Phased out

Samuel climbed the stairs, his steps steady but unhurried. The cool night air brushed against his skin as he neared the rooftop door. He wasn't surprised that Ethan had stayed up here—he needed the space.

Pushing the door open, Samuel stepped forward and spoke.

"Hey, Ethan."

Ethan turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting Samuel's.

"Yeah, what's up?" he responded, his tone noticeably softer than before. The tension in his voice, the quiet edge that had been there earlier—it was gone now.

Samuel smiled, noticing the difference. "It's time. We have to head to the hotel and get something to eat."

Ethan's brows furrowed slightly.

"There are… hotels here?"

Samuel nodded, his expression warm, inviting. "Yeah. A real one. Beds, dining tables, the whole thing. You'll like it."

Ethan hesitated for a moment, then it hit him.

He hadn't eaten since he got here.

His body had adjusted so much to survival mode that he hadn't even realized it—hadn't felt hunger, hadn't questioned it. But now, standing here, the exhaustion and emptiness in his chest suddenly made sense.

Maybe that's why he'd felt so off. So drained.

Ethan exhaled, shaking off the weight that had been pressing on him.

"Alright," he muttered.

Pushing himself up from the ledge, he dusted off his clothes and walked toward Samuel.

Maybe food wouldn't fix everything.

But it was a start.

As they stepped outside, the door clicked shut behind them, sealing the quiet space they had left.

The air outside was cooler now, carrying the scent of something fresh yet artificial—as if this world had been designed to be perfect. A strange silence blanketed the city, broken only by the distant hum of an unknown energy source, something deep and almost imperceptible beneath their feet.

Ethan let out a slow exhale, stretching his arms slightly before resting his hands into his pockets. He still felt mentally drained, but physically? He was starting to notice just how empty his stomach was. Maybe Samuel was right—food was long overdue.

Turning to Samuel, he sighed lightly.

"Well… I'll follow your lead then, Sam."

Samuel, walking beside him, glanced at Ethan with an easygoing smile. His posture was relaxed, shoulders loose, almost as if he had finally let down a small part of his own guard.

"As you say, our hero."

Ethan's lips twitched into a soft, almost reluctant smile.

"At this point, it just sounds cringe…"

Samuel chuckled, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, I won't tease you too often."

Ethan smirked slightly, raising a brow. "Uh-huh. Sure."

The two of them fell into step, walking side by side. The sound of their footsteps echoed slightly against the smooth pavement, making Ethan feel even more aware of how empty this city truly was.

Everywhere he looked, the streets were pristine. The buildings, tall and sleek, reflected the dim sky above them, polished to the point of looking untouched by time. No cracks, no broken glass, no dirt.

It was unsettling.

Ethan had never seen a world so perfect—and that's what made it feel so wrong.

Still, for now, he chose not to question it.

Instead, he let himself walk, step by step, beside Samuel—just another survivor in this strange, artificial city.

As the sky darkened, the city began to change.

One by one, the buildings around them came to life, their lights flickering on with a smooth, almost synchronized rhythm—as if someone, somewhere, was controlling them. The streetlights followed, casting a soft golden glow onto the polished pavement. The illumination was neither too bright nor too dim, but perfectly balanced, like everything else in this world.

Ethan slowed his pace, his gaze drifting upward as the once-dark structures transformed into something breathtaking.

"They're starting to glow…" he murmured, almost to himself.

Samuel, also taking in the sight, glanced at Ethan and smirked. "Well, if they didn't, it'd be way too dark, right?"

His tone was light, but even he sounded a little surprised at how seamlessly this world functioned.

After a moment, he added, "This world we're trapped in… it works so weirdly, don't you think?"

Ethan nodded, still observing the city as they walked.

"It's designed. Detailed. Complex as hell." His voice was quieter now, thoughtful. "Whatever this world shows us, we have to take it literally. And I mean that."

Samuel let Ethan's words sink in, tilting his head slightly. He followed Ethan's gaze and looked up at the illuminated skyline.

The view was unreal.

The lights above them stretched infinitely, flickering like a miniature universe woven into the cityscape. The way the glow reflected off the sleek, flawless surfaces made it feel like they were walking through a world-sized crystal, shining with an artificial yet mesmerizing beauty.

For a moment, Samuel was speechless.

Then, in a slightly excited tone, he said, "Imagine the view from the hotel."

Ethan's lips twitched into a small but genuine smile.

For the first time, he felt a flicker of anticipation—a strange curiosity to see what this world had prepared for them.

They kept walking, side by side, beneath the neon glow of the silent, flawless city.

And that silence…

It wasn't like the silence of Phase 1, where the darkness choked them.

It wasn't like the silence of Phase 0, where they waited for death to strike.

This silence was different.

It was strangely comforting. Relaxing.

For once, Ethan didn't feel like he had to be on guard.

For once, peace didn't feel like a trap.

The city was alive with light.

Buildings shimmered with an artificial glow, streetlamps hummed softly, and the neon reflections on the pavement gave everything a surreal, dreamlike quality. But above all of it—above the beauty, above the illusion—something stood that wasn't supposed to.

Samuel stopped mid-step.

His breath caught. His chest tightened. His body, moving so casually before, suddenly felt like it had been locked in place.

Because now… he saw it.

A tower.

No—a monolith.

It wasn't just tall. It defied logic.

Its base was massive, thick, as if it had been carved from the very foundation of the city itself. Its surface was smooth—too smooth. A material that reflected nothing, absorbing light rather than casting shadows.

And the worst part?

It didn't end.

Samuel tried to follow its height, tilting his head back, but his vision failed to find the top. It stretched beyond the sky, past where the clouds gathered, past where the world itself should have stopped.

A slow, involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

It hadn't been there before.

Had it?

Samuel's steps faltered. His eyes stayed locked on the impossibility before him, his mind racing to process what he was seeing.

Ethan, noticing Samuel fall behind, turned with a frown.

"Sam?"

Samuel didn't respond. He was still staring—trying to make sense of something that refused to be understood.

Ethan followed his gaze.

And then he saw it too.

The moment Ethan's eyes landed on the tower, his breath hitched. A wave of unease crawled over him, pressing against his ribs, twisting at his gut.

His body reacted before his mind could.

He took a half-step back.

It wasn't fear. Not yet. But it was something close.

Something primal.

"What… the hell is that?" Samuel finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan shook his head. He had no answers.

But he didn't like this.

Not one bit.

Samuel swallowed hard, still fixated on the structure. "We should go there."

Ethan snapped his gaze to him. "What?"

Samuel turned, his face unreadable, but there was something—a pull. A curiosity. A need to understand.

"I want to see it up close."

Ethan's jaw tensed.

"No. We're not going there."

Samuel blinked, caught off guard. "Why not?"

Ethan exhaled sharply, forcing himself to think logically.

"Because we're not ready." His voice was steady, firm. "Whatever that thing is, it's not normal. We don't know if it's a building, a trap, or something worse."

Samuel hesitated.

Ethan pressed on.

"And we have other plans. The others are waiting for us at the hotel. We're supposed to go there, remember?"

Silence.

Samuel didn't respond immediately, but he didn't argue either.

Finally, he sighed. "You're right. We shouldn't go alone."

But even as he said it, he couldn't shake a different, lingering thought.

Why hadn't they seen this before?

Samuel's brows furrowed as his mind worked through the realization.

"Wait… why did it just appear now?" His voice was lower now, uneasy.

Ethan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Samuel pointed. "Look around it."

And then, Ethan saw it.

A fog.

Not a normal mist, not the kind that belonged to the night—but a dense, shifting mass that wrapped around the tower's base like a shield.

It had been there all along.

And that's why they hadn't noticed the tower before.

Ethan's fingers curled slightly, a quiet tension settling in his shoulders. "We couldn't see it until we stepped into its range."

Samuel inhaled sharply. "So that means…"

Ethan's eyes darkened. "It was hidden."

A slow, creeping unease settled between them.

If this place was hiding something this big right in front of their eyes…

What else was hidden?

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Finally, without another word, they both turned.

Not toward the tower.

But away from it.

Back toward the hotel. Back toward the others.

Because one question now weighed on both of them—had the others seen what they just saw?

Or worse…

Were they never meant to see it at all?

Ethan and Samuel stepped through the entrance of the hotel, their footsteps muffled by the sleek, polished floor. The warm glow of interior lights bathed the space, casting a golden hue over the walls.

The hotel itself was nothing short of luxurious—a spacious lobby with modern décor, perfectly arranged furniture, and not a single speck of dust. It felt more like a high-end retreat than a place inside a death game.

But none of that mattered.

Not after what they had just seen.

The dining area was alive with chatter and laughter, the rest of the group already seated at a long, elegant dining table. Various plates of perfectly arranged food sat in front of them—some fresh fruit, sandwiches, bottles of water—a feast compared to the chaos of the previous phases.

As soon as Ethan and Samuel walked in, Derek leaned back in his chair, smirking.

"Took you long enough, slowpokes."

Ethan and Samuel exchanged a glance—expressionless, still reeling from the impossibility they had just witnessed.

But rather than dumping the weight of it on the group just yet, they both forced a casual nod and greeted them anyway.

Before Ethan could react, Alice was already walking up to him, hands behind her back, swaying slightly.

Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Welcome," she said sweetly, as if she had been expecting something more dramatic from him.

Ethan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You guys are really living it up here."

Alice grinned. "Oh, absolutely. We were even thinking of offering room service, but we figured you'd take too long anyway."

"Haha," Ethan deadpanned.

Samuel, still a little zoned out, was pulled out of his thoughts when Milo nudged him from the table.

"Hey man, serious question," Milo said, pointing at him. "Did you get lost, or did Ethan stop to have another one of his brooding rooftop moments?"

A few chuckles echoed from the group.

Ethan shot Milo a look. "You've known me for, what, five hours? And you're already stereotyping me?"

Milo smirked. "Bro, I just know a main character when I see one."

The group burst into laughter.

Even Samuel let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he finally moved toward the table.

Alice turned to Ethan, a playful glint in her eyes. "So? Did you?"

Ethan sighed dramatically. "No. Samuel was too busy admiring the scenery."

Samuel shot him a look. "I hate you."

Ethan grinned. "Glad to be here."

Lena, the soft-spoken blonde, smiled at them from across the table. "Well, we saved you guys some food. You should eat before Milo finishes the entire table."

"Hey!" Milo protested. "It's called maintaining my energy, thank you."

"It's called being a food thief," Tobias muttered, barely looking up from his plate.

Milo scoffed. "Alright, Toblerone, relax."

Tobias slowly turned his head, narrowing his eyes. "…Did you just call me Toblerone?"

Milo grinned. "Yeah, 'cause you're bitter and full of unnecessary complexity."

The table erupted into laughter. Even Ethan found himself smirking, despite the weight pressing on his chest.

For a moment—just a small, fleeting moment—it almost felt… normal.

But deep inside, Ethan and Samuel knew.

It wasn't.

Not after what they had just seen.

And sooner or later, they'd have to tell the group.

But for now…

They sat down, letting themselves enjoy the rare feeling of peace.

Even if it wouldn't last forever.