The door just stood there.
It wasn't attached to anything. There was no wall behind it, no structure. Even its existence defied the laws of physics—as if it were etched into the very fabric of the universe, a mystery pushing the boundaries of existence itself.
Kael took a step forward, involuntarily.
One… two… three…
With every step, he could hear his heartbeat louder and faster. Two voices clashed in his mind—one screamed for him to run away, the other whispered that going toward the door was the only way out.
"Run! Get away from there, don't go near it!"
and
"That door... it might be the only way."
His thoughts were at war. He struggled to move his hands and feet; his muscles were tense, and his will was shattered. He didn't know what to do. His eyes, involuntarily, drifted back to the sky.
That darkness—that terrifying darkness—was now much closer. The air had grown heavier, as if even breathing had become a burden. The world was disappearing, step by step, into the dark.
Kael's breath caught in his lungs.
And then, in that moment, his instincts took over.
He lifted his head.
Looked at the door.
And started to run.
The sound of his footsteps echoed—a rhythm of both fear and hope. Behind him, a massive darkness surged forward like waves. It was like the beast itself; endless, relentless. Hadn't Kael's life always been like this anyway? Constantly hunted, always running—a hopeless warrior...
All those years of humiliation, of baseless hatred, of senseless accusations... He had been crushed under the weight of people's prejudice. He tried to understand the hatred directed at him, but it was pointless. No one understood him. No one could see the storm raging inside him. And Kael? Why was he hated so much? Maybe it was all just an attempt to be noticed, to leave a mark. But even he didn't fully know. He didn't know the reason for all this pain, this loneliness. Maybe no one did.
Kael looked back.
That darkness—that immense, depthless void—was watching him; with eyes that longed to swallow, to consume. It was devouring Kael's world, his existence, his memories. He could do nothing. All he could do was run—hopelessly.
He quickened his pace. He was running out of breath. His heart pounded as if it were about to burst out of his chest.
And then...
He reached the door.
Panting, legs trembling, he stopped.
With shaky hands, he reached for the doorknob.
As his hands trembled, the knob turned.
And before him opened a radiant, glowing white void.
He couldn't understand what it was. Everything was pure white. An incomprehensible space, with no discernible boundaries.
Kael swallowed hard.
He teetered between fear and curiosity.
Without looking back, he shut his eyes tightly.
And stepped in.
Into the unknown.
As the door closed behind him, the world he left—darkness, fear, all of it—faded away.
But Kael had stepped into a new unknown.
He didn't know what he would find there.
All he knew was that returning was no longer an option.
Kael tried to keep his eyes shut; he couldn't bring himself to open them because he didn't know what he'd face. Curiosity and fear battled within his mind. Part of him was drawn to the warmth and welcoming voice that filled the space, while another part was clouded by the uncertainty of what awaited him. His heart tightened in his chest, his breath became erratic. Amidst all this turmoil, his senses were on edge with a trembling unease.
And in that moment… he flinched at the first sound he heard.
The chirping of birds, the gentle rustle of wind through leaves, and then the voices of people... For the first time in his life, he heard something so warm, so real, so full of life. That voice shattered the ice that had encased his soul for so long. The human voice he heard was perhaps the warmest, most genuine sound he'd ever encountered.
His eyes parted slightly, involuntarily.
The view before him was mesmerizing. Around him stood lush green trees, vibrant, healthy, and tall. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, spilling onto the ground like a golden carpet. Despite the city's distant noise, this park was filled with peace. The sounds of people, birds, and faraway cars blended in chaotic harmony.
But none of this mattered to Kael. Nothing he saw right now compared to that voice and the presence it came from.
And then—there she was.
Standing right in the middle of the park.
She was around 160 cm tall, in her forties, yet carrying all the elegance of youth. She wore a pure white, gently fluttering, graceful skirt. She looked like an angel descended to earth. Her blonde hair, gently wavy, swayed softly in the breeze. Her eyes, in the purest shade of green, sparkled under the azure sky. Her facial features were in perfect harmony, as if each one had been sculpted like a work of art.
The woman was playfully chasing a small child in front of her, smiling as she did. The child, laughing joyfully, occasionally turned back and called out to the woman who resembled his mother. A faint smile played on her lips; as if words lingered at their edge but had not yet emerged.
In that moment, Kael felt an indescribable peace—and a sorrowful ache. The angelic appearance of the woman dragged certain memories from the depths of his past.
As the woman slowly opened her mouth, a wave of warmth and joy spread into the air. She had something to say, but her attention was still on the child.
With a smile, she called out to him:
"Hey Kael, slow down a bit!"
The child kept running, laughing. Her voice spread through the park like a ripple of joy breaking the silence.
People around the park were watching the joyful game amid the beauty, their own laughter and quiet chatter blending in. The birds' chirping, paired with the warm sunlight, completed the magic of the scene.
The child turned around and shouted with delight:
"Catch me if you can, Aunt Mary!"
The woman's smile grew wider. Her face carried both a mother's tenderness and the excitement of a playmate. As the game of tag continued, Kael just stood there, watching. Everything felt like a dream—the warmth, the moment so full of life... It was like a ray of hope piercing into Kael's soul.
But that moment also reminded him of his deepest pains. The past, the memories he couldn't forget, the losses and shattered dreams… It was as if they had all gathered in the quiet corners of this park.
Kael realized then—living might be the hardest struggle of all. And in that struggle, the greatest strength was not losing hope.
What pulled Kael back to the past—to those bittersweet, painful memories—was again that sound: a cracking noise. Soft, yet chilling. Like the sound of a key that commanded time and space. Kael shuddered; the echo of that sound vibrated through his being. The moment he heard it, his eyes instinctively returned to the woman in the white skirt and the laughing child; but the peace had begun to give way to fear.
Kael turned around.
Before his eyes appeared a presence darker and more powerful than he had ever felt. That darkness… it was heavier than flesh, suffocating, poisoning his thoughts. The same darkness he had once fled, had been trapped within, and thought he could never escape—now it returned, this time far more cruel, encroaching upon every part of his being. The helplessness within Kael grew in direct proportion to the expanding shadow.
"No! No, no!" Kael murmured, the words tangled in his throat as he struggled against despair. It was as if he couldn't breathe; words and thoughts were slipping through his fingers. The fear swelling within him reduced him to a child, terrified of the dark. His steps trembled, his heart pounded like it might explode.
The darkness advanced silently, yet inexorably. The lights around began to fade, colors drained away, and all vitality melted with that dreadful shadow. The world before Kael's eyes seemed to freeze. With every breath, he felt himself pulled deeper into the dark.
"I said let me go!" he wanted to scream, but his voice was muffled, desperate. He was as helpless as a bird flailing in its own cage. The darkness followed his steps, feeding on his hopes. Every time he thought he had escaped, he realized—this time, there was nowhere left to run. This time, the darkness would consume him completely.
Kael fell to his knees. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms. His eyes were lost in the dark, and the final fragment of hope inside him was slowly fading. His body trembled, his heart beat with fear and exhaustion. He was lost—within himself.