Chapter 4 (Part 3)
<47 days of hell>(5) ✧Atychiphobia✧
Although, I won't be able to delay the catastrophe any longer, I would be able to protect this one galaxy at least until the final day. Though the clusters sustaining the multiverse have faded, though only this galaxy remains. Even if it takes my lifespan, even if it kills me, I won't stop. It can't kill me because I will choose when I die. I will stand until my last breath.
[Day 15ᵗʰ]
In a distant realm of the cosmos, far beyond the reaches of the Milky Way, the star known as HV 2112, located within the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) — a galaxy around 200,000 light-years away from Earth and nearly 1,300–1,400 times the radius of the Sun — has mysteriously faded from existence. Its light, which once traveled across eons, has been extinguished, leaving a dark void in its place.
[Day 41ˢᵗ]
Likewise, other monumental stars across distant galaxies have disappeared without a trace. Among them are Betelgeuse, R136a1, RW Cephei, NML Cygni (also called V1489 Cygni), and the Pistol Star, each one renowned for their immense size, brightness, and age. These stars, once fixtures in the tapestry of the universe, have simply vanished, their light snuffed out in an inexplicable silence.
[Day 42ⁿᵈ]
Entire galaxies have also succumbed to this strange phenomenon, ceasing to exist as if erased from the cosmic fabric. The list is staggering: Coma A (NGC 4874), ESO 146-5, IC 1101, Hercules A (3C 348), UGC 2885 (known as "Rubin's Galaxy"), Malin 1, NGC 262, NGC 1275 (Perseus A), and even the great Andromeda Galaxy (M31) have disappeared, leaving an unimaginable absence in the void. These galaxies, which spanned thousands of light-years across, are now lost, like fading memories in the night.
[Day 43ʳᵈ]
Clusters of galaxies, once gravitationally bound and spanning millions of light-years, have also fallen prey to this cosmic erasure. The Fornax Cluster, Perseus Cluster (Abell 426), Coma Cluster (Abell 1656), Virgo Cluster, Abell 1689, Centaurus Cluster (Abell 3526), Bullet Cluster (1E 0657-56), Abell 2218, Pandora's Cluster (Abell 2744), Shapley Supercluster, and the massive El Gordo Cluster (ACT-CL J0102-4915) are gone. The unimaginable amount of matter, stars, and planets within them is now simply… nothing.
[Day 44ᵗʰ]
In the depths where black holes once stood as silent sentinels, even they have vanished, defying the nature of their existence. Black holes like TON 618, Holmberg 15A, Phoenix A, S5 0014+81, M87*, Cygnus A, PKS 0745-19, OJ 287, NGC 4889, and NGC 1277 have disappeared from the universe, no longer holding their gravitational sway over the surrounding space-time. Where these titanic forces of darkness once rested, only emptiness remains.
Entire superclusters of galaxies, the largest known structures in the universe, have been erased from the cosmic map. The Virgo Supercluster, Hercules Supercluster, Coma Supercluster, Perseus-Pisces Supercluster, Laniakea Supercluster, Horologium Supercluster, Shapley Supercluster, Saraswati Supercluster, Ophiuchus Supercluster, and Leo Supercluster are no more. Their boundless reaches have collapsed into silence, an absence of galactic activity stretching beyond comprehension.
Nebulas, the birthplace of stars, have vanished as well, leaving regions of the universe without their radiant beauty and potential for new life. Gone are the Eagle Nebula, Carina Nebula, Tarantula Nebula, Omega Nebula, Orion Nebula, Helix Nebula, Trifid Nebula, Horsehead Nebula, Lagoon Nebula, Cat's Eye Nebula, Rosette Nebula, Crab Nebula, Veil Nebula, Dumbbell Nebula, Butterfly Nebula, Southern Crab Nebula, Eskimo Nebula, Crescent Nebula, Medusa Nebula, and the Cone Nebula. These nurseries of light and life have darkened, their luminescence snuffed out in the cosmic night.
[Day 45ᵗʰ]
Constellations that have guided explorers and inspired myth across the ages are disappearing from the skies, one by one. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Capricornus have all faded, leaving vast areas of the celestial sphere empty of familiar patterns.
Finally, entire planets and massive gas giants in other star systems have vanished as well, their orbits left barren and abandoned. Worlds such as Gliese 581g, Kepler-452b, 55 Cancri e, HD 189733b, WASP-12b, Proxima Centauri b, K2-18b, GJ 1214 b, Kepler-22b, Tau Ceti e, HD 209458 b, TRAPPIST-1e, OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, Kepler-62f, HD 80606 b, WASP-17b, Gliese 667 Cc, HD 40307g, Gliese 163c, and Kepler-16b are now gone. Their unique compositions, climates, and possibilities for life have been erased from existence, leaving a void in the star systems they once called home.
The universe, once teeming with infinite wonders and mysteries, now stands darker, emptier, and lonelier than ever before. A silence falls across the cosmos as if the very essence of creation itself is slowly fading, one celestial body at a time.
Day passes slowly, and soon a catastrophe will come, swallowing the remaining Milky Way galaxy. People are unaware of the vast distances between stars, galaxies, planets, nebulas, and constellations, and the black holes that govern them. Some scientists, who have been observing the electromagnetic fields, have detected the calamity, but they couldn't believe that these stellar wonders, which have existed for billions of years, have suddenly vanished without a trace.
✧
[Day 43ʳᵈ—44ᵗʰ]
Alexei stood up without another word, and I scrambled to follow him as he moved toward the back of the cabin. The cold wind hit us like a wall when he pushed open the back door, and I shivered, pulling my coat tighter. Snow was falling steadily, adding to the thick blanket already covering the ground. I trailed behind as he walked a short distance, then stopped, kneeling in the snow. He began brushing it away with his gloved hands, focused and determined.
"Where… where are we going?" I asked, a little breathless from both the cold and the anticipation.
"You'll see," he replied simply, not looking up. His voice was calm but purposeful, as if this was something he'd done a hundred times before. After a few moments of digging, he uncovered a trapdoor—its dark metal surface catching the dull light. He opened it with a heavy, creaking sound, revealing a hidden stash of firearms tucked beneath the floor. Rifles, shotguns, pistols—each weapon lay neatly arranged and well-maintained, despite the harsh elements.
"Glock 19, M4 Carbine, Benelli M4… and a Dragunov sniper," Alexei muttered, picking up each weapon as he named it. He turned back to me, eyeing me thoughtfully, as if he were sizing me up.
I swallowed, feeling the weight of his gaze. I knew nothing about guns, but something about his expression made me feel that if I wanted to be taken seriously, I'd need to start learning fast. So, without waiting for him to tell me, I picked up the Glock and then hesitated, reaching for the M4 as well. Alexei gave a slight nod of approval, and we made our way back inside, arms loaded with weapons. Once we'd placed everything down on the wooden table, Alexei turned on his heel, heading back outside.
He returned moments later with a pistol in hand, and he held it out to me. "Take this," he said, his tone firm. "Aim at that tree over there and shoot."
I held the pistol awkwardly, feeling the cold metal bite into my fingers. I took a shaky breath and raised it toward the tree he'd indicated, squinting down the sights, trying to hold steady. But my hand wobbled, and when I pulled the trigger, the recoil jolted my arm up, making my shot go wildly off-course. Embarrassed, I lowered the gun, feeling Alexei's eyes on me.
"Relax your grip," he said patiently, stepping closer. "If you're too tense, you'll throw off your aim every time."
I nodded, taking a deep breath, and raised the pistol again. This time, I tried to keep my hands steady, as relaxed as I could manage, but the shot still went wide. Alexei sighed, though not unkindly. "Shooting isn't about strength alone, Hoshino. It's about control. You're still fighting it."
For two days, I kept trying. Every morning, Alexei would bring me outside, hand me the pistol, and have me fire at the same tree. I missed over and over, but he was patient, giving me pointers, adjusting my stance, my grip. We barely spoke beyond the instructions, but somehow, it felt comfortable, almost like a strange routine.
Each evening, we'd sit back in the cabin, my arms sore from hours of practice. I wanted to ask Alexei more about the Foundation, about his work, about why he'd even bothered to save me. But something held me back, maybe a lingering sense of respect, or the feeling that his silence was part of some unspoken understanding we were forming. Still, every now and then, he'd look at me with an expression that felt almost… encouraging. Like he could see the determination behind my struggle.
On the second day, after what must have been my hundredth attempt, I finally hit the tree. Not dead center, but close enough. I lowered the pistol, feeling a surge of satisfaction and looked over at Alexei, expecting some sort of nod, maybe a rare word of praise. Instead, he simply raised an eyebrow, as if to say, About time. But there was a glint in his eyes—a faint approval. And for the first time, I felt that maybe, just maybe, I was getting ready for whatever lay ahead.
[Day 45ᵗʰ]
The next morning came with a familiar chill in the air. I stretched, my arms sore from the previous day's practice, though I was starting to get used to it. I had only just started to move around the cabin when I heard a faint rumble in the distance. It wasn't thunder, but something closer, something mechanical. Alexei had already heard it, too; he was by the window, watching with a wary look.I joined him, peering out into the falling snow. A rugged military-style vehicle—a jeep, built to handle the snow—was coming up the trail, moving steadily toward the cabin. It was covered in snow and dirt, the windows tinted so I couldn't see who was inside. The jeep finally came to a stop a few feet from the cabin, and I felt an unexpected twist in my gut. I wasn't sure if it was excitement or fear.
Alexei, noticing my reaction, simply said, "They're the ones I called for backup."
The jeep doors opened, and three figures stepped out, each moving differently. The first was a woman with long, straight black hair that fell past her shoulders, her gaze cold and blank. She had striking blue eyes that somehow felt as cold as the snow around us. Her movements were quiet, deliberate, and when her eyes found the cabin, she looked right through it. She seemed detached, her expression a mask that hid anything she might've been feeling.
The second figure jumped out with a bit more energy, practically bouncing onto the snow-covered ground. Her magenta-colored hair made her stand out against the pale winter landscape, and she had an excited gleam in her yellow eyes, like she was thrilled to be here. She didn't seem bothered by the cold at all, her expression vibrant in contrast to the bleak setting.
The third person emerged more slowly, his dark eyes already scanning the area, a slight frown on his face. His brown hair was cut short, and his movements were precise, efficient. As he took in the cabin and our small clearing in the woods, he looked mildly annoyed, as if he hadn't signed up for this exact setting and was disappointed by it.
"Alright," the brown-haired guy said, his voice holding a note of irritation as his eyes settled on Alexei. "Who's Alexei here?"
"That would be me," Alexei replied, his tone steady, almost indifferent.
The guy—who I assumed was Astrid—nodded and said, "Good. I'm Astrid Jensen." He didn't offer a hand or a smile, just a curt nod, but there was a hint of respect in the way he looked at Alexei.
The black-haired woman stepped forward next, looking at us with an expression that could only be described as lifeless. She nodded slightly before saying, "Ji-hyeon Lee."
Her voice was quiet, almost flat, as if she spoke only out of necessity. She glanced at me briefly, her blue eyes flickering with the slightest hint of curiosity before her expression returned to its usual blankness.
The last to introduce herself was the woman with magenta hair. She smiled as she approached, her yellow eyes bright and full of life. "Magnolia Rose," she said cheerfully, giving me a small wave. "Nice to meet you." Her voice had a warmth to it, something that felt completely out of place in this cold, desolate forest.
"Right. Come inside," Alexei said, motioning them all toward the cabin. They followed him in, each carrying a bag or two. Magnolia and Ji-hyeon walked in without a word, while Astrid cast a quick look around, his eyes lingering on the weapons spread out on the table.
Inside the cabin, the air was tense. I could feel it in the way they all stood, eyes scanning the place, as if measuring each corner for potential threats. They weren't exactly the friendly type, I realized, though Magnolia seemed to be the most approachable of the three.
As everyone settled, Ji-hyeon looked over at Alexei, her gaze direct but still somewhat distant. "What's the plan?" she asked, her tone as neutral as her expression. "And what exactly are we fighting?"
I felt my heart skip a beat. The way she asked made it clear she was ready for anything, no matter how dark or dangerous. But there was also something chilling about the way she spoke, as if this kind of mission was just another day in her life.
Alexei didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his gaze sharp as he looked over the three of them. "We're dealing with something the Foundation marked as untouchable," he began, his voice steady. "The cursed file, also known as 'Keter.'"
There was a silence as the weight of the words sank in. I noticed Magnolia's cheerful demeanor fade just slightly, and Ji-hyeon's eyes narrowed, as if she were processing the implications. Astrid, however, looked unimpressed, though he was listening closely.
Magnolia broke the silence. "So, it's that bad, huh?" She sounded intrigued, but there was a slight tremor in her voice. "I've only heard rumors. Thought the Foundation buried that project ages ago."
"They did," Alexei replied, his gaze dark. "But it didn't disappear. It's still out there, and it's causing more damage than we can measure."
Ji-hyeon nodded, her expression thoughtful. "So, we're here to… what? Contain it? Eliminate it?"
"Eliminating it would be ideal," Alexei said. "But we don't know if that's possible. This thing has a way of adapting, of slipping through any containment we try to set up. That's why I called you in. Each of you has a specific skill set the Foundation thought might be useful."
Astrid crossed his arms, looking impatient. "Great. Just one question—how do we actually kill something the Foundation couldn't contain?"
"We're not entirely sure," Alexei admitted, glancing at me. "But Hoshino here has been through… encounters with it. He survived, barely. And he seems to have a link to it. A vulnerability we might be able to use."
All eyes turned to me, and I felt my face flush, my heart racing under their intense gazes. It was strange, being the center of attention in a room full of people who felt like legends to me. I tried to hold my ground, meeting their eyes one by one.
Ji-hyeon's stare was blank, but there was an intensity in it, like she was studying me, analyzing every detail. Magnolia gave me an encouraging smile, though I could see a hint of worry in her expression. Astrid just looked at me with mild skepticism.
"So, you're our lead, then?" Astrid asked, a bit of sarcasm creeping into his tone.
I shook my head quickly, feeling the pressure of his gaze. "No. I just had a few encounters with it, i am not that useful.... ,really." The words felt strange as I said them, but they were true. I was here because of my connection to that thing, whatever it was.
Magnolia chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, kid. We've got your back," she said, giving me a reassuring nod. "It's what we're here for."
Ji-hyeon cut in, her voice steady and without a hint of emotion. "We need a strategy. If this thing is as dangerous as they say, we can't afford to be unprepared."
Alexei nodded, his expression turning serious. "Agreed. Over the next few days, we'll be running drills. Each of you has a specialty, and I want to see it in action. We're dealing with a shape-shifting, reality-bending entity. Anything we can throw at it might buy us time, or even damage it."
The room grew quiet again as everyone took in his words. I felt a surge of determination. These people were here because they were the best, and even though I was nowhere near their level, I wanted to help. I wanted to be a part of this, to see it through to the end.
After a long silence, Ji-hyeon spoke again, breaking the tension. "Fine. We'll start tomorrow. But I need specifics. Powers, weaknesses, anything it's shown before."
Alexei nodded, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of approval in his eyes. "Good. Then let's get to work. We'll need every advantage we can get."
He turned to me and gave a slight nod. "Hoshino, you're going to be a big part of this. Be ready."
I swallowed, nodding, feeling a strange mix of fear and resolve as I looked at the faces around me. This was it.
✧
Hoshino sat quietly in the dimly lit room, his expression unreadable as he took in the tense silence around him. He sat down on the wooden chair, crossing one leg over the other, and when he finally spoke, his voice was low and devoid of emotion, like he was relaying a simple fact.
"Alright," he began, his voice steady but hollow, "it started with the file. The first of the cursed files, if you'd call it that."
Ji-hyeon, Magnolia, Astrid, and Alexei all turned to him, clearly stunned. Ji-hyeon narrowed her eyes, her normally detached expression slightly broken by a sliver of confusion.
"What?" she managed to say, her voice as blank as her stare.
Hoshino didn't respond to their expressions. Instead, he kept talking, his voice calm and almost mechanical, like he was talking about someone else's life.
"The file can't be read," he explained, his gaze fixed on some far-off point. "The text is unreadable. Just broken characters that seem like they're written in a language no one understands. But if you try to read it… that's when you're marked by it. By Keter."
There was a sharp intake of breath from Magnolia, her face twisting with shock and something close to horror. Ji-hyeon, however, stayed silent, though her hands balled into fists as she listened.
"It first appeared in the orphanage where I grew up," Hoshino continued, his voice almost a whisper. "The director had it—kept it locked up, hidden. One day, one of the kids tried to open it, to read it… and died forty-seven days later. Everyone thought it was some kind of freak accident, a sickness or something. But then… I opened it too."
The room was silent. Hoshino didn't blink, his face cold and detached as he dropped the final piece of the story.
"And now I have three days left."
There was a stunned pause, everyone absorbing his words. Magnolia looked like she'd just seen a ghost. Ji-hyeon's gaze hardened, her blank stare faltering as she studied him, maybe trying to understand the calm with which he'd just laid out his death sentence. But Astrid scoffed, a cynical smile pulling at his mouth.
"How can you be so calm?" Ji-hyeon finally asked, her voice as steady as ever but carrying a faint note of disbelief.
"Who knows," Hoshino replied, his tone unchanged.
Magnolia shook her head, struggling to find her voice. "How can… something like this happen?"
Astrid rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Foolish," he muttered. "Messing around with something you didn't understand. That's how these things go."
Hoshino shot him a flat look. "I was an orphan" he said evenly. "My parents died in car accident."
The quiet after that statement was heavy. He could feel all of them staring, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth. But he knew they felt it—the weight of it.
Hoshino went on, "Keter has power like a stellar black hole. It's a force you can't comprehend. And as for why I know that…"
He paused, feeling their eyes on him, skeptical but curious. Finally, he decided it didn't matter if they believed him.
"it's nothing you should know," he said quietly. "So, don't try to ask these waste of time questions."
Astrid let out a low sigh, like he was annoyed with the whole situation. "So, we only have one option, then," he muttered, his voice almost resigned.
The others stared at him, the question clear in their expressions. *Really?*
Astrid didn't answer. Instead, he turned and strode out of the cabin, heading for the jeep. The rest of them exchanged wary glances before following him out into the snow. Hoshino found himself trailing at the back, his breath clouding in the cold air, wondering what Astrid had in mind.
At the jeep, Astrid opened the back, revealing an array of weapons set carefully in the storage compartment. Among the assortment were four pistols, each one a sleek design with neon outlines of blue, red, green, and white. The guns practically glowed in the dim winter light, the colors reflecting off the snow as Astrid picked one up and turned to the others.
"This is the latest model," he said, holding up the blue pistol so they could all see. "A photon gun. Equipped with a photon sphere—it's powerful enough to take on an entity like Keter, at least for a while. Only mid-rank members have access to these."
Hoshino raised an eyebrow, studying the strange weapon. "What exactly is this thing supposed to do?" he asked, his voice skeptical.
Astrid's smirk returned, though it held less sarcasm this time. "The photon sphere generates light strong enough to counter gravity fields. It doesn't have the same mass as a star, but it can mimic some of a star's properties. Keter's a black hole of sorts, right? Well, this is a concentrated sphere of light."
Magnolia let out a low whistle, her yellow eyes wide with amazement. "They actually approved photon guns for this mission?"
Ji-hyeon nodded, though she didn't seem quite as impressed. Her gaze flickered over the guns, thoughtful. "If the Foundation's desperate enough to give us these, they must know how dangerous Keter really is."
Alexei stepped forward, examining the guns with a critical eye. "It's not a long-term solution," he said, his tone grim. "Keter will adapt. We'll have to be prepared for when that happens."
Astrid passed one of the pistols to Ji-hyeon, who accepted it with a nod. Then he handed a green-outlined one to Magnolia and held out the red one to Alexei. Hoshino found himself with the white-outlined pistol, the cold metal smooth in his hand as he gripped it. He felt the weight of it, the strange energy humming faintly as he looked at Astrid.
"What exactly are we supposed to do with these?" he asked, his voice uncertain.
Astrid's smirk turned serious. "You're going to have to keep it on you at all times. If Keter shows itself, aim and fire. Don't hesitate, don't think—just pull the trigger and hope it slows it down long enough for the rest of us to get clear. Got it?"
Hoshino nodded, swallowing hard. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of using an untested weapon against something like Keter, but he didn't have much of a choice.
Ji-hyeon, still holding her pistol, looked at him, her expression unreadable. "You really think this is going to work?" she asked, a faint edge to her voice.
Hoshino looked down at the gun in his hand, the strange glow of the neon outline casting shadows over the snow. He didn't have an answer. But he wasn't about to let them see that uncertainty.
"It's better than nothing," he replied finally, his voice steady.
Magnolia gave him a quick, encouraging smile. "Then let's hope it's enough."
The tension in the air was thick as they all loaded up, each taking a moment to check over their weapons. Alexei took the lead, his expression as focused as ever. "We'll take shifts watching for Keter. Stay alert and keep these guns ready at all times."
Hoshino felt the weight of the weapon as he held it close, the strange, humming energy of the photon sphere pulsing faintly against his palm. He knew they were right to be cautious. Keter was unlike anything he'd ever faced, and even with the Foundation's technology, there was no guarantee they could stop it.
But as he glanced around at the faces of his team, he felt something he hadn't felt before. A strange kind of confidence. He wasn't alone in this fight. And maybe, just maybe, they had a shot.
Astrid nodded to him as they settled into their positions, his tone half-joking, half-serious. "Try not to get yourself killed in the next three days, yeah?"
Hoshino managed a faint smirk, despite the fear still gnawing at him. "I'll do my best."
They all took their positions, waiting as the snow continued to fall, the weight of the coming battle heavy in the silent forest around them.
✧
The cabin was silent and dark, blanketed in shadows from the dim light filtering through the snow-covered windows. Inside, everyone was fast asleep—everyone except me. Alexei lay next to me, his breath steady, unfazed. But I couldn't sleep. The weight of the last two days had settled over me like a lead cloak. So instead, I slipped outside, craving the icy sting of the night air, as if that alone could help clear my mind.
Outside, the cold hit me immediately, the snow crunching beneath my boots. I tilted my head back and looked at the sky, expecting to see a familiar expanse of stars. But what I saw left me breathless. So many of them were gone. I'd noticed the missing stars before, but it was getting worse, and tonight they'd all but vanished. Only the faint glimmers of the Milky Way galaxy remained, like a lone survivor in a vast emptiness. I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the snow. What would be the point of any of this if everything else—every star, every planet—was fading out of existence? All this, and here I was, burning out the last of my days trying to fight for people who didn't even know me.
"What am I even doing this for?" I whispered, more to the darkened sky than to myself. "Freaking hell…"
Just then, I felt a faint presence behind me, so subtle it was almost as if the cold itself had taken form. I tensed instinctively, fingers closing around the cold metal of my compass, my only real weapon in this desolate place. I spun and pointed it toward the shadow, only to feel a hand clamp down on mine and a rough smack land against my head.
"Is that how you meet people?" Alexei's voice cut through the darkness, his words carrying that familiar mix of sarcasm and exasperation.
I sighed, lowering my hand. "Sorry… instinct, I guess."
He shook his head, then sat down beside me in the snow, his gaze wandering to the empty sky. The silence stretched between us, weighed down by all the questions and regrets neither of us wanted to voice. Finally, he spoke.
"Are you really doing this?" His voice was softer than I'd ever heard it. "I'm asking you one last time, kid. You could just let this go and enjoy your last two days. There's no one here to judge you for it."
I looked down, drawing lines in the snow with my fingers. "Even if I tried to enjoy it… it would still end in a pointless death," I replied, hearing the emptiness in my own words. "So why not do something useful instead?"
He nodded, as if he'd expected that answer, but there was something else in his eyes. A darkness. So I asked, barely above a whisper, "Alexei… aren't you scared?"
He stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "Fear doesn't matter much when you've already lost everyone." His voice was barely more than a murmur, raw and hollow. "I've watched my comrades die—three times, in fact. After a while, you just… stop feeling it."
He said it so matter-of-factly, but I felt the weight of his words settle deep inside me. He'd been fighting for so long, carrying these memories, this loss… and here I was, still unsure if I even understood what this fight meant.
"Right…" I muttered, half to myself, feeling the truth of it seep into my bones.
He didn't seem to hear me, but he turned his gaze toward me, his eyes filled with something fierce. "So listen, kid," he said, his voice low but determined, "I'm putting everything I've got into this mission. Not because of the K.E.A or anyone else, but for myself. This one… this one's personal."
I blinked, surprised. "Wait—'K.E.A'? You mean… K.E.A.?" I asked, the term unfamiliar.
Alexei looked at me like I'd just said something ridiculous. "Yeah. K.E.A. The organization we're with." He paused, studying my expression, then frowned. "Wait, are you telling me… you're not with us? Not with the Foundation?"
Panic jolted through me, and I scrambled to cover. "No, no! That's what I meant. I just… I, uh, forgot the name for a second," I said, forcing a laugh that sounded hollow even to my own ears.
He arched an eyebrow but let it drop. "All right, then. K.E.A.—Kill, Eliminate, Annihilate. That's what it stands for. Don't forget it again."
But his words were like a cold knife, cutting through my last shreds of certainty. That wasn't the name of the foundation I was supposed to be working with. I'd been briefed on something entirely different: S.C.P.—Secure, Contain, Protect. But now, looking at Alexei's unflinching gaze, I realized just how out of place I really was.
He seemed to sense my unease, his expression shifting to a more suspicious one. "So, this… 'Foundation' you thought you were working with… that wouldn't happen to be… S.C.P., would it?"
The lie was ready on my tongue, but I forced it down, knowing it wouldn't help. "Yeah," I said finally, letting the truth hang there, naked and vulnerable. "That's what I thought."
Alexei stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head, half-smiling. "S.C.P., huh? Never heard of it."
"Well, they're supposed to be good at keeping secrets," I muttered, trying to cover my nerves with a joke. It fell flat, but he let it go, his gaze softening.
"Well," he said, standing and stretching, "whatever Foundation you're looking for… doesn't matter now, does it? We're all we've got here. So get some sleep, kid. We've got a battle to win tomorrow… probably."
He clapped me on the shoulder, then turned and walked back toward the cabin, his footsteps muffled by the snow.
For a few moments, I stayed there, alone, the silence settling back around me. The stars were still missing, the darkness pressing in from all sides. The night seemed to pulse with a kind of loneliness I hadn't felt before, and in the eerie stillness, I found myself wondering if any of this would be here tomorrow. If there would even be a fight to wake up to.
I shook the thought off, taking one last look at the starless sky. Snow was starting to fall again, thick flakes drifting down, dusting everything in white. It was going to be a cold day tomorrow.
Eventually, I turned and made my way back to the cabin, my fingers numb. Just as I reached the door, I spotted a figure leaning against the far corner, barely visible in the moonlight. Ji-hyeon Lee was there, her face tilted up to the sky, eyes distant as if she, too, were searching for the missing stars.
But I wasn't in the mood for conversation. "Freaking hell…" I muttered under my breath, brushing past and stepping into the warm dark of the cabin.
Inside, I collapsed into my makeshift bed, letting the exhaustion pull me under. But even as I closed my eyes, the silence seemed to whisper back to me, haunting and endless. And as I drifted into a fitful sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that the fight ahead was bigger than any of us knew—and that maybe, just maybe, it was already too late.
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Magnolia Rose had been with the Foundation for three years, each mission etching deeper lines of weariness into her face. The first entity she encountered, The Flesh That Hates , haunted her more than any other. It was a grotesque amalgamation of tissue and muscle, pulsating and writhing like a living nightmare. When she first laid eyes on it, it had been a mere flicker of movement in the dark, but as it drew closer, the stench of decay assaulted her senses. It whispered her name in a voice like grinding bone, taunting her, promising pain and despair. She couldn't understand its language, but the malice behind its words was unmistakable. Every instinct screamed at her to run, yet a part of her was rooted in place, paralyzed by terror.
The entity's movements were erratic, like a puppeteer had lost control of its marionette. It would stretch and twist, elongating its limbs impossibly, just to curl back in on itself with a speed that defied logic. Magnolia remembered the blood-curdling screams echoing through the sterile halls as it tore through her fellow agents, their faces contorted in agony, the sound of flesh tearing punctuating the air like a twisted symphony. No matter how far she tried to distance herself from those memories, they clawed at her mind, reminding her that she had witnessed horror that no one should ever see.
In those moments, she learned that it thrived on fear and suffering. It fed off the anguish of its victims, growing stronger with each scream. Its grotesque form was a testament to that hunger; limbs and skin melded together, forming a grotesque tapestry of writhing flesh. Even when it was contained, she could feel its presence lurking just beyond the walls of her consciousness, a constant reminder of the nightmarish reality that lay beneath the surface of their world. The scars it left were not merely physical; they were imprinted in the very fabric of her being.
Magnolia often found herself awake at night, drenched in sweat, reliving the horror of that encounter. The agency had sent them in to contain it, but what they discovered was far beyond their reckoning. The screams of her comrades echoed in her ears as she fought against the instinct to flee. She remembered watching one agent, a dear friend, being consumed by it—his screams becoming frantic and wild before dissolving into silence. The image of his twisted face haunted her, a ghost she could not shake off, leaving her trapped in a cycle of grief and guilt.
Despite the trauma, she survived that encounter, carrying the weight of loss with her like a shroud. She had been pulled from the abyss just in time, but the memories lingered, an ever-present reminder of the fragility of life. Each time she closed her eyes, she could see it clawing its way into her mind, twisting her thoughts, feeding on her fears. It became a familiar nightmare, the kind that clung to her like a second skin, making her question her own sanity.
Even after she moved on to other missions, the darkness of that encounter would rear its head, lurking in the corners of her consciousness. It had been an experience that defined her, that stripped away the innocence she had once carried into the Foundation. The horrors of that day still echoed within her, shaping her into the agent she had become. But the feeling of defeat remained. No one truly escaped The Flesh That Hates unscathed.
The second entity Magnolia faced was known only as The Endless Pit . It was a place rather than a creature, a chasm that seemed to absorb the very light around it. The Foundation had received reports of strange disappearances near a remote village, where people spoke of voices calling them into the depths of the earth. Determined to uncover the truth, Magnolia volunteered for the mission, her heart pounding with anticipation and dread. They descended into the pit, the walls slick with moisture and darkness wrapping around them like a suffocating blanket.
As they ventured deeper, the air grew thick with an oppressive silence, broken only by the distant echoes of their own voices. Each step forward felt like a step into a void, the kind that gnawed at her sanity. Shadows danced just out of reach, flickering in the corners of her vision, but when she turned to look, they vanished, leaving only the eerie stillness behind. It was as if the darkness itself was alive, whispering secrets of horror that were never meant to be heard. She could feel the unease settle into her bones, a creeping sensation that something was waiting for them just beyond the edge of perception.
Magnolia and her team pressed on, the atmosphere growing more suffocating with each passing moment. The deeper they went, the more the voices began to rise—a cacophony of tortured souls, pleading for release. It was a siren's song that threatened to pull her under, and she could feel herself being drawn into the madness. Faces flashed in her mind—twisted visages of the lost souls who had descended before her, forever trapped in the darkness, their eyes wide with terror. The pit seemed to spawn monsters with each step they took, ghoulish figures rising from the shadows, dragging themselves towards her with a hunger that sent her heart racing.
At one point, they encountered a creature that defied description—a ghoul, rotting and skeletal, eyes glowing with malevolence. It lunged at her, and she barely had time to react. She fired her weapon, but the bullets passed right through it, as if it were nothing but an illusion. In that moment, panic surged through her veins, but her training kicked in. She fought against the rising tide of fear, desperate to stay grounded in the reality of the mission. It was an exhausting battle, both physically and mentally, as she struggled to keep her sanity intact while surrounded by the horrors that clawed at the edges of her mind.
The further they descended, the more grotesque the manifestations became. They were no longer just figments of her imagination; they were tangible horrors, grotesque parodies of humanity that surrounded them. Every corner held a new terror—ghostly figures drifting just beyond reach, twisted bodies clawing their way through the darkness. Each encounter chipped away at her resolve, leaving her feeling smaller, more fragile. She was acutely aware that with every passing moment, they were losing themselves to the pit, their minds fracturing under the weight of what they faced.
Eventually, they reached a cavern where the darkness seemed to pulsate like a living heartbeat. It was here that they found the source of the pit—the center of it all. Shadows writhed and twisted, a chaotic mass of despair that seemed to be pulling them in, feeding off their fear. Magnolia felt her grip on reality slipping, her breath hitching in her throat as the dread tightened around her. It was as if the very walls were whispering her name, calling her into the depths. With one last surge of determination, she rallied her team to fight back, but she could see the despair reflected in their eyes.
In the end, they managed to escape, but not without scars—mental and physical. The pit had claimed part of their souls, leaving them hollow. The horrors of The Endless Pit lingered long after they had returned, their minds haunted by the creatures that had clawed at their sanity. Magnolia often found herself lost in the memories of that descent, replaying the events over and over, each time feeling the pull of the darkness threaten to drag her back down.
Magnolia's final encounter was with an entity that defied all her expectations:Kokū no e(虚空の絵) or The Void Painting. She had the painting ever since she left home. It was precious to her because it was her Fathers last painting But after a three years, —its surface dark and swirling, as if it contained an entire universe of despair. When she first laid eyes on it, she felt a magnetic pull, an urge to step closer. The brushstrokes seemed to shift before her eyes, revealing scenes that twisted her perception of reality. She could see flickers of emotions—fear, rage, sorrow—flashing across the canvas, each one clawing at her mind, distorting her thoughts.
Once she brought the painting back to the Foundation, she began experiencing strange phenomena. Hallucinations invaded her mind, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare. In one instance, she found herself standing in a dark forest, surrounded by twisted trees that whispered secrets she couldn't comprehend. Shadows flitted between the trunks, and when she turned to run, the ground beneath her feet seemed to shift, pulling her down. Every step felt heavy, each heartbeat echoing in her ears as if the very world was conspiring against her. She could hear her own screams, but they felt distant, muted by the overwhelming presence of the painting.
As the days turned into weeks, the effects of the painting grew stronger. Magnolia found herself drifting in and out of reality, the world around her warping into a grotesque version of itself. Faces morphed into monstrous visages, friends becoming foes in the blink of an eye. She tried to hold onto her sanity, to cling to the memories of who she was before the painting, but each moment spent near it drew her deeper into a pit of despair. Every time she thought she had it contained, it would manifest again, unleashing a new wave of psychological terror.
The entity inside the painting fed on her fears, using them to create elaborate illusions that left her questioning her own identity. At times, she would catch her reflection in a mirror and see someone else staring back—someone twisted and broken. It was as if the painting had reached into her mind, pulling out her darkest secrets and manifesting them in vivid detail. Each hallucination was a personal nightmare, each moment of clarity followed
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"In daylight's icy shroud, my heart mirrors the chill,At night, stars twinkle, a contrast to the darkened thrill.Yet as stars fade, so does the light, in darkness they dwindle,In the void, my heart and the sky, in solitude they twinkle.An empty heart and an empty sky, a poignant union they render,In the grand tapestry of emotions, a chilling tale they penned."
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