Chapter 8 – Why You…?

We approached the device slowly, the metal sphere nestled in my hand. The ancient mechanism, resting at the center of the hexagonal pattern, seemed to hum with anticipation, a silent sentinel awaiting its awakening.

“Noah…” Yuri whispered, her voice trembling. “Are you sure about this? What if it’s a trap?”

“It has to be this,” I said, my voice firm despite the gnawing uncertainty in my gut. “There’s no other reason for these objects to be here.”

I carefully placed the sphere into the hexagonal cavity. It clicked into place with a soft, metallic sound.

Click.

The device whirred to life, a deep vibration resonating through the floor, a faint light emanating from its aged metal surface.

“Noah! The ground… it’s shaking!” Yuri cried, grabbing my arm.

I held my breath, watching as the light spread outwards, tracing the lines of the hexagonal pattern. The lines glowed brighter, pulsing with energy, as if the very ground beneath our feet were coming alive.

The light intensified, flooding the chamber, and the central section of the hexagonal pattern began to descend, the floor transforming into a massive, circular platform, a hidden elevator revealed. The mechanism moved with a smooth, almost silent precision, a testament to the ingenuity of its creators.

A low hum filled the air, the gravity seeming to intensify.

“Noah…” Yuri whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Is that… an elevator?”

“I think so,” I said, my heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. “The Abyss is leading us down.”

The platform descended smoothly, carrying us down into the darkness, the light fading above, the unknown depths below beckoning us forward. We stood close together, our hands clasped tight, bracing ourselves for whatever awaited us.

The elevator continued its descent, the hum of the machinery echoing in the confined space. Faint lights flickered below, growing steadily brighter.

“What do you think this Trial will be?” Yuri murmured.

“Whatever it is,” I said, gripping the compass, its needle spinning uselessly, “it’s at the end of the path we’ve chosen.”

[Abyss – 5th Floor Terminus – 300m Underground]

“In the inverted world, balance is found. The Abyss invites those who understand the flow to descend further.”

Pattern: Inverted Hexagon.

Description: Each face of the hexagon is mirrored, reflecting a distorted image. One face depicts a vortex pulling inwards, another shows water flowing upwards, the others filled with objects suspended in varying gravitational states.

[Abyss – 6th Floor Entrance – 301m Underground]

The elevator shuddered to a halt, plunging us into absolute darkness. The air was thick, heavy, almost suffocating.

“Noah…” Yuri whispered, her voice tight. “The air… it’s hard to breathe.”

“It’s alright,” I said, trying to sound reassuring, though my own chest felt constricted. “We’re here.”

We stepped off the elevator, the hexagonal platform closing silently behind us, ascending back to the fifth floor. We were alone, cut off from our only means of retreat.

The atmosphere of the sixth floor was immediately unsettling. The air was thick with a strange, cloying mist, illuminated by an eerie, pulsating light. The path ahead was barely visible, shrouded in the swirling fog.

“Noah, look.” Yuri pointed towards a faint, flickering light in the distance. “The sixth floor pattern.”

The familiar eye motif hovered in the mist, its gaze unnerving.

“It’s not just the pattern…” I said, my voice low. “The air… it’s different. This isn’t like the gravity floor. This is… something else.”

“It’s creepy,” Yuri whispered, her hand tightening around my arm. “I can’t see where I’m stepping. And the fog…”

“Stay close,” I said, scanning our surroundings. “And be careful.”

A heavy silence pressed down on us, a silence filled with an unspoken menace. Nothing was clear, not even the ground beneath our feet. The Abyss had always tested us, but this… this felt different.

“Noah…” Yuri whispered, moving closer, her voice barely audible. “What is it this time? It’s not balance… it’s not a puzzle… it’s… something else. I don’t like it.”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, taking her hand. “Just stay alert.” But even as I spoke, a cold dread began to creep up my spine.

The fog shifted, swirling around us, slowly seeping between us, dividing the space.

“Noah! The fog… it’s moving!” Yuri cried out, her voice filled with terror.

I reached for her, but the fog thickened, obscuring her form.

“Yuri! Don’t let go!”

“Noah! I’m here! Where are you?!” Her voice was close, yet strangely distant, swallowed by the swirling mist.

I reached out blindly, my fingers grasping at empty air. The fog enveloped me, pulling me deeper, blurring my vision, my senses.

“Yuri! Answer me!” My shout was swallowed by the silence.

***

“Noah! Where are you?!” My voice echoed in the swirling fog, unanswered. I stumbled forward, my feet sinking into the unseen ground, the air thick and cloying, making it hard to breathe.

“What is this place…? Why is it so… heavy…?” I reached out, my hand closing around nothing but cold, empty air. My chest tightened, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The fog pressed in on me, blurring my vision, my sense of direction.
Am I even going the right way? Where’s Noah?

“Noah, please answer me! Don’t leave me alone!”

I tried to take a deep breath, but the air felt thin, insufficient.

Then, through the swirling mist, I saw a figure. Someone… or something.

“Hello…? Is anyone there? Noah?”

I moved towards the figure, but my steps felt heavy, sluggish. As I drew closer, the figure solidified, taking on a familiar shape.

“…Mom?”

It was her. Her face, her smile… but something was wrong. A chilling sense of wrongness.

“What are you doing here…? How…?”

I reached out, but as I touched her, she felt cold, distant, unreal. Her smile wasn’t warm; it was… mocking.

“Mom… is that really you? Why aren’t you answering me?”

Her face twisted, her eyes clouding over, her smile widening into a grotesque parody.

“Yuri… why are you so late?” Her voice… it was her voice. The voice I’d tried so hard to forget.

“What…? Mom…?”

I stumbled back, fear gripping me. The figure advanced, the ground seeming to tilt beneath my feet.

“Why did you take so long, Yuri?”

Her words pierced me like a knife. I stumbled again, my balance gone.

“No… no, this isn’t real! You’re not… you’re not
her
!”

Her face contorted further, a chilling laugh escaping her lips.

“It’s all your fault. Everything fell apart because of
you
.”

“Stop it! Stop it!” I covered my ears, but her voice echoed inside my head, inescapable.

“You know it’s true. It’s all your fault.”

The world dissolved around me, the fog thickening, the ground disappearing beneath my feet. Her face, no longer my mother’s, but a grotesque mask of accusation, loomed over me, filling my vision, my mind, with a suffocating wave of despair.

“…Noah… I’m scared… where are you…?” My voice was a trembling whisper, lost in the fog.

***

“Yuri! Where are you?!” I stumbled through the fog, the familiar darkness now laced with a deeper, more insidious confusion. I fumbled for the compass, pulling it from my bag.

“Please…” I whispered. “Give me a direction.”

But the compass remained motionless, its needle spinning aimlessly, then stopping, useless.

“Damn it!” I clenched my fist, frustration and fear rising within me.

I activated the gravity reader, but it too was unresponsive, the blue lines flickering weakly, then vanishing into the fog.

“It’s… blocking it,” I murmured, my heart sinking. Nothing worked here. No compass, no gravity reader, no sense of direction. Just the oppressive fog, closing in, blurring my senses, my thoughts.

A wave of fear washed over me, colder, deeper than anything I’d felt before. The ground felt unstable, shifting beneath my feet. I reached out, grasping at empty air, a growing sense of panic rising within me.

Then, a figure coalesced in the fog. A faint silhouette, slowly taking shape.

“…What is that?”

I crouched down, peering through the mist. The figure… it looked familiar. Small, frail…

“…Alice?”

No. It can’t be.

The figure approached, its face turning towards me, its features shifting, twisting into a cold, emotionless mask.

“Why did you leave me, oppa₁?” The voice… it was
her
voice. The voice from my memories, the voice I’d tried so hard to bury.

I stumbled back, shaking my head.

“This isn’t… this isn’t real. It’s a hallucination.”

“Why did you survive? Why didn’t you save me?!”

“No! It wasn’t your fault! This… this isn’t real! Go away! Leave me alone!” I covered my ears, but her voice echoed inside my head, inescapable.

The figure pressed closer, an invisible weight pressing down on me, suffocating me, a weight not of gravity, but of guilt, of regret.

“What do you want from me…?” I whispered, my voice barely audible, struggling to maintain my balance, my sanity.

The hallucination, a manifestation of my deepest fears, my hidden guilt, continued its relentless assault. This wasn’t just a dangerous place; it was a torture chamber, designed to exploit my every weakness.

Footnotes:
₁: Oppa (오빠): A Korean honorific used by younger females to address older male figures, indicating closeness and affection. Common in both familial relationships and Korean entertainment media.