GATE: First Encounter

Where am I?

When I looked around, the darkness of my room sent a chill down my spine.
The dim light from the streetlamp stretched the shadows across the walls, and for a moment, it felt like they were moving—watching me.
I slowly got out of bed; my body felt heavy, like my feet were stuck to the floor with every step.
When I turned on the light, the silence in the room deepened even more.
It felt like something had changed the moment the light came on—but I couldn't tell what.
I thought maybe I was still under the lingering influence of the dream I had seen... but couldn't quite remember.
Maybe I was just being overly sensitive.

I checked my phone.
Its screen flickered weakly—it was the middle of the night.
My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, but the unease inside me kept me awake.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the hallway and made my way to the kitchen for some water.
My footsteps echoed on the floor, and the silence that clung to the house pressed down on me like a weight.

When I reached the sink, the cold water running down my throat gave me a moment of relief.
But when I returned to my room, something in the mirror caught my eye.
Above the door, there was a shadow—larger than a cat, yet impossible to define.
My heart suddenly pounded faster, my eyes fully opened with confusion as I tried to inspect it out in the dark.
Then I saw it—within that shadow, a pair of glowing red eyes locked onto mine.

I felt the blood in my veins freeze, my body was like a stone.
My mind screamed at me to run, but my feet wouldn't budge.
Those eyes held me in place—pinned me there.
I couldn't control my breathing; my chest was tight.
Just as I was about to turn away in panic, that thing lunged toward me.
Everything happened so fast that I didn't even know what had hit my face—I just felt like I was suffocating.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Only a faint, guttural rasp escaped my throat.
That dark thing was forcing its way inside—through my mouth.
I clawed at my face, pulled with all my strength, but it was all in vain.
It was too strong.
I couldn't stop it from entering.
My arms getting heavy.
My vision darkened.
There was an unbearable pressure across my whole body.
I couldn't breathe.

At last, I felt myself collapse to the ground.
My head struck the hard floor, and for a brief moment, a blinding blue light exploded before my eyes.
It was so intense I had to shut my eyes, but even behind my eyelids, the brilliance danced wildly...

Suddenly, I felt consciousness return.
I opened my eyes.
My eyelids were so heavy that I had to force them apart.
But what I saw stole my breath away once more.
My room—was gone.

In its place was a vast forest with little sunlight.
Towering trees surrounded me, their leaves rustling ever so slightly even in the still air.
The sun above fought to pierce through the dense canopy, casting dappled beams of light that barely reached the forest floor.
The air was thick—oppressively still.
At first, I thought I must be dreaming.
But everything felt too real...
I pinched myself.
It hurt.

This hasnt a dream.

As I tried to make sense of what had happened, a low buzzing filled my head.
Panic gnawed at my insides.
How had I gotten here?
How could I get back?
My mind spun with a thousand questions—none of them had answers.
How safe could I be in a place like this?

I looked around again.
Nothing looked normal.
The forest's silence wasn't natural.
It was... wrong.
The kind of wrong that made your skin crawl.
There were no bugs, no birds, no rustling in the underbrush—none of the sounds that should exist in a living forest.
The silence was so absolute, it made my ears ring.
It wasn't peace; it was unnatural.
It was as if the whole universe had paused to hold its breath.