Lost in the Abyss

I spent the next couple of days in the lab. I wanted to find the truth, and fast, before more regrets add up to my already confused mind. I hardly ate, and I heard from my companions that my friends have been asking for me. I didn't want to see them yet. I didn't have the courage to face Dan after what happened to the commander because of me. I couldn't face Ris and see the worries reflected in her eyes. I definitely wouldn't be able to stand Mike asking countless questions like I was under investigation. I know they only care about me, but I really wanted to gather my thoughts alone. I wanted to figure out the answers to the questions that keep haunting me. I know Dan had been very suspicious of me. I saw the look on his face as he stared me down during the emergency meeting after the scorpion was exterminated. He knows something's up. I couldn't tell him yet, not without the truth. I didn't want him to think badly of me. I didn't want him to think I was a traitor.

So I spent days formulating hypotheses and thinking of ways to prove them. I had to erase the idea that portals appear near a collective amount of tools made from monster corpse, since that last portal opened in the middle of the forest - with neither humans nor tools in the vicinity. I discovered something though. I saw how that huge portal opened and revealed the scorpion. My guess is a portal's size can tell how big the monster that will appear might be. Aside from size, I'm guessing it can also predict the strength of the monster. Another thing I discovered was that portals close a few seconds after a monster appears. That would explain the small, open portals scattered across the country. They must be too small for the creatures so nothing came out of them, yet. Something like the white snake I saved Mike from years ago might be able to. If no monster came out of them because of its size, does that mean the monsters on the other side are just too big and too powerful? Just thinking about it made me shiver. If huge portals were to open simultaneously, it would mean the end of the world. I brushed the thought away. It wasn't the right time to be panicky. I have to clear my mind from anything besides finding the truth. It's the only way to stop the war, hopefully. Then there's another question that's been keeping me awake: Why didn't the scorpion kill me back then? It stared into my eyes, and I could've sworn I saw it move its head closer when I slowly reached out to touch it. The look on its eyes, I can never forget. It was pleading. My thoughts were halted by a sudden knock on the door. Alas, I opened the door to see the three people I least wanted to face.

They invited me to lunch and brought me to the bench we usually sit on, at the far end of the training field. They started asking questions about why I've been avoiding them. They started asking what I've been doing in the lab. I made excuses, telling them I've just decided to be more dedicated to research - which is half true - and that I've been too engrossed that I never had the time to see them - still half true. They didn't believe me. They bombarded me with more questions. I was losing my temper. Unexpectedly, I told them to shut up and leave me alone. They stared at me, confused and shocked. I regretted it almost immediately. It was the first time I lost my temper with them. They turned away and started heading back inside. I called out to them. Then a flash of blue light appeared behind me. I turned around too suddenly, and my hand touched the portal. And I was sucked into the unknown.