The corridor was unusually quiet.
Most students had already begun preparing for the resumption of classes. Footsteps were rare, voices even rarer.
Keris walked down the hallway slowly until he stopped outside Luther's room.
A brief message from Principal Adrian earlier in the day replayed in his mind.
Luther is one of the students who cancelled his counselling session. Confront him. See if there's any specific reason… or if it was just general hesitation.
Don't tell him I sent you.
Keris raised his hand and knocked.
A few seconds later the door opened.
Luther stood there, slightly surprised.
"You here?" Luther asked.
Keris stepped inside without hesitation.
Luther's desk was covered with books and notes.
"Just a little revision," Luther said casually. "Classes are about to resume."
Keris glanced at the open pages before nodding.
"Hm."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Then Keris spoke.
"You noticed anything?"
Luther looked confused.
"As I told you earlier," Keris continued calmly, "observe people around you. Anything unusual?"
Luther thought for a second before shaking his head.
"Nothing really. I didn't pay much attention these last few days."
Keris watched him carefully.
"Hm."
He leaned lightly against the desk.
"You enrolled for the individual counselling session too… didn't you?"
Luther's expression shifted almost imperceptibly.
"Yes," he said after a moment. "But I cancelled."
Keris' gaze stayed fixed on him.
"Why?"
Luther looked away, his eyes briefly drifting toward the window.
"I didn't find it useful," he replied.
Keris didn't respond immediately.
"Or," he said quietly, "there's something else?"
Luther's shoulders stiffened slightly.
"No. It's nothing like that."
"You can tell me if there's a problem," Keris added. "I might be able to help."
Luther shook his head again.
"It's just… I didn't want to go through everything again."
"Past events," he continued after a pause. "Reliving them… didn't feel necessary."
Keris studied his face for a moment longer.
Then he nodded once.
"Hm. Alright."
The conversation ended there.
Keris reached the door, then paused.
"Luther."
Luther looked up.
"If something is bothering you… hiding it usually makes things worse."
Luther forced a small smile.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Keris studied him for a second longer before finally leaving.
He wasn't completely convinced.
But nothing in Luther's answers had directly contradicted itself either.
For now, he decided not to push further.
After Keris leaves, Luther stands still for a few seconds.
The room becomes quiet.
He walks to the door and locks it.
Then he takes out his phone.
There is a bank notification message still visible.
₹49,999 credited.
Luther stares at it.
He hesitates… then deletes the notification.
But before putting the phone away, he opens a chat conversation.
The last message:
> "Remember what you agreed to. No counselling."
Luther's jaw tightens.
He closes the chat.
---
At parking area --
Marcus was present inside car wating for Leon and Ethan ..
At the parking area, Marcus waited inside the car for Leon and Ethan.
The quiet moment allowed his mind to wander back to the counselling day.
Marcus is standing in the counselling corridor.
He watches the students waiting.
One detail catches his attention.
Several students check their phones almost at the same time.
Almost like they're expecting something.
Marcus quietly observes.
He notices one student quickly turning their phone screen away.
Marcus says nothing.
But his gaze sharpens.
This builds the idea that something coordinated is happening.
Now in present --
Marcus ( thinking ) : Is it connected to that sealed store wing ..
Or with Eden or there is something else ..
---
Meanwhile, inside Principal Adrian's cabin—
Raymond, Lucas, and Professor Finch stood across the desk.
Adrian remained seated, hands folded calmly in front of him.
"Eden's father is leaving the campus in the next two hours," Adrian said.
Lucas frowned slightly.
"And Eden?"
"He chose to stay."
Adrian's tone remained steady.
"That means his safety is now Hillcrest's responsibility."
Professor Finch adjusted his glasses.
"What do you plan to do, sir?"
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair.
"I'm relocating Eden to Room Five."
The room went silent.
Raymond and Lucas exchanged a quick glance.
Professor Finch frowned.
Adrian continued as if he had already anticipated their reaction.
"Lucas. You and the others pass through that corridor frequently. Monitoring the area will be easier."
Lucas nodded slowly.
Adrian's voice remained calm but firm.
"I don't want Eden suffering silently again… or attempting something reckless."
Professor Finch hesitated before speaking.
"Sir… do we know why Eden tried to jump?"
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
A brief silence followed.
"But it's my responsibility to make sure it doesn't happen again."
He looked at all three of them.
"One more thing."
"No one in Hillcrest will treat Eden differently."
"No questions. No forced confrontations."
"If he speaks, he speaks on his own terms."
Raymond and Lucas nodded immediately.
Professor Finch didn't look entirely satisfied, but he said nothing.
Adrian gestured toward the door.
"You may leave."
The three of them exited the cabin.
The room returned to silence.
---
Somewhere at hostel
Eden sat alone in his room.
The suitcase near the bed was still open.
His father had left only a short while ago.
The room felt unusually quiet.
A staff member had just informed him about the relocation.
Room Five.
Eden stared at the wall for several seconds.
His fingers slowly tightened around the bedsheet.
He wasn't sure what felt heavier.
His father leaving.
Or the thought of returning to normal routines.
Outside the window, students walked across the courtyard.
Life on campus continued as if nothing had happened.
Eden lowered his gaze.
For a brief moment, the memory of the rooftop flashed through his mind.
The cold wind.
The empty space below.
He shut his eyes tightly.
Then exhaled slowly.
Someone had moved his bag near the door already.
Eden stood up.
He looked around the room one last time.
Then quietly picked up the bag.
As Eden picked up the bag, his phone vibrated once on the table.
He looked at the screen.
A message from the hostel office.
Room relocation confirmed – Room 05.
Eden stared at the message for a moment before silently turning the screen off.
No resistance.
No protest.
Just quiet compliance.
But somewhere in his expression remained something fragile.
Something not yet healed.
---
At Principal cabin
Adrian's phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
Dr. Vale.
Adrian opened the message.
Bro. I found something that might help you.
Adrian replied.
Tell me.
A moment later another message appeared.
Students who cancelled their counselling sessions…
Some of them received monetary transfers.
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.
How much?
49,999.
Adrian typed again.
Each of them?
Seems like it. Verification still ongoing.
Source account?
Team is tracking it. Should know within a few hours.
Adrian replied with a short response.
Hm.
Vale went offline.
Adrian placed the phone on the desk.
His gaze drifted toward the window as he thought.
Monetary benefit…
What exactly do they gain by stopping students from attending counselling?
Adrian looks again at the amount.
₹49,999.
Not ₹50,000.
He immediately understands.
Transfers below ₹50,000 often avoid certain banking alerts.
Which means the sender knew exactly what they were doing.
This isn't random bribery.
It's calculated manipulation.
Adrian's expression becomes colder.
Someone is operating inside Hillcrest.
And they're careful.
After a moment, Adrian turned toward the wall monitor.
He activated the surveillance feed.
The camera outside the counselling room appeared on the screen.
Students sat along the corridor.
Some looked excited.
Some nervous.
Some uneasy.
Keris was there as well, fingers interlocked as he waited.
Marcus stood a short distance away, silently observing everything instead of sitting.
Samuel flipped through a register while calling the next student.
Everything looked… normal.
Almost too normal.
Adrian continued watching.
Then his gaze settled on one particular student.
Harry.
Harry was using his cellphone.
Harry types something quickly.
Then his phone buzzes.
He reads the message.
His expression changes.
He looks toward the counselling room door.
Then slowly stands up.
Instead of entering the session queue…
He walks toward the washroom corridor.
Adrian watches the screen carefully.
Harry stops near the corner.
He checks both sides of the corridor.
Then sends another message.
Adrian narrows his eyes.
That movement didn't look random.
Adrian zoomed the camera on phone screen .
The phone screen wasn't visible.
But the device blinked repeatedly with incoming notifications.
Harry typed again.
Paused.
Looked around the corridor briefly.
Then returned to the screen.
Adrian watched the feed in silence.
The camera shows Harry typing on his phone.
Adrian's eyes narrow slightly.
And then the narrative shifts briefly to a memory from two days earlier.
Scene concept
Adrian had already received Harry's name from Dr. Vale earlier.
So he decided to verify something himself.
Two days ago—
Adrian stood outside a small house on the edge of a rural village.
The land around it was dry farmland.
An elderly man opened the door.
Harry's father.
Adrian introduced himself simply as a staff member from Hillcrest.
The man immediately welcomed him inside.
The house was modest.
A few farming tools leaned against the wall.
During the conversation, Adrian casually asked about Harry.
His father smiled with quiet pride.
> "He studies very hard there."
Then the man added something that caught Adrian's attention.
> "He even started working part-time recently."
Adrian looked up slightly.
"Part-time?"
"Yes," the man replied.
"Harry said he didn't want us worrying about expenses."
The man walked to a small wooden drawer and pulled out a bank receipt.
> "He sends money home sometimes."
Adrian looked at the amount transferred.
Not large.
But regular.
The father's voice carried pride.
> "He says Hillcrest gave him many opportunities."
Adrian nodded politely.
But internally, the detail settled somewhere deeper.
Hillcrest students were not allowed to take outside part-time work during term.
Which meant one of two things.
Harry was lying.
Or someone was paying him quietly.
The memory fades.
And the scene returns to the surveillance monitor.
Harry typing on his phone.
Adrian watches silently.
The earlier conversation with Harry's father now fits differently.
--
At corridor..
Eden reached the corridor of Room 05.
Most of the hallway lights were dim.
His suitcase wheels made a soft sound against the floor.
When he stopped in front of the door, something caught his attention.
A small folded paper had been slipped under the door.
Eden frowned slightly.
He bent down and picked it up.
For a moment he hesitated.
Then he unfolded it.
Three words were written in black ink.
"You shouldn't have survived."
Eden's fingers froze.
The corridor remained completely silent.