With wide eyes and unsteady breaths, Mabushi stood frozen for only a single second… then clenched his fist violently and suddenly charged at Ken like a ticking bomb.
He shouted at the top of his voice:
"You don't know me! You don't know anything about me!!"
He raised his right hand and swung it down on Ken's face in a direct strike. The slap sliced through the silence. But Ken… didn't move. He remained standing, steady, not lifting a hand to block, not stepping back. As if… he accepted being hit.
Mabushi growled louder and struck him again… then again, a punch to the chest, a hit to the jaw, a shove with his shoulder. The more he hit, the angrier he became. His face twisted with rage, teeth grinding, arm shaking from force.
"You… you talk like you're the only one who suffered… the only one who lived through hell!! You think you're the only one who lost something?!! You think your cold philosophy means anything to us?!"
A drop of blood slid down Ken's lip. He bowed his head slightly from the force of the blows, but he didn't fall. Mabushi raised his fist one last time, ready to slam it into his face with even more force…
But he froze.
His hands were trembling now. His fast breathing felt suffocating. He looked at Ken and found nothing but a deep, heavy silence staring back at him.
In the middle of that silence, a slow steady footsteps approached, stopping right beside them. Mabushi snapped his head toward the sound, his chest was rising and falling, face twisted with fury, his hair was messy and his jaw was tight.
Silvara stood in front of him. She tilted her head slightly and said calmly:
"If you keep shouting like that… you'll get wrinkles early."
The words were simple, but the impact in Mabushi's chest was strange. His lips twitched, uncertain if he should respond or laugh.
Silvara continued with the same cool tone:
"Anger is temporary. But what it leaves on your face… lasts."
Mabushi's eyes still burned, but something inside him began to die down, little by little. His fist loosened. His arm dropped. He exhaled hard, as if he's releasing something that had been trapped for years.
Then he muttered quietly, not with anger, just exhaustion:
"Shut up."
He turned away slowly… and walked off, each step was heavy and out of character for someone usually overflowing with energy.
Silvara watched him go, then whispered to herself؛
'The silent wounds… scream in the loudest voice.'
She stepped towards Ken. The traces of the blows were clear on his face, yet his gaze hadn't wavered… until a cold soft hand touched his cheek.
He looked up quickly and found Silvara in front of him, smiling with a strange calmness. She pressed his cheeks gently, rubbing them between her fingers as if he was a small child.
She said in a soft oddly playful tone:
"Hmmm… I didn't expect this cute face behind that always-serious expression."
She raised a brow, still poking his face.
"Strange… you look like you were made to be a silent killer, but you resemble a cat pretending to be a tiger."
Ken froze completely. He didn't move. He didn't know where to look. For a moment, he didn't understand, was she mocking him? Toying with him? Trying to provoke him?
He blinked twice, his expression steady, but the gray spark in his eyes flickered slightly. Finally, he spoke quietly:
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Silvara's smile grew. She leaned closer until her eyes were level with his, as if she's sharing a secret meant only for him.
"I'm trying to unsettle you…"
She fluttered her eyes once, then stood up straight again, her hands stepped behind her back as she walked around him lightly.
Her voice lowered:
"People break in different ways, Ken… some scream, some cry, and some…"
She stopped directly behind him.
"…smile while crumbling inside."
Ken stood still, watching Silvara walking away. Deep inside his chest, a silent whisper arrived, only he could hear it:
'And some ignore it.'
He took out a cigarette pack, pulled one out slowly, set it between his lips, and lit it with a small flame from his fingertip. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled with weight.
He started walking through the empty space, but after a few seconds he saw something unexpected. Akio was in the middle of a gray floor, waving his two swords.
"Heeyaa! Watch the master of dual blades! Take this, oh wait! Where did that hole come from?!"
Ann stood behind him with her hands on her head, screaming:
"Akio! Stop! These are chained traps! The ground under you isn't stable!"
But Akio was too absorbed in his theatrical performance, spinning with both swords. Then… the ground shook suddenly. A chain of traps shot out from beneath the surface like spikes.
Ken muttered quietly, smoke is slipping from his lips:
"Children…"
He flicked his cigarette to the ground, crushed it under his boot, and walked toward the chaos. The first traps were fired upward as sharp metal spikes. Akio threw himself into blocking them, swinging his swords wildly and yelling,
"What the hell is this?!"
Ann dove to the ground to dodge the spikes.
"I told you to shut up and pay attention, you idiot!"
But the ground didn't calm. It began to break beneath them, cracks widening fast as if something below was pulling the earth inward.
Ken ran quickly, eyes scanning the scene sharply. But he didn't realize that the pit wasn't aiming only at the center. A strange light flickered along the edges.
In the distance, Mabushi turned sharply when he heard the sound of the earth splitting. A force pulled him down from beneath.
"What the—?!"
He shouted, trying to brace himself.
Silvara stopped moving as the ground shook under her as well. In one moment, the floor collapsed under all of them. Ken, Akio, Ann, Mabushi, and Silvara all plummeted into the pit. Their bodies rolled between rocks and debris until they finally struck a solid layer of black stone.
The place was dark except for faint light filtering from unseen cracks in the walls. Akio rose first, groaning, then looked around with wide eyes, reaching for his swords.
"Oh great… a random pit, stone walls… did we fall into a dungeon or what?"
He touched the walls, then ran to one and drew both swords, striking the stone with force.
"Let's break this wall and get out. It can't be solid all the way."
The hit echoed metallically, but the wall didn't crack, not even a scratch. Ann stepped forward, examining the surroundings. She approached another wall. Symbols glowed faintly in pale blue, and they lit up brighter as she got closer.
"This isn't a natural cave… this place was made. As if someone wanted us here."
Silvara looked upward. The opening they fell through had vanished, there was no sign of the sky.
She placed her hand on another wall and said quietly:
"This is a test chamber… or a clever trap. The surfaces are polished, and the symbols show Vakin technology. This place is more like an escape room."
Ken stood silently, unlike the others. His gray eyes moved with precise analysis, studying the walls, the corners, the faint light… even the subtle shimmer in the air itself.
He crouched, picked up a pinch of dust between his fingers, rubbed it slowly, and murmured:
"The composition… isn't natural stone."
Then he walked toward another wall where the symbols flickered weakly. He placed his hand on it, closed his eyes for a moment, and said:
"This place… isn't an actual structure. It was formed by a Vakin who specializes in illusions."
His words silenced everyone. Ken looked at them and continued:
"The structure isn't stable, and nothing you see here is real. The opening disappeared because the creator of this place won't let us leave. This isn't just a pit… it's a prison built inside someone's mind."
Before anyone could respond, a flash of light cut through the air. A screen ignited in the middle of the room, floating on its own without any machine or wall supporting it. Its glowing blue surface illuminated the darkness around them.
A line appeared on the screen:
"Welcome, warriors. The real game has begun."
The screen shifted, revealing a shadowy figure wearing a metal mask. Its voice was deep and mechanical:
"This test is not about strength… but trust, understanding, and teamwork. In this place, no one survives alone."
The screen showed brief clips of branching rooms filled with challenges: mazes, puzzles, sealed doors, rising water… A caption appeared:
"Team Cohesion Test."
Another line followed:
"Step One: Choose your leader."
A mechanical voice echoed:
"The leader will be responsible for final decisions in every stage. You have two minutes to choose."
Silence followed. Then Mabushi sighed loudly, running his hand through his hair:
"How boring… but since we have to pick a leader, we shouldn't leave it to someone random."
He spun around dramatically and spread his arms with exaggerated confidence:
"You're looking at the best one here. Fast, smart, handsome, and fully capable of getting us out without losing our heads."
He winked, the continued:
"And I have a chain-blade. Anyone else here got that? I don't think so."
Ann stepped forward, hands on her hips, eyes sharp with challenge:
"To be honest, if we let you lead, we'll die of your ego before the traps kill us."
She pointed at herself:
"I'm the best for this. I don't trust easily, which means I anticipate deception. I'm quick-witted and can take command. And unlike someone here, I don't brag about my stupid chain."
Akio jumped between them, laughing:
"You guys are amazing, but… I'm obviously the natural leader here. I mean… I've got two swords! Two! And I can jump over traps!"
He hopped excitedly and pointed at himself:
"This body is light as a feather, and my brain… works fine sometimes!"
While their voices clashed and fingers poked their own chests proudly, Ken leaned against the wall, his arms arecrossed, and the cigarette is in his mouth.
Silvara stood right beside him, leaning slightly toward him with her hands behind her back, watching the chaos with calm eyes and that same faint smile.
She whispered to Ken without looking at him:
"See them? Trying so hard to convince each other they're the leader, while the real one doesn't even try."
Ken exhaled smoke, watching the ridiculous scene.
"I'm not interested in leading. Especially not a team of brainless clowns."
He stepped forward, stopped in front of them, and pointed at Silvara:
"If you insist on choosing someone, choose her."
Silence fell.
They all remembered who Ken was. The boy who rarely spoke, but when he did, he put everyone in their place. The one who survived the last battle alone. The one whose presence alone made others back down.
Ann looked at him. Her expression was tense at first, but she slowly lowered her gaze, then lifted it back to him with hesitation. She took in his sharp features, steady expression, the eyes that never wavered. There was something in the way he stood… something that made her heart skip faster without reason.
She said quietly:
"I think… we should vote for Ken."
The group stared at her in surprise. Even Ken gave her a brief side glance.
Akio scratched the back of his head, grinning:
"Honestly… he's the smartest one here, and I don't mind following him. And I'm terrible at big decisions anyway!"
Silvara said nothing, but she looked at Ken with a small hidden smile, as if she had expected this outcome from the start. But Mabushi suddenly frowned, his face tightening with hostility.
"Hold on! You're seriously considering making this statue our leader?!"
He stepped forward, his eyes were burning with defiance.
"I don't trust you, Ken. Never have. You're too quiet, too secretive… like you're waiting for the chance to stab us all in the back."
He turned to the others:
"You're fooled by his calm look and cold eyes, but I'm not. People like him don't lead… they control."
Then he stepped closer to Ken, so close that their noses were nearly touching.
"I won't follow you. Even if everyone else bows to you. I'll become the leader… even if it's against all of you. Including you."