"The Secret of the Black Butterfly"
I was shaking—not just from the cold that wrapped around me like thick fog, but from the eerie feeling creeping into my soul. This place didn't belong to our world.
I turned slowly, my heart pounding violently in my chest, my eyes searching for the source of that whisper.
But there was no one.
Just darkness…
No, not just any darkness. It was alive, pulsing, moving as if it was watching me.
I swallowed hard, taking a hesitant step back, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Then… my foot touched something.
It wasn't the solid ground I had been standing on moments ago. It was… soft, damp. Something that was breathing.
I gasped, jumping away, but the entire place began to shift beneath me.
"Welcome, Iris."
The voice wasn't a whisper this time. It was deep, unsettling, as if it echoed inside my own head.
I spun around—and that's when I saw it.
A faceless being.
Its body was unnaturally tall, wrapped in swirling black mist that seemed to move with it. It had no eyes, but I felt its gaze piercing through me, looking at something deeper than just my appearance.
I felt sick. This thing shouldn't exist.
"W-what do you want?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
It laughed.
I swear it laughed.
"You came to me, didn't you?" It spoke in a calm tone, but there was something hidden beneath it, something that made me feel like prey.
I tried to shake my head in denial, but suddenly, I wasn't sure anymore. Did I come here? Or was I pulled into this?
"I want to go back!" I forced myself to stand tall, even though my knees barely held me up.
The creature didn't move, but it whispered, its voice like a hiss:
"But… what if going back is impossible?"
A chill ran down my spine.
Impossible?
No. No, that couldn't be! There had to be a way out!
But when I turned to look for one—
Everything was gone.
The room, the hallway, even the reflective floor. There was nothing left but endless void… and me.
And that's when I realized the terrifying truth:
I was trapped here.
Forever?
To be continued...