Eternal whispers

Part 6

"The door has opened," Siera repeated the words in confusion. She looked at Ruhaan, who was flipping through the pages of the book, searching for something specific, something only he seemed to understand. Finally, he placed his finger on a particular page and spoke in a low voice,

"Do you know about the two worlds?"

Siera shook her head in confusion. "Two worlds? What do you mean?"

Ruhaan took a deep breath and looked up at her. "They don't exist in the ordinary world, but when a door opens, they arrive. They are creatures between light and darkness. Only those near the door can see them. And if you've seen them, it means you are now in their sight."

Siera's heartbeat quickened. "But what are they? Ghosts? Shadows? Or something else?"

Ruhaan shook his head with a faint smile. "Neither ghosts nor shadows. They are something that neither you, nor I, nor perhaps anyone else can fully comprehend. Because they are not meant to be fully understood."

"Then what are they?" Siera's anxiety grew.

"The two worlds are manifestations of the things that human minds ignore," he said and then fell silent.

Siera looked at him in bewilderment. "How do you know all this?"

Ruhaan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I've always been different from others—more sensitive, more perceptive. That's why I pursued studies in this field."

Siera studied him closely. She didn't seem satisfied with his answer. Understanding her doubt, Ruhaan said, "I'll explain."

"The first time you read this book, there was a fear on your face that an ordinary book shouldn't cause. That meant there was something in it that truly frightened you. I borrowed this book from the library, but I didn't find anything that could induce such fear. But I knew your fear wasn't baseless."

"I tried to talk to you about it, but you brushed it off. I wanted you to stop reading this book, but you took it with you. From that moment, I was worried about you. And then this book… it kept confusing me."

Siera listened in silence. Ruhaan lowered his gaze and said softly, "That's why I went back to the library at nine o'clock last night."

Then he stopped, as if something had just occurred to him. Suddenly, he grabbed Siera's hand and said, "Come with me. I need to show you something."

Siera instinctively tried to pull back. "But… there will be staff—"

"This is my father's library." There was a strange seriousness in Ruhaan's voice.

Silently, they walked towards the storage room. Ruhaan opened the door, stepped inside, and said, "This is where ancient and rarely used books are kept. It felt like no one had touched this place in centuries."

A shiver ran down Siera's spine. Dust-covered shelves held old books. Ruhaan opened a specific shelf, moved some books aside, and pulled out a large, old folder.

"Look at this."

Siera glanced at the folder, its surface layered with dust. Ruhaan opened it and took out an old, faded photograph. The faces in it were unclear. Below it, a date was inscribed:

"Last recorded opening of the door: June 21, 1889."

Siera turned to Ruhaan in shock, but he remained calm. Maybe because he had already read everything the previous night.

"This means the door has opened before?" Siera asked.

"Yes," Ruhaan said seriously. "And the details of what was seen after the door opened have always remained incomplete. Those who claimed to have seen something either disappeared or suffered memory loss."

Siera flipped through the pages anxiously.

"Many people claimed to have seen the 'two worlds.' They said they saw a reflection—one that looked exactly like them but… different."

Siera's breath caught in her throat. "If that's true, then what I saw… it wasn't just my imagination. It was real."

But the most terrifying thing was written on the last page:

"Once someone has seen the door, they can never truly separate from it. Because on the other side of the door, something is watching them."

Siera gripped the folder tightly, her fingers trembling.

"But I didn't see them—I only saw a shadow!"

Ruhaan slowly stepped closer. His voice was low but serious. "At first, only the shadow appears, with eyes that are different. Then… slowly, it starts to change."

A realization struck Siera like lightning. "You mean the shadow I saw… it was me?"

"Yes. But it wasn't you."

Siera bit her lip anxiously. "If they are near me, what do they want from me?"

Ruhaan took a deep breath. "That's the question we need to answer."

He fell silent for a moment, then murmured, almost to himself, "If you find the answer… maybe you'll follow the same path I did. The same mistake I made."

Siera looked at him in shock. "Mistake? What mistake are you talking about?"

Ruhaan didn't tell her. Maybe he couldn't. There was still so much that Siera didn't know—so much she remained unaware of.

And so much that Ruhaan could never tell her.