The academy was dripping. Every wall wept with cold, black condensation. The basement flood was stopped, but the dampness was everywhere.
Lina wiped her wet hands on her uniform. "He ran away from the water," she whispered. "He will hide where it is completely dry."
Mira shivered. She rubbed her arms to stay warm. "The old indoor pool. They drained it years ago. It is the driest place in the school."
They walked quietly to the east wing. The heavy wooden doors of the old pool were locked, but Reyon's sticky illusions had warped the wood around the lock. Lina just pushed hard, and the broken frame gave way with a loud crack.
Inside, the air was stale and dusty. The large swimming pool was empty. The blue tiles were faded and cracked. There was no water at all.
At the far end, standing on the starting blocks, was the False Kai.
He looked different here. His perfect posture was slightly hunched. His hands were clenched into tight fists. He was staring at the empty pool, his chest moving up and down too fast. He looked almost stressed.
"You found me," he said. His voice did not echo. It sounded flat and dead, like it was swallowed by the dry air.
"It is over," Lina said. She stepped to the edge of the pool. "We know what you are. We know about the lake."
The False Kai slowly turned his head. His smile was back, but it was trembling at the edges. "You know nothing, Lina. You only know the stories he told you."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A loud, metallic groan echoed from the deep end. The heavy metal drain at the bottom of the empty pool suddenly popped open.
Black water shot out.
It did not look like normal water. It was thick and dark, like liquid shadows. It smelled like the deep lake. It smelled like drowning.
"Get back!" Lina yelled. She grabbed Mira and Seren and pulled them up the metal stairs to the high diving platform.
The water rose incredibly fast. It swirled around the starting blocks. It covered the shallow end. It was not just filling the pool. It was bringing the past with it.
Lina looked down into the rising black water. Her breath caught in her throat.
There were shapes moving under the surface.
She saw a boy. He had dark hair and a familiar face. It was Kai. But he was younger. He was thrashing in the water, coughing, crying for help. His hands reached up, begging to be saved.
And standing on the edge of the water in the memory, watching him drown, was another boy.
The boy on the edge had the exact same face. He did not reach out. He just watched.
"He did not just steal the face," Seren whispered, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "He watched him die. He took it while he was drowning."
The False Kai stood safely on the dry tiles near the door. The black water stopped right at the edge of his shoes, refusing to touch him.
"The water always remembers," the False Kai said softly. His smile was wide and terrible. "And now, it wants to pull you under, too."
The black water began to climb the metal ladder of the diving platform.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
All rights reserved.
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Next Chapter Summary for Chapter 114: The diving platform begins to break under the weight of the memory water, forcing Lina to make a terrible choice to save her friends from drowning in the past.