Game

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. Sleep took over.

I woke to the crackle of the megaphone in the morning. A quick stretch. I stepped out for the morning walk. We gathered in the dining hall for breakfast. Thanks to the image I had built, several people greeted me, made small talk, dropped bits of information.

Lie approached me. Her eyes were empty, staring at my face.

"I know you can't process what's happening. But nothing bad is going on."

Her gaze sharpened. "Who are you?"

The question caught me off guard. I didn't know what to say.

"I can't fully grasp what you're doing, but you're dangerous. I need to know who you are." She gestured with her head. "Come to my cell."

"Alright."

We went to her cell. I sat across from the bed. She crossed her arms, ready to listen. The interrogation was about to begin.

"Tell me about your childhood. Tell me about your past."

I looked up at the ceiling. I wasn't sure where to start.

"My childhood wasn't great. I never met my real family. I had a stepmother, but I can't say her name. She worked underground. When the officials there noticed my abilities, they wanted to take me and train me at their base. My mother refused. They made serious threats. I accepted so nothing would happen to her."

Lie listened in silence.

"The place I was in was like a military base. They took children who could be useful to the country and forced them through all kinds of training. My mother stayed by my side through it all. She treated me well. Then I escaped. I took her with me. But they came after us. They caught my mother. They killed her as punishment."

Lie's expression softened.

"From that day on, I dedicated my life to revenge. Eventually, I infiltrated that place. I killed one of the officials. I got caught. And now I'm here."

Lie was quiet for a moment. "I see. Your past really was terrible. I was going to ask why you're here, but I already got my answer."

"Why are you here?"

She thought. Then she spoke.

"Like you said, I was bullied. But it wasn't simple bullying. Beatings, harassment, every day. I was scared. They blackmailed me too. It only got worse over time."

She took a deep breath.

"I killed them all. I attacked them with various tools. I tortured them. I made the news. I was sent here because of the brutality of what I did."

"I see."

Lie's face fell. "Aren't you going to say anything? Aren't you going to judge me?"

"Why would I judge you? You didn't do anything wrong."

Her eyes lit up. I had accepted her for who she was. I stroked her hair.

"I'll take care of that guard too. I promise. I need to go now."

"Okay."

I left the cell and walked down the corridor.

She trusts me more now. She won't betray me.

There was one day left until the game I had chosen. I needed to think about it.

I returned to my cell. A piece of paper was sticking out from under the bed. I bent down and picked it up.

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Hello, Rei. I was impressed by what you did. I thought the person I sent would take care of you. That didn't happen. It seems you're stronger than I thought. I've decided I need to make things harder. At the very least, I wanted you to know I exist. I'll be slipping five more people around you. Be careful. Let our game begin.

Four numbers at the bottom: 5538.

So that kid was being directed by this person.

But if you want to stay hidden, why reveal yourself? Why tell me what you're going to do? This feels like a deception. Either none of what they wrote is true and they're trying to mislead me, or they're arrogant. Either way, I need to be cautious. I should keep those numbers in mind.

I ran through the people I'd met in my head. Nothing stood out.

Five people is a very high number. Six with the kid, maybe more. Either it's a bluff or someone with serious power behind them. They might have been here for a while. But their moves seem irrational, reeking of arrogance. This note is probably a test. A simple misdirection trap. Still, I'll keep it in the back of my mind.

They can't change the game. The letters only come once a month. You can't switch games suddenly with money. It's also harder to plant another label in my cell. They added a new camera at the store after what happened. Security's tighter in that area now.

The walk ended. I lay on the bed and thought about the upcoming game.

The evening walk came. I ate in the dining hall. The day passed normally. I slept at night.

When I woke up, I was in a different cell.

Familiar voices shouted from the cells across from me. "You're finished, you piece of shit!" Heavier curses followed. Shouya was grinning behind the bars.

"Senpai!"

"You tricked me. I couldn't prove myself to my master." His face hardened. "But I'll redeem myself by killing you."

Why am I here?

A large man in a suit stood in front of my cell. Mid-thirties to forties, brown hair, green eyes.

"Hello, Rei."

"Who are you?"

"Relax. You haven't been transferred here as punishment. But this time, you needed to be here. Someone from the first layer paid game coins to force you into the game on the second layer."

"What?"

"My name is Keibo. I'm the warden of the second layer. Nice to meet you." He turned around and shouted at the prisoners: "Shut up!" Then he turned back to me with a smile. "Good luck, Rei-kun. You'll be taken to the game area shortly. Certain people paid specifically to face you, just so you know."

The pieces clicked into place. Instead of the game I had prepared for, someone had pulled me to the second layer. On top of that, I had been thrown into the same game as my enemies from this layer. That note was a distraction. So I wouldn't figure it out.

I see.

There was nothing I could do. I had to play the game here.

I observed what I could from the cell. My enemies were staring at me with filthy looks.

After a while, gas seeped into the cell. My consciousness faded.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the main hall of a large mansion. Ten people around me. Heavy rain outside, with occasional lightning.

Where is this?

A robotic female voice echoed from somewhere in the hall.

"Welcome, everyone, to your first game."

Everyone fell silent. The television in the center of the room turned on. The words on the screen read: The Light, The Darkness, The Bright.

"The game is called: The Light, The Darkness, and The Bright. We'll explain the rules shortly. But first, allow us to show you the elites as a warning."

Hundreds of censored profiles appeared on the television screen, along with a few faces.

"These individuals are the elites who invest in the games, the players, and the outcomes. Your job is to satisfy them. Do your best. Now, the rules."

The screen changed.

The Light are innocent players. Their goal is to complete their tasks and escape the mansion with the exit key.

The Darkness are traitors. They can harm anyone, but they may only kill one person every twelve hours. Their goal is to eliminate the Light.

The Bright are protectors. They possess the Power of Brightness, which can destroy one Darkness. However, if they destroy a Light, they themselves are destroyed, and the power is hidden somewhere random in the mansion for a new owner.

To win, the Light must either eliminate all Darkness or escape the mansion. The Darkness must kill all Light and the Bright. The Bright must help the Light.

Out of ten players, six would be Light, three would be Darkness, and one would be Bright.

"For role distribution, everyone will enter the closed room to the left one by one and draw a slip of paper from the jar. After reading your role, it will be registered into the system. The paper must be placed in the drawer."

Everyone listened in silence.

"Now, the remaining rules."

Violence was not prohibited. Phones had a voting option; a Light could initiate a voting meeting. During a meeting, someone had to be voted on and hanged. After a meeting, there was a one-hour cooldown. There was no penalty for a wrong vote. Every twenty-four hours, the scanner in the main hall could be used; it would reveal a person's role. Every three days, a random rule or addition would be introduced. The Light could not harm the Darkness. Leaving the mansion except through the door was forbidden. Breaking the rules meant death.

"That concludes the rules. You can check them on your phone at any time. Good luck."

Let the game of The Light, The Darkness, and The Bright begin.