Take Your Seats

The next day, after a restless night, Ace and the other players woke up to an eerie stillness.

The cafeteria had vanished. Instead, they found themselves in the middle of a city—one that looked exactly like their own. The buildings, the streets, even the tiny cracks in the sidewalks… it was a near-perfect replica.

Ace frowned, glancing around. This game was too detailed.

Mia stood beside him, stretching. "This… this is insane." She looked down the street, eyes scanning the familiar surroundings. "How did they recreate everything so perfectly?"

Ace didn't have an answer. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around. Other players were doing the same—walking through the empty roads, checking out the storefronts, peering inside buildings.

The city was exactly like home. But it was dead silent.

No pedestrians. No cars. No background noise. No life.

Ace shivered. The Eclipse Arena, as they had started calling it, was starting to creep him out.

But even with the strange atmosphere, Ace didn't mind playing games. That's what he had always done, right? Played games, adapted, found ways to win.

Still… this was different.

"Should we explore?" Mia asked, adjusting her jacket. "Or should we wait for them to call us for the next game?"

Ace scanned the area. "We should look around. We don't know what kind of game they'll throw at us next."

Mia nodded.

The two of them started moving, joining other players as they cautiously explored the city.

Ace checked a nearby store. Inside, everything looked normal—shelves stocked with snacks, drinks, supplies. But when he grabbed a water bottle and tried to open it—

It wouldn't budge.

A red ERROR message flashed in the air above him.

[UNAVAILABLE UNTIL PERMISSION IS GRANTED.]

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Figures."

Mia tested a nearby vending machine, but nothing worked there either.

"So, no free looting, huh?" she muttered.

Ace shrugged. "Would've been too easy."

They continued down the street, and that's when Ace noticed something.

Before he could comment, a deep gong sound echoed through the air.

A massive screen appeared in the sky.

And then, the voice returned:

[PLAYERS, THE NEXT GAME BEGINS IN ONE HOUR.]

Ace and Mia exchanged a look.

One hour to prepare.

And then, the real challenge would begin.

The sky-darkening eclipse loomed overhead as the deep gong faded, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake. Players across the city froze, exchanging nervous glances.

Ace clenched his fists. One hour. That was all the time they had before the next game.

Mia exhaled sharply. "Okay. One hour to prepare… but for what?"

Ace didn't answer immediately. Instead, he studied the streets. The lack of reflections, the silent city, the way everything felt too perfect yet entirely wrong—this wasn't just a game. It was a carefully designed trap.

Then he noticed something new.

A large digital clock had appeared at the center of the city, standing like a monument. It displayed a countdown—59:44… 59:43…

Ace's stomach tightened. Every second felt heavier than it should.

Other players started moving, some sprinting toward different buildings, others forming small groups. Some looked panicked.

"Should we find shelter?" Mia asked, watching as a group disappeared into what looked like a shopping mall.

Ace shook his head. "No. If they wanted to give us a hiding spot, they wouldn't have told us the game starts in an hour. Whatever's coming… we're meant to face it head-on."

Mia didn't look thrilled with that thought, but she nodded. "Then we should at least figure out where the game will take place."

Ace agreed. If this game followed any structure, there had to be clues about the upcoming challenge.

They moved through the city, their footsteps echoing in the unnatural quiet. Along the way, they noticed more strange details—mannequins in shop windows turning their heads slightly, street lamps flickering even though there was no wind, shadows cast by objects that didn't exist.

Ace wasn't sure if it was meant to be psychological or if the game was glitching.

Then, near the city's center, they saw something new.

A massive stage had been set up in the middle of the town square, surrounded by dozens of empty chairs arranged in a perfect circle. In front of each chair was a small podium.

A message hovered above the setup:

[PARTICIPANTS MUST TAKE THEIR SEATS WHEN THE COUNTDOWN ENDS.]

Ace narrowed his eyes. "Looks like we found the arena."

Mia frowned. "What kind of game needs chairs and podiums?"

Ace didn't answer, but deep down, he knew one thing.

This game was about to be completely different from anything they had faced before.

[THE NEXT GAME BEGINS]

The digital clock in the sky continued its slow countdown. 45:12… 45:11… The tension in the air thickened as more players arrived at the town square, their eyes locking onto the massive stage and the rows of chairs with podiums.

Ace and Mia stood near the back, watching as people cautiously approached the setup.

"Should we sit?" Mia asked, her arms crossed.

Ace hesitated. The rule said they had to take their seats before the countdown ended, but it didn't say what would happen if they sat too early.

A few players were already making their way toward the chairs, inspecting them carefully. One guy in a red hoodie hesitated before finally sitting down.

Nothing happened.

Then another player sat. And another. One by one, they each claimed a seat, glancing around nervously.

Ace exchanged a look with Mia. "Guess that's our cue."

They both walked toward the stage, scanning the area for any traps before finally choosing seats side by side. The chair was cold and solid, like it was made from stone instead of plastic.

Ace glanced down at the small podium in front of him. A black screen stared back at him, blank for now.

Mia tapped her fingers against the side of hers. "I hate this silence."

Ace agreed. The eerie emptiness of the city, the lack of explanation, the giant eclipse looming overhead—it was all designed to make them uneasy.

More players filled the remaining seats until there were only a few left. Ace did a quick count. Thirty players.

30 contestants. 10 will survive.

The screen above them flickered to life.

A few players tensed.

Then, without warning—

The countdown in the sky RESET.

From 40 minutes to 60 seconds.

People gasped as the clock rushed downward.

59… 58… 57…

Ace's heart pounded. "What the hell?"

Mia gritted her teeth. "They're messing with us."

The podium screens in front of them suddenly flashed, revealing a single sentence:

"Welcome to the Eclipse Quiz."

Ace's brain almost short-circuited.

A quiz?

The players looked at each other, confused. A few people even laughed in disbelief.

One of them—a guy with a nervous look—spoke up. "Wait. We're playing… trivia? Like a game show?"

Before anyone could react—

BOOM.

One of the empty seats EXPLODED INTO PIECES.

Players screamed and flinched as debris flew into the air.

The screen updated.

[INCORRECT ANSWERS WILL RESULT IN ELIMINATION.]

The laughing stopped immediately.

Ace gripped the podium edge, his mind racing.

This wasn't just a quiz. It was a death trap.

---THE ECLIPSE QUIZ BEGINS---

A suffocating silence settled over the players as the blackened sky above them remained motionless, the eclipse casting an unnatural glow over the arena.

Ace's fingers clenched against the podium. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

A quiz? A life-or-death trivia game?

It sounded ridiculous—but the exploded chair a few moments ago made it very real.

The screen above them flickered again.

[RULES OF THE GAME:

1. Each question has a time limit of 15 seconds.

2. Answer correctly to stay in the game.

3. Answer incorrectly... and you will be eliminated.

4. Only 10 players will survive.]

Ace didn't miss the careful wording. Not 'eliminated from the round'—just eliminated.

His hands curled into fists.

Mia swallowed hard beside him. "I thought we'd be running, fighting, doing something… but this? I don't like this."

Ace couldn't blame her. A physical challenge gave people a chance. This? If the game threw random, impossible questions at them, it could all be over in an instant.

The screen buzzed again.

[ROUND ONE: GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.]

A collective exhale passed through the players.

"General knowledge? That's not too bad," someone muttered.

Ace didn't trust it.

The first question popped up on his screen:

[WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF ITALY?]

A multiple-choice selection appeared below:

[A) Rome]

[B) Milan]

[C) Venice]

[D) Naples]

Ace nearly scoffed. Was this a trick?

He pressed A) Rome.

A moment later, his screen blinked green.

"CORRECT."

Around the arena, other screens flashed green. But—

BOOM!

A loud explosion rocked the stage. Ace flinched as a chair three seats down erupted into a fireball, sending shrapnel into the air. The player in it? Gone.

Someone screamed.

Mia's hands were gripping the podium so tightly her knuckles turned white. "They… they actually got someone. That question wasn't even hard!"

Ace gritted his teeth. That was the point.

A false sense of security.

Make them think the quiz was easy. Then, when they relaxed—hit them with something impossible.

The screen refreshed.

[ROUND TWO: HISTORY.]

Another question popped up.

[WHAT YEAR DID THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON OCCUR?]

Ace frowned.

He knew this. But he also knew most people wouldn't.

The choices appeared:

[A) 1666]

[B) 1812]

[C) 1498]

[D) 1720]

Ace quickly tapped A) 1666.

A pause.

Then—green light.

But before Ace could even look up—

BOOM.

Another chair exploded—this time, it was a teenage boy near the front. His screen had turned red.

Ace clenched his jaw. The people who got answers wrong weren't even given a chance to react. One second they were there—next, gone.

Mia let out a shaky breath. "We're being tested on knowledge, but this isn't fair. If they throw in obscure questions, most of us are dead."

Ace nodded. "Yeah… and that's exactly what they're planning."

The screen buzzed again.

[ROUND THREE: RIDDLES.]

Ace's stomach dropped.

This is where it would definitely get dangerous.

"Oh! Fuck my life!" Ace muttered in frustration.