Chapter 4 Temple

Luna moans slowly and slowly opens both eyes. When she feels pain in her head and some areas of her body, a slight hiss comes out of her lips. At first, she was unaware of her surroundings because she was busy with pain. Still, when her ears heard the rustling sound of leaves blowing in the wind and howls of animals coming from a distance, she realized where she was.

Her head moved left and right several times, and immediately, a panic struck her-the darkness. There was only darkness everywhere. No lights, mattresses, TVs, closets, or anything else she knew filled her bedroom; all that was left was a void and stone walls. "Where is this?"

Then she slowly rose to her feet, patting her dirty maroon dress. With trembling feet, she tried to take some steps, but her limp and trembling feet could not support her body, so she was again seated on the surface like a rock that became the foothold of the strange place where she was.

Luna breathes hard and tries to think clearly, repeating the chronology of the incident that caused her to end this way.

The mirror... The light... Phone... Her conversation with Maya... Then the last one... Luna gasps and notices her own body. Did she get sucked into the mirror that was emitting light?

But how? What nonsense happened to her? Luna refreshes her long dark brown hair with furor.

She wants to assume that what's happening to her is a dream. Still, it's ridiculous to think it's a dream because it feels too real for a dream that'll be easily forgotten. She can feel the things she touches, the headaches she feels, and even her heart beating when she puts her palms on the chest where her heart is, indicating that everything that's happening is real.

Luna doesn't understand how and why this weird thing happened to her. For the second time, she rose to her feet, her feet still wearing high heels, and trembled violently. Her eyes tried to scan in the dark. Still, she could see nothing but the terrible dense darkness, even though her eyes had adjusted to the circumstances.

Suddenly, he remembered a sophisticated, flat object he had been holding when she entered the mirror. If that thing was in hand, it must have been accidentally carried on her 'travel' to this strange place.

With that cheerful thought, Luna was in a hurry to find a phone that would be the only source of light at this time. Her hands groped the surface where she stood, looking around the area. Relying only on her hands, she searched and searched until her palms touched a flat object she knew very well.

Luna screamed happily because her efforts to find the only thing she knew and become her savior had been successful. Luna gets back on her feet and checks on her cell phone.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized her phone was not broken. After unlocking the phone with a fingerprint, she checks the network, hoping that she is just delusional or drunk to go to an abandoned place accidentally. However, her hopes were dashed when she saw no signal. The status on the screen is 'no signal,' indicating that the place she is has no phone signal.

It's disappointing because it's one of the signs that she's in a strange place, but she can't be pessimistic. Wherever she is right now, some people can help her. After ensuring enough cell phone batteries, Luna immediately turned on the flashlight, hoping to find a clue or exit from this strange place.

Her dark brown eyes filled with fear, and her fear of uncertainty circulated wildly, following the flashlight she lit. There were few things she could find. Only the walls were made of stone with vines and moss adorning them, and then there were significant enough cracks or ruins of the walls on the floor.

So far, nothing unusual, but when her flashlight is reflected by something, Luna realizes a large mirror is placed on an altar not far from her. At first glance, the mirror looks worn out and decorated by the thick moss on its frame, with two human statues similar to those she had seen in Greek cities or the historical cities of ancient civilization standing on either side of the altar like guardians for the mirror.

Luna is so curious about the mirror. How can a mirror be in a strange place like this? Judging by the mirror, it's not just any mirror, but she doesn't care about it right now because she has more important things to do.

Once again, she noticed the surrounding atmosphere. "Is this a temple?" she asked herself amid silence, for from fleeting sight, everything she saw was like a temple.

Her head shakes briefly. She'll figure out that answer later. Now, all she has to do is find a way out and gather as much information as possible about this strange place. With that thought, Luna tried to walk in the opposite direction to the altar where the mirror was, and her decision was not in vain. A smile of relief slowly etched on her lips when she found the exit.

Luna runs small to the door, hoping to find help or something she can use as a clue. Her face turns pale when her feet pass through the exit, and the relief she once felt is lost and replaced by a double panic.

She circled the gaze and circled the surrounding area, raising her head to gaze at the dark sky decorated with thousands of stars and a full moon that shone very brightly and looked more extensive than usual, muttering, "No... No, it's not... This can't be... It's... Where exactly... ?"

Luna tries to stay positive and steps further away from the building, which she concludes is a temple. Her whole body trembles as the dark expanse, dense lines of trees resembling forests, and the sounds of wild animals active at night greet her.

The one thing Luna thought she was seeing was all that. The forest. She's in the middle of the woods, but the woods? How come? She's in the middle of town, and I don't think there's such a dense forest near New York City.

Luna glanced at the temple building before running, her leg full of abrasions, towards the forest. "Maybe I saw it wrong. Maybe it's not a forest or just an abandoned garden?"

Luna tries to reason, though deep down, she knows it's impossible. How can there be an abandoned garden in a city as crowded as New York can be as thick as the one before her eyes with the temple in the middle? The occasional moan escapes from her lips by running with her heels and injured legs, upsetting Luna. She finally stops to remove the heels attached to her feet before returning to run.

She wanted to rest for a while, but her instincts forbade it. So she kept running and running, but not far away. She ran away from the temple building, but Luna stopped again. Her heart immediately thumped at the sound of a wolf howling in the distance.

Her body trembled again, and her eyes glanced at the cell phone in her hand. This time, her ears heard an owl-like sound, but somehow, it sounded more creepy.

She was eager to shout as loud as she could to vent all the negative emotions that gathered inside her. Luna doesn't know how long she's been standing in the middle of a pitch-dark forest. Her trembling body was afraid of the situation, already starting to feel exhausted.

Luma was so confused and utterly clueless about her situation. Her dark brown eyes circled the forest again wildly, but what she expected was not found. There were no signs or objects that she could use as a clue to get out of this situation. It was like she was in an endless nightmare where she couldn't come back, a nightmare that traps anyone for good.

Luna raises her head and looks back at the moon shining brightly in the sky, which looks more significant than she used to see through the Penthouse window.

"I'd better wait until morning," Luna said at last. She wouldn't go any deeper into the forest when her ears caught the sound of wolf howls.

Not only wolves, there could be other wild animals she doesn't know about, looking for prey and would be ready to pounce on her anytime she passed by. Luna has to think smart in this situation. If she's desperate for signs of life in the middle of the night, then she could die. She'd better return to the temple and wait till the sun rises.

With that in mind, she initially turned around and walked towards her. Luckily, she had yet to run too far. Because the temple's building was large enough, Luna quickly returned to the temple without struggling to find or get lost. The flashlight of her cell phone caught several dirty and in bad-condition statues decorating the temple's exterior.

"I want to come back soon. May all this be but a dream, and I will awaken in my bedroom." Luna wiped the tears that wet her cheeks and stopped walking. Her glazed eyes returned to the temple door, where she had first set foot in this strange and mysterious situation.

Her body trembled as the cold blew hard against her, wrapped in a maroon-colored knee dress. Once again, it was a sign that what she was going through was real and not a dream, but she still couldn't stop asking herself.

Has she started to lose her mind? Is she hallucinating right now? Did she accidentally take tranquilizers? But Luna has stopped taking them for three years after her psychiatrist said that she was better and declared successful in fighting the depression she suffered.

She took a long breath. At least the phone in her hand still had quite a lot of battery power, something to be thankful for under these circumstances. Luna turned off the flashlight and sat limply on the temple's steps. Her hands were raised, and her hair was refreshingly frustrating.

Once again, she glanced at her cell phone screen, slowly swearing at the status of the signal that was still not there, and immediately turned off the phone because she had to save money on using it. She didn't know how long she'd be in this weird place, so she couldn't just use an object that could help herself in a critical situation.

Luna's slowing down. She'd better get back inside the temple. At least the temple was warm and safe, compared to standing still in the cold air or exploring the forest in the darkness, where danger lurked. She'd better wait until the sun comes up.

With that in mind, Luna returns to the temple.

While inside the temple, Luna's gaze immediately goes toward the large mirror attached to the wall on the other side of the door. Unconsciously, she walks up to the mirror. She stops walking when she is right in front of it.

Luna slowly wipes before shedding tears, crying in distress. Her hand is stretched out to touch the mirror's surface, suddenly emitting a bright light. The light is currently displaying something absurd, showing her apartment's bedroom and what is happening in her room. She sees Nicole, with a panicked and frightened face, searching for herself and shouting her name.

"Nicole... Please help me... I'm here... I went into the mirror... And now, I don't know what this place is and where..." Luna cried sadly.

Luna reaches out to touch the mirror's surface, but the light slowly fades, and what she sees begins to disappear. "No way! No!" Luna screams hysterically.

Her hands clenched firmly, and she began beating the mirror hard. "I want to go back! I want to go home! Nicole!" Luna fell seated and looked at the mirror, which now only showed her reflection.

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