"𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍, 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍..."

4. - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒 (PART 2)

Amane, Mitsuba, and Hanako stepped through the door, with the sound of the doors closing behind them echoing throughout the space. Mitsuba then spoke up, urging them to move forward. "Let's get going!"

They quickly followed him, eager to find a way out of this strange situation. But just before they could take another step, Amane noticed something floating in the water: a disembodied head with bedraggled hair.

Amane felt a shiver go down his spine at the sight of the floating head, and instinctively took a step back. As the head tumbled into the rushing waterfall, it made no sound when it landed. His eyes widened in horror, staring at the bottomless pit that lay before them. A sense of dread and uncertainty washing over him.

"Hey, look at that!" Mitsuba exclaimed, directing Amane and Hanako's attention to the silhouette hidden in the darkness. "Someone's over there!" The three of them peered closely, trying to make out who the figure was. They then hesitated, not sure what to do as they watched the figure sit motionless in a wheelchair.

"Wait... that's the parts we've been collecting?" Mitsuba said, looking at the agglomeration of body parts that sat before them. "Looks shitty!" he chuckled.

The three of them stood there in silence, amused and repulsed by the creature before them. "It's your fault for sticking a weird leg on it, Amane-kun!" Hanako said, pointing her finger toward Amane. "You told us to just grab whatever!!" He retorted with a pout.

"Oh?" A familiar voice spoke.

It was the voice on the phone.

They were all caught off guard when they saw the man step out of the dark shadows. He was tall, with lanky limbs and spiked black hair. His eyes shone with a distinct purple color, and Amane felt a sense of unease wash over him.

The man stepped closer, a slight smirk spreading across his lips. "I'm surprised someone managed to make it this far," he said, his voice low but with a hint of sarcasm. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for someone to get to this point."

The man walked over to inspect the figure, taking his time to get a good look at it.

"Oh, that... " Mitsuba mumbled, clearly embarrassed by the figure's appearance. "You can destroy that abomination." He said bluntly.

"I-I know what it looks like, but we really tried!" Amane said nervously, feeling the weight of the man's glare weighing down on him. The man didn't respond and instead took another long look at the figure before him.

"How disappointing." he said softly, shaking his head in disapproval. The man then cast a spell, stirring the humanoid creature to life. As soon as he did so, the creature's limbs began to twitch and contort in an erratic manner, making guttural sounds that filled the room with an eerie silence. Despite the man's efforts, the creature ultimately remained motionless.

The man walked over to the creature and grasped its hair, glaring at it with his lifeless eyes. "It's just another failure," he muttered, seeming to shake his head in disappointment. "A shame, really."

"Uhm.." Amane stepped back nervously, feeling his heart racing in his chest. "Excuse me sir, but have you seen any other kids here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "They wear the same uniform as us."

The man looked at him with a blank, unblinking stare. "Others? Oh, you mean the children who failed." he said flatly. "If you're looking for them, they're all around you."

Amane's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly noticed the mound of lifeless mannequins surrounding them. They all had the same seals placed on their faces, and he could see Tsukasa's lifeless body in the form of a dark gray mannequin. He rushed over to Tsukasa's side, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Tsukasa! Tsukasa!" he cried, shaking the lifeless mannequin in an attempt to wake him up.