The inn attendant looked at them with pity, her eyes shimmering with a mix of concern and worries.
"You should pray to the God of Protection at the temple nearby," she advised, her voice steady yet grave. "It might be why your friends died—because you ventured into the mountains without offering your respect."
"But be warned," she added, leaning closer as if sharing a dark secret. "Enter the temple one by one."
The players sat at the long wooden table, served steaming bowls of stew, but their appetite had disappeared.
The sorrow of loss loomed large over them. Following the tragic demise of their companions, the remaining members felt a heaviness in their hearts that no amount of comfort food could lift.
As others thought began to think , who would be next to die.
Mathias, however, didn't seem to be worried especially when it comes to sleep , he will care less, as always.
As dawn broke, casting rays of golden light through the inn's windows, the seven remaining players gathered their tools. With determined hearts, they traipsed to the mountains, they had retrieve the three remaining rocks meant for completing the mystic mirror.
The journey was treacherous; they clambered over craggy paths, the air thick with tension as memories of their dead friends haunted their thoughts.
Dividing their labor, they decided to carry two rocks at a time, working swiftly but cautiously.
By evening, they had successfully gathered two stones. Exhausted, they returned to the inn, after delivering the stones, they decided to pay respect to the god of protection as told.
Approaching the temple, they found it to be an ancient structure of moss-covered stones, emanating an air of foreboding.
Sam, overwhelmed by fear, began to cry, " are we all... going to die?" he whimpered, shivering at the thought of the unknown.
Mathias took charge, reassuring him. "We'll go in per pairs not as the inn attendant said. Just stay close," he urged, grabbing Marcus's hand firmly. They stepped inside together, eyes wide with trepidation.
Inside, they was a dazzling golden statue of a man clad in silver robes, a sword gripped tightly in his hands, glaring down at them with a fierce looks.
They knelt, offered their prayers, and to their relief, emerged unharmed. Encouraged, Jack and Mary followed suit. They, too, entered the temple and left without incident.
Susan and John too decided to enter together. However, when Sam's turn came, fear consumed him. As he remembered what that inn attendant say he decided to do as she had instructed but Mathias had already began doubting the inn attendant .
"Don't follow me! I...l will go alone , she said one at a time" Sam pleaded, his voice shaky. He stepped inside, closing the heavy door behind him.
Within moments, screams echoed from the temple as Sam emerged, eyes wide with horror. "It's coming for us!" he shouted, but before he could explain.
The ghost lunged at Sam, snatching him before the others could react. Mathias and the rest tried to pull him back, but the specter was too swift, dragging Sam into the darkness of the temple.
The horror unfolded quickly: Sam had crossed a forbidden threshold , he broke the taboo, glancing back at the door, a fatal mistake as the others had rushed straight to the statue to pray.
After the night's devastation, the remaining players returned to the inn, where inn attendant met them with a sympathetic gaze but no words could mend the broken spirit of the group. They took their meals in silence, each grappling with the losses they'd faced.
As the third day dawned, hope flickered back to life. But John had started hallucinating , as he keeps on seeing Susan as a dead person , to him Susan was a ghost. That made him unstable.
With renewed determination, they ventured back into the mountains, gathering the last rock needed for the mirror.
"We've done as you asked," Mathias declared, presenting the last rock to the mirror man.
They went back but then John started chasing Susan with an axe, calling her a ghost. Jack tried to hold him back several times and was also fed up.
Luckily they had reached the inn already, the inn attendant was standing at the door, Susan relieved, ran to hid behind the inn attendant but then she whispered to her, " go hide in the pool, that's where l also hide when the wolves come". Without hesitation, Susan ran towards the pond, but then John slipped off Jack's hands and ran after suzan.
unfortunately, they woke the resting serpent, that swung its tail immediately these two looked down , they were pulled inside , leading them to their graves.
Three days elapsed, the mirror was ready, slowly they Carried it to the patriarch's home.
The patriarch's eyes twinkled. "Your reward: this mirror will protect you on your journey home," he said gleefully, handing them a small, ornate mirror .
But a tinge of fear hung in the air as they discussed where the gate could be . The cave—where the mirror's passage exist—was , is also where game ghost resides.
With only one day remaining until the grip of the game would claim them, they trekked down to the pond where the fabled hole lay hidden.
As they carefully navigated, Marcus took the lead, determined to secure the mirror in place. Suddenly, in her haste to see the next clue, Mary accidentally bumped into Marcus, sending the mirror crashing to the ground.
Panic surged as the noise roused the serpent from its slumber, its massive form winding around the cave, eyes gleaming with hunger.
"What have you done?" Mathias shouted as they frantically searched for safety.
" Blame it on Marcus who was slow while opening the gate." Mary replied. Realizing their careless blunder had brought doom upon them.
The serpent swung its tail, causing chaos amongst the group, snagging the mirror and disappearing into the dark tunnel in the pond.
"What are we going to do?" John cried, despair etching his features as guilt and fear threatened to tear them apart. Blame and panic filled the air.