The corridor should have been empty.
When Tony, Jet, and Tin first appeared in it, they expected the same endless black hallway they had seen before — the one that led toward the iron gate. The one that promised escape.
But this place was different.
The gate was gone.
And the corridor had changed.
Instead of bare walls and darkness, long rows of doors stretched on both sides of the hallway. Each door looked old and worn, like something from an abandoned school building. The ceiling lights flickered weakly, casting unstable shadows along the walls.
The place looked like a normal school corridor.
But it was far from normal.
The air was cold.
The silence felt heavy.
And every door had a name written on it.
Tin slowed his steps.
His eyes moved from one door to another as they walked deeper into the hallway.
"Which one should we go in?" he asked quietly.
Tony scanned the corridor too. Some doors had nameplates hanging slightly crooked. Others looked scratched, as if someone had tried to break them open long ago.
"I don't know," Tony replied slowly. "Half of them look locked."
Jet walked a little ahead of them, examining the doors carefully.
"And some of them look scarier than everything we've faced until now," she said under her breath.
Her fingers brushed against one of the door handles.
Cold.
Very cold.
She immediately pulled her hand back.
"Don't touch anything yet," Tony warned.
Jet nodded.
They continued walking.
The names on the doors became clearer as they passed them.
Room 12 — Olivia Carter
Room 15 — Marcus Hale
Room 18 — Lena Morris
Tin stopped suddenly.
"These are names of students," he said.
Tony looked back at the doorplates.
Students.
Missing students.
Jet's expression darkened.
"You're thinking the same thing I am, right?" she said quietly.
Tony nodded.
"These might be their rooms."
Tin frowned.
"But why?"
None of them had an answer.
They continued walking.
Some doors were slightly open, revealing only darkness inside.
Others were chained shut.
Some looked like they had been clawed by something desperate to escape.
Jet stopped in front of one door.
The nameplate read:
Room 27 — Daniel Ortiz
The door was locked with heavy chains.
But something strange was scratched into the wood.
Words.
Jet leaned closer to read them.
"HELP ME."
The letters were jagged, carved deeply into the door.
Tin looked uncomfortable.
"We shouldn't stay here too long."
Tony agreed.
"This place feels wrong."
Jet turned away from the door and continued walking.
But the corridor seemed endless.
More doors.
More names.
More silence.
And the deeper they went…
The darker the lights became.
Somewhere Else
Pete and Noah stood frozen in the chained room.
The sound they heard earlier had not returned yet.
But the tension remained.
The trapped students were still trembling.
Their hollow eyes filled with fear.
Pete stepped toward the student who had spoken earlier.
"You said he knows," Pete said carefully.
The student didn't look at him.
His eyes were fixed on the floor.
Pete knelt down.
"Who knows?" he asked again.
The boy whispered weakly.
"The Owner."
Noah's stomach tightened.
Pete leaned closer.
"What is the Owner?"
But the student shook his head.
"I've never seen him."
Pete frowned.
"Then how do you know he exists?"
The student's voice trembled.
"Because when he comes…"
He slowly lifted his head.
"…everyone here feels it."
The room suddenly became colder.
The chains hanging from the walls rattled softly.
Noah glanced around.
"Pete…"
Pete looked back at him.
"You feel that too?"
Pete nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Something was changing again.
The air felt heavier.
Like the entire building had just inhaled.
Somewhere Beyond the Darkside
Two shadows stood facing each other in the endless void.
The black shadow moved quickly, striking the white shadow with a powerful force.
The white shadow blocked the attack and pushed back.
They had been fighting for what felt like forever.
Neither of them was willing to stop.
But suddenly—
Both shadows froze.
At the exact same moment.
Something had changed.
The black shadow looked around carefully.
"What was that?"
Its voice carried alertness.
The white shadow stretched its shoulders, almost casually.
"Who knows," it replied.
"This place has always been strange."
The black shadow remained cautious.
"That felt different."
The white shadow tilted its head slightly.
"Maybe something woke up."
It stepped forward again.
"Come on."
Its tone became playful.
"Fight me."
"We're not done yet."
The black shadow stared at it for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"Why not?"
They charged toward each other again.
Their clash sent waves through the empty space.
Back in the Corridor
Tin suddenly stopped walking.
"Wait."
Tony and Jet turned to him.
"What?" Jet asked.
Tin pointed toward one door.
It was different from the others.
The nameplate was scratched out.
No name remained.
Only deep marks where letters had once existed.
Tony stepped closer.
"Someone tried to erase it."
Jet crossed her arms.
"Or someone didn't want us to see it."
The door itself looked old.
But unlike the other doors…
It wasn't locked.
The handle moved slightly when Jet touched it.
Tony watched her carefully.
"You're not thinking of opening it, are you?"
Jet raised an eyebrow.
"What? You want to keep walking forever?"
Tin looked nervous.
"We don't even know what's inside."
Jet shrugged.
"That's exactly why we should check."
Tony sighed.
"Fine."
He stepped forward.
"If something jumps out, it's your fault."
Jet smirked.
"Deal."
Tony slowly pushed the door open.
The hinges creaked loudly.
Inside the room—
Darkness.
But not empty darkness.
Something was inside.
Something watching.
Tin felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
"Tony…"
Tony didn't move.
His eyes were fixed inside the room.
"What is it?" Jet asked.
Tony's voice was barely a whisper.
"There's a desk."
Jet looked confused.
"That's normal."
Tony shook his head slowly.
"No…"
His eyes remained fixed on the darkness.
"…there's someone sitting at it."
The figure inside the room slowly lifted its head.
And smiled.
Somewhere Deeper
Samy continued walking beside the Voice.
The deeper they moved into the Darkside, the stranger the surroundings became.
Walls twisted in impossible ways.
Doors appeared and vanished.
Memories flickered across the air like broken images.
Samy finally spoke.
"You said the Owner created this place."
The Voice nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
The Voice stopped walking.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she answered quietly.
"Because someone once opened a door that should never have been opened."
Samy frowned.
"What door?"
The Voice turned to face her.
"That," she said softly,
"is the question that will decide everything."
And somewhere far away in the Darkside—
Something enormous began to move.