Everyone pondered Mr. Pope's cryptic answer about Mike's disappearance, their thoughts echoing against the dim blue glow that pulsed softly from the holographic walls. The room was frozen in place, the silence broken only by the faint hiss of machinery running quietly in the background. Every face was locked in confusion, but the stillness didn't last long.
Zane was the first to move. His body trembled not from fear, but from anger. In an instant, he crossed the room and seized Mr. Pope by the collar of his tailored suit with both hands. His eyes burned with emotion, his usually calm face now resembling the surface of a sea struck by a violent storm.
"What do you mean? Where is my friend?" Zane growled, his voice low but laced with menace.
Mr. Pope, who had worn a thin smile moments ago, now grinned wider, as if he found amusement in Zane's fury. He showed no fear. Even as Zane tightened his grip, Mr. Pope raised an eyebrow, as if it were a trivial matter not worth his concern.
"Let go of me, boy," he said flatly, before pushing Zane back with surprising strength. Zane stumbled, falling hard onto the holographic floor, the impact echoing through the chamber.
Zane didn't get up right away. He stayed there, not because of the pain, but because something in Mr. Pope's gaze made him feel smaller than he ever had before. It wasn't just a physical threat it was a presence, a predator that knew its prey couldn't escape.
"If you dare to rebel further," Mr. Pope said as he smoothed out his collar with a casual, almost arrogant gesture, "you'll face a punishment far worse. Do you understand?"
The tension in the room thickened like a fog. Zane didn't reply, his jaw clenched as he stared at the floor.
From the other side of the room, Erika stepped forward. Unlike Zane, her anger was wrapped tightly in control, though her eyes betrayed a simmering discontent. "Just tell us what happened," she demanded, her voice firm.
Mr. Pope turned to her, and his smile returned this time more like a predator toying with its prey. "What is there to explain? Don't you already know?"
"We know nothing! You've never explained anything clearly!" Erika snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. But she didn't care. "Mike disappeared without any explanation, and you stand here acting as if this is all some kind of joke."
Mr. Pope chuckled, a light but mocking laugh. "He's a prince, isn't he? The king you all chose to sit on the throne. Perhaps now he's being awakened in a luxurious bed, with a beautiful, nurturing wife by his side, just as you all envisioned. Isn't this what you decided?"
His words landed like a hammer, shattering the fragile silence. The truth hit them hard. They remembered the world, the entire system, had been built upon their choices. Every role, every detail, carefully crafted by their own hands. Every role... except their own, left deliberately vacant.
"So... he gets all the pleasure alone?" Alvin muttered, his voice barely audible. His eyes were vacant, as if realizing something that had eluded him until now.
Mr. Pope shrugged with a casual air. "Yes. Who's to blame but yourselves for leaving your roles unfilled? You let it happen."
Zane finally rose from the floor, his face dark with frustration, but he remained silent. Meanwhile, Erika took another step toward Mr. Pope, her eyes now filled with questions far deeper than anger. "So, can we see the nation we've built? If we're not there, what's the point of us being here?"
Mr. Pope's grin widened, now filled with an unsettling enthusiasm. "Of course! Here, in the Blue Room, you are the controllers. You are the minds behind the curtain. Mike may be the face of the kingdom, but you are the hands that move it. Every major decision, every policy, every war or peace treaty it will all be in your hands."
His words plunged the room into silence once more. They exchanged glances, trying to process what they had just heard. A system where they were the invisible rulers, while Mike, their unprepared classmate, was the puppet king displayed before the people.
"This isn't just an internship," Erika murmured, more to herself than anyone else.
"Oh, it most certainly isn't," Mr. Pope replied with a chuckle. "You're not merely learning how to govern. You are creating a world. A world that can thrive... or collapse, depending on how you play the game."