Chapter 1: Into the Abyss
The world had always been a strange place for Krestofer, or Krest as he preferred, with his mind a kaleidoscope of wild thoughts and vivid hallucinations. A lanky, pale figure at 160 cm, his albino skin almost glowed under the dim streetlights, long white hair tied back in a messy tail, and those eerie black pupils shaped like smiling emojis glinting with mischief. At 25, he was a bundle of chaotic energy, a biology and chemistry genius who could outrun most and bend his body in ways that seemed almost inhuman. But beneath the surface, a storm brewed—schizophrenia, a secret he kept locked tight, even from himself on good days.
It was a humid evening when the impossible happened. Krest was darting through an abandoned lot, chasing a fleeting idea about fungal spores, when the ground beneath him gave way. Not a crack, not a sinkhole—just a sickening lurch as reality itself seemed to glitch. He fell, not down, but through, landing in a place that reeked of damp carpet and flickered with sickly yellow light. Level 0 of the Backrooms, though he didn’t know it yet. Endless corridors stretched before him, a labyrinth of monotony and dread.
Meanwhile, Edjiro Hall—Edj to those who dared get close—was a fortress of calm in a world of chaos. At 23, standing a towering 198 cm, his lean, muscled frame was a stark contrast to Krest’s wiry build. Black hair cascaded in a stylish cut, tips dyed a faded blue, framing piercing sky-blue eyes that could cut through bullshit like a knife. A master of mathematics and engineering, Edj could build a weapon from scraps and wield it with deadly precision. His voice, low and steady, carried a dry wit that could disarm or destroy. He’d been tinkering in an old warehouse when the floor swallowed him whole, spitting him out into the same endless maze, though miles apart from Krest.
Krest’s heart raced as he sprinted through the humming corridors, the distant skitter of something inhuman echoing behind him. A monster, all teeth and shadow, had locked onto him the moment he’d landed. ‘Great, just what I needed—a biology experiment with a grudge,’ he muttered, his voice a mix of panic and dark humor. His legs burned, but he was fast, weaving through the maze until he spotted a door. He didn’t think twice, slamming it open and tumbling into a small, grimy room with two exits—one on each opposing wall.
At the same moment, Edj burst through the opposite door, his breath steady despite the chase. A hulking entity, all claws and static, had been on his tail, but he’d outmaneuvered it with cold calculation. He held a makeshift blade fashioned from a rusted pipe, his blue eyes scanning the room. They locked onto Krest, who was sprawled on the floor, panting and grinning like a maniac.
‘Well, damn,’ Krest drawled, pushing himself up with a wince. ‘If I’d known the afterlife had eye candy like yours, I’d have died sooner. Those blues could stop a heart.’
Edj’s brow arched, his grip on the weapon unwavering. ‘Flirting in a hellhole? You’ve got priorities I can’t even begin to unpack. Who the hell are you, and why aren’t you running?’
Krest laughed, a sharp, unhinged sound, brushing white strands from his face. ‘Name’s Krest. And running’s my cardio, but I figured I’d take a breather to admire the view. You’ve got a name, or do I just call you Gorgeous?’
‘Edj,’ came the clipped reply, though a smirk tugged at his lips. ‘And save the charm. Something’s coming for us both, and I’m not dying because you’ve got a death wish and a crush.’
Krest’s grin widened, his strange pupils glinting. ‘Oh, I don’t die easy. But I like the concern. Tell you what, tall, dark, and stabby—pick a door, and I’ll follow. Unless you’ve got a better plan in that pretty head of yours.’
Edj’s eyes narrowed, assessing Krest with a mix of suspicion and reluctant amusement. ‘You’re unhinged. Fine. Left door. Move, now.’
They bolted together, the air thick with tension, not just from the unseen threats lurking beyond the walls, but from the electric charge between them. Krest’s playful jabs kept coming, each one met with Edj’s razor-sharp retorts, their voices a strange harmony in the oppressive silence of the Backrooms.
‘You always this bossy, or am I just lucky?’ Krest teased, dodging a fallen pipe as they ran.
‘Only when I’m stuck with a liability who talks more than he thinks,’ Edj shot back, his tone dry as bone. ‘Keep up, or I’m leaving you for whatever’s drooling back there.’
‘Aw, you’d miss me,’ Krest chirped, though his breath was ragged now, sweat beading on his pale brow. ‘Admit it, I’m growing on you.’
‘Like mold,’ Edj deadpanned, but his glance lingered a second too long on Krest’s lithe form, the way his body moved with a dancer’s grace even in panic.
They found temporary refuge in a cramped alcove, the air heavy with the scent of mildew and their own exertion. Krest leaned against the wall, chest heaving, while Edj stood guard, his makeshift blade ready. The silence stretched, broken only by their breathing, until Krest’s gaze flicked to Edj’s face, fixating on those mesmerizing blue eyes.
‘You know,’ Krest started, voice lower now, a dangerous edge to it, ‘if we’re gonna die here, I’d at least like to know what those eyes look like up close. Real close.’
Edj turned, his expression unreadable, though a spark of something—interest, maybe—flickered there. ‘You’ve got a one-track mind, don’t you? We’re being hunted, and you’re what, horny for a stare-down?’
Krest stepped closer, undeterred, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. ‘Call it a survival tactic. Keeps the adrenaline pumping. And trust me, I’m very… adaptable.’
Edj’s smirk returned, slow and predatory, as he closed the distance, towering over Krest. ‘Careful what you start, little gremlin. I don’t play gentle.’
Their faces were inches apart now, the heat of their bodies mingling, Krest’s breath hitching as Edj’s gaze bore into him. The tension was a live wire, crackling, ready to ignite. Krest’s hand twitched, itching to reach out, to feel the hard planes of Edj’s chest, while Edj’s fingers tightened on his weapon, as if restraining himself from something far more dangerous.
And then, a guttural roar echoed down the corridor, snapping them back to reality. But the promise lingered, a smoldering ember waiting to flare. Whatever horrors awaited in the Backrooms, they’d face them together—and maybe, just maybe, find something worth surviving for in each other.
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