The mystery hung over the arena until the next day. No answers. No explanations. Just the quiet realization that some had finished the game… but never returned.
And all of them had picked hearts.
Some players were just grateful they hadn't drawn the heart card.
"I was about to pick one," a girl muttered to her group, "but at the last second, I hesitated. I went for another card instead. They might have both been on any other card, but I'm still thankful." She exhaled. "I don't even know why. Just a gut feeling, I guess…"
Others weren't as fortunate, but they managed to survive by sheer luck.
One guy sat on the edge of the stadium, deep in thought, replaying a moment in his head. He was thinking about the moment he almost chose hearts in the card game.
He had been standing in front of the card table, reaching for a card when a man beside him had suddenly shoved forward, his voice sharp with frustration.
"Hurry up! Stop wasting time!"
The man had demanded to go first, his eyes burning with impatience. Annoyed, the guy stepped back, letting him pick first.
The man grabbed his card. Hearts.
And now? That man was gone.
The guy shivered, rubbing his arms. If he had insisted on taking his turn first… would he have disappeared instead?
As the day stretched on, the weight of uncertainty settled over the players like a storm cloud. No one knew what had happened to those who picked hearts.
Some thought they had simply lost and eliminated, as they had in previous games. Others whispered theories—maybe they were still trapped in a different challenge, fighting their way back.
But the scariest possibility?
Maybe they were never meant to return at all.
Ace leaned against a railing, watching the players scattered across the arena. Some were talking, some were lost in thought, and some were visibly shaken. But they all knew what they had to do. Keep on playing.
Mia sat beside him, arms crossed. "It's messing with their heads."
Liam sighed. "Can you blame them? No explanations, no bodies, nothing. Just… gone."
A voice from behind made them turn.
"It was never about just playing games."
Lex.
His presence alone made the air feel heavier. He stepped forward, his sharp gaze locked on the field of confused and restless players.
"This is a test." He gestured at the crowd. "And not just of skill. It's psychological. They want to see how we react when people start disappearing without reason."
Ace narrowed his eyes. "You think the game is watching us even when we're not playing?"
Lex smirked. "I don't think. I know."
Mia exhaled. "Then that means…"
Liam finished the thought. "We're never truly safe."
"Like we were safe before." Ace chuckled.
A loud chime echoed across the Eclipse Arena.
At first, players thought it was just another announcement—until a cold, metallic voice rang out from the sky.
[Game Commencing: DEADLINE.]
The ground beneath them shook violently, and before anyone could react, a blinding white light engulfed the entire arena.
When Ace's vision cleared, he found himself standing in a massive stone corridor, lined with flickering lanterns. The walls stretched endlessly, twisting and turning into countless unknown paths. But the most terrifying sight was on his wrist—
A countdown timer.
[10:00]
A chill ran through his spine. Ten minutes. That's all he had.
Around him, hundreds of other players were just realizing the same thing.
Mia clutched her wrist, her voice uneasy. "What… what happens if it hits zero?"
As if answering her question, a scream erupted from down the hall. They turned just in time to see a player—his timer flashing [00:03]—desperately clawing at a massive stone door.
[00:02]
He pounded on it, screaming for someone to open it.
[00:01]
Then, in an instant—his body dissolved into dust.
The air grew deathly silent as realization hit everyone at once.
If the timer reaches zero… You DIE.
A new notification appeared in front of them.
[Earn More Time or Be Eliminated.]
Ace clenched his fists. There was no waiting, no strategizing. They had to move.
And so, the race for survival began.
The players stood frozen, eyes locked on the spot where the man had just vanished. No body. No blood. Just dust.
But Ace's mind was racing. How had his time hit zero so fast?
They had all started with [10:00], but that guy—his timer must have been nearly empty before the game even started.
Mia swallowed hard. "Did anyone… see his time before he disappeared?"
Silence.
Liam glanced around. "Maybe he started with less time than us?"
"That doesn't make sense," another player muttered. "Wouldn't we have seen it?"
Ace frowned. "Or maybe—" He stopped mid-sentence.
A theory crept into his mind, one that sent a chill down his spine.
What if some players had less time from the very beginning?
A cruel twist. A hidden rule. Maybe that guy was doomed the second the game started.
Or maybe… he did something to lose time.
But no one dared to ask. Because the real question was—what else didn't they know?
The silence stretched, tension hanging thick in the air. Everyone's eyes flickered to their own countdowns.
[9:43]
[9:42]
[9:41]
The numbers ticked down mercilessly. No instructions, no hints—just the chilling reality that if they did nothing, they'd all meet the same fate.
Ace gritted his teeth. "Standing here won't save us."
Just then, a mechanical ding echoed through the corridor. A glowing screen flickered to life on the nearby wall.
[TASK: Solve or Steal.]
[Solve the puzzle to gain +3 minutes.]
[Fail and lose -3 minutes.]
[Steal time from another player if you run out.]
Mia's breath hitched. "Steal?"
A second later, the walls shifted with a deep rumble, revealing multiple stone doors, each with a different symbol—numbers, strange patterns, riddles.
Ace didn't hesitate. He ran straight to one with a number puzzle. Others scattered, some rushing to puzzles, some hesitating.
Liam cursed. "I suck at puzzles."
"You have two choices," Ace shot back. "Solve or fight for time when you run out."
Liam muttered something under his breath but sprinted to a different puzzle.
Ace turned back to his own. The glowing screen displayed:
[12 - 3 x 4 + 6 ÷ 2 = ?]
A simple order of operations test.
[12 - 12 + 3 = 3.]
He tapped the number. The screen flashed green.
[+3 MINUTES ADDED.]
[12:40]
A wave of relief washed over him, but shouts from other players pulled him back.
"Damn it!" someone cursed as their timer dropped. Wrong answer.
Others frantically moved to different puzzles, realizing some were easier than others.
Mia solved hers, her timer jumping to [13:00], but Liam? He stood frozen.
[7:15]
[7:14]
Ace saw the panic in his eyes. Liam had failed.
And now, he had to steal time—or die.