BACK DURING THE CHALLENGE
Lucen thought: Hold on… something isn't right. The door showed up and opened before the instructions came. Then there was a message that said, "Step through the door that has appeared before you and survive," with a timer set for 20 minutes. If all I had to do was step through the door, then it would be done as soon as I entered. But since it says "survive," that means there's something risky that comes after. So, stepping through isn't the main goal, it's just the start. Since it talks about survival, that means there's danger ahead. If survival isn't certain, then the door isn't the answer, it's just a trap.
The 20-minute timer was set as a limit, but there's no clear rule that says you must go through the door to succeed. This means that you can survive without going in. So, if I just stand still and let the timer count down, I should be fine.
"Lukas... do you remember what he said about those tough mind challenges?" Lucen's voice was quiet and tense.
He stared at Lukas with a seriousness that made Lukas uneasy.
"Something about this doesn't seem right."
Without waiting for Lukas to answer, Lucen grabbed his wrists tightly.
"I think you're right. We should not go through that door," Lukas said firmly.
Lucen nodded in agreement, his eyes looking over the crowd.
SKIP...
...
AFTER THE CHALLENGE
Then suddenly, new words appeared above them:
Well done to everyone who didn't give in and stayed away from the door. You have completed the challenge! Those who went through the door didn't make it.
The impact of the news hit them gradually, like poison moving through an injury.
They looked at the message, trying to understand how harsh it was.
Survivors Remaining: 4,986,244,292
Total Participants: 5,001,248,037
Confirmed Deaths: 15,003,745
"It was a setup."
The voices from the crowd were quiet and scared.
The survivors talked among each other as the truth of what just happened started to sink in, like falling ash.
"If I hadn't taken a moment to think," someone said, their voice shaking, "I would have died again. And this time, I wouldn't have returned."
"Yeah... look at the number of deaths. Fifteen million. They didn't realize the door was dangerous."
Above them, the number of people who died flashed again before disappearing completely.
The door was slowly disappearing, its light fading into the air.
Lucen stood quietly with his arms crossed over his chest.
His jaw was tight, and his eyes were on the ground.
Then, without saying anything, he gently tapped Lukas on the shoulder.
Lucen looked at Lukas, his voice soft but serious.
"Did you know it was a trap before I told you something seemed wrong?"
Lukas looked at him, a small smile on his lips, relaxed and sure as if he had understood everything from the start.
Lukas spoke in a calm, steady voice while looking at Lucen.
"The true answer was just to be patient," he said.
"You just had to wait twenty minutes, nothing else mattered. That door didn't promise safety, and going through it was not necessary to win. Even if you didn't enter, it wouldn't mean you lost."
His words lingered in the air, quiet but clear, breaking through the cheers of the crowd that had just completed the first challenge.
The people around them looked relieved and happy, but Lukas stayed calm, his face hard to read.
Beneath the happiness of winning, a serious truth had emerged, suggesting the tougher challenges ahead would be crueler.
"Yeah... I believe most people got it," Lucen said softly, looking down.
"Everyone except those who rushed in without thinking."
His voice was filled with sadness, as if the truth was too much for him to bear.
"Fifteen million people... gone. Just like that. This place is really Hell."
He wasn't angry, just feeling empty, like when fear meets powerlessness.
A little while later, everything around them started to change again.
Suddenly, everyone was taken away.
There was no light, no sound, just a quick jerk in space.
When they got their bearings back, Lucen and Lukas saw they were in a different room with two people they didn't know.
The room was calm, clean, and chilly.
Four matching blue beds were neatly placed in each corner and showed no signs of use.
In the middle of the room, a shiny silver table sparkled under the soft light, its surface smooth and plain.
Four metal chairs were arranged around it, one on each side, set up so perfectly that it felt like they were waiting.
There was no announcement, and no one spoke about what would happen next.
As Lucen and the others got comfortable, with some sitting on the beds and Lukas placing their hands on the smooth table, a soft light started to glow on the wall.
Gradually, bright writing appeared, lighting up the room softly.
"Welcome to the Resting Chamber.
This area is for all survivors who have finished the challenge. The door you see does not lead outside, it connects to another room for personal care. You don't need to take a bath, as the main room is designed to clean your body automatically.
If you want to brush your teeth, comb your hair, or take care of other personal needs, the second room is fully equipped. It has four private toilets with doors, a big mirror, sinks for washing your hands or face, and places to clean utensils. You'll also find plates, glasses, and all the necessary dining tools.
The beds and tables in this room cannot be broken. If anything gets damaged, they will fix themselves automatically. You have 24 hours to rest, recover, and eat. Meals will soon start appearing on the rectangular table in the main room. If you'd like to eat alone, you can take your food into the second room."
The words disappeared, creating a nice, peaceful quiet.
For the first time since coming to this harsh place, the survivors received something that felt almost real and warm.
A minute later, without any sign, beautiful plates of food started to show up one after the other on the long table.
Each plate was set in a fancy container that seemed fit for a royal feast.
There were shiny gold edges, smooth surfaces, and smells that awakened old cravings.
The stress that had held the survivors started to fade.
Lucen and the others, still a bit shaken from the first test, shared their names and shy smiles.
What started as introductions became a friendly talk, which then led to laughter.
With warm food around them and a short time of calm, they let themselves relax.
For the next day, the heavy worry of what was coming faded into quiet, comfort, and the rare gift of safety, warmth, and a chance to take a breath.
...
While Lucen was at the toilet, a loud alarm broke the quiet of the Resting Chamber.
A sharp, robotic voice filled the room, bouncing off the clean walls.
"Listen up. A new challenge will start in thirty seconds."
The words hit him hard.
Lucen stood still, a fear running up his back.
In a quick burst of cold light, Lucen suddenly found himself in a strange, new room.
The walls shone with a soft, strange blue light, and they were smooth and perfect, like something from a future he didn't know.
The air hummed gently with a spark, and in front of him, a big screen turned on.
Words showed up:
Section 1 — 2nd Challenge
Objective: Answer 100 questions correctly, working together with your clone.
Failure to answer all questions will result in death.
Time Limit: 1 Hour.
Lucen's heart raced in his chest.
Next to him, a shape appeared that looked just like him.
From his eyes to his jaw, it was a perfect copy of Lucen, smooth and strangely perfect.
But something felt off.
The way it moved seemed strange and almost robotic.
When Lucen lifted his hand, the clone did exactly the same thing, like a reflection coming out of a mirror and becoming real.
He blinked, puzzled. "Huh?"
The clone replied right away, using the same voice and timing. "Huh?"
Lucen felt a shiver go down his back.
This wasn't just a duplicate, it was him, tied to everything he did and said.
Lucen narrowed his eyes at the bright words that just showed up on the screen.
"1 + 1 = ?"
A question so basic it felt rude.
He sighed softly and replied out loud.
"Two."
At that very moment, his clone copied him exactly, matching his voice, timing, and actions.
It was a perfect copy.
But then, a loud beep sounded in the room.
The screen turned red.
"Wrong answer."
Lucen stopped moving.
His thoughts spun around.
It wasn't the question that was wrong, it was something else.
The answer was right... so why did it feel like he had just messed up badly?
...
For the last 32 minutes, Lucen had only answered 70 out of 100 questions.
He was completely sure that all of his answers were right.
But the screen showed them all as wrong.
He could still hear the words that had come up before the challenge started:
"Failure to answer all questions will result in death."
Time was passing quickly.
He could sense it, every second sounding like a droplet in a quiet space.
Yet, he was still alive.
"Why?" he murmured, looking at the screen with tired, aching eyes.
"Why am I still here? I already messed up, right?"
Every time I gave what I thought was the right answer, the screen said I was wrong. So, I tried giving wrong answers on purpose, even the complete opposite of the right ones... but it still said I was wrong.
The screen showed that everything I sent was incorrect. If I didn't get all 100 right, I would die. But I'm still here. That means my answers can't be the issue. Something else must be wrong. Either the questions are false, or the logic behind them is. If the rules don't make sense, maybe they were never real.
Lucen glanced at the clock.
There were 27 minutes remaining.
The ticking felt like a faint drum in his head.
He looked at the next question on the screen, knowing the answer already.
But instead of replying, he crossed his arms and looked down, feeling unsure inside.
Then, his eyes moved to the clone next to him without him really thinking about it.
He stopped breathing for a moment.
His heart raced.
Of course.
The understanding hit him suddenly.
It was the clone.