Gayoon passed through the cold curtain and stepped into a silent world which reminded her of the World of the Dead. It was so quiet that she could almost hear her heart beating rapidly against her chest. Not even the sound of the wind whoosh by her ears, making her feel as if the whole world had gone deaf.
"Jina?" she called out.
"Mom!"
Gayoon scanned around and saw a large altar up ahead. It stood on a flight of stairs but Jina's voice ca from that place.
"Jina!" she cried and dashed towards the altar, climbing the stairs to find her daughter tied on the large dial. Jina was crying hard, confused and dazed by the strange place she had been kept in.
"Mommy!" she cried hysterically. "Mommy, I'm scared!"
"I'm here, sweetie!" Gayoon assured her and quickly untied her daughter. As soon as she was free, Jina leapt and hugged her mother tightly, not letting go.
"Mommy, that woman has my dad!" she exclaid. "They're going to make him open the gates!"
"Honey, I know," Gayoon assured her. "But you need to stop crying. We can't rescue him if we don't go to the World of the Dead and stop that ritual"
"B-but mommy, it'll be too dangerous for you to go!" Jina squeaked. "You can't stay in there for long!"
"One hour," Gayoon stated. "More than enough ti. We'll have to finish off everything in five minutes anyway. Besides"
She took out the ring. "This is going to help us close the gates," she declared.
Gayoon checked the watch. It was now 11 o'clock. They had only one hour.
"Minho and that demon must have arrived at the dead realm by now," she muttered. "Alright, Jina. Listen to very carefully. You must do exactly as I tell you to."
Jina nodded and said, "Okay! What do we have to do?"
Gayoon whispered the instructions to her and the little girl nodded. A lot of it depended on luck but they had no option. They must rescue Minho at all costs.
"Understood?" Gayoon asked once she was done.
"Yes mom!" Jina exclaid. "I can take you there at the exact ti. All you have to do is gim the signal!"
"Good girl," Gayoon said, patting Jina's head. "Now, we wait for the clock to strike 11:59."
.
"It's ti," Anyal declared. Minho raised an eyebrow, watching his opponent as he stepped forward. The demon raised his hand and muttered, "Patentibus."
To Minho's shock, a portal opened but it was not leading to any place within the Jang Mansion. Instead, he could see an unfamiliar hallway which was modeled after so kind of palace or fortress. It was not a place he could recognize because such buildings were made hundreds of years ago and were in ruins at the current ti.
"Enter," Anyal ordered.
"What is that place?" Minho asked suspiciously.
"I told you, Hwang Minho," Anyal smirked. "Unlike you Transporters who cannot leave one particular building within the World of the Dead, demons can wander anywhere we want in here. We can even take soone with us if we want. I can take you directly to the place where Ahin was killed. After all, we are also part of this world"
"Now, enter," he ordered. Minho slowly got to his feet and hesitantly stepped through the portal. Instantly, he was transported to the fort which was probably miles away from the Jang mansion. He scanned the place carefully, trying to figure out where they were.
The walls were covered with red tapestry on which golden dragons were painted. The corridor he stood at was quite long and broad, lined with statues of warriors in heavy tal armor and swords. There were paintings on the walls too which Minho imdiately recognized as famous historical figures from his old textbooks. Unlike the imitation paintings sold at the markets, Minho's expert eyes could discern that these were authentic works. The brushstrokes were done delicately with precision and he knew that these originals were probably lost with ti.
Then how co these were situated in this strange fort?
It felt as if he had traveled back in ti by hundreds of years but instead of a noisy and buzzed court, it was only silence. There were no people, not even the souls of the dead were around. The portal in Gayoon's school had a similar silence but Minho was not scared by it. Rather, the quiet atmosphere there was even welcoming at tis, albeit mostly disturbing.
But this place...it was not simply quiet. He felt as if it was cursed. The pictures on the walls seed to be...breathing. Minho was not sure if it was his imagination or was it all read but the motionless eyes of the paintings were following him. They were not moving and yet, he felt as if they were observing everything and they would stalk him until he went crazy in that place.
"Interesting what happens to a place where the gates are located," Anyal remarked as if he was talking about the weather. "You're feeling the stares too, aren't you?"
He let out a snort and went on. "The souls in hell can see the worlds of both living and dead," Anyal revealed. "It's their punishnt. Wherever a gate has been opened, the souls of hell are made to constantly see the two worlds where they can no longer go to. It's only a small punishnt from the millions they have to endure but it's still one of the worst ones. Not being able to live nor redeem themselves. No place in the World of the Living nor in the World of the Dead. Cannot even reincarnate. They are dood forever."
He paused before adding, "This is what a pure person like Ahin is suffering. She doesn't belong there and yet, she's forced to be a part of Hell! How can I let her stay there and suffer?"
"Now you know my pain, Hwang Minho," he murmured. "I want her back. I want her to get out of hell and co back to "
"Poor gal," Minho said warily. "Either be with the Devil or with a monster like you. Personally, I feel she's better off where she is considering the fact that she doesn't want to return. If taken out of hell, she won't be alive nor dead. She can't even reincarnate! For hundreds of years, she's been living in hell and by now, it's the only place she can claim she belongs to. It's bad and torturous but that's the only place she can live in! Just let her rest in peace! Tell your master to take you back so that you can at least see her everyday-"
"Have you seen hell, Hwang Minho?" Anyal retorted. "You have no idea what it feels like-"
"Seeing my best friend's body taken over by the killer of my mother is worse than hell," Minho said. "You think hellfire is the worst thing in the world? Then you have no idea what true hell is. One doesn't have to die to experience it."
Anyal was quiet for a while before suddenly raising his hand. Minho felt imnse pain spurting throughout his body but bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming. His insides felt like they were literally on fire, making him use all his willpower to not beg for life.
It's a trick...he told himself. Just a trick.
But the pain was becoming unbearable. Anyal forced his muscles to bend in front of the demon while Minho tried to fight it. However, the demon had control over his body, making Minho obey his commands.
"Your arrogance will be the end of you, Hwang Minho," Anyal said. "You think you're experiencing hell?"
A crazed mania appeared in the eyes which once belonged to Kanji. Minho was trying to fight the demon's grip but Anyal was tornting him to his heart's content.
"I'll show you what hell is," Anyal promised. "And you'll never forget it until your dying breath, Hwang Minho!"
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