Chapter 2: Lucas Yoroshin

Mrs. Helen let out a weary sigh as she placed the television remote on the coffee table.

"I've heard enough frightening news for one morning."

She rose from the sofa and walked toward the kitchen, opening the refrigerator before retrieving a chilled bottle of orange juice.

The morning sunlight streamed through the apartment windows, bathing the modest living room in a warm golden glow. Outside, the streets of Sacramento buzzed with the usual weekday rush, as if the colossal crimson portal hanging above the city had become nothing more than another part of the skyline.

Hana, who had barely taken her eyes off the television throughout the broadcast, lazily flipped through the remaining channels before giving up.

She puffed out her cheeks.

"Every station talks about portals..."

"Monsters..."

"And Saints."

She groaned dramatically.

"Can't somebody report something happy for once?"

Mrs. Helen chuckled softly.

"In times like these, happy news is a luxury."

Before Hana could reply...

Soft footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Both women instinctively turned.

Lucas Yoroshin quietly emerged from his room.

His messy black hair partially covered the thin glasses resting on his face, while his crimson-brown eyes carried the unmistakable exhaustion of someone who hadn't truly slept.

He looked pale.

Far too pale for someone only twenty years old.

Without saying a word, Lucas walked over and gently kissed his mother's cheek.

"Morning, Mom."

Mrs. Helen smiled warmly.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

Lucas picked up his school bag.

"I'm heading to school."

He turned toward the entrance.

"...Lucas."

Her voice stopped him.

He looked back.

Mrs. Helen studied his face carefully.

Something wasn't right.

She had been his mother long enough to notice the smallest changes.

The forced smile.

The heavy eyes.

The subtle stiffness in his shoulders.

She stepped closer.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

Lucas hesitated for the briefest moment.

"...A little."

She wasn't convinced.

"And your medicine?"

"I took it."

"You promise?"

A faint smile appeared on Lucas's face.

"I promise."

For several seconds, she simply looked at him.

Then she sighed.

"Alright."

"But if those headaches come back..."

"I want you to call me immediately."

Lucas nodded.

"I will."

As he reached for the door, his hand paused on the handle.

Without turning around, he spoke quietly.

"...Thanks."

Mrs. Helen blinked.

"For what?"

He finally looked back.

A small, genuine smile crossed his face.

"For buying my medicine."

"I know it isn't cheap."

For a moment...

Neither of them spoke.

Mrs. Helen simply walked forward and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I'm your mother."

"I'd give you the whole world if I could."

Lucas smiled.

"I know."

He opened the door.

"I'll see you this evening."

"Be careful."

"I always am."

The apartment door closed softly behind him.

Silence settled over the living room.

Mrs. Helen remained standing by the door for several moments, staring at it as though Lucas might suddenly walk back inside.

The gentle smile on her face slowly disappeared.

"...You lied to me."

She whispered the words to herself.

She knew that smile.

She had seen it too many times.

Lucas hadn't slept.

And deep down...

She wasn't even sure he had taken his medicine.

With a quiet sigh, she closed her eyes.

"Please..."

"Let today be peaceful."

She looked toward the television, where only moments ago Father Rubenstein had spoken of hope.

Then, almost unconsciously, her gaze drifted toward the crimson portal hanging beyond the apartment window.

For reasons she couldn't explain...

An uneasy feeling settled deep within her heart.

.....

Outside, Lucas adjusted the strap of his worn backpack as he stepped into the cool morning air.

Above the city...

The enormous crimson portal loomed silently over Sacramento, casting its blood-red shadow across the waking world.

Most people had long since grown accustomed to its presence.

Lucas never had.

As he walked toward the bus stop, dozens of people hurried past him.

Office workers.

University students.

Parents taking their children to school.

Everyone lived as though the world was normal.

Lucas wished he could do the same.

No one noticed the quiet young man disappearing into the crowd.

No one knew the burden he carried.

No one knew that every night, he heard voices whispering from empty rooms.

No one knew that sometimes...

He saw people who shouldn't exist.

Sometimes...

The dead looked more alive than the living.

Lucas lowered his head.

"Maybe..."

"...I'm really losing my mind."

A city bus pulled to a stop in front of him with a hiss of compressed air.

Its digital display read:

PUBLIC BUS NO. 23

Lucas stepped aboard.

The doors closed behind him.

His ordinary day...

Had just begun.

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