Chapter 3 — The Whispering Corridor
The moment the first prison broke, every sound inside Rudrgarh Mansion disappeared.
The footsteps.
The whispers.
The distant crying.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
For several seconds, the mansion felt completely dead.
Moko stood in the middle of the corridor, staring into the darkness.
Chamot sat beside his feet.
Her tail moved slowly from one side to the other.
Sizububu looked at the freed spirit.
The woman who had been chained inside the hidden room now stood freely in front of them.
She was no longer surrounded by black chains.
But there was still fear in her eyes.
Tofu held the old iron key.
Rizu kept looking toward the ceiling.
She could feel something.
Something moving.
Something that wasn't a ghost.
“Where did it go?” Moko finally asked.
The woman looked at him.
“What?”
“The thing beneath the floor.”
The woman didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, “It went back to sleep.”
Moko sighed.
“Good.”
The woman shook her head.
“That's not good.”
Moko's face fell.
“Of course it isn't.”
Sizububu stepped closer.
“What exactly is beneath this mansion?”
The woman looked toward the floor.
“I don't know its true name.”
“Then what do you call it?”
She whispered—
“The Hollow.”
Tofu frowned.
“The Hollow?”
The woman nodded.
“It was never a normal spirit. It existed before this mansion was built.”
Rizu's expression became serious.
“Then why was this place built?”
“To imprison it.”
Moko looked around.
“So the mansion wasn't built to imprison the ghosts?”
“No.”
The woman looked toward the dark corridors.
“The ghosts came later.”
Sizububu's eyes narrowed.
“How?”
The woman looked at the five friends.
“Because someone made a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
The woman lowered her voice.
“They tried to use the Hollow to control the dead.”
A cold breeze moved through the corridor.
Chamot's ears immediately lifted.
She turned toward the left.
Moko noticed.
“What is it?”
Chamot walked toward the wall.
She sniffed it.
Then she scratched it.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Moko stared at her.
“Again?”
Tofu walked over.
“What did she find?”
Sizububu placed his hand against the wall.
It was cold.
Very cold.
Rizu closed her eyes.
Her ghost-sight sharpened.
She suddenly opened them.
“There is a corridor behind this wall.”
Moko looked at her.
“A corridor?”
Rizu nodded.
“But it isn't empty.”
“How many ghosts?”
Rizu hesitated.
“I'm not sure.”
The freed woman stepped backward.
Her face became pale.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
“What?” Sizububu asked.
She shook her head.
“You cannot go there.”
Moko frowned.
“Why?”
“That corridor belongs to the second prisoner.”
Tofu looked at the wall.
“Then that's where we're going.”
The woman grabbed his arm.
“No!”
Tofu stopped.
The woman stared at him desperately.
“The second prisoner is different.”
“How?”
“He doesn't want to be freed.”
Silence.
Moko blinked.
“Then why are we supposed to help him?”
The woman released Tofu.
“Because he isn't the one who needs saving.”
Rizu's eyes narrowed.
“Then who does?”
The woman looked at the wall.
“Everyone else.”
Before anyone could ask another question, a sound came from behind the wall.
A whisper.
“Go away…”
Chamot froze.
Her fur rose.
The whisper came again.
“Go away…”
Moko stepped closer.
“Who's there?”
No answer.
Then—
“Don't open the wall.”
Sizububu looked at the others.
“We need to open it.”
Moko sighed.
“I knew you were going to say that.”
Chamot suddenly jumped onto a small wooden cabinet.
Moko turned toward her.
“Don't break anything.”
Chamot looked at him.
Then she knocked a vase off the cabinet.
CRASH!
Moko closed his eyes.
“I specifically said—”
The vase broke.
But something rolled out from inside it.
A small metal disk.
Tofu picked it up.
“What is this?”
The freed spirit gasped.
“Where did you find that?”
Moko pointed at Chamot.
“She did.”
The cat sat beside the broken vase and began licking her paw.
The woman stared at the disk.
“That belonged to the person who built the prison.”
Sizububu examined it.
There was a symbol on the disk.
A circle with a line through the center.
Rizu touched it.
She immediately pulled her hand away.
“It's full of memories.”
“Can you see them?”
Rizu nodded.
She closed her eyes.
A vision appeared.
A man stood inside the mansion.
He was surrounded by books and strange objects.
In front of him was a large stone chamber.
Inside the chamber was a dark figure.
The Hollow.
The man spoke.
“I can control death.”
The vision shifted.
The man was standing beside several chains.
Ghosts were trapped around him.
He spoke again.
“The dead will obey me.”
Rizu gasped.
The vision changed.
The man was screaming.
The Hollow had escaped its chains.
Ghosts were being pulled toward it.
The man tried to stop it.
But he failed.
The final image showed him running into the darkness.
Rizu opened her eyes.
She was breathing heavily.
“What happened?” Moko asked.
Rizu looked at the freed woman.
“The man lost control.”
The woman nodded.
“And then?”
“The Hollow began pulling the spirits toward itself.”
The woman's eyes filled with sadness.
“He used the ghosts as a shield.”
Sizububu understood.
“So the ghosts were trapped because they were being used to keep the Hollow contained.”
“Yes.”
Tofu looked at the wall.
“Then the second prisoner…”
The woman nodded.
“He was the strongest.”
A sudden sound came from behind the wall.
Knock.
Everyone froze.
Another knock.
Knock. Knock.
Chamot immediately moved toward it.
Moko grabbed her.
“No.”
Chamot turned around.
She stared at him.
Moko stared back.
“Don't.”
Chamot slowly lifted one paw.
Moko narrowed his eyes.
“Don't even think about it.”
Chamot touched the wall.
The wall opened.
Moko stared in disbelief.
“Why does nobody ever listen to me?”
Tofu laughed.
The hidden corridor appeared.
It was much darker than the previous passage.
There were no candles.
No windows.
No paintings.
Only a long corridor disappearing into darkness.
And along both walls were doors.
Dozens of doors.
Each door had a name carved into it.
Rizu stepped closer to the first.
“Are these names?”
Sizububu read one.
“Yes.”
Moko looked farther down the corridor.
“There must be dozens.”
The freed woman whispered—
“Twenty.”
Everyone looked at her.
“There are twenty doors.”
Tofu counted.
She was right.
Twenty doors.
Twenty names.
Twenty prisoners.
But the first prison had already been opened.
That meant nineteen remained.
Chamot walked down the corridor.
She stopped at the seventh door.
Her ears lifted.
Moko approached.
“What is it?”
Chamot pressed her paw against the door.
A soft sound came from inside.
Someone was crying.
Rizu looked at the name.
“There's a girl in there.”
Moko frowned.
“How old?”
Rizu closed her eyes.
“Maybe twelve.”
The crying continued.
Chamot scratched the door.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
The crying stopped.
A little girl's voice whispered—
“Is someone there?”
Chamot pressed her nose against the door.
“Please…”
The girl sounded terrified.
“Please don't leave.”
Moko looked at Sizububu.
“We can't leave her.”
Sizububu nodded.
Tofu tried the iron key.
It didn't fit.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Moko searched the walls.
“Maybe there is another key.”
The freed woman shook her head.
“Each prison has a different lock.”
Tofu looked at her.
“Then how do we open it?”
She looked at Chamot.
The cat was staring at the door.
“Maybe you don't.”
Chamot suddenly sat down.
Then she began grooming her paw.
Moko frowned.
“Seriously?”
The cat ignored him.
Rizu suddenly gasped.
“Wait.”
Everyone looked at her.
“The girl isn't trapped behind the door.”
Moko frowned.
“What?”
“She is trapped inside the door.”
Tofu stared.
“What does that mean?”
Rizu placed her hand against the wood.
Her eyes widened.
“This door isn't a door.”
Sizububu stepped closer.
“What?”
“It is a seal.”
A cold breeze passed through the corridor.
The freed woman whispered—
“The second prison.”
The girl inside began crying again.
“Please…”
Moko looked at the seal.
“We need to break it.”
The woman shook her head.
“If you break it incorrectly, her soul will disappear.”
Moko froze.
“Then how do we do it correctly?”
Nobody answered.
Chamot suddenly walked away.
Moko looked at her.
“Where are you going?”
The cat continued walking.
She stopped beside the wall.
Then looked upward.
There was a small wooden beam above them.
Chamot jumped onto it.
Moko's eyes widened.
“Chamot!”
The cat climbed higher.
At the top of the beam, she found something.
A small silver bell.
She knocked it down.
Ting!
The sound echoed through the corridor.
The moment the bell touched the floor, every door opened slightly.
Moko stared.
“Don't touch anything else.”
Chamot looked at him.
Then she pushed another object.
Ting!
Another bell rang.
The doors opened wider.
Tofu quickly grabbed the bell.
“Stop!”
Chamot sat down.
Her tail moved from side to side.
Sizububu looked at the doors.
Something was wrong.
The doors were opening, but the spirits inside were not coming out.
Instead, black mist was leaking from every doorway.
Rizu whispered—
“The Hollow.”
The freed woman looked terrified.
“Close them!”
Moko stared.
“How?”
The woman pointed toward the end of the corridor.
“There is a master seal.”
At the end of the corridor stood a huge black door.
And on it were twenty symbols.
One had already turned white.
The other nineteen were black.
Sizububu moved toward it.
“That's controlling all the prisons.”
The woman nodded.
“If the master seal breaks, all twenty prisoners will awaken at once.”
Moko looked at the black mist.
“And that would be bad.”
“Very bad.”
A sound came from the seventh door.
The little girl screamed.
“HELP!”
Chamot immediately ran toward it.
Moko followed.
“Chamot!”
She jumped onto the door.
Her paw touched the girl's name.
The name began glowing.
The entire corridor shook.
Rizu shouted—
“Everyone back!”
Too late.
The door opened.
A small girl stepped out.
She was transparent.
Her face was covered with tears.
She looked at Chamot.
Then she smiled.
“Thank you.”
Chamot stared at her.
The girl touched the cat's head.
Chamot's eyes widened.
She seemed surprised.
Then she immediately sat down.
The girl laughed.
Moko smiled.
“She likes you.”
Chamot suddenly turned around and walked away.
Moko laughed.
“She definitely doesn't want anyone to know.”
But the girl's smile disappeared.
She looked toward the master seal.
“Something is wrong.”
Sizububu asked—
“What?”
The girl pointed.
The white symbol that represented the first freed prisoner had begun turning black again.
Rizu's eyes widened.
“The first prison is closing.”
The freed woman shook her head.
“That shouldn't happen.”
Tofu looked at the girl.
“Why is it happening?”
The girl whispered—
“Because someone is taking the freedom back.”
Silence.
Moko stared at her.
“Taking it back?”
The girl nodded.
“The person who trapped us…”
Her voice trembled.
“He is still controlling the seals.”
Sizububu clenched his fists.
“Then we need to find him.”
The girl looked at him.
“He doesn't have a body anymore.”
Tofu frowned.
“Then how can he control the mansion?”
The girl pointed toward the floor.
“He became part of it.”
A deep heartbeat echoed.
THUMP.
The walls shook.
Another heartbeat.
THUMP.
The black mist thickened.
The little girl grabbed Rizu's hand.
“He knows you are here.”
Rizu looked toward the darkness.
“Who?”
The girl whispered—
“The keeper.”
Moko frowned.
“The keeper of what?”
The girl looked at all five of them.
“The keeper of the dead.”
Suddenly every door in the corridor slammed shut.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
One after another.
The freed spirits screamed.
Chamot ran toward Moko.
He picked her up.
“Okay, now you can stay with me.”
Chamot immediately climbed onto his shoulder.
The little girl pointed toward the master seal.
“Go!”
Sizububu stepped forward.
“Where?”
“Before he closes the first prison again.”
Tofu held the old key.
“But we don't know how.”
The girl looked at Chamot.
She whispered—
“She does.”
Everyone stared at the cat.
Chamot looked back at them.
Moko blinked.
“What?”
The girl pointed at Chamot's paw.
“The mark.”
A faint blue symbol was glowing there.
“The mark can open the seals.”
Sizububu understood.
“But why Chamot?”
The girl shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Then she suddenly looked terrified.
“Wait.”
Rizu asked—
“What?”
The girl stared behind them.
“There is someone else here.”
Everyone turned.
At the far end of the corridor stood a figure.
A tall shadow.
It had no face.
Only two red eyes.
The same creature they had seen earlier.
But this time, it was holding something.
A small white chain.
The chain was glowing.
The freed woman gasped.
“No.”
The shadow raised its hand.
The white chain began turning black.
Rizu shouted—
“It's taking the first prisoner's freedom!”
The first freed spirit screamed.
Her body began fading.
Moko shouted—
“Stop!”
Sizububu ran forward.
Tofu followed.
Rizu raised her hand.
The shadow disappeared.
But its voice remained.
“You have opened one prison.”
The corridor shook.
“Now I will close it.”
The freed woman fell to her knees.
Chamot suddenly jumped from Moko's shoulder.
She landed directly in front of the fading spirit.
Moko shouted—
“Chamot!”
The cat looked at the spirit.
Then she looked at the black chain.
She slowly raised one paw.
The blue mark on her paw began glowing brighter.
The black chain snapped.
CRACK!
The shadow screamed.
The freed spirit became solid again.
Everyone froze.
Chamot looked at her own paw.
Then she shook it as if something had stuck to it.
Moko stared.
“You did it.”
Chamot looked at him.
Moko smiled.
“Good girl.”
Chamot walked over.
Then she climbed onto his shoulder and bit his ear.
“Ow!”
Tofu burst out laughing.
Sizububu shook his head.
Even Rizu smiled.
But the freed spirit did not.
She was staring at the darkness.
“The keeper knows now.”
Sizububu looked at her.
“Knows what?”
She whispered—
“That the five of you can break his prisons.”
A distant door opened.
Then another.
Then another.
The girl looked frightened.
“The mansion will try to stop you.”
Moko looked down the corridor.
“How many prisons do we have left?”
The girl answered—
“Nineteen.”
Moko sighed.
“Nineteen ghosts.”
Tofu corrected him.
“Nineteen prisons.”
Rizu looked toward the darkness.
“And one keeper.”
Sizububu tightened his fists.
“Then we start with the second.”
The little girl looked at the master seal.
“Be careful.”
“Why?”
She pointed at the second black symbol.
It was already glowing.
A deep voice came from behind it.
“I have been waiting for you.”
Chamot's ears shot upward.
The second prison had awakened.
The mansion's lights suddenly turned red.
And from somewhere deep inside the walls came a sound that made even Chamot stop playing.
A slow, heavy breathing.
Something was coming.
Not from outside.
Not from beneath them.
But from the second prison itself.
Sizububu stepped forward.
Moko moved beside him.
Tofu raised the old key.
Rizu focused her ghost-sight.
And Chamot lowered herself to the floor.
Her tail moved slowly.
Her eyes remained fixed on the darkness.
The second prison was opening.
And whatever was waiting inside—
had already seen them.