When I opened my eyes… there was only one color.
White.
Everything was white. The sky. The air. Even the endless staircase that stretched into the distance… pure, blinding white.
For a few seconds, my brain froze. Was I blind?
But… no. I could see the stairs. I could see my hands when I lifted them. I touched my face, my lips, even my neck. There was no pain… no wounds.
Am I dead?
Is this heaven?
Am I… alone here?
My voice echoed in the emptiness, vanishing into the endless white. The silence that followed felt heavy, almost suffocating.
Then… something stirred.
Out of the corner of my eye… I noticed a faint, almost imperceptible green light.
Soft. Gentle. Fading in and out like a distant heartbeat.
It wasn't bright… but something about it felt warm. Comforting. Calling to me.
I didn't think. My feet started moving on their own, following the light as it floated upward along the staircase. Step after step, I climbed. Time felt strange here—minutes? Hours? I couldn't tell. My mind went blank, and my entire focus locked onto that green glow like it was my only anchor to reality.
Finally… after what felt like forever… I saw something.
Someone.
A girl.
She sat curled on the cold white steps, her shoulders trembling with quiet sobs. She looked about my age… maybe sixteen. Her cries weren't loud, but each soft sound hit me like a needle in the heart.
I didn't know who she was.
But… I didn't want her to cry anymore.
I walked closer and knelt beside her.
"Hey… stop crying," I said softly. "Why are you crying?"
She lifted her head slowly… and the moment her silver-gray eyes met mine… I lost all words.
Beautiful.
I'd never seen anyone like her before.
Her hair was long, silky, and fell in natural waves—deep midnight blue, like the night sky right before dawn. Her cool silver-gray eyes shimmered with unshed tears, framed by dark lashes. Her skin was pale and flawless, giving her the kind of soft yet wild beauty that made her seem like a warrior princess out of a forgotten legend.
Suddenly, she stood and grabbed my right hand, startling me. Her touch was warm… desperate… alive.
With wide, shocked eyes she asked,
"Who are you? Do you… know me? Are you… a noble? Or a commoner? Do you know where we are? How do we get out of here?"
Her questions came out in a rush, her voice trembling but sharp.
For a moment… I just blinked at her.
Noble? Commoner?
What was she talking about?
A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
"Noble? Commoner? What are you even saying?" I smiled, trying to calm her down. "I'm… just a student."
I sat down beside her on the cold steps and took a slow breath, collecting my scattered thoughts.
"I'm just an ordinary schoolgirl from Seoul," I explained. "My name is Yuna. I have straight brown hair with soft waves at the ends, big brown eyes, and… well, I guess I'm just average."
I laughed a little at myself, but her gaze stayed fixed on me—listening closely.
"I was at home with my family—my mom and my older brother. We were celebrating. My brother just got a college scholarship, so we had a party… It was a happy day. We went to bed as usual. Everything was fine."
My smile faded.
"I woke up in the middle of the night because I was thirsty… I left my room, walked toward the stairs… and then… I fell."
I paused. My hands trembled slightly as I remembered it.
"But… it's not the first time I've fallen down those stairs."
I laughed weakly.
"But this time… when I opened my eyes… I was here."
The girl stayed quiet, staring at me like she was studying every word.
Finally… she spoke in a soft, tempting voice.
"You must have been scared… waking up in this place."
Her words felt like a warm blanket on my frozen heart.
"But now… I'm here with you," she continued, squeezing my hand. "We'll find a way out of here… together."
She smiled faintly, brushing her tears away.
"Your mother must be crying by now ... And your brother... and your father… they must be scared and so worried about you."
At the mention of my father… something inside me twisted.
I lifted my head.
For a long moment… I just stared at her… before forcing a bitter, broken smile.
"My father…?"
A cold laugh escaped my throat… low and sharp like cracking glass.
I opened my mouth to say more…
But the words… never came out.
Because… in that moment…
I felt it.
Something shifting…
Something watching…
Like the air itself had started to hold its breath.
And deep inside me…
Something cracked open .