The classroom was silent, but it no longer felt ordinary. Tin, Tony, Jet, and Samy stood in the center, staring at the teacher's desk and the surrounding space. A cold realization had struck them like ice — the classroom they had been trapped in, the one that had felt abandoned and twisted, wasn't under the care of their usual teacher. Their music teacher — the one they knew from school — was somehow connected to this place. Somehow, he had become part of the horror, or maybe had always been part of it. That thought alone made them shiver.
"This… this can't be right," Samy whispered. "Our music teacher… he's here? Somehow?"
Jet clenched her jaw. "Not just here… part of everything. I don't know how, but he's tied to this place. Look at this desk, the files… the notes. None of it makes sense unless he's involved."
Tony slammed his fist lightly on the table, frustration bubbling over. "So the person we trusted, who taught us… is part of all this? That explains why everything about music keeps appearing in these memories."
Tin, who had been quietly scanning the room, nodded slowly. "Yes. But even knowing that… it doesn't help us get out. There's nothing else here that we can use to escape."
The four of them began to check every corner, every small detail. Samy opened drawers, Jet flipped through files and old papers, Tony pulled at the broken chalkboards, and Tin walked along the walls, feeling for anything unusual. Every piece of evidence felt… ordinary. Yet, they all had the same uneasy feeling, as if the room itself was hiding something crucial.
Hours seemed to pass. The files were the same every classroom kept, records of students and lessons — completely normal on the surface, but every time they turned a page, a sense of hidden purpose tugged at them. Their eyes moved faster over the papers, but nothing clearly stood out.
Then Samy froze. "Wait… look at this."
The others gathered around her. She held a group photograph carefully, her fingers trembling. The image wasn't normal. Every single student who had gone missing at some point was in the photo. Everyone smiled… but their eyes weren't smiling. They were hollow, distant, forced, like they had been trained to appear happy. The sight made all four of them feel a shiver run down their spines.
"Every student… every single one," Jet murmured, her voice low. "They were… trapped here too, weren't they?"
Tin clenched his fists. "And our teacher… he was watching them, or guiding it. That's how he's part of all this."
Tony ran his hand down his face. "And there's nothing we can use to get out? Nothing?"
The silence that followed was heavy, filled only by the sound of their own breathing. Then, far off in the corridor, the faint echo of the whispering wind returned. No words, just that eerie vibration that felt like someone trying to speak but unable to form language. All four froze. The chill crept down their necks. Each of them understood the feeling — the same silent warning, the same subtle call for attention.
Samy whispered, "It's like it's… calling for help."
Jet shook her head. "Or… it's another trap. Don't trust it."
The four of them exchanged looks, attempting to read each other's thoughts. Each mind held a different idea, a different fear, a different plan — but none of them knew which was correct. The uncertainty pressed down harder than any visible threat.
Meanwhile, far away, Kim and Roger were racing through the dark corridor after choosing the third gate — the one that read, "Lie is real truth." The shadow behind them grew closer with every step, following relentlessly. Their legs trembled as they ran faster than they ever had, the floor beneath them beginning to crack and crumble. Each step was a risk; the shadows of the corridor seemed to stretch, trying to pull them back.
Roger glanced at Kim. "We have to reach the end! Don't stop!"
Kim nodded, teeth clenched, legs burning, every muscle screaming in protest. As they neared the final door at the end of the hallway, the floor cracked dangerously beneath them. With one last sprint, they slammed into the door, throwing it open and tumbling inside. Immediately, they shut it behind them, pressing their hands against it, hearts hammering. The world outside became silent.
When they looked around, they realized they were back in the place of ten gates. The air was heavy with relief, but neither of them laughed. They simply stared at each other. And in that shared silence, a smirk formed on Roger's face — not from feeling safe, but from surviving together.
Kim shook himself out of the moment, emotions rushing over him, and kissed her. For a brief instant, the tension, fear, and exhaustion melted away, leaving only them — together, if only for a second.
Back in the classroom, the four still searched desperately. Files, photos, desks, drawers — every inch of the room had been combed. Nothing seemed to unlock the path forward. Every attempt to force open the classroom door failed, every search yielded ordinary results. Their frustration mounted.
Then Jet's eyes caught something unusual. Near the far corner of the wall, a small, suspicious hole — too small to be a door, too deliberate to be accidental. She approached it slowly, her fingers tracing its edges.
"Hey… look at this," she called softly.
The others gathered. Samy peered over her shoulder, Tony stepped closer, and Tin examined the hole, twisting his head to see inside.
"It's… something's in there," Jet said, her voice steady, but tinged with hope. "Maybe the key… the thing that lets us finally leave."
Tony exhaled sharply. "Finally… something."
Tin nodded, his grip tightening. "We've been searching for hours. If this is what we need, we have to be careful. Whatever's in there… it's part of this place."
Samy swallowed. "Then let's not waste any time."
All four exchanged one last glance, then nodded in unison. Their exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty were still there, but now mixed with a spark of hope. The hole in the wall — small, unassuming, hidden — might finally give them a chance to escape.
And with that, Jet leaned closer, preparing to reach inside.
The room fell silent again, but this time it was not threatening. It was waiting. Waiting for them to take the next step.