The silence didn't last long.
It never did.
The moment Luna said "restricted"—
Something shifted.
Not outside.
Inside.
My mind wouldn't let it go.
"…Restricted by who?" I asked.
Luna didn't answer immediately.
Of course.
Kiara glanced at her.
"Careful," she muttered.
That—
That right there—
Confirmed it.
"You do know," I said.
Luna's gaze returned to me.
Sharp.
Measured.
"…Yes."
My chest tightened.
"Then say it."
A pause.
Then—
"There are rules."
I blinked.
"…Rules?"
"For what you can know," she said.
"And what you can't."
"That sounds insane."
"It is."
"Then why follow them?"
"Because breaking them has consequences."
"Like what?"
Silence.
Again.
I let out a breath.
"Of course."
Kiara leaned forward slightly.
"This isn't some school rule you can ignore," she said.
"This is… different."
"How different?"
"You don't want to find out the hard way."
"That's not very reassuring."
"It's not meant to be."
Of course.
Same answer.
Different person.
I rubbed my forehead.
Trying to think.
Trying to connect everything.
"Does Meera know these 'rules'?" I asked.
That—
Got a reaction.
A small one.
But enough.
"…She shouldn't," Luna said.
"But she does."
"Yes."
"That means something's wrong, right?"
"…Yes."
Kiara exhaled.
"Understatement of the year."
I looked between them.
"So now what?"
"We proceed carefully," Luna said.
"That's your answer for everything."
"And it's still the correct one."
I didn't reply.
Because arguing wasn't getting me anywhere.
"…Tell me at least one thing," I said.
"One thing you're not hiding."
Luna held my gaze.
For a few seconds—
She didn't speak.
Then—
"The door you saw…"
My body tensed.
"…What about it?"
"It's not just a vision."
I froze.
"…Meaning?"
"It exists."
Silence.
Heavy.
Cold silence.
"…Where?" I asked.
A pause.
Then—
"Not here."
"That doesn't help."
"It's not supposed to."
I clenched my jaw.
"Can you say anything that actually helps?"
"Yes."
"Then do it."
Another pause.
Then—
"If it opens completely…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"…it won't just affect you."
My stomach dropped.
"…What do you mean?"
"It means," Kiara said quietly,
"it won't stop at you."
That—
That changed things.
A lot.
"…So this isn't just my problem," I said.
"No," Luna replied.
"It never was."
Silence.
I leaned back slightly.
Processing.
Door.
Connection.
Entities.
And now—
Consequences beyond me.
"…Great," I muttered.
"Just great."
Before either of them could reply—
Something hit.
Not physically.
But—
A sudden pressure.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Wrong.
My body froze.
"…Do you feel that?" I whispered.
Kiara's expression changed instantly.
"…Yeah."
Luna's eyes narrowed.
"It's close."
My heartbeat spiked.
"Define close."
Before she could answer—
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Stopped.
The classroom went quiet.
Too quiet.
Every student—
Frozen.
Mid-movement.
Mid-sentence.
Mid-breath.
My chest tightened.
"…Not again."
Kiara stood up slowly.
"This is bad."
"How bad?" I asked.
Luna didn't look at me.
"Stay behind us."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It's not supposed to."
Great.
Just great.
The air—
Changed.
Cold.
Heavy.
The same feeling from before.
But stronger.
Much stronger.
And then—
A sound.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Coming from the door.
My body tensed.
"…Tell me that's not what I think it is."
No one replied.
The door creaked open.
CREEEAAAK—
And something stepped inside.
Not one.
Not two.
Three.
All at once.
My breath caught.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The entities stood there.
Still.
Watching.
Their forms—
More stable now.
Less distorted.
More… present.
"That's not normal," Kiara said.
"No," Luna replied.
"They're not supposed to manifest like this."
"Yet here they are."
"Yes."
"Great."
The one in the center stepped forward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
"You learned quickly…"
Its voice echoed.
Layered.
Distorted.
My chest burned.
"…Yeah, I've been busy."
Bad joke.
Terrible timing.
It didn't react.
Of course.
"You responded…"
"I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice."
"That's debatable."
The entity tilted its head.
Studying me.
Not attacking.
Not rushing.
Just—
Observing.
Again.
"…Why are they talking?" I whispered.
"Because they can now," Luna replied.
"That's not comforting."
"It's not meant to be."
Of course.
The entity stepped closer.
"You've been told things…"
It paused.
"…But not everything."
My eyes narrowed.
"…You're one to talk."
It ignored that.
"You question them now…"
My chest tightened.
"How do you know that?"
No answer.
Just silence.
Then—
"They hide from you."
Kiara stepped forward.
"Back off."
The entity didn't move.
Didn't even look at her.
"They fear what you are becoming."
Luna's expression hardened.
"That's enough."
For the first time—
The entity turned.
Looked at her.
"You already know…"
It said quietly.
"…what he is."
Silence.
That hit.
Hard.
I looked at Luna.
"…What is it talking about?"
She didn't answer.
Of course she didn't.
"Luna," I said.
No response.
"Luna."
Still nothing.
That silence—
That hesitation—
That was all I needed.
"…You do know," I whispered.
Kiara cursed under her breath.
"Not like this…"
The entity turned back to me.
And for the first time—
Its voice changed.
Clearer.
Sharper.
"He is not just a bridge…"
My breath stopped.
"…What?"
A pause.
Then—
"He is the key."
Everything—
Went silent.
Inside my head.
Inside my chest.
Inside everything.
"…No," I said.
"That's not—"
The entity stepped closer.
"And keys…"
It raised its hand slightly.
"…are meant to be used."
The pressure spiked.
My vision blurred.
The mark burned—
Violently.
"Back off!" Kiara snapped.
She moved instantly.
Stepping in front of me.
Energy flaring.
Luna raised her hand.
The air around her—
Shifted.
Cold.
Sharp.
Focused.
"Not here," she said.
The entity paused.
Watching.
Then—
It smiled.
That same unnatural smile.
"This is only the beginning…"
And then—
Everything snapped.
The lights returned.
Students moved again.
Voices resumed.
Like nothing had happened.
The entities—
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence remained.
Only for us.
I stood there.
Frozen.
Heart racing.
Mind spinning.
"…What did it mean?" I asked.
No one answered.
I looked at Luna.
Then Kiara.
"…What did it mean?"
This time—
Luna spoke.
Quiet.
Heavy.
"…It means we're out of time."