The October Massacre #

“Strassman explained he’s been in a coma since the final hours of the October Massacre. He said there’s no way Skys is coming back ‘naturally,’ that he’s suspended between life and death, like a ghost trapped between worlds.”

Rebecca Sinclair

The October Massacre, also known as the Fall of October Palace, was the violent end of the Mantra cult in late 2020. The event took place at the October Palace in Novosovia, the cult’s headquarters since Skys returned in 2004. It resulted in the death of most cult members, the coma of leader Skys, and the extraction of the Trinity by ARC/HIVE.

This event can also be seen in the music video for MANTRA.

The October Palace #

The building where this event occurred is the October Palace: a large building in Novosovia that served as the headquarters of the Mantra cult. The Book of Eclipse describes it as “a temple of stone and suffering, where light was a rare stranger, and the air bore the iron tang of blood.”

Sof’s journal lists it as a historical landmark and speculates it may have been the cult’s base. Dr. Lee MD in Unbeleevable Episode 2 confirms this, describing it as “a historic building known as the October Palace.”

The Massacre #

In late 2020, the cult of Mantra had gotten itself in a lot of trouble. Skys was in conflict with multiple members of the cult, causing drama and doubts. Medea had betrayed her father Victor Carmine, who was still very eager to get his hands on Skys’ research from Operation Kingslayer.

The Novosovian government was highly religious and strongly opposed the cult. During the October Massacre, they sent in hundreds of troops to destroy the cult. Remarkably, the cult members were able to fend off many of the troops using their supernatural abilities. They were able to manifest shared hallucinations called mares, paralyzing soldiers with fear and bringing “grown men to their knees”.

The Funeral #

We can see snippets of the October Massacre in the official music video for MANTRA. Skys takes an overdose of Mantra pills (the bottle stated “not suitable for human consumption”) and passes out on the floor. Medea then finds him on the floor, appearing slightly happy and seemingly thinking he has passed away.

A funeral is then held for Skys. Medea provides each follower there with a Mantra pill. They all take the pill simultaneously and began convulsing. A mysterious electricity-like force kills all the cult members. Medea’s head explodes right after, before the very end of the video.

Skys then smirks in his coffin, revealing him to be alive. We learn from Dallus’ diary later that he went into a coma, which he would be in until 2027.

Operation Trinity #

While the October Massacre was unfolding, Victor Carmine ordered Operation Trinity to extract Skys, Strassman and Lauren. The DTC invaded Novosovia, using the chaos to take the men back to the company Arc/Hive in the DTC.

Skys remained in a coma during the operation. Dallus flees with his wife Elena and (pre-transition) son Ren. Elena went into labour during the escape and their daughter Lyra was eventually born safely at Arc/Hive.

While Strassman was extracted safely, his family did not make it. Ava was dead and their child Angel were missing by January 2021, as we learn from Dallus’ diary.

The Special Six, children with exceptional innate abilities, were also extracted during the operation. They are mentioned again in Arc/Hive’s Project D.U.S.T. proposal.

Consequences #

The October Massacre had huge consequences in-universe:

The Mantra cult was effectively destroyed. Most cult members died at the funeral.
Skys remained in a coma for approximately 6 years, eventually transferred into a synth body in November 2027, where he immediately began begging for death.
The knowledge gained from Operation Trinity led to Project D.U.S.T. (Deaths Unknown Spiritual Terrain), a direct continuation of Project Kingslayer.
The story continues in the DTC from here and focuses on Arc/Hive (and later Nex Gen).
Arc/Hive noted that “October Palace was stripped clean” but expressed concern that the data might have fallen into enemy hands.
Skys was publicly remembered as “The Brain Butcher” – the infamous leader of Mantra who “terrorised the world by pushing people to transcendence through trauma, blood, and neural rewiring.”