Seren sat on the cold floor of the dorm room. She had her hands pressed hard over her ears. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears leaked from the corners.
Lina rushed to her side and knelt down. "Seren, what is it? What is wrong?"
Seren gasped for air. Her whole body was shaking. "It is too loud," she whispered. "The voices are too loud."
Seren's power was Echo Borrowing. She was supposed to hear the final words of the dead. It was a heavy gift, but it had rules. The dead stayed in the past.
But lately, the rules were breaking.
"Who is it?" Lina asked gently, placing a hand on Seren's trembling shoulder.
Seren opened her eyes. They were wide with pure terror. "It is Elias," she cried. "Elias from the third-year class."
Mira looked up from her bed. Her face was pale. "But Elias is alive. I saw him eating breakfast in the dining hall this morning."
"I know," Seren sobbed. "But I can hear his final words right now. He is crying. He says, 'The walls are closing in. I did not mean to see the door.' He is going to die, Lina. And I can hear it happening."
Lina felt a cold knot form in her stomach. The future was bleeding into the present. Seren was not hearing a ghost. She was hearing a death that had not happened yet.
"I have to find him," Lina said, standing up. "I have to warn him."
Lina left the dorms and walked quickly toward the third-year wing. The academy halls were quiet, but the air felt heavy. The sticky illusions from Reyon's magic still lingered in the corners, making the shadows look like they were breathing.
As Lina turned a corner near the old greenhouse, she stopped.
Three students were huddled in the deep shadows of an alcove. They were not wearing their academy uniforms properly. Their ties were loose, and they looked exhausted and scared.
Lina hid behind a stone pillar and watched them.
One of them, a tall girl with short, dark hair, was holding a crumpled piece of paper. "The Founder's book is gone," the girl whispered. "Someone took it from the moving room last night."
Lina's breath caught in her throat. They knew about the moving room.
"We have to be careful," a boy next to her said. His voice was barely a whisper. "The replacements are getting better. My roommate... he is not my roommate anymore. He stands too still. He does not blink enough."
Lina stepped out from the shadows. She could not hide anymore. "You know about the replacements?" she asked.
The three students jumped. The tall girl stepped forward, blocking the other two. She looked at Lina with sharp, tired eyes. There was no fear in her gaze, only deep exhaustion.
"We know the academy is a cage," the girl said quietly. "And we know the thing underneath the stone is waking up. We are the ones who try to keep the locks from breaking."
Lina stared at them. For the first time since the Mirror Door closed, she did not feel completely alone. There were others who saw the truth.
"My name is Nia," the girl said. She looked up at the ceiling, where the glowing numbers hung in the air. "And we need your help, Lina. Before the countdown reaches zero."
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
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Next Chapter Summary for Chapter 107: Lina and Nia form a fragile alliance to save Elias before his predicted death, but the False Kai is already one step ahead, waiting for them in the greenhouse.