Lucas POV 
Four minutes left. Four more minutes until the sixth round starts, and I can’t stop this gnawing feeling in my chest. I know we’re close to the end, but something deep inside me is screaming like one of us won’t make it out. No, I shake the thought off. I can’t think like that. As long as I’m still standing, I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep all of us alive. Especially Abigail—she’s been through hell already with the last games.
I glance over at her, her face pale, still recovering from the mess we’ve been dragged through. The bruises under her eyes are darker now, and I hate seeing her like this. She’s too fragile to be here, too hurt. I clench my fists, the frustration bubbling up inside me.
Then Finn walks over, his usual confident stride making my blood boil. He doesn’t need to play this round. He has a pass from winning the last game. He could sit this one out and be safe. Dammit! Why does he always have to risk himself for something? Why does he feel like he has to protect everyone?
“We need to come up with a plan,” Finn says, cutting through my thoughts. “We should pair up. It’ll give us an advantage, make it easier to protect each other and survive.”
He’s not wrong, but that doesn’t make it easier to hear. Then he adds, “I’ll take Abigail with me. She needs more protection and someone to guide her through this round.”
I know he’s right—between the two of us, he’s better suited to keep her safe. He’s faster, better at puzzles, always thinking three steps ahead. But still... I want to be the one to protect her. I want her by my side. But there’s no time to argue, and we need every second we’ve got. I just nod, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat.
“Fine,” I say, though I don’t feel fine at all.
Alex pats my shoulder, and I realize he’ll be my partner. I glance at Noah and his father. Both of them look worn out, more exhausted than anyone here. I can’t help but remember what kind of man Emery and Noah’s father is. I know he’s capable of anything to survive. He’s dangerous—he’d do anything to stay alive, no matter who gets hurt. That’s why I can’t trust him, not even for a second.
The words from Emery’s poem hang in my mind, like some kind of warning. What did she mean? There’s something I’m not piecing together yet. We keep planning, trying to work out the meaning, but the answers aren’t coming. Everything feels like it’s falling apart, and we’re running out of time.
The timer rings suddenly, loud and sharp, announcing the start of the sixth game. My stomach churns, but we stand up, all four of us, like we’re about to walk into something we can’t handle. I’m relieved, at least, that Nathalie isn’t playing this round. She needs time to recover. But I can’t help wondering why Emery was so quick to help her earlier. Why did she bandage Nathalie’s wounds when she’s the one who put us all here in the first place? What’s her game?
Before I can think too much about it, Emery steps forward, her voice calm and steady as she explains the rules. “This game will test your minds,” she says. “A puzzle that twists and turns, forcing you to the limits. But if you make the wrong move, the puzzle won’t fit, and you’ll lose. Break through, and you win. It’s as simple as that.”
As Finn and Abigail move toward the area where the game will take place, I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders. Alex. His smirk is wide, teasing.
“You jealous, Lucas?” he says in that playful tone. “Seeing Finn and Abigail together like that?”
I roll my eyes. “Give me a break, Alex,” I mutter, laughing bitterly despite the situation. But it’s forced. Alex keeps at it, teasing me, throwing out ridiculous comments. “Damn you, Alex, don’t make it harder for me.”
Alex just giggles, nudging me like this is some kind of joke, but I know he’s trying to lighten the mood. And weirdly, it works. I crack a small smile, despite everything.
But then Emery throws a twist at us. Of course, she would.
“It’s nice to see you all pairing up and planning,” Emery says, her voice too smooth for my liking. “But since you’re pairing for this round, I want to make it... memorable.”
I hate her twisted games. I whisper something under my breath, just loud enough for Alex to hear, and he lets out a snort of laughter. At least we can still laugh, even in this mess.
Emery’s smile widens as she continues. “The goal is simple: solve the puzzle. But,” she pauses, letting the tension build, “if time runs out and you fail to solve the puzzle, the consequences will fall on the players you’ve chosen as your partners.”
My stomach tightens. She’s really doing this, isn’t she? “Lovely,” I mumble to myself. Great, more damn twists.
Emery keeps going, her voice dripping with that familiar cruelty. “Each pair will be given a puzzle, a question, an item, or even a key. Every answer must be truthful. If the machine detects a lie, the question will be repeated until the truth is given. Waste time, and it’ll make things worse.”
Twenty minutes. That’s all we have. If the time runs out, we’ll be sent to some room where the consequences will play out in front of us, broadcast on TV, with mics to listen to every damn second.
I glance at Alex, mumbling, “Let’s hope this one’s easy.”
He slaps my shoulder playfully, grinning. “It’ll be a breeze, don’t worry.”
I wish I could share his optimism. But something tells me this round won’t be as easy as he thinks. The clock is ticking down, and we’ve got no choice but to face whatever Emery has in store for us.
We didn’t have any time to waste. Alex and I exchanged a quick nod and then turned our attention to the task at hand. We were given a small key, and attached to it was a rolled-up piece of paper. Alex grabbed it before I could, quickly unfolding the note. His eyes scanned the letter, and I could already see the frown forming on his face. 
“Great, more poems,” I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Alex slapped the back of my head lightly, giving me a teasing look.
“Focus, Lucas. We don’t have time for your complaints,” he chuckled, but I could tell he was just as stressed as I was. Still, it was nice to laugh for a second, even if it was only a small distraction from the reality we were facing.
The poem was simple, but also annoyingly cryptic. It said that we needed to insert the key into one of three padlocks. Two of the padlocks weren’t special, but one of them—one shiny padlock—would be the right one. Only that one would accept the key, and if we chose the wrong lock, the key wouldn’t work on any of the others.
“Shiny padlock, huh?” I said, scratching my head. “That’s supposed to be the clue?”
“Apparently,” Alex said with a shrug, glancing around the area. “Let’s find these damn padlocks.”
Without another word, we split up, moving fast, scanning the area for any sign of those padlocks. The pressure of the game was hitting us hard now—there was no room for mistakes. My heart pounded as I searched every corner, eyes darting left and right. Every second felt heavier, the ticking clock always in the back of my mind.
After what felt like forever of running around, I finally spotted two padlocks lying on the floor. They were golden, kind of futuristic-looking, like some high-tech lock you’d see in a movie. But neither of them was shining. I crouched down, examining them closely, frustration creeping in.
How the hell are we supposed to make them shine?
Just then, I heard Alex shouting from across the area. “Lucas! Over here!” His voice echoed, and I spotted him waving his hand, holding another golden padlock. 
I ran over, and we met back in the center, both panting from the effort. But the problem was clear: we could only try the key on one lock. If we picked the wrong one, we’d be stuck. No second chances.
“Let me see that letter again,” I said, holding my hand out. Alex handed me the note, and I read it carefully. The poem mentioned something about the padlock needing to shine. But how? I turned the paper over in my hands, thinking hard.
“How the hell do we make it shine?” Alex groaned, his voice tight with frustration. “This is impossible.”
And then it hit me. Shine.
“That’s it!” I blurted, smacking Alex on the shoulder. “The padlock needs light! Shine, it’s not talking about the padlock itself, it’s talking about actual light!”
Alex blinked, then his eyes lit up with realization. “Ohhh, I get it. We need to shine light on it!”
“Exactly. We need to find some kind of flashlight, a lamp, anything,” I said quickly. Alex didn’t waste a second, rushing to the corner of the room. “There’s something here, Lucas! I think it’s a light!” he shouted, pointing at a small device that looked like a portable light source. 
I hurried over, and we dragged the light toward the three padlocks. One by one, I held each padlock under the light. The first one? Nothing. No shine, no reaction.
“Damn it,” Alex muttered, his face tightening with worry. “It’s not working.”
I tried the second padlock. Again, nothing. I could feel the pressure building in my chest. Time was running out, and if we didn’t solve this puzzle soon, we’d be done for.
“This isn’t gonna work, Lucas,” Alex said, his voice almost panicked.
But then I lifted the third padlock under the light. The metal glinted, a strong flash of light reflected into our eyes. 
“Holy crap!” I yelled, my heart skipping a beat. “That’s it! That’s the one!”
I didn’t waste any more time. I grabbed the key, my hands shaking slightly, and inserted it into the lock. There was a tense second where nothing happened, and then—*click*. The padlock opened with a soft snap.
Both Alex and I let out a huge breath at the same time.
“That was way too close,” I gasped, laughing a little in disbelief.
Alex clapped me on the back, laughing with me. “Man, I thought we were done for.”
I glanced at the open padlock, feeling a weird sense of accomplishment. But then reality set back in. This was just the first round. It was like a trial, a warm-up for whatever twisted challenge came next. 
And if this was the easy part... I didn’t want to think about what was coming.
We barely had time to catch our breath before the next challenge hit us. Five minutes had passed since we cleared the first round, and now we only had two more levels to go. But my mind kept wandering, thinking about how Abigail and Finn were doing. We hadn’t seen them since the start, and the thought of them facing their own set of puzzles without us made me uneasy.
I glanced over at Alex. “I hope Abigail and Finn are okay, wherever they are,” I said, the worry slipping into my voice.
Alex noticed it instantly, like he always does, and gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, man. I’m sure they’re fine. Probably solving puzzles like us right now.”
Somehow, that made me feel a little better. I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.
Alex’s smile turned sly, and he added, “Or who knows? Maybe they’re not solving anything and just making out somewhere.” 
I shot him a death glare, the smile fading right off my face. “What the hell, man?”
Alex couldn’t help but burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. “I’m just messing with you, relax! But your face—dude, you went from worried to murder-mode in like two seconds.”
I smacked the back of his head, punching him lightly in the arm. “Stop imagining nonsense, you idiot.”
“Yeah, yeah, but look at you! Red as a strawberry,” Alex teased, still chuckling. 
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore how warm my face was. “Shut up, Alex. Let’s just get through this next level, alright?”
We approached the entrance to the second level. The room was empty—just a big, open space with nothing but sand covering the floor. There was only a single letter in the center of the room, just like before. I stepped forward and grabbed it, reading it aloud.
The letter was written in cyan-colored ink, almost glowing in the dim light. It talked about buttons, hidden somewhere in the room. But these buttons couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. We had to find them, and only then could we proceed to the final level. The letter also warned that if we pushed the wrong button, flames would shoot up from the floor and trap us, circling us with fire.
“Great,” Alex grumbled, “So we’re supposed to find invisible buttons in a giant sandbox?”
I couldn’t help but agree. “Where the hell are we supposed to find these buttons?”
I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes had already passed, and we only had ten more minutes left. Time was ticking, and the pressure was building again.
Alex, clearly frustrated, kicked at the sand, sending a cloud of it into the air. “Ugh, this is impossible!”
But that’s when I noticed something. As the sand fell back down, I saw a glint of metal underneath. It wasn’t just a regular floor under the sand—it was metal. A smooth, shiny surface was hidden underneath all the sand.
“Wait, stop kicking for a second,” I said quickly, dropping to my knees. I brushed away some of the sand with my hands, revealing a small patch of the metal floor underneath. 
Alex caught on fast and knelt down beside me, starting to clear more sand away. “You think something’s buried here?” he asked, already working to uncover more of the floor.
“Maybe. We have to keep looking,” I said, wiping away the sand as fast as I could.
After a few minutes of digging, we uncovered something small—something shiny. A magnifying glass. I picked it up, holding it to my eyes, trying to see if it would reveal any clues. But nothing happened.
“I found something!” Alex suddenly shouted. I looked over and saw him kneeling over a section of the floor, brushing away more sand to reveal seven small buttons, all buried beneath the metal surface. Each button was the same dull grey color, almost impossible to distinguish from each other.
“Seven buttons… and we have to choose the right one,” Alex said, his voice tense. “If we mess this up—”
“I know,” I cut him off, my mind racing. “We’ll get trapped in a ring of fire. No pressure.”
Alex stared at the buttons, then stood up. “We don’t have time to waste, Lucas. We have to try something.”
I could tell he was right. Time was running out. But still, I grabbed his arm before he could press anything. “Wait! Do you wanna get us both killed?”
Alex sighed in frustration, pulling his arm free. “What choice do we have? We’ve only got seven minutes left!”
I glanced at the magnifying glass in my hand, gripping it tightly. He was right. We didn’t have much time, but I wasn’t ready to take that kind of risk just yet.
“Just… give me a second,” I said, holding the glass up to my eyes again, scanning the room, the floor, the walls—anything. But nothing came into focus. 
“Six minutes, Lucas!” Alex called out, panic starting to creep into his voice.
I turned back to where he was standing, still holding the magnifying glass to my eyes. And that’s when I saw it—a faint glow. One of the buttons, the one on the far right, had a cyan tint to it, barely visible through the glass.
“That’s it!” I shouted, almost dropping the magnifying glass in my excitement. “The letter was written in cyan, the button is glowing cyan! That’s the right one!”
Alex blinked, staring at me like I was crazy for a moment, but then he quickly jumped into action. “You sure?”
“Yes, push the one on the far right, now!”
Without wasting another second, Alex slammed his hand down on the button. The ground trembled beneath us, and for a split second, I thought we were doomed. But instead of fire, the floor started to rise back up, lifting us with it.
A green light flashed across the floor, signaling that we had cleared the second level.
Alex let out a breathless laugh, jumping up and down like an excited kid. “We did it! Oh my god, we did it!”
Before I could react, he rushed over to me, pulling me into a hug so tight it knocked me off balance. We both ended up falling to the ground, laughing like idiots.
“Get off me, man!” I yelled, giggling as I tried to push him away.
Alex grinned down at me, finally letting me go and rolling off to the side. “You’re just mad because I saved us.”
I shook my head, still laughing. “Yeah, sure. We’ve only got five minutes left, so get your butt up! We need to get ready for the final level.”
Alex groaned, standing up and helping me to my feet. We both glanced at the clock, knowing that the next challenge was going to be even harder. But for now, we were just happy to still be standing. He is happy to still be standing like a little boy.
We finally made it to the final round of the game, standing in a dark room, waiting for whatever came next. Alex was breathing hard beside me, wiping sweat off his forehead. My own heart was racing, knowing we were so close. This was the last level, and I didn’t know if I was more scared or excited.
Suddenly, Emery’s voice boomed through the speakers, cutting through the silence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have something special for you all!” she announced, her tone full of excitement. “My brother, Noah and our father have landed on the level of the ‘Machine of Truth’.”
I froze. What? Noah and Mr. Aurorium? ‘Machine of Truth’? What was she talking about?
Emery’s voice continued. “We’ll be pausing the time and all ongoing games so everyone can witness this memorable moment. All players, please take a seat and enjoy the lovely father-and-son game.”
The clock in front of me suddenly stopped. No more ticking. Time had been paused. I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. For a second, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but then Alex leaned close to me and whispered, “Well, this is a great chance to relax a bit. Time’s paused, man. Let’s take a break.”
I nodded, feeling the tension leave my shoulders a little. We weren’t rushing against the clock anymore, at least for now. “Yeah, you’re right. Might as well breathe for a second.”
We walked out of the room and, to my relief, spotted Abigail and Finn just exiting their room as well. They looked tired but unharmed. As soon as I saw them, a wave of relief washed over me. Thank god they were okay.
“Hey, you guys alright?” I called out as we approached them.
Abigail smiled, wiping her brow. “Yeah, we’re good. We cleared all the level, all thanks to Finn. He made those puzzles look easy.”
I looked at Finn, who just gave a small shrug, like it was no big deal, but I knew how hard these games were. “That’s great. I’m glad you two are safe now,” I said, unable to stop myself from giving Abigail a tight hug. I could feel the tension finally leave my body now that I knew she was okay. 
For a moment, it felt like everything was alright, even if we were still stuck in this insane game. I let go of her and looked over at Alex and Finn. “Let’s sit down and watch whatever this ‘Machine of Truth’ thing is with Noah and his father,” I suggested. “I don’t know why, but Emery seems real excited about it.”
Alex gave me a look and nodded. “Yeah, she does. Feels like she’s been waiting for this moment.”
We all moved towards the center of the arena where Emery’s voice was still echoing through the speakers. As we got closer, I glanced at the clock in our section and noticed something strange. It was still ticking. Time wasn’t paused for us.
“Wait…” I muttered, staring at the clock. “Their time’s still running.”
Alex looked at it too, frowning. “What the hell? I thought she said she paused the game for everyone.”
“Yeah, only for the both of us ,” I said, trying not to let the frustration show. “Looks like only me and you are still on the clock.”
Alex let out a low curse, shaking his head. “Of course. Just our luck.”
We found a place to sit where we had a good view of the platform where Noah and Mr. Aurorium were standing. The whole arena seemed focused on them now. The air felt heavy, like something big was about to happen. Emery’s voice came back over the speakers.
“Now, everyone, please watch carefully,” she said. “The ‘Machine of Truth’ doesn’t lie. It exposes everything—every secret, every lie, every hidden feeling. And now, it’s time for Noah and our father to face the truth.”
My stomach twisted at her words. I had no idea what kind of game this was, but it didn’t sound like the normal puzzles we’d been dealing with. This was something else, something more personal.
Abigail sat down next to me, crossing her arms. “What do you think this ‘Machine of Truth’ is?” she asked, her voice quiet but tense.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But whatever it is, it looks like Emery’s been waiting for this to happen.”
Finn sat down on my other side, staring at the platform where Noah and Mr. Aurorium stood. “If this thing really reveals the truth… that could be dangerous. Especially if they’ve been hiding something.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but Finn was right. If this machine could expose everything, there was no telling what kind of secrets it could drag out into the open.
On the platform, Noah stood next to his father, his face calm but his eyes were hard. Mr. Aurorium, on the other hand, looked a little more uneasy. There was something between them, something unspoken, and it felt like the whole room could sense it. 
Emery’s voice rang out again, “Noah, Father, please step forward and place your hands on the machine.”
The two of them stepped forward and placed their hands on the device that was in the center of the platform. The machine whirred to life, glowing with an eerie light. 
Emery spoke again, her voice full of excitement. “The ‘Machine of Truth’ will now reveal what’s been hidden between you two for all these years. Let the truth be exposed.”
I leaned forward, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I had a bad feeling about this. Something about the way Emery was talking, the way the room felt—it all pointed to something big, something that could change everything.
Alex whispered beside me, “This is messed up, man. What do you think is gonna happen?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered back, eyes glued to the platform.
The machine began to glow brighter, and I could hear the faint hum of its gears turning. Noah and his father stood perfectly still, their expressions unreadable. 
Then, suddenly, the machine let out a loud beep, and the screen above them flickered to life. Words began to appear on the screen, slowly at first, and then faster. Secrets, lies, truths that had been buried for years were now being broadcasted for everyone to see.
I couldn’t look away. None of us could. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion, knowing you shouldn’t be watching, but unable to stop.
Mr. Aurorium’s face paled as the words on the screen revealed hidden deals, lies he had told, things he had kept from his family, from Noah. And Noah… he didn’t look surprised. He stood there, staring at the screen, his jaw clenched tight.
Emery’s voice came through once more, low and dangerous. “The truth, Father, is something you’ve been hiding for far too long.”
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. This wasn’t just a game anymore. This was something real, something raw. I glanced at Abigail, who was watching with wide eyes, and then at Finn, whose face was unreadable.
This was more than any of us had bargained for.