I drag myself to the door, dreading the endless battles that await me. Outside, a tall man with blond hair and a purple suit greets me.
"Hello!" he says, clapping me on the shoulder. "You've lost your fight against Ebubekir, so the island is your next destination. But you were the first one out, so you have to wait for the rest of the fights. They'll be over by tomorrow, so you can do whatever you want until then. If you need anything, call this number." He hands me a card with a number.
"The island?" I ask, confused. They never mentioned any island.
"Oh yes, you'll find out soon enough. See you tomorrow!" He replies quickly and walks away. I go back to my room and waste the day away, wondering how I'm going to survive the 'island'. My power is useless for fighting, I need to find another way to win.
The next day comes too fast, and I wake up to a knock on my door. It's 2 p.m., I slept in.
I get out of bed and open the door, the man is there again, smiling. "Hey, how are you doing? It's time to go to the island, follow me."
"I'm fine, thank you." I say, following him outside. It's the first time I've been out of the building since I got here. There are already some people outside, waiting for something.
A plane lands nearby, and another man steps out. He asks if everyone is here, and the blond man says yes. He tells us to get on the plane, and he follows us.
The blond man keeps us entertained during the flight, telling us stories about his life and boosting our morale for the fight. He also tells us about the island and its rules. The rules are terrifying, but I trust that he's telling us everything we need to know to survive. Still, I can't help but feel nervous about the first rounders who have an advantage over us.
After landing on the island, we are instructed to form a line and receive backpacks with basic food supplies. The blond man explains the electronic bracelets to us, their functions and the rules associated with them, and hands one to each of us.
We are given an hour to explore the island before the fighting begins. In the second hour, the first rounders will be released again.
I head south, hoping to find shelter. The blond man mentioned some secret chambers scattered around the island, but I have no luck finding any. I end up at the shore of the island and sit on the sand. I take some food from my backpack and eat while admiring the view.
I spend two hours sitting on the sand, then I decide to do something useful and go back the way I came. I soon run into my first opponent.
A man drops down from a tree, gripping a hammer with both hands. "Finally, I got you." he says and starts to circle me, I lock my gaze on him, prepared for any attack.
He charges at me, I create an Illusion of myself charging at him, he is shocked, he tries to smash it with his hammer, but it goes through the illusion, he looks confused. "What the hell is this?" he says confused.
I actually charge at him, his expression changes to focused as he raises his hammer, but he is too slow, I kick him in the head, making him stagger back, but still standing. He gets angrier as he drops the hammer and charges towards me, he tries to punch me in the jaw. I try to catch his punch, but he is too fast and hits me, making me fall back, on the ground.
I create an illusion of myself getting up and running to grab the hammer, he falls for it and charges to get the hammer before my illusions, which gives me time to get up and attack, I make a new illusion of myself, running towards him to kick him, but before that I make the old illusion disappear. As he gets confused of seeing my illusion disappear, he turns back to see my second illusion run towards him.
He swings the hammer in an arc which goes through the illusion. "Damn illusions!" he curses angrily. "Your pathetic illusions are no match for me!" he shouts, he holds his hammer tightly and throws it at me, with no time to react, it hits me straight in the head. I see nothing but black. I'm dead, I think to myself. That's how it ends, just like that.
I wonder if there is anything after death. Is there a heaven or a hell? Or is it just an endless void of nothingness? Did I live a good life? Did I make a difference in the world? Did I have any regrets? I try to remember the people I loved, the people I hated, the people I helped, the people I hurt. But everything is fading away, like a dream that is forgotten upon waking up.
I feel a sudden pain in my chest, as if someone is squeezing my heart. I gasp for air, but there is none. I realize that I am not dead yet but dying. I open my eyes, hoping to see a friendly face, a familiar sight, a glimmer of hope. But all I see is metal, a cold and hard metal. I feel a metal collar around my neck, metal cuffs around my wrists and ankles. I realize that I am not in the forest anymore, but in a chamber. I try to move, but I can't.
I scream for someone, anyone, to help me, to save me, to end my misery. But no one comes, no one hears me, no one cares. I am alone, utterly alone. Or so I think.
The door swings open and someone steps in. "Well, well, well. You're finally awake, how nice to see you again" he says, I look at him and recognize him as Lucca, my first opponent of the tournament. My heart sinks as I realize this is the worst possible scenario, he must hate me for what I did to him, I didn't show him any mercy even after he surrendered. "Hey buddy, good to see you too" I say, with a shaky voice.
He chuckles and walks towards me. "Are you uncomfortable? let me help you with that" he says as he rips the metal off. "Thank you?" I say, puzzled and wary.
He smiles and says: "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you. You see, I don't hold any grudge against you for what happened in the tournament. In fact, I respect you for your skills and your courage. I think you have a lot of potential, that's why I want you to join my team."
I look at him, surprised and curious. He wants me to join his team? What team? I say: "What team? What are you talking about?"
He explains: "You know this island is a death trap, right? There are a lot of fighters here, all trying to kill each other for a chance to escape. Only three can make it out alive, and the odds are not in our favor. That's why I decided to form a team, a team of the best fighters I could find. A team that can work together, trust each other, and survive this hell. A team that can be one of the three last standing."
He pauses and looks at me with a serious expression. "I want you to be part of that team. You have what it takes to be a winner, you proved that in the tournament. You're strong, smart, and fearless. You could be our secret weapon, our ace in the hole. What do you say? Will you join us?"
I think for a moment. He makes a compelling offer, but I don't know if I can trust him. He could be lying, he could be using me, he could be planning to betray me, but then again, what choice do I have? I'm alone, injured, and hunted. I have no allies, no friends and no hope. Maybe joining his team is my only chance to survive, maybe he's telling the truth, maybe he's sincere, maybe he's my friend. Maybe.
I look at him and nod. "Alright, I'll join your team. But don't expect me to be your loyal follower, I'm not here to serve you. I'm here to save myself, and if that means helping you, fine. But if you ever cross me, betray me, or hurt me, I'll make you pay. Do you understand?"
He grins and extends his hand. "I understand. And I respect that. Welcome to the team, buddy. Come on, let's go meet the others. They're waiting for us in the main room of the chamber. Follow me."
I follow him into the room, feeling a surge of excitement and curiosity. Who are the other members of our team? What kind of missions will we face together? I hope they are friendly and competent, unlike some of the people I've met.
But as I enter the room, my enthusiasm quickly fades. The room is a simple and small space, with a bed, chair, table and a window. There is not much decoration or furniture in the room. And the only other person in the room is lying on the bed, curled up like a baby, his face buried in the pillow. He doesn't even stir as we walk in.
Lucca looks furious. He stomps over to the bed and grabs the guy by the arm, yanking him up. "Wake up, you lazy bastard!" he shouts. "We have a new teammate here. Show some respect!"
The guy groans and rubs his eyes, then looks at me with a bleary expression. I feel a shock of recognition. I know this face. I've seen it before. It's... Mehmet?