The hidden wooden door stood silently before them.
Dust floated through the narrow beam of light coming from the cracked ceiling, making the air feel heavier with every passing second. Ethan's hand remained on the old brass key, but he couldn't move.
Lucas's words echoed inside his mind.
"The truth about Room 117 starts with your family."
His family.
His father.
The man who had died years ago.
Ethan slowly turned toward Lucas, his eyes filled with confusion rather than fear.
"What did you just say?"
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked closer, his footsteps echoing through the abandoned corridor.
"I said exactly what you heard."
"My father never studied here."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"That's what you've been told."
Silence.
The hallway suddenly felt colder.
Elena stepped beside Ethan.
"Stop speaking in riddles."
"If you know something, tell us."
Lucas looked at her.
"I would."
"But some truths destroy people."
Noah's voice suddenly echoed from behind.
"Good thing we're difficult to destroy."
Everyone turned.
Noah and Olivia were standing at the entrance of the corridor, slightly out of breath.
"We knew you'd come here," Olivia admitted.
"You seriously thought we'd let you investigate a haunted hallway alone?"
Ethan sighed.
"I wasn't trying to—"
"Yes, you were," Noah interrupted.
"And honestly, your sneaking skills need work."
Even in such a tense moment, Elena couldn't help smiling.
Lucas observed the four friends quietly.
"So..."
"They've become part of this too."
"They chose to," Ethan replied.
Lucas nodded once.
"Then whatever happens next..."
"...happens to all of you."
Without another word, Lucas turned and walked away.
"Wait!" Ethan called.
Lucas stopped but didn't look back.
"If you know the truth..."
"Why won't you tell me?"
Lucas lowered his head.
"Because the truth isn't mine to tell."
Then he disappeared around the corner.
Noah frowned.
"I officially don't like that guy."
Olivia crossed her arms.
"Same."
Elena looked at Ethan.
"What do we do now?"
Ethan looked at the old door.
"We open it."
The brass key slid smoothly into the ancient lock.
For a second...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Click.
The lock opened.
Ethan slowly pushed the wooden door.
It creaked loudly, as though it hadn't been opened in decades.
A cold breeze escaped from inside.
The room was small.
Dust covered everything.
Broken desks were stacked against one wall.
Shelves filled with forgotten books leaned dangerously to one side.
Near the window stood an old teacher's desk.
On top of it...
A single black notebook.
Perfectly untouched.
As if someone had placed it there yesterday.
Elena whispered,
"How is it still so clean?"
Nobody knew.
Ethan carefully picked up the notebook.
Across its cover, written in silver ink, were three words.
Project Silent Heart
"What kind of project is this?" Olivia asked.
He slowly opened the first page.
Inside was a list of names.
Some were crossed out.
Some had question marks beside them.
Then...
Halfway down the page...
He saw it.
Daniel Carter.
And directly beneath it...
Ethan Carter.
His breathing stopped.
"That's impossible."
Noah grabbed the notebook.
"Your name is actually there."
"But this notebook is twenty years old."
Elena looked pale.
"How can your name already exist?"
None of them had an answer.
Suddenly...
A loud sound echoed outside.
Footsteps.
Someone was coming.
"Hide!"
The four friends quickly ducked behind the old shelves.
The footsteps grew louder.
The hidden door slowly opened.
A tall figure entered the room carrying a flashlight.
None of them could clearly see the person's face.
The figure walked straight toward the teacher's desk.
Stopped.
Looked around.
Then quietly whispered,
"So..."
"...someone found it."
Ethan held his breath.
The stranger slowly turned toward the shelves where they were hiding.
For one terrifying second...
It felt as though the person could see them.
But then...
The stranger smiled.
Not a friendly smile.
A knowing one.
Without taking anything...
The figure simply walked back out.
The hidden door closed once again.
Noah finally exhaled.
"Please tell me someone else saw that."
"We all did," Olivia whispered.
After several minutes, they stepped out from behind the shelves.
The room was silent again.
Almost too silent.
Elena noticed something lying on the floor.
"There wasn't anything here before."
She picked it up.
It was an old student ID card.
The photograph had faded.
Most of the writing was unreadable.
But one word remained perfectly clear.
Principal.
Ethan turned the card over.
On the back, someone had written a single sentence.
"The person you trust the most has been lying since the beginning."
The four friends looked at one another.
If the message was true...
Then this mystery wasn't only about Daniel.
It wasn't only about Room 117.
Someone inside Sakura Blossom High...
Someone they saw almost every day...
Had been hiding the truth for twenty years.
And they were about to find out why.