Chapter 3: The Unseen Chains

The group's eyes were locked on Kaelen, their expressions shifting between suspicion and desperation. The girl who had spoken—a sharp-eyed teenager with short black hair—crossed her arms.

"If you're here to survive, then prove you're not a threat."

(Interesting.)

Kaelen kept his expression neutral, his mind already working through the situation. Five people. No trust between them. Tension high. The way they stood—angled slightly away from each other—told him everything. They aren't a team. They're just people thrown together. A fragile alliance.

That meant they were useful.

"I don't need to prove anything," he said, his voice even. "We're all in the same trial, which means we either work together or die alone."

One of the boys—a broad-shouldered brute with a scar across his cheek—scoffed. "Easy for you to say. How do we know you won't stab us in the back?"

Kaelen gave a small, unreadable smile. "You don't."

The brute's face twisted in anger, but the girl with short hair—clearly the most level-headed of the group—raised a hand. "Enough, Brann. We don't have the luxury of fighting each other." She turned to Kaelen. "Fine. You stay… for now."

[72:38:12 Remaining]

Kaelen glanced at the glowing system message hovering in the air. Still a long way to go.

Now that he was closer, he studied the group more carefully. Brann, the brute—strong but stupid. The girl, logical but cautious. The others… weak-willed. They'll follow whoever seems the strongest.

(Perfect.)

If he wanted to control the situation, he wouldn't do it through brute force. He'd let them think they had control—until it was too late.

---

First Night

They had found shelter in a crevice between two massive stone formations. The cavern was eerily silent, broken only by the occasional distant wail of something unseen.

The group sat in a rough circle, their exhaustion evident. No food. No water. And they had already seen what happened to those who strayed too far.

"We need to figure out how these monsters work," the black-haired girl—Lirien, as she had introduced herself—said. "If we don't understand their patterns, we won't last long."

Brann scoffed. "Simple. We kill them before they kill us."

Lirien shot him a glare. "You saw what happened to the others. Rushing in without thinking is suicide."

Kaelen stayed silent, observing. Lirien was competent, but she made one mistake—she still thought she was in control.

He watched as Brann stood, rolling his shoulders. "Enough talk. I'll go find some answers myself."

Idiot.

"That's a bad idea," Kaelen said, his voice calm.

Brann turned to him with a sneer. "What, scared?"

Kaelen sighed, standing up as well. "Think about it logically. The trial isn't about killing everything in sight. The objective is survival. That means the trial is designed to test more than just strength."

Brann hesitated for a second. Kaelen could see the gears turning in his slow mind. Then, predictably, the brute scoffed again. "Doesn't matter. I'm not sitting here doing nothing."

He turned and started walking.

Lirien clicked her tongue. "Brann, stop—"

It was too late.

The darkness swallowed him whole.

One second he was there. The next, he was gone. No sound. No struggle. Just… gone.

Silence fell over the group.

A chill ran down Kaelen's spine—not from fear, but from realization. (So that's how this trial works.)

The system wasn't just testing their ability to fight. It was testing their ability to think.

He let out a slow breath, his mind already adjusting. Good. That means the others won't last long. And when they break… I'll be the only one left standing.

The game had begun.