Thirty minutes had passed.
The room remained the same—cold, silent, and soaked in a quiet tension that refused to fade. The two were still separated by that single steel wall, their only connection a small square hole through which their voices met.
Neither had moved much. Neither could.
And yet, mentally, both had traveled through storms of thought that could break even the strongest of minds.
Vayunesh's voice broke the silence first, calm and composed.
"Well, Jaya… have you made a decision?"
Jaya's response was slow, unsure. His throat was dry.
"Not… really."
There was a pause before Vayunesh replied—not in frustration, not in anger, but in the same unsettling calm he always wore.
"I won't force you. But ask yourself—do you really believe both of us dying here is the better option?"
"Because if you die and I survive, your mother has a chance to live. But if we both die... what's left? Just another name on a gravestone. Just another patient who didn't make it."
Jaya clenched his fists, the conflict within him growing louder.
"Then… why don't you surrender?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly. "Let me win."
Vayunesh chuckled softly, not mockingly, but more out of understanding.
"Because you still don't get it, Jaya. Even if you win this round, do you really think you'll make it through all the other games? Do you think you'll earn enough money in time?"
"Can you afford her operation right now?"
Jaya didn't answer. His silence said enough.
Vayunesh's voice lowered, almost like a whisper between old friends.
"But I can."
Jaya blinked, confused and hesitant.
"You… have the money? For her operation?"
"Yes," Vayunesh said without hesitation.
A thousand thoughts crashed through Jaya's mind at once.
"But… but what if you're lying?" he asked softly.
There was a long pause.
Then, Vayunesh smiled. It could be felt in the tone of his voice.
"I might be."
"But think about it. If I am lying, and we both die here, you've gained nothing."
"But if I'm telling the truth—even possibly—then you at least have a chance. And sometimes… something is better than nothing."
Jaya was quiet again. His breath slow. Mind racing.
"Yes… but…" he tried to speak, but the words fell short.
And then, there was silence.
A calm, dreadful silence—one where no decision was made, and yet everything felt as though it had already changed.