The final chamber was dim and strange, the air thick with the stench of salt and rust. Two dolls sat in the center of the floor, waiting — almost expectantly.
As Tamsin stepped inside, the air suddenly shuddered. A deep roar of waves filled her ears.
The next instant—
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Freezing seawater burst through the walls, flooding fast — ankle-deep, knee-deep, to her chest in seconds. It stole her breath away.
She tried to scream, but no sound came out.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJBKl90bOX
The crushing pressure squeezed her lungs, her ears ringing. She flailed — but grasped only cold emptiness.
Just like that night.
Ten years ago — sirens blaring, fire exploding, the ship breaking apart. She had tumbled through the water, reaching for someone, anyone — but all she found was darkness and cold.
“No… I don’t want to drown again!”
She screamed, thrashing. Her fingers brushed against something soft — a doll.
She clutched it desperately.
At once, the water shattered into a thousand shards of light — droplets scattering, fading into nothing.
Tamsin coughed violently, finding herself kneeling on a dry deck. Her clothes weren’t even wet. There wasn’t a drop of water anywhere.
An illusion!
She looked up for Glen — and froze.
He stood across the cabin, surrounded by smoke and fire. Flames devoured the walls, filling the air with the acrid scent of burning wood and despair. He didn’t move — just stared ahead.
Through the blaze, a slender figure appeared.
A girl in white, her face blurred, her smile heartbreakingly gentle. She stood amidst the flames like a vision of mercy.
“...Sister?” Glen whispered, trembling.
The girl reached out her hand, her voice soft as a sigh.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjGyM6SFEP
“Come back, Glen.”
Her words flowed like waves from the deep — tender, cold, brushing against the wound he had carried for ten long years.
The resolve in his eyes faltered, replaced by sorrow.
He took one step. Then another.
“Glen! Don’t go!” Tamsin screamed, lunging forward, grabbing his arm. The heat scorched her skin, but she refused to let go.
“That’s not her! It’s not real!” she cried.
Glen’s face twisted with anguish. His voice was hoarse, broken.
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“I know. But… that night, when she called my name from the fire, I didn’t look back.”
Tamsin’s breath caught.
“I saw her reaching for me,” he said, voice trembling, “and I was too scared to turn around. Then… she was gone. This time, she’s calling again. I can’t ignore her anymore.”
He tried to pull away, but Tamsin held tighter, her voice shaking but fierce.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OrTgkkrib
“That’s your guilt talking! Don’t let it take you! You still have me, Glen!”
Her voice was swallowed by the roaring fire.
“You told me — ten years ago we survived the sea. This time, we can make it out together too! You still have me, Glen!”
For a moment, his eyes flickered — then dimmed again, drowned in grief.
Softly, almost to himself, he whispered.
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“Tamsin… every night for ten years, I dreamed of her hand in the flames. Every day I lived was a reminder that I failed her.”
The firelight traced the curve of his smile — gentle, hopeless.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiapcpgekYt
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“This time… I won’t lose her again.”
He broke free.
The flames roared, engulfing him. His figure vanished into the blaze, swallowed whole by light and sound.
Tamsin reached out — but caught nothing.
The fire collapsed, the cabin fell silent.
She dropped to her knees, chest heaving, tears falling soundlessly.
“Glen…”
At her feet lay a doll — smiling that same twisted smile, mocking fate itself.
Her hand trembled as she picked it up. It was cold to the touch — yet faintly warm, as if holding the last trace of Glen’s warmth.
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She slowly rose to her feet, her steps unsteady.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mCozr0xme
Behind her, the cabin door closed without a sound — like the final page sealing away the dead.
Tamsin found herself once again in the great hall of the castle.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzGckHJFEa
The corridor was as empty as before, the candlelight along the stone walls flickering weakly.
No one was around.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3y3JQ4xh5W
Those who had once awoken in the hall, who had crossed paths with her in the stone chambers — somewhere along the way, they had all vanished.
Had they left before her?70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rtX7VEIov
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Or had they fallen into a deeper darkness?
She had no answer.
Only her footsteps echoed through the desolate corridor — hollow, lonely, stretching endlessly like a fading echo.
She pushed open one door after another, passing through room after room, until finally, at the far end of her vision, stood a great circular door.
Beyond it lay a silent stone chamber — round, spacious, and empty, save for an ancient cabinet set into the wall, divided neatly into ten compartments.
Tamsin approached. The air was thick with the scent of old dust.
Suddenly, her satchel at her side began to tremble.
She froze.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0pzHaIowI
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Then—
“Click—”
The clasp sprang open on its own.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ihw0iJrBo
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One by one, the dolls floated out, as if pulled by invisible strings.
They drifted gently through the air, then settled neatly into the compartments of the cabinet — perfectly aligned, side by side.
Tamsin stood still, breath caught in her throat, staring in awe.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFGgE2sOMd
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The sight was eerie — almost sacred.
She began to count them, softly—
One… two… three… nine.
She stopped.
“…No,” she whispered. “I only had nine.”
The moment the words left her lips, the charred doll in her hand began to tremble.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBsvrFKYwx
Its darkened body glimmered faintly — a fragile, warm light, like a long-extinguished candle flickering back to life.
Tamsin’s eyes widened as the doll slowly rose from her palm.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JsCkYr1wa
Its gentle glow seemed to carry a quiet sorrow as it drifted toward the final empty slot.
“Tap.”
The doll settled into place.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARGdbZdvFx
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Ten dolls, perfectly aligned — complete.
At that moment, a soft white light flooded the entire chamber.
Then, a cold and emotionless voice rang out once more — the same one they had heard at the beginning.
“Survivor, congratulations. All ten dolls have been collected.”
“Mission complete. You have earned the right to leave.”
Tamsin looked up. The light was blinding; she could barely make out what lay ahead.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPczqETNM4u
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But within that brilliance — she thought she saw a familiar figure.
Glen stood within the light, smiling.
His smile was gentle, distant — like the final warmth of a flame before it fades into the wind.
“…Goodbye, Glen.” she whispered.
The light rose around her — to her feet, her shoulders — until it swallowed her whole.
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End
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