DESIRE

The Crown Game (1)

Baam Pov

Rak stomped repeatedly on the ground, making Cecelia and I fly into the air. Koon seemed to be lost deep in thought. Unlike Rak, who was yelling and being loud, and me, who was panicking and trying to calm him down, Cecelia was strangely calm.

"I HATE THINKING AND NEEDLES" Rak roared.

"Baam, pick a number from one to twelve," Cecelia said, turning her attention to me.

"Huh? W-why?" I asked.

"Just do it."

"U-um, eight. That's your favourite number, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Left or right?" She asked again, thoroughly confusing me.

"Left."

Because you're left-handed, I thought, watching Cecelia walk towards the eighth door from the left. It took a second for me to realize what she was about to do.

"W-wait!! Cecelia!!" I called out, breaking Koon out of his thoughts and Rak out of his temper tantrum.

She stopped briefly, turning around and giving us a beaming, innocent smile.

"Trust me." She said, before pushing the eighth door open.

We all waited for the worst- for the Ranker to tell us that we were wrong and had chosen the wrong door- but nothing happened. All twelve doors turned green from their original red. Cecelia simply laughed, walking back towards us.

"See? I told you to trust me."

"Wait. Why that door?" Koon asked, looking dumbfounded by the fact that we had passed.

"All we had to do was to choose a door and open it in the first five minutes. So I asked Baam to choose a number and a side. He chose the eighth door from the left, so that was the one I opened. Hansung Yu asked us to choose the right door within ten minutes. Teams that chose a door within the first five minutes passed. This means that for the first five minutes, there is no "wrong" door. Once the five minutes pass, you fail." Cecelia concluded, explaining to Koon.

"Congratulations. You pass." The Ranker clapped, congratulating us for passing the test.

"Koon, it's not wrong to have certainty. But the world won't wait for you. That's why I'll be here, by your side- just as I will be by Baam's side- to open the doors that you can't open alone. Come on, Baam. Let's go!!" Cecelia said, pulling me and Koon along by our hands.

.

.

.

"What wonderful friendship!!" A voice called out, gathering everyone's attention.

"Mr.Lero Ro?" I questioned, looking up at the tall male.

"I have wonderful news for you all." He stated.

"Wonderful news?"

"Yes. You've been granted the opportunity to participate in a Bonus Test." Lero announced, making Cecelia's sleek eyebrow rise in amusement.

If she raised her left eyebrow, then it meant that she was amused. If she raised her right eyebrow, it meant that she was either questioning you or was being sarcastic. If she raised both eyebrows, then it meant that she was surprised or confused. If she furrowed her eyebrows, then she was either in pain or was showing dislike towards something or someone. But if she furrowed her eyebrows and was glaring, then she was very, very angry.

This time, Cecelia had raised her left eyebrow- which meant that she was feeling amused by Lero's announcement.

"Now, this is no ordinary test. First, participation is voluntary. Declining to participate will not put you at any disadvantage. Second, a team that has passed this test will be considered to have passed all tests. This means that if you pass this test, you'll be granted permission to climb the Tower to its next level." Lero explained, surprising everyone.

~~~ Time Skip ~~~

"The game that you'll be playing is The Crown Game. Simply put, you'll be stealing the Crown from each other. Your time limit is five minutes. Five teams will participate at once, and the game will be split into five rounds. A member of the team that has acquired the crown must wear it and stay sitting in the chair until the game ends. If they're able to defend it to the end, then the other four teams are defeated. Then four new teams will enter, and the second round will begin. The game ends the moment the person with the crown leaves the chair. If that happens, all five teams will be swapped out, and the game will resume. The team in possession of the crown at the end of the final game wins." Lero explained.

"So winning early only hurts you," Koon stated.

"Exactly. But if you delay your participation because of the risks, then the game may end without you ever participating. Also, a team from another testing area will be partaking-"

"They reek of blood." Cecelia cut in, her blood-red eyes glowing with something that made me want to run away.

"So be shrouded in that much scent... they must've killed at least two hundred people. And very recently, too. I wonder... if you'll be able to provide me with some entertainment?" She continued, the room becoming thick with tension.

As I followed her gaze to the cell where the new team was, I noticed a young woman- with blond hair... a pink dress... and a red sash around her waist. Everything froze around me.

Lahel?

2.6 pages, 878 words