The man was still standing in front of the old room's door. His expression was serious, as if he were trying to remember something he had buried deep in his mind long ago.
Zelia didn't look away from him.
"Who are you?" Zelia asked again.
The man was silent for a few moments before finally answering.
"My name is Arga."
Rani watched Arga's face suspiciously.
"You know about Alena?"
Arga looked toward the wooden box in Zelia's hands.
"I know more than you think."
His answer only made Zelia more curious.
"Then tell us everything."
Arga sighed.
"You're still too young to get involved in this."
Zelia immediately disagreed.
"She came to me for a reason."
Arga looked at Zelia.
"You can see her, can't you?"
The atmosphere changed at once.
Zelia and Rani looked at each other.
"You know about that?" Zelia asked.
Arga nodded slowly.
"I've been waiting a long time for someone like you to appear."
Rani looked confused.
"You mean someone like Zelia?"
"Yeah."
Zelia tightened her grip on Alena's letter.
"Why am I the only one who can see her?"
Arga walked into the room and closed the door.
"Because Alena chose you."
"Chose me for what?"
Arga didn't answer right away.
He looked around the room, which was filled with memories.
"A little over a decade ago, Alena was one of the best students at this school. She had a lot of friends and was known as someone who was always willing to help others."
"Then why did she disappear?" Rani asked.
Arga's expression grew more serious.
"Because she found something she was never supposed to know."
Zelia listened more intently.
"What was it?"
Arga walked toward the dusty window.
"A long time ago, before this building was abandoned, something happened that very few people ever found out about."
"What happened?" Zelia asked.
"Alena discovered a secret about this school."
"A secret?"
Arga nodded.
"And because of that, she tried to find evidence."
Zelia looked at the wooden box.
"This letter?"
"Not just the letter."
Arga pointed to the small necklace inside the box.
"That necklace was the last thing she owned before everything changed."
Zelia picked up the necklace.
"Why did she keep it here?"
"Because she believed that one day, someone would find it."
Rani crossed her arms.
"But if you knew all this, why did you stay silent all this time?"
The question left Arga speechless.
For the first time, he looked sad.
"Because I was afraid."
Zelia was stunned.
"Afraid?"
"I know what happened to Alena. But back then, I was too scared to tell the truth."
"Why?"
Arga lowered his head.
"Because I was involved too."
The room fell silent.
Zelia stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
Arga didn't answer.
Suddenly, the sound of something falling came from the hallway.
The three of them immediately turned toward it.
"Is there someone else outside?" Rani whispered.
Arga looked panicked.
"You have to leave. Now."
"Why?"
"Because there's someone who doesn't want you to uncover this truth."
Zelia didn't move.
"I'm not leaving until I find out what happened."
Arga looked at her.
"You're just like Alena."
"What do you mean?"
"Neither of you can stop looking for answers."
Before Zelia could ask another question, the sound of footsteps grew closer.
Arga quickly took the wooden box from Zelia's hands.
"Follow me."
They left through the room's back door.
They hurried through the dark hallway.
"Arga, who's actually chasing us?" Rani asked as they walked.
Arga didn't stop.
"Someone who's been protecting the school's secrets all this time."
"You mean a teacher?" Zelia asked.
Arga didn't answer.
They reached the back staircase and hurried down.
Just as they were about to leave the building, Zelia stopped.
She saw something at the end of the hallway.
Alena was standing there.
But this time, her expression was different.
She looked afraid.
Zelia stared at her.
"Alena?"
The figure didn't come any closer.
She only pointed at Arga.
Then she shook her head.
Zelia fell silent.
What did she mean?
Could Arga really be trusted?
Or was he hiding something?
"Zelia, come on!" Rani called.
Zelia was still looking toward Alena.
But in the blink of an eye, the figure vanished.
They made it out of the old building and stopped in the school's back courtyard.
Arga handed the wooden box back to Zelia.
"Whatever happens, don't give this to anyone."
Zelia looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because what's inside could change everything."
"Including what happened to Alena?"
Arga nodded.
"Including the reason she was never found."
After saying that, Arga left them behind.
Zelia simply stood there, holding the wooden box.
Her mind was even more crowded with questions.
She had come to the old building looking for answers.
But all she had found were even more questions.
And there was one thing that bothered her most.
Alena had warned her about Arga.
But why?
That night, Zelia opened the wooden box again in her room.
She took out the last letter she hadn't read yet.
This letter was different from the others.
One sentence was written on the front.
"Don't trust anyone who says they want to help."
Zelia froze.
Because she knew.
That sentence might have been meant for Arga.