The air inside the room turned colder.
Not the ordinary chill of midnight.
This cold felt wrong. Heavy. It pressed silently against the walls, seeped into the blankets, crawled beneath skin like invisible fingers.
And then—
Astha opened his eyes.
There was no sudden movement. No startled reaction.
He simply woke up.
Calmly.
As though he had already known something was standing beside his bed.
For a few seconds, he remained completely still, staring at the ceiling while his breathing stayed slow and steady. Moonlight filtered through the curtains in thin silver lines, casting pale shadows across the room.
The figure beside the bed did not move.
It only watched him.
Astha finally turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Silence spread through the room like water.
The figure stood unnaturally still. No blinking. No breathing. No sound at all.
It looked human.
But something about it felt deeply wrong.
Astha studied it quietly, his expression unreadable.
One second passed.
Then another.
Neither of them moved.
Finally, Astha pushed himself into a sitting position. The blanket slipped from his shoulders as he looked directly at the figure standing inches away from him.
His face remained calm.
Too calm.
"…You're late," he said softly.
The words lingered in the cold air.
For the first time, the figure reacted.
Its head tilted sharply to one side.
The motion was sudden and unnatural, like bones twisting the wrong way beneath skin.
Astha narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then he moved.
Fast.
His hand shot forward and grabbed the figure's wrist before it could react.
The instant he touched it, the cold deepened.
Its skin did not feel human.
It felt empty.
Like touching ice wrapped around something hollow and dead.
Astha tightened his grip slightly.
"…You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.
The figure froze.
For the first time since entering the room, its body became tense.
The shadows around it trembled faintly.
Then—
It vanished.No sound.
No struggle.
One moment it stood there.
The next, the space beside the bed was empty.
Only cold air remained behind.
Astha stared silently at the empty spot for a few seconds.
His expression did not change.
Then he turned his head slightly toward the floor beside the bed.
Xingxing was still asleep.
Completely unaware.
She had somehow kicked half the blanket away during the night and was sleeping against the side of the bed with her arms crossed stubbornly even in sleep.
A faint snore escaped her every few seconds.
Astha watched her quietly for a moment.
Then he reached down, pulled the fallen blanket closer, and tossed part of it over her without saying anything.
After that, he lay back down again.
The room slowly returned to silence.
Outside, the wind rustled softly through the trees.
Inside, Astha closed his eyes once more.
As though nothing had happened at all.
…
"Aaaahhh—!"
The scream tore through the villa without warning, sharp enough to shatter the morning silence in an instant.
Astha's eyes snapped open.
He sat up immediately, fully awake before his mind had even finished processing the sound. Beside the bed, Xingxing jolted upright from the floor, hair messy and expression confused.
"What was that—?"
But Astha was already moving.
He stepped out of the room quickly, and Xingxing hurried after him. The corridor outside was cold and dim, filled with the sound of hurried footsteps and half-awake voices.
As they turned the corner, they saw Yug and Sreyan running in the same direction, both looking tense.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
A moment later, a girl stumbled out from further down the hallway. One hand covered her mouth tightly as though she was trying not to vomit. Her face had gone completely pale.
She ran past them without stopping.
Astha slowed slightly.
His eyes sharpened.
More people had gathered further ahead, standing stiffly in the corridor. Nobody spoke.
The silence itself felt unnatural.
"What happened?" Astha asked calmly.
For a second, no one answered him.
Then James finally spoke.
"Kiupa is dead."
The words settled heavily over everyone.
Nobody moved.
It didn't feel real.
Then Astha stepped forward.
The others followed silently behind him.
As they moved deeper into the corridor, the smell reached them first.
Metallic.
Heavy.
Blood.
Dark red stains spread across the wooden floorboards, glistening beneath the pale morning light.
Xingxing staggered back immediately, covering her nose.
"W-What the hell…"
Astha didn't react.
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
Kiupa's body lay in the middle of the corridor.
Twisted unnaturally.
Broken.
It looked as though something had hunted him down the hallway before killing him.
Long scratch marks tore across the walls beside him, deep enough to splinter the wood. Whatever had chased him had cornered him completely.
There had been nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
Kiupa's eyes were still wide open.
Frozen in terror.
His mouth hung open slightly, but no sound remained.
Only silence.
Blood continued spreading slowly beneath him.
Astha lowered his gaze slightly.
Something about this felt wrong.
Very wrong.
At that moment, he noticed the others.
Sian stood nearby beside Riju, who looked visibly shaken. His face had gone pale, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Astha walked closer.
"You were Kiupa's roommate?" he asked quietly.
Riju nodded immediately.
"Y-Yes…"
Astha looked at him carefully.
"What happened last night?"
The moment the question left his mouth, Riju froze.
Color drained from his face completely.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then finally—
"…Last night…"
—
After dinner, Kiupa slammed the door shut behind them.
"You idiot!" he shouted angrily. "You really thought you could fool me?"
Before Riju could react—
SLAP.
Kiupa struck him hard across the face.
Riju stumbled sideways, immediately trying to explain himself.
"I-I didn't do it on purpose…"
But Kiupa wasn't listening anymore.
"Not only did you lie to me," he snapped, stepping closer, "you tricked me in the jungle too!"
"No… I didn't mean to… I really didn't…"
Riju's voice shook badly as tears gathered in his eyes.
Kiupa punched him once across the stomach.
Then again.
Riju collapsed onto the floor instantly.
He was already injured from the forest. He couldn't even defend himself properly.
"You're an old player, right?" Kiupa said coldly. "Then from now on, you'll help me survive."
Riju shook his head weakly.
"But… I've only cleared one level…"
"I don't care."
Kiupa grabbed him by the collar.
"You'll do what I say. Understand? Or I'll make your life hell."
Riju froze.
Then slowly nodded.
"…Okay."
Kiupa clicked his tongue in annoyance before shoving him away and walking toward the door.
—
Riju's voice trembled as the memory ended.
"After that… I went to sleep," he whispered. "And when I woke up this morning… Kiupa was already…"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Silence spread through the corridor again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then slowly, Riju lifted his head.
His eyes moved across the gathered crowd—
before stopping on Astha.
"I… I remembered something," he said shakily.
Everyone turned toward him immediately.
This time, nobody looked away.
Astha remained completely still.
Riju swallowed hard.
"K-Kiupa said he was going to meet Misha last night."
A ripple moved through the group instantly.
But this time, nobody searched for another person.
Every gaze shifted toward Astha.
And Astha himself looked mildly confused.
The silence that followed became suffocating.
Xingxing's expression stiffened immediately.
Sian frowned slightly.
Even Yug's gaze darkened.
Astha, however, remained calm.
Riju lowered his head again.
"He said it before leaving the room…"
The accusation wasn't direct.
But it didn't need to be.
The implication alone was enough.
Sian spoke carefully.
"Astha… did Kiupa come to see you last night?"
Everyone stared at him.
Waiting.
Watching.
Trying to catch even the smallest reaction.
Astha met their eyes one after another.
Calmly.Steadily.
"No," he answered.
No hesitation.
No panic.
Just a simple answer.
"I didn't meet him."
Silence returned immediately.
But the tension only became worse.
Because now there were only two possibilities left.
Either Astha was lying.
Or something else had killed Kiupa before he ever reached him.
Astha's gaze shifted slowly toward Riju.
Sharp.
Observing.
Because Riju's fear didn't feel normal.
It didn't feel like grief.
It felt calculated.
Controlled.
Like he was trying to guide everyone's suspicion somewhere specific.
Astha spoke again.
"Did anyone actually see Kiupa leave his room?"
Nobody answered.
Nobody could.
Astha continued calmly.
"Then we don't even know whether he met anyone at all."
The words landed heavily.
A small crack formed in the accusation.
Tiny.
But enough.
Riju stiffened slightly.
Only for a second.
But Astha noticed it immediately.
Of course he did.
Because from the beginning, Riju had not simply been afraid.
He had been directing the fear.
And Astha had no intention of allowing that to continue.
The silence dragged on.
Cold and uncomfortable.
Then—
"I can confirm that."
Everyone turned immediately.
Xingxing stepped forward with a serious expression.
"Astha was in the room last night," she said firmly. "He never left."
Sian frowned slightly.
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
She answered without hesitation.
"I woke up during the night. He was still there."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Not completely.
But enough for uncertainty to spread through the group again.
Someone muttered quietly, "Then… what about what Riju said?"
Riju looked panicked.
"I-I'm not lying!" he said quickly. "Kiupa really said he was going to meet Misha!"
Astha remained silent.
His eyes briefly moved toward Xingxing before returning calmly to Riju.
Sian crossed his arms, deep in thought.
"So Kiupa intended to meet Misha…"
"But never actually reached him," James finished quietly.
Sreyan's voice dropped lower.
"Or something happened before he got the chance."
A cold silence settled over the corridor once again.
After a while, Kiupa's body disappeared. It did not fade away slowly, nor did it dissolve into dust. One moment it was lying there in the corridor, and the next moment it was simply gone, as though it had never existed at all. The sight left an unsettling silence hanging in the air. No one moved. No one spoke. The empty space where the body had been somehow felt even more disturbing than the corpse itself.
Sian finally broke the silence. His voice was low and heavy, carrying a quiet exhaustion that made the atmosphere even colder. "In this game, once someone dies, they leave nothing behind," he said. "No body. No trace. Eventually, it becomes like they were never here at all." His gaze slowly swept across everyone standing in the corridor. "We don't have time to hesitate anymore. The longer we stay stuck, the more dangerous this place becomes."
Nobody argued with him. The fear sitting inside everyone's chest had already become too real. One by one, the group quietly returned to their rooms. Their footsteps echoed faintly through the long empty hallways of the villa, disappearing into the suffocating silence around them.
Later that night, the villa had become completely still. Weak lantern light flickered along the corridor walls, barely pushing back the darkness. Astha stood near the hallway window, his eyes fixed calmly on Xingxing. "Were you really awake at midnight?" he asked.
For a brief second, Xingxing froze where she stood. Then irritation flashed sharply across her face. "That's none of your business," she replied coldly. Her tone was dismissive, almost defensive. Without waiting for another question, she turned and walked away quickly, her footsteps louder and more uneven than usual, as though she wanted to escape the conversation entirely.
Astha watched her leave silently.
Then a soft teasing voice suddenly echoed through the hallway.
"Beautiful… did Xingxing hurt your feelings?"
Sreyan appeared leaning lazily against the wall nearby, looking far too relaxed for someone trapped inside a deadly game. A dramatic sigh escaped him as he pressed a hand lightly against his chest. "You know, it's painful staying away from you for this long," he complained playfully. "And that executioner won't even let me come near you."
Before he could continue any further, another voice interrupted from nearby.
"Oh? And what exactly was someone doing out of fear last night?"
Yug stepped into view slowly, his arms relaxed at his sides. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but his eyes were sharp and observant.
The moment Sreyan heard him, his entire expression changed.
"I suddenly remembered I have something important to do," he blurted out immediately. "Beautiful, we'll talk later!"
Then he hurried away so quickly that it almost looked like he was fleeing.
Astha blinked once before turning toward Yug. "What was that about?"
Yug did not answer immediately. Instead, he simply looked at Astha quietly.
Not teasing.
Not mocking.
Just watching him.
For a few seconds, silence stretched between them. Then the sharpness in Yug's gaze slowly softened into something quieter and warmer.
"Don't worry about that matter," Yug said gently.
Something about his tone felt different tonight. Softer. More sincere.
Astha looked at him with visible confusion, as though he could not understand the sudden change in atmosphere. Before he could ask another question, Yug stepped a little closer.
Not enough to invade his space.
Just enough for his presence to feel steady and real in the cold hallway.
Grounding.
Then Yug spoke again.
"I trust you."
The words were simple and direct. There was no hesitation behind them. No doubt.
And somehow, that made them feel heavier than anything else spoken that night.
Astha froze slightly.
For a brief moment, his mind went completely blank. He simply stared at Yug without speaking.
Yug did not look away. His gaze remained calm and steady, carrying a quiet warmth that made something tighten faintly inside Astha's chest.
After a few seconds, Astha blinked slowly, almost as though he was trying to process what he had just heard.
"…Okay," he answered softly.
It was only a single word, but for that brief moment, the fear surrounding them seemed to fade away. The game, the deaths, the forest—everything disappeared into the background.
And for a little while, it was just the two of them standing there quietly in the dim hallway.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the villa, Riju stood alone in the corridor, staring blankly at the place where Kiupa's body had disappeared. There was nothing left there anymore. No stain. No proof that a person had ever existed in that spot.
For a long time, he simply stood there without moving, his eyes distant and unfocused, as though his thoughts were somewhere far away.
Eventually, he turned and walked back toward his room.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Inside the dim room, Riju slowly slipped a hand beneath his shirt and pulled out a flower.
The Bloodmoon Flower.
Its crimson petals looked unnaturally vivid against the darkness around him.
Riju stared at it silently.
His fingers trembled slightly. A faint glimmer of uncertainty flickered through his eyes, almost like fear mixed together with confusion.
For several seconds, he simply stood there gazing at the flower, as though trying to understand something far beyond him.
Then suddenly—
he laughed.
At first, the sound was low and uneven.
"Ha…"
Then it grew louder.
"Ha… ha ha…"
Soon the laughter echoed throughout the room, sharp and unsettling in the silence.
"Ha ha ha ha—!"
After a while, it stopped abruptly.
The room fell silent again.
Slowly, the expression on Riju's face changed.
The uncertainty disappeared.
What replaced it was darker.
Colder.
A quiet amusement twisted across his features as he stared down at the Bloodmoon Flower in his hand.