Lina punched another reflection. It shattered into black dust.
The monsters were scared of her. She was a blank page. They could not copy a blank page. They could not steal a face that was not there. She cleared a path through the sea of pale bodies.
"Keep moving!" she yelled to her friends.
But then, the cold water rose higher.
It was not just the monsters. The black lake water was flooding the chapel. It came up through the cracks in the stone floor. It was freezing. It smelled like dead fish and old mud.
"The water!" Mira cried. The dark water touched her shoe, and she gasped. It was so cold it burned.
They had to move back. They ran toward the back of the chapel, away from the broken doors. The water was rising fast. It covered the floor. It swirled around their ankles, then their knees.
Kai stumbled. The water was making his legs heavy. Lina caught him and pulled him forward.
They reached the back wall. There was a large stone altar. The black water was splashing against it.
"We are trapped!" Seren cried. Behind them, the reflections were swimming in the dark water. Their pale hands reached up, trying to grab their clothes.
Nia pushed her hands against the stone altar. Her blue magic flared. "There is a hollow space behind this!" she yelled.
She pushed hard. The heavy stone altar slid to the side with a loud grinding noise. A dark, narrow staircase was revealed. Dry, dusty air blew out from the hole.
"Go!" Lina ordered.
She pushed her friends up the stairs. The black water was up to their waists now. It was so cold Lina could not feel her legs. The reflections were swimming right behind them, their empty eyes locked on Kai.
Lina was the last one up the stairs. She grabbed the edge of the stone hole and pulled herself up just as a pale hand grabbed her ankle.
Kai grabbed her arm and pulled her the rest of the way. He kicked the heavy stone door shut. It slammed closed with a loud thud. The sound of the water and the monsters became quiet.
They lay on the floor, gasping for air. They were soaking wet and freezing.
Lina sat up and looked around.
This was not just a small closet. It was a huge, fancy room. There were thick red curtains on the walls. There was a massive wooden desk covered in old papers. The air smelled like dry wood and old secrets.
"Where are we?" Seren whispered. She hugged her knees to stay warm.
Kai sat up slowly. He looked at the giant desk. He looked at the old, painted portraits hanging on the walls. They were pictures of the first teachers.
"This is the Founder's private room," Kai said. His voice was full of awe. "No student has been in here for a hundred years."
Lina stood up. Her wet clothes clung to her skin. She walked over to the massive wooden desk.
They had escaped the water. They had escaped the monsters. But they were now in the most forbidden place in the entire academy.
And the Founder had left his secrets right here on the desk.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
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Next Chapter Summary for Chapter 130: Trapped in the Founder's private chambers, Lina finds a hidden journal that reveals the terrifying truth about the academy's first students, while Kai's glass curse begins to return.