The Last Player: When the Game Became Reality

The Test Begins

The words remained in Ethan's mind long after they disappeared.

"Ask Leonard."

Nobody moved.

Leonard stood beside the broken mirror, his face unreadable.

Ethan kept his eyes on him.

"What does it mean?"

Leonard didn't answer.

"Ethan—" Mina started.

He raised a hand.

"Not yet."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

He wasn't angry.

That made Leonard even more uncomfortable.

Ethan stepped closer.

"You knew something was going to happen in this room."

Leonard looked at the shattered mirror.

"We suspected."

"That's not what I asked."

A pause.

"Yes."

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"Then why bring us here?"

Leonard looked toward the others.

"Because we needed to know if the Tower still recognized us."

Kieran frowned.

"Recognized us as what?"

Leonard didn't answer.

Ethan noticed.

Another secret.

Another incomplete answer.

He was beginning to hate how familiar that felt.

Then the system appeared.

[PARTY MEMORY TRIAL — PHASE TWO]

[OBJECTIVE: RECREATE THE ORIGINAL FORMATION.]

[TIME LIMIT: 30 MINUTES.]

Kieran looked around.

"Original formation?"

Mara frowned.

"What does that even mean?"

The room changed.

The six mirrors disappeared.

The walls expanded.

A large circular arena formed around them.

Six glowing positions appeared on the floor.

Ethan looked at them.

He recognized the arrangement immediately.

Front.

Left.

Right.

Center.

Rear.

And one position directly behind the leader.

His stomach tightened.

He had seen this formation before.

Not in the game.

In a memory.

A very old one.

"Everyone take a position."

Kieran looked at him.

"You know the formation?"

"I think so."

Leonard stared at Ethan.

"Don't."

Ethan turned.

"Don't what?"

"Trust what you remember."

Ethan's expression hardened.

"Why?"

"Because some of your memories aren't yours."

The words struck harder than Leonard probably intended.

Ethan remembered Adrian's warning from earlier.

The hidden memories.

The false images.

The Tower changing what he remembered.

He looked down at the six positions.

"If they're false..."

He raised his sword.

"...then the Tower should have trouble proving they're wrong."

________________________________________

The First Wave

The arena came alive.

Six creatures appeared.

They looked human.

But their faces were blank.

No eyes.

No mouths.

No identities.

The system appeared.

[MEMORY CONSTRUCTS CREATED.]

[DEFEAT THE PARTY YOU REMEMBER.]

The creatures attacked.

Kieran moved first.

His shield slammed into the nearest construct.

BOOM!

Mara immediately moved behind him.

Daniel placed three traps.

Leonard rushed toward the left flank.

Mina covered Ethan.

Ethan watched.

Their movements were almost perfect.

Too perfect.

They weren't fighting like people who had just met.

They were fighting like a party that had spent years together.

Ethan stepped forward.

"Left!"

Leonard moved before Ethan finished speaking.

A construct's blade passed through the space where Leonard's head had been.

Leonard countered.

SLASH!

The creature disappeared.

Ethan froze.

That movement.

That timing.

He had seen it before.

Leonard didn't wait for orders.

He already knew what Ethan would do.

"Again!"

The formation moved.

Kieran blocked.

Mara healed.

Daniel trapped.

Mina attacked.

Leonard coordinated.

Ethan finished.

Six people.

One rhythm.

The constructs began disappearing.

[COOPERATION: 23%]

[COOPERATION: 41%]

[COOPERATION: 68%]

Ethan stared at the numbers.

The system wasn't measuring their strength.

It was measuring their relationship.

________________________________________

The Sixth Position

Only one construct remained.

It stood in the center.

Unlike the others, it didn't attack.

It simply watched.

Ethan approached.

"Who are you?"

The construct remained silent.

Then it raised its hand.

A name appeared above its head.

[PLAYER DATA: CORRUPTED]

The name flickered.

Ethan squinted.

For one second—

he saw a different name.

Riven.

Then it disappeared.

Ethan's heart skipped.

He looked at Leonard.

Leonard had seen it too.

His face had gone pale.

"Leonard."

No answer.

"What was that name?"

"Nothing."

"Ethan," Mina said quietly.

He ignored her.

"Tell me."

Leonard's jaw tightened.

"I can't."

"Can't?"

"Not yet."

Ethan stepped closer.

"You keep saying that."

Leonard looked directly at him.

"Because if I tell you now..."

He paused.

"...you might remember everything at once."

Ethan stared at him.

"And that's bad?"

Leonard's expression became serious.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because the last time you remembered everything..."

Leonard looked toward the ceiling.

"...people died."

Silence.

The construct suddenly moved.

Its body split apart.

Not into pieces.

Into memories.

Hundreds of images filled the room.

Ethan saw himself.

Older.

Younger.

Standing on different floors.

Fighting.

Laughing.

Bleeding.

And always—

the same group around him.

But every time Ethan tried to see their faces, the memories distorted.

Their names disappeared.

Their identities were erased.

Except one.

Leonard.

The image stopped.

Leonard was standing beside Ethan.

But above him—

the name was different.

RIVEN

Ethan's breathing stopped.

The memory vanished.

The arena returned.

Leonard was staring at him.

Ethan whispered:

"Riven."

Leonard closed his eyes.

For the first time since Ethan had met him again—

he looked defeated.

"I told you not to remember."

Ethan stepped forward.

"Who is Riven?"

Leonard opened his eyes.

"You."

Ethan froze.

Mina's expression changed.

Kieran looked at Leonard.

"What are you saying?"

Leonard shook his head.

"Not him."

He looked directly at Ethan.

"Me."

Silence.

Ethan stared.

"You're saying your name is Riven?"

Leonard didn't answer.

The system interrupted.

[MEMORY RESTORATION INTERRUPTED.]

[IDENTITY REVEAL: 11%]

[SUBJECT: LEONARD CROSS]

[TRUE NAME: ———]

The name vanished before Ethan could read it.

Then another message appeared.

[WARNING.]

[MEMORY RESTORATION TOO EARLY.]

[FORCED SEAL ACTIVATED.]

The entire arena shook.

Leonard grabbed Ethan.

"Run!"

Ethan pulled away.

"Why?"

"Because the Tower knows you saw it."

The ceiling cracked.

A massive eye opened above them.

The same red eye Ethan had seen before.

Only this time—

it was looking directly at Leonard.

Leonard's expression changed.

"No."

The system appeared.

[UNAUTHORIZED MEMORY DETECTED.]

[IDENTITY: RIVEN.]

[STATUS: SEALED.]

Ethan stared at the message.

Riven.

Leonard.

Two names.

One person.

But why?

Before Ethan could ask—

the eye spoke.

Not through the system.

Through the room itself.

"You were never supposed to remember him."

Ethan raised his sword.

"Who are you?"

The eye opened wider.

"The one who remembers what you forgot."

The arena collapsed.

Everyone fell.

Ethan reached for Mina.

Kieran grabbed Mara.

Daniel caught the edge of the platform.

Leonard disappeared into the darkness.

"LEONARD!"

Ethan jumped after him.

For a moment, he saw Leonard falling.

But behind Leonard—

stood another figure.

A man Ethan had never met.

The figure placed a hand on Leonard's shoulder.

Then whispered:

"Not yet, Riven."

The darkness swallowed them.

Ethan hit the ground.

Silence.

Then the system appeared.

[PARTY MEMORY TRIAL — FAILED.]

[MEMORY RESTORATION: 8% → 12%]

[IDENTITY FRAGMENT ACQUIRED.]

Ethan stared at the final line.

[RIVEN — CONFIRMED.]

He slowly stood.

"Leonard..."

Mina looked at him.

"Ethan."

He looked toward the darkness where Leonard had disappeared.

His grip tightened around his sword.

"Find him."

Kieran stood beside him.

"We will."

Ethan looked at the others.

For the first time, the party wasn't simply trying to survive the Tower.

They were trying to recover something the Tower had deliberately taken from them.

And somewhere beneath the Tower—

Leonard opened his eyes.

A man stood above him.

Leonard looked up.

"You..."

The man smiled.

"You remembered the name."

Leonard's eyes widened.

"Riven."

The man leaned closer.

"Don't worry."

He smiled.

"Ethan will remember the rest soon."