I could hear their footsteps behind me, growing louder and more urgent. Gavin... I could hear him laughing with a hint of madness in his voice. He was enjoying every moment of the hunt, and I was just the prey. Each laugh hit me like a knife.
"You really think you're going to get away?" Gavin yelled, his tone distorted with contempt. "You're just hastening your end!"
I couldn't respond. I was too busy running and fighting the overwhelming panic. The ground beneath my feet echoed with my footsteps as my legs carried me down an uncertain, aimless path. I felt like every second brought me closer to the end. I had nothing but this fear, this raw terror.
I rushed into a random room and slammed the door behind me. The sound echoed in my ears like a last hope, but I knew it was an illusion. I leaned against the door, my heart pounding, hoping it would slow them down. Deep down, though, I knew it wouldn't last.
I turned around, looking for a place to hide, a way to escape again. I saw the window in the back. A faint hope dawned on me, as fragile as a mirage. I rushed toward it, but as I approached, the ground gave way beneath me. It was locked. Everything was locked. Like everything else, every door and window was off limits to me. I found myself trapped with no way out.
A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the hallway. Gavin was almost there. I could feel his oppressive presence and his rage, which had grown tenfold. I knew he was going to catch me.
"No choice" I whispered, my voice choked with fear. I looked around and threw myself onto the desk near the window. My trembling hands grabbed a heavy, solid glass vase. I had no other options. This vase was my only weapon, my last resort. I didn't know if it would be enough, but I knew I couldn't die without fighting back.
Adrenaline coursed through me like a raging torrent. My pulse beat in my temples, and my breaths became shorter and more labored. My heart, caught up in a frenzied dance, prevented me from thinking clearly. I had only one thought: to survive.
I clutched the vase in my hands. It trembled, fragile like my own body. But I had no other choice. When Gavin stepped into the room, I threw it at him, the force of my throw sending shards of glass flying through the air. A cry of pain confirmed that I had hit my target. But it wasn't enough. Not enough to stop him.
He roared. A cry of rage. It echoed like hell through the room. I felt panic rise within me like a wave. Gavin was there. He hadn't hesitated. He wouldn't spare me. His eyes glowed with madness, and he threw himself at me.
I rolled out of his way, my muscles moving more out of instinct than logic. But it was too late. He caught me, grabbing the collar of my shirt with superhuman strength. He lifted me off the ground and slammed me against the wall with brutal force. I felt my ribs bend under the impact and pain explode in my chest, but there was no time to suffer. I didn't have time to think about it.
He closed his fingers around my neck. The world began to shrink. My throat tightened under his grip and the air became increasingly scarce. Each second sent me tumbling into a whirlwind of dizziness. My vision blurred, and I was about to collapse.
"Did you really think you could escape me?!" his voice roared in my ears. Each word was like a hammer blow. "You're just a parasite, a god-sucker. You're nothing here!"
I couldn't respond. My head was drowning in a fog of suffocation. I wanted to scream, but everything had become blurry. My body was powerless. My hands tried to push his arms away, but everything felt so heavy and hopeless. I was trapped.
Everything was falling apart. I knew I didn't stand a chance. If Simon didn't arrive soon, it would be over.
And then... a noise. A blow. It was a sharp, brutal sound, almost like a clap of thunder in that stifling room. Someone or something had intervened. Gavin let go of me, propelling me backward. I fell heavily to the floor, breathing in air with an almost saving violence.
I raised my head, still dazed, and saw him: Hugo. He stood there, imposing yet quiet and strong. His cold, calculating gaze spoke volumes. He was no longer a man, but an unstoppable force of nature.
I saw him dominating the scene. Gavin get up, furious, his arms stretching out in a mad rage. Silence fell, heavy and almost crushing.
Hugo leaned slightly toward Gavin, locking his gaze with an intensity that chilled me. He didn't need grand gestures or empty words. His presence alone was enough to render Gavin powerless.
"It's over, Gavin," he said in a deep, emotionless voice. There was no hesitation or pity in his words. "You're going to stop now, before I decide to finish you off."
Gavin growled.
I remained on the ground, still in shock. I couldn't understand. How had Hugo gotten there in time? How had he been able to act with such precision and controlled violence? I couldn't comprehend what had just happened. I was lost but also relieved.
Then, Hugo turned his gaze toward me. It was a curious look, but also, I think, slightly softer. He held out his hand to me.
"Come," he whispered as if it were a mere formality.
I didn't need to think about it. I took his hand, and he helped me up. A weight lifted from my shoulders. The fear that had overwhelmed me earlier seemed to dissipate, but a new question arose: Why was Hugo there?
Before I could ask, he turned toward the door and pulled me with him. The silence was heavy with meaning. Behind us, Gavin, watching me leave. His gaze was full of hatred.
The atmosphere remained heavy, almost palpable. The air was saturated with a tension that took my breath away. Every movement seemed observed and every word weighed like a silent threat. My heart pounded, still marked by the echo of the previous confrontation. I had survived, but at what cost? My body shook and my hands were clammy, yet I couldn't take my eyes off Gavin. He stood there like a wild animal ready to pounce, his eyes filled with burning hatred. But he remained motionless, like a moment suspended in time. It was as if the moment were suspended in time.
"You got off easy this time," Gavin growled, his voice hoarse with anger. He stared at me intently, as if each word were a warning and each syllable a sharp blade ready to pierce me. "But don't you dare step out of line again."
I could feel the threat in his words. They weren't just words; they were real and palpable. If I had any illusions about my safety, they had just vanished. However, I didn't have the luxury of responding or reacting impulsively. Not now. Not in front of these predators.
Then there was Hugo. After Gavin's threat, a heavy silence fell, and Hugo stopped, staring at us all as if assessing the fragile balance of the situation. He didn't move; his eyes shone with an unsettling calm. It was an icy tranquility, like the sea before a storm, a silence heavy with barely concealed threats. Each passing second seemed to bring us closer to the abyss. I knew that the standoff between Gavin and me had just been a show, a macabre dance from which we were all unable to escape.
"If you really want to take your chances, go ahead," Hugo said in a calm but firm voice. A voice of authority. A voice that left no room for doubt. "I remind you that I have no mercy for those who hurt others for pleasure." "
The mocking, arrogant laughter of the others slowly dissipated. Their smiles froze as if Hugo's warning had struck them with an electric shock. Gavin, still furious, froze, undoubtedly looking for a flaw or weakness in Hugo's implacable calm. But he found none.
I could see Gavin's muscles tensing under his shirt and his jaw clenching. But he didn't dare do anything. Hugo was different. He wasn't one of those guys who would do anything to break people down and impose their will by force. Hugo knew how to manipulate tension and unpredictability. He was a different kind of danger, much more insidious.
"You don't want to play this game, Gavin," said an Asian boy in a relaxed but authoritative tone. He wasn't afraid of this situation. He wasn't afraid of Gavin. "Everyone will loose."
His words hung in the air like a provocation, yet there was no challenge in his voice, only a cold, obvious truth. The tension rose another notch. Everyone's eyes turned away from me and then from Gavin to rest on Yuxuan. It was only a matter of time before the fight broke out. However, Hugo kept everyone in check with a single glance.
Then, like a cannonball, one last shot was fired. Gavin's gaze became sharper and more threatening. He turned to Hugo, addressing him with an icy smile.
"One day, the gods will be no more," he said with a mad grin. "Then we'll see who's more dangerous."
The silence that followed that sentence was overwhelming. Those watching exchanged furtive glances, but none dared to intervene. Gavin was slowly slipping into madness, and no one seemed ready to stop him. I could feel the tension rising. At the same time, however, I knew this threatening confrontation would not escalate.
The first to break the silence was Hunter. He laughed a dry, almost nervous laugh and raised his hands as if to signal the end of the conflict. "You're really annoying, Hugo. Are you one of us or not?" He made a theatrical gesture as if to signify that he was giving up. "Okay, okay, let's calm down. Let's go back to our rooms; no more fun."
He was playing the humor card, but I knew an underlying tension lingered behind that mask, ready to explode at the slightest misstep.
He nodded slowly, a faint smile on his lips, satisfied with the effect he had produced.
But Hugo remained implacable.
"I'd rather you stay in your rooms and stop looking for trouble," he said in an icy voice without a hint of playfulness. "If you do it again, you'll bring the wrath of the gods down on us once more."
He then turned to me, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. His gaze was filled with a calm yet inescapable threat. "You see, there are some people you have to avoid at all costs. "
I nodded without a word. It wasn't out of fear, but out of realization. It was a warning: Gavin, Hunter, and all the others... They weren't people like me, like us. They weren't there to live or survive. No, they were there to destroy and manipulate. And me? I was just a victim, a novice in this cruel game.
I knew I had to avoid these monsters at all costs, but how in a place like this? How?
Hugo interrupted my thoughts once again by turning to me. He said nothing, but he was already moving, inviting me to follow him.
I followed him without a word. All I knew was that this world was becoming more opaque by the minute, and the people in it were not there to play.
Their footsteps slowly faded, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The others, those predators, followed Hunter and Gavin without looking back, blending into the shadows of that sordid place. Even once calm had returned, the atmosphere remained heavy and suffocating. I could still hear the echo of distorted laughter in my head and see Gavin's eyes, full of rage and malice. However, something about the way Hugo took charge of the situation intrigued me deeply.
He placed his hand on my shoulder, heavy and reassuring yet full of an almost disturbing strength. It was a simple gesture, but it broke the immense tension that had kept me on alert. He looked at me, his dark eyes fixed on me with a strange gleam behind the icy calm he usually exuded.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer than usual with a hint of concern.
I nodded, but I knew he wasn't fooled. He had seen how my body was still shaking and how the energy was draining out of me with every breath. It was as if the world were closing in around me. But I couldn't afford to falter. Not now. Not in front of him.
"Why did you help me?" The question escaped before I could stop it, my voice hoarse and trembling. "You could have let them do it. After all, you're one of them, aren't you ?
Hugo's expression didn't change immediately, but his eyes hardened. He scrutinized me, as if probing for something behind my words, something he hadn't yet seen in me. Finally, he replied in a low voice, almost moved by a kind of unexpected sincerity.
"You're not like us, Finn. And I'm not going to let you die here, at least not today."
His words hit me like an electric shock. A shiver of confusion and incomprehension ran through my body. How could he say that? How could he tell me that I wasn't like the monsters who had surrounded me earlier with their sick laughter and threats? Not long ago, I was like them, too. The only difference was that this place chilled me to the bone the second I opened my eyes.
He guided me out of the dangerous area. He moved with firm and confident steps, as if he were accustomed to handling situations like mine. He helped me walk, and I barely had time to ask the question on my mind. But he anticipated my thoughts.
"Come on," he repeated, his voice tinged with calm urgency. "We need to get back to your room. It's best if you stay away from the others for now. If you really want to understand what's going on here, you have to be prepared to face truths you're not ready to hear."
I had no answer to that. I followed him without protest. Part of me was hesitant, but the other part was extremely curious. I wanted to understand why all this was happening and why he was protecting me when everyone else seemed to view me as prey. There was something about him that both attracted and terrified me.
Once in my room, after Hugo applied cream to my bruises, he left without saying a word, leaving me alone with my thoughts. As soon as the door closed behind him, however, I came across Will sitting on my bed looking preoccupied with a tense face. He was watching me with concern that did not go unnoticed. His air of knowing something I didn't yet know intrigued me deeply.
"I wanted to come see you as soon as the alarm went off" Will explained nervously, as if he had tried to avoid the conversation, but time had slipped away from him. "But with the floors closed and the restricted floors open, I found myself stuck here. I had no choice..."
He shrugged in an attempt to lighten the mood, but his eyes betrayed another truth. He wasn't lying, but he was hiding something. I could sense it in his voice and posture.
I approached him and sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, trying to understand what he was trying to tell me. I concentrated, hoping to catch every word and nuance of his speech. I had to be sure of what he was saying. He might be the only person left who could help me. But at that moment, everything seemed blurry, like a calm sea with turbulent depths. Something wasn't right, and I knew Will had more information than he was revealing.
I lowered my voice, trying to maintain a semblance of discretion. "What do you know about all this, Will?"
Will didn't answer right away. His gaze was lost in the darkness of the room. After a heavy sigh escaped his lips, he turned his gaze to me. His face was marked by deep concern. A shiver ran through me.
"It's more complicated than you think," he finally said, his voice laden with a rare gravity. "This isn't just a game of survival, Fynn. What they want, what they're doing...it's not just settling scores. They're manipulating the rules and playing with us like pawns. You're not ready to see what's behind the wall yet."
The tension in the room was palpable, the air heavy with a conversation neither of us dared to start. Will stared at me, his gaze dark and a smile barely touching his lips. It was as if he were weighing each word before speaking. When he finally crossed his arms, I knew he was waiting for an answer. But my thoughts were scattered, carried away by the turmoil of the situation. How could I understand what he was feeling? How could I accept what he was saying and implying?
"You have questions, I presume?" Will asked, his voice sharp but calm.
I sighed and forced myself to look him in the eye. He already knew I had questions. He knew me too well to believe otherwise. But I couldn't appear too eager. If I wanted more than vague answers, I had to be clever, like him. I had to approach this carefully and avoid showing him how afraid I was. If I acted hastily, he might shut me out and I didn't need that right now. So I choose my words carefully.
"I don't want to die here, Will. I can't just stand by and do nothing. I need to know more about all this."
He smiles slightly, as if he had anticipated this response. It was as if it were part of a plan he had already devised. It was unsettling yet also relieving. I wasn't alone in my confusion. He knew exactly what it was like to want to survive in this place.
"I told you it wasn't easy here. But if you want information, you have to be willing to pay the price. What you're told and what you see always comes at a price, Fynn."
I felt a heavy pressure wash over me. There was no doubt in his voice. He was talking about something bigger than secrets or information. He was talking about an exchange. A transaction. My survival in exchange for something. But what? The price chilled me, but I had no choice but to accept it. Everything I had experienced since my arrival was only the beginning of the winding road I had to travel. I had to understand the rules, or I would be crushed. The question was not whether I wanted to go, but whether I was ready. I no longer had time to procrastinate.
"Okay," I replied, my voice firmer than before. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Will put his frozen yogurt on the table, his expression growing more serious as if preparing to share something important. He fixed his gaze on an undefined point as if thinking about how to convey a truth he had never shared before. I felt as if he were giving me a glimpse of something immense that would plunge me into an even darker reality.
"Staying here is my only option." He let his words sink in before continuing, his voice taking on a strange heaviness. "I don't know if you can understand, but there's no real freedom outside these walls. I have no family left. I lost everything I had. After all that, I ended up on the streets. It wasn't the freedom I wanted; it was just survival in a perfect world. Here, at least, I know where I am. I have a place. The gods lock us all up here, but at least there's some kind of routine. Control. What I've been through has changed me. I no longer have any hope of living as I did before.
His words crashed into the room like a weight. I suddenly felt smaller, caught up in a reality I didn't fully understand. The intensity of his words made me realize the extent of his sacrifice. There was no going back for him. He had lost himself in this system and was now stuck in it.
I had no answer for him, only an oppressive, heavy silence. How could I possibly understand that? How could I accept living a life like his? At the same time, though, wasn't I making the same compromises?
Will paused, lost in thought. Then he continued, his gaze distant.
"I'm staying here because it's the only place where I can have a chance to exist without being haunted by my past. Besides, if I leave, there's a good chance it'll be the end for me because my father might find me and kill me. Freedom...it's not what it used to be for me."
He was right. Freedom here no longer meant the same thing. Everything had changed outside, and I didn't know where it would lead. But the thought of leaving and trying my luck in the outside world, where I was completely lost, terrified me just as much. It was a cruel choice.
I finally broke the silence, the words almost escaping despite myself.
"I understand..." They seemed trivial compared to what he had just said. "But do you really think living like this, within these walls, is a real life?"
Will gave me a piercing look. His smile was light, but tinged with something darker.
"It's not ideal, but it's the best we can hope for here at the moment."
He stood up and picked up his frozen yogurt, seemingly ending the conversation. He approached the window and stared outside as if the scene unfolding on the horizon beyond the walls could offer an escape.
"If you really want to escape, you'll have to pray gods hate you enough, Finn. Otherwise, like everyone else, you'll break under the pressure. You'll see that gods here are no more merciful than the rulers of our country."
Will watched me intently, as if he already knew what I was going to say. He sighed slightly before speaking, his deep voice tinged with fatalism.
"You're not the only one looking for answers, Finn. Everyone here has a reason, an obsession, a dream of freedom. But sometimes, knowing too much can be dangerous."
His words struck me like a bolt of lightning, bringing me back to reality. It was true; I wasn't the only one who wanted to know. But that didn't mean everyone who sought the truth had a chance of finding it. Even less so of coming out unscathed.
He rose from the bed, his gaze becoming more intense and darker as if a serious thought had crept into his mind.
"The problem here is that everyone thinks they can escape. But if you're not smart enough, you'll just end up dying or becoming another pawn in this mess."
I remained silent, taking in his words. I knew he was right. It wasn't just a matter of courage or strength. The real questions were whom to trust and where to look. This place, this prison, was more than just a trap. It was a complex network, and I was far from understanding it all.
But there was no turning back. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. I had to find answers, and fast.
"I'm going to talk to Simon," I finally said, having made a hasty decision.