“I want to check on Benji.” Kaien made that decision once he woke up. “He should be better by now and I hope I could talk with him and Nathan about the diary.”
“Ok. I’ll go with you,” Allen offered. “Besides, I have never seen their room.”
“Ok. Let’s go together,” Kaien said as he offered his hand and Allen was happily taking it.
Allen could not stop smiling while holding Kaien’s hand. Somehow Kaien’s hand was gentle and warm and it gave Allen comfort. He wished they did not reach Benji’s room soon, but they reached there sooner than he expected.
Kaien let go of Allen’s hand and knocked on the door before entering Benji’s room. Inside Benji’s room, Nathan was sitting next to the bed, while Benji was sitting on his bed. Looked like Benji had recovered a bit.
“Hye Benji, how do you feel?” asked Kaien. “Mind if I check on you?”
“I think I’m ok now. You don’t need to check on me all the time,” Benji babbled, but still let Kaien take his body temperature.
“Your temperature has dropped a little, but you still have a sore throat. Drink plenty of water and talk less.”
“Hihihihi!” Nathan and Allen giggling, knowing that Benji was indeed a very talkative person among them.
“What are you two laughing at?” snapped Benji.
“Benji, I was wondering. . .” Kaien interrupted, which made everyone pay attention to him. “. . . If you remember about your childhood?”
“No, I don’t remember much,” answered Benji and Kaien nodded. “In fact, I don’t even remember how my parents died and how my life was with them.”
“I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“It’s ok. Nothing to talk about. I don’t remember anything.”
“Me too,” said Kaien. Benji gave him a confused look. “Allen and I also didn’t remember our past. I believe you too, Nathan.”
“Yes, you are right,” answered Nathan.
“What are you trying to say, Kaien?” Benji snapped.
“I think our memory has been ‘erased’.” Kaien handed over the diary to Benji. “Read this. Then, tell me what you think.”
Benji was hesitant but still took the diary from Kaien’s hand. Without asking any more questions, Benji began to read the diary. After he was done, he handed over the diary to Nathan for him to read. Benji only kept quiet and probably thought about everything while waiting for Nathan to finish reading it.
“Are we those four kids in the diary?” asked Nathan after a long silence.
“I think so,” Kaien answered.
“How do you know?” Benji asked with a serious tone. He did not like anything that had been written in the diary.
“I don’t know,” said Kaien. “I can’t prove it. It’s just my feeling. I feel like we have been here before. A few days ago, when we first arrived here, did you have a ‘familiar feeling’ when we saw each other? How could we get along with each other so fast?”
Allen, Benji and Nathan just stay still when Kaien asked them the question. They did not want to agree with Kaien but they could not deny it too.
“If we had been here, why didn't we remember it?” asked Nathan, the same question that Allen had in mind.
“Because we left?” Benji answered before Kaien could respond.
“Yes, I think so too.” Kaien agreed. “I don’t know how or why our memory has been erased. I don’t have proof either. I just guessed it happened so we could forget about this place.”
“Do you think that if it’s something that we shouldn’t remember, it means it’s something dangerous?”
“D-dangerous? What do you mean?” asked Allen, stuttering.
“I don’t know. It could be anything worse that you could think of,” answered Benji. He looked at Kaien and said, “Do you think so, Kaien?”
Kaien did not answer or respond with anything. He already knew this place was not safe, but he could not tell from what. More importantly, he needed to keep everyone calm if they wanted to get out of here. The last thing he wanted was to make everyone afraid and panic.
“I think we need to get out of here now,” suggested Benji.
“It won’t be so easy,” snapped Kaien. “In the diary said no one could leave.”
“But we left,” said Benji.
“True, but we don’t know how.”
“So, what are you going to do now?” asked Benji. “There’s no way Dom and Sean would tell us anything, aren’t they?”
“I know,” Kaien mumbled while looking down. “I’ll challenge him.”
“What? Challenge Dom?” Allen asked, shocking. “What are you going to do? Beat him?”
“Nothing like that. And not Dom, but. . . Sean,” Kaien answered. He looked at everyone, one by one and said, “I know he and Dom got things for games. I mean they like games.”

“No. . .” Allen was worried. “I think that would be dangerous.”
“Maybe, but if we don’t do anything, we won’t be able to find a way out,” said Kaien. . “He might not play fair, but he won’t refuse.”
“Be careful,” Nathan finally spoke.
“I will. Don’t worry. All of you better stay here and stick together. I’ll be back.”
Kaien left Benji’s room and was ready to go outside and meet Sean at the gate. Stepping out of the mansion worried him a bit. The last time when he went outside, it almost took his breath away. Kaien did not know what it was, but he was sure whatever ‘force’ that was outside, it was to prevent people from leaving the mansion. Even if he just wanted to get out for a while, he might not be so lucky to be back alive this time.
‘Is there’s another way to meet Sean without having to go outside? Perhaps he could call or ask Dom to invite Sean inside.’ Kaien thought. He was deep in thought and did not realize that he had reached the huge stairs that lead downstairs.
What shocked Kaien the most was Sean was there, right in front of him and was looking at the huge pictures on the wall. He seemed not aware of Kaien or perhaps pretended he was not aware.
A moment ago, he wished that Sean was in the house, so he does not have to go outside. And then as though someone had read his mind, Sean appeared right in front of him, but suddenly Kaien felt like he was not ready to meet him yet. He just stood there, unsure whether he should turn back or proceed with his plan.
“Hi there, Kaien,” greeted Sean without looking at Kaien.
“Why are you here?” asked Kaien without greeting Sean back.
“Aren’t you looking for me?” Sean asked, still not bothering to look at Kaien. “Now, don’t be difficult, Kaien. Come closer.”
Kaien obeyed and came closer to Sean without saying anything. His eyes fixed on Sean, worried if the man suddenly did anything unexpected. But, Sean was still not moving from the spot where he was standing earlier and still looking at the picture on the wall.
“Do you have something to say,” Sean asked like he already knew everything.
“Why don’t we play a game,” Kaien started. “I know you like it.”

“Everyone likes games,” answered Sean without looking. “What kind of game would you like to play?”
“An exploring game, a lost and found game.”
“And what is it you’d be exploring and finding, Kaien-dear?” asked Sean, now he gave Kaien his full attention.
“Explore this mansion, finding a way out.”
“Too easy.”
“And the past. The truth.”
“Hmm. . .” Sean looked at Kaien while thinking. “What if you lose the game?”
“If I lose, I’ll stay here forever and you could do anything you like.”
“Hmm. . . Interesting. And if you somehow win this game?”
“Then, you’ll let me go. You’ll let everyone go,” said Kaien with full determination. “Allen, Benji, Nathan the dead children, everyone, every soul that you trapped here. You’ll let them go.”
“I’ll open the gate for everyone to go. How does it sound?”
“Deal,” Kaien agreed. “But not until you give me the clue.”
“Ok,” Sean said as he walked in a circle around Kaien. “It sounds like this, it has a million stories, but cannot tell them. All the world’s wisdom can be found inside, but in which book will the next clue hide?”
“What do you mean by ‘wisdom’?” Kaien asked, but Sean nowhere could be found. Like he suddenly just vanished into thin air.
Kaien let out a long sigh while walking back to Benji’s room where everyone else was waiting for him. They were surprised that Kaien was back in a short time. Kaien told them everything, about he met Sean on the stairs, about the game and about the riddle.
“What does he mean?” asked Nathan. “I couldn’t figure it out, the answer.”
“Me too,” Allen agreed.

“I know the answer.”