The countdown ended.
The numbers faded from the screen, and a silence heavier than anything before fell over the room. Seven breaths rose, seven bodies tense like strings, eyes exchanging nervous, cautious glances, drifting in a void that could no longer bear any more waiting.
Then... a mechanical voice echoed from the ceiling, dry, lifeless, devoid of humanity or mercy:
"The second stage of the test begins now."
No introduction, no explanation, no chance to catch their breath.
A part of the eastern wall quietly slid back, revealing a narrow corridor bathed in bluish-white light, cold as if it were draining warmth from souls before bodies.
Everyone froze in place. No one stepped forward. Each waited for another to take the first step, as if every step carried the weight of irreversible decisions.
"Ira" moved first.
Slowly, as if walking on glass, she advanced toward the corridor. Her steps were silent but confident, as if leading a chorus of tense silence. The others followed... one by one. No words, no objections. Just walking forward, into the unknown.
The air in the corridor was thick and suffocating, carrying a faint metallic smell, as if you could see rust with your eyes. The walls were unnervingly smooth — no cracks, no cameras, no features. It was as if they were walking inside a neutral tube, being watched without sympathy.
Then, they arrived.
A new room, circular like a sealed cell, solid. In the center, a low stone circle surrounded by seven smooth gray chairs. Above the circle, a black square screen suddenly lit up with stern white words:
"Stage Two: The Decision Rooms."
"Before you are four rooms. In each room, you will face a decision.
The decision is collective. The decision is life-altering.
Every delay... has a price."
Silence fell again. But this time, it wasn't a silence of caution… it was a silence of realization.
A decision... collective? Life-altering?
They exchanged looks again. There wasn't enough trust between them, nor enough knowledge. Most didn't even know each other's full names. They had met for the first time in the fourth test, and now they were asked to judge... to choose... to decide together.
Before anyone could speak, part of the opposite wall lit up, revealing a rectangular door framed by a pulsating red light, like a heart beating with threat.
The first room.
The air thickened. No one moved. The words on the screen echoed in their minds.
"Decision rooms"…?
"Life-altering"…?
What awaited them?
Who would be the first to pay the price?
"Kai" lifted his eyes to the screen, breathing slowly, then glanced at Faro, who remained silent, his face impassive, eyes fixed on the open wall as if watching something unseen.
"Silo" whispered, his voice broken but firm:
"We have to enter. Delay… is not an option."
No one objected.
As if they all knew the next moment would begin a new chapter unlike any before.
They walked toward the door... step by step. Not with confidence, but with the same fear.
They entered the first room.
The door closed behind them.
Then... the screen inside the room lit up.
The first decision appeared.
And the countdown... began.
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