One hour after Floor 7.
The Tower hub was cold.
Colder than it should be.
Ayato paced in slow circles near the gate, arms folded tight across his chest. The others sat in silence. Yui hadn't spoken since the Spiral Garden. Ren had bandaged his shoulder with a torn shirt sleeve. Mio stared at her own hands, as if something had been burned into them.
"This isn't rest," Ayato muttered. "It's a pause in a horror play."
'We're just waiting for the next punch. No one here is really okay. Not after what we lost.'
And behind the silence, a familiar voice laughed.
"Tired already?"
They all turned.
Kazuki stood behind them.
Not cloaked. Not hidden. He stepped from the shadows as if invited, his presence sucking the warmth from the air.
Ayato's jaw tightened.
'Of course it's him. The Tower's favorite puppet.'
Kazuki's black-and-silver robes rippled, catching light that wasn't there. He gave a theatrical bow, grinning like a fox.
"You're not supposed to be here yet," Ayato said sharply.
Kazuki straightened, eyes glinting. "You should know by now, Observer—rules are suggestions."
He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, that same sly smile never leaving his face.
"Now, which of you wants out?"
The others stiffened.
Ayato moved instinctively, stepping between Kazuki and the rest.
'Not happening. Not this time.'
"They're not playing your game," Ayato said.
"Oh, but they are." Kazuki raised one finger. "You think they'll keep following you forever? You've been lying to them. About the past. About the Karma script. About the cycles."
His gaze swept over Mio. She didn't deny it.
"You two are playing gods. But gods fall harder."
Ayato felt the others' eyes on him.
'He's trying to split us. He wants us to turn on each other. I can't let that happen.'
The system chimed.
[System Override Detected]
Floor 8: Proxy Stage — Hijacked by Kazuki Mori, Tower Proxy #1
– Objective: Survive the rewritten narrative
– Warning: A player will willingly defect
– Karma consequences are permanent
'Great. Another hijacked floor. Like we needed more chaos.'
The system's voice was cold, final.
[Attention: Player Riku Hoshino has stepped forward.]
Ayato blinked.
Riku. A quiet, second-row student. Always nervous. Always watching. Barely spoke since Floor 2.
Riku stepped beside Kazuki.
"I want out," he whispered. "He promised me memories. My real ones. I don't even know who I am anymore."
Kazuki laid a hand on his shoulder like a crown. "Welcome to the stage."
Ayato clenched his fists.
'I should've seen this coming. The quiet ones always break first.'
The floor shifted beneath them, the hub dissolving into a vast open-air stage, surrounded by floating audience eyes. The ground was polished marble, reflective and vast. Each of them stood on glowing spots—Ren, Mio, Yui, Ayato. And now Riku, across from them.
A chill ran down Ayato's spine.
'We're on display. Like animals in a cage.'
[Scene One: Duel of Truths]
Each player must speak a truth they've never told.
The crowd (karma watchers) will choose who is spared.
One player will be judged as "script-breaker" and erased from memory.
The floating eyes blinked, awaiting the performance.
Yui stepped forward first, voice shaking. "I pretended to be weak at the start… because I was afraid I'd be chosen to die."
Ren followed, jaw set. "I enjoyed killing that monster on Floor 2. Too much."
Mio stood still, then lifted her chin. "I knew Ayato had done this before. I didn't tell you... because I wanted to see what choices he'd make this time."
Ayato's heart kicked hard against his ribs.
'Mio… you knew? You watched me struggle and just… watched?'
He turned slowly. "Mio…?"
She didn't look away. Her eyes were sad, but steady.
Kazuki gestured dramatically. "Your turn, Observer."
Ayato felt every eye fix on him.
He took a breath, feeling the weight of everything he'd hidden.
'I can't lie. Not here. Not now.'
"I created the first script," he said at last. "In the first cycle. I wrote the roles. I am the reason this Tower thinks it can judge you."
Even the audience-eyes paused, their gaze sharpening.
'There. It's out. I'm the reason we're all here. I'm the reason this place exists. I'm the reason people die.'
The votes tallied in the air:
Yui: 1
Ren: 0
Mio: 2
Ayato: 3
Riku: 0
[Script-Breaker: Ayato Kurozaki]
Erasure Attempt Initiated…
Ayato felt the world tilt, the edges of his vision blurring.
'No. Not like this. I'm not done yet.'
He focused, reaching for the glowing thread in his mind.
[Divine Script: Rewrite]
"Reverse designation. The true Script-Breaker is Riku Hoshino."
The air tore with static. The stage flickered. Riku screamed as black ink poured from his mouth—the stolen memories unraveling.
Kazuki stepped back in surprise. "You're learning faster than last time."
Ayato glared at him. "And you're repeating yourself."
The floor cracked beneath them.
[Scene Two: Duel Canceled]
Proxy Link Severed.
Player Riku – Exiled to Floor 10: The Black Rehearsal.
The lights faded. The stage dissolved. They were back in the hub.
Mio sat, staring at her hands again.
"You wrote the original script?" she asked quietly.
Ayato sat beside her, exhaustion settling in his bones. "I think so. I don't remember all of it. But the more we climb... the more it comes back."
Yui stood up suddenly, her face pale but determined. "Then we're not victims. We're… co-authors."
Ayato looked at the gate ahead. Floor 9 pulsed, shadows writhing behind it.
'Next is the floor with no doors. Whatever that means.'
Ren slumped against the wall, rubbing his shoulder. "I can't believe Riku just… went with him. Like it was nothing."
Yui shook her head. "He was desperate. Kazuki promised him something he couldn't get anywhere else."
Mio closed her eyes. "We're all desperate. That's what the Tower wants."
Ayato clenched his fists.
'It wants us to break. To turn on each other. To forget who we are.'
He looked at Mio. "Why didn't you tell me you knew?"
She met his gaze, her eyes shining. "Because I was scared. I didn't want to lose you. I thought… maybe if I watched, I could help you make better choices."
Ayato sighed. "I'm not sure there are better choices. Not here."
Ren let out a bitter laugh. "There aren't. There's just… less awful ones."
Yui hugged her knees to her chest. "I miss when we were just students. When the worst thing was a pop quiz."
Ayato almost smiled.
'Me too. I'd take a hundred pop quizzes over this.'
The hub was quiet. The air heavy with things unsaid.
Mio reached over, squeezing Ayato's hand. "We'll get through this. Together."
He squeezed back, grateful for the contact.
'If together means anything anymore.'
The system's voice echoed in his mind, colder than before.
[Warning: Permanent Karma Consequences. Next floor will test identity and memory.]
Ayato shivered.
'Great. More memory games. Just what I needed.'
He looked at his friends—his family, really. The only people left who mattered.
'I have to protect them. No matter what. Even if it means rewriting the script again.'
The lights flickered, shadows dancing on the walls. Ayato closed his eyes, listening to the others breathing, to the hum of the Tower, to the echo of Kazuki's laughter.
'He's not done with us. Not by a long shot.'
He opened his eyes, staring at the gate to Floor 9.
'Bring it on.'
(Chapter 15 End)