I woke up before the others.
Not suddenly.
Not violently.
But with the quiet, suffocating certainty that something was already wrong.
The hall was still.
Too still.
Bodies rested across the stone floor—my friends, the professor, Miriam—all breathing softly, unaware of what was waiting above us.
For a moment…
I just sat there.
Listening.
Nothing.
No wind.
No movement.
No life.
And yet—
I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.
— Dark…
The voice slipped into my mind without warning.
Cold.
Familiar.
I didn't flinch.
I was getting used to that.
— I hope you're ready, Eclipse said. What comes next will not be pleasant. Especially for you.
My fingers curled slightly against the ground.
— "Then tell me."
A pause.
Not hesitation.
Restraint.
— Ahead of you are stairs. They lead to a corridor that does not behave as it should. Doors will appear. Rooms will test you.
Another pause.
Heavier.
— I cannot explain further. Not yet.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
— "Of course you can't."
— Good luck, Dark.
The connection vanished.
Leaving something behind.
Not silence.
Something worse.
Anticipation.
I looked at them.
At my friends.
Still asleep.
Still safe.
For now.
A weak smile crossed my face.
"We'll be fine…"
The words barely existed.
Even I didn't believe them.
They woke up one by one.
Minho complaining about the floor.
Kim stretching like nothing mattered.
Won-ho already talking.
Airi quiet.
Xia… observant. Always observant.
The professor and Miriam followed shortly after.
It didn't take long before everyone noticed the same thing.
The stairs.
Ancient stone.
Worn edges.
Leading upward into shadow.
— "So…" Kim said, squinting slightly. "Anyone else getting bad vibes?"
I let out a small breath.
— "Yeah."
A beat.
— "It's definitely a trap."
— "Great," Minho muttered. "Love that for us."
— "Do we have another option?" Airi asked softly.
No one answered.
Because there wasn't one.
—I stepped forward first.
Not because I was brave.
Just because someone had to move.
The others followed.
And we began to climb.
At first…
it felt normal.
Stone steps. Steady rhythm. Echoes of our footsteps.
Then time started to stretch.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Fifteen.
No turns.
No landings.
No end.
— "Okay… this is getting weird," Minho said.
— "Getting?" Kim added. "It was weird five minutes ago."
I glanced back.
The bottom of the stairs—
was gone.
Just darkness.
Like it had never existed.
— "…That's not good," I muttered.
— "This structure shouldn't allow this," Minho continued, frowning. "From outside, this place barely had height. One level at most."
Miriam spoke without slowing down.
— "Spatial distortion."
We all looked at her.
— "There's a massive concentration of energy here," she continued. "Enough to bend internal dimensions. What we're inside of… is much larger than what exists outside."
Silence followed.
No one liked that explanation.
Because it made sense.
We kept climbing.
At some point, the air changed.
Heavier.
Thicker.
Like breathing inside a closed space.
Or something alive.
— "You feel that?" Kim asked quietly.
— "Yeah," Won-ho replied. "Like pressure."
Xia didn't speak.
But her gaze sharpened.
Scanning.
Calculating.
And then—
We reached the top.
The corridor stretched endlessly before us.
Wide.
Ancient.
Lined with doors on both sides—
and mirrors.
Dozens of them.
Maybe hundreds.
Different sizes.
Different shapes.
All reflecting us.
Too many times.
Too many angles.
Too… perfectly.
— "Nope," Minho said immediately. "I already hate this place."
"…Same."
I stepped forward slowly.
Each step echoed longer than it should have.
Airi moved closer behind me.
Not touching.
But close enough.
— "You okay?" I asked quietly.
She nodded.
But her grip tightened slightly on her sleeve.
— "This place feels wrong…"
She wasn't wrong.
— "A door just opened."
Kim's voice cut through the tension.
We all turned.
Far behind us—
one of the doors now stood slightly ajar.
No sound.
No movement.
Just…
open.
— "Who's going first?" Xia asked.
Silence.
No one volunteered.
Not even the professor.
Xia rolled her eyes.
— "Pathetic."
She walked forward.
Steady.
Unbothered.
Like always.
She reached the door.
Placed a hand on it.
Pushed it open slightly more—
And looked inside.
She froze.
Just for a second.
Then—
"…What the hell is this?"
That was enough.
We moved toward her.
I reached the doorway and looked inside.
And for a moment…
everything else disappeared.
Books.
Endless rows of them.
Towering shelves stretching upward across multiple floors.
Wooden walkways.
Spiral stairs.
Dust floating in the air like suspended time.
An entire world—
hidden behind a single door.
"…No way…"
I stepped inside without thinking.
Drawn.
Pulled.
Like I had been waiting for this place my whole life.
— "This is insane…" Won-ho muttered behind me.
— "Seven levels… at least," Minho added.
— "This shouldn't exist," Airi whispered.
But I wasn't listening anymore.
Not really.
I walked toward the nearest shelf.
Ran my fingers across the spines.
Old leather.
Cracked edges.
History.
Real history.
Not textbooks.
Not copies.
Truth.
I pulled one out.
Opened it.
The smell hit instantly.
Paper.
Dust.
Time.
And something deeper.
Something that felt…
alive.
A smile formed on my face.
Genuine.
Uncontrolled.
"…This place…"
I exhaled softly.
"…is incredible."
Behind me, the professor hesitated.
Then slowly approached.
More carefully than I expected.
Like he was afraid of something.
Or remembering something.
He picked up a book.
Opened it.
Read a few lines.
And then—
his shoulders dropped.
Relief.
Pure relief.
He sat down almost immediately.
Absorbed.
Safe.
For now.
None of us noticed it.
Not at first.
The shift.
The silence changing shape.
The air growing heavier.
The space between sounds stretching just a little too far.
And then—
very faintly—
almost imperceptible—
something whispered.
At first…
it felt safe.
Too safe.
The kind of place that tricks you into lowering your guard.
The group spread out naturally.
Minho moved toward the upper walkways, already scanning titles like he was trying to prove something.
Won-ho grabbed the first book he could find, flipped through it, then immediately got distracted by another.
Airi stayed close to the entrance, glancing back at the corridor every few seconds—as if afraid it might disappear.
Xia didn't touch anything.
She observed.
Shelves. Angles. Distances. Exits.
Always exits.
And me…
I was exactly where I shouldn't be.
Lost.
My fingers traced across the spines until one caught my attention.
Old leather. Faded gold engraving.
I pulled it out carefully.
Opened it.
And the world narrowed.
Words flowed like they meant something.
Not just information.
Not just stories.
But memory.
Weight.
Truth.
"…Sir Albert Bonifert," I murmured.
A knight.
A legend.
A man who carved justice into history with a blade and conviction.
Silver armor.
A crimson-lined cloak.
A banner carried through war and silence alike.
I exhaled slowly.
"…I wish I could've met someone like you."
Someone strong.
Someone who didn't hesitate.
Someone who wasn't—
Me.
A sudden voice broke the stillness.
— "THIS IS INCREDIBLE!"
The professor.
Of course.
I looked over.
He stood near a long table, holding a book with trembling hands—not from fear…
but excitement.
— "These records… these are original transcriptions! Pre-collapse botanical systems—this is… this is—"
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
And sat down immediately.
Gone.
Completely absorbed.
Miriam watched him for a moment.
Then quietly took a book for herself.
— "If these are real," she muttered, "this changes a lot of things…"
Alya appeared not long after.
And the moment she saw what the professor was reading—
everything changed.
— "Wait—give me that."
She didn't ask.
She took it.
The professor barely had time to react before she was already scanning the pages.
Her expression—
shifted.
Shock.
Recognition.
Excitement.
— "These… these are LC-infused medicinal plants…"
Her voice was low at first.
Then rising.
— "These aren't theoretical. These are practical applications—refined ones."
Kim approached, curious.
— "Didn't know you were into that kind of stuff."
Alya didn't even look at her.
— "After the professor, I'm the oldest one here."
A beat.
Then—
— "I've studied this longer than you think."
Kim smirked.
— "Still weird you're dating someone younger."
A book flew.
Direct hit.
Kim dropped backward.
Silence—
Then laughter.
Real laughter.
Even me.
Even Xia, barely.
For a moment…
it felt normal.
And that's when it started.
It was subtle.
So subtle it didn't feel real.
A shift in sound.
A delay between movements.
The space between heartbeats stretching just a little too far.
Kim blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Her smile faded slightly.
— "…Hey."
No one answered immediately.
— "…Do you guys hear that?"
Minho looked down from the upper level.
— "Hear what?"
She hesitated.
— "…Nothing."
She shook her head.
Laughed it off.
Too quickly.
— "Never mind."
I went back to my book.
But something felt off.
Not around me.
Not the room.
Her.
Kim stood still for a moment longer than she should have.
Then turned away.
Walked between the shelves.
Alone.
— He's dangerous.
She stopped.
No one had spoken.
She knew that.
Still—
she turned.
— "…Who said that?"
Nothing.
Just rows of books.
Endless.
Silent.
She swallowed.
— "Okay… not funny."
She took another step.
— You saw it.
Closer this time.
Not outside.
Inside.
Her fingers twitched.
— "…No."
A whisper.
Barely audible.
— "I didn't see anything."
— The witch.
Her breath hitched.
Images.
Fragments.
A memory.
A kiss.
Unwanted.
Unnatural.
— "That wasn't—"
— He belongs to her now.
Silence.
Something changed in her eyes.
Not fully.
Not yet.
But enough.
— "That's not true…"
Her voice wavered.
— "He didn't choose that."
— It doesn't matter.
The tone shifted.
Colder.
Sharper.
— She marked him.
— Claimed him.
— Corrupted him.
Kim clenched her fists.
— "Stop."
— If you care about him…
A pause.
Then—
— you'll save him.
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
"…Save him…?"
— Burn it out.
Her breathing slowed.
Too steady.
Too controlled.
— Purify him.
Back in the main hall—
I felt it.
A shift.
Like something had just… tilted.
I frowned slightly.
Looked up.
— "…Kim?"
No answer.
Alya was still reading.
Xia was watching.
But now—
she wasn't watching the room.
She was watching…
the people.
Kim stepped back into view.
Smiling.
Just like always.
Too much like always.
— "Hey," she said casually. "Find anything interesting?"
I held up my book slightly.
— "Yeah. A knight. Old-era stuff."
— "Cool."
She tilted her head slightly.
Looking at me.
Not at the book.
At me.
A beat.
Too long.
Xia noticed.
Of course she did.
Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
— "Kim," she said calmly.
Kim didn't look at her.
— "Yeah?"
— "Come here."
A pause.
Then Kim smiled wider.
— "Why?"
— "Because I said so."
Silence.
Tension.
Small.
But real.
Then—
Kim laughed.
Light.
Normal.
— "Relax, I'm fine."
But Xia didn't relax.
Not even a little.
And somewhere—
deep in the shelves—
something whispered again.
Louder this time.
Closer.
Hungry.
The library had gone quiet.
Not silent—
quiet.
Like something was listening.
I tried to focus on the book in my hands.
Tried to stay grounded in the story.
The knight.
The battles.
Something simple.
Something that made sense.
But the words…
felt farther away now.
Blurry.
Distant.
A presence shifted behind me.
Soft.
Familiar.
I didn't turn immediately.
— "Find anything good?"
Kim's voice.
Normal.
Light.
Too light.
I glanced over my shoulder.
She was smiling.
Same posture.
Same expression.
Same everything.
Except—
her eyes.
They weren't focused.
Not really.
— "Yeah," I said, lifting the book slightly. "Old legend. A knight—"
— "You like those."
Not a question.
A statement.
I smiled faintly.
— "Yeah."
A small pause.
Then—
— "Makes sense."
Something in her tone…
didn't fit.
Alya and Xia were a few shelves away.
Arguing quietly over something in a book.
The professor was still lost in his reading.
No one noticed.
No one ever notices—
until it's too late.
Kim stepped closer.
Slow.
Measured.
Her gaze didn't leave me.
— "Dark."
— "Yeah?"
She tilted her head slightly.
Almost curious.
Almost gentle.
— "Can I ask you something?"
— "Sure."
A pause.
Longer than it should've been.
— "Do you trust me?"
The question caught me off guard.
I let out a small breath.
— "What kind of question is that?"
— "Answer it."
Still smiling.
Still soft.
But now—
there was something underneath.
Something tight.
Something… waiting.
"…Yeah," I said.
"Of course I do."
For a moment—
everything felt normal again.
Kim's smile widened.
Relief.
Warm.
Genuine.
Almost.
— "Good."
A whisper.
Barely audible.
— "That makes this easier."
Something snapped.
Not in the room.
Not in the world.
In her.
— He's already gone.
The voice returned.
Stronger.
Clearer.
— You waited too long.
Kim's breathing slowed.
Perfectly controlled.
— The corruption has spread.
Her fingers curled.
— You can still save what's left.
Her eyes darkened.
Just slightly.
Enough.
— "Kim?"
I frowned.
Took a step closer.
— "Are you okay?"
— Do it.
Her hand moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
She grabbed my arm.
Tight.
Burning.
— "Kim—?"
— "I'm going to save you."
Her voice was calm.
Gentle.
Wrong.
— "Save me from what—?"
— "From her."
The air shifted.
Xia's head snapped toward us.
Alya froze.
— "Kim."
Xia's voice was low.
Sharp.
Warning.
— "Let go of him."
Kim didn't even look at her.
— "You don't understand."
A whisper.
Almost sad.
— "None of you do."
— Burn it out.
Her grip tightened.
Pain shot up my arm.
— "Kim, you're hurting me—"
— "It won't hurt long."
She smiled.
Soft.
Apologetic.
— "I promise."
Everything happened at once.
Flames erupted.
Not from the ground.
Not from the air.
From her.
From her hands—
into me.
I didn't have time to react.
Didn't have time to think.
Pain.
Absolute.
Immediate.
— "KIM—!!"
My voice tore itself apart.
Fire swallowed everything.
My skin—
split.
Cracked.
Burned.
Alya screamed.
— "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Xia moved.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
— "Let him go!"
Kim laughed.
A sound that didn't belong to her.
— "I am letting him go."
— Purify him.
The flames intensified.
My vision blurred.
My body—
stopped responding.
— "They told me…" Kim whispered.
Soft.
Almost peaceful.
— "They said this is the only way."
— "WHO?!" Alya shouted.
Kim's smile trembled.
Just for a second.
— "The whispers…"
Xia didn't hesitate.
She moved.
One step.
One motion.
A blade of compressed wind—
clean—
invisible—
inevitable—
It passed through Kim's neck.
Silence.
Her body remained standing for half a second.
Then—
her head slipped.
Fell.
Hit the ground.
Rolled.
Stopped.
The flames didn't.
I collapsed.
My body no longer mine.
No longer whole.
Everything hurt.
Everything burned.
Everything—
ended.
Xia reached me first.
Dropped to her knees.
Hands shaking—
— "Stay with me—!"
Alya was right behind her.
— "No—no, no, no—!"
I tried to speak.
Tried to breathe.
Tried—
Nothing worked.
The world dimmed.
Slowly.
Mercilessly.
My last thought wasn't fear.
Wasn't pain.
It was confusion.
Why…
did she sound so sure?
Darkness took everything.
And then—
I woke up.
I woke up choking.
Air slammed into my lungs like I had been drowning.
My body jerked forward—
hands gripping the ground—
heart beating so fast it hurt.
For a second—
I couldn't see.
Just fragments.
Fire.
Screaming.
Pain.
Burning—
—
I gasped.
Hard.
Sharp.
Alive.
"…What…"
My voice came out broken.
Unfamiliar.
I looked down.
My hands.
Intact.
No burns.
No damage.
No ash.
But I could still feel it.
The fire.
Under my skin.
Inside my chest.
Like it never left.
"…No."
A whisper.
Small.
Fragile.
I forced myself to breathe.
In.
Out.
Slow.
Controlled.
It didn't work.
The ground beneath me was cold stone.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
I looked up.
And my stomach dropped.
The hall.
The same hall.
The same place—
where we started.
Around me—
my friends.
Sleeping.
Exactly like before.
Unaware.
Unharmed.
Alive.
"…No…"
This time louder.
Shaking.
I pushed myself back slightly.
My breathing quickened again.
My chest tightened.
"…No, no, no…"
My hands trembled.
Violently.
Uncontrollably.
I remembered everything.
Kim.
Her voice.
Her eyes.
The moment she said—
"I'm going to save you."
My stomach twisted.
I turned to the side—
and threw up.
Nothing came out at first.
Just dry heaving.
Pain in my throat.
Tears in my eyes.
Then—
bile.
Burning.
Real.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Still shaking.
Still trying to process something that didn't make sense.
Something that shouldn't be possible.
"…I died."
The words felt distant.
Like they belonged to someone else.
"But I'm here."
Alive.
Whole.
Reset.
My gaze moved again.
To the stairs.
Waiting.
"…It's starting again."
A quiet voice.
Behind me.
— "Dark…?"
I froze.
Kim.
Still on the ground.
Still half asleep.
Still—
normal.
My body reacted before my mind did.
I pulled away.
Sharp.
Instinctive.
She blinked.
Confused.
— "What's wrong with you…?"
I couldn't answer.
I couldn't even look at her properly.
Because all I could see—
was fire.
— "Hey."
A hand touched my shoulder.
I flinched.
Hard.
Alya.
— "You okay?"
Her voice was soft.
Concerned.
Real.
I stared at her.
Too long.
Too intensely.
Alive.
She's alive.
They're all alive.
"…Yeah."
A lie.
Weak.
Obvious.
I stood up too quickly.
My legs almost gave out.
— "Whoa, careful," Won-ho said, still stretching. "You look like you saw a ghost."
If only.
I looked at all of them.
One by one.
Trying to match what I remembered…
with what I was seeing.
Nothing had changed.
Which meant—
everything would.
My breathing slowly stabilized.
Not calm.
Never calm.
But controlled.
Enough to think.
Think.
I turned toward the stairs again.
My mind racing now.
Fast.
Too fast.
The library.
That's where it started.
That's where it went wrong.
Kim.
The whispers.
The fire.
"…Then don't let it happen."
The thought came naturally.
Cold.
Simple.
"If we don't go into the library…"
"…then she doesn't hear them."
My fingers tightened slightly.
"That fixes it."
A pause.
"…Right?"
Something in my chest twisted.
Too easy.
But it was the only idea I had.
And right now—
that was enough.
I forced myself to turn back to them.
To act normal.
To pretend nothing had happened.
Because if I didn't—
they'd notice.
They'd ask.
They'd slow everything down.
And I didn't have time.
Not anymore.
— "Hey," I said, my voice steadier now. "When we go up…"
Everyone looked at me.
— "…don't get distracted."
A beat.
— "We move forward. No detours. No exploring."
Minho frowned.
— "That's not like you."
"I know."
— "Just trust me."
Silence.
Xia watched me.
Closely.
Too closely.
She didn't ask anything.
Didn't challenge it.
But she knew.
Not everything.
But enough.
"…Fine," she said.
That was all I needed.
I turned.
Faced the stairs.
And this time—
I didn't hesitate.
But deep down—
beneath the fear
beneath the logic
beneath the fragile plan holding everything together—
something whispered.
It won't be that simple.
This time—
I didn't let it happen.
We climbed the stairs again.
Same rhythm.
Same endless ascent.
Same pressure in the air.
But I didn't look back.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't allow doubt.
"Keep moving."
That was all that mattered.
We reached the corridor.
The mirrors.
The doors.
Everything exactly the same.
And just like before—
a door opened behind us.
— "Who's going—"
— "No one."
My voice cut through immediately.
Too sharp.
Too fast.
Everyone looked at me.
— "We don't split up," I added, forcing calm into my tone.
— "We move forward. Together."
Minho frowned.
— "You sure? That could be important—"
— "It's not."
Too quick again.
Silence.
Xia's gaze locked onto me.
Analyzing.
Dissecting.
— "…Fine," she said.
That was enough.
We walked.
Past the door.
Past the library.
I didn't look inside.
Not even once.
We kept going.
Further down the corridor.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Doors appeared.
Opened.
Closed.
We ignored all of them.
Eventually—
someone broke.
— "Okay, this is stupid," Minho said, stopping.
— "We're walking through an infinite hallway ignoring everything. That's not strategy."
— "It's safer," I replied.
— "Based on what?"
I didn't answer.
Because I couldn't.
The truth would sound insane.
— "We don't have enough information," Airi added quietly.
— "Exactly," Miriam agreed. "Avoiding everything might be just as dangerous."
My jaw tightened.
They weren't wrong.
But neither was I.
"…We keep moving," I said.
This time—
less certain.
But they followed anyway.
Because no one had a better idea.
Time stretched again.
At some point—
we stopped talking.
At some point—
we stopped questioning.
At some point—
we just walked.
And that's when exhaustion hit.
Slow.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
— "We should rest," Won-ho muttered.
— "Yeah… just a bit," Minho added.
I hesitated.
This wasn't part of the plan.
But…
there was no plan.
"…Fine," I said.
We chose a section of the corridor.
No doors open.
No mirrors too close.
One by one—
they sat.
Then laid down.
Even Xia.
Though she stayed awake longer than the rest.
Watching.
Always watching.
I leaned back against the wall.
Closed my eyes.
Just for a second.
Just to think.
Just to—
—
A sound.
Sharp.
Distant.
My eyes snapped open.
"…What was that?"
No answer.
The corridor was darker.
Or maybe—
quieter.
I stood up slowly.
My body felt heavy.
Too heavy.
"…Guys?"
Silence.
My chest tightened.
I turned.
And everything—
collapsed.
Airi.
Closest.
On the ground.
Her body—
twisted.
Broken.
Unnatural.
My breath caught.
"…No…"
I stepped forward.
Slow.
Unwilling.
Her face—
unrecognizable.
I covered my mouth.
A sound tried to escape—
but died in my throat.
"…No…"
I turned.
Desperate.
Minho—
A few meters away.
Head—
gone.
Just—
gone.
Blood painted the floor.
The wall.
Everything.
I staggered back.
"…No, no, no—"
My breathing broke.
Too fast.
Too shallow.
"Think."
I forced it.
Forced myself.
"Think."
I turned again.
Scanning.
Searching.
No flames.
No burn marks.
That ruled out Kim.
My stomach twisted harder.
"…Then…"
Cuts.
Clean.
Precise.
Airi.
Minho.
Not brute force.
Not chaos.
Skill.
Speed.
Control.
My heart sank.
"…Xia."
The name felt heavy.
Wrong.
But—
logical.
She's fast.
She's precise.
She doesn't hesitate.
And if the whispers reached her…
"…She'd be the most dangerous."
I swallowed hard.
"Then the others…"
I looked down the corridor.
Endless.
Unforgiving.
"…are next."
My fists clenched.
Fear.
Cold.
Sharp.
But underneath it—
something else began to form.
Focus.
"I need to find them."
Not all at once.
Not blindly.
Carefully.
Strategically.
Because if I was right—
"I'm being hunted."
Silence answered.
And somewhere in the corridor—
something shifted.
Not footsteps.
Not movement.
Something worse.
Awareness.
And for the first time since waking up—
I understood something clearly.
Avoiding the library…
didn't change anything.
It just changed…
how we die.
The corridor didn't change.
It didn't react.
It didn't care.
I ran anyway.
My footsteps echoed too far.
Too loud.
Like something else was running with me.
Just out of sync.
"Think."
I forced the word into my head.
Over and over.
Airi.
Minho.
Dead.
Clean kills.
No hesitation.
Xia.
It had to be Xia.
Unless—
No.
Don't spiral.
Focus.
"Find the others."
My breathing was uneven.
My chest tight.
Every shadow looked wrong.
Every reflection felt delayed.
"…Alya."
The name came out softer.
Different.
If anyone could stabilize this—
if anyone could help me think—
it was her.
I turned a corner—
and stopped.
Stairs.
Leading down.
"…We didn't take these before."
A deviation.
A change.
Or maybe—
I just didn't notice them.
I didn't think long.
I couldn't afford to.
I went down.
Fast.
The air changed again.
Cooler.
Heavier.
And then—
I saw her.
At the base of the stairs.
Sitting against the wall.
"…Alya."
She looked up.
Slowly.
Relief.
Immediate.
Real.
— "Dark…?"
Her voice broke slightly.
I didn't think.
Didn't question.
I ran to her.
Dropped to my knees beside her.
— "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
She shook her head quickly.
Then leaned forward—
and hugged me.
Tight.
"…I'm glad it's you."
Her voice was quiet.
Shaking.
I exhaled.
For the first time since waking up—
I exhaled fully.
"She's alive."
My hands tightened slightly around her.
"…I thought—"
I stopped.
Didn't finish.
Didn't need to.
She pulled back slightly.
Looked at me.
— "What happened?"
I swallowed.
Hard.
— "They're dead."
Silence.
Her expression changed.
Shock.
Then—
something else.
Something quieter.
— "…All of them?"
I nodded.
— "Airi. Minho… I think Xia did it."
A small pause.
Too small.
— "…Xia?"
Her tone was strange.
Flat.
— "It fits," I said quickly. "Speed, precision—if the whispers got to her—"
— "Yeah…"
She nodded slowly.
— "That makes sense."
Relief flickered again.
Small.
Fragile.
"Okay."
Not safe.
But not alone.
That was enough.
— "We need to find the others," I said. "Kim, the professor, Miriam—if they're still alive—"
— "Dark."
Her voice cut in.
Soft.
I looked at her.
She was smiling.
Just a little.
"…What?"
— "You're bleeding."
I frowned.
Looked down.
Nothing.
"…I'm not—"
A drop hit the ground.
Soft.
Wet.
I froze.
Another drop.
Then another.
Not from me.
From above.
My body moved before my mind did.
I looked up.
—and the world stopped.
A body.
Hanging.
Suspended by a rope tied to the upper structure.
Head tilted unnaturally.
Throat—
cut open.
Blood dripping slowly from the wound.
Drop.
By drop.
"…Xia."
My voice barely existed.
She was dead.
Already dead.
Which meant—
My thoughts didn't finish.
They didn't need to.
Something shifted behind me.
Too close.
Too late.
Alya's breath brushed against my ear.
Warm.
Intimate.
Wrong.
— "I'm sorry…"
A whisper.
Soft.
Almost gentle.
My entire body locked.
— "…but I think you already figured it out."
I couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
Her hand rested lightly against my chest.
Not pushing.
Not attacking.
Waiting.
— "I tried to make it clean…"
She murmured.
— "But they kept getting in the way."
My vision trembled.
"…Alya…"
I turned slightly.
Slowly.
Her face—
Smiling.
Not warm.
Not kind.
Empty.
No.
Not empty.
Focused.
Obsessive.
Possessive.
— "If you're not mine…"
The blade appeared.
I didn't see where it came from.
I only felt it.
— "Then you're not anyone's."
Cold steel slid into my stomach.
Pain exploded.
My body folded.
She caught me.
Held me up.
Like something precious.
— "Don't worry…"
She whispered against my ear.
— "This time… you won't come back."
And for the first time—
since all of this began—
I was afraid.
The library felt wrong.
Not because of the bodies.
Not because of the silence.
But because of her.
Alya's arms were still around him.
Warm.
Familiar.
Safe.
Too safe.
Dark didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't blink.
His mind… was finally catching up.
Kim wasn't burned.
Minho wasn't cut clean.
Airi… wasn't killed by wind.
Slowly…
very slowly…
his eyes lowered.
A drop fell.
Not water.
Blood.
Another drop.
Then another.
Dark's gaze shifted upward.
And his entire body froze.
There—
hanging from the upper structure of the library—
was Xia's corpse.
Suspended.
Lifeless.
Her throat completely slit open.
Blood dripping steadily from above.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Dark's pupils shrank.
"…no…"
The rope creaked.
A soft sound.
Fragile.
About to snap.
Alya's grip tightened slightly.
Then—
CRACK.
The rope broke.
Xia's body fell.
It hit the ground with a sickening sound.
Right in front of them.
Dark staggered back.
His breathing shattered.
—This doesn't make sense.
—This is wrong.
—This is—
Alya stepped forward.
Calm.
Too calm.
Then she leaned closer.
Her lips near his ear.
Her voice…
soft.
Almost loving.
Almost—
wrong.
"I'm sorry, darling…"
A pause.
A breath.
A whisper that didn't belong to her.
"But I think… you already know my secret."
Dark's body locked.
He turned.
Slowly.
Terrified.
Alya smiled.
Not her smile.
Not the warm one.
Not the gentle one.
This—
was broken.
Obsessive.
Twisted.
Possessive.
Her eyes weren't soft anymore.
They were empty… and hungry.
Earlier — Alya's Perspective
The kitchen was quiet.
Peaceful.
Normal.
Alya smiled softly as she walked between the counters.
Maybe I should cook something for them…
For Dark.
Her chest warmed at the thought.
When we get out of here…
I want to stay with him.
Then—
a voice.
Soft.
Whispering.
Right behind her thoughts.
"Are you sure?"
Alya paused.
"He was kissed by a witch."
Her expression faltered.
"That wasn't his fault…"
"But she marked him."
Silence.
Then—
"She will take him from you."
Her fingers tightened.
"No…"
"He already belongs to her."
Something cracked inside her.
"If you want him back…"
A pause.
"Remove everything else."
Her breathing changed.
Slower.
Colder.
"Protect what is yours."
Alya's eyes darkened.
Her smile returned.
But wrong.
"…you're right."
She grabbed a knife.
The largest one.
Her reflection in the metal…
didn't look like her anymore.
"If he's not mine…"
A soft laugh.
"He won't be anyone's."
Back to the Present
Dark stepped back.
"Alya…?"
She tilted her head slightly.
Still smiling.
Blood stained her sleeves.
Her hands.
Her face.
"You took too long."
His heart dropped.
"…what?"
She sighed softly.
Almost disappointed.
"I had to clean everything myself."
Dark's stomach twisted.
"…you…?"
She stepped closer.
"Professor. Miriam. Xia."
Another step.
"Kim. Minho. Airi."
Another.
"They were in the way."
Dark shook his head.
"No… no, that's not—"
She moved fast.
Too fast.
The knife plunged into his abdomen.
Dark gasped.
Air gone.
Pain exploded.
"Now it's just us."
He collapsed to his knees.
Blood poured instantly.
Hot.
Endless.
"Alya… why…?"
She crouched in front of him.
Smiling.
Eyes shining with something unstable.
"Because I love you."
Another stab.
Deeper.
Dark screamed.
"If I let you go…"
Another.
"You'll leave me."
Another.
"You'll choose someone else."
Another.
"You'll forget me."
Her voice broke—
but her smile didn't.
"I won't allow that."
She pushed him down.
Climbed over him.
And kept stabbing.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each strike heavier.
Sloppier.
More desperate.
More violent.
Blood splashed across her face.
Her hair.
Her uniform.
Dark's vision blurred.
His body convulsed.
His hands weakly tried to stop her.
Failed.
"Alya… please…"
She leaned closer.
Whispered—
almost tenderly:
"If you're not mine…"
Her final stab pierced deeper than the rest.
"You're no one's."
Silence.
Dark's body stopped moving.
His eyes… empty.
The Reset
Dark's eyes snapped open.
He choked.
Air burned his lungs.
His body jerked upright violently.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
Fast.
Too fast.
Too loud.
His hands—
trembling.
His vision—
shaking.
"…no… no… no…"
He looked around.
The staircase.
The group.
Alive.
Everyone alive.
Alya—
standing there.
Normal.
Smiling.
Unaware.
Dark recoiled violently.
"Don't touch me!"
The words came out broken.
Panicked.
Raw.
Everyone froze.
Alya blinked.
"…Dark?"
He stumbled backward.
Breathing uncontrollably.
His stomach—
he could still feel it.
The knife.
The tearing.
The warmth of his own blood.
"It wasn't real…"
His voice cracked.
"It wasn't real… it wasn't real… it wasn't real—"
But it was.
His body knew it.
His mind knew it.
His soul knew it.
Dark grabbed his head.
Fingers digging into his hair.
"I died…"
Silence.
Heavy.
Wrong.
His breathing turned erratic.
Fast.
Shallow.
Breaking.
"She killed me…"
His eyes lifted slowly.
And landed on Alya.
This time—
not with love.
Not with comfort.
But with something new.
Something dangerous.
Something fractured.
Fear.