Fallen Lightbringers' Return

Chapter 81: Reality

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit," Park Wonho kept screaming, as he sunk into the wooden chair. It creaked, as Wonho was a big man.

Kim Jyejin sprang up, quickly taking cover. She looked at the 'doll' with wide eyes. "What the hell is going on here?" The girl cocked her head around, looking at everything. The human that had turned into a puppet, the astounded customers and workers, the floating otherworldly message, and naturally, the calm Lee Dojin. She gulped. "This, this has to be a movie set or something right?"

"That is a rather cliche reaction," Lee Dojin said with a bit of dark humor.

"But, but!" Kim Jyejin stared at Lee Dojin. She was unsure of what words to form. Everyone else kept building distance. For now, they weren't terrified as the doll did not move after screaming. "What the hell is going on? Dojin? Do you know anything? Is it a big prank?" She chuckled with a frozen expression. "If so, it really isn't funny, you know?"

Park Wonho shook violently. "I knew it. I knew it. Just like when I saw the light yesterday night. This is the end. The end." He held his head, his face pale.

"Shut the hell up Wonho."

"Kids, c, calm down. There has to be a reasonable explanation." Dong Jowoon spoke, though the words barely formed as his sight remained fixated on the doll. "Trust in your elders, this is just a hallucination."

Lee Dojin smiled wryly. He did not react in any way, simply continuing to sip his coffee. Still, his thoughts swirled, thinking about the new messages. Especially the guide, Latania. The boy did not remember such a name, but he could already tell, that person was a cruel one, to throw all these unwitting people into the world of the mirage, without explaining anything.

He thought back to his first encounter. Just like now, he was one of the first to be attacked by the shadows. But his guide, at least explained what the Shadows entailed.

To recap, a Dungeon could appear anywhere, but mostly they came in crowded areas. A huge invisible dome would encompass a specific area within Earth, allowing no one to leave. That space would be known as the Dungeon Zone. Within, another world or planet would intertwine with Earth, changing some of the laws and physics of the place, creating a mish-mash of creation and destruction.

Upon entering a Dungeon (whether by will or force) a message would appear for the person, naming the Dungeon titlemost often the planet that intermingled with Earthand its specific Guide.

Those Guides, even now, are an enigma for humanity. They only appear to be the masters of the Zone, whose job is to oversee and not interfere with the dungeons' process. They do not seem to care whether humans within perish or the Dungeon is beaten. They at most appear twice, once at the birth of a dungeon to offer a quest, secondly when it issues a reward.

Even if the Quests are completed, the Dungeon would not disappear. But at least, they become a non-danger zone, and people could leave or stay however they wanted. The guide would move on, creating another Dungeon in another place, sometime in the future.

"But this Latania hasn't even offered a Quest yet, and people are already dying. What absolute contempt for human life." Lee Dojin finished his coffee.

"Where the hell are the cameras? I don't condone being filmed," an older man said while hiding his face. He had a bald head, with tattoos enveloping his whole body. "Get up. Come one, get up. I don't have time for this." The man tugged at the doll to stand up.

Lee Dojin was taken aback by that man's brazen nature. He stood up, shouting, "You get away from it!"

The man faced Dojin with a confused face. And without giving him any time to react, the doll lunged at him, taking a chunk out of that man's neck. He shouted as he sprang back, holding his fresh wound. The doll, however, gave him no chance to escape as it tightly embraced him to the point it hurt. In the end, he was ripped apart, his flesh flayed, and his skin embalmed until his tattoos turned into a mosaic. His rough, despairing voice continued reverberating in all the customers' eardrums until it turned smaller and quieter.

But in the end, he did not die. His eyes opened once more; turned into a lifeless doll, just like the one he died by.

At once, mayhem broke out. Everyone witnessing the scene screamed, scrambling for the smallest things, then running away as fast as they could. Logic demanded them to walk down. But the ominous aura practically oozed from there. It was way too terrifying to go where these monsters came from. Thus, they could only go up, like headless chickens with no real aim.

Dong Jowoon, too, was quick to break free. Not minding any of his students, he broke into a dash. Kim Jyejin shouted after him, but the man was quite fast, seeing he was a PE teacher. Immediately, Jowoon was one of the first in line to the next upper floor.

"Is this guy for real," Kim Jyejin said in an exasperated tone.

"Just leave him. He made his choice." Lee Dojin watched Park Wonho. The big man was currently puking his breakfast out. "Look there, the doll isn't following us anyway." He pointed at the running crowd. Right behind them, the female doll with one leg hopped after them. It was quite a comical sight, putting the terror aspect aside.

".. .I can't believe this. What is happening?" Kim Jyejin held her mouth. Her face was even paler than before. "Is this a dream?"

Park Wonho started breathing heavily. Lee Dojin patted the boy on the shoulder. "Calm down."

"But.. ." The big guy looked at the doll created from that bald man. It was all mangled, creating such a grotesque image. It seemed to be resting, just like the doll, but who knew when it would attack?

"Breathe in slowly. Do not think about it. Relax," Lee Dojin said. "This isn't a request. It's advice. If you cannot keep a cool head, you may as well die now."

Kim Jyejin watched him. "Dojin, do you know anything about this?"

"A little bit yes, a little no." Lee Dojin approached the doll. It screeched out loud. "But I can tell you this." It lunged at him, its mouth unhinged, with eyes devoid of any color staring at his soul. "This is neither a movie nor a dream." He caught the thing by its face. "What was once a precious human life, is worth less than the dirt you walk on." His grip tightened, and the doll screamed in a high-pitched voice. "This is reality. The earlier you get used to it, the longer you survive. Got it?" The doll's face cracked and split into several pieces. It then motionlessly collapsed on the spot.

Lee Dojin shook his hand. The remaining dust in his hand scattered. He clasped his palms together and offered a prayer. 

A human's life had just perished. He shall never forget that fact. It would be easy to regard this as a single unknown casualty of many, Lee Dojin would not. This, in his mind, should never be considered normal.

He turned around, looking at Kim Jyejin and Park Wonho. "Shall we go?"

The two of them nodded absentmindedly. Was there anything worth saying at this point?

Kim Jyejin kept her eyes on the motionless doll. Her mind grew faint, seeing such a disgusting scene. Lee Dojin's words drifted back into her mind. 'The earlier you get used to it, the longer you survive'. "What floor are we currently on?"

Dojin looked around. "The second?"

"Then it's three more to go. Let us hurry." She looked down. If her guess was correct, the bottom floor was already done for. In other words, they were the closest to the calamity below. A dead human would turn into a doll, it seemed, so how many had run down again? "But that Dong Jowoon, he really left us. What a bastard."

"That's the spirit," Lee Dojin laughed, though it seemed empty. He stretched his body. "But you cannot blame him for wishing to survive." He closed his eyes, his mother came to his mind again. "Not everybody is willing to endanger their lives for others. Wonho, can you stand."

Park Wonho wiped his mouth. His face was still pale, but he nodded. The three of them quickly made their way to the third floor.

"I think we are a bit slow, compared to the others," Kim Jyejin spoke, looking at the empty floor.

No, it wasn't completely empty. Blood sprayed the wall, looking like an avant-garde painting. Chunks of flesh decorated the ground, creating a living hellscape, as if a meat grinder had exploded. If one looked more carefully, they'd find broken limbs, and torn clothes too. A nauseating smell permeated the air, making one feel like retching.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint," Lee Dojin said. "No, maybe it is better if we take our time since there won't be as much attention on us."

"Wait! Shush, there's something there!" Park Wonho turned vigilant. He pointed in the distance, where the toilets were. There appeared to be some movement. It was hard to tell whether it was a doll or a human.

"Good eye," Lee Dojin complimented him. "Should we take a look?"

"Wait, are you serious?" Park Wonho vehemently shook his head. "This is hardly the time for altruistic decisions!"

"Don't be such a coward," Dojin told him with a carefree smile. "The game hasn't even started yet, and you want to betray your kin?" He faced Jyejin who appeared equally opposed, though she did not voice it. "Do not worry, I will not die, for there are a lot more people in need of help."

Lee Dojin went to the toilet. A clattering sound responded. If he had to guess, it was a doll?

"Wait, is someone there? Please, can you hear me," an unexpected voice resounded. "I beg you. My father has money, save me please!"

Lee Dojin tilted his head. Somehow, that person seemed familiar. He turned to the left. There, he saw a half-broken doll overwhelming a young man. Promptly, he kicked the doll away. it flew against the wall and crumbled into pieces.

"Thank you! Thank you for savi- guh, it's you."

"You, you are from my school right?" Lee Dojin rubbed his temples. What was this? An excursion? How come so many people he knew were here today?

Park Hansoo gulped. He looked at Kim Jyejin. Truthfully speaking, he had followed her to see what she was doing today. "Uh, sure?"