Chapter 3 — The Debt You Owe
Aiden woke up to a sound that felt like a heartbeat.
Not his own.
The sound of a machine.
The room was dark. The air was cold and damp. His body felt heavy, like someone had filled him with lead. Pain shot through his leg whenever he moved, but he forced himself to sit up.
His leg was wrapped in a thick bandage. Blood had soaked through it, and the smell of iron filled the air.
He looked around.
He was in a small chamber. The walls were metal. The floor was cold. There was a small bed in the corner and a chair beside it. A screen was mounted on the wall.
The screen lit up.
PLAYER STATUS: #?
CURRENT CONDITION: CRITICAL
INJURY: BROKEN LEG
DEBT STATUS: INCREASED
Aiden's heart stopped.
DEBT STATUS: INCREASED?
He stared at the screen, confused.
He looked down at his hands.
His hands were shaking.
He tried to stand.
He fell.
The pain was unbearable.
He groaned.
The screen flickered.
A voice spoke from the wall.
"Player #?," it said.
Aiden's eyes widened.
His name was gone.
His identity was gone.
He had become a number.
The voice continued.
"Your debt has increased by 200,000 NEO."
Aiden's throat tightened.
He couldn't believe it.
He had failed the game. He had been eliminated.
But his debt had increased?
The voice spoke again.
"This is the penalty for failure."
Aiden's mouth went dry.
"What… what do you mean?" he managed to whisper.
The voice replied, "You did not survive the first game. You did not win. You have not earned your freedom."
Aiden's eyes filled with tears.
He tried to speak, but his voice cracked.
"I thought— I thought if I failed I would die," he said.
The voice paused.
Then it said, "You will die later."
Aiden's body went cold.
The words hit him like a blow.
He tried to stand again.
He couldn't.
The pain was too much.
He looked at the screen.
CURRENT CONDITION: CRITICAL
He closed his eyes.
He thought about his family.
He thought about his mother's face.
He thought about his sister's laugh.
He thought about his father who never returned.
He thought about the letter.
He thought about the promise.
Aiden opened his eyes.
He saw the door to his chamber.
It was open.
A guard stood in the doorway.
The guard wore a black suit and a mask. The mask was the same as the one on the screen. The guard held a device in his hand that looked like a gun.
The guard spoke.
"Player #?," he said.
Aiden's mouth went dry.
The guard continued, "You will be moved to the Recovery Hall."
Aiden tried to speak.
"What is the Recovery Hall?" he asked.
The guard didn't answer.
He turned and walked away.
Aiden looked at the screen again.
The screen flashed.
RECOVERY HALL
Aiden's heart pounded.
He had no idea what the Recovery Hall was.
He had no idea what the Arena was.
He had no idea why he was still alive.
He tried to crawl toward the door.
The pain in his leg screamed.
He reached the doorway and collapsed.
The guard returned.
He lifted Aiden gently, like a piece of fragile glass, and carried him down a hallway.
Aiden's body was numb.
He felt like he was floating.
The hallway was lit with soft blue lights. The walls were smooth. There was no sound except the hum of machines.
He saw other players.
Some were walking. Some were being carried. Some were crying.
Aiden recognized the woman from the first game. Number 7.
She looked at him with wide eyes.
"Aiden?" she whispered.
Aiden stared at her.
She frowned.
"You don't remember your name," she said.
Aiden's heart sank.
He looked at her, confused.
"I don't…" he began, but stopped.
He didn't want to admit it.
He didn't want to accept it.
The guard carried him into a large room.
The room was filled with beds and medical equipment. The air smelled like antiseptic. The walls were lined with screens showing player statuses.
Aiden was placed on a bed.
A nurse entered the room. She wore a white uniform, but her face was hidden behind a mask.
The nurse approached him and spoke.
"Player #?," she said.
Aiden's eyes widened.
"You know my number?" he asked.
The nurse nodded.
"Your number is 11," she said.
Aiden stared at her.
"11," he repeated.
He felt like he was falling deeper into the darkness.
The nurse continued, "Your debt has increased by 200,000 NEO."
Aiden closed his eyes.
He couldn't believe it.
He thought he was going to die.
But instead, he had been punished.
He had been forced to live.
Aiden's mind raced.
He thought about the rules.
He thought about the letter.
He thought about the mask.
He thought about the game.
The nurse left the room.
Aiden lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
He tried to understand what was happening.
Why had his debt increased?
Why had he been spared?
He looked at the screen again.
DEBT STATUS: INCREASED
NEW TOTAL: 1,448,500 NEO
Aiden's heart sank.
The number was bigger than before.
He had failed the game.
He had been punished.
His debt had increased.
He looked at the other players.
Some were whispering.
Some were crying.
Some were silent.
Aiden heard a voice behind him.
"Number 11," a man said.
Aiden turned.
It was Four.
He was sitting on a bed nearby, staring at the screen.
Four looked at Aiden.
"You survived," he said.
Aiden swallowed.
"I don't understand," he said. "I failed. Why am I alive?"
Four looked at him.
He sighed.
"Because the Arena doesn't kill everyone," Four said. "It eliminates them in different ways."
Aiden frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Four leaned closer.
He spoke quietly.
"The Arena doesn't just test your strength," Four said. "It tests your obedience. It tests your fear. It tests your loyalty."
Aiden listened.
Four continued, "The Arena is not about winning. It's about creating something."
Aiden's heart raced.
"What something?" he asked.
Four's eyes narrowed.
"The debt," he said.
Aiden blinked.
Four continued, "The debt is not just money. The debt is control."
Aiden felt a chill.
Four's voice became softer.
"Think about it," Four said. "They control the city through debt. They control people through fear. They control people through the Arena."
Aiden's mind raced.
He thought about the City Bank AI.
He thought about the letter.
He thought about the mask.
He thought about the promise of a new identity.
He looked at Four.
"What happens if we win?" Aiden asked.
Four looked at him.
He smiled, but it was not a friendly smile.
"If we win," Four said, "we become part of the system."
Aiden's blood ran cold.
He shook his head.
"No," he said. "I won't be part of this."
Four's smile faded.
"Do you have a choice?" he asked.
Aiden opened his mouth to respond.
But before he could, the screen on the wall lit up.
A message appeared:
NEXT GAME IN 24 HOURS
PREPARE
The room went silent.
Aiden's heart pounded.
He stared at the screen.
He felt a sense of dread.
He looked at Four.
Four's eyes were serious.
"We have 24 hours," Four said. "We need to prepare."
Aiden nodded.
He looked at his broken leg.
He looked at his debt.
He looked at the other players.
He realized something:
The Arena wasn't just a game.
It was a trap.
And the trap was getting tighter.
The screen flickered again.
A new message appeared:
NEW PLAYER ADDED
Aiden's heart stopped.
He looked around.
He saw the doors to the room open.
A new player was brought in.
The player was different.
She looked calm.
She looked confident.
Her eyes were cold.
She walked into the room like she belonged there.
Aiden stared.
She looked at him.
Then she smiled.
And the smile was not friendly.
It was a smile of someone who knew something he didn't.
The screen flashed one last message:
PLAYER 12 HAS ARRIVED
Aiden's heart raced.
He realized the truth.
The Arena wasn't just eliminating players.
It was replacing them.
And the replacements were not random.
They were chosen.
Aiden's blood ran cold.
He looked at the new player again.
She stepped closer to him.
She leaned down.
And whispered:
"Welcome to the Debt Arena."