****The bunker lights hummed low, bathing the room in pale gold. For once, there was no blood on the walls, no roots clawing at their ankles, no screams echoing from the forest. Just silence, broken only by the sound of tired footsteps and the soft hiss of food trays sliding out from the glowing dispenser in the corner.Ethan collapsed onto one of the bunks, his whole body trembling with exhaustion. The moment the mattress sagged under him, his bones seemed to sigh, aching from every cut and bruise. He closed his eyes. For a second, he almost believed he was back in his old dorm—delivery uniform still on, cheap ramen steaming on the table.But when he opened his eyes again, Naomi was standing in front of him, her sharp gaze softened by fatigue. Sky and Claire trailed behind her, carrying trays of steaming food.“Don’t pass out yet,” Naomi said, setting a tray on the desk. “You need to eat. That’s not optional.”Ethan managed a weak smile. “Bossy as ever.”Naomi smirked. “Alive as eve

Sleep didn’t come easy that night.Even with Sky snoring softly on the next bunk and the faint hum of the bunker lights overhead, Ethan’s mind wouldn’t stop turning. Every time he shut his eyes, he saw the mirrors—shattered reflections, blood, and Sky’s pale face staring back at him.When he finally drifted off, it wasn’t into rest. It was into another dream.---The air around him shimmered with static.He was standing in an endless gray void, the ground rippling like liquid metal. And at the far end—sitting calmly on a floating chair carved from obsidian—was a man wearing a black mask….Clad in white and gold, face hidden behind a mask of glass. His voice was soft, melodic, almost kind.> “You’ve grown stronger, Ethan Cole.”“Who are you?“ Ethan asked “The overseer”Ethan’s fists clenched. “You again.”> “Did you miss me?”“Cut the act.” His voice came out sharper than he intended. “Why me? Why keep dragging me through this hell? Is there even a way out?”The Overseer tilted his h

The maze didn’t just trap people.It studied them.Naomi realized that ten minutes after they were separated.She’d been marking walls with the tip of her blade, but every time she looped back, the marks were gone. Even the walls changed texture — stone became metal, then glass, then back to stone.It was a mind game, and she hated mind games that weren’t hers.---She stopped at an intersection, catching her breath.Her boots were silent on the floor — deliberate, precise steps. Every sense was sharpened.Then a whisper brushed past her ear.> “You’re wasting time.”Naomi froze.The voice was hers.She turned slowly — and there she was.A perfect reflection of herself, standing a few feet away. Same dark hair. Same sharp eyes. Same mocking smile.> “You always think you’re the smartest in the room,” the reflection said softly. “But you’re just scared. That’s why you plan everything. Because if something goes wrong, you don’t know who to blame.”Naomi’s chest tightened. “You’re not re

Sky’s POVThe maze wasn’t built to be solved.It was built to break you.The walls moved when you weren’t looking. The air pulsed with whispers. Every step echoed back like a heartbeat that wasn’t yours.Sky Lee had learned one thing since being dragged into this nightmare — if you couldn’t laugh, you’d lose your mind.So he laughed.Even when his hands shook. Even when the torchlight flickered low. Even when he could still feel the echo of the mirror trial burning through his veins.“Note to self,” he muttered. “Next time a creepy AI voice says ‘Enter the maze’, just die immediately. Much less cardio.”His own voice sounded too loud in the endless halls. The sound of it grounded him. Reminded him he was still alive.---He turned a corner and froze.Something moved — a shadow slithering across the wall.Sky gripped the jagged pipe he’d scavenged earlier, forcing his breathing to slow. “Alright,” he whispered. “If you’re another monster, just roar or something. Don’t do the creepy sil

The cafeteria lights flickered, a sickly green glow bouncing off the cold metal walls. The air smelled of exhaustion and fear. Everyone moved slower now—every step, every word, weighed down by hunger, bruises, and the ghostly echo of those who hadn’t made it past the maze.Ethan pushed his tray forward and frowned at the numbers blinking on the screen.Food: 800 points. Water: 300 points.His jaw clenched. Yesterday, it had been half that.Sky leaned against the counter beside him, trying to keep things light. “Guess inflation followed us here too. Great, we escaped one nightmare world only to end up in capitalism: the sequel.”“Shut up,” Naomi muttered, her voice low but not unkind. Her dark eyes scanned the room—the fourteen survivors scattered across tables, eating in silence. “If this keeps up, half of us will starve before the next trial.”Claire frowned, clutching her tray like it was made of gold. “Why are they doing this? Why make food so expensive?”Ethan’s eyes flicked towar