The forgotten west wing of the academy was covered in thick gray dust. The air smelled like old paper and dry wood. Lina, Mira, Seren, and Nia walked slowly down the narrow hallway.
They were looking for the Room of Echoes. According to Nia's map, it was hidden somewhere in this dead-end corridor.
Suddenly, Seren stopped walking. She pressed both hands against her ears. Her face turned pale, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Seren?" Lina asked, stepping closer. "What is it? Are you hearing a future death again?"
Seren shook her head quickly. "No. It is not a death. It is... a song. A humming sound. It is so loud, Lina. It is pulling at my head."
Seren's power was Echo Borrowing. It was supposed to only hear the dead. But lately, the rules were broken. Her magic was glitching. She was hearing things that were not there.
"Where is it coming from?" Nia whispered. She kept her eyes on the dark corners of the hall, watching for the False Kai.
Seren pointed a shaking finger at the very end of the hallway. There was nothing there but a blank, solid stone wall. "Right there," Seren gasped. "Behind the stone. The humming is so loud. It wants us to open it."
Lina walked to the blank wall. She reached out and touched the cold stone. But as her fingers brushed the surface, she felt something strange.
The stone was warm.
"That is wrong," Lina whispered. "Stone should be cold."
She pressed her hands flat against the wall and pushed. At first, nothing happened. Then, she felt a small seam in the rock. She pushed harder.
With a soft grinding noise, a hidden wooden door swung inward.
The girls stepped inside. The room was small and round. There were no windows. The walls were lined with empty glass shelves. In the center of the room, there was a single wooden stool.
And sitting on the stool was the False Kai.
Lina's breath caught in her throat. She tried to step back, but the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind them. A loud click echoed in the small room. The lock was engaged.
The False Kai did not look surprised. He was holding a small, silver cloth, gently polishing a glass jar. He looked up and gave them that same empty, perfect smile.
"You found it," he said. His voice was smooth and polite.
"You set a trap," Nia said. She raised her hands, and her magic began to glow with a bright blue light. "You used Seren's power against her."
The False Kai tilted his head. The movement was too smooth. "I did not use her power. I just gave her power something to listen to. Her mind is already breaking, Nia. It was very easy to feed it a fake echo."
He set the glass jar down on the floor. He stood up and brushed off his perfectly clean uniform.
"You are looking for the key to the Founder's cage," the False Kai said softly. "You think if you find the silver pin, you can lock the water away forever."
"Where is it?" Lina asked. Her voice shook, but she kept her chin up.
The False Kai smiled wider. It looked too big for his face.
"The Room of Echoes is not a place, Lina," he whispered. "It is a state of mind. And you just walked right into mine."
He took a step toward them. The glass jars on the shelves began to rattle.
"Now," the False Kai said, his dead eyes locking onto Lina. "Let us see how much of your mind I can take before the countdown reaches zero."
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
All rights reserved.
Thanks for joining me on this journey today! If you liked this chapter, please consider dropping a Power Stone or leaving a review. It really helps the novel grow, and I appreciate every bit of your support. Happy reading!
Next Chapter Summary for Chapter 117: Trapped in the Room of Echoes, Lina and her friends must face the False Kai's twisted game, but Nia's magic reveals a shocking weakness in the boy's perfect mask.