Scene 1: The Room and the Vision
[Ron's POV]
Carter and I decided to check Rad's room. Silently, we slipped out of my guest room, suppressing our Ki. Down the hallway, we heard Sami and Rad talking. Perfect. Now was our chance.
As we entered Rad's room, the air grew heavy. The dark aura was suffocating—it pressed against my chest like invisible chains. Even Carter, who had seemed fine at first, began to feel it.
Still, we pushed forward, scanning the room.
Near a small cupboard, the magnifying glass Dr. Thomas gave me suddenly began to blink. Pulses of colored light radiated from it.
I gripped it tighter. Inside the lights... I saw visions—glimpses of people's lives, Hero Town's future, even alternate versions of Carter and myself in what looked like other timelines. Strangely, only I could see them.
Carter noticed the lights flashing from the magnifying glass.
Carter: "Ron? What's going on?"
Me: "Nothing... Just the glass reacting."
But I was lying. My attention turned to the cupboard. Through the swirling lights, I saw Dream, standing near it, pointing with a smile full of knowing.
Me: "Hey Carter... something's off here."
I knelt and opened the cupboard. Inside were three drawers.
The first two slid open easily—empty. But the third wouldn't budge.
Carter and I tried to force it open, but no luck.
Carter: "Let me try something else."
I stepped back and let him handle it.
Scene 2: The Code and the Gateway
Suddenly, we heard footsteps approaching. Panic kicked in.
I kicked the bottom drawer in frustration.
A transparent blue screen appeared mid-air:
> "TYPE THE CODE TO ENTER"
Me: "A code? What kind of code?!"
Carter: "Let me try…"
He began typing. One attempt failed. Another. Rejected again.
The footsteps outside were getting louder.
Then Carter typed something else—something different.
> "ACCEPTED"
> "YOU MAY ENTER"
The drawer creaked open… but instead of storage, it revealed a glowing portal—a gateway.
We didn't even have time to react before we were pulled in.
[Inside the Portal]
Ron: "Aaaaagh—!"
I landed hard on a cold floor. I looked up—just in time to see Carter falling straight onto me.
Carter: "Ow… Next time, you fall first."
We stood, brushing off dust.
All around us was a foggy corridor that seemed endless.
Two doors stood ahead—one on the left, the other on the right.
Carter: "Two doors. I'll take the right. You take left."
Me: "Try not to die, friend."
Carter: "Same to you."
We shook hands and opened our doors.
Scene 3: The Maze of Eznoid
I stepped inside—and everything went dark.
Then, waves of colored light surged around me, building the space piece by piece: walls, floor, fog.
I stood atop a high cliff. Below me sprawled a massive, ominous maze.
A translucent purple box appeared in front of me.
> SCENARIO 1:
THE MAZE (EZNOID)
OBJECTIVE: Reach the end and confront the 'Guardian'.
REWARD: [REDACTED]
FAILURE: DEATH
Me: "What is this... some kind of twisted game? And why's the reward blurred?"
From behind me, a familiar voice echoed:
Dream: "There are countless traps within the Maze. But there are also hints—if you pay attention."
I turned. Dream stood beside me, ethereal and glowing.
Dream (softly): "If you're ready, let it begin."
Before I could respond, glowing stairs began forming in front of me, leading down from the cliff into the maze.
I descended cautiously.
As I stepped through the entrance, the tall gates of the Maze closed behind me.
Another blue box appeared:
> SCENARIO 1 HAS BEGUN