As Smith, Mark, Miwafe, Vanessa, Rin, and Jack found themselves trapped in the ominous purple room, Zeyrix Veynith's voice echoed through the chamber, chilling and playful. The five contestants could feel their standz being drained by the room's malevolent aura. The walls seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly glow, casting an eerie light on their strained faces. Despite their weakening state, Zeyrix's giddy demeanor didn't waver.
High above them, Zeyrix stood ontop a towering 35-foot pillar, his grin a sinister crescent. Around the world, millions of viewers tuned in to witness the cruel spectacle, with Zeyrix broadcasting the scene live. "Welcome, everyone, to today's main event!" he announced theatrically, his voice amplified for all to hear. "The first game is a simple one—a coin toss!" He gestured with a dramatic flourish to a mat designed specifically for the game, already set on the floor. Coins glittered on a wall nearby, waiting to be used.
Zeyrix clapped his hands, his voice dripping with sadistic amusement. "Here's how it works. Pair up into teams of two. One will toss the coin, and the other will guess—heads or tails. If you guess correctly, you'll advance to the next step on the mat. But!" He let the word hang in the air for dramatic effect. "If you fail, you'll stay where you are—or worse, go back to the very beginning. Remember, the clock is ticking. You have 15 minutes. If you don't escape before time's up..." He spread his arms wide, his grin widening even further. "Boom! The whole world gets a front-row seat to my live audience and there demise!"
The tension in the room thickened. Zeyrix's laughter echoed as he reclined casually onto his pillar, savoring the scene below.
Mark scanned the group. Everyone was visibly struggling to remain standing. Their standz were being sapped faster with every passing second. However, as his gaze landed on Vanessa, he noticed something peculiar. "Vanessa," Mark called out. "You don't seem as affected by the purple room's effect. Why?"
Vanessa hesitated, her lips twitching into a nervous smile. "It's not that bad, I guess. But I'm still feeling it, just like everyone else," she replied, avoiding his gaze.
Mark frowned, suspicion flickering in his mind. Then it clicked. Vanessa's standz pressure must be unusually high. Higher than anyone else's, he reasoned, which must have been why she was enduring the room's oppressive effects better than the others.
"Alright," Zeyrix interrupted. "Pair up. Time is wasting!"
Reluctantly, the six of them formed teams: Rin with Jack, Miwafe with Vanessa, and Mark with Smith. The game began.
Smith, trembling from exhaustion, tossed the coin high into the air. Mark locked his eyes on it, his mind racing. "Heads," Mark guessed. Smith opened his hand—it was heads. They advanced.
The other pairs fared equally well in the early stages. Jack's tosses were sharp, and Rin's guesses accurate. Miwafe and Vanessa moved steadily, though Miwafe's exhaustion was apparent. But as the minutes ticked by, the strain took its toll.
On their third toss, Mark guessed incorrectly, forcing him and Smith back to the starting line. A similar fate befell the others.
Zeyrix's voice boomed again, mockingly. "Twelve minutes left! Tick-tock, my little contestants."
Smith sank to his knees, clutching his chest as his energy waned. "I can't… I can't do this," he gasped. "I'm useless."
Mark stepped in, his voice firm. "We don't have time for this. I'll take over as the tosser."
Zeyrix raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Switch roles? Hmm. I'll allow it, as long as you stick to the rules."
Mark took the coin and tossed it into the air. As it spun, he focused intently, memorizing the side that faced upward just before catching it. "Tails," he instructed Smith confidently. Smith repeated, "Tails," and Mark revealed the coin—tails. They advanced.
From his perch, Zeyrix narrowed his eyes. "What trickery is this?"
Mark smirked. "You never said I couldn't tell the guesser the answer."
"How did you even know it was tails?" Zeyrix demanded, his curiosity piqued.
Mark turned to face one of the hidden cameras, his gaze defiant. "I analyzed the coin's spin. Before it hit my hand, I memorized which side faced up. Simple."
Around the world, viewers erupted in astonishment. Familiar faces like Chard and Sophie stared at their screens, trying to place Mark. "Isn't that… Mark?" Sophie murmured, her voice trembling.
In another part of the broadcast, the seven watched the feed intently.
The fifth ranked spoke first, his tone impressed. "That kid's sharp."
The seventh rank, more skeptical, muttered, "the bastard doesn't even seem to have a standz. That's odd."
The third figure, a woman, "He reminds me of Kyoya," she mused.
Back in the purple room, Mark and Smith finally reached the finish line of the first phase. Their success automatically advanced everyone else as well, leaving Zeyrix visibly irritated. "Fine," he sneered. "I'll let it slide this time."
As the group regrouped, Mark observed that Vanessa was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Her earlier resilience was waning.
The second phase began. Before then stood a table with six cards. Zeyrix explained the next game with glee. "Sharades! A classic. But with a twist."
Jack groaned, "I love sharades..."
Zeyrix ignored him, continuing, "Two players will participate. One will draw a card and act out what's written without speaking. The other must guess. But!" His grin widened. "One wrong guess will result in instant death for the guesser. Then the next person in your group will step up to guess. If they fail, they'll die too. And no outside help!" His gaze locked onto Mark.
Mark smiled calmly, unfazed. "This one's easy."
His confidence unsettled the group, but he quickly explained his reasoning. "Vanessa and I will handle this round. Everyone else is too weak."
Initially, the others protested, but Mark's logic was irrefutable. "Vanessa can still compete, and she's the best choice for this. Trust me."
As Vanessa stepped up to the table, Mark selected a card, reading its contents carefully. "Let's begin," he said.
From his perch, Zeyrix chuckled. "You think this will be simple? I can't wait to watch you fail."
Mark's determination burned brighter. "Not this time," he thought to himself, silently vowing to save his team—and the lives of everyone watching—no matter the cost.
The room seemed to pulse with tension as the second game began, with the clock ticking mercilessly above their heads.