Morning in Helvetia was a lie.
The light that crept over the frozen wasteland carried no warmth—only clarity. It revealed what the night had hidden: blood-stained snow, half-buried corpses, shattered equipment, and footprints that ended abruptly where lives had ended.
Leena stood still, scanning the terrain.
Her breath no longer burned the same way it had the night before. The system's reward had settled into her body quietly, like a predator learning its new strength.
Cold still existed.
But it no longer ruled her.
Behind her, Mara stirred.
She had survived.
Barely.
Wrapped in torn insulation fabric, her face pale and eyes red from silent crying, she pushed herself upright. When she realized she was alive, her shoulders shook—not from cold this time, but from relief.
Then her eyes found the bodies.
Jonah.
Reece.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Leena didn't stop her.
Grief was part of survival. Suppressing it too early only made it rot inside.
After a long moment, Mara whispered, "Why… why us?"
Leena answered honestly.
"Because we didn't run."
Mara looked up at her.
Something changed in her eyes then.
Trust hardened into loyalty.
Not admiration.
Not hero worship.
Dependence.
Leena felt it—and accepted it.
High above, inside Helvetia's control center, Viktor Kane watched the same scene from three angles.
"She adapted faster than projected," Iris said, adjusting data streams. "Her vitals stabilized before dawn."
Ash smirked. "Most of them break on night one. She got stronger."
Viktor's artificial eye glowed faintly as he zoomed in on Leena's face.
"No," he corrected."She chose."
He turned slightly toward the console.
"Prepare Phase Two," he ordered."Direct contact."
Iris hesitated. "Already? That risks—"
"I want to see what she does when the enemy isn't ambiguous," Viktor said calmly."When it has a face."
Back on the ice field, a low mechanical hum rolled across the wasteland.
Leena stiffened.
Mara grabbed her arm. "Do you hear that?"
"Yes."
The sound grew louder.
Then—
The ground shook.
A massive steel structure rose from beneath the snow about two hundred meters away, ice cracking and collapsing as floodlights ignited. A reinforced gate slid open with a heavy clang.
A speaker activated.
Static.
Then a voice—deep, cold, unmistakably human.
"Attention remaining trainees."
Leena's jaw tightened.
Viktor Kane.
"You have survived the first filter," the voice continued. "Congratulations. Survival, however, does not equal worth."
Figures began to emerge from the structure.
Armed.
Armored.
Human.
A squad of trainees—those who had survived in other sectors—were being herded together.
Leena counted quickly.
Twelve.
Including her and Mara.
They were forced into a wide circle, weapons confiscated, hands visible. Armed guards stood elevated around them.
The gate closed behind them.
The trap was complete.
Viktor's voice echoed again.
"Phase Two is simple," he said."Trust."
A screen flickered to life above them, displaying a map of the island.
"One of you," Viktor continued, "has already failed."
The screen zoomed in on a red marker.
"A traitor," he said calmly. "Someone who has been feeding information. Sabotaging routes. Redirecting threats."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Fear ignited.
Mara's fingers tightened around Leena's sleeve.
"That's not true," someone shouted. "You're lying!"
Viktor chuckled softly.
"Am I?"
The screen shifted again.
A short clip played—grainy, night-vision footage.
A man slipping away from a shelter.
Activating a signal device.
Speaking quietly into it.
Gasps erupted.
Leena's eyes narrowed.
She recognized him.
Derek.
A broad-shouldered man who had pretended to be helpful. Who had suggested routes. Who had always stayed just far enough from danger.
Derek's face drained of color.
"That's fake!" he yelled. "You can fake anything!"
Viktor's voice cut in sharply.
"You have ten minutes."
A pause.
"Kill him," Viktor said."Or I kill all of you."
Silence slammed into the group like a physical blow.
Ten minutes began counting down on the screen.
Mara shook her head frantically. "No—no—this is insane. We can't—"
Leena didn't speak.
She watched.
People argued.
Accused.
Backed away.
Derek dropped to his knees.
"Please," he begged. "I didn't know it would be like this. They said it was just data—"
Leena felt something cold settle in her chest.
So it was true.
The countdown hit six minutes.
A trainee lunged suddenly.
Chaos exploded.
Two people fought.
Another screamed.
A guard fired a warning shot into the air.
Leena stepped forward.
The guards didn't stop her.
Viktor had already given permission.
Mara grabbed her arm. "Leena—don't. There has to be another way."
Leena turned.
Her eyes were calm.
"There isn't," she said quietly.
She walked toward Derek.
He crawled backward, tears freezing on his cheeks.
"I didn't kill anyone," he sobbed. "I swear—"
Leena stopped in front of him.
"You redirected patrol routes," she said. "You led Evan into the fissure. You caused Reece to run."
His eyes widened.
She knew.
"You didn't pull the trigger," Leena continued. "But you chose who would die."
She reached down and picked up a fallen knife from the snow.
Mara cried out, "Leena—please!"
Leena paused for half a second.
Not in doubt.
In acceptance.
This wasn't revenge.
This wasn't rage.
This was survival—of the many over the one.
She looked up briefly.
At the cameras.
At Viktor.
Then back at Derek.
"This is my choice," she said.
And she ended it.
Blood spread across the ice—dark, shocking against the white.
Derek's body fell still.
The countdown stopped at three minutes.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Permanent.
Mara collapsed to her knees, sobbing.
Leena stood over the body, her hands steady, her breathing controlled.
Inside her mind—
Ding.
Condition Met: First Human Kill (Voluntary)Psychological Stability: PassedSystem Adaptation: Increased
She felt it—not guilt, not relief.
Clarity.
Above, Viktor Kane watched closely.
For the first time, his expression changed.
Not satisfaction.
Interest.
"She didn't hesitate," Iris said quietly.
Viktor nodded. "No. She chose."
He turned away from the screens.
"Mark her," he said."She's no longer just a trainee."
Ash whistled softly. "You're grooming her."
Viktor smiled faintly.
"No," he replied."I'm testing whether she'll one day be able to kill me."
Back on the ice, guards stepped back.
Weapons were returned.
The survivors were dismissed.
Mara stumbled to her feet and clung to Leena, shaking.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
Leena placed a hand on her shoulder.
"So am I," she said honestly.
Then she looked out across Helvetia—at the endless ice, the buried ruins, the place designed to erase the weak.
Blood stained the ground beneath her boots.
And she did not step away from it.