The day after the locker incident, Elikem International was suspiciously calm.
Too calm.
No chairs exploded. No frogs levitated. Even Timi didn't prank anyone—mostly because he was still recovering from being eaten by a locker.
But Zina wasn't fooled.
"We've been quiet for too long," she said, pacing the corner of the library where they met. "That means something's brewing."
Desmond flipped through an old spellbook. "There's a map here. Of all the original scroll fragments. They were hidden in different parts of the school… and protected by sentient magic."
"Sentient like… aware?" Adaora asked.
"Yeah," Desmond replied. "And sometimes very petty."
Timi raised a brow. "Petty like your aunt who never lets you hold the TV remote?"
"Worse," Desmond muttered. "Walls that judge you."
The map revealed the location of the next fragment: the old Abandoned Boys' Dormitory, closed since 2012 when an incident involving a sleepwalking teacher and a magical mop went viral.
They snuck out after lights out. The dorm was coated in vines, its windows broken, its corridors filled with dust and whispers.
As soon as they stepped inside, the temperature dropped. The walls… breathed.
Zina summoned a light orb. "Stay close."
Timi held a small bag of puff-puff. "For emergency courage."
Suddenly, a voice echoed.
> "Leave now. Or lose what you fear most."
The walls trembled. Whispers began to speak their thoughts out loud:
> "Zina fears being alone."
"Desmond is scared he'll never be enough."
"Adaora is afraid of hurting someone she loves."
"Timi… fears Jollof without meat."
"Hey!" Timi shouted. "That one was unnecessary!"
They entered the common room. A mirror stood in the center, glowing faintly. As they approached, their reflections spoke back.
Zina's reflection whispered, "You'll fail. You're not strong enough."
Adaora's said, "You'll lose control."
Desmond's said, "You're not the hero. Just a tool."
Timi's simply offered him a plate of plain rice and said, "This is your future."
Zina closed her eyes and muttered an incantation.
> "Ọkan mi, ma daru. Let truth cut lies."
Her reflection cracked. The others followed.
The room went silent. The mirror shattered—and behind it floated the second scroll fragment.
Just as she grabbed it, the dorm shook violently. The front door slammed shut. And standing in the shadows—
—was Onome.
"You're quick," she said, smiling wickedly. "But not quick enough."
She raised her hand. The walls began to twist and move.
"You like whispering walls?" she said. "Let's see how you handle screaming ceilings."
Before they could react, she vanished—leaving the dorm collapsing behind her.
The group bolted out just in time.
Gasping and covered in dust, Zina clutched the second scroll piece.
Timi wheezed, "Remind me again why we're not doing Math Club instead?"
Zina smiled.
"Because in Math Club, the walls don't insult your ancestors."