The light stayed on him.
It was so hot it felt like it was pressing directly against his skin instead of merely shining on it, and blinding enough that Daryl instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes even though it barely helped.
"Ah—!" he yelled anyway, more out of reflex than pain.
The chat exploded immediately.
[Pushpotato - PaidComment - ¥100]: BRO MOVE
The spotlight flickered And then it moved.
Not like a mounted light should, not like something fixed to a ceiling, but slowly and deliberately, as though it were being guided by something with intent. Daryl felt a chill crawl up his spine as the realization settled in.
"…It's not a spotlight," he said, his voice tight.
The light bent.
Twisted.
It slid across the floor, the beam narrowing unnaturally before widening again, and the air itself rippled as though heat and pressure were being dragged along with it. Something began to take shape behind the glow it tall and thin—and its head tilted sideways at an angle that made Daryl's stomach drop.
"Oh," he whispered. "You're the one messing with me."
The ghost laughed sharply, the sound scraping against his ears like metal on glass, and then it rushed forward without warning.
Daryl dove to the side just in time as the light slammed into the floor where he'd been standing, the concrete cracking violently from the impact.
"Okay okay okay," he panted. "Fast ghost."
The chat went completely insane.
[DODGE]: MOVE MOVE
Daryl rolled, sprang to his feet, and bolted behind a row of seats, only for the ghost to pass straight through them as if they weren't even there. The chairs shattered anyway, wood and metal exploding outward.
"Great," Daryl muttered. "Physical damage too."
The whisper coin burned against his side.
He didn't hesitate.
He grabbed salt and threw it wide, not aiming so much as hoping, and the moment it hit the air blue sparks flashed violently. The ghost screamed—an ear-piercing, distorted sound—and staggered back.
"Yes," Daryl said breathlessly. "Okay, that works."
He pulled out a binding talisman and slapped it forward, but the ghost dodged with unnatural speed and lunged again. Daryl ducked instinctively as the air above his head warped, and overhead stage lights burst all at once, glass raining down in glittering shards.
The chat screamed.
[ZacharyLopez - PaidComment - ¥200]: THIS IS BAD
Daryl's breathing turned heavy and ragged.
"Stay calm," he told himself, even as his hands shook.
He ran toward the stage on purpose this time, forcing himself not to hesitate, and the ghost followed eagerly—too eagerly.
"Come on," he whispered.
Then he stopped suddenly and threw salt straight down.
The ghost crossed it as The salt ignited.
Blue chains flashed around its limbs, snapping tight as it shrieked and thrashed violently. Daryl didn't waste a single second—he slammed the containment vessel forward, the seal glowing as it dragged the ghost inside.
The lid snapped shut and there was Silence, Daryl collapsed to his knees.
"…I got it," he said weakly.
The chat exploded once more
[LET'S GO]: HE DID IT
[MoonPetal ⭐]: You did it! Are you okay?
Daryl laughed, a shaky, disbelieving sound.
"I'm alive," he said. "I actually caught one."
He held the vessel up to the camera, the glow inside flickering faintly.
"Proof."
He pushed himself to his feet, wiping sweat from his face, his heart still racing.
"I can finally—"
Suddenly The ground shook and Daryl froze.
"…What was that?"
A low rumble rolled through the theater as seats vibrated and dust drifted down from the ceiling. The chat went unnaturally quiet.
Then there was A scream, followed by Another and Then many.
Shapes poured out of the walls, the floor, even the ceiling—ghosts of different forms and sizes, some trailing black mist, others with glowing red eyes.
Too many scream echoed and Daryl's smile vanished.
"…That's not normal," he whispered.
They charged at him
"RUN!" he yelled, already moving.
The chat rolled in but he had no time to focus on them
[NO NO NO]: TOO MANY
Daryl sprinted down the aisle as a door slammed shut ahead of him, forcing him to slide and roll just to avoid being crushed.
"They're smart," he gasped.
The whisper coin screamed nonstop suddenly A rope dropped from above.
Daryl ducked instinctively, and it snapped tight where his neck had been.
"Traps?" he yelled. "They're setting traps?"
A ghost laughed.
Daryl threw salt behind him, blue flames erupting as he vaulted over debris and kicked open a door, then another, then another set of stairs. His legs burned and his lungs screamed, but he didn't stop.
"This place wasn't like this earlier," he said, panic creeping into his voice.
The ghosts howled in response it seThey were enjoying it.
Daryl forced himself to think.
"Okay," he said. "They're herding me."
He slid under a fallen beam, ducked into a storage room, slammed the door shut, and held his breath.
Silence as The chat slowed
[HIDE]: DONT MOVE
His heart pounded as minutes crawled by.
"…Okay," he whispered. "Maybe they lost me."
The door creaked.
A hand phased through and Then another when suddenly The door burst open.
"Nope!" Daryl yelled, already running again.
Left, Right, the Stairs. And it'slong corridor.
He didn't think—he just ran.
Then something strange happened he found himself in The theater as He skidded to a stop.
"…No."
The stage, The seats as well as the The broken lights
"I'm back here," he said, dread settling fully now.
The chat too noticed there was something was off.
"I've been running in a circle," Daryl said. "This place loops."
He turned and ran again this time choosing a different path. There were more turns and longer corridors as he burst through another door.
The theater we still came back here
The next few moments
Again - He came here again
"…It doesn't matter," he said quietly. "No matter where I go, I come back."
The ghosts emerged slowly, surrounding him as exits sealed shut one by one. The whisper coin cracked audibly in his hand.
Daryl backed toward the stage as his hands were shaking.
"…I can't find the exit," he said.
The chat spammed desperately.
[RUN]: TRY AGAIN
[MoonPetal ⭐]: Don't give up. Think.
Daryl looked around as the lights flickered and shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls.
"This place," he said. "It's not just haunted."
The ghosts laughed together, the sound echoing endlessly as Daryl tightened his grip on the iron spirit nail.
"…I'm trapped."
The theater doors slammed shut as the Darkness closed in, the flood of ghosts closed in.