Phased out

The room had gone silent.

Not the kind of silence that comes from thought—but the kind that lingers after a nightmare.

After hearing everything—the brutal beatdown, the unnatural strength, the escape—no one spoke.

Because what was there to say?

Then—Milo broke the silence.

A sharp exhale. A half-laugh, laced with disbelief. "Oh wow. Now we don't just have monsters to deal with… but also super-strong psychotic murderers."

Lena scoffed under her breath, running a hand through her hair. "Great. Fantastic. As if things weren't already impossible."

Nathan, usually the first to crack a joke, was stone-faced. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his hands loosely clasped together.

"This guy… Jason." His voice was measured, but tense. "You're saying he caught a scorpion's charge? With his bare hands?"

Kacey nodded. "Yeah. Stopped it like it was nothing."

Nathan let out a slow, low whistle. "That's not normal. That's not even close to normal."

"No shit," Alice muttered, arms crossed, brow furrowed in deep thought. "I knew he was bad news. We all saw it before Phase 0. But this? This is something else."

Samuel exhaled sharply, straightening in his seat. "Assuming he survived the scorpion, then he's probably on a different level now. Possibly in a new phase entirely."

Kacey shook her head slightly. "He's alive."

Alice's gaze snapped to her. "You sound certain."

Kacey didn't blink. "Because I am."

A beat of silence.

Then—Toby.

"Look, I get it. The guy's strong, freakishly strong, but let's be real." His hands gestured as he spoke, like he was trying to put logic into the conversation. "A scorpion that size? No one survives that. He's dead. He has to be."

Lena shrugged, but her face was tight. "And if he isn't?"

Toby hesitated. Then sighed. "Then he's definitely not human."

No one disagreed.

Because deep down, they all felt it.

Something about Jason wasn't just strong.

It was wrong.

And if he was still out there…

They had a very big problem.

Ethan exhaled slowly.

This was bad.

Not just because Jason was out there—but because they couldn't do anything about it.

His fingers curled into a fist. What would Karlos do?

That question lingered in his mind. Karlos had a way of keeping everyone together, of knowing exactly what needed to be done.

And right now—they needed direction.

Ethan cleared his throat.

The group turned to him as he stood up.

His voice was calm but firm. "Guys, let's not distract ourselves from the main goal."

Silence.

He continued. "We need to focus on exploring the tower. That's our priority. And for now, let's assume Jason is in a different phase. It's very unlikely he'll get teleported here anytime soon."

Everyone nodded.

It was the only logical conclusion.

Just then, the sound of footsteps.

Ivy, Lena, and Nathan returned from Johnathan's room, their expressions serious.

Ivy sighed, crossing her arms. "He looks rough."

Lena nodded. "I've seen bad injuries before, but this?" She shook her head. "He needs proper rest. No movement. No stress. Just time to heal."

Kacey's stomach sank.

Her hands curled into tight fists, her knuckles turning white.

"It's my fault," she muttered.

Nathan frowned. "Kacey—"

"No. It is." She took a shaky breath. "If I had been faster—if I had been stronger—"

Her voice wavered.

For a second, she looked like she was about to break.

Then—Milo.

He clapped his hands together.

"Alright. Not to interrupt the self-blame spiral, but I'd just like to point out—Johnathan literally ran full speed at a dude built like a brick wall. If anything, this was Darwinism at work."

Silence.

Then—

Kacey snorted.

Just a little.

She tried to hide it, looking away, but the corner of her lips twitched.

Milo grinned. "See? There it is. I knew you had a laugh in there somewhere."

Kacey sighed, shaking her head. "You're insufferable."

Milo smirked. "And yet, here I am. Thriving."

For a brief moment, the tension eased.

And then—Ethan spoke again.

Ethan took a deep breath. "Alright, guys. Let's form groups now."

His tone was steady—focused.

His eyes landed on Kacey.

"Kacey, you should eat something and rest till nightfall. We might need your help later."

Kacey's brows furrowed. "From me?"

Ethan nodded without hesitation.

Before he could continue—

"Ethan, are you stupid?"

The words cut through the room like a blade.

Riley's voice—sharp, accusing.

Ethan's entire body tensed.

He turned, caught off guard. "What?"

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.

They knew what was coming.

Riley's eyes burned with frustration. "That girl just went through hell, and you won't even let her rest for a single day?"

Ethan opened his mouth to explain. "Look, Riley, we're not giving her a rough job, we'll just—"

"BULLSHIT!"

The room flinched.

Ethan froze. He hadn't expected that.

No one had.

Milo, Samuel, and Nathan immediately stepped in, hands raised, trying to calm Riley down.

But Riley wasn't finished.

He pointed at Ethan, voice shaking with anger. "This is your leader?"

His words hung heavy in the air.

"He can't even let a girl rest? He's inhuman. No sympathy. No—"

"Did you even hear what I was gonna say?" Ethan cut in, voice low but firm.

But Riley wasn't listening.

The argument escalated.

Tension thickened.

Voices rose.

People tried to de-escalate.

Until—

"SHUT UP!"

Kacey's voice ripped through the chaos.

A sharp, piercing scream that demanded silence.

And she got it.

The room froze.

All eyes turned to her.

Kacey exhaled sharply, then turned to Riley first.

Her voice was calm, but firm. "Thank you, Riley. I really appreciate your concern, I do."

A stranger had stood up for her. She wasn't ungrateful.

But—

She turned to Ethan.

"But let's at least listen to what Ethan has to say."

A tense pause.

Riley clenched his jaw.

Then—he nodded.

The fight was over.

For now

Ethan ran a tired hand through his hair.

The argument had drained him, but he wasn't about to let it derail everything.

Alice, sitting nearby, watched him carefully. Concern flickered in her eyes, but she didn't say anything.

Instead, everyone just settled down, letting Ethan continue.

He took a deep breath. "As I was saying—"

His gaze flicked to Kacey.

"You can rest for now. Eat. Sleep till nightfall. Then we'll need you as a guard."

Kacey frowned. "A guard?"

She shifted forward slightly, eyes narrowing. "What exactly am I guarding?"

Before Ethan could answer, Toby jumped in.

He had a feeling that if Ethan spoke again, Riley would just find another excuse to argue.

So instead, he spoke up.

"It's about the tower," Toby started, adjusting his position. "There's a time system to it."

Kacey's brows furrowed slightly. "Time system?"

Toby nodded. "Yeah. The tower only appears from sunset to sunrise. The second the sun rises, it disappears."

She blinked. "So… it's just gone? Like, completely?"

"Yeah. And we don't know where it goes. Which is why we have to be out before sunrise."

Kacey leaned back, absorbing the information. "So you're saying… we're exploring some weird, disappearing tower tonight?"

Nathan chuckled dryly. "That's the plan."

Kacey exhaled. "Of course it is."

Toby smirked. "Welcome to our nightmare."

Ethan took back control of the conversation. "And that's where you come in, Kacey."

She tilted her head slightly. "Me?"

Ethan nodded. "We'll use you as a night guard. Your job will be to keep watch and let us know when sunrise is approaching."

Kacey blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

The group exchanged glances. It was a simple job.

No unnecessary risks. No fighting.

Just keeping watch.

It made sense.

One by one, they nodded in agreement.

It was a fair plan.

Even Kacey couldn't argue with it.

She exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "Alright. Fine. I'll do it."

Ethan looked at Riley.

His tone was cool, controlled.

"Is that better, Riley?"

The room went quiet.

All eyes flicked to Riley.

He didn't answer.

Didn't even look at Ethan.

Instead, he just glanced away, jaw clenched.

Milo and Noah, sitting off to the side, exchanged a quick look.

They saw it.

The way Riley had reacted. The way his fingers twitched slightly in irritation.

He wasn't mad about Kacey.

He was jealous.

Jealous of Ethan's leadership.

Jealous that everyone listened to him.

Milo sighed, leaning back. "Man's sulking."

Noah shook his head. "It's pathetic."

Neither of them liked Riley's attitude.

But for now—they let it slide.

There were bigger things to focus on.

With tensions settling, everyone went their separate ways.

Kacey had eaten, exhausted from everything, and went straight to her room to rest.

Ethan, Nathan, Samuel, Jace, and Owen were gathered, analyzing the supplies, checking what they had left.

Meanwhile, the others sat near the dining area, the flickering dim light casting shadows over their faces.

Alice leaned back in her seat, arms crossed. "I don't care what his problem is—Riley's attitude is insufferable."

Zara nodded immediately. "You're not wrong. The guy acts like a ticking time bomb."

Noah huffed, shaking his head. "It's like he's looking for reasons to be mad. I get being frustrated, but he was just... waiting for a chance to snap."

Derek, who had been quietly listening, exhaled, resting his forearms on the table. "I don't want to take sides. But I'll say this—Ethan didn't deserve that."

Alice scoffed. "Exactly. He was trying to organize things, not send Kacey into another battle. But of course, Riley had to turn it into some self-righteous rant."

Zara nodded, picking at the table absentmindedly. "It felt... personal."

Noah shrugged. "It's jealousy. He doesn't like that Ethan's the one calling the shots."

Derek rubbed his temples. "That's the part I don't get. Why does leadership even matter to him? We all want to survive. What does playing king get him?"

Alice smirked dryly. "Control. Some people can't handle following someone else."

Across the table, Milo leaned in slightly toward Noah, whispering just low enough to not be heard by the others.

"I mean, bro, he looked like he was about to burst into tears when Ethan shut him down."

Noah bit his lip to suppress a laugh. "Dude, I thought he was gonna flip the table."

Milo grinned. "Bet he's up on the roof right now, brooding like some edgy anime character."

Noah chuckled. "Tragic."

Ivy, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, suddenly stood up.

Alice glanced at her. "You okay?"

Ivy nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to help Ethan and the others with supplies."

With that, she walked away.

The conversation lingered for a moment before slowly fading into other small talk.

But the thought remained.

Riley's anger wasn't just frustration.

It was something deeper.

Something that wasn't going away anytime soon.

Everyone was gathered in the hall.

Kacey looked a lot better, her body rested, her mind more focused. But deep down—Jason lingered.

Still, there was no time for distractions.

At the front of the group, Ethan, Nathan, and Owen stood together, ready to go over the supplies.

Owen stepped forward first.

His palms were slightly clammy. His throat felt dry.

He hated this.

Speaking in front of people? Even if they were allies? It was his worst nightmare.

But this was his responsibility. He and Jace had searched for supplies—he had to do this.

He took a shaky breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, so… everyone, listen up."

His voice was steady at first, but as more eyes settled on him, his words started to stumble.

His fingers twitched slightly. His mind raced ahead of his mouth.

"Uh—so, um, obviously—we, uh, don't need—clothes. 'Cause, y'know, we plan on getting out before sunrise. So, uh… yeah. That's obvious."

Some people shifted slightly.

He could already feel himself messing up.

He needed to say things clearly, confidently. But the words kept jumbling together in his head.

"We—we took enough food. And water. Uh—everyone will carry their own share. It's… um, more than enough, so it won't slow us down."

A pause.

His mind went blank for a second.

Damn it.

Nathan, noticing his struggle, stepped in smoothly.

"Basically—no one's gonna starve. We rationed everything properly, so you'll have enough to last until we get back. It won't be heavy, either."

Owen exhaled in relief, nodding.

Nathan had just saved him from sinking completely.

Then Owen continued, trying to keep his words together.

"For weapons, uh… well, that's a problem."

The group stiffened slightly.

"Jace and I searched everywhere," Owen admitted, voice quieter. "But… we didn't find anything useful. No guns, no long knives, no axes. Nothing real."

"So what do we have?" Samuel asked, arms crossed.

Nathan took over again. "Sharp kitchen knives. A lot of them. Not ideal, but still useful. We also found some metal pipes and long batons—good for close combat."

Alice frowned. "That's it?"

Owen nodded hesitantly. "Yeah… not exactly the best arsenal, but it's better than nothing."

The group murmured amongst themselves but didn't argue.

Then Lena spoke up.

"What about other supplies? Flashlights? Ropes? Anything else useful?"

Owen blinked. "Oh, right—yeah, we got some other stuff too."

Nathan continued, listing them off:

1) Flashlights (enough for everyone, plus extra batteries).

2) A small first-aid kit (basic medical supplies in case of injuries).

3) Lighters & matches (fire could be useful in case of emergency).

4) A map (of the area around the tower, though it didn't give any details about the inside).

5) Rope (about 20 feet, in case they needed to climb or secure something).

6) Duct tape (because duct tape always ends up being useful).

7) A few backpacks (to carry any extra findings).

Owen nodded quickly, glancing down for a second.

"So, uh, yeah. That's everything."

The group nodded in approval.

No one had any major complaints.

Now—it was time to move forward.

Silence settled for a moment.

Then—Ivy spoke.

Her tone was calm, thoughtful. "From a medical standpoint, we're covered. The first-aid kit isn't extensive, but it has enough for minor injuries—bandages, antiseptics, painkillers." She tapped her fingers lightly on the table. "Though if we run into something worse… we're out of luck."

Ethan nodded. "We'll just have to be careful, then."

Toby adjusted his glasses, deep in thought. "Logistically, we're solid. Everyone has their own rations, we've got enough light sources, and the rope is a good failsafe in case of vertical obstacles."

He paused, thinking harder.

"Only thing we're missing is information."

Nathan raised a brow. "Meaning?"

Toby exhaled. "We have no clue what's inside that tower. No map, no prior knowledge, no idea what to expect."

The weight of his words settled over the group.

He was right.

Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "That's the risk, yeah. But there's no way to change that. We just have to adapt as we go."

Toby nodded slowly. "Yeah… just saying. Expect the unexpected."

A brief silence followed.

Then—Ivy and Toby exchanged a glance, both nodding.

Ivy turned to Ethan. "From a logical standpoint, we're as prepared as we can be."

Toby shrugged. "No problems from me."

Ethan exhaled, scanning the group one last time. "Anyone else?"

One by one, heads shook.

No issues.

No complaints.

They were as ready as they'd ever be.

Ethan gave a final nod. "Alright, then. Let's do this."