Chapter 027 - Moonlit Mirage 14

  We raced back to the second floor, barely making it in time. The others were already gathered, their tense expressions betraying a fragile hope that we had found a way out.

  Then—Yangjin came bounding down from the third floor.

  The exertion nearly broke me. My lungs burned, and my legs threatened to give out beneath me. No. 137 caught me just in time, gripping my arm with concern. “Sylas, are you alright? You’re soaked in sweat. Did you find anything?”

  I didn’t have the luxury of answering. Instead, I snatched a leather object from No. 25, steeling myself against Yangjin’s impending sweep.

  The others did the same, taking whatever they could from their companions.

  For now, we had bought ourselves a sliver of time. Yangjin, satisfied for the moment, bounced away toward the first floor.

  But her voice never left.

  That ghostly, mournful melody weaved through the air, curling around us like an unseen noose.

  I muttered the lyrics under my breath, my mind racing, grasping at the fragments of meaning hidden within her song.

  This was our last chance.

  The leather skins wouldn’t last another round.

  Some of us were already nearing the brink—silent, wide-eyed, their gazes hollow. The will to fight was slipping away.

  Then the words came again.

  “My distant lover has died; I have preserved his skin as a keepsake…”

  Skin. Was she referring to her own?

  “The moon is like white frost, while floral drums resound in bursts…”

  The flower drum—could it be human skin? The grotesque thing hanging above us?

  “Oh, restless ghost of a troubled soul, when will you finally be laid to rest?”

  “I whisper softly, fearing it might take forever…”

  “Perhaps we are waiting for an illusion as fleeting as moonlight on water…”

  A moon in water… an illusion…

  Wait！

  A moon in water.

  A MOON IN WATER.

  If the moon in the sky was too far to reach… if the horizon was always out of grasp… if the flower in the mirror was forever untouchable…

  Then what about the moon reflected in the lake?

  Could it be retrieved?

  A realization struck me like lightning, surging through my veins, electrifying my every thought.

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  I spun toward the others, my voice sharp and commanding. “Everyone—up to the third floor! There are no windows here, but from the third, we can jump straight into the lake. We also need a team to gather every rope we can find. Strip them down, tie them together—we need one long, sturdy lifeline!”

  People hesitated, glancing at one another with uncertainty. Someone muttered, “You can’t be serious… You’re not actually thinking of diving in, are you?”

  I met their eyes, my expression leaving no room for doubt. “Try, and we might survive. Do nothing, and we die for sure.”

  No more questions. No more hesitation. I turned and bolted up the stairs.

  No. 25 and No. 9 understood instantly—one followed me to collect the ropes, the other stayed behind to rally the rest.

  In minutes, the cloth ropes from the hanging white bells above were torn down. Hands worked feverishly, tying them together, knot after knot, forging a single, unbroken lifeline.

  It was ready.

  Now, the real question—who would go in?

  No. 25, clearly the athletic type, looked ready to volunteer. I put a firm hand on her shoulder. “You stay.”

  Elliot stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

  I shook my head. “You have more stamina than me. Rest while you can. I’ll go first—if I fail, then you try. But if you go first and fail, and I have to follow after, our chances shrink even more.”

  He hesitated, then gave a short nod.

  I wrapped one end of the rope tightly around my waist, double-checking the knot. Then, glancing at the others, I gave clear instructions. “One hard tug means release. Three tugs mean pull me back up.”

  They nodded, grim and resolute.

  No more thinking. No more second-guessing.

  I climbed onto the window ledge—

  And jumped.

  A deafening splash.

  The water swallowed me whole.

  Cold.

  A searing, bone-deep cold. The kind that didn’t just shock the body but sank into the soul. My limbs locked up. My lungs squeezed, refusing to cooperate. My teeth clenched so tightly I swore I heard them crack.

  Still, I forced my eyes open.

  And there—beneath the surface—

  I saw it.

  The moon.

  It shouldn’t have been possible. If I were above the water, I could have dismissed it as a simple reflection, a trick of light.

  But I wasn’t above.

  I was underneath.

  Yet still, the moon shone.

  A perfect, glowing orb, suspended within the depths.

  A moon within the water.

  So this… this was what it truly meant.