To get people to cooperate, one must be understanding and discerning- another lesson Alex learnt the hard way.
They materialised in the familiar waiting room, yet the atmosphere was entirely different. Gloom radiated off the walls, intermingling with the palpable weight of despair burdening everyone present. The previously tight atmosphere had spiralled into complete misery, seeping into the minds of the unsteady youths.
Isaiah and Elijah were dissimilar, visibly unconcerned about the recent encounter. Dahlia, though a little shaken, held her composure. Everybody else was experiencing a noticeable after-effect from their encounter with the time-limit beast. Even the previously unreadable Avery was visibly affected: her lips had pulled into an obvious frown and her eyebrows knitted. Her eyes remained shut, as always, but it did little to hide the slight tremors of her figure.
As for the others, a glance was enough to decipher their current psychological states. Everyone had retreated to a personal space, each creating a safe zone. Maria- her expression a mix of fear and irritation- silently hugged herself, as if trying to defend against the remnant memories of the haunting creature. Damien, his usually tame brown hair splattered across his face, damp with sweat. His eyes were wide as he sat on the couch. Charles, coping the worst, was trembling like a leaf with his head secured between his knees. The slightest disturbance would suffice to blow him away. Lucas' head was down, covering most of his expression, but failing to hide his endless shivers.
Alex knew she had to diffuse the tension, extract the fear deeply planted into their minds and invoke courage in their hearts, but she had yet to figure out how.
"We should do it again."
Surprisingly, Imani spoke first, fists clenched tightly, eyebrows angrily scrunched, expression pensive. The usually detached Imani was furious. Why? Alex did not know yet. What mattered more was his stance: he was siding with Alex- as bad as his approach was.
The tension in the room, tightening the hanging array of clashing emotions across uneasy figures, was a sign of private qualms. One would expect someone to lash out at him or call him inconsiderate for even entertaining the thought, but no one did. Most did not even turn to him, choosing to ignore him instead.
"Well, if you're going to admit defeat, then hand over the items."
If they refused to cooperate, then Alex would retrieve the magic items. She was determined to see them in action at least once, if not here then during the fifth stage.
"Wallowing in fear and defeat is equivalent to forfeiting your life. If Dahlia, Elijah, Isaiah, and I succumbed to fear, all of us would have died together. This is just the beginning of a torturous journey, yet you're all cowering in fright. You don't realise that if you can't beat the tutorial, you'll only lose later on."
Alex did not say more, her visage devoid of expression. What she said was the truth. If they couldn't face this thing now, especially when it wasn't even targeting them, that weakness would only fester in their hearts, sprouting into an even more daunting wall later. Alex believed in killing even the faintest trace of fear before it infected the whole body.
'Fear can poison both the mind and the body.'
She stretched out her hand, waiting for her items. Whether they chose to face their fears or not was their business, Alex would still profit. Alex could not force them to follow her logic: humans are inherently weak-minded.
"I don't remember saying I'm afraid. Just who do you think you are?" Lucas lifted his head, staring straight at Alex, but not quite looking into her eyes. His thug-like demeanour had somewhat recovered, but it was minimal.
"It's not merely about fear. We're humans. We can be afraid, but letting that fear rule over you is limiting." Alex clarified with her hand still outstretched to no particular person.
"Items? May I have them?"
"You're very selfish," Elijah gave her two items he had tied into his hair.
"I agree." Alex quickly took both items, noting that her hands needed cleaning soon. She stored the magical items in her hair, neatly knotting a few strands around each item.
She approached Dahlia, who did not release the item straightaway. Alex stared at her and Dahlia did the same, engaging in a silent battle. After 40 seconds of uneasy silence, Dahlia relinquished the item, her face twisting in displeasure.
Alex knew Dahlia's cooperation was solely because of guilt for her previous misplaced suspicions. She surveyed the rest of the group, most of them watching her movements, and decided Avery would be the easiest to persuade.
She was right. Once Alex entered within an appropriate range, Avery plucked a wooden item from her hairband and dropped it onto Alex's palm. Pleased by her smooth cooperation, Alex smiled at her and left.
"I want to go." Alex heard Avery's almost silent whisper clearly but said nothing in response.
"Damien."
"Can't I keep it?"
"Yes, you can keep it. It's yours really, but I don't think you will use it."
"I still want it."
"It would be a waste."
"I still want it..."
"I'll give you canned chicken."
"You should have led with that."
Damien hurriedly lifted his shirt, revealing a wooden trinket strapped to his stomach by a torn strip of cloth.
His downtrodden aura receded, replaced by a sunny disposition. She envisioned a can of chicken from her storage cube, one from the many collected from the labyrinth's food stock.
"You can't even be hungry," Alex chided him but still completed the unbalanced exchange.
"Eating reduces stress." He fell silent for a moment before looking at Alex with a serious glint in his eyes.
"Give me three more of these and I'll happily agree to face that... thing."
Unlike Avery, Damien was proud and loud. The curious eyes tracing their interaction reflected both horror and disgust.
'As I thought... This boy is not normal.'
With a grimace on her face, Alex gave him four cans of chicken for the seed-shaped item.