ukian's fingers twitched.

The door stood at the end of the dimly lit hallway, humming faintly, as if it wasn't fully real.

Her phone's message still glowed in her hands.

"NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SHIFT DETECTED."

Her chest tightened.

This wasn't just a door.

It was part of the game.

Slowly, cautiously, she took a step toward it.

Then—

A hand grabbed her wrist.

She whipped around instantly, yanking free, her pulse spiking.

A pair of cold gray eyes met hers.

Sayaka.

The tall, serious-looking woman stood rigid, arms crossed.

"You shouldn't touch that," she said flatly.

Yukian scowled. "And why not?"

Sayaka's jaw tightened.

"You don't know what it is."

Yukian narrowed her eyes. "Neither do you."

Sayaka didn't answer.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The air between them was thick with tension.

Finally, Sayaka exhaled sharply.

"Just leave it alone."

Then—she turned and walked away.

Yukian watched her go, her fingers still tingling from where Sayaka had grabbed her.

What the hell was that about?

And more importantly—

Why did Sayaka seem to know something she didn't?

Her gaze flickered back to the door.

It stood there, waiting.

Calling.

But now, a new thought crept into her mind.

If Sayaka doesn't want me near it... then maybe I should open it.

Yukian's fingers tightened around the door handle.

Sayaka's words echoed in her head.

"Just leave it alone."

Her jaw locked.

No.

If they didn't want her touching it—then she needed to know why.

She gripped the handle and pulled.

The door swung open.

The world collapsed.

Her stomach flipped. The air warped around her.

She was falling—

Then—

Darkness.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Then—

A distorted, robotic voice crackled to life.

"WELCOME, PLAYER. YOU HAVE ENTERED A HIDDEN EVENT."
"MINI-GAME: THE MAZE OF REFLECTIONS."

A bright flash.

Yukian's feet hit solid ground.

She stumbled forward, gasping.

The cold metallic hallways were gone.

She was standing inside a massive, endless maze.

The walls were mirrors.

Thousands and thousands of mirrors.

Her own reflection stared back at her from every angle.

The air was dead silent.

A glowing screen flickered in front of her.

"RULES:"

Find the real exit before time runs out.Some mirrors are fake paths.Some mirrors lead to traps.You have five minutes.If you fail, you will be eliminated.

Yukian's stomach twisted.

A trap-filled mirror maze?

And she was alone.

The screen flickered again.

"TIMER STARTING: 5:00."

Tick. Tick. Tick.

4:59

Yukian tensed.

The glowing timer in the air had started.

She had five minutes to escape.

She turned, scanning the endless walls of mirrors.

Her own reflection stared back at her from every angle. Dozens, hundreds of Yukians, all mirroring her every move.

She took a slow step forward.

Her reflection moved with her.

Everything seemed normal.

Then—

A soft noise.

Not an echo.

Not her own breath.

Something else.

Something moving.

Her pulse spiked.

She froze.

It was faint, but it was there.

A quiet, shuffling sound.

Coming from somewhere deeper in the maze.

Yukian's blood turned cold.

She looked into the mirrors—

And her reflection wasn't alone anymore.

In one of the glass panels—a shadow stood behind her.

Tall. Distorted. Wrong.

But when she turned around—

There was nothing there.

Her chest tightened.

Something was in here with her.

And the worst part?

It knew she was here, too.

The timer kept ticking.

She had to move.

Now.

4:32

Yukian's breath came fast and uneven.

The mirrors stretched infinitely around her, trapping her in a reflection of herself.

Her own face—over and over—mocking her from every angle.

But it wasn't just her anymore.

That thing was here. Watching.

And she couldn't tell where.

Her fingernails dug into her palms.

No way.

I'm not dying in here.

She gritted her teeth and made a split-second decision.

She swung her fist at the nearest mirror.

CRASH!

Glass exploded outward, slicing across her knuckles.

Pain flashed up her arm, warm and sharp—but she didn't care.

She punched again.

And again.

Crash. Crash. Crash.

Shards fell to the ground, crunching under her shoes.

The reflections around her shattered—except for one.

The dark silhouette.

Still standing there.

Still watching.

Yukian's stomach twisted.

She sucked in a sharp breath, forcing herself to stop.

Wait.

The mirrors had shattered.

But the shadow was still there.

Why?

Her eyes darted around, scanning her surroundings.

And then—

She realized.

It wasn't in the mirrors.

It was above her.

Her breath caught.

She tilted her head up, her heart slamming against her ribs.

The ceiling wasn't just glass.

It was a reflection too.

And hidden in the angles—almost impossible to notice—was a dark figure clinging to the ceiling, staring down at her.

Yukian's blood ran cold.

The mirrors had been a distraction.

The real trick was above.

She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to think.

If the ceiling is reflecting everything, then...

Her eyes flicked back down to the shattered glass at her feet.

Her reflection was still in it.

And in that moment—she saw it.

A small gap.

A space where her reflection was missing.

A place where the glass wasn't reflecting anything at all.

The exit.

Her heart pounded.

That's it.

She didn't hesitate.

She sprinted forward, dodging the broken shards, ignoring the pain in her bleeding knuckles.

The thing on the ceiling twitched.

It realized what she was doing.

She lunged—

Dove straight through the invisible opening—

And the moment she crossed the threshold—

The maze disappeared.