error 405

Elsewhere in the forest…

The air grew heavier, as if the woods were bracing for what was coming.

Inside the system, screens flickered endlessly, tracking the players' heartbeats,

numbers spiking....

as though their very hearts were preparing to explode.

The next stage was near…

And this time, it wouldn't just threaten their bodies…

It would sink its claws deep into the very core of their souls.

---

New Chapter [ Mirror of the Self]

The bell rang.

Their breaths quivered,

heartbeats pounding like war drums.

Something strange spilled into the air,

even the forest seemed to hold its breath… waiting.

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

GO.

A scream tore through the silence, followed by a suffocating hush.

And when they opened their eyes…

They found themselves in a vast hall with no walls,

surrounded by countless mirrors.

But none of them reflected their faces…

Instead, each one revealed their deepest nightmares...

the fear they had tried to bury countless times…

now returning to devour them alive.

Majd

Children's laughter pierced his ears like sharp blades:

– Stupid!

– Idiot!

– Crazy!

His voice exploded against the echoing walls of sound:

– I'm not an idiot… I'm human… I can feel!

But the mirrors multiplied around him,

the children's faces duplicating,

their voices growing, swelling into a storm that ripped the breath from his lungs.

His eyes blurred with tears.

He ran....

ran without direction, searching for an exit,

any door that could free him from this living hell…

but there was no escape.

He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head,

fists pounding against his skull

as if he could silence the voices gnawing at his soul:

– I'm not a fool… I'm not stupid… stop… please stop…

Tears streamed endlessly, sliding down his cheeks, pooling at his neck.

Even the mirrors before him grew stained with his grief…

yet they offered no mercy.

They only laughed louder,

their cruel chorus savoring every second of his torment.

{Mary}

The mirrors began to whisper, their voices soft and venomous...

then they sharpened, spitting words like poison:

– Ugly!

– Your hair's a mess!

– You'll never be anything… you're not my daughter!

– Your eyes look like a frog's… hahahaha!

Her father's image surfaced on the mirror's glass,

his face hard, his gaze dripping with disgust,

and his voice slashed through her like knives:

– They picked you up off the streets… you're not mine… I'm not proud of you.

Mary screamed until her throat burned,

her voice cracking under the weight of agony:

– Noooooo! I'm your daughter… I'm strong… just give me a chance to show you who I am!

Tears burst forth, pouring down like a furious storm,

her breath shattering into ragged sobs,

choking her as she begged for air.

But the mirrors showed no mercy...

they multiplied, surrounding her, hissing in her ears:

– Failure… worthless… we wish you were never born.

She ran, desperate to escape her father's face,

those words that hollowed out her heart.

But suddenly… she was back in her classroom.

Everyone laughing, whispering about her,

fingers pointing, cruel giggles devouring her alive…

And there she was...

alone in the dark, small, broken,

fighting against the crushing weight of being unseen…

and unloved.

{Tala}

The mirrors closed in around her…

Men everywhere, eyes devouring her, no trace of humanity..

only a filthy, ravenous hunger stalking her every move.

She ran…

A torn red dress clung to her trembling body,

the red on her lips no sign of beauty—

but a curse, branded on her against her will.

She ripped off her high heels,

bare feet bleeding as they pounded the floor,

yet the chase never ceased…

Every mirror revealed another man stepping closer,

their heavy breaths, their footsteps pounding like a relentless beast hunting her down.

Suddenly… the face of her best friend's father emerged in the glass,

a vile grin slicing across his face:

– Come sit on my lap… I'll tell you a story.

Tala screamed, tears flinging from her eyes:

– No! Please… stay away from me… I'm just a child… I can't…

He came closer, his voice dripping with venomous intent:

– This time… I won't let you hurt like the first time.

– Get away from me!… Maaaaaamaaaaaaa!

But her voice was strangled in her throat,

her screams crashing against the mirrored walls,

never breaking free.

She stumbled back into a corner,

hugging her knees to her chest,

shaking like a wounded bird, eyes trembling in terror:

– Why… why does no one care about my mind… my thoughts… the way I speak?

Why is beauty a curse… and never a blessing?

She buried her head between her knees,

a muffled scream tearing her soul apart in silence,

while the mirrors closed in on her,

reflecting a thousand faces…

a thousand fears…

and no escape.

{Sawsan}

Laughter ripped through the air around her, sharp and merciless:

– Selfish!

– Cruel!

– Drown in your own fear and filth!

The mirrors flared suddenly,

and the words she had once written,

the toxic comments, the cruel mockery she'd thrown at others…

all floated before her eyes like flying daggers,

each letter slicing into her heart as it came back to stab her.

She ran… desperate to escape herself…

But the mirrors dragged her back to that moment..

the moment she shoved Mary to the ground,

just to save her own skin.

A cold, merciless voice pierced through her skull:

– You sacrificed Mary to survive… hahaha!

She screamed, hands clamping over her ears,

but the voices didn't stop.

Suddenly, furious figures materialized around her,

their eyes burning with accusation,

their voices shaking the ground beneath her:

– You caused this… Coward… Traitor…

Then, before her eyes,

they shifted into snarling wolves,

closing in on her,

fangs tearing into her leg,

pain searing through her body

while the crowd pointed, laughed, whispered:

– You deserve this… every bit of it…

She collapsed to the floor,

tears streaming down her face,

screams spilling from her throat,

raw with terror and regret:

– It wasn't meeeee! I'm sorry… I swear I'm sorry… I won't do it again… please… please stop…

But the mirrors showed no mercy.

They swallowed her cries whole

and threw them back at her,

a final, unescapable verdict carved in sound.

To be continued...