- Kai: "Yo? You good? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Kai is waving his hand in my face. Same words. Same tone.
I blink up at him, my pulse hammering in my ears. I feel like I've been here before.
Because I have.
- Isabella: "Ayden? Are you ok?"
She leans in closer, concern written across her face. Every detail—her voice, the way her brow creases—exactly the same.
- Lena: "Is something wrong with him?"
- Christy: "Ayden?"
My eyes snap toward the sound of her voice.
Christy.
She stands there. Calm. Alive. Torchlight glinting off her eyes. The same eyes that looked at me last time—right before the rock came down.
My breath catches.
My chest tightens.
I can't breathe.
She killed me.
The weight of it all crashes down.
And I scream.
Not just a shout—a raw, panicked, primal scream that tears up my throat and echoes through the cave. My legs kick backward, scrambling away. I hit the wall hard. Cold stone against my spine. My heart feels like it's trying to break through my ribs.
The others freeze. Shocked. Alarmed.
- Kai: "Yo, what the hell?!"
- Lena: "Ayden?!"
- Christy: "...What is wrong with him?"
- Isabella: "Ayden—hey—it's okay! You're safe!"
No. I'm not. Not if this is starting the same way again.
My hands shake. My vision blurs and I hear ringing in my ears. Christy takes a cautious step forward.
- Christy: "Ayden, it's just us. No one's going to hurt you."
That's a lie. You already did.
I press my back harder into the wall. I don't know what to say—what I can say. Every instinct screams to run. But I know how this tunnel works. There's nowhere to run to. Every choice I make leads to death.
My voice cracks.
"I-I'm fine. I just... I need a minute."
It's a weak excuse. But it's enough to stall them.
They exchange looks—confused, maybe concerned—but slowly, they ease off. The tension doesn't leave the air. It just sinks into it, heavy and unspoken.
They keep talking.
I don't.
Their voices blur together
I stay near the wall, away from them.
They're killers. They were going to sacrifice me all just to survive. I can't forgive them. I need to take them out before they can.
I'm snapped out of thought as Isabella approaches me.
No, wait. What am I saying? There had to be some reason behind all that.
- Isabella: "Um… Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah. I think so."
- Isabella: "Is it okay if I stand here?"
She's gesturing to the ground next to me.
I don't want anyone near me right now. I want to be alone. It won't do me any good if I tell her off though…
"Go ahead."
She does so, and leans against the wall behind the both of us. She doesn't say anything more.
Maybe she just wanted company… I don't get it though. They all seemed normal at first. Well, except Blair. What caused all that?
The fog. The looping. The woman. The death. The screaming. The rock.
Dying.
And waking up again.
"…What is this place doing to us?"
I say it so quietly, I don't even think I meant to.
My hand twitches. A thought surfaces—half instinct, half hope—and I open my status screen, still as red as before.
——————————————————————
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Ayden
Level: 1
XP: 0
Attribute Points: 0
[ATTRIBUTES]:
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Perception: 6
Intelligence: 6
Vigor: 5
[SKILLS]:
Phantom's Reset: Lvl 0 –> Death will never rule you.
Mental Fortitude: Lvl 1 –> The user has the strength to stand on their feet under extreme stress. Increased resistance to mind-affecting and sleep-based effects. Improved focus and clarity under duress.
——————————————————————
As I expected, one of my stats got increased by one point again. More importantly, I got a new skill. And this one doesn't seem too strange.
Mental Fortitude.
I stare at it, the light from the status screen reflecting faintly in my eyes. A cold realization slides into place.
That wasn't just fear.
It's something more. Something pressing in on us.
On them.
Maybe the fog.
Maybe the tunnel.
Maybe whatever's watching us from just outside our vision.
But I remember the way they turned on each other. Turned on me.
Lena and Kai panicking. Blair accusing. Christy... raising that rock. They weren't just killing me for no reason.
They were scared.
Terrified. Breaking under pressure none of us were built to survive.
And now I see it—I was too.
But I didn't snap. Not all the way.
Because something inside me fought it. Held on.
Because I'm changing.
This skill is probably what saved me…
I feel a soft movement beside me. I finally glance at Isabella.
She's watching the group, not me. Her arms are folded tightly across her chest. Her lips pressed together. But she doesn't leave my side.
I don't say anything. Neither does she.
But for now, her silence is enough.
We're still here.
We're still us.
For now.
But what the hell should we do now? If we go down the left tunnel, we'll lose our minds. If we go down the right tunnel, that thing will tear us apart.
- Isabella: "Um… Ayden? How are you feeling?"
"Huh? Oh right. I'm better now. Thanks for the company."
- Isabella: "Oh! It's nothing…"
She blushes deep red, almost as if she hadn't meant to make eye contact at that moment. Her gaze flickers away quickly, and she shifts uncomfortably, hugging her arms tighter to her chest. The faintest nervous smile pulls at her lips, but she doesn't speak again.
Wait. Why am I trying to figure this out alone? There are others here with me. But can I really trust them?
I look at Isabella again.
Can I tell her about my skill? There's no real reason not to… Even during that whole incident, she never turned on me.
"Hey, Isabella. I have something I need to tell you."
- Isabella: "What is it?"
I just need help figuring out our next steps. There's no point in not asking for her help.
"The thing is, I have an skill to die and come back to life called 'Phantom's reset'."
- ???: "Well, that's no fun now, is it? Can't have you running your mouth and ruining all the fun."
Before I can even react, Isabella is flipped over.
Wait no. The room is flipped?
I try to stand, but my legs don't move the way I expect them to. I don't feel my body the way I should. I try to inhale, but the air tastes off, like something sharp and bitter is choking me from the inside out.
What's happening?
My vision goes blurry, flickering. I feel the coldness intensify. The sharp pressure is unbearable now—too much—and then... I hear it.
A hollow sound. A dull thud.
It takes a second—too long—but I finally realize: My head has... separated.
It's rolling away. Away from me. Away from my body.
I see my own body crumple. The disembodied feeling hits me like a punch in the chest.
I can't move. I can't scream. I can't do anything.
For a second, it's like time stops.
I don't even feel the pain. I can't.
As my vision fades to black, I see Isabella fall backward. The way her mouth is moving, it seems she's screaming.
But I can't hear her.
Finally, yet again—
I died.