Tension inside the house slowly faded. What had been a battlefield only minutes earlier now sat in uneasy silence.
Shards of broken glass still littered the floor, crunching faintly under shifting feet. The shattered window remained open to the cold air, and the front door hung crooked on its hinges, never properly fixed after the earlier chaos. Inside, the fighters had finally settled.
Lora was the only one missing. She was upstairs taking a shower, and the steady rhythm of water dripping against tile echoed faintly through the house. After the violence that had just filled the rooms, the sound felt strangely calming.
The others sat scattered around the sitting room, exhaustion heavy in their bodies. Their attention rested on Emily as they waited for her to speak.
"We were five before."
Emily kept her eyes lowered, fingers twisting together nervously as tears slowly gathered in the corners of her eyes.
"What were their names?"
Alexander inquired, joining the journey of storytelling she was giving.
"Elen… and Victoria."
A shaky breath escaped her.
"After we came here from the first game, we were broken… terrified. We felt completely powerless. Victoria suggested we join the Commander. She believed that under him, we might survive a little longer."
The sadness in her voice lingered in the air.
"Charlotte tried to convince them we could survive together. That we didn't need him. That we could rely on each other instead.But it didn't matter. They had already made up their minds."
"They?"
"Yes. They. Elen knew about the plan all along. When we went to the park… that was where it happened.They joined him, and that left just the three of us."
Jamie leaned forward slightly more, curious than ever.
"Then why did you attack us if you needed allies?"
"At first, we didn't plan to. When we saw you in the hall, we actually thought you might become allies."
"So what changed?"
"The system told us you had a Golden Point."
"When?"
"Outside the hall. Right after we finished the first game.Our chances of survival were higher if we took the points."
In that moment alexander's patience snapped breaking into two.
"That still doesn't justify trying to kill us." He scremed at them, wrinkles on his forehead.
Charlotte stepped in before the tension rose any further.
"The whole reason we're telling you this is so you understand that we're sorry."
A faint white glow shimmered across the bandages wrapped around her torso, her healing ability quietly working beneath the cloth.
"We shouldn't have let this place strip away everything human left inside us."
Alexander and Jamie remained silent. The room filled with the slow rhythm of breathing and the faint sound of water still running upstairs.
Bray leaned foward trying to discuss with alexander.
"You said they would make good allies."
Alexander shot him a judging look, Bray was trying to use his own words against him, he was bound to look at him that way.
"You switched sides pretty fast. If I remember correctly, you were the one who hated coming here in the first place."
"I did. But after I saw the way she reacted to that portrait, I knew something wasn't right."
Jamie joined in on the fray, siding with Bray.
"Let's give them a chance."
The words struck Alexander's resistance like a hammer against wood. A slow breath left him before he answered.
"If they betray us again, it'll be on your head."
Jamie nodded accepting the responsibility.
And just like that, the fragile agreement formed.
The broken shields—enemies only minutes earlier—had forged a tense alliance with the girls. It wasn't perfect, and trust certainly hadn't formed yet, but for now it was enough.
Charlotte carefully pushed herself to her feet, wincing slightly as she adjusted her posture to avoid reopening the wound in her stomach.
"So… what are your special skills?"
Alexander crossed his arms showing that he wouldn't open up even if she tried.
"Bray. Tell them yours."
The two boys exchanged a brief glance. Frustration flickered between them, but neither argued, mainly because of the girls.
Because if they where to argue it would've made them look less cool and mysterious.
"Elastic Potential."
Bray finally gave the info out.
Charlotte tilted her head curiously as she walked into the dining room and opened the refrigerator.
"Any side effects?"
"It has a ten-minute cooldown. And I can't activate it if my mana drops too low."
Charlotte pulled out a bottle of orange juice and took a casual drink.
"Just like a video game."
Her attention shifted to Jamie.
"What about you?"
She skipped Alexander completely, knowing he would never reveal his ability.
Jamie opened his mouth to speak but alexander cut him off.
"You'll learn the rest when you prove useful."
Charlotte didn't argue. She simply nodded, accepting the answer. In a place like this, trust wasn't given freely.
The room grew quiet again.
Then the shower upstairs suddenly stopped.
Jamie's eyes widened instantly because he knew the silence meant only one thing.
Lora had finished bathing.
"Guys… we gotta go."
Alexander started the evacuation.
"You can't."
Jamie whined like alittle kid
"If we're going to work together, you need to fix whatever strange tension exists between you two."
"Or we could just leave them alone."
Bray jumped in as well.
"That might be better."
Emily supported the motion.
One by one, they began walking out of the damaged house.
Bray lingered at the doorway.
"That's what you get for starting all this."
And just like that—
Jamie was alone.
The silence that followed felt heavy and uncomfortable. His stomach twisted nervously, and his pulse began pounding harder with every passing second.
He had never been good with women, not since his girlfriend. Now he was trapped in a quiet house with the girl who had tried to kill him earlier.
His heart hammered like a drum.
"Uhm… guys?"
Lora's voice echoed from upstairs.
"Are you still there?"
Jamie tried to answer but nothing came out.
His tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth. Words refused to form, and his mind raced uselessly as he tried to think of something to say.
What could he even tell her?
That everyone had left them alone on purpose?
Absolutely not.
So the silence stretched even longer.
"Guys?"
Footsteps creaked along the staircase as she came down to investigate.
Jamie inhaled deeply, forcing himself to speak.
Then he froze.
Lora stood at the bottom of the stairs.
She looked completely normal again.
Fresh from the shower, wrapped in a white towel, damp strands of hair clinging gently to her cheeks. The soft glow of the overhead bulb reflected against her skin, highlighting her natural beauty.
Jamie's heart skipped.
She froze too when she saw him standing there alone. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"Ahm… where are the others?"
Jamie swallowed.
"They… uh… went outside.to give us some room."
"Oky."
Another brief silence followed.
Jamie rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"So… about earlier, we're cool right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Good."
He took a cautious step backward toward the door.
"So… I'll be on my way now."
She gave him a small smile.
They exchanged a short, awkward wave before Jamie stepped outside. The moment he cleared the doorway, he inhaled deeply, finally breathing properly again.
"It's done. Let's go gu—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
A short distance away inside the fenced yard, the others had gathered in a tight circle around someone kneeling on the ground.
A man and he was crying like a child.
Jamie hurried over.
"Please… let me go!"
The man screamed.
"Tell us why we shouldn't kill you."
Charlotte stepped forward.
"In God's name, please,i'll tell you what the Commander is planning!"
The group exchanged wary glances.
"Spill it."
"You know how he helped a lot of people gain Blue Points?"
"Yeah."
"He did it on purpose… to increase his own power.He's killing the other participants… and taking their points."
"What?!"
Everyone shouted at once.
Jamie's chest tightened as the realization sank in.
Emily crossed her arms uneasily.
"Should we believe him?"
Alexander rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I think we should. He doesn't seem to have a reason to lie."
Bray leaned closer to the man, his voice lowering dangerously.
"You're telling the truth right ?"
"Yes! I swear on my mother!"
Charlotte frowned grimly turning to the others.
"We have a serious problem In our hands now."
"Yeah."
A heavy fear settled across the group as the implications became clear. If the Commander had been collecting points this entire time, his stats might already be more than double theirs.
The kneeling man raised his head nervously.
"Uh… can I go now?"
"Shut up."
"Please! Have mercy! I'm just a journalist!"
"I said shut up!"
Suddenly—
A mechanical voice echoed through the sky.
[ATTENTION PLAYERS]
Everyone froze.
For a brief moment, they had forgotten they were still trapped in this place.
[The second game will begin in two hours.]
A thin wave of relief passed through the group—brief and fragile.
Then the voice continued.
[All teams are advised to return to their respective residences before that time elapses.]
The boys exchanged tense glances.
Their heartbeats began rising again.
The nightmare was about to begin once more.
[Thank you for listening.]