Finally, the next chapter is up. I was afraid it would never happen. But it did, after a long time of pushing through it. I hope you guys like it.


Mother Harumi sits across Father Torao and Brother Shiro just as the meeting is about to begin. At the other side of the meeting table, she sees Father Yamada glaring at her. A bandage is taped over his nose. Harumi gulps, suspecting that Father Yamada must have told the others what happened. How she slammed the door in his face and ran off with Rachel. Of course, she would be in a great deal of trouble. This is Father Yamada, one of the higher elders after Father Torao. If anyone does anything to disrespect a father, you'd be disrespecting all of them. That's why many avoid Father Yamada like the plague.

But here, Harumi can't escape his cold stare. A glare that would make any child run, including Rachel.

The meeting begins in session. The fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers of Azarath take their seats at the round wooden table. Harumi's hands fidget.

"Mother Harumi," Father Torao's voice echoes against the room's white marble walls. Harumi lifts her gaze towards him, trying to appear composed and collected, though inside she's shitting her robes. "We requested your presence for two reasons. One is an apology for injuring Father Yamada's face."

All eyes shift to her in surprise, and a few gasps can be heard.

"I swear it was an accident," Harumi says.

"You slammed the door in my face and broke my nose!" Father Yamada snaps at her. "And you ran off without apologizing."

"At ease, Yamada," Father Tsukiyama says, "I'm sure it was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Father Yamada says, "Hardly a misunderstanding. She knew what she was doing. She saw me approach her and before I could talk to her, she slammed the door in my face."

"Father Yamada, I promise," Harumi says, "My intentions were not to harm you."

"Then what were your intentions, Mother Harumi?" Father Torao asks.

Before she can open her mouth, Father Yamada rants over her.

"She knows what her intentions were. She has been avoiding meetings for quite some time now. And has been keeping Karasu from us for an entire month straight."

"And that's the second reason we summoned you, Mother Harumi," Father Torao says.

Harumi sighs in defeat. "You summoned me to speak of Rachel."

"You can't avoid it any longer," Father Yamada says, almost standing from his chair.

"At ease," Father Torao says before switching his attention to Harumi, "As much as it pains me to admit it, Father Yamada is right. You have been avoiding us for a while. But it all ends here. We must talk about Rachel and what should be done about her."

"What do you mean 'What should be done about her?'" Harumi frowns in confusion.

Father Torao and Father Tsukiyama look at each other.

"Do you wish to tell her, or should I?" Father Tsukiyama asks.

Sighing, Father Torao looks back at Harumi. "For the past month before Rachel's 16th birthday, there has been a spike in violence. Accidents and murder in the other world are being projected and are more prominent. On August 16, there was a gas explosion in the underground shopping area of Shizuoka Station, killing two hundred. This happened the same day Rachel was having a panic attack and no one could explain how the gas explosion occurred. 60 people in Kyoto were attacking each other without explanation. When the police interviewed the victims and the attackers, they had no recollection of the event. 10 people died in the slaughter. This occurred on September 24, the same day Rachel was suffering another nightmare."

"Pure coincidences. Accidents and murders happen all the time. What does this have to do with Rachel?"

" Everything ," Father Yamada says.

"You see," Father Torao says, "These are not ordinary accidents. After said incidents, there have been reports of dead bodies rising and walking away from the scene without incident. One man walked out of the explosions as if he didn't just get burned to a crisp. Reports of humans attacking others violently, having black eyes are becoming popular as well."

"And what do you suppose? Possession?" Harumi asks.

"We believe so," Father Torao says, "But that's not all. Have a look. This was recorded a few weeks ago."

Father Torao turns on the projector for everyone to see. On the screen, it shows a man slitting a woman's throat in an alleyway. From what Harumi can see, the act of violence took place in Gotham City, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Notorious for corruption, its uncontrollable crime and insane criminals. Not to mention the infamous Batman. Only a fool would dare go there. The woman who got killed was possibly a stripper or a prostitute just from the way she dressed: short black skirt, red laced corset almost exposing her breasts, high heels, loop earrings, fishnet stockings and make-up smudged over her face. The man who slit her throat was an ex-lover or a drug dealer to whom she owed money. At the moment, nothing happens. The man turns away to talk on his phone. Possibly his wife or boss. It's always a wife or a boss.

Soon, Harumi's eyes grow wide when the dead woman slowly rises from the ground, at first off-balance, but soon starts stumbling towards him. Blood trickles down the wound of her throat while her eyes are soulless and black as marble. She mutters "Trigon…Trigorrah", much to Harumi's horror. Trigorrah . And then the woman attacks the man, biting him down his neck. Everyone nearly gasps at the sight.

"This has been happening everywhere," Father Torao says, "Dead people walking. Not just Gotham. London. China. The Philippines. And Japan."

"They're being summoned to serve Trigon," Harumi says as they know who these demons are.

"You mean both him and his daughter ' , Mother Harumi," Father Yamada says.

"No," she reproaches, knowing what he's trying to imply.

"You still continue to deny it? You can't deny the truth."

"I do not deny anything because it's not true. Rachel will never become them."

"You sound so certain about it."

"I am certain," Harumi says, "I raised her, after all."

"Ah yes, we're all aware of your unhealthy attachment to Rachel. You even gave her your surname."

"And what's wrong with that?" Harumi asks, "What's wrong with giving Rachel a bit of love –?"

"You are not her mother!" he shouts.

The room becomes silent once more.

Harumi glares at Father Yamada now. So, that's how you want to play it, eh? Fine.

"You're right, Father Yamada," she says, "I am not Rachel's mother. I didn't give birth to her nor was I able to breastfeed her. But I was the only one in this room who gave a shit about her."

"Mother Harumi, please watch your tongue," Father Torao says.

"Forgive me, Torao, but I will not. Ever since Rachel was born, many of you have been nothing but cold and unkind to her, despite having done nothing. Sister Ami, you were the one who helped Angela deliver Rachel, yet you refused to care for her or go anywhere near her. I found her with an infection once because you never cleaned her. Not even once. You also refused to feed her and the young thing was starving."

"Mother Harumi, be fair with me," Sister Ami says in a tone resembling a wounded puppy, looking down with a contorted expression as if she were about to cry. "If you had only seen her when she was firstborn. She did not appear normal. She was covered in black blood. Not red. Black. And her eyes. How can you deny those soulless eyes? How could you expect me to care for her?"

"Trust me, I have seen it," Harumi says, "Many times. But I still did not abandon Rachel for it. The rest of you may not see her as normal. But she is a child. When we all agreed Angela was not fit to care for Rachel, we also agreed that I would care for her. Father Torao, you were there. You also agreed. And I have been doing so for many years. Yes, I was afraid at first. But nothing has changed. And I will continue to care for her for days to come."

"You're sounding like Brother Hide," Father Yamada says.

"Brother Hide was already unhinged when he came to Azarath."

"Exactly."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You weren't exactly sane when you first came to Azarath."

"Though, unlike Brother Hide, I didn't betray Azarath and risked our entire existence opening a portal to hell."

"You would do it eventually, given your previous history with the self-proclaimed master of the dark arts."

John Constantine . Just the name makes Harumi cringe.

"Father Yamada, that's quite unfair," Father Torao says, "This is beyond discussion. Whatever happened to Harumi in Newcastle with John Constantine has nothing to do with our current situation. We must discuss what needs to be done about Rachel."

Harumi looks at Father Torao. "And what do you think should be done about Rachel?"

"It is still up to debate, Harumi."

"I see. You're all debating on whether or not Rachel should leave Azarath."

"Yes," Father Yamada says, "And many of us here are in favour that Rachel should be sent away somewhere far. For her safety. And the safety of Azarath."

"How many are in favour?" Harumi asks.

"Ten," Father Yamada says, "Only two are against the idea because they fear we'll be spreading the problem to the world instead of keeping her contained."

Did he really just compare Rachel to a fucking virus? She thinks.

"All we need is your vote and that of Father Torao," he says.

Harumi returns her gaze to Torao. "What is your vote?"

"I am still debating," he says.

"Then you know my answer," she says. "We can't just toss Rachel aside like a stray dog. How will you explain it to her? After so many years of raising her as an Azarathian, we're going to simply tell her we no longer want her here? A child who doesn't know her capacity. A child who has devoted her faith in Azar. A child who doesn't know who her father is. A child who doesn't know her mother tried to kill her at birth. Are we going to bombard her with the truth, expect her to just accept it and then toss her out like garbage?"

"You could have told her the truth since she was born," Father Yamada says, "Instead, you kept up the act of her being a normal child when everyone knows she's not. The sooner she learns the truth, the easier it will be to send her away."

"I disagree this time, Yamada," Father Torao says.

Father Yamada frowns at him in confusion. "And why is that?"

"Rachel has been a sensitive child all her life, and she seems to react based on emotion. Whenever she wailed, a window would break. Whenever she's overwhelmed with joy, there would be a blackout all over Azarath like ten years ago on her sixth birthday."

"It took all day to fix the fuse box," one monk says.

"If we tell her the truth now, it will prove disastrous. There's no telling how she'll react and what her reaction will cause."

"More reasons for her to leave Azarath," Father Yamada continues to say.

Harumi gets sick of him. "And where do you plan on sending her? To an orphanage? To a prison? Will you lock her away like her mother? To an asylum? To some magical cage where she can never get out? You never made a plan of where Rachel should go if things go array, have you? You simply hoped this day wouldn't come. If you send Rachel away, she'll be alone, scared, sad and confused. She'll be so lost she won't know what to do with herself and will wonder why we've abandoned her. We're not protecting her. We're condemning her." She abruptly gets up from her seat. "Rachel stays here. She's not leaving Azarath. End of discussion."

She then leaves the meeting.


Rachel pokes her strawberry shortcake with a fork, no longer hungry or in the mood to continue the party. What was the point of having a party if Harumi doesn't even bother to stay? Letting out a deep breath in frustration, she steps out of the Singh family's house and sits on the balcony with the plate of cake on her lap. She looks over the balcony's marble railing and gazes over the streets of Azarath. They're empty. Everyone is back in their homes. The golden cobblestone streets appear blue at night and they glitter in the moonlight. Rachel gazes at the dark blue sky. Stars twinkle. The moon is full and shines over Azarath, making Rachel's face grow paler than usual. She smiles slightly and closes her eyes, taking in the beauty of her home.

"Rachel," Kiran comes out of her house after noticing her absence. "I thought I'd find you here. What's the matter? You seemed happier earlier."

Rachel sighs once more. "That was before."

"You heard what Mother Harumi. She'll be back as soon as the meeting is over."

"I doubt the meeting will end early. They always have a meeting when there's trouble. I suppose it's about me."

"Why would you think that?"

"It's always about me," Rachel says, "I know something is not right."

"How would you know?"

"It's a feeling."

"Is it the bad dreams again?" Kiran asks.

Rachel nods. "Only one. It's the same thing almost every night, and I feel like it's getting worse."

"I can tell. You look pale and exhausted. You know I'm here. We're best friends, remember? We tell each other everything."

Rachel sighs. Oh, Kiran. How I wish I can tell you everything . She really wishes to tell her, but she can't. How can she? When she doesn't even know what's happening to her. No one tells her anything.

"Karasu! Kiran!"

Rachel rolls her eyes.

Bloody hell , she thinks. It's the twins, Tenzin and Tamdin. They arrive running and laughing while pushing at each other. Please, Azar, make them go away . Whenever those two are around, trouble always ensues. That's why Rachel and Kiran often stay away from them.

"What do you two want?" Kiran asks.

"Relax," Tenzin says with a mischievous smile. "We just wanted to give Karasu a happy birthday."

"Thank you," Rachel says out of politeness.

"Unless you brought presents, move along," Kiran says.

"We just thought we could all have a little fun tonight," Tamdin says.

"We're not having sex with you two," Kiran says, "You know the rules. Unless you are wedded, fornication in Azarath is strictly forbidden."

Rachel giggles a little. Most of it is true, but she and Kiran simply have no desire for Tam and Tenzin. Aside from being immature troublemakers, they're simply not the girls' type.

Tam makes a face. "Not that kind of fun."

"Yeah, that kind of fun will be saved for later," Tenzin chuckles and Kiran rolls her eyes as well.

"What kind of fun then?" Rachel asks curiously. "If you don't mind us asking."

"The fun that will surpass all the games we once played as children. The fun none of the elders will let us have. A real gem of discovery –."

"It's the Chamber of Worlds," Tam says.

Eyes of both Rachel and Kiran widen large at the mention of the Chamber of Worlds. Tenzin punches Tam in the shoulder.

" I wanted to tell them," he says.

"You were taking too long," Tamdin says.

"I was trying to be suspenseful."

"Wait a second," Kiran interrupts, "Are you saying you two could gain access to the Chamber of Worlds after so many years of the elders denying us entry? Even I find that difficult to believe."

"Well, believe it. Tamdin and I are going to be the first kids to see what sort of doors the monks are hiding from us," Tenzin says.

"But wait," Rachel says, "How were you able to gain access?"

"Um, well," Tamdin says, "We kind of took the keys from Brother Lawrence while he wasn't looking."

Kiran stares at them in astonishment. "You stole the keys —!"

"Hush now. Not so loud," Tenzin says, "Besides, we didn't steal it. We borrowed it. We plan on giving it back afterwards. Once we see what is in the Chamber."

"And by we , you mean you and Tam ?" Kiran asks, though she and Rachel know the answer.

"Well, I thought it would be the four of us. Like a double date."

"Getting punished for sneaking into the Chamber of Worlds doesn't sound ideal."

"It could get us into trouble," Rachel says.

"Big trouble," Kiran says, "So, sorry if we're not interested."

"Oh, come on. Tell me you're not curious to know what's in that room," Tenzin says.

"Of course we are," Rachel says, "But I'm not sure if this is the right way. It feels dishonest and as Kiran said, we could get in trouble."

"Well, you can always stay here, eat your cake and wait for Mother Harumi all night long," Tenzin says.

"That's manipulation and I don't like it," she says bluntly.

"Come on," he says, "You know I'm right. Every year of your birthday it's the same thing. It's your birthday and Harumi always goes off somewhere, leaving you to wait for her all night."

"She said she would come after the meeting."

"Well, that meeting might take all night, so I don't think she's coming back."

"Why must you be so cruel to her?" Kiran asks.

"I'm not being cruel," Tenzin says. "I'm telling the truth."

"And you're ruining her birthday," Kiran says, "If you're going to be like that, then bugger off. No one asked you to come here."

Tam tugs at his brother's arm. "Come on, Tenzin. Let's not bother them. We can go by ourselves."

Tenzin sighs in defeat. "All right, fine. Suit yourselves. Enjoy your little party."

Kiran wiggles her fingers at him while contorting her face in mockery. "Byeeee."

Tenzin makes faces at her as well. Tam, on the other hand, splays a tiny smile at Rachel and waves slightly.

"Happy birthday, Rachel."

Rachel smiles a little. "Thanks. Goodnight, Tamdin."

The twins finally leave the premises. Rachel continues to watch them as they disappear around the corner. She sighs before sitting back down next to Kiran. She sips her tea and eats her cake. However, she only eats half of it, now having lost her appetite.

Kiran puts her hand on her shoulder. "You wanted to go, didn't you?"

Rachel says nothing. She looks down and keeps poking at her cake. "I'm not missing anything, am I? It's probably boring."

"Don't lie. I know you want to go. You also know. Why lie?"

"Maybe. We both know that the way the boys are doing it is dishonest. It's not right…"

"But…"

Rachel exhales. "But what if they're right? Every year it's the same. And I always have to wait for Harumi so we can do something together. None of the other sisters want to be around me. Some of them are even scared of me, and I don't know why. But one thing I know is that I want to have at least one birthday where I can have fun for once."

"Are you saying eating cake with me and my parents are not fun?" Kiran teases.

Rachel giggles. "No, it's not. I am grateful for you guys. Even so, I just wish to do something more. Be more adventurous. More daring. You know what I mean?"

"Well, we could go after the boys and see if they'll let us join. Probably not. We rejected them after all."

"I don't want to get you in trouble for my selfish thoughts."

"Hey, it's not selfishness. It's your birthday. You simply want to have fun. And if we get caught, we'll just blame the twins."

Rachel sighs and scratches her arm, leaving light red marks on her arms. She's still unsure about it.

"Hey," Kiran says, "Don't worry. It will be fine. If we see something we don't like, we'll just come back. Okay?"

Rachel smiles a little. "All right."


They arrive at the Chamber of Worlds just in time to see Tenzin unlock the door with the key he stole. Rachel hopes she won't regret this. When Tamdin spots her and Kiran, he grins.

"Hey, you're here!"

Rachel stops in her tracks and looks down shyly.

Tenzin lifts his head and his eyes widen in surprise. "You decided to show up?"

"Yeah," Kiran says, "But we're only here to watch. Don't ask us to open any doors. If you two do anything inappropriate or that will alert the monks, we're leaving. Understood? We're only here because it was getting boring at the party."

"Sure you did," Tenzin says.

"Are you sure we won't get caught?" Rachel asks as she looks around worriedly.

"I'm sure. The keeper is off at the meeting with the other monks," Tenzin says, "No one will be back for hours."

Rachel breathes deeply and scratches her arm again.

"Rachel, stop scratching your arm," Kiran says.

"Rash?" Tamdin asks.

Rachel shakes her head. "Nerves."

"There's nothing to be nervous about," Tenzin says, "Come on, it will be fun."

With the twist of the key, the door slowly creaks open. The four teens peer their heads through the entrance. It's just like the rumours I heard in the classroom. A chamber full of doors. Many are stationed on the white marble floor in a circle while others float in the air. The walls are red like wine and the pillars are also white like the floor. And the ceiling. Gods, the ceiling. Dark blue with twinkling stars and what resembled the burning sun. We quickly enter the chambers and Tenzin closes the door behind him before anyone could see us. I look at the floating doors, my face full of shock and awe.

This is incredible .

"Wow," Kiran lets out a breath, "I was not expecting this."

"It's beautiful," Rachel says.

"This is going to be so much fun," Tenzin says.

"Which door should we try first?" Tamdin asks.

"Hmm." Tenzin looks around, rubbing his chin. He then points at the door closest to him. A door made of dark greenwood. "Let's try this one."

However, Kiran grabbed his arm before he could approach it. "Wait a second," she says. "You can't just open a random door like that when we don't even know what's behind it."

"Perhaps we should check if the doors have labels to where they go," Rachel suggests.

"Where's the fun in that?" Tenzin yanks his arm from Kiran's grip and proceeds towards the door.

Kiran rolls his eyes before looking back at Rachel, shaking her head. "What an idiot."

"You nervous?" Tamdin asks Rachel suddenly.

Rachel looks at him in surprise and fidgets her hands nervously. "Um, a little."

"It's going to be fine. It will be fun," Tamdin says with a smile. Rachel smiles back a little.

Tenzin unlocks the door with one of the keys hanging from the gold hoop. Rachel's hand squeezes Kiran's, and she squeezes back.

Through the other side of the door shows a jungle full of tall trees, large green leaves almost as big as Ancient Egyptian fans. There are so many leaves above that it canopies the ground below. Not a single hint of blue sky could be seen anywhere. Colourful birds fly around the trees and caw loudly. Rachel smiles and watches in awe. She has seen nothing quite like it before. She has only seen them in picture books she was given as a child and then encyclopedias as she got older. She could memorize most of the names of the plants, where they come from and what they look like. And what time period they're from.

For instance, that particular leaf looks like a horsetail plant. However, they're bigger than what they are now. They're smaller today. She hasn't seen plants that big since…

Rachel's eyes widen. She knows where those horsetails are from. Specifically, when ? And she feels like something is coming right for them. Something big. "Um, Tenzin. Maybe you should close the door."

Tenzin frowns at her. "Why would I do that?"

"That place is not our time period."

"Eh? What are you talking about? These doors don't travel through time."

"Then," Kiran says, her eyes wide and her tone full of fear. "What is that?"

Something large and menacing emerges from the shrubs. You could say, it's at least forty feet tall. Its head is large with sharp teeth, short front legs and strong muscular hind ones. From its jaws hangs a piece of bloody meat. Rachel's eyes nearly pop out of her skull. Is that a tyrannosaurus rex? When it sees the teens, it lets out a mighty roar and charges at them.

The four teens scream before Tenzin quickly slams the door shut and locks it.

Tamdin has his hand to his chest as if he were suffering a heart attack. "All right, let's never open that one again. Ever."

"Agreed," Tenzin says, his hand trembling.

"This is why we shouldn't be doing this," Kiran says. "There's no telling what's behind those doors. We could be opening somewhere dangerous."

"So, the monks don't label the doors or put warning signs that tell us not to open them," Tenzin says, "It's not a big deal."

"Kiran is right though," Rachel says, "We should be more cautious."

"All right, all right. I hear you," Tenzin says annoyingly as he scratches the back of his neck. "I'll open the next door and if I see something not friendly, I'll just close the door."

"And quickly," Kiran says.

"What are you? My mother?" Tenzin says.

There's something in his eyes Rachel can see. Some sort of redness forms near his iris. However, she says nothing, assuming it's probably bloodshot from the lack of sleep.

The second door Tenzin opens shows a cold desolate land with nothing particularly interesting about it, except for a few penguins wobbling across the snow.

"Um, is this supposed to be exciting?" Tamdin asks rhetorically.

"Oh, shut up," Tenzin says.

Rachel sees a baby penguin trip and falls into a small hill of snow. It gets up and shakes off the snow before wobbling back to its mother, screeching in complaint. Rachel smiles a little. It makes her think about how different things would have been if she met her mother. How Rachel would trip and then run crying to her mother after scraping her knee, only for her mother to comfort her. That would have been nice .

"That's adorable though," Kiran says.

"All right, show's over," Tenzin says and closes the door.

"Oh, so almost getting eaten by a dinosaur is exciting, but seeing a baby penguin is boring?" Kiran says.

Tamdin steps in. "I want to open the next one."

Tenzin shrugs and gives his brother the keys. Tamdin wastes no time picking the next door closest to him.

"Didn't we talk about being careful?" Kiran says.

"Don't worry. I am being careful," he says.

The next door Tamdin opens is a wall of water. Rachel and Kiran jump back, startled. For a moment, they thought it would flood the chamber, but it didn't. It remains still, much to their surprise. Behind the wall of water shows a beautiful coral reef of different colours; pink, orange, reds and purples. Various fishes swim around the reef. When Raven sees a clownfish swim around an anemone, she grins happily.

Kiran points. "Look, an eel."

Rachel squints her narrow eyes. Indeed, there is an eel slithering in a cave, its mouth opens and closes. Its green-coloured flesh is so pretty, it reminds her of spring.

"I'm going to have a closer look," Tamdin says as his hand reaches towards the wall of water.

"You've got to be joking," Kiran says. "You're seriously thinking of going out there?"

"Relax, I'm just going to stick my head through," Tamdin says, "Wanna join?"

"No," the two girls say.

As much as she wants to, Rachel knows that if she and Kiran return home with their heads and robes wet, Harumi and Kiran's parents will wonder where they've been and interrogate them to no end. They could end up in trouble.

Tamdin sticks his head through the liquid wall.

Tenzin laughs and claps his hand on his brother's back. "Try not to get your head bitten off."

Moments later, Tamdin pulls back and coughs profusely. "I swallowed saltwater."

"You're supposed to hold your breath, idiot," Tenzin laughs.

"Are you all right, Tam?" Rachel asks.

"Yes, thank you," Tamdin says.

"Whoa. Who the heck is that?" Tenzin points out.

Rachel looks up to see what he's talking about. A man rides on a great white shark. He's muscular, hair long and dark, and his armour shining gold and emerald. He frowns at the four teens and holds a trident above his head.

Rachel and Kiran gasp.

"Quick, close the door!" Tenzin says.

Tamdin quickly shuts the door and locks it before the fish-man could launch his trident at them.

"That was close," Tamdin says, sighing in relief.

"No kidding," Kiran says.

"But I don't understand," Rachel says, "We open the door to some underwater place. And that man was riding a shark. How is that possible?"

"I assume magic," Tenzin says, "Maybe they made some sort of spell that doesn't allow things from outside Azarath to come through."

"No offence, but I'm pretty certain that fish-man was going to turn us into a kebab," Kiran says.

"Then, I've got nothing," he says, "Let's not dwell on that thought anymore. Who's next?"

Kiran lets out a deep sigh. "I suppose I am."

"Won't you let Rachel first? It's her birthday, after all," Tenzin says.

Rachel shakes her head. "Oh, no. It's fine. I can go last." The truth is, she's still afraid of what might exist on the other side.

Tamdin gives the key to Kiran. She's careful when picking the next door, for she fears something might come through and eat them. Rachel is also quite nervous for when her turn comes. She's not sure what they'll see.

The next door leads to a grand city where skyscrapers stand high in the night sky. No stars are visible. Trains move in and out. And the streets are busy with strange-looking cars. They appear too modern for today's standard cars.

"Wow," Tamdin says, "So this is what the big city looks like."

"I don't like it," Rachel makes a face in revulsion and her head throbs. There are too many emotions and voices crashing down on her like tidal waves.

"It looks hideous," Kiran says, "Even my hometown looks better than this and it's not even a big city."

A sudden explosion causes the kids to cry out and jump back. Orange fire and black smoke emerge behind an alleyway. Rachel and the others watch.

What was that? Rachel thinks.

Someone dressed like a bat jumps into view in a fighting stance. He looks lean, and the suit is completely black. The insignia on his chest is scarlet red.

"Is that Batman?" Tamdin asks.

"Nah, that's not Batman," Tenzin says, "Batman is bigger and has more muscle. Plus, he doesn't have a red insignia."

Rachel sees what looks like a woman made of black ink and a white-masked face who attacks the man in the bat suit. He ends up kicking the woman into a garbage can. Rachel gasps at the sight.

The bat turns to stare at the kids in shock. "Hey, who the hell are you?"

"Sorry!" Kiran says, "My mistake. We're just passing through."

Kiran slams the door shut and locks it. She and Rachel burst into laughter.

"What the heck was that?" Tenzin chuckles.

"I have no idea," Kiran laughs, "He just saw us. I panicked."

"The look on his face when he saw us," Tamdin laughs.

Rachel hiccups as she giggles in amusement. Tamdin smiles a little.

"That's a cute laugh," he says.

"Oh god no," Rachel laughs.

"Why don't you try asking Rachel on a date already?" Tenzin says, "You've been struggling to flirt with her all night."

Tamdin stops laughing and blushes a light shade of red. Rachel blushes as well but turns her head so no one would see it. Tamdin offers her the keys to the doors. Rachel shyly takes it.

"Which one will you choose?" Tenzin asks.

"Um, I'm not sure," she says, "I've never done this before."

She glances back at the tapestry after she thought she saw it sway but says nothing.

"Hmm. I think I'll choose this one." Rachel chooses one at the other side of the chamber. The door looks old-fashioned. Like one of those doors, you'd see in a medieval castle.

"That looks interesting," Tenzin says, "I wonder where it leads to or when it leads to."

"Maybe we'll see Queen Elizabeth I," Tamdin says.

"Doubtful," Kiran says.

Rachel steps in front of the door, hesitant at first, before finally opening the door.

The other side of the door shows a room. Plain yet warm-looking, with a flat mat and a few blankets on the floor. The wall ahead appears to be made of paper. Rachel even sees a familiar banzai plant in the corner. Could this be Kyoto? Rachel has never been to Kyoto before, not the town officially at least. In fact, Rachel has never left Azarath. Oh, how tempting it would be for her to crawl into the room and wander beyond the room. Be daring, like she once mentioned before. Be an explorer, like Robison Crusoe or the characters from Jules Verne's novels. Oh, how exciting it would be for her to see the world.

If only…

Rachel reaches her hand through the door where the air feels slightly cold. But she's suddenly yanked back by Kiran as soon as footsteps approach. Tenzin draws the door shut, not completely, only ajar enough for the four to see.

A young boy, probably Rachel's age or younger, steps into the room with a frustrated brow creased. Rachel blinks as she observes him intently. He's wearing what looks like a black assassin suit. His complexion is dark, eyes green as the sea and hair black as night. An empty red bag slings loosely over his shoulder. Rachel feels something strong when looking at him. Anger, frustration, sadness, impatience and disappointment. All bottled up in that one boy. When he sets his bag down on the mat, he goes to his drawers at the other side of the room and fishes out a few clothes. He must be planning to leave somewhere , Rachel speculates.

"Who is that kid?" Tamdin whispers the question. "And why did the door lead us here?"

Rachel shrugs. She's not sure. And neither are Tenzin nor Kiran.

She then sees a woman enter the boy's room. She also wears a black suit, and just like the boy, her complexion is dark and her eyes are green. However, her hair is brown and wavy, not black. Rachel can only guess the woman is his mother just from the colour of her eyes alone. The rest probably belong to the father. Whoever it is.

The woman approaches the boy and starts talking to him in a language Rachel can't understand, but she's almost certain it's Arabic. The woman seems to lecture the boy, even grabbing his arm now and then, but the boy ignores her and keeps packing his bag. He yanks his arm from her grasp and snaps back at her in the same language.

"Do you understand what he's saying?" Rachel asks Kiran in a whisper.

"A little," Kiran says. "I think they're arguing about his father or something."

Once he finishes packing, he leaves the room. The mother goes after him.

"Ibn!" the woman shouts.

Rachel remains staring. She feels like she's seen him before but is not sure from where.

Tenzin sighs. "Nothing like family drama to ruin the fun." He shuts the door and snatches the keys from Rachel.

Rachel frowns at Tenzin in annoyance but says nothing. She wanted to watch a little while longer. She was even tempted into stepping through the door to follow him. But thanks to Tenzin, she'll never get the chance. Idiot .

"My turn again," Tenzin says.

Rachel sighs but follows him. She presses her fingers against her temple, feeling it throb in a dull ache. He has no idea why her head hurts. It didn't hurt before she walked in. Now it's making her dizzy. Kiran rests her hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" she asks.

Rachel nods. "Yes, I'm fine."

However, when they approach a door made of steel, her blood runs cold. Not even touching the door, she already feels like something is very wrong with it. She speaks out before Tenzin can unlock it.

"Wait," she says. Tenzin stops and frowns at her. "I don't think we should open that."

"What? Why not?"

"I…I'm just not sure if it's safe."

"Don't be a sissy. What could go wrong?"

"Tenzin, maybe you should listen," Kiran says. She knows fully well to listen to Rachel. Whenever Rachel has a bad feeling, she always ends up being right. Like when Kiran once got bitten by a centipede when she was eight after she foolishly thought it was a worm. Rachel told her not to touch because it was dangerous, but Kiran didn't listen until it bit her.

"Everything is fine," Tenzin says as he unlocks the door.

"Tenzin, wait –."

Too late. Tenzin opens the door, revealing another city. Everyone's eyes widen at the sight of it. The skies are scarlet, clouded by dark smoke. Half of the buildings have been destroyed, rubble scattering the ground. Military vehicles move back and forth. Gunfire and planes can be heard. So much noise. So much chaos. Rachel trembles. Her eyes fill with tears as many emotions plague her. Rage. Hatred. Bigotry. Desperation. Hopelessness. Despair. Terror. A dreadful chant fills her head, praising a creature of pure and unrepentant evil.

Rachel covers her ears to block out the chant, but they continue to ring into her brain violently. She grits her teen and tears fall down her cheeks.

"Shut the door!" she says.

"What?" Tenzin says.

"Just shut the door, please," she begs. "Close the door, Tenzin."

"But I haven't finished yet," he says.

Rachel soon starts shouting at him. "Shut the door! Shut the door right now!" She charges forward but gets held back by Tamdin. "Shut the fucking door!"

"Woah! Woah, easy Rachel," Tamdin says.

Kiran looks at Tenzin sternly. "Either you close it or I will, Tenzin."

He rolls his eyes. "All right, fine." He closes the door and shuts it tightly.

The dreadful feeling washes away almost instantly, leaving Rachel shocked and shaken at what she just experienced.


Harumi returns to the Singh's house where Mr and Mrs Singh are serving themselves another slice of cake along with a glass of white wine while they whisper to each other flirtatiously. Mrs Singh's cheeks even turn red. When they finally see Harumi enter, they quickly break away and pretend they weren't about to fornicate openly in the parlour.

"Oh, Harumi, you're back," Mrs Singh says in a surprised tone while patting down her robe. "Is the meeting over already?"

"I left early," Harumi says, "I decided not to skip out on a birthday. It is the most important day of Rachel's life, and I rather not ruin it for her by not being here. Where is Rachel anyway?"

"She and Kiran left," Mr Singh says.

Harumi looks perplexed. "Left?"

"Yes, I believe they went off for a walk," Mrs Singh says.

"But we also saw them running with two boys," Mr Singh says. "Kiran thought she could trick us, but we saw them. We said nothing. But if they don't return by eleven, I'm grounding her. You should do the same with Rachel."

Harumi frowns. Two boys?

"Dhule, why would you say that about her and our daughter?" Mrs. Singh says. "You know they're responsible and would never do such a thing."

"Well, they're teenagers," Mr. Singh says.

"I'm sorry," Harumi says, "But what boys?"

"Two boys," Mrs. Singh says. "I think it was Tenzin and Tamdin."

Harumi sighs in frustration. "Those boys are going to get them into trouble. Did the girls say where they were going?"

"I think they were going to the pond for a swim," Mrs Singh says.

Harumi rolls her eyes. She is rather fond of the Singh family, especially Kiran, who has been kind to Rachel since childhood and has always been a wonderful influence on her. Her parents are good people as well. However, they can be a little careless as they're not really looking after Rachel like they promised. Kiran seems to be the only adult in the family who cares for Rachel's well-being.

"Well, I better go find them," she says.

"Harumi, relax," Mrs Singh says, "I'm sure they're fine. Kiran is with Rachel and they'll take good care of each other." Her face makes an awkward expression. "That did not come out well, did it?"

"Dhani, I'm not worried about whether Rachel and Kiran are having intercourse. I'm worried because Rachel is epileptic and anything can provoke a seizure."

"That's right. I forgot about that. That is concerning. Oh, I'm sorry, Harumi, we should have known better."

"It's all right. I'll go get the girls." Harumi leaves the house and heads for the pond, not knowing that Rachel is not really there, as it is another lie Kiran told her parents.


Rachel had been seated down after the incident in order to keep her calm. Kiran sits next to her, cleaning her tears and letting her rest her head on her shoulder. Rachel wishes to return and forget she ever saw that horrible scene and heard the voice. And yet, even with the door shut, she can still hear it. However, they sound different. They're not chanting the same chant. She hears another name. Trigorrah. Trigorrah. Trigorrah . It's something she heard before. And now it won't stop.

She tried to be fearless but failed miserably. Tenzin is annoyed by her reaction, constantly glaring at her.

Kiran notices and snaps at him. "Would you stop? This is serious. She's scared to death."

"Hey, Tenzin, maybe we should listen," Tamdin says, "This is getting dangerous."

"You want to stop and go home?" Tenzin says. Rachel can sense the rhetorical tone in his voice. "Fine. You can go. But you two are not ruining the fun for me."

"This doesn't feel like fun anymore," Tamdin comments, earning an annoyed look from his brother.

"Are you crazy?" Kiran says. "We're never doing this again. Besides, you've already opened enough doors."

"Not the ones that are floating in the air," Tenzin says, "Tam, see if you can find me a ladder to climb. I want to reach one."

Tamdin glares at him but says nothing and goes to find a ladder. Though Rachel doubts there's any ladder. If she has seen no ladder, then there isn't one.

"Haven't you had enough already?" Kiran asks. "Look at Rachel. She's getting sick."

"Doesn't she always look sick?" Tenzin asks.

Kiran storms over to him. "Listen here —"

"Kiran!" Rachel gets up and grabs her arm. "It's okay. I'm fine."

"Well, I don't think this is fine. I knew this was a bad idea. We should just go home."

Rachel sighs and nods. "You're right. I think we should. I'm sorry I convince you to come here."

"It's not your fault. These idiots shouldn't have come to us in the first place. Come on, let's go."

Kiran leads Rachel out of the chamber.

"Hey, Tenzin, look at this!" Tamdin calls out.

Rachel looks over her shoulder. Tamdin had pushed the purple tapestry, revealing a crimson red door framed by brown wood. She stops cold in her tracks and her eyes widen. Kiran looks at her, confused.

"What is it?" she asks.

"I don't think they should touch that one."

"What? Why?"

"There's something there. I hear it. Calling to me. Don't open it."

Rachel sees Tenzin approach the door with the keys. She quickly rushes to him and snatches the keys from him.

"No," she says firmly.

"What the hell is wrong with you right now?" he says.

"That door was hidden behind the curtain for a reason. For us to not see. I don't know why, but there's something dangerous behind that door. Don't you dare try to open it."

Tenzin chuckles a little, but Rachel can tell he's losing his patience. "Are you joking? You're joking. What? Do you think there's something evil in there? Worse than the last door? Or are you trying to get attention like always?"

"Are you even listening to what you're saying, Tenzin?" Kiran says.

No, he's not . Rachel can tell something is not right with Tenzin. Ever since they entered the Chamber of Worlds, his mannerism seems to change drastically. At first, he came here for some light-hearted fun, but now, he looks frustrated. Almost desperate. And angry. There's a slight redness in his eyes that has not been there before and his pupils had grown, nearly turning his eyes black. This is not good. Not good at all . There's something not right, and Rachel is almost certain that it has to do with the door.

"Tenzin, you're not well," she says. "We need to get you out of here too."

"Give me back the keys, Rachel," Tenzin says.

"No," she says.

Tamdin approaches him. "Brother, you must listen. She's right."

Tenzin takes a step back when Tamdin tries to grab his arm. "Don't touch me."

"We need to get you to Father Torao and Mother Harumi," Kiran says.

"Tenzin, please listen," Rachel says, but Tenzin quickly grabs the keys and pushes her away, much to everyone's shock. Kiran quickly runs to her side to make sure she's all right.

"Brother, stop this!" Tamdin tries to grab the keys from him, but he's suddenly shoved across the chamber.

Rachel and Kiran gasp. They have never seen Tamdin perform such strength before, nor have they ever seen him be so violent towards his brother. Instead of trying to snatch the keys from Tenzin again, Rachel and Kiran rush to help Tamdin. It's not worth risking their lives trying to fight Tenzin for the keys, now knowing he has the capacity to take Rachel and Kiran down. Toss them across the chamber as he did to his brother.

Kiran lifts Tamdin's head. Rachel rests her hand on his chest where she feels it beat against his palm.

Rachel sighs in relief. "His heart still moves. He lives."

"Thank goodness. But now we have a bigger problem."

Indeed. Tenzin is looking through the keyring, searching for the correct one to open the door. Rachel hasn't thought of this until now. How does he know which key is the right one?

The voices. They keep getting louder in her head. Trigorrah. Trigorrah. Trigorrah . Rachel is almost certain that once Tenzin opens the door, they're done for.

"Can't you use your light powers to blind him?" Rachel asks Kiran as she almost forgot about her powers.

"I don't. They only work if I think happy thoughts, and right now, my thoughts are the least happy."

Tenzin finds the key and shoves it into the keyhole.

Rachel's eyes grow wide. "He cannot open the door. Stay with Tamdin."

Getting up, she runs towards Tamdin as fast as she can.

"Rachel, no! He'll hurt you!" she shouts, but Rachel ignores her.

She reaches for him. "Tenzin!"

Too late. As soon as he turns the key, the door swings wide open, revealing a dark red whirlpool circling, fire and lightning flashing brightly. Rachel stops in her tracks and stares in complete shock and awe. It's so bright and colourful. What am I doing? I need to stop Tenzin. Not admire what he opened . Yet, she can't move. She is frozen on the spot, staring at the portal. Why can I not move?

Tenzin stands in front of the portal, his arms extended to his side in praise of it. "Look at it! Admire where you were born, Trigorrah! Embrace it! It's so beautiful!"

There it is again. This is the third time someone has called her Trigorrah. And what does he mean by "where you were born" and "embrace it". Embrace what?

But before Rachel can ask Tenzin, or whatever is left of him, red light surrounds him and he yells in pain. Rachel jumps back, afraid it might infest her as well.

Tamdin regains consciousness as he opens his eyes. His face becomes full of terror when he sees his brother screaming while consumed by the red light. Tenzin's eyes roll back, showing vacant whites in his eyes, and his jaw falls agape as he disintegrates into nothing. No ash. No bones. Just nothing.

"Brother!" Tamdin shouts.

Rachel watches in complete horror. She has never seen one disintegrate. Only in movies. But this is real. What happened to Tenzin was real. That portal is real. Where does it lead to? Rachel is not sure. And she's not sure she wants to find out.

"Rachel, close the door!"

Gladly. By a sheer miracle, the keys did not disintegrate along with Tenzin. They rest on the floor. Rachel quickly picks them up, the metal still warm from Tenzin's hands, and quickly pushes the door shut before locking it.

The voices in her head finally stop. Everything falls into dead silence.

Rachel looks back at Tamdin, panting in exhaustion. Tears fill his eyes as he tries to process what just happened.

Kiran tries to help him get back onto his feet. "We have to get you to the monks," she says.

"Is it over?" he asks, sniffling. "Did that really just happen? Is Tenzin really gone?"

"I…I don't know," Rachel says.

It's not a complete lie. She's not sure whether or not he's gone. It looks like it. But she's not sure if giving Tamdin the answer will make things better or worse.

Before Rachel can say anything, she hears the door bang. She turns around. There's a large crack in the middle of the door. It becomes bigger as someone (or something) pounds from the other side.

"Kiran, I locked the door, didn't I?" Rachel asks. "The door should have disappeared from the other world, right?"

"Yeah?... I… I suppose so."

"Then, what's knocking on our door —?"

The door suddenly splinters from the bottom. A grotesque red hand bursts through the door, reaching for Rachel's face and she screams.


Sorry if this chapter was a little too long, guys. Hopefully, the next chapter doesn't take another few years to write.