Okay, so, it was late. Really late. And I was supposed to be studying, right? History. Like, who even cares about the Roman Empire anymore? Seriously. Lien. That’s me. And my life? It’s… it’s just so blah. You know? Like, alarm, coffee, the usual. Every single day. I was trying to read, trying to focus, but my brain was just not having it. Ugh. Tuesdays. The worst.

I pushed the book away. Harder than I meant to, maybe. And that’s when I saw it.

It was a shadow. Yeah, a shadow. But not a normal one. Not the kind from the lamp. I mean, the lamp was on, obviously. But this thing… it was on the wall. Next to that stupid nebula poster I got for five bucks. It was too dark. Like, too dark. You know how sometimes a shadow is just, like, a lighter dark? This was just… black. Like a hole. A hole in the wall. But not a hole. A shadow. A really, really wrong shadow.

It moved. Did it move? I think it moved. Just a flicker. A tiny, little twitch. I blinked. Lien, you’re hallucinating. Go to sleep. But I couldn’t. My eyes were glued. And it was getting bigger. Stretching. But not like a shadow stretches. It was like… like something was pushing it out. From the inside.

It felt… present. That’s the only word. It wasn't just a lack of light. It was something. A stain. A living stain. On my wall. My perfectly normal, boring wall.

I leaned in. Stupid, right? I know. But I had to. My heart was going crazy. Like, thump-thump-thump. You know that feeling? When you know you shouldn't do something, but you’re going to anyway? That. That’s what was happening.

Don't be an idiot. It’s just a shadow. Just a shadow. But it wasn't still. It was swirling. Like smoke. Trapped. And then, the weirdest thing. It reacted.

I raised my hand. Slowly. So slowly. Just to test it. And the shadow—that black, inky mess—it stretched. It reached. Like a finger. A dark, shadowy finger. Reaching for me. Right where my own finger was. Almost touching.

Oh my God. This is not normal. This is not a lamp shadow. This is… this is bad. Really bad.

A cold feeling. Not fear, exactly. More like… oh no. My brain was screaming, run. But my hand? My hand kept going. Because my life was so boring. So beige. And this? This was the opposite of beige. I had to know. I just… I had to.

My finger. It was shaking. I reached out. And I touched the wall.

I touched it. The wall. I actually touched the wall. And the shadow—it wasn't a shadow. It was cold. So cold. Like, colder than anything. Not just cold on my finger, no. It went through the finger. Up the arm. Straight into the chest. A sudden, sharp… Whoa. That’s what I thought. Just Whoa.

And the shadow, the one that reached, it just… it retreated. Like ink. Sinking back. Into the wall. But it wasn't ink. It was a wall. Just a wall. But it felt like… like I’d left something there. Something important. In the cold.

I pulled my hand back. Fast. My heart was still going. Thump-thump-thump. And the wall—it started to shimmer. Shimmering. Like heat. But cold. A cold shimmer. I know, it makes no sense. But I saw it. I really did. I looked at my hand. Nothing. Just my hand.

I took a step back. Then another. I was breathing too fast. Lien, you’re seeing things. It’s late. Go to sleep. But I couldn't. I knew I wasn't. This was real. This impossible, cold, shimmering thing. Real.

The shimmering got worse. Spreading. Like a ripple. Across the whole wall. And the sound. It started low. A hum. A deep, low hum. Like a thousand bees. But cold. A cold hum. It vibrated. In my teeth. Stop it. Stop it. I wanted to scream. But I couldn't. I was just watching. Because this was… this was the opposite of Tuesday. This was it.

The hum got louder. Louder. And the shimmering… it cracked.

Not the wall. The air. The space. It cracked. Like glass. But silent. A spiderweb of tiny, invisible lines. Spreading out. From the center. And through those cracks… I saw it.

A color. Purple. Deep. Impossible purple. And movement. Fast. Too fast.

The air cracked open. And the shadow, the original one, it just grew. It became a hole. A perfect, black, oval hole. And the purple light was spilling out. Not light. A glow. A cold, deep glow.

I should have run. I really should have. But I didn't. I just stood there. Staring. And then the smell. Ozone. And something old. Like dust. And rain. And… power.

The smell. That ozone. And the old, old dust. It was too much. Seriously. Overwhelming. And the hum. The roar. It was so loud now. A low, bass roar. Felt like it was coming from inside my head. My ears were ringing. Too much. This is too much.

I finally moved. A tiny step back. Just one. But it was too late. The hole—the portal, I guess, because what else could it be, seriously?—it was fully formed. Doorway size. A black, black doorway. And the purple glow was stronger. It was pulling. At the air. My hair was actually moving. Like a gentle… vacuum.

I looked around. My textbook. My messy desk. My boring, ordinary life. It was all still there. But it felt… far away. Like a picture. And this hole? This was the only real thing. The only thing that mattered.

I could hear something now. Through the portal. A sound. Not the roar. Something else. A whisper. A thousand whispers. All at once. Too many voices. I couldn't make out the words. Just the sound. Like wind. But talking.

And then, a shape.

It was tall. And dark. Not the black of the portal. A different dark. Like polished stone. Obsidian. It moved. Just a flicker. Right at the edge of the purple glow. It was watching. I knew it was.

My breath hitched. Oh God. Oh God, no. This isn't a cool story anymore. This is… danger. Real danger. The kind that doesn't happen to people who hate Tuesdays.

I finally found my voice. A tiny, pathetic squeak. "W-what are you?"

The whispers stopped. Just like that. Silence. Except for the low, cold roar of the portal.

And then, the shape moved again. Faster. It wasn't stepping out. It was just… there. Right at the edge. And I saw its eyes. Or what I thought were eyes. Two points of light. Not purple. Red. A deep, angry red.

It didn't speak. It didn't need to. The feeling that washed over me was clear. Intruder. That's what it was saying. You shouldn't be here.

And then, the pull. It wasn't a rope. Not physical. It was a feeling. A deep, irresistible tug. In my gut. Like gravity had shifted. And the center of the universe was now that black, shimmering hole.

I stumbled. My foot caught. On the chair. I was falling. Not towards the portal. Just falling. And in that split second, that tiny, terrifying moment of freefall, I knew. I knew what I had to do.

I knew. I just… knew. Had to go. I mean, it’s insane. The red eyes. The danger. The sheer, utter stupidity of it. But that pull. That feeling. It was stronger. Stronger than the fear. Stronger than… than my brain. Which was screaming. Screaming no. But the gut feeling. It was like… destiny. No. Not destiny. Too much. Too big a word. It was just… the only way. The only way to stop the falling. The feeling of falling.

So, I didn't fight. The fall. I didn't try to scramble back. I just… aimed. Aimed for the black. The hole.

I pushed off. The floor. A desperate, clumsy lunge. And I was through.

It wasn't like a door. Not at all. It was like… falling into cold. Just cold. Moving cold. And the smell. Ozone. And loud. So loud. The roar. Deafening.

Everything went black. Black. Completely. Not just dark. Black. Like my eyes stopped. Working. I couldn't see. Couldn't hear the roar anymore. Couldn't even feel the cold. Just… nothing. A void.

Am I dead? That was the first thought. Did I just… jump into a wall and die? That’s… that’s a really bad way to go. A stupid way.

But then, the feeling. Not the cold. Pressure. Intense. Squeezing. Every part. My bones. My skin. My brain. Squeezed and stretched. At the same time. Impossible.

And the colors. They exploded. Not light. Just colors. Purple. Red. Black. Swirling. Not in front of my eyes. Inside. Pure. Raw. Energy.

I tried to scream. No sound. My throat. Tight. Lungs. Empty. I was tumbling. I think. No up. No down. Just the squeeze. And the colors.

This is it. The end. I closed my eyes. Maybe. I just… let go. Let go of the fear. Let go of the control. Let go of the beige life.

And then. It stopped.

Just like that. The pressure. Gone. The colors. Faded. The roar. Gone.

I hit something. Hard. Not the floor. Something soft. But still a hard impact. And the air. Rushed back in. A gasp. A huge, ragged gasp.

I opened my eyes. Or maybe I just could see again. And I was lying on the ground.

But it wasn't my room. Not even close.

Not my room. Definitely not. Okay. Deep breaths. Lien. Deep breaths. I pushed myself up. Everything hurt. My head was spinning. Like I’d been in a blender. A very cold, very loud blender.

I looked up. The sky. That was the first thing. Black. Completely black. But not night black. Alive black. That’s the only way. Full of swirling, inky clouds. And they weren't just clouds. They had edges. Sharp. Too fast. Like a sped-up video.

And the light. Where was the light? No sun. No moon. The light was coming from… everywhere. A faint, silver-purple glow. From the ground. The air. The trees.

The trees. Yeah. Not Earth trees. Too tall. Too thin. Black. Skeletal fingers. Reaching. Always reaching. No leaves. Just… shadows. Clumps of shadow. Clinging. Like moss.

The ground. Soft. Like ash. But cold. That same, deep, impossible cold. From the wall.

I was in a forest. A very, very wrong forest.

I looked behind me. Where the portal was. Should be. Nothing. Just the twisted trees. And the black, living sky. The hole. Gone. Closed. Just like that. I was stuck.

Stuck. Oh my God. I’m stuck. Panic. Real panic. The kind that makes your chest tight.

I stood up. Shaky legs. Gotta move. Gotta find… something. Anything. A sign. A road. A person.

I took a step. The ash-ground crunched. Softly. And that's when I heard it.

A sound. Not the whispers. This was close. A low growl.

I froze. Ice in my veins. Please. No. Please don't be a monster.

I slowly turned my head. And I saw them.

Not far. Twenty feet. Maybe. Hiding. Sort of. Behind one of the skeletal trees.

Creatures. Not animals. Creatures.

Vaguely human. But too tall. Too thin. And their skin… the color of the black sky. Inky. Shimmering. And their eyes. Glowing. Sickly. Pale yellow.

Three of them. All looking at me. Staring.

The growl came again. Louder. And one of them took a step. Forward.Not my room. Definitely not. Okay. Deep breaths. Lien. Deep breaths. I pushed myself up. Everything hurt. My head was spinning. Like I’d been in a blender. A very cold, very loud blender.

I looked up. The sky. That was the first thing. Black. Completely black. But not night black. Alive black. That’s the only way. Full of swirling, inky clouds. And they weren't just clouds. They had edges. Sharp. Too fast. Like a sped-up video.

And the light. Where was the light? No sun. No moon. The light was coming from… everywhere. A faint, silver-purple glow. From the ground. The air. The trees.

The trees. Yeah. Not Earth trees. Too tall. Too thin. Black. Skeletal fingers. Reaching. Always reaching. No leaves. Just… shadows. Clumps of shadow. Clinging. Like moss.

The ground. Soft. Like ash. But cold. That same, deep, impossible cold. From the wall.

I was in a forest. A very, very wrong forest.

I looked behind me. Where the portal was. Should be. Nothing. Just the twisted trees. And the black, living sky. The hole. Gone. Closed. Just like that.