Arthur stopped at the end of the corridor.
His instructor’s words were still echoing in his mind.
Elera’s death might not be what you think.
Arthur didn’t want to accept it.
But something bothered him.
There was no proof.
He had seen Elera get shot.
He had held her in his arms.
He had felt her breathing stop.
He had felt the warmth leaving her hand.
But…
he had never seen her body.
Arthur turned around.
Then he started walking.
Fast.
No one tried to stop him.
That was the first thing that bothered him.
It was as if everyone already knew where he was going.
He reached the end of another corridor.
A single door stood there.
No name.
No warning.
Only a number.
19-B.
Arthur opened it.
Cold air hit his face.
The room was completely empty.
A metal stretcher stood in the center.
Arthur’s eyes immediately locked onto it.
He approached slowly.
The stretcher was empty.
He stopped.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he looked around.
Cabinets.
Medical equipment.
Sterile floors.
Clean walls.
No blood.
No discarded clothing.
No medical records.
Nothing.
Arthur’s expression hardened.
“No…”
He opened the first cabinet.
Nothing.
The second.
Nothing.
He checked underneath the stretcher.
Nothing.
He examined the walls.
The floor.
The corners.
Every possible place where evidence could have been left behind.
Nothing.
Arthur’s breathing became faster.
“How is that possible?”
His voice echoed through the room.
He looked at the empty stretcher again.
“How is that possible?!”
His fist slammed into the wall.
The impact echoed through the room.
It wasn’t anger.
Not yet.
It was frustration.
Because something didn’t fit.
A body didn’t simply disappear.
A medical record could be erased.
A camera could be altered.
A person could be moved.
But none of those things happened without leaving traces.
Unless…
Arthur stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
“They’re watching me.”
Silence.
Then another thought surfaced.
What if they wanted me to come here?
Arthur slowly lowered his hand.
Every fight.
Elera being shot.
Her dying in his arms.
His instructor appearing.
The claim that her death might not be what it seemed.
And now…
an empty room.
Too convenient.
Too clean.
Too deliberate.
Arthur looked toward the ceiling.
A camera was hidden somewhere.
He couldn’t see it.
But he knew it was there.
He reached for the pistol at his waist.
Magazine.
Safety.
Chamber.
Everything was in place.
He holstered it again.
When he stepped back into the corridor, he was no longer running.
He was walking.
Calm.
Silent.
Controlled.
Like the Arthur everyone knew.
But beneath that calm was a single question.
Where is Elera?
By the time Arthur returned to the dormitory, night had already fallen.
The hallways were quiet.
Ordinary students were inside their rooms.
Studying.
Talking.
Laughing.
Living completely normal lives.
None of them knew what had happened.
Arthur stopped in front of his room.
He unlocked the door.
Opened it.
Stepped inside.
He didn’t turn on the lights.
He closed the door behind him.
Then stood completely still.
Silence.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Window.
Closet.
Desk.
Bed.
Nothing.
Arthur slowly scanned the room again.
Nothing had been disturbed.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Finally, he sat on the edge of his bed.
He lowered his head.
Elera’s voice returned to his mind.
You’re Arthur.
Arthur closed his eyes.
Don’t lose me again.
His eyes opened.
“I didn’t lose you.”
Silence.
Then— something caught his attention.
The desk.
A small white piece of paper lay on its surface.
Arthur hadn’t left it there.
He stood.
Walked toward the desk.
Picked it up.
One sentence was written across the front.
I KNOW YOU COULDN’T FIND THE BODY.
Arthur’s expression didn’t change.
He turned the paper over.
Another sentence.
BECAUSE WE NEVER PUT HER THERE.
His eyes hardened.
A third line appeared beneath it.
BUT NOW YOU SHOULD ASK THE REAL QUESTION.
Arthur waited.
Then he noticed something strange.
The ink wasn’t printed.
It looked handwritten.
Fresh.
As if someone had written it only moments ago.
The final sentence waited beneath the others.
WHERE IS ELERA?
Arthur placed the paper on the desk.
His hand moved toward the pistol at his waist.
Then he looked out the window.
The city lights flickered in the distance.
His expression was no longer one of grief.
It was determination.
“I’ll find you.”
He paused.
“This time…”
His eyes narrowed.
“…not according to anyone else’s game.”
His phone vibrated.
Arthur looked down.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
One message.
WRONG.
Arthur’s gaze froze.
A second message arrived.
THIS TIME, THE GAME ISN’T ABOUT YOU, ARTHUR.
He stared at the screen.
A third message appeared.
IT’S ABOUT ELERA.
Arthur slowly lowered the phone.
For several seconds, he didn’t move.
Then he noticed something else.
A fourth message.
IF YOU WANT TO FIND HER, STOP LOOKING WHERE THEY WANT YOU TO LOOK.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
Another message appeared. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
START WITH THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED.
Arthur’s expression changed.
The shooting.
The corridor.
The camera.
The empty room.
The missing body.
The edited footage.
His instructor’s words.
Everything connected to the same moment.
Arthur slowly sat back down.
For the first time since leaving Area 19…
he stopped thinking about what had happened after Elera was shot.
He began thinking about what had happened before.
Who had been in the corridor?
Who had access to the security system?
Who had ordered the lights to go out?
Who fired the shot?
Why had the shooter disappeared instead of confirming the kill?
Why had no medical team appeared?
And most importantly— why had Area 19 allowed Arthur to believe Elera was dead?
Arthur’s eyes darkened.
“They didn’t want me to find a body.”
He looked toward the window.
“They wanted me to believe there was one.”
His phone vibrated again.
One final message.
YOU’RE FINALLY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION.
Arthur stared at it.
Then another line appeared.
NOW FIND THE WRONG ANSWER.
The screen went dark.
Arthur remained still.
Not grieving.
Not raging.
Thinking.
Because he had finally understood something.
Area 19 wasn’t asking him to find Elera.
They were asking him to decide what he was willing to believe about her.
And Arthur knew better than anyone…
that was far more dangerous than a simple search.
He stood.
Put on his jacket.
Checked his weapon.
Then opened the door.
This time, he wasn’t going after Area 19.
He wasn’t going after his instructor.
He wasn’t even going after the people who had shot Elera.
He was going after the truth.
And if Elera was still alive…
he would find her.
Even if Area 19 had hidden her somewhere no one else could reach.
Even if every record had been erased.
Even if the entire university was part of the game.
Arthur stepped into the corridor.
The door closed behind him.
And somewhere far away…
a monitor turned on.
A live image appeared.
Arthur walking through the university corridor.
Someone was watching.
A voice spoke from the darkness.
“He’s looking in the wrong direction.”
Another voice answered.
“For now.”
A pause.
“Should we stop him?”
Silence.
Then—
“No.”
The first voice sounded almost amused.
“Let him search.”
The screen changed.
A file appeared.
SUBJECT: E-18
STATUS: UNKNOWN
Then another line appeared.
LOCATION: CLASSIFIED
The voice spoke again.
“Because the moment Arthur finds Elera…”
The screen went black.
“…Phase Three begins.”
Arthur believes he has reached the end of the mystery.
Instead, he may have just found the first real clue.
Elera’s body is gone.
Someone knew Arthur would look for it.
Someone entered his room.
Someone is still watching.
And the most disturbing detail is this: They don’t seem interested in killing Arthur anymore.
They want him to search.
They want him to ask questions.
They want him to find Elera.
But why?
And if Elera is alive…
Who has her?
Who took her?
Or perhaps the more dangerous question is: Did Elera leave on her own¿?