# CHAPTER 1:- WELCOME TO NICEY DICEY
In the vast darkness of space, a single die tumbled freely, spinning in weightless silence. Its descent ended abruptly as it struck the glossy surface of a white table. Clack! The sound rang out, unnaturally crisp, echoing through the emptiness.
A human hand reached in from the right side of the die and grabbed it. A low, calm voice followed: "It's six... ahh, finally. How many rolls did it take to get a six?"
Nivana smirked faintly, seated across from his best friend, Rara. Both were first-year college students, sharing the same class. They were playing ludo in Rara's room, facing each other with the board tucked neatly between them.
Nivana always found Rara's room comforting—almost like his own. The scent was unmistakably Rara's. Not too small, but cozy enough for one person. A bed, a lamp on a table, a wardrobe with a bookshelf beside the study desk—and the two of them sat on the floor facing each other, the ludo board tucked between them.
Rara rolled the dice and asked, "By the way, did you meet Mr. Rana today?" He paused for a second, then smiled. "Yes! It's a six." He moved his token forward.
Nivana picked up the dice from the board and replied, "Yeah, I met him. Same old lecture about my attendance." A brief silence followed.
"Tch... it's a one."
He moved his token and added, "You know I don't like coming to college and all that stuff. Ugh."
Rara raised his eyebrows as he picked up the dice. "And still you top every time. I'm scared of what would happen if you actually showed up regularly."
"Ahh, it's a two."
He moved his token and continued, "Do you think dice can come in different colors?"
Nivana paused, lifting his gaze slowly. "I've never seen one personally. Interesting... oh no, it's a one again."
Their game continued with these small exchanges, drifting between rolls and quiet laughter. Eventually, Rara leaned back, placing his hands on the floor and tilting his head. "Ahh, you win again…"
Nivana stood up, stretching. "Okay buddy, time to go."
Rara got up too. "You're leaving? Let me walk you to the door."
After giving Rara a dull goodbye, Nivana walked home under the orange-hued evening sky. The streets glowed softly, bathed in fading light.
Beyond his love for games and anime, Nivana hid a quiet brilliance. He barely attended college yet still topped every exam. Genius came easy, life didn't.
Nivana walked down the straight road, watching two girls approaching from the opposite lane. They were deep in conversation when one of them accidentally bumped into a man walking nearby.
The man stumbled, annoyed.
The black-haired girl knelt down, strands falling over her face. When she looked up, Her blue eyes shimmered, slightly wet. Her friend, blonde with sharp black eyes, stood beside her, watching warily.
The man smirked. "Hey, watch where you're going, pretty face." He reached toward her face.
Before he could touch her, Nivana caught his wrist. His eyes flicked toward the police station across the street.
The man froze, glanced that way, then pulled his hand back. Without a word, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off.
The black-haired girl rose to her feet, brushing her skirt. "Thank you, my name's Kri-"
Nivana was already walking away. "No worries," he said flatly, not even turning around.
As Nivana walked, a fly buzzed annoyingly around his ear. He swatted at it, but it darted away.
The two girls looked at each other. The blonde one huffed, crossing her arms. "How arrogant."
The two girls continued walking down the street.
A few steps later, they passed a park where a boy and a girl sat together on a bench, sharing a snack.
The boy, with messy black hair, watched the girl beside him, her short pink hair catching the sunlight and smiled softly.
"How cute…" the black-haired girl murmured under her breath.
Her blonde friend tugged her arm lightly. "Let's go."
Nivana entered his house and went straight up to his room.
His room was pristine and minimalistic: just a single bookshelf, a wooden wardrobe, a lone bed, and a study table tucked neatly into the corner beside the entryway.
At the desk sat a nineteen-year-old boy with sharp brown hair in a wolf cut and dark, focused eyes. Golden pin earrings glimmered faintly against his white T-shirt. Baggy brown pajamas draped around him as he leaned back, twirling a pen between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the open notebook before him.
'What a dull life this is.' He sighed inwardly. 'A math problem everyone else struggles with—I solve in five minutes, detail by detail. Sometimes I wonder, can life get any more boring?'
He tipped the chair back, its front legs lifting slightly off the ground.
I wish at least one person in my class could be a real rival. Rara's the only one who makes things bearable...
Just as he was sinking into his thoughts, a strange, mechanical voice echoed from behind him. Distorted, almost like it was run through a voice changer.
"Do you want something different? Something thrilling? A true competition? Come with me, and I'll give you a life filled with excitement beyond anything you've known…"
The air in his room thickened, vibrating with the sound.
Startled, he turned his head only to find himself suddenly elsewhere.
A blinding white room. The floor, the ceiling, even the air itself seemed soaked in light so pure it stung his eyes.
He squinted hard, taking several seconds before he could force them open again.
When he finally adjusted, he froze. Sitting before him was someone familiar,
"Rara…" he whispered.
As his mind scrambled to process the bizarre scene, Rara slowly stirred awake, blinking against the same blinding light. When his eyes finally focused, he saw the boy in front of him and spoke in disbelief.
"Nivana… what are you doing here, bro?"
Nivana sat frozen. None of it made sense where he was, how he'd arrived, or why. The worst part was, he couldn't even stand. No matter how much he tried, it was as if his body had fused with the chair, anchored in place.
Beside him, Rara broke the silence, his voice sharp with unease. "And what the hell is this place, even?"
When his eyes drifted around, all he saw was endless whiteness like they were trapped inside a boundless illusion.
Nivana turned his head slowly toward Rara. His voice came out calm, though his mind was anything but.
"I don't know where we are. I was just sitting at my study table, then… a loud voice echoed in my head. Before I could react, I was dragged here."
Rara's face paled as he muttered, fear lacing his tone. "I was sitting at my desk too… dozing off a little. Then, out of nowhere, I ended up here. But I didn't hear any voice like you said. This… this is terrifying. And the worst part—why can't we even stand up?"
'I don't get it…' Nivana's thoughts spun in circles. 'Rara was also at his study table, same as me. But he said he didn't hear the voice before ending up here. Then why only me? Why was I the one who heard it? And what even brought us her; technology? Magic? No… magic's impossible. Still, that voice: it sounded human, almost like someone was disguising it with a voice changer.'
His eyes darted across the endless brightness. 'Nothing. As far as I can see, there's nothing. Could this all be some kind of illusion? But why just me and Rara? Whatever the reason, one thing's clear we're trapped: we need to get out.'
Before he could piece things together, a glowing screen burst into existence between them. A die floated in its center, and the same eerie voice he had heard earlier echoed through the void. "NICEY DICEY… heh heh heh. Welcome to the game 'NICEY DICEY.'"
Nivana's brow furrowed sharply. Fixing his glare on the floating screen, he spat out, "NICEY DICEY? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Beside him, Rara leaned forward, his voice trembling. "Nivana… are you hearing it too? Not just this dice-screen voice… but whispers. Voices of other people?"
Nivana's ears pricked. For the first time, he caught it faint murmurs, distant but real, like a crowd muffled behind a wall. His expression shifted instantly, eyes widening in shock.
The die on the screen twisted into a devilish grin. "Ohhh… I forgot to mention your surroundings. Go ahead. Take a careful look around."
Nivana and Rara both turned their heads, slowly, cautiously.
And their hearts dropped.
They weren't alone.
All around them, more figures sat trapped, their expressions mirroring the same confusion, fear, and disbelief. The white room wasn't empty - it was crowded.
Nivana's eyes darted frantically from face to face, his mind racing to understand. Beside him, Rara's fear overflowed into tears. None of it made sense. None of it felt real.
The die's grin stretched wider. Its voice reverberated like a cruel joke.
"The game hasn't even started yet… NICEY DICEY… hehe."
And that was when they realized the nightmare had only just begun.