The body was still warm.
Kairo stood at the edge of the blood puddle, staring down at the girl with pink hair — the one who had smirked, cursed, and volunteered to die. Her eyes were open, glassy. The dart still protruded from her neck like a cruel afterthought.
No scream. No fanfare. Just silence and rot.
The rest of Class D filed out of the trial room like ghosts, pale and quiet. Some refused to look. Some walked faster, trying to outrun the sight.
No one cried.
No one dared.
"Back to your rooms," said the disembodied voice. "Your next trial will be posted by nightfall."
The doors slammed shut behind them.
In the hallway, Kairo leaned against the cold wall, stomach turning.
It had all happened so fast.
One name. One press. One death.
He barely remembered voting. Barely remembered his own hand moving. Had he condemned her?
"You okay?" a voice asked.
He looked up.
Not Aria. Another girl — dark brown skin, short choppy curls, soft eyes. Her name tag read #5 — Leina.
"You looked like you were gonna pass out," she said gently.
"I'm fine," he lied.
She smiled faintly. "Liar."
Kairo looked around. The others were already drifting toward their rooms. Doors clicked shut like coffin lids.
"You knew her?" he asked.
Leina shook her head. "No. But we will all be her eventually, won't we?"
The words chilled him.
Before he could answer, Aria walked by — calm as ever, hands in her pockets, whistling a tune that didn't belong in a place like this.
"Don't get too sentimental, Kairo," she called over her shoulder. "There's nineteen of us left, remember?"
He watched her disappear down the hallway, the light flickering as she passed.
Back in his room, Kairo sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the blood-smeared ID band on his wrist. The number 17 pulsed softly, red against silver.
His monitor lit up.
Trial Complete. Student #14 – Eliminated.Remaining Students: 19.
Underneath that, new text appeared:
Trial 2: Posted at 22:00.Rest, eat, or prepare.Observation is ongoing.
He looked up at the camera in the corner of his room. A soft red light blinked. Watching. Always watching.
Kairo didn't rest.
He paced. He thought. He relived every second of the trial, every scream, every decision.
What had he missed?
Why that specific outcome?
And why did Aria seem to understand everything before it even happened?
Was she playing the system?
Or was she part of it?
His eyes landed on the corner of the desk, where his envelope still sat — the one with the Headmaster's wax seal, now broken.
He opened it again.
Inside, something he hadn't noticed before: a second card, thinner than paper. It shimmered faintly under the light.
Student 17. Class D. Status: Fragmented. Potential: Unknown.
And below that, a strange mark — a black circle ringed by sharp red lines. It pulsed once.
His wristband vibrated.
BEEP.
System Notice:Student 17 – Latent Trait Detected.Classification: Suppressed.
Kairo blinked.
"Trait?" he whispered aloud.
The screen glitched.
Just for a second.
The blood on his ID bracelet darkened — and vanished. The stain simply dissolved, as if pulled into the metal.
He stumbled back.
"What the hell..."
A knock at the door.
He quickly stuffed the card back into the envelope.
Aria stood there.
"I brought snacks," she said, holding two sealed ration bars and a small bottle of water. "Unless you'd rather keep feeding the walls your anxiety."
He didn't answer. She let herself in.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Nothing," she replied, tossing a bar at him. "Well, maybe entertainment."
She sat on his bed like she owned it. Her eyes flicked to the screen.
"Did it show you the second trial yet?"
"No."
"Good. I hate spoilers."
Kairo sat down across from her.
"Why are you really here?"
Aria smirked. "You're interesting. Most people fold. But you didn't. You hesitated, yeah — but you didn't panic. You spoke up. That's rare."
"I didn't save anyone either," he muttered.
She tilted her head. "You will."
He looked at her. "What do you mean?"
Her smile didn't fade, but her eyes sharpened.
"This place isn't just about survival. It's about transformation. Some people break. Some people bloom. I'm betting you're the second type."
"You don't even know me."
"I know what you looked like when she died," Aria said. "You looked human. Most of them didn't."
Kairo swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Do you think we're all supposed to kill each other?"
"I think," she said softly, "we're supposed to make it easy for them."
At 22:00 sharp, the screen glowed again.
Trial 2:"Pairs. Trust is Optional."Classroom D – 08:00.Survivors Required: 18
Kairo felt his blood run cold.
There were 19 of them now.
This meant one wouldn't make it out of the next trial.
He turned to Aria.
"Pairs."
She grinned. "Looks like you've got a dance partner."
"I didn't ask for one."
"You don't get to choose in here," she said. "But if I were you… I'd choose someone before someone chooses you."