Maia hesitated, her hand still lingering in his. Without a doubt, she was beginning to question even walking up to Raphael. "Y-yeah" she said, forcing a smile. "It's... surreal. Just like a dream, or maybe a trap?"
"A trap, you say?" Raphael's voice was quiet, yet he hold her hand even firmer. "I think you underestimate the severity of what you've just said. It might look like a trap... but this?" removing his hand from her he stretched both his arms wide "We've been given the chance to be free, to be God." Raphael said with a smirk
Maia looked at him with growing uncertainty, her thoughts beginning to spiral. "This guy must be crazy..." she thought, instinctively taking a step back.
But before she could process the strange encounter any further, the world itself shifted yet again.
Without a warning, the ground beneath their feet vanished. A sudden lurch in her stomach was all the warning Maia got before gravity claimed her—and everyone else.
The Thousand of contestants were suddenly plummeting through a void of colorless light and clouds. Some screamed in panic, flailing helplessly against the descent. Others remained eerily calm, as if they had already accepted anything could happen any moment.
Maia's heart pounded in her chest, her voice catching in her throat.
"What the hell is going on?!" she shouted, her eyes wide as she watched Raphael just a few feet away—completely unbothered.
He was falling with his back relaxed and his arms spread out slightly, as if welcoming the plunge.
"What's the matter, Maia?" he called out over the roar of rushing air, his tone light, "We're just falling down!" A low chuckle followed—unfazed.
"Just falling down?! Are you insane?!" she screamed back, the panic in her voice rising.
But Raphael didn't answer. He merely continued to fall as if gravity were a choice, his hair fluttering in the wind, that same faint smile still tugging at the edge of his lips.
Then—without warning—everyone stopped.
In a single, silent instant, the chaotic descent was replaced by stillness. Each contestant now stood alone on a towering stone pillar, suspended high above an endless, dark blue ocean. The sea below churned with unnatural stillness—no waves, no wind, only silence that pressed on the ears like a held breath.
Maia stumbled slightly as she steadied herself on her narrow platform. She could see others now, far in the distance—each one isolated, standing on their own pillar.
Above them all, the sky was an empty gray, stretching forever in every direction. There was no sun, no stars—just void.
"What is this place...?" she whispered to herself, her voice trembling.
Far across the stone forest of pillars, Raphael stood perfectly still, gazing up toward the gray sky.
The silence was eerie. All 1,000 contestants had come to a halt, each balanced on their own isolated pillar high above the ocean. The wind howled gently between the gaps, but no one dared to move.
Then, like out of nowhere, a familiar voice pierced the stillness.
"Did anyone miss me?"Sylvia's voice echoed across all the pillars, smooth and mocking. A moment later, she descended from the sky like a angel. Her massive white angelic wings—each nearly ten meters in length—shimmered with divine light, casting long shadows across the field of contestants.
Floating above them like a angel, she flew over the field with a smile that was both beautiful and cruel."The first game of the Sloth Layer has been decided..." she said with a dramatic sigh, brushing a lock of golden hair from her face. "...If you can even call it a game."
She snapped her fingers, and with a flash of white light, a large glowing board appeared floating above every contestant's pillar, displaying the faces and names of all 1,000 participants. Beside it sat a large red button, pulsating faintly as if alive.
"This one's a little strange, I'll admit," she continued, her tone almost casual. "But hey, I didn't choose it. Since this is the Sloth Layer—where effort is rare and action is feared—it's only fitting we test whether any of you are willing to move first."
"Here's how it works," Sylvia said, her voice echoing across the ocean and stone pillars.
"On the board before you are the faces of every contestant. Simply tap the face of the one you want to eliminate — your choice will be locked in the moment you do. No takesies backsies. You only get one vote per round."
She twirled mid-air with a playful hum, her massive white wings catching the bright pale light.
"At the end of the round, the one with the most votes..." Her smile sharpened. "...dies."
Gasps and murmurs rippled across the field of contestants.
"But don't worry," Sylvia added "See that little thing? The red button. That one doesn't cast a vote That button is very special special."
She hovered closer to the crowd, her eyes gleaming mischievously.
"If anyone presses their red button... they die. Instantly. Just like that. No tricks, no second chances. But —" she held up a finger dramatically, "— the game ends immediately. Everyone else moves on to the next round."
There was a long pause.
"Think of it as... a test of will. Sloth is all about inaction, after all. Let's see if any of you have the resolve to save others by sacrificing yourselves — or if you'd rather sit back and watch your fellow players disappear one vote at a time."
Then she gave a final wink and ascended higher into the sky.
"Good luck everyone, won't miss ya!"
Everyone was looking at the board in front of them, not sure what to do. Before the round started, everyone was practically in groups—even though they were advised not to make friends. But probably no one saw each other as a friend, and rather it was a convenient interaction to get to know how everyone was like.
Raphael wasn't giving the red button any thought and immediately pressed Maia on his board. In the meantime, everyone pressed someone on their board as well. Not a single participant dared to press the red button. As the last person pressed someone, all the boards vanished.
For a moment, nothing happened. But then, out of practically nowhere, a huge bolt of lightning struck down one of the pillars. Everyone gasped, watching the pillar fall to ruin, and the corpse of the person was not even visible—probably because they burned up instantly.