Saphira is discharged late in the afternoon.
She walks out of the hospital quieter than usual, a hoodie pulled over her head, Jason right beside her.
She doesn't push him away this time… but she doesn't hold his hand either.
Outside, everyone gathers in a loose circle.
No one jokes.
No one scrolls.
Prince breaks the silence first.
"Okay," he says firmly. "Enough. This isn't just some stupid app anymore."
Ryan nods.
"Yeah. Whatever that thing is, it almost got someone hurt."
Jake looks at Kyra, worried.
"We can't just wait for the next round."
Thorian turns to Kaida.
"You said this started on your phone, right?"
Kaida hesitates, then nods.
"Yes. I didn't download it. I didn't click anything. It just… appeared."
Zyren frowns.
"And it hasn't shown up on anyone else's phone?"
"No," Lyrelle answers. "Only hers."
That makes everyone uneasy.
Jason runs a hand through his hair.
"So why Kaida?"
Summer bites her nail.
"Maybe it's random?"
Kaida shakes her head slowly.
"No. It's not."
Everyone looks at her.
"It knows things," she continues.
"Things it shouldn't. Secrets. Feelings. Stuff we never said out loud."
Saphira finally speaks, her voice low.
"And it chose moments that would hurt the most."
Silence follows.
Prince exhales sharply.
"So let's connect the dots."
He looks around at everyone.
"All of us are connected. Same school. Same circle. Same secrets."
Ryan adds,
"And every round targets relationships. Trust. Guilt."
Jake's eyes narrow.
"And lies."
Kyra stiffens.
Kaida glances at her phone instinctively ….the screen is dark.
For now.
Thorian steps closer to Kaida, lowering his voice.
"Has anything… strange happened to you before this? Messages? Calls? Anything?"
Kaida thinks hard.
"Just one thing."
Everyone leans in.
"A week before the game appeared," she says, "I got a notification. No sender. No app name."
"What did it say?" Lyrelle asks.
Kaida swallows.
'Some truths rot when buried.'
Prince mutters, "That's not creepy at all."
Summer wraps her arms around herself.
"So the game didn't just pick us randomly."
Jason looks around at the group.
"It chose us because we're hiding things."
Zyren nods slowly.
"And because we're afraid to say them."
Kyra's breathing speeds up.
Jake notices immediately.
"Kyra… hey. Look at me."
She shakes her head.
"I think I know why it's doing this."
Everyone freezes.
"What do you mean?" Prince asks.
Kyra's voice trembles.
"The game isn't just playing with us."
She looks straight at Kaida's phone.
"I think it's trying to force confessions."
Right on cue, Kaida's phone vibrates softly in her hand.
The screen lights up.
One sentence.
"INVESTIGATION NOTED."
"TRUTH CANNOT BE AVOIDED."
No timer.
No round number.
Just a warning.
And this time,
everyone understands one thing clearly:
The Shadow Game didn't choose Kaida's phone by accident.
It chose Kaida.
Chapter four
No one speaks at first.
Kaida's phone dims again, like it never said anything at all.
Prince breaks the silence, slower now.
"So… it's watching us."
Ryan lets out a short breath.
"That's comforting."
"No," Kaida says quietly. "It's listening."
That lands heavier.
Saphira pulls her hoodie tighter around herself.
"So what happens if we don't play?"
Jason looks at her quickly.
"Hey…."
She cuts him off.
"I'm serious. What if we just ignore it? Delete it. Power off your phone."
Kaida shakes her head.
"I tried earlier. It came back."
Thorian frowns.
"Then we stop feeding it. No dares. No truths."
Zyren crosses his arms.
"And when it punishes us for that?"
Silence.
Summer speaks up, forcing a shaky laugh.
"So basically… we're stuck in some evil group chat."
"No," Lyrelle says firmly.
"We're stuck because we don't know the rules."
Everyone turns to her.
She looks at Kaida.
"If this thing chose you, then it must want something specific."
Kaida nods slowly.
"I think so too."
Jake glances at Kyra again.
"And it reacts when people panic. When they hide."
Kyra presses her lips together, saying nothing.
Prince straightens.
"Then here's what we do."
All eyes go to him.
"We don't let it control the pace," he says.
"We figure out where it came from. What it is. Why now."
Ryan nods.
"I can check forums. Old apps. Dark corners of the internet."
Zyren adds,
"I'll ask around school. Rumors don't come from nowhere."
Jason looks at Saphira.
"And we don't let it isolate anyone again."
She doesn't answer, but she doesn't move away either.
Thorian turns to Kaida.
"And you don't face this alone. Whatever it wants from you….we handle it together."
Kaida feels something tighten in her chest.
Before she can respond, her phone vibrates again.
This time, the screen doesn't light fully.
Just a faint glow.
Words forming slowly.
"STRATEGY DETECTED."
"GROUP RESISTANCE NOTED."
Summer's voice comes out small.
"It knows we're planning."
Lyrelle steps closer to Kaida, lowering her voice.
"Whatever this is… it's testing us."
Kaida nods.
"And it's waiting for someone to crack."
At that exact moment, Kyra's phone buzzes in her pocket.
She freezes.
Jake notices instantly.
"Kyra?"
She doesn't answer.
Her hands are shaking.
Kaida's phone lights up one last time for the night.
"ROUND THREE DELAYED."
"PRESSURE INCREASED."
"THE YOUNGEST FEELS IT FIRST."
Kyra lets out a quiet sob.
Prince swears under his breath.
"That thing is sick."
Kaida clenches her phone in her hand, heart pounding.
Because now she knows something for sure.
The Shadow Game isn't just about truth.
It's about timing.
And it's already decided
who it wants to break next.