The underground basement had become completely silent again after the mysterious teacher disappeared.
Only the faint sound of cold wind moving through the dark underground halls could be heard now.
Daniel, Mary, and David carefully moved deeper inside the basement while holding the old files they had found earlier.
None of them spoke much.
The atmosphere itself felt wrong.
Every wall was covered with strange black symbols.
Broken chains hung from ceilings.
Old experiment tables were scattered everywhere.
And the deeper they walked—
the heavier the pressure became.
Mary quietly walked beside Daniel while occasionally glancing toward him.
Ever since he lost control earlier—
she could not calm herself completely.
The black energy surrounding him…
the way Thrones reacted…
it scared her deeply.
Not because she feared Daniel.
But because she feared losing him.
She feared that one day—
Daniel himself might disappear behind that darkness.
Daniel noticed her staring slightly.
"You okay?"
Mary quickly looked away.
"…Yeah."
But even Daniel understood she was worried.
Still—
he said nothing.
Because honestly—
he himself was scared too.
Meanwhile, David carefully searched through another pile of old papers while walking.
"These files are insane…"
Daniel looked toward him.
"What did you find now?"
David frowned slightly.
"Different students…"
"Different years…"
"Some disappeared during academy exams…"
"Some during training…"
Mary's expression slowly darkened.
"So all this has been happening for years…"
David nodded quietly.
"And teachers hid everything."
Suddenly—
Daniel stopped walking.
"There."
Ahead of them—
a massive iron door could be seen at the end of the corridor.
Unlike the other rooms, this door looked much heavier.
Large chains wrapped around it tightly.
Several strange symbols were carved into its surface.
Mary frowned.
"This definitely wasn't made to keep students out."
David slowly stepped closer.
"…Or to keep something inside."
Silence filled the corridor.
The three exchanged nervous looks.
Then Daniel grabbed the chains carefully.
"Help me."
David immediately joined him while Mary checked the symbols around the lock.
The chains were unbelievably heavy.
Almost unnatural.
After several difficult minutes—
CRACK.
One chain finally broke apart.
Dust filled the air instantly.
The old door slowly creaked open.
And the moment it opened—
a horrible coldness spread through the hallway.
Mary immediately covered her mouth slightly.
The room inside looked terrifying.
Dark walls.
Chains everywhere.
Scratches covering the floor.
And in the center of the room—
someone was sitting there.
Chained tightly.
A student.
But he barely even looked human anymore.
Long messy hair covered most of his pale face.
His hands were badly injured.
Marks and wounds covered his arms like he had been tortured repeatedly.
And his eyes—
completely broken.
The boy slowly lifted his head toward them.
The chains around him moved softly.
Daniel carefully stepped closer.
"Hey…"
The student suddenly grabbed Daniel's arm weakly.
His cold fingers trembled violently.
Then he whispered:
"Don't let her wake up…"
His voice sounded dry and broken.
"If she wakes up…"
"…everyone will die."
Mary felt chills run through her body instantly.
David slowly looked around the room.
"What did they even do to him…?"
The student suddenly started breathing heavily again.
"She's coming…"
"She's almost awake…"
Then he lowered his head again weakly.
Like all strength had disappeared from his body.
Mary quietly knelt beside him.
"It's okay."
"We won't hurt you."
The boy flinched slightly at her voice.
Like he was not used to kindness anymore.
Daniel clenched his fists silently.
Whoever created this place—
they had destroyed countless lives.
While Mary tried calming the chained student, David started searching the room carefully.
Old papers covered several shelves nearby.
Most were damaged.
But one file looked different.
Older.
Dustier.
Almost hidden intentionally.
David slowly picked it up.
The cover immediately made his expression freeze.
SUBJECT: PERFECT VESSEL CANDIDATE
David frowned immediately.
"What the…"
He slowly opened the file.
And the moment he saw the name written inside—
his blood ran cold.
Daniel Williams.
David's eyes widened instantly.
Several pages followed underneath:
compatibility reports
energy synchronization
instability risks
And repeatedly—
one sentence appeared.
"Most compatible candidate discovered."
David immediately closed the file.
His breathing became uneven.
"How…"
This file looked old.
Very old.
Then how was Daniel's name written here?
And what exactly was a "Perfect Vessel"?
David slowly looked toward Daniel.
Daniel was still helping the chained student while Mary stayed beside him.
Neither of them noticed the file yet.
David hesitated.
If he showed this now—
Daniel would completely lose himself mentally.
Especially after earlier.
So quietly—
David hid the file inside his jacket.
For now—
he decided to say nothing.
But deep inside—
fear slowly grew.
Because now he understood one terrifying thing.
Daniel was connected to this place far more deeply than any of them imagined.
Meanwhile, Mary carefully watched Daniel silently.
Even now—
small traces of black energy occasionally flickered around Thrones.
Very faintly.
Almost invisible.
But Mary noticed.
And it terrified her.
Every day Daniel was losing control more often.
Every day Thrones became more unstable.
And now—
this basement somehow knew him already.
Mary lowered her eyes quietly.
"What are they trying to turn you into…?"
Daniel looked toward her.
"What?"
Mary quickly shook her head.
"Nothing."
But she could not hide the fear in her voice fully.
Daniel noticed it.
Yet before he could ask anything—
the chained student suddenly spoke again weakly.
"You can't stay here…"
"They'll come back…"
David immediately stepped forward.
"Who?"
The student trembled violently.
"The shadows…"
"They always come back…"
Daniel looked around the room seriously.
"We can't leave him here."
Mary nodded immediately.
"But where will we keep him?"
David crossed his arms while thinking quickly.
"If teachers are involved…"
"…we can't take him to the hospital."
Daniel suddenly remembered something.
"There's one place."
Both looked toward him.
"The old underground training room near the western wing."
Mary blinked slightly.
"The abandoned one?"
Daniel nodded.
"Nobody goes there anymore."
David slowly agreed.
"That might actually work."
The problem now was much harder.
How were they supposed to secretly move a chained, traumatized student through the academy at night—
without getting caught?
And far away inside the darkness of the basement corridor—
someone silently watched them again.