9 Alea Ludo Chapter 8

The rest of the day went on without incident. I returned to my room and remained there for hours, repeatedly going over the letter given to me by the mysterious sender. I racked my brain trying to piece together who could've written it and why did they choose to send it to me of all people? To be honest, it's not like I had any friends or allies participating in the games. I never attempted to grow close to anyone there.

There was no need. We weren't partners. If anything, all of us were enemies. The point of the game was to win gambling points from one another. If a player lost all their points, then that was the end of the road for them. Frederick was a prime example of that rule.

What was the point of forming friendships with people that we were essentially trying to kill? It didn't make any sense.

As far as I was concerned, the letter was nothing more than an item used to try and start some drama. Well, I refused to be the one to cause that scene. I had enough on my plate. I wasn't going to fuel the fire that someone else was trying to ignite. Whoever sent that letter made a mistake choosing me as their target.

I crumpled up the letter then tossed it into the trash. My attention was then brought to the ceiling once Caius' voice came over the intercom.

"Attention all players! It is time to start the third round of the games! Please rendezvous to the lobby!"

Reluctantly, I followed the Game Moderator's instructions. I left my room then headed towards the lobby. I was the last one to arrive.

Caius stood in front of the large window located on the other side of the room. The other players, minus Darius for obvious reasons, were gathered around him. I decided to remain in the back, not wanting to get any closer to him than I wanted to.

He directed everyone's attention to the screen beside him. He was going to roll the digital dice and decided the two players that were going to risk their lives in another game. The first two games weren't so bad, but something in my gut told me that wouldn't be the case for the third match.

I didn't know if any of the other players felt it. But there was something ominous in the atmosphere.

"We will now decide the next two players that will face off against each other in the third round! Aren't you all excited?" Caius looked at the players with high expectations for a hyped response. However, his hopes dashed. No one in the room seemed to be as excited as he was.

Not even Melanie.

If anything, everyone was impatient to get things moving. I couldn't blame them. I wanted to move things along as well.

Caius immediately picked up on that and then proceeded. He pressed a button on his tablet, the digital dice appeared on the screen then began to roll. Eventually, they came to a stop.

Eight and twelve.

Those were the numbers they landed on. I didn't even bother to check my bracelet. There was no need.

Twelve was my number.

My opponent was none other than Elena. The blonde-haired woman's face turned pale immediately after checking the number on her bracelet. She let out a cry of sorrow before dropping down to her knees. Iris knelt next to her and attempted to cheer her up. But her words of encouragement fell on deaf ears.

"No! I don't want to play! I don't want to!" cried Elena, glancing over to Caius with water-filled eyes. "Please! I don't want to die!"

It was pathetic watching that. We didn't even know what game we would be playing, and the woman was already bawling her eyes out. No matter, it was going to be an easy win for me.

Her cries and pleas were ignored by Caius as he said, "Now, now, Elena, save those tears for when the games begin. You should know the rules by now. If you refuse to play, then you will be disqualified then subjected to lethal injection. Trust me when I say that you do not want that."

Although he warned her about the cruel fate that awaited if she refused to play, it was clear by his expression that he was hoping for her to do just that. And by the look of things, it seemed like that was how things were going to happen. If Elena didn't muster up her courage and play the game, then I wouldn't earn any points.

I couldn't allow that.

I walked over to Elena then stopped in front of her. She looked up at me, her eyes still filled with tears. But I wasn't swayed by the sight of them. If anything, I was annoyed.

Crying solved nothing in the world. It was high time for the woman to learn that lesson the hard way like everyone else.

"Stand up," I ordered, offering my hand to her. While hesitant, she eventually grabbed hold of my hand. I helped her to her feet then continued, "Enough with your crying. It's annoying. Nothing can be gained by crying all the time."

"Hey now. Go easy on her, Ambrose. It's terrifying playing these games." Iris stepped in to aid Elena.

"Who cares? Nearly anything can be terrifying if you're frightened of it. But do you think crying over it will make anything better? Do you believe that someone will just magically appear anytime you come across a roadblock in life and save you?" I kept my attention on Iris but directed my words at Elena. No one said anything. So, I continued to speak. "Do you want to live, Elena?"

At first, she was surprised by my sudden question. But she soon responded with a nod of her head. "Y-Yes…I would like to live."

"Bullshit!" I yelled, she flinched in response to the sudden rise in my volume. "If you truly wished to live, then you wouldn't have dropped to the floor crying like that! What did you expect to happen? Did you think that someone would step in and offer to take your place? Would you have been satisfied with that result?"

She kept her head down to avoid my gaze. She gripped tightly to her clothes, struggling to hold back more tears. Despite that, I continued my verbal assault.

"Say by some miracle that Caius allowed someone to take your place in the game, what would you have done if that person died because of you? Would you have been able to live with that on your conscience?"

No verbal response came from the blonde-haired woman beside sniffles and sobs here and there. She kept her trembling hands close to her chest and avoided eye contact with me.

"That's enough! Take it easy already! There's no need for all this!" Iris stepped in between Elena and I. "Elena's scared! Anyone else would be scared too if they had to play in these games! Yelling at her like that won't make the situation any better!"

"You think coddling her will make the situation any better? If I recall, Elena and I are the ones that will be in the game room today, not you. She'll be all alone down there."

Iris had nothing to retort. She merely averted making eye contact with me. She was looking to the others for some means of support. But none was given to her.

"She won't be alone. You'll be in the room with her. Surely, you'll help her, right?" She glanced at me with pleading eyes.

"Why would I do something as stupid as that? You do realize the point of these games is to win points from the other players, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that fact. But that doesn't mean that we still can't help one another."

"Help one another do what exactly?"

"Survive!" She exclaimed. "One person has already died! I don't want anyone else losing their lives because of these games! We need to help each other!"

"Practice what you preach then. Help me convince Elena to participate in the game. If she doesn't, she's going to die right here and now. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Iris gritted her teeth after hearing my words. She probably didn't want to admit it, but she knew that I was right. She slowly turned around to face Elena. The blonde-haired woman trembled uncontrollably. She looked like she would collapse at any moment.

"Elena…" Iris began.

"No…" Elena interrupted her, shaking her head. "No, I don't want to play! If I play, I'm going to die! I don't want to die!"

"If you don't play, you'll die regardless. Please, Elena, the game might not be so bad." Iris reached her arm out to touch Elena.

The blonde-haired woman backed away out of reach from the approaching hand. "Not so bad? Tell that to Darius who nearly lost his life yesterday! Who's to say that I won't end up dead?"

"You're right. You're going to die." I coldly stated to her. Her eyes suddenly widened. "You're weak, Elena. You do nothing but cry and rely on others to help you. You'll never grow stronger from relying on others all the time. Simply sitting around waiting for someone to save you just doesn't happen. This isn't a fairy tale. This is reality."

"You think I like being weak?!" She suddenly yelled at me, her eyes filled with anger and sadness. It was oddly nostalgic seeing eyes like that. "You think I like being timid? Withdrawn? Relying on others to defend me all the time? I hate it!"

"Then why not do something about it?"

"What can I do? I'm not that smart! I'm not that brave! I'm not that strong! I'm useless!"

"No one said that becoming strong would be easy. A good way to start would be overcoming your fear."

"How?"

"Let me rephrase my question from earlier. Why do you want to live?" I suddenly asked her. Her expression soon changed to that of confusion. "You have a dream or a goal in mind. Everyone has one. But there must be something else driving you to risk your life like this."

"There is…" She nodded.

"Then use that something as a reminder as to why you're here. If you want to achieve your goal, then fight for it. Stand up on your own two feet, march into that game room, and then play the game with the intent to win. Victory comes to those that fight for it."

My words of encouragement worked. The grim expression on the woman's face slowly washed away. Only to be replaced with a wryly smile. The anger and sadness in her eyes vanished. Instead, they beamed with hope.

"You're right…" She nodded, clutching her hands into fists. She then turned to Caius with a look of sheer determination, her voice unwavering. "Let's proceed, Caius. I'm ready to play."

"Elena? You're not afraid anymore?" Iris looked to Elena as if she had suddenly become a new person.

"No. I'm still afraid. In fact, I'm terrified." She admitted. "But Ambrose is right. Nothing will change if I just sit around crying all the time. I need to be strong. I'll start by overcoming my fear of these games."

"Excellent!" Caius happily exclaimed, clapping his hands together frantically. He then wandered over to the game wheel. "Now I shall spin the wheel! What kind of game will the two of you play? We shall see!"

He spun the wheel with all his might. It eventually slowed down to a complete stop. The needle rested on the panel featuring stick figures walking through a maze. I didn't know what kind of game that was supposed to be, but I wasn't going to like it.

A happy squeal came from the game moderator before he spoke, "How lucky! The two of you will be playing through the Maze!"

"The Maze?" I asked.

"This will be an exciting game! Please follow me!" He sang as he proceeded to skip out of the room.

Reluctantly, I followed him. I could hear words of encouragement coming from some of the others, but I ignored them. I said what I had to, whatever happened next was out of my hands.

"Sorry for all the trouble I caused back there," apologized Elena as we continued to follow Caius down a hallway teeming with security guards in black.

"Don't worry about it. It's good you decided to play." I said.

"I'm still scared out of my mind," Elena admitted. She moved her trembling hands to her skirt and clutched it.

I nodded in agreement. I wasn't precisely terrified for me as much as I was for her. We were wandering in dangerous territory after all. I couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors we'd face in that damned maze.

"That's fair. This is our first game." I stated.

"I wish I could be a bit more brave like you, Ambrose." Elena raised her head and flashed me another wryly smile. "This doesn't seem to be affecting you at all."

"Don't make assumptions. I may not be scared, but I am on edge."

"Do you have any advice for me?"

"Be careful. Stay alive. Hope for the best."

Elena brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled. "You say that line a lot, you know?"

"What line?"

"Hope for the best. It's like your catchphrase."

I felt my cheeks burning up. I turned my gaze away from Elena as I rubbed the back of my neck. "My bad. The old man has said it to me so many times; it's programmed into my head."

"Old man?" Elena asked.

Realizing my mistake, I quickly shook my head and dismissively answered, "Nevermind."

"Here is where we separate." Caius stopped where the hallway split off into two different paths. "Ambrose will go one way while Elena will go down another. You two will meet in the game room."

"See you in there, Ambrose." Elena waved as she walked down one of the hallways without reservation. That girl's sudden burst of courage brought a soft smile to my face.

I slipped my hands into my pocket and headed down the other hallway. I walked through the door at the end and entered a small room with a monitor on the far side. The moment I placed my bracelet over it, it turned on. To my immediate dismay, a miniature Caius appeared on the screen.

"Welcome lovely player number twelve! If you are listening to this, then it means you have been selected to take part in one of the spectacular games today! Congratulations!" It mockingly applauded me. The words "congratulations" appeared above its head, flashing in bright, neon colors with fireworks exploding in the background. I nearly reached my limits. I would've liked nothing more than to destroy that piece of junk. But, I restrained myself and allowed it to keep talking. "Before you can participate in the game today, you must offer up some of your gambling points. You may choose to offer up as many points as you please."

The screen on my bracelet turned on. My gambling points appeared on it with an arrow on either side of it. My finger hovered over the arrow on the left. I pressed it. My gambling point decreased by one. The number on the panel in front of me displayed the number one.

The little Caius appeared to be disappointed at the sight of the number. "One point? Are you certain that you want to gamble away only one point?"

I didn't respond. I wasn't going to speak with some artificial intelligence.

"Tell you what, if you offer up a few more points, I will give you some juicy information about the game and your opponent. The more points you offer up, the more information that I will give you."

And there it was, the reason why people were gambling away more than just one point in the games. It explained a lot. It worked just like in the voting room. The temptation was powerful in that room as well.

The more points one gambled away, the more information one could learn about the game they'd play and the opponent they'd be up against. It wasn't that bad of a suggestion. The fear of not knowing what one would be playing or even who they would go up against would cloud the judgment of anyone.

It all made sense. Frederick's "luck" from the first game was a byproduct of his gambling. The method seemed solid.

However, there lied the problem. It only seemed solid. There was a fatal flaw with that method. Just because one had more information about someone or something, it didn't mean that victory was guaranteed. Frederick learned that lesson the hard way.

I refused to be swayed by its words. I didn't care what kind of game that I would play. My opponent was Elena after all. My victory was guaranteed. Hopefully, I would win more points throughout the game.

After some time passed, the mini Caius pouted. "Looks like you wish to stand strong on your choice. Very well. Good luck out there in the game." It bowed its head to me then the door in front of me unlocked.

I walked through the door, stepping into the game room. Ahead of me was my opponent, Elena. She stood up straight, head held high, exuding confidence. Although, the trembling of her legs suggested otherwise. Not that I expected much from her in the first place. I was surprised enough that I managed to convince her to step into the game room.

That alone guaranteed my victory.

My gaze shifted upward to the large glass window where the other players watched. Damn it was high.

Iris looked down at me and smiled. She raised her arm and waved. How that girl managed to stay optimistic in most situations was beyond me.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is time to start with the third game; Maze!" Caius' voice came over the intercom. "I shall begin with the explanation of the rules! The players Ambrose and Elena must search through the maze for a secret special treasure hidden somewhere within the center! The first player to retrieve the treasure then return to their starting point will be crowned the winner!"

Simple enough. Is what I thought. But, I knew there would be more to the game than just that simple explanation. And soon enough he continued to explain the rules.

"Both players will soon be given twelve cards. Hold on to those cards. You will need them to progress throughout the maze." Seconds later, the floor panel in front of me split open, allowing a table holding a small deck of cards to come out slowly. I took the cards in my hands. The table then descended back to the floor. "Do you both have the cards? Good! Remember not to lose those! Each of those cards can manipulate the maze in complex and mysterious ways! Which could prove to be beneficial or disastrous if you are not careful!" He warned us.

"Excuse me!" Elena raised her hand. "What do you mean by these cards can manipulate the maze?"

"It is simple, Elena. Once inside of the maze there may come a time when you are either lost or trapped at a dead end. If there is a card slot nearby on one of the walls, then all you need to do is place a card in that slot and then watch as the magic happens."

"Magic?"

A sadistic chuckle came from the game moderator after hearing her question. Elena and I were irked by it. "Yes. Once a card is placed in one of the slots, the maze will shift and change randomly; either by aiding you in hindering your opponent and clearing your path. Or, it may make matters even worse for you in the long run."

"How much worse could it get than getting even more lost in the maze?"

"It can be quite dangerous while in the maze, Elena. You never know what kind of traps you may come across."

"Are you about done now? I'd like to get the game started." I cut into the conversation.

"No need to act all cranky, Ambrose! The rules of the game have been explained! Let the Maze game commence!" Caius announced.

Almost immediately, the floor beneath us shook vigorously. I nearly lost my balance as several floor panels split open, allowing massive walls to rise. They appeared to be at least thirteen feet high. Eventually, the walls obscured Elena from my line of sight.

Silence.

It was short, but there was nothing but silence. It was amazing how fast the game room turned into a maze. The technology used in the facility was truly top notch. So far, there was nothing suspicious about the maze walls. Maybe it was paranoid of me to be wary from the gate, but I couldn't help it.

Caius' words still lingered in my mind. He mentioned the possibility of there being traps in the maze. I had to proceed with caution. The goal was simple. Traverse through the maze, find the treasure set in the center, retrieve it, then return to my starting position. Piece of cake.

As if. I thought to myself.

The games were never that simple. Something was waiting for us in the maze. And I had to be prepared for it.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my goal. Before participating in anything serious, I would always visualize my target and consider the possible routes I could take to achieve victory. Sure, it was difficult to do since I had no idea what I was looking for, but that was a small matter. After my visualization completed, I opened my eyes then stepped forward into the maze.

"Looks like the game is getting started now! Ambrose is the first one to step forward into the maze!" Caius announced.

The way he announced that made it seem like it was such a huge surprise. My opponent was Elena after all. That girl was genuinely hopeless. I wouldn't have been surprised if she just stood at the entrance of the maze trembling in fear.

She was weak. I wasn't. To be honest, I doubted that she would've been much of a challenge. She would make an easy opponent.

The first few steps within the maze were simple. All I had to do was make a few turns here and there. There weren't any hints of traps or card slots. However, that immediately changed after making my fifth turn in the maze.

A section of the wall split open.

A torrent of flames shot out from the wall.

The flames scorched my shoulder. I exclaimed in agony and fell to the floor. In a panic, I repeatedly patted down my shoulder with much force to put out the flames.

Why?

It was just my shoulder. But, my entire body felt like it was on fire. I couldn't breathe. My heart pounded so loud against my chest it was as if it planned to burst right out. I scrambled to my feet then found safety against the wall furthest away from the flames. They soon came to a stop. The flamethrower returned to the wall before the panel closed.

"Looks like things are beginning to heat up now! Ambrose has come across one of the first traps in the maze! Be careful down there!" Caius warned me.

Despite my injury and annoyance of Caius' pathetic attempt at making jokes, I progressed onward into the maze. I didn't have time to check my injury, or rather, I didn't make time. It was nothing more than a first-degree burn, second-degree tops. Injuries like that were nothing. Easily treatable. I'd suffered far worse injuries than that. I wouldn't allow something like that to stop me.

Nothing would stop me.

I encountered my first roadblock after I made the next turn in the maze. It was a dead end. But luckily, on the far end of the wall lied a card slot. There was a chance for me to alter the maze. I slowly approached the card slot, making sure not to come across or activate any more traps.

Once there I selected one of my cards at random and placed it inside of the slot. Then, the magic happened. Almost immediately the walls around me began to shift, altering the maze. The wall in front of me never budged an inch. However, the walls next to me did.

A path opened to the left, so, I took that route.

"Ambrose simply continues to advance in this game! He is the first one to find a card slot and alter the maze! At this rate, the treasure will be his!" Caius' irksome voice plagued my eardrums once more. I wished that guy would've just kept his mouth shut so that I could've focused more on the game. But, of course, I wasn't granted such luxury. Caius continued to announce the events throughout the game in which he deemed to be exciting or noteworthy. "And what is this? What a surprising turn of events! Elena has now entered her way into the maze!"

His announcement made me stop in my tracks for a moment. It certainly surprised me to hear that Elena, a well-known crybaby, had decided to risk her life and step into the maze. It seemed that she had taken my words from earlier to heart. However, it didn't matter. The victory was still mine.

I got my head in the game then proceeded further into the maze. Wandering through the maze grew tiresome quickly. I had no map or indication if I was getting closer to the center or not. Luckily, no traps activated. But, who knew how long that would last.

The ground beneath my feet trembled. I placed my hand on the wall to keep myself balanced. The walls shifted. The one I used for support moved away from me, causing me to fall and nearly land on my face. Almost immediately, another wall came closing in on me.

I rolled out of the way, then watched the wall collide into another. An image of me getting crushed flashed through my mind. But, I immediately cast it aside. It wasn't my first time coming close to death. And it certainly wouldn't be my last.

"Oh! What a devious tactic from Elena! Ambrose nearly got crushed into paste due to the sudden shift of the maze!" Caius announced again.

"What?!" A frightened shriek came from the other side of the game room. "I'm so sorry, Ambrose! I swear! I wasn't trying to kill you!"

"Don't worry about it! Make sure to be careful next time!" I called out to her. Although I had nearly gotten crushed to death, I couldn't be mad at her. It was surprising enough that she even found the courage to enter the maze, let alone make it to a card slot.

While I wasn't mad at her, I was however annoyed. Thanks to her, my path had been blocked. I had to find another way around. I turned back then headed in the opposite direction, hoping to find another path that would lead me to the center of the maze.

The moment I peered my head around the corner, a volley of bullets raced past my face, missing me by mere inches. I immediately retreated to the corner, taking a moment to catch my breath.

Death.

It was inches away from my face in the form of bullets. Damn did that bring back some memories.

Thankfully, I had gotten a quick glance as to what had shot at me. It was a security camera with a machine gun linked to it. The absurdity of the game had reached another level. If I had been one-second slower, one second, my brain would've been splattered all over the back wall.

"Ambrose has had yet again another close call with death!" Caius happily mentioned, once again at my expense.

"Son of a bitch, Caius!" I shouted, having reached my limit with the man. Not only was being lost in the maze a hassle, but I had to deal with Caius' annoying commentating, Elena's antics, and a machine gun linked camera. To make matters even worse, it had a motion detector system installed.

Getting past it wouldn't be an easy task.

I glanced around the area for any sign of a card slot. There was none. Elena had unintentionally screwed me. I had two choices to make. One, I could wait around and be forced to rely on Elena to find another card slot to change the maze again. Or two, somehow find a way to bypass the machine gun and then continue with the game.

The first option was the safest, but also risky. I didn't know if or when Elena would come across another card slot. There was no guarantee that she would even use it in the first place. Also, even if Elena did use it, there was a possibility that my situation would only get worse. If I wasted any more time, she would eventually reach the center, retrieve the treasure, then return to her starting position to win the game.

I made my decision. I wouldn't rely on her. I was in the game alone. I would finish it alone.

I peered my head around the corner once again. Immediately, more gunfire greeted me. I retreated around the corner.

Twenty.

The gun fired twenty bullets at a second. Although risky, I stuck my leg out into the open. About three seconds passed until there was more gunfire. I quickly returned my leg to the corner.

So, from what I had gathered, the gun fired twenty rounds a second, there was about a three-second reloading time. Perhaps getting through wouldn't be so hard after all. All I had to do was wait for the gun to waste its rounds then make a break for it. The passageway wasn't that long.

I set my plan into motion. I stuck my leg out once again, then pulled it back upon hearing gunfire. After it stopped, I made my move. I rushed out from behind the corner then made a break for it.

I made it about two-thirds of the way there before the gun activated once again. My feet carried me as fast as they could. I continued to race down the passageway until I eventually reached the safety behind the cover of another wall. However, I continued to run. Adrenaline pumped throughout my body, and I didn't want to waste it.

Too much time had been wasted, and I had to make up for it. I had no idea how far Elena had progressed through the maze while I had been held up. Time was of the essence.

It was annoyingly ironic. I had convinced Elena to participate in the game so that I could easily win. But, the situation had changed. The tables had turned in Elena's favor. It must've been some twist of fate or perhaps karma was working its way against me for my selfish actions earlier. Either way, I didn't care.

I lost all momentum once my foot sank a bit into the floor. I had stepped on a panel, which had activated another trap. Spikes shot up from the floor, nearly reaching across the entire passageway.

"Damn it…" I removed my foot from the panel then weighed my options. Once again, no card slots were presented anywhere near me. Turning back was not an option. The only path that I could take was forward.

I took long, deep breaths to steel my resolve. I had already decided to do anything to win the money to save the bar. Slowly, I backed away and gained some distance from the spiked floor. I could already feel the familiar kick in the pants from the old man as I charged ahead.

I jumped.

Then, I briefly ran across the wall. Gravity began to take its course, so, I kicked off the wall then dove into the area past the spiked floor. Fortunately, I managed to reach it without any sustained injuries.

Around the corner was the center of the maze. In the middle lied a spotlight that illuminated a lone table with a treasure box that rested on top of it. It was only a few feet away from me.

The moment I took a step forward to claim it, a familiar sound erupted throughout the entire room. The walls had shifted once again. The path leading to the center of the maze had been blocked off before my very eyes.

"No!" I rushed over to the wall then kicked it as hard as I could. It didn't budge at all.

"What a huge upset! Ambrose was so close until Elena used another card slot to shift the game to her favor!" Caius announced.

"Damn it!" I yelled.

"Sorry about that Ambrose!" Elena's voice came from the other side of the wall. "I didn't know that would happen!"

I wanted to believe her words, but I was at the point where I wasn't willing to listen to anyone. My goal was beyond the thirteen-foot wall. I wasn't going to bother wasting time by finding another way around. If I couldn't go around it or through it, then my only option was to go over it.

"How shocking! Elena has reached the center of the maze, and she's retrieved the treasure box! If she manages to return to her starting point, she will be crowned the winner!" Caius' words forced me to pick up the pace.

I quickly stepped back and prepared myself. I sprinted forward then jumped, kicking off one wall, then to the other. I used the walls as stepping stones to help me reach the top of the central wall. Once there I caught a glance of Elena racing back to her side of the maze. She was quick on her feet.

But not as quick as me. Instead of jumping back down to the floor, I decided to remain on top and continue using the walls as stepping stones. That way, I could keep an eye on Elena, follow her, while also avoiding other traps laid out in the maze.

The game wasn't over. Elena had retrieved the treasure box, but she hadn't reached the goal yet. There wasn't a rule stating that I couldn't steal the treasure from her.

"Come back here!" I chased after her, carefully running, then jumping across the top of the walls.

She desperately ran through the maze, clutching the treasure box close to her chest, showing no sign of wanting to let it go. I didn't know who the person I was chasing anymore. It wasn't the Elena that I was used to. The Elena that I knew was meek, shy, and timid. But at that moment she was active and outgoing.

It was like she was a new person.

"Sorry, Ambrose! I have to win!" Elena encountered a card slot then placed her card there. The walls shifted once more. I nearly lost my balance as they changed. I jumped across to another wall that wasn't affected by the shift.

My chase after Elena continued. Throughout the pursuit, I noticed that there weren't many traps set out for her. Either she was fortunate, or she gambled away more than just one point. It certainly explained her desperate behavior.

Nonetheless, the blonde-haired woman encountered a dead end. I jumped down from the wall, then stared at her. She slowly turned around then looked at me with a pale expression. That was the Elena that I knew.

"You surprisingly put up a good fight. But play time's over." I extended my hand out. "Don't make this difficult. Hand over the treasure box."

"I…I…I can't do that!" Elena stammered, clutching onto the treasure box as tightly as she could. "I've made it this far! I'm so close! I have to win this game!"

"In case you haven't noticed, you're trapped at a dead end. Your only way out is through me."

Elena gently set down the treasure box after hearing my words. She stepped out in front of it. Then things got complicated. She raised her hands then balled them into fists.

She planned on fighting me.

Elena.

The weak and timid girl had planned on fighting me. I wanted to laugh at her, but it was so surprising that I could do nothing but stand there. Throughout my entire life, I've been involved in countless fights. That was the first one that I regretted getting myself in.

"V-v-v-victory comes to those that fight for it. That's what you said. I'm going to fight for it."

And with that, she came at me. Embarrassingly enough, she wildly swung her arms around in a circular fashion.

A windmill punch.

She tried to use a windmill punch on me.

None of them hit me, of course. But, the cartoonish situation we were in dealt a blow against me psychologically.

I used my outstretched hand to hold her at bay while she just continued to swing. I didn't know what to make of the situation. I had mixed emotions.

I was never one to shy away from a fight. I didn't care who my opponent was, man or woman. I showed no mercy. But, I made an exception for Elena. I removed my hand from her head then stepped aside as she fell onto the floor. While she was whimpering in pain, I wandered over to the treasure box and retrieved it.

I had won my fight.

I would've spoken to Elena to make sure that she was okay, but the winner talking to the loser after a fight only made matters worse. So, I walked past her without saying a word. However, things weren't over so easily.

There was a tug on my leg. I reluctantly looked down to see Elena's hand. I jumped away from her immediately.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped at her, raising my leg to strike her. However, I returned to my senses then stopped after noticing her expression.

She glanced up at me with teary, pleading eyes. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…please don't hit me." She repeated constantly. Each apology grew more silent than the last. Her body trembled.

Unwanted nostalgia suddenly hit me at that moment with overwhelming force. Seeing her cowering in fear like that reminded me of a distant memory that I wished would disappear. I lowered my leg back down to the floor and drastically stared at her.

She was no longer Elena. She was someone else — a young girl with short, brown frizzy hair and blue eyes.

I stepped away from her and rubbed my eyes with my free hand.

"W-What are you doing here?!" I exclaimed.

The woman raised her head and stared at me. Her eyes were void of presence, of life. However, an intense hatred burned within them.

I stepped even further away from her. In spite of my retreat, I lost my balance when my foot pressed against a panel that sunk into the floor. It all happened so fast. In a span of a few seconds, a sharp, burning, agonizing pain tore through my back, my flesh.

My agonizing screams echoed throughout the entire room. I collapsed to the ground in a bloody mess. My blood stained my clothes, the wall, and the floor. I slowly turned my head and witnessed the cause of my injury.

Buzzsaws.

That panel activated buzzsaws that extended from the open section of the wall behind me. The whirring of the blades taunted me, decorating the area in my blood. The burning in my back only intensified as more blood seeped from the wounds.

"Ambrose!" The woman called out to me. She stood up and approached me, unaware of the buzzsaws extending towards her from behind.

"Get down!" I summoned enough strength and tackled the woman to the ground. I kept her head down while the buzzsaws continued to travel across the walls of the maze. It wasn't until the blades returned to the walls did I release my grip on the woman. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But, you're hurt." The woman pointed out. She stood up and looked at the blood that pooled around us. "We've got to get you to the infirmary."

The woman grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet. She acted as my support and led me through the maze. As time passed, my vision blurred and distorted, my head and the treasure box in my hand felt heavy. My heart pounded rapidly against my chest. Staying conscious proved to be an issue.

Fortunately, I willed enough strength to lead the rest of the way throughout the maze. When we reached my goal, I dropped down to my knees. Confetti fell from the ceiling and fanfare music blared throughout the room.

"This marks the end of the third game! The winner is player number twelve, Troy Ambrose!" Caius announced.

"We did it. We're safe." I weakly said.

"Get up, Ambrose. We have to get you to the infirmary." The woman gently shook me.

"Come on, Trish. You can call me Troy."

"Trish? What are you talking about? I'm Elena." The woman said.

"What?" I looked at the woman. Her short, brown hair suddenly turned long and blonde. The faces of the woman and Elena merged and distorted. Next thing I knew, I collapsed and lost consciousness.