The group regrouped, nerves on edge, while the eerie remnants of the distorted tune faded from the chamber. The oppressive weight seemed to lessen, but the air remained thick with unease. Barto examined the shattered music box, its pieces scattered across the stone floor.
Dami carefully approached the pedestal, running his fingers over the ancient symbols carved into its surface. "These markings… they're different from the ones upstairs. More intricate—like a binding spell."
Ellie shuddered. "So, smashing the box didn't break the curse?"
Dami frowned. "It disrupted the manifestation, but the source of this place's power is still active. The diary mentioned that the ritual was meant to seal away a presence—but if it was done wrong, it could have unleashed it instead."
Bryan kicked a loose stone, his frustration boiling over. "So, that ghost girl—Lila—she's the one behind all this?"
Barto shook his head. "No… Lila was a victim. Whatever was summoned took her place, and now it's using her form to manipulate us."
John, still pale from his earlier possession, looked around warily. "If it's not Lila, what is it? Some kind of demon?"
Dami scanned the diary. "There's no name—just vague mentions of a forgotten entity that feeds on fear and loss. It uses shadows as puppets to manipulate memories and identities."
Sofia crossed her arms, clearly uneasy. "If it feeds on fear, then why didn't it target Barto like the rest of us?"
Ellie turned to Barto, her curiosity piqued. "Yeah… you barely react to any of this. Aren't you scared?"
Barto looked at her, his voice even. "Fear doesn't control me. It's not that I'm not scared… I just don't let it in."
Before anyone could respond, the ground rumbled, and a deep, guttural groan reverberated through the chamber. The air grew colder, and a dark mist seeped from the cracks in the stone.
Nancy backed away. "It's coming back!"
The mist pooled in the center of the room, rising into a towering figure—a mass of writhing shadows, vaguely humanoid but constantly shifting. Its eyes were hollow voids, and its mouth stretched wide, emitting a sound like grinding stone.
Bryan raised his iron rod, but Barto gestured for him to hold back. "Weapons won't work. It's not physical."
The creature's voice rumbled, layered and broken.
"Your presence… a mistake… you will join the forgotten…"
Dami gripped the diary, skimming through the final entries. "Lila wrote that the entity traps souls by replacing their memories. It makes people forget who they are, and when they lose themselves, they become part of it."
Ellie whispered, "That's why it was mimicking us—trying to replace us."
The creature's form flickered, shifting into the likeness of Sofia, but with sunken eyes and a distorted grin. "Why did you leave me here?" it hissed.
Sofia shook her head, fear creeping into her expression. "That's not me… it's trying to mess with my mind."
Barto stepped forward, staring down the entity. "You're just a parasite—feeding on fear, on memories. You're nothing without them."
The creature hissed, its form writhing like smoke caught in a whirlwind. "You deny… but fear lingers… it festers…"
Barto's gaze hardened. "You're afraid of being forgotten yourself. That's why you trap people here—so you're never alone."
The creature recoiled, the shadows around it flickering wildly. Sofia looked at Barto, realization dawning. "It doesn't just feed on fear—it fears isolation. That's why it keeps pulling people in."
Dami flipped the page. "If we confront it—make it see that it's alone, that it's nothing without its victims—it might weaken."
Barto nodded. "It's manipulating us to hold onto our memories and fears. If we reject that… it loses control."
The creature shrieked, splitting into multiple shadowy forms that resembled each of the group members, their faces twisted with pain. The replicas screamed, their cries overlapping in a cacophony.
Nancy covered her ears. "Make it stop!"
Ellie yelled back at the creature. "You're not real! You're just an echo! We're not afraid of you!"
The entity seemed to shrink, its copies dissolving into mist. Bryan joined in, his voice loud and angry. "You can't scare us! You're just some messed-up memory!"
John, gathering his courage, stepped forward. "You're alone. That's why you cling to us. But we're not your puppets."
The creature howled, the room shaking as its form broke apart, dissolving into the floor. The oppressive atmosphere lifted, and the temperature returned to normal. The last remnants of the shadow faded, leaving behind silence.
Sofia exhaled shakily. "Is it… gone?"
Dami looked around. "We confronted its biggest fear—being left behind. I think… we broke its hold."
Barto examined the remnants of the music box. "Without our fear feeding it, it had nothing to latch onto."
Suddenly, the entrance to the chamber swung open, revealing the dim light of dawn seeping through the hallway. Ellie squinted, almost in disbelief. "Did… we actually make it?"
John gave a weak laugh. "Please tell me this nightmare is over."
Barto glanced back at the pedestal, noticing something different—a small, faded photograph stuck between the cracks. He picked it up, brushing off the dust. It was a picture of Lila, smiling, surrounded by her friends—students who had long been forgotten.
Sofia leaned over his shoulder. "She just wanted to be remembered."
Barto pocketed the photo. "Let's get out of here."
The group moved cautiously back through the tunnels, climbing the ladder into the school's main hallway. The morning light felt surreal after their ordeal, and as they stepped outside, they breathed in the fresh air, relief washing over them.
Bryan glanced back at the building. "We made it out… but what if it comes back?"
Dami shook his head. "We broke its illusion. As long as we remember who we are, it can't touch us."
Ellie looked at Barto, her eyes filled with gratitude. "You saved us. Your lack of fear… it kept us grounded."
Barto gave a slight nod, his expression as stoic as ever. "Sometimes, fear's just a trick. Once you see through it, it loses power."
As they walked away from the old school, Barto couldn't help but glance back one last time. In the top window, a faint silhouette lingered—a girl in a white dress, watching them leave, her expression unreadable.