Part 3: Rule #1 - Do not touch the glass of the fish tank.

Ploy’s scream still echoed in everyone's ears. The strange burn on her palm was clear evidence that the 13 rules were no joke and that violating them led to truly horrifying consequences. The atmosphere within the Triton Aquarium became even colder and tenser.

"Ploy! Are you okay?!" Gawin quickly helped Ploy, who had collapsed to the ground in pain.

Ploy’s face was pale, and her eyes welled up with tears. "It's so hot, Gawin... it feels like something is burning itself into my hand." Her voice was trembling.

Praewa rushed to check on Ploy. She examined the burn, which looked like a seal or a brand, in shock. "It's not just a regular burn. It looks like... it's alive," Praewa murmured.

James, who had been skeptical and frustrated just moments ago, now stood motionless, paralyzed. His eyes were wide, fixed on Ploy's hand.

He was the first to violate this rule without anyone knowing, and what happened to Ploy was a clear reflection of the consequences he had already endured. He recalled the hallucination of himself drowning in the fish tank and the whispers that had haunted him ever since. But he chose to stay silent, afraid that no one would believe him.

"Actually, I... I was the first to touch the glass..." James's voice trembled, as if he had just realized the gravity of what he had done.

"Then why are you okay?" Gawin asked, confused.

"I mean... after I touched the glass, I saw myself drowning reflected in it, and a whispering voice kept talking to me. But I was too afraid to tell anyone... I... I didn't want to be the first to break a rule."

Miki quickly put her phone away, her face shifting from excitement to genuine fear. "Oh my god! This is real!" she muttered to Ton.

"I told you this wasn't ordinary," Ton replied, his voice serious. His eyes were fixed on the burn on Ploy's hand as if to record every detail in his memory. He took a small notebook from his pocket and quickly began jotting down what he saw. He couldn't take pictures, but he would collect information in another way.

It still stood at a distance, observing everyone calmly. His face was impassive, but his eyes were thoughtful. He looked at Ploy's burn and then at the small tank that had glowed emerald green. He believed the seal had some meaning that connected to the aquarium's energy and was likely a result of the experiments from the past.

A deep sigh escaped Uncle Daeng. He remembered the rumors about a similar seal that appeared on some workers who mysteriously disappeared after strange marks showed up on their bodies. "It has begun, then..." Uncle Daeng murmured to himself.

Fah walked closer to Ploy. She extended her hand over the burn on Ploy's palm and closed her eyes slowly. An energy began to emanate from Fah. "I feel... her pain and confusion." Fah sensed a strange energy flowing within the burn. "It's not just a burn... it's growing."

"We have to get out of here as fast as possible!" Gawin declared, helping Ploy to her feet. "We don't know how severe the consequences will be if we break the remaining rules." He turned to the official who stood still, indifferent to the chaos. "You! Open the door now!"

The official slowly raised his head. His once-vacant eyes seemed to hold a fleeting glint of something, but it was gone in an instant. "The rules... are the only thing that will guide you," he repeated the same line, gesturing toward the long corridor leading to another zone. "Exploration is learning."

The official's words made everyone stop in their tracks. No matter how much they struggled, the only way forward was to follow the rules of this aquarium.

Gawin looked at his companions. "I guess we have to move on," he said with a heavy voice. "We will find a way out of here." He led the way, and Praewa, Miki, Ton, and the others reluctantly followed. Only It and Uncle Daeng remained still for a moment before following quietly.

They ventured deeper into the aquarium, flanked by giant fish tanks. The lights from each tank were of different colors, creating a beautiful yet unsettling atmosphere. The soft sound of flowing water mixed with the whispers, sometimes faint, sometimes sounding like they were mocking them.

Coral Zone

The illuminated sign above a large tank read. Soft orange and pink light shone from inside, revealing vibrant coral reefs and schools of small fish swimming among them. But something was off. Some of the creatures were distorted and malformed, or emitted an unnatural glow.

As everyone explored the coral zone, James started to act stranger. He walked to a giant tank filled with vivid red coral and bizarre fish with equally red eyes.

"The voice... it's getting louder..." James mumbled, his face filled with terror. He looked around as if searching for the source of the sound. "Don't you guys hear it? It's calling my name!"

Gawin and Praewa walked over to James. "James, what's wrong? What are you hearing?" Gawin asked with concern.

"The whispers... they're saying... 'Come... come with us...'" James replied, his voice shaking. His body trembled uncontrollably. "It's telling me... 'You are one of us...'"

James's eyes began to turn red, and his veins bulged on his pale skin. His body started to show signs of dehydration. He looked paranoid and kept glancing at the tanks, as if something were following him. "I'm not kidding... it's coming for me..."

Miki quickly took out her phone again. She secretly filmed James, even though she had been warned about Rule #6. She believed James's condition was crucial evidence that needed to be documented. She tried to hide her phone from the official.

'This is scarier than I thought!' she thought to herself.

Ton looked at James with worry. He noticed that James's eyes were beginning to have a strange glint, similar to the eyes of some of the fish he saw in the tanks. "Is this the result of breaking Rule #1...?" Ton murmured to himself. "Touching the glass... is turning James into something else." He regretted not having warned James more effectively.

It moved closer to James. He reached out and gently touched James's forehead. "Do you feel cold?" It asked. "Like something is flowing inside you."

James flinched slightly. He turned to It with eyes full of terror. "You know... you know something, don't you?" James asked, panting.

"There are many things in this world we can't explain," Uncle Daeng interjected, his voice flat. He looked at James with a compassionate expression, as if he knew what James was facing.

Fah could sense a strong, dark energy emanating from James. It was an energy different from Ploy's. James's energy seemed more connected to water and darkness than a burn mark. She clearly felt the pain and despair radiating from James. "He's like he's being absorbed," Fah whispered.

Praewa put a hand on James's shoulder. "James, you have to be strong," she said, her voice comforting. But her mind was filled with worry. She now realized this game wasn't just about violating rules; it was about a terrifying transformation happening to those who defied them.

Gawin looked at the giant fish tank James was standing near. He remembered James's tales of hallucinations and paranoia. He felt that what was happening to James was just the beginning of an impending disaster. "We have to find a way to help James," Gawin said. "And we have to figure out what these crazy rules are all about!"

As they stood in the coral zone, Gawin's eyes caught a small sign on one of the tanks. It was old and slightly covered in moss, but the words were still legible.

'Legend of the Underworld Creatures: The Watchers.'

The words sent a shiver down Gawin's spine. "The Watchers?" he mumbled. He turned to look at James, who was still trembling and muttering incomprehensible words.

Suddenly, the lights in the coral zone began to flicker rapidly. The sound of water in the tanks grew louder and louder until it became a violent roar, as if an underwater storm were brewing.

Then the synthetic voice returned. This time, it wasn't announcing a rule, but a chilling, echoing laugh that filled the entire aquarium.

"You... will learn... the truth... hidden beneath the water..."

The voice faded away with James's insane scream. His eyes turned completely black, devoid of any light. His body shook violently, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"James!" everyone cried out in shock.

Gawin rushed to check on James. His body was ice cold, his skin pale and lifeless, but he was still breathing.

"He's not dead," Praewa said, her voice trembling. "But he's... not the same." Everyone felt another wave of fear wash over them. This was what the aquarium's rules did to them. It didn't kill them; it changed them, turning them into something that was no longer human.

Uncle Daeng looked at James with a sorrowful expression. "The change... it has begun," he said. "He will become one of the Watchers."

In the dim light of the Triton Aquarium, Gawin realized they weren't just trapped in a game, but in a trap ready to consume them one by one. The only way to survive was to understand and overcome the rules before no one was left.

The whispers from the tanks still echoed faintly, as if waiting for the next victim to break a rule and become part of this forbidden aquarium forever.