Author Note: I do not own Amnesia: the Dark Descent. It belongs to Frictional Games. So yeah, welcome to the first chapter of my Amnesia novelization. Of course, I'm not going to just write out the exact story from the game, but I will be adding my own elements as well. I'll be using a walkthrough of Amnesia to guide me (the walkthrough I'm using is by SanCo654 on YouTube), so I don't get off track or anything. During the story, keep in mind that some of it will be my own insights on the game, and I'll be adding stuff as well. So if you don't recognize some parts, well, that's from my own head. By the way, each chapter will be a video segment long, so about 14-15 minutes of the game at a time, just to make it easier on me (if you've read my other stories, you'll know I tend to write 1000ish word chapters). Enjoy!

Also...in case you've never played or watched a let's play or walkthrough (by the way, I recommend Tobuscus or FrozenFoxy for a LP), here are the rules of Amnesia...1) You cannot fight the monsters; run or hide from them...2) You have both health and sanity; unsettling events, monsters, and standing in darkness drain your sanity...3) There are two types of monsters: Grunts and Brutes; Brutes can kill in one hit, Grunts take two or three to kill...4) The game is called Amnesia because Daniel (the main character) has NO memory after drinking an amnesia potion; you'll get to know who Daniel is through journal entries scattered throughout the game. That's all you really need to know. :)

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SCENE 1: THE BEGINNING

Daniel walked through the castle, feeling weakened and dizzy. Already his memory was beginning to fade.

Don't forget. Some things mustn't be forgotten! he thought. The Shadow hunting me...I must hurry! He started fast walking, his heart racing with a multitude of mixed emotions. Fear. Anticipation. Confusion. Maybe I should have gotten as far as I could into the castle before drinking that potion!

Daniel shook his head with a shiver. He repeated who he was, praying he wouldn't forget. "My name is Daniel. I live in London at...at..." for a scary moment, he couldn't remember, then, "Ah, Mayfair!" The fear and madness were starting to overwhelm him. What was he doing? "What have I done? This is crazy!" He shook himself again, trying to remember his objective. Don't forget, don't forget! I must stop him! Focus! Again, he repeated his name, so he wouldn't forget. "My name is...is...I am Daniel!"

His steps slowed and he blacked out from the effects of the potion, hearing glass shattering around him as his world went dark.

...

Daniel woke to the sound of a thunderstorm. Opening his eyes, he groggily looked around in confusion. Where was he? Who was he? He was in a castle, he guessed. A hole in the ceiling was letting the rain into the hallway. Twice he tried to stand up but nearly blacked out again. Finally, on the third attempt, Daniel managed to stand. He looked around and noticed a trail of pink liquid on the stone floor of the castle.

Maybe I should follow it, Daniel thought. He felt strange, mostly because his memory was missing, so having a plan (namely, following a myserious liquid through an unfamilliar castle) made him feel stronger somehow.

However...the castle he was in was undeniably creepy. It was dimly lit, with cold stone walls and floors. It was silent, too, and he wondered if a place this size (he assumed it was a large castle) should have more people, right? The shadows around him felt strangely unnatural, and he had to suppress a shudder.

He cautiously started walking and found himself in a large entrance hall of sorts, with enornous doors and suits of armor. Opposite the hall he was in was another corridor, however, it was blocked off by a large pile of boulders. Daniel steeled his nerves and walked into the large hall, following the pink substance. As he walked through, he felt a dizzy spell hit him, nearly making him black out again. He fought it and kept walking to yet another corridor, where a door seemed to open of its own accord.

Daniel gasped and whimpered with fear, nearly backing out. After a moment, he forced himself to calm down, convincing himself it was the wind.

It must have been the wind, of course, he thought nervously. He opened a wardrobe and found a tinderbox. This should be useful. He tucked it away into a satchel he'd had over his shoulder upon waking with no memory.

It was becoming difficult for Daniel to control his breathing. He was terrified, of course. Alone in a strange and unnatural castle with no memory.

I have to find out who I am, he thought. Another purpose for him in this lonely place.

Daniel went to the room whose door had blown open. It was lit, luckily, by a fireplace with a nice fire going. Well, that fire didn't light itself, he pondered. There must be someone else here! On a table, he found another tinderbox (I need as many of those as I can get, Daniel told himself) and a wine bottle. Ignoring the wine, he put the tinder in his bag and glanced around, looking for any other useful items. Finding none, he exited the room, back into the hall with the wardrobes and paintings lining the walls.

He found yet another tinderbox in a different wardrobe and decided to start collecting them. They'd certainly be welcome in the dark castle. Daniel followed the pink trail through a door which led to a tall staircase. He swallowed nervously, not liking the creaking sounds the walls were making. It was almost like the sounds of an old ship.

At the top of the stairs was a narrow hallway scantily lit with candles. Daniel let out another gasp when he heard footsteps. It sounded like someone running. Despite the fact that he wanted to find other people, he was nervous. Scared, even. What if it wasn't a person?

What else could it be? Daniel tried to scold himself but his thoughts were weak with fright. A ghost?

He turned a couple corners, trying not to notice how the hall got narrower and the creaking louder. He let out a cry of fear upon turning the second corner, falling to the floor. Vision blurry, he forced himself to get up.

Daniel got out of the hall, struggling to control his harsh breathing, and found himself in yet another corridor. This one was thankfully quite large and didn't creak like the previous one. Another door opened by itself. No, it blew open, Daniel corrected himself. He headed for the first room on his right, ignoring the one that had opened for now.

This room was dark but he ventured inside and found another tinder on a shelf. The darkness made him feel anxious and terrified, so he got out of the room as soon as he'd placed the box in his satchel. Walking around an overturned wardrobe, he went to the next room on his right. However, he'd only walked a few steps into the well-lit room lined with paintings, when a gust of wind blew out all the candles!

Now scared of the dark, Daniel ran out of the room, shivering. Where was all this blasted wind coming from? Quickly checking another wardrobe and finding nothing of use, Daniel moved on.

He followed his trail into a room with another staircase. A break in the wall let in golden light. Daniel looked longingly at it before walking down the stairs to another door, which had a sign that read, "Old Archives."

Daniel took a deep breath and went through.

Daniel walked into another hall and tried to remember who he was. Still nothing came to him. All he knew was that his name was Daniel. He saw books and papers littering the ground but didn't stop to pick them up. At least the hall was lit with torches.

However, another door opened with the wind, blowing out the fires. Cursing his bad luck, Daniel moved on. He went in a room with a small staircase. Water flowed into the room, creating a puddle on the floor. There were bookcases and crates with black eagle symbols on them. The symbol of Prussia, Daniel thought to himself. Then he scowled. He knew the symbol of Prussia but not who he was? Damn it all!

He picked up two tinderboxes and heard hissing. Looking at the ground, he saw strange cockroach-like animals skittering on the floor. Disgusted and more than a little creeped out, Daniel left the room.

Rounding a bend in the hall, he kept following the trail and found a cluttered room with bookshelves, papers, and a desk. He heard a sound like footsteps and saw clouds of dust rise in a corner of the room, as though someone had taken two steps. He backed up, eyes wide with fright, but forced himself to keep going.

To his surprise and delight, Daniel found a lanturn on the floor. There was little oil in it at the moment, but surely he could find more. Now he had a way to light the strange darkness in the castle!

A hall outside the room led to a door which, in turn, led to another room, which shook ominously when he entered. There wasn't much of interest to Daniel (just more bookshelves, a couple fireplaces, and a dresser full of rolled-up pieces of parchment), other than a tinderbox in a wardrobe, so he moved on to another room.

This room was nearly pitch black. A desk with a container of oil and a piece of paper sat in the room. The trail ended at the desk, so Daniel strode over. He first picked up the oil and poured it into his lanturn.

He then picked up the paper and began to read...

Daniel's Note to Self

19th of August, 1839

I wish I could ask you how much you remember. I don't know if there will be anything left after I consume this drink. Don't be afraid, Daniel. I can't tell you why, but know this: I choose to forget. Try to find comfort and strength in that fact. There is a purpose. You are my final effort to put things right. God willing, the name Alexander of Brennenburg still invokes bitter anger in you. If not, this will sound horrible.

Go to the inner sanctum, find Alexander, and kill him. His body is old and weak, and yours, young and strong. He will be no match for you. One last thing. A Shadow is following you. It's a living nightmare, breaking down reality. I have tried everything, and there is no way to fight back. You need to escape it as long as you can.

Redeem us both, Daniel. Descend into the darkness where Alexander waits, and murder him.

Your former self,

Daniel

Numb shock filled Daniel. He was to kill someone he didn't remember? Who was Alexander? What was this Shadow his former self was talking about? He had so many questions! Why had he chosen to forget? Writing a note to self and telling him to find comfort in the fact that he'd chosen to forget? How was that comforting?

Forcing himself to calm down, Daniel slipped the note into his bag and looked around the room. It was so dark he pulled out his lanturn, grateful that he had a way to light his environment. Upon closely inspecting the room (there had to be a way out-there wasn't any other way), he found a lever. Daniel pulled it and a bookcase moved aside to reveal another hallway.

Pleased with finding it, he moved down the dark passageway to a staircase which led to an enormous room with a broken staircase. Upon entering the room, he had a slight dizzy spell and heard familiar voices in his head...

"Alexander, is it inside the castle?"

"In a manner of speaking. Come, bring the lamp. You've been to the refinery, have you not?"

"I don't believe I have. Is it connected to the...what did you call it...?"

"The Inner Sanctum, my most precious chamber, Daniel. And it lies well beyond the refinery. In fact...it lies beneath the very stone of Brennenburg..."

The voices faded. Was that a flashback? He'd heard his own voice...and Alexanders! So he must have been friends with Alexander at some point, or at least, acquaintances. So why did he want to kill him?

Shaken up by the note and bizarre flashback, he first went to a hall outside the huge room, this one much like the one he'd woken up in. He found a chest with oil and a tinderbox and put them away for later. He was glad to be in a well-lit room.

Daniel walked to the end of the hall and found double doors. Excitement filled him. Maybe it led outside, and he could get out! He tried to open the doors, but jumped back when a red, fleshy substance grew almost instantly over the door. It seemed familiar but what was it?

Heart pounding, he walked quickly away from the door and out of the hall. Was that the Shadow his former self had written of? Daniel was disappointed. He'd hoped to get out, and not have to spend any more time in this creepy castle. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to murder someone. And he certainly didn't want to come face-to-face with the mysterious Shadow again.

For now, he resigned himself to his fate of wandering Castle Brennenburg and went on, praying he would find out what was going on...and who he was...

...

Please review! I really hope you like it! If you find it boring, I apologize, but I really want to continue with this story. Anyways, look out for the next chapter and check out a walkthrough or lets play on YouTube, or go buy the game and play yourself. And if you do watch a wt or lp, watch SanCo654 (because I'm using theirs as a guide), or Tobuscus (LOVE HIM!), or FrozenFoxy.