Twisted in the demise of lost hope and the forgotten time, a man stood still, peering at his own past. Around him, the world seemed squinting in the dark, and from within, hundreds of shadows emerged, crawling through the ground.
Their bodies were made of black ooze, their eyes were deep, hollow like a never-ending pit, dripping like molten wax. Their voices echoed in screeching noises, sweeping through the dark as they wreathed around him like mist. And then—inch by inch, they crept toward his face, their viscous hands pressed deep down on his skin, dragging across it with a cold, deliberate touch… their whispers echoed in his ears.
"Your life… is w o r t h l e s s… nothing but quiet suffering."
"C o m e… with us… N o e n…"
"We are the s a m e…"
"Come with us… t o t h e p a r a d i s e…"
"You will be… f r e e… from everything…"
"Your heart… i s a l r e a d y l i k e u s…"
"N o e n… Come with us… N o e n… N o e n…"
"Nᚨᚲᛇn… Nᛦᚺᛉᛉᛦᚺᛞᚠᛟᚾᚱᛗᚷᚨᚲᛇ—"
They all vanished in the dark as multiple hands scorched out from the ground, smothering the darkness below him. They all moved in rhythmic motion; their fingers tickled, moving like crawling worms. Their eerie movement reached toward his face, covering all his body, clicking and tapping on it with an unsettling touch. Behind him, a giant figure emerged, turning the air colder…
It was humongous like a newborn darkness shining under the bright eclipse; its face was stretched to unknown, its eerie smile swept across its face as its knife-sharp teeth glinted beneath it. Its eyes spiraled with unrecognisable patterns, moving in and out like a swirling tornado. A white, crystal-like glow shimmered inside that hollowness as it opened its giant, eerie mouth.
From within, two black strings stretched out, made from rotting flesh. It was covered in staring eyes, and at their ends someone hung like dead flesh; it was Noen's parents hanging, smiling back at him with a dreadful face. Their smile and the screeching sound resonated, piercing the void, as more eyes surfaced on the creature's body, staring at him intensely before they all turned into deep, drenching holes creeping onto the monster's body.
Slowly and slowly, the shadows vanished earlier in the dark crawled out from those holes, moving forward, stepping onto his skin before the darkness consumed him. The only part that remained was his face, which looked at the world with a lifeless gaze. But then something echoed:
"You have to survive…"
"We are with you, Noen—"
"So please don't give up, at least for us…"
Something snapped like a tied knot; his senses returned to him, and the darkness that was consuming him vanished like disappearing shadows. He stood still, dazed, at the white surrounding covered with luminescent light. Flowers started to bloom from within the ground, and before he could realise, he was standing in between a giant flower field.
The scent of bell flowers filled the air. Small blue butterflies spiralled around, and before he could think of anything, a path emerged in front of his eyes, leading him somewhere.
His gaze was doubting yet his feet moved on its own as if it was being called; minutes passed, or even hours, before he stumbled upon a pond surrounded by moss and giant rocks. He stepped forward, looking at the pond in eerie silence.
A cold breeze passed him, and with it, petals swirled gently like they were dancing in the air, blinding his eyes with their blue shade before they slowly drifted away, revealing a beautiful blue lotus standing in the middle of the pond, surrounded by pink lotuses. His vision was lost in the beauty of it before they all bloomed together. Softly, a blinding light flashed across his eyes, and before he could realise, he was back to reality.
***
A bright, warm light fell on his eyelids as a faint scent of tallows filled the warm air. The room glowed in a soft orange shade from the burning cedar, while Noen lay unconscious on a soft white bed.
With a quiet creak, a door opened from which a girl stepped inside, carrying an old tray in her hands.
Moving quietly, she walked toward the bed and placed the tray aside on the nearby table.
Her hands moved softly as she picked up a white fluffy towel, dipped it into the bowl of water, and gently placed it on Noen's forehead.
Her amber eyes reflected the warmth of the grate, her brown hair fluttering lightly against her shoulder as she turned toward the door again.
Her gaze stayed soft, somewhat concerned, before she left the room in silence.
A minute passed.
Grate kept burning in ambers as a burning ash fell down, then suddenly Noen's eyelids trembled; his fingers twitched as he jolted awake on the bed as the soft towel fell from his forehead.
His eyes moved toward the grate where the cedar burned brightly in glowing embers.
His gaze wandered around the unfamiliar room as he dragged himself off the bed.
But before he could stand, his legs gave out and he fell with a heavy thud that echoed through the stairway.
Hearing the sound, the same girl rushed back up the stairs and entered the room in panic.
Her eyes landed on Noen lying on the floor, and without hesitation, she moved in to help him.
But before she could reach him, Noen pushed her aside and grabbed a wooden block, shouting—
"Stay away from me!"
The girl looked at him with scared eyes, but after gathering up all the courage she had, she gently moved closer. Her hands trembled with fear, her voice stuttering as she whispered,
"P— please calm down… I-I will not harm you… waaaaahh—"
She suddenly burst into tears like a baby under Noen's intense gaze. Noen just stared at her, confused, his eyes were cold yet not hostile. He slowly stood up, moving toward her, murmuring in a deep tone,
"Stop crying. I'm not going to kill you."
She froze, still sniffling, staring at him with that teary, trembling gaze—waiting for some kind of confirmation. Noen sighed as he repeated his words,
"I said I won't cause you any harm."
He glanced away.
"Well I can't stay here for long. But… thanks for what you did."
"Wait, are you going to leave like that?" she asked, her voice soft but filled with genuine concern.
Noen paused, rubbing the back of his hair as he turned to her, asking,
"…What's your name?"
She flinched a little, her gaze dropping to the ground as she said,
"Sera… Sera Klein."
"Mister, can I ask your name?" she exclaimed.
He paused for a moment like he was thinking about something, then replied in a monotone,
"Noen Vale. Don't ask anything more than this."
"Okay…" she affirmed softly, slumping down onto the floor."
Noen placed the wooden block aside and moved toward the door, ready to leave, but her voice stopped him.
"Mister… are you really going to leave?"
His hand rested on the knob. Without looking back, he affirmed,
"Yes. Do you have a problem?"
Looking scared, she shook her head furiously and sat on the wooden floor in silence as, with a soft creak, Noen left the room.
***
Going downstairs, he wondered to himself how he even ended up here. His eyes sharpened, his thoughts tangled, and he muttered under his breath,
"I clearly remember everything until I reached the edge… but what happened after…?"
"Ahhh…"
He rubbed his hair like he was losing his mind, but then—like a sharp, jolting pain, he sensed something. Stopping midway on his way down the stairs, confusion dawned on him.
"What was that?"
The same sensation came back—like a heartbeat thudding in his bones. A chill crawled up to his spine.
And before he could process it—
A silent knock echoed through the house, like death itself had arrived.
Fear surged in him. His breath quickened, and without thinking, he sprinted back into the room and shut the door instantly, leaning against it.
"Mister?"
His gaze snapped toward her.
He looked at her with wide, terrified eyes.
But then that same knocking sound came, louder this time. The world drifted into dark as if convulsed by someone's aura, and then, with a silent long creak, a gate opened.
CREAK… KKK…
Sera looked at Noen confusedly, as if she was unknown to the events taking place, her face drowned in fear, trembling.
Her voice stuttered as she said,
"Mister… what's happening?"
But then, slowly, thuds of footsteps echoed in the dark.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The floor creaking pierced the silence like a nail. Noen's breath numbed, and before he could think of anything, his body moved on its own. An unknown strength came to his body as he picked up the girl by her neck collar and jumped from the window,
while, with a creak, the gate opened, and then—