A Makeshift Town

In a tall building. The penthouse floor. Glass walls surrounding a golden chair. A man sat staring in red robes, with his dark bedding eyes and sharp brown hair sticking out from the morning sun.

He looked up to his servant. A woman in a golden dress holding a letter.

She handed it to him.

He opened its thin creased lines, unwrapping its internals and revealing the short paragraph of text.

"Who's this from?" he asked in his deep crackly voice.

"It is a message from the Immortal Horses. From Pegasus."

The servant stood, her arms tucked behind her back, waiting patiently for him to respond.

"And she knows about our problem?" he asked.

"Yes, Master. Word has been leaked."

He read the lines of the letter. The message telling him about the traitors, about their intentions and motives.

"So that's where they were hiding..."

He stood up.

"Master Chain, should we send in the Royal Guard?" suggested the servant.

He held out his hand, stopping her from speaking another word.

"No. I shall go myself. I've had enough of this hide and seek."

"But... Master Chain... You will be interfering with the Immortal Horses examination tests. It could be dangerous."

He held out his pointer finger, then pointed it at himself.

"They didn't deal with this matter of their own accord. It shows they don't care for our alliance... So if they don't care, then I don't care. Then I have the right to interfere."

Burn Spell: [Ignite]

Fwooosh!

Using his Witch powers he set himself on fire.

Orange flames raging across his body. Burning his red robe. His skin. His face. He walked over to an open window looking out over the morning city.

From head to tow, flames, black ash, skin, to molten flesh. He focused his flames to his feet.

He stepped onto the open air.

Burn Spell: [Rocket Explosion]

Boom!

---

Back at the diner.

A waiter walked up to the table, unlike the other waiters and waitresses, this one was a lot more stone-faced and calm. He acted like a normal waiter instead of a scared stranger.

"We just want waters for the whole table and a... Damon?"

Damon looked up, his face lazy and tired, "oh yeah... One burger please!"

---

Five minutes passed.

Damon still laid out in the same spot.

Aria was still reading the Philosophy of Plato.

Luna laid back on her old phone, playing some shitty gacha game.

And Marcus... Marcus was intense. His gaze and glare following every single person on the street. His mind racing at every step, every movement.

He was confused. He was told that this would be the meeting place, yet the entire town was filled with people. He also knew that there would be a lot of people showing up. Black dresses, sharp suits, leathered straps along with tight camo pants. Everyone on the brick-stoned street looked like they were packed up and ready to fight. Like everyone was their enemy, like...

He remembered what this town was. It was a paper town. A town without any residence, created for the sole purpose of existing but not existing.

"So then why are there people here?" he asked himself.

He ran the possibilities through his head. He thought about the people, how they were acting, how they were moving, looking, what they were carrying.

"This isn't a real town... This is a..."

A makeshift town...

A...

Ding!

The burger arrived. The stone-cold waiter placed it on the table and quietly walked away.

Marcus turned to his phone. A text appeared.

Ding-ding-ding!

He looked into the street. He watched as every single person walking down the one-way road turned to their phones in unison. He watched as everyone read the exact same message.

Damon picked up the burger.

Marcus read the message.

He looked outside.

He read the message again.

He turned to Damon, to the burger, as he picked it up, opening his mouth.

Message: [Test 1: Escape The Town | Remaining Participants: 295]

"Wait... Damon don't eat that!" Marcus screamed out, reaching over the table-

But it was already too late. Damon had already taken a full bite. A full mouthful of his burger.

Splat!

Thump!

He fell forward. His eyes blank, his mouth running. He died.

Aria turned with confusion, "what the..."

Luna looked up from her phone, "is he asleep again?"

Marcus looked at the burger, he looked at the waiter, his grin, his smirk. He looked at the four other waiters, their smirks, their grins.

He explained, "no... Luna... He was poisoned."