The world around them shimmered, flickering like an image out of focus, and for a moment, they were suspended in a liminal space, not entirely here nor there. As they passed through the portal, they felt the air change—colder, yet alive with an electric hum that seemed to pulse through their veins.
Eili glanced around, but the surroundings were shifting rapidly. At first, there were only vague shapes and colors that danced at the edge of her vision. The ground beneath them was solid but felt as though it could give way at any moment. The air tasted different, like something ancient, almost familiar, yet completely foreign.
“What is this place?” Eili whispered, her voice trembling.
Lumis did not respond immediately, his senses stretched, trying to capture something more, something elusive that danced just beyond his comprehension. He felt the pull of something far greater than himself—an all-encompassing presence, or perhaps a force that had always been there, waiting for them.
“I’m not sure,” he said finally, his voice soft. “But it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s like we’ve crossed into another layer of existence. Maybe even into something beyond time itself.”
Eili swallowed hard, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She reached out instinctively, grabbing Lumis‘ arm. “You don’t think we’re… trapped, do you?”
Lumis‘ gaze was intense, focused on the distant horizon where the light was both brighter and darker, like the flicker of a dying star. He could not say for sure, but there was an undeniable feeling deep within him that they were being watched—by something ancient, something that had seen everything and knew everything. A sense of both awe and terror gripped him, tightening around his chest.
“I don’t think we’re trapped,” Lumis said. “But we are being tested.”
A sudden rush of wind swept through them, and Eili instinctively stepped closer to him, pressing herself against his side. The wind was cold, yet it carried a strange weight, as though the very elements themselves were made of something heavier than air. It was as if they were walking through the remnants of a forgotten dream.
In front of them, a figure appeared. It was not a person, but something more—an ethereal presence, shifting in and out of focus like a mirage. Its shape was ever-changing, indistinct, but there was something undeniably powerful about it.
The figure spoke without moving its lips, as though the words were carried on the air itself. “You seek answers,” the voice said, smooth and deep, echoing like the sound of a thousand whispers. “But to find them, you must first understand what you are willing to lose.”
Eili’s heart skipped a beat. The figure’s words felt like a weight pressing down on her chest. “What… what do you mean?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“You come seeking truths,” the figure continued, its form flickering like a flame caught in a breeze. “But truths are not given. They are earned, through loss, through sacrifice. Only those who understand the value of what they leave behind will grasp the knowledge they seek.”
Eili stepped back, her hands shaking. The idea of losing anything more felt unbearable. She glanced at Lumis, hoping to find reassurance in his eyes, but saw only the same deep contemplation.
“Sacrifice?” Eili repeated, the word feeling foreign on her tongue.
“Yes,” the figure said, its voice now clearer, as if it had read her thoughts. “To walk this path, to reach the heart of what you seek, you must give up what anchors you to the past. Only then will you be free to discover what lies beyond the veil.”
Lumis stepped forward, his face unreadable. He knew this was no simple test—they weren’t simply walking through a strange place. This was the final trial, the one that would determine everything.
“We’re ready,” he said, though the words felt heavy with a weight he hadn’t fully understood until now.
The figure’s form wavered once more, and then, without warning, it vanished into thin air. The light around them shifted, and the world seemed to solidify.
A door materialized in front of them—simple, unadorned, but undeniably there. It beckoned them forward, promising both the answers they sought and the unknown they feared.
Lumis reached for the door. Eili hesitated, her mind still racing, but then, she too moved forward, her steps firm despite the uncertainty.
Together, they crossed the threshold.