Skydancer and Jessie stumbled into their apartment, both of them panting and on edge. The adrenaline from their harrowing escape still coursed through their veins, and despite the safety of the four walls around them, the unease lingered like a dark cloud.
Jessie, his face pale and his hands shaking, finally broke the tense silence. "What the hell, man? What was that? What's going on? We're not in some horror flick, are we?"
Skydancer, still catching his breath, slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the half-burnt envelope they had retrieved from the house. "I think this might have been what that thing was after," he muttered, turning the envelope over in his hands.
Jessie peered over his shoulder, his curiosity piqued despite his fear. "What's inside?"
With trembling hands, Skydancer carefully opened the envelope, revealing a burnt corner of what looked like a letter. Most of it was destroyed, but a small section remained, showing a bizarre fractal pattern. The design was intricate, almost hypnotic, as if it was trying to convey something hidden beneath its surface.
Jessie leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing as he examined the pattern. Just as he was about to speak, the front door burst open with a loud bang, startling them both into a near-panic.
But it wasn't another monster. It was Sofie, their Norwegian housemate, who had clearly seen some things tonight that no one should ever have to see. Her normally calm demeanor was replaced by a mix of rage, fear, and a wild curiosity. She stood in the doorway, her chest heaving as she glared at the two boys.
- Sofie's Perspective -
Sofie had been trailing behind Jessie and Skydancer ever since she saw them sneak out of the apartment earlier that night. She followed them on her bike, staying just far enough behind to avoid being noticed. When they stopped near an old, rundown house, she hid behind a bush in someone's front yard, her heart racing with a mix of curiosity and dread. From her hiding spot, she watched as Skydancer approached the house, her mind swirling with questions.
What the hell are they up to? she wondered, clutching the handlebars of her bike tightly. This is insane. They've never done anything like this before.
As Skydancer broke into the house, Sofie's worry spiked. Should I call the police? The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. No, this is Sky and Jessie—what could they possibly be doing that would warrant the police?
But then she heard the sounds of a struggle from inside the house, followed by a loud crash. Sofie's breath caught in her throat. She peeked over the bush just in time to see the front door burst open with Skydancer running out, a look of pure panic on his face.
Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the creature chasing him—an abomination straight out of a nightmare, something that shouldn't exist in the real world. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. This… this isn't happening, she thought, frozen in place. This can't be real.
The memories came flooding back—memories she had buried deep inside, memories of that shadowy figure that had confronted her and her sister when they were kids. Its form was hazy, shifting in and out of focus like a half-remembered nightmare, always on the edge of her perception. It moved with a strange, unsettling grace, something that was almost human but not quite. The fear, the helplessness, the disbelief from everyone around her when she tried to tell them what she had seen—it all came rushing back, overwhelming her senses. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out, to make it go away.
The sounds of battle raged on, but Sofie didn't dare look. She just wanted it to stop, for everything to go back to normal. When the noise finally subsided, she hesitantly opened her eyes. The creature was gone, but the destruction it had left behind was all too real. The front of the house was wrecked, and there was no sign of Skydancer or Jessie.
Panic surged through her again, but this time, it was accompanied by a desperate need for answers. She hopped back on her bike and pedaled as fast as she could, heading straight for the police station. But as she approached the station, she hesitated. Memories of the last time she had tried to explain what happened to her sister flooded her mind—those looks of disbelief, the way everyone treated her like she was crazy. She couldn't go through that again.
No, they won't believe me. No one ever does, she thought bitterly, turning her bike around. Instead of going to the police, she headed back to the apartment, determined to confront the boys and get the truth out of them directly—if they were even still alive.
- Back to the Apartment -
When Sofie burst into the apartment, her heart was still racing, her mind spinning with everything she had seen. Skydancer and Jessie were sitting on the couch, looking as if they had just escaped from hell itself.
What did I just see? What's really going on? Sofie thought, her hands trembling as she waited for the truth. But deep down, she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it.
Sofie's voice shook with barely contained fury. "What the hell have you two gotten me into? I nearly got killed by that… that nightmare thing! What the hell was that? And what's all this talk about magic being real?"
Jessie, still jittery from the night's events, tried to offer a nervous grin. "Whoa, hold on, Sof. Let's not go all postal on us just yet. We're all trying to figure this out too. You wouldn't believe the kind of night we've had—"
"Shut up, Jessie!" Sofie snapped, cutting him off. "I don't want jokes right now. I want answers!" She turned her fierce gaze to Skydancer."I followed you guys, you know. I saw everything—everything that happened at that house." Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of what she'd witnessed.
Sky sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to process everything. The last thing he wanted was to drag someone else into this mess, but it seemed like that ship had already sailed.
Nexi's voice chimed in, her tone unusually serious. [Sky, you might as well explain what you can. She's in this now, whether you like it or not. And the sooner she knows, the better chance you all have.]
Sky glanced over at Sofie, who was watching him with a mix of determination and fear. He nodded slowly, accepting the reality of the situation. "Alright, Sofie," he began, his voice steady. "I'll tell you what I can. But you have to understand—this isn't like anything we've dealt with before. It's bigger, and it's dangerous. And now that you're involved, we need to be on the same page."
Sofie crossed her arms, her expression resolute. "I'm already in, Sky. Just tell me what the hell is going on."
Sky exhaled heavily, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "I wish I could give you all the answers, Sofie, but the truth is, I don't have them. What I do know is that something big and dangerous is happening—something I need to stop. I have to find the hidden world, the supernatural world beneath the surface and if I don't, something really bad is going to happen. That's why Jessie and I were at that house, searching for clues when the monster found us."
He paused, his eyes reflecting the seriousness of his words. "I can't explain my abilities or where they came from, but just trust me when I say that whatever's going on, it's bigger than us. And if we don't figure it out, a lot of people could get hurt.""
Sofie, her mind now open to any and all possibilities, tried to piece together what Skydancer was saying—and what he wasn't. She muttered to herself, the words almost a whisper as she wrestled with the strangeness of it all. "It's like a jinx, or some kind of curse… or maybe it's a magical NDA."
Jessie, who had been listening intently, chimed in, "Yeah, like some magical non-disclosure agreement. You're not allowed to spill the beans even if you want to, right?"
Skydancer kept silent, knowing he couldn't answer their questions about the system or his mission. The constraints he was under were clear, so instead, he handed Sofie the letter. "This is all we've got to lead us to the hidden world," he said, his tone heavy with the weight of their situation. Sofie took the letter, her brow furrowing as she studied the intricate fractal pattern on the corner. "It might just be decorative… but it feels like there's more to it."
Jessie suddenly snapped his fingers as recognition dawned on him. "Wait, that's not just a pattern—it's probably a steganographic algorithm. It's like a QR code on steroids, a way to hide data within an image. I've seen this kind of thing before."
Skydancer raised an eyebrow, a mix of annoyance and curiosity in his voice. "And you didn't think to mention that when you first saw it?"
Jessie shrugged, flashing a sheepish grin. "Honestly, mate, I was too busy freaking out about the monster trying to kill us. But No worries, brother. Let's head to the tech cave—I'll crack this code in no time."
They followed Jessie to his room, which was more of a high-tech lair than a bedroom. Jessie booted up his supercomputer, a beast of a machine he'd pieced together from parts he "borrowed" from the university.
"Alright, let's see what we've got here," Jessie muttered as he connected the image to his computer. The screen flickered to life, and within moments, Jessie had decrypted the code with ease. The image began to unravel, revealing hidden text that slowly scrolled across the screen.
The message was brief but unsettling:
Congratulations!
You have been selected to enroll in the elite curriculum of the House of Horns, where only the most promising candidates are granted admission. Your journey toward mastery begins now.
As soon as the text disappeared, a notification popped up on each of their phones simultaneously. Skydancer, Jessie, and Sofie exchanged uneasy glances before pulling out their devices. There, in plain view, was an invitation to Scotland, along with plane tickets and a travel itinerary leading deep into the Scottish countryside.
Sofie's voice trembled as she spoke, her fear temporarily forgotten in the face of this new mystery. "What… what have we gotten ourselves into?"
Jessie, always one for humor even in the darkest of times, gave a shaky laugh. "Looks like we're going to Scotland, mates. Hope you like haggis."
Skydancer, however, couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.
[Sky, this is big. I don't know what the House of Horns is, but it's obviosuly not just an ordinary school. You need to be prepared for whatever comes next. This could be the hidden world you're looking for… or it could be something far worse.]
Skydancer nodded, his face grim as he considered Nexi's words. "Yeah… and something tells me we're walking straight into the devils lair."
The three of them stared at the screens in silence, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on them. There was no turning back now. The hidden world they sought had found them first.