The red glow of the crack spread through the hospital corridor like blood vessels, thickening the air until it was almost impossible to breathe. Xiaohuo and his friends stood before the gaping fissure, their hearts pounding in unison. The Masked Man waited silently at the heart of the crack, the crimson light behind him breathing and pulsing, as if it were alive and drawing out each person's darkest memories and fears.
"Welcome," the Masked Man's voice echoed, emotionless but suffused with an oppressive authority. "You have finally arrived at your own abyss."
Suddenly, a powerful force pulled them toward the crack. No one had time to react as their bodies and consciousness were swept into the red glow's illusion. The world twisted and shattered around them, each friend thrown into a private prison—secret corners of their souls that even their closest companions had never seen.
Xiaohuo's Illusion
Xiaohuo opened his eyes to find himself standing outside his childhood home. The lights inside were dim, and his mother's anxious voice called out to him, "Run, run!" He tried to rush inside, but his legs felt heavy as lead. The nightmare of the fire replayed—his mother's figure fading in the flames while he screamed helplessly. Fear, guilt, and powerlessness flooded his heart. Suddenly, the Masked Man appeared within the fire, his voice soft and sinister: "If you stop fighting, all of this will vanish. You'll finally know peace."
Xiaohuo shook his head in agony. He understood this was not reality, but the wound he could never let go.
Sophie's Illusion
Sophie was trapped in a never-ending interrogation room, her father's silhouette staring at her from across the table, cold and unforgiving. "Why do you always disappoint your family? You're not worthy of love." Each word was a knife, stabbing into her heart, almost breaking her. She tried to speak, but no words came—only shame and self-loathing filled her chest. The Masked Man appeared behind her, his voice gentle yet chilling: "Admit your failure. All the pain will end."
Tears streamed down Sophie's face, and she wondered: am I truly that worthless?
Maya's Illusion
Maya wandered alone through a dark forest. Silence pressed in from all sides, broken only by her muffled sobs and her mother's distant reproaches: "Why do you always disappoint everyone?" "You'll never be understood." Shadows twisted into cold, unfeeling faces. She curled up on the ground, nearly giving up on breathing. The Masked Man approached quietly, whispering seductively, "Surrender, and your loneliness will be over."
Maya hugged her knees, tears falling, her heart desperately wishing for someone to save her.
Ethan's Illusion
Ethan was back in his middle school classroom, surrounded by taunting and bullying classmates. Insults were scrawled across his desk, the teacher indifferent, his family unable to reach him. The shame and isolation became an iron cage for his spirit. The Masked Man stood outside the window, twirling a key: "Admit your insignificance. Accept the crack's embrace, and you'll be free."
Ethan's eyes dulled, and despair began to consume him.
David's Illusion
David found himself in a foreign city, friendless and isolated, all the world's languages suddenly strange. When he sought help, everyone's face turned cold, crisscrossed with cracks. The pain of childhood abandonment returned with a vengeance. The Masked Man took the shape of his father, murmuring, "You've always belonged to the crack. Why struggle?"
David trembled, on the verge of surrender.
Within each illusion, the Masked Man used a unique method of temptation, oppression, and manipulation, urging them to give up their sense of self. The crack's power grew stronger, their bodies in the real world shaking, the protective talismans on their foreheads dimming.
But at that moment, a different kind of connection awakened. In the fire, Xiaohuo heard Sophie's desperate call. In the interrogation room, Sophie felt Maya's embrace. In the dark forest, Maya saw Ethan's eyes. In David's lonely city, he heard the warm encouragement of his friends. These subtle resonances, like candle flames, began to illuminate the darkness in their illusions.
Gritting his teeth, Xiaohuo shouted at the Masked Man, "I won't run anymore! I accept my past, but that doesn't mean I'll be your puppet!" He charged into the flames toward his mother's figure, tears mixing with fire, finally breaking through the illusion's boundary.
Sophie found her voice too, roaring at her father's shadow, "I am not your failure! I deserve love!" Maya, Ethan, and David each broke free from their cages, their cries echoing between illusion and reality.
Five beams of light interwove, and the illusions began to shatter. The crack's red glow flickered violently. The Masked Man snarled in anger, "You think this will free you? The crack only grows deeper. In the end, you all belong to the darkness!"
The group awoke, still in the hospital corridor. Though exhausted, their hands gripped each other even tighter. Their talismans glimmered again, and a small fissure appeared at the edge of the crack, feeble but symbolic of their first true resistance.
Breathing hard, Sophie said, "We did it. We broke the illusion's control."
Xiaohuo nodded, his eyes fierce. "As long as we confront our hearts, the crack can never truly enslave us. Next, we uncover the secrets behind the crack and the Masked Man."
The Masked Man's form flickered, angry, and for the first time, a hint of fear crossed his features. They understood this was only the beginning—greater darkness and deeper truths waited to be faced.