Kimji interrupted, snatching the radar from Somji’s hands. Without waiting, he darted deeper into the jungle. Nimji bolted after him, and Somji hovered above.
Kimji abruptly stopped and held out the radar. It flickered—and then started to shine faintly red.
It was working.
He pinned down a faint, glowing mist—a spirit—and tried to catch it. Why else do you think the Soul Tracker is so dangerous and hard to get? After all, it had more capabilities than just locating spirits. It could also identify who the spirit was and even capture the spirit temporarily.
Kimji scanned the area, trying to find a spirit who might help them. Finally—he found one. The tracker hummed softly as the spirit’s form appeared clearer in front of them.
“Listen,” Kimji said carefully, holding the device steady, “we come in peace. But we need help to defeat a great force. Can you guide us to the Gates of the Dead… please?”
Spirits were powerful—not in strength, but in wisdom. They held access to information no human could dream of. They had seen and experienced things that no ordinary being could.
But now the question was…
Would the spirit help them?
“Okay okay! I will help you, please just promise to let go of me after I guide you. It’s not like the gods can punish me anyway, I’m dead and forgotten.” Kimji felt sorry for all the spirits—they had no place to call home.
The spirit guided them to the gates of the LAND OF THE DEAD and Kimji released the spirit.
They approached the towering gate, its immense frame stretching as far as the eye could see. Adorned with intricate carvings and stunning artwork, the rusted black doors stood as a testament to time, their beauty both beautiful and deadly.
Kimji whispered a tiny “wow” under his breath, and Somji seemed to notice.
“Beautiful right?” said Somji.
Kimji was lost in the beauty, and Somji violently waved her fingers in front of his face.
“WHATTTTTT?!” said Kimji, annoyed.
“We have to figure out how to open the gates.”
She held up the pearl to the gate, flying closer and closer, then ever so delicately landed on her feet. She saw a dent in the gate.
“KIMJIIIIIIIII! NIMJIIIIIIII!”
“WHAT!!??” said Kimji and Nimji in unison.
“I think I know where this fits…” said Somji, pointing to the spherical dent.
She glanced at the two of them, waiting for approval, then slowly slid the pearl into the “dent.”
Perfect match.
The gates creaked open with an eerie sense, revealing a murky red hellscape shrouded in gloom and murky lands.
They stepped inside, examining the place, scanning it for a large water body.
Somji flew up to get a better look. Far off into the distance was a great, large lake. There was just one problem—this time there were demons guarding the very thing they needed.
Ugly, twisted creatures, with disfigured bodies slouched unnaturally, patches of shaggy, uneven hair sprouting across their skin like weeds. Their bloated stomachs hung grotesquely over their sagging pants, their limbs stubby, mismatched, almost as if they had been pieced together by mistake.
They were short, squat, and hideous—but that didn’t make them any less dangerous.
Somji gagged and flew back down.
“I see the river, but it’s guarded by these things.”
“I think they are demons or monsters of some sort, there are worst things in this hellscape you know.”
Somji rolled her eyes and nodded. “Unfortunately.”
Somji lifted Kimji and Nimji, almost losing her balance.
“I'm stronger in my human form, I can fly you two across, it will save time.”
Kimji flustered. “You are quite strong.”
Nimji side-eyed Kimji and whispered:
“I have been noticing you close with Somji a lot, what's going on, do you, maybe, like her?”
Kimji’s heart dropped at the thought of it, then, though, he answered:
“Listen we will talk about this later, for now we have to focus on this.”
It felt as if Kimji left a pit in Nimji’s stomach. Nimji stared blankly at Kimji.
“Almost here guysss hold on,” said Somji.
Somji flew down and dropped them both on the ground with a loud thud. She had managed to find something to hide them while they collected themselves. Each breath came in ragged gasps; Somji’s arms felt like noodles, weak and wobbly as if they might snap at any moment.
She stretched a little, regaining her stamina while Kimji and Nimji were mentally preparing for their first real fight.
They slowly stepped out of whatever they were behind—it looked to be a bone or half-eaten meat or something. Their plan was to attack from behind, like ninjas!
They crept up behind, but the demons on the other side saw them and yelled to attack. A swing here, a punch here, a kick there, a kick here—they were doing great in their fight. Smooth movements and hard forces.
Things looked good for them, but then they realized something…
The demons kept coming. It never stopped. They killed one, and another immediately took its place. They were like little parasites, unkillable.
They kept fighting and fighting, eventually leading to weak limbs and weak stamina. They had to think of something fast.
They decided that jumping into the lake would be the best idea. They somehow got through the many, many little parasites and managed to jump in the lake, but the so-called “lake” wasn’t even a lake.
They jumped, but they didn’t land in water. Instead, it was a whole other world. I admit there were many little water bodies, but not a whole lake. The murky, thin layer of water floating above them, posing as a mask for the real deal, was a distraction. A mask.
They had to run and find the pearl fast because the little red-horned parasites were chasing them… so annoying.
The sneaky ran all over the secret place, looking for the Death Pearl. The place looked like a forgotten palace chamber—fancy wallpaper chipping, dull gold furniture, and large wooden boxes and closets bunched to the top with cursed-looking treasures.
While Somji was running around, she caught a glimpse of a bright blue box in one of the wooden boxes.
Suddenly, while staring at the tiny blue box, she saw a hole in the wallpaper. She sneaked near the hole, signaling Kimji and Nimji to stay close. She yanked at the dangling wallpaper. Suddenly, water came gushing in—I guess it was a lake now.
She ripped the whole thing, and there was a whole underground—or underwater, more fittingly. She swam through, her wings soggy. Nimji and Kimji were right behind her. Smart Nimji put a box against the hole so the little red parasites couldn’t chase them.
They kept swimming, the air getting tighter. Suddenly, the passage ended, and it looked like they were at sea. Somji banged the top of the tunnel before entering the vast open water. They had definitely passed the gates of hell, but why would hell have a secret passage that could possibly be so bad to hide away from the people in hell? That’s right—the Pearl of Death.
Somji frantically swam up to the surface to gain air. She took a shaky, long breath and went back underwater, Kimji and Nimji following.
Kimji emerged onto the surface alongside Nimji and Somji, their surroundings dominated by an endless expanse of shimmering water. Kimji ran a hand through his bright red hair, shaking off droplets that sparkled in the light. The motion sent a playful splash toward Somji, who erupted into giggles as the water landed on her face.
Nimji, standing quietly nearby, cast a subtle side-eye glance at Kimji, her expression unreadable. Catching her gaze, Kimji’s confidence faltered, and he quickly looked down, his cheeks warming with shyness. The quiet moment hung between them, unnoticed by Somji, who continued to laugh at the splash.
“Guys! There is an island I see there, it’s so small!!!”
They swam there. Somji tried to fly up, but her wings were soaked. She groaned and kept swimming slowly.
Somji suddenly felt something tug at her leg. She looked underwater. One of the red parasites had found out where they were.
The creature yanked Somji down. Unprepared, Somji went unconscious. Kimji took a deep breath and frantically went underwater. Somji was unconscious, and there it stood—the stupid little red-horned creature.
Kimji, angered, strangled the creature underwater until it was in the same state as Somji. Nimji pulled up Somji and carefully handed her to Kimji.
Somji, still unconscious, coughed up water and dazed off. Kimji put Somji on his back and continued swimming. He ran a hand through her hair, concerned.
“Kimji, be honest with me,” Nimji said, his voice steady but laced with curiosity. “Do you have any feelings for Somji?”
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