Outside the door

The door creaked open, accompanied by a sigh, Ethan knew his roommate Mark had returned.

Ethan's roommate Mark and he are students at the same school, but they are not in the same major. Mark is actually a very cheerful and free person. He always maintains a positive attitude when working on projects. However, since he started working, he no longer has a smile on his face.

Ethan shut down his computer, rolled up the scroll, and hid it under his pillow. Although Mark was polite and never intruded into his room uninvited, Ethan still preferred to be cautious.

Ethan stepped out of his room and greeted Mark, "How was your day?"

Mark, slumped on the living room sofa, rolled his eyes and said, "How could it be? The same as always. Piles of work stuff, all my colleagues are idiots, this world is truly messed up. It might as well end sooner."

It seemed like he was ostracized at work again, which is common for newcomers. Thinking that his own future work experiences might be similar, Ethan deeply empathized. Trying to break the silence, Ethan asked, "There was a... 'eclipse' today, seemed unusual, did you see it?"

He decided to stick to the official explanation, avoiding sounding like a cultist like that "Abyss Walker."

Mark turned over on the sofa, "What's so great about an eclipse? It's not like it'll raise my salary or kill my stupid boss. The world never changes; it's always us at the bottom who suffer." His voice was filled with anger and exhaustion.

"Well...If, I mean hypothetically," Ethan weighed his words, "if you found out that the world was suddenly undergoing a huge change, or let's say the apocalypse was about to happen, what would you do?"

"Haha! then I'd definitely start by slapping my boss, the bastard. Then, before I die, I want to laugh as I watch the world bleed!" Mark responded offhandedly.

Listening to his roommate's complaints, Ethan didn't know how to respond. He reflected on his situation; although he didn't have to deal with work or a boss, the day's life-threatening encounter left him shaken.

But he didn't share his experience, knowing it was too absurd.

After a brief exchange, Mark stood up, "I'm going to take a shower, then sleep. Got to wake up early tomorrow." Saying so, he dragged his tired body towards the bathroom.

Ethan watched his roommate's back, feeling contemplative. In this bustling city, everyone was carrying their own burdens. After washing up, Ethan decided to go to bed too.

In the deep silence of the night, aside from the occasional wind outside the window, Ethan's room was quiet.

Despite being tired, Ethan found himself unable to sleep.

After tossing and turning in bed for an hour, he finally accepted that he was suffering from insomnia, sighed, and sat up, staring blankly at his room.

The bedroom's furnishings were simple and unadorned, the white walls appeared especially bleak in the night.

A simple wardrobe, a desk, a small cabinet filled with miscellaneous items, and the full-body mirror that made him realize something was wrong with his head in the morning, were all proofs of Ethan's life and struggles in London. Two high-backed metal chairs were askew in the corner, each with a backpack hanging on it, and on the floor, a pair of white plastic slippers faced each other, quietly recounting the minutiae of the homeowner's life.

Ethan stared blankly at all this, his mind involuntarily replaying the day's events, hoping to find clues he might have missed.

The bizarre awakening, chaotic memories, mysterious relatives, the ancient house, secret rooms and altars, men in black and tattoos, the sun's anomaly... Today, he encountered too much information, each hiding secrets, all in just one day.

He subconsciously ignored the physical mutations, the fact that his body was filled with tentacles was something no sane person could accept immediately.

He felt at a loss on how to proceed.

The patterns and symbols of the scroll kept flashing in his mind, as if calling him to unlock its secrets. However, the clues to this secret seemed deeply hidden, and even the vast collections of the library might not offer sufficient answers.

As Ethan was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a strange sensation—the feeling of "the world seems different" after he took out the scroll, which had been muted after encountering Carlos, now emerged strongly again!

What was happening?

He scrutinized the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Outside the blinds, the streetlight had dimmed. The last bit of light vanished, plunging the room into darkness.

Fortunately, Ethan's eyes had adjusted to the dark environment, barely allowing him to make out various items in the room.

Ethan suddenly noticed the bedroom door was ajar.

When had the door been opened?

This realization made his heart tighten, and in an instant, Ethan felt his blood rush. His gaze pierced through the half-open door, trying to catch the presence lurking in the darkness.

Outside, where there should have been a hallway, was now consumed by darkness. Ethan stared at the door gap, seeing a humanoid shadow squatting at the door, seemingly peeking into the room.

The outline of this humanoid shadow kept changing, as if it were a shapeshifter, making it hard for Ethan to discern clearly.

Ethan's heartbeat accelerated, knowing it was definitely not Mark. What should he do? He slightly moved his fingers, trying to get his stiff body to move.

Ethan took five deep breaths, then slowly got up, deciding to confront the unknown presence outside.

He swallowed, gathered up his courage, and slowly approached the door.

With each step, his heartbeat seemed to intensify, until his hand touched the doorknob, and the world seemed to stand still.

Just then, the shadow outside seemed to move away. Ethan's heart tightened, and he swiftly opened the door, only to find the hallway empty, except for a shovel leaning against the wall, which Ethan had placed there upon returning.

What was going on?

Before he could ponder further, Ethan suddenly felt a cool breeze behind him.