FLIA 1

A Lamb Cast into the Abyss

“Hngh….”

Yohan held his breath and swallowed a sob. And who could blame him? Just beyond the glass wall he was pressed against, a massive eyeball was peering inside. It was surreal, yet this horrifying scene was undeniably real.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle any sound, his knuckles turning white. The floor beneath him was wet. Alarmed, he glanced down to check if he’d wet himself, and the little color remaining in his face vanished completely. The liquid soaking his pants wasn’t his own… it was tears, dripping from the massive eye, seeping through the broken window.

Schlick, schlick…

The bloodshot sclera and pupil smeared against the glass as it scoured the interior, but the monstrous eye failed to locate Yohan. Only when the glowing red light faded did the convenience store fall back into darkness. Still, Yohan couldn’t release his hand from his mouth. The monster’s tears soaking the floor were revolting, and terrifying.

How had it come to this?

He had only wanted to awaken. But what he got in return for paying a fortune was betrayal by a friend and a plunge into the worst possible place, the Abyss. Even Lee Hyunmook, once deemed the strongest awakener in Korea, had vanished here and never returned.

“Huff, huff…”

Finally letting out the breath he’d been holding, Yohan slowly lifted his head, eyes drifting to the outside through a crack in the building.

No one knew what the Abyss looked like. Not one person had ever returned from it. But now, in this very moment, Yohan was witnessing that unknown realm firsthand.

The Abyss was hell.

A strangled moan escaped his throat.

“…Hngh.”

Everything was shrouded in darkness. Though some source of light floated high above, it was smothered beneath what looked like thick, crimson-black clouds, casting an eerie twilight. The skyline resembled that of a modern city at dusk, but warped, wrong.

Between the crumbling, decaying buildings, something slithered and pulsed. Countless grotesque shapes—thick, long, sticky, sharp—things that couldn’t be called living creatures in any normal sense.

Yohan stifled the scream rising in his throat. He’d thought the monsters from rifts were disgusting enough, but they were nothing compared to this. Twisted, monstrous forms like the giant eyeball from earlier. One instinctively knew: if those things spotted you, death would be instant, and unspeakable.

He crawled out from beneath the rubble of a half-destroyed structure. Thankfully, a smaller, more intact building stood nearby. Yohan crept toward it, careful not to make a sound, and curled himself into the smallest ball he could manage.

‘I should’ve never joined that awakening party…’

Regret crashed over him. Being treated like garbage at home would’ve been better than dying like this. Should he have listened when his friends warned him that Park Seungmin seemed off? It didn’t matter anymore. Too late. Yohan trembled, swallowing his tears.

He didn’t even consider going back outside. Every little noise made him freeze. And yet, he tried to force himself to think positively.

‘At least there’s oxygen here, right?’

The Abyss could’ve been underwater, or a vacuum, or filled with poisonous methane. At least he could breathe. Though, even that was a stretch, the air stank. It reeked like rot, like food waste left to fester for years. No matter how hard he tried to be positive, his vision swam with despair.

Was there even food or drinkable water here?

Could someone like him, not even awakened, survive this place?

‘I want to go home.’

Tears welled again, but he forced them back. He couldn’t waste precious moisture like this. Instead, he carefully opened the backpack on his shoulders and anxiously checked his supplies again.

A lighter, a flashlight, some emergency rations that could last a few days if stretched, two bottles of water, a handful of chocolate bars, and a compact sleeping bag. Basic supplies meant for a short rift exploration. He stuffed the lighter into his breast pocket just in case it became a weapon. Sighing, he carefully felt around the dark interior of the building, and his hand brushed something.

“Huh?”

He picked up what felt like a candy pouch. After stuffing it into his bag and glancing around, he found a few more. Probably someone’s discarded snacks. He swept them all up, but that was it. No more food.

‘There’s probably more in other buildings, right?’

A sliver of hope sparked in him. Even in this hell, he wanted to survive just a bit longer.

He stayed in that building for about a day, watching the outside carefully. After a long debate with himself, he decided to move. Clutching his backpack, he took a deep breath.

“Phew…”

Let’s give it a shot. His water was already half gone. Two bottles wouldn’t last even a few days. Swallowing dryly, Yohan crept out. The surroundings were eerily silent.

‘I came out because it was quiet, but… this is too quiet.’

Where had all the monsters gone?

Despite the uneasy silence, he forced himself to walk forward, and then heard a splash.

“Huh?”

Looking down, he saw a shallow puddle. Water trickled through cracks, forming a narrow stream. No way…

His face went pale as he slowly looked up.

There, on the rooftop of the building he’d been hiding in, was the giant eyeball monster. It had spent two whole days staring into the building without blinking once. Its eye was now completely bloodshot.

“U-ugh…”

Terrified, Yohan stumbled back. The eyeball tracked his every move. Blink—its eyelid, lined with sharp teeth instead of lashes, twitched once, twice… and then it began to roll off the rooftop.

Boom.

Its heavy mass crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud, scattering debris. Then it began to roll.

Yohan bolted in silence, running for his life. The eyeball rolled after him, its toothy lid blinking faster and faster, gnawing at everything in its path. As concrete was shredded behind him, the blood drained from Yohan’s face, and a real scream finally tore free.

“Aaaaaaah!!”

If that thing touched him, he wouldn’t even die with a body left behind. That kind of death was unacceptable!

Crying and panting, Yohan ran with every ounce of strength he had. But he was only human. Exhaustion quickly caught up. Just as cramps seized his legs, he tripped and fell hard.

“Ah… ah…”

With no energy left to even stand, Yohan turned around, teeth chattering.

The eyeball had stopped.

Its lid curved into a crescent, almost as if it were… smiling.

Blink… once.

Blink… again.

Then blink-blink, blink.

The slow, eerie blinks of the eyelid, lined with razor teeth, oozed sadistic pleasure; feeding off Yohan’s dread. He tried to crawl away, but hit a wall behind him.

Scrrrk! The ground was being torn apart as the creature inched closer.

Was this how he would die? A rush of tears blurred his vision. Just as he clenched his eyes shut, unable to watch his own death.

Splat!

Something warm and wet splashed across his face.

Eyes flying open, Yohan gasped.

The eyeball had been knocked back, its surface dented and cracked.

The disoriented monster twisted toward something.

Standing there was a humanoid shadow, as if darkness itself had taken form.

“Hiii…!”

Yohan squeaked.

The shadow turned. It made a creaking sound, almost like laughter.

No, it was laughing.

“Hiii…!”

It mimicked Yohan’s squeal and suddenly lunged.

The same hand that obliterated the eyeball grabbed Yohan’s body. Damp, hot, and repulsive. His breath caught.

“A human! It’s a human!”

“AAAAAH!”

Yohan screamed, but froze.

Wait.

Did… did that monster just talk?

No, no.

This isn’t a monster.

“A human! Hahaha! A human! Ahh! A human!”

“Huff, huff…”

“Human, human, human, human, human, human, human—”

The voice repeated it so fast, the word lost meaning.

Was this thing really a human?

Or just something mimicking one?

From behind tangled hair, its glowing red eyes and mouth grinned wide.

When Yohan met the gaze leaking madness, his frayed nerves snapped, and he fainted on the spot.