Chapter 0: Think Abnormally

I was on my way to the bank. As I passed by the convenience store adjacent to it, I slicked my dark, short, middle-parted hair backwards and turned the corner towards the building. I was wearing my nicest suit, regardless of the small stain on the collar. And I had an important package in hand. This package would helᓰᕲᕼᓍᕲSᐺᘉ —

Huh?

Then all of a sudden, my all-nighter headache started to flare up rapidly, a quick chill crept up my chest, and my knees buckled before I could stop them. I had collapsed before I knew it.

I woke up in a cold sweat in an unfamiliar room, my head pounding, and the darkness shrouding me made it hard to see.

Where am I? Wasn't I just on my way to the bank? Did someone take me in after I conked out?

As I looked around, I could make out a small desk and chair in the corner, and a television on the desk. I sat up, darting my eyes, trying to adjust to the absence of light. I thought about using the flash on my phone to illuminate the room, but when I patted my jacket and pant pockets, I realized my belongings were missing.

Including my package!

This cannot be serious. I searched all around the room, on all fours, trying to see if anything was left on these rough tatami floors. After some shuffling, I bumped my head into a wall; the wall and windows were grotty, littered with posters, newspapers, and other magazine graphics. I stood, hauling myself up slowly, examining the wall, the scratches and stains carved into the drywall…

BZZT…

A muffled ringing came from the desk drawer. I inched my way towards the desk, the buzzing swelled with each step.

But then the feeling you get when you sense someone's presence washed over me, and I noticed it

Beneath the growing ringing, I began to hear faint creaks beyond the door of this room, footsteps treading closer. The weakness in my knees returned.

I didn't know whether to hide, run, or greet whoever was coming. I stood between the desk and door, no places to hide in this almost empty room. As the footsteps finally reached the door, I saw the shadow blocking the light beaming through the door cracks.

And as if a flashbang went off, the room's blinding lights turned on, and I ducked to the ground.

The lights were brighter than I could’ve imagined. Maybe my eyes had gotten too adjusted to the dark, but I had to cover my eyes to block the light. The phone’s ringing stopped, and a message from the direction of the desk started playing.

“Sora, you have been initiated into the labyrinth of the soul. You will learn soon that time is precious. Please look up and proceed through the door. And understand, to overcome the abnormal, you must think abnormally.”

Sora?

Me?

The audio clicked as if it had been cut off, and the lights had shut off. The shadow by the door was gone.

What was that message? It sounded more like instructions than a warning. What could they mean by think abnormally?

None of this makes any sense, and I didn’t have time to figure it out.

But didn't the voice say to look up?

I glanced up at the ceiling for the first time since waking up, and I saw it, impossibly floating above me.

A digital timer, ticking down from six minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I tried to touch the timer above me, but like a hologram, my fingers phased through the white-and-black-bordered numbers.

This is what the voice was talking about!

I stared at the numbers ticking down above me. The impossible was right in front of me, and I had less than 6 minutes to grasp what it was.

The exit is probably beyond there, the pristine white door; it looked quite jarring, and just moments ago, something had stood just outside of it. Can I really trust the voice?

If I step out, is there something out there to get me?

The voice said I was fine to leave, but what kind of fool would I be to trust them? But I gripped the doorknob regardless, my one chance to leave, and I would not let it slip.

The metal knob rattled with my shaky hands. Beyond here should be an exit; maybe I can make a break for it, but I won’t know until I leave.

I swung the door wide open with all my might and started sprinting down the dimly lit halls of this home. With each turn, each room passing me by, I inched closer and closer to freedom, towards the light ahead. For a moment, I thought about whether others were also trapped in here with me, but honestly, who cares? I had to look out for number one.

I had never been as happy to see the light since I got stuck in the closet as a baby. I sprinted towards the light, the tips of my fingers grazing the wall, guiding my steps, a calming breeze that put my nerves at ease washed over me, and my final hope, and when i turned the corner

Something was there…

Too big and too close

A massive monster loomed inches from me; its presence was overwhelming. It had sunken eyes like a void, slug-like skin, and a towering stature. It sat with its back against what seemed to be the front door of this house.

My knees gave out, and I dropped to the floor.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and the glimmer of hope I had a second before faded. I had never seen something so defeating in my life before. A boss enemy was blocking the door to freedom, and I was a level-one player. I took another glance at my timer

Down to less than a minute.

The monster shifted its head towards me, as if it could sense me regardless of its lack of eyes, and began to tug on its chains.

The chains holding it down seemed dingy, like they could snap at any moment, but they held the five-metre monster down.

The monster reached out and caught my limp leg in a tight hold between its fingers. It was all futile; my time was up, this monster had caught me, and my timer had reached its end.

It counted down three, then two, and finally one.

I held my breath and closed my eyes, but nothing,

nothing happened.

Until my headache returned, I slowly opened my eyes, and I was back in the original room, the same television and desk, same walls, same white door. And my timer was somehow replenished.

Someone must be playing a sick joke on me, and not the funny kind. So, as any sane person would, I wiped the sweat from my brow, my head still pounding, and muttered to myself, “How could a single part of any of this be possible? None of this makes sense…” The television in the room had turned on, and I could hear that painfully familiar voice

“Of course it doesn't make any sense, silly! I did tell you to think abnormally after all.”

My neck snapped towards the television, and I caught a glimpse of what was orchestrating this.