Ever since Leon had woken up in the middle of the night, he felt like he was stuck in some strange dream again. As he walked down the first floor corridor, he was almost certain this place looked exactly like it had when he first met the ghost of the young General.
A shiver ran down his spine when he realized that, even though he kept pinching himself, he couldn't wake up.
He looked around nervously, searching for Alicja. He believed that—just like last time—the girl would appear and try to help him. But panic gripped him when he realized she was nowhere to be found.
Maybe it was because she was still unwell after what had happened to her in the underground tunnels?
He frowned when a visibly frightened teenage girl ran past him. She wore clothes that were completely outdated by modern standards.
"Alan!" she suddenly cried. Leon didn't understand why that name triggered a reaction in him, but he turned around instinctively, surprised when the unfamiliar girl threw herself into his arms, clinging to him tightly.
"Where were you? I was so scared when I woke up and saw you weren't beside me."
It was strange, but his heart started pounding. He felt worry and tenderness toward her—even though he didn't know her at all.
Who was she?
Was he now in Alan's body? Was this dream some kind of memory?
"What happened? Why are you crying?" he asked, the only words that came to mind. The girl pulled away, revealing a pale face wet with tears, and looked at him with sad eyes.
Something about her moved him. As if he really did know her. Or maybe… she reminded him of someone?
"I had a bad dream. I feel like something is wrong."
"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.
"I dreamed that…" she trailed off, because at that very moment, a girl appeared before them—looking like a ghost, her clothes soaked in blood.
"Help me…" she whispered quietly.
Leon was stunned. He didn't understand what was happening.
The girl who had clung to him just moments before let go and ran toward the bloody figure.
"Laura, what happened? You're scaring me," she said, almost sobbing.
"Simon… he's dead. He died in my arms," Laura whispered.
Leon's jaw dropped. Was it really possible that he was witnessing Alan's memories?
"What do you mean he's dead? Laura, what happened?!" The girl looked like a wreck, and the other didn't even seem to hear her words.
"Sarah, he's really gone. Simon is dead. I lost him. I couldn't help him."
Leon covered his mouth with his hand as realization struck. Now he understood why the girl had seemed familiar.
She was Nadia's mother. And everything suggested that she had been very close to Alan.
He opened his eyes abruptly, realizing he was back in his bed—in the room he shared with Natan and Sebastian. Both boys were still asleep, and he lay staring at the ceiling, pressing a hand to his feverish forehead.
Could it really be that in a past life… he was Alan? And that this place—this cursed, dark place—was bringing his memories back?
*
It was 7:30 when the boys sat at a table in the cafeteria, waiting for Nadia. They ate in silence, not talking much. Natan had noticed his roommate behaving strangely ever since he got up—as if something was weighing heavily on his mind.
Leon was distant.
"What's going on with you? Did something happen last night?" he finally asked, worried that the usually cheerful and talkative Leon was completely unlike himself.
"I'll tell you everything once Nadia gets here," he replied.
"She's here. And looks like she's bringing her haunted roommate to our table. Think they've made peace?" Natan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Maybe they had to fight it out to get along?"
Leon turned and looked over his shoulder. Nadia was helping Alicja walk, who still visibly struggled from the pain in her back after hitting the wall.
"Violence is the worst way to solve problems, but… maybe in their case, it actually worked," he said, though it didn't sound very convincing.
They were still lying to Natan, not wanting to reveal the truth—that it was the demon, the General, who had hurt Alicja in the underground chamber.
Alicja sat down at their table, and Nadia went to get food. Their arrival drew attention not only from the boys—others in the cafeteria were watching the scene with interest too.
"You two aren't at war anymore? Buried the hatchet?" Natan asked, glancing at Alicja's pale face.
"I think we've been united by a common enemy. We have to defeat him together," she answered emotionlessly. "But we'll never be friends. Not in this lifetime."
Nadia returned with two trays. She placed one in front of Alicja and the other in front of herself, taking a seat next to Natan.
Her gaze immediately landed on Leon, who looked lost in thought.
"What happened?"
He lifted his head and stared at her intensely for a moment. Her heart started to race under the weight of that serious gaze.
"I had a strange dream. I was in Alan's body… I saw his memories. It felt like a fragment of my past life."
Natan put down his spoon, staring at him in horror.
"Did you see the General again?"
"No. He wasn't in those memories. But I did see Nadia's mother. She seemed really close to Alan."
The girl's eyes widened in shock.
"You saw my mom?" she asked in disbelief. "How close were they?"
"I think they were more than friends. I'm pretty sure they were together…"
Nadia reached for her utensils but froze with her hand hovering over the table.
"Are you sure it was my mom?"
"Her name was Sarah. And… you look a lot like her. But the worst part was that Laura appeared too. She was shaken, crying… because Simon had died."
"I know Laura was my mom's friend. They lost touch when she moved to Spain," Nadia said, frowning.
Alicja, who had been silently observing them, closed her eyes and finally spoke quietly:
"I told you—you're Alan's reincarnation. That's why you're having memories from a past life, and that's why the General is so interested in you. You're in the greatest danger of us all… right after Nadia and me."
"What can I do to stop it? Is there a way to block him out?" Leon asked, clearly worried.
"There's nothing you can do now," she replied, casting a brief look at Nadia. "Your past life drew you here. And not just you…"
"Could he really possess me?"
Leon stared at Alicja as if his life depended on her answer.
"Since you got here, I've seen his dark aura on your shoulders," she said calmly. Natan's hand began to tremble. He gripped his cup tighter, like he was trying to hold on to something solid. "But since we went down to the underground chamber yesterday, that aura disappeared. It's gone now."
"Is that good or bad?" Nadia asked, clearly worried.
"Why me, of all people, did I get stuck with a cursed roommate being hunted by a literal hell demon?!" Natan groaned, staring at Leon in horror. "What did I do to deserve this?!"
"It's bad," Alicja stated firmly. "It means he didn't yet have enough power to take over your body. For now, he could only control your dreams. Going down there was a huge mistake. I fell for it too. The spirits trapped there are still afraid of him. He slaughtered all of them in the past, and now… he fed on their fear. He's stronger than ever."
"What does this mean for me?" Leon asked, growing more and more anxious.
"It means you're connected to him. And that he'll want to take over your body to finally carry out his plan."
Suddenly, everyone fell silent, staring at each other in growing fear. The silence became almost tangible.
"He could possess me… and live my life?" Leon asked, his voice trembling.
"He's not an ordinary ghost," Alicja replied, her gaze turning hard. "He's a demon, full of vengeance. And if he takes over your body, I don't even want to imagine what he'll be capable of. In your young, strong body, he could be even more brutal than he was twenty years ago…"
Leon felt his stomach twist with nerves. He felt nauseous, and cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. The carefree, fearless Leon was gone—in that moment, he looked like a completely different person.
"There's really no way to stop this?" Nadia asked, increasingly worried. Her eyes kept darting from Leon to Alicja and back. She knew that it wasn't just Leon's life at stake—everyone who ended up here could be next.
"For now… I don't know of any way to stop it," Alicja said with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. But I can't help us."
During the lesson, Leon was completely absent-minded. He stared blankly at a single point on his notebook page, absentmindedly scribbling lines and shapes. Natan glanced at him from the corner of his eye, growing increasingly worried. Ever since he'd heard about the danger—that Leon might be possessed by the General—he couldn't shake the feeling of dread.
Still, he wasn't going to let his only friend in this messed-up place give up that easily.
"Pull yourself together. Stop thinking about it," he whispered, nudging Leon's arm. "The more you torment yourself, the weaker you become. Do you want to be an easy vessel for possession?"
Leon snapped out of his grim thoughts and turned his gaze to Natan.
"Easy for you to say," he muttered. "You're afraid of ghosts. I've got a ruthless demon breathing down my neck. For the first time in my life, I'm fucking terrified."
Natan frowned.
"Listen, I have nightmares just from sharing a room with you. And now, knowing you might become the General at any moment keeps me up at night. I swear, from now on, I'm going to watch you every night. I won't be able to sleep otherwise."
Leon sighed.
"I don't think he'll just possess me like that. That can't be how it works… Alicja must know something, but she won't tell us."
"What do you mean?"
"She's definitely hiding something from us. You can see it in her eyes. Why is she so adamant that Nadia shouldn't be here either? Everyone already knows about me, but what about Nadia? Is it because her parents had some connection to the General? Especially her mother's side of the family? Or is there something more?"
"You're right. That haunted weirdo knows something she's keeping from us. What could it be?"
The boys turned toward Alicja, but she wasn't paying them any attention. She stared ahead, completely still, looking possessed herself. Her wide, frightened eyes were fixed on the teacher's desk. She didn't blink—like a horror movie doll—sending a chill down everyone's spine.
They had no idea that Alicja could see the General's aura, slowly taking the shape of his body. The demon stood by the desk, his terrifying gaze fixed first on Leon, then on Alicja, and finally resting on Nadia.
In their minds, a voice echoed—though no one had spoken it aloud:
"We shall meet again… all of us… in this very place."
A terrifying past was about to return far sooner than anyone had anticipated.