The stairs were narrow.
Not crumbling or worn, but exact, like someone had carved each one with a scalpel. They coiled upward without apparent end, lit only by a faint glow leaking from the walls. Just that soft white shimmer that made everything look paler than it should.
Caleb led the way, blood still drying on his boots. The group followed, silent except for their footsteps. No one asked where they were going. No one asked what Floor One would bring. After what they'd witnessed, asking felt pointless. They were also too terrified to speak.
He counted twelve survivors. One older man with a broken leg was being carried by two others.
Dead weight, Caleb thought. He didn't say it out loud.
They reached the first landing.
A door waited there. Smaller than the last one, but still seamless, as if grown from the environment's own bones. Letters hovered above it again, glowing soft blue this time.
FLOOR ONE
Trial of Division
Then a second message formed beneath it.
Time Limit: 20 Minutes
Participants: 12
Required Survivors: 6
Penalty for Failure: Complete Reset
The last words were the worst.
Soren read them aloud, then turned to Caleb. "Reset? What the hell does that mean?"
Caleb answered without turning around. "Death, probably."
"We all die?" Dina asked.
Caleb nodded once. "And we start again. Or we don't. Either way, we need to stay alert."
He looked at the others. Panic flickered in their eyes again, that same creeping freeze. He stepped in before it could spread.
"This floor's goal is division. That's the point. Twelve of us go in. Only six need to make it out. The Tower wants a chance to break us."
Soren frowned. "You sound like you've done this before."
"I've done worse." His voice dropped low and deep.
That shut everyone up.
The door opened with a low hum. Cold air rushed out.
Inside, the room was wide and circular. Metal walls this time, not stone. The air smelled sterile, like an operating room. In the center stood a podium with a screen.
As the group filed in, the door sealed behind them with a final click.
The screen came to life.
A video played.
A man in white stood behind the podium. His face was blank, his voice smooth.
"Welcome to Floor One. In this trial, each participant will be assigned a number. Each number corresponds to a chamber. Inside the chamber, you will face a test. Some will be physical. Some will be moral. Others will simply ask what kind of person you are."
The man on screen smiled faintly.
"Only six chambers will open after the test. Choose wisely."
The screen shut off.
Silence.
Then the walls split.
Twelve doors appeared all at once, sliding open with perfect timing. Each bore a glowing number above it.
Caleb looked at the others. "Split up. Fast. Don't waste time debating."
"What if…"
"Don't. If this is a test of loyalty or fear, hesitating gets you killed. Go."
They moved. Slowly at first. Then quicker. Each person found a chamber and stepped inside. Caleb took number seven. The door slid shut behind him.
The room was small. No windows. Just a chair, a table, and another screen.
The screen lit up.
"You are Caleb Stray. Thirty-four. Military discharge. You have taken two hundred and fifty-nine human lives."
He didn't flinch.
"In this room is a button. If you press it, the person in Chamber 11 dies. If you do not, the person in Chamber 05 dies. You have two minutes."
A panel slid open in the table.
The button waited.
No names. No context. Just numbers. Kill one to save the other. Standard psychological pressure. Basic manipulation.
He looked at the button.
Did it matter who he chose?
He leaned back in the chair. Thought it through.
If this test was only about numbers, then the game was rigged. If he refused to choose, maybe they both died. If he pressed the button without thinking, maybe he picked wrong.
But if it was a test of character…
He pressed the button.
Then he stood and waited.
The room didn't unlock.
Instead, the voice returned.
"Judgment recorded. You passed."
The door opened.
Back in the central chamber, four others had returned. Soren. Dina. The security guy. The survivalist.
Caleb watched the remaining doors. Only five opened.
Seven didn't.
No screams. No sound. Just silence.
Then, one by one, those unopened doors faded, literally vanished, leaving only smooth wall behind.
Caleb counted.
Six survivors total.
The message above the main door changed.
FLOOR CLEARED
NEXT TRIAL UNLOCKED
Then the stairwell opened again.
No one spoke.
They climbed.