Chapter 2: The quest

The sun is setting. We've already eaten all the apples and cereal bars. Now, we're down to our carrots. Raw.

As we sit in a silent circle, a loud noise suddenly echoes through the air—like static interference. Then, the entire city—as we've decided to call this maze of towering structures—lights up in red, casting long shadows across the plaza.

We all stare at each other, stunned.

"What's happening?" Kevin stands up, trembling.

Lisa, the redhead, follows suit.

"Stay together. I have a feeling that's the key to our survival."

Then, a mechanical sound erupts from all directions—a cold, metallic noise, the distinct click of weapons loading in perfect synchronization.

Jin, who had remained calm until now, immediately stands up.

"What the hell is this place?" His deep voice carries no fear, only anger.

Without hesitation, Tyler, Emilia, and I rise as well, all facing the city. The screen emits the same four-note chime that had led Emilia and me to this plaza earlier. We rush toward it.

The interface, once green, has turned a bright, almost violent red. A message appears:

Night mode activated. You cannot enter the city until it ends tomorrow morning. If you violate this rule, the turrets will eliminate you.

Our faces go pale. We had all suspected it, but now we know. There is no way out.

And if the screen refers to this place as "the city," that means we are being watched. Spied on. My heart pounds harder. I scratch the back of my head in panic. Kevin chews at his nails, while Emilia breaks into sobs. Tyler looks completely lost.

We're all more or less in our twenties, trapped in a deadly stone city in the middle of the ocean. The only two who manage to keep their composure are Jin and Lisa. They turn toward us—Jin remains silent, but Lisa speaks up.

"Okay, pull yourselves together! We're all stuck here. We need to help each other and stick together. We're exhausted. We'll sleep, and tomorrow, when the city is accessible, we'll explore it and come up with a survival plan. We don't know how long we'll be here. We don't even know if we'll ever get out. But we have to uncover the city's secret."

We all nod, impressed by her leadership. Jin steps forward.

"She's right. We're safe here. We need to rest. And no matter what happens, we must never, ever enter the city at night."

Tyler, still in shock, mutters a weak, "Okay…"

We all lie down in a circle around the screen, on the cold stone, bathed in the red glow of the city. I close my eyes.

A blonde woman with blue eyes speaks to me:

"Everything's fine, calm down, everything's fine…"

The blinding whiteness of the lights assaults me. She keeps repeating:

"Everything's fine…"

She holds a syringe filled with a blue liquid. I try to struggle, but despite my efforts, my body does nothing, and she plunges the needle into my skin.

My eyelids grow heavy as the liquid spreads through my veins, filling me with warmth.

I wake up to the familiar four-note chime from the screen, followed seconds later by the metallic clatter of the turrets retracting.

Jin is already awake, standing before the screen just ahead of me. I get up and step behind him to read the message. His posture is straight, his messy black hair slightly tousled. He smells faintly of metal and stone.

Night mode: Deactivated. Turrets retracted. City accessible.

The red lights fade, revealing the true color of the sky—a soft orange. It must be around 7 AM. A few seconds later, another message appears:

Daily Quests

Press the red button in the city.

Kill the rabbit.

Reach the central cube of the city.

The others start waking up, and I ask Jin:

"You think they're doing this on purpose? Pushing us into the city?"

"We can't panic."

His voice is calm. Sharp. I should be annoyed by his authoritative tone, but instead, a strange warmth spreads through my chest. Despite his composed demeanor, the tension in his jaw as he turns to face me—and now the rest of the group gathering around—betrays his uncertainty.

Lisa steps closer to the screen, scratching her chin.

"This is weird. Yesterday, when we got food, the screen said we had completed a quest. I think if we want to survive, we have to complete these tasks."

Emilia, in a timid, frightened voice, tries to contribute to the discussion.

"I think we should split into three groups of two. One for each quest."

Kevin frowns. "On paper, that sounds good… but we have no idea what kind of danger is waiting for us in the city."

Tyler, who had been lost in thought, suddenly speaks.

"Doesn't this feel like a video game to you? We wake up in a strange place, there are threats, and we have to complete quests to survive…"

"You're not wrong," I admit, thinking. "But why would someone trap people in a real-life game? And why go through so much effort to build this place? The turrets, the quests? Why us?"

Jin crosses his arms. "We'll find out sooner or later. Right now, we need to focus on survival, which means completing the quests." He clears his throat. "We're going to vote. We can either go in pairs or as a group, but we don't know if we'll have enough time. Who votes for splitting up?"

Jin raises his hand immediately. Lisa follows. After a few seconds, Tyler raises his, then I do too.

"Okay, we'll go in pairs. Let's assign teams."

He turns his head toward me.

"I'll go with Owen."

Me? Why me? A shiver runs down my spine. I don't know why. But… he looks like he can handle himself, so I accept.

"Okay."

Kevin and Emilia pair up next. That leaves Lisa and Tyler.

"Tyler, you're with me. We'll take the rabbit quest."

Jin glances at the screen and asks me, "We're looking for the button?"

"Let's do it."

Kevin looks at the remaining quest. "So we're heading for the center of the city."

Emilia nods. And with that, we all sprint in different directions into the city.

Jin and I slip between two medium-sized towers and find ourselves at a crossroads. We advance through the narrow alleyways, the silence pressing down on us. Suddenly, Jin stops and stares at a wall. I step closer.

Faintly visible under a layer of dust, an inscription emerges under the sunlight:

"Access Point – Priority 1."

"You think this is…?" I trail off.

"We should check," Jin responds, wiping away the dust. A faint arrow appears, pointing left.

We follow it, turning the corner of a tower, and find a rectangular opening in the wall.

Jin turns to me, confident.

"You ready? We go in, find the button, and get out."

He grabs my wrist. A warmth spreads up my arm, sending a shiver down my spine.

Without another word, he pulls me inside. The interior is dark, illuminated only by dim white lights along a spiral staircase. We ascend cautiously—four floors. The stairs end abruptly in front of a void.

Jin stops, thinking. Then his gaze sharpens.

"Look—a platform."

Sure enough, a small platform sits one meter ahead, but we'd have to jump. Jin looks at me, determined.

"I'll go. Stay here."

Without hesitation, he leaps onto the platform and slams his hand onto the red button.

The entire interior flashes red, the same shade as last night. A 15-second countdown starts.

We understand—we have to get out.

12 seconds.

Jin leaps back, grabs my arm, and pulls me toward the stairs. We run.

7 seconds.

The ground vibrates beneath our feet. A metallic screech echoes behind us.

4 seconds.

We dive through the exit just in time. A loud crash shakes the city as the door slams shut behind us. The four familiar notes chime across the city, confirming our quest is complete.

My heart pounds wildly. Now, I know for sure—they want us dead.

Jin, breathless, turns to me.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Their goal is to kill us, isn't it?"

"I don't know their goal. But I wouldn't be surprised if rich people are watching us right now…"

He's not wrong. We might be pawns in some sick game.

And then… my dream last night. That blonde woman.

I remember her name. Orphea.

Suddenly, a scream echoes from afar—Emilia.