Justyn whipped back around to see 2 faces staring at him from down the street. They quickly ran down an alley. Justyn was creeped out. He didn't want what happened in the halls to repeat so he turned around and walked away. He wandered around the streets for a while. He wasn't in quite the same situation as he was in the halls. This was no maze, it was just a few blocks of streets. He didn't feel lost either. It was easier to keep track of where he was. The houses were all different, and there were even some stores, and cafes, however they were all closed.
Justyn had yet to come across anyone, aside from those 2 people who disappeared into the alleys. Speaking of alleys, he looked down an alley that was lit up. There was a warm orange color. Justyn went to investigate. He peeked into the alley to see a clearing. A tiny area where the buildings surround. There was a barrel that had stuff burning in it. It was probably just being used as a fireplace. But no one was anywhere to be found.
Suddenly someone grabbed Justyn's arm and whispered into his ear, "Make any funny moves, and you'll be dead in a second." Justyn thought about reaching for the knife in his pocket, but he thought it'd be best to comply rather than getting stabbed.
"Who are you, what is your name?" The man asked demandingly.
"My name is Justyn, I was supposed to-"
The person let go of him. Justyn could hear him backing away. "How do you spell your name?" He asked. The person spoke meekly, like he was scared.
"It's Justyn, with a 'y'." Justyn responded. He must've dropped whatever he was threatening him with because Justyn could hear metal hit the ground.
"I- I thought you were dead. I'm.. sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't know-"
Justyn turned around to see a pathetic sight. Similarly to the man in the halls, he was on his knees begging for mercy. Justyn remembered what he did, and it sent a chill down his spine. Justyn decided to play it cool. The man had dropped his weapon and was on the ground begging for his life.
"What are you talking about?" Justyn asked. The man looked up with confusion, and soon, slight embarrassment.
"You're not Justyn? The god?"
"No I'm not. I'm just a contestant in the trials."
The man looked confused beyond comparison. He went from afraid for his life, to just plain confusion, and slight disappointment, like this was somehow a downgrade. The man got up and took a deep breath, relieving all the built up fear.
"So you're really not the god?" He asked once again, still not fully believing him.
"Nope, I'm just part of the trials."
"Then how'd you get here? What trial were you on?"
"I came from an exit door. It disappeared as soon as I got here. I don't know what trial it was on, but I think it was the first one. I was trying to find my room in a hotel."
The man looked at Justyn in more disappointment. He couldn't comprehend how he messed up so badly on the first trial, and furthermore, how finding a room in a hotel would be the first trial.
"Is Atlas not the director of the trials anymore? Because that doesn't sound like a proper trial." He questioned Justyn.
"Well it was part of a maze. And the doors were completely randomized."
As they talked about the validity of this "trial", they sat down near the fire and became acquaintances. Justyn learned the name of the man. His name was Akio Nieto, a half Japanese and half South Korean man, born in 1925. They spoke about life, and wondered what it was like right now. Justyn revealed that he didn't remember living.
"Why are you here in the first place?" Justyn asked. "I mean, don't you want to live life again?" Akio pondered for a moment, as if he hadn't really thought it through. He exhaled and began to explain.
"I was born at a bad time for my country, Japan." He explained. "I lived in a city. Life was good, I lived it to the fullest, and I loved what I had come to know as home. Once I turned 20, the year 1945 had come around. Tension between my home country and another had risen significantly. One day, I forgot the date, alarms rang. People evacuated and me and my family had only gotten the news. Suddenly a huge explosion engulfed my city, taking everything in its path. I, along with my family, just so happened to be on that path, and were subsequently taken with it.
"Okay but that doesn't explain why you didn't-"
"It's because I don't want to." Akio confessed. "You really think I'd want to go back to a world as screwed up as that? Where they nuke one another because of disagreements? Doing the trials would just be me repeating what I felt before my death. I don't want that, nor do I want to live in that world."
Justyn looked down at his shoes. Justyn understood. He pondered for a moment, wondering what he would do if he were in his shoes. But that didn't last long, because he realized something. "Do you know when the first trial started?" Justyn asked.
"Considering I didn't even know it was the first trial you were on, no I don't know, why?"
"There's a time limit, I need to finish the trial!"
"You seriously want to continue the trial?"
Justyn nodded. Akio was annoyed, thinking that Justyn ignored his whole story.
"Look man, I don't remember my life, assuming I even had one in the first place." Justyn described. "So I want to experience one, one that I can remember." Akio thought for a moment. He looked at Justyn and nodded.
"Fine, I'll help you, but I'll only help you out of this place, and I will not come with you to the second trial."
Justyn agreed to this deal, and Akio began collecting his stuff. He hummed a melody to himself while going around grabbing stuff. Justyn looked down the alleyway and something had occurred to Justyn.
"Hey by the way I saw two people when I first came here, would you happen to know who they are?"
Akio remained silent, but Justyn could obviously tell he froze at his words. Justyn turned around to see Akio looking at him with an expression that screamed "who exactly did you see."
"Ah, I didn't see who they were, but they were definitely looking at me."
Akio started gathering his stuff faster than he had before in complete silence, but it wasn't like the calm silence you hear at night, it was a silent chaos, and it was emitting from Akio.
"We need to get out of here right now." Akio whispered
Justyn was confused but worried. He quickly packed the rest of his stuff, and started down an alley. Justyn could tell Akio was being very serious, he knew something about those two men. Akio stopped and pinned himself to the wall. He peeked around the corner and down the street. He checked both sides before signaling Justyn, who was just standing there, to move forward. Akio quickly ran across the street and into another alley, however he moved at a super-human speed. Justyn followed behind him and ran across.
"How did you run that fast?" Justyn asked.
"It's called a blessing, it gives you special powers that somewhat carry on with you into your life."
"Somewhat?"
"They don't fully form in the real world." Akio explained. "They come in the form of a characteristic. I can run fast, so I would be able to run fast in the real world, but obviously, not like I do here. Do they not tell you this when you get here?"
Justyn stared blankly trying to comprehend it. He wondered why they wouldn't tell us. Maybe because they were only in the first trial? Justyn couldn't say for sure. But an even bigger question arose: what blessing did he have?
Akio, who had already gone down the alley, called to Justyn in a whisper. "Hurry up! We need to run!" Justyn caught up with him and followed right behind him. "Who exactly are we running from?" Justyn nagged Akio for answers.
"This place is a border room, so it's not used in the trials. It's mainly used for the convenience of Gods and Guards. Those guys chasing us are guards. We aren't exactly welcome here."
As Akio explained, they started down the street. They were approaching a corner when all of a sudden two men walked around the corner. They looked like twins, looking exactly the same. They both had black hair with bright orange eyes. They wore a nice suit and a tie, it was all very formal clothing. They almost looked as if they didn't belong in these dirty wet streets.
The twins looked down on the two. Akio backed up really slowly trying not to aggravate them. One man started walking into the street, but he disappeared, like he turned to dust. The other one then conjured a knife into his hands out of thin air. Justyn couldn't believe what was happening. Akio suddenly turned around and cried "RUN!".
They took off down the street with one of the twins following them, but he was just walking. Justyn couldn't make out why he wasn't running after them. Suddenly Akio fell backwards onto his back and quickly got back up and turned around."Quick, duck!" Akio yelled at Justyn.
Justyn then saw for a split second a shadow of a man that wasn't there right in front of him. He was then struck in the face. Justyn fell onto his butt holding his nose that was in severe pain from the punch. Justyn with teary eyes turned around to see the twin that disappeared reappear. Justyn was dumbfounded, but he really had no time to think about it, so he quickly got back up and ran with Akio again.
Akio turned a corner into another alley and Justyn followed. Justyn was beginning to run out of breath. It was getting harder and harder to keep up. He had no time to rest, he just had to try to not stop.
They eventually got back to where they met, at the alley camp. They took a rest. Justyn was worn out and just wanted this to be over, but for Akio, this happens on almost a daily basis. He has to run from those people so often that he's used to it, but that encounter came a little too close. Akio then pointed in a specific direction
"There is a permanent exit door that way, at the other end of this place." Akio told Justyn. "The one that we were going to is being guarded by the twins, so we have to take the long way."
Justyn caught his breath and agreed to the plan. They then began on their journey, this time down another direction. As they were walking Justyn heard a voice.
"They're down this way." The voice exclaimed. It sounded awfully close but Akio didn't react. He just kept going where he was going, as if he didn't even hear it.
"Did you hear that voice?" Akio asked.
"What voice?"
Justyn looked around. He couldn't see anyone, but that didn't stop him from slightly panicking.
"I don't know, but I heard someone say 'They're down this way'." Akio's eyes widened. He realized something, but he couldn't tell Justyn just yet.
"Well then we'd better hurry. The exit door isn't far from here. This place is only about 2 miles wide on both the x and y axis.
Akio started walking faster, but Justyn heard something else. Footsteps. He got reminded of the mysterious footsteps that would follow him in the halls. Justyn flinched and turned around really quick, and it startled Akio.
"What did you hear?" Akio whispered
"Footsteps." Justyn responded apprehensively.
Justyn broke out in a cold sweat. He would look all around just to hear nothing. He started hyperventilating in panic. Akio grabbed Justyn and told him to calm down, but it didn't work. Suddenly to shaddows obstructed the light. When Akio looked up, it was none other than the two twins. One twin conjured 2 knives and gave one to the other. Akio pulled Justyn up and forced him to run. The two men ran after them.
Akio grabbed Justyn and picked him up for a split second. Suddenly they were 2 blocks further down the street. He used his blessing of speed and kept running. Justyn ran as fast as he could. Suddenly a floating knife came around the corner. They both knew who it was. It was the invisible twin, but they could see his shadow even when he was not visible.
They nearly ran past him when he threw the knife at them, hitting Akio in the leg. Akio fell over and yelped in pain. Justyn quickly tried to get Akio back up, but he heard the invisible man approaching. Justyn had a picture pop into his head. Well it was more of a live video of sorts, like the day dream he had in the halls. He could see what was happening in third person.
Justyn then swept his leg as fast as he could behind him. He then heard something hit the ground. He turned to see the twin on the floor. Justyn used this opportunity to his advantage, helped Akio up and helped him run.
They saw the exit door ahead of them, just about 2 intersections away, at the border of this area. Past the door was nothingness, void, an endless pit. Justyn and Akio slowly made their way to the exit door. The other twin then walked in front of it and conjured a sword.
Justyn didn't know what to do. The twin behind had gotten up and was walking towards them. Akio looked up at Justyn and said softly.
"Just leave me behind. I've been here long enough. It's my time." Akio whispered.
Justyn let go of Akio. He looked down on him as he winced in pain at the sight of the knife in his leg. Justyn quickly got back up and wound his arm up. He threw the knife towards the twin in front of the door, nearly hitting him, however the knife ended up flying past him, into the void past the border.
This shocked the twin who was then knocked over by Justyn with Akio on his side. Justyn opened the door and threw himself and Akio in. The twin Justyn had tripped was chasing after him as the door clicked shut behind him, and when he looked back, it was gone.
They took a look around. They must've hit a stroke of luck, because before them stood a staircase leading up to a podium of sorts. It held a compass made of gold and silver. It was shiny, and polished. They walked up the stairs, and something about it drew Justyn's hand. Once he made contact with the compass, it dissolved into microscopic individual molecules. It flowed into his body, entering through his finger and traveling through his arm. Seconds later, the process is done, but another second later, the compass regrew. It grew like a vine emerging from the podium, and it grew another beautiful compass. In confusion Justyn tries touching it again. He makes contact with it, but instead of particles of the compass traveling through his arm, a strong and painful wave of electricity instead travels through his arm.
Justyn fell backwards, reacting to the sudden shock. Akio watches as Justyn pathetically tries to shake the tingling after-shock in his arm. Justyn arm felt like it was asleep. Akio limped up to the newly grown compass and reached out to it. He also felt a similar pull of the compass. His arm gravitated to the compass, and eventually, they connected. The same scenario played out. The molecules traveled up his arm, and eventually it regrew.