The Most Dangerous Games: The Being From The Beyond Ritual

Previously: The Apartment Staircase Game.

In the world of Most Dangerous Games, there are dangerous games, and there are dangerous games. The one I’ll call The Being From The Beyond ritual game is a dangerous game — partially because of the stakes, partially because of how it must be played, and partially due to the quantity of blood involved in playing it.

Now, don’t get me wrong; it’s usually not recommended that you actually play any of the games filed under our Most Dangerous Games heading. But it’s especially not recommended that you play this one, so, a) consider yourselves warned, and b) here’s your reminder that we’re not responsible for anything that might befall you, should you actually make the extremely unwise decision to play.

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]

Anyway.

Some information about this one: Recommended to me by a reader, its rules are wrapped up in a Spanish language creepypasta titled “Plegarias,” or “Prayers.” Uploaded to the Creepypasta Wiki’s Spanish counterpart in March of 2014 by user Dark Flame (Master Sparda), the story features a few nods to cosmic horror — specifically to the Necronomicon as it appears in the Lovecraft oeuvre. (So, uh, heads up about that aspect of this game if you, like myself, have a… complicated relationship with Lovecraft’s work and legacy these days.) I’ve also only ever seen it one other place — a republication in a Facebook post — so do with that what you will.

Part summoning ritual, part wish-granting ritual, and part piece of blood magic, this one sees you calling upon the titular Being From The Beyond to make a request; that request is then sealed with a blood pact. But here’s the thing: The Being From The Beyond? It’s not really… one entity.

Within the reality of this story, it’s literally all of the dead — every single person who has ever died. They all join up into a sort of rat king of death. So also know that if you’re choosing to get in contact with it… it should not be underestimated.

It is much, much bigger than you are. Both literally and metaphorically.

Again, don’t play this game.

But if you do…

…Play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• Incense.
• Matches or a lighter.
• Salt — lots.
• Corn kernels — a small handful.
• A blank index card.
• A blank piece of A4-sized paper.
• A writing implement. It must write with ink. Do not use a pencil.
• A small, lidded container.
• A bottle of wine — red, ideally.
• A corkscrew or wine key. (Optional, should the bottle of wine require it.)
• A trowel or small shovel. (Optional, but recommended.)
• Nail clippers.
• Something in which you can safely make and light a fire, and the means to do it: A fireplace, a campfire ring, a kettle grill, etc.
• A fire extinguisher and/or other fire safety supplies.
• Blood. Human. Not necessarily your own.
• A syringe.
• Focus. Constitution. Fortitude.
• Access to at least one cemetery with in-ground graves. Do not use a cemetery with primarily above-ground graves or mausoleums.
• The memory of someone you knew in life — a loved one, ideally — who is now deceased.
• A two-week period in which to complete the ritual.
• A wish, desire, or request.

Instructions:

Making The Preparations:

1. First, determine when you will perform the ritual. You will have a maximum of two consecutive weeks to perform it from start to finish, in two, consecutive, one-week sections. You MUST complete the ritual within two weeks, and you MUST complete the required steps within each one-week period. Do NOT attempt this ritual if you cannot or will not commit to these strict timeframe requirements.
2. Next, choose the cemetery at which you will perform the ritual. The cemetery MUST have in-ground graves that are easily accessible. Do not attempt to perform this ritual using an above-ground grave or mausoleum.

3. Finally, gather your supplies. You do not have to have all of them gathered by the time you begin the ritual proper, but it is recommended that you do, so as not to waste any time once the first countdown starts ticking.
4. When you are ready to begin, take the first step: Go to any church, cemetery, or other location where at least one deceased person has been interred. This does NOT have to be the same cemetery where you intend to perform the ritual, although it may be if you wish. You may go at any time of day, and you need not bring any specific supplies with you or do anything in particular while you are there. You must simply go.
5. But know this: Once you go, and leave, the first countdown has begun. From the day of your initial cemetery visit, you have ONE WEEK to perform the steps laid out in section Calling Upon The Being. Do NOT attempt this ritual if you cannot complete section Calling Upon The Being within a one-week period following the initial visit.

Calling Upon The Being:

1. Within ONE WEEK of your initial cemetery visit, go to your chosen cemetery, bringing with you the salt, incense, corn kernels, bottle of wine, corkscrew or wine key if required, index card, writing implement, lidded container, and trowel if using. You may go at any time of day; the only requirement is that you be certain you will not be disturbed while you are carrying out the steps to come.
2. Choose a grave. The grave must be an in-ground grave with a headstone. It does not need to be the grave of someone you knew in life, although it may be if you wish.
3. Kneel at the grave.
4. Kiss your right hand; then extend the kiss to the name of the deceased written on the headstone.
5. Now, draw a line of salt around the grave and headstone in a semicircle.
6. Now, close your eyes and recall the memory of your deceased loved one. Focus your thoughts on them. Remember them in as much detail as you can — what they looked like; what they liked and disliked; how they behaved; a favorite moment with them. Think of them, and wait.
7. Do not open your eyes.
8. If you feel any of the following:
   • A breeze on your face;
   • A chill in your body;
   • A wind blowing through your surroundings —
9. The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed. You MUST proceed. Open your eyes.
   • NOTE: If you do NOT feel any of those sensations — if nothing changes, in yourself or in your environment — the ritual has failed. Do NOT proceed. Abandon your supplies and vacate the cemetery immediately. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people as you go. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people for the next 24 hours. Do NOT look at yourself in a mirror for the next 24 hours. Do NOT enter a cemetery or place of burial again for the next three years. Do NOT attempt this ritual again.

10. Place the incense on the grave in front of the headstone. While you place the incense, repeat aloud the following words: “Blessed are the eyes that do not see, for at night, they see the day, and in the storm, the calm.”
11. Place the corn kernels on the grave in front of the incense. While you place the corn kernels, repeat aloud the following words: “Blessed is the body that does not feel, for its body feels the superfluous and its soul feels the essential.”
12. Open the bottle of wine. Empty half of it over the incense and the corn kernels. While you pour, speak aloud the following words: “Blessed is the earth that contains them, the warm shelter for the winter of days.”
13. Cork or otherwise close the bottle of wine and place it aside. Do not allow it to tip over or spill.
14. Take up the index card and writing implement. Write on the card the name of the person at whose grave you kneel. Write their date of birth, and their date of death. Lastly, write down any other information about this person that’s available to you.
15. Next, open the lidded container, and — with the trowel if using, with your hands if not — fill it with dry soil taken from the grave itself. Do NOT use soil that has been dampened with the wine. It MUST dry.
16. When the container is full, close it. Make sure the lid is sealed as tightly as it can be.
17. Now: Close your eyes again, and focus again on the memory of your deceased loved one.
18. If you feel any of the following:
    • A breeze on your face;
    • A chill in your body;
    • A wind blowing through your surroundings —
19. The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed. You MUST proceed. Open your eyes, kiss your right hand again, and extend the kiss towards the name on the headstone once more.
    • NOTE: If you do NOT feel any of those sensations — if nothing changes, in yourself or in your environment — the ritual has failed. Do NOT proceed. Empty the rest of the wine over the grave, drawing it in an X shape. Dispose of the container of soil. Abandon the rest of your supplies and vacate the cemetery immediately. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people as you go. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people for the next 24 hours. Do NOT look at yourself in a mirror for the next 24 hours. Do NOT enter a cemetery or place of burial again for the next three years. Do NOT attempt this ritual again.
20. Vacate the cemetery. Take your supplies with you. Do not forget anything, but ESPECIALLY do not forget the wine bottle, the index card, or the sealed container of cemetery dirt. Return directly to your home.
21. As soon you have returned home, place the index card and the container of cemetery dirt in a safe place. Do NOT lose them. Do NOT allow them to be disturbed.

22. Now: On the blank sheet of A4-sized paper and using the writing implement, write down your wish, desire, or request. Write it as clearly as possible. Write it as legibly as possibly. Write it in as much detail as possible. Write out exactly what you wish for, how you wish it to go, or how you wish it to be. Be concise, but specific. Do not allow for any… misinterpretations.
23. Place the no-longer-blank sheet of paper in a safe place. Do NOT lose it. Do NOT allow to be disturbed.
24. Take up the nail cutters, and trim any nail on your left hand and set the resulting nail clipping aside. Do not lose the nail clipping.
25. Close your eyes and focus once more on the memory of your deceased loved one.
26. Do not open your eyes.
27. If you feel any of the following:
    • A breeze on your face;
    • A chill in your body;
    • A wind blowing through your surroundings —
28. The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed. You MUST proceed. Open your eyes.
    • NOTE: If you do NOT feel any of those sensations — if nothing changes, in yourself or in your environment — the ritual has failed. Do NOT proceed. Abandon your supplies and vacate the cemetery immediately. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people as you go. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people for the next 24 hours. Do NOT look at yourself in a mirror for the next 24 hours. Do NOT enter a cemetery or place of burial again for the next three years. Do NOT attempt this ritual again.
29. Fill the syringe with blood. You may do so however you wish. It may be your own, though it need not be. It MUST be human.
30. While you fill the syringe, repeat aloud the following words: “I give the material and receive the essential; this is the debt of the Ancestors.”
31. Open the bottle of wine.
32. Empty the contents of the syringe into the bottle of wine.
33. Retrieve the nail clipping you had previously set aside and drop it into the bottle of wine.
34. Close the bottle of wine.
35. Shake the bottle gently to mingle its contents. While you shake it, repeat aloud the following words: “The thirst will be quenched, red with red, forever and ever.”

36. Go to sleep.
37. But know this: Once you do, the second countdown has begun. From the day you have completed section Calling Upon The Being, you have ONE WEEK to perform the steps laid out in section Sealing The Pact. Do NOT attempt this ritual if you cannot complete section Sealing The Pact within a one-week period following the completion of section Calling Upon The Being.

Sealing The Pact:

1. Within ONE WEEK of completing section Calling Upon The Being, return to the cemetery, bringing with you the bottle of wine and, if using, the trowel. You may go at any time of day; the only requirement is that you be certain you will not be disturbed while you are carrying out the steps to come.
2. Choose a grave. The grave must be an in-ground grave with a headstone. It does not need to be the grave of someone you knew in life, although it may be if you wish. It does not need to be the same grave you performed Calling Upon The Being at, although it may be if you wish.
3. Kneel at the grave.
4. Kiss your right hand; then extend the kiss to the name of the deceased written on the headstone.
5. Now, close your eyes and recall once more the memory of your deceased loved one.
6. Do not open your eyes.
7. If you feel any of the following:
   • A breeze on your face;
   • A chill in your body;
   • A wind blowing through your surroundings —
8. The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed. You MUST proceed. Open your eyes.
   • NOTE: If you do NOT feel any of those sensations — if nothing changes, in yourself or in your environment — the ritual has failed. Do NOT proceed. Abandon your supplies and vacate the cemetery immediately. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people as you go. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people for the next 24 hours. Do NOT look at yourself in a mirror for the next 24 hours. Do NOT enter a cemetery or place of burial again for the next three years. Do NOT attempt this ritual again.
9. Make a small hole in the soil of the grave — with the trowel, if using; with your hands, if not. While you make the hole, repeat aloud the following words — the words, you’ll recall, from Step 35 of Calling Upon The Being: “The thirst will be quenched, red with red, forever and ever.”
10. Open the bottle of wine.
11. Empty its contents into the hole.
12. Fill the hole back up with dirt, again with the trowel, if using, or with your hands, if not.

13. Kiss your right hand again, and extend the kiss towards the name on the headstone once more.
14. Vacate the cemetery. Take your supplies with you. Return directly to your home.
15. As soon you have returned home, retrieve the piece of paper on which you wrote down your wish from its safe place. Then, light the fire — in your fireplace; in the campfire ring; in the kettle grill; wherever you have chosen the fire to be. Keep your fire extinguish and/or other fire safety supplies nearby.
16. Scatter a small amount of salt on the flames.
17. Close your eyes and recall, one final time, the memory of your deceased loved one.
18. Do not open your eyes.
19. If you feel any of the following:
20. A breeze on your face;
21. A chill in your body;
22. A wind blowing through your surroundings —
23. The ritual has succeeded; you may proceed. You MUST proceed. Open your eyes, approach the fire, and repeat aloud the words: “I claim my recompense, your debt, the thirst I quenched, by demanding this contract. Answer my prayers!”
24. NOTE: If you do NOT feel any of those sensations — if nothing changes, in yourself or in your environment — the ritual has failed. Do NOT proceed. Extinguish the fire. Dispose of your supplies. Do NOT make eye contact with any other people for the next 24 hours. Do NOT look at yourself in a mirror for the next 24 hours. Do NOT enter a cemetery or place of burial again for the next three years. Do NOT attempt this ritual again.
25. Crumple the piece of paper upon which your wish is written into a loose ball, and then place it on the fire.
26. Let it burn.
27. Let it burn completely.
28. Once the piece of paper is no more than ash, repeat aloud the following words: “Now your debt is my debt, and I will fulfill the request until the Brotherhood is sealed with the Soul.”

29. Listen.
30. Listen carefully.
31. You should, at this point hear a voice, within or without your own mind, speaking the words, “Veritas vos liberabit” — the truth will set you free — and you will know:
32. The ritual has succeeded.
33. The contract is made.
34. The pact is sealed.
35. Now, you must uphold your end of the contract — for the rest of your days.
36. Are you prepared to do so?

Additional Notes:

Due to the use of open flames, this game should be considered a FIRE HAZARD. It is NOT RECOMMENDED that you play this game. If you do play, take common sense fire safety precautions before playing, including but not limited to removing all flammable objects or items from the vicinity of the flame, keeping a functional fire extinguisher on hand during the course of the game, etc. We are not responsible for anything that may befall you as a result of playing this game.

Due to the use of blood, this game should be considered a HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARD. Do not attempt to play without exercising proper health and safety precautions regarding the sterilization of sharp objects, first aid, etc. We are not responsible for anything that may befall you as a result of playing this game.

Upholding The Contract:

To uphold your end of the contract, you MUST, for the rest of your life:

• Keep the index card and the container of cemetery dirt safe. Do NOT lose them. Do NOT allow them to be damaged. If you move house, you must take them with you. If you move states or countries, you must take them with you. You MUST keep them safe and intact for the remainder of your days.
• Visit a cemetery once a year and leave an offering on a grave. The cemetery may be anywhere; the offering may be anything you deem of acceptable value. The grave must be an in-ground grave.

You must continue to perform these actions even if or when your wish, desire, or request has — whatever this means for you — come true, or come to pass, or been achieved.

Failing To Uphold The Contract:

Should you fail to uphold your end of the contract; should you fail to complete the ritual in the required timeframe; should you not follow the required failsafes in the event of an unsuccessful attempt; or should you otherwise… tempt fate — you will suffer for your sins.

Recall the words you spoke as you placed the incense upon the grave: “Blessed are the eyes that do not see, for at night, they see the day, and in the storm, the calm.”

All the eyes you see for the rest of your days — your loved ones’ eyes; your enemies’ eyes; your own eyes — will be eyes that do NOT see: Empty sockets, dripping with blood.

Recall the words you spoke as you placed the corn kernels upon the grave: “Blessed is the body that does not feel, for its body feels the superfluous and its soul feels the essential.”

All bodies you know for the rest of your days — your loved ones’ bodies; your enemies’ bodies; your own body — will be bodies of pain and emptiness.

Recall the words you spoke as you emptied the wine upon the grave: “Blessed is the earth that contains them, the warm shelter for the winter of days.”

You will find no shelter for the rest of your days, and your soul will belong forever to the Ancestors.

The third thing said was, “Blessed is the earth that contains them, the warm shelter for the winter of days.” For then the earth will be the shelter of the night that will ravage the days of this damned one, finding him only if one seeks him. Then his soul will forever belong to the Ancestors.

And when you die, you will not join the rest of your loved ones within the Being From The Beyond.

Your soul will vanish, just as your body will.

And then, you will be… nothing.

***

Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Bluesky @GhostMachine13.bsky.social, Twitter @GhostMachine13, and Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And for more games, don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!

[Photos via rusterche, Maria_Domnina, terimakasih0, hpnjpeterson, Andrys, markusspiske, fotshot, suicazuki/Pixabay]