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A portal opened to another world; Noah wasn't in the library anymore.He was lying on a cold, hard ground that smelled like metal. When he looked up, he realized the ceiling was actually the sky, but it wasn't the sky he knew.It was a mix of purple and black, with strange light fragments moving around like they were alive. In the distance, he saw twisted towers, rising and changing shape like they were unstable.He tried to stand up, but pain shot through his spine. He touched his chest and felt heat under his skin. He looked at his hand and froze.There, on his palm, was the mark.
The same symbol from the book, Pharaoh's eye with a reptilian pupil, but now it was part of his skin. It glowed and sent another wave of pain through his body, making him flinch."You have been chosen."A voice. Cold and far away.He looked around no one was there. But he wasn't alone.Something was off. The air was thick, like it was being forced into his lungs. Whispers came from the shadows, faint and hard to understand, but they seemed to know him.His vision began to clear. He realized that he was standing on a circular stone platform, from which bridges led to different places. Some ended in darkness, some led to giant portals, pulsing with a strange green light.Then he heard footsteps. Not human footsteps.Claws. Noah turned slowly.A long creature, with suspiciously thin limbs, moved with unnatural fluidity. Its skin was as black as the shadows of night, and its eyes glowed with a cold silver color. It had no mouth, but spoke directly to his head."Welcome to the Threshold."Noah felt a chill. This wasn't a greeting. It was a judgment.He was scared, really scared. His body didn't want to be here. He tried to step back, but his feet wouldn't move, like the ground was holding him."Welcome to the Threshold, Noah."The words weren't spoken; they were put into his mind, cold and definite.Then the creature changed.It looked like a cat, but it wasn't really a cat. Its size grew and shrank as if the air around it wasn't still, as if its very existence wasn't sure what it should be. His tail twisted in the air like a snake moving on its own, his ears disappeared for a moment and then returned as if they had never been gone. Even his black fur seemed to be more than just hair... it was like the living darkness of night wrapping around his body. But the scariest thing... was his smile.Suddenly, his mouth split open in the center of his face, a smile that was too wide, with long, sharp teeth, randomly aligned, as if someone had collected them from different creatures. However, there was no saliva, no lip movement, just that line that opened like a wound in a black mask.He wanted to run, to move, but he couldn't.The creature lifted a claw.It drew a circle in the air, then the world shattered. The air became heavy, as if it had turned into water, and the ground began to squirm under his feet. The trees, the rocks, even the sky itself... everything began to change. It was like the whole world was just a drawing on paper, and now someone was tearing it up and redrawing it all over again.Strange colors began to creep across the place. Reds, purples, shades that shouldn't be here. There was no light, yet everything was radiant, pulsing with a strange light, as if the place had come alive.
Then, sounds appeared.
Whispers, distant screams, a murmur that was incomprehensible but surrounded him on all sides. Noah was sure that some of the voices were whispering his name.
The creature moved towards him, slowly, as if the chaotic scene around them meant nothing to it.
"You are approaching the truth."
It came even closer…
"But You are incomplete.... yet."
Then, the creature pushed him backwards.
He didn't touch it, but he felt an invisible force pulling him roughly backwards. He fell, but didn't hit the ground.
Before he fell, the creature approached him, raised one of its claws, and with a slight movement, drew a circle in the air.
Suddenly, the world changed.
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Noah woke up to a strong pounding on his chest.
He gasped, and air rushed into his lungs as if they were trapped in a glass cage. Before he realized what was happening, he felt another blow to his shoulder.
"Noah! Wake up!"
The voice was clearer this time. Sharp and real. Not a whisper in the void, but a familiar and close voice.
He gasped again, his head spinning as he quickly opened his eyes. He wasn't in the void; he wasn't surrounded by strange colors or faint sounds in his mind. He was in his room.
"How did I get back to my room? Was it all a nightmare?"
His breath quickened, and his sweat-soaked body trembled. He felt like he was falling into an endless void, distorted screams haunting him. He reached out into the nothingness, but the darkness was too thick to penetrate.
"Brother! Please, wake up!"
A soft, trembling voice. He suddenly opened his eyes, clutching at reality like a drowning man clutching at the surface of the water. It was Talia, his little sister.
"You were talking nonsense again, are you okay?" She whispered, rubbing her hands nervously.
He took a deep breath and wiped his face with his hands. "I'm fine..." Although he didn't believe it himself.
The aftershocks of the nightmare were still pulsing in his head... Distorted images, fog, and a voice that wasn't his own.
He looked at her. Her big hazel eyes were staring at him with concern and annoyance, her messy brownish-red hair falling over her face. She was standing next to him with her arms crossed.
He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. There was a strange taste in his mouth, a metallic bitterness... As if he had bitten something that wasn't there. He raised his hand to wipe his lips... He froze in place.
A black stain on his fingers.
It wasn't ink or blood, it was... something else.
Talia raised her eyebrows. She stared at his hand. "What is it?" She asked in a concerned tone.
He felt his heart racing.
The nightmare... It wasn't just a dream.
Then, before he could respond, he heard another voice.
Talia looked up at the balcony and pointed her finger, "What is that?"
Noah sensed fear in her tone
A soft whisper... coming from the corner of the room.
The feeling that crept into his body was not fear... It was a strange feeling, like a memory from another world.
He slowly turned around
And there, in the shadows, two golden eyes were staring at him... smiling.
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Noah stared at those eyes, glittering in the darkness. A cold sensation crept up his spine.
"You're late."
The voice was quiet, soft, but it carried an ancient weight, as if it had been part of the world since the beginning.
The creature emerged from the shadows, moving gracefully on all fours... Its body was a mixture of cats and unknown entities, its fur like the star-speckled night sky.
Noah did not speak.
"You're... different now."
Talia didn't move. She stood beside him, frozen.
"Who are you... and how do you know my name?"
Noktra smiled. It wasn't a human smile, but an expression that couldn't be translated into words.
"I am Noktra, and there is no time, the world is changing. and you are too."
Her golden eyes glowed in the darkness. Her sleek, dark-furred body moved lazily, as if gravity didn't apply to her. With each step of her claws, a faint smoke rose, synchronized with his pounding heart.
Trying to regain his composure, he muttered: "You're a talking cat, I've been through such strange events that I don't know what's real and what's a dream."
"I am not a cat, and you are in reality." She said coldly, looking at him as if he were an ignorant child. Then she jumped out of the window, landing in front of him with a grace that made any human look clumsy by comparison.
"Sure... You're not a nuisance either, at least tell me what you are."
"When the time comes, you'll understand." She said as she walked slowly across the room, her tail wagging lazily.
Something was different tonight. It wasn't just a nightmare... It felt like a memory.
Noktra suddenly lifted her head, her ears twitching.
Before he could sink further into his thoughts, he was interrupted by another sound - this time it wasn't in his head.
He suddenly felt cold, as if something was moving outside.
He looked at the window, then at Noktra, who was staring into the darkness with her glowing eyes.
A strange sensation crept into his skin... That feeling that tells you someone is watching you.
Noktra smiled an inhuman smile and whispered: "Looks like we have a visitor tonight. Turn off the lights and don't make a sound."
Then...
He felt footsteps on the porch, then the door opened automatically...
His body tensed, not knowing what was happening.
He approached cautiously, only to find a letter written in the same mysterious symbols that were in the book, Noah felt his breath quicken as he read the letter. The wind was howling outside, rattling the windows. A slight vibration shook the room, making the hairs on his neck stand up. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and a deep fear grew in his chest.
He slowly opened it and read it:
"I've seen too much... They are watching you."
The words on the paper seemed to come alive. They burned in his mind, each letter like a tattoo. He could feel the eyes watching him, waiting. The ink was not ordinary. It glowed slightly, moving like it was alive, and then slowly began to fade, disappearing into the paper.
Who were they, and why were they watching him?
He quickly turned on the lights.
He looked around, but Noktra was gone, and a strange sense of emptiness filled the room. The air became thinner, as if a presence had been absorbed, leaving a void. A faint metallic odor lingered, and the light seemed to dim, forming longer, more menacing shadows
Talia was on the floor, unconscious.
When he saw Talia unconscious, his heart skipped a beat. "Talia!" he rushed to her side, fear gripping him. It wasn't the first time he'd found her like this, but he wasn't used to it.
He checked her breathing, which was stable, but weak. Her face was pale, her forehead wrinkled as if she had seen something horrible before she fainted. He gently shook her shoulders, his voice shaking, "Talia, wake up. Please."
As he was trying to wake Talia up, Noah heard a faint, barely audible whisper, drifting through the room. It made him shiver, an unfamiliar energy stinging his skin. The letter wasn't the only sign. Outside, shadows flickered at the edge of his vision, and the balcony door creaked slightly. Faint whispers filled the air, mingling with the howling wind, deepening the feeling of being watched.