LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Chapter Five: Beyond the Door

Several days later, Jack and Alex set out on a journey through the forest, heading towards a rabbit trap they had previously prepared. Each of them carried a pistol for self-defense in case they encountered any of the fierce wolves that might appear on their path.

Upon reaching the location of the trap, they discovered that a rabbit had been caught in it. Without hesitation, Jack grabbed the rabbit and took it with him. Then, the friends headed to the location of the second trap, where they found another rabbit. This time, it was Alex’s turn to catch the rabbit and take it with him to the cave.

At night, Noor and Lena prepared the rabbits to cook dinner. After the cooking was done, everyone gathered around the fire, enjoying the delicious rabbit meat. The atmosphere was cheerful, and everyone enjoyed the dinner. Afterwards, as usual, they all headed to the river to wash themselves and get rid of the food remnants.

On their way, they were surprised when a bright light emerged from the depths of the forest. This time, Jack and Alex witnessed the light with their own eyes. They decided to investigate the source of this mysterious light. They determined the direction of the light and set up markers on the trail to guide them on the path they should take the next day at sunrise. It was a well-thought-out plan to explore the matter safely.

Early in the morning, Jack and Alex, armed with their pistols, set off with Lena and Noor to the location marked by signs pointing towards the source of the mysterious light. As they walked, the conversation revolved around the nature of that light and its origin, mixed with questions and curiosity about what they might discover.

Noor asks the others curiously, “What is this strange light? Do you have any guesses?”

Alex suggests, “It looks like the light from an old lighthouse!”

Noor responds, “But lighthouses are on the shores, not in the middle of forests.”

Jack doubts what was said, “It can’t be a lighthouse; it’s far from the sea.”

Lena poses a question, “Could the light source be from other adventurers?”

Alex says, “That’s possible. Maybe they are adventurers who survived and are living on this island.”

Noor seriously says, “But the rumors say that no one has survived from this island, and it has become a graveyard for ships.”

Jack replies, “If we survived, why couldn’t others survive as well?”

Lena asks worriedly, “So, why hasn’t anyone returned from the island?”

Noor answers, “Maybe they are stuck like us, and it’s possible that their ships were damaged and they couldn’t build new ones to return.”

Alex responds with doubt: “There’s something puzzling here, if the light source is from other adventurers and their ships are broken, how do they have a light source?”

Noor replies: “Could they dive to their sunken ship and bring up a strong light beacon?”

Jack says: “The light we saw couldn’t have come from just an ordinary light beacon, the light we saw was very bright, it seems to come from something big and high.”

Lena responds thoughtfully, “Anything is possible on this island, it is a wonder in itself, let’s not forget that the island was deep in the ocean and then appeared on the surface of the sea, if the island wasn’t wonderful and mysterious, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

Alex agrees, “True, this is amazing, Lena.”

The four friends continued on their way, and after a long journey, they arrived at an open space in the heart of the forest. There, they encountered a scene they had never imagined. Before them stood an ancient building, topped by a towering tower, and at its summit, there was the source of the light that appeared as a huge lamp. The building, covered by the marks of time and neglect, was etched with cracks and fractures. It was surrounded by dense trees and shrubs, giving it an abandoned look that suggested it had not been visited for decades.

The friends stopped, astonished in front of the building, gazing at it with wide eyes. They could hardly believe what they saw. This was not what they had expected when they set out to explore the source of the light, nor when they found themselves on this island, nor even when they embarked on this wondrous adventure.

Noor expressed shock to the others, “What is this? What is this building? Who built it? And why?”

Lena expressed uncertainty, “I don’t know, Noor, I don’t know what this building is. But it seems to contain the source of the light, the one we saw from afar.”

Alex, contemplating the structure with curious eyes, commented in wonder, “It’s built in an unusual way, its design belongs to another era, it doesn’t resemble the modern design we’re used to.”

Noor, examining the eroded walls, conjectured, “I think this building is very old, it’s worn out and full of cracks.”

Lena confirmed, “Look, there’s a huge lamp at the top, and it seems to have been here for a long time, as dust covers it.”

Alex suggested enthusiastically, “Let’s look for an entrance, guys.”

Lena expressed her concern, “Are you sure about that, Alex? Do you think it’s safe for us to enter this building? What if something bad is waiting for us?”

Alex reassured her, “Don’t worry, there’s nothing that can harm us. Come on, let’s enter this building.”

Alex walked resolutely towards the old building, pulling the others along with him. They reached the ancient building’s door and found it tightly closed. The door was a puzzle in itself, adorned with intertwining blue lines that shimmered with a faint light leading towards its center, where a spherical object was located. Alex examined the door with curiosity and cautiously extended his hand to touch the spherical object. Suddenly, a strong blue light emanated from it, and the door began to move slowly and opened. The four friends exchanged looks of astonishment and confusion, wondering silently about the nature of what had happened.

Driven by curiosity, Alex decided to lead the way inside the building. They entered a vast hall that seemed untouched for centuries. Dust covered everything, and silence was absolute. The hall was majestic with its white walls and glowing blue lines that drew complex geometric shapes. They found two opposing doors, each engraved with a sign bearing strange symbols that exuded mystery, which no one could decipher.

On the right door, it was written: “ ⊙Δ∇∴∵”. On the left door, it was written: “ ∞∝∩∪”. The four friends pondered these symbols and what they meant. Alex decided to open the right door and entered an empty room filled with many blue lines, but nothing else. The room had another door, with a spherical shape like the one on the building’s door. Alex pressed the spherical shape, but the door remained closed. He pressed again, and then again, but to no avail. After the third attempt, a dark red flash emitted from the blue lines, and the spherical shape petrified, no longer responding to pressure.

Alex stepped back, feeling puzzled and amazed. What was happening here? Why didn’t the door open? What was behind the door? Alex concluded that the door had a specific way to open, but he had not discovered it. Alex decided to search for that method and try to open the door again. But he found nothing that could help him. The door was tightly closed, and there was no way to break or open it. Alex felt frustrated and hopeless. Was this the end of his adventure? Was this the secret that the building hid?