When I woke up, I found myself lying on a scratchy mat inside a large, dimly lit tent. The air was thick with the mingling scents of sweat, damp earth, and a faint trace of blood. Around me were others sprawled on similar mats, their faces pale, eyes sunken, their breaths shallow. They looked like they hadn't known peace in weeks, or maybe months. Were they sick? Injured? It was hard to tell.
I sat up slowly, wincing as stiffness pulled at my muscles. The murmur of voices drifted in from outside. Turning my head, I spotted the tent's entrance and the faint glow of daylight filtering through.
Steeling myself, I pushed to my feet. My movements were sluggish, my legs unsteady beneath me, but I managed to make it to the tent's flap. Peering outside, my gaze landed on two figures seated near the edge of the camp. One of them had striking white hair that tumbled down her back like a waterfall and eyes as deep and piercing as a midnight sea. Celia.
She was talking to someone, a boy, by the looks of it. He couldn't have been older than seventeen, his short black hair messy, and his brown eyes focused. He wore a knight's armor that gleamed dully under the sickly light of this forsaken world.
A flicker of something I didn't expect twisted in my chest. Jealousy.
I froze for a moment, trying to make sense of it. "What the hell?" I muttered under my breath. "Am I seriously jealous?" My mind scrambled for an explanation, and one rose unbidden: I'm in Agon's body. Was this his jealousy?
Celia glanced in my direction and, seeing me approach, waved sheepishly.
I shook my head and chuckled. Don't disgrace yourself, silly. No need to wave when I'm right here.
When I stepped out of the tent, the boy stood and turned to face me. Up close, he looked even younger, his posture stiff but polite.
"Agon," Celia said, her tone light. "This is Uvan, a surviving knight here." She gestured between us. "Uvan, this is Agon, my best friend and only family."
I raised a brow at her introduction but said nothing.
Uvan offered a slight bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Agon."
I returned the gesture with a nod. "Likewise, Uvan."
There was no time for pleasantries or idle chatter. Information was power in this place, and I needed to understand where we were, what was happening, and most importantly.... how to survive.
"Uvan," I began, keeping my voice steady, "can you tell me about this place? What are we doing here, exactly?"
He hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. After a moment, he said, "Everyone here has been… registered to become contestants in a death game. It's an entertainment for The Hands."
"Death game?" Celia repeated softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What about the screen we saw when we arrived?" I asked, pushing forward.
"It's called the System," Uvan explained grimly. "Created by The Hands, it governs everything now. We can't escape it. Many have tried… but their fates were worse than death."
I frowned, my mind racing. "And the First Trial? What does it mean?"
"To survive here, you must awaken the larvae implanted within you," he said, his tone as heavy as the air around us. "The First Trial forces that development. Without it, you're just… human—easy prey for the beasts. But awakening… it's no blessing. It's the start of suffering far beyond what you've seen so far." He glanced between Celia and me, his eyes dark. "The First Trial's gate will open soon. My advice? Gear up, join a team, and prepare yourselves. There's no running from this."
Celia said nothing, her expression unreadable, but I could tell from the set of her jaw that she had already made up her mind.
Later, Celia and I equipped ourselves from the armory. I chose a set of lightweight armor that allowed for agility, leaving out the helmet.... it felt unnecessary. Celia did the same, her movements sure and confident as she strapped a sword to her side. Even before all this, she'd been skilled with a blade.
Through Agon's memories, I knew dual daggers and a bow were his preferred weapons, and they felt natural in my hands. As I secured the gear, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of merging.... Agon's instincts guiding my choices.
We joined the other survivors, now split into five groups. Each group had four members, led by someone more experienced. Celia and I were placed with a girl named Jess, her dark red hair tied back in a messy braid, and Uvan, who served as our leader.
Together, we stood before the massive gate. It towered over us, its surface pulsing faintly as though alive. With a deep groan, it began to open, revealing the horrors beyond.
The sight hit me like a physical blow.
The landscape stretched out in a twisted mockery of life, a crimson wasteland dotted with grotesque, mud-caked forms. Distorted heads jutted from the ground, their faces frozen in silent screams, mouths agape, eyes a faint hollow glow yet filled with unending despair. Thick tendrils of flesh snaked across the ground, anchoring these horrors to the earth.
Above, massive, unblinking red hovering eyes floated, defying logic as they hovered and swayed in the heavy air. Their gaze felt like a weight pressing on my mind, their presence a constant reminder of the madness that ruled this place.
In the distance, a tower loomed... a spiraling tornado of flesh, its grotesque form twisting upward to pierce the blood-red sky. Lightning crackled around it, casting fleeting shadows across the landscape. At its summit, an enormous eye stared skyward, its gaze defiant, mocking, and… hungry.
The air was thick with the stench of decay, each breath a struggle against the oppressive atmosphere. Pools of bubbling crimson erupted sporadically, their splashes sending ripples through the macabre stillness.
Every part of this hellscape seemed alive, writhing and pulsing as though feeding on the despair it inspired. My sanity felt fragile, the edges of my thoughts fraying with every second I spent looking at it.
Then, the notification rang out.
[You've Entered Your First Trial]
[Mission]
+
Defeat The Elder Eyes
Failure: Only You Knows
+
This was it.
The beginning of a never-ending agony.