…Alex’s PoV…

I’ll be honest; I wasn’t able to sleep well last night since I was too excited. But who could blame me? I just found out that fish creatures are hiding amongst us, and that they have access to impressive, logic-defying powers like teleportation.

Like I said before, I couldn't sleep so I scoured the internet as an attempt to find an answer to the myriad of questions that popped into my head after yesterday's events. What are those creatures? How many are there? What do they wish to accomplish by blending in with humanity?

And maybe the most important one…Are they hostile?

I know movies are not reality, but they are a good warning. In movies, magical and powerful creatures are usually at odds with humans, and conflict between the two species is inevitable.

And the idea of facing those creatures is enough to make me shiver. For crying out loud, they treat teleporting like a casual affair!

This means that what I consider impossible could easily be a part of daily life for those things, so what other frightening power could they hide? It's more than likely that they have enough power to destroy a mountain with a flick of their wrist… Or worse, maybe each one of them has more destructive power than a nuke!

I shake my head to chase the nefarious thoughts away. Maybe I’m being a tad too negative, because if the fish monsters wanted to destroy humanity then we would be long gone. And our demise is already all but guaranteed even if they only have teleportation as their trump card, so who knows how terrifying they actually are?

Thinking about that isn’t going to help me find answers, so let’s go back to work.

I focus back on my computer where dozens of windows are opened; most of them are dubious and obscure forums with outdated looks. So far, all the websites I visited aren’t much more than a repository of insane theories or plain wrong information.

But who I am to judge? I'm certain that nobody would believe me if I explained what I saw yesterday. I wouldn't have believed it myself since it sounds so insane.

But sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. What happened back then completely changed my perception of reality, I even made a mental note to seriously review any occult theories I dismissed as impossible before.

Who knows, I might’ve skipped over something important.

A deep sigh escapes my mouth as I scroll down a long forum post from a person claiming they had dealings with lizard people. I was about to dismiss the story as just that, a fake story written to gain attention when something caught my eye. I re-read the small paragraph to make sure that my eyes aren’t deceiving me, but the text is definitely real.

The poster was explaining how he got caught in the crossfire between two groups of lizard people, and how he narrowly escaped with his life. The way he described the magic used during this encounter sent shivers down my spine: His surprisingly detailed description matched what I saw back in the closet, with the light emerging from nowhere and turning into a complex arrangement of weird symbols. The vague drawing he provided along with his description was the last step needed to convince me that this person was telling the truth. It had too many similarities with the floating keyhole to be a coincidence, it even shared some symbols!

I lean back in my chair and stare at my ceiling, still stunned by the revelation. First, I found out that fish monsters roamed the streets, now we even have gangs of lizard people throwing devastating spells at each other?!

I don’t know what’s real anymore…

I sigh and get back to work, who knows what secrets I could uncover before tomorrow’s club meeting?

The answer to that question is not much. And it's mostly because I fell asleep a few minutes after discovering the existence of lizard people.

I wasn't able to focus on my classes since my mind was still adapting to my new reality. At some point, I even started to observe my classmates to find any sign of them being fish creatures or lizard people. But I had to stop after a couple of people started to exchange worried whispers while glancing at me.

It’s not like I could tell them that I really wasn’t a creepy guy and that I was just checking if they weren’t secretly magical monsters. It would destroy the small amount of social standing I still have.

My classes finally ended, and I bolted towards our small club room at the outskirts of the campus. A lonely figure greets me when I enter, and I sit on a chair next to the window to get some rest and calm my ragged breath.

“So what got you so excited that you had to call a meeting? I’ll warn you beforehand, the others couldn’t come so it’ll just be me today. I hope you don’t waste my time.” Sarah says while adjusting her messy black hair and fiddling with her phone.

Oh, trust me when I say that it’s going to be worthwhile!

I smirk, “First of all, I need you to understand that I’m completely serious, and what I’m about to tell you will change your life.”

“Heh, what could you possibly-”

She looks at me and stops in the middle of her sentence, her jaw drops while her phone slides off her hands.

…Sarah’s PoV…

What could possibly be so important that he had to call for an emergency meeting?

The others already warned me that they couldn’t make it to the meeting, so it looks like it’s only going to be me and Alex today.

I sigh and start tapping on my phone, barely paying attention to my newsfeed as I scroll down.

Well, at least that means that Will isn’t going to be there, I hate that guy since he’s one of those things that can freely mess with our memories.

The light beam incident is still bothering me since it resulted in the Enforcers rewriting my memories. But to this day, I still haven’t a single clue about what that thing was. And it’s not like I haven’t done any research either, I already scanned the unsuspecting minds of any denizen of the Hidden World unlucky enough to get into my field of view.

But nobody knows what this column of light was, or what caused it.

Of course, I already checked Will's mind for any potential information, but it looks like his organization is also in the dark.

Or maybe Will isn’t high enough in the hierarchy to know…

This possibility seems more than likely, especially since the Enforcers were the ones who replaced our memories in the first place.

I still have no clue about whatever this beam of light was, but at least I’m sure that it isn’t something that’s supposed to happen. I'm convinced that it must be important somehow, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered with erasing the memories of the entire town.

The light beam incident also affected my morning routine. I changed it after discovering that my memories were altered. Now, I scrupulously check my memories with my power every day to make sure that nothing’s strange.

So far I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary and I hope it stays that way since the horrible things I saw in Will’s head still sometimes haunt my sleep.

The Hidden World is too violent, and I hope I’m never involved in a-

The sound of footsteps followed by someone slamming the door open interrupt my thoughts, and a panting Alex enters the room.

I raise an eyebrow while he sits on the nearest chair, this never happened before. I mean, him rushing into the club room while parading some ridiculous theory he found on the Internet was at least a monthly occurrence, but he never looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion before.

“So what got you so excited that you had to call a meeting?” I ask with a hint of curiosity, but the almost malevolent grin that appeared on his face as soon as I opened my mouth stopped any worry I had.

Yeah, he’s fine if he can act cocky like that. Maybe this time his theories will be entertaining…

“I’ll warn you beforehand, the others couldn’t come so it’ll just be me today. I hope you don’t waste my time.” I explain the club room’s unusual emptiness while browsing the internet on my phone.

“First of all, I need you to understand that I’m completely serious, and what I’m about to tell you will change your life.”

The seriousness of his tone when he speaks makes me smirk, and I shake my head in disbelief while rummaging through his mind.

Yeah, right. What it’s going to be this time? Maybe its aliens or-

Oh.

I can feel the color drain from my cheeks, and I drop my phone in shock.

No, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening!

Images that I never wanted to see in Alex’s mind appear in front of my eyes, images of fish monsters and secret spells.

My heart pounds in my chest as I stare at Alex's smiling face in utter disbelief. How can he even smile if he knows what he's getting into?!

It must be because he doesn’t know anything, so I need to force him to stop looking into the Hidden World. Or else who knows what kind of troubles he’s going to get into.

“Does anyone knows what you found?!" I stand up and knock my chair down.

“C-Calm down! I haven’t even told you what-”

“Answer my question!” I shout as I grab his collar.

How could this guy act so casually?! Doesn’t he realize the danger he’s in?! He could lose his memories, or worse!

“N-No, but-”

“LISTEN TO ME!” I interrupt him again, “You will never, in any circumstance, talk about what you saw in that storage closet, do you understand!”

Alex nods while looking at me with a mix of awe and fear, and I release him once I’m certain he understands how serious the situation is.

“Do you have any evidence that you went into that closet?” I ask once he puts his glasses, which fell off during our altercation, back on his nose.

“Y-Yeah, I have some pictures, but-”

“Delete them.” I glare at him when I see his hesitation, “NOW!”

“B-But-”

I narrow my eyes and raise a hand, causing him to cower and recoil. I try to maintain a stern façade as he deletes the pictures, but it takes all of my willpower to stay calm. Acting so violently isn’t something I want to do since I’m sure that Alex hates me now.

But I need to stop his investigation now for his own sake, and everyone else’s.

After all, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to think the Enforcers would also take actions against the other club members if they discover that Alex knows too much. I know they like to make sure that no information gets out.

“Is it done?” I ask while doing my best to act menacing.

He answers with a nod and a frightened yelp comes out of the club president’s mouth when I raise my hand to show him the door, “Good, now get out of here before I get angry!”

My threat is more effective than I thought it would be since he dashes out of the club room without looking back.

I pick up my phone, sit against a wall and look outside with a weak smile.

I guess Alex’s going to avoid me now, and he’s probably going to fire me from the club. I wouldn’t put it past him since I threatened him, and it’s also likely that he’s going to turn the others against me.

Having friends was a nice change of pace, but I guess it’s back to be alone again…

A single tear rolls down my cheek.

…Alex’s PoV…

I’m running as fast as I can, not paying attention to the amused looks of other students as I nearly stumble over my own feet.

Things didn’t go as planned.

Sarah should've been surprised and amazed by my discovery, but she threatened me before I could even speak. I don't know how, but she knew about my little incursion into the storage closet.

Who could’ve known that she was working for the fish monsters…or maybe she’s one of them? Honestly, I don’t want to go back and find out.

I glance back and see that nobody’s pursuing me, so I sit on a bench to rest and calm my ragged breath. My eyes survey the surroundings: The campus is bustling with activity at this hour, and the hundreds of students look too busy to pay attention to me so I relax a little.

But panic flares into my chest as soon as someone walks near me, and I hold my breath while expecting a fish monster to erupt from the crowd to silence me. But the person just keeps going, not even turning his head towards me.

Fuck, I’m getting paranoid…

I shake my head; I can’t relax too much and let my guard down right now. I take a deep breath and wait until my pounding heart calms down before reviewing the situation. I can deduce from Sarah’s reaction that a normal person finding out about the closet is a pretty big deal, especially with how adamant she was about me deleting the pictures.

At first, I didn't want to delete them, but having a potential angry death machine just in front of me pushed me to reconsider my actions. And it’s not a big loss anyway, it’s not like I can’t go back and take more pictures. But first, I need to understand how she knew about my little excursion.

There must've been a security system that I didn't notice since nobody in their right mind would leave a teleporting gate without any surveillance.

I wonder how I can fool this surveillance system. Maybe I can hide my face with a balaclava…

Of course, this is all pure speculation since I have no intention of even approaching the Hot Spot-

I grin and let out a hearty laugh, my sudden outburst earns me a few puzzled glares but I don’t care.

Yeah, right. Even I can’t believe it for a second.

Sure, the fish creatures are beyond terrifying, and I really don’t want to face any of them since I won’t last a second in any kind of fight. But how can a man so well-versed in the occult give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? I want to know what's on the other side of that keyhole. Will it be a long-lost underground city filled with ancient technology, or another planet, maybe another dimension altogether?

A chill course through my spine and I repress a wild grin while the beginnings of a plan start to form in my head. First of all, I’m going to need more information so I'll have to comb through the occult forums when I get home. The idea of sharing the glory with someone else irks me, but I have no other choice but to find trustworthy people.

I’ll need a companion because I doubt I’ll be able to properly document what’s on the other side alone and also because, although I hope it never comes to this, I could use a meat shield if things get violent.

But this raises a question: Who can I trust?

I’m not a popular guy, I barely have any friends outside of the Occult Club and I’m certain that they wouldn’t believe me even if I showed them evidence. So that leaves me with the members of the Club, but Sarah proves that the Club is compromised by the Fishmen. Of course, maybe she’s an isolated agent, but the possibility of multiple spies exists.

So Sarah is, of course, out of the equation on the account of being a potential fish monster in disguise. This leaves me with Cynthia and Will, and I have my reservations with both of them.

Will is the least likely to be a fish since he barely talks to Sarah or anyone else for that matter. I think I can count the number of words he said since the last two reunions on one hand. He also looks completely disinterested in our activities, and I sometimes wonder why he bothers coming to nearly every reunion since he always looks ready to fall asleep.

The other option is Cynthia; the small and overly-enthusiastic girl will certainly join me if I ask her. For some reason, she’s the only Club member who's nearly always willing to follow me in my investigations. But she’s a friend of Sarah, and that’s a major red flag considering the current situation.

I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I sigh and head towards my apartment on the outskirts of the campus.

I still haven’t made a decision despite spending the last hour reviewing the situation while lying on my bed.

On one hand, Will looks capable of handling himself so he could be useful if the Fishmen become violent. But he’s also highly unlikely to join in the first place, not to mention that he seems like the type of person to want to be in charge no matter the situation.

I’m also considering Cynthia since she would be perfect for this investigation, but I’m still suspicious of her because of her relationship with Sarah. I know it sounds a bit unfair to dismiss her like that, but Sarah’s message was clear. I won’t have a second chance if I get caught snooping around again.

I look at my phone and take a deep breath after twenty minutes of intense concentration, and finally call the girl who insisted that we exchange phone numbers.

I hope I’m making the correct decision.

“Y-Yes?” a flustered feminine voice answers my call.

“Oh? Maybe you’re busy?”

“N-No! I was just a bit surprised since you never call me…”

“All right. Listen, there’s something I want to tell you, but it needs to be in person. So I was wondering if we could meet up tomorrow, maybe at the park or something?”

There’s silence for a couple of seconds, and I swear I hear muffled screaming in the background.

“Is everything all right?” I ask with a hint of worry.

“A-AH! Yes, I’m f-fine! S-See you tomorrow then!” she hangs up before I can say anything.

This girl is weird. I wonder why she sounded so happy?