The air dropped ten degrees as the figure stepped into the corridor.
No system alarm announced its presence.
No buzz on the wristbands.
No card floated above its head.
It simply was.
Tall. Draped in black. Skin like wax. Face—
No.
No face at all.
Not burned away, not covered. Simply… not there.
Just a smooth surface where a face should've been. Featureless. Reflective. Like a mirror trying to remember what a human was.
The masks on the wall twisted in panic—some cracked outright, shattering to the ground.
The system reacted next.
ERROR: ENTITY OUTSIDE GAME PARAMETERS DETECTED
CLASS: NULL AVATAR
REASON FOR APPEARANCE: UNKNOWN
Matthew stepped in front of Sora instinctively.
Rin's fingers twitched toward her coat, where no weapon waited.
The figure walked closer.
Its steps didn't echo.
Its presence didn't cast a shadow.
It stopped just in front of them—and tilted its head.
Then it spoke.
Or rather, the room spoke for it.
A chorus of voices. Their own voices.
"YOU SEEK TO BREAK THE RULES."
"YOU WRITE TRUTHS TO ESCAPE."
"YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR ROLE."
Matthew swallowed. "What role?"
The Faceless One tilted its head the other way.
The masks lining the wall all turned inward, watching them. Some smiling. Some screaming.
The voice said:
"IN EVERY GAME, THERE MUST BE A PIECE THAT CANNOT WIN."
"YOU WROTE TRUTHS TO ESCAPE DEATH."
"BUT TRUTH CANNOT SURVIVE HERE."
Sora took a step forward. "So what are you? A punishment?"
The air buzzed.
The figure turned to her—no face, no eyes—and still, she felt it watching her.
"I AM THE REWARD."
Rin's breath caught.
Matthew frowned. "That makes no sense."
The room darkened slightly.
"IF TWO SURVIVE," the voice said, "ONE IS REMOVED."
"BUT IF NONE PLAY—THE SYSTEM COLLAPSES."
"IF YOU WANT OUT… I MUST TAKE ONE."
The Faceless One raised a hand slowly—offering it to them.
One of them.
A trade.
Not violence.
Not betrayal.
A choice.
"OFFER A NAME."
The walls pulsed red.
Their wristbands began to hum.
The corridor would not wait long.
And all three knew: if they refused again, the system might bring something worse than a choice.
It might bring truth.