Chapter Fourteen: The Silence Between Notes

The morning did not come.

The fog lingered like a half-remembered nightmare, curling through the twisted village streets. Only the clock in the square moved—its ticking louder now, like a heartbeat out of rhythm.

Three players remained.

**Shuri. Yelena. Nebula.**

And one had already fallen—Moon Knight, voted out the previous night with the quiet, unsettling finality that only the Field could deliver.

They stood apart this time. No greetings. No forced banter. The air was too still for that. Suspicion had become an uninvited fourth companion, lingering just behind their shoulders.

Shuri leaned against the crumbling fountain at the square's edge, her fingers twitching over her wrist-tech. She hadn't slept. The readings from her previous scans were inconclusive. The Field warped everything—energy, probability, even logic.

Yelena cracked her knuckles and gave a sharp breath through her nose. "Three of us. One traitor. One last mistake and it's over."

Nebula's eyes were harder than usual. "No. One last chance."

Above them, the rift opened again—an eye in the sky.

The Spectators had returned.

Wong, arms folded, face unreadable.

Darcy chewing popcorn like it held secrets.

Mobius scribbling in his notepad.

The Divergent spinning a coin that landed on its edge—and stayed there.

And somewhere deeper in the shadows, the Fieldmaster's laughter echoed through the marrow of the world.

The holographic board flickered into existence.

**Day Two – Final Discussion Phase. 10 Minutes.**

A faint bell echoed, but it sounded distant—muted by the tension so thick it could be sliced.

"I ran interference checks again," Shuri said, speaking first. Her voice was steady but tight. "Yelena's house had zero anomaly readings. Nebula's had a burst during the night."

Nebula didn't flinch. "A false positive. I was repairing a weapon module. Not attacking."

Yelena raised an eyebrow. "You didn't mention weapons before."

"I didn't trust you," Nebula said flatly. "And I still don't."

The clock ticked louder.

Shuri looked between them. "Then say it. One of us is lying. But we can't afford to be wrong again."

Yelena crossed her arms. "Alright. I'll start. I've made it through Red Room, Budapest, and Thanos' stupid timeline. But I've never played this game before. You think I've been subtle? I barely know the rules."

"You're more cunning than you admit," Nebula replied. "You survived places I didn't."

Shuri closed her eyes briefly, drawing breath. "Then what about motive? Why would either of you side with the Fieldmaster?"

A pause.

That was the question no one liked to answer.

Not because they didn't know—because they did.

Yelena exhaled slowly. "Hope. Revenge. Power. Same reasons anyone does anything."

Nebula added, "And survival. Even if it means lying through your teeth."

Shuri's gaze drifted to the board, then flicked toward the upper right—at a faint glitch in the projection.

**A flicker. A fourth name. Then gone.**

She said nothing.

Above, Darcy leaned closer. "Did you see that?"

Mobius frowned. "Either a system hiccup… or the Fieldmaster's having fun."

"Both," Wong muttered.

The Divergent whispered, "Sometimes the liar believes their own truth. That's what makes it dangerous."

The clock hit the final minute.

Yelena stepped forward. "I think it's Nebula."

Nebula stepped forward. "I think it's Yelena."

Shuri didn't move.

Yelena looked at her. "You're the tie-breaker. Again."

Shuri's hands trembled, just for a moment. She looked at the board. Then at the two women who, in any other life, she might have called allies.

"I don't know if either of you is innocent," she whispered. "But I trust my instincts. Even if they're wrong."

**Voting Phase Initiated.**

Three panels glowed.

Three choices made.

A beat.

A flash of light.

A soundless *snap* in the air.

One of them vanished.

**Player Voted Out: Yelena Belova.**

The board updated.

**Yelena – Civilian.**

Nebula didn't speak. Her eyes closed. Her shoulders didn't move.

Shuri stared. Then slowly sank to her knees.

"Then it's you," she breathed.

But the fog was already rolling back in. Thick. Heavy.

Above, the Spectators began to murmur.

The Fieldmaster's voice whispered from nowhere and everywhere:

"One more night. Then… the game ends."

**End of Chapter Fourteen**