Tin fell to his knees.
The darkness around him remained endless, stretching in every direction without a single source of light. The cold breeze that had been following him since he arrived continued to move around him, almost like invisible fingers brushing against his skin.
His breathing became uneven.
At first it felt like anxiety.
Then pain.
A sharp ache formed deep inside his chest.
Tin immediately grabbed his shirt over his heart.
"Ah..."
The pain intensified.
His heartbeat started racing.
Faster.
And faster.
And faster.
Each beat felt heavier than the last.
Like something was squeezing his heart from the inside.
His fingers dug into his chest as he struggled to breathe.
The darkness seemed to grow closer.
The invisible pressure around him became unbearable.
He tried standing up.
His legs refused.
The pain spread through his entire body.
Then—
A voice.
"TIN!"
His eyes widened.
Samy.
It was Samy's voice.
Clear.
Desperate.
Calling his name.
"Tin!"
He looked around wildly.
"Samy?!"
Nothing.
Only darkness.
Yet he could still hear her.
Again.
And again.
Calling for him.
His heartbeat accelerated further.
His vision started becoming blurry.
The darkness swayed around him.
"Samy..."
Tin reached forward as if she was standing right in front of him.
But there was nothing there.
Only emptiness.
His body finally gave up.
The pain became too much.
His eyes slowly closed.
And Tin collapsed into the darkness.
Elsewhere.
Tony stood motionless.
The blood had reached his chest.
Cold.
Heavy.
Endless.
The small room felt smaller with every passing second.
The red liquid continued rising.
Slowly.
Mercilessly.
The metallic smell filled his lungs.
Every instinct inside him screamed.
Panic.
Fear.
Hopelessness.
But Tony clenched his jaw.
"No."
His voice trembled.
"This isn't real."
The blood ignored him.
It continued rising.
Higher.
Higher.
Until it reached his neck.
Tony pressed himself against the wall.
His breathing became shallow.
The ceiling suddenly looked much lower.
Like the room itself wanted to crush him.
The Owner's words echoed faintly.
"You couldn't save them."
Tony shut his eyes.
"No."
"You watched them die."
"No."
"You survived."
Tony clenched his fists.
His nails dug into his palms.
The blood touched his chin.
One more rise.
And it would cover his mouth.
Then his nose.
Then everything.
Tony closed his eyes tightly.
He needed something.
Anything.
To stop himself from drowning in fear.
So he focused on something else.
A memory.
A very old memory.
A happy one.
And suddenly—
The room disappeared.
Warm sunlight.
A bright afternoon.
The school field.
Laughter.
Tony opened his eyes.
He immediately recognized the place.
The three of them.
Him.
Roger.
Kim.
Back when life was simple.
Back when the Darkside didn't exist.
Back when none of them knew fear.
Roger stood on the field with her hands on her waist.
"You two are definitely losing."
Kim rolled his eyes.
"Keep dreaming."
Tony laughed.
"You say that every time."
Roger pointed dramatically toward the finish line.
"Because every time I win."
The younger versions of them stood side by side.
Ready for another race.
A race that meant absolutely nothing.
No mysteries.
No missing students.
No sacrifices.
Just friends.
Tony felt tears forming in his eyes.
The whistle blew.
And they started running.
Kim immediately took the lead.
Roger quickly caught up.
Tony followed behind.
All three laughing.
Shouting.
Arguing.
The memory felt so alive.
So real.
Tony watched from afar.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Back then they had no idea.
No idea how much everything would change.
Roger crossed the finish line first.
"YES!"
She raised both hands triumphantly.
Kim dropped onto the grass dramatically.
"This is rigged."
Tony laughed.
"You say that every time."
Roger stuck her tongue out.
"Because every time I win."
For the first time since entering the Owner's game...
Tony felt calm.
The blood.
The room.
The fear.
They all faded away.
Only the memory remained.
Only his friends remained.
And for a brief moment...
Tony forgot where he was.
Meanwhile.
Jet sat alone inside the white room.
The silence continued eating away at her thoughts.
No sounds.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing.
At first she had tried fighting it.
She had shouted.
Punched walls.
Demanded answers.
But now...
She sat quietly.
Cross-legged on the floor.
Her eyes closed.
She focused entirely on herself.
If she couldn't hear anything...
Then she would create something.
A rhythm.
A heartbeat.
She imagined it.
Steady.
Calm.
A familiar pulse.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
She focused on that imaginary sound.
Ignoring everything else.
Ignoring the silence.
Ignoring the fear.
Slowly...
The pressure inside her head started fading.
The white room became less overwhelming.
Her breathing steadied.
The panic disappeared.
Then—
Something changed.
Jet opened her eyes.
And froze.
She was no longer in the white room.
She was standing inside the music room.
The school music room.
The real one.
Or at least...
It looked real.
The familiar desks.
The instruments.
The windows.
The sunlight entering through the glass.
Jet immediately stood up.
"What?"
She looked around carefully.
The room looked normal.
Completely normal.
No darkness.
No monsters.
No Owner.
Nothing.
Outside the windows she could see students walking around.
Talking.
Laughing.
Living ordinary lives.
Jet's heart skipped.
"This can't be real."
She quickly walked toward the door.
Opening it.
The hallway outside was filled with people.
Teachers.
Students.
Conversations.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Almost too normal.
"Tony!"
She shouted.
This time her voice worked.
"Tin!"
No answer.
"Samy!"
Nothing.
People continued walking as if she wasn't there.
Like they couldn't hear her.
Jet felt panic returning.
She ran through the corridor.
Searching every classroom.
Every hallway.
Every corner.
No one.
No friends.
No familiar faces.
Only strangers.
Jet stopped.
Her chest tightened.
For the first time since entering the Darkside...
She felt completely alone.
The realization hit harder than any monster.
Tears appeared in her eyes.
She tried holding them back.
But failed.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks.
She quickly wiped them away.
"No."
Her voice shook.
"No way."
Jet took a deep breath.
Then another.
She wasn't going to break.
Not now.
Not after everything.
If this was another game—
Then she would beat it.
If this was another trap—
Then she would solve it.
She looked toward the school entrance.
Her expression slowly hardened.
"Fine."
If her friends weren't here...
Then she would find answers herself.
Jet walked through the front gates.
Outside, the city looked normal.
Cars moved through the streets.
People crossed roads.
The sky was blue.
Everything looked real.
Yet deep inside...
She knew something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Owner wouldn't simply let her go.
This place was another test.
Another illusion.
Another piece of his game.
Jet looked back at the school building one last time.
Then turned toward the city.
Whatever this place was...
She was going to investigate it.
And somehow...
She was going to find her friends.
Even if she had to tear apart this entire false world to do it.
Far away, beyond countless layers of darkness and memories...
The Owner watched.
And smiled.
The game was becoming much more interesting.