The Radiant Light - [English Version]

In a dark cell lit by flickering torchlight, four people are huddled against a wall: a man about 35 years old, a blonde girl around 24, a teenage boy, and a middle-aged woman about 40. They all curl up in that cell, surrounded by three walls and an iron door.

Middle-aged woman: Hey girl, wake up! Wake up!

The girl slowly opens her eyes and sits up.

Girl: Who are you people? Where am I? (She asks fearfully)

The other two turn away, only the woman responds to her.

Middle-aged woman:You can see that we are in hell.

Girl: Hell? How can that be? What the hell is going on? Am I still alive? (She grabs the woman and asks continuously)

Middle-aged woman: Calm down. Calm down! Breathe deeply. (The woman rubs her back)

Girl: Okay. (breathing deeply, adjusting her breathing)

Girl: Can you tell me where we are?

**Middle-aged woman**: Sure. I'll tell you. You were just brought here by a monster that looks like a lizard.

**Girl**: A monster? (She holds her head, seemingly recalling something)

**Girl**: I... I saw a monster that looked like a tree with a huge blood-red flower instead of a head.

Middle-aged woman: I encountered something similar.

Girl: We've been kidnapped! Do they eat us? How do we get out of here now? (She starts to become agitated, fear overwhelming her mind)

The middle-aged woman suddenly becomes silent.

Man: Just tell her. Our lives are over.

Teenage boy: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Don't say anything!! (He curls up, retreating into a dark corner of the room)

The woman turns her head slightly toward the man, then looks at the frightened girl.

Middle-aged woman: Before you arrived, there were four of us here. As you can see, besides you, there are only three of us. The fourth person is your friend, the boy hiding in that corner. He was knocked out by a goat-headed monster and dragged away somewhere we don't know. Similar things happened in the cell across.

Girl: They... they... were eaten, right?

Middle-aged woman: Probably. (Tears fall from her eyes)

Gir: Then we'll end up like that, won't we?

Suddenly, they hear footsteps approaching them. A snake-headed monster opens the iron door of the cell, walking in and looking around the room. Everyone instinctively steps back in fear toward the back of the room. The monster's malevolent eyes stop on the teenage boy and move closer.

Teenage boy: NO!!!! NOT ME!!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!! DON'T.... DON'T.

The monster strikes the boy hard on the head with its tail. Blood splatters everywhere, even on the girl's face. She remains silent, trembling, lowering her head and covering her face. The other two remain calmer; perhaps they are used to this. Then, the snake-headed monster grabs one of the boy's hands and drags him out of the room, closing the door behind them. The girl starts crying in fear.

Girl: "Why is this happening to me?" (Thinking)

Middle-aged woman: It's okay. Each time, they only take one person.

Girl: Hiccc....aaah ah.... Then,... it will come for us too.

**Middle-aged woman**: Do you see? That iron door isn't locked. Maybe it forgot to lock it. This is your chance.

Girl: No! If I get caught again, what will they do to me?

Middle-aged woman: It's alright. After eating, they'll probably be full. I tried to escape but got caught again, and they just locked me up here. But I no longer have the strength to run. This is your only chance. If this happens again, that iron door will definitely not open again.

Girl: This..... (she hesitates)

Middle-aged woman: It will be okay. God won't abandon us. Once you escape, tell the others to come rescue us. I'm counting on you, girl. (The middle-aged woman hugs her tightly, and she returns the embrace)

They move close to the iron door, trying to look outside to see if anyone is nearby. After confirming that no one is there, the middle-aged woman signals the girl to run to the right because the teenage boy was dragged to the left, explaining this to her. The girl trusts her, opens the door, and hurriedly runs away, turning back to look at the woman one last time. The woman looks at her and smiles. As the girl runs with all her might, inside the cell, the man and the woman start to converse.

Man: You're quite a wicked woman, aren't you? (he teases)

Middle-aged woman: What about you? This benefits everyone, not just me. Weren't you silent while I lured her?

Man: Hmph...., thanks to her, we get to live a few more days.

The girl runs, reaching a staircase, and as she climbs up, she sees a door with a lever next to it. She pulls the lever, and the door makes a clicking sound. She pushes against the door with all her strength, but it doesn't budge; instead, she pulls it, and it slowly opens. Outside is a corridor with gray-blue walls. She looks left and right, unsure which way to choose.

Girl: "That woman said she tried to escape but failed. Has she been here before? Why didn't she tell me about the door and... whether to go left or right? Could it be ... Oh no, I have to run!" (Thinking)

At that moment, she hears footsteps coming from afar, identifying them coming from the left, so she decides to run with all her strength to the right. At another turn, running too fast and glancing back to see if anyone is chasing her, she bumps into something and falls to the floor.

Girl: Aaah!!

....: A human?

The girl hears the voice, immediately looks up, and sees the figure of a demon wearing a mask.