Chapter 5 — The Prison Beneath the Forest
The forest was waiting.
That was the first thought that entered Moko's mind when the five friends stepped outside Rudrgarh Mansion.
There was no wind.
No insects.
No birds.
Even the trees seemed frozen.
The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, leaving only a faint silver glow over the forest.
Sizububu stood near the mansion gate and looked toward the trees.
Tofu held the old iron key.
Rizu stared into the darkness, using her ability to see what ordinary eyes could not.
Moko stood beside her.
And Chamot—
Chamot had already disappeared.
Moko's eyes widened.
“Where is she?”
Tofu pointed toward the trees.
A small tail vanished behind a bush.
Moko closed his eyes.
“Of course.”
Sizububu started walking.
“Come on.”
Moko followed.
“Why do we always let that cat lead us into danger?”
Tofu smiled.
“Because she usually finds the danger before we do.”
Moko frowned.
“That is not comforting.”
Rizu suddenly stopped.
Everyone stopped with her.
She was staring toward the forest.
“There.”
Sizububu looked.
“What?”
Rizu pointed.
A faint blue glow was coming from beneath the trees.
The same glow they had seen before the ground cracked.
Moko swallowed.
“That must be the third prison.”
They entered the forest.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
The trees grew thicker.
Roots covered the ground.
Some of them were enormous, twisting across the earth like sleeping snakes.
Chamot moved ahead of them.
Every few seconds she looked back to make sure they were following.
Moko noticed.
“She is actually waiting for us.”
Tofu laughed.
“Maybe she learned something.”
Chamot immediately ran ahead again.
Moko sighed.
“Never mind.”
They followed the blue light.
After almost twenty minutes, they reached a clearing.
At the center stood an enormous dead tree.
Its trunk was so wide that all five friends could have stood around it without touching one another.
The bark was black.
No leaves grew from its branches.
But blue light leaked from the roots.
Rizu approached it.
“This tree is hiding something.”
Sizububu touched the bark.
The moment his fingers touched it, a whisper filled the clearing.
“Help…”
He immediately pulled his hand away.
Moko looked at him.
“You heard it too?”
Sizububu nodded.
The whisper came again.
“Help me…”
Chamot walked toward the tree.
She sniffed one of the roots.
Then she scratched it.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Moko smiled.
“Let me guess.”
Tofu crouched beside her.
“There is something beneath it.”
Sizububu looked around the tree.
He noticed something carved into the bark.
Five symbols.
The same five symbols that had appeared on the master seal.
Rizu touched one.
The tree suddenly shook.
A deep voice echoed through the clearing.
“Five have come.”
Moko immediately stepped backward.
“Why does everything in this place know about us?”
The voice continued.
“The marked ones…”
The blue light became brighter.
“…have returned.”
Sizububu looked at Rizu.
“Returned?”
Rizu shook her head.
“We've never been here.”
The voice answered—
“You have.”
Silence.
The tree cracked.
A large section of bark opened.
Behind it was a stone staircase leading underground.
Tofu looked down.
“That's our way.”
Moko stared.
“Of course it is.”
Chamot immediately began walking down.
Moko grabbed her.
“No.”
Chamot looked at him.
Moko pointed upward.
“Wait for everyone.”
Chamot stared.
Then she sat down.
Moko smiled.
“Good.”
Chamot suddenly ran down the stairs.
“CHAMOT!”
Moko followed.
The others laughed and went after them.
The staircase was long.
Much longer than it should have been.
They walked down for several minutes.
The air became colder.
The blue light became stronger.
Then they heard something.
Chains.
Clink.
Another.
Clink.
Moko slowed.
“Do you hear that?”
Rizu nodded.
“There is a spirit ahead.”
Tofu held up the key.
“How strong?”
Rizu closed her eyes.
Her expression changed.
“Very strong.”
Sizububu asked—
“Stronger than the first two?”
Rizu hesitated.
“Yes.”
They reached the bottom.
A massive underground chamber opened before them.
The walls were covered with roots.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness.
At the center was a stone coffin.
Thick black chains wrapped around it.
Blue symbols covered the lid.
Chamot stopped.
Her fur stood up.
Moko whispered—
“That is definitely not normal.”
Tofu stepped closer.
There were words carved into the coffin.
Rizu read them.
“HERE LIES THE ONE WHO REFUSED TO DIE.”
Moko frowned.
“That's creepy.”
Sizububu looked at the chains.
“Is the prisoner inside?”
Rizu nodded.
“Yes.”
A voice came from the coffin.
“No.”
Everyone froze.
The voice continued.
“I am not inside.”
Moko looked around.
“Then where are you?”
The answer came from below them.
“Under you.”
The floor cracked.
Moko jumped.
“Everyone move!”
The stone beneath them split.
A black hand emerged.
Chamot jumped onto a nearby stone.
The hand disappeared.
Then the entire chamber shook.
A figure rose from the darkness behind the coffin.
A young man.
He was tall and thin.
His clothes looked ancient.
His face was pale.
But unlike the other ghosts, he wasn't transparent.
He looked almost alive.
Rizu stared.
“He's different.”
The young man looked at them.
His eyes were completely black.
Sizububu stepped forward.
“Are you the third prisoner?”
The young man smiled.
“Yes.”
Tofu looked at the coffin.
“Then why is it chained?”
The young man laughed.
“Because they were afraid of me.”
Moko frowned.
“Who?”
“The Keeper.”
Rizu's eyes narrowed.
“Why was he afraid of you?”
The young man looked at her.
“Because I knew the truth.”
Sizububu stepped closer.
“What truth?”
The young man looked toward the ceiling.
“The Keeper isn't your enemy.”
Everyone became silent.
Moko stared at him.
“What?”
The young man smiled.
“The Keeper is trying to stop you.”
Rizu shook her head.
“He attacked us.”
“He had to.”
“To stop us from freeing the ghosts?”
“Yes.”
Moko became angry.
“Then why are we supposed to believe you?”
The young man looked at Chamot.
“Ask her.”
Everyone turned toward the cat.
Chamot was sitting beside a root.
She was licking her paw.
Moko stared.
“She's a cat.”
The young man smiled.
“She remembers.”
Rizu's expression changed.
“Remembers what?”
“The first time you came here.”
Sizububu frowned.
“We have never been here.”
The young man shook his head.
“Not in this life.”
The chamber became silent.
Moko slowly looked at Chamot.
The cat stopped licking her paw.
She stared at the young man.
Her eyes became unusually bright.
For a moment, the blue mark appeared on her paw.
The young man stepped backward.
“So she remembers.”
Rizu whispered—
“What does she remember?”
The young man didn't answer.
Chamot suddenly walked toward him.
Moko tried to stop her.
“Chamot.”
The cat ignored him.
She reached the young man.
She sniffed his hand.
The young man slowly lowered his fingers.
Chamot touched them with her nose.
His expression changed.
He looked shocked.
Then frightened.
“No…”
Sizububu stepped forward.
“What happened?”
The young man pulled his hand away.
“She knows me.”
Moko frowned.
“How?”
The young man stared at Chamot.
“She was here when I was imprisoned.”
Everyone froze.
Chamot sat down.
She looked almost confused.
Moko crouched beside her.
“You were here before?”
Chamot looked at him.
Then she turned toward the coffin.
She walked around it.
Her nose moved along the stone.
Then she stopped.
A small paw mark appeared on the coffin.
Blue light spread from it.
The chains began shaking.
Clink.
Clink.
The young man shouted—
“Stop her!”
Moko stared.
“Why?”
“Because if she breaks those chains, the prison will open!”
Sizububu looked at him.
“That's what we came here for.”
The young man shook his head.
“You don't understand!”
The chains became tighter.
The blue light grew brighter.
The young man looked terrified.
“This isn't my prison.”
Rizu's eyes widened.
“Then whose is it?”
He pointed toward the coffin.
“The Hollow's.”
Everyone froze.
Tofu stepped back.
“The Hollow is inside the coffin?”
The young man shook his head.
“No.”
He pointed toward the floor.
“It is beneath it.”
The chamber shook.
A deep heartbeat echoed.
THUMP.
Moko stared at the coffin.
“Then what is inside?”
The young man looked at him.
“Me.”
Silence.
“You said you weren't inside.”
“I said I wasn't trapped inside.”
The young man walked toward the coffin.
“I am the lock.”
Rizu stared.
“What does that mean?”
“My soul was used to seal the Hollow.”
Sizububu understood.
“They didn't imprison you.”
“They sacrificed me.”
The young man looked toward the black chains.
“My soul is the final lock.”
Tofu's face hardened.
“Then if we free you…”
“The Hollow wakes.”
Another heartbeat.
THUMP.
Chamot suddenly hissed.
The young man looked at her.
“She knows.”
Moko looked down at the cat.
“What does she know?”
The young man whispered—
“She knows how this ends.”
Chamot's ears flattened.
Then she ran.
She disappeared behind the coffin.
Moko followed.
“Chamot!”
He reached the other side.
The cat was staring at something.
A small stone.
On it was a carving.
A cat.
Beside the cat were five figures.
Sizububu, Moko, Tofu, Rizu—
and Chamot.
But the carving looked ancient.
Very ancient.
Moko stared.
“That can't be us.”
Tofu moved closer.
The stone was covered with dust.
Sizububu wiped it away.
There was another carving underneath.
A sentence.
“When the five return, the lock will break.”
Rizu whispered—
“The five have been here before.”
The young man nodded.
“Long ago.”
Moko looked at Chamot.
“But why don't we remember?”
The young man answered—
“Because the Keeper erased your memories.”
Sizububu turned toward him.
“Why?”
“Because you failed.”
The word echoed through the chamber.
Moko's expression changed.
“Failed at what?”
The young man looked at the five.
“You tried to free the prisoners.”
Tofu stared.
“And?”
“You freed them.”
Rizu's eyes widened.
“Then why did we fail?”
The young man looked toward the floor.
“Because you freed the Hollow too.”
A deep heartbeat.
THUMP.
The chamber shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The black chains began cracking.
Sizububu looked at the coffin.
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
The young man looked at Chamot.
“Don't break my chains.”
Chamot stared at him.
Moko nodded.
“Fine.”
The cat immediately raised her paw.
Moko grabbed it.
“No.”
Chamot looked offended.
“You heard him.”
Chamot slowly lowered her paw.
Then she bit Moko's hand.
“Ow!”
She escaped.
Tofu laughed.
“She's impossible.”
The young man looked at her.
Then he suddenly smiled.
“Maybe she remembers more than I thought.”
Chamot walked toward the coffin again.
But this time she didn't touch it.
She walked around it.
Then she stopped near the floor.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Sizububu stared.
“What is she doing?”
Rizu closed her eyes.
“There is something beneath the stone.”
Moko sighed.
“Of course.”
Tofu moved the stone aside.
Underneath was a small metal box.
The young man's face changed.
“Don't open that.”
Everyone looked at him.
Moko picked it up.
“Why?”
“Because that contains the memory.”
Rizu stepped closer.
“Whose memory?”
The young man stared at Chamot.
“Hers.”
Chamot stopped moving.
Moko slowly looked down at her.
The cat's eyes were fixed on the box.
For the first time since entering the chamber, Chamot looked genuinely frightened.
Sizububu reached for the box.
The young man shouted—
“Don't!”
But Sizububu opened it.
Inside was a tiny silver bell.
The same kind of bell they had found in the mansion.
And beneath it was a small piece of red cloth.
The same red ribbon Chamot had found near the mansion entrance.
Chamot stared.
Her eyes widened.
Then the chamber disappeared.
For one second, all five saw the same vision.
A much younger version of Rudrgarh Mansion.
The five friends stood in front of it.
They looked different.
But they were unmistakably them.
Sizububu.
Moko.
Tofu.
Rizu.
And Chamot.
Chamot was smaller.
But she was still a cat.
The five were standing around a giant circle of blue symbols.
Inside the circle was the young man.
The Keeper stood nearby.
The Hollow was beneath them.
Then—
Chamot ran into the circle.
She touched the young man's hand.
The circle exploded with light.
The vision ended.
Everyone returned to the chamber.
Moko was breathing heavily.
He looked at Chamot.
“You really were here.”
Chamot stared at him.
Rizu looked at the young man.
“What happened after that?”
He didn't answer.
Sizububu stepped forward.
“Tell us.”
The young man looked at the five.
“You failed.”
“But how?”
“You broke the first two prisons.”
Tofu's expression changed.
“Like now.”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
The young man looked toward the floor.
“The Hollow escaped.”
A massive crack appeared beneath the coffin.
CRACK!
Everyone jumped.
The heartbeat became louder.
THUMP.
The young man's expression changed.
“We don't have much time.”
Moko looked at him.
“What do we do?”
The young man pointed toward the old iron key.
“That key isn't for opening prisons.”
Tofu stared at it.
“Then what is it for?”
“It locks them.”
Sizububu's eyes widened.
“The key can close the prisons?”
“Yes.”
Rizu understood.
“The Keeper wasn't trying to stop us from freeing the ghosts.”
The young man nodded.
“He was trying to stop you from repeating your mistake.”
Moko looked toward the mansion.
“Then why didn't he just tell us?”
The young man laughed sadly.
“Because you wouldn't have believed him.”
The chamber shook again.
The chains around the coffin began turning red.
The young man looked at Chamot.
“She is the key.”
Moko frowned.
“What?”
“The iron key can lock the prisons.”
He pointed toward Chamot.
“But she can open them.”
Rizu's eyes widened.
“Then together…”
“We can free the ghosts without freeing the Hollow.”
Sizububu clenched his fist.
“That is what we need to do.”
The young man nodded.
“But there is one problem.”
Moko sighed.
“There always is.”
The young man pointed toward the ceiling.
“The Keeper is not the only one who knows about your return.”
A distant sound echoed through the underground chamber.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Coming down the stairs.
Everyone became silent.
Chamot's fur rose.
Sizububu turned toward the entrance.
Tofu held the iron key.
Rizu focused her ghost-sight.
Moko moved closer to Chamot.
The footsteps came nearer.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then a voice echoed through the darkness.
Not the Keeper.
Not a ghost.
A human voice.
“You found him.”
Moko's eyes widened.
Someone stepped into the blue light.
A tall figure stood at the entrance.
His face was hidden beneath a dark hood.
But unlike the spirits—
he cast a shadow.
Rizu whispered—
“He's alive.”
The young man inside the prison stared at the newcomer.
His face became pale.
“No…”
Sizububu stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The hooded figure smiled.
“I am the last person who should have found you.”
Tofu tightened his grip on the key.
“Answer him.”
The stranger slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were strangely familiar.
Chamot suddenly began growling.
Grrrrrrrr…
The stranger looked directly at her.
Then he smiled.
“So you remember me.”
Chamot froze.
Moko looked at the cat.
“Chamot?”
The stranger took one step forward.
The young man shouted—
“Don't let him touch her!”
Sizububu immediately moved between them.
The stranger laughed.
“You still protect her.”
Moko's expression hardened.
“Who are you?”
The stranger looked at all five.
Then he said—
“The person who built your first prison.”
Silence.
Rizu's eyes widened.
“You're the Keeper?”
The man smiled.
“No.”
He looked toward the coffin.
“The Keeper is what I became after I died.”
Moko stared.
“Then who are you?”
The man's smile disappeared.
“My name is Arkan.”
Chamot suddenly hissed.
The blue mark on her paw began glowing.
Arkan's expression changed.
And for the first time—
he looked afraid.
“She's awake.”
The chamber shook.
The Hollow's heartbeat became deafening.
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
Arkan looked toward the coffin.
“We have to leave.”
Sizububu frowned.
“Why?”
Arkan stared at him.
“Because the third prison has already begun to open.”
The black chains snapped.
One after another.
CLANK!
CLANK!
CLANK!
The young man screamed.
“RUN!”
The floor beneath them cracked open.
A giant black eye appeared beneath the coffin.
Everyone froze.
The eye opened.
And a voice deeper than anything they had ever heard whispered—
“I remember you.”
Chamot stared into the darkness.
For a single moment, she did not look like a mischievous cat.
She looked like she was remembering something ancient.
Something terrible.
Something she had forgotten for a hundred years.
Then she turned toward the others.
And ran.
The others followed.
Behind them, the third prison broke.
But the Hollow did not escape.
Not yet.
Because the young man's soul was still holding it back.
And now the five friends had learned the truth.
They weren't simply freeing ghosts.
They were trying to undo a mistake they had made once before.
And this time—
they had to succeed.