Part 5: Rule #3 - Do not speak the name of any marine animal you see in the tanks out loud.

After successfully escaping the submarine tunnel filled with crazed fish, everyone stopped to rest in a wide hallway. Though they had escaped the immediate danger, the air was still thick with fear. The lights in the corridor were slightly brighter than the previous zone, revealing several diverging paths leading into the darkness ahead.

James, exhausted from trying to run, lay motionless on the floor. He seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. The others were in similar states, panting and looking weary, with sweat beading on their bodies. Ploy sat huddled next to James, her face still pale. The burn mark on her palm was still a deep red and seemed slightly more pronounced. Praewa, noticing a thin layer of reddish mucus mixed with blood seeping from the burn, immediately used a small handkerchief to wipe it away.

"What is this reddish mucus?"

"I don't know. It's not even blood," Ploy added.

"Has it been like this for long?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems to happen whenever something... happens."

"This is terrifying," Praewa said, a shiver running down her spine.

"But... I just gave some bread to the hungry fish. Why did this happen?" Ploy mumbled, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Because you broke the rule," Gawin said calmly.

"But I only held it out. The glass sucked it in, you saw it. There was no way for me to throw the bread in."

"It was because of your intention," It added. "You intended to feed those fish, and the system reacted to your intention. That counts as a violation of the rule."

"I think it's not just a rule, but a curse," Gawin said, his voice strained. He looked at Ploy's hand, then at James. "And what are we going to do with James...?"

"First, we need to find a safe place," It said, his voice firm and calm. "Then we can figure out how to help him." He scanned the area, as if assessing the safest route, before finding a branching path with a faint glow. An old sign indicated it was the "Deep Sea Fish Zone." "That way should be okay."

Miki was still shaking slightly. She took out her phone again, not to film, but to check for a signal. She desperately tried to contact the outside world, but the screen only displayed "No Service."

"Damn it! Can't contact anyone!" she swore in frustration. Her ambition to create content was waning as the reality of the situation began to hit her.

Ton continued to meticulously write everything in his notebook. Despite his fear, he wouldn't let this moment go to waste. "The crazed fish... they weren't like normal fish. They seemed to be controlled by something." He felt a mix of awe and dread at the supernatural phenomena.

Fah closed her eyes. She could feel a strange energy flowing throughout the aquarium. "Something is controlling everything," she said. "It's very powerful... and it's watching us." She felt a faint electric current run through her body every time the energy became chaotic.

Uncle Daeng let out a heavy sigh. He sat down next to James, gently stroking his hair. "Poor boy... he shouldn't have to go through this," Uncle Daeng murmured. "This aquarium... it has overlapping dimensions."

"Overlapping dimensions?" Gawin turned to Uncle Daeng with interest. "Uncle Daeng, do you know something about this place?" Gawin felt that Uncle Daeng had some undisclosed information that could be the key to solving the mystery.

Uncle Daeng looked up at Gawin. His eyes were filled with sadness and something hard to explain. "I don't know much more than that..."

THUMP!

A loud crash echoed throughout the area. Everyone flinched and turned to the source of the sound. Their faces went pale. It seemed that after their brief respite, it was time to run again.

"I think we're out of time," Praewa said. "We have to keep moving." She and Gawin helped lift James up again, and they started walking down the path It had pointed out toward the deep-sea zone.

Upon entering the deep-sea zone, the atmosphere changed completely. The lights that were once bright in the previous zone were now so dim they could barely see anything. Only the faint glow from some giant fish tanks illuminated the area, revealing bizarre, terrifying deep-sea creatures. Some glowed in the dark, and some had strange shapes, as if they had escaped from a nightmare. They swam slowly, like legendary monsters. The faint sound of flowing water mixed with intermittent whispers.

"This zone looks creepier than the others," Miki whispered to Ton. She tried to create a fun atmosphere to alleviate her fear, but it wasn't working. "Look at that fish! It looks like a demon!" She pointed to a fish with a huge mouth and sharp teeth swimming close to the glass.

"What is that thing?" Ton asked, his face full of disgust.

Praewa turned around as soon as she heard the question. "Don't say its name!!"

But it seemed to be too late...

"It's... an anglerfish!" Miki blurted out loudly.

"Oh no!"

Suddenly, the aquarium's announcement blasted out, more furious and violent than ever before! The voice was so harsh and loud that it made everyone jump.

"Do not speak the name of any marine animal you see in the tanks out loud!"

The synthetic voice echoed like a thunderclap, striking everyone's chest!

SCREEEEEEAM!!!

Miki screamed at the top of her lungs. She immediately collapsed to the floor, her eyes wide with extreme fear.

The lights in all the fish tanks in the deep-sea zone began to flicker wildly, alternating with moments of complete darkness. Amid the flickering light, everyone started seeing terrifying hallucinations!

Hallucinations of massive deep-sea creatures with sharp teeth and glowing red eyes lunged at them from all directions! They passed through the invisible glass walls, as if trying to tear everyone apart!

Miki's screams continued, but this time it wasn't just a scream of fear, but a cry of excruciating pain!

"Miki!" Gawin shouted in shock. He lunged toward her but had to recoil when a shadow of a deep-sea creature passed through him, as if something invisible was attacking Miki.

"Don't you guys see them?!" Miki shrieked. "They're coming for me! They're going to eat me!" She tried to swat at the empty air as if something were strangling her. Her eyes widened until only the whites were visible, and she began to cough violently as if she couldn't breathe!

Praewa and Ton tried to help Miki, but they also saw the hallucinations of the creatures attacking them. Even though they knew they were just hallucinations, their vividness made them too scared to move.

"They're messing with our senses!" Ton muttered. "And they're affecting our feelings, too!"

"Miki's eyes... she's seeing what no one else can see!" Fah said, her voice trembling slightly. Her eyes were closed. She could sense the intensely chaotic energy coming from Miki. "It's attacking the part of her brain that processes sound!"

It looked at Miki with interest. He noticed that Miki's eyes were starting to turn red, and veins were bulging, similar to James's. But this time, it seemed more severe. As Fah had said, the punishment for this violation seemed to affect the victim's hearing.

Uncle Daeng let out a heavy sigh. He remembered the old legends that told of this. When he was younger, he had heard them quite often. "She has been cursed to hear the voices from the deep. Miki is hearing things no one should hear."

Miki's condition worsened. She screamed continuously, as if being tortured, until the screams gradually faded... faded... until they were replaced by silence!

THUD!

Miki collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Her body twitched slightly. Her eyes were still wide, but lifeless. And what was most shocking was... she no longer responded to any sounds!

"Miki! Can you hear me?!" Gawin yelled, but there was no response.

Praewa quickly checked Miki's condition. "She's unconscious... but she's still breathing."

"Miki!!" Gawin yelled again, gently slapping her face to rouse her. But Miki remained still, her eyes wide, only the whites showing.

GASP!!

Miki's body twitched violently once, and she took a sharp breath. Her pupils returned, and her face looked normal again. But she still lay motionless on the floor.

"Miki!!!" Gawin called to her again.

But she remained still...

"It looks like she... can't hear anything anymore," Praewa said, her voice trailing off.

Everyone was stunned by what had happened. This was a more terrifying outcome than they had imagined. Rule #3 didn't kill Miki, but it took her hearing away, making her unable to hear anything. And without hearing, she wouldn't speak, becoming permanently silent.

James, who had been lying still not far away, began to stir. His eyes slowly opened, but the reflection in them was now completely black and devoid of any emotion. He stared at Miki with a vacant look, as if he understood what had happened to her.

"Can he... sense it?" Ton muttered. "Or is it because he's... a part of it now?"

It walked closer to James and Miki. He noticed the similarities in their conditions. "Each violation of the rules... doesn't lead to death, but to a transformation," It concluded. "It's changing them into a part of this aquarium."

Uncle Daeng looked at James and Miki with a sorrowful expression. "It's creating its own 'Watchers'," Uncle Daeng murmured.

But no one understood what he said, and no one had enough time to interpret his words, because the only thing they wanted to do now was to find a way out of this place!

An eerie silence fell over the deep-sea zone again. Only the faint sound of flowing water and distant laughter could be heard, as if mocking their suffering.

Gawin felt a wave of despair wash over him again. They had to find a way out of here before everyone was consumed and transformed forever.

The synthetic voice returned. This time, it was chilling and full of mockery.

"The rules... are the truth... accept them... for your existence... in your new world..."

When the terrifying announcement ended, the Triton Aquarium returned to a dark and eerie silence, leaving behind the remaining group of survivors, their transforming friends, and the terrifying truth that they had entered a trap from which there was no easy escape.