"Ugh!" Hazar sighed and rolled the stone in front of his foot away.
Five or six hours had passed since their last break. It had been more than ten hours since they'd left the pool. The sharp rocks, the stomach-turning smell, the grueling walk… all of it had worn Hazar out.
'I wish I'd watched the master fight too. At least it would've taken my mind off things a little,' he thought.
'What kind of savagery were they talking about? What was it like to fight?'
"Ahhhh! When is this damned walk going to end!" Sevda's whining echoed off the rocks.
"What's wrong? Did two walks tire you out, my lady?" Tekin was provoking Sevda again.
Sevda raised her hand and got ready to hit Tekin.
"Okay! Okay! I was joking!" Sevda paid him no mind and swung her fist anyway.
"Ow!! Stop!" After a few light punches Sevda stopped, while Tekin chuckled under his breath.
"Hahaha…"
Aylin, watching their little squabble from behind, spoke up.
"Do you think there was something more to the master's fight with those creatures?"
Tekin and Sevda stopped at the same time. "What do you mean?" said Tekin, trying to stop laughing.
Aylin shrugged.
"I don't know… When the others described it, they just said he was strong. But that… doesn't seem like enough."
Sevda frowned. "We didn't see it. How would we know?"
Hazar thought for a moment. "…There were sounds," he said.
The three of them turned and looked at Hazar.
Hazar didn't stop walking. "Don't you remember? Back then… they were coming from far away."
Sevda screwed up her face. "I remember. But I couldn't make anything of them."
Hazar nodded slightly.
"Me neither," he said. "But it wasn't normal."
"Wonderful," said Sevda. "Once again we don't know a thing."
Tekin smirked. "I think he's just very strong. That's the explanation."
"How clever you are," said Sevda.
"Thank you, I try to be like you."
Sevda raised her hand.
"Wait, wait—!" said Tekin, drawing back.
He took the punch anyway.
"Ow! Hey—"
After a light blow or two, Sevda stopped. This time it was Tekin who started laughing.
"Hahaha… that was worth it."
Aylin spoke again:
"I wonder…" she said slowly.
"I wonder how strong the people here are? What can the strongest of them do?"
Hazar looked at her. He thought, but couldn't answer.
"…I don't know," he said at last.
There was a brief silence.
Tekin shrugged and pointed to the old man:
"He's the only one we've seen."
"Yes," said Sevda. "And he wasn't normal either."
Hazar nodded slightly.
"What he did…" he said. "…wasn't human."
"He was human, though," said Tekin.
"Are you sure?" Sevda shot back at once.
Tekin paused for a moment.
"…I don't know."
Silence.
This time no one made a joke.
Footsteps echoed from behind and ahead.
They weren't alone.
But no one was talking anymore.
Fatigue had pushed everyone into silence.
The four walking at the front stopped—Hak, Poyraz, Tunay, and Erlin.
This halt… was different.
Hazar was the first to notice it.
"Stop!"
This time it wasn't his voice but the old man's that slowed everyone down.
Those coming from behind stopped one by one too.
Sevda frowned. "What is it now?"
No answer came.
Up ahead, in the distance, Yalaz tilted his head slightly to the side, as if listening to something—but there was nothing to listen to.
"Gather up," said Yalaz.
His voice was calm. But for the first time… it was wary.
That alone was enough.
The four at the front went straight to the old man's side.
Hazar took a step forward.
Sevda came right after him.
Tekin had narrowed his eyes.
Aylin was a little further back than the others, but watching closely.
Hazar looked behind him:
Yavuz and his friends were staring ahead in bewilderment.
The other three—Duru, Veda, and Devran—had drawn close to one another.
Hazar turned back to the front; the old man was looking at the cave before him.
A cave…
The mouth of the cave was different…
As if someone had drawn a thin, half-transparent glass across the entrance. In front of the entrance the light bent, refusing to let you see inside.
No—'glass' wasn't quite right; it was a strange, jelly-like substance…
The refractions of light formed odd colors, casting little rainbows.
Tekin noticed Hazar's hands trembling.
He put his hand on Hazar's shoulder.
Hazar glanced at him for a moment but said nothing.
The old man reached his hand out to the jelly-like substance. His hand slowly went inside, then he drew it back.
"We've reached the pass. Inside it's full of dense energy. There's a high chance some of you will feel dizzy, some will have trouble walking, and some may even faint."
He took a breath and surveyed the group.
"But don't worry, none of this will cause any serious harm. So everyone draw close to one another. Those who aren't struggling, help the ones who are. After that, we'll be out of this ill-omened place."
His words caused a faint ripple in the group.
Some drew closer to one another.
Some froze where they stood.
"Faint?" someone behind them murmured.
"Wonderful," said Tekin in a low voice. "Just what we needed."
Sevda gave him a light elbow.
"Want to bet on who can hold out longer?"
"Deal," Tekin accepted with a sly grin.
Hazar couldn't take his eyes off the pass.
That jelly-like surface… looked even stranger up close.
It wasn't still; it rippled slowly.
As if… it were breathing.
Yalaz stepped back.
"Get ready," he said.
This time his voice was shorter, clearer.
The four at the front drew close to one another.
Without a word Hak moved in front of Poyraz. Tunay was silent, but his eyes were on the pass.
Erlin didn't seem especially worried.
Hazar took a deep breath.
His heart had quickened. He didn't know why.
But… there was a strange feeling inside him.
Aylin came up beside him. "Are you okay?" she said.
Hazar looked at her for a moment. "I think so."
Tekin smirked. "Relax."
Sevda squared her shoulders. "Whatever happens, happens."
But her voice didn't come out as strong as she'd intended.
Yalaz moved to the front. He didn't hesitate, and reached out his hand.
The jelly-like surface rippled for a moment.
Then… the old man took a slow but sure step inside.
And vanished. Though his silhouette had appeared within the jelly-like substance.
When the old man's silhouette melted away into that strange, jelly-like texture, time seemed to freeze. No one moved; each of them held their breath in their throat.
Even the valley's eerie moan had cut off for a moment, leaving only the pounding of their hearts.
What broke that deep, well-like silence was Yalaz's voice from inside, muffled but unshakable, as if seeping in from another dimension.
"Come."
That single word was enough.
Hak took the first step.
Then Poyraz.
Tunay didn't hesitate.
Erlin followed them.
It was Hazar's turn.
He took a step and came to the front of the pass.
The jelly-like surface… was very close.
He raised his hand and stopped.
He thought he saw something inside the surface.
A single instant.
Maybe a reflection, maybe something else.
He blinked.
It was gone.
"Hazar."
Aylin's voice.
Hazar took a deep breath. He stretched his hand forward, his fingers touching the surface.
It wasn't cold, and it wasn't warm.
But… it wasn't normal.
He pushed his hand inside.
The world… he felt it slipping.
But he didn't fall.
He could feel his feet pressing on the ground.
He took a step.
Then another…
Something was different.
The ground was the same but it resisted.
On the third step he understood.
Walking was hard.
As if something were pulling him down, keeping him from taking a step. Hazar began to sweat; the café came to his mind.
It was like in the café, he couldn't walk.
What woke him from his thoughts was a voice.
"What is this—" said Tekin, who'd come in behind him. His voice trailed off.
After him Sevda took a step and stopped at once.
"…Fuck!"
Hazar drew a breath but it came heavily. His chest was tightening.
As if the air had thickened.
Tekin staggered for a moment. Hazar caught his arm on reflex.
"I'm okay…" said Tekin, but his voice was weak.
A sound came from ahead.
Poyraz dropped to his knees.
"My stomach…" he murmured.
Then the sound of vomiting echoed.
Tekin held his head. "I'm dizzy…"
Sevda clenched her teeth. "Keep going."
But she was struggling too.
Hazar took another step.
This time it was heavier.
As if gravity had increased.
With every step his knees wanted to buckle a little more.
Ahead, Hak paused but didn't fall.
Tunay had caught him by the arm.
Behind, someone fell.
"Sis!" someone shouted—it was Devran.
Veda had fainted and lay on the ground.
The group pressed together.
They knew they had to move forward, but their bodies didn't agree.
Hazar gritted his teeth. He raised his head and looked ahead.
The inside of the pass wasn't clear.
It was as if they were walking through some long place, but there was nothing real around them.
He looked further ahead. In the distance… however far it was, he didn't know, there was a light.
Everything was rippling.
Yalaz was up ahead.
His silhouette was hard to make out; he had stopped and was looking at the group.
"Keep going," said his voice.
At the back, Togan had scooped up the fainted Veda and was carrying her.
Hazar took another step.
This time his knees truly gave, but he caught himself.
Aylin was still beside him.
Tekin shouted from behind:
"If I faint, drag me!"
Sevda answered:
"That's exactly what we're going to do!"
Someone vomited again.
Someone else staggered.
Hazar closed his eyes.
For a moment everything was spinning.
Then he opened them and looked ahead.
Yalaz was still up ahead, looking at them.
He gathered his strength and took a step.
Then another…
And another…
Time flowed; he didn't know how far he'd come.
He took another step.
Another…
He was just about to take one more when his leg met empty air—he'd put in too much force and lifted it too high.
He staggered, about to fall.
Someone caught him.
He looked.
Light…
The light dazzled his eyes. He squinted; it was Tunay.
Then he realized he'd come out.
The intense pressure was gone; air, unclean but light, had filled his lungs.
His stomach was turning; he held it back.
They had reached their goal.
In the old man's words, they had left the ill-omened place.
Hazar took a deep breath and looked around.
At the distant mountains…
At the strange trees…
At the barren steppes…
For a while he just looked.
That pressure from before was gone.
Breathing was easier.
Taking a step… was lighter.
But…
He clenched his hands.
They were still trembling.
His heart had slowed but hadn't fully calmed.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
That weight inside the pass… that pressure…
It was as if it were still inside him.
He opened his eyes.
This place was different.
But…
it didn't feel safe.
Hazar slowly let out a breath.
"It's over…" someone behind him murmured.
Hazar didn't answer. Because the only thing running through him was this:
"This was only the beginning."