The Whispering Gate ( 2 )

The Whispering Gate (Part 2)

-

"Fuck! What the hell is this...?" a voice, rough and edged with panic, echoed in the cramped space.

Then, a blinding flash of light, a wave of energy that washed over her. She tasted blood, the metallic tang filling her mouth.

Darkness swallowed her whole.

Marj blinked, her vision slowly returning. The world seemed to be tilted at an awkward angle, the furniture in her tiny apartment twisted and distorted. Her head pounded in rhythm with the thrumming of a low, guttural sound, a sound that seemed to emanate from the very walls of the room.

"What in the—"

She tried to speak, but the words died in her throat, choked by a wave of nausea. Her gaze fell on the corner of the room. The portal, a swirling vortex of iridescent light, remained, pulsing with an eerie energy that sent shivers down her spine. It had remained open, an unsettling gateway to another world.

"S-Shit…. W-What is thi..s?"

She could feel a chill creeping up her spine, a primal instinct screaming at her to flee. But something held her rooted, a strange sense of curiosity mixed with a deep, unsettling dread.

Two figures stood before her, bathed in the ethereal light of the portal. Their presence felt like a clash of energies, a tangible force that pressed against her, a tangible tension that crackled in the air.

One of them, tall and lean, with a face etched with a stony indifference, stood silently, radiating an aura of unyielding power. His gaze was sharp, piercing, the cold glint of his silver sword a silent threat. A chill ran down her spine, a prickle of fear that burrowed deep into her bones.

The other man, smaller in stature, stood with a calm demeanor that grated on her nerves. He was dressed in a white lab coat, his expression studious, his eyes betraying a shrewd intelligence. A faint golden light, almost imperceptible, shimmered around him, a subtle aura of power that seemed to emanate from within.

She had seen the images, the reports, the videos of the Awakened. She knew, deep down, that these two figures were no ordinary men.

"I see, so this is a different Earth we've ended up on, Jonghyuk-ssi..." a voice, smooth and surprisingly melodic, spoke, drawing Marj's attention. The words were foreign, yet they sounded familiar, as if they had been whispered in her dreams.

"Alternate reality. Obvious," another voice, sharp and clipped, replied.

"Well, at least it's interesting, right? Think of it as a field trip! -- Though I wish I hadn't lost consciousness. Missed some of the scenery, you know?"

The melodic voice sighed dramatically.

"Your… enthusiasm is misplaced. We are in a hostile environment. Your frivolous observations are not only unproductive, but actively detrimental to our survival." The sharp voice continued, laced with a subtle sneer. "Unless you have a plan to exploit the 'cosplay convention' for our benefit, I suggest you remain silent and focus on avoiding becoming another statistic."

Marj's head throbbed, a constant reminder of the pain that had thrown her into this surreal situation. She tried to open her eyes, to gain a clearer understanding of the situation, but a heavy weight pressed on her forehead, as if an unseen hand had slammed a metal plate against her skull.

"But... Look at this kid, I think he can see us?" The melodic voice continued, drawing her attention towards Elijah.

She suddenly remembered her son, her heart pounding in her chest. The men seemed to be talking about him, about the little boy who was blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking in the room. He sat on the edge of the bed, clutching his teddy bear, his face full of a childlike curiosity.

"G-Get away from him!" Marj cried out, her voice raw with fear. She struggled to sit up, her body screaming in protest. She collided with one of the figures, her head spinning.

Her instincts screamed at her to protect Elijah. She grabbed him, pulling him into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping around him instinctively.

"Elijah, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" She asked, her voice trembling.

Elijah shook his head, his eyes wide with wonder. "No, Mama. The nice man just wanted to talk to me." He pointed towards the figure in the white coat, who was looking at her with a mix of surprise and confusion. His expression seemed to say, "I didn't expect her to be able to see us."

Marj's gaze shifted to the other man, the one who had spoken with such a cold, sharp voice. He stood silently, his eyes like ice, his posture rigid. He seemed to be observing them with an icy detachment.

"They're… they're not real, Mama," Elijah whispered, his voice filled with a childlike confidence. "They're like the fairies in my storybooks."

Marj swallowed hard, her heart pounding against her ribs. Her son, so young, so innocent, didn't seem afraid. He didn't seem to comprehend the gravity of the situation. But she knew, deep down, that these two figures were real, as real as the pain in her head, as real as the swirling portal in the corner of the room.

"Stay behind me, Elijah," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Don't go near them."

"But Mama," Elijah whined. "They just want to talk."

Marj's gaze darted between her son and the two figures, her mind racing. This was not a fairy tale. These were no ordinary men. She could feel it in her bones. And their presence here, in her world, was a terrifying omen.

The figure in the white coat, Kim Dokja, seemed to sense her apprehension. He lifted his hands, palms open, as if in a gesture of peace. A soft golden glow emanated from his fingertips, a calming energy that washed over the room. He tried to speak again, but this time, he focused on conveying his message without using words. His expression softened, becoming almost apologetic, as if he was trying to reassure her.

"We seem to be lost," he said, his voice soft and melodic, a language that she didn't understand, but it felt strangely comforting. "And your son says you know how to get us back. Could you help us?"

It was strange, almost unsettling. She could sense an unfamiliar power emanating from him, a force that seemed to transcend the boundaries of her understanding. The world felt as if it was shifting, bending to some unseen force.

"But… I… I don't understand," Marj stammered, her voice barely audible. "I don't know anything about these worlds you're talking about."

She felt a strange pull towards him, a sense of inexplicable trust, but she fought it back, her fear overriding her instincts.

"We understand you're frightened," Kim Dokja said, his voice calm and assuring. "But our situation is urgent. We've… traveled from another world. We need to find a way back, and any information, even seemingly insignificant details, could help."

He paused, his eyes searching for answers in hers. "Can you tell us anything about this place? Anything at all?"

He didn't press her, but the subtle shift in his demeanor conveyed his expectation of a truthful response. He knew that fear could lead people to lie, but he was offering a gentler approach than his companion, the one who still stood silently, watching them with an icy intensity. He was giving her a chance, allowing her to feel a semblance of safety to be honest. Despite that, his presence still held a chilling weight.

"But, before that, can I ask your names?" Marj asked, her voice trembling. "It's not rude to ask, right?"

She couldn't bear to call them "Calm Guy" and "Cold Guy," it felt too awkward.

Kim Dokja nodded. "Kim Dokja," he said, his voice calm and steady. He then gestured to the other figure, who stood silently watching her, his expression unreadable. "And this is Yoo Jonghyuk."

"Yoo Jonghyuk..." Marj echoed, a shiver running down her spine. She felt a strange familiarity with that name, a sense of recognition that she couldn't place.

"You seem familiar with the name," Kim Dokja observed, a perceptive gleam in his eyes. "Do you know something about him?"

Marj shook her head, trying to quell the unsettling feeling that crept over her. "A-Ah, no. I… I think I heard it somewhere, but I can't remember where. It was probably just a dream or something..." She nervously scratched her head, trying to feign nonchalance. "Sorry..."

She couldn't shake the feeling that Yoo Jonghyuk was watching her, his gaze a tangible force. The air crackled with tension, and a bead of sweat trickled down her spine.

"That's quite an impressive ability," Kim Dokja said, his voice laced with a subtle admiration, "Being able to understand us without any kind of translation."

Marj felt a wave of panic wash over her. "T-That's, well... I don't really understand it either. It's like... like something just clicked and I could suddenly understand you both." She tried to sound confident, but her voice wavered, betraying her fear.

"Do you understand everything we say?" He asked, his voice calm, his gaze steady. "Even Yoo Jonghyuk, who doesn't seem to like using words very much?"

Marj hesitated, meeting Yoo Jonghyuk's icy stare. He was like a predator, a predator who was patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Well," she stammered, "He doesn't say much. But I can understand him when he does."

"I see," Kim Dokja said, his expression unreadable. He glanced at Yoo Jonghyuk, who remained silent, his gaze fixed on the portal that pulsed with a dangerous energy. "It's a strange world, this one."

"We're not entirely sure how we got here," Kim Dokja said, his voice softening as if he was trying to ease her growing anxiety. "We were in the middle of a… a scenario. A very dangerous one. Something happened, and then… well, here we are."

Marj felt a wave of sympathy for them. They had come from another world, another reality, and they were lost, confused, and scared. They were trapped in a world that was as alien to them as her world was to them.

Suddenly, a cold, sharp voice pierced through the tension.

"Are you trying to mislead us?" Yoo Jonghyuk demanded, his voice a chilling growl. "Tell me the truth."

He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on her, his silver sword shimmering ominously. She felt his power radiate off him in waves, a force that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Eeek...!! I... I don't know anything about the things you're talking about!" Marj cried out, her voice shaking. She instinctively backed away, pulling her son closer to her side, as if seeking protection.

Kim Dokja reached out to her, his hand outstretched, his palm open. "Please," he said, "Just tell us what you know. Any information, no matter how small, could help us."

But Marj couldn't bring herself to speak. She was trapped in a surreal world, with two powerful men from another dimension. She was afraid, but not only for herself, but for her son. What if they weren't who they claimed to be? What if they were a threat, a danger to her and Elijah?

"I don't know anything," Marj said, her voice a mere whisper. "I'm just a normal person, a single mother. I don't know anything about this world, about these... things you're talking about."

"We need to be careful," Yoo Jonghyuk said, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't trust her."

He glanced at Kim Dokja, his eyes narrowed, as if he was questioning his judgment. "I've felt an unnatural aura around her, something that doesn't quite fit. There's something she's hiding."

Marjorie couldn't understand what they were saying, especially when she heard "aura? on her?" She was trying to calm herself down amidst everything happening to them. She wanted to run away with her son, but she knew that even a few steps would mean certain death for them. She tried to act along with them, to avoid antagonizing them, especially the menacing Yoo Jonghyuk who seemed to have a grudge against her.

Kim Dokja didn't argue. He merely nodded, his gaze fixed on the swirling vortex of the portal, a silent acknowledgment of the growing threat.

Marj felt a chill crawl down her spine. The tension in the room had thickened, the air crackling with unspoken danger. Her heart pounded in her chest, a frantic rhythm that echoed the unsettling thrumming of the Gate. She could feel their gaze, the weight of their power, bearing down on her, as if they were trying to pierce through her defenses, to see into her very soul.

"I... I really don't know what you're talking about," Marj said, her voice trembling, a plea for understanding lost in the echoing silence of the room. She could feel the weight of their scrutiny, their distrust, their suspicion.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Kim Dokja said, his voice calm, yet laced with a hint of concern. "You've been able to see us since we entered this room. You've been able to hear our conversation."

"I… I'm just… I'm trying to understand," Marj said, her voice barely audible. "I'm not trying to hide anything. I'm just trying to make sense of this."

"But you're holding something back," Yoo Jonghyuk said, his gaze piercing, his voice devoid of emotion. "There's something about this world, about you, about your son... something that doesn't add up."

His eyes, like a hawk's, seemed to scan her, to read her, to analyze her very being. It was an unnerving sensation, as if he was searching for a flaw in her, a weakness, a secret.

"If you are telling the truth, then tell us what you know. Anything. About this world. About the Hunters. About this Gate." His voice, sharp as a knife, cut through the silence, his words like a cold wind that sent a shiver down her spine.

Marj stopped, taken aback by Kim Dokja's mention of hunters and dungeons. She hadn't mentioned these things to them, so she was confused as to how he knew. Her anxiety increased, making her think they were all being played by her son and these two suspicious men who emerged from the black portal still lingering in her room.

Marj's mind raced, searching for answers, for any shred of information that might appease them, that might offer them the reassurance they desperately needed.

"I... I work at a convenience store," she said, her voice cracking, her fear growing, her body trembling. "I'm just a single mom trying to make ends meet. I don't know anything about this world, about these things you're talking about."

"A single mother. A convenient position for someone who needs to remain hidden," Yoo Jonghyuk said, his voice dripping with cynicism, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not stupid."

"Stop it, Jonghyuk," Kim Dokja said, his voice firm, his expression laced with a weariness that belied the urgency of their situation. "There's no need for this. We need to focus on the bigger picture."

"We need to understand how to get back," he continued, his voice calmer, his gaze fixed on Yoo Jonghyuk, a subtle warning in his tone. "Fighting is not the answer."

"But..." Yoo Jonghyuk started, his hand instinctively going to his sword, his eyes burning with a cold fury.

"No, Jonghyuk. It's not a game. We need to play our cards wisely."

Kim Dokja's hand moved instinctively, a gesture of restraint that seemed to appease Yoo Jonghyuk, who paused, his sword still gripped in his hand, his gaze still fixed on Marj. "We need to get back, and we need to understand what happened to us."

But Yoo Jonghyuk remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Marj, as if he was trying to read her very thoughts.

"I'm not finished with her," he said, his voice cold, sharp, a threat hanging in the air. "There's something she's not telling us."

He stepped forward, his silver sword gleaming, his expression menacing, as if ready to strike.

Marj could feel her breath catching in her throat. She instinctively reached out to Elijah, pulling him closer, as if trying to shield him from the looming danger.

"No," she whispered, her voice barely audible, her heart pounding in her chest, her instincts screaming at her to flee. "I don't know anything. I'm just a normal person."

But even as she knew that her words were meaningless. Her instincts, her fear, the power radiating from these two figures, told her that something was wrong. Something was off. She was caught in a game, a dangerous game, a fight for her own survival, a fight for her son's life, a fight for the very fabric of reality.

Her eyes locked with Yoo Jonghyuk's, and she could see a flicker of something in his gaze, a glimmer of something deep, dark, and dangerous. A power she couldn't comprehend, a force that chilled her to the bone.

And as Yoo Jonghyuk raised his silver sword, ready to strike, the world around them shimmered, a wave of distortion rippling through the air. The room, once familiar and comforting, became a distorted reflection of itself, the walls warping, the furniture shimmering, as if they were looking through a heat haze.

"Wha-," Marj gasped, her eyes widening in alarm.

Yoo Jonghyuk's sword swung, a flash of silver that cut through the air. The metal slammed into the wall, a deafening clang echoing through the distorted space. But instead of the wall cracking, the blade passed through it, as if it were made of smoke. The blade passed through the bed, the dresser, the window, as if they were mere illusions.

"What the… " Yoo Jonghyuk growled, a confused frown creasing his brow. He swung his sword again, this time aiming for Kim Dokja. But again, the blade passed through him, as if he were a ghost.

"I don't understand… " Kim Dokja murmured, his voice laced with a touch of awe, his gaze fixed on the blade that was now slicing through the very air around them.

Marj watched, her breath catching in her throat. It was as if they were not even in the same reality, as if they were trapped in some kind of spectral realm. She was caught in a nightmare, a world where the laws of physics no longer applied, a world where the line between reality and illusion blurred.

Kim Dokja looked at Yoo Jonghyuk, his gaze sharp, his eyes reflecting a dawning realization. "This is why we can't hurt anything. We're not in the same world."

He moved towards her, his hand reaching out, his eyes holding hers, his voice a low murmur, "This is why only you and Elijah can see us. We're tethered to you."

He reached out and gently touched her arm. For the first time, she felt the solidity of his presence, a tangible connection that sent a jolt of electricity through her body. He didn't just pass through her, he touched her, he felt real.

Kim Dokja, his eyes filled with a newfound understanding, turned his gaze towards Elijah. He reached out, his hand extending towards the boy.

"We're not sure why, but… we're connected to them," he said, his voice laced with a sense of wonder, his eyes reflecting a profound realization.

But as his hand approached Elijah, it passed through the boy, as if he were a phantom.

He drew back, his gaze shifting back to Marj, his eyes reflecting a mixture of confusion and apprehension. "Why…?"

He looked at Marj, then at Elijah. He looked at Yoo Jonghyuk, who stood frozen, his sword still raised, his gaze fixed on the shimmering world around them.

Yoo Jonghyuk slammed his fist against the wall, the sound echoing eerily in the distorted space. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched, a cold fury simmering beneath the surface. He stared at his hand, his knuckles white, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Impossible," he muttered, his voice laced with a dark suspicion. "I can't believe I'm invisible."

He glanced at Kim Dokja, who was now staring at the swirling portal, his expression unreadable. He He could see the fear in Yoo Jonghyuk's eyes, a fear he had never seen before.

Yoo Jonghyuk's gaze darted around the room, his expression turning from confusion to anger. He slammed his sword into the floor, the metal clanging with a hollow echo.

"How can I be invisible? And you, Kim Dokja? It's a joke. You're making a joke. I'm not going to be some kind of… some kind of… spectre," he spat, his voice laced with a venom that chilled Marj to the bone. "I won't be reduced to this."

He looked at Marj, his eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a snarl. "This isn't a game, Kim Dokja. This is real. And I will not be denied."

"You're not denying anything, Jonghyuk. We're just…" Kim Dokja sighed, his shoulders slumping in a rare display of fatigue. "It's a different reality, a different world. It's not our world."

"We are stuck here, in this… this… " Kim Dokja looked around the room, his eyes filled with a newfound apprehension. "This place. I don't know what it is, or how we got here."

He looked back at Yoo Jonghyuk, his gaze unwavering. "We are not powerful here. We don't have our usual abilities. It's a different reality, a different set of rules."

"You're a coward. Always afraid of everything," Yoo Jonghyuk said, his voice cold, his gaze fixed on the glowing portal. "I'm not giving up, Kim Dokja. I'm not going to let this world break me."

"There is nothing to break," Kim Dokja said, his voice a gentle counterpoint to Yoo Jonghyuk's rage. "There's just… a different way of playing the game."

He looked at Marj, who was now watching them with a mixture of fear and fascination.

"This is our reality now," Kim Dokja said, his voice calm and reassuring. "We have to find a way to survive this. We need to learn how to navigate this world, to find our way back. And maybe, just maybe, we can figure out how to use this…"

He glanced at the swirling portal, his eyes gleaming with a hint of curiosity.

"Maybe this is a chance to change the game."

The room was silent, the only sound the low, guttural thrumming of the portal. The air crackled with an undercurrent of tension, as if the very fabric of reality was straining, as if it were about to tear apart..