# Chapter 29
*Rustle rustle.*
Following that, I heard something scraping against the floor. I hadn’t misheard. The distance was considerable, but there was definitely something beyond the darkness.
“Did you hear that too?”
“Whine.”
The dog, having also heard the unidentifiable sound, burrowed into my arms in fear. Its small, trembling body was truly pitiful.
*Rustle rustle rustle.*
The sound drew closer. It seemed to be heading in my direction.
“Nng, ngh.”
“I-it’s okay. It’ll be fine.”
Despite my reassurances, even my breath came out in shaky, intermittent bursts. Far from feeling relieved that I wasn’t alone in this place, my fear of the unknown only grew stronger.
I moved carefully to avoid making any footsteps. Instinctively, I felt the need to flee. However, the surroundings were so dark that I couldn’t tell which way to go or how.
*Rustle rustle rustle.*
As if sensing my intention to escape, the sound seemed to quicken its pace.
“Huu…”
I held my breath and tried to distance myself from the sound. Before I knew it, I was moving my feet rapidly, almost running.
Endlessly running through this darkness with no visible end made me feel like I had entered the dream I’d had a few days ago. Back then, I was running down a corridor where nothing was visible. At the end of that corridor, a young Heerim was crying.
“Heerim, Heerim-ssi.”
Influenced by the dream, I unconsciously called out for Heerim. For some reason, I felt like he might be somewhere around here.
Ironically, despite having drawn a line in my relationship with Heerim, I was now thinking of him. Wandering through this unknown place, I thought that he might find me, just as I had found the young Heerim in my dream.
Suddenly, the scraping sound that had been coming from somewhere stopped. A chilling sensation came over me, and I stood still, surveying my surroundings.
“Why is it so cold?”
The temperature around me seemed to drop drastically. The cold, desolate silence was suffocating. I bit my parched lips and steadied my quickening breath. I sensed something’s presence very close by. It was a presence that was distinctly noticeable even in this terrible darkness.
Something enormous and threatening was here. Though invisible, its presence felt immense. I illuminated the area in front of me with my phone’s light and slowly backed away. I wanted to be ready to turn and run as soon as I confirmed what was in the darkness. Then something went ‘thud’ against my back.
*Hiss hiss.*
A sound like air escaping from a balloon came from above my head.
*Hisss. Hisssss—*
The breath was so strong that it lightly ruffled my bangs. I moved my stiffened body, rigid with tension, to shine light on what was behind me. The feeble light cut through the pitch-black darkness and finally revealed the identity of what had been following me.
“Ah…”
A foolish exclamation escaped my mouth the moment I saw what was in front of me.
It was a snake the size of a house with three heads. Each of the three heads moved independently, looking down at me.
“KYAHAAAK!”
When one of them opened its mouth wide, a cold breath gushed out. Everything felt surreal.
“Urk.”
An overwhelming terror that churned my insides washed over me, making my vision blur and my mind go blank. I couldn’t move a single step from where I stood. It felt like being trapped in a terrible nightmare.
“Woof! Woof! Kyaang!”
What brought me back to my senses was the dog. It had wriggled out of my arms, fallen to the floor, and was now biting my ankle. Since I was wearing long pants, it didn’t hurt much, but it was enough to snap me back to reality.
“Kak! Kak!”
“Woof! Woof! Woof! Grrrr. Woof!”
Compared to the three-headed monster, the tiny dog—no bigger than a crumpled tissue—was trembling but barking bravely. Having regained my senses, I picked up the dog again and ran blindly.
“Huk. Heuk.”
*Rustle rustle rustle.*
A chilling sound followed behind me as I ran. The scraping sound was from the snake moving. Despite its enormous size, the snake moved nimbly, pursuing me. I ran with all my might to escape it. But no matter how much I ran, there seemed to be no way out.
“Where, haa, where am I supposed to go!”
Tears of frustration welled up as I couldn’t do anything but run in this situation.
“KYAHAAAK!”
“AAAHHH!”
To make matters worse, the middle head of the three raised itself and attempted to attack me. The snake’s thin, long tongue barely brushed my forearm, and the area it touched melted, creating a large hole in the cardigan Jaeyeon had given me as a gift. I was so startled I nearly threw up my heart.
If that had touched my skin instead of my clothes…
The thought alone was terrifying.
“Hiss. Hiss.”
“KYAAK!”
Without giving me a chance to catch my breath, this time the snake head attached to the right extended its tongue to threaten me. I really wanted to cry. Actually, tears or sweat—I couldn’t tell which—were already dripping from my chin.
“Huu. Huuk.”
I had no strength left to run anymore.
“SAEK. Saek.”
“HISSSS.”
“KYAAK. KAK.”
Noticing my exhaustion, the three heads each made bizarre sounds and moved in the air as if dancing. After tangling and untangling among themselves for a while, the snakes suddenly stopped. Then my eyes met the vertical, chilling pupils of the reptile, and the middle head lunged at me with its mouth completely open. I could only freeze in place and squeeze my eyes shut.
“KYAHAAAK!”
Just as the snake’s mouth was about to devour my body.
*THWACK—!*
A dull, explosive sound reverberated through the air. At this discordant noise, I slightly opened my tightly shut eyes. For some reason, the snake that had been lunging at me pulled its head back. Simultaneously, the acrid smell of blood filled the air.
“W-what, what’s going on?”
The surroundings were too dark to see what was happening, so I used my phone’s light to look around. Then I heard a familiar voice.
“Jaeo hyung! Turn off your phone light—!”
“Heerim-ssi?!”
“Quickly!”
Heerim’s voice echoed in my mind rather than my ears. I hastily turned off my phone’s flashlight function at his urgent prompting. When I couldn’t see anything, I felt anxious and wanted to call out to Heerim. But fearing the monster would find me if I made a sound, I covered my mouth with my palm and focused only on the sounds around me.
“KYAHAAK!”
“SAEK. SAEK!”
“HISSS. HISS.”
They must not be able to see me in the darkness either, as they made threatening sounds in agitation.
“Whine…”
“Sh, shh! Quiet!”
The dog in my arms whimpered, seemingly uncomfortable. Flustered, I tried to soothe the struggling dog by hugging it, but being overly tense, I held it too tightly.
“Nng, kyaang!”
I’m doomed.
The snake heads seemed to sense the vibration from the dog’s cry and turned in our direction.
*Rustle rustle rustle rustle.*
I could sense the massive monster moving rapidly toward me.
‘What happened to Heerim-ssi? Is this really the end for me?’
At that moment, there was a flash of lightning-like brilliance. The light was so intense I couldn’t open my eyes. My pupils contracted rapidly at the sudden brightness, and I felt dizzy. As I was staggering, someone wrapped their arm around my shoulder.
“Heuk!”
“Hyung! Are you okay?”
“Heerim-ssi…?”
Through my tear-filled, blurry vision, I made out familiar silver hair and a face I knew well.
His elegant face, with its delicate features that seemed like they might break at any moment, commanded presence even in this dark space.
“H-how did you get here?”
“That’s what I should be asking. How did you end up in a rift again?”
“A rift? This place?”
“Mmm. We’ll talk later. For now, stay behind me.”
Heerim moved me behind his back. Never had his broad shoulders looked so dependable. But this was no time for relief.
“KRAHAAAK!”
The giant snake, recognizing new prey, extended its tongue and lunged at Heerim. Heerim lightly jumped from his spot. At the same time, I felt my body lift off the ground before landing some distance away from him.
“Heerim-ssi!”
“Shh. Their hearing is more developed than their sight. So don’t make any noise and just stay here.”
Heerim’s voice echoed in my head again. Only now did it fully hit me that he was an Esper.
“I’ll finish this quickly.”
*FLASH—!*
As soon as Heerim finished speaking, there was another brilliant flash like before. The incredible light that was too bright to look at illuminated the darkness, and the monsters that had been charging at Heerim backed away with hissing sounds. Though the light was strong enough to make me squint even from a distance, Heerim didn’t even blink.
“HISSS. HISSSSS.”
Having been exposed to the flash twice, the monsters no longer charged at Heerim. Instead, they faced off with him, tilting their heads as if gauging his power. Heerim, seemingly no longer intent on using the same ability as before, simply illuminated the area around himself and the monster.
Unable to do anything, I could only anxiously observe Heerim. From my perspective, he appeared to be at a disadvantage. The snake-like monster was nearly as tall as a three-story building, and Heerim had no weapons.
“These bastards have created quite a sophisticated rift now.”
Heerim muttered to himself, then took a deep breath. Seeing an opening, the middle snake gradually extended its head forward. The other heads displayed their venomous fangs, threatening Heerim.
“KYAHAAAAK!”
The three heads made spine-chilling sounds and lunged at him one after another.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
