cheolsoo • The Society of The Shadow / Eng ver.

14. on the edge of a cliff

Joshua had a long dream. At the bottom of a deep abyss, where darkness swallowed him whole.

The thick, blackened swamp clung to his pant legs like tar, seeping through the fabric to touch his skin. He could feel a lively thing, viscous moving between his toe.

And frigid air. Sending shivers up his spine. Wrapping around him like icy tendrils. Tightening inch by inch, until it became a suffocating cage.

In this long dream, he had been trapped in darkness for hundreds of years-that was what his mind recalled. No distractions. No warmth. No companions, even a soul, to share the silence. Only the void. He had forgotten what his voice sounded like, what the world outside the darkness even was. He was utterly alone.

Joshua imagined something-something to look forward to.

He thought of a light, faint and shimmering, glowing softly. It flickered, fragile and elusive, but it began to pulse, growing brighter with each breath. He imagined the warmth radiated from it, slow at first, then stronger, reaching his cold skin. It gave him the heat, gentle yet alive, spreading through his limbs, thawing the numbness.

From that light, he pictured something more-a small spark of life. A flower, perhaps, so delicate, blooming from the only light within the endless cold. Or maybe something smaller still, something he could cradle in his hands. A living thing to remind him he wasn't completely lost in the void.

Before the visions could fully take shape, Joshua heard a voice. A man's voice-unfamiliar, deep, and distant-calling out to him from somewhere far away.

The man was coming closer, but with him came danger, thick and suffocating. Joshua felt the fear mounting with every inch the man gained, sharp and chilling, like invisible daggers poised to strike at his spine.

Each passing second made his skin crawl, the sensation of something lurking just beyond his sight. His instincts screamed that something was wrong, a presence closing in, unseen but undeniable. It felt like eyes boring into the back of his neck, the threat so close it was almost tangible, yet maddeningly out of reach-like a blade suspended above him, ready to drop.

He couldn't run. His legs were frozen, so he crawled, desperately dragging himself through the swamp, the black sludge pulling him down.

Then, in a surge of terror, Joshua screamed.

And at that very moment, the light returned.

He jolted awake in his dorm room.

...

Joshua met Jeonghan's worried eyes. He clung to his best friend and looked straight into Jeonghan's eyes, like he was holding onto a safe anchor. The nightmare still clung to him like a shadow, its icy grip lingering even as Jeonghan's gentle voice cut through the fog.

"Shua, did you have a nightmare?" Jeonghan's fingers gently brushed through Joshua's damp bangs, concern softening his voice. "Your forehead is drenched. You should take a shower."

Joshua took a shaky breath, his heart still pounding. He looked down at his hands, half-expecting to see the grime still there, then his eyes gradually adjusted to the room, grounding him in reality. Joshua blinked, trying to focus.

"Where's Seungcheol?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Jeonghan exhaled softly, not surprised by the question. " "He's with the others, working on breaking your curse,"

Joshua blinked against the bright light, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing on him. He lowered his arm from Jeonghan's shoulder and rubbed his forehead. "What happened?"