Portal

Noah takes the painting and place it on the easel then he grab my hand and take a deep breath.

"I don't know how to describe everything but I'll just show you, ok?"

"Ok. . "

He touch the canvas and step into the painting. That's something that I've never seen before. I hold his hand tightly and step into the painting. We stand inside a room with a single painting on the wall. I look around, everything looks real. I touch the wall and I can feel that it's a real wall, a solid wall then I try to jump several times to make sure the floor is not fake and it's real. I never knew that there's a dimension beyond a painting and this is my first time entering the space.

"Where are we?"

Noah is walking to the corner of the room and take the package that he threw then he walks back to me.

"We are in the other side of the painting. This one is called the 'Qiophaire' dimension."

"Qioph- what?"

"Qiophaire. It's the name of the dimension. If you look around, there is no door or window. It's just a room with a single painting on the wall."

"Why?"

"Because I create every details in the room. It was an empty space before but I have the power to make a new place inside the dimension."

"And how do we get out from here?"

"That painting on the wall is our way out."

I walk closer to the painting on the wall and realize that it's a painting of the art room in the university. Everything doesn't make sense. It's not real. Maybe I'm still sleeping and I'm having a dream about going to a dimension through a portal and the portal is a painting on a canvas. It's time to back to reality so I close my eyes then I pinch my arms to wake me up.

"Wake up, Sera. Wake up."

I open my eyes and I can see Noah standing in front of me, looking at me with a puzzled look.

"What?"

"It's real, Sera. You're not dreaming and you are 100% conscious."

"No, no, no. You're joking. Maybe you're a fake too, I'm in my dream, everything is not real."

Noah pulls my body closer to him and he lands a kiss on my lips. I push him away and step back immediately.

"What was that for?"

"I need to prove it to you that it's real."

There must be a scientific explanation about this then I will believe it. I walk to the painting and try to touch the canvas and nothing happens.

"Get me out of here."

Noah throw the box away then he grabs my hand, touch the canvas and step out the painting with me. Once I'm back at the art room, I run out of the art room and rush to the women's bathroom. I wash my face and try to understand the reality. I take my phone and look for any information about dimension beyond a painting and there is only one website that explain about another dimension but it's not a dimension inside a painting. I try to calm down then I leave the bathroom.

Noah sits on the floor and he stares at the painting. How can he be that stupid to reveal his ability? Now Sera knows about the dimension inside the painting and perhaps she will stay away from him and he can't protect her anymore. Besides he did something unexpected back in the dimension which is kissing her. It's not something that he would do to make someone believe him but he just did it. His body naturally did that and now he realize that there's something wrong with him.

"Sera. . ."

Noah takes the painting and he stand up then leave the art room with the painting on his hand. When walks down he spot Sera near the main door of building B and she's talking to a person with yellow hair. It's Benjamin. How can he knew that Sera is here? He immediately rush to the main door and push Benjamin away.

"Noah!"

Sera looks surprised. Noah brings Sera to his back and try to protect her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I explain about the dimension to Sera since she asked me about it."

"You ask Ben about the dimension?"

"I did, he said that he can explain everything and help me to understand."

"He's a liar! Let's go, Sera."

Noah takes Sera with him back to the dorm, leaving Benjamin behind. Noah knows everything about Ben, about everything that he has done in the past, about Candace and now he's going to do the same thing to Sera. He can't let that happen to this young girl.

"Noah!"

". . ."

"Noah!"

Noah turns around and he looks at Sera, she looks in pain, perhaps he hold her hand too tight. He let her hand go and look at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Why did you do that to him? I only ask for an explanation."

"Sera, listen to me. He is a liar. I told you that he's a bad person remember?"

"Yes. . "

"Do you remember about the note that you got when we had lunch at the chinese restaurant near the supermarket?"

"Yes."

"It was him. He gave you the note, he's trying to harm you, Sera. Just like what he did to Candace and I don't want you to experience the same thing as Candace did."

"Candace? Who is that?"

"I'll tell you later."

He takes Sera with him to his dorm and ask Sera to sit. Noah walks to his bedroom and take out a book from his bookcase then he take a photo from the book then he give Sera the photo. It's a photo of a beautiful red haired girl, she looks younger than Sera, maybe she is 18 years old and in the photo, the girl is smiling brightly.

"Who is she?"

"It's Candace Roseschwarz. My ex-lover, my first love and Ben's victim."