The crack slowly began to widen, spreading across the surface of the wall with an almost deliberate intent. The wall did not collapse or break apart. Instead, it opened, as if it had always been meant to become a door.
Beyond it was not just darkness. It was something far deeper—a vast, stretching void that seemed to swallow everything, a place where even light hesitated to enter.
"Aasiya, stop!" Jun shouted, his voice filled with urgency and fear.
But Aasiya did not turn back. She did not even pause.
She took one step forward, then another, and walked straight into the darkness.
As she crossed over, a chilling cold wrapped around her. It was not a natural cold. It seeped into her very being, as if trying to freeze her from the inside.
When Aasiya opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the middle of a city. However, this was no ordinary city. The tall buildings around her were twisted and distorted, bending at unnatural angles as if they were alive and breathing.
In the distance, a shadow moved slowly through the empty streets, wandering without purpose.
Aasiya's lips parted slightly as she called out, "Gu Yan…"
The shadow stopped.
For a moment, everything fell into complete silence.
Then, very slowly, the figure turned around.
It was Gu Yan.
But not entirely.
His eyes were hollow, filled with an endless darkness, and his face showed no emotion at all. It was as if his soul was missing, leaving behind only an empty shell.
"You…" he said, his voice dry and echoing. "Who are you? How did you get here?"
Aasiya began walking toward him, her steps steady and unafraid.
"I came to take you back," she said calmly.
Gu Yan let out a laugh, but it was unnatural and broken, as though the sound itself was struggling to exist.
"Go back?" he replied. "No one returns from this place."
Aasiya did not stop walking. "You can."
For a brief moment, something flickered in Gu Yan's eyes. It was faint and fragile, almost impossible to notice.
Was it fear?
Or was it hope?
Whatever it was, it disappeared just as quickly as it came.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The buildings shook violently, and every window flew open at once.
Inside them were eyes.
Countless eyes.
They all stared directly at Aasiya.
A whisper filled the air, repeating from every direction at once. "New… new… new…"
GuYan staggered backward, panic breaking through his hollow expression.
"Why did you come?" he shouted. "They won't let you go!"
Aasiya stopped and looked at him. "They?" she asked quietly.
At that moment, something unnatural happened.
Gu Yan's shadow began to move, even though he stood completely still. It stretched across the ground, twisting and distorting before slowly rising upward.
It stood behind him.
But it was not him.
It was something else entirely.
The figure was tall and completely black, with no face—only a hollow void where its face should have been. From that void came a faint, rasping sound, like something breathing in the dark.
Aasiya's gaze hardened as she stared at it.
Gu Yan's voice trembled as he spoke. "That's… what's keeping me trapped."
The figure slowly tilted its head, as if observing her.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was not human. It sounded broken, as though it was tearing apart with every word.
"Another… light…"
It paused before continuing, its tone distorted and cold.
"This one will stay too…"
Aasiya took a step forward, showing no sign of fear.
"No," she said firmly. "I don't leave anyone behind."
The figure froze, as if it had not expected that answer.
A faint glow began to form around Aasiya. It started as a soft light, but it gradually grew stronger, illuminating the darkness around her.
In that twisted city, she stood like a small but unwavering source of light.
She extended her hand toward Yan.
"Come with me," she said gently.
For a moment, everything seemed to stop.
Gu Yan's eyes trembled as a struggle began within him. Fear pulled him back, while something else—something fragile and desperate—pulled him forward.
Slowly, he raised his hand and reached toward hers.
But just as their fingers were about to touch, the figure let out a terrifying scream.
The entire city twisted violently. The ground cracked open beneath them.
"He is mine!" the creature roared.
Dark shadows burst from the ground and wrapped around Gu Yan's legs, pulling him downward.
Aaaaaaaaa
he cried out.
Without hesitation, Aasiya rushed forward and grabbed his hand tightly.
A powerful force pulled them in opposite directions.
The darkness dragged him down.
The light pulled him back.
Aasiya tightened her grip, her eyes blazing with determination.
"You're coming with me!" she shouted.
In that instant, a brilliant light exploded from her body, flooding the entire space.
The darkness recoiled violently.
It trembled.
And for the first time—
It stepped back.
The darkness trembled.
The light erupting from Asiya's body spread outward, as if it was trying to tear the entire distorted city apart.
Gu Yan's hand was locked in hers—
but from below, black shadows coiled around him, dragging him down.
"Let… go…" Gu Yan gasped, struggling to breathe. "You can't… do it…"
"Shut up!" Asiya snapped through clenched teeth.
Her hand was small—
but her grip was unyielding, like iron.
"I don't let anyone go."
The ground began to crack beneath them.
The buildings around them collapsed, twisting as they fell, while the eyes inside the windows screamed all at once.
"Stay… stay here…"
"He belongs to us…"
"Let him go…"
The black figure stepped forward, fully emerging now.
Its hollow face stretched wider, opening unnaturally—
as if it intended to swallow the light itself.
"You… are different…"
There was hunger in its voice.
"If you stay… more will come…"
Asiya's breathing grew heavier.
The light around her flickered.
For a brief moment—
her grip loosened.
Gu Yan's body began to sink further into the darkness.
Aaaaaa
Panic filled his voice.
And then —
A memory surfaced.
A small, fleeting moment.
"Dad… don't worry… nothing will happen to me."
Asiya's eyes hardened instantly.
No.
She would not lose.
She closed her eyes for a single second.
Then—
in a low whisper, she said,
"You touched the wrong person…"
Suddenly—
What happens next…?"