Alice stood inside the kitchen.
Spes was in front of her, his back turned. He faced the window, silent and still, like a painting frozen in time.
Through the glass, black slithering tentacles writhed upward into the air—curling and pulsating like smoke under water. The sight alone sent a sharp jolt of urgency through Alice's chest. That grotesque movement was a reminder: the clock was ticking.
Twenty minutes.
That's how much time had already passed since Spes had given them an hour.
Which meant forty minutes remained—until The Hunt would begin again.
Alice tried to steady her breath. She glanced around, trying to ground herself in something—anything—normal.
But all she found was a strange normality that somehow felt even more unsettling.
The kitchen... looked like a completely ordinary kitchen.
No ritual symbols. No otherworldly glow. No distorted furniture or walls that bled shadows.
Just... a kitchen.
She caught herself wondering—Did the old woman's house have the same kitchen? Was this whole phase a loop of copy-pasted spaces?
She shook her head. No. Focus.
To her right, a modest wooden table sat against the wall. On top of it, a few glass bottles of milk—identical to the one she had just drunk to cure the apple's effect. A small shiver passed through her. Just the sight of them made her skin crawl a little.
Beside the table was a stove. Oddly modern—something that wouldn't feel out of place in a suburban home back on Earth. Gas burners. A digital timer. Even the faint stain of something long since cooked and burned at the edge.
Above it, a narrow mounted shelf held small glass bottles—various spices inside. Paprika. Bay leaves. Salt. Basil. Ordinary names, familiar shapes.
It all felt... too ordinary.
To her left, more kitchen necessities lined the shelves. Cups. Plates. A drawer slightly ajar, maybe filled with forks and knives. Maybe not.
And then, right in front of her, was Spes.
Still unmoving.
Still watching the window.
Still waiting.
Alice hadn't spoken yet. She didn't know if she was supposed to.
Instead, she just stared past him—at the window, at the dark horizon, at the nightmare that loomed like a time bomb ready to burst through the cottage walls.
And yet… somehow… all she could feel in this moment was the eerie normalcy of the kitchen.
As if hell was about to break loose in a place where someone could just as easily be boiling tea.
Alice cleared her throat.
"Ah–ahm."
Her voice came out lighter than she expected. She straightened her posture, then hesitated—her mouth opening halfway before closing again. Then, finally, she forced the words out.
"So… what's the offer I'll be getting?"
Her tone was shaky, layered with anxiety—but there was a quiet determination buried underneath it. The kind of strength that surfaces not from confidence, but from resolve.
Spes turned immediately.
No pause. No dramatic delay.
He faced her directly.
And now—face to face—Alice felt something stir in her chest.
A pressure. A pull.
As if something profound was about to unfold in front of her. A revelation that would either define her—or destroy her.
Spes stood still, like a monument that had waited centuries for this one moment. Then, his voice cut cleanly through the silence.
"I give you an offer," he began, his tone neutral—neither cold nor warm, simply true.
"I'll let you escape from this Phase, and return to the one you came from. This will complete Phase Twenty—for you."
Alice's breath hitched slightly. But she said nothing. She listened.
"However," Spes continued, "the others will be left behind."
"They will face the Hunt without our help. No guidance. No protections. No hope."
Silence.
It wasn't just the room that grew still—it was Alice's body, her mind, her breath.
That was the offer.
It sounded obvious at first. A test of worth. A trial of selfishness versus sacrifice.The kind of trick question you'd expect from a place like this.
But then—Spes added, softly but firmly—
"There is no catch."
Alice's eyebrows lifted slightly. She waited for him to continue.
"If you accept the offer… you'll leave cleanly. No guilt. No debt. No lingering connection to this place. You will be free."
"And them?" she asked quietly.
"They will die," Spes said.
"As the Hunt begins, they will be consumed. And their deaths will be your key to survival."
Alice felt her throat tighten.
She didn't speak immediately.
Because this time… this wasn't about what seemed right.It was about what you'd do when the consequence was real. When the escape was guaranteed. When the punishment didn't exist. When no one could blame you—because no one would even be alive to do it.
This was the offer.
Simple.
And merciless.
"I just met them… a day ago."
Alice's voice was soft—but steady.
"I met them in Phase 11. And somehow… somehow, we just clicked."
She gave a faint smile—nostalgic, as if the bond they built in less than twenty-four hours meant more than anything she'd had before.
"We became friends fast. It wasn't forced. It just happened. Like we were meant to find each other in all this chaos."
Spes stood still. His expression unreadable.
"But I've not known them for more than a day," she repeated, as if admitting that should have made her decision easier.
A long, quiet moment passed.
"So you have your answer then, right?"
Spes asked, his voice plain again, returning to that familiar, unreadable tone.
Alice blinked. Once. Twice.
Her heart thumped loud enough that she could hear it in her ears.
The tension crawled down her spine, but she stood her ground.
She shook her head, lips pressing together.
Then… she took a deep breath.Her eyes met his.
"I have my answer."
Spes tilted his head.
"What is it?"
There was no hesitation now.
Alice exhaled.
"I decline the offer."
The air in the room shifted.
She didn't flinch. Didn't look away. Her words weren't loud—but they cut through everything like a blade of clarity.
"You think because I've only known them a day, they don't matter to me?"
Her voice wavered—but not from fear. From conviction.
"Maybe that's true in your world. Maybe one day doesn't mean anything to you."
She took a step forward.
"But in this world—one day can feel like a lifetime. One decision can shape who we become. In a place where everything is crumbling—people matter more than ever. And those people… they gave me a reason to feel alive."
She clenched her fists, her voice now raw and passionate.
"I'm done running. I'm done floating through phases without understanding who I am or what I want. I want to be someone who doesn't walk away just because the path gets easier."
Spes didn't respond. He simply stared.
And so she finished it.
"I'm not taking your offer… because I'm not looking for a shortcut anymore. I'm looking for something worth holding onto."
She smiled—genuine, glowing. Her hair brushed her cheek as she tilted her head slightly.
"Besides…"
"Once you're broken, you can reshape yourself into anything."
"You just need to be smart enough to use the broken pieces properly."
And in that moment—Alice wasn't just the girl from Phase 0 anymore.
She was someone else.
Someone new.
Someone worth remembering
A glimpse of Ethan's memory played in Alice's mind
Spes nodded once. Slow. Measured.
"Very well."
He didn't argue. He didn't question her further.
Without another word, he simply turned… and pointed toward the window behind him.
It was open now.
Alice's eyes widened slightly—she hadn't seen or heard it open before. But there it was, gently ajar, letting in a faint breeze that tousled her blonde hair. The outside view greeted her like a quiet reward. A breath of fresh air after suffocating choices.
No grand speech. No magic doors. No thunderclap.
Just a window—open, waiting.
Alice blinked and then softly nodded.
"Thank you, Spes."
Her voice was quieter now, but it carried a weight. Not gratitude for the way he'd tested her, but for the silent acknowledgment… that she had passed.
Spes said nothing.
Alice turned toward the window.
One breath in.
One leap forward.
And just like that—she slipped through the frame and landed on her feet, outside the cottage.
The air out here felt different. Crisp. Real.
She stood straight, brushing off her skirt, and glanced back at the window just once. The cottage behind her looked still, unmoving. But something inside her had changed forever.
She wasn't running away anymore.
She was stepping forward.