Unknown Encounter

Fangzhi's POV

The dark hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, each shadow twisting into ominous shapes as we walked through it. Beside me was our new comrade, Tomoya-kun, his steps quick and nervous. I wasn't sure how we ended up in this terrifying situation, but right now, ensuring everyone's safety was my top priority.

"Um, Fangzhi, I think it's that way!" Tomoya's voice broke the oppressive silence, filled with a mixture of urgency and fear.

I nodded, trying to focus. Tomoya had explained earlier that his vision allowed him to see malignant beings as dark, shadowy figures, while living beings emitted a faint light. The distinction was clear to him, but for me, it was unnerving to think how close we were to such dangerous entities.

"That must be Bocchi-senpai—let's hurry!" I urged, pushing my chubby legs to move faster, even as the tension in the air made every breath feel heavier. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel the sweat starting to bead on my forehead.

"Sigh… I really need to ask Brother to help me with my stamina after this," I muttered to myself, half-joking to stave off the rising panic.

"This way!" Tomoya called out, his voice strained with desperation.

As we rounded the corner, I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Tomoya, beside me, looked as though he was about to collapse. What lay before us was a sight that would haunt me forever.

Bocchi-senpai was lying unconscious on the floor, her body surrounded by a circle of strange, lifeless dolls of various shapes and sizes. They were all staring at her, their glassy eyes fixed on her with an unsettling calmness. There was no movement from them, but the air was thick with a sense of malevolence, as if these dolls were alive, silently waiting for something—perhaps their next meal.

A chill ran down my spine, and my blood turned to ice. I glanced at Tomoya-kun, who was trembling uncontrollably, on the verge of a seizure. The sight of those dolls had pushed him to the brink.

"Tomoya!" I whispered urgently, rushing to his side. My hands were shaking as I started casting the calming spell, trying to steady him. The spell worked, but only barely—Tomoya's eyes were still wide with fear, and I could feel it too. The cold around us wasn't just physical. It felt deeper, like the darkness was getting into our bones, awakening something ancient and terrifying inside us.

"Gulp... 'Purification,'" I muttered, my voice almost too quiet. A soft light wrapped around Bocchi-senpai's body, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of hope. Moving carefully, I bent down and lifted her, trying not to make a sound.

As I stood, I could feel it—a hundred invisible eyes watching us. My skin prickled, my heart pounded in my chest. How does Tomoya deal with this kind of thing every day with his cursed eyes? I couldn't imagine living with this kind of fear.

The silence that followed was worse than the whispers and rustling we'd heard before. It was the kind of silence that made your heart race, like the pause before something terrible happens. Normally, silence would make you feel safe, like things had settled. But not here. Not now. Every step forward felt like walking into a trap.

I glanced at Tomoya, who nodded nervously. We had to keep going, but each step was slower than the last, as if something was holding us back. The air felt thick, every breath was heavy, and the further we moved, the colder it got.

Then, out of nowhere, it hit.

The air shifted. Something was watching us—closer this time. The silence wasn't calming; it was warning us. Something was there, waiting, ready.

""AAAAHHHHHH!!""

The scream tore through the air, breaking the silence like a fire alarm in the middle of the night. My heart jumped, and I spun around, but there was nothing—just that awful sound bouncing off the walls, surrounding us. My hands tightened around Bocchi-senpai, our body automatically started to racing escaping from whatever in the depth of hell was it.

....................................................

"AAAHHHHH!!!"

"What the—!? That scream came from Fangzhi's direction... Urgh..." Danial clenched his fists, torn between rushing to help his brother and trusting in Fangzhi's ability to survive.

He shook his head after a moment, deciding to trust his companions. His face darkened with a deep frown as he turned his attention to the figure standing in front of him—someone he hadn't expected to see.

"Haru-senpai! What are you doing here?"

"That's supposed to be my line, Danial-kun," Haru-senpai replied, his voice shaky. "One moment, we were all walking together, and then this thick fog started to surround us. When I turned around, everyone was gone. I panicked and tried to find Tomo, but she had disappeared too."

Danial eyed him skeptically. Something didn't feel right. Still, maybe thanks to the darkness, Haru-senpai didn't notice the suspicion on his face.

As they walked, Danial discreetly cast several recognition spells to confirm whether the person beside him was human. The results came back positive, yet that uneasy feeling wouldn't leave him. No matter how much he sharpened his senses, something felt off—like a puzzle piece that didn't fit.

Ignoring the feeling for now, Danial focused on the task at hand.

"For now, let's look for Tomo-senpai. Do you remember where you last saw her before everyone vanished?" Danial asked.

"Hm, let me think… The last place I saw her was near this large, deformed doll. It was supposed to be pretty, but because of the damage it had taken, it ended up looking really ugly," Haru-senpai recalled.

"A large, ugly, deformed doll?" Danial's eyes widened. "Wait, if that's where you were, then you guys weren't at the entrance but the central area—the heart of all the rumors about this place!"

"NANI??" Haru-senpai's face went pale as the realization hit him.

Danial's pulse quickened. If they were near the central area, it meant Tomo-senpai could be in serious danger. "We need to hurry, Haru-senpai. There's no time to waste. Tomo-senpai could be in more trouble than we thought."

Without another word, they rushed toward the heart of the building, urgency coursing through their veins.

...............................

 TOMO-SENPAI POV

"Urgh, my head... Where am I?" Tomo groaned as she slowly regained consciousness, finding herself in a dark, unfamiliar room.

"What the hell is this place...? Wait—where are the others? Haru-kun? Danial? Fangzhi? Bocchi-senpai? Aki? Guys, where are you?" Her voice echoed back, the eerie silence amplifying her anxiety. No matter how loud she shouted, the only response was her own voice reverberating through the room.

As the president of the occult club, Tomo's tolerance for fear was much higher than most, but even she could feel unease creeping in. The situation was far from normal, and her instincts screamed at her to stay alert. Determined not to give in to fear, she began cautiously exploring the room.

"What in the world happened? We all came into this building together, but... why can't I remember anything after that?" A dull headache pulsed behind her eyes. "I must have fainted... but then... who moved me while I was unconscious?"

The unsettling thought sent a chill down her spine.

The room was dark and unremarkable, with nothing offering a clue to her location. Fortunately, the door wasn't locked. Gathering her nerves, she decided to leave and find a way out of this bizarre place. As she ventured deeper into the hallway, she noticed something unsettling: mirrors lined the walls, dozens of them, reflecting her every move.

"Mirrors...?" Tomo muttered. "What kind of sick management put these here? First, the creepy dolls, now this?" She instinctively kept her distance from the mirrors, her gut telling her not to get too close.

The deeper Tomo ventured, the heavier the air around her felt. Each step became harder, as if the shadows themselves were weighing her down. Her heart raced, and just when she thought she couldn't take the silence any longer, a voice cut through the darkness.

"Hey... what are you doing here?"

She froze, relief washing over her. Someone else was here. A man, dressed in a security guard's uniform, stood a few feet away. The dim light barely showed him, but she could tell he was looking right at her.

"Oh, thank God! I thought I was alone. Sir, I'm here with my club, however no matter how many time I shout their name there seem to be no response at all. Plus with all the creepiness around here only make me crazy and I—" Tomo voice start to slowly trail off when she didn't hear any reply.

The man didn't respond. He just stood there, staring. while the respond was cold considering the situation she doesn't think there is anything wrong with it.

"Umm excuse me..... Sir?" she tried again, her voice quieter this time.

"Hey... what are you doing here?"

Tomo blinked. It was the exact same question. The same tone. The same everything. He still hadn't moved. The second time the man ask the question make Tomo feel a little bit unease however she tried to encourage herself telling there was nothing wrong with the question.

Tomo didn't dare to let her eye wander around because of the mirror thus currently her sole focus was the man in front of her.

"I'm sorry sir, but it seems like all my club member get lost. Ah btw have you seen any of them here? oh umm why are you not responding? Ah~ I see you must thought we came here illegally right? Then you don't have to—" Tomo speak in such a quick pace as she was afraid the man would misunderstand her and then leave.

However after speaking for so long and still no response, Tomo feel something was horribly wrong and stop her sentence midway.

"Hey... what are you doing here?"

when the man ask the same question , all of her goosebump rise. She try to focus on the man in front of her, for some reason she had an illusion as if the man was one ahead getting closer to her whenever it speak. Then a realization struck her like a thunder.

'Wait… wasn't this building abandoned?'

Her chest tightened as she realized what was happening. No one was supposed to be here. Cold sweat broke out on her palms, and she instinctively took a step back. The man, as if sensing her fear, stepped forward again, closing the distance faster than he should have.

"Hey... what are you doing here?"

The third time, the words weren't just a question—they were a threat. Tomo's mind screamed for her to run, but her legs wouldn't listen. It was as if something was holding her in place, invisible chains binding her body.

She managed to step back again, but the man didn't follow this time. For a moment, she thought maybe she was safe. Then, the air grew colder, and the voice came again, sharper, more menacing.

"Hey. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

Each word was icy, and the darkness around her seemed to close in. The man's breath, cold and heavy, was right in front of her now. Even though she couldn't see his face, she could feel him—feel the anger, the malice. The darkness seemed alive, and it wanted her to stay.

Tomo tried to turn, but her body wouldn't move. Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt him drawing closer, as if he was waiting for her to make one wrong move.