Arthur Kriticos

Arthur Kriticos (also known as The Broken Heart) was meant to be The Thirteenth Ghost in The Black Zodiac.

Biography
Arthur was a math teacher as well as the loving and caring husband of Jean and father of Bobby and Kathy Kriticos. However, one night, Jean was horribly burnt by a fire caused by a stray log from the fireplace alighting the Christmas tree, and later died in hospital.

Arthur was deeply heartbroken by this, and he and his family were forced to move into a cramped apartment, and hire Maggie Bess as a nanny for Bobby.

Thirteen Ghosts
One day, however, their lawyer, Ben Moss, visits Arthur and his family with news that Arthur's uncle, Cyrus has been seemingly killed, and that they have inherited his mansion.

That afternoon and nightfall, Arthur and his family visit the mansion for the very first time--immediately entranced by its glass walls, advanced technologies and other features. However, before they can enter the house, they are met by a man posing a power company employee, who the lawyer tries to run off. Ultimately, after claiming that the house is draining power from over 2,000 people in the area, Arthur reluctantly allows him inside.

Once the house accepts the key and the house interior lights up, the glass walls finally part, the group makes its way inside, where they find many technological and historic artifacts that appear to cost a fortune. The lawyer notes that he has papers in his possession that Arthur must sign, so they head toward the library. However, Arthur insists that his children and Maggie should wait for him to return before resuming their tour of the house.

After Arthur accompanies the lawyer to fill out the forms, the children and the nanny take off. Meanwhile, in the library, Arthur informs Cyrus' attorney that he is merely a teacher, and everything he owned was destroyed in a fire. So much so that he can't even afford the house's property taxes. Remarking that his wealthy uncle was a genius when it came to finances, the lawyer tells him that his family will never have to worry about money again.

As he sits down to sign the papers, Dennis busts in and eventually reveals himself to Arthur and Moss--explaining that he helped Cyrus obtain and imprison human souls, which remain trapped in cells beneath them. Arthur laughs halfheartedly, which infuriates Dennis, who insists that he will explain everything once everyone safely leaves the house.

Moss becomes combative, pointing out that Dennis has been harassing his office since Cyrus' death--saying that he has seen it happen before, "some rich person passes away and all the nuts come out. The next thing you know, he'll be claiming that Cyrus owed him money." Dennis asserts that Cyrus owed him "a shitload of money," but he is still leaving and Arthur would be smart to do the same.

As Dennis turns to go, he begins having visions and collapses. Arthur rushes over to help. When he touches Dennis, he unintentionally shows Dennis flashes of his life, including losing his wife. In the chaos, the lawyer slips out, and he kick-starts the mechanism that results in the house sealing itself up.

Once the panels start to move, Arthur and Dennis agree it's time to leave. He goes searching for his family, only to find that they disobeyed his orders, and have disappeared. He finds Kathy in one of the bathrooms, and Maggie appears moments after. Neither of them know where Bobby is. Arthur demands that the two of them go outside and wait in the car while he searches for his son. However, they soon learn that the door has disappeared; Arthur picks up a chair and tries to use it to shatter the glass, but he is unsuccessful. Dennis informs him that it's no use... They are trapped. Arthur suggests looking for another exit, but not before finding his son.

Dennis also explains that the glass is shatterproof and soundproof--No amount of yelling will help. Maggie asks about the markings, and he goes on to explain the rules of the spirit world. The markings are spells, and all the ghosts must obey the words, which include not overstepping their bounds.



Arthur suggests searching the basement, but Dennis refuses to venture back down there, reminding him that the basement is filled with vengeful ghosts. Arthur reminds him that, by his own words, the ghosts are locked up and can't do them any harm, but Dennis remains defiant. However, he finally agrees to help him find his son after Arthur tells him he will pay him whatever money Cyrus owed him.

Still skeptical of the ghosts, the four of them begin to search the basement, unaware that several of the spirits have been released from their confinement cells. Bobby is not forthcoming, so the group decides to split up. Arthur goes with Kathy--with Dennis and Maggie teaming up.

Arthur and Kathy find the glasses and toys that Bobby dropped, and Kathy puts the glasses on. Standing in front of her is the Jackal, which begins viciously attacking her--eventually dragging her down the basement corridor and scratching her face and neck. Arthur tries to help Kathy, but he is unable to see her attacker. A melee ensues, and Kathy is pulled between her father and the ghost. A mysterious woman makes a timely arrival and uses a flare to force the ghost to release Kathy. They try to pull her to safety, but the spirit follows. It continues chasing them until a warded glass door closes between the ghost and the trio.

When the spirit can no longer follow, Arthur asks the woman who she is, and what just happened. She explains that her name is Kalina Oretzia; She is in the spirit reclamation business. Arthur cuts her off, and demands to know what she's doing there.

Kathy remains hysterical, especially when she sees that the Jackal is still in sight. She forces Kathy to remove the spectral viewers, which Arthur puts on. Much to his shock and dismay, he sees his daughter's attacker for the first time. Kalina explains that Cyrus entrapped many souls in the house, and she means to set all of them free. He cuts her off and asks how she got inside. She notes that she entered through an opening, but he shouldn't get his hopes up, as it is no longer there.

Kalina pulls out a book and explains that it was written in the 15th century by an astrologer. It is essentially blueprints for a machine--designed by the devil and powered by the dead--that can see into the future. She expresses surprise that Cyrus actually built it. Arthur interrupts her yet again--telling her that he doesn't care about anything but getting his family to safety. Kalina tells him that, if he wants her help, he must help her first. He turns to Kathy to see if she can walk, only she doesn't answer. Kathy has vanished. Arthur insists that they try and find Kathy, but the two are forced to retreat by The First Born Son.

After the two narrowly escape from The Hammer up into the house, they meet up with Dennis and Maggie. Kalina claims that they will be safe in the house's library as it has the most spell protection. The four are able to make a narrow escape from The Pilgrimess into the library, where Kalina becomes enraged at Dennis: Arguing that this is all his fault. Arthur tries to mediate, until Kalina reveals to Arthur that The Withered Lover--the fourth ghost--is in fact, the ghost of his late wife. Arthur is horrified at this, especially when Kalina forces Dennis to admit that he was involved. He punches Dennis, who insists that he didn't know him or Jean when he helped Cyrus procure her spirit.

Kalina then explains what the machine is; and how it works. After naming all of the 12 ghosts in the house, which are needed to power the machine, she tells him that he is meant to be the thirteenth ghost, or a sacrifice of the broken heart. It's "The only ghost to be created out of an act of pure love." She describes it as a fail-safe that will deactivate the machine. Maggie and Dennis refuse to allow Arthur to sacrifice himself, so Kalina suggests they blow the house, and thus the  machine, up. Of course, Arthur and Dennis decide to search the house for the kids one last time, using a detached pane of glass for protection against the ghosts.

When The Hammer and The Juggernaut attack the two, Dennis traps Arthur behind the glass wall to protect him, and Arthur is forced to watch as the two ghosts brutally overwhelm and kill Dennis. Jean's ghost then visits Arthur before a tape-recorded Latin chant calls her, and the other ghosts, to the core of the machine.

Arthur is at first left weeping in a corner, but once he sees his children at the core of the machine, he rushes over, but then discovers Cyrus is still very much alive. Furious at Cyrus for enslaving Jean and putting his family in mortal danger, the two have a brutal confrontation. They fight, and Arthur almost gets the best of his uncle, but he is overpowered. Cyrus holds a blade to his throat, but Maggie manages to free the ghosts from their trance and they throw Cyrus into the rotating crest of razor rings at the machine's core.

The machine then begins to malfunction, and Arthur waits for a break in the crest before he leaps to his children. The house then explodes, and Arthur uses his body to shield Bobby and Kathy from the debris. Once they are safe, he confesses to his children that he didn't know they would be protected; He simply didn't want to lose them. As the three embrace, they are visited by Jean's ghost one last time, before she vanishes, along with the other 11 ghosts.

Trivia

 * The symbol of The Broken Heart (the ghost Arthur was meant to become) is on the key to the front doors of Basileus's Machine.
 * Arthur, like his daughter Kathy, was attacked by the Jackal.
 * Therefore, Bobby was the only character to have not seen, let alone been attacked by the Jackal.
 * The Latin inscription beneath The Broken Heart's symbol in The Arcanum, "Corda Tacita", which translates to "The Silence of the Heart".
 * Because he was not a ghost, he has no ghost file or an item to represent him in life.