Enjoy Your Stay

"Hey, guys," Airi called out, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "Look."

The students, already on edge, froze mid-step, their heads slowly swiveling back towards the five ominous doors.

Each a different color

White, Black, Red, Yellow, Blue

Another two minutes have begun.

Airi's voice trembled as she spoke, her gaze flitting between the doors. "Ken, what do they mean? Which one do we choose?"

The silver-eyed girl leaned in. "Maybe there's a clue somewhere"

Their eyes darted around, searching for anything that might point them towards the right door. The walls, bare and smooth, offered no answers. The ceiling, lost in the shadows, held no secrets. Even the floor, cold and hard beneath their feet, remained unyielding.

Out of the boys piped up, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe there's a pattern? A hidden meaning in the symbols?

Ken whispered to himself "A new test. Perhaps not of logic, but of instinct, of choice?"

The silver-eyed girl, chewed her lip, her eyes flicking from color to color. "But which one? How do we know we're not walking into another trap?"

One of the boys analyzed. "Deductions? In this… color-coded funhouse? I wouldn't know where to begin"

The silver eyed girl chimed in. "Maybe it's a test of our… inner colors? Like, red for passion, black for cunning, white for purity…"

Airi added, "And yellow for… sunshine and rainbows? Don't tell me you're falling for the University's tacky color coding"

"Maybe we should split up," the silver-eyed girl suggested, her voice regaining its usual coolness. "Each door could lead to a different challenge, and we can share information after."

Airi grinned, her smile like a spark in the dim chamber. "Yeah! Think about it. Red… hate for cowardice, so charge through it. Black… hate for lies, so expose the darkness. White… hate for ignorance, so crave the truth. Yellow… hate for stagnation, so embrace change. What do you say?"

The silver-eyed girl, a flicker of a smile playing on her lips, surprised them all. "Intriguing. I loathe deceit with every fiber of my being. Black it is."

Airi pumped her fist. "Red for me! This fire within won't be stifled by fear!"

The boy, a hesitant smile spreading across his face, chimed in. "Yellow then! Change is my jam, baby!"

One of the boys bravely stepped through the yellow door, only to be met with a deafening bang. A bullet tore through his skull, leaving his lifeless body crumpled on the floor.

Wide-eyed and breathless, the remaining students exchanged glances of disbelief

Airi's fiery spirit sputtered out, her face paling as the weight of his sudden disappearance settled upon them. 

The silver-eyed girl's glacial composure shattered, her eyes wide with a horror she couldn't mask.

Silence, like a suffocating shroud, descended upon the chamber. 

Airi, usually the first to crack a joke or launch into action, stood frozen, her eyes locked on the pulsating yellow doorway.

"What just happened" Airi spoke with unshed tears

The silver-eyed girl, recovering her composure with a visible effort, placed a hand on Airi's shaking arm. 

"We… we don't know that," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "There might be another explanation."

Airi, her fiery spirit now smoldering with embers of grief and anger, turned to face Ken on the corner. 

"Was this part of your plan?" her voice a low growl. "Did you know? Did you sacrifice him?"

Ken met her gaze head-on. "Well I predicted possibilities,"

"Possibilities?!" Airi roared, her voice a primal scream against the suffocating silence. 

"You predicted a death trap, and you let him walk into it? Was that your grand strategy? Sacrifice one to save the others?"

The last sixty seconds of the hourglass spilling like blood through the glass

Airi, eyes blazing with grief-fueled defiance, spun on Ken. "Time's running out" she yelled

Ken remained a statue, his face an unreadable mask, the gears of his mind churning through a storm of possibilities

As the tension in the room escalated, Ken's perceptive gaze scanned the remaining doors – black, white, blue, and red – each a potential gateway to safety or peril. 

Time was slipping away.

Ken observed the watches adorning the wrists of his fellow students, recognizing a subtle synchronicity in their ticking. The intricate dance of time became a key element in his deductions.

Next, his attention turned to the room's lighting. The white overhead lights cast stark shadows on the doors, subtly influencing perceptions. Ken mused that the play of light and shadow might have an impact on the choices people make.

Next, his discerning eyes fixated on the hourglass, its granules cascading steadily. Ken calculated the remaining seconds with unwavering precision

He remembered the unfortunate fate of the previous boy. 

The boy's death at the 37th second of the game, a chillingly precise timestamp, gnawed at the edges of his mind.

He murmured to himself, "Thirty-seven seconds – an arbitrary number, or a deliberate clue?

But as Ken analyzed the doors, another realization cracked

His gaze fell on the hourglass, its sands cascading with cruel precision. Thirty-two seconds left.

The chamber buzzed with a chaotic symphony of fear, everyone was panicking

Yet, Ken remained an island of stillness, his eyes cold and calculating as he observed the countdown clock: 20 seconds.

Just as Airi and the others each about to open a door.

"Stop," he spoke, his voice a monotone chisel against the room's hysteria. "Moving will only guarantee your demise."

A stunned silence followed. Some blinked, mouths agape, as if unsure if they'd truly heard him. Others scoffed, their fear bubbling over into defiance.

"Easy for you to say," Airi cried, her voice hoarse. "You haven't lost anyone"

Ken's gaze landed on her, cold and unflinching. "That," he said, his voice devoid of emotion, "is irrelevant. Now, if you want to live, listen to me."

Finally, a boy stepped forward, one of the boisterous boys, his eyes wide but determined. "What do we do?" he asked, his voice small but steady.

"Exactly what I say. And exactly when I say it."

The clock ticked down: 15 seconds...10...5...

"Close your eyes and cover your ears," Ken commanded. "Don't peek, don't flinch."

Hesitantly, one by one, they obeyed. 

3...2...1...

The final second ticked away, the clock plunging the chamber into an eerie silence. 

Then, a series of deafening booms echoed inside each of the color coded doors, each one a death knell for the choices they almost made. 

The colored doors were now smoldering ruins, their destruction a chilling testament to Ken's gamble.

Airi, her eyes wide with horror and relief, turned to Ken, her voice trembling. "How? How did you know?"

Confused whispers broke the silence, hesitant eyes blinking into the dim chamber. They found themselves in the same room, seemingly unchanged

Ken met her gaze "There was no safe room"

"But how did you know?" The silver eyed girl gasped, her voice cracking with fear 

Ken responded coldly "The University thrives on predictability," he explained, "on exploiting patterns, both in time and human behavior. The hourglass, the doors, the precise timing of the boy's death – it was all a cruel puzzle"

"The boy's death, at precisely thirty-seven seconds, was a cruel message, a hidden variable in their equation. It told me time was not just a timer, but a weapon, a countdown embedded in each door."

"I observed the patterns, considered every possible angle. But in this intricate test, every attempt to find a consistent logic failed. The doors defy conventional analysis, and the absence of a safe door is the only conclusion that aligns with the chaotic nature of these trials."

"So, we were playing a game we couldn't win?" Airi asked

Ken shook his head "No. We changed the game. Manipulation of time, disrupting their countdown, it was a counter-melody in their symphony of death. We didn't win, not in the conventional sense. But we survived."

"This is just the beginning," he said "the University has underestimated us."

Airi stood beside him, her gaze flickering with a newfound respect. 

Suddenly a discordant voice of the announcer sliced through the air. 

"Well done, players of room 13. You may now exit." Relief momentarily bloomed in Airi's chest

Airi stumbled "We...we made it," she breathed, her voice barely audible.

Stepping out into the quadrangle, a vast space bathed in an unnatural twilight, they found themselves amidst a motley crew of survivors.

The voice boomed again, its chilling monotone carrying over the murmur of the crowd. 

"Please wait in the quadrangle and await the remaining students to finish the tests. As further instructions will soon be announced."

A group huddled around a fallen comrade, their faces etched with grief but their eyes burning with defiance. A lone figure, hunched over a discarded device, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tinkered with its secrets. A pair of friends, their whispers laced with a shared hatred for the academy's game.

Airi noticed a figure approaching. He was tall and lanky, with a mop of unruly brown hair and a smile that could melt glaciers.

 He stopped before her, radiating an almost uncomfortable warmth

"Hi," The student said. "I'm Hikaru. You guys managed to escape room 13? Impressive."

Airi, momentarily startled by his sudden appearance, offered a cautious smile. "Airi," she replied, shaking his hand "We...we did," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It wasn't easy."

"And this," she gestured towards the solitary figure on a nearby bench, "is Ken."

As they chatted, Ken remained a solitary figure on a nearby bench, his piercing gaze scanning the quadrangle, seemingly impervious to the human warmth radiating from Airi and Hikaru. 

"He...uh, he's been through a lot," she mumbled, a lame explanation

Hikaru, unfazed by Ken's frosty reception, simply tilted his head. "I see," he said, his voice as light as a feather. 

"Well, I'm glad you both made it out of that...messy business. I wouldn't have known what to do."

Hush fell over the quadrangle as the voice of the announcer boomed through the air. 

"Congratulations, fellow students, on passing the entrance test! Welcome to Vermillion Gates University. Consider this your new home, a haven for the gifted, a crucible for greatness."

"Each night, at the stroke of seven," the voice droned on, "you will be presented with a test. A challenge to prove your worth and your very right to remain here."

"However," the announcer continued, "there are daytime tests available for those seeking a more arduous path. Although these tests pose greater difficulty compared to the night games, the potential point rewards are significantly higher."

"Win," the voice continued, "and you will earn points, a currency that grants access to everything a human heart desires. Within these walls, you will find hotels of silken comfort, restaurants overflowing with culinary delights, clubs where laughter echoes until dawn, and markets brimming with every necessity imaginable – all at prices that will melt your worries away."

"Yet," the voice continued, its tone taking a darker turn,

"Remember, each heart beats for a reason. The watches on your wrists serve as a visual representation of your fragile existence, displaying your remaining hearts. Each student will be granted five hearts. Completion of a test grants you one heart, a fragile token of your existence."

"We also offer a special test designed for those with low hearts, aiming to refill them back to five. This special test takes place in the white room, and we must emphasize that its difficulty level is very extremely difficult. Participation in the white room test is optional, providing you with the choice to undertake the formidable challenge of restoring your hearts to their maximum capacity."

"Absence on evening tests will cost you one heart. Failure in the tests will take all of your hearts away. And for when your heart reaches zero, your journey here shall come to a swift and permanent end. And remember, communication with the outside world is but a nostalgic dream. Your focus lies here, within these walls, where your future hangs in the balance."

"And as promised"

"Graduation," the voice concluded, "is your key to a lifetime of privilege. A seat at the table of the elite, a reward for those who rise above, who become masters."

"Lastly, attempting to escape the university will incur deadly consequences."

"Enjoy your stay, students."