Dexter

A group of ten people, nervous and confused, arrived one by one at the place that can only be described as magical and bizarre. Filled with whimsical decorations and objects that seemed to defy physics.

The walls were made of mirrors that reflected strange and distorted images. For instance, on one side, there was Marty having a squished head with elongated neck and limbs, his feet bigger than they actually were. However, exactly opposite of that said mirror, was Marty dressed in a gentlemanly fashion with a three-layer suit and a top hat, only that he was only as thin as a paper.

A room filled with mysterious, glowing orbs with vibrant, ever-changing colors. An hourglass that doesn't adhere to the normal flow of time, with sand flowing upwards. A staircase that looped back on itself. Plants that grew and changed appearances right before their very eyes. Living artworks and gravity-defying furniture that just hovered in the air and so much more.

For a moment, all ten of them were silent: curiosity, nervousness, fear, and unease. You name it. The one to break the silence was the human-sized rabbit.

"Ahem! Now that all of you are here, I'd like to introduce myself. I am Dexter, and I will be your guide until the end of the trial run. Any questions?"

A pink-haired woman raised her left hand, her fingers visibly shaking. "Um, where exactly are we?"

"Aha! Good question, Donna!" exclaimed Dexter. "If you read the contract before signing it, you should have already seen it on the third page. You're at the Nameless Planet Version 2.0. The Great One hasn't thought of a name yet, but it is a planet filled with greatness and potential. And starting at this moment, you will be living on this planet for the rest of your lives. Other questions?"

"I have a question," Linda said, her blood-stained tee shirt still hadn't dried. "What will happen to us from now on?"

Dexter spread his rabbit arms, his rabbit ears twitching. He acted like a magician in a circus would before saying, "You will be playing a game, of course. The RELIFE GAME invented by The Great One himself. Anyone who wins will get his or her wish granted, no matter what it may be. Unending riches? Fame? Happiness? A whole planet all to your own, maybe? A kingdom? The Great One is so powerful that he could grant any of your wishes, granted that you win, that is."

"And if we lose?" a male in a rugged bartender uniform, covered in dirt, asked.

Upon hearing him, Dexter slowly lowered his head and grinned. "You die, obviously."

***

"Hey, Brad. Who do you think will win this year?" Asked the clown. They just finished disposing of Marty's grandma's corpse. The job was done almost instantly. The clown simply put his hands over the grandma's forehead and cracks appeared all over her skin, then exactly at two seconds, the corpse disintegrated into mosaic-like pieces and disappeared in thin air like magic.

"Who knows? The strongest, maybe?"

The clown frowned while unwrapping his third lollipop of the day. "Do you know what the theme for this year is?"

"What?" Asked Brad.

"Loop."

"Huh?"

"Loop," the clown repeated as he sucked on the lollipop.

Brad was then visibly confused. "What does that even mean? Isn't that too vague?"

"Exactly. The Great One decided on it himself, said The Higher Up. Must be interesting, don't you think?" There wasn't a hint of amusement nor a smile from the clown's face.

But instead of responding, Brad simply groaned.

"Why? You're suspicious of it too?"

Again, Brad didn't respond.

"Any guess what kind of being The Great One is?"

Brad was careful with his words, throwing a passing look on the flickering red dot on his watch before answering, "The Great One is The Great One. His name is very much self-explanatory."

The corner of the clown's lips rose a little before the two of them disappeared from Marty's house. Unaware of the silver pair of eyes looking at them from under the bed.

***

"You die, obviously."

As these words left Dexter's mouth, a wave of disbelief washed over all of them, and amidst the gasps and murmurs, a fiery-haired young man named Jasper yelled, "This is insane! Who do you think you are deciding just like that?"

But Dexter remained unmoved, his gaze fixed upon Jasper. "I assure you, this is no jest. All of you have been given a choice. You all killed someone and, afraid of the consequences, you signed a contract to be part of the game in exchange for saving your own ass. It was clearly mentioned on page eight. Ten participants, nine rounds and chances, but only one survives. A game where losing means death, but winning would grant you any wish."

Not giving anyone a chance to react further, Dexter continued. "Question and answer is now done. Let's move on to the next phase." He then clapped his hands, and the room shook a little. Ten short pillars shot out from the squishy floor. On top of each of them was a watch. "Take one each. These guys will be your partner throughout the game."

Nobody moved. Realization slowly descended upon them as if the veil was suddenly lifted. They were confused as to why they even signed the contract in the first place. No matter how they thought about it, they had willingly signed it, oblivious to the fact that they were simply manipulated into signing it - the killing included, all for a sick game.

Seeing them not picking up a watch, Dexter sighed and gave them a warning. "You pick one or you don't is your choice. Though quite honestly, without them, your chance of survival is basically zero."

And that finally did it. All ten of them picked one for themselves, albeit hesitantly. As Marty strapped his watch on his wrist, a translucent screen monitor suddenly emerged in front of him.

[System Andrea Activating…]

[1%]

[10%]

[99%]

[Activation Complete!]

[Synchronization with the new owner will commence immediately.]