Chapter 18: Unraveling the Truth, Unleashing the Curse: “In the depths of darkness, a brother's hidden bond becomes the beacon that may finally shatter the chains of the curse.”

As the group stumbled down the dim hallway, shaken by their encounter with the mysterious teacher, a strange, inexplicable pull tugged at them. They couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, that something—or someone—was guiding them. Meen's heart raced, her thoughts swirling in a whirlwind of confusion and fear. They had come so far, but the truth seemed as elusive as ever.

"Do you feel that? " Pim whispered, her voice tinged with anxiety.

Before anyone could answer, a door ahead of them creaked open, and a figure stepped out of the shadows. A tall boy, his features sharp yet somber, Naree's brother, Chawin Phattharawut, stood in the doorway. The faint glow of a red string hanging from his wrist was the only light in the darkness.

"Who—? " Ploy began, he had been absent from their previous meeting, but the boy raised a hand, silencing him.

"Follow me," the boy said, his voice low and steady. Without waiting for a response, he turned and led them down another narrow hallway, their footsteps echoing in the quiet.

The group followed in silence, their hearts pounding with uncertainty. The boy stopped in front of a room, hesitating before pushing the door open. Inside, the air felt thick with a strange energy, and at the center of the room stood a picture on the wall—a girl, her expression hauntingly familiar.

"That's Naree," Pim whispered, her voice barely audible.

The boy nodded. "She's my sister. And you've been trying to stop her. But the curse won't end until you understand the truth, I already told you that."

With that, the boy's eyes met Meen's. "I'm the only one who can break it. But we need to finish what she started."

The group nodded seemingly understanding what he meant.

___

The next day, the air inside the school felt thick with tension, as if something unseen had begun to cling to every surface, every corner of the darkened halls. Meen, Pim, Tan, Ploy, and Praew walked quietly through the once familiar corridors, now imbued with an unsettling presence. Their investigation into Kanya's tragic death had taken them down a path they never anticipated. The realization that Kanya's death was no accident—no mere misfortune—but a murder at the hands of a jealous friend, was still sinking in. But there was more, much more. The symbols on the classroom walls, the doll's eerie behavior, and the haunting events that had followed were all connected to something much darker.

The door to the classroom creaked as Meen pushed it open, a shiver racing down her spine. It had been only days since they had first discovered the strange symbols, and they were still etched into the walls, glowing faintly in the dim light. Every symbol seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, as though they were alive, watching, waiting.

"We have to finish what we started," Meen said quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group.

Pim nodded in agreement. "We have to find the truth. We can't let Kanya's death be in vain."

Tan's expression was grim. "But we still don't know what this all means. Why these symbols are here, why the doll—"

Praew cut him off. "We know one thing for sure: the curse isn't over. Kanya's death was only the beginning."

As if on cue, the door to the classroom swung open, revealing the prefects. Their faces were serious, tense, as if they had seen something far worse than they were willing to admit.

"We need to talk," one of the prefects, Tanin Boonyarak, who was the school president, said, his voice low and urgent. "About the doll."

The mention of the doll sent a chill through the group. The doll had been found in the old storeroom, and since then, strange things had been happening. It moved on its own, its eyes following them as if it were alive, as if it had a mind of its own.

"What about it? " Pim asked, her voice trembling.

The prefects exchanged a glance before one of them, the vice president of the school, Pimrada Tansiri spoke up. "It's been getting worse. It's like it's alive, like it's calling something… something dark."

Meen swallowed hard. Looking at the prefects, she asked. "So, what do we do? "

"We need to finish what Kanokwan started," one of the prefects, Sasithorn Wilaiporn, said, her eyes filled with a strange mixture of fear and determination. "We need to perform her song."

The words hung in the air, thick with the weight of their implications. Kanokwan's unfinished song had been a part of this curse, a key that the group had been trying to unlock. But they had no idea what would happen when they actually performed it. Even after recieving advise from the monk, they were still confused. The tension in the room was palpable as they prepared to face whatever consequences the song would bring.

"We have no choice," Tan said, his voice resolute.

"We have to finish it." Ploy added seemingly a bit confident.

They, together with Chawin Phattharawut whom they had phoned to come gathered around the makeshift altar in the center of the abandoned classroom where Praew had seen the class full of the spirits, where the doll sat, its lifeless eyes staring back at them. The symbols on the walls seemed to glow brighter as they began to hum the melody Kanokwan had left behind. The haunting notes filled the room, echoing off the walls and amplifying the sense of unease that hung in the air. The song was beautiful, but it was also dangerous. Each note felt like a step closer to the unknown, a step closer to whatever dark force was tied to Kanokwan's unfinished melody.

___

In the eerie silence of the old classroom, Meen, Pim, Tan, Tanin Boonyarak, Pimrada Tansiri, Sasithorn Wilaiporn, and Praew stood before Naree Chaiyakan's spirit, her sorrowful eyes filled with unresolved pain. Chawin Phattharawut, standing behind them, held the red string tightly around his wrist.

"You've suffered enough," Meen whispered, her voice steady despite the tension.

With a swift motion, Tan reached forward, gently cutting the red string. As the string snapped, the room seemed to exhale, the weight lifting. Naree's spirit smiled faintly before fading into the light.

Chawin's expression softened, his bond with Naree broken, and the curse was finally lifted. Finally, one of their problems solved.

___

As they sang, the air seemed to grow colder, heavier. The doll's eyes seemed to shift, its head turning slowly to face them. A chill ran down Meen's spine as she realized the curse was intensifying. The symbols on the walls began to tremble, the faint glow growing brighter, pulsating like a heartbeat.

"No! " Pim cried out, her voice cracking with fear. "It's getting worse! "

They stopped singing, but the damage had already been done. The energy in the room felt charged, electric, as if something had been unleashed. The doll's eyes glowed red, and the room seemed to darken, the shadows lengthening as though they were alive. The group stood frozen, fear gripping their hearts as they realized that performing Kanokwan's song had only intensified the curse, not broken it.

"What have we done? " Praew whispered, her voice trembling.

Before anyone could respond, the temperature in the room plummeted, and a gust of wind blew through the classroom, extinguishing the candles that had been lit for their ritual. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang, and the group turned to see a figure standing in the doorway.

It was Kanya.

Her presence filled the room with a suffocating darkness. She stood tall, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. "You haven't finished what you started," she said, her voice a low, echoing hiss. "You think you can stop me? You think you can undo what has already been set in motion? "

Meen's heart pounded in her chest. "Kanya… we were trying to help."

"You haven't avenged me," Kanya spat, her eyes flashing with anger. "You think you can just walk away after what you've done? You will finish what I started, or you will suffer the consequences."

Before they could react, Kanya raised her hand, and the room seemed to warp around them. The walls stretched, the ceiling grew higher, and the floor beneath them began to tremble. The group was suddenly plunged into a nightmare of their own making, the world around them twisting and shifting as if they were trapped in a fever dream.

"We didn't mean to…" Praew whispered, but her voice was drowned out by the chaos that surrounded them.

Kanya's laugh echoed through the room, a chilling sound that seemed to reverberate in their bones. "You will finish my mission, or I will make sure you never leave this place alive."

In an instant, the world around them shifted once more, and they were back in the same place—back at the school, but the atmosphere had changed. The once familiar hallways now felt like a maze, and the air was thick with an ominous presence.

The group stumbled forward, still reeling from Kanya's attack. But just as they reached the exit, the door creaked open, and a new figure stepped into the hallway.

It was their new teacher, Mr Saksit Rattanakorn. He was tall, with sharp features and an air of quiet authority. His dark eyes seemed to pierce through them as he took a step closer.

"I see you've met Kanya and freed Chawin Phattharawut and Naree Chaiyakan," he said, his voice calm, almost knowing. "It's about time you learned the truth."

The group froze, their eyes widening in shock. The group exchanged confused looks before locking their eyes with the teacher's. How did this teacher know about Kanya? And what did he mean by "the truth"?

"You know about the curse? " Tan asked, his voice tight with suspicion.

The teacher nodded, his expression unreadable. "I know more than you think. But you're not ready to hear it all yet."

"Why are you here? " Meen demanded.

"What do you want from us? " Praew added.

The teacher studied them for a moment before responding. "I'm here to guide you. You've all been caught in something much bigger than you realize. The curse is far from over. And if you don't understand what's truly at stake, you'll never be able to stop it."

The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. The group exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether to trust this new teacher, but one thing was clear: they were in over their heads. The curse, the doll, and Kanya—everything was connected in ways they couldn't yet comprehend.

"Who are you? " Pim asked cautiously, her voice trembling.

"What do you want from us? " Ploy added.

The teacher's lips curled into a slight smile, though there was little warmth in it. "I'm someone who knows how to deal with Kanya's kind," he replied. "But you have to be ready. You have to be prepared for what's coming."

Before they could respond, the teacher turned and began walking down the hallway, his footsteps echoing in the silence. The group stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.

"We don't have much time," the teacher's voice floated back to them. "If you want to end this, you have to face what you're really up against. And you have to do it soon."

With that, he disappeared around the corner, leaving the group standing in the darkness, uncertain of what lay ahead.

They had no choice but to follow.

The haunting truth was out there, waiting for them to uncover it. And Kanya's wrath was far from over.

With every step they took, they were drawn deeper into the darkness, and the weight of the curse grew heavier with each passing moment. But at least they had freed Chawin Phattharawut and Naree Chaiyakan this solving one problem. Before he left the school compound, Chawin Phattharawut turned around and thanked them one last time before he disappeared into the busy roads seemingly happy.