[Solve the puzzle to escape DEATH]
As the instruction disappeared, the puzzle was projected on the screen again. Then under it, a list of stats began to pop up, one after the other.
[Time count - 58 seconds] - continues to decrease as time passes.
[Attempt - 2]
[Incorrect attempt - 0]
"W-what the heck is this? Is this one of the games in horror movies." Kaiza immediately thought after glancing through the instructions the door had given him. For seconds, he was still stiff in a moment of daze. Staring bluntly at the screen without anything but questions flooding his mind.
"What If I exceed the time limit? what's going to happen then? or what if I don't solve the puzzle? Or maybe I got it wrong and the time runs out." Kaiza asked in his mind. And the outcome of his questions in horror movies he had seen scared him, his heartbeat accelerating
After that, surprisingly the door provided answers to his questions. The door made a little beep to grab his attention. Kaiza raised his head, staring at the door wondering what was going to happen next.
[Q1- A Game of Hero - fight against the Dowolf beast]
[Q2 - death]
[Q3 - death]
[Q4 - death]
As soon as Kaiza read the message on the door. He knew this wasn't a joke. Those questions were asked in his mind and here he was staring at the answers, though they were horrifying. He swallowed hard.
"Since it can answer my question, what if I ask for help" Kaiza came up with the idea after a little moment of contemplating, on how it was possible for this door to read his mind. But without much time wasted, he thought of asking for help from the door, however he was afraid.
"Interpret the puzzle or give me some hint" He requested. Now he didn't say the words in his mind. He said it out though it was barely above his whisper.
[Q5 - question invalid. Unable to answer question]
[All five questions answered, now solve the puzzle]
Kaiza read the message that only sent a load of chills down his spine.
It was then Kaiza noticed the door was designed to take five questions. He concluded after he noticed a little note at the bottom of the screen which indicated that. There was a; [Q - 5/5]
Kaiza didn't notice this because his mind was focused solely on solving the puzzle and surviving.
"Damn it!" Kaiza exclaimed after realizing he wasted his chances to live again. But also because things weren't fair enough since he asked a last question and the door couldn't provide an answer.
Then the door beeped again, snapping Kaiza out of his mind to see what was on the door.
[30 seconds left] It was half the time.
As he read this, then he realized there was no one or anything to help him now. He was all alone to help himself. So he tried to tame himself to focus.
"Calm down, calm down." he took in deep measured breaths, his eyes shut.He then began to think what the puzzle could mean.
He decided to split the puzzle into parts, taking each part one at a time.
The first instruction says 'Three foot tap on three spot'
He thought about that then something crossed his mind. Immediately, he turned to the floor to check if there was any spot. He spotted three circles on the floor.
"One done"
Then he took the second part. Hand on prints. He checked for handprints all over the space, from the walls and to the two doors but didn't find any. Then he assumed the print would come up after the foot taps.
"Let's do this," Kaiza said, taking a heavy breath.
He then tapped on each spot three times, and then looked up to check if the prints popped on like he had imagined it to be. Just then the screen cleared away and a pair of hand prints appeared.
"I knew that was going to happen"
Kaiza said and was about to lay his hand on the pairs of prints, when he noticed more palm prints coming up. "What?" his hand froze mid air seeing this sudden twist.
"What now? " he asked with a confused look on his features.
The palm prints became plentiful and he couldn't decide which one was the correct one he was supposed to let his palm against. That instance, Kaiza was thrown into deep thinking again even though his time was almost up. Within that brief period, he came up with a theory.
He sighed and moved, raising his hand towards the door almost in touch. Then he began to move his hand prints appearing all over the door. Trying to find out which one had the same size as his palm. When he found one, he then placed his hand on it with hope that this would work. Though his mind was made up on what to come. Even if he was going to lose his life, he wouldn't mind as long as the briefcase would be lost forever in the cave too.
At that moment the time stopped, everything included. Even Kaiza's breath was on hold. Only his heart continued to beat at an immeasurable amount. Audible to his own ears. Pondering what would happen next.
Then Kaiza opened his eyes slowly one after the other to see what was going on, perhaps he made it to heaven already. Just then he realized he was still in between the olden cave door and the advanced tech door. As his eyes opened fully, it was then he saw a new message on the screen that had just appeared.
[Congratulations]
[You escaped death]
Kaiza sighed, then started to breathe again. After that a new instruction appeared on the screen.
[Unlock door with key]
"Where is the key?" Kaiza asked as soon as he went through the message. Just then before he could ask further a metal clunk echoed from above him. He quickly turned his gaze up tracing the sound to its origin. Only to see a key frozen in mid air. He grabbed it and opened the door.
Kaiza strode in, staring blankly at the unbelievable room he had walked into. The room was beyond his imagination. He had imagined walking into just a corridor laced with modernity leading him to a game world. But none of what he had thought happened. This was just more than what he had imagined.
It was truly a modern hall like he had foreseen it as but things were just beyond that. In front and around him was a large floor to ceiling screen casting it hue on the middle and the end of the room, where he had walked in from.
There was nothing much in the room, just a vast space. Marble floor and nothing more. The ceiling was made of glass reflecting in it the blue hue of the all wall floor to ceiling screen. In the middle was a chandelier.
Kaiza stood in the middle of the room, his eyes widened and jaw dropped, drowning in the magnificent sight he beheld. It wasn't really new to him, he had seen a couple of this in movies and celebrities house tours before. When there was nothing like the second coming of the Dowolf beast.
But being in here and seeing this with his bare eye was way on another level. He couldn't just get enough of this, his eyes glued to the screen as it cast a beautiful hue.
However this beautiful scene was brief as the room turned dark. This made Kaiza a little scared. But soon, the chandelier began to light up slowly. And also the screen in front of him gradually began to lit up till the darkness was finally cast out
On the dark screen, a message was typed in. From letters to words and from words to a full sentence. And now a full message was on the screen.
[Welcome!]
[Let's play a game]
Kaiza read as the letters appeared on the screen one after the other. His heart that was filled with excitement at the sight of the screen before suddenly turned sour and stared with fear and curiosity. At the sight of 'GAME' Kaiza's brain shut down.
"Am I trapped in a game world now?" He thought to himself, staring at the screen. But soon...
Kaiza was pulled out of his head as the message cleared away. Like it appeared a letter at a time the same it disappeared before it was completely wiped off the screen. Then what next appeared was.
[All you have to do is play my hero]
"H-hero?" After reading the whole message, Kaiza couldn't help but read the last word again, HERO! What does this mean by hero?
[Shall we begin]
Another message appeared.