For the next two nights, things only intensified. Anytime I shut my eyes, I could see the seams of red, gold and a bunch of other colors. Colors that refused to absolutely fade.
There were constant warnings from my mother and Nova, each one louder than the other. Nova was in a constant state of panic but the only person around me who kept me sane was Lu Jinghao.
I was taking the warnings seriously but curiosity is often a cruel thing because once it starts it doesn't fade, rather, it grows in its own shadows.
It was gnawing me that by the third night, I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to know what was behind that door. A clue would do...
I walked into my space and the ateliar was unusually silent. The normal hum of machines was nowhere to be heard, as the usual glowing fabrics were unresponsive.
'Don't even think about doing anything stupid host.'
"I won't do anything stupid. I just want to take a look."
'Honey, that's what fools say before they actually do something stupid.'
"Nova please," I shook, my voice coming out as a desparate whisper. "I can't understand my mother without knowing what she exactly saw."
'Rui, understanding and survival rarely go together. Just reminding you.'
I ignored Nova and walked out of the golden ateliar and into the now long corridor.
The corridor shimmered, but it was nothing like the main area which was soft, radiant and filled with life. This particular area was as if darkness had framed it,when suddenly a doorway appeared.
I didn't waste time before walking towards it. Each step I took felt heavier than the last, as my pulse pounded faster and heavier.
When I finally stood before it, I realized it was not made of wood or glass or whatever, but it was of thread. There were millions of threads woven together to create something solid.
The gold and crimson on it pulsed faintly like human veins.
I didn't think twice before reaching out.
'I am warning you again host. Touching that won't do you good. Imagine touching bolts of lightning.'
"I need to know Nova."
'Rui...'
I touched it and the world imploded..I felt sounds tear me apart and for a split second, I felt it all. Grief, creation, love, pain and something else I couldn't describe.
Suddenly, everything went silent.
I cautiously opened my eyes only to find out that I wasn't in my space.
The air around me was cold and heavy, coated with a thick layer of oil and dust. All around me were golden lights stretching lazily.
There was a vast workshop with endless bolts of fabric suspended in the air like wronged ghosts, alongside hundreds of still mannequins.
The lifeless mannequins a moment ago suddenly came to life the moment I took a step forward. With each step I took, their bodies twisted violently as they also stepped forward.
"What the..." I stumbled back in fear at such a bewildering sight.
'RUI!! DISCONNECT NOW! DISCONNECT!'
"Nova?" I tried replying but my voice echoed strangely, as if I was underwater.
'You fool! You jist crossed the memory threshold. This is not a real place, rather, it is data emotion suitable only for the dead and you a damn live being!'
"I don't understand Nova!"
'Girl you are inside your mother's memory! Everything here is alive because she had bound herself to them before she died! Leave now!'
His words shook me but I didn't have time to even converse when suddenly the workshop pulsed faintly, akin to a human heart. The mannequins eyes glowed crimson red, as they twitched in an even more violent manner, as if they were seeing or feeling something unpleasant.
There stood a single table at the center of the room, the same table that was in my dream. On it lay a single dress, the same one I saw, half black half white with a crimson seam.
I gasped because that was the... Door of threads!
'leave it host. I want you to walk backwards, and don't you dare blink.'
But would I really listen?
I didn't listen but instead took careful steps closer. My each movement seemed to stir something, as the air shifted with faint whispers. Suddenly, a voice echoed from every corner of the room, causing me to stumble.
'Rui...You shouldn't be here.'
The voice was hoarse but unmistakable. My mother.
My throat bobbled as I scanned around and for a moment, I saw her. She looked so radiant and powerful, just like I used to know her. Just like I saw her in my dreams, her eyes were still blazing gold.
She stood on the other side of the table, her hand inches away from the dress, and her eyes fixated on me.
"I should have known you would find it."
Tears blurred my vision but I forced myself to be straight. "But mom...what exactly is this place?"
"This is my studio Rui. My biggest sin."
Her voice trembled with fear, causing me to shudder because if my own mother is afraid, what does that make me then? How am I expected to battle things?
"They called it House of Nexus but we didn't just make art. We made power, stitching emotional into material. The materials would have been life itself if the hearts were strong enough."
I shook my head, trying to deny what I had just heard. "That...that can't be possible."
" And yet sweetheart...you are standing in its memory..."
Her body started twitching slightly.
"I tried my best Rui. I tried sealing everything away the moment I realized what it cost me...but...it followed my bloodline. It followed you."
"But why me mom?" I shakily whispered.
"Because you are ten times stronger than I ever was."
The air suddenly trembled and a deep rumble vibrated through the floor. The hundreds or so mannequins turned to us and started breathing heavily in unison.
"Mom!"
"Calm down and listen to me Rui. The moment you touch the second door, the guild awakens and this world might not survive it."
'She is right Rui. Now disconnect! We are out of time! Everything is collapsing!'
"Nova is right my dear. Now go!"
"I can't mom! I can't leave you!"
"You already did honey. We are now in two different worlds."
Her final words caused the wall to crack as light poured in through the cracks. I tried reaching out to her, buy my hands passed straight through. I could see her sad buy resolute smile say goodbye to me.
"You are a creator darling. Don't let anything make you a destroyer."
Everything shattered and I was violently thrown back, the unbearable pain causing me to scream.
Just before everything went white, I saw yet another door in my vision. It was darker, and older than any I have ever seen. I saw this door position itself firmly in my space. And that's when it hit me.
The second door.
It pulsed once as if congratulating me for recognizing it. I could have sworn that I felt it call me. Soft whispers of the name Jiang Rui lingered in the atmosphere before...black. I collapsed.
When I finally regained consciousness, I was on the floor of my space, the air thick with fatigue and something I couldn't quite tell. I felt the heaviness in my limbs, but that didn't stop me from looking at the direction of the collapsed workshop. Nothing was there, except for the faint scorch marks on the floor and the second door visible from a far.
'Congratulations host. Your stupidity level is unmatched that you almost lost your life.'
My body dissapeared from the space and I reappeared on my studio floor.
"How long was I blacked out?" I asked weakly as I stretched my body.
'A whole day Rui. I almost took you out of the space and was seconds away from calling your CEO boyfriend.'
"He is not my boyfriend."
'Yet.'
I ignored him and reached for my sketchbook.
My mind was completely blank but the pages started filling themselves the moment I opened it.
There were designs and shapes I have never seen before and the more shocked I was, the more strange designs drew themselves.
In the corner of the last page sat a writing.
HOUSE of NEXUS. Imminent return.
My heart skipped a beat as I sighed. "What did you leave for me mom?"
The lights flickered for a moment and somewhere deep in the space, the second door pulsed thrice, reminding me it was alive.
I spend the next few Days recuperating, not taking in any word and conducting more research on my space.
From time to time, the second door would remind me of it's existence but I had no other way out than to pretend it didn't exist.
Sigh!