The Distorted Threshold
"Come on, let's go."
"..."
As I hesitated at the sight of the white-gloved hand extended toward me, the team leader spread both arms this time, gesturing as though inviting me into an embrace. "If holding hands isn't enough to satisfy you, I'll permit a hug right now."
".. I'll just hold your hand quietly."
"How disappointing. Opportunities like this don't come often."
Under the watchful eyes of the field team, I decided a hug was out of the question and chose her hand instead. Seeing her extend it once more, I let out a quiet sigh and clasped it.
"You must never let go of my hand."
"I understand. We'd end up separated inside otherwise."
"No, actually, I'm the type who gets lonely easily."
"..."
I knew it was a joke, but did it really have to be now?
"Then, let's enter."
"Huh..?"
I hadn't finished steeling myself, but the instant I took her hand, she pulled me forward and we crossed the building's entrance in one smooth motion.
There was no queasiness or shifting ground beneath my feet, yet the view around us had completely changed, as though the place we had just been was nothing more than a mirage. The surroundings darkened as if someone had suddenly switched off the lights in the room. The team leader flicked on the flashlight attached to her pistol, and the area brightened enough for us to see.
"Hmm, is this a restroom?"
Her voice echoed slightly. The flashlight revealed a sink with a mirror clouded by layers of grime, and the floor was covered in outdated checkered tiles, many of them cracked and left in disrepair. It made sense that an abandoned building would lack any maintenance or cleaning, but something was missing across from the stalls. The urinals. This was clearly a women's restroom. Not that it mattered in our current situation.
"Uh, let's get out of here quickly."
Being inside a women's restroom for the first time in my life felt strange enough, but the unease deepened when I glanced at the small window high on the wall. Outside, which should have been bright with daylight, was swallowed in complete darkness.
"Wait a moment."
"Yes?"
"Would you place your hand on my shoulder instead? Passing through doors appears to be the trigger for the anomaly, so maintaining physical contact seems wise."
"O-okay.."
When I gently rested my other hand on her shoulder, she finally released the hand she'd been holding and removed her mask.
"Team leader? Why are you taking off your mask..?"
Her height shrank noticeably, and my hand nearly slipped from her shoulder. Last time she'd removed the mask only after Founder had secured our safety, yet now she did so without hesitation. I was startled. She gathered her cascading blue hair and tied it back tightly before answering my question.
"It's already dark enough to obstruct my vision. If this really is a trap, I'd rather trigger it quickly and get it over with. I can't afford to stay trapped like some foolish fox forever."
"..."
"Besides, the spatial distortion around here is severe. No one can pinpoint me without entering directly, so you can relax."
Her unsettling remark about drawing out the culprit as soon as possible made me swallow dryly. She gave a small smile and took my hand again. This time her fingers felt noticeably slimmer and more delicate, and I flinched at the sensation.
"I'll release the block as well. Your ability should prove useful for locating hostages who can't speak or are too frightened to respond."
".. I'll do my best."
Hearing that seven civilians were missing filled me with a sense of duty. It didn't last long.
"You don't need to do your best. Just be mentally prepared. Have you ever seen a corpse before?"
".. No."
"Make sure you don't get startled and let go of me."
"..."
In the dark, cramped restroom, the casual way she discussed something so grim should have felt wrong, yet I found myself staring at her face as if entranced. Even here, in this gloomy place, her angelic beauty seemed to glow.
"Woong-ssi?"
"Ah, no. Anyway, is there a way to resolve this? Can we use your block..?"
"That only works once the target enters my range. Meeting them would solve most of our problems, but the same limitation applies to the field team leader who entered first. It seems the opponent is deliberately avoiding showing themselves."
So we had no special methods either?
"We'll pass through as many doors as possible and rendezvous with the three tails, who should already be conducting rescue operations. If there are no other hostile ability users or anomalies attacking us inside, things should proceed smoothly."
The "three tails" referred to the field team members who had arrived in the same vehicle.
"Is meeting up even possible?"
"The spatial distortion is limited to this single building at most. It's concerning that it's already exceeded what one ability user should be able to manage, but crossing a few doors should let us link up quickly. I've already given the order."
As long as we maintained physical contact while passing through doors, we would move together without separating. The three tails each carried food, water, and a first-aid kit, and by crossing as many doors as possible they could gather the missing people. If the opponent wasn't deliberately interfering, the more doors we passed, the higher the chance everyone trapped inside would converge. Meeting those who had been here longer than us might also yield useful information.
"Spatial abilities aren't common to begin with, and aside from special cases like Founder, they come with heavy restrictions. That gives them universal traits. One is that they can't separate living beings within the space."
"Separate..?"
"Yes, for example... up to here."
"What are you..?"
She suddenly traced a straight line from the top of my head down to my groin with her hand, then offered a chilling hypothetical.
"What would happen if spatial separation occurred right through the middle of a person like this?"
"... If your body split in half, the fact that one side was still alive would be the stranger part."
"That would be too cruel. Though Founder might be capable of it."
"?"
That sounded even more terrifying than the previous scenario.
"Another trait is that it consumes an enormous amount of energy. So the culprit probably settled for occupying this space and warping the passages at each door. In short, we don't need to worry much about pattern changes. If we're lucky, we might even be able to map it out."
"Then let's hurry and.. How do we know which floor this is?"
"I've already instructed them on that as well, so we can simply take a leisurely stroll."
"Ah.."
Was this the privilege of being team leader? If so, the orders given to the three tails should prove effective. The real question was how many doorframes this building, which had looked quite tall from outside, actually contained.
Then a thought struck me.
"What if we just break through the walls instead..?"
If the problem was crossing doorframes, wouldn't smashing through walls work for the field team leader?
"Haha, that's an interesting idea. Since the opponent is occupying this space, it means they're somewhere inside it, so we could certainly deal meaningful damage."
".. Meaningful damage?"
I had only meant that if we avoided doors, the distortion might not trigger.
"In that case, there's a risk the space itself could collapse. The already tangled passages are knotted together, so even a small crack could bring everything down.. Of course the ability user would suffer greatly, but we wouldn't be safe either."
"..."
"Still.. you're right. The parts where the view outside looks strange, or how the building seems the same yet the way we observe the interior differs from the outside.. It feels familiar somehow."
She pondered for a moment, then shook her head as if nothing came to mind. She disengaged the safety on her pistol and turned around.
"Now, hold my hand again. I'll move slowly, so try not to trip over anything like an idiot."
".. Is there nothing I can do to help?"
"Shine the light I gave you on my feet as much as possible.. and above all, don't leave my side. That alone is enough."
"..."
If those words had been said in any other situation, they might have made my heart race for different reasons. Right now, however, my heart was already pounding for entirely separate reasons, leaving no room for such thoughts.
"I'll keep moving without stopping, so tell me whenever you need a break. It's odd to say this after bringing you here myself, but.. your safety takes priority over the other field team members or the civilians."
"..."
It was clearly a promise to protect me, yet hearing it still felt uncomfortable. Still, in this situation where I couldn't even guarantee my own safety, I had no right to worry about others. All I could say was:
"I hope.. everyone makes it out safely."