CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Riddle Room
Isolated Trial – Reina's Path Begins
She landed hard, knees scraping across a concrete floor.
The air here was dry, metallic. A long corridor stretched ahead, dimly lit by flickering LED strips in the ceiling. The walls were covered in rusted panels—each marked with a number.
A mechanical whir echoed, followed by a flat, artificial voice.
> TRIAL CARD: 7♦ – "THE RIDDLE ROOM"
Players: 1
Objective: Solve your way forward.
Rules:
– Each door is unlocked by solving a riddle.
– A wrong answer triggers a time penalty and room heat increase.
– Too many penalties will lock the chamber permanently.
Victory Condition: Solve all riddles and reach the Core Room.
Failure Condition: Three incorrect answers.
A timer blinked above the first door: 03:00
Reina stood. The first panel slid open.
---
Riddle One – Entrance Gate
> "I speak without a mouth and hear without ears.
I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"
She frowned.
Sound? No. That's too general.
"An… echo," she said.
The panel blinked green. The door clicked open.
> ✅ Correct.
---
Riddle Two – The Heat Chamber
This room was already warmer.
A new screen flickered to life.
> "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"
Her breath caught.
She remembered this one. Something from childhood.
"Footsteps."
> ✅ Correct.
Room temperature stable.
---
Riddle Three – The Trap Gate
This door had scorch marks around the edges.
The screen activated.
> "What can run but never walks,
Has a bed but never sleeps,
Has a mouth but never talks?"
She hesitated.
A river?
Yes. It had to be.
"A river."
> ✅ Correct.
Heat levels: Normal.
But as she moved forward, the floor groaned. Something was changing.
---
Riddle Four – Sudden Shift
This time, the lights dimmed to red.
The next riddle appeared, flickering erratically.
> "I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room.
You can enter, but you can't go outside. What am I?"
She was sweating now—not just from pressure, but from the rising temperature. The air felt thinner.
"Keys… space… enter…"
It hit her.
"A keyboard."
The door groaned. Slid halfway open.
> ✅ Correct.
Door jammed — manual push required.
She shoved it open with both arms, heart pounding.
---
Final Room – The Core
She stepped into a cool chamber. No more riddles.
Just a message on the wall:
> "Player has solved all riddles. Trial complete."
"Cognitive Token: Gained – Can skip one future puzzle."
A red light on her wrist dimmed. The floor rose beneath her feet.
She was moving—upward.
Toward the others.
But as the lift ascended, she realized something strange:
Each riddle had gotten easier.
As if the room wasn't testing intelligence anymore.
It was testing whether she'd panic under pressure.
She hadn't.
Not this time.