Raga of the Dry Branch

Only then did I realize… this strange feeling which was similar to a strange chill that I felt when I was dreaming.

After coming into the mansion, I thought it was because of the promise that I made back home to my Vena family, but no.

Something was strange here. The frustration I felt from the moment I opened the door and entered. The strange dreams and dizziness and even this headache.

The headache slowly subsided again. But this time, my hazy mind didn’t go back to normal. My vision and my mind were blurry. And my body was turning heavy as if I was being submerged into water.

The world began to shake.

Brushing my hair and biting my lip to stay conscious. I put my hands on the table near me and put strength into my arms, trying to move. And my body, which was heavy like cotton soaked in water, was trembling hard. I tried to hold on, to hold still, but in the end, my body fell to the floor.

‘This can’t happen… I still have things to do…’

My fist clenched hard enough for nails to prick my skin, an idea to lean on pain but I couldn’t feel any with dulled senses. My eyelids are heavy. Inside the ear, I could still hear the ringing echoes of their conversation.

-Well as always, should we press some secret place or find a key to open this?

-Indeed, you read too many novels. But are there such scenes in the romance ones? Should it be like bickering and catfishing kind?

-What do you even know, noona? There are such things in romance – sending a thrill into the heart! You just don’t know it. Don’t tell, you thought the obvious things happen in romance novels, did you?

-… enough. Just grab something or click something.

-If you say it like that since I am someone who prefers pressing.

-Well, just do whatever you want. We need to check if it works or not.

-Huh! Are you two ignoring me? But since a while ago, that thing was bothering me too much. Should I stab the eye?

With that, I lost my consciousness right away. And it was in the midst of the screams of the party members in my ears did I wake up again.

Kick! Kik!

Holding onto the earpiece, I could hear a crackling sound for a moment. I decided to lay blankly and then got up to look up at the screen.

“…!?”

The body of a half-eaten decaying woman hanging from the wall and swaying on the fixed screen with nails picked out and wrists bound… It was bad.

The exposed bare bones at some parts were trembling as if the body had still had sense. The wavy red hair was left to flow like blood.

The corpse, which couldn’t even close her eyes, was harassed through her time here and even denied peaceful rest in her final appearance.

I was frozen for a moment at the rushing disgust and horror which ran through my body. But what about my party? The one thing I didn’t want to remember were the screams, and now I couldn’t even hear anything.

“Was that a dream… it wasn’t right?”

The screams were so intense that even my drowsy body was up at once.

“No, No, it couldn’t be…!”

I didn’t want to believe it, but the silence around me kept burdening my heart. I moved my body and looked around. I was alone in this still messy room. And the only thing eerie around the situation was the crackling sound in my earpiece.

The only thing moving was me and the corpse on the screen. It was a situation that could be written in novels. Where were the others? Why was I feeling anxious?

I moved my shaky legs and slowly walked out of the room. And all of a sudden, without even realizing my steps for faster and faster. And by the time I reached the basement I was running.

“It was here.”

The last place my party stood. A pictogram of a red door filled the entire wall and the Bequan language with straight lines, sharp handles and red eyes, which I looked at again.

“…Ah! The eyes…”

The eyes were different. The shape of the eyes, which were clearly wide open, was not narrowed.

… right, as if they were smiling.

A chill ran down my spine. It was horrifying enough that I saw a corpse somewhere, but now this too? Perhaps they opened this door and entered that third space?

… so I need to open this door.

, supporting my body bent down slowly and red the Divine Language under the door, Rubbing myself. The small, cleverly written language was different from the one who wrote the pictogram.

Contrary to the crude but feminine writings of the people, this Divine Language seemed masculine.

“In the 9th Lunar month in the year 436, the door to it is opened… what does that mean?”

The Lunar month was based on a calendar that started 24 years after God’s death. Other than that, it was just the temple that usually used this calendar for dates.

Divine Language, and now…

[Go back. No one should come here.]

The girl in my dreams appeared again and whispered in my head. A warning. I wasn’t sure if it was the dreams or memories of the house, but I was curious for some reason.

But now, with all this happening, I don’t want to stay here anymore.

There was something which craved for human flesh in here. In such a place, my party vanished after screaming. And right now, I was the only one here. Even if I got additional support from the embassy, I already knew what I should do knowing that backup wouldn’t come right away.

Supporting my body I reached out to the wall and touched the eye drawn on it.

‘Another entrance another world.’

And the meaning.

‘By the way, didn’t I hear them saying that maybe they should stab the eye which was looking at them. Should I do it too?’

The last act of the party I remembered.

‘In the 9th Lunar month, 437 year- the door for this one is opened…’

And the year 436 would mean a date. And this one?

They talked about the last day of the month, but it usually refers to an old ritual to keep the eyes open at night.

I pressed the smiling eye with my finger.

Contrary to the hard and flat appearance, the pupil went in like clay when pushed. And another basement opened.

When the wall behind disappeared with a creaking sound, I could see the stairs leading me downstairs in the deep darkness, which was like the abyss. The dark and cold unknown space seemed to be making fun of me.

As I stepped forward I made sure to breathe to calm my nerves.

As I walked down these long stairs, fumbling down at the weird view, a lamp lit up next to me as if it came to me in an instant.

The flash of light bizarrely pierced my vision. Black walls were surrounding the space below and a door too. A faint smell of formalin wafted from somewhere in the heavy air around.

As I approached the door to get out of the empty space, I turned around at the strange feeling and saw the passage from where I came.

“…!!”

What was visible in the flickering light were screams

[Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me.]

[Lord, free me from these demons.]

[I desperately wish for it but there is no salvation.]

[This is hell. The fallen soul has now lost its way.]

[Even if the door is opened and escaped. One cannot escape from this hell. They will come for you!]

[I’m scared, this is scary! Please save me…!!]

[Those who pray. God has forsaken us…!!]

The ceiling, floor, and wall were filled with resentment, longing, anger and hatred, and everything written was in the blood. All kinds of texts were written in dark red and made my headache again.

“… what is this place?”

This wasn’t a simple problem anymore.

The ‘Zen’ of the Sky Island and the ‘Shuma’ of the ancient dragon race were known to have disappeared. Among the pictograms of the poor and lower-class people, the languages of different races were definitely mixed in. What was the true nature of this place?

This was by no means a theme park. I can’t even think of a group of people wanting to come here. And this wasn’t time to think I had to hurry. I opened the door and then pushed the handle to tear away my eyes from the wall.

A faint strong smell came over me, almost paralysing my sense of smell. I covered my nose and mouth with one hand and looked around. It was a narrow hallway for just one person to pass. It was a dark place that could make one feel as if they were being watched and hunted.

I rested one hand on the wall and moved quickly. At the dead-end of the short hallway, I turned to the right opening. As I moved forward I looked at a rusted black iron gate. Turning the handle I heard the door scream as it was too old.

… and something black came over.

“.. Shield!”

I reflexively shouted and a translucent film wrapped around me.

Tung!

Something black bounced off the film with heavy impact and disappeared again. It was quick, moving like a beast. All I could see was the black form, but it definitely wasn’t a human.

For that, the upper body was rather unusually huge.

P

‘What was that just now?’

Although I used the shield, my heart was too startled and couldn’t calm. I leaned back against the gate and paused for a moment, clutching the handle and shaky legs.

Kiik!

Kiik!

As I was breathing heavily,made I heard the creaking sound from somewhere. And strangely it was annoying, still, I was concerned and drawn to it like a magnet towards iron.

… so I turned my head slowly without even realizing.

Kiik!

Kiik!

“…!?”

Like a caught criminal. Shaking white legs. Loose eyes out of focus and red hair dripping down like blood.

It was the woman I saw before entering here through the video stone.

The corpse of a woman shaking with a squeaking sound was right in front of me.

“…!”

Now I was certain that my party had come here. As expected, the video stone left behind by the party was right at my feet. I picked it up and put it into my pocket.

“…”