The lights of that night shimmered all around me. In the dawn of autumns that had lost their spring, I leaned my hand on my knees in a desolate realm. In a silver-colored sphere, countless cards were being endlessly shuffled by an unseen hand. It was the only way out of the cinema hall. I was trapped here, and awful as it was, I missed home. Not my mother or father — just school. The semi-tyranny I had built there. A kind of confidence came to mind that once seemed perfect in my eyes. But what had gone so wrong in my previous life that I had ended up in the cinema hall in the first place? I wasn't mistaken — my instincts were screaming the truth. This was my second time entering that cinema.
Even if I hadn't felt that way at first, not until I sensed his warmth... his eyes...
I wanted to remember more details from the past, fragments or clues, but I failed. My hands hung at my sides like decorative figurines.
"There are still so many things I can't remember," I said, speaking to Ayaz's back. My fists remained clenched. Cotton-colored feathers began to fall from the ceiling. After brushing against my hair and cheeks, they dropped right at my feet.
I knew he wouldn't respond. Because there were things he didn't want me to know. The way he turned his back on me with such familiarity and walked away — it screamed of it. After his silent steps disappeared into the elevator and the doors slammed shut, I drifted into thought. My first task was to find the door marked with an X. Or rather, I noticed it as I walked straight ahead. Inside, the man in the white suit asked for a full-body scan and handed me a barcode.
23 hours and 30 minutes remaining.
I had to search for the answers myself.
I kept thinking about that silver sphere. The papers I had drawn from it. The host's voice echoing in my mind: "Two papers will be selected, and all other possibilities eliminated." Even the lights that struck my forehead and triggered my migraine felt desolate. Everything reminded me of that gloomy hall, the screaming people, and the spinning sphere before me. I froze in that memory, dazed. As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked the barcode again. Yes, time was flowing normally. The only thing not moving forward was my mind — stuck in place despite the passing minutes.
I descended the floor using the stairs. The writings, photos, and ad posters on the walls pressed down on me like a dark spirit. Countless points of roughness covered every inch of the wall like grains of sand. As each one pulled my gaze in a different direction, I witnessed my own eyes being dragged from one spot to another. On the poster — the faintest one — I saw an image that made me stop.
Probability Elimination Game.
As soon as I murmured the phrase "Probability Elimination," countless gears began turning inside my brain, intertwining with one another. The reflection of two white cards placed in a silver ashtray filled my eyes. I had made a choice that night — I remembered. It was something the ones trapped here were forced to do every night. But now, more was needed.
I continued examining the entire poster. Even while on the stairs, I reached out toward the board. Just below where the tack pierced the paper, my finger felt a raised bump.
Unable to resist the curiosity burning inside me, I quickly looked around and then bent the edge of the brochure just slightly. Beneath it was another image. It had to be an older ad. I swiftly gathered the tacks into my hand and stared at the hidden poster underneath.
"Winners of the Permanent Probability Elimination Game…"
My gaze halted on a photo sliding downward…
It was me.
Me?
The tacks slipped from my hand. I snatched the poster, folded it, and shoved it into my skirt pocket. I was breathing heavily. A heavy weight settled inside me. Lost in confusion, I felt tears pooling in my eyes, blurring my vision. The weight in my heart was almost narcotic in its numbness. My muscles melted like ice cubes abandoned under the sun. With trembling fingers, I took out the crumpled brochure again.
The date showed four years ago. 2021.
The year I had started high school.
Why had I come here?
How had I won that game?
In the Probability Elimination Game, two cards are drawn from the spinning sphere and placed into the silver ashtray without looking at what's written on them. When the cards are revealed, both outcomes become real, but the one with the higher probability becomes permanent. For example, if one card says "illness" and the other says "death," the person both becomes ill and dies. But whichever probability is higher — that's the permanent trait. If death has the higher chance, death becomes the lasting effect. If illness has the higher chance, then illness stays.
That's why it's called the Permanent Probability Elimination Game.Just as it said on the poster.
Players must eliminate all incorrect possibilities by pure chance.
I wanted to remember more about the past. That's why I decided to enter a match to earn the Memory Trait. I just wanted to think a little longer. Then eat some ramen. And right after that, curl up under a warm blanket and sleep deeply.
But before doing any of that, I needed to clear my head.So, I had to make a few friends.
After a long journey, pushing the limits of my memory in search of the cafeteria, I followed the scent of food through a doorway and looked at the half-filled tables. People were eating alone in a strangely robotic way. I kept walking, and after seeing their furrowed brows and mechanical chewing, I realized my hopes were dashed. Still, it wasn't a good enough excuse to skip eating.
I looked up at the food posters hanging behind the counter.Hamburgers, mixed or cheese pizzas, meatballs, veggie salads, Russian salad, toast...As the endless list stretched out, I took a deep breath. At least the menu looked pretty normal.Seeing spaghetti at the very bottom, I walked over happily. But wait...How was I going to pay for it?
I didn't have a single coin or credit on me.As I approached the counter, a woman in black pants and a t-shirt came up and asked:
"What would you like to have?"
"I-I… Spaghetti," I stammered.
"I see. How many points do you have?"
"Points?"
"You don't know? Every trait you win gives you 100 points. Every trait you lose takes away 100 points. The system works in hundreds — you either have points or you don't. I'm guessing you're new here."
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment at how quickly she had figured it out. I nodded.
"Alright. You can check your point balance at the terminal across from you," she said — surprisingly kind compared to everyone else here.
"Thank you," I whispered and turned toward the computer.I figured I'd confirm how I had exactly -100 points. What else could it show?
A yellow light appeared on the screen. Below the panel, a body scan flashed up. As I turned toward the camera, my body transformed into a silhouette — like a ghost.
"Your balance is: 100."
I almost vomited.How was this possible?I had lost every single game I played.
I quickly clicked into the account notification tab and saw the message:
"100 points transferred to your account by @a."
I froze.Ayaz?The letter "A"... who else would transfer points to someone?
Why was he doing this?What had happened between us in the past?Why would he give me these nearly-impossible-to-win points?
I turned back around.The woman told me spaghetti cost 20 points — and I couldn't hold back anymore.My stomach ached from hunger. Sharp pains stabbed through my gut like knives.Within seconds, the spaghetti was ready.The woman handed me a point card, standard for first-time shoppers, and asked for a few of my details during the process. Honestly, being here didn't feel that different from standing in line at a government office. The attendant asked necessary questions in a monotone voice, and I gave simple answers.
Now I was sitting at a nearby table with my plate of spaghetti.Even though my mind was in turmoil, my hands moved fast. The noodles stretched and clung to the chopsticks.Before I even realized how much I'd eaten, my stomach was completely full.
Then a sharp alarm sounded.
"Matches are about to begin. Ayaz Aydın and Tuna Şahin."
Ayaz Aydın.As soon as I heard the name, I shoved my chair back and was on my feet in a split second.He was going to play a match?!
I quickly grabbed my card off the table, stuffed it into my pocket, and hurried out of the cafeteria. I ran down the stairs.
But right at that moment, my foot caught on one of the steps.I felt the weight of my body shift.My heart pounded like crazy.The stairs blurred.
My thoughts faded into a thick fog.And then I felt it — my head slammed into something hard.I could feel warm blood sliding down my forehead.I couldn't move.I was drifting between wakefulness and sleep.My consciousness slipped away like a meteor.
All that remained… was a spiral drawn in a single thin line.
When I woke up, I found myself tangled in a nest of staircases.There was a bandage wrapped around my head. The pain had dulled.I tried to remember everything. But all I could recall was going down the stairs. Nothing else remained.
From an unknown space between the staircases, a door creaked open and a doctor entered.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice stern and serious.
"I-I..." I looked for the barcode on my arm, but it wasn't there."What time is it?"
"Your barcode is in the drawer," he said, opening it and pulling out my timer-coded barcode."If that's what you're looking for, you have exactly 13 hours left."
"13 hours?"
"Yes. Isn't that enough? Fortunately, you didn't hit your head too hard.We scanned your brain and didn't see anything suspicious. So you can continue your life normally."
"But… I… I don't remember anything. Just the moment I fell down the stairs."
The doctor furrowed his thick brows."Really?"
"Yes, I feel unclear. Like everything that ties me to my past has been severed."
"Must be the effect of the Stair Headquarters."
"Stair Headquarters?" I asked, surprised. "What's that?"
"Here, memories tend to overlap.If the confusion persists after you leave, you likely experienced temporary memory loss."
Despite the casual way he spoke, I lifted myself from the bed and glanced at the exit he had just used. Above the door, colored orb-shaped lights blinked. Each one shone like a star in the dark.
I hoped it was something unique to this place only.
I stepped outside.Barely avoided bumping my shoulder into the doorframe.I felt dizzy. As soon as I stepped beyond the threshold of the stair headquarters, I realized… nothing had changed.
I took another step.No. Maybe I was still under the influence of that stair-bound space.Whatever it was!But the more I walked, the more it stayed the same.
Feeling helpless and unsure of what to do, I passed through the rotating oval door in front of me.
As soon as I exited, the fog in my head cleared.I took a deep breath.The doctor had been right.
I looked at the barcode on my arm.At that moment, I heard a girl crying in the distance.Something about the tone felt familiar — and that unsettled me.I turned toward the sound.
A girl was on her knees, her hands pressed against the ground. Her curly hair fell over her face, hiding her completely.
I walked toward her. My breath quickened.I felt a pang of sadness just seeing her like that.
"Are you okay? Hey?"
Suddenly, her sobs stopped.Her hair fell to the sides.
And when I saw her face — I collapsed backward onto my hips.
"Zenan."