Chapter Fifteen: The Last Vote
The village was quieter now.
Too quiet.
Only two houses glowed faintly in the haze of the perpetual twilight—their warmth a deception, like smiles on trembling lips. The fog, thick and listless, curled around every cobblestone like a warning. Above, the rift still shimmered, flickering like a failing heartbeat. The spectators watched in tight-lipped silence.
In the square, only **Shuri** and **Nebula** remained.
Their shadows stretched long, twin figures standing opposite each other, a breath of space between them that could as well have been a chasm.
No more theatrics.
No more illusion.
This was it.
---
**The Fieldmaster's voice rolled in like thunder muffled by velvet.**
> "Final round. One vote left. One life left to claim. The question is simple: will it be justice… or a mistake?"
---
High above, the **spectators** leaned forward.
**Wong** folded his arms. "Two players. One is innocent. One is not. The simplest kind of game."
**Darcy** crunched popcorn loudly. "Yeah, but this is *The Field*. Bet it's rigged to mess with your head."
**The Divergent** sipped her tea, eyes twinkling. "Look closer. The hints were always there."
**Mobius** scribbled on his clipboard. "Let's see who paid attention."
---
In the square, **Shuri** stood tall, posture controlled but her fingers twitching with nerves. Her voice was calm. Calculated.
"You sabotaged the signal tower on Night One."
**Nebula** didn't flinch. "I rebuilt it. You know that."
"But the frequency changed after. It fed false data."
"Because someone *wanted* us to suspect each other."
A pause.
A long, cold silence that pressed against the soul.
Shuri's mind raced. She reviewed every moment. Every word spoken. Every sideways glance. Her instincts told her **Nebula** had taken charge too quickly—offering direction when confusion reigned.
But Nebula… had also been the one to confront Mysterio. To vote against Moon Knight.
She played like someone with nothing to hide.
Or someone smart enough to hide everything in plain sight.
**The holographic board appeared.** Two panels glowed.
Vote:
[ ] Nebula
[ ] Shuri
---
"Say something," Shuri said, quiet but sharp.
Nebula looked at her, her eyes no longer just cold—they were tired.
"I've fought alongside monsters. I've been one. But here?" Her voice cracked. "I just wanted to play it straight."
"And yet you live," Shuri said. "Everyone else doesn't."
A cruel coincidence. Or proof.
---
The clock began ticking.
**Final Discussion Phase: 5 minutes.**
Shuri clenched her jaw. Every instinct from Wakandan strategy training screamed that this was a trap. But her heart—a different kind of sensor—pulled in another direction.
She remembered Peter's face when he hesitated. Sam's face when he looked back at the others.
This game wasn't always about logic.
Sometimes, it was about **trust**.
"I need to know," she said, voice breaking, "if I vote wrong—will you make this matter?"
Nebula nodded once. "I've spent most of my life surviving. Maybe… it's time to do something else."
---
**5… 4… 3…**
Shuri closed her eyes.
**2…**
Her finger hovered.
**1.**
**Vote locked.**
A heartbeat.
A sound like a shattering mirror.
And then—
**Board Update:**
> **Nebula – Traitor.**
---
Above, the crowd murmured.
**Wong** exhaled.
**Mobius** muttered, "Called it."
**Darcy** dropped her popcorn.
**The Divergent** smiled. "She chose right… not just the person. But the *reason*."
---
The Field shimmered. Reality fractured. The village collapsed into motes of light.
Only Shuri remained, kneeling in the square, breathless.
The Fieldmaster appeared beside her, a single silver coin floating above his palm.
> "Congratulations. You've survived the game. But surviving… isn't always winning. So. What is it that your heart truly seeks?"
Shuri looked at the coin. At her hands. At the fog now lifting from her thoughts.
> "I want a voice… even outside the shadows. I want a seat at the table. No more *afterthoughts*. Wakanda deserves better. So do I."
The Fieldmaster smiled, impossibly wide.
> "Then let's see how far your truth can echo."
He flicked the coin into the air.
Light burst.
**End of Chapter Fifteen**