The system's voice echoed in his mind, harsh and mechanical. It cut through his panic, grounding him for just a second.
[Seth is mute. Seth is soulless. Seth is blind. An actor must give a jaw dropping performance to his audience. Never break character. Find the door before time runs out, or you will be trapped here forever.]
Seth was mute. Seth was soulless. Seth was blind.
Ethan stood still in the dark, every inch of his body trembling. He had no idea where he was. He couldn't see anything.
System, if this is a joke….
The system was silent.
Not…. Not a joke.
His mind raced, his thoughts jumbled, but he fought to stay calm. Seth. He was Seth. That was the only thing he could hold on to right now.
Seth.
Ethan repeated the words in his mind like a mantra, trying to keep his grip on reality. He couldn't break character. If he did, who knew what might happen? This wasn't just a game now. His survival was on the line. Find the door.
The space around him felt pressing, the air thick and pressuring as if the very atmosphere had come alive.
He could feel the pressure of it pressing down on him.
He stood perfectly still, holding his breath, waiting for the next sound, the next cue from the system.
But nothing came. There was no direction, no guide. Just darkness.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, his body stiff with tension.
His mind swirled with frustration. He needed to move. He couldn't stay still forever. But he had no idea where to go.
The system's voice crackled in his mind again, but this time it felt distant, as if the words were coming from far away. [Seth is blind. He can't see.]
Ethan's heart pounded in his chest. He had to move, but where? How?
His feet felt frozen to the ground. He couldn't break character. He had to feel his way through this, like Seth would.
With trembling hands, Ethan reached out into the darkness, his fingers brushing against the cold, empty air.
Nothing. There was nothing. Panic surged through him, but he fought to suppress it.
I am Seth. He clenched his fists and took a step forward. He breathe in, finding some level of grounded was in chanting it, perhaps curtesy of his adaptive physical ability fooling him.
His foot collided with something hard. His body jerked back, but he forced himself to stay composed.
Seth wasn't supposed to panic. Ethan wasn't exactly sure if he was thinking it or if the thought was instinctive, was an assist from the system's assimilation or his own mind? It was hard to know.
Seth was mute. Seth was soulless. Seth didn't feel fear.
He couldn't break character.
Focus.
He took another step. The ground beneath his feet felt uneven, like he was walking on unstable terrain.
His body ached with every movement, but he couldn't stop. He had to find the door. Time was running out.
Suddenly, he heard it. A sound, faint at first, but growing louder by the second. It wasn't the sound of his own footsteps. No, this was different. It was… screaming.
Ethan froze. His heart skipped a beat. The voices were getting louder now, more frantic, more desperate. The screams echoed around him, twisting in the air like a storm.
"Seth!"
The scream was deafening. It felt like it was coming from all directions. Ethan's chest tightened, and his breath came in short, ragged bursts.
He couldn't see them. He couldn't fight them. But they were close. He could hear them.
What the fuck are these? Ethan huffed in his mind. Using whatever grain skill he had not to show the fear that overcame him in that moment.
The voices were angry, filled with rage. They were calling his name. But why? What did they want?
"Seth, you coward!"
The words hit him like a physical blow. He stumbled back, his mind reeling. But he couldn't respond. He couldn't speak. Seth was mute.
Shit… shit!
He had to stay in character.
But the voices didn't stop. They kept coming, louder, closer. Every word felt like a sharp knife cutting into his mind.
"Get him! He deserves it!"
What were they saying?
Ethan's body trembled as the voices continued to scream, the rage seeping into the very air around him.
He could feel it, feel the hatred in every word. But there was nothing he could do. He was blind. He was mute. He was soulless.
He reached out again, his hand shaking as it cut through the air. His fingers brushed against something… soft. Wet. Something was there.
His foot stepped on something squishy, and his stomach churned. He didn't want to know what it was. But there was no time to stop. He had to keep moving. He had to find the door.
His mind was screaming at him to move faster, but his body felt weak. Every step was a struggle. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and it was all he could do to keep going.
I am Seth! I am Seth!
I am Seth! I am Seth!
I… I am Seth… I am Seth.
The mantra resounded in his mind as he forced his body forward, despite the rising panic threatening to consume him.
Then, another sound. A clock. The ticking of a clock.
Ethan froze…. He froze. The sound of the clock cut through the chaos, sharp and rhythmic.
He strained to listen. It was distant at first, but with each passing second, it grew louder, clearer. Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock? Yes, a clock similar to the one his grandmother used to have.
NO, my grandmother died when I was two. A twin voice reminded.
His mind scrambled to make sense of it. What did it mean?
Grandmother's clock.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock was here. It was close. It had to be. The sound was sharp and precise, like a needle threading through the fabric of time.
His heart raced as the ticking filled his ears, each sound vibrating through his body.
Grandmother's clock.
He took another step, the ticking louder now. Closer. It was guiding him. It had to be. The clock was the key.
Guiding? That bitch would help me?
Grandma died when I was two, she loved me dearly!
The twin voices clashed his mind, and he nearly squirmed from the tremors it caused in his mind. It was impossible to differentiate the two voice, and neither wanted to shut it in his head.
His breath came faster now, his mind racing. The ticking was telling him something. He couldn't see, but he could hear. He could hear the clock. And the clock… the clock could guide him.
He took another step.
Hehe… Hehe… Even in death the bitch is proving a point.
I need to find the door!
The twin voices, as if not matching enough seemed to be almost conjoining, rather than twin, it was beginning to sound like one voice talking at the same time.
The voices grew fainter now, their screams replaced by the steady ticking of the clock. It was like a light cutting through the darkness, showing him the way.
He wasn't sure how much time he had left, but he couldn't stop.
With a sudden burst of energy, he ran. The sound of the clock was louder now, guiding him.
The floor beneath him seemed to shift as he ran, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't afford to stop.
He could feel it. The door was close. He could smell it now. The faint scent of metal. The door. It was there.
His hand stretched out, fingers trembling as he reached for it. His fingers brushed against the cold metal. The doorknob.
One second left.
His heart pounded in his chest.
He grabbed the doorknob.
And just as the clock struck its final chime, the door opened.
[Task complete]
Ethan let out a sigh.