The room, previously covered in barely lit dark, was suddenly drowned in harsh, blinding white light. Tae winced, raising an arm to shield his eyes, while the girl beside him did the same.
It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, and just as the glare began to fade into something bearable, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the space.
When Tae finally lowered his arm, he saw a man approaching. The man moved with quiet authority, wearing a sharp suit beneath a long black coat that brushed against his legs as he walked. His hair, dark and slightly long, was tied back neatly.
But what drew Tae's attention most was the scar that ran down his face—from his forehead, through his right eye, all the way to his jaw.
The man stopped a few meters from the throne where Tae and the girl sat. His presence filled the room, not through sheer size like the brute, but with something subtler. Something colder.
"Rein," the man said, his voice gravelly, like stone grinding against metal.
Tae froze. The word meant nothing to him, but the way the girl stiffened beside him gave it weight. She flinched—not much, but enough to notice—It was her name.
The man's scarred face twisted into something resembling curiosity. "You were told you'd find two when you arrived. That you'd have to end the life of one," he said, his eyes drifting to the brute's lifeless body, blood still pooling beneath him. "Please, walk me through your decision."
Rein shrugged, leaning back in her seat as if none of this mattered.
"He looked annoying."
The man let out a sharp scoff, shaking his head. "I don't believe you. Your decision-making is far more… calculated than that." He paused, studying her like one might study a strange insect. "But it doesn't matter. I agree with your choice."
The man turned his gaze to Tae now, though his words were aimed at both of them. "You've each gone through very distinct evaluations. Tae, your test was one of endurance and brute strength—a brawler's fest. Meanwhile, Rein," he said, his focus shifting back to her, "yours was more a game of chess. A bloody game I must add—one of outsmarting your peers and sending a great many of them to hell."
Rein didn't even blink. "I know what I did," she said, her tone flat.
"As do I," the man replied smoothly.
Tae pushed himself, sitting up on the chair slightly, his body screaming in protest, but his frustration was louder than his pain. "Yeah, we all know what we did," he snapped. "What we don't know is what the hell any of this is. And, just so you know, the second I can stand properly, I'm going to slam my fist into your jaw as many times as it takes to tell me."
The man raised a hand, almost amused. "Although that sounds like no short of a good time, there will be no need. I'll explain." He clasped his hands behind his back, taking a small step closer. "You two are part of a program called Planned Affiliative Creation. It's the second of its kind—and, if I had to guess, likely the last."
"Go on," Rein said, shifting slightly in her seat, the edge of her blade still visible in her hand.
"A small-time high school gang. A city-controlling mafia. The government. Religion. And, if you're one for conspiracy theories, the Illuminati," the man began, his tone cold and matter-of-fact. "The world has always been ruled by groups. Whether it's instilling fear in a group of students in some rundown public school or holding an iron grip over entire nations… groups hold power."
"Yes, these groups may have leaders," he continued. "But if that leader were left alone, without their circle, what would they be? Nothing."
Tae narrowed his eyes. "And what does that have to do with us?"
The man tilted his head slightly, as if weighing Tae's words. Before he could answer, Tae forced himself to his feet. His body screamed in protest, but he didn't care. Step by shaky step, he moved closer to the scarred man.
"You both have been chosen to become the pillar of one of such groups, one that will ascend to the very top of this bloody tower"
"Let me get this straight," Tae said, his voice rising with every word. "You brought a bunch of highschool kids—kids—, threw them into this bullshit, and made us fight and die. All so you could pick the best of us… to start a gang?!" By the time he finished, he was shouting, his anger reverberating through the room.
The man didn't flinch. "If you choose to define it that simplistically, yes. But it's more than that."
Tae took another step, his fists clenching despite the agony in his body. But before he could do anything, Rein's voice cut through the tension.
"The lady," she said suddenly. "She told me… 'that man, I can help him.'"
The scarred man nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes. Miss Nine was correct. You both, like most participants in this program, have lost something. And we are offering you a chance to take it back. And more."
Rein's jaw tightened. "How?" she asked, her voice low, dangerous.
"The details will come later," the man replied. "For now, you'll be treated by our medics and sent home. You'll go to school. You'll live as though nothing has changed. You are not to utter a word of what transpired here. In the coming days, we will reach out to you."
"And if we don't do as you say?" Tae asked, his patience hanging by a thread.
The man's lips curled into something between a smile and a snarl. "You must be under the impression that I gave you a choice. I didn't."
Tae took a step closer, his rage boiling over. "We could go to the police the moment we step out of this place," he said, his voice sharp and full of venom.
"We both know you're not that stupid," the man said, his tone dropping an octave. "And even if you were, by the time you finished writing your statement, the police would have footage of your… actions here. Actions that would ensure you spent a good chunk of your life rotting in prison.
"You have two choices," the scarred man continued. "Follow orders… or face the consequences."
Silence hung, heavy…suffocating.
Tae's fists tightened, his nails digging into his palms, but he said nothing. Rein leaned back in the chair, her blade resting on her knee, her face unreadable.
Finally, the scarred man turned and began to walk away. "Medics will arrive shortly. Make yourselves presentable. This conversation is over."
And with that, he disappeared into the blinding light, leaving the two of them in the silence of their shared throne.