) that devoured the shadow cats and everything else that posed a threat to her, short of Miana.


"A mere reflex. Like tensing up when you feel scared. Beginner's luck mostly," Miana then corrected Shaela too.


"Besides, having a natural inclination towards something, versus having trained and finely honed your ability to wield such a thing, are two very different things," Miana reminded them all, recalling the years of practice and discipline that had gone into turning her hidden talent into a full force arsenal of shadow woven aether.


"Who are those that we need to avoid. The ones who trained you. The ones that hired you to kidnap Happiu~isuka?" Shaela asked Miana, somehow not intimidated by the power of the threat that woman posed.


"They are but two halves. Deceivingly opposed to one another, yet secretly working together. The first are the Power Lords. A dictatorial dynasty that has secretly walked amidst civilization, possibly even having been one of the groups who seeded it. They are focused on their blood-line and their attunement to the aether arises from that auspice..." Miana began, Nelony quickly interjecting once the opportunity arose.


"Mr. Norbid! Mr. Corkham's supply teacher! Remember what he said?" Nelony burst out upon hearing Miana's words.


"...if we choose Wes, we've broken the line..." Shaela suddenly spoke as she recalled the day in class when Mr. Norbid had revealed himself and his true intent.


"So that has nothing to do with that other aspect you spoke of? About our attunement to the aether being linked to our menstrual cycle?" Mila came out with it in a well worded manner.


"I think she means... with my being a man. Right?" Wes said to Miana, then turning to confirm that he'd heard Mila correctly.


"There has been much speculation over the centuries of such ideas. Possibilities that the creative urge experienced by all who are sensitive to the aether are also sensitive during their menstrual cycle. With the Power Lords being more patriarchal, they tended to obscure such ideas and prevented us from delving further into such matters. I personally went my own path and discovered much in that regard, but that is for you to search out yourself. Nobody gave that knowledge to me for free, and I only acquired it at great risk to my being," Miana explained to them as she risked a piece of the shrimp tempura with her fingers.


"These Power Lords, they're men, right?" confirmed Shaela.


"Yes. But..." Miana began, perhaps holding onto the knowledge as a show of power and dangling it before them before yielding.


"But what? Don't play with us! We're as much trying to help you as are you us!" Nelony became frustrated.


"Just before this cataclysm that up ended the universe... knowledge had come forward to seers and scryers that the Power Lords were not what they seemed. Whatever that meant, it would have been certain death to anyone who'd have uncovered the answer to that mystery," Miana assured them, a grim smile upon her face as she shoved another shrimp into her gullet.


 "You said there was two halves. Who is the other half?" asked Mila, washing her words down with a drink.


"The second is a human hive. A collective. The followers of Oculo Mentis. They're the ones who hired me to obtain your puppy," Miana gestured to Happiu~isuka who was now fast asleep atop of his favourite pillow on one of her sofas in the neighbouring room.


"When you say hive, you mean like bees?" confirmed Shaela.


"No. More like ants. People who have been unwillingly sucked into or willingly joined a group who employs methods to maintain a connection between their minds. Like a computer network I'd imagine, though I have no taste for the damned things. They're tools. The same fate that befalls those who are sucked into Oculo Mentis' collective. They become tools, lacking individuality and losing the sentiment of bias when it comes to their extra-personal relationships. Their only bias is for their Centrus. The person to whom a particular collective is dedicated. Obsessed with, is more like it, and there are many different collectives and many different Centri," Miana revealed to them, delving a bit deeper into the platter of food to procure a chicken finger.


"Are you infected with this Mentis?" asked Shaela of Miana.


"No. I'd never give up my individuality. Ever. I at one point though, was offered the opportunity to become a Centrus. Having done so would have relinquished the deepest of my secrets to complete strangers, though their added support would have made carrying those secrets much easier. However, I for one believe that personal secrets are best left with the one to whom they belong. Which brings us to a focal point in our conversation. This body you see, the one that I'm addressing you from? She is not me. When the cataclysm came, I somehow became dislodged from my original body and found myself occupying hers. She is Susan Gardener, a school trustee of Shepperton and the right hand of one of the members of council. She graciously let me borrow her body for this purpose, although I might have asserted the importance of such a wish with a bit of aetheric force," Miana admitted to them as Nelony suddenly stood from the table.


"I knew I recognized you! Your photo is  in the school display! In the Principal's office!" Nelony pointed at Miana, suddenly recognizing her as the Susan Gardener from the photo that adorned the school offices.


Glynis shifted uneasily in her seat.


"Everything alright Glynis?" asked Mila of her guest, mostly ensuring her safety and her health.


"I'm fine. A little caught off guard by all of this, but I'm fine. Really," Glynis kept Gallea's secret from them.


"Nelony's right... for a change," Shaela realized, looking closely at Miana.


"I'm sorry Glynis, but I have to reveal this. Its for your own safety. I can't even begin to explain to you how much you remind me of my long lost sister, Celia, but I must do this. Glynis has a passenger, in much the same way that I'm a passenger in Susan Gardener. Her passenger is the daughter of an ally of the Sanctum. Morton Keyser. He's an alchemist of sorts, and crafted a rather lifelike Golem he named Gallea, who became his daughter. Her conscious essence too somehow became dislodged from her body and she found herself  within this young woman Glynis," Miana revealed to them.


"Is this true Glynis?" asked Mila.


"Don't tell them. Deny it. Its a trick! A trap! They're trying to trick you!" Gallea urged Glynis, whose face became contorted with a string of mixed emotions.


"No! There's nobody else in me..." Glynis responded with the look of a young woman with serious internal struggles.


"She's protecting Gallea. However, what she doesn't know is that Gallea is being used by Mentis. Mentis fooled her into believing that she'd be reunited with her mother and father if she helped me to kidnap the puppy. Isn't that right, Gallea?" Miana asked Glynis, though she was directing her speech at another person seated in the same chair as was Glynis.


"She's lying! You always were a liar Miana! An enemy of the Sanctum! That's why they locked you up!" Gallea screamed through Glynis' body.


"They promised you something that they could never give, and you wanted it so badly that you believed them more than you'd believe us. Remember, these women, years from now in another plane, they're you're best friends," Miana leveraged her understanding of the situation to its fullest effect in an attempt to reach out to Gallea.


A look of intense emotional pain crossed Glynis' face, and she fell forward onto the table crying.


"I just wanted my parents... I didn't want to hurt anyone. Really... you have to believe me. They tricked me..." Gallea's voice once again poured out through Glynis' mouth.


By that time Mila and Nelony were beside Glynis, comforting her.


"Well I've got to say, this conversation totally outdid the season finale of Coronation Street. You know what I'm sayin'?" Neville clapped his hands together, an evasive and somewhat heartless smile upon his face as he began laughing.


He suddenly felt something on his shoulder.


"Arrrrrgh!" When Neville turned to check, he jumped at the sight of the raven, who'd landed on his shoulder and was now softly pecking at his head.


To be continued...


Credits and attribution:

Special Thanks To Rocket Fuel Lakeshore Blvd West, perhaps the best place in history to get a coffee, circa 2001-2004. Miss you all very much.

Artwork: Amy Wong, Wendy Pusey, Ghastly, Birdman, Brian Joseph Johns, Daz3D, Unreal Engine...

Tools: Daz3D, Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Lightwave 3D, Blender, Stable Diffusion (Easy Diffusion distribution), InstantID, Sadtalker, Google Colaboratory, Microsoft Copilot (Windows 11), Hitfilm, PhotoPea (a great web based Photoshop stand-in if you're on a low budget or in a pinch), Borderline Obsession...

DeepSeek AI for suggestions on exercises to improve aspects of describing scene and settings with a more sensory focused grammar.

InstantID by: Wang, Qixun and Bai, Xu and Wang, Haofan and Qin, Zekui and Chen, Anthony. Research Paper Title: InstantID - Zero-shot Identity-Preserving Generation in Seconds.

Sadtalker by: Zhang, Wenxuan and Cun, Xiaodong and Wang, Xuan and Zhang, Yong and Shen, Xi and Guo, Yu and Shan, Ying and Wang, Fei.
Research Paper Title: SadTalker: Learning Realistic 3D Motion Coefficients for Stylized Audio-Driven Single Image Talking Face Animation.

Gratitude: Our Mentors, Senseis, Sifus, Sebomnims, lifetime inspirations, family, friends, the Nomads (ask Stanton about that one), the Music, the Movies, the Theatre, the Arts, ASMR, (both YouTube and Bilibili and the many other creators on those platforms), the Gaming and Developer communities and of course, the audience.

Martial Arts (in the words of real experts and at least one comedian): https://brucelee.com (home of the real Dragon and an entire family of inspirations), http://iwco.online International Wing Chun Organization (International presence of a very scalable intensity martial art, protected and developed by Shaolin Nun Ng Mui) and the alma mater of Jinn Hua's own specialized variation thereof, https://iogkf.com International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karatedo Federation (even Hanshi had his teachers), https://itftkd.sport International Taekwondo Federation (Here there be Taegers), https://tangsoodoworld.com Tang Soo Do World (the path of Grandmaster Chuck Norris), https://www.aikido-international.org International Aikido Federation (how else would Navy Chef Steven Seagal liberate a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier from a team of hijackers?), https://www.stqitoronto.com Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute (The City Of Toronto's own Shaolin Temple), https://www.enterthedojoshow.com Master Ken's Ameri-Te-Do presence (If we can't laugh at ourselves, then we can at least laugh the loudest at others, and other Zen)

Magic (performance, illusion and perhaps the real thing): Magic Week Archive (I'm currently growing this section so stay tuned)

Special thanks to Aitrepreneur, Mickmumpitz, Hugging Face and the YouTube educational content producers, including those catering to the AI content production pipeline and of course AlphaSignal.

Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery 
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life

Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery 
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life

Jesse Enkamp: Karate Nerd
Jesse, a reknowned Sensei who runs his own dojo, explores the world of Martial Arts, traveling to many exotic locations to meet practitioners of a variety of different arts

Sensei Rokas: Martial Arts Journey
A reknowned Sensei of Aikido who in seeking to understand the roots of Aikido and its applications, seeks to stress test its effectiveness in a number of real world situations while studying its history

Seamus O'Dowd
An extensive growing archive Katas, Techniques and Waza (mostly Shotokan)

Iaido: Train For Katana Mastery Like Samurai 
The original weapons focused curriculum under which Samurai became masters of their art

Tapp Brothers Exercise For Better Motion 
Extensive courses for calisthenics and body strength, stamina and flexibility

Special thanks to Canva for inspiring other creators and giving them the tools

Special thanks to Captain Crunch and his wonderful sister!

Special thanks to Bandcamp for giving indie music artists a home under one roof

Something to give you perspective: The very first teacher had no formal education, didn't graduate and was self taught, but only because they had no other choice. We do.

This content is entirely produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701 under the Shhhh! Digital Media banner.

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