chapter 2:Whispers in the Dark

The next morning, Kaito woke to the sound of rain tapping softly against his window. A gray, heavy sky loomed over the city, casting everything in a dull, lifeless light.

He dressed in silence, his mind replaying the events of the previous day. It hadn't been a dream. His friends were still gone. Their names erased from memories, their presence wiped clean from the school.

Kaito shouldered his bag, his heart pounding with a mix of dread and determination.

Today, he would find answers.

At school, everything seemed painfully normal. Students joked in the hallways. Teachers handed out assignments. Life carried on as if nothing had happened.

Kaito moved through the day in a daze, barely registering the lessons. His thoughts kept drifting back to the old stories — the rumors about the forbidden wing.

During lunch, he slipped away from the crowded cafeteria and made his way toward the older part of the building. It wasn't hard to find — the corridor leading to it was marked off by faded yellow tape and a battered "No Entry" sign.

The hallway beyond was dark, dust motes swirling in the slanted beams of light that crept through cracked windows. The air smelled of mildew and forgotten years.

Kaito hesitated at the threshold, his heart hammering in his chest. One step over the line and he would be breaking school rules. Maybe worse.

But he had no choice.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The temperature seemed to drop instantly. Shadows clung to the walls, stretching long fingers across the floor. His footsteps echoed loudly in the silence.

The abandoned wing was a labyrinth of empty classrooms and broken furniture. Peeling paint hung in strips from the walls, and graffiti from years past covered the lockers and doors.

He wandered slowly, scanning every surface for clues. A part of him expected to find something obvious — a note, a sign, anything — but the silence pressed heavily around him, thick and oppressive.

And then he heard it.

A whisper.

Faint, almost too soft to notice, but unmistakable.

"Kaito..."

He spun around, heart leaping into his throat. The hallway behind him was empty.

"Kaito..."

The voice was familiar — achingly familiar.

"Airi?" he whispered into the darkness.

There was no answer, only the creaking of the building settling.

Kaito swallowed hard and pressed on, following the sound of the whisper. It seemed to come from deeper within the abandoned wing, drawing him forward like a moth to a flame.

He pushed open a door at the end of the hall and found himself in what had once been a classroom. Broken desks lay scattered across the floor. A large crack split the blackboard in two.

In the center of the room stood a mirror.

It was tall, nearly reaching the ceiling, its ornate frame tarnished with age. The glass was cracked in places, but still reflected the dim light in an unsettling way.

Kaito approached it cautiously, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

As he stared into the mirror, the air grew colder. His breath fogged in front of him. And then — just for a moment — he saw them.

Seven figures.

Faint, like smudges on the glass.

He reached out instinctively, pressing his palm against the cold surface.

The figures moved.

He stumbled back, heart racing. The mirror shimmered, and the classroom seemed to twist around him. The walls melted into shadows, the floor rippling like water.

And then, just as suddenly, it stopped.

The room was back to normal.

The mirror stood silently before him, reflecting only his own pale, terrified face.

Kaito backed away, his mind reeling. What had he just seen? Was it a vision? A memory? A warning?

A loud bang echoed from somewhere down the hall, making him jump. Fear surged through him, but he forced himself to stay calm.

He needed help. He couldn't do this alone.

Kaito turned and fled the abandoned wing, his footsteps pounding against the floor.

He didn't notice the faint outline of a handprint slowly fading from the mirror behind him.