The voice beyond the portal

"Sia..."

The voice echoed from inside the glowing portal.

Sia's heart stopped.

For a moment, she couldn't move.

It sounded exactly like her mother.

The same gentle voice she remembered from her childhood.

The same voice she had not heard in twenty years.

Tears filled her eyes.

"Mom...?"

The room remained silent.

The portal shimmered with golden light.

Sia slowly stepped closer.

Every instinct told her to run.

This was impossible.

People didn't come back from the dead.

Magic portals didn't appear in bedrooms.

Comic books weren't supposed to glow.

Yet everything was happening right in front of her.

The book on the table suddenly flipped open by itself.

Its pages moved rapidly until they stopped at a single illustration.

Sia looked down.

The picture showed a giant castle surrounded by dark clouds.

At the very bottom of the page, new words slowly appeared.

"The story awaits its missing reader."

"What does that even mean?" Sia whispered.

The letters vanished.

Then another sentence appeared.

"Enter."

A cold chill ran through her body.

Before she could react, someone knocked loudly on her front door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sia jumped.

The portal disappeared instantly.

The room became quiet again.

Only the comic remained.

Confused, Sia rushed downstairs and opened the door.

Standing outside was David.

Her childhood friend.

His hair was soaked from the rain.

"You took forever," he complained.

Then he noticed her expression.

"What happened?"

Sia hesitated.

Nobody would believe her.

At least, that's what she thought.

"David... I need to show you something."

Ten minutes later, they sat in her room.

David listened silently as Sia explained everything.

The hidden compartment.

The comic.

Her parents.

The portal.

The mysterious voice.

When she finished, David stared at her.

Then he laughed.

Sia crossed her arms.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"No, no," David said. "I'm trying to figure out whether you're joking."

"I'm serious."

David looked at the comic.

"Okay. Let's pretend this is real."

Suddenly, the comic began glowing again.

Both of them froze.

"Did you do that?" David asked.

"No."

The pages flipped open.

A powerful wind filled the room.

David's eyes widened.

"Okay... I believe you now."

The portal appeared once more.

Larger than before.

Golden light poured across the room.

Neither of them spoke.

The impossible was standing right in front of them.

David carefully approached it.

"What if this really leads somewhere?"

"What if it's dangerous?" Sia asked.

David looked at her.

"What if your parents are actually in there?"

The question hit her hard.

For twenty years, she had believed they were dead.

Now there was even the smallest chance they were alive.

Could she really ignore it?

No.

She couldn't.

Sia took a deep breath.

"I'm going."

David blinked.

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Into the magical portal?"

"Yes."

"Inside the mysterious comic book?"

"Yes."

David rubbed his face.

"This is officially the craziest day of my life."

Despite his words, he smiled.

Then he held out his hand.

"If you're going, you're not going alone."

Sia smiled for the first time that evening.

Together they stepped toward the portal.

The light became brighter.

The air around them vibrated.

Suddenly the comic's pages began turning wildly.

A strange symbol appeared in the center of the portal.

The room shook.

"Something's wrong," David said.

Before either of them could move, a powerful force burst from the portal.

The floor beneath them cracked.

The comic flew into the air.

And for a split second, Sia saw something inside the portal.

A pair of glowing red eyes.

Watching her.

Waiting.

Then a deep voice echoed from the other side.

"The reader has finally arrived."

The portal exploded with light.

To be continued...

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