Hesa answered the incoming call.
"Hello?"
"Finally, I can call someone," Satya replied in relief.
"What's wrong? Is your phone broken?"
"No. Jio and I are locked inside the radio room, and none of my calls have been going through to anyone."
"Locked? How did that happen?"
"We don't know either, but you can help us, right?"
"Y-yeah, I'll come there now."
Hesa ended the call and turned to Jihan, who was still sitting beside him, looking confused—or maybe deep in thought.
"Hasta Alkana," she muttered softly, staring straight ahead.
Hesa tapped her shoulder, making her reflexively look up.
"Are you okay?" Hesa asked.
Jihan nodded. "I just suddenly remembered one of Agantha's friends. He was always with him. His name was Asta."
"Oh. So you were zoning out because of that. I thought you were possessed," Hesa said with relief.
"N-no," Jihan replied quickly.
"Well then, I'm heading back," Hesa said.
"Okay."
Jihan watched Hesa walk away with a sad expression. She realized she would never see him again.
******
Hesa hurried through the school corridor. Joan and Arkha were the ones he was most worried about because of the terror. He stopped for a moment, debating whether to go to the restroom or the dance room.
Bruk.
Hesa staggered when someone bumped into him from behind—it was Niki.
"Ki," Hesa said worriedly, noticing how pale and frightened his friend looked.
"Hesa," Niki said, looking a bit relieved. "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. I kept turning around."
"Someone chasing you?" Hesa asked.
Niki shook his head. "I was practicing dance alone because Arkha didn't show up. Then I heard knocking on the window. I saw a hand knocking—just a hand. There was no body."
"You're not hallucinating, right?" Hesa asked.
"No! I tried to run, but the door was locked. Luckily, a girl opened it from outside."
Judging from Niki's expression, he wasn't lying. Niki wasn't the type to scare easily.
"You guys!"
Hesa and Niki turned toward Setta, who ran up to them.
"Let's go to the infirmary," Setta said.
"What happened?" Hesa asked.
"Joan fainted in the restroom."
That confirmed it—only one place left.
"I have something else to take care of. By the way, Satya and Jio are locked in the radio room. One of you should help them," Hesa said.
"Where are you going?" Niki asked.
"I'm looking for Arkha. There's a high chance he's being targeted too."
"Terror? Don't joke around," Setta said.
"Joan fainted, Jio and Satya were locked up, Niki saw something terrifying in the dance room. Isn't that terror?" Hesa replied.
"H-huh? Nik, you saw something scary?" Setta asked.
Niki nodded. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's split up."
"You still look shaken, Nik. You go to the infirmary. I'll head to the radio room," Setta said.
"Okay," Niki replied.
The three of them split up.
*****
BAM! BAM!
Hesa kicked open the door to the dance room. He knew someone had deliberately misled Arkha and Niki into practicing in different rooms.
"Khan?"
Hesa stared at the cracked mirror. Shards of glass were scattered across the floor, as if something had struck it violently.
Not far from the mirror, Arkha lay unconscious with a cut on his cheek. Hesa rushed over to help him—but before he could, Arkha stirred.
"Khan."
Arkha blinked slowly and turned toward Hesa.
"You're here," Arkha said as he sat up, with Hesa's help.
"Are you okay?" Hesa asked.
Arkha turned to look at the mirror. "My twin was smiling at me from there."
*****
All seven members of Gang Thirteen had gathered in the infirmary.
"So… what happen here, guys?" Satya joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"No 'what happen.' We were attacked and locked in the audio room," Jio said.
"You were attacked?" Niki asked.
"Yeah," Jio said, showing CCTV footage on his phone.
The recording showed Jio and Satya walking down the hallway when two hooded figures appeared from behind, struck their heads, and dragged them away.
"This is terror," Setta muttered in fear.
"You experienced something too, right, Jo?" Jio asked.
Joan, who had just regained consciousness, looked frightened and confused. "I-I don't know what happened. I went to the restroom and saw my reflection in the mirror—but it was different. It smiled while gripping its own neck. Somehow, I felt the pain too."
"Oh shit, that gave me chills," Niki commented.
"What about you, Nik?" Setta asked.
"I waited forever for Arkha, so I practiced alone in the dance room on the third floor. While practicing, a hand knocked on the window—no body attached. The door locked too, but a girl managed to open it," Niki said.
"I waited for you in the first-floor dance room. I thought you weren't coming," Arkha replied.
"Why do you have a bandage on your cheek? Did you get attacked too?" Niki asked.
"Similar to Joan. I saw my reflection smiling in the mirror, then it cracked. I was pushed back, and after that I don't remember anything. I woke up when I heard Hesa's voice," Arkha explained.
"That leaves you two," Jio said, looking at Setta and Hesa.
"I didn't experience anything. I just went to the cafeteria and came back. Taeyoung told me Joan fainted," Setta said.
"M-me too. I was just cooling off on the rooftop. Then Jaehyuk texted me to go to the student council room," Hesa replied.
Arkha glanced at Hesa and smiled slightly, realizing he was lying.
"How could all this happen?" Satya asked.
"Hesa, didn't you say this was terror?" Niki asked Hesa.
"I already explained—I concluded this was terror," Hesa replied.
"Could it be the villa ghost following us?" Setta asked.
"M-maybe. We did experience strange things there," Niki said.
"Maybe we should pray at church," Jio suggested.
"Yeah," Setta agreed.
"Whatever it is, I don't want to think about it anymore," Arkha said, standing up.
"Where are you going, Khan?" Jio asked.
"To get some air," Arkha replied.
Arkha walked out, grabbing Hesa's arm. Hesa looked surprised but quickly understood.
"Uh—yeah guys, I want to clear my head too. We'll head out first," Hesa said.
"Yo," Jio replied briefly.
Arkha and Hesa left the infirmary together, unaware of the mysterious gaze Joan followed them with.