**Time in the Mist**
As Jack plunged into darkness, Li Tao, in the real world, was frantically calling his phone, but as expected, it was impossible to get through. Li Tao felt a wave of dejection and a twinge of guilt—if it weren't for him, Jack might not have gotten caught up in this bizarre event. But then he realized that even if Jack hadn't been involved, someone else would have been dragged into this strange vortex.
Li Tao tried contacting Alex again, but there was still no response. His head was pounding, and he was overwhelmed with confusion: Why had a whole day passed in the real world, yet Jack had only mentioned ten minutes on the phone? What was this mist?
Li Tao walked to the window; it was now 11:00 PM. He looked out at the star-studded night sky, confirming that all doors and windows were securely locked. Fortunately, the villa had a ventilation system, so it wasn't stuffy even with the windows closed.
Taking a deep breath, Li Tao tried to calm himself. All he could do now was organize his thoughts and review everything that had happened recently. He glanced at the clock; it was nearing midnight. He knew he couldn't go out after midnight due to the rules. So, he sat back at his desk, opened his study notebook, and began to document today's discoveries and the rules.
He picked up his pen, his hand slightly trembling, and slowly wrote down a few keywords: "Mist World," "Time Discrepancy," "Door 20." These words, like pieces of a puzzle, though vague, seemed to be leading him towards some kind of truth. He summarized in his notes:
**Summary**:
1. Time in the Mist World flows extremely slowly: 10 minutes in the mist equates to 24 hours in the real world.
2. Jack has entered the Mist World and his whereabouts are unknown.
3. Alex remains missing and may have also been drawn into the event.
Chewing on the pen cap, Li Tao felt uneasy. Jack's voice echoed in his mind, the urgency and helplessness making it impossible to let go. The unusual flow of time was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying rules—if Jack was trapped for too long, months could pass in the real world, and he would be unable to be rescued. Li Tao wondered if there were other clues he had missed.
"What is the source of the mist?" he wrote on a blank page. As he pondered this, the alarm clock on the desk suddenly chimed, its deep "ding" sound piercing the quiet room.
Li Tao jerked his head up; the clock showed it was almost midnight. He knew this was a particularly sensitive moment according to the rules. He dared not move hastily, quickly closing the notebook and hiding it in the bedside table, trying to relax.
Li Tao lay in bed, silently counting in his head, losing track of how long he had been at it. His mind drifted, like a kite with a broken string, returning to Jack's last look, Alex's disappearance, and the strange time discrepancy. Questions about the Mist World kept surfacing: Was the mist random? Was it controlled by some force? Was Door 20 the entrance to the Mist World? Or did breaking the rules lead everyone into that terrifying realm?
These thoughts intertwined, and Li Tao even began to doubt if he had truly received Jack's call. Suddenly, Alex's voice seemed to explode in his mind: "Good luck."
Li Tao sat up abruptly. This eerie blessing had been spoken by Jack before he left and was also what Alex said when he departed. Unlike the common "Have a nice day" in Canada, this phrase seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
Alex's strange behavior, his disheveled appearance, and those bloodshot eyes suddenly became very suspicious. Li Tao regretted being blinded by the cheap rent and free car benefits, completely ignoring the danger signs from Alex. He felt deeply remorseful, believing he had ignored all the warnings and lessons from the past 27 years.
Time ticked away, and the midnight air seemed to grow heavier. Li Tao quietly checked his phone; it was 12:36. He sighed with relief, at least nothing unusual had happened in that time.
But just then, he heard the sound of running water from next door, suddenly remembering that Darius's bathroom was not in the bedroom but adjacent to his own room. It was well past midnight. Li Tao realized that Darius's late-night shower might constitute a rule violation.
Li Tao pressed his ear to the wall, listening intently to the sounds from next door. The water noise continued for several minutes before stopping abruptly, followed by the faint sound of slippers tapping on the floor. Li Tao's heart raced; he wanted to call out to Darius but feared that doing so might put him in greater danger.
Then, a rhythmic knocking sound came from the wall, low and eerie, as if it were some hidden summons. Li Tao held his breath, trying to discern the source of the sound, but received no response.
When the knocking abruptly ceased, the room fell into a dead silence. Just as Li Tao was about to relax, he heard a heavy thud from next door, like someone had fallen to the ground. Li Tao's heart tightened. He knew Darius might be in trouble. Instinctively, he moved to leave his room to check but was restrained by the rules. His hand gripped the doorknob, torn between fear and reason.
"Darius…" Li Tao whispered, but only empty silence answered him. He pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling, and sent Darius a message: "Are you okay?"
After what felt like an eternity, from crouching down to sitting on the floor, Li Tao still received no reply from Darius. He couldn't contain his anxiety and started calling Darius repeatedly. As he dialed, he could clearly hear the phone vibrating next door, but no one answered. Li Tao kept calling, hoping the vibration might wake Darius.
Clearly, it was futile. After what felt like the umpteenth call, there was still no response from next door. Damn the rules, Li Tao thought, preparing to burst out of his room because he desperately needed to know what had happened to Darius.
Just as Li Tao took a deep breath, mentally preparing to leave, Darius finally replied: "To be honest, not too good. I just fell and then passed out."
Seeing the reply, Li Tao sighed with relief; at least Darius was still alive.
"Glad to hear you're okay. Don't go out again," Li Tao replied and took a long time to calm down.
At this moment, Li Tao heard the sound of slippers walking next door, followed by the faint noise of a door lock being turned. Darius must have returned, Li Tao thought, and resolved to ask him about it the next day.
The room fell into silence again, and Li Tao wasn't sure if Darius was truly safe. The rules were not as absolute as they seemed. What were the actual rules of this house? Li Tao could not stop pondering. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for the long night to pass.
Ten minutes later, unable to endure it any longer, Li Tao got up and went to the bathroom, hoping a warm shower would ease his tense nerves. The water was clean and warm, gently patting his face, offering a brief moment of peace from the oppressive atmosphere.
**About 20 Minutes Later**
Li Tao returned to his bed and lay down again, but the room remained silent. However, he seemed to hear a faint sound, as if it was coming from inside his head.
Li Tao's nerves instantly tensed up. He jumped up and looked around but found nothing. Just as he was starting to think it was his overactive imagination, he suddenly noticed a faint mist outside the window, silently approaching his window.
Li Tao held his breath and peered through the gap in the curtains at the mist. Under the dim streetlight, the mist flowed slowly, as if it had some indescribable vitality. Shadows, vaguely visible in the mist, seemed to drift slowly, sending shivers down his spine. Li Tao quickly drew the curtains, trying to block out the ominous sight. In the dimly lit room, his heartbeat thundered, and his palms were sweating.
On this eerie night, Li Tao was plagued by numerous questions: Was the Mist World closing in on him? He clenched his fists, his mind racing through all the mysteries of the villa. Time distortions, bizarre rules, the disappearance of Alex, Jack's mysterious phone call… These seemingly unrelated events began to connect.
Hiding behind the curtains, Li Tao couldn't resist his curiosity and peeked again. With that one look, Li Tao was stunned: there was no mist; the view outside was the same as before, with a clear night sky dotted with stars.
Am I going crazy? Li Tao wondered. He fell into self-doubt and denial, a state now aptly described as inner conflict. In those few seconds, Li Tao reflected on his family's history, confirming that there were no mental illness cases among his ancestors. He sighed deeply.
Li Tao tried to calm his emotions, curled up back in bed, and silently recited the rules, praying for the arrival of dawn.
Every second of the night seemed to drag on, and every sound felt like a reminder that the dark rules of the house were everywhere.
"Could I be the first mentally ill person in my family?" was the last thought in Li Tao's mind before he lost consciousness.
**Meanwhile**
Darius sat in his room, rubbing his head and ankle, feeling extremely unlucky. It wasn't just today; he felt he had been unlucky for a while.
At 25, Darius had grown up on a farm in a small town in Michigan with his grandfather. His grandfather's teachings instilled in him a sense of responsibility and hard work from a young age, filling his childhood with the scent of the countryside and earth.
Darius took immense pride in his parents: his father managed the town's boxing gym, and his mother was a well-respected nutritionist. To Darius, his parents were not only role models but also the targets of his desire for approval. He studied hard and trained diligently, never lowering his standards, hoping to make them proud.
Darius's efforts paid off; he graduated with a degree in kinesiology from a university and, with his part-time earnings and support from his parents and grandfather, opened a gym in his hometown. Thanks to excellent service and professional knowledge, his gym quickly gained local fame and became the go-to place for fitness enthusiasts in town.
Darius thought life would continue smoothly until two months ago when an accident occurred. A client misused a gym machine, causing it to fall and severely crush the client's leg, resulting in a compound fracture. This incident not only tormented him but also led to substantial compensation claims and the temporary closure of his gym. Although insurance covered most of the costs, Darius still had to compensate the client for other damages. The gym he had once been proud of now felt like a heavy burden. He was reluctant to ask his family for help, feeling he had let them down.
In despair, Darius decided to leave the past behind and seek a fresh start in Toronto. He became a personal trainer, hoping to find solace in a bustling city abroad while working to pay off his bank debts. Darius maintained his disciplined lifestyle, exercising daily. Through every sweat-drenched morning and lonely sleepless night, he still cherished his initial dreams, hoping to return to his hometown one day with a fresh perspective and confront his past self anew.
Due to financial constraints, Darius had set a rent limit of 800 CAD. He posted a rental request online and was soon attracted by 20 Clare Street—a room for 600 CAD per month with a private bathroom, although the bathroom was outside the bedroom. The price was very reasonable, and the room looked clean from the photos.
Without hesitation, Darius messaged the landlord, who informed him that he would be leaving Toronto soon. The landlord said Darius could pay the rent through a third-party platform and cancel for a refund if he wasn't satisfied, much like staying at an Airbnb.
Since Darius didn't have much luggage, he took public transportation. When he arrived, all his worries turned into pleasant surprises. The house was beautifully decorated, and the landlord had even left many small appliances.
The other tenants also made Darius feel welcome. Everything seemed to be progressing well until the girl named Luna produced that rules paper.
Darius was not an atheist; influenced by his grandfather, his family were devout Christians, and he was a member of the Baptist Church. He always believed that if he died, he would be resurrected with Jesus Christ.
However, in reality, Darius had never encountered any supernatural phenomena. He rarely read supernatural novels or watched related movies, fearing they might disturb his mind. Yet, he also had an adventurous spirit, something in his blood. So, when he saw the rules paper, his first reaction was that it was a silly prank. Even after experiencing some strange events, he still didn't believe it was a real supernatural occurrence, thinking it was just the landlord's attempt to be mysterious, albeit unsettling.
However, at the moment he fell in the bathroom, he felt like he had entered the realm of Satan.