Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was dark. Everything was pitch black. I laid on the floor, covered in slightly damp carpet, staring up at where I assumed would be a ceiling. A dim, white light out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, so I turned my head to the source of that light. I found myself on my feet, eventually, and approached that floating light. My hand was so close to it, but it flew away. Then another came in from behind me. Then another. Then another. Groups of them were flocking to the ceiling, dimly illuminating the area. All I could see were 3 doors. One door had a flower painted on it, every detail beautifully marked, accompanied by vines wrapping around the doorframe. The second door seemed to be heavily armored, being entirely made of metal, and the doorknob being that wheel you’d always see on doors like these. And the last door was a plain doorframe, worn from seemingly years of enduring the moisture in the air. Walking back to the flower door, I opened it. It was pure darkness in whatever was past it. The metal door was the same, and so was the wooden door. I felt the temptation to go through the wooden door, so I poked my head through the frame. The air felt cool and dry, the same darkness as the other doors stretching out in front of me. The light that shined on the doorframe grew brighter, and I felt a soft push to my back, sending me falling down the void under that door. 

…

I opened my eyes, lifting my head and noticing that it was darker than usual. Guess I fell asleep during my math class again. I gathered my papers and put them into my bag, slinging it over my shoulder and leaving. The cool evening air hit my face, bringing a sense of calm to me as I walked along the cement path. I wasn’t legally allowed to drive yet, so I lived with my sister. Just her and I, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I heard a rustling sound from behind me, snapping my head behind me. I didn’t see anything, so I walked backwards just so I wouldn’t get caught off guard. I wondered when I’d get over this fear of being caught by people they sent. Being so caught up in my thoughts, I failed to notice someone right behind me.

They put a hand on my shoulder, gently, but enough to make me freeze up. 

“ Come home, Allis… “ A voice whispered into my ear.

“ Aah! “ I screamed as I swung my bag towards the person. 

…Just my sister playing a prank on me. I didn’t hear or feel an impact, so I’m assuming she dodged it. 

“ Aurora! You know I get scared when you do that! “ I glared at her, my heart still racing from what just happened.

“ Shouldn’t have stayed out so late, Allister~ “ My sister practically sang, handing me a lemonade. Now that I thought about it, my throat was pretty dry. I wonder why nobody woke me up during class, though. Especially since it was already dark.

“ I should’ve listened to you when you told me that professor bored you to death.. “ I admitted before taking a sip from my lemonade, the cool liquid flowing down my throat. Aurora was everything to me. She was the reason I managed to get into this school in the first place, and the reason we were able to successfully get away from the people my family sent after us. 

I stuck close to her as we walked down that path I’d taken so many times, both to my classes and back home. Eventually, her house came into view, but I noticed someone else by the street light near it. Aurora slowed down, also seeing the silhouette under the light. The closer I walked to them, the more familiar they seemed. Long hair tied into two twintails nearly touching the ground, however, they were a little shorter than me. I realized it was Itsuki, my first friend from when I moved here. Once she saw me, her face lit up, recognizing me immediately. 

“ Allister, where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day, you idiot. “ She spoke, a hint of concern in her voice. 

“ I fell asleep again. It’s fine, I didn’t have work today anyway. “ 

“ Well, it’s late. Get some sleep before you miss your shift tomorrow. Also, I did see a couple shady ass people around here, so keep an eye out for that. “ 

“ Gotcha. Aurora’s here, too, so don’t worry, I’ll be fine! What are you doing out here, anyway? “ I tilted my head slightly sideways, one hand on my hip.

“ …no reason. Night, Allis! “ She waved and began her walk back home, which wasn’t too far from here.

I noticed Aurora had already gone inside, but left the door open. Weird. 

“ Aurora, I’m here! “ I called as I went inside, just to fill the place up with some sort of sound, which was weird, since she’s always doing something. Setting my bag down, I put my phone on charge in the kitchen and looked around for something to snack on. I still didn’t hear anything from her, which definitely wasn’t a good sign. Grabbing a small bag of apple slices, I popped one in my mouth before looking for her. Shouldn’t be too hard, considering this isn’t a big house. Just the kitchen, living room, my room, her room, bathroom, and the basement. 

I knocked on the bathroom door, hoping for an answer. Nothing. I ate another slice, heading over to the living room. She did have a pretty long day today, so she must’ve fallen asleep either there or in her room. She wasn’t there either. I heard a knock on the front door, instantly causing me to jump. At this hour? I looked through the peephole, then saw Itsuki again. Why’s she here? I opened the door, letting her inside.

“ Itsuki, what are you doing here? It’s late, y’know. “

“ I saw your lights were still on. Did you really think I was going to just leave you guys alone with those shady people walking around here? “ 

“ Well, at least you’re here. I can’t find Aurora anywhere, but I haven’t checked our rooms or the basement yet. “ I ate another slice.

“ Huh.. Weird. You sure you looked carefully enough? “ Itsuki tilted her head to the side.

“ I’m sure, but do you think something happened to her? I’m worried.. “ 

“ We don’t know yet. How about we just look together? Can’t be too many people looking, right? “ She suggested, shrugging while keeping her hands in her pockets.

“ Yeah, that does sound better.. “ I let out a sigh, finishing off my apple slices and throwing the bag away.

“ Alright, let’s go. “ Itsuki held her camera by the strap, careful not to hit anything.

We made our way to Aurora’s room first, slowly opening the door. She didn’t seem to be in her bed, so we checked my room. I thought she’d be in here to scare me again, but she wasn’t here either. Our last stop was the basement. I wasn’t too scared of the basement, but I could tell Itsuki was really unsettled by it. 

“ I won’t make you come down here with me, don’t worry. If I don’t come back up, call the police. “ 

She sighed, relaxing herself. “ Ok, good…at least you know how I am with basements. “

I opened the door and descended the stairs, searching for the light switch in the darkness. Of course it had to be down where the stairs ended, that was just lovely. I finally found it, then flicked it on. There was the mess of boxes we never got to cleaning up, along with the desk against the wall. I walked behind the boxes, then found my sister unconscious against the wall. 

I heard Itsuki scream. 

“ Get the fuck away from me!” 

Then a thud. 

Someone started coming down the stairs behind me, so I hid behind some of the boxes. The footsteps stopped, then they went back upstairs. The silence was practically deafening. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, then a pair of arms grabbed me from behind, stuffing some cloth into my face. Thrashing around as best as I could, I felt myself slipping away from consciousness, then everything went dark. 

Three doors appeared before me.

Chapter Text

It was those same three doors from my dream. From left to right, the flower door, the metal door, and the plain door. Everything felt so heavy. The air made it somewhat hard to breathe. With practically all my strength, I walked over to the plain door again. It was the same situation as before, the light things on the ceiling, the air and the doors damp. It all felt so familiar, but it was terrifying, too. I slowly turned the knob, pushing the door open to the same void I fell into. The light grew brighter, exactly like last time. I turned around before I was pushed and made out a familiar figure, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Bandana, flower crown, semi-messy short hair. That was all I could observe before I fell into the void, shocking me awake this time.

My eyes fluttered open, a headache overtaking my senses. The next thing I felt was something stiff around my neck. A collar of some sort? Then the realization set in. I knew nothing about where I was, other than the fact that I was in a dark room with a dim light hanging from the ceiling. I tried to get up, but then the collar yanked me back, the sound of a chain ringing out. I touched my hand to the back of my collar, and I confirmed there was a chain. There also seemed to be an indent in the wall, but I didn’t want to think about it. The panic started setting in not too long after that, so I called out for someone, anyone who could offer even a sliver of assistance. 

“ Hello?! Is anyone there?! “

The only noise I got in response was a groan on the other side of the room. Aurora was directly across from me, a collar also seemingly attaching her to the wall. She was here with me, but I couldn’t figure out where we were, what was going on, or why we were even here. 

“ Aurora! Are you awake?! “ I asked her, hoping she was in a better state than I was. 

“ Allis..? Where are we? “ I’m assuming she didn’t feel the collar until she tried getting up, nearly choking herself with it. “ What is this supposed to be? Where are we?! “

“ Calm down, Aurora, I’m sure we can get help! “

A ringing noise caught our attention. 

“ Is that your phone, Allis? “ Aurora questioned.

“ No, I don’t think it’s mine..is it coming from you? “

Aurora looked around and found the culprit, a slim phone with a red body. The screen displayed some text that read ‘ Unknown Caller ID ‘ She quickly accepted the call, putting it on speaker and hoping it would be someone who could help. “ Hello? If anyone’s there, please, send help! “

“ …Beginning voiced guidance. “ A robotic voice spoke from the speakers of the phone.

“ Huh..? “ I didn’t think that a robot would be helping us get out..

“ Your First Trial will consist of your collars retracting into the walls behind you. You will be given a generous 3 minutes to discuss who will unlock their collar with the singular key you are given. Otherwise, the collars will fully retract into the walls and decapitate you. Your time starts now. “

“ D-die?! I don’t want to die! “ I heard a whirring sound, then the gentlest, yet securest tug pulling our necks to the wall. 

“ Allis, just check for a key on you! They mentioned one, so there has to be! “

“ Right! “ I checked the one pocket I had, pulling out a small, yellow key. “ I found it! Here, unlock your collar and get out of here! “ I was getting ready to toss it to her when she stopped me.

“ No. You’re the one who found it, so unlock your collar. “ She spoke, concern and a pinch of fear lacing her words.

“ Aurora, I know you can find another way to get me out, so you do it! “ I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Not after all we’ve been through together.

“ At least try it on yours! Who knows, maybe it’s rigged so it’ll only work on one of us? “ She suggested.

“ …fine. “ I sighed out, inserting the key into the hole on my collar. My heart sank when I heard that click and the metal loosening. “ It…worked.. “ 

“ There we go, Allis! Now, let’s get me out of here! “ She said with a smile on her face. Maybe there was hope for her after all!

“ One minute remains. “ The phone chimed in. 

I got to work trying to get the key to fit in. It didn’t go in, like she said, but I was determined to find a way to get us both out. The back of her neck touched the wall, so naturally, I’d start rushing. Nothing in her pockets, nothing on the shelf nearby..

I found another key, a red one this time. I rushed over to Aurora, frantically looking for the hole to put it in. 

“ Time is up. In commemoration, you are allowed some final words. “ I heard the robotic voice speak from the phone. 

I looked up at Aurora’s face and my heart sank as I noticed she was gripping the collar as hard as she could and trying her best to be able to breathe even a little bit of air. That’s when I realized it.

There was no keyhole in her collar, was there?

With whatever air she had left, she managed to get a few words out.

“ D-don’t…be…scared.. “

She used the rest of the strength she had to kick me away from her, keeping me from being covered in her blood. Then, all in one swift motion, the collar snapped back into the wall, separating her head from the rest of her body. Her arms went limp, and so did the rest of her body. Not even a squeak came from her as she was decapitated. Her head fell onto the floor with a sickening thud. Blood came from her neck, staining her collar, dripping down the rest of her brown jacket, staining it crimson. 

“ Aurora..? “

No response. 

I poked her, like I normally would when she was asleep. She didn’t move. This has to be some joke, right? I didn’t even notice the tears streaming down my face until I zoned back into reality, only for a brief moment, before zoning back out again. I could barely tell if I was even breathing. My sister was dead in front of me. I didn’t want to leave her, but I didn’t know what else to do. Aurora was dead. I was expecting a poke to my shoulder, her telling me this was all a prank. But it never came. 

“ Please exit the room for body collection. “ That stupid voice rang out from the phone, snapping me back into reality. I heard the hang-up tone, signaling that that would be the last I hear from anyone for now. I forced myself onto my feet, then looked at her one last time before wiping my eyes and exiting the room from the plain, wooden door. The hallway was pitch black, but I kept moving forward. I kept seeing the scene in the darkness. I wanted to stop and turn back, but I didn’t. I mindlessly kept walking, hoping that something would happen. I felt a crack beneath my feet, then froze, making zero moves.

Then the floor gave out.

I yelped right before I fell. I was falling for a good minute before I felt myself slipping away from consciousness once again. 

How could I have saved you, Aurora?

Chapter Text

“ …Hey, wake up, “ A voice spoke from directly above me. Didn’t sound like anyone I knew.. 

As I awoke, I was met with the sight of a pretty tall person with short, light blue hair crouched over me. They wore a light blue sweater that matched their hair with a black t-shirt underneath. I definitely didn’t know this person. 

“ Are you going to do anything other than sit there..? At least get up and move around, you’ve been there for a bit, “ The person spoke again. 

I looked behind her and saw quite a few other people. I didn’t recognize anyone in the crowd except for one person.

“ Itsuki..? “ I was really confused. Why was she here? Did she also have to do the First Trial?

The stranger looked in the direction I was looking, then back at me, “ Who..? “

I found myself on my feet and slowly approaching her, completely disregarding the stranger behind me trying to get my attention. Itsuki’s back was turned to me, but I didn’t hesitate to tap her on the shoulder. She wasn’t talking to anyone, so I didn’t see any issue with it. She quickly turned around and tensed up for half a second, recognizing me after that half second and hugging me as tight as she could.

“ Allis, where the fuck were you?! “ She near-yelled into my shoulder. I didn’t want to remember. Not after what happened.

“ I was in my First Trial.. Didn’t you have one, too? “

“ Yeah. Did you find Aurora at your house? “ She loosened up and looked me in the eye.

“ Mhm, “ Aurora.

“ Where is she, then? “ She dropped the question. 

“ …She’s…aah.. “ I felt myself start to panic again. All at the mention of her. 

She’s dead.

She’s dead and I killed her. 

I killed her.

I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed her I killed her I

I was curled up in a ball, gripping my head with everything I had. Tears ran down my face like lava, my breathing as erratic as my shaking. Itsuki’s hand was on my back and she was barking at people to stay away from me, to give me space. Why’d it have to be her and not me? I just watched my sister die and I couldn’t save her. I killed her because I was too slow. Aurora was dead because of me. Why couldn’t the key have fit into her collar?

Someone kneeled down in front of me, someone I didn’t know. They put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “ Hey. I know we don’t know each other yet, but could you listen to me? “ Their voice was soft. Almost like cotton. 

“ I-is she gonna be okay..? “ A white haired child whimpered from behind them.

“ I’m sure she will. Now, could you focus on my breathing? “ 

I didn’t want to respond, so I nodded. 

They inhaled slowly, and I did the same. Then they exhaled slowly. I copied. We repeated this until I had noticeably recovered. I don’t understand why it had to be her and not me. 

“ Alright, do you feel better now? I’m hoping this helped you, “ They smiled at me, a hint of concern in their tone.

“ Yeah. I guess, “ I looked at the ground. Why did I start breaking down at the mention of Aurora? Why was I being so sensitive? At 18?

“ I’ll introduce myself, since I haven’t yet. My name’s Celeste Harumi. “

“ Allister. That’s my name, “ I hated thinking about my last name, so I left it out. 

“ Alright, since we got that out of the way, let me help you up, “ Celeste held out a hand and pulled me up.

I took a deep breath in and exhaled, looking for Itsuki. She was avoiding eye contact with me, but I don’t blame her. She never knew. I looked at the groups that everyone had formed, as well as the two children sitting and talking and the person off to the side…talking to the air. 

The first group consisted of Itsuki, that person who woke me up earlier, someone with short, green hair and a gray cap, and someone about as tall as Itsuki wearing a steampunk-type hat and lavender hair that reached just past their collar. 

I decided to talk to them first.

“ Ah, Allis.. “

“ Hey, Itsuki. How’s it all so far? “

“ Hate it. Fucking hate it. “

“ Can you quit whining already? Nobody knows what’s going on, and your complaining certainly isn’t helping, “ The green haired woman groaned. Her hair was dark green with light green streaks leaking from the top. Their jacket was black on the upper half, and white on the lower half. Their shirt was light gray with a white ghostly looking face on it. They were also wearing tan fingerless gloves. 

“ Alright, if you’re so cool, then at least tell us your name, “ Itsuki snapped back at her.

“ Fine. Rea Anderson. And you? “

“ Itsuki Kanewara, I’m a photographer. And what’s with the gloves? Haven’t seen those types before. “ 

“ I do color guard, which means I gotta have a good grip on my flag and rifle. Fucking hate saber, though. “

“ ‘Kay, sweet. “

“ How about I introduce myself, too? I’m Ali Antonio. I wrestle and that’s about it, pretty damn good at it, too, “ The person from earlier spoke. I never got to catch their name before, anyways.

“ Eh, might as well spill. I’m Axis. Don’t ask about it, it’s a long story, “ The steampunk hat person said with a sigh. Now that I get a better look at them, they’re wearing a white shirt and a pink checkered tie under a black dress with dark gray fall boots and black leggings accompanying them. They seem to have painted a black “ X “ on the left side of their face and an “ O “ on the right with what looks to be eyeliner. 

“ I feel like I’ve heard of you before.. Weren’t you in the news at some point? “ Ali asked them. 

“ Nope, your memory must be a little screwy! Aha.. anyways, you guys should go meet everyone else! “ Axis awkwardly laughed and shooed us away. 

Alright.. The other group are 3 people I don’t know, but I think I’ll talk to the kids before I talk to them. 

“ But Aoiii, what if Celeste gets attacked by a scary monster? We won’t be able to help her if we leave… “ The white haired child pouted. They wore a blue, collared sweatshirt, dark gray shorts, and a big blue “ X “ in their hair. 

“ Vetry, it’ll be fine! If anything happens to Miss Celeste, we’ll be the first ones there! My instincts have it all covered! “ The other child spoke in a heroic-sounding tone. They had short, beige hair with a lighter streak in the front, a gray plaid scarf, a tan cardigan, and baggy, gray sweatpants.

“ Are you sure..? Because there’s someone looking at us right now.. “ Vetry glanced at me and then back at Aoi, going quiet.

“ H-huh?! Oh, hello, stranger! Do you know where we are? “ Aoi jumped when they noticed me. 

“ I know as much as everyone else does, not much. I was just getting to know everyone around here, so I’m hoping I can get to know you better, “ I already knew their names, but I wanted to see how they’d react. 

“ Okay, I’m Aoi Suzuki, and I’m a 6th grader! I go to the same school as my bestest friend ever, Vetry, “ Aoi seemed happy to be able to say that Vetry’s their friend, but do they feel the same way? 

“ U-Um…hi…I’m Vetry Cloud… “ Vetry trailed off at the end of their sentence. Didn’t seem like they were the social type. 

I knelt down in front of them, then put a hand on their head. Gentle, but reassuring, “ It’s alright. I won’t hurt you. Is Celeste a friend of yours? “

“ She’s more than a friend, stranger! She’s our babysitter! “ Aoi chimed in, seeming a little miffed. 

“ My name’s Allister… “

“ Aoi, it’s fine, she didn’t know.. “ Vetry whispered to them.

“ Hmph. Fine, “ Aoi sat back down, crossing their arms and pouting.

“ Well, uh, I’ll leave you two alone, then, “ I waved as I decided to go to the second group. I’ll go talk to the one talking to air later.

This group had three people. Someone slightly taller than me wearing loose, dark gray sweats and short, red hair just above their shoulders, someone pretty skinny looking with a checkered vest over a black sweater and dark blue hair suspiciously similar to Itsuki’s tied up in a low ponytail, and Celeste.

“ Okay, well, how else do you want me to react to this? First I watch someone die, then I’m stuck somewhere with a bunch of strangers! “ The red-haired person barked at the checker-vested one. 

“ I’m suggesting you think calmly and take a couple breaths before making any wild accusations! Who knows, maybe we’ll find a way out, and we’ll go on with our lives, “ The checker-vested person spoke, his tone balancing between nervous and calm. 

“ Look, you two, just figure out what you already know. You know who you are, but not where we are, so you can figure out who everyone else is. No need to jump to conclusions, y’know, “ Celeste piped up. She really seemed to know what she was doing, “ Oh, hey, Allister! Feeling better? “ She turned the attention of the other two to me, breaking up their previous argument. 

“ Yeah, I think so. I’m still pretty shaken up after watching..that.. “ I shivered at the thought.

“ I get you, don’t worry. Come to think of it, I never got your last name. What is it? “

“ Oh, uh, Crawford. Is that all? “

“ Sure. How about we get to introductions now? I saw you going around and talking to everyone, so we might as well, “ Celeste suggested. The other two seemed fine with it, so the red haired one went first.

“ I’m Hiro Inami. Just a convenience store worker barely keeping afloat, “ He didn’t seem happy saying that.

“ Yeah, I get you. I’m Jouji Kanewara. Camp counselor in the summer, average high schooler the rest of the year. Sometimes I work during the seasonal breaks, “ The checker-vested person sighed. He has the same last name as Itsuki, too? She never mentioned she had a brother or a cousin.

“ And you already know me. I’m Celeste Harumi, and I’m a babysitter. I saw you talking to Aoi and Vetry over there, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw Aoi sitting and pouting after Vetry said something to him, “ She giggled. At least I know some people here who know each other.

“ Alright, well, uhm, I think I’ll go talk to him, “ I pointed at the guy talking to the air, and Celeste nodded.

“ I wonder why he’s talking to the air so casually.. “ Jouji muttered.

I approached the strange person, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. 

He turned towards me, a smile on his face. “ Hmm? Can I help you? ” He says, like he just had his deep conversation interrupted.

“ Hi, uh, I was wondering if you knew anything about where we were? And I was going around and introducing myself to everyone, so… “

“ Where we are? ” He repeated, looking up at the air, “ No, I don’t know anything. Just that we’ve all experienced similar things a bit ago, ” He made gestures that made very little sense.

“ So I guess we all had First Trials, then… Anyways, I’m Allister, “ I’m not going to question why he was talking to the air earlier and looking at it like there was a person there.

“ Futivit, ” He said, reaching his hand out so casually, “ It would be nicer to have met you under different circumstances, “ Even talking about the trial he kept a grin on his face.

“ Yeah… God, just thinking about earlier makes me want to hurl, “ I shook his hand awkwardly, then looked around. I think I met everyone here, so now what? “ Have you met anyone else here yet? They’re all pretty interesting. “

He shook his head. “ I’ve only spoken to two people now. I guess socializing would do us wonders… hm? ” He turned to look at the air again.

“ Us..? And what are you looking at, if you don't mind me asking? “ I looked where he was looking, trying to see what he saw. The effort was useless, as I didn't see anything of interest.

“ Oh, this is kind of awkward! “ He looked intently like he was listening to something, “ Hmm, I don’t suppose you know this person, do you? ”

“ Who are you..talking to..? “ I really didn’t know what else to do.

“ Oh! I don’t think it’s anything to worry about at the moment… Maybe later I could let you know. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to feel… hurt right now. “ His grin grew a bit wider as he turned back to me.

“ Um..alright. I’m gonna go figure out what I’ll do next, so uh..see ya? “ I slowly turned away and started walking towards a vacant corner. I just needed to think.

Alright, so let me get this straight, we have me, Itsuki, Ali, Jouji, Aoi, Vetry, Celeste, Hiro, Futivit, Axis, and Rea. New people, but no reason to be scared, right?

...Right?

Chapter Text

I was deep in thought, standing in my corner, a serious, but focused expression on my face. Ali’s voice rang out from the crowd, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“ Hey, everyone? If you could all just gather over here.. “

Some who weren’t around her awkwardly shuffled over, some walked over with no hesitation, and I was stuck in the outer ring of the crowd. 

“ Alright, that’s 11 of us, right? I think we’ve all met each other now, so how about we figure out what the hell is going on? “ Ali suggested, setting a hand on their hip and shifting her weight to one side.

“ First of all, explain that yellow box you got by your feet, “ Itsuki spoke, pointing to the strange yellow box that I somehow didn’t notice when I talked to her.

“ Oh, this? I had to bring it out for my First Trial. What, you guys didn’t have First Trials? “ Ali slightly tilted her head to the side. Seems she knew nothing about what at least I did.

“ Uhm…Miss Celeste and I had to do a puzzle… “ Vetry chimed in, trailing off almost immediately.

“ I had to figure out who to sacrifice..whatever that meant, “ Axis spoke with a bored tone, crossing their arms.

“ …I watched someone die, “ Hiro muttered, however they were loud enough for us to hear.

“ Hold the fuck up, what? “ Rea questioned. Seemed she didn’t know either.

“ Yeah.. You guys didn’t? Well, uh, I know about you, Allister, so I won’t pry, “ Hiro awkwardly spoke, rubbing the back of their neck with their hand.

I nodded, the mere mention of it slamming the memory over my head like a cinderblock.

“ Ok, so there are 3 keyholes in this thing.. Anybody got keys? “ Ali asked, scanning the crowd for anyone looking for one.

I took my key out of my pocket, handing it to Ali. It fit perfectly.

Rea dug one out of her pocket, tossing it over. It was red on the handle, but green on the teeth. It also fit perfectly.

Aoi pulled a blue one out of their pocket, handing it to Celeste who gave it to Ali. It was a little too big. 

“ Hey, Aoi, are you sure this key works? It’s a little big for the hole… “ Ali turned to the child. 

“ Huh? Really? I did bring this piece of scratchy paper with, too, so I don’t know if it’ll help, “ Aoi produced a small square of sandpaper, one corner slightly torn. 

“ Oh, I had to use that.. Give it to me, I’ll work it. “ Rea held out her hand, Aoi handing her the sandpaper and Ali giving her the key. She whittled it down, exposing the yellow underneath. It fit perfectly after that.

Ali turned all the keys until the door to the box opened. She opened it, yelping when she saw something drop out of the box.

It was a head.

“ What the fuck?! “ Itsuki cried out, stepping back.

“ Oh, I think I’m gonna be sick.. “ Hiro held their stomach, turning away from the scene.

My heart skipped a beat when the head tumbled out of the box and hit the floor with a thud. It looked exactly like..that. I felt my heart racing, my breaths growing shallow, then Celeste’s hand on my back. Gentle circles. It brought me back to reality fairly quickly, my heart rate and breathing evening out.

“ Oh! “ Futivit knelt next to the head, lifting it with his bare hands, “ This is no big deal… “ He trailed off.

“ Wh-why'd you just pick it up?! “ Itsuki near yelled, taking a step back, “ That's a fucking head, of course it's a big deal! “

“ It’s not a real head, “ He said as if it were obvious, turning the head over to look at it, “ Whoever made it has great craftsmanship… I almost believed it too! “

“ Oh… “ Ali said quietly. She looked into the box and pulled out a piece of paper with some writing on it, “ Find my body, put me back together, for I have no hands or feet.. “

“ Well, whoever wrote that fucking sucks at poetry.. “ Rea sighed.

“ I think it's trying to tell us that it's a puzzle.. Like, uhhh, a mix and match toy! “ Aoi piped up. Vetry and Celeste nodded in agreement.

“ Hm.. I guess we have some exploring to do, then, “ Jouji crossed his arms, uninterested in going anywhere.

“ How about we all pick partners? Better to cover more ground faster, “ Hiro chimed in. Everyone seemed to be okay with the idea. 

Everyone already went to pick their partners, and so did I. I wanted to ask Itsuki, but she was already with Jouji. Understandable. Celeste was with Hiro, Aoi was with Vetry, Rea was with Ali, much to the wrestler's displeasure, and Axis, Futivit, and I were alone. 

“ Yo, Crawford! Wanna partner up? “ I heard a voice behind me. I turned around to see Axis waiting for my response.

“ Uhh, sure? I mean, Futivit doesn't have a partner, but if you're picking me, I won't argue.. “

“ Great! You’re coming with me, so no complaining! “ Axis grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards a hallway.

“ H-hey, what about Futivit? He doesn't have a partner.. “

“ Yeah, you're right.. Yo, air talker! You wanna come with Allister and I? “ Axis looked past me and at Futuvit.

“ Hmm? I suppose that I could… Just so that I am not alone, “ He said, grinning at the two of us.

“ Mkay! “ They turned around, walking towards the hallway they were leading me to.

Hold on.

“ Wait a sec, what's with the collar? “ I noticed the gray collar around their neck, then turned around only to see one on Futivit as well. 

“ Oh, these? I thought you noticed, everybody has ‘em. Even you! “

I touched a hand to my neck, and sure enough, there was a collar. What's with these people and collars?!

“ Oh.. and I'm assuming we can't get these off? “ 

“ Yeah, no. Not even Ali could tear it off. Now, come on! “ Axis disappeared into the hallway, then I followed after turning to Futivit and shrugging.

I followed them into a hallway with a blue vending machine near the end of it and a door frame to the right leading into another room. The green sign next to it read ‘ BAR, ‘ the faint sound of chatter coming from the other room. Axis, Futuvit, and I all stepped inside to see Rea and Ali, to our surprise, not tearing each other apart. Ali seemed to notice us, so she waved. Rea did nothing. I noticed a chalkboard sign on the wall with some names written on it. The names read: 

——— ——— ———

CAN DRINK : 

Ali, Rea, Hiro, Sunny, Ren, Tempest, Nako, Aurora, Poppy

CAN’T DRINK : 

Allister, Aoi, Celeste, Kinuko, Jouji, Ruru, Ezra, Futivit, Atsushi, Cho, Ki

——— ——— ———

Blue bottles covered the wall past the sign, each one with a paper label wrapped around it.

“ Allis…you’re not planning on drinking, are you? “ A familiar voice whispered into my ear. I turned around quickly to see nobody behind me, as Axis and Futuvit were looking around the room with Rea and Ali, “ Pathetic, really, turning to alcohol like that. “

I chose to ignore the voice, as unsettling as it was, and looked at the island in front of the bottles. Nothing really interesting about it, other than the sliding door on one of the walls. I grabbed the handle and pulled with all I had, but it didn’t budge. 

“ Hey, Ali? Could you help me out over here? “

“ Yeah, what’s up? “ She walked over to me, Rea following not too far behind.

“ Have you noticed the door on this island at all? “

“ Oh, I didn’t see that. And I’m assuming you need me to open it? “ She tilted her head sideways, squatting near the door when she asked the question.

“ Yeah, I’m not the strongest… “

“ Alright, give me a sec. “

Ali grabbed the handle of the door, pulling it open with minimal effort. Inside we found an arm, probably for that puzzle. 

“ Eugh…hate that it has to be limbs we’re collecting. “ Ali pulled out the arm, holding it like it was an actual arm. It was slim, but had a fair amount of meat on it. Didn’t seem like that would be the only one we’ll find. I took a look at the board again, reading the names and recognizing the ones I knew, but that some of our names weren’t on it. I’ll have to take note of that. Looking back at Axis and Futivit, I saw that Rea and Axis were talking and Futivit was looking around the other side of the counter, muttering something to himself every once in a while. For some reason, the board really had my attention, so I went back to looking at it. Recalling the names of the people I had met here and comparing them to the ones on the board, I think I can safely assume that just over half of these people didn’t make it out of their First Trials. But some of our names weren’t on it, like Itsuki’s, Vetry’s, and Axis’. For some reason, the name Cho sounds super familiar to me, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. 

“ Yo, Allister! I’m heading out, let’s go! “ Axis’ voice called out from behind me, snapping me out of my trance. I waved goodbye to Ali and left with my buddies. 

“ Did you guys find anything else? I was super focused on the board with all of the names, so I don’t think I got much. “ I spoke after the three of us stopped back in the central area. 

“ I didn’t find much, I got stuck talking with flag spinner back there. “ Axis sighed, putting a hand on their hip and shifting their weight to one foot.

“ No, we didn’t find anything either. “ He said, though I’m still not sure who he’s referring to when he says ‘we’… “ Seems like we need to keep looking. “

“ Well, have no fear! There's more areas for us to check out, so let's go before we starve to death! “ Axis grabbed my wrist and practically dragged me to another hallway. 

This time, there was a green vending machine and an area at the end of the hall with a glass wall and door. The doorframe to the right led into another room, this time with a dartboard mounted on something and two doors to the left of it. One was blue, the other was red. Above the dartboard was a machine that looked like a massive air conditioning system. Like the ones you’d find in a decent hotel. I went over to the red door, turned the knob, but it was locked. Nothing I could do for now. I tried the left knob, and surprise, it opened! The first thing I noticed was a massive painting on the wall bearing the image of a man with his face wrapped in bandages, except for one eye and his mouth. His messy, dark gray hair was in a jellyfish cut and his singular revealed eye seemed to have a continuous stream of tears flowing down his face. The next thing I noticed was Itsuki and Jouji talking in the corner, then Aoi and Vetry inspecting some chairs on the floor. There was a red ladder next to the row of chairs leading up to a platform with 4 chairs on it. I counted 9 chairs in total, then 5 dummy looking things in them.

Aoi shook the head of one of the dummies, then knocked on it a couple times, “ Heeey, I think there’s water in here! Why’s it so heavy, though? “ 

“ I think it’s stuck to the chair… Are we supposed to drink out of the heads..? Sounds gross.. “ Vetry muttered that last part, shuddering at the idea. I didn’t think that would taste good, either.

“ Yo, Cloud! Could I talk to you for a bit? “ Axis called out to Vetry. They shrunk a bit, but after some convincing from Aoi, they eventually walked over to them. 

I decided to leave them to their business. I felt my extremely simple hairdo coming loose, so I let it down, then tied it back up on the side like I always do. Axis and Vetry ended up wandering out of the room, then I heard a loud metallic clang from the doorway. That caught everyone’s attention. Instead of an empty doorway, there was a set of metal bars separating us from the rest of the facility. Axis and Vetry tried to pry the bars open, but to no avail, “ Stupid bars.. Hang on, I’ll go get some help! “ Axis and Vetry called out to us as they ran off to find anyone that could offer even a sliver of assistance. 

“ Shit, shit, not again! How many times do we have to get trapped here before we can leave this fucking place?! “ Itsuki practically shouted. She started pacing back and forth, Jouji making his best attempt at calming her down. Aoi stared blankly at whatever direction they were facing, which was at the painting on the wall. 

Futivit seemed… strangely calm. “ Is this like the first trial? But bigger? “ He said, raising his eyebrows.

“ E-everyone calm down… Nothing's gonna happen if you do it all right! “ A voice sounded out from above.

“ Hey, the painting talked! There's a talking painting! “ Aoi chirped as they pointed at the picture.

“ Calm down, Itsuki, I’ll let you all out once you finish this game I have prepared, “ The person in the picture sniffled, “ There's even a reward at the end.. “

“ Who even are you?! “ Itsuki barked at the painting. 

“ Yeah, and what even is this ‘ game ‘ you have planned? “ I questioned, “ Is this like the First Trial..? “ 

“ I guess you can call me, uhh, Drexyl..? However, you could consider it like one…but it's not! Now then, who has the revolver and the bullets? Jouji, was it? Could you pull those out for me? “ Drexyl asked. Jouji awkwardly pulled the gun and nine bullets out. Three of them were pink, while the others were blue, “ Wonderful! We’ll be playing a very fun game of Russian Roulette! “ Drexyl exclaimed. His depressing expression seemed to have vanished at the sight of all of our reactions. 

“ Are you kidding me?! This is gonna kill someone! “ Jouji hissed, clenching the gun in one hand and the bullets in another. 

“ Well, uh, how do I explain this… The Challenger is the only one who won’t experience the thrill of the game, you see. How disappointing.. “ Drexyl went back to his gloomy look before perking back up, “ Well then, how about all of you choose a challenger? I’ll get to the details once you do. “ The painting stopped moving after that.

So we have me, Jouji, Itsuki, Aoi, and Futivit. We just have to discuss who’ll be the best candidate for a Challenger. 

“ I think the one with the gun should be Jouji, “ Itsuki spoke almost immediately after I finished my train of thought.

“ H-hey, why me? I’m sure someone like Allister or Futivit would be more fit for that role.. “ Jouji stammered. Seemed he didn't want to do this, either, but none of us had any choice.

“ I fucking know calm when I see it. So far, you, out of everyone in this room, has been the calmest even when this Drexyl fucker told us about having to play Russian fucking Roulette, “ Itsuki protested. I barely knew him, but I knew he would be a good Challenger for this. 

“ I’m not even that experienced with a gun! Sure, I’ve only shot one once, but that was it, “ Jouji shot back. 

“ And what makes you think I’m a good fit for this? You barely know me, I’ve never shot a gun in my life, and you saw my episode from earlier! There’s no way I’m going to be the Challenger, you know that! “ I retorted, not willing to hear anything relating to me being the challenger.

“ Look, I don’t know what you’ve been doing all your life, but there is no way I’m capable of doing this! At the very least, you could try giving me a reason other than your episode from earlier, “ Jouji huffed, crossing his arms.

“ I’ll give you a reason! I’ll give you more than one! “ I asserted.

“ Alright, then. Hit me, “ he spat. 

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I was ready. This seems like a reasonable move, but what else was I going to do?