The castle's first night was eerily silent. The fog was thick like damp cotton, wrapping the building in layers. Outside the window, not a star could be seen, and not a whisper of wind was heard.
Lin Qiao lay on the bed, but sleep refused to come.
Not only because of the unfamiliar surroundings, but more so because of the floor-length mirror in the corner, now covered with cloth.
She remembered clearly that it was her idea to cover all the mirrors in their rooms. She couldn't explain why at the time, just a sense of unease.
Lin Qiao had covered it with her own hands.
But she always felt something under that cloth was breathing.
She tried to shift her attention away, turning to the window. The fog clung to the glass like a giant face silently watching from outside.
Then—
BANG!!!
A sudden, violent noise shattered the silence, as if someone had kicked her door.
Lin Qiao shot up in bed, heart pounding.
Then came a second, third, and fourth bang, louder and more urgent. Like fists or perhaps bloodied, mutilated heads slamming the door again and again.
"Let me in..."
A woman's voice came from outside, hoarse and broken, as though forcing itself through a torn throat.
"Please... help me... I can't hold on any longer..."
The voice sounded like it was crying or laughing.
Lin Qiao held her breath, frozen in place.
BANG—BANG—BANG!!!
The doorknob trembled. The door groaned and shuddered. It felt like it would collapse at any moment.
"Lin Qiao..." The woman's voice suddenly softened, like someone familiar calling out. "I know you're in there. I can feel you..."
Lin Qiao wanted to scream, but no sound came. Her chest tightened, her limbs were cold, and her whole body pinned in place.
The voice shifted between near and far, whispering at the door one moment, echoing in her mind the next.
"Let me in... I just want to see you..."
"We've met before... do you remember me...?"
"I am you..."
Lin Qiao's eyes trembled. A cold presence slithered through the air. And then, she saw it.
In the corner, the mirror.
The mirror under the cloth should've blocked all reflection. But now, a bulge formed in the fabric, as if stirred by a breeze. Then it moved, like something alive struggling beneath, trying to break free.
Snap...
A faint sound like a tear. A corner of the cloth split, revealing a cold, wet sliver of mirror.
Lin Qiao's pupils contracted.
It wasn't her reflection, but a pale hand pressed against the inside of the mirror. Black fingernails scraped slowly, leaving bloody trails.
"Lin Qiao..."
The voice grew sticky, like something oozing from deep within the ear canal.
"Just lift the cloth... and I can come out..."
"I'll protect you..."
"I won't abandon you like they did..."
Lin Qiao was on the verge of breaking down. She rolled off the bed and dashed to the door, but dared not open it. The woman outside was still pounding, her voice on the verge of breaking through.
"You think the door can stop me?" The voice laughed.
"You think that cloth can seal the mirror?"
"I've always been watching you. The moment you shut your eyes, I can come in."
The thing under the mirror slowly bulged up, like the outline of a face. The outline became clearer and clearer, and it turned out to be Lin Qiao's own face. But the eyes were completely black, and the corners of the mouth were cracked, revealing rows of tiny teeth.
Lin Qiao finally screamed!
"AAHH!!!"
At that moment, the knocking ceased. The hand in the mirror retreated. The cloth fell back into place. As if waking from a dream.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open from outside.
It was me.
I held the spare key, eyes cold, my shadow stretched long in the firelight.
The moment Lin Qiao saw me, she rushed over instinctively. I caught her, gently resting my hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid." Her face was ashen, her body trembling violently.
"It... it came out of the mirror..." she stammered, "It... almost came in..."
I didn't reply and just glanced toward the corner.
The mirror was still there. The cloth had fallen back into place. But one corner remained faintly raised, as if something underneath was quietly breathing.
I walked over, pressed the cloth flat, then took scissors from the desk. I tore the bedsheet into four strips and tied the corners tightly to the mirror frame, finishing with a chair pressed against it.
Only after all that did I turn back to her.
"You weren't the only one who heard knocking."
Lin Qiao froze, wide-eyed. "...Who else?"
I said quietly, "Xing Wang heard it too. There was knocking at his door as well. When we arrived, he was about to lift the cloth and nearly pulled in by whatever's in the mirror. Luckily, we stopped him in time."
As I spoke, footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Jiang Che appeared first, holding a torch. His face was tense. "I heard Lin Qiao shouting," he said as he approached.
His eyes swept the room, and his expression darkened.
Then Qin Yan arrived, wrapped in his coat, face pale. He asked me urgently, "What happened?"
I looked at him and said quietly, "It was Lin Qiao."
For a moment, we all fell silent.
Beneath the cloth, a dark shape still seemed to stir.
I glanced at my phone. It was already 4 a.m.
"We wait for dawn," I said.
Lin Qiao nodded.
We sat together in silence, as if only the firelight could hold back the darkness that crept ever closer.