Inside a large institution, young children and adults could be seen roaming around the courtyard, with some leaving through a big metal gate. As the afternoon sun waned, its rays draped the vicinity in golden light, the sky donning a reddish tone.

The chattering of people grew faint over time before dissipating into silence. Then, a loud clang broke the hushed stillness, followed by metal clattering until a soft 'click' brought an end to the sounds. It was the metal gate being locked.

A cold wind blew through the opened windows, accompanied by leaves rustling. The institution was empty and closed, the sunlight setting behind the towering structures and high-rise buildings, leaving a young girl alone with nothing but darkness.

Maria was alone.

She was confused and swallowed down her worry.

Where was she? Why was she here? Why was she alone?

There had to be a reason why she suddenly woke up in an unknown place. She closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts, trying her best to calm down in this situation.

First, she needed to know where she was.

Maria's gaze wandered around the room's surroundings, finding many student desks forming six rows along with a wide blackboard that had a noticeable smudge of white chalk. That alone was enough for Maria to quickly identify where she was.

She was in a school and was currently inside a classroom... but something was off.

There was a stinging pain coming from her left cheek and a tingling sensation on her right wrist. She was wearing a white blouse and plaid skirt, while a navy blue jacket hung from the side of a chair next to her.

Why does she feel uncomfortable? And why was she wearing a school uniform?

Looking at the green ID lanyard dangling around her neck, she was able to guess where she was. She was in her eighth-grade classroom. Maria furrowed her brows in deep thought.

"So... I'm in my old school and... currently 13 years old?" Maria muttered.

She had some questions in mind but she didn't panic. It was odd, even Maria felt like she should at least be scared, but she wasn't. She was calm as she looked out the window beside her.

No teachers were walking through the dark corridor, there wasn't any sight of her old classmates loitering nearby, nor even stray cats strolling around the premises.

The whole school was dark, only the sun setting down illuminated the area. It gave off an eerie feeling that made Maria frown but she remained calm.

Once the sun sets, it will be night soon. The feeling of being alone inside a classroom at night was scary, especially when no people were in sight. Not only that...

Tick. Tock. Tick.

The sound of a clock rang in her ears.

Tick. Tock. Tick.

A loud, annoying clock.

Tick. Tock. Tick.

The clock ticked, filling the empty silence within the classroom.

Maria decided to check her surroundings and looked underneath her desk to see a small blade sitting on top of her piled notebooks. It was a small combat knife that her uncle gifted her for her...

"14, I'm 14 years old," Maria corrected herself. She looked out the window and wondered, "Am I dreaming?"

She must be. There was no other explanation.

Then maybe if she just waited for something to happen, she would wake up. So Maria waited by her desk. She picked up the knife from her table and played with it for a bit.

Seconds passed and nothing was happening; Minutes passed and nothing; Hours passed, and still nothing. The clock over the classroom's door struck 10 P.M.

Three hours had passed since Maria waited, yet nothing.

Maria remained seated with a dissatisfied expression. She was thinking to herself when she could wake up, tapping her desk with an agitated expression.

"Come to think of it, has someone ever been conscious when dreaming?" She mumbled. "I think it was called Lucid Dreaming?"

How can you wake up from lucid dreaming?

Maria began to come up with ways to wake up when the dark room suddenly lit up with lights, causing her to shift her gaze to the front door.

A girl around her current age appeared by the door, leaning her body against the door's frame.

Maria distinguished the appearance of the young girl. It was difficult to make out the girl's face but she was able to discern the girl's physical appearance.

Her hair was dyed cedar brown, she had a messenger bag with a scribbled-up name tag, and she had an odd necklace dangling from her neck.

It was a puzzle-piece-shaped necklace, a silver kind. They were the type of necklace that came with a pair that would commonly be worn by close friends.

Despite her seemingly normal appearance, her face was anything but normal. She had no facial features; No eyes, no mouth, no brows, nothing. It was just a mosaic, a blurry mosaic, something that Maria would sometimes see when scrolling through pictures.

Right now, whoever this girl was couldn't be recognized. Maria should be afraid, but she wasn't. Sooner or later, she would wake up and forget about this dream.

"You still haven't gone home yet?" The girl asked, her voice soft and laced with a hint of ease.

Maria wanted to ask who she was, but her mouth wouldn't open. In fact, her entire body couldn't move at her will. It was as if she was in a trance after the girl had appeared.

Maria tried moving at least one finger, but even a simple action like that couldn't be done.

Without responding to her, the unknown girl could only let out a sigh and dropped her bag on a nearby desk. She walked over to Maria, each step sending a wave of tension rising through Maria's muscles.

A slight feeling of agitation rushed through Maria's body as she stared at her cautiously. The girl reached Maria's desk and sat on top of it, bending down and propping herself up with her elbows against her lap, facing the quiet and stiff girl.

Maria sensed something was wrong until she heard her speak, but what came out couldn't be understood.

"@&€#$%^&*€£#¿"

Maria felt goosebumps upon hearing her soft yet static voice.

"#$@%$. $#^@*#*#."

What is she talking about?

"@#$%&÷@×$."

Her words were all scrambled up, Maria couldn't understand a single thing. Although Maria was confused and alarmed, she kept her stoic expression and managed a small nod, pretending to understand.

The thick layer of mosaic might've hidden the young girl's face, but Maria could tell that the girl was gleeful when a giggle could be heard.

At this moment, Maria didn't know what the girl was thinking, or saying, or what face she was making right now. All she could do was just nod and listen.

"#$^!&$^##." As the girl said this, she suddenly reached her hand out.

The moment Maria felt her hand brush past her shoulder, she felt her heart pound as the sound of a door opening entered her ears. Before she could even spare a glance at the door, a burst of light blinded her.

Maria's eyes snapped open, causing her to bolt upright from her bed, gasping for air like she had just run a marathon. She looked around her bedroom, glancing in every direction with a sweaty forehead, letting out a breath with each turn.

"Hah... Hah... Ah."

No one... No one is here.

"Dreams really are... weird and vivid sometimes..."

Confused, she took a half-empty water bottle sitting across her bedside table and drank the liquid to calm herself down. The lukewarm water entered her throat and her heart gradually relaxed. Maria then opened her phone to check the time.

〚November 19, 2022. Saturday, 6:27 A.M.〛

Maria was silent, staring at her bright screen with her eyes narrowing.

That was the first time I dreamt about that person.

"Dreams are easily forgotten," Maria came up with an excuse to calm herself down. "This is my first time experiencing a lucid dream, of course it would be weird."

Maria sighed and got up from her bed, walking into her bathroom.

She pulled down the faucet handle and dipped her head in the cold running water, feeling it gently flow through her hair. Maria then turned to grab the towel hanging from the side of the sink and wrapped it around her head to dry her hair.

Maria proceeded to dry her hair while walking out of her room, passing by tall bookshelves and movie posters. She made her way downstairs but stopped when she saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the stairway.

A man around 5'8 stood by the staircase, his black hair neatly combed back and he wore a white polo shirt along with black pants. Maria wondered why the man was there, but she didn't speak and continued to walk.

She had only taken one step when the man suddenly turned his head and grinned widely at her.

"You're finally awake!"

"Don't shout, it's too early..." Maria grumbled and yawned, stepping into the first floor. "Why are you even here? Don't you have a job interview today?"

"Can't I visit my little sister once in a while?" He smiled as he said this. "After all, it's been a year since I last visited you."

Maria's older brother, Joseph, also lived in the same city as her. He was only three years older than her and was very clingy since they were younger.

Her brother had worked as a teacher for four years before suddenly quitting. He told their parents he wanted to go for an office job since he had graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer engineering.

Though Maria couldn't really understand why he suddenly quit his job, then again, wasn't she the same? She also did the same and didn't have much of a reason to explain her sudden leave.

"Do I look like someone you'd hire?" Joseph adjusted his necktie while asking.

"Probably not."

"Come on," He pouted, fixing his hair.

Maria laughed lightly and waved her hand. "I'm joking, I'm joking. You look great."

"I know I do," Joseph remarked with a smirk, receiving another laugh from her.

After looking at the mirror for the fifth time, Joseph nodded at his reflection with a smile before motioning Maria to follow him. He led his sister through the dining room and she saw two of his friends feasting on a plate of ham along with fried rice. Their expressions showed signs of satisfaction as they relished their meals.

"I didn't know your friends would be here."

"Oh yeah, I just got my driver's license yesterday. I'm supposed to be driving them to their workplace but figured I should stop by to visit."

Maria sat down in an empty seat across from one of his friends who was too busy eating to even notice her. There was a plate of fried rice mixed with hotdogs and scrambled eggs in front of her. A blue mug rested beside it with coffee poured in.

"So, have you thought of a gift for Ervin or Dylan?" Joseph suddenly asked, sitting diagonally from Maria. "I already bought one for Dylan, but I'm not sure about Ervin and Aurora though..."

"I already brought gifts for Mom and Dad, but the rest of our siblings." He looked a bit embarrassed. "I don't know what to give them and thought I could ask for some examples from you."

Although they were siblings who grew up in the same home, sometimes growing up meant drifting apart, which was the case for Joseph and his two other younger siblings.

"Ervin is fine with anything as long as it's not clothes, but I heard from him that he wants to buy toy puzzles, the challenging ones. Maybe a megamix Rubix's cube or 100-piece jigsaw puzzle should be good enough?" Maria began to give Joseph examples and what she knew while scooping rice for her plate. "Aurora on the other hand prefers to buy things that she can actually use, so I suggest gifting her some home clothes or personal care items."

Joseph nodded and took notes with his phone. Maria was eating quietly with her plate of ham when she realized Layla wasn't with them. There were six chairs and one was empty.

"Where's Layla? Is she still asleep?"

Amelie nodded and explained, "She was still awake when I went to the bathroom at 1 in the morning, so I didn't wake her up."

"She doesn't have class in the morning so it should be fine," Maria muttered to herself and bit into her egg.

The four people ate in silence; One of Joseph's friends was chewing rather boisterously, causing Joseph to feel embarrassed. His attempts to scold his friend were useless since his friend continued to chew even more loudly just to provoke him.

Maria didn't mind and let him be, though Joseph was still flustered and annoyed.

The dining room was lively, with everyone eating and conversing with one another. Joseph was quietly sorting things out with his two bickering friends while Amelie and Maria planned things out about what to do before Christmas arrived.

"You already brought gifts for everyone?" Maria asked Amelia while enjoying her coffee.

"I only brought gifts for your cousins, siblings, and parents," Amelie answered. "I don't wanna spend too much money this year."

Says the one who spent 8,000Php on groceries...

Maria sighed and continued, "What about your relatives? You didn't buy one for them?"

Upon hearing her question, Amelie's expression abruptly darkened and she cast a glance at the last ham on her plate.

"That... I did that last year, but..." Amelie's brows furrowed. "Even if I go to all the trouble to buy them gifts, I don't think they would accept them."

"Ah."

Maria realized what she meant and immediately regretted bringing Amelie's family into the topic. She had completely forgotten Amelie's situation regarding her relatives.

"You don't have to worry though!" exclaimed Amelie who was patting Maria's shoulder. trying to assure her. "It's all in the past. As long as I stay in Quezon, I can avoid unnecessary troubles this Christmas."

"Still... I shouldn't have mentioned them..." Maria muttered in a low voice.

Amelie looked at Maria and smiled, saying, "That incident happened seven years ago. My relatives can't accept some things so I should be the one to adjust. I'll just ignore them and hopefully don't run into them this year."

Maria knew what 'incident' she was referring to, but she didn't want to remind Amelie of that terrible day. Instead, she just smiled lightly and continued with their Christmas planning.

☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

The sky was bright and calm, the cold wind brushing against their faces, sending goosebumps all over their bodies. After eating and changing out of their casual clothes, Amelie and Maria began walking outside of their neighborhood.

The two walked calmly along the streets of their neighborhood. They were on their way to the mall to meet up with their two friends to hang out.

After graduating and getting jobs, it was a bit difficult to find time to hang out with her friends other than Amelie. Fortunately, it was a Saturday, and two of their friends happened to have a day off. Maria's usual shift starts in the afternoon whilst Amelie had no work on Saturday.

It's good that we have time to meet up now... I needed a break after what happened yesterday.

Still can't believe a random drunk guy threw a fit in the counter...

"I just don't get why we couldn't have taken a trike," Amelie complained.

Originally Maria thought her brother could drop them off by the mall after eating, but since his two friends' workplace was in the opposite direction of the mall, he couldn't.

Instead of taking a tricycle, Maria simply chose to walk while Amelie had no choice but to oblige.

"The mall isn't even that far," Maria told her. "Plus, I'm still not over the fact that you spent so much money on groceries. Don't forget we still have to buy gifts for the others."

Maria had to control Amelie's bad habit of spending things. What if Amelie were to wake up with her bank account empty? Imagining that situation made Maria smile wryly.

"Oh yeah, what about your bike you often use to commute with?" Maria asked. "I remembered that you own a mountain bike."

"It had a flat tire and I didn't have time to bring it to a repair shop," Amelie answered.

The two talked for a while until they entered a secluded neighborhood. It mostly had old-run-down buildings with homeless people living either on the sidewalks or in empty, unoccupied houses.

Only a handful of people were registered as 'residents' in this neighborhood. There were also some cases of thug fights and assault happening here even in broad daylight, so most people tend to be careful.

Walking silently, Amelie had an uneasy look on her face. Her eyes were fixated on the abandoned houses, causing a few homeless people and passers to avoid her strange gaze.

This didn't go unnoticed as Maria silently looked at her. Amelie would often talk about her job or time with tutoring kids. Sometimes she even mentions her mother, so why is she awfully quiet today?

It wasn't like Maria couldn't understand why she was like this, people who would rarely use this path would normally be scared. But the thing is, Amelie hardly ever gets scared. Or, at least, that's what Maria knows.

Knowing her, she's the type of person I'd come with to a haunted house, so seeing her like this is a bit unusual...

They continued to walk without speaking, making Maria slightly uncomfortable.

After what felt like an hour, Maria finally couldn't take it and asked, feeling concerned. "Are you okay?"

Amelie looked at her and gave a small smile. "Yeah, watching horror movies so late at night can mess up my head sometimes."

"But you're rarely scared of horror movies."

"The movie I watched was scarier than the normal ones." Amelie laughed awkwardly before focusing back on the sidewalk.

The movie was scarier than the normal ones? What does she mean by normal ones?

From what Maria could remember, Amelie had always dragged her to see the latest horror movies at the cinema and hardly ever looked scared. When a jump scare scene appeared, she would laugh it off as if it were funny.

Maria could only stare at her along with other people like she was insane. There was even a time she pretended not to know her for her own sake.

If someone like her gets scared by 'this' movie, imagine me watching it. I'll surely get a heart attack...

But Maria knew Amelie was lying and was using a stupid excuse to hide it, but she couldn't press her on about the reason. So, she pretended not to care and focused ahead.

They walked for another few minutes or so when Amelie came to a stop. Her eyes seemed to be focused on the dark alleyway that was a few feet away from the sidewalk they were in. Maria also had to stop and follow her gaze at the empty alley.

It was an old alleyway that was often used by drug dealers. There was a strange emotion arraying from Amelie's eyes. Maria felt bugs creeping into her body the longer she waited for her. She stood in front and was still as a statue.

Maria was a bit worried and grabbed her shoulder.

"What is it?" She whispered, looking around, wondering if Amelie noticed something strange or alarming.

"..."

"Come on, I'm not playing around here." Maria lightly shook Amelie's shoulder, hoping for some reaction or response.

Instead of an answer, Amelie suddenly shoved her bag at Maria and ran inside the dark alleyway. It caught Maria off guard that she accidentally dropped her bag, leading to cosmetic products and children's books being strewn about the concrete ground.

"Wait!"

Before her shout could even reach her, Amelie had already disappeared from her sight.

The alleyway was so dark that no sunlight ever shone from that. Cats often roam around that small space, leaving dead rodents and mice to rot. No one wanted to enter that alleyway, even if they were paid to, it was just too creepy and eerie for people to even peek through.

"Is she crazy...? Why did she run off in that alleyway?"

Maria crouched down and started picking up the children's books with a frown.

After putting back everything, she put the bag over her shoulder and resumed walking. Maria was silent as she strolled through the neighborhood alone. There was an uneasy feeling lingering in her heart. The first thing that came to her mind was to text her.

She took out her phone from her bag to leave Amelie a message, but before she could even go to her home screen, a new notification suddenly appeared.

〖The Main Game will Soon Begin.〗

〖Players are Advised to Prepare.〗

〖38:56:40〗

"A timer?"

Maria had no mobile games downloaded on her phone whatsoever, so it was strange for her to receive a notification of some game.

Is it an ad maybe?

Though it didn't look like an ad. It was just a simple text that was in black and blue. This made Maria even more curious.

Maria swiped her finger along the lock screen before typing her password. She wondered what game it had come from. Maria searched endlessly at the apps she had downloaded while sneaking a glance every minute to make sure she was walking safely.

Swiping over and over again, Maria couldn't see what game it had come from. She checked the notification once more before giving up.

Maria couldn't understand what it meant by 38 hours, but she knew something was up. An ominous feeling occupied her heart.

"Since when did I receive these kinds of ads? And why can't I permanently remove them?"

Frustrated, she temporarily removed the notification from her phone and moved on to her contacts to contact her friend. She typed Amelie's name while muttering curses, eyes narrowed.

Game. Game. Game.

It kept repeating in her mind.

She needed something to keep her mind off this strange ad.

There was the sound of tapping as Maria tapped agitatedly on her phone.

After sending Amelie a message, Maria tucked her phone inside her pocket and continued to walk. Her walking pace increased and she kept looking at her surroundings, feeling someone's eyes were on her, but she couldn't see them. She couldn't see anyone.

This is what happens when you suddenly think of something scary and get paranoid...

Due to her uneasiness, Maria lightly slapped her cheeks to calm herself down. There was currently no one in the vicinity, so she had nothing to worry about. It was just the sense of fear after being left alone.

Yeah, just that.

"Once Millie comes back, I'm going to give her an earful..." Maria muttered and resumed her walk.