The heavy silence in the temple hung over the group like a suffocating fog. Each student stood with the weight of their personal trials still fresh in their minds. They had passed the first test, but everyone knew it wasn't over. Yuuto could feel it in the air—this world wasn't done with them yet.
"We need to keep moving," he said, breaking the silence. His voice was quiet but firm, the tension from his own nightmare still tightening his chest.
Kazuki was the first to respond, his usual cocky attitude now tempered by fear. "But where? We have no idea what's out there. For all we know, the next place is worse than this."
Aya glanced at the others. "Do we even know how to get out of this… place?"
Yuuto tightened his grip on the book in his hands, flipping through the pages in search of a clue. "We need to find the exit to this sanctuary before nightfall. The real danger begins then." He scanned the worn-out text, eyes flicking over a specific passage. "There's supposed to be a staircase leading deeper into the temple. That's where we'll find the next clue."
Akari, who had been quiet for most of the ordeal, finally spoke up, her voice shaky. "If there's something worse waiting for us, maybe we should stay here? This place… at least we've survived so far."
Yuuto shook his head. "No. Staying here is a death sentence. In the novel, those who linger in a safe zone eventually lose themselves. They become part of the horrors."
He didn't have to explain what that meant. The haunted, decrepit figures that lingered in the shadows of this world were likely people who had once stood where they did, trapped forever by their fears. The thought sent shivers down their spines.
Aya stepped closer to Yuuto, her gaze pleading. "What if we can't pass the next test? What if we fail?"
"We won't," Yuuto said, more to convince himself than anyone else. "We can't afford to."
Kazuki slammed his fist into his open palm, frustration boiling over. "So, we just keep going, huh? Until we face something we can't handle?"
Yuuto didn't answer. He knew that was a possibility, but admitting it would only push everyone closer to despair.
They walked in silence down the narrow, crumbling hallways of the temple, each step echoing against the stone. The air grew colder, the faint sounds of dripping water and the distant shuffle of unseen creatures filling the space around them. Their breath fogged in front of their faces as they descended deeper, every corner of the temple feeling more claustrophobic.
Yuuto led the way, using the book as his guide. It wasn't always accurate—this place had a mind of its own, shifting and changing as they moved—but it was better than walking blind.
Suddenly, they came to a massive stone door. Intricate carvings of distorted faces and twisted figures decorated the surface. The inscription above the door caught Yuuto's attention, written in a language he recognized from the novel.
"The Door of Despair," he muttered under his breath. "We're getting close."
Aya stepped up next to him, her eyes wide. "What does it say?"
Yuuto read the inscription aloud, his voice steady despite the foreboding words. "'Those who pass this door must leave behind what burdens them. Only by shedding your past may you enter the future.'"
Kazuki scoffed, shaking his head. "Great. Another cryptic message. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Akari shuddered. "It sounds like… we have to confront something again. Something we haven't let go of."
Yuuto nodded grimly. "The tests in this world are never straightforward. It's not just about strength—it's about your mind and soul."
Aya clenched her fists. "We've made it this far. We can keep going."
Yuuto stepped forward, placing his hand on the cold stone of the door. It was freezing to the touch, but he pushed against it, forcing it open with a slow, grinding noise. Beyond the door was a staircase descending into darkness.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, but there was no turning back. One by one, they entered, the door closing behind them with a heavy thud.
The descent seemed endless, each step taking them deeper into the heart of the temple. The oppressive air grew thicker, and the light from Yuuto's flashlight barely pierced the shadows. The staircase eventually opened into a massive underground chamber, the walls lined with ancient, crumbling statues. Each statue depicted a figure frozen in terror, as if caught in their last moments of life.
At the center of the room was a single pedestal, and resting on it was a black mirror.
Yuuto's heart raced. "This is it. The next test."
Aya hesitated. "A mirror? What are we supposed to do?"
Yuuto stepped closer to the mirror, his reflection warped and distorted in its surface. "This mirror… it shows you the truth. The thing you're hiding from yourself."
Akari's voice trembled. "What if we don't want to know?"
Yuuto didn't answer. He knew that the mirror wouldn't care what they wanted. It would show them their deepest flaws, their darkest secrets—things they might not be ready to confront.
Kazuki, never one to back down, stepped forward. "Fine. I'll go first. What's the worst it can show me?"
As Kazuki stood in front of the mirror, the surface rippled like water. His reflection changed, showing him as a child—weak, small, and helpless. His younger self was being beaten by an older boy, his cries for help ignored by the adults around him.
Kazuki's face twisted with anger and pain. "That's not… that's not who I am anymore."
But the mirror didn't relent. It showed him running away, hiding behind bravado and strength, never dealing with the fear that still lived inside him.
Kazuki clenched his fists, his body trembling. "I'm not afraid anymore! I'm not that scared kid!"
The mirror's surface stilled, and the reflection faded. Kazuki stumbled back, shaken but still standing.
Aya was next. She hesitated, her heart pounding, but she knew she couldn't avoid it. As she stepped in front of the mirror, it showed her standing alone in a dark room, tears streaming down her face. In the reflection, she was surrounded by her family, but none of them could see her. She was invisible to them, no matter how hard she screamed for their attention.
"They never noticed me," Aya whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I was always there, but they never saw me."
The mirror reflected her loneliness, her desperate need for approval and recognition. She had buried it for so long, pretending she was okay, but here, in this world, there was no hiding.
Yuuto watched as each of his friends confronted their deepest fears. It was painful to see, but it was necessary. This world was tearing them apart piece by piece, forcing them to confront the parts of themselves they had buried.
Finally, it was his turn.
Yuuto stepped in front of the mirror, his hands shaking. The surface rippled, showing him alone in a room full of books. His younger self sat there, engrossed in reading while the world outside passed him by. Friends came and went, but Yuuto never noticed. He was always lost in his own world, using stories as a shield from reality.
The reflection shifted, showing him older now, but still alone. Even in this nightmare world, surrounded by his classmates, Yuuto felt a crushing sense of isolation.
"I'm not alone," he muttered. "I have people with me."
But the mirror showed the truth—he was still afraid. Afraid of losing the few connections he had, afraid that, in the end, he would be left behind again, lost in his own world.
The reflection faded, leaving Yuuto standing there, shaken but determined.
"We all saw it," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "Our fears, our flaws. But we can't let them control us. If we're going to survive this world, we need to face them head-on."
Kazuki nodded, his fists still clenched but his resolve stronger. "Let's get through this. Together."
As the group gathered around the pedestal, the room began to shift, the walls moving and the ground trembling beneath them. The next test was waiting.
And it was only going to get harder from here.