Mira followed his gaze.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Because something in his expression—
Told her she wouldn't like what she was about to see.
"What is it…?" she whispered again.
Still no answer.
Her eyes shifted.
From him—
To the wall.
And then—
She froze.
The room was normal.
White walls.
Clean.
Still.
Except—
One part wasn't.
Right above the bed.
Scratched into the paint—
Deep.
Uneven.
Desperate.
Words.
Not written.
Carved.
"THIS IS NOT THE EXIT."
Mira's breath caught.
Her chest tightened instantly.
"No…"
She shook her head.
Once.
Then again.
"No, no… this doesn't make sense…"
Her voice trembled now.
Because that sentence—
It wasn't just random.
It was a warning.
Or worse—
A memory.
He finally spoke.
Quiet.
Tense.
"Tell me we didn't just jump into another layer…"
Mira didn't answer.
Because she couldn't.
Her mind was racing.
Trying to connect everything.
The crack.
The fragments.
The hospital.
This room.
"I saw this…" she whispered.
He looked at her.
"What?"
"That place… in the crack."
Her eyes didn't leave the wall.
"I saw this room before we jumped."
Silence.
Because that meant—
This wasn't new.
This was already there.
Waiting.
A soft beep filled the room.
Mira turned.
A machine beside her bed.
Displaying her heartbeat.
Steady.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
She stared at it.
Something felt off.
Her pulse—
It wasn't matching what she felt.
Her heart was racing.
But the monitor—
Showed calm.
Her breath hitched.
"Why is it… normal?"
He stepped closer.
Looking at the screen.
"…that's not right."
Mira slowly moved her hand.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
The machine didn't react.
No change.
No fluctuation.
Like it wasn't reading her.
Like it was showing—
A preset.
Mira pulled her hand back.
Her fear rising again.
"This is fake."
Her voice was quiet.
But certain.
He looked around the room again.
Now sharper.
More aware.
"Yeah…"
A pause.
"…but not like before."
Mira nodded slowly.
"This feels…"
She searched for the word.
"Stabilized."
That was worse.
Because unstable worlds could break.
But this—
This was holding itself together.
On purpose.
A faint sound echoed from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Mira turned toward the door instantly.
"Did you hear that?"
He nodded.
"Yeah."
The footsteps stopped.
Right outside.
Silence.
Then—
A knock.
Three times.
Slow.
Even.
Mira's heart started pounding again.
"Don't open it," she whispered.
He didn't move.
Another knock.
Same rhythm.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Calm.
"Mira?"
Her entire body went still.
Because she knew that voice.
Or at least—
She felt like she should.
"Open the door," it said gently.
Her breathing became uneven.
"Who… is that?" he asked quietly.
Mira didn't answer.
Because she was listening.
Not to the voice—
But to herself.
And something inside her—
Something deep—
Was telling her—
Don't trust it.
The voice came again.
Softer this time.
Almost… familiar.
"You've been asleep for a long time."
Mira's heart dropped.
Asleep?
Her eyes widened slowly.
"No…"
Her voice barely came out.
"This isn't real…"
The handle moved slightly.
Just a small shift.
Like whoever was outside—
Was about to come in.
Mira stepped back.
Fear rising fast now.
"This is wrong…"
He moved in front of her again.
Protective.
"We don't open that door."
The voice paused.
Then—
It changed.
Not louder.
Not sharper.
But clearer.
More real.
"You're making this harder than it needs to be."
Mira froze.
Because that tone—
It wasn't artificial.
It wasn't like the system.
It was human.
And that—
Was even more dangerous.
The handle turned.
Slowly.
And this time—
It didn't stop.