The fluorescent hum of the senior common room was a dull drone against the chaotic symphony in my head. I sat, as I always did, near the window, a silent observer in a world that roared with unspoken truths.

Being mute used to be simple. Just me, my quiet existence, and the familiar rhythm of school life. But that was before the voices started. Before the world decided to scream its secrets directly into my mind. Now, every casual glance, every hushed conversation, echoed with the unfiltered chaos of human thought.

My first voice was Sun Li's. I knew her from school, a girl draped in black, headphones always on. She'd pass me in the hallway, a fleeting smile on her lips, and my mind would fill with a visceral, agonizing scream: 'Scratch it, scratch it all off until there is nothing left!' Her mouth remained closed, yet the words thrashed inside my skull, a chilling preview of the darkness she harbored. It was loud, so loud I’d sometimes jump, drawing strange looks from nearby students. I was so confused. She needed help, I thought, I needed to help her.