They kept moving.
No time to rest.
Every corridor now felt connected, like the school was slowly folding itself into a single direction.
For them.
Eryx finally stopped near a wall.
Breathing heavily.
Something was wrong.
He felt it before he saw it.
Mira noticed his stare. "What?"
He pointed.
The wall.
Names.
Hundreds of them.
Carved into the surface like records.
Some faded.
Some scratched out.
Some glowing faintly red.
And then he saw it.
Again.
His name.
Eryx Calder.
But this time—
It wasn't alone.
Below it:
STATUS: ACTIVE UNIT
Eryx stepped back slowly. "What does that mean?"
Mira looked at it.
Her expression changed.
For the first time.
Confusion.
Not knowledge.
Jaxon arrived behind them.
Saw the wall.
And went silent.
"That's not supposed to be visible yet," he said.
Eryx turned sharply. "Yet?!"
Jaxon didn't answer.
Because behind them—
The corridor lights turned red again.
And something far away screamed.
Not human.
Not monster.
Something in between.