The next morning—or what passed for morning in the God's Playhouse—the chamber shifted again.
There was no sun here, no sky, no real time. The walls simply dimmed to a cool silver, and the glowing beds vanished beneath their feet. A humming pulse filled the air, as if the building itself had a heartbeat.
Kayaks sat cross-legged, watching others shuffle around groggily. Some were already forming little groups, whispering names, trying to guess what kind of powers or strategies might be useful.
He noticed something else: the ones who had ranked higher in the first game seemed to naturally draw attention. The girl with short white braids—Rank 03—stood confidently near the center. Her name was *Lena Valis*, and she had solved the Mirror Maze in under five minutes. Rumor said she didn't even flinch when her own father crawled out of a mirror, eyes bleeding.
Then there was the silent one—Rank 01—*Torran*. Barefoot, hooded, always with his eyes half-closed like he was dreaming. No one had seen him fight. He just *arrived* at the flame, like it was nothing. The whispers around him weren't friendly. They were scared.
Kayaks wasn't scared of him. Not yet.
"Still Heart," a voice said beside him. "That's your trait, right?"
It was Eli, sipping something that looked like liquid metal from a floating cup.
"You have a nice poker face. You always like that, or was it the fear immunity?"
"Maybe both," Kayaks said, standing.
They walked together as the chamber reformed into a wide white hall, each step triggering symbols under their feet. The doll had not reappeared yet, but everyone knew what was coming.
> Another game.
"Did you hear the rumors?" Eli said. "That there's more than one way to win? Not just 'games'—but alliances, sabotage, betrayals. That some of us are being... watched."
"By who?" Kayaks asked.
"Not sure. Maybe the one who made the Playhouse."
"Maybe they're already among us."
Eli snorted. "You sound like a creepypasta."
But something lingered in the air—something sharp and expectant.
Then the doll descended again.
This time, it didn't smile.
---
> "Contestants, welcome to the **Second Game.**"
> "Before we begin, please step forward and choose a door."
Suddenly, a hundred doors appeared in rows. Each bore a different symbol—flames, eyes, waves, swords, books, stars, and more.
"Choose a door?" Eli frowned. "What does it mean?"
"Classes," Lena Valis said calmly, walking past them. "Power alignments. Traits. It's the beginning of the divine system."
Without hesitation, she touched the door with the **Eye** symbol. It glowed and pulled her in.
Contestants followed, one by one.
"Pick wisely," Eli muttered. "Or die fast."
---
Kayaks stood in front of the doors.
His hand hovered between two—**Shadow** and **Soul.**
One promised deception, stealth, silence.
The other... something deeper. Memory. Emotion. Pain.
He reached for **Soul.**
The moment his fingers touched it, he was yanked into a different realm.
---
The Soul Room was quiet. Cold.
He floated in a field of stars, surrounded by memories—not just his, but echoes of the others. Screams. Laughter. Cries for help.
Then a voice boomed.
> "You are the soul-bearers. The keepers of scars and hope."
A shape emerged—a tall figure cloaked in blue flame.
> "All gods are built on the stories of mortals. To walk this path, you must know your own."
> "You have five minutes. Face yourself."
Then Kayaks was alone.
A mirror rose before him—not like the ones from the maze. This one didn't reflect his body.
It reflected his *truth*.
He saw himself at seven, hiding in the back of a trash bin, arms around his sister as their mother's voice called faintly, already fading from this world.
He saw the night he ran from a gang of teens trying to light his makeshift bed on fire.
He saw the first time he stole food—and the first time he gave food to someone else.
He watched, breathless.
"I'm not... strong," he whispered. "Not like them."
> "Not yet," the mirror replied.
Then it shattered—and a small crystal floated before him.
> **Trait Obtained: Soul Memory.**
>
> * Description: Can absorb emotional echoes and convert them into temporary energy or insight.
> * Passive: Resistant to despair effects.
> * Unique Ability (Locked)
He blinked, and the chamber faded.
---
Back in the arena, the contestants reappeared one by one—changed.
Some had glowing arms, animalistic eyes, elemental auras. Some collapsed. One boy screamed as his body couldn't contain the power he'd tried to claim.
He vanished in a burst of static.
> "Thirteen failed the Awakening," the doll said, unmoved.
> "Eighty-seven remain."
"Guess it wasn't just picking a door," Eli muttered beside Kayaks. His door had the **Mind** symbol, and now strange mathematical runes circled his head like lazy satellites.
"Feel smarter?" Kayaks asked.
"I feel like I can *hear* equations screaming," Eli said. "It's awful."
Kayaks gave a small smile. "Could be worse. You could hear *your own past*."
The doll clapped its porcelain hands.
> "Now begins the **Second Game: Trial of Choice.**"
---
The arena reshaped again—this time into a massive circular stage, with six floating islands, each representing a moral dilemma.
One island had two cages—one with a friend, one with an enemy. Only one could be saved.
Another had a creature crying in pain beside a pile of treasure.
Another showed a group of children, about to fall unless someone took their place.
> "Each of you will face one trial. Your choice will determine not only survival... but the kind of god you might become."
> "Fail to choose… and you vanish."
The contestants were pulled toward random trials. Kayaks landed on the island with the friend and the enemy.
He blinked. Eli was in one cage. And in the other—
The boy who had burned his sleeping mat, years ago. Kayaks still had scars on his foot.
> "Only one can live."
Eli looked at him, wide-eyed. "I didn't even *do* anything yet!"
Kayaks didn't hesitate.
He reached toward Eli's cage.
Then stopped.
"What kind of god chooses based on what people did to *him*?" he whispered.
He turned to the other boy.
"You have a chance. One chance. Change."
Then he raised both hands.
"I choose neither. I give up my spot. Let them both go."
The island trembled.
> "Invalid choice," the voice said.
But before Kayaks could vanish, something flickered in the air.
The mirror from the Soul Room returned—splintered, but present.
> "Override: Soul Path Judgment Confirmed."
Both cages opened.
> **Trait Upgrade: Still Heart → Unyielding Soul.**
>
> * Immunity to fear and moral illusion effects.
> * New Ability: *Soul Echo* – Share your willpower with nearby allies for a short time.
He gasped as the trial island dissolved.
Back in the arena, a few looked at him differently now. Some with curiosity. Some with envy. Some with fear.
"Who even *are* you?" Lena Valis asked, stepping toward him.
"Someone nobody saw coming," Eli said, patting Kayaks on the shoulder.
---
That night, the arena was quiet again.
Only seventy-three remained.
Kayaks sat on the edge of the arena, feet dangling over a chasm of stars.
He didn't know how many more games they'd face.
Didn't know who to trust.
But now\... he wasn't drifting anymore.
He was rowing.
Toward something.
And for the first time, the name "Kayaks" didn't feel like a curse.
It felt like a beginning.
---
**End of Chapter 2**