[18:00 \ 11-02-20]
The Dormitory lacked windows. Yet, you could feel the chill of the night.
Percival stood alone in the living room, his phone in hand. The lights were off, but somehow, you could see everything. Barely. As if the moon illuminated it from above, its brilliance dim like a firefly at night.
"I know you're there," he said, his voice lost to the walls, his eyes still glued to his phone. The screen was a blank canvas, but it caught his full attention.
When no one replied, he peeked over his phone, only to move his gaze back downward. "I thought you promised we'd be safe."
No one answered. Yet, Percival continued. "Yes, we did as you asked."
"No, there wasn't a snitch."
"No one else knows."
Black smoke seeped out from under the television, slowly forming a pool below Percival's feet.
"How would you know?"
"I'm telling you! No one heard!"
Percival kicked the smoke, turning around to return to his room.
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{LADIES! AND GENTLEMEN!}
The Grand Stage boomed with the melody of harps and trumpets. Along the walls, statues stood proud with a student atop each of them.
On the very left, Adam stood straight, his gaze clinging to the television, afraid to miss a single detail. His platform was held by a butterfly statue's two antennae and two legs held above its head. One step and it should topple over, yet it was as stable as a chair on flat ground.
To his right, Adrian stood with his brows furrowed, drumming his right foot on his platform in impatience. Below him, his platform was held atop a coiled up snake.
Next to him, Anderson tried hard to stop his trembling knees. His platform was held high by the two antlers of a deer statue.
{Welcome~} The clown on the screen stood with trembling legs. Though without strings attached to its limbs, it made you wonder how it could stand in the first place.
{To our next game!} Pink illuminated the clown's mask, its arms outstretched. Then, it placed one hand behind its back and one hand in front. Slowly, like a rusted lever being pulled, the clown bowed until its jester hat nearly touched the blue bedsheets.
Its neck snapped up, its eyes staring right into the screen. Its smile glowed brighter, yet its eyes dimmed.
{When you wear a mask in life, are you who you are or are you—?}
The screen went black.
Adam blinked, cocking his head back as he looked around. It wasn't just him, most of them turned to whoever their eyes sought for answers.
"What happened?" He raised his voice. Yet, he could only see the others' moving mouths.
"No sound comes through," he rubbed his chin. Before he could form other thoughts, the screen crackled with static.
It remained black, but a voice echoed out.
{I am the Overseer. The Contract was violated, thus I will be the one to explain the rules,} his monotone voice cut through their confusion.
Not a single one of them dared to slouch, nor pay the screen no mind. Even Anderson managed to stand straight, though stiff.
{The second phase of the trials is called "Masquerade". Ensure that you perform properly. You have guests. Entertain them, lest you be brought to the pyre.}
The platform beneath each student trembled, and as they steadied themselves, a box now lay before their feet.
{Each guest will have three lives. Each time you act out of the ordinary, you will lose a life,} the screen crackled, and a faint, pink light bled through the darkness.
Adam squinted.
{The goal of Masquerade is to identify three of the guests' roles. Do so, and you are exempt from the punishment.}
The boxes unfolded itself, revealing their costumes. Adam knelt, grabbing the cloth on the platform. On the screen, the pink light gathered into small clusters at the edges of the screen.
{One guest will have no "role". Your goal is to avoid being identified three times.}
A glowing crimson mark appeared in front of the television, resembling a crossed out "O", the null symbol. Moments later, the mark disintegrated like shattered glass.
{Each time a guest guesses another guest's role correctly, they are awarded one golden crown.} Gold dust arose from the ground, forming nine, crude crowns in front of each student.
{Each time a guest's role is guessed correctly, they lose a golden crown. If they have no crown,} the Overseer paused. The golden crown collapsed into itself like crumbled paper. Black smoke covered its golden skin, merging with the crown like mud in a clear pond. Before long, the crude, golden crown had become a dull grey with small spikes all over its surface.
{They gain a thorn crown,} the screen flickered between white and black screens. The Overseer continued after a moment of delay.
{Each thorn crown can only be removed by a golden crown. Gather three golden crowns to pass the trial.} The thorn crown fell to the marble floor, dissolving into black smoke as soon as it touched the ground.
{The last guest remaining will be eliminated. Permanently.}
Adam looked at the screen, his costume in hand. The pink light wriggled at the edges like worms around rotten flesh. 'Are they forming—'
The platforms split in half, and once again, their screams couldn't halt their fall.
{May the masquerade begin.}
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"Ladies and gentlemen!!!" A loud voice boomed in the hall, halting all the individuals chattering with black and gold masks on their faces. Most of them wore scarlet cloaks, though some adorned brown, white, and even blue cloaks.
They turned toward the stage, where a tall man wearing a black cloak stood with his arms apart.
"Let us welcome the main event of today's gathering!"
The music fell flat.
The black cloaked man walked to the side of the stage, allowing several muscular men to carry in large "boxes" veiled in golden cloth. The brutes didn't wear a cloak, but they wore a pure white mask. How they could even see was a mystery to the ones below the stage.
Meanwhile, the black cloaked man paid them no heed.
"I present to you…" He looked at the covered boxes. There were nine of them in total, with a muscular man behind each one. With a wave of his hand, the brutes grabbed the golden cloth and yanked it free.
"The esteemed ones of the high realms! The demi-gods of ancient times, awakened by the Empire's grand magicians!"
The gathering fell silent.
The man continued.
"Feast your eyes upon them!" The man approached the left-most cage.
"Psyche! They're a demi-god known for betraying their lover and enduring endless suffering to atone for their sins!"
The man moved to the next cage.
"Cupid! If you've ever had an unrequited love, they're to blame! They cause countless people to fall in love with the wrong person, tsk."
"Invidia! Now this one's quite the harbinger of misery! They're inherently fueled by jealousy and envy! Be careful, they might already be thinking of how to gain your everything and leave you with nothing!"
"Algea! Unfortunately, we haven't been able to learn of their past. But rumor has it, they're worse than Invidia!"
"This one also eludes us. We know they're a demi-god, yet how come we cannot find any mention of them? Truly, quite the curious specimen."
"Anteros! My dear guests, if I am to be honest, they are my favorite out of all of them! Anteros brings clarity to those who fell to Cupid's, their sibling, naivety! Some even say Anteros avenges those of broken hearts!"
"Penthos! From what we gathered, they seem to have lost someone dear. Someone so important that they mourned their passing until they breathed their last!"
"Oizys! …Ah, my apologies to all my guests. It seems that my servants have made quite the blunder! We've lost their history due to a misfortunate accident, alas," he shook his head.
"The last demi-god is Narcissus! Although we don't have their past, I feel like this one is troublesome."
Finished with his introductions, the cloaked man walked toward the center of the cage. "And now, my dear guests! Are you ready to see their performance?! Today, on the third day of the blood moon's descent, we shall unlock the prowess of faith!"
Silence ensued.
'So we have to roleplay as these gods… though, aren't the descriptions a bit,' he rolled the word in his tongue.
'Inaccurate? Heck, some are even missing!'
Jeffrey lifted his head, his eyes sweeping across the cloaked individuals. They all stared at them, and below their masks, their mouths hung open.
'Where… Are we in a zoo?' His brows twitched, when an echo sounded inside his head.
{Your role is~} The clown's cheerful voice tickled his brain, its words barely above a whisper as if someone could hear his thoughts if it spoke too loudly.
{Goodluck~! Rem̷͉̓ę̵̕—̴̗͘}