Chapter 7: Beyond the stairs

Cyre had reached the front of the stairs. The skinny man set her down gently to stand on her own.

Her body, which had been relaxed until now, suddenly tensed—like a small electric shock had run through her legs. It snapped her back to her senses. Her tears still streamed down her face. Her mouth was closed. Her body jolted now and then, racked by silent sobs.

“Little girl, I’m sorry about your mother. I didn’t mean for it to happen. But you’re safe now. I’ll find a way to make up for it later—for now, let’s climb the stairs." said the skinny man, taking a step toward the first stair.

‘That’s right. They said we could meet the dead later…’ thought Cyre, still sobbing. She was influenced by the information on TV.

'But later is too long. I want to see them now. I want Mother’s hug and Father’s pat.' She sobbed faster, each one sending a small jolt through her body.

“Hey, come on! We’re running out of time—only twenty-five minutes left until the limit. I can’t leave you here alone,” said the man, in a high voice. Urgency rose in his voice.

Still sobbing, Cyre thought, ‘Mother said I have to go with Big Brother Nova. Maybe he knows how I can see Father and Mother sooner,’

Excited, she shifted slightly. The light hit the tears in her eyes, making them shimmer—as if lit by a glimmer of hope.

“I’ll go with Big Brother Nova!” she shouted at the skinny man.

She knew who the skinny man was, which made her shout without thinking. In truth, she didn’t know what to do with the person who had accidentally killed her mother. She didn’t even want to think about him. All she wanted now was to find Nova.

After turning her body, she leapt with all her might, weaving through the corpses of creatures—and a few human corpses.

The skinny man froze in shock—but only for a moment. Then he sprinted after her at full speed.

Cyre shouted, “Big brother…” a sob she couldn’t control cut her off. “Nova!”

She ran and ran. The skinny man chased behind. She kept running and then vaulted over a creature’s corpse, but her hand slipped on its slick, blood-drenched skin. She fell forward, landing face-first, her face smeared with gray.

Without realizing it, her hands had grasped the creature’s severed head.

Even though Cyre had a head start, the adult’s longer stride let the skinny man quickly close the distance. He reached out to grab her as she stumbled—only a meter away.

But as Cyre began to rise, she pushed off the ground from a horizontal position, propelling herself forward—fast and low.

She brought the head along.

The skinny man missed his grab and stumbled, nearly falling.

Meanwhile, Cyre straightened mid-run and kept on running.

The skinny man, who had stumbled and shifted direction slightly, noticed the creature Cyre had vaulted over twitch.

Terrified, he gave up the chase and immediately ran back toward the stairs.

“Ungrateful kid! Do whatever you want!” he shouted over his shoulder.

Cyre was still sobbing even now, but a small smile began to form on her face. She realized the skinny man had given up—and now, she could already see Nova appear in her line of sight.

…

Ever since Cyre reunited with Nova—and even now as they stood in front of the stairs—she hadn’t said a single word. She just kept hugging Nova’s arm tightly. One of the creature’s heads dangled from her hand.

She smiled the whole time—no tears in sight. As if her past had never existed. As if she truly believed she'd see her parents again.

The reason for her silence and happiness was not complicated. Like a child who forgot her anger after receiving a gift, Cyre was simply too happy—the hollow in her heart had been filled the moment she reunited with Nova. She was still just a six-year-old, after all.

“Cyre, what is that head?” Nova asked softly.

“Ah, I grabbed it without thinking,” Cyre replied, lifting the head. “But since I brought it, I’ll use it to feed the monster in the next stage. I want to know what it feels like to feed a monster. And also for us to run.”

Behind them, the creatures still lingered, but the green fire torches kept them at bay. However, only twenty minutes remained—and all the others had already climbed the stairs.

Nova had calculated that it would take around fifteen minutes to climb the two-hundred-meter-high stairs.

“Cyre, about your parents… I know it’s hard, but please don’t give up,” Nova said softly. “I promise, when we meet again later, we’ll do lots of fun things. But for now, since we don’t have much time, please go to the stairs for kids. It’s safer there,” said Nova.

“No. I want to stay with Big Brother. I have something to ask later. But for now, I want to stay like this,” Cyre said, hugging Nova’s arm tightly. “I never told anyone this before… but I have a skill too, Big Brother,” added Cyre.

“No, Cyre! I’ll be angry if you don’t listen!” Nova shouted. Urgency took over his mind. “What the skill is doesn’t matter right no…”

Sweat covered Nova’s face. His right arm had merged with Cyre’s hands, stuck together like a melting gum.

“Cyre, separate us. Now.” Nova’s voice broke into fragments, each word heavy as a ton.

“No!” answered Cyre, sharp and unwavering.

Nova didn’t say a word as he lifted Cyre and ran with everything he had.

Knowing she would be carried in his arms, Cyre released one of her hands and merged it with Nova’s chest. Her other hand, still gripping the head, followed shortly after.

Nova didn’t say a word, and he didn’t even order Cyre to throw the head—because he knew just how dire the situation was. Arguing with Cyre would only waste time, and she probably wouldn’t listen. Also, with her now merged to him, he had no choice but to carry her. That meant more weight and slower speed. Even if he ran with everything he had, twenty minutes might not be enough.

“Cyre, what do you want for punishment?” Nova asked.

Cyre smiled. “I don’t like punishment. Only meat and dessert are allowed.”

…

“One minute left… haha… cough!” said Nova, his entire body drenched in sweat. His facial hair fluttered in the gentle breeze.

They had reached the end of the stairs, and beneath the final step, a blue, oval-shaped vortex hovered horizontally.

“Honestly, this is terrifying. Even when I was in despair before, I never once thought about suicide. But this… tremble mine hearth and soar the adrenaline within myself.”

“Haha, it’s weird and funny when you try to act cool, Big Brother.” said Cyre. grinning.

She stepped down from Nova’s arms after saying that, releasing her merged hands from his chest. When Nova asked about her skill while they were climbing, she said it was a useless skill that only allowed her to merge with living things—especially humans and animals.

After stepping down from Nova’s arms, Cyre then gently backed down the stairs. Nova’s gaze followed her, and their eyes met. Cyre kept her gaze on Nova as she moved lower.

“Hey, Cyre, do you see that rectangular grid in the sky? Is it going to fall and crush the Earth when the time runs out? I didn’t even know it was there before... is that why the day had turned into night?” said Nova, looking up the sky.

As far as the eye could see, a vast rectangular grid spread across the sky, dominating the view.

Cyre looked up as Nova asked her. “I don’t know what happens when time runs out. The weird alien didn’t say anything about that. But they did say each rectangle is the next stage after we climb the stairs.”

She lowered her gaze back to Nova and kept her gaze on him again, just like before. “But Big Brother, more than all of that…”

She suddenly took off running, climbing the stairs and dashing toward Nova. “Let’s go! Right now! I want to see what’s in there!”

She rammed into Nova’s stomach, hugging him tight and rubbing her cheeks against his belly. The sudden motion sent them both flying into the air above the vortex for a brief moment. The feeling of levitating, then suddenly being pulled by gravity, was like riding an exciting and fun rollercoaster. As they fell toward the vortex—like they slipped through a curtain—they vanished.

…

The horizontal portal had turned vertical. Nova, who had been lying down, emerged standing on the other side, skidding backward from the force of the fall. Since the ground was a shallow, clear swamp, water splashed as he slid across the surface. He came to a stop with his legs submerged about thirty centimeters in.

They were welcomed by the luminous night upon arrival.

In front of them stretched a rainy grove of tall trees. The trees bore vast, perforated foliage that formed a canopy overhead. Rain didn’t fall directly through the dark gaps, but rather dripped steadily from each leaf. The ground was uneven—swamps and high ground were scattered in no particular pattern. Thick, sprawling branches extended in all directions, some wide enough to shield patches of earth from the rain.

“Another planet?” Nova muttered to himself.

Cyre slipped from Nova’s arms and tumbled into the clear swamp, splashing water in every direction. She hammered at the water, scooping it up, completely absorbed in her play.

Nova grabbed Cyre by the waist, covered her mouth, and quickly ducked behind a tree, beneath thick branches forming a small canopy of leaves that shielded them from the rain. He stayed hidden, keeping out of sight from the creature in the distance.

Nova peeked through a hole in the tree’s trunk. The creature was already moving—running straight toward them.

The creature before him was somehow different from before. Human-shaped, skinny, standing at least two meters tall, it shimmered with white light. It had no mouth, eyes, nose, or ears. Its arms were whip-like, and its hairless forehead was shaped like a letter V.

“Cyre, there’s a monster up ahead. In a few seconds, it’ll be here. You stay put—I draw its attention. understand?” Nova said, trying to stay calm.

Nova was already exhausted from climbing the stairs without rest, and upon arriving at the next stage, he was immediately confronted by a dangerous creature. On top of that, he had never defeated one alone before—there had always been someone to help him. Now, he was anxious, unsure if he could win on his own.

“Ok,” replied Cyre, nodding.

Hearing Cyre’s response, Nova sprinted to the right, his face drenched in sweat. He glanced back now and then to check on the creature. He was worried it might lose interest and head toward Cyre instead. When he saw it was still chasing him, he let out a small sigh of relief.

He ran for about three hundred meters before stopping to face it head-on. Surrounded by trees in an open grove—and already worn out from climbing the stairs—he couldn’t hide, nor could he run.