Chapter 6 — The Man Who Remembered
Run.
That was all Moko could think about.
Run.
Behind him, the underground chamber was collapsing.
Stone crashed from the ceiling.
Roots ripped through the walls.
Blue light flashed everywhere.
And beneath all of it came the terrible heartbeat.
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
Moko ran as fast as he could.
Chamot was ahead of him.
Tofu was carrying the old iron key.
Rizu was running beside Sizububu.
And behind them—
Arkan.
The strange man who had appeared inside the third prison.
The man who knew their names.
The man who knew Chamot.
Moko glanced back.
“Why is he following us?”
Tofu shouted—
“Because he told us to run!”
“That doesn't answer my question!”
Another explosion shook the tunnel.
Moko nearly fell.
Chamot immediately turned around.
She ran back toward him.
“Chamot, keep going!”
The cat ignored him.
She grabbed his trouser leg with her teeth.
Moko stared.
“Really?”
She pulled.
Moko stumbled forward.
“Okay! I'm coming!”
Chamot released him and ran ahead.
Moko shook his head.
“She saves me and annoys me at the same time.”
Rizu suddenly shouted—
“Left!”
Sizububu turned.
“There!”
A narrow passage appeared between two roots.
Everyone rushed inside.
Arkan followed.
The moment the last person entered, a massive stone collapsed behind them.
BOOM!
The passage went dark.
Moko was breathing heavily.
“Did we escape?”
Arkan answered from behind him.
“For now.”
Moko immediately turned.
“You!”
Arkan stood in the darkness.
His hood had fallen back.
For the first time, they could see his face clearly.
He looked around thirty.
But there was something strange about him.
His skin was too pale.
His eyes looked exhausted.
And there was a thin scar across his forehead.
Rizu stared at him.
“You're not completely alive.”
Arkan looked at her.
“No.”
“Then what are you?”
He hesitated.
“Something between.”
Moko frowned.
“That is not an answer.”
Arkan looked toward Chamot.
“She knows.”
Chamot stared at him.
Her tail moved slowly.
Moko crouched beside her.
“Chamot doesn't know anything.”
Arkan gave him a strange smile.
“You really don't remember.”
Moko's expression hardened.
“Remember what?”
Arkan didn't answer.
Sizububu stepped between them.
“You know us.”
“Yes.”
“You knew us before we entered Rudrgarh Mansion.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Chamot before.”
“Yes.”
Sizububu's voice became firm.
“Then tell us everything.”
Arkan looked at all five.
Then he looked toward the passage behind them.
“We don't have time.”
Moko rolled his eyes.
“That's what everyone says when they don't want to explain something.”
Arkan almost smiled.
“Then ask me while we walk.”
Sizububu nodded.
They started moving.
The passage slowly climbed upward.
Roots surrounded them.
Some moved slightly, as if the forest itself was breathing.
Rizu looked at Arkan.
“Were we here before?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago?”
“A hundred years.”
Tofu stopped.
“A hundred years?”
Arkan nodded.
Moko stared.
“But we aren't a hundred years old.”
“No.”
“Then how were we here?”
Arkan continued walking.
“You were different people.”
Moko frowned.
“Then why do you say we were here?”
Arkan stopped.
He turned toward them.
“Because your souls were the same.”
Silence.
Chamot sat down.
Her eyes remained fixed on Arkan.
Rizu whispered—
“Our souls?”
Arkan nodded.
“You were born again.”
Moko looked at the others.
“So we had previous lives?”
“Yes.”
Tofu stared at the ground.
“And we were involved with the prisons.”
“Yes.”
Sizububu asked—
“Were we the ones who created them?”
Arkan looked at him.
“No.”
“Then what did we do?”
“You tried to destroy them.”
Moko frowned.
“That's not what the spirits said.”
Arkan's expression became serious.
“Because they remember only part of the story.”
Rizu crossed her arms.
“Then tell us the whole story.”
Arkan sighed.
“A hundred years ago, Rudrgarh Mansion did not belong to ghosts.”
Moko waited.
“It belonged to a man named Arkan.”
Moko stared.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“To yourself?”
Arkan nodded.
“I was human.”
The passage became silent.
Arkan continued.
“I was obsessed with death.”
Moko muttered—
“Of course.”
Arkan ignored him.
“I believed death was not the end. I believed souls could be controlled, moved, even returned to their bodies.”
Rizu's expression became serious.
“And you experimented on ghosts.”
“Yes.”
“To find a way to bring back the dead.”
“Yes.”
Sizububu asked—
“Did you succeed?”
Arkan looked down.
“No.”
The word sounded heavy.
“I failed.”
Tofu asked—
“Then what was the Hollow?”
Arkan's expression changed.
“The Hollow was not something I created.”
He looked toward the roots.
“I found it.”
Moko swallowed.
“Where?”
“Under Rudrgarh.”
Rizu frowned.
“Why was it there?”
“I don't know.”
“Then how did you know what it was?”
Arkan stopped walking.
“Because it spoke to me.”
The five became silent.
Moko whispered—
“What did it say?”
Arkan looked at him.
“It promised me everything I wanted.”
“To bring back the dead?”
“Yes.”
“And you believed it.”
Arkan nodded.
“That was my mistake.”
The passage suddenly shook.
Chamot looked up.
Arkan immediately became alert.
“Keep moving.”
They hurried upward.
After a few minutes, they reached a small opening.
Moonlight entered through the trees.
They were back in the forest.
Moko breathed deeply.
“Finally.”
But Rizu didn't move.
She was staring behind Arkan.
“What?”
Rizu pointed.
“Look.”
A black mist was rising from the ground.
It slowly formed the shape of a man.
The Keeper.
Arkan's expression changed.
“Stay behind me.”
Sizububu stepped forward.
“No.”
Arkan looked at him.
“You don't understand what he can do.”
Sizububu answered—
“He already attacked us.”
The Keeper's voice echoed through the forest.
“Arkan.”
Arkan froze.
The shadow stared at him.
“You should have stayed dead.”
Moko's eyes widened.
“You know each other.”
Arkan didn't answer.
The Keeper moved closer.
“You failed once.”
Arkan's fists tightened.
“I know.”
“You will fail again.”
Rizu stepped forward.
“Why are you afraid of us?”
The Keeper looked at her.
“I am not afraid.”
“Then why are you trying to stop us?”
The Keeper remained silent.
Rizu continued.
“You attacked us before we knew anything.”
The Keeper's eyes moved toward Arkan.
“Because he is lying to you.”
Everyone turned toward Arkan.
Moko frowned.
“What is he lying about?”
Arkan looked away.
The Keeper spoke.
“He didn't tell you what happened to your memories.”
Sizububu's eyes narrowed.
“What happened?”
Arkan remained silent.
Moko became angry.
“Answer us.”
Arkan finally spoke.
“I erased them.”
Rizu stared at him.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Arkan looked toward Chamot.
“Because you asked me to.”
Silence.
Moko shook his head.
“No.”
Arkan nodded.
“You did.”
“To forget everything?”
“Yes.”
“Why would we ask that?”
Arkan looked toward the forest.
“Because you couldn't live with what happened.”
The Keeper laughed.
A cold sound.
“Tell them.”
Arkan stared at him.
“Tell them what you did.”
Sizububu stepped forward.
“What did we do?”
Arkan's eyes became wet.
“You freed the first prisoner.”
Moko frowned.
“We did that recently.”
“No.”
Arkan shook his head.
“You did it a hundred years ago.”
The five froze.
Rizu whispered—
“That means…”
Arkan nodded.
“You have done this before.”
Tofu looked toward the mansion.
“And failed.”
“Yes.”
The Keeper's voice echoed.
“You freed the spirits.”
Arkan continued.
“And the Hollow woke.”
Moko looked at Chamot.
“What happened then?”
Arkan's expression changed.
“Chamot stopped it.”
Everyone turned toward the cat.
Chamot was sitting quietly.
Her eyes were fixed on Arkan.
Rizu whispered—
“How?”
Arkan looked at her.
“She entered the Hollow.”
Moko stared.
“Chamot?”
Arkan nodded.
“She was the only one who could.”
The Keeper's voice became cold.
“And she nearly died.”
Moko's expression changed.
“What?”
Arkan looked at him.
“Chamot sacrificed herself.”
Silence.
Moko immediately crouched beside the cat.
Chamot looked at him.
He gently touched her head.
“Is that true?”
Chamot didn't answer.
She was a cat.
But her eyes looked strangely sad.
Rizu looked at Arkan.
“What happened to her?”
“She disappeared.”
“To where?”
“Inside the Hollow.”
Moko's face hardened.
“And you erased our memories?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you wanted to forget her death.”
Moko's eyes widened.
“But she's here.”
Arkan nodded.
“That is what I don't understand.”
The Keeper moved closer.
“She came back.”
Rizu stared at Chamot.
“Then Chamot was trapped inside the Hollow?”
Arkan nodded.
“For a hundred years.”
Moko looked horrified.
“Then how did she come back?”
Arkan's voice became quieter.
“I don't know.”
Chamot suddenly hissed.
The Keeper stopped.
The blue mark appeared on her paw.
The forest became completely silent.
The Keeper looked at her.
For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
“Don't.”
Chamot stood.
Moko stared.
“Chamot?”
She walked toward the Keeper.
Arkan immediately shouted—
“Stop her!”
Moko grabbed her.
Chamot struggled.
She scratched him.
“Ow!”
She jumped free.
The Keeper stepped backward.
“Stay away.”
Chamot continued forward.
Her tail was raised.
The blue symbol became brighter.
Rizu's eyes widened.
“She recognizes him.”
Sizububu asked—
“How?”
Rizu looked at the Keeper.
“She remembers what happened inside the Hollow.”
The Keeper's shadow began flickering.
Chamot stopped.
She stared directly at him.
Then she meowed.
It was a simple sound.
But the Keeper suddenly stepped backward.
Moko stared.
“What was that?”
Arkan whispered—
“She is warning him.”
The Keeper looked at the cat.
Then he said—
“You don't remember everything.”
Chamot's ears moved.
The Keeper continued.
“You remember the pain.”
The blue light became brighter.
“But not why you entered the Hollow.”
Rizu stepped forward.
“Why did she enter?”
The Keeper looked at her.
“To save the five.”
Moko's face changed.
“Save us from what?”
The Keeper pointed toward the ground.
“The Hollow.”
The forest shook.
A deep heartbeat sounded beneath them.
THUMP.
Everyone froze.
Another.
THUMP.
Arkan looked at the ground.
“No.”
The Keeper's shadow began fading.
Sizububu shouted—
“Wait!”
But the Keeper disappeared.
Moko looked around.
“Where did he go?”
Arkan answered—
“He returned to the mansion.”
Rizu looked toward the mansion.
“Why?”
Arkan's expression became grim.
“Because the third prison has been weakened.”
Tofu held the iron key.
“But the Hollow didn't escape.”
“No.”
“Then what's happening?”
Arkan looked at the forest.
“The Hollow is waking.”
A crack appeared beneath their feet.
Moko jumped aside.
“Not again!”
The ground split.
Blue light burst from the crack.
Chamot ran toward it.
Moko immediately grabbed her.
“No!”
Chamot hissed.
She struggled.
Moko held tighter.
“You are not jumping into another underground prison.”
Chamot scratched his face.
“Ow!”
She escaped.
Moko sighed.
“Fine.”
Chamot ran to the edge of the crack.
But she didn't jump.
She simply stared.
Rizu came closer.
“What do you see?”
Chamot lifted one paw.
The blue mark appeared.
A small image formed in the air.
It showed a room.
A dark room.
Inside was a young girl.
She was chained to a wall.
But she wasn't alone.
A shadow stood behind her.
The Keeper.
The girl looked terrified.
Then another figure entered.
Arkan.
The vision changed.
Arkan placed a hand on the girl's forehead.
The girl screamed.
Moko stared.
“What's that?”
Rizu whispered—
“A memory.”
The vision continued.
Arkan spoke to the girl.
“You have to forget.”
The girl cried.
“I don't want to.”
“You have to.”
Then the vision changed again.
The girl looked toward the camera.
Her eyes were full of fear.
And behind her—
stood Chamot.
But Chamot was not a cat.
She was surrounded by blue light.
The vision ended.
Everyone stood silently.
Moko looked at Arkan.
“What was that?”
Arkan didn't answer.
Sizububu's voice became cold.
“Who was that girl?”
Arkan closed his eyes.
“The second prisoner.”
Rizu's eyes widened.
“But we freed the second prisoner.”
Arkan nodded.
“No.”
He looked at them.
“You freed the wrong one.”
Silence.
Moko's face became pale.
“What?”
“The boy you freed from the mirror was not the second prisoner.”
Rizu stepped backward.
“Then who was he?”
Arkan looked toward the mansion.
“A memory.”
Tofu tightened his grip around the key.
“That can't be possible.”
Arkan nodded.
“The Keeper showed you what you wanted to see.”
Moko stared.
“So the boy wasn't real?”
“He was a memory trapped inside the mirror.”
Rizu's face became serious.
“Then the real second prisoner is still trapped.”
Arkan nodded.
Sizububu looked toward the mansion.
“And the girl?”
“The girl is the real second prisoner.”
Moko looked at Chamot.
The cat was staring toward the mansion.
Her tail had stopped moving.
Arkan continued.
“She is still inside.”
Rizu whispered—
“Then we have freed only one real spirit.”
Arkan nodded.
“The first.”
Moko looked at the master seal in his memory.
“Then the second symbol…”
“Is still black.”
Sizububu's expression hardened.
“We have to go back.”
Arkan nodded.
“Yes.”
Moko looked at him.
“Are you coming?”
Arkan looked toward Rudrgarh Mansion.
“No.”
Moko frowned.
“Why?”
“Because I have something else to do.”
“What?”
Arkan looked at Chamot.
“I need to remember why she came back.”
Chamot stared at him.
Arkan stepped closer.
But before he could touch her—
Chamot hissed.
FSSSS!
Arkan stopped.
Moko smiled.
“Looks like she doesn't trust you.”
Arkan looked at the cat.
“She shouldn't.”
Moko's smile disappeared.
“What does that mean?”
Arkan looked at the mansion.
“I was the one who sent her into the Hollow.”
Silence.
Moko's face hardened.
“You?”
Arkan nodded.
“I asked her to save you.”
Rizu whispered—
“And she died because of it.”
“Yes.”
Sizububu stepped toward Arkan.
“Then why should we trust you now?”
Arkan looked at him.
“You shouldn't.”
He turned away.
“But you should trust Chamot.”
The five looked at the cat.
Chamot stared at the mansion.
Then she started walking.
Moko followed.
“To the mansion?”
Chamot continued.
Moko sighed.
“Of course.”
Tofu walked beside him.
Rizu followed.
Sizububu remained at the back for a moment.
He looked at Arkan.
“What are you going to do?”
Arkan answered—
“Find the truth.”
“Where?”
Arkan looked toward the dark forest.
“Where Chamot disappeared a hundred years ago.”
Sizububu's eyes narrowed.
“Inside the Hollow?”
Arkan nodded.
Then he said something that made Sizububu stop.
“The Hollow isn't beneath the mansion.”
Sizububu turned.
“Then where is it?”
Arkan pointed toward the forest.
“Everywhere.”
Sizububu felt a cold shiver.
He turned toward the others.
Moko was already walking after Chamot.
Tofu was beside him.
Rizu was looking toward the mansion.
The forest suddenly became silent.
Then Chamot stopped.
She looked back.
Her eyes met Arkan's.
For one second, something strange happened.
A blue glow appeared around her.
Arkan whispered—
“She remembers.”
Then Chamot turned away.
The five began walking back toward Rudrgarh Mansion.
Behind them, Arkan remained in the forest.
But before they disappeared between the trees, Moko heard his voice.
“Don't open the third prison.”
Moko turned.
“Why?”
Arkan shouted—
“Because the third prisoner is the only thing keeping the Hollow asleep!”
Moko froze.
He looked at the others.
Tofu's face had gone pale.
Rizu whispered—
“Then we can't free him.”
Sizububu looked toward the mansion.
The entire mission had changed.
They had come to free the trapped souls.
But now they knew that some prisons were also holding back something much worse.
And somewhere inside Rudrgarh Mansion—
the real second prisoner was still waiting.
A girl.
A forgotten girl.
A soul who had been forced to forget everything.
And according to Arkan—
she was the one who knew why Chamot had returned.
The five walked faster.
The mansion grew larger ahead of them.
Its broken windows looked like black eyes.
And as they approached the gate—
Chamot stopped.
She stared at the mansion's highest window.
A figure was standing there.
A little girl.
The same girl from the vision.
She was looking directly at Chamot.
Her face was pale.
Her eyes were empty.
Then she raised one hand.
And slowly wrote something on the window with her finger.
Moko stared.
“What is she writing?”
Rizu looked carefully.
Her face changed.
The girl had written only three words.
“DON'T TRUST ARKAN.”
Chamot's fur stood up.
The window suddenly shattered.
The girl disappeared.
And from inside the mansion came a whisper—
“Chamot…”
The cat looked up.
The whisper came again.
“Come back…”
Moko stared at the darkness.
Sizububu tightened his fists.
Tofu raised the iron key.
Rizu's ghost-sight activated.
And Chamot—
for the first time—
didn't move.
Because she recognized that voice.
It was the voice of the girl who had sent her into the Hollow a hundred years ago.
The real second prisoner was calling her home.