But Mira didn't wake up in heaven.
She felt something soft against her eyes. A cloth?
She was blindfolded, walking again. After some time, someone told her to remove the blindfold.
She did.
And there—right in front of her—were Elliot and Silas
Alive.
She was so overwhelmed—she just ran up and hugged them tightly.
By some miracle… by the grace of the gods…
They were given a second chance.
A chance to protect themselves.
A chance to protect each other.
She frantically asked,
"Are you guys alright? Does it still hurt…?"
"Eh? Hurt? The game hasn't even begun yet. How do you expect us to be hurt?" Silas replied, confused.
"Were you dreaming or something?" Elliot added with a raised brow.
"Dreaming…?" she repeated under her breath. "But it felt so real… I could actually feel the pain."
For a moment, she was silent.
Was it a vision?
Had God given her another chance to save her friends?
Then she looked at them seriously.
"Listen, guys. We need to go to the center of the forest. That's where we'll find the sacred chamber."
"And what exactly are we going to do there?" Silas asked.
"We'll find the sacred weapon. It's the only thing that can kill the beast," she explained.
"And who told you that?" Elliot asked, his tone still skeptical.
"For one second, can you just stop questioning me and do what I say?" she snapped in frustration.
Thankfully, they didn't argue. They nodded and followed her as they began walking toward the center of the forest.
Suddenly, a thought hit her— she remembered the final clue she had seen before "waking up."
She halted. "Guys! Fill your pockets with mud. Hurry!"
"Mud? Ew—why??" Silas made a face.
"Just do as I say!" she nearly shouted.
That startled both of them. Elliot didn't hesitate and began filling his pockets too. Silas grumbled but followed suit.
They continued on their way, searching for the sacred chamber. She had a strange feeling—the beast would appear soon. And right then, we heard it: a howling sound nearby.
Which meant... the beast was still far away.
"Run toward the sound!" she commanded.
They ran.
As they sprinted through the forest, they stumbled upon a tunnel-like den. Curiously, they entered it—and to their surprise, it was the sacred chamber.
They immediately started searching for the sacred weapon. Within 10 to 15 minutes, they found it—a dagger, placed on a stone altar.
Next to it was a note:
> "To kill the beast, stab it in the middle of its chest with this dagger."
Now they had the weapon and the knowledge. All that remained was the execution.
Inside the chamber, they also found some rope and a piece of raw meat. A plan formed quickly.
They tied a trap using the ropes and placed the meat in the center—bait for the beast.
Just then, they heard the howling again—this time, from far away. Which meant… it was near.
They readied ourselves.
Moments later, the beast appeared, slowly approaching the meat.
It took the bait—and as planned, it triggered the trap.
Immediately, they threw mud into its eyes. It roared in confusion, weakened and disoriented.
Without wasting a second, Mira plunged the dagger right into the center of its chest.
The beast let out a final, agonized howl before collapsing.
They did it.
They cleared the first stage.
And before sunset, too.
Soon after, they were brought out of the forest. The organizers informed them that they could rest for now.
Stage one was complete—but the real game had just begun.
They also informed them that tomorrow would be a rest day. The second stage of the game would begin two days later.
Their clothes were already ruined, and all they craved now was a warm bath. On top of that, they were starving. The game organizers told them that dinner would be served by 8:30 p.m., and it was currently just 4 p.m.—so they had plenty of time to relax.
They returned to their room, took a refreshing bath, changed into clean clothes, and dozed off for a while. Mira set an alarm for 8:00 p.m., just in case.
Right at 8, the alarm rang, and they woke up. Still a little groggy, they made their way to the gaming site for dinner. There, they received some shocking news—out of 100 teams, more than 40 had already been eliminated.
It was heartbreaking to see people lose their lives... all for the sake of winning. But deep down, they weren't much different. They were playing the same deadly game.
We quietly had our dinner and walked back to our room.
After such an intense and exhausting day, sleep felt like the only escape. Their limbs ached, and their thoughts were heavy. But just as Mira was about to drift off, a nagging truth lingered in the back of her mind—there were still four more stages left. Four more. She had to stay calm… keep my mind at peace, even if it was only for a few hours.
With that thought, she let her eyes close and allowed sleep to take over.
Or at least, she tried to.
Whispers broke through the silence like pebbles thrown into a still pond.
"Hey! Keep your hands to yourself!" Elliot whispered sharply, the urgency in his tone barely masked.
"I don't have space!" Silas hissed back, sounding more annoyed than apologetic.
"You're practically on top of me, idiot!"
"Well, excuse me for not wanting to sleep on the edge of a cliff! There's barely any room here!"
"Shh! Mira's probably asleep!" Elliot whispered harshly. "I don't wanna wake her up with your dramatics!"
"You're blowing everything out of proportion," Silas muttered.
"I? You're the one who's trying to cuddle me!" Elliot snapped.
"It's called bro bonding, ever heard of it?" Silas said proudly.
Elliot groaned. "No. That's not a thing. Not at 1 a.m. Not on a cramped bed."
"It's cold, okay? You have body heat. I'm using it. Just… stay still."
"Why are you like this?"
"It's survival!" Silas said, now shifting slightly. "And anyway, you're warm. Like a toasted marshmallow."
"I swear, if you call me food again—"
"Shh!" Mira mumbled sleepily, cracking one eye open in the darkness. "Either you both freeze in silence or spoon in silence. Just… silence."
There was a pause.
"…Did Mira just tell us to spoon in silence? Are you setting us up?" Silas asked, a mischievous grin audible in his voice.
"I will strangle you. For real," Mira muttered, dragging the blanket over her head like it could block out stupidity.
Elliot let out a poorly contained snort of laughter, quickly burying his face in his blanket to muffle the sound. Silas chuckled too—openly, shamelessly—but at least had the decency to settle down afterward.
The room finally quieted, save for the occasional creak of the bed, the rustling of limbs trying to get comfortable, and the soft hum of the fan overhead.
Peace. At last.
She let out a long, relieved sigh. Maybe now she could actually fall asleep.
But of course—
"You're still kinda toasty though…" Silas whispered into the dark, like he thought if he said it softly enough, the universe wouldn't hold it against him.
"Silas!" she groaned.
"Are you kidding me?" Elliot whispered sharply, now clearly losing patience.
"Okay okay! Sleeping! Totally asleep!" Silas replied quickly, turning over with exaggerated rustling. "Like an icicle. A silent, cold, lonely icicle. Unloved and shivering."
Elliot groaned. "I'm gonna throw him out the window."
"You'll freeze without me," Silas quipped.
"I'd rather freeze in peace than be your personal space heater," Elliot snapped.
There was a pause.
"…Still toasty, though."
Another thud—probably an elbow to the ribs.
"OW! Abuse!"
"Sleep," she growled. "All of you. Or so help me, I will drag my blanket to the hallway and let the ghost adopt me."
"You're the one setting people up and now threatening supernatural alliances," Silas whispered. "Respect."
She smacked him with her pillow. "Respect. My. Sleep."
Finally—finally—silence settled in again. A fragile sort of quiet, the kind you don't trust until it's lasted at least five minutes.
She exhaled. Her body softened into the mattress. Sleep, warm and heavy, began to wrap around her.
Then, just as she began to fade—
"…Do ghosts spoon?"
"Oh my god, SILAS!."
"Sorry! Just—just curious!"
A second thud. A muffled yelp. Then blissful silence.
For real this time.
Probably.