Somewhere far from the Eclipse Arena, in a place unseen and unknown to the players, a group of figures sat in dim, flickering light.
They weren't just watching the game.
They were controlling it.
A man in a sleek black suit leaned back in his chair, swirling a glass of whiskey. His eyes glowed faintly against the darkened room, fixed on the dozens of screens displaying live footage of the players.
"Interesting," he mused, smirking. "Some of them are actually getting smart."
A woman beside him, dressed in an all-white lab coat, tapped lazily on a tablet. "Of course they are. If they weren't, this wouldn't be much fun, now would it?" She scrolled through player data, her expression unreadable. "The survival rate is slightly higher than expected. I assume that will change soon."
Further down the table, a hooded figure chuckled. "You underestimate how desperate people get when they think they have a chance." His voice was smooth, laced with amusement. "Give them hope. Then rip it away. That's what makes this interesting."
The black-suited man leaned forward. "Any bets on who makes it through the next game?"
The woman in white smirked. "If I had to guess… that group. The ones forming alliances. They're thinking ahead."
The hooded figure scoffed. "Doesn't mean they'll win. Strength in numbers is a temporary advantage. When the game forces them to turn on each other, let's see if they still believe in teamwork."
A soft chuckle rippled through the room.
A man sitting at the end of the table, silent until now, finally spoke. His voice was calm and controlled, yet somehow the most unsettling.
"They're adapting too well," he murmured, eyes locked on the screens. "Perhaps we should… adjust the difficulty."
The room went quiet. Then, after a beat, the others grinned.
A new challenge was already in motion.
The black-suited man set his glass down, a sly smile creeping onto his face. "Adjust the difficulty, huh? I like the sound of that."
The woman in white tapped on her tablet, her expression cool and calculated. "We should be careful. Push them too hard, and they'll break too soon. But… just the right amount of pressure?" Her fingers danced across the screen, bringing up new data. "That's where the real fun begins."
The hooded figure chuckled. "So, what's the plan? Something that forces them to doubt their alliances? Maybe an individual challenge where only a few can win?"
The silent man at the end of the table finally looked up. His gaze was piercing, almost as if he could see through the screens and into the minds of the players. "No. Not yet. First, let's see how they handle the next game. The results will determine how we proceed."
A low hum of amusement spread through the room. They weren't just watching. They were playing too—but from the other side of the board.
One of the screens zoomed in on Ace, Mia, and Liam, sitting in their dorm, discussing strategy.
The black-suited man smirked. "Think they'll make it?"
The hooded figure shrugged. "Let's see how well they hide when the rules change."
The woman in white smiled slightly, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Oh, they'll play the game." She tapped her screen one last time, confirming the final details.
"They just don't know it yet."
The room fell into a tense silence, broken only by the soft hum of machinery and the flickering glow of countless screens. The game was already set in motion, and soon, the players would find themselves at the mercy of whatever twisted rules came next.
The black-suited man leaned forward, eyes gleaming as he watched Ace and his group. "We should make this one… special. Something that truly tests their limits."
The hooded figure smirked. "How about we take away their safe spaces? Keep them on edge, make them run until they can't anymore?"
The woman in white nodded thoughtfully. "A test of endurance. A test of trust." She tapped on her tablet, adjusting parameters. "We could make the game winnable, but only if they make the right choices."
The silent man at the end of the table finally spoke, his voice calm yet commanding. "Let's not waste our time with simple tactics. The goal isn't just to eliminate players—it's to make them believe they have control." His fingers tapped against the table, methodical. "Then we take it away."
A slow smile spread across the black-suited man's face. "Now that's a game worth playing."
With a final click on the tablet, the woman in white locked in the next challenge.
Somewhere in the Eclipse Arena, a new announcement was about to ring out.
And the players?
They had no idea what was coming.
–––––––––––
A buzzing sound echoed through the city, breaking the quiet air. A new announcement.
Across the Eclipse Arena, players froze. Whether they were eating, talking, or mindlessly wandering, they all turned toward the nearest screen.
The towering digital billboards flickered to life, showing the familiar black void with glowing white text.
[ATTENTION, PLAYERS.]
[THE NEXT GAME BEGINS IN 3 HOURS.]
[FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE PROVIDED BEFORE THE GAME STARTS.]
[PARTICIPATION IS MANDATORY.]
The message flashed once, then disappeared, leaving behind a deep, uneasy silence.
Ace, Mia, and Liam sat in their dorm room, eyes fixed on the screen outside their window.
Liam sighed, leaning back against the wall. "So much for resting."
Ace ran a hand through his hair. "They're not even telling us what the game is this time?"
Mia crossed her arms. "They want us paranoid. Keeps people from thinking straight."
Liam nodded. "Fear makes people reckless. That's probably the point."
Outside, players were already gathering in the streets, murmuring among themselves. Three hours. They had three hours to prepare for something they knew nothing about.
–––––––––––
And somewhere, the ones pulling the strings were watching.
The woman in white tapped her screen, watching the live feed of the players scrambling below. "They're already nervous. Good."
The black-suited man smirked, sipping his drink. "Nothing like a bit of uncertainty to break their confidence."
The hooded figure leaned back in his chair. "I give it five minutes before someone does something stupid."
The silent man at the head of the table remained still, eyes locked on the monitors. After a moment, he spoke.
"It's time to see who's willing to betray first."
The others exchanged amused glances.
Because the truth was…
This next game wasn't just about survival.
It was about trust.
And trust was always the first thing to break.