“The Price of Survival”

The air reeks of blood and burnt flesh. The sky, once blue, is now an endless abyss of swirling darkness. Screams echo in the distance—players fighting, dying, struggling in vain.

She stands at the center of it all, her vision blurring, her breath ragged. The game's final scenario was supposed to be simple: Eliminate the remaining competitors. Become the sole survivor.

And she did.

The bodies of former classmates, strangers she once knew, litter the ground. She didn't kill them—but they died anyway. Some to monsters, some to each other, some because they had no choice.

Now, only two remain.

He's barely standing, covered in wounds, but he's still smiling. Like he knew this would happen.

"You have to win." His voice is soft, almost lost in the chaos.

Her eyes widen. "What are you—"

Before she can move, he throws himself forward.

A blinding explosion of light erupts from behind him—an attack aimed at her. She sees the flare of energy consume his body, hears the crunch of bone, the tearing of flesh.

It happens too fast.

Too fast for her to stop.

Too fast for her to save him.

One second, he's there. The next, he's gone. The battlefield falls silent.

A mechanical voice echoes in the air:

[Final Player Eliminated.]

[Congratulations, You Are the Sole Survivor.]

She can't move.

She can't breathe.

This isn't victory. This is punishment.

She drops to her knees, fists clenched, nails digging into her skin. A scream builds in her throat, but no sound comes out.

The Entities are watching. She can feel their amusement, their hunger.

"Was this all just a game to you?" she thinks bitterly.

The ground beneath her begins to dissolve into nothingness. Her body is weightless, floating in the void. The world is collapsing, resetting, preparing for the next cycle—one she will not be part of.

She closes her eyes. She doesn't want to see anymore. If this is the end, then let it end.

Her vision starts to blurr .....

Suddenly—

She wakes up gasping.

The smell of blood is gone. The screams are gone. The Entities are gone.

She hears the faint hum of fluorescent lights, the rustle of papers, the murmur of students chatting. The cold desk beneath her hands feels too familiar.

Slowly, she lifts her head.

She's in a classroom. Her classroom.

A hand suddenly taps her desk. "You okay?"

Her breath catches.

She looks up and sees him. Alive.

The same uniform. The same lazy smile. The same warmth in his voice.

This isn't the void. This isn't a hallucination. This is before the game started.

Her heart pounds in her chest as the realization sinks in.

I came back.

This time… I will save you.