All the participants had gathered on Ryujima Island.
Which sounds almost like "all the condemned have come to the execution." But frankly, with this weather, an execution would have looked even warmer.
The game was supposed to begin as soon as the mistress of the mansion appeared before all the players.
But, as often happens with "supposed to," things didn't go according to plan.
Two people had arrived on the island.
Two. Instead of one. Is that normal? Or would that too be quite in the spirit of such a game, where the rules are broken from the very start? Or was this actually according to the rules, you just didn't know them? Or… or… or.
And while the four participants stood in an awkward square of bewilderment, Tiamut, of course, was the first to come to life.
Without warning, without a pause, without an internal monologue.
She simply ran.
Straight towards the stranger who was standing next to a guy who looked like a typical high schooler from an anime: soaked to the bone and with an expression on his face as if he'd just been given an 'F' for life.
— It's you… — Tiamut exhaled, and an avalanche of words poured from her lips. — I couldn't even imagine! Well, I could. But not here! I'm so glad... Why are you here? You... you are participating too?
And all this in one breath. She hugged him, not letting go with her hands or her words. Hugs of the "too many feelings not to touch" level.
— Shhh, — he whispered. — Now is not the time. Nor the place. And just, quieter. We'll talk later, everyone is looking at us. And... they might misunderstand.
— Ah! Right! — she jumped back as if remembering gravity. — I completely forgot about them when I saw you!
— And one more thing. You can use "you" "informal" . There's no need for formalities here.
There's no need for anything here except trying to survive. But more on that later.
The two of them sat on the free sofa. The second sofa. The one opposite the others.
As if preparing for an interrogation. Or a trial.
— Alright, I suggest we start by stating our names, — began one of the seated men. His voice held something tired and resolute. — It's awkward, you know, to look at a person you haven't met before. I'll start. Yahweh.
— Hov, — the second one responded shortly.
— Aragi, — said the third. And added in an almost apologetic tone. — Pleased to meet you. Although I'm a bit in shock, so many famous faces. Didn't expect that.
— Enua, — the fourth grumbled gloomily. — I think some of you have no need for my name. Just as I have no need for yours.
Enua's eyes stopped on the new participant. For a long time. Heavily. As if he recognized someone in him. Or didn't recognize him, and that was worse.
— Kamiki, — the latter said in response, as if reading his thoughts.
— Tia…
The door to the living room opened. And then… a fanfare of silence.
Cheryl and Morgana entered. Behind them — a woman with golden hair and a dress from the medieval era.
— Attention to all participants! — Cheryl boomed. — The Mistress has arrived!
And, as if on command, as if someone had pressed a collective "STAND UP" button, everyone rose. Instinctively. Without resistance. Even those who hadn't planned to stand up.
Because before them stood she.
With a cane in her hand and an expression on her face that said "I'm not just the mistress. I'm a witch."
— I welcome you, — she said with a light smile that promised nothing light. — As you may have guessed, I am the mistress of the island, Mariana. All six participants are finally assembled. And now, please, introduce yourselves and tell me why you have come.
And they began to speak.
One after another.
— My name is Yahweh. I came here to fulfill a wish. The one I didn't have time to realize in my life.
«Yes, I died. Yes, that didn't stop me from having wishes. Yes, here at least one of us is definitely a fan of tragedies».
— Enua. A wish, death. The past.
«Same as the others, only gloomier. And with less enthusiasm».
He said it as if he had already lost. Even though the game hadn't begun.
— Hov. I came for the same reason. Except that my wish is not just a dream, but revenge. Or, to be more precise, a desperate attempt to understand why someone who shouldn't have died, died.
«Yes, I was brought here not by life, but by death. Which in itself sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. Or a game».
— My name is Tiamut! — her voice sounded almost cheerful in contrast. Almost too cheerful. — And I… don't know why I'm here.
And… unexpectedly added:
— But after he appeared, I understood that my presence is not a mistake. It's fate.
She straightened up as if about to deliver a speech from a podium.
— And I will fight for him. So that he wins.
At this point, even the air in the room tilted from the tension.
— O-ho-ho, — Mariana drawled with a slight, very slight smirk. — Quite interesting. To fight not for yourself, but for another? In my game?
She laughed quietly.
— Ykh-khykh-khykh, — unusually. Impractically.
She clearly liked it.
— Kamiki, — the next one responded. — I am here to fulfill a cherished dream. And...
He fell silent. Not because he didn't want to speak. But because his gaze met hers.
Mariana's. The Mistress's. The Witch's.
He didn't look away.
She didn't either.
— I suppose it's my turn, — the last participant sighed.
— Aragi. You already know why I'm here. I suppose explaining to you is like explaining to a director how the film he himself made begins.
He shrugged.
— I don't think there's a need for details.
— Perfect, — said the witch.
She spoke as if announcing the end of the world. Calmly, smoothly, even a bit ceremoniously.
— Then… let's begin.
A pause. Not a dramatic one. Just… a pause.
— I declare our Great Game open.
She clapped her hands. No lights, no fireworks, no fanfares. Just her voice.
— Ryujima Island exists only once in an eternity. And each time with one goal. If after six days at least one participant survives, the game is considered completed. And the one who survives… will get an answer. One.
— And the fulfillment of one wish. Any wish. From me.
Here her voice became soft. Almost tender.
— Of course, your task is to stay alive until the end. Or… to kill me.
— Yes-yes, it's simple. Kill the witch and win.
She inclined her head as if telling a fairy tale to children.
— In other words… this is a game to the death.
Silence. Again.
But now not awkward. Terrifying. It dawned on everyone.
Six participants, one winner. The rest are extras. Or corpses.
This wasn't a game of survival. This was a game of making everyone else lose.
— And now… — she bowed. Deeply, as if she had just given a concert. — Allow me to take my leave. The rules are simple, kill each other… or die together. In any case, you will not defeat me, the great, almighty, divinely cruel witch of Ryujima!
Ahaha-hah-haha-gkhh!!
She disappeared. Or rather, she walked out, like an ordinary person.
But the effect was that of a disappearance.
— Damn it! — Yahweh was the first to snap. He grabbed his head as if it was about to fly away.— I knew there would be something strange here… but to this extent?
"Playing" to the death sounds like a very crude metaphor for life. Or a very accurate one.
— To force us to kill each other, — Hov muttered. — This is madness. I have no intention of spilling a comrade's blood. Especially not someone I fought side by side with…
He stopped short because at that moment, as if on cue, someone entered the dialogue.
— And what about me? — a voice said calmly, almost elegantly. — I am the one you fought then. And against. The one you called your worst enemy. The one because of whom your allies died.
Enua. The words in his mouth sounded not like a confession, but like a fact filed away in an archive.
— Now is not the time to talk about the past, —Yahweh replied coldly. — Yes, you were our enemy. Perhaps you still are.
— But the witch wants us to remember that. To let it divide us.
— A convenient tactic, don't you think?
— So, the witch will truly fight against us, — Kamiki said.
He didn't look surprised. He looked… like a person who had already read the script.
— There were supposed to be five of us, — Hov remarked. — Where did you come from?
He looked at Kamiki like an extra line in a will.
— Yes, — Kamiki replied calmly. — I am the sixth. Apparently, the rules changed. Or maybe they were never clear from the beginning. Who knows?
He shrugged. His voice held neither challenge nor fear. Only indifference mixed with politeness.
— That's not the main thing now, — he continued. — Now it's important to think about how to survive the night.
And then, the thing no one expected, but everyone accepted. Splitting into groups.
— Of course, maybe it's not the best idea… — Hov began. — But there's no other choice.
— Enua is our enemy. We don't know the others at all, — Yahweh added.
— Anyone could turn out to be the killer.
— Especially those who are silent for too long. Or speak too smoothly.
They were speaking aloud, but their voices sounded like thoughts.
«Our plan with Yahweh is simple. We split into groups. In the first group are him and me. We trust each other. That's something already, the second is Tiamut and Kamiki, she rushed to him as if to salvation, so she trusts him. Well, the third… Enua and Aragi, the strangest, they are strangers to each other. And to us. That's where all the interesting things will start. If they start.»
And they will start. That's the point of the witch's game.
— What about the servants? — Hov asked, as if remembering a forgotten file. — Remember, Gerudo said he's been working the longest? Even longer than Cheryl and Morgana.
— We can't trust them, — Yahweh answered. — They could be her spies. Or part of the game.
And so again, doubt. Not only among the players, but between them and… everything else.
The servants. The house. The witch. Everything is suspicious, even the air.
They said five participants. But there turned out to be six. Who's to say the seventh player isn't someone in an apron?
The clock showed ten.
The living room was still full. No one was leaving.
Not because they didn't want to, but because they were afraid to be the first to leave.
Cheryl and Morgana were still at their posts. Yahweh and Hov were discussing something,the others were silent. Or pretending to be.
And finally, a voice.
— Aragi… right? — Enua addressed him. — You and I are in the same group. I think we should get acquainted. Where are you from?
— If I tell you, you won't recognize it, — Aragi shrugged. — Because I'm not from this time.
— Sorry, what?
— I'm from the future, — he said simply. — From one where humanity lost. Where everything is erased. Where only X creatures remain.
— X creatures?
— They have no name. I made it up, they destroyed everything. People, cities, memories. I was born after the end.
Enua fell silent.
— But how do you know us? — he finally asked. — You appeared after we were gone.
— A certain acquaintance… — Aragi smiled. — She knows almost everything. It's convenient. Especially when you're one of the few who survived. I came here not for myself, but for my world.
— Why alone?
— Because it will be better that way. Because… I don't want to see anyone die.
— Hm. Heavy.
— Perhaps, but I'm ready. Even if I die.
Enua, for the first time that evening, looked impressed.
— You… are quite an interesting person, Aragi.
— I'm just doing what I must.
«He is honest. But... honesty here is not an ally, it's a weakness. Or bait.»