All five of us were shocked.But I was the most shocked.
"One minute per player? And eliminate?" I said.
"Are we going to die?" Anita asked."This is crazy. I'm not going inside that stadium. We should stay somewhere safe"
"We can't refuse," Omar said."We have to go there and understand what's happening.If they brought us here against our will, they can do anything.We must stay close and stay focused."
"But she's still not healthy enough to take part in the games," Thiri said, pointing at Geeta.
Omar sighed before replying. "We know that. But we don't have any other options. If we refuse, things could get much worse."
He looked at all of us, his face serious. "We have to go there. If we don't, there will be consequences—consequences we don't understand yet, and that scares me the most."
I stayed silent through the whole conversation. My eyes were fixed on the poster, and my mind wouldn't stop racing. What did one minute per head even mean? What kind of game ends in just five minutes? How were we supposed to play it?
I was still thinking when a sudden sound came from above.
"The game is starting in one minute," a voice announced."Proceed to the stadium and wait for further commands."
We rushed toward the stadium. It was empty, just like before. My mind was filled with questions, but I didn't ask a single one. Typical introverted problem.
As soon as we stepped inside, the voice echoed again, clearer and louder than before.
"Play without hesitation," the voice said."Either work together and eliminate players one by one until only three remain.
If two minutes pass without a single elimination, the system will choose a player on its own and eliminate them.
You may end the game in two minutes by following the rules—or the game will End you."
"I don't understand anything," Anita said."We shouldn't have entered the stadium in the first place. I'm leaving."
"No—don't leave the arena!" Omar shouted.
"I'm tired of these commands," Anita said, just a second before she ran toward the stadium doors.
Omar and Thiri chased after her, trying to stop her. I watched everything in silence—calm or maybe just completely unsure of what to do.
Geeta was still injured, sitting on the ground beside me. She looked up at me and asked softly,"What do you think is going to happen now?"
"I don—" I started, but before I could finish, something happened.
BOOM.
The stadium shook. Smoke and fire burst into the air. I stumbled back, choking on the dust. Panic spread through everyone.
Anita was gone. I could only see her scarf and a few belongings lying on the ground, tossed by the blast. My heart pounded so hard.
Omar and Thiri were screaming, looking at her. I stayed frozen, unsure whether to run or help.
Geeta grabbed my arm. "What do we do now?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
I had no answer. All I could feel was fear—and the terrifying thought that the game had just become real.
My eyes wouldn't close. The blast had been so close, the heat and smoke still burning my skin. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
And deep down, I knew—what had just happened was only the beginning. There were far worse things waiting for us ahead.
Everyone else stood there with their mouths open in shock. I felt dead inside, frozen.
Omar slowly stepped back, and Thiri collapsed to the ground. Omar saw Thiri on the floor, paralyzed with fear, and guided her back to the center.
Now, only four of us remained. We needed to think—and fast.
I glanced at the clock. It was frozen at 4:38. The countdown had started from 5, and because someone had been eliminated, it should've restarted from 4:00. The game would end after another sacrifice.
A chill ran through me. What if they tried to eliminate me next? I was the weakest. The quietest. The most invisible. And maybe, the easiest target.
(Great. Just what I needed. A game where dying quickly is a rule, and I'm the slowest thinker alive. Four minutes and thirty-eight seconds… plenty of time to panic, I guess.)
Just as I was thinking about what I could do to save myself, a sound echoed through the stadium again. The system spoke once more—but this time, it was far more shocking. It said,
"A player has been removed by the system for breaking a major rule.That player has been eliminated by default.
The game will now restart from the beginning.Pick two players to eliminate.
The game… starts… again."
"What? Wait… what?" I stammered, my mind racing.
The countdown had restarted at 5:00. From the very beginning.
I couldn't believe it. I thought we only needed to eliminate one more person—Anita had already… sacrificed herself. But now, her death didn't even count. Some technical rule had erased it, and the game was starting all over again.
And worse… now we had to eliminate two players this time. My chances of surviving had just dropped sharply. My chest tightened, and panic clawed at my mind.
I looked at Omar. His face mirrored my shock, disbelief written all over him.
Then my eyes found Thiri. Her gaze was cold, unblinking, almost empty.
Before I could process anything else…
SHE ATTACKED.
She swung at me, aiming a punch—but I flinched and dodged just in time. (Lucky reflexes, if you ask me)
Omar saw everything. Before she could go for Geeta, who was already hurt, he lunged and brought Thiri down to the ground.
"What's wrong with you?" Omar shouted.
"The game has restarted," Thiri said coldly. "Now two of us have to be eliminated. So why not the weak ones?"She pointed at me, then at Geeta."He—and the injured girl. If they're gone, the rest of us survive. Move, and let me end this quickly."
It was horrible to hear.(And what scared me the most was this—her offer sounded terrifyingly logical)
Fear gripped me. If Omar accepted her offer, Geeta and I would be gone. Just like that.
Omar looked confused, torn between fear and reason. Thiri waited, silent, watching him closely.
After a long second, Omar spoke—
"No. I won't let anyone die here."
(That was the moment I truly understood him. He was strong and bold on the outside, but inside, he was kind—honest in a way that mattered most)
Thiri wasn't happy that her offer was rejected. Her face twisted with anger. She side‑kicked Omar and then ran straight toward me.
Fear took over. I turned and ran toward the cameras. Without thinking, I grabbed a small one and threw it at her face. She caught it. Then she crushed it in her hand, breaking the glass.
She picked out a sharp piece—clear and dangerous—and charged at me again.
My mind went blank. I had no smart plan. For a second, I thought about forcing her out of the arena, but that would mean eliminating everyone else to win. I couldn't do that.
So I ran toward Omar and Geeta.
And Thiri followed.
Geeta pulled a steel scale from her pocket and handed it to Omar."She's losing control," she said. "Eliminate her."
Omar hesitated. He clearly didn't want to do it. Still, he took the scale, snapped it in half, and handed one piece to me.
"For safety," he said quietly.
Then he stepped forward, moving straight toward Thiri to stop her.
The countdown never stopped. I looked up at the clock—3:52. One whole minute was already gone.In another fifty seconds, the system would choose someone on its own. And that terrified me more than anything else.
Geeta looked at me. Her eyes were cold, serious. She didn't say a word—just signaled me to go. To fight.
My chest tightened. I didn't want this. But there was no choice anymore.If we didn't act, the game would.
We had to eliminate Thiri.
I was terrified, but I had to take responsibility. My hands were shaking as I gripped the broken scale and ran toward Thiri. I aimed for her head and charged with all my strength, ready to end it.
But suddenly—the scale vanished.
Not just from my hand.From reality itself.
I stumbled forward, confused, staring at my empty palm. My heart stopped for a second. I didn't understand what had just happened.
Not just from my hand—the scale had vanished from Omar's hands too.
A cold realization hit me. The Rule.Weapons could break, disappear… or even backfire.
Fear gripped me tighter. Whatever we thought we could control, the game could take away in an instant.
"Damn it—why now?" I thought. It was so close. Just one second away.
Thiri took that chance. She slammed me to the ground, shoved Omar aside, and rushed straight toward Geeta.
(Wow… weak enough to get body‑slammed by a girl. That's me.Great resume skill right here—Expert at being thrown around by teenage girls)
I forced myself up and jumped at her. This time, I managed to stop her. I grabbed her and brought her down—but she struck back with her elbow, hit me hard, and broke free.
Omar didn't hesitate. He punched her in the mouth.She screamed, then charged and slammed him to the ground.
I stood up again, ready to do anything—but before I could move, she started swinging the sharp glass wildly in every direction.
I backed away, breathing hard, my heart pounding.
She turned her gaze toward me, and for a moment, I braced myself, ready to fight with everything I had left. But then, in an instant, her attention shifted. Without warning, she lunged at Geeta with terrifying speed. Before anyone could even react, Geeta collapsed. The movement was so quick, so precise, that she didn't even have a chance to defend herself.
I stood frozen, my heart hammering in my chest. Omar looked on in horror, his face pale, almost as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. The world seemed to slow down, every sound muffled except for the pounding of my own heartbeat.
I stole a glance at the clock. So did Thiri. 3:46. Every second counted.
She turned back to face me, her eyes sharp, calculating, unrelenting. My mind raced—what could I do? I spun around and ran, hoping distance might buy me some time.
But the arena wasn't done with us yet. Just as I tried to catch my breath, the system's voice echoed through the stadium, cutting through the chaos like a blade. Every nerve in my body froze as it spoke:
"Congratulations to the winners," the system announced, its voice cold and mechanical.
"You have successfully survived your first game. Winners must leave the arena immediately once the results appear on the screen."
I was completely confused. Did they count Anita and Geeta? Had the time just run out? Or… had they made the three of us winners because the game required two sacrifices and three survivors?
The more I thought about it, the more questions piled up in my head, each one worse than the last.
I glanced at the clock. It was frozen at 3:33. My chest tightened. Nothing made sense. Nothing felt safe.
Just then, the screen on the plane flickered to life, glowing brightly. I leaned in, my eyes narrowing, and read the words displayed:
"Congratulations.The winners are—"
1st~Omar Faruk-16 years old-Male-From Delhi, India-Asian
2nd~Mahmood Billah-14 years old-Male-From Dhaka, Bangladesh-Asian
3rd~Anita Shrestha-14 years old-Female-From Kathmandu, Nepal-Asian