Opening the Door
911 Words
Lin Qiye was truly exhausted—both mentally and physically.
He never expected that on his very first day after transferring schools, he would go through all of this: encountering a monster, being betrayed by a classmate, fighting for his life, waking up in a daze, and then meeting some "superman" of an uncle who appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly.
Lin Qiye wasn't stupid. He knew what happened tonight had to be connected to the hidden side of this world—the human-faced monster, the golden light that had burst from his body, and that man who single-handedly took the creature down.
That man clearly wasn't ordinary. From the way he reported through a walkie-talkie, it was obvious he belonged to a large organization—probably one that operated in the shadows, dealing with strange incidents like this.
If he had seen the light from Lin Qiye's body and possibly even witnessed him killing the monster alone, then it made sense he'd want to recruit him.
Of course, Lin Qiye was curious. He wanted to know exactly what he'd encountered tonight, and what had happened to him. But he also knew that once you step into certain secrets, there's no way out.
He had no interest in becoming some hero who protected humanity. The only thing he wanted to protect… was his family.
Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.
---
The familiar mist returned.
In his dream, Lin Qiye looked around and sighed helplessly.
"Still not letting me go? Fighting monsters while I'm awake wasn't enough, now you're knocking on my door in my sleep? What a life…"
Walking as if he'd done this countless times, he soon saw the outline of a mental hospital appear before him.
On an old plaque to his right were four engraved characters:
—The Asylum of the Gods.
Lin Qiye stopped before the main gate. He reached for the round knocker, but the moment his fingers touched it, the ground trembled slightly! The surrounding fog rolled violently.
"What the hell? I didn't even knock yet…" he thought, confused.
Then, a flash of realization struck him.
Could it be… because today, he had opened his eyes?
Looking down at himself, his eyes lit up.
In previous dreams, his body was semi-transparent, like a wisp of fragile mist. But now, it was more solid—still not fully corporeal, but no longer see-through.
His gaze burned as he looked at the massive door that had barred him for five years.
"Maybe… today I can do it!"
Taking a deep breath, he gripped the knocker and slammed it hard against the door.
*Clang!*
A deep, ancient bell rang out from within, louder than ever before. The entire building shook.
"Good sign!" His eyes brightened.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
He struck three more times, and the asylum trembled like an earthquake.
Finally, with a deafening boom, all went still… and then, with a slow creak, the great doors began to open.
Beyond them lay an ancient, dimly lit corridor. The floor emitted a faint glow, and strange orbs of light hung along the walls, burning with an eerie flame.
Lin Qiye followed the corridor until he reached a fork. Overhead hung a very modern-looking sign:
*Left: Patient Wards. Right: Activity Area.*
"This layout… looks exactly like the mental hospital I stayed in years ago," he muttered.
After a brief pause, he turned toward the activity area. It wasn't large, but had everything—a multimedia room for watching TV and movies, a lounge for playing chess, a reading room, and even a circular open-air lawn inside the building, lined with various exercise equipment.
"Exactly the same. This dream is really strange."
After exploring, he headed to the patient wards.
But as soon as he reached the entrance, he stopped.
"This… is different."
Back in the Sunshine Mental Hospital, the wards were multi-story, decently clean and tidy despite their modest facilities.
Here, there was only one floor—just six rooms in total.
Each door was covered in strange symbols and markings, dense and intricate, like seals. Just looking at them made his head spin.
Forcing his gaze away, he looked to the top right corner where an ancient plaque hung. Each door had a different emblem—Room One bore a black circle, Room Two had something that looked like a staff or pen.
He walked to the last door, Room Six, but still had no clue what they meant.
Was it possible… that these rooms held actual patients? Or, as the asylum's name suggested… gods?
After some hesitation, he reached for the handle of Room Six. He wasn't acting recklessly—this was his dream, so nothing could truly hurt him. And after knocking on this door for five years, he wasn't about to leave without answers.
Perhaps, deep down, he also felt that something in this asylum was connected to him.
His fingers brushed the handle. It was cool to the touch—no repelling force, no pain. He gripped it firmly and pulled.
The door didn't budge.
He tried again with all his strength—still nothing.
Moving on, he tried Room Five, then Four, Three, Two… not a single door opened.
Finally, he reached Room One. Expecting failure, he pulled lightly—
*Click!*
The complex patterns on the door cracked and dissolved into the air.
Startled, Lin Qiye jumped back a few steps, eyes locked on the door.
It opened.
- Writer
