Saki lay on her bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling, her eyes following the curves of the walls that seemed to dance under the faint light from a distant lamp. It was 2 a.m., and she was still wide awake, despite the exhaustion that weighed down her body. The tension in her chest kept her from sleeping, even after a long day filled with grueling training and reviews that drained her energy.
Her mind was scattered, drifting over the memories of yesterday and today, and every moment she had spent at the academy since her journey had begun. She thought of Tsuguji Matsumoto, her late father, and the heavy legacy she feared might be more than she could bear. Raio, the young leader who kept a close watch on her, was a part of those memories. His serious expression, his firm voice guiding her through the drills, all surrounded her like shadows. He had a clear goal of helping her become like her father, but could she really do it?
For several moments, she closed her eyes and tried to push away the unsettling thoughts creeping into her mind, but each time she did, they rushed back, sweeping her away once again. She tried to find her way, to become the strong pilot her father had dreamed of. But with every step forward, something weighed heavily on her. She felt trapped in a cycle of expectations, unsure of how to break free.
In those moments of solitude, the silence filled the room. Only the sound of the wind blowing through the old windows could be heard. But she knew that the silence surrounding her wasn't as important as the whispers coming from within her—whispers of endless questions: Can I do this? Can I become the leader everyone expects me to be?
Her eyes caught the faint light leaking through the cracks in the walls, and she recalled how things had seemed in the beginning, how everything had changed since entering the academy. It all had grown into something bigger than she had ever anticipated. "I won't allow myself to fail," she whispered to herself, turning her gaze back to the ceiling, hoping to find some comfort in the promises she had made to herself.
But no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, those moments in the dark revealed one undeniable truth: this night was different, and she felt like she was on the verge of something much bigger waiting for her.
Saki began to hear strange whispers in the darkness. They were low, soft sounds, but since she was alone in her room, a sense of unease crept over her. At first, she thought it was just her imagination, or perhaps the effect of the exhaustion weighing on her body. But over time, the whispers became clearer, as if they were coming from a distant place, traveling through the walls of the academy, their echoes reaching her ears.
The words were unclear, but they carried a sense of unsettling mystery. The voice was unstable, as though it blended with other whispers or sounds from multiple places at once. They weren't entirely human voices—they resembled moans or murmurs, as though carrying something from the past or untold stories yet to be shared.
A shiver ran through her body, and something uncomfortable settled in her heart. She lifted her head from the pillow, trying to listen closely, but there were no other sounds, no interruptions to the silence, except for those strange whispers that lingered in her ears.
She wondered if the sounds were coming from the walls of the academy itself, or if her mind was starting to break down under the strain of the psychological pressure and tension. Yet, her mind was flooded with questions. The academy was full of secrets, and the dark past of her father haunted every corner—could these whispers be connected to that?
She tried to convince herself that the sounds were nothing more than figments of her imagination. But her heart refused to believe it. There was something in the air, something invisible lurking in the darkness, as if the academy itself were mimicking the restless spirits that had yet to find peace.
She slowly rose from her bed and walked toward the window. She gently pulled the curtains open, letting the faint moonlight filter in. The corners of the room were dark, but the sounds still crept into her ears. The whispers, unclear yet growing nearer, seemed to surround her from all sides. In that moment, she remembered Raio and the promises he had made to help her. Could these sounds have something to do with what was happening around her? She felt that the answers might be closer than she imagined, perhaps even more than she expected.
Saki was surrounded by the strange whispers, which grew clearer with each passing moment. But when she turned to Erica's bed, she discovered that her friend was deep in a peaceful sleep. Erica lay on her back, lost in a calm slumber, her face serene as if the world around her didn't matter at all. Her breathing was steady, and her eyes were tightly shut, which made Saki feel even more alone in that moment, as if she were the only one who could hear the whispers creeping into her ears.
A faint, sad smile touched Saki's lips as she watched her friend. She knew well that Erica couldn't hear what she was hearing. Perhaps that was what made her feel more isolated, as if the whispers were meant for her alone. In the darkness, the sound of the whispers filled the room in a strange way, as though the entire academy itself were whispering in her ear.
Saki closed her eyes for a moment, trying to convince herself that it was just imagination brought on by the exhaustion and tension she had been living with. But she couldn't shake the strange feeling that accompanied it. The sound was now clearer, as if there were words—unintelligible and overlapping—calling out from somewhere far away.
Saki cautiously moved, careful not to disturb Erica. She walked toward the corner where the whispers seemed to be coming from more strongly, as though the sound was seeping from the very walls of the room. She ran her eyes over the walls, wondering if there was any clue about what was happening around her, and if the whispers were tied to something larger than just an internal fear. Deep inside, she felt that there was an unsolved mystery, something the academy hid behind its walls.
She paused in the darkness, gazing at the dark room in front of her, trying to make sense of what was happening. But the whispers, growing louder over time, made her feel as though something eerie was watching her.
The whispers began to change, as if they were moving through the air, seeping through the walls of the room, gradually extending outside. Saki felt the sound become clearer and closer, as though it was drawing nearer from a distant place, moving through the halls of the academy, leaving traces in every corner. With each step, the sound grew more distinct, as if the whispers were calling her, urging her to follow.
Something strange was pulling her toward the sound, a feeling she couldn't explain, but it whispered in her depths, telling her she had to follow the whispers. Each step became heavier on her heart, as if she were no longer choosing to move, but was compelled to follow those invisible calls filling the space.
Saki cautiously peeked out the door to find the hallway dark, and the silence of the academy enveloping everything as if it were all asleep except for her. Yet, the whispers filled the air, as if coming from afar, sneaking between the walls and urging her to move forward. Her curiosity began to outweigh her fear, but another feeling was chasing her—one that told her she might be on the edge of discovering something larger than she could handle.
She proceeded carefully, her steps light, trying not to make any noise so as not to wake Erica, who was still sleeping in her room. Everything around her was eerily quiet, so much so that the whispers seemed to echo in her heart. She felt that each step she took was leading her into something dark, something hidden within the academy itself.
As time passed, Saki began to feel something else, something bigger than the whispers themselves. There was a strange sense of being in a place she shouldn't be, as if the academy concealed deep secrets beneath its surface, and any attempt to explore them might reveal something she wasn't ready to face.
Yet, she didn't stop. Her steps led her into the unknown, and with each whisper, she was taken further from the safety of the familiar.
The whispers led her through the dark hallways of the base, moving from wall to wall, seeping through the corners of the space as if they knew the path she needed to take. Saki followed the steps cautiously, her heart pounding, but she couldn't resist the feeling that pushed her to continue. The further she went, the clearer the whispers became, as if they knew exactly where she should go.
The hallways were desolate, their stone walls echoing with the sound of her lone footsteps. Silence enveloped the place, except for the strange sound that accompanied her. She turned around several times, certain that no one was watching her, but those whispers, traveling from place to place, kept urging her forward relentlessly, as if demanding that she continue.
Finally, after what seemed like several long minutes of walking, she stopped in front of a massive door made of solid iron, hidden from view, concealing something mysterious behind it. The doors were underground, surrounded by narrow, dark corridors, as if this part of the base had been neglected, far from prying eyes.
The whispers, emanating from behind the door, were now clearer, as if calling to her directly: Open me, come in... You are here for something greater. The voice was faint, but clear in her mind, and she had a deep sense that she had reached a place she wasn't supposed to be, but it held a mysterious promise.
Saki touched the iron door with her hand, feeling its coldness beneath her fingers. A long moment passed before she decided to push it. It felt as though the world around her froze at that instant. Yet, she pushed slowly, and the door creaked open, as if the distance she had walked in the dark hallways mirrored an irreversible decision.
The whispers grew louder, no longer just sounds but becoming a presence, an aura enveloping the place. Behind the door, darkness swallowed everything, but it wasn't empty. The air felt thick. She didn't dare to move further, but she could feel something in the shadows, something waiting for her.