Chapter 10

Tension grips my heart as the notification window pops up again. The words flash, reminding me of the agonising choice ahead. Two options, two destinies at my fingertips.

On one side, Mizuki, her piercing gaze conveying a silent urgency. On the other, Ozaki, impassive, as if this illusion were just a gentle breeze in his inner world.

The dilemma crystallises. Who should I save first? Mizuki, the friend who has been with me since the beginning of this strange adventure, or Ozaki, the stranger?

The seconds pass in a heavy silence. My mind swirls between friendship and curiosity, between loyal ally and elusive mystery.

Yet an intuition emerges. An understanding that this decision goes beyond simple duality. A choice that could define the course of future trials.

The notification window flashes impatiently, as if the labyrinth itself is waiting for my answer. A decision must be made, a reality must be embraced, even if it is tainted by the illusion that encircles me.

My finger hesitating, I make my choice, unaware of the ramifications it might have in this world where the boundary between truth and falsehood remains an elusive mystery.

The notification window flashes, confirming my choice. The spectre of Ozaki persists in the illusion, while Mizuki, whom I've just given a reprieve, looks at me with a mixture of recognition and bewilderment.

The contours of the dream change, as if the labyrinth itself were reacting to my decision. Mizuki comes to life, moving away from the grip of the illusion. But Ozaki's face remains frozen, an indecipherable enigma, as the labyrinth closes in on him.

Reality returns, brutally. Mizuki, now free of the illusion, looks at me with a flicker of apprehension. She seems about to say something, but the tension in the air decides otherwise.

A shiver runs down my spine. The rules of the game seem to have metamorphosed into an unpredictable maze. The illusion was just a prelude, a disturbing dance between the real and the fictional.

"Jomei, what just happened?" asks Mizuki in a worried tone.

I remain silent for a moment, searching for the words that might make sense of this strange ordeal. "Illusion... manipulates us, Mizuki. We can't trust what our eyes see."

The silent forest, now free of the monstrous creatures of illusion, surrounds us. The moonlight filters through the leaves, illuminating the uncertain path before us.

"We must remain vigilant. These trials are much more complex than in the original game," I say, feeling the growing weight of mystery hanging over us.

Mizuki nods in agreement, but her eyes betray a lingering concern. The game has revealed a facet of her existence that troubles her, just as it does me.

Together, we move forward into the darkness of the unknown, our alliance tested by challenges whose very nature remains elusive.

Mizuki squeezes my arm, deep anxiety in her eyes. "Jomei, don't go any further."

I shudder with incomprehension. Why is she trying to stop me? We survived the illusion, didn't we? But something doesn't add up. We haven't received the long-awaited message confirming the end of the ordeal.

My gaze wanders into the darkness of the forest, searching for answers in the shifting shadows. Then everything becomes blurred, as if reality itself is dissolving around me.

The ground gives way beneath my feet, and the void engulfs me. Mizuki screams my name, desperately trying to hold me back, but I'm sliding inexorably towards the unknown. The sensation of falling is real, as is the anguish that grips my heart.

Suddenly, I wake up. The forest, the illusion, the fall, it was all a perfidious machination of the game. My body rests on tangible ground, but the transposition of reality and illusion persists in my mind.

Mizuki, surprised, is still holding my arm. I look up at her, understanding working its way through the labyrinth of my thoughts. "The illusion... it's holding us in its clutches."

Mizuki shakes her head, distraught. "We should have received notification that the trial was over. Why isn't it happening?"

The minutes tick by, an eternity suspended in uncertainty. Mizuki and I exchange puzzled looks, our anxiety growing with each passing second. The minutes tick by, but the long-awaited notification that the test is over never materialises.

"Why doesn't the test end?" I whisper, more to myself than to Mizuki.

She shakes her head, her gaze lost in the growing darkness of the forest. "The rules of the game are clear. The time's up, but..."

A shiver of anxiety runs down my spine. Something is wrong, and the vise of uncertainty is tightening around us.

Suddenly, a strange sound pierces the silence, an indistinct murmur that mingles with the night wind. We stand still, listening to this obscure melody that seems to resonate with the mysteries of the forest.

"What's that?" I whisper.

Mizuki frowns, his senses alert. "We should..." she begins, but an invisible force envelops us, urging us on in the wake of this elusive whisper.