Kaito's mind raced as he stumbled out of the forbidden wing and into the main building.
The world outside seemed too bright, too normal after what he had seen.
He leaned against a wall, trying to steady his breathing. His pulse thundered in his ears.
The mirror... the figures... the whisper calling his name...
It wasn't just imagination. Something was happening. Something beyond reason.
And he needed answers.
Without thinking, his feet carried him toward the one place he knew he could find them: the school library.
The library was an old, cavernous place, far larger than it needed to be. Shelves towered overhead, casting long shadows across the worn carpet. Dust floated in the air, stirred by the hum of ancient ceiling fans.
Most students avoided it — the heavy silence was too much, and the old librarian, Miss Sato, had a reputation for being cold and strange.
But today, Kaito was desperate enough to seek her out.
He found her seated behind the front desk, reading a thick, leather-bound book. Her glasses perched low on her nose, and her silver hair was pulled into a tight bun.
Miss Sato looked up as he approached, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly.
"Yes?" she asked, her voice thin but firm.
"I... I need help," Kaito said, struggling to find the right words. "I'm looking for information about... the old wing. And the mirror."
At the mention of the mirror, something flickered in her eyes — a flash of recognition quickly masked by a frown.
"You shouldn't be asking about things best left forgotten," she said, closing her book with a heavy thud.
"I have to," Kaito insisted. "My friends — they're missing. No one remembers them except me. I saw something... in the mirror."
Miss Sato studied him for a long moment, then sighed heavily, as if the weight of some ancient burden pressed down on her shoulders.
"Follow me," she said at last, rising slowly from her chair.
She led him deep into the library, past rows of bookshelves, to a door hidden behind a tapestry. Pulling it aside, she revealed a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
"Down there," she said. "And be careful. Some knowledge has a price."
Kaito hesitated, but the thought of Airi, of all his missing friends, propelled him forward.
The stairs creaked under his weight as he descended. At the bottom was a small, hidden room lined with ancient tomes and scrolls. The air was musty, thick with the scent of old paper and secrets.
Miss Sato joined him, moving with surprising grace. She lit a single lantern, casting a flickering light across the room.
"In the early days of this city," she began, her voice low, "there was a school built on this land — not the one you know now, but an older, darker place."
Kaito listened intently, every word sinking into him.
"It was a place of learning," Miss Sato continued, "but also of experiments. The founders sought to unlock the mysteries of the soul, to connect with other worlds. They created... artifacts. Objects with power. The mirror you saw is one of them."
She moved to a dusty shelf and pulled out a worn book, opening it to a page depicting a tall, cracked mirror surrounded by strange symbols.
"It was called the Glass of Echoes," she said. "It doesn't just reflect your image — it reflects your spirit. And if you are vulnerable, if your heart wavers, it can pull part of you inside."
Kaito shivered.
"That's what happened to them, isn't it?" he said. "Airi, Riku, Daichi... they were pulled into the mirror."
Miss Sato nodded gravely.
"But why doesn't anyone else remember them?" he asked.
"Because once the mirror claims someone," she said, "it erases all traces of them from the living world. It's as if they never existed. Only those who are connected to them by deep bonds can retain fragments of memory."
Kaito clenched his fists.
He wouldn't let this happen. He couldn't.
"How do I get them back?" he demanded.
Miss Sato hesitated, then handed him a small, silver pendant engraved with a strange, swirling symbol.
"This will allow you to enter the mirror's realm," she said. "But be warned: time flows differently there. And the longer you stay, the harder it will be to return."
Kaito took the pendant, feeling its cold weight in his hand.
"What do I have to do once I'm inside?" he asked.
"Find their echoes," Miss Sato said. "And guide them back. But beware... the mirror does not give up its prizes easily. It will twist your memories, turn your fears against you. Trust your heart, not your eyes."
Kaito nodded, determination hardening inside him like steel.
He would find them.
No matter what it took.
Miss Sato placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes unexpectedly kind.
"One more thing," she said. "You must not look too long into your own reflection. If you do... you may forget who you are."
The weight of her words settled heavily on him.
Kaito tucked the pendant into his pocket and turned to leave.
As he climbed the stairs back into the library, he felt the first stirrings of hope.
The path ahead was dangerous, but at least now he wasn't stumbling blindly in the dark.
He had a way forward.
And he would not stop until his friends were free.