"This place…it's not just a game, Zaara. It's a goddamn experiment house."
I froze. The bandage slipped from my fingers.
"…What?"
Jojo nodded. "That's what they don't tell us. The Recall Trials… sure, they brand it as a competition, survival of the fittest, win the prize money, buy your way into Sector A. But that's just the surface. It's all recorded. Not just for the elites to watch. But for something bigger."
I blinked, trying to process it. "But I thought the Trials were just… some sick bloodsport fetish obsession for the rich."
Her expression darkened. "That's what they want us to think. That's the bait. But behind the cameras, behind the Aetherion masks….this whole game is a recruiting process."
I leaned back, my hands frozen over the medical kit. "Recruiting… for what?"
Her gaze didn't waver. "For them. The Aetherions. They're not born. They're made. Right here. In this nightmare."
