Volume One: The Mirror Appears

Chapter One: Am I William Carter?

2 a.m., early morning.

"It's so late..."

Under the light outside the window, a tousle-haired teenager glanced around. "Where is everyone?"

There were six people in the dormitory, but upon waking up, not a single one remained.

He sat up in bed, intending to go out and look for them, when suddenly there was a "bang" at the door, as if someone had kicked it hard.

"Who is it? In the middle of the night..."

A bit annoyed, the teenager opened the door.

The dim corridor light flickered, tearing the inky night to shreds. There wasn't a single shadow around, as if the knocking just now had been an illusion.

Puzzled, he looked toward the neighboring rooms. On this floor, dozens of rooms—all their doors wide open, and nothing inside.

His heart tightened. After carefully checking for a long time, he realized a fact: he was the only one in the entire building!

This was a school dormitory, not a holiday weekend. One or two people leaving was understandable, but for so many to disappear at once—what had happened?

Suddenly—

Clang!

The sound of a trash can falling broke the silence. Immediately after, tense and hurried breathing and rushed footsteps echoed from the corridor.

A bit nervous, the teenager didn't go over, but instinctively retreated toward his dorm room.

Before he could get close, he felt someone open a window, and then a gust of wind blew in...

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Without his key, he couldn't get back in. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he kicked the door.

Bang!

At that moment, a lazy voice came from inside: "Who is it? In the middle of the night..."

"......"

Goosebumps rose all over his body, and he felt a chill!

He was sure that besides him, there was no one else in the dormitory. Then... where did the voice come from?

The most crucial thing was...

Both the tone and the words were extremely familiar.

Exactly the same as what he had just said.

Tap tap!

Footsteps sounded, as if someone was approaching.

His body trembled, and the teenager rushed into the corridor in a few steps.

Forcing down his pounding heart, he looked around.

The corridor led straight to the main entrance. The cold wind whooshed in, making any sleepiness vanish. Under the dim light, there wasn't even half a shadow. The trash can that had "fallen" earlier now stood quietly in its place, without a trace of having been moved.

Sweat trickled from his palm.

He was one hundred percent sure he had heard the trash can fall, and equally sure that someone had been breathing rapidly in the corridor...

How could there be no trace at all!

An auditory hallucination?

Or...

A haunting?

Creak!

A sound came from the corridor. The teenager poked his head out and saw a familiar figure standing in front of the dorm room, looking around as if searching for the prankster who had knocked on the door.

Another him!

Covering his mouth, he felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

Weird!

Incomprehensible!

He shrank back, knowing that if he didn't escape, even stranger things would happen. Gritting his teeth, he dashed straight for the corridor. As soon as he took a step, pain shot through his thigh.

Clang!

The trash can was knocked over.

Recalling the sound he had heard earlier, his nerves snapped. Breathing rapidly, he rushed out.

He couldn't stay any longer!

Not even for a second.

In front of the building was a small grove. Almost all the streetlights were broken, leaving only one, like a lone star hanging in the night sky.

It was also completely deserted.

The early autumn wind was a bit chilly. Suddenly thinking of something, the teenager's heart sank.

Something's wrong!

If the sounds in the dorm and corridor were all made by himself, that would mean... he was trapped in a strange time loop!

To save himself, he had to break the current situation, or it would go on forever, never ending.

"If my guess is right, another me will run out from inside the door..."

With this thought, the teenager wasn't as nervous as before. He slipped into the nearby grove, hid under a thick cluster of branches and leaves, and held his breath.

Not long after, sure enough, a figure rushed out.

The light was too dim to see the face clearly, but he was certain—it was definitely himself. The body shape was exactly the same, like looking in a mirror.

Even though he was prepared, he couldn't hide his shock. He involuntarily took a step back, and by chance, his gaze swept over his feet... and his scalp tingled!

Behind him... at some point, another shadow had appeared!

In other words, at his feet, there was not only his own shadow, but another one, right behind him—less than a meter away.

Goosebumps rose, and the teenager hurriedly turned around. His mouth was suddenly covered by a hand.

Clenching his fist, just as he was about to fight back, he saw the other person's face and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.