The Forbidden Truth

Chapter 03

After Seolurrie told her story Jina looked down. Jina chuckled, her shoulders shaking. Seolurrie was confused why Jina was laughing but her eyes widened when she saw a tear dropped from eyes to her hands resting in her lap. Seolurrie immediately tried to console Jina.

“Are you okay? Why are you crying all of a sudden.”

Jina raised her head and said to her with sad eyes and a smile on her face.

“If it was still the old times I would have thought that your story was a joke. But now, it’s different. Those monsters are real.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are monsters in here. The gates, the people fighting, the monsters. They are all real.”

And that is when it occurred to her what Jina meant by ‘they are real’. The monsters that attacked her world were also attacking this world. She suddenly thought why was she here.

“Can you… tell me more about the gates and monsters?”

She cautiously asked Jina as if they will be talking about something that they shouldn’t be. Jina nodded her head and wiped her tear stained cheeks.

“I can. I will tell you everything that I know of about the gates and the monsters, but how can you not know? The story you told me, did that really happen? Where did it happen? There is no news about that.”

Seolurrie was still so confused about everything that is why she couldn’t answer immediately. But she couldn’t lie either.

“I don’t really… I mean I’m not really the type of person to be updated on everything that’s happening.”

“I see. You don’t even have a phone so I guess I can expect that much.”

‘A phone?’

Before she could ask Jina what is a phone Jina already started with her explanation.

“You see, three months ago those gates started appearing; they are like portals of some sort. There are two types of ‘gates’. The first one is a ‘blue gate’. In a blue gate people fight monsters inside. The other one is a ‘red gate’, if people are the one entering a blue gate in the case of a red gate, the monsters are the ones coming out or maybe in their perspective, going in. There are some cases when blue gates turn into red gates. Monsters coming out in a red gate only stop after a whole day or should I say it closes?”

“What do you mean? The gate closes?”

“Be patient. I’m not done with the explanation yet.”

Seolurrie’s cheeks warmed because of embarrassment, she blushed. Jina resumed her explanation.

“So as I said the gate closes. A certain time is set when the gate will close. In the case of a red gate it closes after a day while a blue gate can either turn into a red gate or it closes. The blue gate will turn into a red gate after five days and in some cases it will close after a week.”

“How about the monsters? Where do they come from?”

“We still don’t know if the gates are said to be a separate space or a dimension. Every gate has its own design, layout or interior. They also differ in sizes. But I’m curious about the massive gate you mentioned. Is there really a gate as big as a tower?”

“I told you it’s just a story.”

Seolurrie tried to shrug it off, but Jina looked at her with suspicious eyes.

“Please don’t lie. No, please tell the truth. The girl in the story was you, right?”

“Yes.”

She was hesitating on telling Jina the truth but Jina pleaded so she couldn’t refuse her and told her the truth.

“But how? There is no news about a massive gate like the one you mentioned. Where are you from?”

The story she told Jina was incomplete. She didn’t tell Jina about her coming out from the gate. And if she told her she knows that Jina will not believe her. Because a person coming out of a gate? Nothing comes out of a gate but monsters.

She was stunned for a minute.

‘Nothing comes out of a gate but monsters. Does that mean I am a monster?’

“Seolurrie?”

She snapped from her thoughts and answered Jina’s question with hesitation.

“It didn’t happen here.”

“What do you mean it didn’t happen here? Then where did it happen?”

She swallowed and her breathing became heavy, but either way she answered.

“Jina, would you believe me if I said that I wasn’t from this world?”

“…”

“I am not a citizen of your world. I came from a different world. The story I told you was incomplete. I entered a blue gate and when I opened my eyes I was here. In your world.”

“I knew it. It’s just so suspicious that you don’t know any information about the gates!”

She was surprised at how Jina accepted everything so easily.

“You believe me?”

“Why? Are you lying?”

“No. I am not.”

“Then I believe you. Why would I doubt you?”

“It's not that I want you to have doubts in me, it's just that I didn’t expect you to believe so easily.”

“Well a lot of things have happened so i wouldn’t be that shocked to hear any kind of news that might cause someone a heart attack. And also my brother is a hunter so---”

“Wait. Hold on. What hunter?”

“You. You really don’t know anything do you. Oh, well, you’re not from here so it’s obvious that you don’t. Humans who fight with monsters are called ‘Hunters’ they are different from us regular humans they obtained high prowess and fast regeneration. Although people still don’t know how they get those abilities. They can only be grateful to have those kinds of abilities because their fight with the monsters became much easier.”

“Really? Isn’t that so great?! Maybe the people in my world will have those kinds of abilities too and they will be able to fend off those monsters.”

The corridor suddenly became noisy. Seolurrie and Jina turned their heads on the door.

“What’s happening? What’s the commotion?”

“Maybe there is a patient raising hell somewhere.”

Seolurrie chuckled at what Jina said, the latter looked at her with eyes of admiration.

“Seolurrie. You know you look so pretty and your skin is so white like snow.”

“Please don’t compare my skin color like snow. You’re making me feel like I’m so pale.”

Jina laughed at her complaint and asked.

“How do I pronounce your name? Is it Se and Lorrie or is it Solurrie?”

“It's the latter. You can call me Urrie if you want. I feel like my name is too long.”

“Really then I’ll call you Urrie—”

Jina was cut off by a scream. The both of us were startled by that horrifying scream. And what we heard afterwards made us both stunned.

“A gate! It’s a red gate! Call the hunters! Hurry!”

“Someone please call the hunters quickly!”

The noise that we heard earlier gradually became louder.

“A red gate.”

Jina muttered to herself as she started shaking. Jina trembled and her eyes shook. She was rooted on where she was now standing.

“Everyone calm down! Please head to the west wing and descend the stairs! Don’t push each other!”

“We already called the organization! The hunters are on their way at this time!”

I got up from the bed and grabbed Jina’s shoulders as I looked into her eyes.

“We should evacuate too. Before the monsters can reach where we are.”

Jina nodded her head though she’s still trembling so badly. Urrie grabbed her wrist and ran to the door. When she opened dozens of people

Jina nodded her head though she’s still trembling so badly. Urrie grabbed her wrist and ran to the door. When she opened dozens of people were running to the west wing. Urrie heard someone scream coming from her right.

A girl in her early twenties had her arm ripped off by a human wearing armor. In Urrie’s perspective she wouldn’t call that a human but a humanoid monster wearing armor. The monster was wearing old fashioned knight armor and a sword in the monster’s right hand.

She felt Jina shuddered and her grip on her wrist tightened.

“Jina, calm down. Let’s go faster.”

Urrie and Jina started running like everyone else. But Seolurrie was feeling angry at the monster who hurt the girl. When they were nearing the west stairs Urrie abruptly stopped running, making Jina also stop.

“Urrie? What is it? We need to evacuate quickly!”

“You should go. I’ll try to hold the monsters back while you are escaping with everyone else.”

She said in a calm voice , but that made Jina shout at her.

“Are you out of your mind? You are not a hunter! Only a hunter can hunt monsters! You’re just going to get yourself killed!”

“I know! But at this rate we will all die! The monsters are catching up. Someone should sacrifice so everyone else will be safe!”

“Then why should you be the sacrifice?!”

She couldn’t answer her. There was a long pause before she said.

“I watched many people die in my world. I wouldn't do the same thing now. I don’t want humans to get hurt anymore. I don’t want your world to be like mine.”

As soon as she finished talking she pushed Jina into the flood of people rushing to escape. Jina tried to push the people back so she could get Urrie, but she failed. Urrie watched Jina cry while being pushed towards the exit of the floor.

She glanced back at the humanoid monster. She noticed that there was only one monster but a dozen people were lying on the ground, their blood staining the white floor. She ran towards the wall where a fire extinguisher was stored inside a glass. She broke the glass with her elbow and took the fire extinguisher.

The monster was rushing to her fast. She inhaled and rushed towards the humanoid monster. When they were a few meters away from each other they both raised their weapons. Hers is the fire extinguisher and the monster a sword.

It was a mystery why she wasn’t feeling scared right now as she rushed to the monster. When she was on the monster’s range it swung its sword and she quickly ducked to avoid it. It was a hair's breadth but she managed to evade it. As she stayed low she gripped the fire extinguisher hard and slammed it into the monster's jaw even harder.

She was shocked when she saw the head of the humanoid monster fly off its neck into the ground not too far away from her. The monster fell to the ground and stopped moving. She plopped to the ground and took a deep breath. She only felt her heart beating wildly into her chest now.

‘Is that it? Did I really win?... I.. I won!’

As she was enjoying the sweet taste of victory she heard a lot of footsteps towards her direction. In the far east where the east stairs are located, she saw a lot of monsters like the ones she just fought with appearing.

‘Of course. It can’t be that easy.’

She was disappointed to know it wasn’t done yet. She saw the sword the knight monster was holding earlier and took it. She stood up and glared at the monsters that are now rushing to her.

She doesn’t know why but she didn’t feel a bit scared seeing the monsters rushing to her.

“You’re nothing compared to the monsters back in my world.”

She said calmly like the monsters can understand her. She inhaled once more and gripped the sword harder as she rushed to the monsters once more.