The hallway felt different now.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Lina stood still.
Her chest rising and falling slowly.
"We can't keep guessing," she said.
Ethan nodded.
"If each door shows something personal…" she continued,
"…then we need to be careful."
Ethan looked at her.
"Or we stop opening them."
Lina gave a weak laugh.
"And do what? Stay here forever?"
Silence.
Neither of them answered.
Because they both knew—
That wasn't an option.
A soft creak echoed.
Lina turned.
One of the doors—
Had opened wider.
On its own.
"…Did you touch that?" Ethan asked.
She shook her head slowly.
"No."
The darkness inside the doorway shifted.
Not like the others.
This one felt…
Different.
Colder.
Quieter.
Like it wasn't trying to trick her.
It was waiting.
"Don't," Ethan said immediately.
But Lina stepped forward.
"I think this one is mine."
Ethan grabbed her wrist.
"You don't know that."
She looked at him.
"I do."
He hesitated.
"…Then I'm coming with you."
Lina shook her head.
"No."
His grip tightened.
"I'm not letting you go in alone."
Her voice softened.
"You almost got trapped back there because of your past."
Ethan froze.
"This one…" she said quietly—
"…is about me."
Silence.
Heavy.
"Wait for me," she added.
Ethan didn't like it.
She could see it in his eyes.
But slowly—
He let go.
"…Don't take too long," he said.
Lina nodded.
Then—
Without another word—
She stepped inside.
The darkness swallowed her.
The moment she crossed the threshold—
Everything changed.
No fire.
No hallway.
Just silence.
Cold.
Still.
Lina blinked.
She was standing somewhere familiar.
Too familiar.
Her old house.
Her breath caught.
"No…"
The walls.
The furniture.
The smell.
Everything was the same.
Just like before.
Before everything changed.
A sound came from behind her.
A voice.
"Lina?"
Her heart stopped.
Slowly—
She turned.
Her mother stood there.
Smiling.
Warm.
Normal.
Not like before.
This time—
She looked real.
Tears filled Lina's eyes instantly.
"…Mom?"
Her mother stepped closer.
"You've grown so much," she said softly.
Lina's chest tightened painfully.
"I missed you."
Something inside Lina broke.
Because this—
This was what she wanted to believe.
Not the thing from before.
Not the fake.
This felt real.
Too real.
"Why are you crying?" her mother asked gently.
Lina wiped her face quickly.
"I… I thought…"
She couldn't finish.
Her mother smiled sadly.
"You thought I left you."
Lina froze.
The words hit deep.
Because they were true.
"I didn't," her mother said softly.
"I was always here."
Lina's breathing became uneven.
"No…" she whispered.
Something felt wrong.
Again.
Her mother stepped closer.
Too close.
"Come here," she said, opening her arms.
Lina hesitated.
Her heart pulling her forward.
Her mind pulling her back.
"You're tired," her mother continued.
"You don't have to fight anymore."
Lina's vision blurred.
"…Stay with me."
Silence.
Then—
Lina took a step back.
"No."
Her mother's smile didn't change.
But her eyes did.
"You don't mean that."
Lina shook her head.
Tears falling.
"I do."
Her voice trembled—
But didn't break.
"You left me," Lina said.
The air shifted.
Her mother's expression flickered.
Just for a second.
"I had to," she said softly.
"No," Lina whispered.
"You chose to."
Silence.
The warmth in the room disappeared.
The smile—
Broke.
"You're ungrateful."
The voice changed.
Colder.
Sharper.
"You needed me," it continued.
"And I wasn't there."
Lina clenched her fists.
"Yes," she said.
Her voice shook—
But she didn't stop.
"And it hurt."
The walls trembled slightly.
"But I'm still here."
The figure glitched.
"And I don't need you to survive."
A loud crack echoed.
The illusion shattered.
The "mother" screamed—
Distorting—
Breaking—
"YOU BELONG HERE!"
Lina shouted back—
"NO, I DON'T!"
Everything exploded into darkness.
And then—
She fell.
Hard.
Back into the hallway.
Ethan rushed to her immediately.
"Lina!"
She gasped for air.
Shaking.
But alive.
"…I'm okay," she whispered.
Ethan helped her up.
"What did you see?"
Lina looked at the doors.
Then back at him.
"…The truth."
The hallway creaked.
And this time—
The doors didn't just wait.
They began to open.
One by one.